Sustainable Living & Holistic Natural Beauty with Elizabeth Carter of Honest Rituals

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Enjoy the last mystical moments of dream world and looking out our skylight, we live on a sailboat so mornings are usually full of sun and sassy seagulls.  I also tell myself I got enough sleep, even if it doesn’t feel that way. It somehow works. 

What are you having for breakfast?

I’m typically famished in the morning so I’ll have fresh juice! We’ve been juicing almost every morning. Fresh celery, ginger, lemon, & beets. I’ve had a thing for crisp sweet apples lately topped with sprouted almond butter from Erewon — so so yummy. Then a English muffin topped with avocado and kimchi. Fermented foods are amazing for skin health. 

What’s your daily beauty routine?

I’ve turned my beauty routine into a beauty RITUAL. Simply putting intention behind each step. I’ll start by drinking warm lemon water—amazing for skin health, taking a moment to soften my facial muscles. We hold so much tension in the face that can go unnoticed and cause premature wrinkles. Then I’ll use a facial dry brush to wake up my skin. I’ll follow that with oil cleansing combined with a facial massage.

How would you describe your day to day style?

Comfort mixed with elegance. Mostly neutrals and soft colors. My mood is affected by what I wear. So bringing in soft colors natural fibers and stylish shoes makes me feel best. I have a thing for shoes. A great shoe can zazzle up an otherwise plain outfit. It’s important to dress yourself, even if you’re lounging around the house, it will give you confidence and grace. 

How do you inform yourself throughout the day? What are you listening to, watching, reading?

I’ve taken a pause to intaking information at the moment. I felt I was listening to too many podcasts, listening to all the books and not thoroughly absorbing it. So I’ve taken a break, and let my intuition guide me. Spending time in nature I’ve found is the best guide.

As a holistic skin expert, how do you define ‘clean beauty’? And why is using ‘clean’ products so important?

Clean beauty starts from within. What you put IN your body, what you put ON your body and what thoughts you let yourself believe all affect the way you feel, look, and interact in the world around you. Topically I use minimal skin care products. Less is more when it comes to skin care and the skin knows how to take care of itself—if it’s balanced. I use oils and potions from Living Libations —very high quality, potent oils that nourish my skin.

Do you have any personal life hacks for getting through the day in the most sustainable way possible?

To slow down. Pause throughout the day, even just for a moment. Also to stay hydrated and well nourished, practicing both of these grounds out my energy. 

Oh and don’t check your emails/social any chance you get. Delegate a time for each of those. For example I’ll check my emails once a day, that’s it. The rest can wait until tomorrow. I’ll check my social for a purpose, either to post or to get back to a client. 

How do you wind down at the end of the day?

First RITUAL, I put my cozies on, warm up some hot water, make a lemon balm – blue lotus tea and then lay down with my legs up the wall, this instantly restores my posture and releases any tension I’ve been carrying around. Then I begin to release any energy I’ve picked up that day that’s not my own. 

What does dinner time look like for you?

Mmm ask Bailey, he is my chef. I’m lucky to have a man that loves to get creative in the kitchen. But lately it’s been hot soups. Something so grounding about eating a hot soup for dinner. I typically eat a light dinner. Your body repairs itself at nighttime, if it spends all night using energy to digest a large meal, it’s not repairing itself at the optimal rate: 

What’s your night-time beauty ritual?

Going to bed early, preferably before 10pm. Your body enters a regenerative sleep before 10pm. Beauty sleep is real. There is no supplement that can replace a good nights sleep.

What does sustainability mean to you?

Coexisting peacefully and harmlessly with the natural world around me. 

What drives you to live a sustainable life?

Respect and honor for our Mother Earth. 

Finally, what are three changes you would like to take from this time to move forward with in a more sustainable way?

My dream is to buy a plot of land and grow and harvest my own veggies, fruits, and herbs. There is nothing more satisfying and grounding than to cook a meal made from ingredients grown entirely by your hand. It’s quite magical really. 

Also Living with the seasons, rising with the sun, eating what’s available in that season, traveling to springs and sourcing my water from the and earth spring.