all natural – Ann Street Studio

Fresh off a trip to Provence, I found myself immersed daily in roses. I love roses. From perfume to food to decor, I am constantly surrounding myself in these delicate expressions of nature.

When my beautifully botanic friend Shiva Rose launched her non-toxic, chemical free skin care line, which is made in small batches to insure optimal integrity, I knew it was going to have some powerful rose moments. My gateway drug was the Radiant Rosewater spray and now I’m covering my entire body in this lovely line. I am quite sensitive to energy and I have to say, the energy in these products emit positivity and that positivity goes right onto your skin and into your soul.

I’m deeply into skincare these days as I have pared-down my use of makeup, opting for more natural beauty. When you can’t hide your skin behind foundation and powder tricks, you have to make it naturally look as good as you are trying to fake it with the application of makeup. Smooth, even tone, and naturally glowing. It honestly even took me some time to get used to looking at the natural texture of my skin!

I’ve been experimenting with different beauty lines and currently I’ve been focusing on Shiva Rose. Overall, I say these beautiful products are great for the woman who wants mega moisture and natural scents delivered through a bouquet of essential oils and topped off with a lot of happy spirit juju.

The Gentle Cleanser-

Pearl Milk Cleanser might be my favorite of all Shiva Rose’s products. It’s a face wash that doesn’t strip your face bare of it’s natural balance. It feels calming and hydrating to use with a very delicate natural exfoliant from black willow bark and luminizing elixir from the pearl powder, your face comes out clean and radiant. Shiva is not just about the physical aspects of beauty but how it ties to the inner spirit and this gentle fresh scent cleanser really does feel uplifting. Continue reading “Shiva Rose” →

A few months ago my sister-in-law tagged me in an Instagram post belonging to the brand Tata Harper that she had fallen in love with. I was unfamiliar so I poked around for a bit- oh you’re handmade in Vermont- oh you’re all natural & non-toxic- oh you are a real environmentally sustainable business… ok, ok, you’re cool. But then I got busy and forgot until a recent trip to ABC home (fav home store in NYC btw.) where they carry her line. So I tried it on my hands, played with the lotions, and smeared on some Love Potion. As the day worn on I kept smelling my hands, it was intoxicating.

I’ve been pretty happy with my beauty routine and wasn’t looking for a change until one morning I read this article and downloaded the app Think Dirty and started going through my beauty cabinet. Nothing I owned was considered “safe” by this app. Huh… I thought. So, what if I tried something that was considered totally safe? Then I remembered Tata Harper. I looked them up on the app and it passed with flying colors so I ordered a starter kit complete with cleaner, serum, moisturizer, nutrient complex (oil), face mask, and lip balm. annnnnnnnd I also ordered the Love Potion which is actually what I wear to bed now and in the mornings when I spend time in my little garden.

I’m going on two weeks now with this as my skincare routine. At first you notice that it’s different from what we are used to. The face wash isn’t foaming and lathering, the moisturizer isn’t thick and creamy… instead it’s better. The face wash doesn’t strip your skin of moisture and smells like you went for a walk in a garden. The serum and moisturizer are not greasy and absorb so easily into your face which also smell like a walk in the garden and considering I really like walks in the garden this is just great. When I first used the resurfacing mask I smeared it on and thought.. that’s it? Nothing is happening. But after 20 minutes when I washed it off my skin had never looked healthier. It took a couple of days for my lips to adjust to the new lip balm situation but now I LOVE the Be True lip treatment. It restored a natural lip-color that had long faded, my lips don’t dry out in-between applications, and the sheen it provides is so pretty that often times I just use it instead of lipstick.

This is what I’ve come to find out with using all the Tata Harper products: it restores a natural color balance in your skin, keeps you moisturized and super glowy which I love love love. The best part about it though? It makes me feel good to know that what I’m putting on my skin every single day is not going to hurt it. The only sad part about Tata Harper is that I don’t own every single product she makes. Choosing is so hard when it’s all so good.

I know… it’s not cheap. But as my mom once said to me, “it’s cheaper than plastic surgery.” So there you go.

Below, after I finish my morning beauty routine with not a stitch of makeup in my Ari Dein slip. More beauty stories HERE.