The 🧼 skin care 🧼 secrets of a fitness queen 👑
First things first, let's just pretend this email came to you yesterday. The Assembly summer solstice party followed by a red eye to NYC... 🤷♀️
Happy Summer Solstice to you! At The Assembly, it's become our favorite day to celebrate. For me it's about reflection, a love of the outdoors (always), and taking a moment to recognize where I am and where I've been since the last solstice. Instead of just doing this around New Years, a halfway through check in feels good.
Shift goals as necessary. Take stock in the surprises that 2019 has thrown your way already. Be ambitious for what can come next. Throw away the things you wanted to accomplish that no longer serve you. Acknowledge when you might just need a nap.
Our new team motto is (thanks to Amber, who you'll be hearing more from below) is: are you feeling good? Are you feeling weird? Are you feeling good weird?
Good weird is our vibe for the season. Good weird is finding yourself in those moments of "am I really doing this" and continuing to decide yes. Good weird is choosing your inner believer over your inner skeptic sometimes. Good weird is doing the cha cha shuffle with a room full of strangers. Good weird is saying what if I actually just choose to love my body as it is...and actually seeing what that can feel like.
What's your good weird? When we are doing our work right, you are letting yourself get a little good weird.
xo,
Molly
Permission Granted
This week's Permission to... is coming from Amber Quiñones, member of our team at The Assembly, creator of thick., SoulCycle instructor, dancer, tastemaker, bon vivant, and curator of a luxuriously self-compassionate skincare regimen. I'm always fascinated by how people who work out for a living take care of their skin. Lucky for us, that is what she is sharing with us today:
I hate routines. And rules, while we’re at it. Really, I’m just anti anyone telling me what to do and when. So when things such as skincare, personal maintenance, and oral hygiene require an extra dose of order and regime to see real results, I try to make those routines special and something I look forward to doing.
I now introduce you to my *~medicine cabinet~* full of special doodads and products I love that get me genuinely amped for the routines that keep my skin glowy, hair moisturized, and teeth firmly affixed to my gums. Splurging on these routine products isn’t for everyone but if it’s in your budget, I stan for bringing joy into daily acts in a way that excites us to take better care of ourselves.
Sporting Smiles retainer: I’ve started grinding my teeth at night (yikes) but this retainer was affordable, and I fully subscribe to anything that helps me skip an in-office visit.
David’s Natural Toothpaste + Charcoal: Hey Google, play “My Shiny Teeth and Me” by Chip Skylark.
Aesop Parsley Seed Oil Cleanser + In Two Minds Cleanser: I’m a big fan of double cleansing to keep my skin properly hydrated, given my sweaty lifestyle. I also just love what Aesop stands for and genuinely enjoy their email newsletters (confessions of a chronic unsubscriber).
Grown Alchemist Purifying Body Exfoliant: I guess I’m a sucker for natural-ish Australian beauty brands 🤷
Raw Ivory Shea Butter: I once introduced a guy I was dating to raw shea butter and he exclaimed “This is amazing, why don’t people know about this stuff?!” Plot twist: they do! Anyway, shea butter is my natural AF lip balm, body lotion, hydrating hair cream, eye cream, scar cream, and general all-in-one magical product.
Rosehip Seed Oil: Also potentially made of magic?
By Humankind Deodorant: I love the smell, the fact that it’s a natural deodorant that actually *works* with my body chemistry, and that it comes in a refillable container.
The Ordinary Niacinamide & Zinc Serum: I notice how well this serum works when I run out of a bottle and forget to replenish in time… It keeps the breakouts at bay with just one application in the morning under some rosehip seed oil.
The Ordinary Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F: A potent vitamin C formula that comes in a light, quick absorbing oil. I use this on my face at night and unleash my gleaming skin to the world the following morning.
Glycolic Acid Peel Pads: I find at-home peels to be unreasonably scary, but these disposable pads are an easy way to exfoliate every other day before applying organic aloe to soothe my skin afterwards.
Humphrey’s Organic Witch Hazel: I’m conscious of washing my face too often, so I typically take a swipe of witch hazel to the face in the mornings (followed by, you guessed it, rosehip seed oil) before heading to a workout, after which I do a full face wash + serum application.
Dr. Jart Every Sun Day Sun Fluid: In the words of Wu-Tang, protect ya neck. And face.
Spray bottle filled with water, argan oil, and lavender oil for re-hydrating my hair in the morning. We are, after all, just sentient plants who love a good spritz.
Restoration Hardware Foot Duvet: Not in my medicine cabinet, but who’s really keeping tabs? It makes me disappointed to say these puppies are out of stock at the moment, but I shamelessly do most anything in my house whilst clad in these foot duvets that my friends make fun of and envy.