Interview with The Skin Skope Babes

I have collaborated with The Skin Skope team and was lucky enough to get the opportunity to sit down with the founders to learn more about their brand! Check out my interview below!


​Tell me about yourselves:
We are the creators of The Skin Skope (TSS), a natural beauty and wellness website that wants to support you through your beauty journey. Our goal is to create a community that empowers people with sensitive skin to live healthy lifestyles so they can glow from the inside out and be proud to go au naturale! We believe in looking good and feeling good. We want you to feel confident and own your naturally beautiful self so we’ve done the work for you and Skoped out the best ways to help soothe your unique skin type through recipes, treatments, DIYs, motivation and lifestyle tips. We also collaborate with local brands and people like you to share their stories through our two series You Are Not Alone and The Locals.

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What lead you to starting your business?
It all started after we both spent many years suffering from acne and eczema with doctors subscribing us drugs that could hurt our health in the long term. We quickly grew tired of the countless promises made to us by doctors and box store beauty experts who only gave us short-term solutions. We knew we didn’t need a band-aid, we needed a natural solution and that’s when we started started swapping natural remedy ideas and talking through our discomforts to help one another. There was comfort connecting with others who understood your struggle and the emotional impact it can have on your self-esteem. That’s when we realized that there needs to be a space for people looking for a long-term solution, a lifestyle that will help them feel confident and heal their skin. We created The Skin Skope shortly after and it’s become our passion to help and connect with others who share the same love for green beauty and wellness.
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What is your skin condition? 
Alex: I have acne prone, sensitive skin. I used to suffer from cystic acne.
Mala: I have very sensitive skin and eczema. ​

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​When did your skin condition begin?
Alex: Growing up I had clear beautiful skin with barely any blemishes until I reached the age of 18-19 and adult acne started to show. It didn’t help that I was in my first year of college eating from the cafeteria every day. My skin went from breakouts to cystic acne. I didn’t start to see results until I became vegan and started switching my products to more natural ones. Throughout my skin journey I have learned to be very careful with what I eat every day and what products I put on my skin. That is why green beauty products are so important to me because they aren’t full of chemicals and toxins that can cause my skin to be irritated.
Mala: I’ve always suffered from eczema since I was a kid. I would have small patches on the insides of my elbows and knees but nothing too serious until the year of 2015 when I had an eczema outbreak that covered my entire body. I knew that it was an issue that was enteral and I wanted to get to the root cause of it. There and then was when I decided to go on this holistic journey in discovering my body and healing my eczema.
 
Does it continue to affect your life?
Alex: My skin issues has affected my life every day because I have to always be mindful that what I put in my body can show up on my skin. This mindfulness has taught me a lot about health and wellness and what my body really needs to be healthy and happy!
Mala: Now after I did my research and know my body a bit better, I am more at ease as to why I have these eczema breakouts. Don’t get me wrong, it is a bit frustrating at times when I do get those breakouts but now I know what triggered it. 

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What do you recommend others who are going through similar situations to you do to overcome their conditions?
Alex: Get back to the basics and start within. Drink lots of water, get enough sleep each night, exercise and have a killer beauty routine that you like and stick to. On top of that, start being mindful of what you are eating each day. You can do that by writing in a food journal then you can see which foods are causing irritation. A good resource for how to do this is the Skin Cleanse by Adina Grigore. Once you get into the swing of your new routine you’ll start to notice that your skin is glowing and your body is happy!
Mala: Don’t give up, be strong and keep at it. Healing your body naturally can take awhile and you might not get the results as fast as you wish, but it will eventually heal. To me it was well worth it and what motivated and inspired me the most was having the support system, through friends, family and connecting with those who have the same issues.
 
What does the saying "true beauty is skin deep" mean to you?
Your external beauty does not make who you are, it’s what’s inside that counts. We believe that every natural beauty is someone who allows their inner confidence to glow and shine through, that is someone who is truly beautiful.
 
Can you share your daily skincare routine?
Alex: Every morning I wake up and wash my face with warm water and Wyld Skincare’s Bamboo Charcoal Konjac Sponge then I spray on Wildcraft Care’s Bergamot Rose Toner followed by applying Smith Farms Marshmallow Face Cream and Indie Lee’s Squalane Facial Oil. I have been adding my oil blend of jojoba, rosehip, almond oil to my face cream to give my skin some extra hydration during Canada’s dry winters. At night I wash my face with the oil blend I just mentioned, spray on my bergamot rose toner and apply the Squalane Facial Oil. Two to three times a week I use basd body care’s indulgent crème brûlée coffee scrub to exfoliate my skin and then I apply a mask. Lately, I’ve been digging Province Apothecary’s Detoxifying and Clarifying Clay Mask. Pro tip: don’t let the clay mask dry completely, as soon as you notice the mask starting to dry spritz your face with your fav toner to keep your skin hydrated!  
Mala: I wash my face with Wildcraft Camomile Honey Makeup Remover and wipe it off with a warm wet face towel. I also use Wyld Skincare’s Bamboo Charcoal Konjac Sponge to give my face a light exfoliation and to get any extra dry skin and dirt off. Then I give myself a little spritz of Wildcraft Bergamot Rose Toner, I absolutely love the smell of it! To give me the extra hydrating boost I need because my skin tends to get dry in the winter I use Province Apothecary Rejuvenating and Hydrating Face Serum, followed by Josie Maran Whipped Argan Face Butter.

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