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

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: 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.

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.

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.”

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!  

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.”

Best Green Makeup Artist Award

I'm so excited to share the news that  TreeHugger announced their third annual Best of Green Awards in Fashion and Beauty and awarded me “Best Green Makeup Artist.”
I'm in amazing company including Spirit Beauty Lounge, No More Dirty Looks, Weleda, John Masters, Patagonia... and many others.
Thank you TreeHugger! I'm so honored!

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.

An Evening at Stone Barns and Blue Hill

from Weleda.com: This summer I had the opportunity to visit Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture up the Hudson in Pocantico Hills, NY, to talk to the staff there about my work as an organic beauty consultant and makeup artist.  Dan Barber, the visionary chef (and one of my heroes), asked me to come and speak to the farmers and chefs and share my knowledge about natural beauty.  I'm so passionate about my work and my mission to educate and inspire folks to choose a more natural, healthier type of beauty routine, that being able to share with the staff at Blue Hill and Stone Barns was such an honor.

I got to take a stroll around the farm before we headed to the outdoor patio where the staff had assembled, eating their meal of fresh greens and pasta. First we heard from Jack Algiere, the farm manager, about what was coming into season and the importance of communication between the farmers and chefs. Then it was my turn. I told the staff about what I do, and then we engaged in a discussion about how the beauty industry is in desperate need of a makeover. Dan fired away with thought provoking questions, and the staff also chimed in, curious about what “organic” really means, whether sunscreen is toxic, which companies’ products are truly natural and how they can learn how to make sustainable choices.

I was thrilled to connect with everyone there; they are doing such great work educating and inspiring people about healthy food and sustainability. I like to think I do the same sort of thing, talking about our environment and sustainability through an interesting medium—mine is makeup and skin care and theirs is food. It was thrilling to be in the presence of such gastronomical rock stars. To finish I passed out Weleda treats of Skin Food and Almond Facial Oil. The staff was thrilled—everyone loved the samples.

Then for the part I had been waiting for: dinner! The next three hours were incredible. The chefs indulged us with fresh asparagus wrapped with prosciutto and sesame seeds, lemony watercress, purple potato gnocchi, apricot jam, smoked butter, fried smelt, fiddle head ferns, honey from the farm, tiny strawberries, goat’s milk yogurt and much, much more! I had the biggest smile on my face throughout the entire meal. Finally, for my final treat of the evening, we walked out of the restaurant to see the moon. It was bright orange, full, big and fat, and we could hear the newly born, baby lambs cooing in the distance.

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

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

See the full story here-

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.

Holiday Beauty

Holiday time is upon us, it seemed to happen so fast, it feels like August was just last week!

Oh well, time to embrace winter beauty and prepare our skin for the blustery cold winter months.
Natural Health Magazine recently interviewed me about holiday makeup, check it out above or on page 32 of the magazine.

They didn't have room to fit all of my favorite products that I wanted to share with you, so I included them here.
Enjoy!

Jane Iredale eyeliner in Black Brown
Primitive Lipstick in Tahiti
Nvey Lip Gloss in Nude
rms beauty Living Luminzer
Kahina- Giving Beauty Argan Oil Serum

goodLooks: Green Makeup Begets a New Kind of Makeup Artist

I was recently interviewed by Melisse Gelula of Well and Good NYC.

Here is the interview:

“I wasn’t eating food with chemicals, but here I was putting them all over the faces of women. I decided I didn’t want anything to do with that,” says Jessa Blades, one of a small new crop of green makeup artists working the editorial and wedding scene in New York City.
Although she went to North America’s top makeup school and worked for glamorous MAC cosmetics, Blades now carries in her kit green giants like Jane Iredale and Dr. Hauschka. And she’s a divining rod for emerging eco-friendly boutique brands, like RMS Beauty, MOD Skin, and Couleur Caramel, a collective category that there’s still no aisle for at Sephora. (Although she lists a dozen or so on her website.)
So how does makeup without the dirty dozen ingredients measure up? “One thing I hear from women is green makeup doesn’t last,” says Blades. “Well, nothing lasts. Breakfast doesn’t last all day. We just eat again. Likewise, lipstick needs to be reapplied. Should we load it with chemicals that dry out lips instead of doing a touch up?” The color selection nearly matches traditional makeup now, and many eco-friendly formulations include ingredients that are nourishing for skin, adds Blades.
What’s refreshing about Blades is that she’s a thinking woman’s green makeup artist, not an absolutist. Especially when it comes to special events. “It’s really okay to use waterproof mascara at a wedding,” she says. Particularly yours.
The takeaway? “The goal is to watch our exposure to toxins to avoid a build-up over time. Not to be all or nothing.”

Blades Natural Beauty on NBC

Here is a clip of our recent interview about Natural Fall Beauty


This is the list of products that we mentioned-
Jane Iredale Dream Tint
Alima Pure Bronzer
Revolution Organics Beauty Balm
Dr. Hauschka Toned Day Cream
rms beauty
Jane Iredale Gloss
Couleur Caramel Mascara

Welcome to the NEWYork 100

from All Day Buffet-

"We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims."
- Buckminster Fuller

"The foundations of New York's stronghold have been called into question. The world is reeling from the fallout of the financial crisis and current recession. But these times of crisis offer huge opportunities to change those foundations -- of how we do everything from business, to education and even eating out. New York has been at the forefront of innovation and now is no different. New York's crisis may be its greatest opportunity to lead the charge for the world.


NEWYork100 highlights 100 of the most innovative, rule- breaking, model-changing ideas to come out of the Big Apple. Call it social innovation, intelligent capitalism, idealistic enterprise: We're curating and highlighting the most creative, resourceful, and innovative people, companies and movements in New York. All rebuilding the city better and brighter and recreating the way we understand the world. These 100 are just the beginning. After all, it is a big apple, so get ready to get full on good.

We're sick of the doom and gloom--the stories of revival coming out of this crisis need to be told too. So our goal is to give these changemakers and rebuilders as much exposure as possible. Help us spread the word by emailing the list, blogging it, digging it, stumbling it, and yelling it out their windows. The future is what we make of it. Help us create something amazing."

Blades Natural Beauty is thrilled to be a part of this list!
Take a moment and read this list, you can't help but feel inspired (don't forget to check out #45!)