Beauty to me means being your most authentic self. I think of beauty as a light that radiates from within us in the moments we feel most at one with ourselves. My beauty philosophy is to trust my gut instincts, prioritize sleep, and never drink coffee on an empty stomach.
What does Beauty mean to you?
On Skincare
In the morning I’ll wash my face with water and pat in the I’m From Rice Milk Toner – followed by La Roche Posay Toleraine Moisturizer and Beauty of Joseon sunscreen. Never forget the sunscreen.
At night, I’ll wash my face with a gentle Avéne cleanser, and use my favorite serum Oryza Huile de Beaute. It’s a natural alternative to retinol, with rice bran oil and bakuchiol, made with local ingredients in Comporta, Portugal. I love massaging the serum into my face with a gua sha.
In Sarah's File
‘This Korean Skincare brand uses ingredients that are always locally sourced from a village that they illustrate on the packaging. This one, from Yeoju, Korea, also has rice as the main ingredient. With sensitive skin and some discolouration, rice is one of the best ingredients for evening out my skin tone without causing any irritation.’
‘Ilia is a clean beauty brand that I love. This mascara is always in my purse.’
‘I’ve been using this BB cream for the past 6+ years. Chanel is the only beauty brand where I can find a perfect match for my North African skintone. I love how this BB cream brightens my under-eyes and really cleanly evens out my skin tone.’
‘I love a lip plumping gloss. This one is suuuuper glossy and I feel like it does a good job at enhancing my natural lip colour.’
‘Taking a few minutes at the end of the day to use this roller always feels super refreshing. I use acupuncture points as reference and always apply an oil before.’
On Haircare
Since I have very thick, curly hair, I try to prioritize moisture and deep conditioning. I love using the Shea Moisture Jamaican Castor Oil deep conditioner. I’ll scrunch it into my hair and let it sit for 10-15 mins. In the winter months, I try to do that at least twice a week. After I get out of the shower, I’ll use a leave-in conditioner from the brand Pattern while my hair is still damp.
On Make-up
I swear by the Dior Lip Maximizer in the colour Berry, Chanel Vitalumière Aqua tinted sunscreen, and Ilia Mascara.
I’m a big fan of using lip products on cheeks as blush – Chanel’s Rouge Coco lipsticks are really good for this.
On Health and Wellness
I love drinking herbal teas. For skincare, I’ve found that spearmint tea can be really helpful for clearing acne. Raspberry leaf tea is also great for hormonal acne and period related breakouts. Same with hibiscus tea. Most of the teas I drink are for balancing my hormones. For the past few years I’ve been struggling with endometriosis, and have found so much remedy in herbal teas, and acupuncture once a month. Overall I try to keep as quiet of a mind as possible living in New York City. I downloaded the app ‘Headspace’ and love listening to their meditations. It’s so helpful for falling asleep, or starting the day.
On Rituals
Acupuncture once a month is a ritual of mine that has helped with my endometriosis. I also love doing an oil hair mask at least once a month with castor oil, rosemary oil, jojoba oil, and almond oil. There’s a place in New York called Next Health, that has a Cryotherapy machine and an LED Red Light Therapy bed. It’s the best feeling doing those two together. Giving myself time to be alone and journal is another wellness practice that keeps me at peace.
On Fragrance
I’ve been a Chanel No. 5 girl since I was 16. Controversial, I know, because it’s a mature scent, but I was gifted a big bottle of it when I was a teenager and never let it go. I also love their Paris-Paris Eau de Toilette.
Your Beauty Secrets..
I love juicing – celery juice, beet juice, carrot/ginger/apple. All do wonders for the skin.
What is always in your handbag?
Sarah’s Directory..
La Sultane de Saba in Paris is legendary. They have such a nice hammam, best massages and body treatments, and all-natural waxing. I only ever get my haircut in Paris by Rose Donald. In NYC, I love Buttercup Skincare for facials. Nothing compares to an authentic hammam in Algeria though. In Oran, I go to the hammam for ~20 USD, and spend 6 hours there. Part of the experience includes having an Algerian grandma scrub all the dead skin off you from head to toe, and drinking tea and cookies in between treatments. I don’t think there’s anything else like that in the world.
‘I love this all natural oil made with local ingredients in Comporta, Portugal, which is known for its rice fields. It’s main ingredient is rice bran oil which helps give me a natural glow. I massage it in with my gua sha roller. Especially when I’m tanned, this oil is my go-to.’