Alina Roytberg

We chatted to Alina Roytberg, the co-founder of naturally-inspired beauty brand fresh, about her Sunday beauty rituals, favourite products and how she uses candles to set the tone for her evening. No matter how busy her week, Alina cherishes her nightly wind-down as a time to reset and settle herself for the week ahead. Read on to discover the benefits of her calming and consistent routine…

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The Wind Down

The best type of Sundays are when you don’t have to set an alarm and you can wake up naturally, taking your time to get up and start the day. That doesn’t happen to me very often because life and other responsibilities get in the way! My Sundays are usually pretty calm but I don’t start winding down until quite late – between 11.30pm and midnight is typical for me. But, no matter what time I start my wind down I feel like every evening should have a nightly ritual, even if it’s a short one.  I love doing a facial massage with an oil, applying a mask and slathering on a hand cream like Sisley’s Sisleya Hand Care. Candles are a great way to set the mood for the evening. Some of my favourites are Diptyque’s Figuier, Byredo’s Bibliotheque and Jo Loves Pomelo Candle. Music is a big part of my life but when I really want to relax, I like peace and quiet, I’ll turn off the TV and settle down with a book before bed.

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The Routine

The goal of my skincare routine changes daily, but mainly it’s to help myself relax at the end of the day and as long as I make sure I properly cleanse and moisturise, I’ll feel good. I use the fresh Soy Face Cleanser every night, it makes me feels amazing; it cleanses, removes makeup, and tones my skin. I use the fresh Crème Ancienne Eye Cream morning and night, as it is intensely nourishing and firming for the delicate eye area. To boost my glow and revive and recondition the skin, I’ll apply the Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask three times a week. Lastly, I’ll use the Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence, it is a staple that should be in everyone’s skincare routine because of its indoor and outdoor anti-pollution properties. Sundays are a great day to turn your routine into a mini therapy session for your skin by including a mask. The fresh Black Tea Overnight Mask is one of my favourites.

Most days I’ll have a shower but on a Sunday I love a long afternoon bath as a treat. In the bath I’ll add Sugar Bath in Sugar Lemon. I’ll often use a soap or for a little extra the Brown Sugar Body Polish. When I have more time, I use it to really treat my body. I might use a foot file or foot scrub and then I’ll apply Crème Ancienne Cream onto my heels and cover with comfy socks on top to seal in the moisture. That’s a particularly good trick for winter when your skin can be very dry. For an all-over body cream, I love our Sugar Lemon Body Lotion. 

I wash my hair with sulphate-free shampoo like Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair! Moisture Shampoo so that my scalp doesn’t get dry. I condition my hair only about once a week because it’s thin and I don’t want to weigh it down. At the moment, I’m using Briogeo’s Color Me Brilliant Conditioner. My hair is quite short, so to keep it looking healthy and in a nice shape I have a trim every seven to eight weeks. When I’m styling my hair at home, I’ll spritz on a bit of Living Proof’s Instant Texture Mist when my hair is damp and then let it air dry. Or if it’s humid, I massage in a bit of Bumble and bumble Curl Defining Cream onto wet hair and then spray the Texture Mist on top and let it air dry.

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Bedtime

I find it quite difficult to sleep through the night, I would ideally have 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but usually it’s more like 6 hours. I’ve found the best way to truly switch off is to leave your phone outside your bedroom. For a good night’s sleep, you truly need to unplug and turn off – without any distractions or disturbing bright lights. Now, I try and replace my phone with a book. I’ll have a chamomile tea just before bed, it’s soothing and helps to settle the stomach. Also – a good mattress is essential. I think it makes a huge difference to the quality of your sleep and has a positive impact on many aspects of your life.

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Monday Morning

Waking up naturally around 9am would be my preference. But because I have a busy schedule and travel a lot, I usually need to set an alarm. My to-do list is always immense, but once you accept you can’t do everything in one day, that’s the first step, and you can focus on the most important things for Monday and after that Tuesday will be a lot easier. I travel a lot for work, which requires a fair bit of forward planning. If I’m travelling, I try and get organised by packing my bags the night before with my wardrobe for the trip and putting together a list of things that need to be managed while I’m away. As soon as I wake up, I’ll cleanse my face, brush my teeth and then sit down to check my schedule. The rest just flows from there.

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