Holiday Curios

Come November/December, a favorite tradition of mine is to peruse the holiday markets here in NYC. I came across the above charming stall during a recent visit, and while I admired a necklace made with an antique doll's ear as a pendant, it's not an Xmas gift any of my friends would appreciate I don't think..so I moved on in the market to sample handmade truffle salami (yum!) and pick up a cup of warm apple cider and gingerbread cookie.

What are your holiday season faves?

Pumpkin Round Up

For many of us, pumpkin will play a prominent role in tomorrow's menu, but it can also feature in your skincare regimen!

Pumpkin contains natural AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) which brighten skin and help cell turnover, along with antioxidants like Vitamin A and C that help boost collagen production and reduce signs of aging.  Pumpkin enzyme is a common ingredient in masks, scrubs and creams. Here's a green round up to check out while you relax over the weekend with a glass of egg nog..

• Shamanuti Pumpkin Enzyme Masque
• MyChelle Pumpkin Renew Cream
• Naturopathica Pumpkin Purifying Enzyme Peel
• No Bull Pumpkin Scrub

Lastly, not sure what to do with leftover canned pumpkin?  Make a face mask or body scrub!  Face: Combine canned or fresh pumpkin, a dash of cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice, a tablespoon of honey, some milk/soy milk to thin the mixture and apply to your face for 20 minutes.  Body: Combine 1/2 cup pumpkin (fresh or canned), 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 coffee ground (optional), 1/2 cup coconut oil. Mix together and enjoy!

Holiday Wishlist Round-up Part 1

With Black Friday and the holidays fast approaching (yikes!), I'd thought I'd kick it off with what's on my beauty wishlist to give you some gift giving inspiration..and then you can think about shopping for other people too. 
Hee hee...

• Kahina Fez body serum - Winner of Best Eco Product by Swedish Beauty (hey, the Swedes know their stuff!) this serum is major splurge and oh so decadent. The smell is intoxicating, and who doesn't want to pretend they're lounging around in some gorgeously tiled Moroccan bathroom in a silk caftan eating figs?  Or maybe that's just me! Full of moisturizing carrier oils (Argan being top of the list) and exotic essential oils like rose, sandalwood, neroli and bergamot, this is a stocking stuffer you can't miss with.
• Rahua shampoo and conditioner - a popular duo in the blogosphere, I'm eager to give them a whirl for their all-natural ingredients and the fact that they contain palo santo essential oil, one of my absolute faves.
• RMS Lip2Cheek in Demure - I currently have this product in Smile, which I love and wore all summer-long, however I'd like to incorporate Demure into my winter make-up look to compliment the cool colors more.
• Lush Yog Nog soap bar - I looove me some egg nog (spiked of course) around the holidays and this soap is too tempting not to pick up. While many of the Lush products contain emulsifiers and fillers that I'm not a big fan of, this soap seems to have less of that than some of their other items. The yogurt, rapeseed and coconut oils will keep you moisturized and it is warmly scented with clove, ylang ylang and gardenia. To top it off it's dusted with nutmeg and cocoa powder which sounds to me like the makings of a scrumptious shower treat. 

What's on your wishlist?

Make Yo' Own Yoga Mat Spray

Hey You Yogis!

Since I'm in the market for a new yoga mat, and it has to be pretty too (duh), I thought I'd do a combo post to both ask advice on which mat to pick and share a DIY yoga mat spray recipe.

First things first, which one do we like of the below? I'm obsessed with the girls behind this brand right now. Comment below and let me know which one to pick, or if you hate both, let me know that too!

La Vie Boheme yoga mats

Now on to the mat spray. Here's a lovely smelling and effective all-natural mat spray you can easily make at home:

• 1 cup filtered water
• 1/4 cup witch hazel (I like Thayer's non-alcohol rose scent, but if you like you can also use white vinegar)
• 10-15 drops tea tree oil (use more or less depending on how you feel about the smell)
• 10 drops your choice of essential oils (lavender is popular, oregano is a good pick if you're extra worried about germs, peppermint helps energize you, pine oil is nice in the winter - really you can experiment!)

Combine, shake it up in a spray bottle and presto!  If you're in a rush, wipe down with a damp cloth afterward or leave in the sun to dry if not.

*Note, some mats (like Lululemon's) don't react well to essential oils because they're "open pore" mats. If this is the case, you can use the above sans essential oils. Manduka mats generally are fine with them and I believe the spray they make and sell contains oils. Take a minute to find out about your mat before spraying - unless you're like me and your mat is so old you're ready to throw caution to the wind!

Allergies and 5 essential oils

I seem to have inherited a perpetually runny nose from my mother (thanks mom!). The joke growing up is that we should buy stock in Kleenex we use so much of it.  You know it's bad when you've got on a jacket you haven't worn in a while, and in a panic you reach inside the pocket and are actually happy you found a used tissue in there...

For years I've put up with it, thinking that it's just something I have to live with, but today I say no!

I figure there must be essential oils out there that can help and after doing a bit of research, I've come up with the following:

• Lemon - anti-inflammatory
• Lavender - antihistamine and anti-inflammatory
• Eucalyptus - decongestant, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory
• Peppermint - anti-inflammatory and decongestant
• Frankincense - anti-inflammatory and immune boosting

Those who've had success using the above for runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes etc. recommend rubbing on neck pulse points, back of neck, sinus and bottom of feet (see chart). You can blend the above with a carrier oil base in a rollerball or apply individually (*remember that lemon is phototoxic, and always patch test before applying oils neat - especially to face). I plan on putting them to the test soon and hopefully can sell my Kleenex stock soon.. 

Have you tried any of these oils to treat allergies? Comment below!

African Botanics - Neroli Marula Oil

Every time there appears to be a buzz about a certain natural skincare product, well darn it I feel duty bound to report on it. And there has been a lot of chatter online recently by celebrities and others about African Botanics marula oil.  Now while I have no doubt that it's ethically sourced and produced, I'm not sure what sets apart African Botanics' marula oil from other (more inexpensive) brands - although the company was founded by a couple based out of L.A. so as a fellow native Californian of course they score points for that in my book!

What did catch my eye however is their Neroli infused marula oil..

I've previously blogged about Neroli here, but to recap the skincare benefits, it's effective in reducing redness, stretch marks and acne/acne scarring as well as anti-aging through its skin rejuvenating properties. An uplifting aroma, it is produced from the flower of the bitter orange and has been used since ancient times for various aromatherapy purposes.

I'm intrigued by the combo so I'll be adding this to my (very long) list of potential splurge products to see if it has a positive impact on my persnickety skin and rosacea.

Have you tried African Botanics? Comment below!

Monday musing - Vita flex

As I began doing more and more research on essential oils I often came across people who say that they put EOs on the bottom of their feet at night and I thought huh??  So I decided to delve into this phenomenon and I discovered a practice called Vita Flex.  Similar to reflexology and believed to have originated in Tibet, the premise is that with the use of essential oils (which are reputedly more easily absorbed through the feet) you can activate different pressure points and nerve endings that are connected to every organ/major muscle group in your body.

My first experiment with applying oils to my feet happened recently. While doing some research on clary sage (which I'd recently purchased) I found that it has a big reputation for helping balance hormones, elevating mood and alleviating PMS (in addition to various skincare benefits). So, I decided to apply clary sage to what I was learning about vita flex and rubbed it below my ankle on either side of my right foot (see above chart). I'm lucky in that I don't really get cramping, so I can't report on that, but I can say it seemed to decrease the flow...(sorry if that's TMI dear readers!).

My next experiment will be to see if I can use vita flex points to reduce shoulder pain, as I seem to carry my tension there a lot and wake up in the mornings with stiff/sore shoulders. For that I'll try using my rosemary and/or oregano essential oils.

Do you put EOs on your feet? Tell me which below!

Snack break - raw Paleo chocolate avocado pudding

Continuing on in the quest for healthy, but still tasty treats, I made the below pudding recipe recently and it was shockingly good.  This will definitely be something I make again, and again, and again...it's raw, it's full of good fat from the avocado, the chia adds some extra fiber and omega, and the raw cacao is a superfood. Need I say more?

I doubled the below, 'cuz that's how I roll.

Flesh of 1 large very ripe avocado
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup (can also use raw 1-2 tablespoons raw honey or agave)
1 teaspoon vanilla (or you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon)

Blend together in a blender or food processor.  The texture is just like a regular pudding. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask review

On a recent excursion to ABC Carpet and Home (can I puhleeeease be like Eloise and live there?!!! Pretty please?!) I was bowled over by the selection of brands in their ever expanding natural beauty (ahem I mean "apothecary") section.  I met a lovely young girl from Tata Harper, and we got to chatting and she kindly gave me some samples to try.  While I'd seen a couple of Tata's products in Sephora and heard about her line of course, I hadn't ever tried anything so was eager to give it a go.

I tried the highly touted resurfacing mask, which has the texture of a jelly and smells a bit like roses. It's a natural beta hydroxy mask so it's an enzyme exfoliant.  The pros: my skin definitely feels smoother the morning after and it didn't cause any redness or irritation (which I was actually surprised by).  The cons: it sucked all.the.moisture.out.of.my.face...! It also didn't get rid of the dead skin around my nose which was disappointing.  It was fun to try but won't be a purchase for me.

I also received a sample of Love potion and the Floral Essence, both of which are nice but for me personally not exceptional enough to justify the splurge.
Apparently Tata is on the verge of launching a cosmetics line, which I'm eager to see as it will follow her great commitment to all natural ingredients.

Have you tried Tata Harper? Comment below!

Get your motor runnin...

LEAN GREEN COCOA MACHINE

As someone who eschews vegetables on a typical basis, I'm chuffed to say that I've found a way to sneak it in to my morning smoothie without my mouth noticing.  Here's a quick rundown of the recipe:

• 1/2 banana
• 1/4 cup non fat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, vanilla flavor
• 1 scoop protein powder (I'm currently using Raw Protein from Garden of Life)
• 1 teaspoon green powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon raw organic cacao
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• frozen blueberries
• small handful fresh baby spinach leaves
• tablespoon honey (*optional if you like things sweeter)

I SWEAR you cannot taste the spinach and the above combination gives you a super filling, high protein, tasty and fiber rich breakfast.  Bon apetit!

P.S. The trick to a perfectly blended smoothie is to put all the liquid ingredients in the bottom and the frozen items last.

Essential oils for sensitive skin/rosacea

Let's cut to the chase, my face is a super diva. She doesn't like extreme heat or cold, if you piss her off she turns beet red, and just to show me who's boss to top it off she'll throw in a break out or two every few weeks. That said, she's been on good behavior recently and I largely credit it to avoiding anything harsh/chemically or otherwise irritating, and keeping her constantly moisturized using oils. I think that seabuckthorn oil has been a game changer with my rosacea (read my review here).  However, given my love for (okay fine, obsession with) essential oils, I'm also determined to find an essential oil that will further reduce redness, hydrate and calm.

After spending a considerable amount of time researching, here's a shortlist of the most recommended EOs for rosacea due to their anti-inflammatory benefits:

• Helichrysum (aka Immortelle) - this is perhaps the most raved about for rosacea. It's quite expensive so I haven't made the investment yet, but it's #1 on my list to try. My plan once I do purchase is to add a few drops to my rose petal hydrosol (rose and rosewood oils are helpful for rosacea) and spray on my face prior to applying my seabuckthorn oil.
• Lavender 
• Sandalwood 
• German chamomile
• Geranium

Honorable mentions: neroli, patchouli, frankincense and myrrh.

I recommend diluting the above with a carrier oil like sesame, rosehip or seabuckthorn. As always, please patch test before applying any of the above "neat" (i.e. without a carrier oil). Oils are also best absorbed into slightly damp skin. I like to spray my face beforehand with a hydrosol or with Avene thermal water.

Taking my bear for a walk..

Feeling stressed? Just roll with it..

I stumbled across these cuties from Golden Earth recently and had to share them in a post, as I'll admit I'm a sucker for an essential oil rollerball. Inside the fun little package is a single note rollerball, each infused with the healing properties of certain crystals that harmonize with the specific intention (energy, happy, wellness, peace, etc). [Sidebar, I'm ready to come clean..."Hi, I'm Shana. I'm from California and I like crystals."]

Started by aromatherapist Elizabeth Golden, Golden Earth uses organic essential oils and wild crafted essential oils. Elizabeth infuses each product with 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils in addition to other high quality natural and botanical ingredients.  All of those ingredients are nourishing to the body, sustainable and promote overall wellness.  

One of these days I'll get off my hiney, make my own EO rollerball (heck, maybe throw in a crystal and chant on it for good measure) and you'll be the first to know!  In the meantime, I'm sure I'll continue to hoard accumulate the ones that I come across in shops galore..

This one's for you Mom - anti-aging essential oils

Charles Dana Gibson

I'd recently given my mother some of Narayan's No Tox Botox to try (read review), but as she's not a superfan of the smell of clove (I love it, especially around the colder weather months, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside) she asked me to list some other essential oils she can check out that help with skin firming/anti-aging.  Here's the list I gave her:

Anti-aging essential oils

1. Geranium - skin regenerative and boosts circulation
2. Frankincense - skin regenerative, tightening and healing
3. Myrrh - toning/firming
4. Cypress - firms and boosts circulation
5. Neroli - improves elasticity, stimulates new cell growth
6. Fennel - stimulates skin and helps firm; contains vitamin C

You'll want to pair the above with your favorite carrier oil (and the combination is best applied to slightly damp skin for better absorption). Carrot seed oil, avocado and argan are particularly good for aging skin. If you want to apply "neat" please make sure to patch test on a place like your inner arm before applying to your face. Have fun mixing and matching, and if you're creating your own blends please let me know how it turns out!

"Bounce back, you'll go higher."

Frizzy hair, do care - Acure Argan Oil Conditioner review

The battle against frizz has been an ongoing one for me, and more particularly so after getting highlights.  I have a dream in which, with the right products, I can let my hair air dry and it will transform into glossy, smooth waves...

The Acure Moroccan Argan Stem Cell Shampoo and Conditioner have been heavily blogged about and as I'm currently on the hunt for a new conditioner that will make the above dream come true (hey, a girl can dream!), I decided to give the Argan conditioner* a shot.

First impression - texture is very liquidy, which initially gave me pause as I worried it wouldn't be moisturizing enough (it was, and it has nice slip although I did use quite a bit of it).  It is also heavily fragranced. It's not a smell I particularly care for (it's a sweet, cherry like smell), but it doesn't seem to stick around so I can handle it.  If you have dry/color treated hair as I do, while it is moisturizing, you definitely still need to apply a leave-in after towel-drying. Overall I think this will be a good everyday conditioner - and probably excellent for those with normal/not color treated hair. It's not a miracle product for me so my search continues, but good for the fact that it's natural and not expensive (it's about $8 and change on sale at Whole Foods).  Once I use this up, I'll think about splurging on the Rahua conditioner - it's gotten a lot of buzz online and it's fragranced with palo santo oil, one of my very favorite oils evah.

Acure Argan Stem Cell Conditioner ingredients: Organic Euterpe oleracea (Acai) Berry, Organic Rubus fruticosus (Blackberry), Organic Rosa canina (Rosehips), Organic Punica granatum (Pomegranate), Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Rooibos, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Stearylkonium Chloride, Vegetable Glycerin, Glucono Delta Lactone (fermented sugar), Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside (from corn and glucose), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (guar gum conditioner), Glyceryl Stearate (vegetable-derived), L-Arginine (amino acid), Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Sorbitan Olivate (from olives + sugar), Panthenol (Pro-vitamin B5), Cellulose (plant derived), D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (vitamin. E), Lactic Acid (vegetable derived),  Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) seed oil, Organic Curcubita pepo (Pumpkin) seed oil, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Argania spinosa (Argan) Stem Cells,  glycerophosphoinositol lysine (from sunflower), Prunus dulcis (Almond) Extract, Cinnamomum aromaticum (Cassia Bark) Oil

*I used this in conjunction with my regular shampoo, Theorie Argan oil repair shampoo, which I picked up in TJ Maxx and am really liking so far.

**All products are purchased by me unless otherwise stated, and as always my opinions are my own

Evan Healy hydrosols

In my very first post I mentioned Evan Healy's argan oil serum, which I'm obsessed with due to the inclusion of powerhouse essential oils frankincense and sandalwood (not to mention the smell is absolutely one of my favorites of any product I've put on my face to date). It had been on my wishlist for a few months and I finally just splurged and picked it up recently at Whole Foods as it was 20% off.  While there and browsing Evan's line, I was reminded of how impressed I am with her hydrosol range. Standouts are the Immortelle (otherwise known as helichrysum and excellent for irritated and sensitive skin), the Frankincense (so healing, and particularly good for sun damaged/aging skin) , the Sandalwood (I discussed the benefits of this in my first post), and the Myrtle (an uplifting scent, its antibacterial qualities are great for acne and it is also an effective skin tightener).

I truly love Evan Healy's holistic and plant-based approach to skincare and can't wait to try more of her line.

Narayan Beauty - an ATGB Exclusive

I was fortunate enough to meet the lovely Narayan while in Ojai, CA recently. The founder of Narayan Beauty, I found her and her eponymous line of skincare truly inspirational.

From the packaging to the carefully curated ingredients, to the mantra contained in each bottle, you can clearly see that this line is a true labor of love. And to boot, very few skincare lines can lay claim to adding no water or fillers whatsoever into their products.  Each item is all about its organic and therapeutic ingredients.