Watch Me...

Info to know

http://blog.tataharperskincare.com/making-strides-with-the-safe-cosmetics-act/

It's about time consumers are aware of exactly what they are putting on (and in) their bodies! No more hiding harmful 

ingredients behind vague descriptions and dishonest labeling.

Yay for progress!

Discover Arcona

I have long been a devoted Dr. Hauschka skincare brand lover, and I will always love their products! So it very rarely happens that a new skincare line can wow me into changing up my entire daily routine...but it has happened this week.

I just happened to stumble into the most fantastic beauty boutique the other day, on Robertson Blvd. called Evolue (www.evoluebeauty.com). The gals that work there are very knowledgeable and told me all about Arcona, the L.A. based holistic skincare line. Apparently this line has been a cult favorite amongst Los Angeles locals and starlets alike since the 80's. All the ingredients are pure and organic, and the special something about this line that really drew me in was the weight of each product. They are packed full of skin perfecting vitamins and enzymes but are so lightweight, they feel like water! It gets absolutely scorching during the summer out here, so any products that are truly effective but feel weightless are very much appreciated.

I tested each product in the store, but while I use up what I have, I'll replace things with Arcona's items one at a time.

The first product in the line I bought was the Cranberry Gommage.

This is their scrub for oily/acneic skin. Since I moved back to L.A.  a few months ago, my skin has been congested, irritated and angry! All my usual tricks were falling short of really fixing the  blemishes (darn those milia, so difficult to get rid of!)until I brought home my Arcona scrub several nights ago. One use, and my skin was immediately clearer, softer and more calm. My usual red cheeks I get from most scrubs weren't there at all! I am hooked on this stuff. I've been using it for 3 days now and there isn't a blemish on my face. 

I can hardly wait to bring home the rest of the line!

Here are a few famous complexions that have Arcona to thank for their absolute radiance.

Pretty...

Much...

Flawless!

So excited to continue with Arcona...

Pretty pretty

I adore these videos! So simple and easy to replicate.

Green Smoothie Recipe of the week

Ingredients: Organic baby spinach

Virgin cold pressed coconut oil

Unsweetened shredded coconut

1 can Vitacoco coconut juice w/ pulp

Cinnamon

Directions: Fill the blender 3/4 full with baby spinach. Pour Vitacoco over the spinach, use the whole can. Add 2 tbsp. coconut oil, a few shakes of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of shredded coconut. Blend very well and drink up! 

This smoothie is full of calcium and phytonutrients and coconut oil is antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and oh so soothing for the gut. It's a wonder-drink for your skin and hair!

It's probably what Niki and Krissy were drinking when this photo was taken...

Dehydrated vs. Dry

One of the subjects we talk about a lot in esthetics school is determining whether a person has dry skin, or dehydrated skin.  

Essentially, dry skin is lacking in natural oil, and dehydrated skin is lacking in water. Dry skin is usually genetic, it is a skin type, and responds very well to topical treatments like creams and lotions. Dehydrated skin can feel tight and look flaky, and many people mistake this skin condition for dry skin. Dehydrated skin can be normal & dehydrated and oily & dehydrated. Dehydrated skin must be combatted from the inside, as well as the outside. Of course both dry and dehydrated skin benefit greatly from deep cellular hydration, but dehydrated skin cannot be remedied without it. If you are not sure what your skin type and/or conditions are, visit your local esthetician to have them take a closer look. (If you are in VT. go see Eros Bongiovanni in Montpelier, http://www.holisticafacials.com/  she is excellent! If you are in Los Angeles, come see me! Email me for an appointment.)

There are two ways that I love to hydrate my body, and they are both very effective.

First, coconut water. 

Pure coconut water (not to be mistaken for coconut milk, the kind used in thai food) is naturally full of electrolytes and will hydrate you much more quickly than a bottle of water. It contains about 70 calories per bottle, but is fat free.

I use this as a base for my green smoothies most of the time, but if I'm really feeling parched, I'll drink it on its own.

Doctors will feed coconut water to people who are severely dehydrated as a way to hydrate them very quickly. 

I'd replace all gatorade and pedialyte with coconut water as a much more healthful, and sugar free option!

Up next, Physica ReHydrate Tincture.

Physica Energetics are an amazing line of homeopathic remedies that I was turned onto while living in Carmel, Indiana. I met with a fabulous naturopath there who uses them for all of her clients. 

One of the products they make is a tincture that you add to your bottled water to help your body better absorb and hold onto the water more easily. I add about 10 drops of ReHydrate Tincture to every bottle of water I drink. 

Visit www.physicaenergetics.com to find a retailer. If you are living in Los Angeles, they sell the line at the little independent vitamin shop in the Malibu Ralphs shopping plaza. (That place also makes incredible raw food treats, sells Dr. Hauschka and every vitamin and supplement on the planet! I highly recommend their coconut smoothies!)

Other quick suggestions? Eat loads of watermelon and cucumber for extra hydration.

So keep your skin healthy and glowing this summer and hydrate!

P.S. I love these tips from the gorgeous and fabulous Tata Harper for her favorite summer drink, sure to keep you all a-glow. 

http://blog.tataharperskincare.com/recipe-cucumber-mint-beauty-elixir-2/

Ooh-la-la-lashes!

I have often had friends and strangers compliment me on my eyelashes. It's very flattering indeed! But I have to admit, these babies have taken a bit of work. So I would love to share with you all just how to achieve your longest, healthiest most gorgeous lashes, completely naturally!

Let me quickly say that unless you are going through health issues that cause your eyelashes to fall out, I do not believe anyone should be using products like "Latisse." (Shame on you, Claire Danes!! Promoting harmful products to people who don't need them...)Those lash growing formulas are only for people who truly have a medical condition.

First, an eyelash curler can do you wonders! Here are my 3 favorites...

#1 Paula Dorf Eyelash Curler

http://www.pauladorf.com/p-95-curl-up-eyelash-curler.aspx

$18 but has replaceable cartridges. My favorite of ALL time! (If you are in VT, finds yours at Mirror, Mirror in Burlington)

#2 Shu Uemera eyelash curler. 

Pretty great, but does NOT have replaceable cartridges, so bummer for them! Too wasteful to be my #1. $19 

http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/_us/_en/accessories/eyelash-curlers/eyelash-curler.htm

#3 Good old Revlon. For those on a tight budget, I think it's $7 and it DOES have replaceable cartridges. It's my last pick because  it's a tad easier to pinch the delicate area around the eye with this one, but as a last minute fix it works pretty well.

How to curl: Place the eyelash curler at the base of your eyelashes and clamp down gently, hold of 3 seconds. Move the curler out toward the ends of your eyelashes in tiny increments, and stop to clamp along the way. The idea is that you want your eyelashes to curl in a smooth curl, not stick up at a 90 degree angle.

Second suggestion for long lashes: Biotin (vitamin B7).

Take 5 mg. of this vitamin with your green smoothie daily and notice your hair grow healthier and faster within 3 weeks! It also strengthens your nails and is great for your skin.

Third magic lash lengthening suggestion: Dr. Hauschka Volumizing Mascara. I have used this mascara non-stop for 3 years. It honestly gives your lashes catwalk volume and length, but it is packed with vitamins for healthy lashes! Better than Diorshow, BadGalLash and Great Lash put together.

https://store.drhauschka.com/b2c/ecom/ecomEnduser/items/itemDetail.aspx?&page=&store=&itemNum=VM1&siteId=1&bulkexists=0

 I admit, at $30 it's an investment. But it is more than a mascara, it is a lash treatment! 

You might just end up looking like this

Do you have any other tips for lash growing naturally? I want to hear them! Leave me your comments below...

Green Smoothie Recipe of the week

Ingredients: (All organic ingredients, if not, definitely organic greens!)

 1 head of romaine lettuce

1 stalk parsley

2 cups mixed kale, chard and beet greens

1 cup spinach

2 cups unfiltered apple juice

big splash lemon juice

big splash apple cider vinegar

1 cup grapefruit juice

1 tbsp. Flaxseed Oil

A sprinkle of cayenne pepper

1 cup frozen raspberries

Just throw it all in the blender and blend away! Makes enough for 3 large glasses of smoothie. I made this tonight so I can have one before bed, one for breakfast and another as a mid-morning snack.

Why green smoothies?

All the greens in this smoothie are alkalizing your system (disease cannot thrive in an alkaline environment, eating foods to alkalize your body are the best possible thing you can do for yourself!)and neutralizing free radicals in your body. This means anti-aging from the inside out, yes please!

(Quite a handy little chart to keep on your fridge if you want to know more about alkaline foods.)

These greens can carry many times their own weight in toxins right out of the body.

Green food replenishes red blood cells in our system and carries new oxygen to our cells.

Clorophyll fights infection.

Cayenne pepper revs up your metabolism, and you can't taste it in the smoothie.

Flaxseed oil is for your omega-3's, hello beautiful and healthy skin! Not to mention that omega-3's fight cardiovascular diseases, reduce inflammatory diseases and have shown to help prevent breast cancer. Basically, get it in your diet!

These smoothies are so tasty and SO quick to make. Drinking one or more a day will do you more good than any other food source. Experiment with the ingredients! You don't have to use the same things every time, try all different greens and fruits to mix it up.

I first learned about green smoothies reading an article in Elle when I was 22. The incredibly gorgeous Karolina Kurkova drinks them as part of her daily health regimen. She's so addicted to them that she packs a mini blender in her carry-on case no matter where she is going!

So. Green smoothies. Drink em!

Detox Coconut Body Scrub

My favorite recipe for body scrub. This magic formula is exfoliating, detoxifying, moisturizing, smoothing and toning!

Ingredients:  Raw unrefined virgin coconut oil

Unbleached raw sugar

Pure Aloe

Kaolin Powder

Any empty glass jar with a lid

Directions: Melt the coconut oil down on the stove over low heat until it becomes extremely soft, or liquified. Pour into the glass jar and wait for the coconut oil to begin to solidify again. Once the oil has thickened, add in an equal amount raw sugar. Add in about 2 tablespoons of Kaolin clay, or any clay that you like, and top off with a generous pour of aloe. Stir it up and you are done!

Another excellent ingredient to add is ground coffee. The caffeine is the coffee is meant to decrease the appearance of cellulite.

If you have very sensitive skin, swap the sugar for ground oatmeal(just throw oatmeal in the blender) and take out the clay.

Using this body scrub regularly in the shower will keep your skin looking like summer perfection!

Ahhh back to posting about my favorite subject...

Health and beauty go hand in hand, and one of my favorite things to do on the planet is experiment with holistic beauty routines. 


For the last few months, I have been playing with Tumblr, ever-love.tumblr.com, and it has been lovely. But I do not think tumblr is fantastic for posting writing, research and advice. I get lost on tumblr putting up all the pretty pictures and then the posts that I have mixed in where I actually do write about beauty and health get whisked away amongst all the lovely pictures. I want to write this blog for other people to enjoy, but also as a way to keep track of the helpful things that I learn about beauty and health in school, in reading, in experimenting and by word of mouth. I am attending school this year to receive my license in esthetics, a subject I have been passionate about for a very long time! But it is not just traditional skin care that interests me, it is a holistic approach to skin care that truly resonates with me. Everything from the food we eat and the air we breathe, to the way we look at the world on a day to day basis and of course, to the lotions and potions we put onto and into our bodies every day.

I want to learn as many techniques as possible to help people look and feel their best, inside and out (that sounds cheesy but I truly do mean it!) Please feel encouraged to post comments, suggestions and ideas in this blog! Also note that I am not a doctor and any treatments I write about are not meant to be prescriptions but just suggestions for a fun and beautiful life. Thanks for reading!

Also note, many of the photos on this page are from my tumblr. If you would like to know the origin of the picture, go to my tumblr and you can find them there.