Do you find yourself wondering about the importance of natural beauty products and why skin care products sometimes receive labels like organic? “Many people don’t think about skin care playing such an essential role in our health. But it really does!” explains Rachel Pachivas, the director of operations for Annmarie Skin Care. Below, she shares her insights on organic skin care products as well as current beauty trends. She also shares her favorite beauty essentials.
What is Annmarie Skin Care all about?
It’s more than just skin care here. Of course, we have organic skin care, pure and wild crafted, really AMAZING products.
But this company is so much more than that. We promote a sense of community; we have team lunches and fun outings, we talk about touchy subjects around the world, we come to work and express ourselves and our emotions, we create things together, we cultivate ideas and we share our ever evolving growth. We are working to create a culture that is more about having a way of life than just another typical job. Right now, we have a growing team of some pretty fascinating and powerful individuals, where everyone is playing a vital piece in this company. We have this strong team creating the core of what we do here and how we communicate with the rest of the world.
Skin care is the perk though. These products are so divine, so real, and so pure, and you really can feel and see the difference. There is so much love that goes into the creation of these products – from the integrity and sourcing of our ingredients to the mindfulness and positive intention during production at the lab.
Why is it important for skin care products to be organic?
It is not only important for skin care products to be organic and real, but it’s very important for someone to know the company they are purchasing from. Just like you want to know who your farmer is, you want to know who is making your skin care products.
Trust me – the laws these days are so lax where nobody is really required to be transparent about what goes into products. I don’t mean to scare you, but it’s true. Research your companies, find out what they do, interact with them, and ask questions – lots of questions.
Whatever we put on our bodies goes in our bodies and into our bloodstream. It’s a bit scary to think of all of the unlisted highly carcinogenic skin care ingredients out there, but this is why you can choose something real and from nature – something you can trust. If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your body.
How important are the ingredients in skin care products?
Very! It is so imperative that we do our research with chemicals, additives, and preservatives. Aside from looking out for the bad, the good can be so great. If you want alive and happy skin, you must treat it with love and feed it with nature. We are always looking at how we can get the purest ingredients to our customers. I took a visit to our lab this year to sit with our formulator and her team researching each ingredient and whether it could be better. We do this with the intention to always have the cleanest and purest ingredients.
Another something that I love about our products is that they are so packed with herbs. In all of the bases of our products, whether it’s aloe or oils, we are having herbs steeping in them before production; so they are no longer these simple bases and instead a large “tea” full of nutrients. There is so much earth goodness in a little bottle, your skin will thank you.
What’s a skin care secret that you wish more people knew?
Honey. It’s so magical and potent, and can do so much for all skin types. It’s a natural humectant, it’s anti-bacterial, it’s loaded with antioxidants and many nutrients, and it has so many healing compounds.
Mix it with oil for a deep moisturizing mask, blend it with apple cider vinegar and a clay mud (I like our Purifying Mud Mask) for a deep pore cleansing mask, or mix it with a fine herbed powder of your choice for a soft exfoliant (you can check out our Ayurvedic Scrub and mix a teaspoon of that with a teaspoon of honey). Make sure you get a local and raw honey.
What are your own favorite beauty products?
I have a slight obsession with skin care products. I admit, I’ve been a skin care junkie for at least 12 years. But I have good news. When I started using our products, I stopped searching around for others. That is a big deal for someone who is always on the hunt for the next best thing.
Our Anti-Aging Serum and Anti-Aging Eye Cream had me the first time I used them. I absolutely adore them. I also really love our Herbal Facial Oil for Normal and Combination Skin. There are so many incredible ingredients in this oil, it’s insane.
Some other faves of mine are DIYs. My brother, Johnny, makes an incredible Healing Salve that I use as an around-the-eye night balm. I swear I wake up in the morning with 3 or 4 less wrinkles around my eyes.
I also love to make this skin brightening mask that I experimented with for the first time about 5 years ago: mix 1 teaspoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of yogurt, and 1 tablespoon of sandalwood powder (the red one), apply to clean skin and let sit until it dries (usually 15 minutes). Then rinse with warm water and a soft washcloth.
How important do you think it is for people to have a regular skin care regimen?
I personally love my routine. I love washing my face every morning and night, applying my serums and my oils, and then having the aromatherapy with it all – yes, it’s great. My skin care regimen is something that makes me so happy. I think that is what it’s all about. If you are manifesting love and happiness from this experience, go for it. If it drives you crazy, though, and you can’t stand it, well then I bet your skin won’t enjoy it either.
I am sure Abby, our in house esthetician, would say otherwise. I won’t put words in her mouth, but she may say, “Yes, you must wash your face every morning and night, and you have to exfoliate, Rachel.” (Yes, she’s told me this before and I do admit that once I started exfoliating, my skin was so much clearer and smoother.)
What’s one skin myth that you wish you could permanently debunk?
Oh my, the ongoing thoughts around oil. I hear so often: “but oil is going to make me break out.” My response to that? No, it’s not. Oil is so good for your skin, especially if you have oily skin, I promise. Oil does not make it worse; in fact, it makes it better. Try it!
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
For anyone out there thinking that you need to work a typical nine-to-five job to get by, you don’t have to. Keep doing what you love to do until it eventually turns into an opportunity to provide an income. If you are in a position to manage and hire, let’s change the status quo. Let’s work together to create working environments where people can thrive, challenge and be challenged – and simply be happy.
If you’re on your own skin care journey, experiment with DIYs, play with different products (organic and clean, of course), and try out all that you find until you land on that one product line that just leaves you in awe. When you get to that point, you’ve found the one.
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