This month we head towards the holiday season, so it’s time to think about ideas to treat ourselves as well as our loved ones. I’ve included a few things that I swear by or that are going on my wishlist that I think you’ll love too - gorgeous textures, fragrances, treatments and ideas for self-care. And of course, I’m still on an absolute high because we’ve launched a brand new product - I can guarantee it’ll put a dazzling and healthy smile on your face!

B E A U T Y

T H E   P E R F U M E

My favorite perfume shop in the US is Fueguia 1833. They create all-natural perfumes with zero harsh chemicals or endocrine disruptors, using medicinal plants and are big on sustainability. The scents are all produced in limited editions, based on the availability of ingredients and are packaged in wooden boxes that are hand-crafted at their Milan woodshop. I especially love the sandalwood variations, like Muskara Santalum, La Jovene Noche, and Et Hemm.

S K I N C A R E

As the temperatures outside drop and we get less sunlight on our faces, it can be a challenge to maintain a bright and clear complexion. Our holi (bright) resurface glass face mask is here to help! It uses lactic acid that gently dissolves dead skin cells to reveal a bright, clear, and smooth complexion from underneath, minimizing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pores. 

For those of you with mature, dry, sensitive, or inflamed skin types, it’s absolutely ideal. Soothing aloe vera offsets redness and irritation while hyaluronic acid floods the skin with moisture. It’s one of my current favorites - not only do I use it to prep my skin before an event, I’ve been applying it before I go to bed and letting it work its magic overnight so I wake up with super hydrated skin. 

C U T E  M A K E U P   S T A C K A B L E S 

I’m a huge fan of these stackables from SimiHaze Beauty - the packaging is so cute!  The Skin Suede Melting Bronze Balm comes in six shades and is a great all-rounder - a nourishing balm that can be used on the face or eyes to add warmth. The Soft Blur Moisture Lock Setting Powder provides the final step to your makeup routine - and comes with a cute little cotton powder puff. It works on all skin types, so it hydrates dry complexions and manages excess oil, delivering a soft, blurry finish that gives a natural look. Like so many of the SimiHaze products, there’s genius in the design, as they click together and are small enough to fit into any tiny handbag. 

H O M E   &   I N T E R I O R S

T H E   C A N D L E

If you’re looking for a delight-the-host gift to bring to Thanksgiving (or a cute treat for yourself), the Brown Candle from Hotel Costes features their signature scent - a wonderful blend of bitter orange peel, oak moss, waxed wood, rum, mahogany and paprika - I just love those notes around my home this time of year.

T H E   B A T H   T O W E L

Frette has been producing classic, luxury bed linens and towels for over 160 years. Historically a favorite with European royal families, and the first choice of over 1,000 luxury hotels around the world, they source the finest fibers and employ highly-skilled artisans to produce these super soft plush and highly absorbent cotton terry towels. The ‘Classic’ bath towel is soft, stylish and sumptuous - perfect for wrapping yourself up after an indulgent bubble bath.

T H E   H A N D   W A S H

This Byredo Suede handwash brings all the luxurious qualities we’ve come to expect from the brand. Cleansing, softening, nourishing, easily absorbed with no stickiness, with a soft, lingering fragrance. Think bergamot, lily of the valley, pear, violet and soft musks. Whether you’re getting ready for hosting guests at Thanksgiving or just want to have the most amazing hand wash in your bathroom, look no further.

H E A L T H   &   W E L L B E I N G

O R A L   H E A L T H:  N E W   P R O D U C T   L A U N C H

Our holi (pearly) whites probiotic whitening toothpaste is the deep-cleaning, natural whitening toothpaste you’ve always been looking for - a natural toothpaste that cleans your teeth, fights plaque and leaves your mouth refreshed! Our signature formula blends Manuka honey (clinically studied for its ability to strengthen teeth and gums); pearl powder and N-HA for whitening; probiotic strain Lactobacillus Salivarius; and a blend of gum-soothing essential oils - clove, peppermint, and cinnamon for a refreshing minty taste.  It’s now available on our website, alongside our gorgeous, hand-crafted Italian toothbrushes, which come from a maker with 150 years of experience. Available in a range of joy-inducing colors,chosen to remind me of those gorgeous beach club umbrellas in Capri! 

S K I N   H E A L T H:  R E D   L I G H T   M A S K S   &   Q U A N T U M    H E A L I N G

I’m a big fan of red light therapy for improving skin health, boosting energy, aiding muscle recovery and relieving joint pain. I make time for regular sessions, both at home and on my travels and I use two devices - a smaller one for my travels and a larger one for my home. They are so easy to use, plus there is no pain and no downtime needed after your session.

The Omnilux Contour Face is the red light mask that goes away with me as it’s small enough to pack up, and so easy to use in my hotel room. The two clinically proven wavelengths of light (red and near-infrared) work on a cellular level to stimulate new collagen, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and reduce sun damage and the visible signs of aging. Just one ten minute treatment, three to five times each week is all it takes - but you do need to be consistent and allow around a month to start seeing results.

At home, my choice is the REDjuvenator, which has been created by award-winning inventor, engineer and designer Leanne Venier, who is well known and respected in the medical profession for her expertise in therapeutic light. Quantum healing energies combine with the synergistic light therapy frequencies in the REDjuvenator to heal the energy body and the physical body, as it penetrates the body's tissues, organs, and brain. I use it to heal anywhere that I’ve experienced cellular or tissue damage, and areas where I feel pain or inflammation. I love how it de-stresses me, improves my sleep, and leaves my skin looking and feeling younger.

I N N E R   H E A L T H: T H E   S U P P L E M E N T 

Zinc is a vital mineral that is well known for its power to boost the immune system, warding off viruses and bacteria. But did you know it also supports skin health, cell growth and renewal, and may protect against acne, inflammation, and other skin conditions? This essential nutrient is able to fight oxidative stress and damage to our DNA (that can provoke and promote aging) because of its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Yet it doesn’t occur naturally in our bodies, so we have to get it from our diet and supplements. Foods such as red meat, fish and oysters, pumpkin seeds, pork, dark chicken, nuts, yogurt, and fruits like blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, avocados, apricots, peaches, cantaloupe and pomegranate are all excellent sources.But not all of these are available over the winter months, so I make sure I take these Vitall+ Zinc Complex Vitamin B6 Manganese daily. 

T H E   B E N E F I T S   O F   S A U N A

It’s time we re-thought saunas. We need to think of them as being a stand-alone therapy or treatment. They’re not just for a quick sweat before we take a dip in the pool, or for unwinding after a gym class although these are great ways to use them. I’ve been sharing recently how much I value a daily infrared sauna session. Much like traditional Finnish saunas, infrared saunas are built from quality woods and use a confined room to raise the temperature around your body. The main difference is the heating methods - rather than using hot stones to heat the air around you, infrared saunas use infrared light to heat your body directly, and don’t have to reach such high levels to raise our core temperature, so they are much gentler on our airways. 

So whether you’re able to find an infrared sauna near you or your studio has the traditional type - there are some huge benefits you can gain from regular sessions:

• Improves skin health: we always come out of a sauna feeling cleansed. And no wonder -  the sweating flushes out dirt, bacteria, and toxins from the skin, and replaces dead skin cells. The heat from a sauna increases blood flow by causing our blood vessels to dilate - this in turn delivers more nutrients to our skin and promotes cell turnover, rebuilding collagen and repairing damage. And because saunas can help to reduce stress, this can lead to fewer breakouts and other skin conditions.
• Alleviates aches, pains and soreness: the increased circulation from a sauna can help reduce muscle soreness, improve joint movement, and ease arthritis pain. Many gym-goers have found that their muscles ache a whole lot less after their workouts if they follow with a sauna session consistently, helping diminish muscle fatigue and tension.
• Slows down visible aging: heat therapy works by increasing the production of heat shock proteins (HSPs) - a group of proteins that our cells produce in response to stressful conditions, such as heat, cold, UV light, or wound healing. Altered or damaged proteins are one of the hallmarks of aging, and protein damage can occur in malformed or unfolded proteins. The HSPs we produce assist, by helping the proteins refold or if they are too damaged, they break them down and recycle them so damaged proteins don’t accumulate. 
• Works on internal repair too: HSPs also activate our internal antioxidant and repair systems. They prevent damage from stress and help to stop sugar binding to the proteins in our body which then reduces inflammation.

Just 15-20 minutes a day (or slightly less if you’re new to saunas) will bring you all these benefits, plus you get sometime without your phone - so get relaxing, use the time to think creatively and practice your gratitudes while you de-stress and treat your body to some wellness time.

Love, Jena x