Our picks for some of the best launches this season!
Beautycounter Countersun Daily Sheer Defense
This lightweight lotion sinks right into skin without any white cast, and protects from UVA, UVB and HEV blue light rays, courtesy of nonnano zinc oxide. Designed for daily wear, the SPF 25 facial sunscreen has plenty of antioxidants to ward off damage from pollution, as well as chicory root extract to support the moisture barrier and keep skin hydrated. beautycounter.com
Kopari Hydrating Body Wash
Take a tropical vacation every time you use this body wash. The intoxicating scent of coconut milk will transport you away. The gel lathers into a foam and the blend of organic coconut water, sea kelp and aloe vera juice cleanse, moisturize and calm skin. koparibeauty.com
Viking Beauty Secrets Exfoliating Face Scrub
It only takes one go with this incredibly efficacious scrub to get babysoft skin. Volcanic sand sourced from lava in Iceland is a natural physical exfoliator that gently rubs away dead skin, while Nordic rowanberries firm and brighten and Nordic raspberries reduce inflammation and free radical damage. The scrub turns into a milky lather when mixed with water, satisfying all the senses. vikingbeauty.com
Ixchel Leigh and Artisan Parfums
The new line of natural perfumes was created by Ixchel Leigh, a leader in the aromatherapy and fragrance world dubbed “The Fragrance Alkemist.” The Parfums with Purpose collection combines the modern neural science of scent with old traditions to create perfumes that do more than smell pretty. Blended with organic, wild-crafted essential oils, they all have specific intentions for the wearer, stemming from the healing powers of plants. For example, nature-inspired Mystique boosts endurance and energy, while water element Harmione aims to regenerate and ease emotions. Each scent is available in a range of sizes. artisanparfums.com
Lano 101 Ointment, Baby Rose Gold
When you want just a dab of color, this ointment will do ya. Just the right shade of dewy rose, it delivers a natural flush to your lips and cheeks while nourishing skin. Consider it the ultimate no makeup-makeup. ulta.com
Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water
Leave it to Drunk Elephant to create a micellar water that takes the entire genre up a notch. Theirs employs micelles to gently remove makeup, dirt and pollution, but the formula is also infused with a three-ceramide blend to strengthen the skin barrier, vitamin E to guard from free radical damage and antioxidant-packed wild melon seed oil to soothe and hydrate. drunkelephant.com
Naturopathica Manuka Honey Hydrating Gel Mask
Manuka honey has earned its reputation as a mega moisturizer. Cactus water and vitamin E round out the hydrating, nourishing ingredients in this gel mask. Leave it on for just five minutes, or for a deeper penetration use it as an overnight mask. Either option leaves you with plump, smooth and soothed skin. naturopathica.com
The Bloom Book: A Flower Essence Guide to Cosmic Balance
by Heidi Smith, MA, RH (AHG) (moonandbloom.com)
This interactive guidebook is packed with everything needed to learn about and experience the healing power of flower essences. Author Heidi Smith, a psychosomatic therapist, registered herbalist and flower essence practitioner, shares how to work with flower essences for healing, awakening and change. Try your hand at it with this excerpt.
ritual | Creating a Protective Mist
I love using flower essences in mist form for my home and office. I go through a lot of mists as I use them during sessions, between clients, when I get home, and when I clear our home, so making my own is also practical.
For this ritual, you will need a glass bottle and mist nozzle. You may work with either store-bought flower essences, ones you’ve wildcrafted yourself, or both. I like to add a few drops of essential oil as well, such as rose, neroli or violet.
• Ground your energy and say your prayer (if you have one). Ask for permission to connect with the spirits of the plants you are calling on. Call on the spirit of divine protection to be part of your ritual.
• Fill the mist bottle up with 70 percent spring water and 30 percent brandy.
• Add a few drops of essential oil to the bottle.
• Add the flower essences you’ve selected. (Three drops of stock essence per half ounce of water and brandy solution.)
• Close the bottle and swirl three times clockwise and three times counterclockwise, while asking for the remedy to be purified and blessed. I also ask that it be of the highest potency, used for the highest good, and the highest healing.
Excerpted from The Bloom Book © 2020 by Heidi Smith, used with permission of the publisher, Sounds True, Inc.