Natural Beauty Workshop with the Tipi Project

Dreams are coming true! On September 9th I will be teaching a class in a 30 foot Tipi with the Tipi Project in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Tipi Project is an intergenerational community space designed to foster connection between people, land, creativity and tradition through art, culture and education. Currently the tipi is in Havemeyer Park in South Willimamburg but only until the end of September- so be sure to check out upcoming classes.

Below is a description of my class- hope to see you there!

First we will talk about natural and organic beauty and products, why they are important, how they heal our skin and bodies and how to identify the right ones for you. We will learn about healing tonic herbs and create a tea blend that we will all share together and sip throughout the night. Next we will make a couple of simple skincare products. discussing raw ingredients, essential oils, and herbs.

You will leave this night empowered to take better care of your skin from the inside out and be inspired to look at your own beauty rituals in a much more holistic way.
Each student will leave with a custom tea blend of herbs and some of each of the products that we make together.

September 9th
7-9:30pm
Buy your ticket here: www.tipiproject.com
P.S. T Magazine wrote about our class! Now you have to come :)

Jessa's 11 Easy Tricks To Simplify Your Makeup Routine

So excited to share this video with all of you! On our recent trip to LA we shot this video with Buzzfeed. Check out my simple and quick tips that you add into your beauty routine ASAP. Oh yeah- and I'm a GIF :) Check it out...

Check out the whole post and all the GIF's here

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

Summer Goddess Sun Tea with Chamomile Syrup

We recently shared our favorite summer tea recipe with the lovely Erin Boyle of Gardenista.com. Check out the recipe below and make some for yourself ASAP!

from Gardenista.com
Making sun tea is kind of like cheating. In the best way. It sounds fancy and tastes delicious, but requires less effort than you'd think. Our Summer Goddess Sun Tea recipe is from this week's resident natural beauty expert, Jessa Blades. It's a bright, floral variation on the iced tea you're probably already drinking. Sweetened with a brown sugar and chamomile syrup and packed with vitamin C-rich hibiscus and rose petals, this version is as tasty as it is nutritional. It's also showstoppingly pretty.

Above: Jessa blends equal parts dried rose and hibiscus flowers to make her Summer Goddess tea.

Above: Leave your tea in a sunny window or a fire escape for an hour or two to steep.

Above: Dried chamomile flowers are used for making a floral-scented simple syrup that sweetens the tea with organic brown sugar.

Above: Strain syrup into a clean container and keep refrigerated.

Summer Goddess Sun Tea

• Equal parts dried rose and hibiscus flowers, blended
• 1-3 teaspoons of flowers per 8 oz of water

Brew sun tea by leaving a jar of water and flower petals in a sunny window for an hour or two. The hibiscus imparts its flavor quickly, so the tea doesn't take long to brew. A caveat: there's some risk of bacteria growth when making sun tea. If you think you'll leave your tea out for more than a couple of hours, consider brewing it overnight in the refrigerator instead, or making it the old-fashioned way with boiling water. If you use boiling water, pour it over dried flowers, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes before straining.
If you'd rather not blend your own tea, Jessa sells the pre-blended Summer Goddess Tea through her website.
Brown Sugar Chamomile Syrup

• 1 cup organic brown sugar
• 1 cup water 
• 1/2 cup dried chamomile flowers

In a medium saucepan combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add chamomile flowers and cover with a lid. Jessa likes to add one cup of flowers for a strong chamomile flavor. If you prefer a more subtle flavor, add just a half cup of flowers. Allow to cool and then strain into a clean container and enjoy. Syrup can be refrigerated for up to one month. Sweeten your sun tea to taste and enjoy (preferably from your spot in a Nap-Worthy Hammock).

photos & interview by Erin Boyle

The Tools Of Beauty

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

Here is the post from August:

Over the past ten years I have worked with hundreds of women, teaching them about makeup, how to apply it, what colors to choose and how to care for and clean their tools. I’m always shocked that the majority of women, while they are brilliant in many other ways, are often lacking some basic information when it comes to dealing with beauty products.

Most women know to clean a kitchen knife after using it or that they shouldn’t keep milk or eggs for a year in the fridge… but the majority of women I meet have never washed their makeup brushes. I’ve been told by some women that they simply throw out their brushes when they start to look really dirty. Not to worry, Ladies, I know the only reason that you have been doing these things is because you didn’t know any better. I am here today to help you learn about what you need and how to best care for these very special tools.

First, I would recommend that you invest in some good brushes. If you care for them, you will have them for the rest of your life (a Green Closet concept carried over to your beauty regime). I’d also love for you to have a range of brushes at your disposal:

• 2 big fluffy brushes (for powder, bronzer or blush)
• one firm eye shadow brush
• a fluffy eye shadow blending brush
• angle brush for eyebrows
• a pointy liner brush
• an eyelash curler is always good to have (make sure that you keep an eye on that rubber piece that protects your lashes, when that gets worn down, you can replace it)

How to care for your brushes:

• Store your brushes out in an open, cool, and dry place, if possible. I like to clean mine every 2-3 weeks, but it depends on how much you use them.

To clean your brushes:

• Wet the brush and add a drop of gentle shampoo (or Ecover soap)
• Gently swirl the bristles around in the soap (I like to do this all in the palm of my hand)
• Rinse under the water until all the soap is gone
• Dry the brush by squeezing out excess water with a towel and reshape brush
• Then lay the brush on a clean towel and let the bristles hang over the counter to dry

Jessa Blades

Ecover’s Natural Beauty Expert

 Image via Emily Gilbert

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: Prep your skin for winter

Now that Thanksgiving is over I'm finally accepting the fact that winter is here. Root veggies, crock pots, wool socks and hydrating skin care is what I have been thinking about lately. I know how hard winter can be on your skin and I am here to help! Check out this video I did with the great folks over at Abe's Market. In it I share my tips and tricks to help you prep your skin for this upcoming season.

Natural Beauty Gurus: The 10 Questions I Always Ask

So honored to be asked by Whole Living Magazine to share my thoughts about natural beauty and be in the company of such a respected group of Natural Beauty Gurus.

Name: Jessa Blades

Occupation: Founder Blades Natural Beauty

Natural Beauty Expert and Makeup Artist

Location: NYC

Who is your beauty inspiration? My answer is simply real women. Everyday I meet another woman who is inspiring and luminous. Women who are passionate, have their own sense of style, who love themselves... this is something that you can actually see radiate and I find this "glow" very inspiring. Most recently I've been inspired and motivated by a teacher of mine, herbalist healer and elder Rosemary Gladstar.  She blends cross-cultural herbal remedies and tradition with common sense advice about living a healthy life. Rosemary is in her 60's and full of energy, love, compassion, and just a ton of plain-old goodness.
What product/treatment/beauty indulgence do you spend the most on? I would probably have to say eating really high quality food.  I believe that a healthy skin and beauty regimen starts within and I try to get all my vitamins and nutrients through my food. I definitely treat myself to a diet that is local and seasonal, which when you have my taste, can add up—but it is totally worth it! I also treat myself to massages which relax me, bring me back down to earth and are an essential part of my beauty indulgences.
What do you spend the least on? Body moisturizer. I just use high quality, organic oils, sweet almond or coconut all over my skin. I don't spend a lot on shampoo either—I find that the less I wash my hair the better. I use organic shampoo and to that I'll occasionally add in some apple cider vinegar and baking soda—to clarify, condition and clean. [Ed.: Learn how to make similar DIY beauty treatments from common pantry items.]
What does age mean to you? To me, aging feels exciting and it also means wisdom and patience. As I get older I'm thrilled and relieved to experience an overall feeling of calmness as I get to know myself better.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about skin/hair/nails/beauty this year? The most interesting thing that I have learned lately is about the deep connection that herbs and plant medicine have for our beauty and wellness. I've spent all summer studying herbs and while I have always known that plants are healing and an essential part of many skincare ingredients, I now have a much deeper understanding of how and when and why to use them. I've also learned to use less soap and wash less. We are simply not that dirty and all of the scrubbing and exfoliating is stripping our bodies of the necessary oils that we need to balance our skin back to heath.
What’s the one thing you do (not product-based) that you think affects your appearance more than anything else? Relaxing. I know it is annoying to hear that kind of advice, especially when you are really stressed. But stress is so dangerous to our body and our skin. I also try my best to make sure that I get enough sleep and drink plenty of water. Trying to stress-less is super hard, especially in this city, but at least being aware of how powerful it is helps me to avoid stress as much as possible.

Why naturals? Using natural, simple, healthy products is the logical direction for us all. Many of the formulations and ingredients are remedies and recipes that we have been using for centuries to heal and beatify. We simply got a bit off track with the boom of the enormous business of beauty and started to trust them instead of trusting ourselves. I love teaching about why coconut oil is healing or why to use calendula and why to drink nettles. It is time to take back the power from the big beauty companies and put it back in the hands of the people and the earth. We can re-learn how to listen to what our bodies need and how to use products and ingredients that are truly helpful—without all the toxins, preservatives, fragrances and hype from the marketing world about what we need or should have in our products. My mission is to share this exciting message about naturals and actually help heal and empower women (and men) to live their healthiest and best life.

HOW-TO: Make Lavender and Rose Body Powder

Sweaty Summertime calls for all sorts of recipes and ideas to help you deal with the heat. I'm a big fan of powders, for hair and body. If you are looking for a fun project, consider making this super easy Body Powder-         

Jessa's interview from Stylecaster.com: "This is one of my favorite recipes. This powder is a natural deodorizer because of its absorbent properties. Once you are done making it, you can put it in a spice shaker for sprinkling on the body or just apply it by hand. Have fun and be creative with powders; they can be scented any way you like, and they are so simple and inexpensive to make."

Shopping List:
1 cup white cosmetic grade clay
1-2 cups cornstarch (you can substitute with arrowroot powder)
3-5 drops of essential oils- my favorite is lavender
Lavender and Rose flowers (optional but they make it look really beautiful!)
1. In a large bowl, using a wire whisk or fork, mix the clay and cornstarch together.
2. Add essential oil (note: It will absorb quite a bit)
3. If you decide to add the herbs, finely grind the lavender and roses (or other herbs of your choice) to a fine powder. Sift. Then grind again. They must be as powdered as possible or they will give a gritty feeling to the powder. A coffee or seed and nut grinder will work fairly well (make sure the grinder is VERY clean or you will smell like coffee).
4. Cover the body powder with a porous cloth and let sit for several hours to dry. Package in a powder container, spice jar with a shaker top or a vintage glass bottle.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!  

HOW TO: Make a Plum and Peach Crisp

My favorite Summer desserts have always been crisps or cobblers, letting the ripe Summer fruit really shine through. Last night I made a Peach, Raspberry and Blueberry Crisp. I improvised the filling part but used the topping recipe from 101 Cookbooks. Everyone loved the end result and the topping came out crispy and moist and perfectly sweet. I had never used yogurt in a topping before but it was a success and I think I will be making this recipe again and again.

Shopping List:
Fruit:
1 pound ripe peaches
1 pound ripe plums
1/4 cup natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoons arrowroot (or cornstarch)
a scant 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water (opt)
Crisp:
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
big pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup yogurt
See the full recipe at 101 Cookbooks

HOW TO: Weave a floral garland and create the perfect Summer Hairstyle

Don't you just love this garland?

See how to make one over on Refinery29

HOW-TO: Make Spicy Heirloom Tomatoes & Sweet Corn

Happy Summer everyone. It has been hot and sticky here in Brooklyn but I don't mind the heat, I used to live in the Caribbean. So when this time of year comes around I'm in a great mood and all I want to do is eat vegetables, swim and never wear shoes. I recently reconnected with an old friend from my days on the island of St. John (yes, we used to live there... and no, I don't know why I left). Nicole is a super talented photographer and I've spent most of the morning looking at her work and drooling on my computer. I thought I would share this recipe, as it is a timely one, as us folks on the East Coast are getting pumped up about our August diet that consists of only corn and tomatoes.

Shopping List:
heirloom tomatoes
fresh corn
chives (optional, or your favorite fresh herb)
sea salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne or paprika
drizzle of olive oil
squeeze of lemon or lime
See the full recipe here on Nicole's Blog

HOW TO: Make Homemade Chai

Loving Chai Tea these days. Feeling inspired to make my own after looking at this picture.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Shopping List:
4 1/2 cups Filtered water
2 sticks Cinnamon
3 small slivers Ginger
14 whole Cardamom pods
2 whole Star Anise pods
20 whole Cloves
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, ground
1/2 tsp Nutmeg, ground
1+ tsp Orange zest
2/3 cup Brown sugar
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Vanilla
10 Black tea bags
 See the full recipe at www.kmillerphotographs.com