The Natural Beauty of Heather Lilleston

Health & beauty are two things that perfectly describe my friend Heather Lilleston. She has been teaching yoga and meditation since 2003 and travels the world leading “Yoga for Bad People” retreats. While in between Italy and Portugal workshops she came to Provence for a few days of down time and rosé. 

When we first met, I spent the day photographing her in Montauk where she was spending the summer. Before that I’d never been quite so taken by someone with such a confident natural beauty. She really lives in her bones and skin and wears her sureness in herself almost like armor. It’s incredibly beautiful to experience. She’s amazing and real, and grounded and the way the light falls on her bone structure is the stuff photographer’s dreams are made of. 

I’m not about to run of and become a yogi but I take what I can from a woman whose job it is to be true body and soul. Aside from yoga and meditation here are some other tools in her beauty arsenal… 


For her health:

She takes Milk ThistleChlorella Manna tabletsWellness FormulaHoney Gardens Elderberry Syrup with Apple Cider Vinegar and PropolisManuka Honey Throat Dropscalms forte homeopathic sleep aid


Beauty routine:

Chantecaille Just Skin tinted moisturizer with spf, La Solution 10 de Chanel face lotion, Dr Tung’s smart floss, Goldfaden MD Sun Visor Sunscreen Mist, Linne Purify Face Wash and MaskGoop Exfoliating Instant FacialSoleil Toujours Perpetual Radiance Eye Glow Illuminator with spfChanel mascaraSurratt Eye Brow PencilMoroccan Oil Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner

A Hair Revolution by System Professional

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I have been waiting for System Professional to launch in the U.S. since I was jetted off to an exclusive German health spa to experience the unique personalized world of their EnergyCode Mapping analysis for your hair.

I have never in my life had such a bespoke haircare treatment designed for my specific hair needs. By combining years of scientific research and new technology, they have created virtually limitless possibilities to suit each person’s desired results. No longer will we all be using the exact same shampoo and styling tools, we will have our own unique code tailored to our personal needs!

See the process of EnergyCode Mapping and my incredible hair transformation so you too know what to expect in your own journey. From the analyzation of your hair on a microscopic level, to defining your EnergyCode and how it restores your hair to its most natural beautiful state in our video Kevin shot while I enjoyed the full beauty treatment!

For more information on System Professional salons please visit SystemProfessional.com

Tata Harper

Trying the all natural beauty line Tata Harper

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.

Trying the all natural beauty line Tata Harper Trying the all natural beauty line Tata HarperBelow, after I finish my morning beauty routine with not a stitch of makeup in my Ari Dein slipTrying the all natural beauty line Tata HarperMore beauty stories HERE.

Natural Sculptures

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A few years back I met Bess Wyrick. She was doing a floral instillation in Gramercy Park’s Rose Bar — a giant hanging skeleton made from white flowers. I had always thought about flowers in the sense of arrangements but never really in the form of a live sculpture. There is something I really love about the idea of creating art that can only last and be appreciated for a short amount of time before its organic nature recycles back into the earth. An amazing example of that is in the whimsical work of Patrick Dougherty which blows me away.

Whenever Bess is in New York we try to collaborate. Most recently I asked Caroline to come by the studio and pose for me, something we have been doing together for years now. Bess, being the sculptor she is, created this spring garden nymph moment around Caroline’s delicate body which, to me, is reminiscent of the fleeting weeks when we get to dance under the pink shade of the cherry blooms before nature moves on to the green gardens of summer.

This May I’m going to be heading out to L.A. to spend a weekend retreat at Rose Story Farm (remember how we had roses shipped from them for this beautiful shoot?!) with Bess doing a workshop on flower arranging and creative expression. It’s going to be a lovely group of women, so think about joining us if you out in L.A.! More info on the workshop can be found here.

Happy Spring!

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Natural Beauty

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Natural beauty comes in all forms, in the bareness of a woman’s face, the sweeping landscape of our earth’s vistas, the colors of a sunset and in a precious metal that came crashing down to earth 4 billion years ago: GOLD. We talk about gold jewelry here a lot from what it means to us to where we wear it. I’m always inspired by what designers do with these natural elements, how they create magic with something that traveled across the universe and existed here before mankind.

Modeled by my own natural beauty muse Alli Lanier here are 5 new jewelry designers I’m finding inspiring these days to watch~

Temple St. Clair

Temple St. Clair began, like many great works of art, in Florence, Italy in 1986. A city where the namesake designer still draws inspiration from stating, “Each object that I create carries the soul of the history of the artisans of Florence.” With her signature cocktail rings, rock crystal amulets and elegant gold work, this very chic woman has created a line of jewelry that is collected by in-the-know women that appreciate the balance of art, history and craftsmanship.

Above cover~ 18K Gold Classic Horizontal Oval Ring with Blue Sapphire & Diamond Granulation

Below~ Royal Blue Moonstone & Diamond 18K Gold Bella Bangle

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Below~ 18K Gold Owl Face Post Earring with Diamonds

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At Home With…

We walked into Shiva‘s home in California’s Santa Monica and the first thing The Local Rose did was offer us a latte made with raw Amish milk and introduced us to her cat Fig as we inquired about her personal style of vintage dressing.  The air seemed to fill with warmth as she gave us a tour of her home where she lives with her two daughters, a roost of chickens, and bunnies. They actively grow their own produce, harvest eggs from their chickens, and make crafts out of what they find in nature. Shiva also posts her finds in terms of the best all-natural household products, medicines, and ways to de-stress.

I’m so inspired by her lifestyle – the true tranquility of walking through her garden and playing with the bunnies made me want to bring these elements home with me…but I don’t think my new landlord would be too keen if I set up a roost of chickens out back! Ah, someday the city mouse will scurry to the country. In the meantime, I’ll think of this…

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