It’s hard to figure out what to put on our skin sometimes. What is the difference between clean beauty, natural, or organic vs the famous established brands we see in shops? Who are the brands we can trust and how good are the products? These are questions that many women (and men) ask themselves so here to help us is Eva Fontanelli. We asked the founder of gOOOders, who personally selects all brands curated on her platform and pop up shops, to talk about the values behind her favorite cosmetics. She also gives us a hint about her top cocooning treats for the winter months.
Eva, when did you switch up your beauty routine?
I started using organic and natural beauty maybe a couple of years ago, though I've always used some natural rituals that I inherited from my grandmother. Old fashioned home-made recipes, using honey, yoghurt, oats and even potatoes (great for brightening the skin).
I'm very careful of what I put on my skin because I think you really reflect what is inside you at any moment. What are your thoughts, how you're taking care of yourself, it all really shows on your skin. So, to get good skin, I always recommend starting by taking care of yourself.
If you see that your skin tone is very grey, then take a nap for example, or take a bath and really take care of yourself. And then of course ideally, use the right products: products that are made by people or brands that share the same values as you.
Respect for nature, natural ingredients, using smaller amounts, that’s more or less my philosophy.
Tell us how you select brands for gOOOders? What do they need to have to make the cut?
Well, first of all, I try them all for you and I never recommend things, especially in skincare, that I haven’t tested first.
My favorite products at the moment are the Pistachio Face Mask from Irene Forte. You can apply it also before bedtime. Often I leave it on for the night and it’s one of the few masks that I think kind of rebuilds your face (I mean my face). It’s like there are little men during the night that are doing a collage on my face [laughs and hand gestures to mimic the collage]. I'm not joking, it’s amazing.
Nüssa is another brand that you carry, can you tell us what’s special about the company and its products?
When I met the founders of Nüssa in Paris a few years ago, we clicked immediately, because we think the same way: it’s really rare to find cosmetics that have all the things that you want in a beauty line. In this case super ecological, including in their packaging since they don't use plastic, and the ingredients are supernatural.
There is a beautiful story behind every product, the packaging, the ingredients. It really feels super natural and “goood” for you, like a second skin. And good for every day even if you have sensitive skin which is my case.
The smell is also really nice which is something I highly appreciate in a beauty product, I don’t like when the scent is too strong or too “natural”. And Nüssa is proud that their fragrances are 100% natural.
Finally, what I love is that it gives you this sense that you are putting some nature on your skin.
You know, when you see the flowers blooming and the trees grow in your life, well, I'm putting some of this magic on my face.
That sounds amazing. We’re in!
You are a big proponent of sunscreen. Why is this important to you, even in winter months?
Well I’m originally from Italy and traditionally we don't use a lot of sunscreen here in the winter. But a few years ago, I got spots on my face. I found that it was simply due to the fact that I was not protecting my face in the winter.
I find most sunscreens make my skin go itchy, even those I got at the pharmacy. Now I only use this Alanea one because it is very natural. I was really looking for something for myself and I believe it’s an absolute necessity to have a sunscreen that is as natural as possible and also feels good on the skin.
The girls at Alanea are marine biologists and they studied the properties of sea water and use these active ingredients in their products. It's very hard to create a totally natural sunscreen but they developed one that is close to 100% natural: iSFP 50, eco- certified and 98% of the total ingredients are natural.
Great, we know what to do now. What’s coming next in gOOOd beauty?
Exciting news! We have found a great vegan and toxic free brand of nail polish that we love, called Licia Florio. Even the packaging is sustainable, made out of glass and bamboo.
The founder of the brand, Licia is also a devoted yogi. This week she hopes to create a new trend, called “Gold Friday”. To celebrate, she has decided to offer us all a lovely gift: a free month-long of yoga. Whether you buy anything from her or not. Our kind of initiative. Licia Florio, available on gOOOders.com very soon.
