Brought to you by Burt’s Bees
After getting through the worst of the global pandemic, we’ve all had to navigate what our “new normal” looks like for us even when it comes to skincare. Life can get busy—we’re working hard, showing up for our loved ones, and planning for the future. So, it’s easy for our skincare routines to become an afterthought. That’s where Burt’s Bees’ new skincare duo—the Breakout Defense Foaming Wash and Even Tone Liquid Exfoliant from the Clear and Balanced Collection—come in. Developed by Burt’s Bees product designer and chemist, Abena Antwi, these products were designed with all skin tones in mind to help balance breakout-prone skin and provide daily defense against key breakout triggers. Host Scottie Beam sits down with Antwi and makeup artist Keanda Snagg to share their personal skincare struggles and discuss the importance of making time for a skincare routine.
Stress Free Skincare
Beam begins the conversation by checking in with the group. “I know that we’ve been through a lot. So first, I want to make sure that we are all good. I want to check in with the heart. How is your heart right now?”
“I am blessed, I am happy,” says Snagg, a makeup artist. “I am blessed to be outside. Because it was scary.”
Beam gets candid about her experience. “I had a lot of stress going on, alright? Your girl was stressed. Everyday. It would show up in my face.” She turns to Antwi, a Burt’s Bees product designer and chemist, and asks, “How does [stress] show up for you?”
“I get stressed, and I start eating,” Antwi says. “All the junk food that I’m not supposed to eat. And my skin breaks out bad.”
Snagg has seen this firsthand in her line of work. “Just being a professional makeup artist, I have so many clients that do go through that. And then sometimes their skin is not actually oily, it’s a little bit more dry.”
Abena Antwi and Burt’s Bees have the solution. Scottie says, “Abena, you have the remedy.”
Antwi describes being her family’s go-to when it came to skincare advice during the COVID lockdown. “So I was like, let me put something together.”
This inspired Antwi to develop the Burt’s Bees Breakout Defense Foaming Wash, which was designed with a variety of skin types and skin tones in mind. “It’s very gentle, it cleanses your pores without really stripping [the skin],” Antwi says.
The group raves about the herbal fragrance of the Breakout Defense Foaming Wash. Antwi explains that the product was developed with minimal fragrance ingredients, to account for those who may be sensitive to or do not like different fragrances in the skincare.
Glow In Confidence
Beam shares that she has moments of insecurity, and how she handles those feelings. “I’m really big on checking in with my inner and outer self, especially where I am with confidence. Sometimes I have a lack of confidence,” she says. “I go down that list of flaws all the time, and I get really heavy on myself.”
Having a self-care routine can make a difference, Beam says. “Even as simple as doing a face routine… that makes me feel like, as long as I’m taking care of myself in healthy ways, I should be happy that I’m doing just that. You know, that should be enough.”
Snagg, a mother of two, says that slowing down or simplifying your skincare regimen, at times, can be beneficial. “It doesn’t necessarily always have to be a lot of products. You can slow down with the routine that you have,” Snagg says. “Like if it’s two to three products… treat it like a spa day, take your time.”
Snagg describes having more time for her skincare routine now that her kids are 12 and 15 years old. She stresses to her clients the importance of keeping their skin healthy, so they can feel confident with or without makeup.
Abena Antwi shares her experience with skin issues. “When I don’t have the right routine, there’s a lot of patchiness, dryness, hyperpigmentation,” she says.
This inspired Antwi to develop the Burt’s Bees Even Tone Liquid Exfoliant, which uses a blend of AHA, BHA and PHA to exfoliate the skin and reduce the look of uneven pigmentation, including dark spots, pimple marks, and blemishes over time. Additionally, it was created with a dermatologist specializing in melanin-rich skin to be effective on all skin tones.
Antwi explains how to use the Even Tone Liquid Exfoliant, “You put it on [using a recyclable cotton round] and you rub it in… especially when you see you’re getting hyperpigmentation, and it will even your skin out.”
Antwi recommends following with SPF, as AHAs can increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun.
Apply the Even Tone Liquid Exfoliant onto clean skin with a reusable cotton round—and you’re done. No need to rinse it off, says Antwi.
Snagg says the easy one-step application is a plus. “I think this would be a perfect product for my daughter,” she says. “She’s 15, and that’ll be super quick for her to do because she doesn’t have to necessarily wash it off.”
Sweat It Out
Beam shares the positive impact that having a workout routine has on her well-being. “One thing about me—I’m going to sweat it out, okay? I’m going to go to the gym and I am going to work out. I have ADD and it does help with my focus, it helps with coming up with short-term goals, whether it is, ‘Hey girl, go to the gym for 30 minutes today.’”
After sweating it out, though, Beam admits that she could do better when it comes to post-workout skincare. “I am really big on going to the gym and sometimes just hanging out a little too long. You know, I’ll sit—because I’m tired—I have to sit and think about the workout that I just did. But even with sitting for that long, I might break out a little bit.”
Abena Antwi explains, “Right when you finish working out, you have the sweat, so if you don’t wash your face, you have the oils that are already clogging your skin. So the sweat brings it out, and you need something to cleanse it. And you need something gentle, because after you work out, your skin is vulnerable in a way.”
The Burt’s Bees Breakout Defense Foaming Wash is a plant-based formula that is gentle on the skin. “It’s going to unclog your pores and give you a nice moisturization without stripping your skin,” Antwi says. Its rich foaming surfactants cleanse away excess oil without stripping the skin.
Snagg shares her workout routine. “I only jump rope, that’s all I do. I need to do it because I love it. I can’t just do it because I have to,” she says. As a makeup artist, she says that the Breakout Defense Foaming Wash’s gentle formula is great to use right after a workout because it doesn’t strip the skin.
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