things to do... check out Toast!

All images from Toast.com.
So I was browsing my very talented friend Kaytes adorable blog love forever and she did a great post about Toast from the UK. I thought it was a very appropriate for flawless beauty because they have a really great ethical statement that you just may want to read for yourself...also browse the goods, the catalog is full of wonderful product!

perfect gift for the holidays...

As I said may have said before I LOVE all and any products by Jo Wood Organics. The shelf appeal is so great and the product is such nice quality. The scents are both sensuous and luxurious. So, to say the least, I was very excited to come across this Amka gift set available online at Saffron Rouge. The gift set includes the Amka Organic Body Dew, Organic Body Oil, Organic Bath Oil and Organic Body Lotion. Amka (which is Swahili for 'to wake') is enchantingly fresh with top notes of Bergamot and Neroli and a romantic heart of Egyptian Jasmine and Iranian Rose Otto. This set is definitely number one on my holiday wish list!

lets talk goat soap...

From what I have read, the benefits of goat milk are legendary. Goat milk has been used for centuries as a luxurious beauty aid. The low pH level of goat milk is close to our skin's pH, making it a very gentle cleanser. Goat milk also contains alpha-hydroxy acids, which are known for their restorative and rejuvenating qualities. People who have skin allergies, eczema and dry/itchy winter skin are also frequently users of goat milk soap.

My favorite thing about goat soap is how soft my skin feels afterwards. My skin also never feels dry which is why I used to shy away from using bar soaps. Basically it really moisturizes while it cleanses and is completely natural (make sure you purchase from a natural farmer/vendor). You can find all sorts of different scents, sizes and mixtures of goat milk soap. My favorite is just a giant raw bar of it, this can also be used as a base to make scented soap. So where can you get your bar of goat milk soap? I find that the local farmers market usually has a great selection of homemade soaps to choose from, or your local health food store will carry goat milk soap as well. Online you can learn more about goat milk soap and order from Natures Whey Farm and Colestin Caprines.

time for a mask...

This avocado mask is moisturizing, affordable and quick to prepare. Avocado provides a rich source of vitamin A,C,D,E and has more potassium than a banana. Avocado oil is regularly used in skin and hair products because of this rich nutrients.
For the Mask: Mash 1/2 organic avocado, I find 1/4 avocado is enough unless your going to put on a hair mask as well. Apply a thick layer to your face and neck and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Rinse well with warm water.
Sometimes I mix a little organic honey in as well to make more of a smooth consistency. Afterwards your skin will feel fresh, young and replenished...take advantage of what your kitchen has to offer! For those of you who do not want avocado in your hair here is a good solution by Burt's Bees.

at the spa...

I have made it to San Francisco and was luckily able to squeeze in a few hours of spa time! There are a lot of great spas in the city but I went to my favorite Kabuki Springs & Spa. The ambiance is tranquil, the customer service is great and they have amazingly refreshing product for your use such as cucumber lotion and rosemary shampoo and conditioner.


I am a huge fan of great wet bars, so I chose to visit the Japanese communal baths. For the 20$ fee you have access to the hot pool, cold plunge, dry sauna and a steam room. In this area you will find complimentary bath products, sea salts, chilled cucumber face cloths, light snacks and tea. Womens days are Sun, Wend, and Fri and Mens days are Mon, Thur, Sat. In the past I have also had a massage at Kabuki which was great. With a service you pay 15$ to use the communal baths.

All images from KabukiSprings.com.

Welcome tranquility and calm your senses, book an appointment today...
1750 Geary Blvd. (@Fillmore) San Francisco, CA 94115 415.922.6000 Open daily 10am - 9:45pm Reservations: Open daily 10am-6pm 415.922.6000 Press #2

SmoochiSkin...

Images from smoochiskin.com

Upon arriving to my moms house for the holidays, I was given a new body butter by the company SmoochiSkin. SmoochiSkin creates products as naturally as possible, never adding unnecessary additives or dyes. The skin and bath products are available in a variety of catchy fragrances, (mine was butt naked) and have candles that match as well. You can order online at SmoochiSkin.com or make a sample request.

a little Sunday inspiration...

How is this for curling up under a tree for some tranquility! Sunday is a day to rest, relax and allow your body to rejuvenate, the metalwork of Shawn Lovell provides fine grounds to do so. The Oakland, California artist's website shares her whimsical home furnishing pieces. Flawless Beauty encourages you to make time for ample rest; you deserve this- be worthy and you will flourish!

and flawless beauty has a new blogger...

I am still traveling, but luckily I have recruited my sister Margaux as a guest blogger for Flawless Beauty! I am very excited because she has a great eye for finding new product and she lives in Los Angeles so she will explore different areas (because I am in New York).
Most importantly we will be able to post more which will give you flawless readers more to look at! Please check out her first post...fire for a cool day.
Enjoy!

fire for a cool day...

Do you need a warm wake up? Or a pick me up after a long, chilly day? Eminence Organic Skin Care has a great body lotion that contains fiery paprika and cinnamon. These two ingredients work as stimulants to firm and sculpt your skin tissue. Cinnamon and Paprika Body Lotion improves cellulite so when the sun peaks out again, you'll be tropics ready! Also included in this cream is carrot, calendula and according to its website a "Biocomplex™ an antioxidant booster of Vitamins A, Ester-C, E, Coenzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic Acid." This product is lovely, not only does it feel great but the scent is the perfect boost for anytime of day. Eminence Organic Skin Care has a vast array of plant-based, high quality products that are not heated or hydrogenated. Sustainable farming practices and 100% windpower energy are used to make these excellent handmade products, what more could you ask for?!?

products from the French...

Bonjour! I am very excited for todays post. I have been in Paris for the last couple months working on various projects, vacationing and of course researching beauty/skincare. Today is my last day in Paris, so in celebration of my amazing time here, todays post is all about organic french products!


I am not sure which of these below products can be ordered outside of France but if anything, it's a good list to have with you when your in France. Many of these can be found at the numerous natural food stores (magasin biologique or magasin bio for short). Such as the Bio Moi or Naturalia. Some products can also be found at the various pharmacies as well.

I also discovered an amazing website, cosmetiquesbio.net that has an incredible variety of organic products as well (in french).


This cream sensible by Ballot-flurin is something my friend Daisy discovered at Naturalia when she was here in Paris with me. We love it! The texture and scent has a slight clay like feeling and the lotion leaves your face with a fine soft matte finish. Perfect for people who feel their skin is too shiny. They also offer a honey shampoo, I am a huge fan of the lingering scent honey products leave. The packaging is cute as well...
The above PATYKA scent is Boise which translates to Timber. One of my good male friends requested that I bring him back a Cedar scent by one of his favorite Paris scent makers. I never paid much attention to woodsy scents until sent on this mission! They are actually quite nice and very appropriate for male or females. I was thrilled to come across this organic company PATYKA who has a nice, quaint store in Paris . The make all sorts of organic scents, oils and product with very nice shelf appeal.


SANOFLORE products are sold at all the pharmacies around Paris. The above is a hydrating spay similar to the one posted earlier by Jurlique...SANOFLORE also advertise their products to be baby friendly as well. I seem to notice a parisian trend with keeping babies smelling nice and dousing them with sprays, lol.


This is a very nice simple gentle exfoliating shower gel by Belle&Bio. Great for sensitive skin.And lastly we have a sensitive face cream by Mosqueta's, which focuses on using my favorite, Rose Mosqueta as the main ingredient in their products.

The beauty in Paris is amazing, so fresh and natural. The lifestyle differences between Paris and New York are extreme, (although the lifestyle differences between most places in the world and New York are extreme, lol). There is a lot more focus on eating of fresh foods with little preservatives and eating in smaller quantities than in the U.S.. The lifestyle is relaxed and people take time to dine. People to not take drinks to go, not even from Starbucks. Is it the combination of all of this and the lack of focus on fake beauty that makes naturally beautiful skin and quality lifestyle so apparent in Paris? Either way it was very inspiring to be around!.

I am going to be traveling in California for the next couple weeks, so if there is a delay in posts that is why...hopefully I will have some fun new products and spas to post about at the end of my west coast vacation for you!

something for the babies...

The baby blog the yellow feather made a post about a great natural brand vedaPURE. VedaPURE, created by Dr. Nataile Geary and offers great natural body products for babies, women and men. VedaPURE can be ordered online. I have also seen this product stocked in the kids department at ABChome in New York.

winter is almost here...

Winter is almost here which will mean for a lot of us, cold, dry skin. For years I have used Skin Food from Weleda. Skin Food is a deep-penetrating replenishing skin cream for dry patches of skin. Containing chamomile, calendula, wild pansy and a blend of essential oils. Skin Food can be applied anywhere on the body or left overnight on hands or feet for extra intensive care.

I use Skin Food for an entirely different purpose though, I use it as a highlighter on my face and anywhere else I want an extra glow. You can also achieve a dewy look on the eyes to hold eyeshadow. Think of Skin Food as a fabulous alternative to any kind of Vaseline product.
Skin Food can be found at your local health food store, Whole Foods or ordered online at Amazon.com.

skin with a velvety soft touch...

How to get skin with a velvety soft touch? Exfoliate. It is necessary to remove the dead skin on the surface to let healthy soft skin glow underneath. I've tried many different salt, sugar and nut scrubs. I came across this scrub from Sephora, and it is amazing. I do not usually try to advertise large non-organic brand names on Flawless Beauty but I also understand that a lot of people shop at Sephora on a regular basis and am taking that into consideration. This sugar body scrub from Sephora has no mineral oil which is great because mineral oil is a cheap filler ingredient that is hard to break down and clogs pours.
Another bonus is the scrub leaves my skin with a great sweet brown sugar scent! The active ingredients are:
-Sweet Sugar: Nourishing exfoliant, -Grapeseed Oil: Nourishing/antioxidant, -Sweet Almond Oil: Softening, -Apricot Kernel Oil: Reviving, -Jojoba Oil: Protective, -Vitamin E: Antioxidant.
I also can offer anyone who is interested 20% off at Sephora for 3 weeks in November. Valid online or in the store. Just email me at flawlessbeautyblog@gmail.com and I will email you the discount code, great for holiday shopping!

a little Sunday inspiration...

So there are a few things I really like about the below bathing area concept. There are a lot of different ideas going on in the photo below and they all work together more or less. For one, I love the whitewash wood floors. And I really love the whitewash wood floors with the black lamp and shelf. It almost gives a living room in your bathroom type feel, the framed mirror as well.
The mirrored shelves are fabulous in this space and the vertical placement is a good concept for tiny bathrooms. I love glass bottles on glass shelves, even though it can lead to disaster :). And the tub, amazing! I'm not sure how I feel about the faucet though...

another gentle cleanser plus updates on Jurlique...

I know I posted a gentle cleanser yesterday but I find that a lot of people request posts or have questions about sensitive skin. I want to make sure everyone feels like they can find something they can take away from the flawless beauty blog. I do not regularly use sensitive skin products so any comments would be appreciated. Below is the soothing cleansing lotion, this cleanser is offered by one of my favorite skincare companies Jurlique.
I also noticed that they changed their website and packaging design...as below. So do not be confused if stores still have the old packaging...
Below is the old Jurlique product packaging.
All images from Jurlique.com