062. Building An Earthwise Beauty Routine, Recently Watched
The joys of creating a one-brand skincare routine and rewatching/rerating some Disney classics
Hi, I’m Maggie and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a weekly newsletter on all things slow: beauty, fashion, living. Links in this newsletter may include affiliate links or discount referrals. If you enjoy and would like to support this newsletter, click the button below or shop through my links! No pressure but thank you if you do.
One of the things I enjoy most is building a skincare regimen. Lucky for me, as a content creator, skincare enthusiast, whatever you’d like to call me, I get to do this quite often. Usually, I’m switching in a new product into an existing routine. But occasionally, when I schedule my products properly (I mean look at a calendar, consider how long it takes me to use up an item, and when the product arrives at my doorstep, etc.), I get to create an entire routine out of one brand. This time that brand is, of course, Earthwise Beauty.
I am so excited to share that I’m now officially an Earthwise Beauty affiliate! You can use my code “tenderforms” for 10% off any order, any time. Or you can use this link for 15% off your first purchase and earn 1,000 reward points! No pressure to use either, but I greatly appreciate it if you decide to.
Earthwise Beauty is a longstanding organic skincare brand in the green beauty space. It was established back in 2005 and is beloved by many, old and new. While I had tried a few samples here and there and gracious decants from friends, I’ve always wanted to try an entire skincare routine from them. The stars aligned, and the brand kindly reached out asking if I would like to try some products! I will be forever thankful to Ava (Founder, Creator) and Shena (Art Director) for this opportunity.
As for the products, I didn’t have to think long because I already had a wishlist of Earthwise Beauty standing by, and they fed straight into my dream routine:
1 . 1 S T C L E A N S E
Paloma of the High Desert Cleansing Ritual Oil.* You know my love of cleansers, so it’s no surprise that I chose this and the following! Paloma would be for first cleanses and deep cleanses with facial gua sha.
2 . 2 N D C L E A N S E
Marshmallow Face Cleanser.* This is saved for second cleanses (following Paloma) or the only cleanse on bare skin days. I can’t begin to tell you how long I’ve wanted to try this cleanser, and *spoiler alert* it’s every bit great as I hoped and more.
3 . O I L
Rosa Whole-Fruit Rosehip Oil.* Of course, I had to put one of my favorite facial oils as the moisturizing step!
4 . S P F
Farizad’s Veil Sun Reflector.* Though not rated as an SPF, my plan is to use it for everyday indoor SPF and reapplication throughout the day.
The above is what I call my core skincare. It’s bare-bones but each step is imperative. You may remember that I don’t tend to double cleanse except in the hotter months of the year. This weekend it will get into the three digits here in the PNW! So yes, double cleansing will be a must! You also might have noticed that I’m missing a toner/mist. Of all the items in a routine, the toner or facial mist is most often swapped out. I go through them quickly, and I’m not tied to any in particular. There are so many seasonal hydrosols I use in a year, and I tend to schedule the rest of my mists around them. (I’m just about finished with my LESSE one.)
However, you know that I love serums. I always have one in rotation, yet somehow, I had overlooked the fact that once I finished my current one, I would be without one; emulsion or oil! Since I love Rosa so much, I contemplated the best serum to complement its qualities. Rosa is luxurious though seemingly simple in design. It’s rosehip fruit oil, tocopherol, and rosemary leaf extract; that’s it. But what it does is spectacular. It is my dehydrated, acne-prone, sensitive, combination skin’s soulmate. And with the warmer weather coming in hot, I landed on the one and only:
5 . S E R U M
Ambrosia do Cerrado Liquid Moisturizer. It’s a lightweight hydrating and brightening moisturizer. Like Rosa, it’s also essential oil free and great for that lengthy skin-type description I listed above. I immediately ordered this on my own because I generally prefer mixing my facial oil of choice into a lighter, emulsion-type moisturizing serum.
And no skincare routine would be complete without a face mask step. Though I view face masks similar to the toner/mist category, my skin had been craving a particular Earthwise Beauty one.
6 . M A S K
Catharsis Face Mask. I only ordered a sample because never one to waste, I have a couple of other masks that need using up, and I’m not made out of money. Of course, immediately after checkout, I regretted not getting the full-size. But then, it was like the brand heard my sorrow. They so kindly upped it to the full-size and lovingly gifted the Selene Facial Steam and four samples that serendipitously rounded out my routine!
5 . ( A L T ) S E R U M
Nap In The Meadow Face Serum (sample size)*. Like Ambrosia do Cerrado, this is another aloe-based serum but focuses on anti-inflammatory benefits and contains nonirritant essential oils. This is another item I’ve heard so much love for, and I can’t wait to add it in!
7 . E Y E S E R U M
Passion Eye Serum (sample size)*. This came at the perfect time as I was just finishing an eye balm!
8 : M I S T
Cistus And Moonlight Face Mist (sample size)*. I’ve gone through an entire bottle of this before. I adore the scent and will definitely be adding this in on my pamper routine days, mixed into masks, or as an indulgent body mist.
The very last sample I got was Rosa.* Since I have the full bottle, I’ll either be giving this sample to a friend or putting it into the next round of the Tender Forms Pay It Forward!
At the time of writing this, I’ve already been using the core skincare and some of the samples for several weeks. There will be a detailed follow-up review of the above soon!
Though there are plenty left to go, I’m making great headway rewatching the classics and any live-action remakes on Disney+.
‘Aladdin’
(1992) ★★★½ Rewatching this made me miss Robin Williams more than I can express. And there are some absolute musical bangers in this! As great as I remember, if not better.
(2019) ★★ The two leads have great chemistry, but overall, the entire cast cannot sing. It’s disappointing because they include all the same songs, but most lines are sung flat. Director, Guy Ritchie, includes a few of his signature action time-remapped scenes, but even he couldn’t save it. The VFX isn’t the greatest for 2019, and Abu actually looks quite scary. *I could be biased because I’ve been afraid of monkeys ever since watching 1995’s ‘Outbreak’ at a young age. I commend Will Smith for trying his best, and though he doesn’t try to imitate Williams, his own version of Genie is just lacking. Also, *spoiler alert,* ultimately, Aladdin grants Genie his freedom, but it essentially strips him of his powers, turning him mortal. Is that what he wants? I feel like neither of them thought that part through.
‘Alice in Wonderland’
(1951) ★★½ Another one where it’s been a decade since I’ve rewatched this. This, too, didn’t hold up. I think it’s a perfect children’s animated feature. The story feels like a collection of tales played through vignettes. So nothing is ever long enough to be boring, yet I was bored most of the time. There are some catchy songs though.
(2010) ★★ I prefer Tim Burton’s version. It at least has a style to it. For example, there’s an exceptional VFX falling-down-the-rabbit-hole sequence, and the character design is excellent. The rest, not so much.
‘Beauty and the Beast’
(1991) ★★★½
The songs definitely carry this. They’re beautiful, charming, and enchanting. Upon rewatch, did Beast trap Belle with a fancy library? Or did she never really want “adventure in the great wide somewhere?” She settles for a Prince and a castle. Poor Gaston, if he were a Prince, things may have gone differently for him.
(2017) ★★★½
Emma Watson was meant to be Belle (even if she’s not a singer). I don’t care what anyone says. Her character portrayal has much more dimension than the original’s, and she carries this film. It’s the most fun when it’s a play-by-play of its animated predecessor, but I venture to say it may be better. It’s more realistic in scenes, specifically the snowball fight; I laughed so hard. And it’s terrifically cast: Luke Evans makes a perfect Gaston and Josh Gad, a great LeFou. The duo performs one of the more entertaining numbers. Compared to the pompous Prince at the beginning and his frivolous parties, Gaston is a small-town guy who’s just trying to marry the best woman. It really makes me root for Gaston. Also, Ewan McGregor’s voice is unrecognizable as Lumière, but that’s what makes it fun. And I especially loved the main on end title sequence.
‘Cinderella’ (1950) ★★★
This was one of my favorites when growing up. Upon rewatching, it’s less magical. My favorite part is when Cinderella and the Prince take a stroll in the moonlight while “So This is Love” playing. Aside from that, I appreciate Cinderella’s work ethic.
‘Peter Pan’ (1953) ★½
I haven’t rewatched this one in at least a decade, and it was…terrible? I like the story, just not the execution. ‘Hook’ is 10,000 times better.
‘The Lion Ling’
(1994) ★★★
I have to say, overall, this doesn’t hold up for me. When it’s great, it’s majestic, but when it’s just for fun, it’s shallow at best. However, the bookended Pride Rock scenes always get me. Every time. Tears central. *It seems Disney has upresed all animated features for digital re-releases. However, this one doesn’t seem as clean as the rest. You can see moments where perhaps the frame rates are different, and they didn’t take the extra effort to add them in, so sometimes hairs from Mufasa’s mane seem to jump around. But that’s nit-picking.
(2019) ★★
This was my first and only time I’ll watch this. The CGI is fantastic, and it’s clear why Disney keeps pumping these out. They’ve created quite the CG animal library with ‘The Jungle Book,’ ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Aladdin,’ and ‘Dumbo.’ Why wouldn’t they use that to their advantage?
I hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter! Are you an Earthwise Beauty fan? And what about these Disney classics? Do they hold up for you? Remember, you can always leave a comment or reply directly to this email to chat one-on-one.
As always, I hope you have a great start to your week. See you next Sunday!