Anyone here not busy? I didn’t think so. Having an endless To Do list is a part of living in Fairfield County these days. While it’s satisfying to knock a bunch of items off that list, there’s one thing best done slowly: your daily skin-care ritual. This is found “me” time.
That’s a lesson we learned when a new line of skin-care products showed up at Organachs Farm to Skin, an organic skin-care and beauty boutique in Westport. We fell under May Lindstrom Skin’s spell. “My journey into skincare began as a small girl,” says the founder. “Growing up, I would spend full days mashing wild plants into a pulp and covering myself, and everyone who would humor me in ‘potions’ made from these vibrant green liquids and the clays I would dig from the iron rich soil in my yard.”
That creative spirit has evolved. She now creates luxury natural oils, serums and spritzes with the appeal to ease up and enjoy the ritual of caring for face and body. Suddenly, the routine flips from one more thing to get done to a treasured moment to pamper and honor ourselves.
FOR GOOD
“I am passionate about pure, potent ingredients and return to our roots,” says Lindstrom. “Our planet provides such an elegant bounty of delicious botanicals, clays, salts and spices that it is hard for me to fathom how we have strayed so far from that to the current trend of hocus-pocus performed in laboratories, mass-produced plastic bottles filled with damaging synthetic chemicals and cheap fillers.”
She says some of her clients come to her with overstressed skin that is highly sensitized and exhausted. “I tell them their skin needs a vacation.” She takes them off all products, including her own, and designs a simple transitional routine using only water, maybe a bit of honey and a few oils. This lets skin rest and renew. Only then does she begin talking about her line.
That high-end line is alluring for its purity. For example, Pendulum Potion is a cleansing oil, removing makeup and nourishing the skin, and Clean Dirt, with clays, spices, salts and Vitamin C, refines the skin’s appearance. The serums, balms, masques and mists (please try the yummy jasmine mist) address specific concerns, such as dehydration or dullness and are handcrafted with nutrient-rich ingredients that are organic, bio-dynamic, wild crafted, cruelty free and sustainable. Additionally, Lindstorm doesn’t purchase base formulas or use fillers. Instead, in a private studio she bottles her products in micro-batches and packages with the lavish care we all should show ourselves.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Lindstrom suggests a full ritual at least once a week. Here’s the breakdown:
- Pendulum Potion: Use thoroughly. “And effortlessly steam away oil and environmental debris, easing congestion and stagnation and indulging your skin day and night in decadent, silky caresses and a sultry scent experience.”
- The Honey Mud: “Feed goodness back in, easing stressed complexions and adding nourishment. If needed, pair with The Clean Dirt to effectively exfoliate, clear clogged pores and help you to shed dead and dehydrated skin.”
- The Problem Solver: “To brighten, fade spots and discoloration, and treat and prevent breakouts.
- The Youth Dew or The Blue Cocoon: Use one after every cleansing or treatment, hydrate your face, neck and décolleté. “The Youth Dew is the ultimate glow potion—providing gorgeous moisture while balancing your natural oil production and slowing the onset of lines and wrinkles.…The Blue Cocoon protects and plumps, heals and soothes skin and is magical for all types of inflammation from eczema to acne or rosacea. It is also my very favorite eye and lip treatment.”
- The Jasmine Garden. This botanical mist is used after cleansing and before oils, again after oils, to set makeup, to spritz throughout the day to refresh, cool, calm and heal. “The Jasmine Garden infuses skin with anti-oxidant protection, restoring elasticity, stimulating microcirculation and freeing delicate complexions of redness and inflammation. Formulated for the face, I can’t help but indulge head to toe! The scent is truly a dream.”
THE SOURCE
This routine can read long—but in practice it’s one nice treat after another. Lindstrom adds that the most important key to building the experience is to be in the moment. “Even if you have only five minutes, make it the most delightful five minutes of your day,” she says. “Savor this time, drink everything in and let yourself get a little swept away.”
See more at maylindstrom.com or stop by Organachs Farm to Skin, which sources luxurious, organic skincare and cosmetics from around the world, at 15 Post Rd. W., Westport; organachsfarmtoskin.com.