By Laura Medina
In honor of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and the dehydrating and cold climate that comes along with Winter, Fresh's Alina Roytberg has what ails you from down-home (Russian-style) family recipes that become a skincare empire, Fresh.
Dr. Oz has it wrong when it comes to time-honored family skincare recipes...
“I do say we have so much many recipes from the
Ukraine. The one thing where we started
was both Lev and I, obviously I’m from Ukraine, he’s from Russia, they were the
same thing back in those days…both our grandmothers use sugar to put skin cuts
and scrapes because sugar is an humectant.
It retains moisture. Actually, a
great healer. That’s where it came out,
we started wondering why it’s a great healer then we start looking into that. We start the brand. We launched all the Sugar products. That’s
what put Fresh on the map in a whole degree.
You know, we all started to look
at other influences and other remedies from other cultures with the same
passion, you know.”
Alina said their Fresh skincare products deliver a singular experience, indulgent as they are results-driven...quick.
That being said and knowing the living conditions of the Olympians living at the dorms, they could sure use some tender, loving, care from Fresh.
When amenities are elemental, such as at the Olympic Village, Alina said the Soy Face Cleanser not only feels good, it is good because of the anti-oxidant
flavonoids. They are so beneficial for your system. We want to put those things in our products,
gentle things in our products. Soy Face
Cleanser is our Number One product worldwide.
It was launched in 1999 and it’s still an amazing favorite.
Making it's debut last month in January, Alina has traveled far and wide for her latest release, the Black Tea Collection.
When Alina and her husband, Lev, are interested in something, they delve deep into it; and that's how a new collection gets started...
"You know, the Black
Tea Collection was started in the early 2000s.
We were starting to work on anti-aging products because we were getting
older, you know. We need that too.”
"Don’t you know Black
tea was popular in Russia before it became known in Western Europe because it
takes 6 months to ship it from Mongolia to Russia, to the Russian Tsar. 6 months caravan to get there. Tsar, at first, didn’t know why the
Mongolians sent him a bunch of dried leaves then they figured it out. For awhile tea was very expensive, until the
railroads were invented, of course.
Black Tea is Russia’s national beverage.
People drink Black Tea all the time.
I mean morning, night, everything.
They also drink vodka but Black Tea is really an essential part of
recipe for everything. I think, you
know, you grew up looking at that. It
wasn’t until we tried kombucha, fermented tea that is not well-known in
China. Actually, started in Russia and
India. We actually developed an
ingredient from the Black Tea ferment. That
has an extra boost of anti-oxidant that is actually in our Black Tea Face Cream. You know, we just went to Jiangnan Region region in China in November of last year
where they grow tea. We’ve been to
China but to a very different region where they grow the tea. We went to Jiangnan,
where they grow the tea. The tea fields
where they grow Dragon Well Tea. You
heard of Dragon Well? It’s one of the
best green tea in the world. That’s the
region from where it comes from. So, we
went to the tea fields. We did the tea
ceremony. It’s amazing.“
"This is the reason why we went to China, to find out
how the tea is really fixed and where it comes from. It’s a really innovative product we’re doing,
launching in January. For the eyes, Black Tea Concentrate for the Eyes. Extra push, we created a new complex. New Black Tea Complex, that we have nothing
the ferment but also the Black Tea Leaf,
blackberry leaf extract really great for
smoothing , and lychee seed extract is proven to inhibit damaging free radicals
and improve skin elasticity; and we have an ingredient that is not used
anywhere else, have you heard of Noni fruit? Noni Fruit juice is known to
retain and increase moisture, improving the appearance of the skin. Noni Fruit for that extra boost of
anti-oxidiants and immunity."
This scribe can attest to the luxurious yet so non-greasy Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask.
More cream than mask, it sinks right into the skin, leaving a matte but moist appearance, not one oily residue in sight. Ideal for high-performance sports in a Russian winter, say the Sochi Olympics right now.
For the very emerging Olympians, like 15 years-old figure skater Julia Lipnitskaia, Alina said for those just starting their skincare, she recommends the new Lotus Youth Preserve Radiance
Lotion...
"When you’re younger, starting on your skincare and you need
introductory, we have introductory products in our line, especially for the new Lotus Youth Preserve Radiance
Lotion. It’s the first-ever 7 Complex. Actually, very preventative, extra hydration,
this is the first you do when you start to grow up and you feel like you want
to take care of it. At $32, it’s not
gonna break the bank.“
For the more mature, established customer, Alina recommend something more "couture,"..
“CRÈME
ANCIENNE is “couture” because it’s all Meadowfoam seed oil, no water, made in a
monastery. Really, the product drives
the price. That is everything that every product in Fresh is based on.”
Alina's Makeup Formula=Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy + Cherry Sugar Lip Treatment + Sugar Lip Berry Treatment.
For the most elemental for both female and male, chapped lips, Alina always puts on SUGAR LIP TREATMENT ADVANCED THERAPY as her base.
Then for the females, Alina offers her own makeup tips...
"I wear Passion Sugar Tinted Lip Balm. I always start with Advanced Lip Therapy to
make sure my lip lines don’t get older. First, you use Advanced Lip Therapy then you
use the Color. I use Passion for the
red. I love Petal when I want to do more
nude. I love the Plum sometimes for a
little more drama. Then, of course,
there’s the new Cherry which I mix with Berry, Cherry and Berry."
Alina calls her sugar-based lip balms as "treatments," going beyond superficial appearances...
“The whole idea behind the Sugar Line from the idea of slightly
amplifying the nude shades of real girls’ lips. So, it depends on the impression. So, the problem for you is that this isn’t
your real lip color…I have two daughters.
While growing up, before putting on lipstick, we use these colors to
emphasize the real colors of the lips.
So, the Sugar Treatment Lips really follow that. Remember, the texture is a really soft balm
formula. So, I really can’t use no more
than 20% pigment in the formula. So, you
know , when you look at the stick, you can tell that when you put it, it’s
really sheer. That’s how it always pay
off. So, the treatment is the priority
then you have a little bit of the tint.
I think it’s really easy to put on.
You can put it on without looking in the mirror. I like mixing it, creating different shades
with different things. Like this Plum, everyday it becomes your nude. Say, you dress up and you want to have a
sexy, night one, you mix with a little bit of Sugar Berry with the Plum and it
gives you a little richer, a little sexier, a little cooler evening shade. ”
“It took us almost two years to launch the Sugar Treatment
line because we’re really concerned about the product. How we’re gonna to sell a $22 lip balm? But,
we decided that it is the best thing there is, really beautiful texture and
package but very functional, amazing flavor, we gotta do it. I think now, it’s
our ambassador.”
For the women Olympians who needs an extra pick-me-up while packing light, Alina said there's nothing in using the tinted Sugar Lip Treatment Balms as moisturizing cheek tints...
“There’s no way why you can’t. I mean a little bit. Obviously, we don’t necessarily sell it as a
cheek tint but the fact is…why not?! Obviously, you understand it is an oil balm
with very little pigment. Obviously, you may want to use something with a
denser pigment but you know you’re putting moisturization and color on your
cheeks, why not?”
Down-home Russian family skincare recipes honed into high-performance, luxury skincare passed down from a globe-trotting Russian mom who searches all four corners of the globe for the best, can't think of a better way to survive the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
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