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Be Well

Your Holiday Party Skin Survival Guide

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We’re officially feeling all kinds of festive cheer here at Shop Good! Cue the Christmas Jazz Bar playlist (in-shop insider secret: peep this playlist on Spotify..we’ll be playing it all season long). It’s also officially the season of indulgent living. And we support your celebration no matter what that looks for feels like. Schedule packed? Now there’s just one thing left to consider. YOUR SKIN SURVIVAL PLAN to keeping GLOWING, inside and out, all season long. 

Product Expert, Alexa Joy, has put together a Shop Good Survival Guide to navigating the Holiday Party Indulgence – keeping your skin, mind and body as a tip-top priority!   Here’s the details… we’re eager to share! 

STEP 1: EMPOWER YOURSELF

One of the best ways to practice balance during the holiday season is educating yourself prior! So, lets get right down to the nitty-gritty. How do the effects of alcohol really effect the skin and body? 

Alcohol can suppress your body’s antidiuretic hormone (this usually works to send fluid back into your body) while simultaneously acting as a diuretic (increasing your rate of flushing liquids from the body). This not only may leave you feeling dehydrated, but may also cause your skin to feel appear less plump, making any fine lines more appear prominent. Alcohol also has the tendency to increase inflammation and actually change your skin’s hormonal environment, which can flare up inflammatory conditions like acne or rosacea. Further, because alcohol causes your blood vessels to dilate, you might see those pesky puffy or reddish under eyes the next morning.

Alcohol also has the power to disrupt your gut’s natural microbiome where we find our gut’s healthy bacteria. This balance of good and bad bacteria is essential to regulating our immune system, digestive system, and yes, keeping it glowing!

Ok, now that we have armed ourselves with the 411, is it time throw the party dress on yet?

STEP 2: PRE-GAMING YOUR SKIN – BEFORE THE PARTY

/ HYDRATE

Keeping yourself hydrated before your outing is the ideal way prevent dehydration on all fronts, which promotes buoyant skin, optimal digestion and an overall healthy glow. A few good rules for throughout your day? Drink two 8 ounce glasses of water to every one cup of coffee or caffeinated beverage.  Keep a larger-than-usual water bottle at your work station for easier refill access. Reach for the fresh pressed green juice that’s packed with antioxidants to offer your skin a preventative measure to lean on.

/ POP THE PROBIOTICS

Keep your gut strong and don’t forget to take your pre/probiotics if they’ve slipped your mind in the past. Introducing a high volume of good gut bacteria pre party-indulgence can work wonders for your skin and your gut. Think: helping to prevent an unexpected breakout, avoiding the post-party belly bloat or even catching a cold. 

Top product rec: ORA ORGANICS – TRUST YOUR GUT PROBIOTICS.

2. PARTY TIME

Whether it took major courage, arranging a babysitter or agonizing over the right dress, you’ve made it out and about! Good for you! You’re hydrated and feeling the party vibes. But don’t be discouraged. We think, you CAN have both: healthy skin and sips, if you wish! Here are some tips to minimize the effects of alcohol while you’re still at the party. 

/ ALTERNATE YOUR DRINKS…WITH WATER!

Every cell in our body is made up of water (⅔ of every cell is water, actually!) — our skin is no exception! So yes… water is your BFF when it comes to flushing toxins, and staying hydrated..and keeping you feeling your very best. Try this: for every 1 drink that contains alcohol, drink 2 cups of water. This ratio will help off-set dehydrating effects  and help keep your skin happy, at the party and the morning after!

/ LIMIT OTHER SUGARY ITEMS 

If your evening drink leaves a sweet note on your palette, try balancing out the sugar content for the night by hand-selecting appetizers from the savory or whole-foods trays, if possible! The veggie and hummus platter or protein sources are great options for filling the belly and limiting your sugar intake.  Look for bites that have an antioxidant potential — like berries, bel peppers, nuts and seeds. These may help bolster the body against any excess toxins while you enjoy your sipping!

3. THE AFTERPARTY

It’s late. You mozy your way into your home and you’re met with a decision: jump right into bed and catch some much-needed zzz’s, or head to the skin and love up on your skin? The moments before you hit the pillow and when you rise are KEY!  Here are our post-party tips to keep your skin radiant. 

/ PM SKIN ROUTINE

Remove your makeup. Overnight, your skin works hard to turn over cells and renew itself. Leaving your makeup on keeps the skin from breathing and thus, signs of fatigue may appear. I love using Botnia’s Balancing Oil Cleanser as a quick yet ultra-nourishing swipe clean. It will not only easily remove that party makeup, but kick bacteria and inflammation to the curb with ingredients like Meadowsweet and Red Raspberry Flowers. 

Too excited for zzz’s to stand in front of the sink? Cleanse the dirt and makeup off your face with our quick-fix Ursa Major 5-in-1 Wipes. These ultimate multi-tasking wipes are infused with anti-bacterial orange, lavender and fir, working to clean, exfoliate, soothe and hydrate. Done and done!

Are you a skincare maximist, like me, even in the later hours of the night? Try these skin-saving tools for extra-hydrated ‘i-slept-for-hours’ skin the next day!

Botnia Gentle Cleanser – I recommend this one ALL the time to EVERYONE. It’s anti-inflammatory, gets all my makeup off, and helps bring some much needed calm to skin.

Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator – This little wonder offers your skin both hydration and pH balancing. The fine mist also helps to increase the absorption of your serums or moisturizers you may follow up with, driving the botanicals deep into the skin for maximum results. 

Berlin Skin Carrot Seed Serum – This mighty mini provides skin some amazing healing benefits, while also promoting plump skin and helping to keep it hydrated. Its packed full of antioxidants to keep your skin bright, healing, protected, and hydrated. 

Agent Nateur Holi (Oil) Ageless Face Serum The holy grail of facial oils! Packed full of anti-aging vitamins and oils, it absorbs to brighten and hydrate. It minimizes the appearance of redness, unevenness, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and dark spots (hello, just what we needed!). Plus, it replenishes the appearance of collagen and helps fight the effects of free radicals while smoothing the look of the skin. Talk about a recovery potion!

Agent Nateur Holi (Glow) Ageless Eye Serum – Bye Bye puffy under eyes! Tired circles? Not a chance. This eye serum was specifically designed for tired and dehydrated under-eyes. Beautifully blended with cucumber, caffeine, chamomile and calendula, and a few other ingredients, this cooling gel depuffs and leaves your under-eyes feeling hydrated and glowing.  

3. SKIN RECOVERY RX

The morning after is a great time to supplement with additional skin-balancing and quick-fix treatments at home for that boost of glow.

/ MASK IT UP

An at-home mask is a great way to treat the skin with multi-layered nourishing ingredients for brightening, tightening and glow-inducing benefits. Two particularly hydrating and recovering favorites of mine are the Josh Rosebrook Advanced Hydration Mask (packed with ingredients designed to help replenish and retain maximum skin cell hydration) and Botnia Gentle Hydration Mask. It’s moisture-intensive treatment is packed with hyaluronic acid and vitamin B3 to soothe any redness or inflammation and pump hydration into the skin. 

/ WARMING SIPS

It takes 3 days for your system to rid itself of the toxins it absorbed from alcohol consumption. During this turnover period, reaching for a healing beverage like bone broth can help restore vital nutrients and minerals, along with replenishing 17 different amino acids that work to support your gut health and detoxification system. 

Don’t have broth at arms reach? Drinking warm beverages helps the body to heal quicker and relieves much of the stress put on it from overindulgence. I love making a quick super-tonic with warm almond milk and Moon Juice’s Cosmic Gold. It includes stress-reducing adaptogens like Reishi, Ashwagandha, and Astragalus, while Silver Ear Mushroom, Hyaluronic Acid, and Tocos support collagen synthesis and promote hydration and skin suppleness. 

Gotta jet out the door the next morning? Bon Temps White Tea comes in single sachets and is a staff favorite. With rose petals and white tea leaves, this blend tastes and smells like a rose garden, while offering hydrating and inflammation soothing benefits too. Pop a bag in your stainless steel canteen with hot water and sip away.

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Drink up, eat well, and don’t forget your belly breaths when things get a little stressful. End the year by honoring yourself and others, give more than you might get, and keep the mood light & bright! Merry Christmas and cheers to a glowing and gut healing holiday!