BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS....

Recently, I have discovered this delicious spiced tea by Numi Organic Tea ... In a pretty cup,  I make it as a latte with frothed almond milk and a good sprinkle of cinnamon. I feel like a little girl drinking it. Not sure why, it just makes me feel good inside. Sometimes when I sit down to have my cup of delight, I ponder a bit on the year almost gone by.

I am so very GRATEFUL for my work and people who 'put their beauty in my hands'. Some of the clients have been coming to see me for nearly 20 years. We share many laughs, a few tears and a passion for pure non-pretentious, relaxing beauty care with a soul. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your continuous support! I consider myself very lucky!

It is safe to say it was a busy, challenging year; Full of creative ideas few of which turned into reality and many more still waiting to be pursued.
1. I was able to design a few new handcrafted skin care formulas  and the following are the principal blends: Protective Face Balm, Cell Regenerating Face oil, Soothing Face Oil, a Lip Balm and the latest addition - the Cardamon Rose Body Balm. I am learning a lot as I go along and I am loving oils and herbs more and more. It is a complete pleasure to formulate products in small batches for women I know. I am still tweaking the labels and packaging but should have it sorted out soon. 
2. I have finally found pure long strand Mulberry silk pillow cases!!! It took two years to find the real deal... I almost gave up  a few times in the process. I am very glad I did not and many clients say they will never sleep on anything else but their silk. Mission accomplished!!!
3. We had some renos in the building and woman divine studio got a fresh coat of paint and a new lovely cabinet in the treatment room. I am still working on organizing the aromatic dispensary area in my little space... work in progress...
4. I held a few workshops - Face Yoga and The Art of Oils. It has been a dream to share my knowledge in group settings. I have been putting it off simply from lack of confidence in my public speaking ability...I have done only a few here and there in the past. This year the desire was too strong to ignore. I am enjoying teaching very much and so far I have received lots of positive feedback and a full class for each workshop taught. Thank you to all who come and share in my passion for oils and for the Woman Divine Mindful Beauty Practice vision. More workshops are coming in the 2015.
5. We (myself, woman divine and the oils) have made it into the Ottawa Citizen and the National Post. I am deeply thankful to Janet Wilson from the Ottawa Citizen for a great article and to all the women who found their way to woman divine and my aromatic skin care thanks to this very article. 
6. Thanks to all of you and your generous support by promoting my services to your friends and family members, my practice is thriving! 

As this year ends I feel thankful. At the same time I look ahead to the new year and many ideas I wish to implement. But before I do anything else, I will be taking off to Poland for the Christmas Holidays to be with my family and to immerse myself into the relationships and the environment of my childhood. I am packing my balms and oils and the Winter Spice Numi Tea.  I am sure some serious pondering will happen over the cup while in my mom's flat in Warsaw. 

I wish you an amazing Holiday Season! Have lots of fun and keep safe wherever you go!
I hope the New Year will bring lots of love, peace and prosperity to all.
Magdalena

WOMAN DIVINE AND MY BELOVED OILS FEATURED IN THE OTTAWA CITIZEN.

Woman Divine's Magdalena Tomczak unveils the power of oil

JANET WILSONMore from Janet Wilson

Published on: November 5, 2014Last Updated: November 6, 2014 4:26 PM EST

Magdalena Tomczak, owner of Woman Divine, makes her own skincare line depending on the person's skin type.

Jean Levac / Ottawa Citizen

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Magdalena Tomczak looks intently at my face, scanning for blemishes while running her fingertips across my cheekbones and forehead. I nod when she asks whether I have a headache.

“I can see it on your face, the stress around your eyes,” says the holistic skin therapist and aromatherapist. “For each client, I make an individual blend from my staples based on what is appropriate, based on your skin on any given day.”

Tomczak plucks ingredients — her handmade concoctions in pretty glass bottles of varying sizes — from a nearby counter to use in my face massage. She is a master at judging skin types and curtailing the treatment to fix any issue.

“Vegetable oils and essential oils are very effective skin remedies and form the base of the majority of organic skincare products you find on the market today.

“They definitely are indispensable in my practice,” says Tomczak, whose welcoming Westboro spa is called Woman Divine (womandivine.ca).

As the cold weather sets in, I’m here to get a lesson on oils.

Growing up in Poland, Tomczak says it was not uncommon for her mother to get monthly half-hour face massages.

“Sadly, training in North America focuses more on product application than massage.”

“It is an old European remedy for aging skin and has played a prominent role in the Eastern practice of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. Face massage is the No. 1 aging preventative technique,” she says.

Nutrient-rich oils provide a pleasing lubrication during a face massage and hydration for those with dry skin.

Tomczak says massage helps to carry the oils with all of their benefits deep into the skin. With so many skincare products to choose from, she recommends you keep it simple and purchase only quality products or even make your own.

“It is good to get creams from someone who knows what they are doing. Base oil on its own is a great way to start and has plenty to offer. If you want to make your own concoction for every teaspoon of vegetable oil, only add a few drops of essential oil.”

In recent years, argan oil has been hailed as liquid gold and a miracle cure for a host of skin conditions. It has also spelled big business for the beauty industry. Rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, pure argan oil (harvested from the nut of an argania spinosa tree) was used by Moroccan women to hydrate their skin and to fight the effects of the relentless desert sun. It is said to reduce inflammation, minimize wrinkles and treat acne.

Tomczak began practising holistic skincare in 1996 and opened her business in 2008, merging her background in massage therapy, aromatherapy, herbal medicine and nutrition.

For my treatment, she used a gentle blend of “solar-infused” chamomile flowers in jojoba oil with a touch of argan oil to treat my slightly sensitive skin.

She explained that her flower concoction was made over a period of eight weeks with exposure to the sun and moonlight and stirred daily.

“Chamomile is soothing for both the skin and the nervous system. Since you have mentioned you were stressed, I felt this would be a nice one to use. The chamomile flowers I used are from a local organic herb grower and a lovely lady — Judy of Judy’s Organic Herbs. Both the jojoba and argan oils are organic cold-pressed and unrefined, keeping things simple, effective and beautiful.

“A lot of love goes into making infusions like this one.”

Before purchasing essential oils, Tomczak recommends checking labels for the Latin name and meaning and choosing oils made from organic or wild-crafted plants.

“There are often many species of the same plant. Oils produced from each species are different in their biochemical composition, which determines the healing properties of each oil.”

One of her favourite ingredients is organic sunflower oil from Les Huiles d’Amérique, a farm outside of Montreal.

RELATED

• Area farmers supply vitamin rich organic sunflower oil to skin experts

“I use this oil in my treatments and in few of my formulas. It is one of the ingredients in my face balm. I also use it in my kitchen. It is very tasty.”

Another item she says everyone should own is a silk pillow, which keeps the face fresh and aids in your sleep. “Cotton tugs and sucks the moisture from the delicate skin on your face and neck.

“When you think of the health of your skin, remember that your body has basic needs: good food, sleep, fresh air and exercise. We need to be kind to ourselves.”

THE ART OF OILS WORKSHOP

What: Magdalena Tomczak explores oils and shows how to select the ones that are right for you.

When & where: Dec. 1, 6 p.m.
Woman Divine, 351 Churchill Ave. N.

Price: $20, 613-216-7676 or email info@womandivine.ca

Magdalena Tomczak offers custom-tailored essential and vegetable oil formulas designed for the face, body, hair, feet, hands or bath.

Jean Levac / Ottawa Citizen

Oils

1. Vegetable oil

Yes, you could cook with it. Oils pressed from unrefined and organic seeds and nuts, such as argan, sunflower and camellia, have been used on the skin around the world for centuries and have been picking up steam in North America over the past decade. “Oil is full of vitamins A, E, D and K as well as essential fatty acids.”

2. Essential oils

Known as the most concentrated form of herbal medicine, essential oils are produced by the process of distillation to get the essence of the plants. Essential oils offer impressive healing possibilities in skincare in balancing, regenerating, astringent, antiseptic and soothing action and protection of the skin, Tomczak says. “Some of the most lovely oils for the skin and for skin-cell regeneration are carrot oil and frankincense.”

Oils & skin types

DRY SKIN

Base oil: Rose hip, argan

Essential oil: Carrot seed, rosewood

COMBO SKIN (dry and oily)

Base oil: Sunflower, jojoba, camilla

Essential oil: Chamomile, ylang ylang

OILY SKIN

Base oil: Grape seed oil, jojoba

Essential oil: Lavender, rosemary

Area farmers supply vitamin rich organic sunflower oil to skin experts

FACE YOGA & THE PRACTICE OF MINDFUL BEAUTY WORKSHOP

Your face is magic... complex and dynamic, it tells your story, communicates your emotions and connects you to the world around you.

Its beauty runs way deeper than ‘perfect’ features and the care it requires is different from that of the latest cream.

Your face is asking you to pay attention.

The Face Yoga workshop is an innovative offering to teach you how to lovingly, confidently and with purpose care for yourself by harnessing the wisdom of your face.

No need ever again to fall for the ‘latest and bestest’ in skin care. No need to feel intimidated or to attempt to fit into the existing model of beauty.

The Face Yoga workshop will give you tools to practice beauty mindfully according to your very personal needs.

It will empower, inspire and motivate you to love your face, claim your beauty and to wear it with grace and confidence.

The creator of Face Yoga workshop:

Magdalena Tomczak is a holistic skin care therapist and owner of Woman Divine.

Magdalena’s busy practice spans over 20 years and it focuses solely on the treatments for the face. In her work Magdalena draws on an eclectic background in massage therapy, nutrition, herbal medicine, aromatherapy and a great love for Eastern health and beauty practices, Ayurveda in particular.

WILL YOU MAKE SOME PRODUCTS WITH ME?

The season of Raw Vegan Facials, making herbal infusions, fresh herb picking and playing with food as skin care, is in full gear! This is my favourite time of the year to make skin care products simply because nature provides me with the most beautiful, fresh ingredients to create with. I have been seriously playing with product making for a few years now and it is the third season for Woman Divine to offer Raw Vegan Face Treatments to clients. I realize now that the need for creating remedies runs in my blood. When I was a little girl, I watched my mom lovingly prepare homemade remedies for my dad who was sick. We had an aloe plantation living on the window sills of our home and mom always had some interesting 'concoction' going.

Knock on wood, nobody is sick in my household. My passion is holistic skin care and I love preparing oils, masks, scrubs and other fresh, simple and elegant products to nurture your skin and mine too.

It is my intention to turn them into beautiful pure and loving rituals of self care.

This summer I want to share with women like you my favourite recipes and formulas! I have created a product making workshop and I hope you will join me. If you know anybody who might be interested please share this info. 

This particular workshop is a fundraiser for  blood cancer research. All proceeds will go to the Cure Blood Cancer/Ottawa, a foundation created by an amazing and inspiring client and dear friend Lesia Maruschak. You will have a chance to meet her as she has graciously offered to be my personal assistant during this workshop. 

Lesia and I will do our best to make it a wonderful experience. We will hang out together, formulating great product for our skin. I will share with you many useful skin care tips and we will raise some money to support a worthy cause. I hope you will be there:)

Check below for the details and please let me know if you have any questions. 

organic product making workshop in Ottawa

Get inspired with our From Garden to Face Workshop and turn your kitchen into a natural beauty lab!
From face masks, herbal toners and scrubs to facial oils and lip balms, learn how to formulate your very own skin care products from the most pure and simple ingredients in your kitchen.
During this workshop we will be using seasonal produce from our local farmers' market along with many other botanical and organic raw materials. We will share with you many tricks of the trade and our favourite skin care tips. You will bring home a selection of wonderful freshly made skin care products: Face Balm, Lip Balm, Face Serum, Face Scrub and Healthy Gums Oil.

All proceeds from this workshop go to Blood Cancer Research Ottawa
When: 12July, 2014 10:00am to 1:00pm

Location: Maplesoft Centre 1500 Alta Vista Dr. Ottawa

Register online at womandivine.ca

IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN!

I am just back from my trip to Poland and this is my first weekend at home. Since I was eager for a visit  (my very first this season) to the Ottawa Farmers' Market and the weather was lovely, Tony and I headed out this morning to the Brewer Park location. As anticipated it is great, filled with awesome people and amazing local produce. 

If you have not done so yet check out their website here for info on vendors and hours and for some great recipes.

I hope the farmers' market movement keeps growing and we will get to experience more and more of wonderful locally and organically grown food.  

Make sure to eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit this season, support your local growers and keep healthy. 

...and remember HEALTHY BODY= HEALTHY SKIN

Here are few of today's pics. 

 

GLOW AN URBAN RETREAT FOR WOMEN

It is coming up at the end of this month!

Join Donna Davis, Alexa Spas and myself for this fun educational and inspirational Sunday afternoon retreat. We will eat good food, drink amazing freshly pressed juices, play with raw skin care and do some yoga.

Lots of good learning and great goodies to bring home:)

REGISTER HERE

Need more info? Contact me at info@womandivine.ca or call at 613 2167676

REGISTRATION CLOSED. Thank you:)

Tired of looking for a perfect skin care product? Make your own and have fun doing it!

Last Saturday I was in Almonte, hanging out with an amazing group of women from the Rising Sun Yoga Studio.  As Pure As It Can Be Workshop in action... we were playing in a lovely kitchen making our very own, all pure, healthy and natural beauty products. 

It feels very good, getting together with a group of women sharing wisdom, interests and a good laugh.   

We made some cool products to take home. Hopefully this is just the beginning and everyone is inspired to create more. 

This is what some of the women said about their experience.

I really enjoyed your presentation and what you do is of great interest to me also. It's funny, you reminded me of when I was a little girl and I used to go into the kitchen, the garden and my mother's cosmetics and experiment with making my own lotions and potions...

I love all of the products we made. I believe it is so important for women to share and support each other as you are with your business! 

Leigh

Amazing and simple.

Angelina

Loved every minute!

Jennifer

Everything was so well organized and presented beautifully.

Mary

Thank you Almonte Rising Sun Yoga I had an amazing time with you!

Magdalena

If you are interested in hosting one of my workshops or would like to join the next available one or simply would like more info, contact me at info@womandivine.ca or by phone: 613 2167676

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

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...

Calendula - the soothing flower for your skin.

Today I was playing with Calendula flowers. I was simply making tea for myself but when I poured hot water over dry Calendula flowers, magic happened. My cup of Marigold tea has turned into a 'poetic thing', kind of sort of... :) I took some pictures... hope you like them.

I use Calendula officinalis (Marigold) on a daily basis. This flower is very well suited for sensitive skin and skin inflammation due to infection or physical irritation. It can also be used on wounds, bleeding, bruises... Herbalists often use it as the key ingredient in healing skin ointments.
I prepare a Calendula infusion every morning and use it as a soothing hydrating mist or as an addition to the raw sensitive skin masks I create throughout the day. 
I also use Calendula infused oil for facial massage in face masks and in face oil blends.
Powdered Calendula flowers can be added to ground up oatmeal, to form a lovely home made face scrub.
Calendula tea makes a good remedy for indigestion,  gall-bladder and liver problems, gastric and duodenal ulcers as well as for menopausal problems and menstrual pains. Some herbalists say it also supports healthy lymphatic function.

Herbal tea:

(daily dose)
2-4 tsp of dry organic Calendula flowers 
or 4-8 tsp of fresh flowers
500ml of (purified) water just off the boil 
steep for 10-15min 
strain
drink 3 times a day hot or cool 
*use your tea as a wash for sensitive skin 
place it in a spray bottle and mist onto your skin

Infused oil:

(yes, you can make it yourself)

pack a jar tightly with calendula flowers (fresh is better but dry will do)
completely cover with oil (organic cold pressed virgin olive oil or sunflower oil) 
put the lid on 
leave on the sunny window sill for two weeks
strain 
repeat the steps using once infused oil and a new batch of fresh herbs
leave on the sunny window sill for two more weeks
strain
store in the amber bottle away from light and heat

I must say, I am mesmerized by the flowers which became the essence of my tea. How beautiful... I am drinking it thinking some of their beauty will surely rub off on me:)