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“I shouldn’t be having so much coffee,” I thought to myself. “Such a guilty pleasure it is,” as I consumed my second cup.   What a mind f$ck.

Autumn... The months of painted leaves, cooler mornings, cold dew. The months of more sleep, more reading, more hiking, more reflection, more soup, more movies, and more night sky.

What is 'intentional skincare'? Skin is sacred.  It is also extremely vulnerable.  It is exposed always.  To people, elements, the sun, pollution, weather changes and most of all, chemicals that touch it.  By chemicals, I mean everything. Water is a chemical. Salt is a chemical. Retinol is a chemical. Some are harsh, some change our skin cosmetically to what we...

Sometimes my spirit takes over and without violence shuts up the feminist in me. We could choose to be alone. We could choose to go on a quest of self discovery to make room for something immeasurable. I’m certain that it all leads to two things: unlimited freshly baked bread and a big love. Our choices in our partners will...

As feminine qualities are seeing more praise, this does not mean you should begin to shun or demonize the masculine in an attempt to bring in more power for female energy.   This is exactly how the world fell out of balance with the rise of the patriarch.  

To be put on a pedestal is to be worshipped. To be worshipped typically requires some material attributes like beauty, physicality, talents, good behavior, socially praised achievements.

I went on a walk yesterday. It was windy, sunny and crisp. All my favorite feelings in one moment. Leaves twirling in the air as they fall to the ground.

I sat down to write with an urge to go so deep into the trenches of 'beauty' I found myself referencing evolutionary biology, anthropology and psychology and I crashed.  I realized that just saying do this, not that isn't enough in this case. Everything we've been taught to see and do as men and women runs through our psyche. My frustration...

The feeling of love is like an ocean wave. It comes, then it goes, then it comes again. This goes for love in general, not just romantic love. We sometimes love our partners, sometimes we’re too preoccupied, sometimes we love our friends, sometimes they disappoint us, sometimes we love our children, sometimes we get too exhausted to see them as...

This potion is nothing complicated yet the softness and suppleness of your skin will blow your mind once you step out of your shower. 

The Libra Super Full Moon on April 7-8th, is the brightest and boldest of the year and its message is just as strong. It reminds us that we are all in this together and we each have a role to play through our vibration, actions, and how we come together to support others.

The concept of beauty.   Aside of obvious biological cues of attractiveness like symmetry, clear skin and good waist to hip ratio, beauty has always been defined for women by men. Just like most things throughout history.     "We must shift America from a needs, to a desires culture," wrote Paul Mazur of Lehman Brothers. "People must be trained...

We grow up and we are told to close our legs and speak softly. To not be too funny, to not laugh loudly. To study your scales and pirouettes to mimic the royal and the thoroughbred to be worthy of a higher esteem. To be picked because of all the things you’ve accomplished because now you’ve earned it. Women have...

But what’s a goddess? Does a goddess have all her shit together? Is she pure? Is she a homemaker with a part time volunteer gig for the hungry? Or is she sometimes a home wrecker? Imperfect? Explosive? A lunatic?

I grew up in the Far East of Russia, where Sea Buckthorn was as common as raspberries in Oregon or Oranges in Florida.  My parents grew these precious berries and we harvested them to create fresh jelly, freeze them for later medicinal use or make tinctures/extracts.  I had to include this powerhouse ingredient in my formulations.  

All my glasses are lost, stolen, broken or all of the above. Today I thought that maybe it’s a subconscious rebellion, like not plucking my eyebrows even if my mom calls them ‘wild forest’ and tells me to clean them up. Or not brushing my hair for a week in avoidance of looking “tidy”. 

I took a picture using a dark, cool-toned filter for the mood and proceeded to write about the quiet moment I was about to have. A scheduled phone call interrupted my quiet. Half an hour later and I haven’t taken a sip of my tea.

When it comes to editorials that involve creative force of one of our favorive makeup artist, Justine Sweetman, we tune in.  Justine focuses on natural finish when it comes to complexion but she does not lose the editorial edge.  Here is how she achieved the gorgeous look for the July NYLON Singapore spread.