Summer

Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts. The posts are listed in chronological order. Click the post title to read more.

Thursday, August 7, 2014 in , , , , , ,

3 healthy summer skincare tips from Blissoma's staff esthetician


Blissoma now has full time staff esthetician.  Her name is Lauren and we're delighted to have her on our team.  Lauren has worked with us in a part-time capacity since early 2013 and supported the brand at demos, sales events, and helping with blogger outreach over the last 18 months before beginning full time status.


Lauren will be responsible for helping to grow Blissoma's online presence through social media including instagram, blog and vlog content, interacting with beauty bloggers, producing skincare alongside Frank, and answering clients’questions about the Blissoma line to help them solve their beauty challenges.


A 2011 graduate of the Skin Institute, Lauren is a certified, licensed esthetician. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Stephens College in May 2009. She is certified with Dermalogica, SkinCeuticals and Jane Iredale. She also completed a five-week mentorship program with 30-year skincare veteran, Margot Cottier.

Lauren has been on her own journey through natural health and skincare through diet modifications due to allergies.  She has seen improvements in her skin with reductions in dairy consumption and increased clean plant content.

For summer Lauren wanted to offer some timely tips for maintaining your skin health despite heat and sun.

Tip #1
"Take advantage of the plethora of fruits and vegetables in season during the summer months and eat as much fresh food as possible.  Cucumbers are one of my favorite foods.  They are filled with water for hydration and are cooling to the body.  Bonus - Cut off a couple of slices and place over your eyes while relaxing with a detoxifying clay masque.

I suggest stopping by the farmer's market to see what is in season.  Get as much of your produce from local, organic farmers as possible to ensure it is pesticide free and fresh from the field."



Tip #2
"Be sure to stay hydrated with plenty of water to keep skin hydrated as well.  My favorite summer concoction is adding mint, lemons and fruit such as berries or peaches (my favorites!) to a pitcher of water to enjoy later.  Let it sit overnight or for a few hours and enjoy the refreshing, flavorful beverage.

You can also freeze mint leaves, berries and other fruit into ice cubes to use in herbal teas and water.  They look beautiful and the added color makes your favorite healthy beverage that much more enticing.  This is a great way to make your beverages feel exciting to drink without adding sugar content, which is inflammatory for skin."

Tip #3
"One of my favorite summer skincare products are toners.  I love misting my face and decollete morning and night.  I switch between toners in our line and right now I'm enjoying the Intense Hydration Tonique.  I've also used it to set my makeup before heading out in the evenings when I need my makeup to last through the night."

We hope you'll enjoy getting to know Lauren. She has a wonderful way with client service and has so far been handling our skincare consultation requests with care and skill.  Email her at esthetician@blissoma.com with your questions about your skin and the products that will be right for you.


Thursday, August 1, 2013 in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

St. Louis Dinner in the Garden with City in a Jar - inspired by One Part Plant "For Reals Meals"


Regular readers and Blissoma fans know that we are creating a community garden in North St. Louis City.  It's big and we're hoping to make a big impact for our community and their involvement with healthy, organic foods and herbs.

 Part of my goal this year was to start bringing more people into the garden either through volunteer time or events.  I delivered fliers around the neighborhood and hosted the first group work day in the garden in late spring.  Neighbors I'd never met before came and learned about what's happening on our plot. 

 More events were on tap, and after seeing the For Reals Meals series by Jessica Murnane on One Part Plant I decided that St. Louis definitely needed to host a copycat event.  They say imitation is sincere flattery and Jessica proved her colors when she offered 100% enthusiasm to the idea of her concept spreading to other cities.  Done! 



The season was perfect to have it outdoors in the lush June garden and feature as many locally procured and garden grown ingredients as possible.  Jessica Leitch of City in a Jar became my cohort since I am notoriously unable to focus on anything but food when planning a dinner.  If it was left up to me folks would have been eating with fingers, though the food would have been delicious.  Thank goodness I had help then with the table settings, bartending, flowers, and hosting.



 We invited some neato people in the St. Louis scene, splitting the invite list between us equally.  I reached out to local filmmaker Ken Calcaterra, city government employee and fellow foodie Vincent Haynes, and Cbabi and Reine Bayoc of the famed vegan eatery SweetArt.  Jessica invited her photographer Christopher Willingham who shot all the photos in this post, her videographer, and several other friends.


At 6 pm on the first day of summer the guests began to descend on the garden.  I had planted, weeded, tended, and put in great efforts to make sure the garden was in spiffy shape for the evening.  The garden gods smiled on me and didn't let the weeds, bugs or heat get too far ahead of me.

Jess bartended while I was holed up in the kitchen completing the meal.  Afterwards Vincent told me he'd never consider having a dinner without a co-host again, as it solves the notoriously difficult problem of how to entertain guests while cooking food.  A buddy makes it possible!






We set things up picnic style on low tables with blankets.  It was casual but a memorable dining experience.

Recipes for Dishes from Dinner in the Garden

 - Lavender themed cocktails made with lavender simple syrup and 360 Vodka (Jess declared her favorite to be the Lavender/Lemon variation on a Lavender Collins) 
- Strawberry and Pickled Beet Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
- Creamy White Bean and Sugar Snap Pea Medley
- Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Crumb Coating and Homemade Heirloom Ketchup
- Panfried Polenta with Garden Herbs and Raw Mustard Greens Pesto

and a gluten-free baklava with coconut ice-milk for dessert


 




All recipes were original concoctions and featured ingredients harvested from the garden to show off the work we've been doing to grow fantastic food.  I'll gradually be posting all the recipes over the coming weeks so everyone can enjoy these healthy and super tasty creations.  With the exception of the white bean salad and baklava all recipes were vegan, and all of them were gluten-free.

Everyone enjoyed their evening.  I was glad I completed dinner by only 30 minutes after the estimated serving time (phew!) and that everything turned out well.  I'm working on some tweaks to the desserts as both weren't as fine as I'd like for sharing with the whole world, but they tasted good that night.

By next year I hope to have a full size farm table made from donated, reclaimed wood to serve on for many future events.  Thanks to both the Jessicas for their contributions!  I highly suggest following One Part Plant on culinary adventures through Chicagoland as you're sure to find something delightful.  We were honored to replicate her concept and instigate a little happy mixing of people and plants in North St. Louis.  We've got a lot growing up here.





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Strawberry and Pickled Beet Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Dressing

Strawberry and pickled beet salad recipe

 There's little better way to celebrate the bounty of early summer or to nourish your body than with a bright and beautiful salad.  Enter the Strawberry and Pickled Beet Salad....

 As covered in my post 5 Skin Benefits of Eating Salad there's a host of happy results when you fit some fresh fruits and veggies on your plate en masse at least once a day.  Read up and then come on back to make this sweet and unexpected dish.

 Since we've already covered the health benefits of salad and beets in particular in other posts we'll get right to the recipe. All the fresh ingredients used are in season in summer meaning you can eat totally locavore for this dish. My spring beets were ready to pick in June, as were the berries and the last of the lettuce.
 

Strawberry and Pickled Beet Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Dressing


Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
½ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup olive oil
3 TBSP raspberry balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP real maple syrup
1/16 tsp cloves
1/16 tsp allspice
pinch of salt
1 TBSP minced shallot

Puree raspberries in blender or food processor.  Blend in remaining ingredients except for shallot.  Stir minced shallot in by hand.  Stir dressing before adding to salad.

I used di Olivas Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar, which is a very syrupy, thick, sweet vinegar you can practically drink straight.  It is a gourmet vinegar only available at their own store here in St. Louis.  If you can't get a raspberry balsamic in your area then go for the best quality plain balsamic you can get.   The quality of the vinegar will greatly affect the final result of your dressing.


 


Salad Recipe (per plate or bowlful)

3 cups organic spring mix, red or green oakleaf or other quality lettuce, washed and spun dry
1/2 cup homemade pickled beets (see my recipe)
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 tsp chia seeds (optional)
Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing, quantity as desired

Arrange sliced, pickled beets and sliced strawberries evenly over the lettuce.  Sprinkle chia seeds and drizzle dressing on to taste.  Eat and enjoy!



I served this original salad at the 6/21 Dinner in the Garden held in the Blissoma Community Garden and hosted by myself and Jessica Leitch of City in a Jar.  The event was inspired by Jessica Murnane of One Part Plant who has been exciting me with her For Reals Meals series that features collaborations with creative professionals in Chicago, slow food recipes, and general awesomeness.  I'll be posting more of the recipes created just for our Dinner in the Garden/St. Louis For Reals Meals event soon and you can catch the full photo story on both City in a Jar and From the Bathtub.
 

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 in , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Making Amends with your Sun-Damaged skin


Frolic in the outdoors has its cost.  Day by day that sun builds up on any exposed skin, even if you aren't big on tanning.

For a relatively pale person and sunscreen junky I even have a little color on my arms and face from the hours I have spent out in the backyard. Some of this summer's activities for me have included stripping and refinishing my bathroom door and one of my 100+ year old windows. All the paint removal and sanding was done outdoors to prevent mess and contamination of the house. Some of those days out on the parking pad were hot, hot, hot and directly in the sun for the whole day! Despite use of sunscreen of 30 and higher I still have the telltale freckles and peachy color that are my body's version of a tan.

Though you may not be in situations of extreme exposure like that sun damage can build up gradually just from walking to and from your car or other brief activities like that. Anything counts. Your skin doesn't play, and UV exposure is UV exposure no matter how you slice it.

If you value your skin (and it is your largest organ!) you should be taking pro-active measures to keep your skin in top condition. Over time that UV exposure will cause the elastin in your skin to degrade, causing loss of firmness and wrinkling. Discoloration and uneven pigmentation is another long term result of overexposure. The big C (cancer) can result as well.

On a trip to Colorado earlier this year several estheticians in the area advised me that the incidence of skin cancer is very high among residents in their area of the country due to the outdoor lifestyle and higher elevations. Thinner air and close proximity to the sun means increased exposure. 

Sunscreen is not the only way to help skin protect itself. Antioxidants play a key role in keeping skin healthy much as they do the same internally. In particular an extract from Pomegranate containing a fraction known as Punicalagins helps protect cells against UV damage and degradation. This extract was previously used internally, but now is available as an external application. The science-backed research proving it's ability to decrease UV induced cell death, reactive oxygen species, and collagenases that cause collagen deterioration is the reason Blissoma has chosen to include this extract in a new antioxidant sprayable lotion called Amend.


Amend is a super lightweight, intensive body treatment designed to prevent, soothe, and repair sun damage. It not only contains Pomegranate but a host of other antioxidant ingredients like organic Rooibos tea and Acai oil, plus soothing and reparative herbs like organic Linden flower, Heather flowers, and Comfrey. All these help build and repair collagen as well as minimizing long-term damage from daily or intense exposure. It can be applied before sunscreen because of it's non-greasy consistency. It has a fresh, delicious smell beloved by men, women, and children alike. Should you get a little pink it takes the sting right out and can be applied as often as desired while healing. And yes, it contains organic Aloe as well, so all the bases are covered.

The ingredients list is cleaner than most plain aloe gels. No green color, no carbomer, no TEA, and no synthetic preservatives. I'm pretty picky about what goes on my skin and yours.

There is no time like the present to start taking care of your skin. Just because it's August doesn't mean it is too late, lazybones! Get some Amend and feel the heal. When your arms are looking cute in 20 years you'll thank yourself for the bit of extra care you took now.

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