What I'm trying - Phoenix Botanicals

Hello Lovelies!

I hope that you have had a delightful summer! I must admit, while I'm enjoying the last nice days here in NYC, I'm also looking forward to Fall...I love a little nip in the air and cozy sweaters. Who's with me?!

I'm so pleased to have the opportunity to share with you a brand lovingly made locally by Irina Adam: Phoenix Botanicals. I feel a special kinship not only with the name Phoenix, but also with her holistic approach to skincare.

"Phoenix herbal balms and skin care are uniquely formulated for your experience of the healing energy of plants, their natural scent, and surprisingly beneficial properties. Trend-setting botanical creations infused with fresh plants. All our ingredients are organic or wildcrafted, and locally sourced whenever possible. Absolutely no synthetics in our perfumes or skincare."

I had the distinct pleasure of trying a few of the items of her range, which I'll detail here (clockwise from top left in pic).

You see me haulin'? Summer staples

I did a bit of a haul recently as I needed to stock up on some summer staples and thought I'd combine it all in one post for your viewing pleasure!

The sunscreen sitch:

I'm not quite sure whether it was the climate change, time zone change, or the fact that the expiration date had long passed (woopsies!)...but whilst in California last month my sunscreen declared war on my face. I was experiencing zits like I haven't seen in over 10 years..it was about as welcome as a casual acquaintance asking if they can crash in your studio apartment for the two weeks they're in town.

Torn between finding the lesser of two evils - sun damage or acne marks that will stick around for lord knows how long - I decided to ditch what I had been using and place my faith in Raw Elements. 

Maji acupressure pillow review

As a frequent sufferer of shoulder and neck pain, I just had to investigate this strange looking pillow I found in a shop recently. A quick google search revealed that these types of acupressure pillows are meant to engage pressure points and release endorphins similar to how acupuncture works...and I will say that the hard plastic points on this are sharp!  This is definitely not for the faint of heart..which is perhaps why I egged myself on to try it.

Preliminary findings are that it's not as bad as it seems pain wise. I thought I would have to put a towel over it to start, but I found that I actually didn't. While the sensation isn't pleasant - and I certainly WON'T be napping on it as one online reviewer reported in a comment - it's tolerable, and I'm curious to see if it will have any effect on my seemingly chronic discomfort. I didn't notice anything miraculous upon the first tries (I've used it on my neck as well as lumbar area) but will give it a couple more shots before I debate returning it. I also may see if it works as a sort of bolster while I do yoga.

Have you tried an acupressure mat or pillow? Comment below!

A couple of things I've picked up recently..

• Mineral Fusions Lip Tint in Blush, eye liner in Azure and angled shadow brush (on the off chance I ever decide to put some time and effort into my eye make up!) which I bought on a whim during a crazy good sale at WF (40% off...now how in the world do you pass that up?!?). So far I'm LOVING the eye liner. It is the most gorgeous shade of blue with a slight metallic aspect to it. With the oils it contains and the absence of ickies, I can feel good about applying it as well. The only note is that by the end of the night it tended to bleed a bit into my under eye area (top lash line stayed intact), which I attribute to the oils in the formula interacting with my under eye cream. Some setting powder under the eye should resolve that. Also, a bit to my disappointment, it does not hold up on the waterline. However the color pay off and natural ingredients will definitely make this a staple for me. The lip tint is not as exciting for me as I thought it would be. I was hoping it would be a match for my natural lip color and serve to enhance that, but it's a tad too brown in the undertone. Also, while it is moisturizing, it is not a replacement for a balm which I was hoping it would be considering the ingredients. Finally, there's really no staying power to the color. All told, the lip tint will not be a repurchase. I still prefer my Pacifica lip tint which I've discussed previously in the blog.

• Sibu Eye cream - being in need of more eye cream I picked this up spur of the moment as I'm a big fan of Sea buckthorn and I've been pleased with the other Sibu products I've tried. While I'm never thrilled when the first ingredient in a skincare product is water (and this is the case here), it features a host of other very intriguing ingredients that create a virtual salad (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, mustard, wasabi) and I just knew this had to go on my face! So far I haven't been disappointed. Perhaps I'm imagining things but I do feel like in the 9 or so days I've used it (in the mornings) I've noticed a slight firming and tightening of the under eye skin, thereby reducing the appearance of my fine lines.

• Weleda skin food - hands down this is the best hand cream I've found to date (with my other hand cream by Deep Steep a very close second). It's incredibly rich but yet absorbs quickly and isn't greasy. When I found this 1oz size on sale, I nabbed it for my purse.

Hope my U.S. friends are enjoying the holiday weekend, and a shout out and hearty thanks to my international visitors!

Stay tuned for another unusual find I'll be discussing soon...

Etta + Billie

On a Mother's Day excursion to Pescadero I stumbled upon a quirky little shop that might just make one of the best Mochas I've ever had, and coincidentally boasted a small array of some delightful organic products.

Enter, Etta + Billie.  Anyone who knows me well knows that Patchouli anything is likely to catch my eye, and Etta + Billie had the most wonderfully fresh combo of geranium and patchouli in a body oil, lotion, scrub (perfect for the shower as it came in a bar and is full of moisturizing butters), handy dandy skin balm stick (perfect for the purse!) and soap. Of course there were other lovely fragrances like Lavender and Grapefruit Cardemom, but I wasn't to be deterred.

Founded by Alana Rivera and made in San Francisco, I was charmed by the minimalist packaging and dedication to conscious and healing ingredients.

If it weren't, umm, all about Mom that day, I would've snatched up the body oil, skin balm and bar scrub in a heartbeat!



Body oil: "Limnanthes alba (Meadowfoam) seed oil, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil*, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil*, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil*, Pelargonium graveolens (Rose Geranium) Essential Oil, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) Essential Oil*, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) extract, Non-GMO Tocopherol (Vitamin E) *Certified Organic"

Body scrub: "Sodium chloride (Sea Salt), Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) seed butter*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) fruit butter**, Pelargonium graveolens (Rose Geranium) essential oil, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) essential oil*, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) extract, Non-GMO Tocopherol (Vitamin E) *Certified Organic **Fair Trade"

Made Simple Cosmetics review

While still out on the West Coast, I'd thought I'd take a moment to profile another local brand I've been admiring lately: Made Simple.  And the products are just that.  Raw, vegan, organic and handmade in small batches in beautiful Soquel, CA, it's everything a discriminating naturalista could look for in skincare!

My mother has been loving the above moisturizer as a heavy duty nighttime aid over her retinol, and while I won't be applying it on my face anytime soon (my face doesn't react well to coconut oil or citrus EOs, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else with sensitive skin) I love it as a post-shower moisturizer for my neck and decollete. The consistency is a surprisingly light frothy concoction, similar to whipped cream, and it has a really soothing herbaceous blend of smells. It's perfect to keep on your nightstand to rub on any dry bits before beddy-bye as the lavender is such a relaxing scent. 

Ingredients: Raw Unrefined Shea Butter*, Virgin Coconut Oil*, Sweet Almond Oil*, Jojoba Oil*, Essential Oil Mix: Lavender*, Grapefruit*, Sweet Orange* (*certified organic)

Other standouts from the brand for me are the Helichrysum & Argan facial serum (read more about the benefits of Helichrysum here) and the Chamomile lime deodorant (while sharing many of the same ingredients, it's a much smoother and more pleasant to apply formula than the Schmidts I've been using, which as an aside has been performing very well despite the consistency leaving much to be desired).

At very reasonable price points, I highly recommend giving this brand a try if you're looking to keep things healthy and simple..

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Santa Barbara Grapeseed Company Rosehip oil

In honor of my return trip to California I thought I'd feature a new oil I'm trying that's local.  I picked up this grapeseed rosehip oil as grapeseed oil is one that I haven't tried on my face yet (although I have on my hair and body and it's a great moisturizer) and I was curious to try as the weather is warming up and it's a lighter weight oil (as compared to avocado).

Preliminary findings are that it's delightful! The essential oils of rose geranium and damask create a lovely fragrance that hits you as soon as you apply the oil. I've been applying to my face in the mornings post cleanse, and a little on the ends of my hair and the smell is fresh and uplifting. Geranium is great for balancing out skin (either oily or dry) and is an astringent so also good for tightening/firming.  As grapeseed oil is a by-product of the wine making process, it contains resveratrol (a powerful anti-aging compound for skin; this is one of the secrets to the brand Caudalie's success and popularity) and a host of vitamins and anti-oxidants. Rosehip oil is also a fantastic lighter weight oil for skin brightening (apparently Miranda Kerr swears by it).

I have a feeling this will be a go-to oil for me this Spring and Summer..

INGREDIENTS

expeller pressed vitis vinifera (grapeseed) oil, helianthus annuus (sunflower*)oil, rosa rubiginosa (virgin rosehip) oil, essential oils of: pelargonium graveolens (rose geranium), rosa damascena (damask rose), tocopherol (vitamin e)

*certified organic ingredient