Fresh Start

January is all about renewal, a clean slate, and this year I didn’t make any grand resolutions but mainly vowed to push reset on some bad skincare habits – too much caffeine, not enough sleep – you get the picture! Beyond avoiding the bad stuff I’m focused on detoxing on the inside (with probiotics) and the outside – from haircare that restores the scalps natural biome to one of the best and time-tested ingredients for detoxing your skin – Charcoal - thanks to Feel Beauty.

Feel is an online only company that’s poised to be the next Glossier, and have a great time doing it! Their products are tailored made for the Instagram life – a texture spray to give you #iwokeuplikethis bedhead, a gold & blush packaged self-tanner ideal for bag spills, a floral spray for glowing skin (I raved about it about a month ago!) and their Brilliant Sheet masks that promise brighter skin in one month. It comes in a 4x monthly supply, a brilliant J move on their part and made it that much easier for me stick to a once a week regimen. Did I mention all their products are total eye candy and just beg to be photographed in all their pastel glory?

But beyond the killer marketing the products are fantastic! I faithfully used the charcoal mask over the course of the month – through the excess of the holidays and mid-winter cold and flu bouts – and found my skin clear and bright. The dual benefits come from purifying charcoal blended with hyaluronic acid that tones and evens the skin. I may have looked a bit scary when using the mask but I highly recommend it for the great results! 

xx

Amy 

Scandic Botanica

It's pretty rare after more years working in the beauty Industry than I'd like to admit that I encounter something completely new and different! Scandic Botanica completely blew me away with their packaging - recycled + upcycled metallic containers with heavy wax seals on the top to give it a beautiful, romantic apothecary feel -  but the formulas are even more special.

The brand creates its small batch skincare from the best natural and organic ingredients from Scandinavia, drawing on traditional Nordic remedies to treat skin concerns ranging from acne to chronic dry lips.

The serum solids range is a product category I've never encountered before. You apply a thin layer at night for intense skin action while you sleep. I tried the Havtorn Serum Solid, which is designed to combat the effects of premature aging by softening lines, hydrating and reducing hyperpigmentation. Havtorn, known as the Finnish Seabuckhorn and has similar benefits to this popular ingredient. The results have been amazing, even with getting very sick and dealing with the winter chill and effects of heating my skin has never been better.

I was intrigued by the name of this next product - the Arctic Cloudberry Balm - but soon learned why this ingredient -  called Norwegian Gold - makes this balm perfect for the winter season. The concentrated Vitamin-rich formula is loaded with antioxidants and fatty acids that soothe and protects chapped skin. The tiniest bit goes a long way and I love the light woodsy scent!

One of my favorite products from the line is the Scandic Lip Treatment, a rich, organic lip balm made from Danish rosehip and coconut that not only hydrates dry lips but encourages cell renewal to return lips to a healthy state. The texture is light and creamy, absorbing instantly into the lips, adding a sheen to the lip. As a lip balm junkie I've tried them all and this one definitely is a holy grail product, it's been in my bag since I received it. 

Lastly, I tried the Sea & Nettle Face Mask, a powder mask rich in Nordic ingredients like Finnish pine and hops, elm, Danish nettle and Dead Sea clay to calm stressed skin and restore balance. This mask is part of the extensive Sea & Forrest mask range with various key ingredients from the land and water!

Some like it Hot

Farmacy Beauty, the latest farm-to-skin brand to take over a Sephora, is powered by some tiny superheros, the honey bee from their idyllic farm in upstate New York, the source of Echinacea GreenEnvy™ Honey, the skin superfood that is used throughout the Farmacy line. New for fall 2016 the Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask with Echinacea GreenEnvy™ Honey is a unique warming massage mask that is as luxurious to use as it is good at reviving dull, winter skin. The packaging is so much fun, from an outer box that unfolds to tell the brand story to a metal spatula that sticks to the magnet within the cap. To apply massage into the skin for a few minutes as it transforms from a gel texture to a warm cream. The mask is hydrating, bacteria fighting and rich in protective antioxidants and amino acids for bright, calm skin.  

Three Days with Fashion Blogger Blondie Way to Heaven

Looking back on one of my favorite shoots with Paris-based stylist and fashion designer / blogger Sophie Resigner! I've always been a bit obsessed with style bloggers because I don't naturally have great style, but Sophie has it in spades - I watched her flawlessly mix designer pieces, garments from her new collection (!!) and accessories from H&M to create looks that were on-trend yet classic. We spent three glorious fall days running around New York, shooting in Central Park, Museum Mile and the lovely The Mark Hotel, that welcomed us with open arms. One place that didn't welcome us - The Metropolitan Museum - we unceremoniously asked to leave! Sophie was the perfect "model" - gorgeous, glamorous, up for anything and an expert on how to shoot each outfit to show off it's strong points. Follow along with her at @blondiewaytoheaven for her global travels, more looks from the shoot and be the first to know when she officially launches her capsule collection! 

PS this first image always makes me smile! E came along for the very last look and gave herself the job of showing Sophie how to pose! 

'Let it Glow!’ with Boxwalla’s December Collection

As a total subscription box junkie I can tell you Boxwalla is pretty special. The second box I’ve had the pleasure of trying was their December Collection aptly named 'Let it Glow!’ as it was full of unique skincare and a cult makeup product all designed to get and keep your skin glowing for the holidays. Let’s dive right in….

My current obsession, Wabisabi Botanical’s BUDHI Sacha Inchi Eye Nectar, a orange oil that corrects a host of eye issues from bags, dark circles to fine line & wrinkles with potent natural and organic ingredients like Guava and Prickly Pear Seed Oils, Coffee Fruit, Seabuckthorn berries, and Evening Primrose blossoms all in a base offree-radical neutralizing Organic Peruvian Sacha Inchi oil. BUDHI, a Buddhist term meaning, ‘awaken’ speaks to what this product does; restoring life and nourishing the delicate eye area. Founder Elysse has luminous, lit-from-within skin and a powerful message about self acceptance and love that I think every women can relate to. The products are luxurious, 100% natural, cruelty free with sustainable and beautifully designed packaging.The exotic ingredient stories, evocative names and all-natural ethos means my "to try" list from this brand very long! 

Next up, a multi-use product from a brand I haven't tried before - Lisa Hanson’s NEW Global Face Trio! Inspired by the former makeup artists trip to Southeast Asiaand part of her global beauty collection, a simple, effective skincare regimen that celebrates unique, personal beauty not quick fixes the global face trio is a powder cleanser + exfoliator + mask. When used as a cleanser it draws out impurities and deeply cleanses, mixed with a very small amount of water it's an effective yet gentle exfoliator and my favorite use is as a detoxifying and brightening mask because the texture is so creamy and luxurious it’s treat to use and leaves skin soft and bright.  The ingredient list is just as impressive as the results with Thanaka, a bark sourced in Myanmar where it used by Burmese women to tighten pores, rice bran, anti-oxidant rich ginseng, and antibacterial lemongrass! I highly recommend it!

Lastly, one of my all time favorite beauty products RMS Beauty’s Living Luminizer! For me this was my gateway into the world of natural makeup (with a heavy emphasis on RMS to this day!) and it’s still my go-to brightening product.

Shown in a few of these photos is the gorgeous new coffee table book by photographer Mariano Vivanco: Portraits Nudes Flowers. I love all the celebrity portraits and nudes but his flowers, some never before published are absolutely captivating! 

Raiding the Honeypot

Talking honey-based skincare on the blog this week! It's one of my favorite ingredients for two reasons, One, as a natural humectant it draws in and retains moisture and Two, it has antiseptic qualities, making it perfect for dry yet acne prone skin like mine. 

First up I can’t stop raving about OY-L skincare, this minimalist look skincare line uses zero chemicals and medical grade ingredients like the Manuka honey 20+ in their Exfoliating Manuka Mask . This product smells insanely good and leaves skin feeling soft and bright. 

This next mask is intense! Farmacy Beauty’s Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask is a warming mask - something I didn't quite realize until my face started to heat up - formulated with a mix of honey, propolis and royal jelly that revitalizes dull skin. The launch of this mask also kicked off their BEE A #HONEYSAVIOR campaign to raise awareness about the decline of the honey bee population with a portion of the proceeds going to city growers 

And lastly one of my favorite cleansers of all time, Therapi Honey Skincare’s Rose Otto Honey Gel Cleanser, an incredibly soothing and calming gel cleanser made with 90% organic ingredients like honey, yucca extracts, rose otto and rose geranium essential oils. The gel lightly emulsifies when water is added and throughly removes makeup while leaving skin feeling comfortable and soft!

What are your products made from this super ingredient?! 

Decovo + Birch & Goldberry

Come for the green, indie beauty and stay for everything else; delicate handcrafted jewelry, affordable art and unique home goods! Decovo is officially my dream curated shop, literally everything on the site would be something I’d love to have in my home and I appreciate that Decovo is carefully curated to include only ethically produced and sustainable products. Over 90% of the brands are owned by women!

I was lucky enough to chat with the site’s co-founder Alison Cies and she shared how her love of all things artisanal began with her artist parents who raised her between NYC’s Soho and the Hudson Valley. Later she worked in tech, along with her co-founder and husband Henry, so it was a natural progression to pair her design knowledge and his coding expertise to bring Decovo to life. They harnessed the creative community of their home in San Francisco to feature emerging lifestyle and beauty brands, with the goal of building a single destination for eco-friendly products by women for women. They've organically gravitated towards brands like Earth Tu Face (which Alison counts as a favorite for their thoughtfully made products and California roots), LINNÉ, and Birch & Goldberry, the maker of the beautiful soaps pictured here.

My whole family loves these Birch & Goldberry soaps, my husband who is normally not excited about the influx of beauty products into our home concedes these soaps are cool and my daughter and I are obsessed with the subtle washes of the color and the fun scent combinations. They reminded us of our favorite medium - watercolor - so we tried to recreate some of the beautiful colors in paint on a recent day off school! 

The three female founders behind Houston-based Birch & Goldberry create usable works of art in soap, soy-wax candles and hand-painted paper goods (my favorite are the insanely pretty wrapping papers!) inspired by the beauty, colors and patterns found in nature. I love following their feed on Instagram, not only for the product eye candy but the swoon-worthy scenes from their home base out west and their travels. 

Their cold processed soap bars, made from 100% plant-based oils, are formulated with sea salt for a slight exfoliation without sacrificing the creamy-lather that leaves skin feeling soft and hydrated. The two I tried, the Gin & Lavender Sea Salt Soap (a fresh, calming soap with subtle washes of violet, mint green and yellow) and the Japanese Grapefruit & Osmanthus Sea Salt Soap have quickly become my favorite bar soaps! 

I was so thrilled to discover Decovo, and I am even more excited to offer an exclusive 15% discount through November 25th with code BEAUTYSTEALSINWARD!