A former model turned ‘skin chef’, {May Lindstrom} began formulating this {skin care} haute cuisine in her kitchen – shattering the boundary between natural and luxury. This is skin food for the beauty gourmand, and we were desperate to learn more about the wonderfully inspiring woman behind the range.
Read on and prepare to develop more than a little bit of a best-friend crush…
{CB} You mention that the first step towards developing the range, was borne out of a need to treat your own skin concerns. Can you elaborate a little on how your skin was, and your initial approach to resolving your complexion woes? Was there a ‘Eureka’ moment when you realised you’d cracked it?
{ML} From a very early age, my skin was the focus of heightened attention and I struggled with eczema, psoriasis and contact dermatitis. My parents discovered a sensitivity to glues, dyes, synthetic fragrance, preservatives… you name it! The list of irritants was seemingly endless and instead of ‘outgrowing’ my allergies, they grew worse as I grew older. As a teenager, I began to understand how seriously my environment affected my wellbeing, and while my peers were experimenting with shop-bought face masques and make up, I had no choice but to whip up alternative treats for myself.
“I gathered plants that grew in the fields that surrounded my childhood home, which I would mash to a pulp and blend with honey or river clay, oils or salts. My friends loved my creations, and I loved the gathering of women to share in these rituals together. This was something that forced everyone to slow down, to get a little messy, laugh a lot and really tune in to what it felt like to live in our skin.”
Over the years, my knowledge, experience and passion developed and evolved, acquiring a new focus with each chapter. I wanted to help pain disappear – emotionally and physically – and it became vitally important to me that clients experienced immediate and long-term results, but also that my self-care ritual inspired joy, playfulness and over-the-top self-indulgence for both skin and entire being.
{CB} Would you say that any of your products are targeted more towards certain skin types, or would describe the range as very much ‘one size fits all’?
{ML} The entire line was formulated to be adaptable to all skin types. For example, {The Youth Dew} is a no-brainer for maturing skin, but it’s actually one of my most loved products by clients who suffer with teenage or hormonal {acne} and oil imbalances.
Similarly, {The Blue Cocoon} appears to be an intensive treatment for deep hydration (and it is!), but it’s also surprisingly light and can be used even twice a day for all skin types. It creates a gorgeous finish under make up and the powerfully calming, soothing and anti-inflammatory properties benefit concerns from acne to ageing, rosacea to sunburn.
“My philosophy is to evaluate the needs of your skin on a day-to-day basis and appreciate that it’s alive and its requirements are ever-evolving.”
{CB} Do you have ‘favourite’ ingredients? Could you let us know which three ingredients you prize above all others (sorry!), why they’re important to you and their beauty (or sensory!) benefits?
{ML} This is like choosing between children, truly. I will say that I’m consistently enamoured with Blue Tansy, Avocado Oil and Raw Honey (and now that I’ve written it, I think I need to do a treatment with all three combined!)…
Blue Tansy is the shining star of {The Blue Cocoon} and the secret to that show-stopping colour and truly enrapturing scent – almost like fresh apple, chamomile, a touch of sweet sage and mint – something intangible and mysterious and wildly addictive. It’s powerfully effective at calming both inflamed mind and skin, and is perhaps my favourite ingredient to work with when I’m needing immediate results.
Avocado Oil is the first ingredient in {The Youth Dew}. I source the most gorgeous, deep green chlorophyll-rich oil, raw and unfiltered, incredibly potent and brimming with nutrients and healing vitamins B, C, D, E, K and A. It hydrates, increases cell turnover, plumps and softens lines, helps heal sun damage and age spots, as well as inflammatory skin conditions like blemishes and eczema.
Raw Honey I can wax poetic about the incredible benefits of the luscious treat, courtesy of our bee friends and their succulent flower nectar. Honey is naturally pH balanced, with antiseptic and antimicrobial properties to help keep skin clear and calm. Raw honey also contains gluconic acid – a mild alpha-hydroxy acid – that brightens the complexion, evens out skin tone and lightens scars and age spots. It’s loaded with nutrients and minerals excellent for skin health, such as vitamin B, iron, manganese, copper, potassium and calcium and also acts as an {humectant}, drawing moisture into the skin. I often recommend this as a one-ingredient {cleanser} for skin in need of major healing, and a time-out from product overload.
…fascinating stuff right? You can check out part II of the interview {here}.