EVENT: Natural Beauty Workshop in Philadelphia with Art in the Age

So excited to be doing an event back in my hometown, about two blocks from where I grew up. Art in the Age (a fantastic store, check it out ASAP) is hosting the event and providing us with herbal cocktails while we talk about natural beauty.
Hope you can join us! More info below-

You’re invited to an evening of wellness discussion and demos with natural beauty expert and makeup artist Jessa Blades of Blades Natural Beauty on Thursday, March 27th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at our flagship store in Old City. Homemade teas and Art in the Age spritzers will be provided while Jessa answers questions about natural beauty products and shares helpful tips on healing your skin and applying makeup for day and night looks. Feel free to bring a guest and please RSVP to daniel@artintheage.com.

WHERE:
Art In The Age Store
116 N 3rd St, Philadelphia PA 19106
WHEN:
Thursday, March 27th, 2014
6:30pm to 8:30pm

BLADES BEAUTY COURSE, HOLIDAY SPARKLE EDITION with LDBA

So excited to announce my upcoming class with my favorite art school in Brooklyn, L’Ecole Des Beaux Arts. Join us on December 8th for the ultimate class to keep you looking good and feeling calm during this busy and festive season.

 

We will begin class by sipping herbal tea and discussing easy herbal recipes to keep yourself calm and healthy during Holiday madness. Next, I will demonstrate some easy and effective makeup techniques to get you ready for all of those festive holiday parties:
Techniques include: Smokey eye demo (obviously), fake eyelash application, how to wear a perfect and long lasting red lip, and how to turn your daytime makeup into party ready, sexy night-time makeup in just 3 easy steps.
We will also cover simple beauty tricks & I'll share my expert advice teaching you how to make the most of your beauty products.
Students will finish this course with a sparkling herbal cocktail as we celebrate your skills and confidence to look and feel your best this Holiday Season!

 

  

Class description:


Jessa Blades, a natural-beauty expert, herbalist, and make-up artist, teaches this exclusive LDBA Beauty Course just in time for the Holidays! Sign up and schedule a night to celebrate and pamper YOU.
Date: Sunday, December 8th, 5- 7:30 pm
Location: LDBA Classroom, Williamsburg
338 Wythe Avenue · Brooklyn, NY 11211
To sign-up:    
Purchase here

Natural Beauty Event at Wythe Hotel

I recently led a natural beauty event at the Caron Callahan shop at Wythe Hotel. It was an evening of education, discussion and shopping. Part workshop, part Q&A, this event was a real community experience. I made all of the ladies sit in a circle, pass around samples of tea and tinctures. My goal was to provide a space for women to come together and share, and realize that they all have the same questions. Whether it is about dry flaky skin, how to do a smokey eye, fertility awareness or what herbs to take when you think you are on the verge of getting sick... we all think about the same things. It is time that as women we come together and feel empowered and inspired by each other and I was honored to provide that space and experience.

AND we got to sip on Mountain Woman Tea and lavender rose spritzers, shop, and had a really fun night!

Mountain Woman Tea brewing

Fabulous products from Earth tu Face, Kahina Giving Beauty, Good Fight Herb Co.

Kitchen Medicine Poster

Tasting elderberry syrup

Jessa, Anna and Caron

We opened a SHOP in BROOKLYN!

It has been a whirlwind of excitement and new beginnings as we opened our shop this past month. Caron Callahan is the name of the awesome new store, located in the lobby of the fabulous Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The shop is filled with women's and men's clothing and accessories, gifts, the cutest little baby clothes, jewelry, books, travel essentials, all curated by my dear friend, clothing designer Caron Callahan. I've been lucky enough to curate the beauty and apothecary items and stocked the shop with my favorite natural beauty brands for both men and woman including products from: Ursa Major, SW Basics, Soapwalla, H. Gillerman Organics, Province Apothecary, Smith and Chang, Earth tu Face, Kahina Giving Beauty, and my own products from Blades Natural Beauty.... with more products being added weekly.

We are open everyday through December 28th, 10-8pm in the lobby of the hotel at 80 Wythe Ave. N. 11th Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11249.  I hope you can come in and visit us soon. I'll be in the shop each week sharing my tips and tricks for natural beauty. So come on in and check my Instagram to stay in the loop about what is going on at the shop and when I'm going to be there to help you find some great solutions to any of your beauty needs.

Check us out! We were featured in T Magazine!

photos by Bex Finch

How To Use Your Kitchen Cabinet As Your Beauty Cabinet

We collaborated with Ecover to answer questions about natural beauty...

Here is July's post:

As a Natural Beauty Expert and Makeup Artist I have spent years trying all sorts of products to heal, smooth and plump my hair, nails, and skin. After a great amount of research and trial and error with these “magical potions,” I have come to find that some of the simplest, time tested remedies work the best and are inexpensive. Don’t get me wrong, I love using a luxurious body oil or a specially formulated hair mask every once and awhile… but I’d also like to give you some other options, using ingredients that you already have in your kitchen cabinet, and that work really, really well.
Garlic- A true healer, this herb has been helping us feel better for centuries. I love to mash it up and use the paste to heal a pimple.
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil- this anti-aging, antibacterial multitasker is a must have for the cabinet. There are countless uses for this ingredient; some of my favorites are to use it as an allover body moisturizer or as a deep conditioning hair treatment. Apply oil to your hair and then wrap it in plastic and sit in the sun for your required 15 minutes of Vitamin D exposure. I then like to go and clean my house and leave it on for as long as possible before I rinse it out with some…

Apple Cider Vinegar- This is a kitchen/beauty cabinet must-have with hundreds of uses. Some of my favorites include using it as a clarifying and moisturizing hair rinse. It is also great to tone the skin or help internally for digestion and heartburn (which will in turn help your skin).
Rolled Oats- Cook oats in water and put them in a cheesecloth bag, add to bath water to soothe itchy skin due to a rash or insect bites. Also great for facials, mix oats and honey for a gentle exfoliating face mask. Looking for more hydration? Mix oats and yogurt for a soothing treat for your face.
Local Raw Honey is a miracle ingredient, soothes coughs and sore throats internally and also works for first aid and beauty recipes. Honey makes a wonderful hydrating facemask that provides gentle exfoliation. I love the “honey pat” technique: Apply the honey to clean skin and begin to tap (like you are typing) all over your face. When the honey becomes too sticky to lift your fingers, rinse off. Also great to use on your skin to heal a cut or skin irritation, and makes a great lip balm (tastes good too!).
And finally, please keep in mind that it is always best to choose organic and try to buy in glass whenever possible.  Let me know how the tips work out!
Jessa Blades
Natural Beauty Expert & Ecover Reporter
Top image via Design Shimmer

HOW TO: Be a bronze goddess... my favorite tan in a bottle

To help prep for SUMMER (I cannot wait!!), Harpers Bazzar asked about my favorite sunless tanner- 

Chocolate Sun Cocoa Lite Sunless Enhancer

Why the pros love it: “It’s packed full of ultra nourishing, healing ingredients like aloe, coconut oil, shea butter and sweet almond oil to hydrate your skin and help it glow. The ‘tanned’ look that it provides is gradual, which is good because it allows for the inevitable careless application.” — Jessa Blades

Chocolate Sun Cocoa Lite Sunless Enhancer, $40, spiritbeautylounge.com.

Healthy Hair

It seems that healthy hair care is on everyone's mind these days.

The lovely ladies over at No More Dirty Looks gave us a Summer Hair Challenge. We were asked to leave our hair alone...."Some time in the next week, when you get up in the morning, shower, shampoo and condition your hair using nontoxic natural products, comb it when you get out of the shower, and that’s it. No leave-ins, no heat. Once it’s dry, send us a pic."  

131 beautiful ladies sent in their photo (click through to see us all- I'm number 51).

And to round it off, Tisha, from the style blog TISL, was on her own quest to find a healthy shampoo that works. We got to talking about hair care, why and how shampoo works... and how to find the perfect shampoo for you.  from TISL...  

"Jessa Blades, a natural beauty expert and makeup artist based in NY is tired of sacrificing women’s health in the name of beauty.  “Our hair is way too clean.  It's specifically the lathery-foam that takes our hair out of its balanced state,” she says.   In essence, we wash our hair daily stripping its natural oils just to “try” to put it all back in by using a “moisturizing” shampoo.  Funny.  Sounds like a circle that can be avoided.  Blades’ advice is to, “stop washing your hair as often.  Try using a dry shampoo in between washings, and give your hair some time to balance itself out.”

Hot pink is (and has always been) my favorite color

What are you guys wearing on your lips these days? I'm super into hot pink (as usual), I think it goes well with my freckles.

From Ecosalon.com: What’s got organic makeup artist Jessa Blades excited for spring? Bright, juicy colors for the lips. As Jessa told us, “I love the fuchsia lip pencil by Zozimos Botanicals. I fill in my whole lip, smack my lips together to really let it sink in, and then swipe a bit of H. Gillerman flowers lip balm on top and voila! The pop of color mixed with the moisture from the balm makes the perfect combo- without being too glossy.”

Natural Eye Makeup: Brands and Buying Tips

Curious about what to buy and what to avoid with your eye makeup?

See my tips at The Daily Green-

Can Livia Firth Green Her Beauty Routine? I say yes!

When I tell people that I work with natural and organic products most people seem very curious but they always have the same questions: are the products hard to find? Do the products work? Do they last? And my answer is yes. I had the chance to sit down with the lovely Livia Firth and talk about what I use and how I came to switching over to healthy beauty products. See the whole article here in UK VOGUE and below is the recap that I wrote for: Mind Body Green: 

"The Oscars are just days away and I'm still trying to figure out where I'll watch the show (three of my friends are hosting parties) and scrambling to see as many of the nominated movies as I can before Sunday. I always love watching the night unfold, all of the glamour and the fabulous outfits, and this year I'm particularly excited to see what the stunning Livia Firth (Best Actor nominee Colin Firth's wife) will be wearing. Livia is an expert in eco-fashion, runs an amazing sustainable shop in London called Eco-Age, and writes a column for Vogue.com UK about what she wears on the red carpet, appropriately called "The Green Carpet Challenge."

A couple of months ago I was able to sit down with Livia and chat about all things related to natural beauty, non-toxic makeup, and why making the switch to naturals is important. For many women, personal care is the last hurdle on their quest to live healthier lives; after they have looked at what they are eating and wearing, women usually look next at what they are putting on their lips and cheeks. During our time together Livia shared many of the same concerns that most women have about making switch to naturals: Will the products look the same as what I'm used to? Will the makeup last? Where can you buy these new products?In her post for Vogue, Livia shares her red carpet beauty rituals and wonders if she is ready for a "Green Beauty Challenge." My vote is YES!"

In the morning:

Skincare

Facewash: Wash your face with organic raw coconut oil which you can buy at any health food store or use Tata Harper Rejuvinating Cleanser.

Eye cream: Naturopathica Vitamin K Brightening Eye Serum.

Face cream: Argan oil by Kahina Giving Beauty.

Make-up

Face: Toned Day Cream by Dr Hauskha or RMS Beauty Concealer and then apply bronzer by Couleur Caramel or Organic Glam Blusher from The Organic Pharmacy.

Eyes: Mascara by Couleur Caramel, eye shadow by Jane Iredale and eye liner by Zosimos Botanicals.

Lips: Lipstick by Primitive or gloss by Revolution Organics.

Evening cleansing and preparation for night

Skincare

Facewash: Wash your face with organic raw coconut oil as in the morning (apparently, it works miracles and it does not irritate eyes either), or organic sweet almond oil.

Eye cream: Kahina Giving Beauty eye cream.

Face: Argan oil, as in the morning.

Hands feeling dry?

Oh lordy are my hands dry this time of year. I am constantly washing them on the job and trying my best to moisturize. And then there is always the dilemma with hand creams- they can either be too greasy and leave a film on your hands- or they aren't moisturizing enough and leave your hands wanting more protection. I always feel that I am on a search for the perfect hand cream.

In honor of this lovely Winter we're having- I thought I would share with you two of my current favorites- with the hopes that your hands feel happy and moisturized as we hold out for Spring... crossing my fingers... it can't be that far away?

Fragonia & Sea Buckthorn Instand Hand Therapy Cream

French Lavender All Over Lotion by Hugo Naturals

Our CARE (about you!) PACKAGE - available now on Etsy.com

A Valentines Gift Set Collaboration by

BLADES NATURAL BEAUTY
GOOD FIGHT HERB CO.
PAPERFINGER
——————-
the story:
three friends came together to celebrate the act of loving; for a sweetie, a dear friend, your self, a neighbor, family member, or any person you feel fond of. the CARE (about you!) PACKAGE, built by Blades Natural Beauty, Good Fight Herb Co. & Paperfinger, offers many ways to let those special people in your life feel loved and cared for this valentine’s day, and every day, by you.
——————-
the contents:
these beautiful handmade goods are enclosed in a gift bag tied with hot pink ribbon. the tag tells the story and also leaves room for you to add a personal note.
1 —- love your lips balm
by Good Fight Herb Co.
a delicious and creamy lip balm perfect for puckering up. containing coconut oil, shea butter, vitamin E, beeswax and peppermint essential oil, this balm protects lips from harsh weather conditions and heals dry, cracked and/or chapped areas.
2 —- love(ing) – a wooden stamp with ink pad
by Paperfinger
a hand-calligraphed, maple wood stamp design that can be used for card making, sweet nothings, fill in the blank, wrapping packages, sealing envelopes or just a handy reminder of showing (and feeling) love. includes one ink pad for happy stamping.
3 —- calendula rose facial cleansing grains
this delicate face wash is hand crafted with milk powder, chick pea flower, rose petals and calendula flowers. use it daily to gently cleanse without drying out your skin. free of soap and nasty harsh ingredients, this cleanser will leave your skin feeling clean and balanced, while maintaining your skin’s natural oils.
please note that this is a limited set of only eleven CARE (about you!) PACKAGEs. your set will be labeled with the edition number for extra special-ness.
——————-
the scoop:
your order will ship next business day from brooklyn and will arrive within 2-3 business days!
for delivery by friday, february 11th, please place your order by 3pm EST on February 8th.
do you want to ship it straight to the recipient? no problem. we can hand-label the tag for you. just let us know in the comments field.

Purchase HERE

Vote for Me!

Just back from a lovely trip uptown to visit the Weleda Truck. Their Honestly Natural, Truly Beautiful Tour around the country just began today! The goal of the tour is to ask people to think about "What Goes On You, Goes In You." Check and see if the truck is heading to street corner near you.

Here I am talking about why I love Weleda and why I think Natural is Beautiful (please keep in mind that I had just had a very relaxing massage moments before this interview!).

Click HERE to vote for me by hitting the LIKE button.

Getting ready for Fashion Week

As August comes to an end we have other exciting things to get excited for... like NYC Fashion Week. To help me get in the mood I thought I would post some of the images from my recent Fashion Me Green photo shoot. We did an eco-fashion makeover on Teen Vogue and Style.com’s PR Director Eleanor Banco. Pink lips and bronze cheeks and just the right amount drama around the eye featuring some of my favorite products:
Organic Glam Lipstick in Fuchsia, Couleur Caramel Terre Caramel Bronzer, Soapwalla Restorative Face Serum,  Zosimos Botanicals Eyeliner

Photo credit From Me To You and Colleen Duggan

Time to stop using Cetaphil

Lately there has been some talk about why Cetaphil face cleanser should be avoided. I constantly hear people say that they have been washing their faces with it for years and are shocked when I tell them that they should consider trying something else. I used it for about twelve years, it was recommended to me by Dermatologists and countless doctors. So I'm speaking from very personal experience. It may seem hard to let go, but it will truly benefit your skin to use something else, I promise.

Check out the recent post (with LOTS of comments) from WellandGood.com...
"Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser contains just eight ingredients: water, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, stearyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben. All but the water are chemically manufactured (let’s hope), and propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, and the three parabens have a seat on the dirty dozen, a list of cosmetic ingredients to avoid as potentially toxic." 

See folks- this "gentle" cleanser is not so gentle. You don't have to understand what these ingredients are or what they do- just understand enough to know that you should stop using it.
 
Here is my follow-up comment about my experience with Cetaphil-
"As a Cetaphil user for years I understand why people tend to freak out when they learn that it’s filled with some not-so-helpful ingredients. How can it be so bad if your dermatologist told you that it will help your skin? That it is so gentle, you don’t even need to use water to take it off! I used to think that there was something really wrong with my skin, I went to countless dermatologists looking for help. They claimed to understand my dry, sensitive skin and told me to use Cetaphil and Aquaphor. I believed that they were on my team, that these products would really help heal my skin. Well, let’s just say that the products didn’t help at all. I now know that my skin is totally normal BUT what it was sensitive to- were the irritants in those very products that the doctor was telling me to use.
So to all of those ladies (and men) who are skeptical about what folks are saying about Cetaphil- let me invite you to experiment- to stop using it- try one of the products that are recommended on the site- or even just try using raw/organic coconut oil to clean and moisturize your face…. I promise you, your skin will improve. My skin has changed 100% for the better since I stopped using Cetaphil and the other products that the dermatologist suggested."

Behind the Scenes from Papermag.com- Blades Natural Beauty and Au Revoir Simone

See the full story here-

Prime Time: 6 Tips for Beating Summer Shine

My tips from WellandGood.com -
Everyone’s obsessed with ‘getting the glow,’ says Jessa Blades, a makeup artist who stocks her kit with all-natural products. But in summer it comes pretty naturally. “Skin’s more hydrated this time of year,” she says. “And even if you use sunscreen, heat naturally boosts color in your skin.” In some cases, so much so that attention turns from keeping your natural summer flush from turning into an wanted summer flash flood.
How to defeat the melty, drippy feeling of unwanted shine?
“Use less cream-based moisture for one,” says Blades, who recommends stashing your face and eye creams in the fridge, along with a hydrosol mist. “Sometimes in summer your face almost feels swollen. Applying cool creams in the morning and spraying your face with a chilled hydrosol feels amazing.” It can help rein in the puffy feeling and help makeup sit, not slide, down your skin.
Blades gives us six recommendations and tips for getting unwanted summer shine to submit:
Sunscreen
Keys Soap Solar Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30
“I love this product because it works as a light moisturizer too, which is great for summer,” says Blades. It’s one of the safest, most effective sunscreens on the market, according to the Environmental Working Group, and Consumer Reports calls it one of the most effective broad-spectrum sunblocks.

Mattifying powder
Jane Iredale Beyond Matte
“This new long-lasting powder has medium coverage and really absorbs oil,” says Blades. It comes in four colors including translucent, which Blades especially suggests for summer. “When you do mid-day touch ups, you don’t get too much color layered on. Apply it all over with a powder brush or just touch up your T-zone and forehead to prevent shine.”
Blotting paper
Tatcha Blotting Papers
This biodegradable blotting paper from Japan is Blades’ favorite. “Gently pat your face with a single sheet wherever there’s oil,” she explains. “And you can use both sides of the sheet.” The packaging is origami gorgeous, too. Through Friday, get $2 off any Tatcha purchase by entering the discount code WELLANDGOOD.

 Eyelid primer

Jane Iredale’s Eye Gloss
Eyelids can get slippery in the summer. For this, Blades recommends priming the lid with your regular concealer or the mattifying powder before applying color. “Another option is Eye Gloss that dries into a perfect eyelid base. It comes in several colors, so also makes a light eye-shadow substitute,” says Blades.


No-drip mascara
Couleur Caramel black mascara
For a summer mascara, Blades like the black wand from Couleur Caramel. “It creates a nice, full lash and is long-wearing,” she says.

Subtle cheek color
Revolution Organics Glow Beauty Balm
“The two colors—a pink one and an orange-y one—look good on the majority of people and give you a really nice natural flush of cheek color, if you need it. They’re foolproof to apply and you can use it the on the lips, too.”
Jessa Blades, Blades Natural Beauty, 424-225-2337, www.bladesnaturalbeauty.com

nails nails nails

It is finally Flip Flop time!
Which means- it is also time for nail polish.
When looking for a non-toxic nail polish- make sure to find one that is "3 Free"
Free of-  Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBT) and Formaldehyde.

Here are a couple of my favorite brands and colors for summer.

 Charisma by Zoya

Plasma by Acquarella 

Butter LONDON in Branwen's Feather

And to remove your polish- be sure to check out-  Priti Soy Polish Remover- this one smells great, leaves your cuticles moisturized and doesn't  burn your nose!

Springtime Thoughts about Natural Beauty

Check out some of my recent posts and projects from around the web:

My favorite brands of MASCARA

My mom's best beauty advice .... keep it simple, simple, simple....

Tips about BRONZER, Check p.49 of May's Body and Soul Mag 

Photo shoots with BurdaStyle - so pretty and fresh

PAPERmag.com- "Makeup artist Jessa Blades' Guide To Organic Cosmetics, starring Brooklyn indie-pop lovelies Au Revoir Simone"

Great interview from PAPERmag.com by Rebecca Prusinowski. Photos by Jacqueline Di Milia.

"After years of working in the cosmetics industry, makeup artist Jessa Blades grew sick of sacrificing women's health for the sake of beauty. She ditched toxic brands and formed Blades Natural Beauty in 2008, offering makeup services that use only natural and organic products. Blades also began working as an organic beauty consultant and has since emerged as one of the go-to experts in an eco-beauty movement that's long overdue.
Here Blades gives PAPER a heads-up on toxic cosmetics to steer clear of and some beauty tips for amping up your Spring/Summer look. And to prove that you can gussy up without using dangerous products, Blades demonstrates a few looks on the ladies of Brooklyn's melodic indie-pop trio Au Revoir Simone.
Let's talk spring cleaning. How often should makeup be replaced? What's the best way to clean your brushes?
Mascara should be replaced every three to five months -- and please -- don't share. Washing your brushes is really important -- the goal should be every week. All you need is a bit of gentle shampoo or hand soap. For an extra luscious makeup experience, every fourth time you wash your brushes, add a little conditioner after you shampoo them -- your brushes will feel amazing. Short on time? Bring your brushes into the shower and wash them in there. But please wash them! Your makeup will look better and it keeps nasty bacteria off of your face.
As we move into a new season, resolve to make small changes with your beauty routine. No need to throw everything away, just slowly incorporate more organic products into your life. Small changes will be better for your budget -- and a less abrupt change for your skin.
Winter weather conditions can be brutal on the skin -- especially the face. What are some ways to combat residual dry skin from January and February as we move into spring?
We hear it all the time, but drinking water and eating well are so important. In addition to nourishing your skin through food, I recommend eating omega supplements and adding more nuts and seeds to your diet.
Another tip (which I am trying to do myself) is to put a big glass of water by the bed and drink it first thing in the morning upon waking. This helps hydrate the skin and body right away – too many of us jumpstart our day with caffeine which only increases dehydration.
Using organic oils is also a great way to combat winter skin. Contrary to what most people think, oils do not clog pores – they’re an amazing way to hydrate and protect your skin. Organic argan oil, almond oil, and jojoba oil are great moisturizers -- but avoid mineral oil because that will clog your pores... read the whole story here.