However, the reality of life is very messy. Blemishes crop up at the mere sight of happy hour, let alone after a night out in Bushwick. I’m not one of those people who stop eating with stress, I double down on peanut butter and gelato (highly recommend) thereby inflicting myself to lactose spirals, only adding fuel to the fire on my chin.
The whole on-the-wagon, off-the-wagon regime is such a bore and doesn’t really work for me. Instead, I decided to research some of the new wellness brands who are fusing nutrition into beauty, effectively hacking my bad habits, and instilling goddess-like beauty from within.
I’m a big fan of DTC companies disrupting traditional ways of thinking, and care/of promises honest guidance (needed), better ingredients (thank god), and personalization (yes please). After conducting a robust but manageable survey, I got a personalized recommendation of five vitamins to take daily, along with a melt-in-your-mouth booster “chill factor” to help with stress. I’ve heard so many dubious vitamin stories over the years, that it is refreshing to have a brand with some integrity and accessible information. Plus, it is personalized and replenished monthly, so unlike the Costco sized bottles of vitamin D in the back of my pantry, I know I’ll use them within a reasonable timeframe.
Gut health is the shiny disco ball of your well-being, dictating the groovy nature of good bacteria and bad bacteria. Everyone’s ecosystem is determined on their diet and body, but the general rule of thumb is to have more of the good bacteria, which can be achieved by natural probiotics (yogurt, kimchi) and also supplemented by a probiotic. Gastro docs prescribe probiotics like derms prescribe regular SPF, and TULA is unique in that the brand was founded by Dr. Raj, a gastroenterologist with a penchant for beauty.
I like the purifying cleanser, which is a super gentle cleanser loaded up with superfoods and probiotics. I use it as the second step in my double-cleanse – it honestly doesn’t have a great taste or smell – but I feel like it’s doing more work than my snoozy French water-based cleanser. I’ve also been using the Hydrating Day & Night Cream every morning to set the day off on the right foot.
A few years ago, I wound up in a gastro’s office after an insane week of constipation. The culprit? A mix of stress and my oh-so-healthy smoothies with whey protein powder. Turns out, I don’t need a crazy mash-up of 18 amino acids (they constipate).
Needless to say, I threw caution into the wind when trying out WelleCo’s Nourishing Plant Protein Elixir but I was lured by the inside-out mantra – and I’m hooked. There’s a chance my scale could be off, but I’ve lost a few pounds since I’ve started making a simple peanut butter/banana/almond milk smoothie every morning, and I still have a late breakfast! It’s plant-based and super clean, and an easy way to ensure that I’m getting the right nutrients, digestive enzymes, and balanced energy.
Peruse any wellness blog and you’ll undoubtedly come across Sun Potion. Their tagline is transformational foods, and its kinda the perfect LA vibe to include in your daily life. I was turned onto them from a friend who would put Ashwagandha powder in his Bulletproof Coffee. This is a bit of an oxymoron, as Ashwagandha is a stress reliever said to “Harmonize Mind, Body, and Spirit”, and Bulletproof is essentially highly-caffeinated crack, but hey maybe it counterbalances. This stuff is a bit strong on its own and will overpower something like a simple chai tea, so it’s best in smoothies, cold brew or with cacao.
Hailing from Venice, Moon Juice is the brainchild of Amanda Chantal Bacon, a woman who epitomizes wellness from within. What started off as a juice joint morphed into a supplement machine, with the Moon Dust, Sex Dust etc appearing in every hipster home store. The new SuperYou is designed to help with daily stress management by regulating cortisol levels via adaptogenic herbs. It boasts a 24% reduction of stress, but I would be interested to see how this works in conjunction with a mood tracker.
