For the love of essential oils - Sweet Orange

The scent of orange has uplifting qualities; sweet, fresh, cheerful light and fruity.

Perfect for the 'end of winter blues'.

Think... refreshing aroma of an orange peel.

The essential oil of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) is perfect to improve your mood.

Spray some in your room - mix 15 drops of orange essential oil and distilled water (fill up) in a small 50ml - 100ml spritz bottle.

If used in massage, Sweet Orange essential oil will not only uplift but it will also stimulate lymphatic flow and move fluids (good for cellulite), calm your nervous system, help relax the muscles and stimulate the digestive system.

In skin care I use it sometimes in my bespoke blends for oily skin but be cautious, it can be irritating to the delicate skin of your face.

*Do not apply before sun exposure... it can make your skin photosensitive.

Definitely a great oil to have for the grey, slow days...:)

Sweet & sensuous vanilla body oil.

It is my daughter Carollyne who turned me on to vanilla ... she loves the scent. Last Christmas I gave her a bottle of hand-crafted (by my own hands) vanilla infused jojoba oil as a gift. I must say as I was preparing this infusion a few weeks before Christmas, I developed a bit of a love affair with it myself. 

I am putting together a new batch and it will be ready in about 4 weeks. Some of it will be available as simple vanilla in jojoba body oil and part of it will serve as a base for more complex formulations.

Vanilla body oil by Woman Divine

Vanilla is a member of the Orchid family. It is valued for its aphrodisiac qualities and you will often find it as an ingredient in sensual body oils and perfume.  Vanilla is believed to stimulate the release of serotonin which triggers feelings of arousal and satisfaction. An idea for Valentine's night... actually any night. 

Vanilla body oil by Woman Divine

Sweet smelling Vanilla is also beautifully soothing and calming for the nervous system. For this purpose it works great in body oils.
If you wish to make your own Vanilla infused oil please use organically sourced vanilla seedpods and carrier oil.
How to infuse vanilla into jojoba oil?
3 organic vanilla pods
l cup of organic jojoba oil
Cut up vanilla pods into small pieces place in the amber glass and cover it with oil.
Place on the window sill and let it infuse for the next 3-4 weeks.
Strain and you are ready to go.
If you like a softer scent, you can always dilute it using more jojoba oil.

If you are not the kind to play with making stuff but would like to have a bottle of organic, beautifully sensuous and relaxing vanilla infused body oil, my batch is brewing as we speak. I will let you know when it is ready... in about four weeks.

This week's intention.

A few drops of oil and two hands, close your eyes, stroke your face kindly with an upward movement... take your time... move slowly noticing both softness and tension under your fingers. Breathe as you go .. in... peace and quiet...  out... stress and tension. Once this week... no thinking just feeling... a moment with yourself:)
Magdalena xo

Spreading wings...

My daughter just left for a far away trip… strange feeling for a mother to experience her child make a big step into the world… I feel both excited and uneasy at the same time… like the day I dropped her off at daycare for the first time when she was little… a new chapter begins for both of us.

To my daughter and all daughters who are spreading their wings:)

May you experience the World as a safe place.

May kind people always walk next to you on your path.

May LOVE light your way wherever you go.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume

Yesterday, on my way back from work I found in my mailbox a much anticipated package. A Roxana Illuminated Perfume sampler I ordered had finally arrived.
As soon as I had visited Roxana's blog I had a feeling that this woman was creating something very, very special.
I received nine lovely presented perfume samples, six liquid and three solid. The scents...beautifully balanced, full of depth...I will call it aromatic poetry.

Photo by Roxana Illuminated Perfume

One of them immediately called to me. ROSA solid perfume is mine. "Rosa is a sparkling rose natural perfume unfolding from a green powdery rose bouquet into deep rich rose with wood and earth at the base. It literally blossoms on the skin of the wearer. The climatic ending of the orchestration is a musky wood." It is a composition a Wild Woodland Rose - California Rose - Precious Rose Otto, my beloved Oud and Sandalwood. You could say, I have been waiting for Rosa for many years...truly.

Photo by Roxana Illuminated Perfume

I had almost given up on perfume. Synthetic big brand perfume never appealed to me. It actually gave me headaches and today I still find it offensive when people wear toxic fragrance in public. I have tried a few pseudo 'natural' or 'organic' brands which surely did not list all of their ingredients... based on the negative effect they had on me.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume is made all by hand by Roxana herself using "high grade essences, many of organic and vital origin, obtained exclusively from the plant, mineral, sea and apis kingdoms." 

Roxana's botanical, all natural perfume is beautiful and healing. It is not a type of fragrance you splash on but rather one you anoint with. 

Photo by Roxana Illuminated Perfume

I highly recommend Roxana Illuminated Perfume. I wish for you to find your own scent just like I found my Rosa.

Purchase Roxana Illuminated Perfume 

Happy New Year!

Another year is about to end...a few more grey hairs... will keep on colouring... not feeling ready for silver yet. I have been postponing the inevitable for a couple of years but I think 2013 will have to be the year of the eye glasses. Peculiar..., the more my body shows the mark of time the more whole I feel, softer inside and beautiful...comfortable with me..., the way I am.

May 2013 bring you peace, happiness, prosperity and mostly LOVE including the kind you feel for yourself. Happy New Year everyone!

Love,

Magdalena xoxoxo

PS. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. I am looking forward to seeing you or hearing from you in 2013. It will be a good year...

Face oil - how to choose the right one for your skin.

Today's market offers a wide selection of face oils but using oil on your face is hardly a new practice.
For ages, women around the World have been using healing vegetable oils to nurture and beautify their skin. The western world is just catching up.
Oils have been part of my personal care for a long time. I believe, I have never purchased a commercial body lotion. It has always been oil. I use oils on my face daily and I find them effective, versatile and simple to use. I also love working with oils and use them in every treatment I offer at my clinic. The healing potential of oils is greatly underestimated and commonly not known.
Oils are beautiful; various in colour, texture and scent. They also differ in their healing profiles and biochemical makeup. 
I would like to encourage you to give oils a try. But before you run out to buy one lets see which oil will benefit your particular skin type the most.
One more thing; there are many oil blends by various skin care companies on the market. To start with, explore pure organic cold pressed vegetable oils also known as base or carrier oils like: Rosehip, Argan and such. I believe you will like them a lot. Once you get a feel for base oils, the next step will be to add essential oils. At that point you will be able to affect much more than the health of your skin with your face oils.  Another time about this....

DRY SKIN loves oil and can benefit from a variety of oils.
Apricot kernel
Argan
Camellia
Sesame
Rosehip

MIXED/COMBINATION SKIN does not like the oily feeling, yet it can benefit from oils like:
Camellia
Meadowfoam
Jojoba
Coconut

OILY SKIN will benefit from oils which help to balance the excessive production of sebum.
Grape seed
Hazelnut
Jojoba

AGING SKIN is still either dry, sensitive or on the oily side so follow one of the above suggestions.

You can use oils daily instead of a moisturizer, as an addition to a moisturizer and/or to massage your face and neck at least once a week. Organic and cold pressed is always the way to go.
Are you using oils already? It would be great to hear about your experiences.