First up, briefly tell us a bit about yourself and what you do!
I am a nutritionist and mum of two, author and girl boss of Skin Friend, and I get a kick out of wearing hats, doing yoga and designing supplements.
My life in skin care feels like a natural progression from my awful teenage years where I suffered with severe hand dermatitis and a couple of years in my adult life where I had a painful case of head-to-toe eczema and severe multiple chemical intolerances that left me unable to eat much at all. Social isolation became my life until I found the solution to my skin problems. After my daughter recovered from eczema I wrote The Eczema Diet, and for the past 20 years I have worked with thousands of people with skin issues. It has really opened my eyes to the fact that skin wellness is not only about the foods you eat — this is important, but so is mental wellness, relaxation and dampening the stress response.
I wanted to share this information so I have just launched my latest health book The Healthy Skin Kitchen.
I also have a new online program to help people with eczema at www.healthyskinkitchen.com.
What time do you wake up most days and how many hours of sleep do you aim for?
I wake up at 5.30am (most days) and aim for seven hours of sleep each night. Sleep is king.
What’s your morning routine to set you up for a great day?
I have a high-pressure job and I have recently successfully recovered from an auto-immune condition, so this routine helps me to stay well and feel relaxed and happy. It has been life changing. I usually wake at 5.30am, drink a large glass of water and then I meditate for 45 minutes or I’ll do a beach walk. Then I have breakfast and do creative visualizations and vagus nerve wellness exercises for up to an hour to calm down my nervous system. I’m obsessed with wildflowers and gardening so a few times a week I’ll wander through my garden, pulling up weeds as my two kittens follow me around.
Describe a typical day of eating for you.
Food is joy. There was a time when I couldn’t eat much at all, so I celebrate meal times and make exceptions when I eat out with friends.
When I am at home, this is my usual routine:
♥ Breakfast is a massive bowl of porridge or overnight oats (1 cup of raw oats cooked in water and oat milk) and The Blue Healer smoothie from The Healthy Skin Kitchen.
♥ As I get up so early, I have a snack at 11am (leftover smoothie and a few protein balls) and then lunch at 12.30, which is usually a home-made wrap (Oat and Leek Flatbread) with a black bean San Choy Bau filling.
♥ Dinners can consist of some type of healthy soup, sweet potato vermicelli stir-fry with chicken, leek, spring onion and red cabbage, or a Sunday lamb roast with roasted sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, carrots and potato and rosemary, which I enjoy with my family.
♥ I drink lots of water throughout the day.
Tell us about your daily beauty routine! What are your non-negotiables for looking and feeling your best?
I naturally have super dry skin so I can’t live without my 24-Hour Rescue Balm, which I apply to my body each the morning after showering. It was a lifesaver when I had eczema. I also use a home-made face skin cream which has anti-aging peptides (I usually test my creations for years before I launch them online—this one is still in the testing phase). If I am going out in the sun I apply UberZinc by Synergie Skin, before applying light conceal-er, coloured lip gloss and a lick of mascara.
Do you take any supplements, vitamins or special wellness elixirs? If so, we’d love to know!
In the morning I make a smoothie with an anti-inflammatory skin multivitamin, Skin Friend AM, and I add a teaspoon of hemp seed oil to keep my skin feeling hydrated. In the afternoon, about half an hour before dinner I have Skin Friend PM – it contains magnesium, calcium and glycine to promote a good night’s sleep.
Do you have an evening wind-down ritual?
I used to have major sleep problems, so now I meditate and do breathing exercises before bed. I practice being present, which is basically focusing on my breathing and switching off any thoughts for as long as possible. Plus I use a massage ball to relax my shoulders and neck. This routine (plus Skin Friend PM) knocks me out at night — it’s brilliant.
What are your top 3 wellness non-negotiables?
Cooking in my kitchen, resting and drinking 2-3 litres of water daily.
Those are my wellness basics… if I don’t drink enough water I get headaches. If I don’t rest enough I feel stressed and lethargic, and if I eat other people’s food too often my skin looks awful.
Your absolute favourite healthy cafe on the Gold Coast is?
BSKT Café on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Best place to get a green juice or smoothie in your city?
Same as above.
Favourite farmers market or place to shop for healthy goodies?
Gold Coast Organic Farmers Market.
What’s your fitness routine & favourite way to get sweaty and where’s your go-to?
I do yoga 2-3 times a week. I previously did yoga every day but I have cut my routine in half as I have decided to chill more and be less busy.
What’s the one beauty or wellness treatment you can’t live without?
I can’t live without The Blue Healer smoothie from The Healthy Skin Kitchen. I also recently treated myself to a hydra facial at Light Years Skin Studio in Broadbeach — it included LED light therapy which made me feel so relaxed and pampered.
You’ve got a big event in 7 days time that you need to look incredible for. What’s your plan of attack to look & feel your absolute best?
I’m usually too busy to do much prep, but I might buy a new dress and get my hair blow dried at my favourite hairdresser before the event.
If you could have the ultimate day of wellness & happiness, what would it involve and where would you go?
Wellness for me includes being in nature, so I would go to one of the waterfall walks on the Gold Coast, then I would drive to the coast and dive into the ocean and spend the afternoon under a beach umbrella with a good book.
What’s your dream wellness vacay?
I am a ‘stay at home and potter in my garden’ kind of woman but if I had to indulge it would be to a health retreat that included yoga, nature walks and daily massages—actually that sounds pretty blissful.
And lastly… do you have any top secret tips you use to keep looking / feeling great?
It’s usually an eczema product, but once a week I use Oat and Zinc Bath Powder as a face scrub during my morning shower. It ‘polishes’ the skin on my face to make it silky smooth then I apply moisturiser, it also helps my skin care soak in quickly for a lovely hydrated, matte finish.
Thank you to Karen for taking the time to share her wonderful, inspiring & skin friendly routine! To find out more and follow along, head to the Skin Friend website or Instagram!
Be well,
xoxo
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