People We Love: Q&A with Boriana

Ciao, I'm Boriana (@1988bori), born in Bulgaria but living in Italy since I was a little girl. It's so fascinating discovering what's behind a product, brands, people behind brands. I'm in love with this beautiful community. Follow me through this amazing journey that I've started 2 years ago with the goal to be more self conscious and saying goodbye to foundation.

Boriana’s philosophy about inner beauty is so aligned with our mission, and so we wanted to get to know this beautiful soul more...

Q: How did you become interested in clean skincare and beauty?

A: I've become so interested (maybe a bit obsessed) in skincare since I started having skin issues in my late twenties. After many researches, I've come across the green beauty world, and it completely changed my approach of self care, even better, self love.

Q: What makes you happy?

A: My son, my family, animals, travelling and of course skincare!

Q: We know that you are a big fan of our Advanced Repair Mask (and we’re so thrilled to hear you love it!). Can you tell us your routine with the mask – how do you apply it, how often do you use it, and how long you leave it on for?

A: I usually use the Advanced Repair Mask once or twice a week. It's delicate to the skin while being purifying and gently exfoliating at the same time! I scoop about one and a half teaspoon in a bowl. I always avoid touching the mask with my fingers in its jar, then on clean and damp skin I spread all of that gorgeousness evenly and let it sit at least half an hour. The mask in not drying and it doesn't feel uncomfortable while wearing it, so I like to leave it as long as I can. Then with wet fingers, I start massaging the face in circular motions for a super gentle scrub and then rinse everything with warm water. That's it! The skin after feels so soft, so plumped, hydrated, purified, glowy! It currently my favorite mask – I am obsessed with it!

Q: The Malaya Herbal Facial Polish is quite a versatile product. How do you personally use it?

A: It really is a multipurpose product! You can use it simply mixed with water and massage it for a quick but gentle exfoliation, or you can leave it for 10 minutes as a face mask if you want a deeply purifying effect. I personally love to use it mixed with my cleansing oil/balm, which it makes it even more gentle because the oils allow you to do a little massage, which I find so relaxing. Lastly, you can mix it with your regular cleanser as well. The skin is smooth, gently exfoliated and glowy after. It has a spectacular ingredients list, and it’s so easy and lovely to use. Another stunning creation from Malaya!

Q: Walk us through your ideal daily skincare regimen.

A: Recently I have become a huge fan of the LESS IS MORE statement, so my morning and evening routines have been very simple but with great results for me. In the mornings, I usually rinse my skin with water, sometimes I use a cleanser but not every day. Or I use a rose water mist, which is so refreshing! Then I go with a serum, eye treatment and my day cream with SPF – that's it! In the evening, I double cleanse with a cleansing oil/balm, a generous spritz of mist and then a face oil. Simple yet so effective for my skin!

Q: How has incorporating our Herbal Facial Polish, Mask, and Rejuvenating Serum in your skincare routine transformed your skin?

A: Well it was really easy to incorporate them! I was speechless the first time I took off the mask because of the instant results that it gives! The same goes for the Herbal Facial Polish: it's not aggressive at all so, it's a pure pleasure to use. It brightens, smooths and purifies for a healthy complexion. I have just started recently incorporating the Rejuvenating Serum in my routines, which is one of the best sellers from Malaya, and I'm amazed how fast absorbing and lightweight it is! I use it in the mornings, and my face never looks greasy or too shiny! I am super excited to have it now because it's supposed to be amazing after sun exposure, and we're in summer now. I think it's going to be my best friend this summer.

Q: What’s your take on the beauty and skincare industry in Italy?

A: I think Italian brands have grown so much during these past years, constantly researching and improving their formulas. Especially in this past year I saw some great brands launching some innovative formulas and products on the market that caught my attention. With that said, I don't think the levels and the standards are as good as foreign companies. I know it might sound rude and I'm sorry, but I find the quality higher in other countries. There are a lot of similar products with not so great quality, and they just don't catch my attention, so I prefer invest my money in better options. This is my personal opinion, I have tried a lot of products but a lot unfortunately did nothing for my skin. There still a lot to do to reach some standards in my opinion.

Q: Your life motto…

A: Love the skin you're in, it will reflect your inner beauty.