shak-shuka

Invisible Zinc=Visible Results

A few weeks ago I went for a facial and the esthetician had me put my head into this small booth where it had a special blacklight so that I (more like she) could see the state of my skin. I pride myself on the fact that I've taken care of my skin ever since I can remember - washing gently, lots of cream to stay soft, and sunscreen everyday, no mattter the weather. I was not prepared for the mirror inside that blacklit booth for the sunspotted face in front of me! AGH! I was somewhat comforted by the esthetician telling me that my skin actually looked really good in comparison to the average person. Scary!

Clearly I can't go back in time, but I can make sure that I prevent any more damage from happening. Even though we have about 40 days of sunshine here in Holland, that doesn't mean our BFF the sun isn't working it's magic on our skin. When looking for proper facial sunscreen, I think it's best to look to the experts in the Southern Hemisphere who have the strongest sun in the world (or at least in my opinion). Invisible Zinc is an Australian brand of sunscreen that is exactly that - invisible zinc, which means it's one of the safest and most natural ways to create a physical barrier between you and the sun. Rather than absorb the suns rays, zinc oxide repels the rays, meaning it's a much more powerful protectant for the skin. Invisible Zinc is even endorsed by Aussit hottie Elle "the Body" Macpherson, so you know it has to be good (tee-hee!). There are a myriad of choices to choose from, but I think the simplest is to stick to your regular skincare routine, and top it off with a little Face+Body Sunscreen. Of course you can go crazy with the variety of choices that Invisible Zinc has to offer, but starting simple is good, and will prevent a horror film reaction if you get a facial like I did!

Sleeping Beauty Serum

In London last week, I hit my favorite usual spots: shops, health food stores (remember they have a version of Whole Foods there - Fresh&Wild) and of course, plenty of restaurants. Upon returning, i barely ate on the train ride home, which is rare for me as I am a big "nosher" - it was a bit of detox I think. I hate officially eaten and shopped myself silly.

One of the first places that I hit up was Neal's Yard Remedies. You've heard me rave about them before, and this time was no exception. The store was jam-packed since it was a weekend, but that didn't phase me as I had my shopping game-face on, and was ready to rumble. Plus, Neal's Yard shoppers are generally nicer than others. I sniffed, I rubbed, I schmeered, I found creams, lotions, potions, and soaps. But there was one new item that I had peaked on the site and seen was "coming soon' that I had to have. I asked the sales assistant there and made a fool of myself calling it the "Sleeping Beauty Serum" but thank goodness she knew what I meant and went to grab me the very - last - sample. Be still my beating heart! It was the tiniest jar of Beauty Sleep Concentrate, and it was mine! The Concentrate wasn't in stock for a few days, making me think about changing my ticket home!  Instead, I felt like I could barely wait until nighttime to use it, but I did, and boy was I impressed with the results. My skin not only felt amazing after I put it on, but it smelled great too. The next morning dare I say I looked fresh and dewy, even after only 5 hours of sleep? Why yes, I did! Beauty Sleep Concentrate should be called something closer to Sleeping Beauty Concentrate, because that is pretty much the effect you see the next morning!

(Yawn-ka) Yon-Ka Eye Cream

 
In one of my many former reincarnations (ok, professions, but they feel like past lives) I worked at one of the top spas in New York, and we sold some of the finest face and body products. Luckily we were given some freebies so we were able to play guinea pigs on each other or ourselves and see what did work for us ($100? why thank you) and didn't (electric blue eyeshadow? the 1980's want it BACK!).

Some of the products that we sold seemed unimaginable as to why you would need it - eye cream? I was young, fresh, carefree, able to sleep whenever I wanted....ah, those were the days. Now I don't just use eye cream, I buy stock in it. Which one do you ask? Well, one of the brands that I tried out at the spa that I still am loyal to today: Yonka Phyto Contour Eye Cream. Long time, sounds like Willy Wonka, but boy oh boy does it work. I personally think that all new mothers should be given this cream along with an undereye concealer so that they can feel human again once they climb out of the post-baby slumber. This Eye Cream seriously does what it says: depuffs, minimizes the dark circles (don't expect miracles here ladies), and I have to say, feels really cool when applied. Finding out that it's made from rosemary, beech buds, aloe vera and Vitamin E only convinced me even more that I'm doing the right thing to keep my peepers looking as fresh as they can be after 5 hours of sleep.

Dr Dewy Hauschka

If you're anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, you'll feel my pain: dry, cracked, even chapped skin on every part of your body. You can slather your body is oil or cocoa butter, but my face has been so dry lately (thank you climate change for making this the coldest winter in 100 years of Dutch history!) that I look like a plaster or mummy coming to life.

Literally every time I go out, I bring Dr Hauschka's Rose Day Cream with me. It is the ONLY thing that keeps my skin looking moisturized, dare I even say dewy (on days when the heat is not cranked up to the tropics at home)? The smell is divine, as if you've just gathered 1000 rose petals and slipped the natural wax of them off onto your face. No nasty fake rose "Grandma-esque" smells here. All natural, the tube is recyclable, biodynamic agriculture - Dr Hauschka is the face of green beauty products. Lately since my hands have been chapped too, I've also been slathering on the Hand Cream, and the handy tube is just the right size to slip into your bag so when you go to shake hands with someone, they don't mistake you for a reptile!

Dr Bronner's to the Rescue

It is with great excitement that I get to share with you the news that we now carry the Dr. Bronner brand at Shak-Shuka! Having been a long-time fan of the famous Magic Castille Soap and its many many uses, we thought it would be a perfect addition for the eco-friendly family. Dr. Bronner has really stepped up their eco credentials with now being fair trade, organic, biodegradable, and now carries a children's line fthat's equally great for sensitive folks as it is fragrance-free.

So if you haven't ever tried Dr. Bronner's products, the Magic Castille Soap is one of the first products you HAVE to try. Why? Because it can be used in a million ways, but according to the packaging, there are actually 18 uses that Dr. Bronner thought the soap was a suitable substitute for. Here is just a shortlist of the many ways that the almond/peppermint/lavender/baby liquid soap can be used:

facial cleanser
liquid hand soap
bodywash
bubble bath
shampoo
shaving cream
toothpaste
mouthwash
denture cleaner
mint deodorant
massage oil
baby oil
sun tan oil
toilet cleaner
car cleaner
laundry soap
dishwashing liquid
pet cleaning

I'm not quite sure about how it holds up as a deodorant or a massage oil, but I can personally vouch for it's effectiveness in the household, for the pets, as a shampoo/body wash, and I have even used the peppermint as a toothpaste one time (it was a camping trip - please don't ask). If 18+ ways of using a soap isn't your type of thing, there is a luxurious Body Balm, Lip Balm or Bar Soap that'll get you addicted to Dr. Bronner's in less than, say....18 seconds?!

Resurrection for Hands (+ Sinks)

Slightly embarassed, I'm sharing a (dirty) secret with you: I love the look of luxurious bottles next to the sink to leave guests with the impression that we are more glamourous than we are really in our daily life. Currently we have an unexciting lavender hand soap in an equally mundane pump, and it gives off more of a crunchy hippy rather than fantabulous vibe.

I actually saw this hand soap first in a magazine, and under intense scrutiny, I realized that it was from own of my favorite natural brands: Aesop. I've written about my love of the Australian brand Aesop, but nothing can compare to my love of anything from the "Resurrection Aromatique" range of body care: my obsession numero uno for our new house being a bit bottle of the Resurrection Aromatique Hand Soap next to each and every sink. Not only does it emit a certain amount of apothecary-esque cool, but it also rinses off beautifully and leaves the most wonderful herbilcious scent afterwards. So yes, I am petty in that I love the look of the bottle as much as the contents, but everybody needs hand soap, so why not treat yourself to the very best looking there is?

Phyto-refic Skin

Embarrassing as this is to say, it's not even October and I've already started turning the heat on at night. I am a sucker for sleeping in a toasty warm environment, and I pretend like I carbon-offset during the day by not using any lights and unplugging all my electronics (does that count? probably not but I tell myself it does).....

Besides punishing the environment with my thermostat-thumping habit, my skin is also paying the price. I tend to have red, blotchy skin when the air gets warm and dry - some may even call it the beginning stages of rosacea (think Bill Clinton's nose). I prefer not to think my skin is that bad, and I am over-the-moon ecstatic that there is a product out there for blotchy-skinners like me: Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Gel. It may look green and funky in the bottle, but a few drops of this before your moisturizer and the cucumber and thyme cool and soothe normally irritated skin. Skinceuticals has always been one of my favorite brands, and now even more so since I'm getting to a "certain" age and starting to get serious about the war on aging - from corrective to preventive, Skinceuticals has got a natural pharmacy in a bottle!

The Robin Hood of Hair Color

Since most of my Monday posts revolve around things that I want for the house, that means that other aspects of our non-domestic needs have been scaled back considerably. We've all had to tighten our bootstraps and make do without certain luxuries we've been accustomed to, but I think in the end that's good for us to learn to appreciate what we already have and then once we can do those things again, we'll appreciate it that much more. Right?!

My own personal sacrifice that I've made is not going to the hair salon as often as usual. Yes, I do get my haircut, but not the cut/color/spa experience I've grown used to. Luckily on my last visit to the salon, my hair stylist gave me something to help maintain my hair color from going to rusty/brassy which he knows I hate. My hair is naturally brown but as time goes by, it turns the color of metal left out in the rain. But this amazing new product from Christophe Robin (the same maker of the Creme di Citron I raved about a while ago), called Ash Brown Shade Variation Treatment (also available for all other hair colors too), has saved my life since my last visit to the salon. Made from liqorice extract and other natural-based ingredients, I use this treatment once a week in place of my shampoo/conditioner routine, leave it on for about 30 minutes (yes I stop the water and get out of the shower!), and then rinse out. It literally tones the red down and creates a wonderful brown hue that wasn't there before! Although the Shade Variation Treatment doesn't come cheap, it's much cheaper than repeat visits to the hair salon, and just might get me to be able to stretch one more month away from my stylist. He won't be pleased but our bank account will be!

"Acqua e Sapone" Face

In Italy they have a saying for girls who have that fresh-face look - "acqua e sapone". I just adore that saying, and wish it referred to me more often. I love the idea of having a squeaky clean look that even if it's a bit innocent and sweet for me in reality, it gives me a sense of simplicity and innocence.

Even though I'm not that close to "acqua e sapone", I do however have a pretty simple regimen every morning and night that uses acqua (water) and sapone (soap): Weleda's Almond Cleansing Lotion. I love the smell of almonds (even though it reminds me of cherries?!), and the cleansing lotion is super gentle for my sensitive skin, and really does help remove eye make-up (one less product to buy to remove eye make-up). Surely you've heard of Weleda if you have ever visited a health food shop or "natural" store, as they are one of the biggest brands around, with a wide range of hair, face, bath and body care products based on biodynamic agriculture. Best of all, the last time I was picking up some Almond Cleansing Lotion, it is now a carbon-neutral product. That made me stock up and really want to support the great products and work Weleda is doing. The only glitch I find with the Almond Cleansing Lotion is it's in a (recyclable!) aluminum tube, which makes it nearly impossible to get all of it out, but if you have one of these handy-dandy Tube Wringers (also great for Dr. Hauschka products which come in the same kind of tubes), then it's a 100% eco product!

Marvis-lous Toothpaste

We're back! Did you miss us (web)universe?! Although we missed writing and sharing eco-info, it was nice to take a well-deserved break. Everybody's got to re-charge their batteries sometime! This summer we were fortunate enough to get away to Italy, where I lived for a few years many many years ago. It was great to take my own family to places where I used to go with friends to shop, eat and just aimlessly walk for hours (which all ended in a search of gelato, of course). In fact, it must run in the family as Baby Shak-Shuka ate ice cream at least once a day. No joke!

Since today is my obsession of the week, it would have to be one of my coveted items that I always stock up on when I go to Italy: Marvis toothpaste. Based on an "antique" (sounds weird if you're talking toothpaste, but it works!) formula, this toothpaste brings the minty freshness like none other. I can't deny that one of the main reasons that I love Marvis toothpastes is the gorgeous apothecary-worthy packaging. In fact, since being at home, I don't even mind having all the tubes that I bought laying around the bathroom (thanks to Baby Shak-Shuka!). Best of all, this time around I discovered that Marvis comes in more flavors than I remember: there's Classic Mint, Jasmin Mint, Paradise Fruit, Aquatic and Ginger Mint. One flavor for (almost) every day of the week, and they please the mouth as much as the eyes......ah, now that's refreshing!