I spent the weekend working on tweaking my shimmer stick formula to make an eye-shadow primer and/or a base foundation.  I don’t use a whole lot of powder makeup any more, I prefer a cream base typically, or nothing.  As I was searching for ingredients and experimenting with more flowers and other ingredients that I could use as colorants,  it occurred to me, that I COULD just run to the mall or Ulta, Target, wherever, and just BUY cream base makeup.  I do have odds and ends of store makeup that I haven’t finished up yet and I DO use it here and there.  One product I started to re-use again is eye shadow primer.  Its a pricey well known line and its actually amazing, as far as performance goes.  But I did start to wonder if I could create something more natural.  I was reminded that the journey of being an aromatherapist/herbalist, and someone who loves to not only create but wear makeup made from mostly plants, that even I needed a little reminder of why one might choose to wear flower/plant-based makeup.

I had visited a spa recently and chose to get a facial.  I had been camping in the Sierra’s and my skin was dried out and getting a facial was heavenly.  I loved all the alpha-hydroxy, retinol, vitamin filled heavenly smelling things that were lovingly schmeared all over my face.    I came home and got straight to work making my own versions of toners and cream cleansers, serums and moisturizers.  How could I infuse all of the same skin glowing properties that my esthetician did?

Now after half a decade of avoiding anything I cannot say or spell and trying to replace them with almond oil with a dash of rose petals, I find myself somewhere in the middle.  I find myself on the new journey of “maturing skin” and panicking.  (Well not panicking but more, wanting to reverse some of the thinning, drying effects of many happy birthdays, California sun life, and, well, hormone changes.)  I enjoyed that facial and I am sure I will have more in the future, and I am also back in MY garden lab/bathroom/kitchen, having a lot of fun stepping up my petal game.

Also, someone very near and dear to my heart found themselves in a very horrible collision with a mountain biker, who left her badly injured.  Her beautiful face was full of cuts, abrasions, swelling and bruises.  After getting home from ER, I helped her clean up her wounds and start the healing process.  As an herbalist I carefully navigated her wounds.  Grateful for  the knowledge I have, I am working with her and her doctors to help her heal and find her inner and exterior beauty.  This is a woman who has always taken such great care of her health and beauty, and to see her in this state was heart wrenching.

Tenderly cleaning her many facial injuries,  reminded me of the powerful, yet gentle,  effects of flowers.  I made her a floral facial toner  that included rose, calendula and hibiscus flowers.  Together these flowers can reduce the appearance of swelling, redness and scarring.  I also created a spot treatment oil for when the healing wounds itched, and to encourage healing. I really wanted to create lovely blends to help her feel good.

While we visited, we talked about a lot of things regarding the incident.  There are a lot of emotions that one needs to process in a situation like this, and part of what I do, is not only help people heal from illness or injury, but to just feel good.

Herbs and essential oils in a bath, or shower can be so relaxing, and rejuvenating.  A nice blend of essential oils infusing the air while you are alone with your thoughts can bring about feelings of peace and well being.

I went home and looked at my collection of health and skin care creations, and remembered why I chose flower makeup instead of the store brands.  Its no longer about the chemical load to our bodies, although I do my best to reduce them when I can, but its about balance, and feeling good.  Its about simplifying life.  Its about loving myself inside and out.  Its about feeling my best in every situation.  Its about satisfaction. Its about embracing the natural beauty of everything in life.  Its about connecting with nature, connecting with my inner … everything.

My skin care and makeup rituals are still included in this and therefore I spent the weekend cleaning out my stuff cabinet, evaluating what I still want to use and why and what I do not.  Not all of the store things will go ( hate wasting it) and many of my old tried and trues, got freshly re-made.

In that process of re-connecting with my flower loving, plant-nurturing, inner-me I decided that its time to also share in a broader scale my creations, my babies, with a larger than my friends-and-Mom audience.  I have a stuffed to the gills herb cabinet full of every oil, tincture, infused this and that, natural colorants, natural thickeners, herbs, essential oils, and even a few cute packaging items that I have collected yet don’t seem to use.

Perhaps the best reason for Flower Makeup…. ITS FUN!  ITS CREATIVE.  ITS LIMITLESS.  ITS NATURAL.  i could keep going.

Its a shame.  I have been so focused on school, so busy with my ”day job”, and Mom life, and admittedly a little afraid of the unknown business side of making things with flowers, that I have kept it all to a very sad little minimum.

So like my newly re-created supply of eye-shadows, shimmer sticks, lip glossy things,  along with my serums, perfume and array of all things you can do with rose tea, I feel I am getting back on track, and figuring out what’s next.

Plus school. I am enrolled in theMarisa Peer RTT program and soon will be adding RTT Practitioner to my tool kit (more on this very soon!  … IM SO EXCITED)

This was a rambley ramble so if you are still here…. THANKS for listening and hit me up if you are interested in flower makeup samples!!!

~in wellness and beauty

Annie xo