Love and Happy Valentine’s Day To You All

I Love You Greeting Card from the Ruff House Art letterpress & design studio

Pucker Up Baby – Valentine’s Beauty Candy

Hydrate and plump. Get your gloss on. 25% Off Vapour organic beauty Elixir Plumping Gloss only on February 13th, 14th and 15th.

Craving more organic beauty and cannot wait for Vapour’s Spring line of nail polishes? Get your 3-free Vernissage nail lacquer right now.

Vintage Shop Shops, East Village

Stress Reliever, Survivor Kit For Fashion Week

Utter the words Fashion Week and many think excitement and glamour however for those involved it also means stress. The pressure of making everything just perfect can take its toll on your health, skin and hair. We want you to look your most gorgeous. The tools to beautify as well as cope and fight fatigue are all right here: 

The modern and extra chic Mirabella signature brush set

Time to switch to new makeup brush. Harmless looking makeup brushes that have been used for a while and never washed carry bacteria which will make you break out. Opt for high quality brushes with recyclable materials. Mirabella’s brush collection carrying case alone is worth the second look. Don’t need the entire set? The kabuki brush is always the wisest choice.

Vapour Organic Beauty Stratus Soft Focus Instant Skin Perfector

Keeps your skin looking healthy and glowing. This beauty product is a must have, goes on velvety soft and feels refreshing. Vapour beauty nourishes you with only organic and natural ingredients. Keep it around for an almost spa-like feeling. The skin perfector is made with 70% Certified Organic ingredients and 30% natural mineral.

Kat Burki Candles in delicious smelling fragrances

Calm things down with a peaceful aroma of a 100% renewable soy wax candle. These luxurious candles look even better in person and are meant to impress. Why chose soy candles? They are chemical free, clean and refreshing for your hotel room or home.

Votre Vu Attentive Creme de Jour

Winter skin can become sensitive and dry. Allow a French handcrafted organic moisturizer do the work for you by calming and recovering. We could all use some saving from skin troubles and this gentle cream does it almost instantly. Votre Vu only uses quality ingredients, feels like luxury and leaves out the chemicals.

Sprayology Multi-Pack Sets

We party, we need hangover relief, we want to reduce stress and we lose energy. Keep going the natural way with a simple spray of this vitamin infused and homeopathic medicine. Multi-pack sets/kits from Sprayology have it all ready to go, simply chose the right one for you and be ready to take over the world.

Essence of Vali bed time balm and mist from the sleep collection

Seek comfort and peaceful sleep with help from Essence of Vali balm and mist. Simply rub the balm on your pulse points in times of stress or when feeling anxious. The best part is that your clutch will become a lot less cluttered; use it as a lip balm and even for sinus relief. Use Sleep Soothing Mist for comforting sleep and to freshen your sheets or air.

Best New Product Awards Presented for Ex·tracts at the New York International Gift Fair

Every year the New York International Gift Fair held at the Javits Center has the best of the best, especially when it comes to chic high quality design. This year it seems it has also become the mecca for more organic-natural beauty products, supporting everyone from small family owned businesses to larger well known corporations. I was happy to attend and grateful to see some new launches in person. Looking forward to next year.

The judging of the Ex-tracts show proved that environmentally conscious products win in all categories. Six companies were presented with EX-TRACTS Best New Product Awards.

Royal Apothic received “Best of Show” for their men’s Heroes & Aristocrats collection.

The Bath & Body category was won by J.R. Watkins Naturals for their all-natural Grapefruit Body Oil Mist.

The Beauty Accessory winner was OKA b. Footwear for their stylish and eco-friendly ballet flat.

The Cosmetic & Fragrance category was won by Simpatico for their Ambergris Solid Perfume, made of beeswax, jojoba oil, and vitamin E.

The Natural/Organic catagory winner was Marula – The Leakey Collection for their Marula Oil. A full-body healing and beauty oil made from hand-selected kernels of wild-harvested fruit of marula trees in Kenya.

Packaging Category was won by ECOYA for their Equality Candle. A 100% soy candle in ribbed, cobalt blue glass with packaging that resembles a history book, which pays homage to the historic efforts of current social campaigns for equal marriage rights in the US.

Yoga and Travel

I love practicing yoga when I travel! Yoga retreats are awesome and life changing. But truth is sometimes it is just not within my budget to attend a retreat. Yoga retreats aside – I do believe yoga totally enhances the travel experience and can be incorporated into your plans.

Yoga is all about being present and living in the moment. Taking the time to smell the roses and interact and engage fully with those around you. It gives you the space to reflect and appreciate all the good things in life.

Here are some things to consider for your next trip:

1. Yoga clothes make great travel clothes – Stylish, flattering, eco-conscious. They are made of light, comfortable, sustainable fabrics – like bamboo, soy, coconut fibers and organic cotton.  I like to stay in them all day, even off the mat.

2. Pranayama breathing – is the science of breath control. Most travel usually involves some intention of relaxation. Practicing Ujjayi breath focuses the mind and relaxes the body. This type of breathing allows more oxygen to infuse into your muscles and the result is deeper relaxation. Ujjayi breath is a great stress reducer while seated in the airport waiting for your connecting flight or when you are on pins and needles hoping to get off the waiting list and onto a train to your next destination. For more instruction on Ujjayi breath see:  Detox Your Body with “Victorious Breath”

3. Great opportunity for seated yoga – its common knowledge especially flying in economy class that the seats are small with little leg room. But there are a few seated postures to try. These poses can help release tension and bring circulation into the body as well as ease the mind and soothe the nervous system:

• Neck Rolls – Begin with your head straight and head forward, notice any tension in your muscles especially your Trapezius which is located at the top of your shoulders.  Very gently roll your head forward and down then to one side, then roll your head back, eyes facing the ceiling, then roll your head to the other side, finish the movement by rolling head down and again bringing it back up to start. Repeat three times on each side.
• Shoulder Shrugs – Sit comfortably, placing your back close to your seat. Inhale gently and lift only your shoulders upwards towards your ears, while keeping your arms at rest (without straining yourself). As you exhale, squeeze your entire shoulder blades together and down your back. Repeat three times.
• Seated Cat/Cow pose – Sit towards the edge of your seat. On an inhale, arch the back and look up toward the ceiling. This is Cow. On the exhale, round the spine and let your head drop forward. This is Cat.  Repeat the cat-cow movements on each inhale and exhale for five breaths.
• Seated Spinal Twist – Sit upright at the edge of your seat with your feet on the floor. Place your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on the seat cushion just behind your right hip. Inhale and gently lift your upper torso (as much as possible, without straining) through your spine and chest twist slowly to your right so that you’re looking over your right shoulder. Leverage your hand on your knee to deepen the twist. Hold this position, keep breathing deeply. Take 6-8 deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.

If you feel any pain or discomfort in any of the poses stop immediately.

4. Opportunity to make new friends – Take a yoga class in another country. It is amazing how easy it is to make friends with yoga as the common denominator. Strike up a conversation with someone after class. This then leads to #5.

5. Learn about another culture – You get more insight about the local culture by getting involved with the local yoga community.

6. Moving around and exercising feels good – Get the blood flowing and fill up with endorphins! You can practice yoga anywhere.  Not only does it get you feeling good it helps with all the walking  you may be doing on your trip

Yoga and travel are both transformative. Expand your practice and your boundaries.

Eileen Filomeno, RYT, is a Yoga Teacher in Berkeley, California. She is inspired to share her love of yoga and is committed to sustainable, organic living and well–being.