the wrap: a pore clogging ingredient checker, brief thoughts on Winter, sensory rest and more
June was a mixed bag! But isn't life always this way?
Good evening, I’m rounding out June with the second monthly wrap up newsletter. Please let me know what you find helpful or related to in the comments.
Plus, I’ve now added a ‘Sophie’s Marketplace’ tab to the navigation bar on the Golden State home page on Substack. It links to a temporary shop space (via ShopMy) that houses a large majority of the products, tools and books I’ve linked to over the last six months. Feels good to have them all in one place, enjoy!
What I’m interested in right now…
Sofie Pavitt’s pore clogging ingredient checker. In my quest to reduce some unexplained breakouts, I recently did a huge clean out of skincare products, and guided by this handy little screening tool. Sofie Pavitt is a NYC based esthetician who specialises in problem skin. Her ingredient checker allows you to copy paste a skincare product’s ingredients and it flags pore-clogging ingredients. I love how no frills the checker is, and how no one is trying to sell you anything in the process.
How to instil the value of money and hard work in kids. With our eldest daughter now aged six, and showing interest in money and how to earn it, we’ve been making decisions at home about how to practically approach things. Financial literacy is a passion topic of mine, and right now I’m enjoying Scott Pape’s books The Barefoot Investor for Families and for older kids, Barefoot Kids.
What I’m grocery shopping for…
Organic meat products. We now place an Organic Farm Butchery monthly online order. This keeps us stocked with organic, grass fed and free range meat products to have alongside lots and lots of vegetables. A bulk order of their beef broth would be such a wonderful gift for someone freshly postpartum.
Tamarillo. June has got to be the only time of year when tamarillo makes even slight financial sense to buy in New Zealand. My kids eat them like kiwifruit, I love eating them with chocolate. My all time favourite dessert Tom ever made, and one of the first at his restaurant Orphans Kitchen, was a scoop of dark chocolate pavé with a side of poached tamarillo.
All the bits and pieces for making a grounding miso vegetable soup. I learned how to make this in a course I’m currently studying, and it's transformative for energy levels during the Winter months.
Brill (or turbot). I bought a whole brill fish from the supermarket last weekend. A first! We cooked it up for dinner, using a whole jar of capers and lots of butter. Visually it’s like flounder’s older sister. The flesh has incredible flavour. We ate ours with buttery potatoes and garlic sautéed chard.
What I’m physically doing…
Sensory rest. silence, relaxing music, soothing scents, removing visual clutter (house clean outs), loose clothing, baths in the dark etc. It’s Winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and in Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is a time of rest and conserving energy in anticipation of the more active seasons, Spring and Summer. Through the TCM lens, Winter is also about deep nourishment - things are on simmer mode before projects, travel and social times bloom later in the year. I really believe that protecting your energy and warmth during Winter allows you to thrive more in the other seasons.
Tennis! It’s only taken me 30+ years to get on board but gosh it’s a great game. Playing weekly through Winter is the spike I need to counter balance any possible Winter blues.
Sophie’s Marketplace
X Clear for clear sinuses. I originally bought this drug-free alternative to nasal congestion spray last year on the recommendation of Dr Mark Burhenne (@askthedentist on Instagram), and it's now a staple in my house. My husband and I use it nightly to keep our nasal passages clear and to encourage nose breathing as I’m not a huge fan of mouth tape. The key ingredients are Xylitol and saline. From what I understand, Xylitol (yes the natural sweetener) has properties that reduce the adhesion of contaminants to nasal tissues. The combination of Xylitol and saline is a magic mix in my opinion, and we really notice the difference. Also helpful when flying, or when you live in a particularly dry climate.
Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream. My newish non pore blocking moisturiser that is apparently big on TikTok right now. In so far as moisturisers, it is on the light side, however I’m guessing that if you struggle with acne, you won’t mind. It passed the Sofie Pavitt ingredient checker, is refreshingly affordable and available locally in NZ plus worldwide.
Brill :)