Beauty...

I have been thinking about the beauty of the natural world a lot lately.

I have been taking a lot of pictures. (see flowers below)

I think uniqueness is beautiful. I thinks gaps in people's teeth are beautiful. Interesting freckling... The uniqueness of eye color...

I even find scars beautiful.

I don't know. I just find unique perspectives beautiful.

There is something here.

What is beauty?

What do you want it to be?

Does getting a lash lift help you feel beautiful?

Does getting a facial and walking out glowing make you feel beautiful?

Does getting your feet rubbed making you feel beautiful?

Does wearing a cute pair of dangling earrings make you feel beautiful?

I wanna know! So, comment with your definition of beauty.

OR, Come see me and TELL me what makes you feel beautiful!

"The best way to capture moments is to pay attention.

This is how we cultivate mindfulness."

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

What does self love mean to you?

What does self love mean to you?

It is a lifelong quest and its a hard practice.

Recently, I was meeting with my virtual assistant and I asked her what self love means to her.

And, she introduced me to this practice that brought tears to my eyes.

This is how she answered my question.

"When I was 18 or 19, I read a book that said the purpose of life was to learn how to love yourself. So, for years, I 'tried' to love myself. In a yoga class one time, the teacher invited us to think of something we love, cultivate that love and give it to ourselves.

Later another mentor, Katie Hendricks, taught the practice of love drops.

This is the practice:

Think of someone or something that you love without a doubt about it, with no strings attached, no baggage. Fill yourself up with that love and then drop it on yourself. Or, better yet, drop it on something you hate about yourself."

At age 7, I really wanted a spiritual practice. And, I didn't even know what that meant.

I always felt there was something else, something more, something bigger than me out there.

And at age 18, I also started reading books... buddhism and taking yoga classes as well as a meditation class. It was taught free at university at CSU.

Looking back on it, it was Buddhist. It wasn't called that... But it was focusing on your breath. Now I practice a Buddhist meditation.

My practices of self love are:

• meditation and yoga

• being outside

• taking care of my skin

• getting facials and massages

• spending time with people I love and my animals

• and being aware of the negative self talk

I'll be incorporating the love drop into my practice now.

Feel free to share your self love practices with me. I always love to hear what you have to say.

Please reach out and book an appointment.

As always,

Live in Beauty,

Sasha

PS Just for fun... the rest of the month of February I will be making a Chocolate Cherry facial mask! It will have dark cocoa powder which has high levels of anti-oxidants that help promote cell repair. The cherry comes from cherry kernel oil which also has anti-oxidants AND has oleic acid which improves dry skin. A couple of other ingredients I will add are Shea butter and hyaluronic acid.

Moisture Vs Hydration

MOISTURE VS HYDRATION

Everyone wants hydrated and moisturized skin.

But, what is the difference?

A lot of us think those words are interchangeable. They’re not. They mean two different things.

Water helps skin stay healthy, smooth and radiant. Drinking water is still the best way to hydrate the skin.

Hydration is also achieved by absorbing the water in your environment.

If your skin is dehydrated, it lacks water and must be hydrated.

If you have dry skin, it means it is lacking OIL and means it must be moisturized. (A facial can determine which one or possibly both that you may have.)

You may want to use a moisturizer and a lovely facial oil like the Blossom facial oil i just created.

Using a hydrator for the skin like hyaluronic acid, my favorite, or a product with aloe & honey are ingredients that pull moisture from the environment into the skin. These are called humectants.

Facial oils help to seal in other ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, when applied on top of serums and moisturizers. 

Facial oils are not humectants… not mega face moisturizers, instead they seal the skin, forming a protective layer.

REMEMBER: Moisturizers help with hydration levels in the skin and Facial Oils help keep that moisture in.

A facial oil can be tremendously helpful for people living in dry climates such as Colorado.

As always.

Live in Beauty,

Sasha

Crabapple blossom in my neighborhood