Nectar of the Gods: Unlocking the Secrets of the Marigold

As we grow in our skincare journeys, we’ve come to listen to what our bodies want. We learn from them and, in doing so, become keenly aware of signs of issues or concern. This is so that they can live their best life and thrive beautifully.

We’ve come to an understanding that many products in our regimen contain the otherworldly powers of natural ingredients that the OG woman, Mother Nature, created. This world’s flora is one of the most mysterious and powerful elements of this planet. They have been a great way to supply food, an astounding source of medicine, and a fascinating fountain of skincare ingredients.

The ultimate goal for skincare? Effortlessly and consistently pull a Beyoncè and claim “I woke up like this” on the flawless side of the spectrum. While we’re still struggling to climb up the mountain and attaining that goal, we’ve happily come across a little skin potion that can help us cheat our way to rolling out of bed and just oozing with radiance.

And to stay true to our brand, we are so happy to announce that we are opening up conversations and dialogues with different people, kicking it off by inviting Yso to take the floor (or screen, lol) away! She’s the potioneer behind the magical elixir, NECTAR, and a lover of all things beautiful. We are so grateful to have been able to catch up with one of Jazz’s old friends from her high school days (in a socially distanced manner, people!) as she shares with us (and now the world) her new beauty baby. ✨

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In the history of cosmetics, plant-based oils were most popularly used by the ancient Egyptians to boost circulation and deliver antioxidants to their skin in defense against sun and sand damage. Ahem, it’s time we gave Cleopatra a run for her money. Cue the drumroll!

The beauty elixir that I’ve concocted contains the luxurious oils of jojoba and argan, which are more elegant to use (and far more expensive to source, boo) than her favorite beauty oils: olive and sesame oil.

Nectar Hangover Cure was so christened after I woke up one morning after cooking it up one day and using it on myself, having only had four hours of sleep, a midnight snack of chocolate mug cake, and- I’m ashamed to admit- only four glasses of water the day prior. And yet looking in the mirror, I was honest-to-goodness surprised to find myself radiant when I should have looked like a wreck. Though the bags under my eyes were present, they more closely resembled the coveted aegyo-sal (cute eye fat) than they did hollow and tired panda-esque eyes. I was able to cheat my way to looking like I had a complete 8 hours of sleep and the prescribed 8 glasses of water a day ✨

Used in the daytime, my glow was such that I found I was able to go about my day without the need to use a highlighter- or any makeup for that matter- for that “lit-from-within: effect. Side note: one must always try to achieve the optimal level of glow through skincare rather than makeup, to achieve the most natural je ne sais quoi.

I woke up like this 😉

Self-care and beauty in my book is all about the experience. Beyond the old-world, floral, herbaceous scent and rich oil feel of Nectar, the creation process is particularly special. Handcrafting this from garden to shelf in small batches, knowing that I’ve stuffed this with only the highest quality ingredients, skipped the fillers, and formulated this to suit skin in the Philippine climate, I’m excited to share this potent, luxurious skin food with everyone!

Nectar Hangover Cure Face Oil is a potent, organic, cruelty-free beauty serum of natural antioxidants, vitamins, and essential amino acids—loaded with all sorts of skin boosting nutrients. This plant-based hydrating serum works to soothe skin and promote overnight rejuvenation—whether you were up till the crack of dawn for midterms, vodka, or Netflix. Waking up with tighter, radiant, and balanced skin

INGREDIENTS:
golden jojoba oil. argan oil. apricot seed oil. AFRICAN MARIGOLD extract. mulberry fruit extract. lavender extract. jasmine flower extract. rosa damascena essential oil. English lavender essential oil. immortelle essential oil. vitamin E oil.

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African marigolds help to repair skin damage and irritation, and reduce itchiness, sensitivity, and dryness. This works wonders on eczema and dermatitis. It encourages skin healing by strengthening the moisture barrier, thereby protecting skin from photo-aging, free radical irritation, and other environmental stressors.

A flower child

Each bottle of clean skinfood is carefully formulated to be organic plant-based that are handcrafted in small batches and never tested on animals (just me and my sister), making it cruelty-free.

This infusion also has antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. (Don’t worry acne-prone loves, this is non-comedogenic and works to soothe breakouts, not exacerbate them!) It even balances sebum production, making this suitable for all skin types. I took care to use the lightest base oils (golden jojoba, argan oil, apricot seed oil) possible to suit the humid and tropical climate that our country is known for. Oily skin types can use Nectar alone or mixed into gel moisturizers; I love it with Celeteque Hydration—it’s my holy grail recommendation from Watsons.

Dry skin types can add a few drops to their thicker moisturizers for the antioxidant boost. A lot of love, research, and patience went into this bottle. From sourcing ingredients, growing and harvesting the plants, drying the marigolds and lavender, studying the chemistry, sterilizing tools and containers, experimenting with formulation, testing for adverse reactions on myself and on my family, I put a lot of love, research, and patience into each bottle. Now, at last, Nectar is ready! ♡ I’m finally an albularyo..

For any fellow witch doctors out there, this process is simultaneously easier and more difficult than you’d expect. I’ve gone through a couple fretful challenges like growing your plants for the best and most bountiful yields. I’ve also had to fight off hordes of pests—those damned slugs and snails won’t give me a moment’s rest in this monsoon season, they chewed through half of my marigolds a few weeks back. Drying herbs and fighting mold with this humidity can be a nightmare—I’ve wracked my brain and tried it all: oven drying, sun drying, silica gel, and dehydrators. I’ve also come to the realization that sterilization is so much more than washing with soap and water, going through an extensive process to make sure all the tools are clean and ready to use. My measuring apparatus has grown in quantity as my brewing process requires beakers, graduated cylinders, pipettes, and a weighing scale.

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It’s a ride, let me tell you, but the results have proven to be well worth it.

Stay magic, witches.

PS. I only produce this in small quantities to ensure high quality infusion and to keep my plants healthy and happy

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If you’re in the PH and want to give Nectar Hangover Cure a go, follow and hit up Ysobel on her Instagram (@ysoluna) so you can watch out for her next batch of skinfood potions!

🧚🏻‍♀️ yso

A 22 year old hedonist in search of all things beautiful, an apostle to the church of skincare, an archenemy of the common garden snail, and “alipin” to cats everywhere.