Bonjour Cherie!
Let's Talk Skincare 101
Everyday, even with most of the challenges COVID 19 has presented during this topsy turvy 2020, and for too many, the challenges have been life and death ones, we have the opportunity to celebrate the true gifts of family and friends, in some strange way, now more than ever. This holiday season, while expressing our heartfelt gratitude to our loved ones, seated around our table, or close at heart but somewhere far away, brought closer through a family ZOOM call, let’s remember to extend our genuine gratitude and love to the family of all living beings who occupy our planet, and to nature herself to whom we are inextricably connected. → Read more
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Getting gorgeous this holiday season begins with your skincare for the bath ritual. Ritual means more than a 5 min shower or bath. A ritual is “a big deal”. It implies indulging in something absolutely fabulous that, in this case, you create for yourself. BECAUSE NURTURE YOU TIME IS NOT A LUXURY – IT’S A MUST!
Hey, you totally deserve more than 5 min, so make it happen!
You know what they say on the flight – secure your own mask first…Think of your bathing ritual as a lifesaver, because it just might save you from the holiday bonkers busy craziness!
Make time for a warm relaxing bath to relax and refresh before going out. Get out the candles, fragrant soaps, sugar scrubs, bath melts, a glass of tea, cocoa, wine (whatever you’re in the mood for), and maybe some music.
Think of your skin as the most elegant, carefully prepared canvas upon which everything else rests – your make-up, hair, clothes and fragrance. Feeling great in your skin is also an emotional thing. It changes how you feel, move, speak, think, respond, and live your inner and outer lives. It’s where it all starts.
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Amidst all the spiritual gratitude, bliss and goodness we share with our family and friends at this time of year, our holiday schedules begin to rev up, responsibilities to others pile up, and potential chaos can quickly send our heads spinning, creating stressful or anxious feelings which we know are not good for our skin. Stress has been shown to be at the root of many chronic illnesses, and can not only result in skin sensitivities, irritations and eruptions, but is a primary cause of premature aging. Who wants any of this? Not us!
Our skin, the largest organ of our body, reflects what is going on below the surface physically and emotionally. If you notice your skin acting up, don’t panic. Maybe it’s just time to take a look at your lifestyle choices this time of year. Your skin is your best friend, and she’s trying to tell you something important.
4 ways to reduce and manage holiday stress and recharge our emotional batteries: → Read more
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Fall and winter dryness leaving you feeling suddenly sympatico with Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s 3rd century B.C. terra cotta warriors? No worries. Nothing our gentle exfoliating sugar scrub and whipped body butter can’t heal and bring back to radiant life. Isn’t it nice when this happens? I mean the simple and real fix.
3 simple steps to heal and repair winter skin dryness: → Read more
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Autumn is a wonderful time to talk long walks in the woods, around the lake, at the MN Landscape Arboretum, or the Botanical Gardens in your city, perhaps with a pumpkin latte in hand? Hey, I get that these seasonal lattes have become cliche, but I must confess that I still get excited about them coming around again. It’s a little thing that’s part of the seasonal transition, a ritual for me. As you know, cultural rituals are things we all look forward to in life; they make life fun, beautiful, exciting, heart-warming, all the things that make our hearts happy.
Nature is changing and you can see and feel it all around you. It feels good when I grab my jacket for the first time before heading out the door. Now if I could only remember to take it with me and not leave it in the yoga room!
The leaves in my yard and neighborhood change to yellow, burnt orange, crimson before they turn crispy brown on the grass. It’s a gorgeous sight to behold for just a couple of weeks, mature trees and canopies painted by Mother Nature.
But when your skin takes a turn for the drier, it can feel a little scary. Autumn DIY skincare to the rescue! We have the perfect, non-scary, totally fun, simple, vitamin and antioxidant rich pumpkin face masque with 4 ingredients you’ll find in your kitchen:
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Are you a Lebenskunstler? It’s one of the most beautiful words I know, and no it has nothing to do with Oktoberfest. The first chill in the air, falling leaves, autumn storms, and a recurring desire to make my hibernation nest cozy and warm makes me want to get in touch with my inner lebenkunstler.
It’s too good a feeling to keep to myself, so I want to share this feeling with you. Maybe it’s time for you to discover YOUR inner lebenkunstler too?
Leben (life) and kunstler (artist) combine to make a yummy word that describes someone who makes an art of her everyday life. Now, who wouldn’t want to be a lebenkunstler?
Don’t worry if you’re not feeling it right now, or never thought of yourself as an artist. No one is born a lebenkunstler, and it’s not at all hard to become one.
We’re not talking about a visual (Picasso) or dramatic artist (Meryl Streep).
A lebenkunstler is more of a ritual artist, a decorative artist in the way she decorates her moments, hours and days, as well as the space in which she lives.
Elements of everyday life touched by creative rituals add love add meaning to our lives. As it becomes clear that colder weather has come to stay, our indoor environments, where we spend more of our time until spring (in Minnesota where I live and in other four season climates) send out a siren call to become the most inviting, genuine expressions of our unique selves.
What are some of the everyday little rituals that add meaning to your life? That make you feel excited to jump out of bed and start your day, or happy to slip between the covers of your winter duvet, read, binge watch Anthony Bourdain (may he RIP) eating strange foods in amazing countries you might never otherwise visit and experience (or maybe you’ve been there and relive the memories),…
Whatever you choose, remember, they don’t have to be monumental to be meaningful and memorable.
I feel my inner lebenkunstler smiling right now? How about you? → Read more
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Wear your favorite “signature” fragrances year round. If you absolutely love them, the way they make you feel, act, express yourself to the world, and share yourself with those you love, they belong to you every day of the year. Flower Fruit, Good Fortune, Splendor and Tea Party are four of your year-round faves, and we couldn’t agree more – they’re lusciously refreshing feminine fragrances 365 days a year!
If you’re looking to play with new fall fragrances in the chillier months ahead, why not warm up your fragrance wardrobe with notes of sweet vanilla cream, chestnuts roasted in brown sugar, sugarplum or hints of cinnamon, ginger and clove?
Our fragrances are never overtly spicy, and we promise you won’t walk around smelling like a spice cake, but you’ll feel warm, cozy, relaxed and comfy inside, and what a lovely way to feel! Play, explore, discover the fragrances that make you feel cherished as the leaves fall from the trees and the first chill hits the air.
What fragrances do you reach for? I know my favorites. Here are just a few you’ll love to try…
As everything feels drier this fall, why not kick it up a notch by switching to richer body butters for the driest parts of your body?
Keep your thick lotions within reach for overall body moisturizing, but perhaps your neck, decollete, hands and feet could use some special pampering with heavier nutrient rich natural oils like avocado oil and butters like shea, mango, cocoa and shorea.
Listen to your skin. Whatever parts of your skin feel driest, try feeding it a lovely body butter and see what happens . It may be just what your fall skin is craving right now!
If you have any questions about what’s the right product for your skin, please never hesitate to give us a call at 612-964-9303 or send us an email at info@rednotebotanica. It’s our pleasure to help you to find the perfect products for your skin, the ones we know you’ll love.
Happy fall! Get out there and enjoy the beautiful colors of the changing leaves xo
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
As the days grow shorter, the temperatures cool down, and dried leaves fall from the trees, it’s time to take your cue from nature.
Less moisture in the air means less moisture for your skin.
In addition, indoor heat removes natural moisture from your skin.
It’s time to switch to richer cremes and body butters to moisturize skin that, like nature, tends to feel and look dryer and “thirstier” through the fall and winter months ahead. → Read more
Sep 02
New Adventures This Fall
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
“Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.” Samuel Butler (1835-1902) Victorian author and poetFall is a time for new adventures. What do you dream of learning? What’s on your bucket list? → Read more
