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First up, briefly tell us a bit about yourself and what you do!

I am a nutritionist and mum of two, author and girl boss of Skin Friend, and I get a kick out of wearing hats, doing yoga and designing supplements.

My life in skin care feels like a natural progression from my awful teenage years where I suffered with severe hand dermatitis and a couple of years in my adult life where I had a painful case of head-to-toe eczema and severe multiple chemical intolerances that left me unable to eat much at all. Social isolation became my life until I found the solution to my skin problems. After my daughter recovered from eczema I wrote The Eczema Diet, and for the past 20 years I have worked with thousands of people with skin issues. It has really opened my eyes to the fact that skin wellness is not only about the foods you eat — this is important, but so is mental wellness, relaxation and dampening the stress response.

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I wanted to share this information so I have just launched my latest health book The Healthy Skin Kitchen.

I also have a new online program to help people with eczema at www.healthyskinkitchen.com.

What time do you wake up most days and how many hours of sleep do you aim for?

I wake up at 5.30am (most days) and aim for seven hours of sleep each night. Sleep is king.

What’s your morning routine to set you up for a great day?

I have a high-pressure job and I have recently successfully recovered from an auto-immune condition, so this routine helps me to stay well and feel relaxed and happy. It has been life changing. I usually wake at 5.30am, drink a large glass of water and then I meditate for 45 minutes or I’ll do a beach walk. Then I have breakfast and do creative visualizations and vagus nerve wellness exercises for up to an hour to calm down my nervous system. I’m obsessed with wildflowers and gardening so a few times a week I’ll wander through my garden, pulling up weeds as my two kittens follow me around.

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Describe a typical day of eating for you.

Food is joy. There was a time when I couldn’t eat much at all, so I celebrate meal times and make exceptions when I eat out with friends.

When I am at home, this is my usual routine:

♥ Breakfast is a massive bowl of porridge or overnight oats (1 cup of raw oats cooked in water and oat milk) and The Blue Healer smoothie from The Healthy Skin Kitchen.

♥ As I get up so early, I have a snack at 11am (leftover smoothie and a few protein balls) and then lunch at 12.30, which is usually a home-made wrap (Oat and Leek Flatbread) with a black bean San Choy Bau filling.

♥ Dinners can consist of some type of healthy soup, sweet potato vermicelli stir-fry with chicken, leek, spring onion and red cabbage, or a Sunday lamb roast with roasted sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, carrots and potato and rosemary, which I enjoy with my family.

♥ I drink lots of water throughout the day.

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Tell us about your daily beauty routine! What are your non-negotiables for looking and feeling your best?

I naturally have super dry skin so I can’t live without my 24-Hour Rescue Balm, which I apply to my body each the morning after showering. It was a lifesaver when I had eczema. I also use a home-made face skin cream which has anti-aging peptides (I usually test my creations for years before I launch them online—this one is still in the testing phase). If I am going out in the sun I apply UberZinc by Synergie Skin, before applying light conceal-er, coloured lip gloss and a lick of mascara.

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Do you take any supplements, vitamins or special wellness elixirs? If so, we’d love to know!

In the morning I make a smoothie with an anti-inflammatory skin multivitamin, Skin Friend AM, and I add a teaspoon of hemp seed oil to keep my skin feeling hydrated. In the afternoon, about half an hour before dinner I have Skin Friend PM – it contains magnesium, calcium and glycine to promote a good night’s sleep.

Do you have an evening wind-down ritual?

I used to have major sleep problems, so now I meditate and do breathing exercises before bed. I practice being present, which is basically focusing on my breathing and switching off any thoughts for as long as possible. Plus I use a massage ball to relax my shoulders and neck. This routine (plus Skin Friend PM) knocks me out at night — it’s brilliant.

What are your top 3 wellness non-negotiables?

Cooking in my kitchen, resting and drinking 2-3 litres of water daily.

Those are my wellness basics… if I don’t drink enough water I get headaches. If I don’t rest enough I feel stressed and lethargic, and if I eat other people’s food too often my skin looks awful.

♥ BSKT Cafe

Your absolute favourite healthy cafe on the Gold Coast is?

BSKT Café on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Best place to get a green juice or smoothie in your city?

Same as above.

Favourite farmers market or place to shop for healthy goodies?

Gold Coast Organic Farmers Market.

What’s your fitness routine & favourite way to get sweaty and where’s your go-to?

I do yoga 2-3 times a week. I previously did yoga every day but I have cut my routine in half as I have decided to chill more and be less busy.

♥ Blue Healer Smoothie

What’s the one beauty or wellness treatment you can’t live without?

I can’t live without The Blue Healer smoothie from The Healthy Skin Kitchen. I also recently treated myself to a hydra facial at Light Years Skin Studio in Broadbeach — it included LED light therapy which made me feel so relaxed and pampered.

You’ve got a big event in 7 days time that you need to look incredible for. What’s your plan of attack to look & feel your absolute best?

I’m usually too busy to do much prep, but I might buy a new dress and get my hair blow dried at my favourite hairdresser before the event.

♥ Poondhara Falls by Steven Crook

If you could have the ultimate day of wellness & happiness, what would it involve and where would you go?

Wellness for me includes being in nature, so I would go to one of the waterfall walks on the Gold Coast, then I would drive to the coast and dive into the ocean and spend the afternoon under a beach umbrella with a good book.

What’s your dream wellness vacay?

I am a ‘stay at home and potter in my garden’ kind of woman but if I had to indulge it would be to a health retreat that included yoga, nature walks and daily massages—actually that sounds pretty blissful.

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And lastly… do you have any top secret tips you use to keep looking / feeling great?

It’s usually an eczema product, but once a week I use Oat and Zinc Bath Powder as a face scrub during my morning shower. It ‘polishes’ the skin on my face to make it silky smooth then I apply moisturiser, it also helps my skin care soak in quickly for a lovely hydrated, matte finish.

Thank you to Karen for taking the time to share her wonderful, inspiring & skin friendly routine! To find out more and follow along, head to the Skin Friend website or Instagram!

Be well,

xoxo