Andrea Amez is a holistic esthetician, transformational glow-up practitioner and product concierge. Tierney talks to Andrea about taking care of herself while quarantining at home, opening her own skin studio in LA and infusing some expert know-how into your daily skin and beauty rituals. Andrea talks about avoiding obsessive self-grooming, reading your body by paying attention to inflammation and keeping centered as a self-employed person and small business owner amid economic uncertainty.
Together they discuss beauty acquisitions and brands that plummet in quality after being acquired, the legend of Olaplex, and the mass beauty culture shift currently happening as people can’t maintain their fillers, extensions and other aesthetic treatments. They also talk about trying cannabis sheet masks and skincare and using CBD tinctures meant for consumption as a topical face treatment.
Tierney reveals the beauty products she’s bought online while staying at home, including a certain cult-favorite hair supplement whose infomercial she loves, reflects on beauty rituals as “prayer” instead of “proof,” and shares a short beauty-inspired reading list.
Andrea explains avoiding talc in makeup and body products, paying attention to product expiration dates and vetting the use of supplements to increase immunity. She also dishes about meeting her fiance at the Aesop store, bonding over Carol's Daughter hair products and proposing to him in Japan.
Andrea answers listener questions like: How can I reduce my redness and inflammation? What are the best foods for detoxifying your skin? What drug-store products will make for the best impromptu at-home facial? What is the best way to treat a breakout without picking it? What kind of masks and treatments can I whip up at home? How and why should I make my health and beauty routines more “experiential?” Does using a silk pillowcase really make a difference on hair and skin? What can hospital workers use to prevent skin friction from constant mask-wearing? How do I use a gua-sha tool?
There’s also a celebration of Earth Day and the New Moon :) Follow Andrea @amez_pro and check out http://www.amezskin.com/ and follow Tierney @tstar7.
Tierney Talks proposes you consider matching any money you spend on beauty non-essentials with donations to individuals and organizations. Tierney and Andrea donated to The Okra Project, a collective that brings healthy meals to black trans and gender non-conforming people. You can do the same by PayPal-ing the Black Trans Solidarity Fund – https://www.paypal.me/btsf – and encourage friends to do the same (or go in together!)
Special thanks to our audio producer Margot Padilla. She produced our opening track too! Stream “Let Me Love You” by Dis Fantasy everywhere <3
Andrea Amez is a holistic esthetician, transformational glow-up practitioner and product concierge. Tierney talks to Andrea about taking care of herself while quarantining at home, opening her own skin studio in LA and infusing some expert know-how into your daily skin and beauty rituals. Andrea talks about avoiding obsessive self-grooming, reading your body by paying attention to inflammation and keeping centered as a self-employed person and small business owner amid economic uncertainty.
Together they discuss beauty acquisitions and brands that plummet in quality after being acquired, the legend of Olaplex, and the mass beauty culture shift currently happening as people can’t maintain their fillers, extensions and other aesthetic treatments. They also talk about trying cannabis sheet masks and skincare and using CBD tinctures meant for consumption as a topical face treatment.
Tierney reveals the beauty products she’s bought online while staying at home, including a certain cult-favorite hair supplement whose infomercial she loves, reflects on beauty rituals as “prayer” instead of “proof,” and shares a short beauty-inspired reading list.
Andrea explains avoiding talc in makeup and body products, paying attention to product expiration dates and vetting the use of supplements to increase immunity. She also dishes about meeting her fiance at the Aesop store, bonding over Carol's Daughter hair products and proposing to him in Japan.
Andrea answers listener questions like: How can I reduce my redness and inflammation? What are the best foods for detoxifying your skin? What drug-store products will make for the best impromptu at-home facial? What is the best way to treat a breakout without picking it? What kind of masks and treatments can I whip up at home? How and why should I make my health and beauty routines more “experiential?” Does using a silk pillowcase really make a difference on hair and skin? What can hospital workers use to prevent skin friction from constant mask-wearing? How do I use a gua-sha tool?
There’s also a celebration of Earth Day and the New Moon :) Follow Andrea @amez_pro and check out http://www.amezskin.com/ and follow Tierney @tstar7.
Tierney Talks proposes you consider matching any money you spend on beauty non-essentials with donations to individuals and organizations. Tierney and Andrea donated to The Okra Project, a collective that brings healthy meals to black trans and gender non-conforming people. You can do the same by PayPal-ing the Black Trans Solidarity Fund – https://www.paypal.me/btsf – and encourage friends to do the same (or go in together!)
Special thanks to our audio producer Margot Padilla. She produced our opening track too! Stream “Let Me Love You” by Dis Fantasy everywhere <3
Hi, it's Tierney host of tyranny talks. You're about to listen to a very special episode of the show. Welcome. Welcome to a new episode of tyranny talks. My guest today is my friend, friend of the podcast and amazing aesthetician and beauty entrepreneur, Andrea[inaudible].
Speaker 2:Yay. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3:Thank you for being here. It's earth day. It's the new moon.
Speaker 2:So many things. Yes.
Speaker 3:And you were the first guest of the podcast ever, so it's always an occasion to get back with you.
Speaker 2:I love it. Where are you right now? I am in my dining room and there's this corner that I love that I feel like I get, I don't know. My concentration levels are always really on and I feel really focused cause I'm next to like a beautiful window and a fig plant. So I'm in my dining room.
Speaker 3:Cute. Do you eat those figs?
Speaker 2:No. I wish it's one of those like fig tree, you know, decor type plants. But um, I just really like looking at it totally.
Speaker 3:I'm in, um, my bedroom because it's the most like sound insulated area I have just from clothes. And bedding I guess. And but what I've done recently is put a high stool in here to like get to this microphone better. And it's crazy how sitting much higher in a room I've spent so much time in feels like really new and fun, especially in this time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like that's kind of inspiring to me cause I've been really thinking about while being at home, how important space and environment is. And you know, for me, um, I'm never at home this much. Like I'm always at the studio or I'm just kind of like always out really. And so I'm, yeah, I really like working from bed and the couch, but sometimes I end up feeling a little gross if I'm like still in bed for hours. Do you know what I mean? I don't know, which is stupid. I start to feel a little like, ah, I shouldn't have done that. And also it kind of hurts my back. So, um, yeah, I'm really, I really want to get like a really nice desk and set it up and kind of feel like I'm going back to school. I guess I miss school a little bit, girl. I'm
Speaker 3:living the student scholar stoner lifestyle. I always
Speaker 4:did. And I think, you know, socializing takes up a lot of time. So it's just so funny. Um, I do have an office because you know, I work a lot from home, uh, regardless of this. And uh, so maybe a year ago I got, I made an office in my house and it is so like rewarding and fun. Um, especially now because I was so excited to have an office that I, to have a designated space to like create and besides just doing my like assigned work, um, which at home just feels like homework to me. I'm down, you know, but having a space to do that rather than popping around the dining table and sharing space with other people and, or like working from bed, um, I, I just loved having the space so much that I didn't really invest a whole lot of thought into improving it. Like I painted it and all that, but uh, with the help of my dad. But it's funny now how like it's so much cleaner and more well organized and I just, it makes me feel like I'm on a television show to walk in cause I've just never been organized in my life.
Speaker 2:I can already picture it. I just love I aside from obviously like beauty and skin, I really like organization is so cool. Like I'm kind of upset like just organizing pet. I'm a huge pen person and I know you are too. But like pens and note put like I have a whole dream of having like a beautiful office space with like all the notebooks and like colorful pens you could think of. So that's like that's the goal. But it's like times like this where you can actually be, you know, it's like the day to day hustle has turned down a lot. So it's like it's really nice to let yourself do other things that like bring happiness. And for me that's definitely like organizing and supplies and school supplies and stuff, which is really random. But it, it's just, it's always been such a thing for me.
Speaker 4:It's also super creative. Like, whatever you use those supplies for, you're making something out of it, you know, or like dreaming about what you want and manifesting and why not especially in a time like a new moon or the period right after use like our words and drawings and just time to think about beautiful things into like drawing the kind of healing stuff we want.
Speaker 2:Exactly. How's this, how has this week been for you? I mean, it's like a heavy hitting week. It's like four 20 new moon earth day. How are you feeling?
Speaker 4:I'm feeling pretty good. Um, you know, I,
Speaker 3:I'm very mindful that for like people listening to us talk and even just talking to one another, that everybody right now is going through so many different experiences and that, um, week to week or day to day or you know, period of the day to another, it can feel like so many different things and one and like for me this week, uh, because of some of the things you mentioned, I've had a very positive and healing, um, vibe, but in like just enjoying my own time, which for like a Capricorn with a lot of blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, issues, it's feels revolutionary to just enjoy yourself I think sometimes and like fill your life with all the things you're called to like, you know, reading good books and spending time outside and talking to people who I really care about on the phone or FaceTime and you know, thinking about interviewing you and like this is very rewarding. But I also don't like getting caught up in any kind of productivity like induced like mental shift. Cause I'm so sorry. Um, I can very easily get caught up in like, I really believe in unplugging from work and the pressures around that. So just because I tend to enjoy so many of the things I do, it can quickly become too much about that in a time when it's really not about that, you know?
Speaker 2:Definitely. Yeah. I see that. Did you hear that sailor sailor? Hear my voice? We're going to have time. Dre is done. I'm so sorry. She literally never Burks. Okay. One second. She heard my voice. She saw, she saw a squirrel.
Speaker 3:I see. Please welcome to the podcast, Margo Padilla, who is our amazing audio producer and friend. We miss going to your house to record, babe. I know, I know. I miss you guys
Speaker 2:so much. I just liked the whole setup in there. I just, it's funny. It's not like I, there's something there that your space, Margot has a really good energy to it.
Speaker 3:Very well. Big agree, chill vibe. Not intimidating, you know, Hey, on this bourbon podcast. Yeah, just, you know, like you're in a home, you know. Homeys someone's home in LA. All three of us gals are from Southern California and we're very proud of it. So it's true that
Speaker 2:no Sunday, I was just thinking how after corn, teenagers, I think it's probably time get an LA tattoo. Yeah, same. I've been feeling very, um, PRI like I've, I'm prideful of where we're from, but I also am just like, I can't think of a better city or state pro. I'll say state. Cause I do think California is the best. It's like how are we though? Yeah. Yeah. I mean the fact that I have a backyard is like, so here I'm just not taking anything for granted right now. Like I'm like, Oh my God, how gorgeous these, you know, like random ass flowers that you see. And it's like cool. It's all, you know, it's just like all something to be grateful for. Definitely.
Speaker 3:I feel like a local yokel you know, I love LA and I love, I have a Valley tattoo and Brian, um, my boyfriend has an LA te.
Speaker 2:Oh. So I'm, I know I'm late to it, but I went through my phase of tattoos pretty early at like 17 and then I haven't really gotten anything new for like six or seven years. So
Speaker 3:yeah, I don't think you're late to it. I'm saying just join the party babe. Come on.
Speaker 2:Yeah I know. Turn up LA, turn up.
Speaker 3:I got eight, eight and Michelle got seven one eight. Um, and I got mine on the hip and hers on her behind and seven one eight is her area code in Queens. So we thought there was a synchronicity to our area codes being so close.
Speaker 2:Definitely. That's really, uh, it's funny cause Michelle to me is so LA in so many ways. Um, but I forget she's from Queens, but um, I really, yeah, I think that's really sick to have like a, I want like a matching tattoo with someone. I've never done that before.
Speaker 3:I have another one with my lesbian rocker friend who I guess from that description, I don't know if she wants to be named, but if you're listening babe, it's on my ankle and it says rebel.
Speaker 2:Ooh.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I got it on the sunset strip. But tattoos are funny. I heard a lot of people are giving themselves tattoos. Well, you know, staying at home.
Speaker 2:That's interesting. Yeah, I mean I think that I feel like stick and pokes probably aren't that hard. Um, they just really hurt like a bitch though. They're like, I think they're super painful, like in a weird way. I kind of like the gun, but there's something really cool and intimate about a stick and poke, but I think I'm too scared. I wouldn't be too scared to try it on myself, but I know they have like kits that you can get.
Speaker 3:I would never try it on myself. I wouldn't even do, I don't do self-tanner. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Um, yeah. It's funny though. I was looking at photos and I was thinking like, why don't I use self-tanner? You know, but it just seems especially like with you in mind, probably because of just the skincare element of like how much effort it takes to really like clean your pores and stuff. It, the thought of putting on layers of like fake color to me feels very like unnecessarily like just congestive or something.
Speaker 2:Definitely I have to admit, which is really funny because I definitely had like a self Tanner phase maybe like five, six years ago. And I got really into this self, Tanner by tart. Um, cause it was kind of more natural. I don't think it was organic but it was definitely vegan and I would, I was still living with my parents at the time and I would literally call like yell for my mom, like mom, come home and do my Tanner. Cause it was just like I don't really, you know, this about me. Tyranny. I don't really like show skin ever. Like I, I dress, my style has always been flowy and like oversize over the years. So like come spring, summer I feel I got started getting really self conscious that I was like just really pale, which is fine. But um, the funny thing what I discovered about self-tanner is I really like respect to people who use them. But I just, I literally really shed so much skin on my body, which is why I'm don't like, I just don't even know how you can keep up with it. I literally think you have to do self-tanner like every week, every seven days just to keep up with the maintenance. And like you said, like in my head, to me it's just sort of like this congesting thing that isn't really allowing your skin to breathe. So I stopped it because I started getting all blotchy and like the in between makes you never want to do it again cause you look crazy.
Speaker 4:Yeah. That's what I think besides that, the actual poor level, the other like congested vibe is just the, cause. I've had other kinds of, you know, makeup or treatments before were like eyelash extensions. I only had them once or I've had them, I think about my hand then once, and it's like that in between of between them falling out all the way and you first getting them on, it just looks so wonky after a while and it makes me way more like, I don't know, body dysmorphic or just like, yeah, I don't know. I think that's something I want to get into a little later of like some of the more, I'm just pondering of like the obsessiveness and compulsiveness and like emotional attachments that can come
Speaker 3:caring for ourselves and skincare and beauty and like vanity and blah, blah, blah. But first I want to talk about something which is much more important, which is earth day. Yeah. It was another synchronicity that we are speaking on earth day. But when I was really happy about, um, and it's actually the 50th anniversary, the first earth day was in 1970. So I thought that was interesting.
Speaker 2:Oh, I didn't even realize that that's even so much more special. I love that
Speaker 3:it says when earth day was first organized, it brought out 10% of the American population, which is honestly so many people imagine if like any of our movements had that right off the bat, you know?
Speaker 2:Totally.
Speaker 3:Um, I feel like, you know, I received an email from Noto, um, Botanics this morning about earth day, um, and like sustainability and I know many different brands, especially the ones you're interested in and partnering with, um, make it a priority in their beauty practice. But can you just speak to that a little bit? Tell us about like what's the trend report of sustainability in the beauty industry right now?
Speaker 2:Definitely. Um, I feel like there's been really huge strides, um, when thinking about, you know, product launches, everything from, um, you know, recite, being able to recycle the byproducts to the product, the original product, um, packaging originally. So that's kind of something I think a lot of consumers from what I've noticed and my personal belief now is that we're all very conscious of this. Um, I feel like I see less and less brands using plastic for example, and are switching to glass, which is really, really huge. Um, and now that I think about it, I feel like a lot of the brands that are really kind of kind of like blowing up right now are very much, um, focused around that. So like a great example obviously is you to the people and they literally center campaigns around, um, environmental cleanups or reusing, you know, let's say you finish the activated mist, um, and you have like a extra bottle, like they're doing really cool, um, campaigns where you see people reusing them as flower vases. And I think that's really cool. Um, I would say there's this, what I think is really exciting is there's now so many more, I feel like avenues where you can, if you're a consumer and you want to buy eco-friendly products, there are more resources. There's a store in New York, um, that I really, really admire called package free shop. And essentially everything there is packaged free. There's no, um, use of plastic. So everything's pretty much in like a glass container or like biodegradable, which I think is so amazing. So just even seeing that kind of movement and progress is really, really huge. So I think hopefully that's kind of working to influence all consumers around the world that Hey, we need to, you know, get creative in ways to reuse these or support brands that do have eco friendly initiatives.
Speaker 3:I like the idea of reusing because your example, the adaptogen mist from youth, I, um, was actually bothering to put skincare this morning, um, in preparation to speak to you and notice that I'm like about to be done, um, with that product and I would never have thought to put flowers in it.
Speaker 2:I know, right? Yeah. They just launched this campaign and um, one of the founders was like, I am using, we're using this jar for my spices. And I'm like, Ugh. That's, so it's just little things like that, that these are those little actions aside from like recycling and throwing products in the recycling bin. That's one thing. But it's really about adapting and adding these little steps into your daily life. That I think over time will make a bigger difference. So it's like instead of disposing or recycling right away, it's like, let's think of other applications for these containers that essentially can become, you know, permanent objects, which I think is really cool.
Speaker 3:And for you to the people are those containers glass?
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, they, they are, I think,
Speaker 3:no wonder they seem nice. Like I've heard that a lot of the line and the containers are all really nice.
Speaker 2:I think, I'm probably don't know the exact lingo, but I think with skincare there's like a lot of grades, um, to like ask that you can use. But what's nice about theirs is that I actually have dropped, um, what of their products before and it didn't break. So like I think certain glasses have a little bit of a bounce factor, which I think is really cool. And funny about that is like when I started working for OSEA like four years ago, um, their whole thing, they didn't actually, they use recyclable glass. But one of the biggest complaints that I remember getting from customers was that, um, like if you go to the store, it doesn't have, there's no left like box packaging or like it seemed like it just, I don't know, it gave the air that it wasn't as quote unquote like expensive or Lux, which I think is kind of thing. Um, but you know, that I feel like even just in those four years that's really shifted. It's like don't want the extra packaging. And I think, um, you know, that messaging has to always for brands always has to come back to really smart marketing. Um, cause as much as we're in the time of like, I think really paying attention to environment friendly initiatives, I think that we're also in the time of like major branding and like if you have just a really cool box for your product, like that isn't, I grab her, you know, so it's like a delicate balance. But I really do think things are shifting.
Speaker 4:Um, it's interesting because like if you have like someone gave me a Chanel bronzer for a birthday gift and to open the bar, you know, you open the Chanel box and then you open the, it has to be in a velvet pouch that's, you know, embossed Chanel and then it has like a thin layer of paper with a sticker and then you open the product and it's just like, that's all to give me as the consumer, the recipient of the gift, more time to feel like I'm swimming in Chanel, you know? Totally,
Speaker 2:totally. I mean, there's so much psychology behind, you know, these products and products, lunches and lines. And I think what's cool is now we're kind of like backtracking and just thinking about like, no, like, let's cut out all of these middle steps and just let's find the best, most efficient, eco-friendly way to deliver the product and still make the consumer feel special. At least those are the kinds of things that, you know, I'm thinking about. Um, as I continue to like expand my business and things and, you know, it's really influenced me even the way that I think about when I'm in the studio doing facials. It's like I'm always thinking about what are ways where can I tighten up, you know, the loose ends where it's like, okay, this is a little bit more wasteful. I can probably do re washable, um, this or that had bands, all of that. So, you know, it's definitely something that's always kind of like at the top of,
Speaker 4:um, my list really. So is that an example of one of the changes you've made? Like you previously had disposable headbands or something like that and now you have like a terrycloth or whatever that you throw in the wash with the towels?
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely. I mean, I want to say like a year ago I was, um, using disposable headbands. And it's tough cause it's like with facials it's all you have to be extremely hygienic and especially now during this time that's going to get amplified once we open up. Um, but, you know, in my head, I just get, I'm so much more proud of the fact, like it's like I have X amount of headbands, I rewash them in super hot water. I use bleach. I mean, you can't get any cleaner than that. So it's just like little changes, um, that really help over time instead of, you know, it's like there's such a long, it's like, then the headbands come from usually like China, which is such a far, you know, it's like carbon footprint and then they're packaged within a bunch of plastics. So it's like, just reducing those kind of intermittent steps I think are, um, it's a game changer.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And if you're going to reuse all your products, giving all these facials, you're going to have plenty of organizational containers. Exactly. I love it. I want, I haven't bought stuff in bulk really when it comes to beauty and I'm very interested in checking out a space, like you mentioned in New York or one of the LA equivalents. I know some friends I follow on Instagram, I see them, I'm stocking up on certain like creams or scrubs, I guess. Um, so that's kind of gonna be a new interest of mine.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Re reusing is really cool. I'm going to, that's going to be my new thing during this time for sure.
Speaker 3:It's more accessible than going out and starting to get your whole regimen in bulk or you know what I mean? It's a more simple shift. Exactly. Well of course. Congratulations. Since the last time you were on the show, you opened your own skin studio. Oh yeah. Hollywood, California, yes. What were some of your concerns or you know, big pressures upon opening a small business at the end of last year and was global pandemic among them?
Speaker 2:Um, it was so many things that was like such a nerve wracking but exciting endeavor. And I think it just felt really organic. I mean, I think, um, my departure from my previous studio was just really all about, um, personal growth and I was getting some really interesting opportunities at the time. And I, not to like toot my own horn, but I definitely think like the last three years in retrospect I've, I've been thinking about it a lot, have felt like very like grind deers. Um, and so this like new studio was kind of my way of feeling like, okay, I can slow things down and whatever stresses or issues that I'm going to encounter, at least there'll be mine. And that felt really, really good. I've never had that before. Um, I've learned a lot. I would think I was probably most concerned that people would follow me. But I've, you know, my clients are, I'm so lucky my, all of my clients end up basically becoming my friends and I feel like I've established a really tight community and I'm so, so grateful. And I, I was just so, I, I was just like an all and everything just like transitioned really beautifully. And I have a studio mate that's really wonderful who I've known for like close to five years now. And um, yeah, it was just all about creating this space that was really for ourselves and that didn't feel competitive or claustrophobic. And I'm just, I've been so, so happy. I, it kind of sucks because I think February came around and I had just gone on this like pretty great research trip to Mexico and I came back super ready with like a lot of momentum and then, you know, uh, Covitz started really hitting the media and yeah, it's, it's a really crazy time. I mean, our building shut down. I have not given a facial since the second week of March, so this is probably like the most time I've taken away, um, from not being in a studio and not give performing facials. Um, but that's also allowed me to focus on other things too. So it's, it's like I have been keeping busy as much as I can, but it's also like you were saying like, I'm trying not to let that like productivity stamp get to me. Cause like the first two weeks of current I was feeling really shitty. I was just, I mean, as, as I'm sure everybody was, I was anxious. I was freaking out. I was like, Oh my God, unemployment grants, loans. Like what is all of this? And then, uh, just kind of shifted my perspective and I'm counting all my blessings and, you know, I'm good, my studio's going to be fine. Family's good. So that's really what's kind of like kept me going through this time.
Speaker 3:Totally. Well, I'm glad to hear that you're using the time in that way and that, I mean, I relate to this, the uncertainty aspect, which I'm sure many people are, um, where like I feel a lot of ambiguity about my employment status. I think that's kind of the freelance way is you kind of, it's like unclear, you know, um, especially when you're working with like nimble creative teams on like super, you know, when I use language like that, you know, I'm talking tech and so it's like when you're working with teams that suddenly have huge priorities besides what you're offering the company to, you know what I mean? In my experience, because of everything you just mentioned, loans and financing and like forecasting whether anything's going to stay alive and all that. Um, suddenly I was kind of feeling like, Hey, do I, um, work? Uh, it's, I relate in the same way too, like of just having something that's your own, like this podcast is so it's so personal, you know, to me like it's such a blessing that anyone's going to listen to this. Um, because it's such a fun communion time for me with my friend and someone who I Revere as an expert in this field, like of beauty, which is my lifelong obsession. But at the same time it feels like my cute little small business too because it's just mine, you know?
Speaker 2:Yeah. And I think like more than ever, we need these out like this for you is, you know, a year media, this podcast for you is just such an[inaudible]. It's not even an extension like it is. So, I mean, you're a writer, you're an actor. Like this is just all an extension of that. So I think, yeah, I mean it's weird. It's like uncertainty and you know, even I've always been freelance too, so it's just kind of like a, yeah, it's a funky time just thinking about how things are going to be. And I, I've realized that if I think about the future is that's when I start to get really overwhelmed. So I really actually am trying to just go day by day. And that's been helping my overall anxiety a lot too where it's just like, I just think it's a very, I think when you come from like, um, come from like a lower middle class background and so it's like EV, my entire life has always been about like working and saving money and like savings account and like don't have debt. And it's kind of hard to apply those like rules and morals that like I brought from my family and it's just kind of like I've sort of had to throw that out the window just for my own survival. Cause it's like I just have to believe that everything's going to like pick up and I'll be okay and maybe I won't have to get like a second job somewhere, you know? So it's just really like a day by day thing. And I think that, uh, doing creative projects, different outlets, doing things that you're interested in that maybe you didn't have as much time to focus on, um, are kind of sort of saving the day for me right now. So that feels really good.
Speaker 3:I grew up in a lower middle class family too, but not one with rules and morals, not financially, at least.
Speaker 2:So much family incesteral money trauma. My feta healer was telling me
Speaker 3:me too. But, uh, check out Beth Pickens, episode of tyranny talks for more details, but I think like, I hear what you're saying because your instinct is to just like want to ha like, I'm sure you want to save every dollar you have right now. Right. Um, and it's like from that kind of ethic, you're feeling like you really don't know if you'll ever be able to replace it. Where like the kind of money, family dynamic I, um, grew up with is very much like easy come easy. I gotta like gotta live good while you're here and we'll see how it falls in, you know. Um, but I think also like you mentioned, it's one of the reasons that I get to be in such a good mood is because I have a ton of privilege. You know, I live rent free in my parents' house in LA and like just to have a home like that you could live in for free in the city that you actually want to live in, um, is the hugest privilege because that's why I'm not, you know, worried as fuck about whether or not I do have a job or not. You know what I mean? Like, because I can believe with this kind of magical thinking logic that like more jobs are going to come because I know they are going to come because I love working and I'm good at what I do and I've earned the privileges of that kind of like presumably a network or like opportunities for me, you know? But like at the same time that could be a gross underestimation of what's to come as a fallout from all of this or blah blah blah. So who knows?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Who knows? Well, we'll be okay. I mean, I think as long as we just like adapt and evolve and better ourselves as like humans, I think we're going to be okay.
Speaker 3:But a lot of people are online shopping a lot, um, despite,
Speaker 2:Oh wow. Do you relate to that or are you like, what are y'all doing? I, yeah. Well funny thing about me is this is probably like the most UN millennial thing about me is that I actually, I do not online shop. I don't, I don't like it, especially clothes. And that probably has something to do with like old body dysmorphia shit that I still have to unpack. But I just don't find online shopping for clothes like fun. In fact, it like actually usually puts me in a really bad mood and the only thing that I'm shopping for online at this point, like if I do, it's usually like, I don't know, like a lit crusade. Like, like cookware brings me a lot of joy right now. Like homie shit, you know?
Speaker 3:Totally. Well that's what I'm saying. I'm like, well, you don't have to buy clothes.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Ordering all sorts of shit. Yeah. Well, I think it's crazy like online. I mean it's like this time is really just like our, we are all brick and mortars just going to disappear cause at this point it's like we're going to have a few months under our belt of just basically being at home and not having access to like Doug department. Yeah. So it's like really interesting. I mean I think that it's always been in that direction and I happen to have a partner who literally does this for a living who like his entire career has been on online eCommerce stuff. So it's just really interesting. It like, I this if anything I think with covert, I think it'll probably catalyze like a whole nother, like, I don't know, I feel like it's just going to be all digital, virtual shopping.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I mean I feel like I was holding off on online shopping for a really long time, um, in comparison, but like just to a lot of people. But sorry, I'm like looking at something. Um, I feel like I didn't use sell shop online much, but then the evolution of it just meant that in stores there was such little product even in stores where they would deem like size inclusivity or options. Um, most of the time that's only going to be online and like even department stores, so much more of their inventory is online than what you would get in the department store. That eventually I got a lot more used to it. And then I made the risky choice of directly linking like my PayPal to um, e-commerce stuff. So now it's just a one click decision. I don't have to go get my debit card and yeah, I've bought a couple of things and I was going to share them with you. I also think like if you have money to spend on non-essentials, I definitely implore you to match whatever you spend on extras in donation. So maybe with that in mind, like doubling the cost of whatever you want to match with the donation might prohibit you from like buying anything altogether. Um, but it also mean you're helping people out when you do buy. Um, okay. So one thing I bought is the Noto Botanics resurfacing scrub, which is your fault because you're the one who recommended it so highly. So can you tell me why? Cause I trusted you.
Speaker 2:Oh, I, it's funny. I am always looking for exfoliators and I'm not going to lie. I think probably even our first podcast I even was kinda like, yeah, I'm not into physical exposure theaters right now, but that's always evolving and I think there's always a time and place for beautiful physical exfoliators. And um, I was at the note, luckily I was able to go to the storefront in Highland park. Um, and I was sitting down with Gloria and I was just like, this is, I dunno how big this is such an experiential product. And I use that word a lot when I talk about skincare because the second one I tried it and I had heard great things about it already. It was just so incredibly refreshing. It was kind of like, it literally wakes you up when you use it. And I think the color is also really great. Like, it looks kind of like a like smoky paprika, cumin kind of thing and it just feels very earthly and the base of it is made out of Walnut shell. So I will say if you have like not allergies or if you have a topical nut allergy look into that. But it just, I love it so much. I mix it with either, um, the wash, the note to face wash or any other cleanser that you're using. It's just like a very universal product. You can make your, you can use a little bit on your body. I actually, I like shaved my legs for the first time yesterday and night. Uh, any excess that I use, I just like use it on my calves and guys are like bikini area. Um, and it's just so versatile and I just, I really, I have not gotten so much joy out of using a product like that in a while. So yeah, I just can't wait for it to come. It's so refreshing. It's just so lovely.
Speaker 3:Experiential is what I'm purchasing when I've selected to make these beauty purchases in the last few weeks because the thought is like, what do I want to experience while at home? Like I've been using the eucalyptus necessary bodywash you had recommended. And I still don't think that personally I can invest much into luxury body care, but um, but the eucalyptus scent is so invigorating that it feels really experiential and kind of wakes me up. So pairing it with this is going to be amazing. Oh, you're going to love it. And we're saying Noto, N O T O Botanic, so you can go to note of botanics.com or Noto underscore Botanics on Instagram to check out the brand. It's sort of, it says, um, that Nota believes in self identification and expression for all. So it's very genderless, very queer and fun and playful, but also, which I'm sure you can speak to better than me, Andrea. The products are formulated with a lot of care
Speaker 2:definitely. And you know, uh, gnotos vegan, cruelty-free, and for us it's like, it's female owned and it's local. Like there. I've, I've known Gloria for a few years now. Um, and I first got introduced to Noto when it was working for cap beauty three years ago. And at the time the range was a lot smaller, but, um, they had these like, uh, they're called the multi-band stains, which is kind of more of their like makeup stuff. And I remember being like, Oh my gosh, this is so smart. Like I can use it on my lips, cheeks, islet, like literally you name it. Um, so it's been really amazing to see, you know, the evolution of no toe and, and that goes with any, you know, like any small kind of green beauty company. It's, you know, it's tough. Like I S there's so much competition now, but I think that it's, you know, if your message and intention, it comes from like such a genuine place, like there's no question. I think no toe really like exemplifies that and that's why they're, you know, growing, um, so rapidly. So it's pretty cool. Definitely support.
Speaker 3:So is it sustainable for me to shop locally for that scrub?
Speaker 2:I think so. Yeah. It's literally coming from downtown LA if not closer. So pretty cool.
Speaker 3:Okay. Next on the list of shit I bought is the boob dust and thigh rescue from mega Bay, which I'm kind of embarrassed to say because I guess it's like an anti chafing product, but to me it just feels like these are going to give my body the like silkiness that I'm looking for, especially while lounging or like sitting around my house all day
Speaker 2:for sure. I actually, I unfortunately I've never tried any of the megabase products, but when they came out I was just like finally, finally, like I just love the whole narrative and the like, the messaging is so good and honestly like, um, I could have used the chafing product literally like 15 fucking years ago. So I just think about all the time like, Oh my God, like walking through Disneyland on a hot day where I'm like, I am creating the biggest friction in between my thighs. Like, Oh my God, it's genius. I can't believe no one's even really, obviously like baby powder was like an old DIY thing, but it's like that rub that used to rub off on me and like five minutes cause I just sweat so much. So
Speaker 3:Jake Lee, can you explain the purpose of these kinds of products or the kind of product you would have needed at Disneyland?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that um, like topically I actually just had sort of an experience like this yesterday I was wearing when it gets hot or um, if you're not like one of those people who just has a lot of, uh, like a big die gap essentially. Like for me it was always like, I've just have always been such a sweater and I think we've talked about this in another podcast. Like I actually like sweat a lot in my underarms and like my bikini area. So chafing, what happens there, it's like your skin just ends up getting really hot, essentially overheated and it causes friction. So when that friction happens over time, let's say you're walking for 20, 30 minutes, that's essentially like you're creating sort of like, you know, like a topical, like a Brach combustion. Exactly. Perfect word. And so for some like for me I would always get really spotty and really raw, which sucks cause it hurts or like just like, um, I don't know if this was just me, but I remember growing up I would get like kind of dark patches in between like, and I'm talking like very like, like Volvo meets like inner thigh area. Like if I, it was like, it was like a darkened, like a darkened blister and it was just like irritated skin from walking a lot or being like really hot. Um, so I think literally like a gliding product. And then I remember my cousin had given me this, like she was like, just put deodorant in between your and your thighs. And that worked. But I remember being like ill, like it felt really like silicone and that made me freak out. So I would always put like baby powder just to kind of like soak up sweat, which still works. But I mean, I don't know. I feel like my experience is common and I'm sure a lot of people get sweaty in between their, their legs. Like it's not, you know, and what sucks is I feel like that somehow got like classify it as like a, like a, like a body thing. Like, Oh, only that people, only that people like, and it's like, uh, I mean I've been all different sizes and weights my entire life. My weights always really fluctuated, but I still, I literally still get that. Like if it's hot enough and I, and your body, which I am always hot, I'm, it's very rare that I'm cold. It's, I literally chased
Speaker 3:also, people can be quite skinny and still have huge boobs. Shout out Michelle Badea once again. And so the bus does so that you use the two, the term, um, I'm kind of forgetting no slider or like basically the thigh rescue is a stick.
Speaker 2:You like a gliding? Oh, yeah,
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah. Um, so the thigh rescue looks like a deodorant, but it's this like camomile and Alovera and oily kinda stick. And then the boob dust is different. It's more of like a small, um, pump applicator that just gives you a sprinkle of talc free powder, um, to put kind of like almost in your bra or like under your boobs. Um, cause that's one of the things I'm most excited about is um, like people's bras. Sweat is such a vibe, especially if you live in the Valley and it's hottest already today. It's like, you know, getting up there this week. So, um, it's not a abuse, I'm pretty excited because it's like beauty products that are actually meeting specific needs that are unmet right now. And like growing up, my mom is, uh, someone who just religiously before she lotions powders, her entire body with Johnson and Johnson, cornstarch powder every day, which I know I told you before, but since then the whole Johnson and Johnson lawsuit and like claims of major like, Oh, I think ovarian cancer
Speaker 4:and other major health issues, especially among women, um, claiming because of their Johnson Johnson product. So like, I'm just wondering, is talc part of that? Why is it so good that this is tell Cree or like do you avoid talc?
Speaker 2:Yes, I that's like one of the biggest thing things that I always tell. Um, people when buying makeup like talc, you're not really going to see a lot of talk and like skincare per se. Um, but like, uh, for example going to call them out, um, bare minerals, I never really understood their whole messaging because their whole thing is like, we're like clean makeup and it's just the name alone bare men murals makes it sound so incredibly attractive. Um, that it's like clean and it's mineral base. Well, I remember going to support, again, I might be a little outdated like maybe two, three years ago. Um, first ingredient, talc and it's like Teladoc is so incredibly, it's clogging and like a very big picture way. So like talc basically prohibits sweating from happening or like perspiration, which ties into deodorants as well. And, and baby powder. So you basically, like when you put talc on, it's almost like you're like priming your skin so that nothing can come out, nothing can expel from your pores, which in theory it's like, yeah, sometimes we all need moments of that. Like if you're, you know, doing her performance or whatever and you literally can't sweat, but it's like, think about how incredibly sad that is for your pores and for your skin being the biggest organ that it is. So like I always tell people like if there's, if you're using a major talk product, you're not, you're essentially like stopping your skin from breathing. So definitely look out for talc when you're purchasing makeup. And then, I mean, all of these new baby powders have come out. I, I have one that I got from my local health food store and it's talc free and it's usually like, um, like tapioca, like they're always very creative, like a corn starch or corn meal, just sort of natural alternatives that aren't, um, you know, as clogging essentially. So like definitely, I definitely think talk free is extremely important. And that's a really good question cause I feel like no one really talks about it. But um, yeah, look for that in makeup and body products that it's tough for me.
Speaker 4:Thank you. And if anyone wants hand sanitizer, mega babe also makes their own. I got a huge pump bottle, which is nice if you want to keep it near the entrance of your living space or in your car, um, wherever central to you. And I know they do lot of stuff to make sure it's like very cleansing wall. So, um, nourishing your hands. Cause I know people's hands are getting super dry from all the cleaning. And the last beauty purchase I made is Viviscal, which is notorious hair growth supplement.
Speaker 2:Ooh, I don't know this one. So tell me about it.
Speaker 4:Well I remember I watched a literal infomercial about it a few years ago and I'm pretty sure it's Molly Simms who was like the big spokesperson. Um, and then afterward I would see it in some fashion magazines like kinda like, like the Harper's bizarre type ones, um, as an ad with her. And it was, the claims are that it's a French formula that models in the nineties would constantly, you know, stock up on while working in France and bring back because their hair has to go through so much processing and coloring, um, you know, in their line of work. And so I was always curious about it. I really wanted it. And then, I don't know how it came up, but your friend and my friend, uh, hair stylists and colorist and artists, really Danny moon, um, he recommended it to me last time I was at his salon hair in the arts district in LA. And like once I heard this expert verify it, I was so excited to finally get it.
Speaker 2:Wow. Now I feel like I need it now.
Speaker 4:Your hair is like literally to your ass and is so heavy that you can hardly wear a ponytail.
Speaker 2:I know. My goal though, it's like I want, I actually, I mean it's, I wanted to actually hit my ass and then I want to do something drastic to it, but it's a lot of all the people who grew up their hair wow. Like it is the amount of hair and conditioner I use per shower is sort of next level. Like it's actually not really, I don't know. It's not like affordable.
Speaker 4:Totally. Especially with the caliber of products you use. Like my shower still has a bottle of um, herbal essences that I still use every few days. But typically what, right before, uh, we started sheltering in place here. I had got Ola Plex, the shampoo and conditioner, but I kind of misunderstood the process because I only purchased number four and five, which is the shampoo and conditioner. And you're supposed to also get number three, which I think is the big repair, which is what I was most interested in. Um, which you leave as a mask for 10 minutes before shampooing and conditioning. But even though those products are really expensive, only supposed to use like a P or less. But when my hair's getting long now it's like, how am I supposed to only use that much?
Speaker 2:Yeah. I literally, yeah, that's, I've always wanted to try all a Plex, but then I was kinda like, I'm not really, I haven't used color in a row or I haven't done color to my hair, but it just, the name itself, it's so there's something about it that makes you just want to buy it cause you're like, I feel like Olaplex was like this thing that was like sort of not really known, but like if you went to a good hair color show, like that's the secret, you know? Um, totally. And now it's like so much more available, which is cool. But that is interesting that the shampoo and conditioner would be like the last two steps. I mean, I guess it makes sense, but it also, in my head it would be like, just get the champagne conditioner.
Speaker 4:Oh you guys should just make it freaking clear on this flora website. What the fuck. Like I was pissed. I was like, I've been waiting to try Ola Plex for two years and now I'm not even doing it. Right. So that's kinda why I didn't want to use it so much during the first part of quarantine. Um, because I was like, I'm not even effectively using the systems. I might as well just use herbal essences. But then I was showering every single day because um, like for entertainment, for fun and for like spiritual and therapeutic reset. Um, and I was washing with herbal essences every day for like two weeks. My hair started looking so bad. So um, I pivoted to the real stuff.
Speaker 2:It's interesting because I, I mean when I, Costco's one of my favorite stores ever, we're both club members. Hell yeah. Literally like I buy the con I usually will buy like whatever big ass conditioner they have like a few weeks before. Um, stay at home was in place. I bought like a big thing of Carol's daughter shampoo, conditioner and I'm an OG Carol's daughter. In fact, that's kind of, it's so funny. When Adam and I first met, that's what bonded us together cause we were using the same hair product. My life revolves around product. It's hilarious.
Speaker 4:And they met at the ASAP store.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, I mean talk about it. Skin care, love story. Um, I was really excited because I have always loved girl's daughter and I, it's really, really great for, you know, anyone who has like a lot of hair and just has really thirsty hair, which is me. And um, but I knew that since then that Carol's daughter had been so old, like Loreal, um, bought it out. So I haven't used it yet cause I'm literally, I use every single sample that I'm giving. That's like another goal of mine during this time. Like I'm trying to use every single I've ever been given and I just finished like a[inaudible], which I have to say I didn't like it at first and then it started growing on me more. But I feel like it leaves a weird kind of like texture, like almost like a film on my hair. But I don't know if that's like supposed to happen cause it's like a soup. It's the love conditioner and it's supposed to be really, really hydrating. So I think now my hair's used to it and I feel like it, it does look really good. But honestly, I'm really excited to use Carol's daughter again.
Speaker 3:Carol's daughter. Um, yeah, I remember reading about that brand, like either an alert and or Oprah magazine and real simple like all these old lady magazines I would read as a youth and it was still sort of this boutique brand. And um, I was wondering what happened. I should have put together that someone like Loreal had bought it out because at target now you'll see the full line like many, many, many, many products. Um, whereas before it was a little bit smaller and like more boutique to access.
Speaker 2:Yeah. There's actually, I'm going to just plug it here because we're on a podcast, but, um, I'm blanking on her name, but her story is really, really incredible. She literally started Carol's daughter out of her kitchen and apartment, um, over like a course of like 15, 20 years. Um, I think in Brooklyn, if I'm not mistaken, but if you want to hear about Carol's daughter, um, NPR, how I built this, there's a amazing episode, um, featuring her and it's just a really amazing story. And this is what's cool about Carol's daughter is it really just exemplifies one of those brands. So that was not, it was really rooted in natural, um, botanical ingredients and also for people of color. Um, so, and we're talking to, you know, textured hair, um, frizzy hair. So like as a consumer I was like, Oh, like, Oh my gosh, there's a line, you know, this is like, it was pretty revolutionary. So definitely listen to that if you get a chance.
Speaker 3:Yes. How I built this with Lisa Price, who is Carol's daughter, um, that was her mom.
Speaker 2:That's one of my favorite episodes.
Speaker 3:I love it. I'm also just in the world of beauty news, like acquisition talk and history is so interesting to me. I know we've talked about to face in the past, um, and that kind of brand story. Uh, but like, it's just really interesting to hear how some of these, um, you know, very one person operations at times, uh, transform into strong companies and then they get bought by these like giants. And it's just such a, I mean, this is your industry. For me. It's kinda like instead of looking at the stocks, I just look at those things.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I've asked myself that question. I'm like, if I ever get to that point where it's like there's big, you know, like the Estee Lauder and the L'Oreal's of the world, what does that decision look like? I mean it must be, and she, she talks about it. It was, you know, it's obviously probably one of the biggest decisions of her life. So I don't know, there's so much that goes into it. I just, I think from being so in it, I think it would be hard for me to let go of a baby and to see it sort of like adopt to a, like a big box company. Cause I think that's where like a lot of like formulations kind of go down. Like you can feel the quality go down. I mean I, it's really like an example of that is Lemaire like Lemaire old Lemaire like I'm talking 15 years ago Lemaire was so insane and now I think a steel Lauder bought it and no shade to that. I mean they still have a cult following and people really love it, but it's just like some of the ingredients in there, more strategies are actually like next level. It's like mineral oil, Palm oil, like the shittiest, most crappiest ingredients you can think of are packed in there. So it's just kind of funny. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Well that's funny because you mentioned that they still have this like huge brand loyalty, but a lot of that marketing value and devotion from consumers is probably still resting in the previous product formulation because people like us were reading us weekly and shit and like learning about Lamera when we're in fifth grade and that's not the product that we could purchase now, which actually makes sense because I've never owned a Lumera product and I've never wanted to.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. I, I also think like, um, Lemaire to me has always seemed like a line that's so much more suitable for like people with dry skin or like just not, I've always been an oily person, so I'm just like, uh, it's so, it doesn't even like attract me as a consumer. Does that make sense? Like, I don't need like a heavy ass cream at night cause I like to layer my products, you know, whereas like I dunno someone like actually Adam yeah. You like loves like the heavier, the thicker, like the better. But I'm like that's just not, I'm just not interested in it.
Speaker 4:Yeah. It makes sense cause of different skin types. And then also, um, my go to moisturizer for probably the last six months I'm on my second bottle is um, youth to the people adapt to gen deep moisture cream, um, which is still kind of light feeling even though it's more rich than there. Um, kind of like kale smoothie lighter hydrator. Um, but I, my skincare is different where like for a lot of my life I would just wash my face and then put a cream. And now I am products sometimes, not lately that much. Um, but I'm typically layering a number of things if I'm bothering to do anything so I can enjoy the deep moisture cream without feeling like it's not enough.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Like that cream has actually like really improved my skin tremendously. And I love the feeling of layering. Just like a beautiful oil on top of it. Uh, it just feels so good. Yeah, I, I like lighter weight stuff and then being able like less dense and then I like working up to a, a higher density if that makes sense. But some people love slathering on like super dense, you know, like a high packed serum that's like, you know, more lotion, kind of like more lotion base and then a heavy moisturizer, you know, so to each their own, there's like really no wrong way of layering really.
Speaker 4:I would love to try an extremely thick, almost cold, puffy pillowy moisturizer. That to me is the ultimate like experiential luxury. And I think it's because I'm, my whole life I felt like I've had this like chapped red facial look rosacea. Um, I dunno. I, you know, I had told you I always was self-diagnosed rosacea and my parents would just laugh and cackle that I like picked up the vocabulary word from commercials. Now I was like, bro, I really have rosacea was correct. Um, but I think something that you like about the deep moisture cream you to the people is that it's kind of taken down some inflammation for you. Um, what does that mean? Like when we talk about facial inflammation in your case at least like what are you talking about?
Speaker 2:I'm talking about like a topical sort of discoloration that is a little bit more red than the rest of sort of your facial skin tone. So like for me and kind of for you to like, I feel like our inflammation is a lot more in like our cheeks. Yeah. Um, and like that's always sort of been my kind of like problem area. And there's also like, there's a lot of layers too. It's like if you really, like if I really zoom up on my skin in the mirror, it's a con, a little combination of like, like topical rosacea, like little inflammation, which is partially going to be like related. And I, I've gotten confirmed from my acupuncturist, uh, that I have a lot, I have a lot of dampness in my gut, so like that creates an imbalance there. So, and that manifests a lot through inflammation. So I have like a lot of heat in my system. Um, so there's that, but then there's also like, uh, if you look up really closely in the mirror, uh, there's little sort of like dilated capillaries and it is telling chick Tasia, um, that add, that can add to sort of like the overall rosacea, um, look of your skin. So I have a little bit of that and that's just like over, people ask me all the time like, how do I get rid of those little veins? And honestly, like most of it's hereditary and, um, I've, the only way to really address that is through a laser treatment, um, which I don't even really know how popular that is now, but you can get them addressed, uh, through a laser treatment. So like for me, it's a little bit of that. It's like rosacea and just a little bit of those like red dilated capillaries that kind of add, uh, to my overall, um, like rosacea prone cheeks.
Speaker 4:Tell us that vocabulary word again. Tell us telling dictation. I know. Telling Tasia which tap the broken capillaries, some redness. Do I have a lot of that cause I feel like I do,
Speaker 2:I feel like you have some, a little bit around like you know where the nose wall transitions into the cheek. That's where like night, I would say like nine out of 10 people have it. That's where I have it. And a lot of that also comes with, um, you know, if you've self extracted, like in high school I would really try to, I would take a so bad, but it was DIY. I would take a, I would like put steam over my face out of the shower and then I would take a Bobby pin and just like scrape the shit out of my nose, which was again, probably led to more of those dilated capillaries, you know. So it's kind of over time and it's a little bit of sun exposure too. So there's just like a lot of factors to inflammation. But a huge part of it is um, gut health and internal internal wellness.
Speaker 4:Do you think that I have redness from good health? I mean
Speaker 2:you, I feel like you don't really have issues with like pH balance,
Speaker 4:right. I think mine is just sun stuff. Yeah. And I've been irresponsibly outside, like I haven't worn sunscreen or exfoliated from like March 11th till like Saturday of this, you know, like April 19th or 18th. So, um, I'm kinda like, I'm on my way of backup. I fell off, but you know, I believe in falling off.
Speaker 2:Me too. I, you know, I haven't been wearing today I'm wearing sunscreen, but I haven't, I've just been all about letting my skin breathe like zero Mika, I'm not, I think people probably think I spent a lot of time like in front of the mirror doing my skincare and I'm in and out the door except that night if I'm doing like a mask or exfoliation, that takes a little bit longer. But I like, I cleanse tone, hydrate baby, like I'm out the door at like, I'm not a big dweller at looking at my skin in the mirror like closely. I think that's when it's really easy to spiral down. But I think now more than ever it's like so good to give your skin a break from even sunscreen.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Cause I just don't want to have to take it off, which is lazy. But this is also the first day I'm wearing contacts in three weeks, which is definitely like the longest I've gone since high school or middle school probably. I guess I got contacts in college. So, um, yeah, it's just funny to just have nothing to do. Um, and I don't think it means necessarily that you hate yourself or that you're depressed. It's okay to be a beauty lover with shifting priorities, especially in pandemic. Um, but I don't want to get too ahead of myself because a related listener question was, I have so much redness, you can barely see my freckles. How do I address it?
Speaker 2:Interesting. That's a really good question. Well, kind of just going back to what I was saying, it's like a, if you can't, redness is so bad. I can't see my freckles. So immediately I'm thinking obviously getting the right kind of topicals and in fact to that listener, even the deep moisture job did a gin cream that we were talking about from me to the people might be a really good fit for you. So kind of starting there. Um, and then if redness is pretty severe, I mean there's definitely a scale, then I would definitely look at what's going on internally. Um, I think for like rosacea, it's really, really important to pay attention to dairy and gluten intake. And I mean that's even really hard for me, but I have started to make those kinds of switches too. And I definitely have noticed when I eat less dairy, I've noticed that I get less of that redness for sure. So I would look at dairy and gluten intake and also sugar sugars, like the big one that just really, if you think of your body like systemically sugar just really loves to feed on. Um, basically like it's like sugar is what literally propels like inflammation and like pre aging spot. So it's like I would, I always tell people to look at their sugar intake too. Um, but topically let's go back to the product recommendations. You want to look for products that are really soothing, super calming, so like cleansing, milks, cleansing jellies are going to be really, really good. Um, kind of starting light and then working your way up is what I would sort of advise in terms of like with rosacea I would say start more simple and then kind of work, work your way up to more products. But I really think it's like you could do something as simple as like a gentle cleansing milk. Like the one bio SIA that I use is amazing for rosacea. I'm doing like a very simple rosewater toner. Fantastic for um, and then see how your skin kind of does. I mean, you kind of want it, it's not going to go away in like a day, but your goal is to continuously see progress and redness. So definitely check out that you to the people in moisturizer too. And there's also this other line that I've talked about before. It's one of my brands that I always suggest for rosacea prone skin and it's called PI P AI and they're a UK based brand. Fantastic. They have a sub range called instant calm and they, that includes a moisturizer, a toner and a serum. Um, really, really, really good for rosacea. So I would start there and, but really pay attention to your internal health as well.
Speaker 4:Thank you. Um, it's funny because I think before I began getting facials with you and then of course talking about skincare more from there, I never imagined it possible that my skin type wouldn't just be pink, red. Like it was like I always cause my skin is pretty, um, my skin is pretty calm, you know what I mean? Like it's not, I don't have a lot of acne. Um, I never had a really problematic skin, but, um, so I'd always felt like I was pretty, not broken out. But then once I kind of became aware that the inflammation and like pigmentation could be something I controlled or manipulated or whatever, it was like, so exciting. Like, I just never thought that I would have this little redness that I have right now. Um, even though it's increasing by the moment as I stay inside eating sugar.
Speaker 2:Mmm. That's so good. That makes me so happy. And yeah, I mean I guess we'll definitely say like getting facial, you know, you take such good care of your skin and you get facials, um, regularly, so that helps too. Um, and yeah, I also think it's, that's, I'm like what you said about how you've just, I think also your skin naturally has a lot of really gorgeous like pinky orangy undertones. So like I guess what I'm getting at is like, don't be too hard on yourselves out there. Like for any of you who feel like you're a little bit red, like a lot of it might just be like, it could be rosacea, right? But then like underneath, like recognize that maybe your skin tone has a lot of like orange or pinky Hughes that like kind of add to it. But it's not necessarily anything that's like wrong with your skin. It's just sort of what you know, what your DNA is all about. But um, yeah, I think that with rosacea I think I see so much more concerned around it and I think a lot of that has sort of also originated from like, I think when we go put ourselves through like a lot of stress and anxiety, I feel like gotta be a direct, there is a direct correlation to rosacea and inflammation because inflammation is just generally, I feel like the number one thing in our bodies that like can tell us like, Oh my muscles hurt. Or like my knee looks really puffy and inflamed. Like inflammation tells you so much about your body, like not just your skin. Like it's really kind of amazing how smart the body is. So I think just like paying attention to that is really key.
Speaker 3:Last night I tried a sheet mask by Bebo, which is a cannabis line. Um, I've tried there, sorry. Biba is a cannabis line that makes really cute, slim, potent and party friendly. Um, weed vapes and pass steals. Is that how you say that word? I know you've lived in France before.
Speaker 2:That sounds good to me. Yes.
Speaker 3:So the weed products are really good. Um, and Liz Goldwin, my good friend put me on a long time ago, um, but I had never tried their beauty products until last night, but once again, Liz in a gift bag for her, um, company, the sex ed gave away these masks, which have 50 milligrams of CBD as well as, um, plant extracted a Che's, vitamin C, ceramides algae, um, all these good things. And I definitely, after using the mask for just about 25 minutes, um, it's full of a serum that gets deposited into your face, but it's not a super wet mask like the dr dart ones. Um, it kind of dries up and you know, when to take it off. I definitely saw an instant decrease in the redness of my skin. So I was wondering, um, is some of the CBD balancing my skin out there? You think?
Speaker 2:Definitely. Um, I think it's funny. I really, I have that cheat map. It's gonna need a room room to do it, but, um, absolutely. And like in honor of like four 20, I think that it's really kind of crazy. I feel like CBD for awhile, a few years ago I remember thinking like, I wonder if this is really just kind of like a fad or if it's going to go anywhere, but I feel like cannabis research is just like always evolving and expanding. And I, I had the pleasure of trying to CBD products. Um, I have a old cohort coworker actually, um, who developed, um, this oil called balance and that's the CBD oil infused facial oil. And then I've also, um, have done some work with, uh, vena CBD and they have a tincture and both oils. I, I'm hesitant because I am, it's funny because CBD is like very, very suitable for rosacea or inflammation. But, um, my experience with CBD formally hasn't been kind of my favorite things. So, but I've been doing this thing where I will mix a seed BD oil tincture with my facial oil, um, and the tincture is actually meant to be ingested. So kind of interesting. And I feel like when I put that on, I'll do that maybe like once or twice a week and the next day I wake up and I really feel like you can see a difference in inflammation. Like it's essentially, it almost works as like an eraser. It's like essentially kind of like non-existent the next day. So I'm definitely waiting for, yeah, for sure. Like cause the tinctures, CBD tinctures like Vinas CBD tincture is the basis MCT oil, which is a derivative of coconut oil. So at first I was kind of like, mm, I don't know how I feel about that putting this because my skin's a little funny with coconut oil sometimes, but I added a dropper too. And I have to say like the next day I felt like my skin looked really radiant. And then with my other, um, my friends line, um, balanced that is all ready. That's a proper facial oil. So it has some other ingredients and carrier oils as well. So I've been really liking both. Um, so I'm, I'm getting more into CBD. Uh, I can't wait to try to be mask though. I've heard so many great things and I love that they've added AJS and Sierra mites. So you're getting your like exfoliation and then you're getting like a nice soothing factor with the serum.[inaudible]. Um,
Speaker 3:and G L says that word. I have a hard time saying nice anime, nice cinema, nice cinema. Um, yeah, I'm loving it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the nice cinema. It is so great for preventing breakouts essentially. Um, nice. And it might is a derivative of vitamin B three. So it's like very, um, it's very smoothing and it's just great for um, preventing acne.
Speaker 3:I want to try the full face system because they have, you know, the big thing about cannabis is they always talk about the entourage effect, which is just the fact that like the presence of THC enables the CBD molecules to like engage better with your body because of the time she's entourage effect. And so this Bebo basically markets their skincare line as an entourage system in and of itself, which has the serum, the cream and the masks all using these ingredients and saying that like, you know, mirroring each other helps it out. We'll see. I feel a little product shopping product shopping to out, um, cause I kinda had meant to invert this. I hope you're still listening and don't think we're just consumer capitalist whores. Um, I want to talk about
Speaker 4:all the ways we can be good to ourself. Um, how can we treat ourselves with like offer ourselves some peace, give ourselves some beauty treatments or pleasure at home. Um, obviously none of us are going out and spending money on beauty treatments or receiving them from our friends. So what are some basic things we can all do at home to feel like we're giving ourselves some extra love?
Speaker 2:Um, definitely. I mean it goes as simple as like just doing a weekly mask. Like I know I think a hydrating mask like for me that feels so, so amazing, especially one that I can like leave on overnight. Um, I think now is really the time to even just really do little things that may be like if you're super on the go, I think skincare you can make it experiential for yourself. So like masking, I take a deep, like I find so much calmness and like release when I explain my skin, it's like such an invigorating feeling. So I think even like, you know, dedicating, giving yourself one to two times per week to do that. I think in the more kind of ritualistic sense, I think, um, I've been sharing a lot of videos on my ICTV about facial massage techniques and I think that is something that's pretty much is like good as you can kind of get right now. I mean it definitely, you know, like I love giving those facial massages to you as my client. Um, but doing that for yourself is so, so incredible. And I think, um, I tap into a little bit about, you know, like Shakara and opening your third eye chakra, um, and pressure points. And I think that is a great way of also kind of, you know, tapping into seeing where you are mentally. I feel like there's certainly a lot of places on the face and back of the neck, jawline where we hold a lot of tension as humans. So like giving yourself that extra touch along your face is like really a big deal. Because if you think about it, it's like on a daily basis, aside from washing your face, like our facial muscles and the geometry of her face just isn't really, doesn't really lend to any kind of like massage or touch really if you think about it. So I think diving into that and whether you feel comfortable using your hands or a guash Shaw tool or if you don't have any of those, you can use a spoon and you can put that in the refrigerator. Um, anything that really helps to create some type of movement on the face I think is kind of a really big game changer. Um, yeah. And just, yeah, sorry, continue. No, no, no, no. Just setting that space, uh, to kind of pamper yourself more so than you would if you, you know, had to leave for the office. Exactly.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Your videos are so beautiful. Everybody check out, um, uh, men underscore pro, uh, for these IGT videos. And also Andrea has done them in collaboration with youth to the people. Um, I know somewhat my cousin texted me saying that she was happy. The only reason she was happy, all her acrylic nails were falling off while at home was so that she could use her hands to give herself a massage based on your steps. So I loved that.
Speaker 2:Oh, I loved that comment so much. That makes me so happy. And you know, it's like these are really, you know, I'm all about just, I want these resources to exist for people. And um, that's what brings me a lot of joy too. It's like, it still feels like I can work and not necessarily being the treatment room. And that's been really great. And I love hearing it. Just the fact that people are watching it and resharing I'm just like, Holy shit, this is amazing. People really care. Cause I always question when I'm about to record these videos, I'm always just like, what are people like I'm not saving lives, but I don't know. It's all about the little moments, right? So yeah, like five minutes facial school, not doctor school. Yeah. But it's like, yeah, but I make fun of myself for that. I'm like, wow, I really fucking take myself seriously. But like I do, you know, like I feel like my work is so intentional and if someone can feel really good and pampered for an extra five minutes and there, you know, or just set out five minutes for themselves in the day, then that feels like I'm doing my job.
Speaker 4:Totally. And I feel like when you're manipulating your face, it's like this form of meditation that can also feel active, which some people, especially with so much going on right now and everyone being home, although it's distance us from each other, there seems to be for some people, a lot of communication from family members or relatives or just friends who need support and all that. Um, so like, it can be hard to want to unplug and meditate on your own. So listening to you and being able to not have to sit still but to touch her self, um, feels really nice. And I know for me, my forehead is just like one huge pressure point and I never in my life knew that until I started facial rolling with a Rose quartz roller. Um, shock rubs kindly gave us both one in the past. And um,
Speaker 2:I love my shock. That was the question by the way. Yeah, really beautiful. Um, GWAS Shaw, Rose quartz facial tool, love shock rubs, check them out. We love them.
Speaker 4:Oh, um, my pedicures or something I'm missing the bottom of my feet are so gnarly that I'm wondering if I should just start pulling out like facial exfoliators that are too strong for my spacial skin and just start using it on my heels.
Speaker 2:Honestly do it because then it's like you're just, my thing is like if the products, my rule is like product has sat on my shelf for more than two months, actually you're hitting the three month Mark. It's likely that it's on its way to expiration, which I've never paid attention to expiration marks. Um, as much as like when I started really kind of focusing more on like clean green BD a few years ago and I have literally seen products like build mold over like a span of six months. So like I know, which is a good sign. It means that it's like really clean and organic. But I think it's, um, if you're not using the product then it's like use it in other ways. Otherwise it's just a shame cause it just goes to waste, you know. But I that sounds really luxurious and lovely.
Speaker 4:Did you say, did you say three months?
Speaker 2:Yeah, but that's more like super clean stuff. Like you'll notice, I'm trying to see
Speaker 4:like Ali ONJ masks like sh cause I was wondering if those will last a while longer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they do. Cause there is a little bit of, um, there's a little bit of phenoxyethanol in their products, which is a very, very, I mean it's pretty much the universal preservative that even clean beauty brand, I mean clean beauty brands use. Um, but those have a little bit more longer shelf life. That's like 12 months once they're open. But I'm talking more kind of like the Malin strums of the world and like, um, super, super. Like you know, where they're getting even maybe even Noto. I mean, I just think if you want to really use the product at its best, it's like you want to be using those products within that three to six month range after the six month range. It's like, I, I, I can feel it. Like I'm like, this isn't really do anything. The product's there, but it's not really doing much, you know? And that's coming from my days when I was working with a lot of, um, like local independent skincare lines, which is cool. I mean, I just think it's important to actually use the product that's like, yeah. Use it.
Speaker 4:And do you use it generously? If it says generous, like my mom for example, whenever she sees me use one of my kind of fancier products in a very liberal way, she's horrified because she's like, you really think you're something, know how
Speaker 3:could you want like feel so carelessly about using something so pricey? Um, but I'm like, because it's gonna go bad. Or because it's here, like, I don't know, it says to use generously fuck. Like, what am I going to do? Dole it out over like double the amount of suggested suggestions, you know, exactly. Sessions. Um, I would like to have a session with you. Andrea, have you been consuming cannabis on quarantine?
Speaker 2:Um, yes, I have. I really enjoy, uh, pre-bid, um, little smoke session and it's typically just like flower, but, um, I have to say in college I got pretty into spliffs and sometimes I like that, but I'm generally not a tobacco person at all. But I have been. And then I've been honestly my, I really like, like a very easy edible. So I have those like sour watermelon gummies that are so good. But I took the tent just one, the 10 milligram line and it felt like I just passed out. And so yesterday I did half and that felt everything felt really sparkly and cute. Yeah. And that's what I want. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I um, yeah, I have been in consuming in all sorts of ways. Um, but I had some really nice, like dried fruit, um, with coconut, sorry, dried fruit with coconut edible slabs that were five milligrams each and those were really nice. Um, and on four 20, I was getting so high that I fell asleep like at 8:00 PM, and that's why I still had the, um, CBD mask left over cause I had pulled it out to Eastland for 20, but I didn't quite make it. Um,
Speaker 2:it's funny, I passed out so hard to, are you more of a Endeca or a sativa person?
Speaker 3:I'm more of a Endeca person or a hybrid. I could play the range, like I'm not scared of sativas and I enjoy them. Um, especially socially if someone else is bringing it to the table. But personally, the periods of my life where I've predominantly used or purchase sativas I think of as wild times where I didn't, I'm much more somebody that needs to come down than up, you know, like I'm not someone that's into Adderall whatsoever. Um, because I've never really been deeply into Xanax either. But I would prefer to be into that because I would rather come down. I'm like, even if I'm going to, you know, people are like, Oh, but you could smoke some sativa and then go through your photo at it. So they're like all these kind of mundane but mildly
Speaker 4:creative production tasks. Um, but for me it's like I don't need to get extra hopped up to do anything. I would rather kind of center myself in my body by like hitting the Endeca. Yeah,
Speaker 2:I agree in DECA. I didn't really know, like for years I feel like I just smoked whatever and that's like, you know, just getting like shitty weed from like a friend and they pull up and just give me whatever, you know. But it's kinda nice being more selective with weed now
Speaker 4:definitely. But in this room, TIVA and hybrid is still a fake marketing, branding exercise. Um, I wouldn't necessarily trust any one brand or dispensary to like actually tell me, um, to classify the products in that way. It's more about lab research that's a little bit more specific than that. But most of us don't give a shit. That's what I mean. I like all weed, you know, I like bad weed. I like good weed. Um, but I definitely prefer like sun grown, organic, responsibly made flower, not just because of the political implications, but because it tastes so good. Um, like one of my favorite strains from Mendocino that's easy to remember is called mimosa and it's a hybrid. Um, and it's very effervescent but embodied. Um, I don't, I think I've experienced a lot of like alienation from physical space since this Hiva for me is just like way too like that. Um, and yeah, I want to explore more of what I'm talking about, about cannabis stuff in a future episode. Um, cause it's like mostly like turpines and all the individual essential oils and different strains is what constitutes the different feelings. So for people who are really into weed, uh, like me, I would suggest researching the strains you like and seeing what turpines are in them and then looking for more strains with those dominant terpene profiles. So like one is like love and doll, which is like lavender. So that's very calming. Um, and others can be more like spearmint, like blah, blah, blah. Studying that is kind of the same as studying the science of like perfume or even[inaudible] cause like the only ingredient besides carbonated water is like natural essence, which is like flavor distillation in this way. Right then. Oh my God, we're talking for so long. I hope you're all still engaged, but we're almost onto listener questions. Do you have it in you, Andrea? Of course. Does it feel like it's been long to you because it feels like it's flying by to me. I'm just trying to be respectful of everybody's time.
Speaker 2:Um, no, I, I guess that's our problem. It just like flows.
Speaker 3:I just wish I hadn't the joint closer to me now. Um, okay, so these are some just, well, one thing we have to touch on is that like as a result of people not going out, um, not just women, like all sorts of people, but people who are sitting home right now examining where their fillers are fading or their Botox needs, retouching, what their natural hair color actually looks like, what their face is like without eyelash extensions and brow microblading and what their natural complexion actually is without Tanner. So I just like, I'm loving imagining these decomposition processes. Are you?
Speaker 2:Yes. And that's funny. I, that was one of my questions that I had for you. It was like, I mean, you and I are on the other side of it where it's like we don't participate in like a lot of these procedures, like not really. Um, and I feel like, yeah, it's really interesting. Like all those names. Well, yeah, but like I'm kind of, I guess I'm talking more so about like injectables specifically. It's like, it's all those memes that came out like the first week. Like what are everyone's lip fillers going to look like? You know? And I think that it's funny, I pass no judgment. And I think in fact like a lot of people look really good with them and they look hot and whatever. Do you, but I do think this is just a good exercise for everyone to feel very much in their own skin and to kind of give up those crazy like societal rules and controls that especially like, I think like a lot of, um, you know, like women feel, um, brought on by like media, but that's really for everyone. So I take that back, but like,
Speaker 3:no, I feel you just like a super high fem. Acetic requires a lot more labor and money and time.
Speaker 2:Exactly. So it's like, I just, I would want, I would hope for everyone to kind of just feel like, okay, maybe I don't feel as confident without my eyelash extensions right now. But it's like, I like finding beauty in that, like, okay, maybe you don't have them right now, but like, what is something else that you could do, like to kind of boost yourself up? You know, it's just like feeling good with what you have. And I think, um, that's always what I've, that's always been my motto cause it's like if I start comparing myself, it gets really dark and deep. And, um, I'm working on a project right now where it's like I've had to really go out of my comfort zone, which is funny. I'm wearing like more body con stuff and that for me like feels really personal and kind of intense. Um, but I'm taking this as like a lesson to just, you know, feel good. It literally feel good in my own body and skin, you know, whatever way that may look like,
Speaker 3:well that's what Kylie Jenner's doing as well. You might've seen a meme that speaks to her, the resurgence of her as a white woman because her skin, you know, all the things I described below, she's looking very Calabasas classic and the recent pap pecs.
Speaker 2:Interesting. Yeah, I mean like that. I mean, you know, we look at these like people in pop culture, um, someone like, you know, anyone in the Kardashians really? And that's cool. Like, I don't know, I think that younger generations really look at these figures and the fact that she's doing that, like, I mean, that's kind of an overall positive thing, which I think is cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I would love to see an amazing beauty editorial of all of these faces and flux. Um, I wish I could see it and yeah, of course. It's no judgment about what anybody chooses to adorn themselves with or like transform themself with. Um, that's an art that I've enjoyed too. It's more just like, I'm glad I was shifting towards natural, um, during this time in my life because I feel like there are times where I could have looked a lot worse. Um, because of not having access to like spending all this money. It's also making me think a lot about money that I would, even though it's like I'm still willing to spend money on some beauty products, thinking of the cost of certain beauty services, including basic hair coloring. It's just, even though these amazing artists deserve to be paid, like, you know, in relation to their talent, it can just be such a huge investment that it kind of has me in here enjoying what I have, you know, 100%. Exactly. Okay. And I really liked that you said earlier that you don't like to look at your own skin too much in the mirror because I know a lot of people who are your fan, um, literally maybe because they've heard you and they know you're a cool, warm, empathetic, smart person, but a lot of the times just because your skin is so fucking amazing and perfect in this, like it's uncomfortable to say perfect. I know because we're supposed to believe that we don't have to be, but your skin is. And I'm like, if a lot of people listening had your skin, we would certainly be looking at it in the mirror longer than you report to doing. Um, and I think it just really interesting because like, even though I'm so passionate about beauty and skincare and it's kind of a never ending obsession and interest at the same time, I also don't believe in obsessive grooming. I don't believe in like treating your skincare as like
Speaker 4:a space for control and like false agency. And like I just also believe in surrendering as a beautiful act too. And like just experiencing what is, because some people really spend their whole free time like grooming. And I just think that that is like some emotional stuff going on. I don't think that should be normal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't, yeah, I totally agree with you. I mean that's why it's interesting when you like see all these like figures or celebrities or bloggers and they're doing all these videos and it's like, even as a professional esthetician it's like, I'm like, I feel very distanced from what a lot of these people are like their routines and what they're putting on their faces. Cause it's so like exorbitant to me and, but I love, I love that. I love to indulge too, but I just, yeah, I think it's like a fine line. Like just what you said. I really liked that. It's like I don't believe, yeah, I don't believe in like excessive grooming and like making your skin routine about like a control thing. Cause then that's, then it becomes, it's like the intention gets lost. It's like it just kinda, it doesn't make sense really. Like it should be like fun, experiential light and beautiful, but I don't think it should be like the center. Right. Cause then it becomes like the, I think that's a bigger, you know, that's like a bigger question
Speaker 4:and it's one that we can all relate to in some way or another because I mean for me, I've had so many different um, beauty stories that I've told like all sorts of hair colors and in particular when I mentioned like a more recent shift to naturalism, it's only because I had a full face and super blonde hair and like a very high fem look for many years. And now I think it's, all of that stuff is still in the way I choose to present myself somehow, but it's much more relaxed. But it's not necessarily the specific set of changed as much as the attitude. And I really think about it as like beauty as prayer versus beauty as proof because for a lot of my teens and early twenties, I was more immaculately made up than I am now. But it was all about proving my own desirability to other people and mostly to myself. Do you know what I mean? It wasn't like I needed their attention even though I wanted it, especially like sexual attention, romantic gaze. But I really wanted to prove myself viable of even socializing, you know, like I'm worth being somewhere or I'm worth speaking to because I'm pretty. And I think also having predisposed, um, ideas about like my identity in relation to like body image class and a couple other things where I, I felt like just being beauty was proof that I mattered. Proof that I was existed, proof that I was going to attain some visibility and that is just so heavy. And when I think about getting ready sometimes in the past, even though there was so many unbelievably fun moments, there was also so much pressure to look and feel good. Whereas now I really think about beauty as prayer and like ritual and intention and just like feeling your, so you know, I feel myself more than I did yesterday. Ascetically because I accentuated my features with some light makeup and pink lipstick for our talk. Um, but like that can just be a celebration of like myself and of taking the time to feel good rather than proof that like I'm a worthy host or I'm a worthy person, you know?
Speaker 2:One. Yes, yes. I really relate to that like early, I think early twenties, mid twenties. Um, you know, it's, yeah, beauty. It, yeah, it was a lot of proving and I felt like so much of what I did, my routines, the way I dress, the way, you know, I remember like spending like$500 on getting my hair biologic and then wasn't like, exactly cause I wanted it, but I was like, this will make me feel prettier and therefore I think, um, men will be more attracted to me. That was literally how my beauty routines were like associated with, which is kinda sad, but it's also just like part of growing up. But I feel like, and I agree, it's like added, my attitude has changed so much where now I'm just like a mirror. I'm like 30 now basically. And like this is, you know, my features are my features, this is my body and now I'm just like, I'm dedicated to just like working with what I've got right now and like where I choose to modify or transform or explore. It'll be, at least I know now. It's really truly not for anyone else. Like I don't have anything to prove to anyone else anymore. Like it's all, what I want to do is all about fulfilling my self expression and how I feel about myself and for myself. You know, it's just like, it's for nobody else. And I think that's like the biggest change in attitude that I've all these like beauty routines. Like even something as simple as like straightening my hair. Like I would not leave the house without straightening my hair. Like I probably haven't straightened my hair or, I mean I think I got it blown out once this year or maybe once last year, but like, just even breaking down those like expectations where like I remember feeling like, Oh, like it's cool that I don't have to like feel like I have to have straight hair to like leave the house. You know what I mean?
Speaker 4:Right. And also like, I feel like for me, um, any archetype of like a pretty woman who's not skinny, it's like basically a Southern Belle. It's like glamorously smooth, healthy protein rich hair and like Milky skin and perfect curves and like a dress and heels. And like everything is proof that you're not like other fat people would, that you're not like a smelly loser with no nothing to wear. Um, and that's like really fucked up. And so I'm glad that I don't feel that way anymore, but I also think we both have the privilege of being in like longterm committed relationships at this point. So I also really empathize with people who are like, yeah, that's fucked up, but I want to be desirable because I want a partnership and this is the way of the law, you know, slowly. Yeah. But my advice would be that no matter how skinny or waxed you become, what everybody wants is to be mind fucked. And that true sexuality comes from somewhere much deeper than the skin. So have at it that way.
Speaker 2:Boom. That's like, yeah, no, it's so, so true.
Speaker 4:Um, okay. So we spoke earlier about, um, a couple of listener questions. Let's kind of have a lightning type pace, really free association with these. Um, these are questions that came in from you. Beautiful listeners. Thank you so much for submitting. It makes this so fun for both Andrea and me and we're honored that you give a shit. Um, seriously. Okay. So is it worth getting a silky pillow case for both my hair and skin? Can you answer for each 100% hair?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm going to say 100% skin too. Um, silk is great for eliminating that friction that sometimes creates breakage and frizz. And then for skin, um, it's, it's said that these sort of silk pillowcases, um, like don't crease as much and therefore, um, is lighter like on the skin. So it's like on other sheets it's like you might wake up and have a bunch of those like crease lines and it said, I don't have soak pillows, sheets. So I haven't fully tested this out, but I have a lot of clients who swear by them. So I'm going to say definitely for skin and hair, it's totally a plus for preventative anti-aging for the skin.
Speaker 4:Thank you. I'm interested because I noticed that my most sensitive skin area, my face not sensitive to product, sensitive to my own fear of aging. Um, it seems to be right where I rest my head while I sleep at night on my side. Um, so if I don't want to change my positioning quite yet, even though I know back sleep is good for skin I here, so I'll start with the silk pillowcase next. What is the best way to help a breakout without picking it? How do we support our plugged up little holes rather than abuse them?
Speaker 2:Uh, that's a good question. Um, my best advice, wait, was that question on, was it about picking, was it like a that was like a combined yeah. Yeah. Um, I think if you're like a picker and there's like a blemish that pops up, the best thing to do is if you're using a spot treatment that's like the easiest thing, put it on there so that at least it creates like a barrier so that that barrier, like the Mario Badescu drying lotion, right? It's like, although it's not my super favorite product, but if you have that in your cabinet, it's like putting something on there to prohibit from picking. That's like step number one, so just no picking at all. And then secondly, it's, I think like getting out of the shower and if it comes to like what people don't understand is like blemishes naturally come to a head. So just wait for the head to like arise basically. If you're impatient I get it but like sucks for you. Just wait cause it the body is smart. Whatever needs to get expelled will happen. Um, and then my go to trick for blemishes is I always put a little bit of um, like colonial silver gel cause that's antiinflammatory and that can also be used for anyone with any kind of skin conditions, rash, that kind of thing. Um, or baking, you can do a little mix a little water with a baking soda and dab it on there too.
Speaker 4:Nice. Um, that's a good at home fix. I know earlier you mentioned that like incorporating masking or exspoliation being at home as a weekly or biweekly ritual, um, is really good. But what would be some quick pinch exfoliants or masks that we might be able to create from household stuff?
Speaker 2:Great question for masks, definitely. Um, honey base. Um, or if you have like a Greek yogurt base. In fact, Greek yogurt and honey specifically Monique menuca honey are so, so incredible for those with skin conditions including rosacea. Um, maybe even like, uh, like psoriasis, um, excess dryness, it can really, honey really, really helps to um, bring down inflammation and Greek yogurt is super, super cooling cause it's in the fridge, right? So, um, use those as basis. Um, great, great at home. Exfoliators a ground up coffee, Brown sugar and using like an olive oil base or avocado oil base or coconut oil base. Super, super easy. Um, those actually make for really good body scrubs too and lip scrubs as well. Um, you can also do an avocado mask. Tumeric mask. I'm adding a little bit of tumeric powder to your honey or Greek yogurt is great. Easy DIY. Um, yeah, just any, anything that's you can ground up, essentially mix it with some oil and that's, that'll make for a great exfoliator.
Speaker 4:Thank you. And someone asked about tips for hormonal and stress related acne. I know this is my most, that's my most common kind of acne all around my chin. Um, what do you recommend for that?
Speaker 2:I think for hormonal acne, I think it's what I always sort of atomized my clients immediately. I mean, whether you're on some type of birth control is one thing and unfortunately I do think like hormonal acne is so tied to stress and emotions and um, so there's really no controlling that. But I think the best way to get at it is, um, for hormonal acne it's that facial massage is actually really good to sort of break up that like stagnation. But also I always recommend supplements. So looking at your detoxifying organs, so like, um, liver milk thistle is fantastic. You want to make sure that your body is expelling, um, its toxins. Um, another huge, huge thing for hormonal acne is a supplement called dim. Um, and it's derived, um, from cruciferous vegetables. And I have a lot of my clients on that and it basically, well it helps to regulate, um, estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, um, that tends to get out of whack the days leading five days leading up to your menstrual cycle. Um, so you can, I always have a lot of my clients start taking that, um, a month out cause it takes about four weeks to get into the system. But it helps tremendously. I've even had some clients whose hormonal acne is like essentially completely gone away from incorporating dim, um, into their lives. And I also think, um, chlorella, which I've talked to you about before, like any algae kind of based supplement is really good as well. And probiotics are going to be like a huge, huge thing cause um, again with hormones it's, you want to have healthy, healthy gut flora too.
Speaker 4:You mentioned the probiotics and also the chlorella, which are the only two supplements I take. And that was both per your recommendation. How do you feel about like, you know, Covin 19 hits and people are like buying up all the life spheric vitamin C and like buying up all the wellness formula and like, do you think that like last minute efforts to like load up on supplements are really helping your immune system that much? Or like am I being cynical or am I just jealous I didn't get any of the vitamin C?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I don't have, I don't have any vitamin C. I again, like with most supplements like vitamin C or vitamin D or antioxidants, I really try to just get that through the food that I'm eating. So like if you're worried about your immune system, it's like boost up on your onion and garlic intake or start, um, during an, uh, blueberries or like a little bit of chaga, reishi in your smoothies. It's like, I supplement, I feel like, you know, there was like a supplement craze during all of this. And you know, I have like a wellness pill that I take every day, but that's been in habit of just me coming into contact with so many people during my facials, you know, so cause I'm like in there and um, but I think it was really easy to go crazy. You know, I feel like at the health food stores, it's like the supplement section is pretty wiped out. But I, what I say is like these supplement, it's not like you take it and then the next day it's like I'm strong. You know, it's like the body has to build up to it. So if it's something that you see with supplements, I think it's a, if it's something that you feel like you'll incorporate into your life or you somehow feel like, yeah, maybe I don't eat enough fruits and vegetables and I'm not getting my vitamin C, then supplement that with a supplement, you know? But I think best advice to not get supplement heavy cause I get really sick of that world like in two seconds. Um, and it's also kind of expensive, just do it through whole foods. What is, um, that one wellness pill you take? Um, I take there's two that I love, counter attack and then a wellness blend. I think my favorite is counter attack. And I weirdly think it's because the pill is like this really bright, beautiful yellow. Um, but those are my go tos. I take like I'll take countertop twice a day or wellness blend twice a day. Um, it just depends and sometimes I don't even take those every day. Like sometimes I'm like, you know, it's just how I feel. But one thing that I have liked during this, um, during the days of coven, um, aye allergies, the allergies like pollen count has been really, really high in LA cause we've had so much uh, rain. So like there's been days where I like go outside and I'm like, Holy shit, there's so much pollen and I'm really sensitive to pollen. So what's been really nice is there's this um, throat spray by beekeepers natural and I actually accidentally got the kid's throat spray, but I spray that in my throat every day. Um, and that's helped a lot. And that's made with bee propolis, which is the outer most layer of the beehive. So it's extremely protective if you can visualize that. Um, and that's really good for your immune system as well. Um, that would be interesting to me because like, I feel like I've had permanent, some version of post
Speaker 4:nasal drip nonstop in my whole life, but like I can tell, you know, because of diet and certain things right now it's relatively manageable, but it's still just bugs me, especially because I love performing and talking and some days it's like a really heavy weight on my system.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I, it's weird. Like I, I've self-diagnosed myself with allergies, but I, I know I've, I've always had that like, yeah, that throat postnasal drip thing. And again, like my acupuncturist is like, it's all the, the heat and the dam does in your gut, which I believe. Um, but also I just like, I know I'm super sensitive to Dustin pollen, so like, uh, honey is just always, always highly stocked in my kitchen, that's for sure.
Speaker 4:Um, someone asked relatedly, what foods can I eat for the most skin detoxification.
Speaker 2:Yeah. That's really good. Definitely. Um, I would say leafy greens are just going to be the most sort of like all encompassing. You're getting your fiber, you're getting your greens, you're getting high vitamins. There's so many different, um, properties to like, you know, spin, itching, kale and chard, all of those, the greener, the better, honestly. Um, so that's like super all encompassing, sort of like honestly skin vitality I would say. And then the antioxidant question is, um, or factor I should say is important to, um, cause the higher, the more kind of high antioxidant, um, dense diets that we have, the better our bodies will sort of process oxidative stress. So whether that's through, um, environmental frack factors, uh, high pollutants, the air, artificial lighting, that type of thing. Um, eating foods. Like, I mean, you've all have heard this, but nothing revolutionary but berries, raspberries, blueberries, um, I mean even strawberries, uh, pomegranates, um, those are all super packed with really rich antioxidants. So that's also really, really good for the skin as well. Um, and then T's another good thing that I think is like, it's not a food, but something that really AIDS in detoxifying the skin, like peppermint and spearmint. Really, really good for like internal inflammation and kind of antiviral. So like cleaning out, um, kind of your gut. Um, hibiscus is also extremely beautifying. So like hibiscus tea, um, which is my favorite because I love how Micah, even though there's sugar in that, I still like convinced myself that that's really good for my skin. Um, so yeah, like adding teas, calendula, um, lemon balm, all those are, um, help support the skin, um, quite a bit.
Speaker 4:And
Speaker 2:an alkaline alkaline too. Like, uh, I don't follow this diet, but like I'm kind of paying attention to more acidic foods, um, and making sure that you're kind of keeping your body at a nice, um, Paige balance I think is also, um, directly related to the skin as well.
Speaker 4:Cool. And what is someone asking? Oh, so someone asked when you're doings, um, when you're doing facials, how can you tell if someone's had fillers or not? And do people ever lie?
Speaker 2:That's such a good question. Um, I can usually tell now and that's just based off of experience now. Um, you know, things look a little bit, it's just like facial geometry just doesn't really lie. And so when something like it's very obvious to me when something looks kind of exaggerated and I have this sort of like unspoken protocol where like if they don't mention anything right away, then I'm gonna support. Like I'll ask a supportive question where it's like, has there been any procedures that you've done recently? And usually like the client will kind of open up, but it really is, it's not, again, not to shame anyone, it's really just like if you've gotten filler in the last year, three weeks and you're coming to give me a facial, then that is going to dictate the amount of pressure and type of facial that I'm giving you. Cause I don't want to move any of that around. It's too much of a liability for me, you know, since I'm obviously not a doctor. Um, but it can be a little awkward. But now I feel like, honestly it's like, it's so injectables have been so normalized that now it's, I find people are really willing to talk about it, which I think is really cool. And I, and I compliment people too. Like I've seen some really amazing work and then I've seen some not so great work and then, you know, it just is what it is. But um, yeah, it's really just being precautious cause I don't, uh, you know, I don't really want to move any, any of the injectable kind of around. So I need to know people
Speaker 4:one with lymph, like someone giving themself a lymphatic massage based on your eye. GTV if they have fillers, do they need to be careful not to like manipulate the filler?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's where I think it would be. You know, you want to be precautious of like the amount of pressure and limp. Like I said, lymph drainage on the face. Li limb stimulation is not about pressure. So like you can go pretty light and you'll be like, you don't have to worry about moving your filler. But if you are kind of like, if you're addressing more like pain or something along the face, then do be careful with, I would say like a lighter on the pressure. Right. Okay. And then I have one question from a very loyal listener named Harold who's a neuro
Speaker 3:radiologist and he works in a hospital and I might be violating his privacy by disclosing that, but I didn't say his last name or anything. Um, so I'm joking. I don't think he's going to be upset. I want my everyone to know. I really won't violate your privacy unless that's your kind of thing. Um, but he says that I work in a hospital in the bridge of my nose is red in her off from wearing masks help.
Speaker 2:Oh, interesting. For mass. That sounds like it's probably a little bit of like contact dermatitis or a little bit of like chafing. Yeah. Um, so what I would do a little trick, I, it's kind of sounds like honestly I would create a little barrier, sir. So even like, um, like a, like a healing balm. I mean you could do like aquifer Vaseline but those are petroleum based, which I'm not the biggest fans of. But putting just like a little bit of like a, like a pomade and like on top of your nose while wearing a mask, I guarantee that would probably bring the redness down and then also, um, do whatever mask you have at home. Just kind of like even after every night, like a hydrating mask, just applying a little extra love on your nose. But it sounds like that's just like a mass chafing honestly.
Speaker 3:Um, I also heard that, uh, mega babe who we just were speaking about with that Slippy product mega babe is actually donating, um, products for healthcare workers who are experiencing a lot of these types of shafing and skin contact issues. So it might be worth, um, buying yourself a thigh stick and just putting a little bit on those areas on your face.
Speaker 2:Definitely. That's what I was honestly thinking like you want like a gliding product or even like aloe Vera gel would be good to know. Um, yeah, I would definitely, I mean the cool thing about that stick is it's very all purpose to me, which I think is so cool.
Speaker 3:Um, okay. So I don't know if you've been on the show since you pop the big question, but since you are quarantined with your partner and so am I, um, I was kind of wondering if you'd be willing to speak about the idea of like proposing and the gender dynamics of that and like whether I'm kind of proposing this commitment with something you always plan to do or if it was like organic to this particular relationship.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's such a good question. Uh, thank you for asking. Yeah, I will. For the listeners, uh, my partner and I have been engaged just a little over a year and I proposed to him in, during a trip in Japan, um, that coincided with his birthday. And you know, for me it's so weird. It just felt very like working manic. And I, I remember the months leading up to it, I kept kind of, sort of second guessing myself cause I wasn't sure if it was like, as much as I want to do this, it's like how am I going to feel like left out from this process where it's like I want to be asked to. And then I in my head I was like, well that's kinda silly cause it's like, just the idea, like an engagement is already involving both of us. So it's like I didn't feel like I needed like a counterpart like ceremonial thing. Like, and it might happen like, um, Adam and I have like a very open dialogue about that. But I so funny, I just really envisioned myself proposing to him. And I think that, um, I remember telling a lot of my clients like last year and so I would say like, I don't know, like 95% of people were just like, what? That's crazy. Don't you want to ring too? And it's like, I actually don't cause I can't wear a ring. Like during the day. Like I was like, I think it would be cuter to give him a ring cause he can enjoy it and wear it. And when I look at it I'll feel like, yeah, I, I designed that, I bought it and it, it was like a sh equally like a booster for me. So, um, you know, it was fun. I, it kind of like brought me back full circle to even the time that we first started dating. And like, I feel like I was very proactive in our relationship and I felt like this kind of like mimics that. Like I was, I like, I knew immediately like I, you know, in my head I was like, Oh, like I love this person like pretty quickly and like, you know, I want, I was like ready to like take it pretty seriously. So like I just feel like proposing just felt like the extension of that. So I think any one who's like thinking about proposing to their partner, it's pretty cool. Like, it's a really cool feeling. And we talk about it like literally multiple times a week. And it was just, it's, yeah, it's like this fun thing that you remember and were like, I'm not in a rush to plan out anything. And especially like now like who knows when even will really be able to. But like I already like proposing honestly felt like getting married. Like I feel married already and that's kinda what I wanted. I wanted like an unspoken, like spiritual, like this is us committing to each other, but it's people, it's so fun when I'm out with Adam and like men and like everybody comes up and they're like, don't ring it sick. And then like Adam probably tells a story and I'm like, yeah, it's cool. Right? Cause like I really wanted it to kind of like evoke this like superhero, like bad-ass, like kind of like, like Mobby ring. And that's exactly what it is. Cause that's so like Adam in so many ways and it really like speaks to style, but it's so like it's such a conversation starter and it's so fun. And most people are still surprised by it. And I have to say, um, Maggie Simpkins, um, the designer who helped me design, uh, the wedding green Baker, the engagement rings maker I should say, um, was like,
Speaker 4:I think you're the only woman I've ever, like,
Speaker 2:she's like, this has never happened before. So I was her first and she's been doing this for like, I think close to a decade. So that I feel like that says a lot about
Speaker 4:gender roles. Yeah. It's funny because even though it is more normalized than ever before, to have like a very, um, not necessarily dominant but a very like the, like in a heterosexual couple, like it's more common than ever for the woman to be like the driver of the relationship. But when it comes to proposing, it still really isn't normalized whatsoever, um, for that to happen. And I just like the way you speak about it because for you, the pleasure and the gift and the like ceremony and specialness of it is in choosing to share that with Adam and to like is extremely vulnerable to like propose a lifelong commitment. So I like that for you. It's sort of this emotional experience of honor and loyalty and love. And it's not about needing to control when you get proposed or you know what I mean. And just like that agency is something that you don't really see among, um, women looking to get married, especially to men because a lot of the narrative is that I'm a high powered bitch and I can get anything I want. I can control everything except, and then it's like bratty pouting
Speaker 2:about the ring. Yeah. That's like, that's so fucking annoying to me. It's like if you want it in every other area part of your life. Yeah. It's like
Speaker 4:dating discourse doesn't really go that way either. Like I also feel that I was very generously in love with my partner and emotionally more comfortable with like sitting with some of that before he was. And it also had something to do with where we were at before this relationship. Um, him having come out of a relationship relatively, extremely recently at the time, um, as opposed to me who had been really like grounded and interested in like I had been celibate for one year on purpose and I wanted to attract a loving partner. Um, so I dunno, it's just funny because I like how you're saying like, yeah, I've always been driving the car babe, hop in because the reality is some men want to just hop in and that doesn't make them like any less masculine or appropriate or like it doesn't mean they're just like a tag along ride along kind of guy. It just means that they're like having a specific emotional dynamic in a relationship, you know?
Speaker 2:Exactly. And it's funny cause I've had a few like older, um, older female clients and it's like they somehow hear that I'm like engaged and they're like, how did he propose? And I like, hi. I didn't correct them. Like, I just like told the story as if I was the man kind of, and it's funny, you know, because it's just such a generational difference where it's like I, I should have spoken up, but it was this thing where I was just like, I don't even think you're like, you're like nearly 70, you're probably not ready for this. You know, like, cause it's always been such a, you know, this is how it goes. The man proposes and that's it. You know, it's like, and then I'm just supposed to cross my legs and look cute. You know, it's like no, you know, but it's interesting trying to relay that over to someone, you know, like basically over the age of 65 it was just like interesting cause even my parents think yeah. Yeah. Like first first take them both being like Catholic, traditional Latino parents. They were like, huh, like you're going to do it. My mom was like, ah, doesn't seem, doesn't seem like a normal where I was like, well yeah, but like what about my relationship with Adam is normal. Like, I pride myself on like the non normalcy, honestly, whatever that means. You know? And she then she was like, okay, well if you're a Siri, you know, they're both like, they thought it was a joke. It's funny I met with that a lot. They're like, are you serious? Like for real? And it's like, yeah, I sought out someone, plan the ring and then propose like that doesn't, it's not like less of a serious, like I was just as serious as any man, you know. Um, and yeah. And then they were like totally supportive and really excited.
Speaker 4:Oh. Um, well I cannot wait for that wedding. I'll hold my breath. I hope it's not on fucking zoom. Um, um, okay, well there was one more listener question before we get into some wrap up stuff. The question was, I want to quickly shop at a drug store online or Amazon for some like cheap to constitute
Speaker 2:a facial. Any go to drug store or affordable online products to recommend quickly. Definitely for at home, like facial and routine. You and I both know heritage store, any of the products, the rosewater, the rosewater pedals, the rosewater toner. Fabulous, fabulous. Um, and then for drugstore haul I would say like a CVS like survey is going to be like your friend. Really, really nice. Uh, you know, they're not fully clean or anything, but their whole thing is, um, Sarah mines which are super soothing helps with um, skin vitality and texture. So like I actually really like survey. Um, and then a cure is going to be great. A cure and Dilu naturals will Leda amazing all so amazing. The Lolita has really a really nice range on day and night creams. I've noticed skin food, I'm sure you've heard of it. Um, really, really popular. But Khalida has just a really nice range of moisturizers and you can use those bases. Um, you know, for like a facial massage. And then I know a cure has really, really nice, uh, like facial oils and they, I feel like they have a nice range of like different serums, different mass exfoliative they have brightening, they have pigmentation. Like they're a cure is great. I mean I've been using them for years. They're, one of my favorite products is their, um, spirulina and it's green, very earthy, exfoliator, facial Polish, really, really great. Um, but they really like the cure series, the soothing. Um, you can get them for seven bucks. They're my cellar water talents. Um, amazing. And you know, it would be good for an at home facial. Is there a cure sheet? Masks they have really good. The silver foil one. Um, that one's fun cause it's like Chrome and the bio cellulose mask. It's pink. It's like has a lot of peptides and I think hyaluronic acid, um, beautiful. Like, yeah, all of those are amazing and super affordable. Um, and there's so many other cute little brands. Um, too, like slightly smaller ones. Um, for awhile I was really into probably lab like a long time ago cause I loved the name and I thought it was glam, but they have some fun, like they have a really nice talc, free dry shampoo that I really like. Um, who else? Yeah, those were like my main hitters though. I wanted Tommy. Oh, I was going to say the Aztec clay for like a really intense drawing mask. And you can get that in any grocery store pretty much. Totally. I just wanted to say, and while we're talking, well ADA, the um,
Speaker 3:I'm really into skin food of course, and I just got the skin food body butter, uh, not too long ago, which is extremely rich and just as good as you would think it would be. Um, so the only product I have left to try is the skin food lip balm. I really want it and I also am loving what I use everyday after the shower lately is the wool ADA Rose, um, body lotion, which is a very light formula. Um, but it goes, absorbs instantly and it's still very hydrating for how light it is. And then also just cause I mentioned I am kind of having a hard time wanting to spend money on body products unless they're extremely effective. Um, although I'm welcome to receive any gifts is dove exfoliating body Polish in the crushed macadamia and rice milk. You get 10 ounces for seven bucks. And while it might not be clean beauty approved, um, it's just a really nice scrub. It has some nutrients and it's, it doesn't have such harsh molecules that you're going to scratch yourself. And I just love it because a body scrub, like I was gifted the necessary body scrubbed by my mom and it was an amazing Christmas gift. But like you can't use it freely because of you and then someone might stay at your house and use it all and like, it's just, you have to be so worried about it because it's so pricey. And I would much rather sink my hand into this big tub of dub rice milk and feel extremely luxurious. Yeah, that sounds pretty great. This is about to be as long as the fucking, um, Scorsese movie. Um, but I really, we're gonna wrap up. I know. Did you ask me the questions you had for me or anything else you need before I go into some final goodbye stuff?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, we honestly transitioned it to both of them really beautifully. Um, but it was really more, I just wanted your take on like in vegetable injectables, in vegetables, injectables. Um, and like that kind of discourse that's been happening a lot, like over there
Speaker 3:internet and it's like Frankenstein baby. I love it. Um, I love all the, like it's just a gross horror fascination of like work gone bad. I mean, we've all seen botch, like it's just, it's just a realm of like entertainment, whether it's like a fucked up or not. I'm sorry. You know, it's just gossip, but like the idea of people who have invested like thousands of dollars themselves to look a certain way, just like depleting at home cause they can't leave due to global pandemic. It's like, it's an amazing story to me. And I wish beauty magazines were cool so they would visualize it. And I wish we had our own beauty magazine, um, new moon drying it in manifesting. Yes. So on that note, for the new moon, I drew a card from my favorite Oracle card deck, um, by Michelle[inaudible]. And the card I picked before our session is really pretty. I'm going to share it. It's, um, called psychic development and it's an image where the top is the bottom half of a vibrant sun with sun beams, um, going into the sky and right below the center, sun beam is a big, gorgeous white Swan and the Swan is on some rolling water and below it it shows us like a pink and green kind of algae area. Um, so this is a new moon intention for all of our listeners. Psychic development, the energy and healing work you are doing now will enable you to heighten your sensitivity to the energy around you and others. This will assist you in developing discernment. Discernment is the feeling that you get in your body that signals to whether something feels right or wrong. Your sixth sense, your gut feeling, the situation you're inquiring about is asking you to use your discernment. You do not want to take on other energies, others' energy, yet you do not want to close yourself out, off, out of fear, envision energy flowing through you like water, take on too much and you sink. Closing yourself off offers a very different energetic experience too. When you let them water energy flow as it will and either embrace it or fight it, you are truly in the flow. Remaining out, this elevated energetic vibration will allow you to tap into the realms of the psyche. Oh, that's so on point for you. I love it. I hope it resonates with you too and that you enjoy your new moon and earth day. Thank you everyone. I'm so grateful to be here. Do you want to listen to the book recommendations? Yeah. Okay. So sends a few people asked, here are some books I'm going to recommend you check out during quarantine. If you have any specific questions about anything Andre and I spoke about today, you can always message me and I'll get them answered. And likewise, if you have specific types of books you're after, let me know and I can be more specific. But since you listened to this episode about beauty, um, you probably love beauty, desirability and themes of embodiment. So here are a few relevant titles to that. Um, number one is the bluest eye by Toni Morrison. Um, I just recommended this to my cousin Kayla, who literally has the bluest size ever like bluer than the ocean. Um, I was like, please read about your own beauty privilege as the white American ideal and also experience Toni Morrison's perfect prose. It's especially fun to read because it's Toni Morrison's first novel, which I always think is special. Um, when you're going through an author's work and it's just a very readable novel with, um, exciting and essential implications in terms of like racial and gender politics, but told within a very beautifully crafted story. So it's not like a nonfiction text about beauty or something. The next tell me I have audible. So that might be like a nice kind of meditative thing to do in the morning too. My next beauty wreck is a nonfiction. And it's funny you say audible because I'm reading that I'm listening to this authors audible original right now. Um, this recommendation is how to murder your life by cat Mart now, which is an addiction memoir about the bad girl, beauty editors, Adderall dependency and psychosis. Um, but for me it's all about that beauty editor lifestyle. We get to hear the story of her climbing the Conde Nast ladder, basking in the cabinets of free products, fucking up PR trips with the most luxurious beauty brands in the world. And then turning the beauty writing game on its head with her debut at XO Jane where she wrote things like how to do your makeup before work, after staying up on a bender all night. Um, I read this book in a dare to at the beach in 2018 and I literally applied to be a beauty editor at the cut the next week. That's right. I remember that. Of course I didn't get it. Thank God. Um, but I wish they'd at least published one of my stories. And this book is extremely indulgent and fun. Um, the audible, it's kind of different listening to your favorite author, um, then reading, but it's still cool. The next recommendation is thick by Tressie McMillan cotton cotton, and it's an extremely, I'm going to say that again. The next recommendation is thick by Tressie McMillan cotton. It's an extremely relevant collection of essays that explores American institutions such as higher education, medical care, political fundraising, and particularly how those institutions don't function to serve everybody the same. Um, and it's told in a very personal way. It also touches on beauty and desirability, especially with its title essay. Um, which is a fantastic meditation on the descriptor thick, which as a white person, I just don't even believe in saying thick, like in a meaningful way, especially about yourself. Um, I'm also obsessed with a year without a name by Cyrus grace Dunham, which is a memoir discussing Cyrus's own year without a name as they navigated gender transition and just their own sense of embodiment and wondering what was real and what was inside them and what is, and it just gets into all these fabulous existential questions. But, um, besides the themes, Cyrus just writes in a really personal and disarming and exciting way I tore through the book. Um, finally, the next recommendation is pleasure activism, the politics of feeling good by Adrian Marie Brown. Um, basically critical discourse around feeling good. It's part collection of essays, part reader compiled by Adrian Marie Brown. So it has interviews and multi-format stuff does designed all around feeling good and the inherent right to feel good particularly for marginalized people. Um, but just this idea of who gets to feel good when and how and what are our value systems around that. Check it out. I know that was a mouthful. This has been so fun for me. Um, thank God you stayed on the line Dre, because I'm going to tell you about the giveaway. Um, so I'm going to tell you how to enter and then Andre is going to tell you what you're going to possibly win. So to enter this very special Tierney talks giveaway with Andrea, mez known for her amazing facials. Follow both Andrea and me on Instagram. And if you already follow us, that's fine. The most important thing is to subscribe or follow tyranny talks wherever you get your podcasts and send me a DM showing that you're subscribing or following. If you don't use Instagram and you still want to subscribe and submit, please just email me. Um, Oh perfect. Yeah, my email is easy to find, but it's Finster tyranny@gmail.com so you can show me the receipt of your subscription that way and you'll be entered to win a random drawing. So please enter to win by Wednesday, April 29th and the winner will be announced April 30th on Instagram. It's at a mez underscore pro. And then at T star seven for me, we will check before you're submitted into the drawing that you follow us. If you're a user and Andrea, tell them what they're going to get.
Speaker 2:I am so excited because this is so cute. What you're going to get with the lucky winner gets. So considering that the weather's changing, we tuned in. I thought it would be cool to gift, um, one lucky winner, the transforming exfoliator and the probiotic mask, um, by Alan J. These are our friends in Australia that have such a beautiful line, um, formulated by, uh, dr Alison, uh, Jameson. Um, and we are so, so grateful. Thank you so much. I'll in J, but basically, um, this little duo is great because you can morning or night, you can use the transforming exfoliator to cleanse the skin, remove any topical dead skin cells, and then apply the most beautiful baby blue mask. Literally, it's such a beautiful blue. Um, and this mask is amazing for everything. Breakouts, inflammation. Um, it's hydrating, it's not super pulling. So you're getting, um, a really nice all encompassing little kit here. So we hope you enjoy it and we hope you love it.
Speaker 3:Yes, follow us and subscribe or follow. I hear the best way to get listeners is by people subscribing to the podcast. So it's always a treat when you do happy new moon, happy earth day. Enter the contest. Um, set your healing intentions. It's also John water's birthday. So, um, go watch crybaby or hairspray or serial mom, pink flamingos, all cannon. Um, I'm going to go smoke a joint and do that. I'm gonna probably go eat. Okay. I love you Andrea. Thanks for being here.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for having me. Okay, we'll talk more soon. Bye. Bye. Thank you for listening to tyranny talks. This episode was written, produced, and hosted by Tierney Finster. It was recorded and edited by Margo podia. Please let us know what you think of the episode. You can listen to past episodes of tyranny talks on all podcasts platforms. If you love the show, please rate, subscribe, or share with a friend. Until next time.