There’s nothing quite the feeling of Spring! Emerging from the depths of winter to shake off the cobwebs and burst forth ready for a new beginning. As the official season of rebirth and renewal , Spring is the time to switch things up and invite in fresh energy and colour, adopt new healthy habits and generally overhaul your living environment. Let’s not forget our skincare! You may find that your skin does not change all that much between the seasons , in which case you may only need to make a few tweaks to your routine. For others, t he chang...

Beauty lit from within. This is the grounding philosophy behind renowned natural beauty label Vapour Organic Beauty . This year we invited Vapour onto the shelves and into our makeup bags , as one of only a handful of mindfully selected international clean beauty brands we offer at conscious.kin . The Vapour Organic Beauty story is enchanting; they hail from the Mountains of Taos, New Mexico , where art and alchemy merge in their line of multi-award winning, cult-worthy organic cosmetics created with the health of our bodies and the planet in ...

Last week we featured a round-up of the best natural mascaras for long fluttery lashes and this week it's all about the brows . Our eyebrows play a huge role in the overall look of the face; a pair of perfectly shaped brows will frame and 'lift' your face . But it's not just about hair removal ; the way we style our brows with the right brushes, pencils and gel is everything! It doesn't matter if you've been graced with naturally full brows or light sparse ones , everyone can achieve their brows of their dreams with the right tools and tric...

When you make the swap to clean beauty and natural skincare , one of the first areas of your beauty kit you’ll want to overhaul is mascara . Even if you’ve never experienced a reaction or sensitivity to conventional mascara (a common trigger for swapping to the natural version), a quick glance at the list on back of the wand will reveal a host of ingredients that don’t belong anywhere near our eyes. Petrochemicals, parabens and synthetic chemicals are just not necessary when a quality natural mascara will do the same, if not a better job, of p...

We can often neglect our hands at the best of times . And in winter, with the extra dryness in the air and temperature changes between indoors and the elements outside, our skin needs a little extra love . Dry hands and irritated cuticles are nobody's friend! The solution : keep a natural hand-cream in your bag, car or desk at work and apply liberally as both a prevention and cure throughout the day. But where do you start and how do you choose? We'll admit, there's so many wonderful natural hand-creams on the market it can be tough! That's wh...

We now have the research and science to back it: What you put on your skin goes in. And all those mainstream beauty products we’ve been applying for years; we now know to contain a cocktail of parabens, synthetic preservatives, chemicals, neurotoxins and endocrine disruptors ...ingredients you probably don’t want anywhere near your skin ! But just as there is no one-size-fits-all skincare routine, our reasons for ‘making the swap’ to clean beauty, are deeply personal. You might have decided to make the swap to natural products for health reason...

What is a beauty balm when it’s at home? The idea of a fix-all balm might seem old-fashioned , like something your nanna might have kept in the medicine cabinet. But she was definitely onto something! A good balm is the missing item in your beauty kit, we would even consider it a skincare staple! Balms are perfect for winter, when our skin and kin’s skin can suffer the effects of the dry season and needs extra moisture and hydration . They’re suitable for all members of your family and can be kept on hand for all those SOS situations, when you ...

Photography | George Gvasalia As we leave Autumn and head into Winter, it’s the perfect time to give your hair the extra hydration and nourishment it's craving . The cooler months are a typically drying time for skin and hair and you’ve probably started to notice your hair just doesn’t have the same lustre and radiance it had in summer. At this time of year it’s best to er on the side of less is more, when it comes to heat-based styling . Over-styling with blow dryers or straighteners, combined with the drying effects of indoor heating and the...

Photography - Alef Vinicius Oil Cleansing ! Have you heard of it or tried it? It might be a relatively recent skincare trend to grace the industry but rest assured it’s not a passing fad . Where traditional foam or cream cleansers can strip skin, Oil Cleansing provides a natural and effective deep cleanse , removing impurities, dirt and makeup residue from pores while working with skin’s natural oils . As we come into Autumn, and particularly with this cold snap, it’s the perfect time to change up your skincare routine. Swap over from a foam o...

Beauty fads come and go but every now and then you come across a game changer! Crystal facial rolling is having a moment right now, but beyond the hype, there’s a multitude of benefits from including a facial rolling practice in your daily skincare routine . The skin on our face is the most delicate but it’s also an area of skin that we expect the most from. Our facial muscles get overworked and over time we can experience an accumulation of tension in the tissue, especially around the jaw. Don’t even get us started on frown lines (hello parent...

Image Credit | Christin Hume Happy Earth Day Week ! Since the theme of Earth Day 2018 is Reduce Plastic Consumption , we’re focusing on ways to minimise how much plastic we use, how much waste we create and how we can work together to leave a smaller footprint in general. Being mindful consumers and ‘buying intentionally ’ is the first step. You will have no doubt heard the catchphrase ‘ Buy Less, Choose Well, Make it Las t’ in reference to fast fashion, but it’s an ethos that can be applied to all of our consumption choices. Which is where o...

If the idea of swishing liquid oil around your mouth first thing in the morning grosses you out, you’re probably not alone. However, like lemon-water or cleansing your face, Oil Pulling is something you might really want to consider adding to your daily wellbeing routine . We all know that beauty trends pass through in interesting shapes and forms, many of which we’re more than happy to leave to the beauty vloggers. But Oil Pulling, like dry body brushing , is actually an age-old practice that we’ve only recently recycled back into general use...

Once upon a more much simple time, our skincare routine consisted of cleanser, toner and moisturiser. Now, we have oils, serums, elixirs, moisturisers, balms and every option in between. The cosmetic industry, as we know it, is a well oiled machine designed to get us to consume more products and more often. And it’s very good at it! Without a solid knowledge base, we’re often left to look for answers within the beauty industry, which is carefully curated and laced with confusing (and often misleading) jargon. With beauty trends coming and going...

Are you getting a good night's sleep? A good bedtime ritual is something we might have known as children but as adults, it’s not something we give much thought to. But maybe we should! When the quality of our sleep permeates everything, from our mental capacity and emotional health - how we relate to the world around us and our coping ability - to our memory and metabolism, digestion and blood pressure. Why is it that in those times when we need the most sleep, we just can’t switch off? Our minds run over the events of the day, tomorrow’s to-do...

You can’t flick through a glossy magazine or scroll past a blog these days without hearing about the latest beauty trend that is 100% going to change your life. At conscious.kin we’re big advocates for a simple, dare we say, minimalistic , skincare routine. One made up of a few key products and nourishing rituals that fit effortlessly into your day. There’s certainly a peace to be found in getting your skincare routine down to a fine art as the hype of new trends come and go around you. However, if there is one trend you might really want ...

When it comes to summer, there is no denying it. Skin is in. And this trend will be carrying us through 2018. It is all about supple, fresh and glowing skin. Think almost bare “no trick, no contours”. Right up our alley here at conscious.kin! Let's start by taking you through some reliable steps to look after your skin this summer and have it ready to shine for the rest of 2018. These are the “Core Four” that build a solid foundation for beautiful, radiant skin. Preaching to the converted, I know. But, ladies and gents, where there is smoke...

Beauty blogger and makeup artist Monique Peters has made the leap from big brand, mainstream cosmetics to a more holistic approach to beauty and wellness. Monique’s blog – The Beauty Journal – is a creative, honest and educational destination for all things health and beauty, and it is where she is sharing her personal journey as she works through health issues of her own. Having been several years without a menstrual cycle, and with severe hormonal and gut issues, Monique began a quest to empower herself with knowledge about what she was putti...

We love natural mascara for its ability to nourish lashes, not just give them curl, lift or volume. They're full of waxes and oils that help the formula glide on easily and they're also perfect for anyone with sensitive or easily irritated eyes (and anyone who wears contacts). Luckily, mascaras have joined the long line of natural products that have improved over the last few years. Gone is their reputation for being clumpy or stiffening. Mascara is one of our favourite and easiest beauty swaps for your make-up bag. Here are the best of the bes...

These simple DIY beauty treatments target our greatest skin concerns, such as reducing fine lines and wrinkles, improving firmness and elasticity and protecting skin from damage. Utilising your favourite beauty products as well as a few staples from the supermarket, these rituals will feel spoiling and luxurious amidst the holiday season madness. They are, of course, all natural and guilty-free, so block out time in your calendar now. Don’t forget yourself this Christmas! DIY Lactic Acid Mask The lactic acid in yoghurt dissolves dead skin cell...