Lesley Thornton is an LA-based holistic esthetician & founder of eco-inclusive sustainable skincare line, KLUR. It is one of the very first Black, esthetician-owned lines to ever be sold in a major retailer, with a heavy focus on botanical ingredients and inclusive formulas. To Thornton, KLUR is more than just quality products and a conscious ethos. It’s about a human connection. Here, Thornton walks Refinery29 through a week in her beauty routine. The following interview was told to Amanda Mitchell and has been edited for length and clarity.
Monday
I wake up at around 7am and drink 8-10 ounces of water with lemon and trace minerals, which I keep in a mason jar next to my bed. The first hour of the morning is all about my wellbeing. My morning skincare is short and effective, focused on hydration and protection. I splash water on my face and use Klur Symmetry Fluid which works well under the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer UV.
I prepare herbal tea. I drink it every day and love the ritual. Then I go outside and enjoy my tea, water plants or put my bare feet in the grass. I always try to get in some level movement in the morning, even if it’s just 15 minutes on my Sunny Stepper, which is like a mini Stairmaster. At around 8am, I prepare my food, so when I need to eat it’s ready, and I am at my computer by 9am. I return emails, check socials and plan with Team Klur for the week. I work for a couple hours and take a coffee break at around noon.
I follow up with more calls and emails and then take some time to eat lunch at around 1pm: a huge veggie bowl with protein legumes and sprouts. I always take a 10-minute walk around the block. This keeps my glucose balanced and helps my digestion. I call my mom while on my walk and we chat about what we are making for dinner.
Once I’m back home, I handle my personal affairs, clean up my office and take meetings. Around 4pm, I’ll take a very short nap and then head to the gym where I sit in the infrared sauna. I take La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water Mist, peppermint essential oil and listen to a podcast followed by a 30 minute power walk.
Tuesday
Tuesdays are busy, but I always make the time for a quick morning routine consisting of mineralized water, Nettle tea, 15 mins of movement and 5 minutes of oil pulling and tongue scraping. I always wear a little makeup for Zoom calls. I use Merit Foundation & Concealer Stick in Amber, MAC mascara and brow gel, Merit Lipstick in Tiger, Ami Cole Lip Oil, and NARS concealer.
I make a protein coffee with dandelion and Herb Pharm rhodiola that keeps me energized until lunch. I head out around noon to attend in-person meetings, vendor visits and lunch meetings. After sitting in traffic for hours, I’m back home finishing up on emails that I may have missed being out and about.
I feel the need to de-stress. I love an aromatherapy bath, so I add relaxing essential oils, Ancient Minerals Magnesium Salts and moisturize my skin with a Klur Elements of Comfort Body Oil. I’m deeply relaxed by now, so I do my night skin care in bed. I use Klur Sculpture + A and Klur Unseasonal Kind, sip Moon Juice Magnesi-om and mindlessly scroll through Instagram. Sometimes I treat myself to sugar-free chocolate and use my NuFace red light, then I’m done for the night.
Wednesday
Every Wednesday I do a spin class and infrared sauna at the gym. The night before, I prep my gym bag with iced green tea, overnight oats or an apple. I shower and get ready at the gym. I’ll wash my face with Klur Gentle Matter Cleanser, and follow that up with Unseasonal Kind. I use Malin + Goetz Rum Bar soap, Weleda Deodorant, and Necessaire Body Lotion. Before jumping into work, I make a smoothie with yerba mate and Cymbiotika Super Greens. I dive into my work for a few hours and then a huge lunch with lots of greens and protein. I’ll also have a protein MCT coffee with Oslo Skin Lab collagen powder to push me through the day.
At around 5pm, I finish working and go to the park where I read, relax and ground my bare feet into the grass. The day ends with a shower, where I wash my hair with Adwoa Clarifying Shampoo and Blue Tansy hair mask followed by Vernon Francois Leave-In Conditioner and Ranavat Hair serum. Now I’m ready for bed. I plug in my Vitruvi Stone Diffuser and drift away.
Thursday
Thursdays are hectic for Klur! I get up at around 6:30am so I have ample time for my self-care. I sip fresh ginger tea, slather my skin with jojoba oil and Gua sha my face and neck for lymphatic drainage. Then I hop on my stepper to get a couple hundred steps in. I’m in meetings from noon until around 4pm and take calls most of the day. I’ll try to squeeze in a nap in between meetings and my hair gets messed up, but I can always count on EcoStyler Gel to groom my flyaway baby hairs before I resume Zoom calls.
I wrap up everything work related around 5pm, and walk to the farmer’s market. As a founder of a holistic brand, I integrate all Klur practices and protocols in my daily life, and diet is very much a part of skin health. I love vegetables and primarily eat a whole plant forward diet; I focus on low-glycemic and colorful foods.
Friday
I get up and make non-stimulating tea and lemon water. I find caffeine first thing messes with my cortisol levels and stresses me out. I have coffee 2-3 hours after I wake up but no later than 2pm, otherwise I won’t sleep. Most Fridays are short work days and I use the rest of the day to do personal errands and get into nature.
I do a long hike or spend the day at the beach and I always pack sunscreen, a UV hat and lip balm. Once I’m back home, I indulge in a self-care night. I mask with Klur Supreme Seed, dry brush, followed by a long shower with L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil Body Wash and apply Weleda Skin Food from head to toe.
Saturday
I immediately open all my windows so the sun can come inside. I do this to reset my circadian rhythm. I sip tea and if it’s not too hot, I’ll journal outside. I use weekends for self-improvement, catch up with goals and plan out ideas for Klur. I try to be productive, but I love afternoon naps on Saturday and firmly believe that rest, calm and clarity is part of my skin care routine.
I gently dermaroll my face once a week, then layer Klur Immersion Serum on wet skin, following with Brilliant Light to brighten and hydrate, and ending with SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 Replenishment Treatment.
Sunday
I wake up, toss on shorts and a tank top and do my long walk. I do this to get some vitamin D and build my immune system, and I make sure I use Bondi Sands SPF 50 on my face. I’m back by 11am, and I like to cook or prepare for dinner. Obviously, I love food and it consumes much of my week, but I fundamentally believe it’s skin care from the inside out.
Around 5pm, I have a weekly group zoom call with my girlfriends and we chat about skin care beauty and life in general. It’s important to maintain healthy relationships, especially since we are all over the country. Next, I do a deep hair treatment with BREAD Beauty Supply Mud Mask. I really like this stuff. I wash my hair with Redken All Soft Shampoo and Conditioner, and follow up with the White Peony Leave-In Conditioner from Mielle Organics, and massage my scalp with Mielle Rosemary Mint Scalp Oil.
For skin care, I hydrate with Klur’s Immersion Serum and layer with Klur’s Sculpture +A Overnight Enrichment Cream and Unseasonal Kind. I am also trying out lab samples from Klur. Right now, I’m using our eye cream and an exfoliating tonic. I am in bed at around 10pm and will use NuFace red light and fall asleep with it on. I try to keep a consistent sleep/wake schedule, which is underrated for skin health. I ensure I am well rested every day, so I can get up and do it all over again.
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