Beauty, Wellness, Recipes, Food
 Skin care begins with what you are eating and how you treat your skin every morning and night. Sunday I began a 3 day jolieLife juice cleanse with the prescriptive intention of boosting glow, skin elasticity, and firmness. I wanted to share what plants I use to support beautiful skin and how plants can be used in skincare.
The plants I eat to build beautiful skin are: Maca is an ancient Peruvian root which has been used medicinally for 2000 years to promote overall vitality. For the skin, it helps protect against UV damage and increase elasticity. Tocos is soluble rice bran which is exceptionally high in vitamin E - an antioxidant which improves skin clarity, moisture, eczema, and psoriasis; vitamin E is also key in combating oxidative stress - one of the key factors that affect the speed of wrinkle formation. Carrots, beets, oranges, blood oranges are high in Vitamin A which converts to retinol and beta-carotene in the body. I prefer to eat my retinol - it is more effective with none of the negative side effects of topical retinol. Beta-carotene builds natural glow that no highlighter can produce. Dark leafy vegetables and sea vegetables provide chlorophyll which not only increases your energy, but helps resolve breakouts and reduces inflammation. Skin irritation, redness, scarring, and uneven skin tones are the result of skin inflammation. Turmeric is a super powerful anti-inflammatory. I use it not only in cooked food, but pressed juices, smoothies, and elixirs. Turmeric is easily broken down by the liver, so daily use is best. I use fresh turmeric as well as dried turmeric. Skin Routine for Your Best Skin I use plants throughout my skin care. Matcha and Honey I routinely use for a face mask. The matcha reduces inflammation, brightens the skin, and provides topical antioxidants. Honey is the perfect pair to the matcha - it deeply moisturizes the skin and prevents breakouts with its antibacterial action. Morning and evening skin care is absolutely necessary. Usually my evening routine is more involved because I have less time in the morning. However, create your routine to work within your time constraints. Evening - I exfoliate/cleanse with a clay and botanical or honey based cleanser. I allow the cleanser to stay on for 5-10 minutes as a mini nourishing mask to detoxify and purify my skin. I then tone with plant essences and moisturize with plant oils like those found in Pomona face oil. Morning - the routine is similar with the exception of a simple oil based cleanse followed by plant essences and oil based moisturizer. The products I use vary based on the season and what my skin needs in the moment. For summer, clay works better to keep my pores clear, mineral sunscreen is a must, and a few drops of the Pomona face oil keeps me moisturized. Love, Julia xo P.S. Whenever caring for you face do not forget your neck and chest - with neglect they do not age well.  By eating jolieLife you are doing more good than you realize, you are participating in the amazing work that goes on at Lani Farm for the earth and humanity.
Yesterday I toured the main farm that supplies us wth vegetables and fruits. The tour could not have come at a better time - a gift I needed. I choose all the suppliers for jolieLife based on their farming practices and the spirit of the people because I want jolieLife food to feed your body, but also in doing so, to be an act of good in the world and to the earth. I encountered Lani farm at the Union Square Farmers’ Market and have been receiving food from Lani Farm since jolieLife started, but I had not gone to the farm. Yesterday’s tour was proof that you can draw to yourself exactly your perfect match. Lani Farm was created by Steve and Dusan - Steve began farming in Korea and Dusan in the former Yugoslavia. They are both a gift - passionate, innovative, and forces of good. First off, all the farming practices go further than organic requirements and are kind to the earth. The farm itself is as self sustaining as possible producing it’s own compost, mulch, and water sources. The prepared Korean food and flours they sell are all with vegetables grown on the farm - if they don’t grow it, they do not sell it. Vegetables are grown in mixed communities of plants so that pests are kept at bay, soil nutrients are built up, and plants are allowed to grow as strongly as possible. This all means more nutrition in your food. The plant varieties are chosen for health, performance, and taste - many of them heirlooms. For example, they grow ancient wheat. Un-genetically modified wheat has extremely low yields. But it tastes better, and is better digested by the body. Crops are constantly rotated, cover crops are turned into the soil to maintain and improve soil health with each planting, fields are allowed to rest. This practice, even in organic farms, is frequently ignored in favor of higher profits. But more than anything, the will to do good is so evident. There is a pervasive desire to work in cooperation with the earth, the individuals who work on the farm are provided with amazing housing and leisure spaces that reflect their worth and value as equal human beings - most farms provide what I consider sub-humane living conditions. And, this is the pièce de résistance, the farm is in the process of constructing a retreat space, a housing community for the elderly, and low income housing where Lani Farm absorbs all housing expenses for the people living there. And, within the farm is farmland allocated for growing crops purely for donation to food pantries, I know of other farms that donate their surplus, but this level of generosity is unmatched The spirit and actions of generosity and social responsibility were exactly what I needed when the world looks so dark with Covid, financial crisis, and the murder of George Floyd. There is still a lot of light and love in the world. And when we desire to be a force of love and light, we often are already in cooperation with love in ways we do not even realize. Love, Julia xo  Staying centered and happy is necessary as the anchor of the family. Moms do set the tone of the house and of experiences, even for adult children sheltering at home during quarantine.
My meditation practice is my own anchor and is what keeps me joyful and hopeful during all the ups and downs of the last few months. However, it has changed a lot during quarantine. I find myself resistant to doing a sitting mediation and moving has been the key for me. I think because life has gotten slower, sitting is not the relief it once was. We are more seeking things to do than paring down the activities of our lives. My alternative meditations have me meditating far more these last months than I did in “normal life.”
Love, Julia xo P.S.Tea has the added benefit of being a strong antioxidant. It keeps mind, cells, and skin glowing. |
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