This post is a collaboration with Naturelle.fi
Would you like to join me on a tour of May Lindstrom’s garden? We’ve taken trips to her fascinating world before, the latest of which can be revisited here; an interview with the cosmetic gastronomist is available here.
This time I thought we would take a look at some products I only recently got to try. Leaving half the potions unmentioned would be unfortunate, however, so I think we might revisit some familiar goodies, as well.
May’s products form a coherent whole that combines an authentic approach to skin beauty, presence in one’s own body, effective skin care, as well as extremely carefully chosen, highly nutritious herb and plant extracts, cold pressed vegetable oils, raw honey, vitamins, and essential oils – all harvested from biodynamic and organically or wild grown herbs and plants. Every product is a carefully thought out combination of pampering, skin care, and aromatherapy, handmade and bottled at May’s small studio in Los Angeles.
Welcome to the magical world of May Lindstrom.
Suitable for all skin types, May’s The Honey Mud Cleansing Silk and Jasmine Garden Botanical Mist are a pampering duo to entice the senses. These two turn one’s daily face wash into a sensuous experience; an imaginative journey to a place where one come face to face with one’s true beauty.
It doesn’t take long to see that Honey Mud is different from any other skin care product out there. Rubbing this toffee scented silk into the skin is nothing short of hypnotizing, and washing it off seems like a waste – this is perhaps the reason the silk is designed to double as a nourishing masque.
The raw honey is a gentle cocktail of nutrients for all skin types, and is also very well suited for rosacea and sensitive skin. Together with colloidal silver, the cleansing silk soothes infections, redness, and irritation.
The best way to remove Honey Mud is with a face towel or muslin cloth dipped in hot water.
Jasmine Garden is the most pampering and luxurious toner I know of – a mesmerizing and mystical fog of jasmine. Colloidal silver and witch hazel soothe infections, fight impurities, and minimize the pores. The toner itself reduces redness, hydrates, and soothes the skin, and can be used by all skin types as a brightening fluid.
The Clean Dirt is a good complementing product to Honey Mud, and I strongly suggest getting them both, to maintain coherence.
The Clean Dirt is an exfoliating and brightening combination of herbs, Moroccan white and red rhassoul clay, and Red Sea salt. It contains vitamin C which brightens the skin and improves skin-cell regeneration. Cinnamon, clove, and turmeric give the skin a healthy glow and warmth.
A few drops of water added to a teaspoon of powder activates the powder and turns it into a mousse. Clean Dirt cleans out pores, is very efficient in getting rid of black heads, and leaves the skin wonderfully soft, without causing mechanical damage.
This deep-cleansing clay can be used to supplement your cleansing regime up to three times a week; it is suitable for all skin types apart from very sensitive skin, and rosacea.
Mixing the scents of sweet plum, bitter citrus, and soft flowers, the Youth Dew oil serum is a luxurious combination of twenty oils and ubiquinone co-enzymes, that gives the skin a youthful glow, smooths out lines and softens the skin, with beta-carotene giving the complexion a slightly tanned appearance.
The oil mixture is incredibly nutrient-rich, and May has indeed chosen the very best vegetable oils for the product, including: avocado, meadowfoam, plum, sea-buckthorn, rose-hip, pomegranate, tamanu, borage, candle nut, and nightly primrose. The aromatherapeutic essential oils include grape fruit, sweet orange, lemon, neroli, rose, and carrot.
Youth Dew is perfect for all skin types, and should be applied onto damp skin after toner and, preferably, a hydrating serum.
The azure colored Blue Cocoon is a beauty balm for all skin types, which renews and soothes sensitive, irritated, and damaged skin. It can also be used as a treatment around the eyes or on the lips. The deep turquoise color and sweet scent come from blue tansy, a chamomile plant with a high azulene consistency. Azulene is an effective soothing ingredient for the skin.
The oils in Blue Cocoon (camelia, marula, yangu, baobab, cacao butter, shea butter) melt nicely on the skin, while the intoxicating scent of the balm soothes the mind as well as the senses, making it the perfect product to help you relax after a busy day, and get you ready for bedtime.
Aptly named, The Problem Solver is suitable for all skin types apart from very sensitive skin and rosacea. I suggest making sure you have a peaceful moment all to yourself, and don’t try to rush things – the treatment time for the masque is 45 minutes.
The mask contains white and red clay, sea salt, raw cacao, vitamin C, vanilla, lavender, gotu cola, marshmallow root, and angelica to brighten the skin, suck out impurities, minimize pores, even skin texture, and smooth out lines. Warming cayenne, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and turmeric stimulate microcirculation, and give the skin a healthy glow.
The mask can be made in one of May’s clay bowls, crafted by ceramic artist Melissa Brown, and applied with May’s own mask brush. Each bowl is a unique piece of art, with May’s logo, a dandelion, stamped on the bottom in 24 carat gold.
Approximately one tablespoon of powder is mixed with a tablespoon of water to make the sodium bicarbonate in the product turn the powder into a bubbling mousse – the cherry on top of a perfect and comprehensive beauty treatment.
For body pampering, May has created The Good Stuff body oil which envelops every nook and cranny in a luxurious blanket of moisture. The combination of rose, ylang-ylang, cacao, and lavender gives the oil an indescribably sensuous scent.
Also combined in the Good Stuff are the quickly absorbed, potent, and repairing vegetable oils of jojoba, macadamia nut, olive, plum, sunflower, and sea-buckthorn.
Beta-carotene from sea-buckthorn, as well as the tiny golden mineral particles in the oil, give the skin a beautiful and natural glow.
I recommend using the oil on damp skin – from top to toe, if you please. As it is fairly light, the product can also be used to provide thickness to naturally curly hair.
The Good Stuff is a sophisticated addition to your winter skin care regime, and you can even add a few drops to your body lotion, or simply apply the oil on top of it. For summer or in damp climates, the oil can be used as moisturizer on its own, or on the arms, shoulders, décolletage, and legs for a bit of dewy glow if you’re going to a party.
I’m still blown away every time I grab one of May’s beautiful glass bottles. Thanks to this woman, my skin care routine has turned even more leisurely and enjoyable than before. Talk about loving skin care.
Which of May’s lovely products have found their way to your collections?
Product provided for testing by Naturelle
Dark green marble squares from Peroba
Photos Katja Kokko
Translation Katja Nikula
