Posts Tagged ‘Jessa Blades’

The Un-Shower

un-shower

Article & Photo courtesy of Well Rounded NY

Why not throw a baby shower your friends actually want to come to?

Fact: Every time any person under 70 gets an invitation to a baby shower, she rolls her eyes and tries to think of ways to get out of it. Yes, every time. And she will for yours too. Between the wishing well, those embarrassing shower games, and the sitting around for 2 hours while the mama-to-be opens each and every last gift from each and every last co-worker’s cousin’s daughter, you can’t blame her for wanting to jump out of her skin.

But wait! You don’t have to have one of those showers! For this last big hoorah before baby arrives, why not throw a party that everyone — including you — will want to attend? Here’s a few ideas for a great “Un-Shower” that will have all the girls you know praying for an invitation:

Terrarium-Making: Flower workshops are sooo last year. For a new twist on the classic, bring your group to Twig Terrariums where you can all create customized little green worlds filled with the hilarious miniature figurines the Gowanus shop is known for. $150/person for two-hour private workshops. Groups larger than 20 get discounted rates.

Makeup Workshop: The first night out after baby comes is worth putting on your “going out” face, so perfect your “hot mama” look now with a group of friends at a Jessa Blades makeup workshop. The Brooklyn-based makeup artist, natural beauty expert and herbalist offers regular workshops around the country, but will also put together an event for a small group.

DIY Spa Products: For a celebration centered around that beautiful body of yours, a DIY spa product party in your living room (or someone else’s) may be the way to go. The Good Home Company founder and CEO Christine Dimmick will help you create body lotion, massage oil, foot scrub, bubble bath or shower gel, all from natural ingredients that you can feel “Good” about. Prices start at $1,200. Email [email protected] for more info.

Tie-Dye Party: There’s no better baby onesie than a tie-dyed baby onesie. Unless that baby onesie is tie-dyed by YOU! We’re lucky enough to have tie-dye guru Shabd Simon-Alexander in our own great city, so take advantage, ladies! For a private workshop safe for pregnancy, Shabd can pre-mix dyes, then come teach you and your friends some cool tying techniques and guide you through some dipping and dripping. For those afraid of messes, she’ll keep the buckets at home and finish off your creations herself. Email [email protected] for group pricing.

Cooking Class: If you’re a domestic at heart, or just love to eat, a cooking class could be the un-shower of your dreams. Michelle Marinis, founder of Petit Organics and healthy-eating website Silver Spoon (coming soon!), offers private in-home cooking lessons for groups. For a mama-to-be, she can focus on nutritional prenatal recipes, but your non-pregnant friends shouldn’t fret — for a little extra, she’ll bring over a case of wine to really get that party started. Prices start at $800 for 2 hours. Email [email protected] for details.

Crafting Workshop: Whether you want to learn to sew, feel an urge to knit using your arms, or have another creative endeavor in mind, the Brooklyn Craft Company can come up with the DIY party of your dreams. Private events at this Greenpoint studio are suitable for any skill level, and can also include food and beverages. If WE were planning an un-shower, we’d choose the Catlady Craft Night (cat nail art, anyone?) but maybe that’s just us.

This article is by Jessica Pallay, courtesy of Well Rounded NY. Conceived with love by former magazine editors Jessica Pallay and Kaity Velez, Well Rounded NY aims to be the singular pregnancy resource for city-savvy moms-to-be. Through reviews, profiles, expert Q&As, local guides and more, Well Rounded curates the New York City pregnancy and helps its readers come to terms – and term! – with pregnancy in the city.

Nine Naturals’ Natural Sunscreen SPF 32 is featured as “Favorite New Product of 2014″

 

Natural beauty expert Jessa Blades, of Blades Natural Beauty, discusses how to clean out the chemicals hiding in our makeup drawer and picked Nine Naturals Natural Sunscreen SPF 32 as one of her “favorite new products for 2014.” According to Blades, “Protecting yourself from harmful rays should be part of your beauty routine too! …It provides the physical barrier and it’s hydrating for the skin…Also, I know how hard it can be to find natural sunblocks that don’t make you look like a ghost. This one rubs in really well.”

Q&A with Jessa Blades, founder of Blades Natural Beauty

On Wednesday, August 21st, Jessa Blades, founder of Blades Natural Beauty, will join us on Facebook for a Q&A & Giveaway on GREENING your Beauty Routine. Jessa is the Founder of Blades Natural Beauty, which is a shop and blog for natural products for skincare, makeup and wellness.

NN: What would you say are the main advantages of natural vs more conventional skincare? What are the risks of more conventional options in the skincare market these days?
JB: The advantages of natural skincare is that it is better for the overall health of your skin and it will make your skin happier, healthier and give you that elusive glow that everyone always asks me for . Conventional skincare products can work and sometimes they can work well. But mostly only in the short term. I’m more excited about supporting smaller companies, using good ingredients and voting with my dollar, to show the beauty industry that we are ready for change and want healthier, non-toxic products on the shelves.

NN: Tell us about your work as a natural makeup artist and Blades Natural Beauty. What inspired you to explore the all-natural beauty and skincare space?

JB: As a makeup artist, with a background in art and psychology, I’ve always been fascinated by the power of beauty and my mission has always been to help women feel good through looking good.
I started out working in the fashion world, collaborating on set with talented creatives, models and celebrities, working to make beautiful images. The other side what I did was working with real woman, teaching them how to do their makeup or transforming them on their wedding day or for a special event. I began incorporating natural products into my makeup kit about five years ago. It all started with a personal mission to heal my own skin, and natural products were my last attempt after trying everything that the allergists and dermatologists had recommended. It was a lot of trial and error and self education and once I was done I realized that even as an makeup artist, I had a so much to learn and had no idea that there were toxic chemicals in my beauty products. It struck me if as an expert that I didn’t know this, the average woman must not know either.
My journey to heal my skin and understand how to truly help others led me to study herbal medicine. Through this education I’ve learned many simple, time tested ways to heal the body and skin, allowing me to help my clients make long lasting changes for their overall wellness. The mission for my company is to help woman look and feel like the best version of themselves, using the best products available. I do this by teaching classes and educating about natural beauty. This journey also inspired me to start my own product line of natural skincare and teas as well as start an online store, making it easy to find healthy products that work well. There are so many choices on the market today and it can all be so confusing, and we are all so busy don’t have time to do tons of research. That is why I love having a store and sharing the amazing my products that I find. I do all the work and my customers get to have a resource that they can trust.

NN: You talk about your love of herbs and plant medicines. Give us some highlights – what are some of the herbs and plants that make for great makeup and skincare?

JB: I do love plants! I really love using herbs and plants for myself and my clients. Some of my favorite plant based ingredients are aloe, calendula, and rose.
All of them are really soothing, nourishing and healing to the skin. And the best thing we can do for our skin is to eat more plants, thinking of our food as our medicine. Eating as much local and organic food as possible. Eating local raw honey, seaweed, garlic are good foods to start with, and in general eating nutritious food versus supplements and vitamins is a really good place to start in your journey to healthy skin.

NN: Some women are still reluctant to making the switch to natural beauty products. The switch to natural sometimes takes more research, more effort, more expense. What advice would you offer them?

JB: I would agree with them that it is a hard transition. The best advice I can offer is to start slow and make baby steps when it comes to making changes. It is good for them to focus on changing the products that they use once or twice a day.
Simply start by changing these products first. The next advice is to just be curious. To open themselves up to the idea that because there is no regulation for ingredients in beauty products, that they need to arm themselves with a list of ingredients to avoid, and start flipping products over and reading labels. Being able to pronounce ingredients is always good and so is choosing products with less ingredients, avoiding fragrance and dye colorings. And then find companies with great stories that they can trust. There are a lot of talented people out there making great products with awesome ingredients, like Nine Naturals, Revolution Organics and of course mine, from Blades Natural Beauty.

NN: In addition to providing skincare and beauty products, you also have a blend of hand-selected teas! What’s the relationship in these somewhat different products?

JB: The really great thing about my tea blends, and herbal tea in general, is that it is enjoyable to drink and an addtional way to bring wellness into your every day life. Herbal teas can help your body function better and heal, and they taste really good. Most of my clients are super stressed out and as a result their skin and overall wellbeing is suffering. Having them drink tea on a daily basis is a great way to help them deal with their stress.

NN: You’re an expert in the natural skincare space. Think about the clients you have who are pregnant – what advice to you have for them about the importance of all-natural skincare and haircare? What advice do you have for them after the baby is born?

JB: My advice for pregnant woman and new moms is to try to be as natural as possible with your beauty routine and to remember that your skin is your largest organ. It is important to consider the products that you are using all the time, but especially when you are pregnant and nursing. It is also important to be aware of and avoid fragrance and inhaling synthetic ingredients during this sensitive time. If you are going to use nail polish or fragrance, make sure to do it outside or in a well ventilated area, because these ingredients can get into you body by inhalation.
My other advice for new mom’s is to consider that their whole body is connected, so if you are nursing, don’t use conventional deodorant. Your breast tissue is connected and very close to your underarm area. Avoid deodorant all together or if you are going to use it, make sure you are using one that is non-toxic.

NN: What’s your favorite Nine Naturals product?

JB: I really can’t get enough of the Body Butter!