All posts filed under: Newsworthy

Easter Bathing: Slovak Easter Traditions To Help You Stay Healthy All Year

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In Slovakia, Easter signals a lot more than the resurrection of Jesus. It is a day that symbolizes re-birth, fertility, and the welcoming of spring with health in mind. As is the case with a lot of Catholic holidays, Easter is a mix of christian and pagan traditions. Looking at the Slovak tradition of bathing in cold water and whipping/or spanking of women with branches on Easter, one cannot help but think of these rituals as something nature-worshipping celts and pagans might have done. It is these traditions that make Slovakia and Czech Republic special. I know what you are thinking. Whipping? Bathing? Allow me to explain. Here is how Slovaks and Czechs celebrate Easter. While Good Friday and Easter Sunday says Easter to most of the world, in Slovakia the celebration continues on Monday. Monday after Easter Sunday is a national holiday, and it is purely reserved for eating and socializing. Artisanal eggs get displayed on trees, in vases, and around the home. Carefully arranged plates of cheeses, sandwiches, ham, sweets, and more, await …

Talking Art and Career with Street and Graffiti Artist, Elle Street Art

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A new mural was going up in my neighborhood. It was colorful, timely, and drew a crowd. The mural was of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the artist was Elle Street Art. I stood on the sidewalk with my East Village neighbors, we cheered on the artist, and some discussed the mural in detail. There were a lot of conflicting ideas. While Ruth Bader Ginsburg is at the center of the mural, there are quite a few symbols around her. It is a hopeful feast for the eyes. To clear things up, Elle was quick to explain the mural on her Instagram. The flowers to the bottom left are Black Eyed Susans, which represent justice. Above that is the Brooklyn Bridge, signifying Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s childhood borough. Above her head are hits of a crown composed of her many collars. This is also a gentle nod to Biggie, the namesake of her nickname Notorious RBG. The justice of the Supreme Court seemed to enjoy the nickname. To the right of the justice’s heads is the turquoise …

10 Beauty and Wellness Gurus To Follow On Instagram Right Now

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Want to focus on self-care and skincare in 2021? Here is a list of aestheticians, spa professionals, doctors, and wellness warriors to follow and learn from right now. BEATA ALEKSANDROWICZ – THE FACE WHISPERER Since the beginning of the pandemic we talked about the power of touch, and use of our five sense, to help soothe and heal the body and the mind. Beata Aleksandrowicz has been written about many times as the go-to expert in massage, healing and wellbeing. She live streams her sought-after face massage classes to help with sculpting, lifting, soothing and general Face Therapy. We cannot stop watching. Learn from a real professional and follow her: beata_aleksandrowicz. DR. BARBARA STRUM – THE YOUTH EXPERT Dr. Barbara Strum is everyone’s favorite aesthetics doctor. The German doctor never seems to age and has developed cutting-edge and non-surgical treatments that help fight inflammation and aging skin. In 2014 she blessed us with a skincare line that celebrates simplicity, hydration and provides a regenerative glow. You can book a virtual consultation with the famous doctor, …

Expert Feng Shui Bedroom Tips For Couples

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Making small changes in our home environment can often create a powerful shift in our mood and our lives. Take the pressure off Valentine’s Day with Feng Shui. The bedroom is where your love thrives, so make sure your environment is properly set up to help your relationship in positive ways. For expert tips we went to an influential Feng Shui consultant, Judith Wendell. Judith Wendell is a well-known New York City Feng Shui expert; focusing on design, space clearing and teaching the Feng Shui philosophy. Before construction goes up, she is the one who gets called in to clear the space. Even if you think the spiritual aspect of Feng Shui might not be for you, the Chinese concept of Feng Shui provides practical tips that can be applied to our everyday lives. The position of your bed is most important. You should have a clear view of the door without being in line with its path.  This usually means that the bed is diagonally across from the door.  If the bed must be in …

We Launched an At-Home Spa Shop, Join The Soak Club

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Soak Club is the brainchild of our Editorial Manager, Paulina Kajankova. The idea for The Soak Club was born out of the necessity to seek out better at-home spa experiences for everyone. From ancient baths to traditional Finnish saunas, our ancestors understood the benefits of spa living. They made it a routine part of their lives – and you should too! Spa living should not be thought of as luxury, but as a fundamental part of our healthy lifestyle. The Soak Club is fueled by the desire to find ways towards better physical, skin and mental health. Our brands are hand-picked, well-researched, tried-and-true, and clean ingredients are important to us. In addition, we like to seek out brands that explore untapped areas of the world for powerful ingredients. Some of our heroes are herbalists who climb mountains in order to find that one magical herb. It is our belief that spa beauty is the most effective beauty, and that’s why we want you to incorporate it into your beauty and wellness rituals. Why shop The Soak …

Quarantine-Inspired 2020 Holiday Gift Guide For the Most Hated Year

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The 2020 holiday season might look different, but is is more important than ever to show how much we care. Choose your gifts carefully and with their health in mind. The year might have sucked, but the gifts don’t have to. Lola’s Apothecary For extra special holiday splendor give them the gift of at-home spa. Lola’s Apothecary is an English brand that puts a ridiculous amount of attention into each product. If your loved one likes to indulge in a luxury bath or take extra special care of their skin, Lola’s Apothecary has you covered. Plus, they can share their love of beautiful skin with their partner or family through massage oils, candle aromatherapy and shower oils. The brand has created special packaging just for the holidays so go ahead and get shopping. Sanara If your gift receiver enjoys the at-home spa experience, and supporting Latin brands, Sanara should be your go-to. Sanara has tapped into botanical ingredients that make very effective body care, especially for those who suffer from dry skin, eczema, or psoriasis. …

Wellness & The City: Best Places For Socially Distanced Beauty & Wellness Treatments

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In today’s uncertain world escapism is the ultimate luxury. We combed our beloved city for socially distanced beauty and wellness treatments – three places helped us indulge in beauty and wellness, standing out as the best and safest to help us practice self-care. SALT LIVE ENERGIZED 180 Avenue of the Americas Respiratory health and immune health should be our priority, and salt therapy has the potential to become your new favorite pastime. While we have been to a number of salt rooms in the city (each unique in their own way), SALT is the only one that focuses solely on the respiratory system and makes their own body care line of products. Salt air therapy is natural and it is what makes SALT unique is the dry particles of pharmaceutical grade salt, as small as 1 micrometer (aka “micron”), released in a low humidity environment. We can tell you about the science of it all, but instead we’ll just tell you that our sinus headache was relieved upon exit. So what happens in the room …

Cannabis Is The Election Winner: Keep Calm and Destress With CBD Products

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2020 has been a tense year, and because we are all human here, none of us are immune to stress. The last few days has put a lot more pressure on Americans due to the presidential election and rising cases of Covid-19. When it comes to CBD and cannabis-infused products, we’ve always taken a conservative approach. The regulation of CBD products is not where we’d like it to be, but that doesn’t stop us from trying high-quality and researched brands. The election stress might not be over, but cannabis has been the clear winner. Voters have spoken and made cannabis legal in New Jersey, Montana, Mississippi, Arizona and South Dakota. Here are a few of our favorite high-quality CBD brands to help you ease into relaxation. Too Pretty To Eat CBD Gumdrops For relief from stress, anxiety and even depression eat a yummy gumdrop from Molly Jones. Its a delicious way to calm down. Molly Jones confections come in flavors like Lemon Lavender, Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail, Plum Cardamom and Berry. Relaxing with a sweet treat …

Self Care Insiders: Fall Skin Care and Lifestyle Tips From Dermatologist and Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Dendy Engelman

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Seasons are changing and that means your routine is due for an overhaul. When we need advice on skin care, ingredients, skin dilemmas and even holistic, but essential, lifestyle tips – we go to the pros. By pros we mean our aesthetician and doctor. We have had lots of questions lately; from switching our skincare going into the fall to what causes rapid aging. Dr. Dendy Engelman answered. Dr. Engelman is a board-certified dermatologist located in New York, and a Director of Dermatologic Surgery at Metropolitan Hospital. Let’s get right into it. Cultivated: What skincare products or ingredients should we look for when switching from summer to fall/winter routines? Dr. Dendy Engelman: When it’s cold, there is less moisture in the environment. When you compound that by wind and central heating which further lessens the moisture. In this state, water is lost from the skin cells (keratinocytes) leaving skin dry, flaky, chapped. Even if skin does not seem dry, it still needs that layer of protection. The best way to combat it is layer, layer, layer! …

New York City Has a New Museum: The World’s Only Makeup Museum Has Opened It’s Doors With a “Pink Jungle – 1950s Makeup In America” Exhibit

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New York City proves that it remains to be America’s cultural hub with the opening of the world’s first Makeup Museum. Beauty, and more specifically makeup, have been a part of society for thousands of years, so we do wonder – why has no one thought up this idea before? While the initial opening of the museum was delayed due to the coronavirus, the 3,500-square foot space has officially opened its doors September 1st at 94 Gansevoort Street – proving that the city is recovering and very much alive. Before you go, make sure to reserve your ticket and schedule a visit on their website. Don’t forget to explore the rest of the meatpacking district afterwards. Let’s talk makeup. Makeup is so much more than tangible objects and what the eye sees. Makeup is heritage, resilience, nostalgia, strength, folklore, art, and so much more. Makeup artifacts can tells us more about what was considered beautiful, past inventions, and societal thinking. It was about time someone paid homage to makeup and its purpose. The museum opened …

Mental & Physical Health Of The Working World: Talking Healthy Work Culture With HealthKick CEO & Wellness Expert, Erika Zauner

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A recent study found that Americans are much more stressed out about Coronavirus than citizens of other countries. There truly is no denying that the stress of COVID-19 has negatively impacted our mental health. If you are working, work culture dictates that we show up, good attitude and all. A mental health day is hard to take when you are essential or already working from home. This is why our current lives require stricter self-advocacy and routine that focuses on a balanced lifestyle. We have to advocate for our mental health even harder, but what a lot of company heads fail to realize is that happy faces at work don’t just happen on their own. Fostering a healthy work culture and keeping up with brand quality requires a long term plan that takes employee health into consideration. Our bosses likely want us to be healthy, but the concern always seems to stop at the onboarding process. In the US, skipping lunch and working long hours has been the trend for years. In fact, it was expected. We …

Book Reviews: Your Ultimate Guides To Natural Living, Better Self-Care & Self-Sufficiency

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The Women’s Heritage Sourcebook by Lauren Malloy, Ashley Moore, Emma Rollin Moore & Audria Culaciati The Women’s Heritage Sourcebook could not have come into our lives at a better time. Whether you recently embraced gardening, tried new recipes, or attempted and succeeded at canning – know that you are not alone in learning to be more self-reliant. Why look into this sourcebook? Firstly, this is more than a book. It is a guide and a valuable resource that was birthed out of a combined effort between four authors. Secondly, their shared affinity for skills and crafts, that have been around for centuries, has helped create the ultimate guide to homesteading for your every day life. The way the sourcebook displays recipes makes it easy to learn valuable life skills: preserving, making homemade tomato sauce, botanical cocktails, lacto-fermentation, raising chickens, herbalism, DIY beauty and a lot more. Share this sourcebook and their recipes with the women and men in your life because you will never regret learning to be more self-sufficient. You will likely cherish this sourcebook so …