In About Face, xoNecole gets the 411 on IGers who give us #skincaregoals on the daily. Here they break down their beauty routines on the inside and out, as well as the highly coveted products that grace their shelves and their skin.
Natacha John, or Tacha, is a 24-year-old beauty and lifestyle content creator. The DMV native came on my radar after a viral photo of her made its way to my Explore page on Instagram. The rest is history.
Last month, she revealed to her followers that she was officially taking the leap into full-time entrepreneurship, having grown an impressive following of 40,000 followers and counting. As a creative who earns her living by literally doing her. "I get to be myself for a living," she tells xoNecole. "I get to share my interests, exercise my creativity, and connect with women. Those are definitely my favorites parts!"
In the process, she is also putting us on to her favorite beauty finds and it's nothing short of amazing. Although I live for her aesthetic and her thought-provoking questions, I am also an admirer of her glowing, radiant skin. That being said, I had to know what her beauty arsenal consisted of.
Below, Tacha shares with us the products she swears by and how she achieves beauty from the outside in.
My morning routine looks like...
"I'm still trying to establish a consistent morning routine but usually it starts off with taking care of my puppy and straightening up my apartment while I make a cup of tea. Then I'm usually checking emails and reviewing my to-do list for the day. Some mornings, I'll toss in journaling and meditation. Those two things always make me feel level-headed but I'll admit I'm bad at making consistent time for them."
For my skincare routine in the AM...
"I keep it ultra simple in the morning. I don't cleanse, I just rinse my face with water and sometimes, depending on my skins condition, I'll tone either using Goode Skin's two hundred dollar water micellar cleanser or Thayers Witch Hazel. Then I moisturize with a facial oil, like Aura Cacia Jojoba Oil, and top it off with my favorite SPF, La Roche-Posay's Anthelios Clear Skin Sunscreen."
And for my skincare routine in the PM...
"Things are more extensive in the evenings. I always start off by double cleansing. Face wash is the one thing in my routine that I'm constantly switching out but I'm currently enjoying the Farmacy's Clean Bee cleanser and Neutrogena's Hydro Boost cleanser. Once or twice a week, I'll add in exfoliation using Lush's Dark Angels [or their] Herbalism [herbal wash], or Goode Skin's SKINZYME. And follow up with First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Liquid Recovery. That's become one of my favorite steps! The liquid recovery goes onto your skin like water and is so soothing and calming, I can't get enough. Then, I moisturize with an oil again. About 2 or 3 times a week I'll apply a face mask, I like Farmacy's Bright On mask."
How I approach skincare on-the-go...
"When I'm on-the-go, I have to have products that I know work for me so if my skin starts to act crazy, I'm ready! You'll usually catch me with a mask that's good for breakouts, either my Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment Mask or Yes to Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask. And something that's good for dry/dull skin like my Origins' Drink Up Intensive Overnight Hydrating Mask."
My go-to makeup look consists of...
"I'm a natural makeup kind of girl. On a day-to-day basis, I'll be bare-faced or maybe have on some concealer or tinted moisturizer, blush, and mascara. Lately, I've been reaching for my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer (in Almond), Glossier Cloud Paint, and my trusty L'Oreal Telescopic mascara. I like to keep things pretty low-maintenance but if I have to be in front of the camera or have an event to attend, I'll go all in."
How I approach beauty from the inside-out...
"Something as small as starting my day with a cup of hot lemon water and half an hour of uninterrupted alone time helps me to feel refreshed and ready to put forth my best self throughout the day. I get pulled in a lot of different directions and it's easy to feel overwhelmed when you're a one woman team, so taking that time to level myself out really helps me to feel more at peace."
What self-care looks like to me...
"To be completely transparent, I don't make a ton of time to unwind. It's something I'm really working on though! Usually I'm working well into the evening, and when I finally unplug, all I have time for is a hot shower before I crawl into bed. But I value that time and make the most with what I have. While I'm getting ready for bed, I usually play a good podcast or Audiobook and add a few drops of essential oil to my shower to make things extra relaxing."
For more of Tacha, follow her on Instagram.
Shop Tach's Beauty Staples:
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, xoNecole may earn a small commission.
Featured image via Tacha/Instagram
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However, because you need dopamine in order to do so many daily functions (some signs that you are low in dopamine are located here, by the way), the focus shouldn’t be to avoid these rushes altogether. First, make sure that your “preferred hits” are used responsibly (and that you factor in short as well as long-term consequences or outcomes).
Secondly, check out the following 10 things that you can do to get a fix in a healthy (or healthier) way. Things that can benefit your mind, body, and spirit overall — so that your pleasure doesn’t come with any unexpected “extras.”
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1. Eat Foods That Are High in Tyrosine
Tyrosine is an amino acid. Your system needs it because it helps to reduce stress, boosts cognitive function and it helps your system to produce dopamine. That’s why it’s such a good idea to consume foods that are high in tyrosine including chicken, turkey, eggs, pumpkin seeds, lima beans, cheese and nuts.
2. Consume More Protein and Less Saturated Fat
Speaking of tyrosine, since amino acids are considered to be “the building blocks of protein” and protein is a rich source of tyrosine, you should also consume protein-rich foods like salmon, beef, bison, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, peas and quinoa. Just make sure that when you eat meat, you watch how you prepare it because saturated fats (like animal fat and dairy) can actually disrupt how dopamine is processed within your system.
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3. Take a Probiotic
You may already be aware of the fact that probiotics can do wonders for your gut health. However, were you aware that research also says it can help to put you in a better mood as well? Probably the easiest way to explain it is, your gut and brain are connected via something known as a gut-brain axis. And so, since your gut produces some of the same neurotransmitters as your brain does (including dopamine), when your gut is strong and healthy, it gives off a stronger “dopamine vibe” which, in turn, makes you feel better. The more you know. So, since a probiotic helps your gut to thrive — there you go.
4. Take a Multivitamin Too
Remember how I briefly referenced dopamine deficiency earlier? A few signs that you need more dopamine in your system include having trouble concentrating, being moody, having a decreased libido, your weight fluctuating (for what appears to be no reason) and you not being able to sleep (well) — and sometimes, these things are directly tied into not having enough of certain vitamins and minerals in your system. That’s why taking a multivitamin can also be good for you, as far as your dopamine levels are concerned.
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5. Spend More Time in the Sun
I’ve said a billion times before that I like random information. Well, while reading an article on natural ways to treat Parkinson’s disease, it stated that something that naturally increases dopamine levels is spending time in the sun. Apparently, when cells in your retina are exposed to sunlight, they send messages to cells that produce dopamine, so that your dopamine levels increase. So, if you like to exercise or just enjoy quiet time, consider doing it outside more often. Your dopamine levels will adore it.
6. Set a Goal. Then Reach It.
Even though there are some haters out in the universe who believe that too much hype is put into goal-setting (crazy, right?), so much scientific research disagrees. In fact, some studies cite that when you set a goal, that automatically causes your dopamine levels to spike, because it feels good to do something that will motivate, inspire and ultimately cause you to become a better person. Now just imagine how even better you will feel once you reach the goal that you set. AMEN?
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7. Listen to Instrumental Music
Wanna improve your sex life? Check out “Before You Pull Out Your Playlist, This Is How Music Affects Your Sex Life.” Along these same lines, wanna increase your dopamine levels via another all-natural way? Listen to instrumental music. According to science, dopamine is activated via stimuli like instrumental music. In fact, not only can listening to it make you feel a lot better, playing an instrument can too.
8. Meditate
If you don’t meditate on a consistent basis, you absolutely should ponder doing so. Studies show that it helps to decrease stress and anxiety levels, it improves your emotional health, it makes you more self-aware, strengthens your memory and even helps you to be a kinder individual. Know what else meditation has the ability to do: elevate your dopamine levels. According to science, by getting still and then concentrating on that stillness for a certain amount of time will provide certain neurotransmitters in your system with a real boost — including dopamine.
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9. Do What (Responsibly) Feels Good
When’s the last time that you did something purely for the fun of it? Believe it or not, there is a pretty popular study out here which says that most of us only spend three percent of each day doing something that we thoroughly enjoy. Y’all, it really is kind of wild that we don’t prioritize two things that are directly tied to our overall happiness and well-being: hobbies and quality rest (which I will get to in just a sec). That said, never feel guilty about choosing to participate in activities that make you laugh, bring excitement into your life and cause you to feel good about life. So long as you’re acting responsibly, it’s the right thing for you to do.
10. Get More Rest
Dopamine is on a cycle. That’s why it’s critical to get no less than 6-8 hours on a consistent basis; that way, dopamine can build back up in your system, so that you will have enough to get through the next day. So, if you are someone who keeps treating sleep more like a luxury than a priority, here’s hoping that this will finally get you to take shut-eye more seriously.
Your dopamine levels are dependent on it — which means that you enjoying life more does too, chile.
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