Slow living is becoming a popular trend in the beauty world, as more and more people are moving away from fast-paced environments and back to a more peaceful, natural, cozy way of life.
Embracing your skin and natural beauty, each and every day – going about your day not just more slowly – but mindfully – requires us to understand and accept what our skin needs.
I had the opportunity to interview Anna Gecheva, CEO and founder of Miss Organics (here), an iconic skincare brand that has been featured in multiple magazines like Elle, Red, Natural Health, and Country Living. Anna has real life experience in putting slow living into practice.
Here is what she had to tell –
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you for your interest in my life and my brand. I am so happy and inspired to lift the curtain and share a little more about my personal journey. Thank you for the opportunity, it is an honor!
I quit my senior management position as the global Finance Controller for a fashion designer (Stella McCartney) to focus on building my own skincare brand, Miss Organics (here). My mission has always been to inspire holistic living in harmony with nature and self by offering a range of sustainable skincare that promotes health as part of an enjoyable self-care ritual.
Transitioning from corporate life to pursue my brand mission was something I had dreamed of doing for many years. I had launched my skincare company on the side but struggled to find enough time for it.
I loved living in London and enjoyed the vibrant city, the rich restaurant scene from around the world, the beautiful architecture, and all the fun events. Not to mention, I had a great circle of friends.
But I was exhausted from working long hours, sometimes having calls with our Japan team at 8 a.m. and not leaving the office until 8 p.m. because I also had to speak to our team on the other side of the globe in the U.S. I only had time to go to the gym to keep my body strong for the long hours in front of the computer, and I could hardly do anything outside of work.
I finally took the plunge in 2021 and quit my corporate job to focus on Miss Organics full-time and live a more balanced life.
What I didn’t realize is that shortly after, a family tragedy would change the course of my life by forcing me to move to the U.S. It was devastating not only because of the circumstances (losing two family members) but also because I had to start rebuilding my little brand from scratch: new suppliers, new packaging, registering a company, etc.
But what I gained was a return to a slower pace of life. We (alongside my husband and toddler) live in a tiny town in the Cascade Mountains just outside Seattle. There is only one supermarket within 10 miles and 3-4 restaurants. There are no malls or cafes—just beautiful hills, snowcapped this time of year. Like a card backdrop or that iPhone emoji.
We have land with fruit trees and grow our own herbs and vegetables. We go for daily walks (even in the rain, which is one commonality between London and our weather here in the Pacific Northwest). And I have my own little studio lab, allowing me to grow my first baby, Miss Organics, alongside my second baby, my daughter.
While I make it sound idyllic, building a business is hard, and there are challenges with living remotely. Like when there is a storm and we lost electricity for over 3 days with a newborn (our fire stove saved us). But this slower-paced life has allowed me to grow so much as a person and slow down to experience all that life has to offer—to live life according to my values and spread the message of sustainability and clean beauty, focused on self-care and living in harmony with our planet rather than hurting it with plastic packaging or toxic ingredients.
Taking that big step you know, deep inside, is the right path for you, is so liberating. I believe that if we have dreams, we must have the courage to pursue them. And the only way to gain more courage and build momentum is by taking action.
Small daily actions add up over time to big wins. They compound over time just like interest rates (finance background, sorry).
But a month later, a year later, you will look back at how much you have achieved and be amazed and grateful. What is one small step you could take today that opens the path to achieving the life you dream of?
Time passes anyway, so we may as well fill it with the things that matter most to us.”
—As told to Stephanie Aragon
❤️
So What is Slow Living & Slow Beauty?
While slow living was a movement that first seemed to start in the 60’s and has been gaining traction recently, slow beauty is like an off-shoot of the slow living lifestyle. It adapts to the person who applies it, and can mean many different things to different people. When searching social media, you’ll find slow beauty is often referred to as clean beauty by the industry, due to the hyper-focus on pure ingredients and manufacturing in an ethical, and sustainable way.
Shel Pink from Vogue has stated —
“Slow beauty is a movement and a philosophy to help people develop a sustainable self-care practice grounded in nature, health and wellness which includes the use of multi-sensory products, tools and resources to support a joyful way of feeling and being in the world.”
Slow beauty encompasses self care remedies for every individual depending on their skin type and what they know works for their skin. Instead of us telling you what to do, slow beauty relies on your own self-discovery – it can literally be whatever each person decides it is for them – it’s that unique.
This is drastically different from the beauty and fashion industry’s mantra, always telling everyone what to do, what to think, and trying to convince everyone to conform to certain beauty standards.
Slow Skincare
This slower approach to skincare tends to focus more on using organic and natural ingredients. A natural skincare routine is often more clean (less synthetics and harsh chemicals) for your skin.
Choosing a small selection of high-quality products that your own skin needs is better than putting numerous random products on your skin. Being a skincare minimalist often goes hand in hand with slow skincare – but we’ve also heard skin maximalists are reveling in their multi-step routines – it makes them feel pampered. Whichever you choose, it’s all about embracing your own unique self-care, which will look different for everyone.
Taking the time to incorporate your skincare with whatever tools you use or may not ensure your skin to take the time it needs. Being mindful of the kinds of products you’re putting on your face and really taking your time in your morning is the best for slow skincare!
How Do Slow Mornings Affect You?
People may question how having slower mornings may affect their skincare routine. But for many, having a slower morning is part of their daily self-care practice.
Part of embracing slower living as a lifestyle, typically implies you’re crafting cozy and more peaceful mornings. You may be taking the time to set your mind for your what you need to accomplish to start your day, or making it a priority to go for daily walks like CEO Anna. It may look like choosing to homeschool instead of the stress that comes with rushing through getting the kids out the door or fighting traffic.
Essentially taking your time to fully absorb each step of your daily morning routine, rather than racing through your morning is one of the best things you can do for your skin and mental health.
Having a slow morning routine allows you to be mindful and pay more close attention to details. Living in this fast-paced world doesn’t always allow us to be in the present moment making conscious choices about what you’re actually accomplishing in your daily life.
GreenVines has stated “Practicing an exercise regimen regularly, following a balanced diet, having ample time to rest, and maintaining a happy state of mind all contribute to our external appearance”.
A slower morning allows us to create more time for ourselves, lessen anxiety, and create calm spaces around us helping us prioritize our skin. Sometimes when individuals don’t know what products they are putting on their face they end up with, “sensitive skin,” not knowing what product actually caused it. This is why fast skincare is not always the best for your skin health.
Slow Skincare Products and Remedies
There’s no right way to do slow skincare other than following what your own skin feels best with, and taking your time to do it. Slower skincare does focus on embracing your natural beauty.
New products can be fun to experiment with as long the ingredients align with your values (minimal synthetic, fragrance or no fragrance). Some people may opt for a synthetic fragrance because they don’t have a sensitivity to it and it makes them feel luxurious.
We’d suggest to focus on things like —
- Moisturization
- Hydration
- Gentle Cleansing
Pipe Creek Soap Company offers a nourishing Vitamin C serum ($48) that pairs Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (a more gentle form of Vitamin C) with Squalane oil (a super-hydrator) and Kukui nut oil (a moisturizing oil full of antioxidants). We also offer one of the best gentle cleansers that uses the natural lactic acid in goat milk, our Pure bar ($11).
Natural products especially those with organic ingredients tend to be easier on the skin than products with lots of additives. Be Well has said “Organic skin care products work better because they are grown without herbicides and pesticides, their organic ingredients are also free from that contamination, which means the same for your skin and body.”
Using natural ingredients may help to avoid —
- Flare ups (rashes)
- Redness
- Break outs
Having products with ingredients you can trust and using sustainable brands like Anna’s Miss Organics (here) that take care of the environment while pampering your skin, set you up with the best mindset for slower skincare.
Multi-Sensory Tools
What is a multi-sensory tool? A multi-sensory tool is a tool that engages senses during a skincare routine, typically by incorporating elements like heat, vibration, or cooling sensations etc.
These are beauty products designed to engage multiple senses beyond just touch, like sight, smell, and texture. There’s many different tools out there right now some including:
- Facial rollers (jade, rose quartz, obsidian ect.)
- Gua sha tools (different shapes to them)
- Warm or cooling masks
- Electrical facial cleansing brushes
These are some of the most common sensory tools people use. Benefits from these tools include improving circulation, lymphatic drainage, product absorption, and relaxation. Choosing the right sensory tool for you and your skin type is important to not irritate your skin.
Beauty of Slow Living
Having a lifestyle that works for you personally, really finding out what your skin and mental health needs are in order to feel nourished is something we feel would benefit everyone. Making the best conscious choices for your skin is how the beauty of slow living is capturing everyone’s attention in this fast-paced world these days.
Try making daily, small changes. Embrace a slower lifestyle and skincare routine – and you may just find the best possible outcome for you and your skin!
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