[F]resh off a trip to Provence, I found myself immersed daily in roses.  I love roses. From perfume to food to decor, I am constantly surrounding myself in these delicate expressions of nature.

When my beautifully botanic friend Shiva Rose launched her non-toxic, chemical free skin care line, which is made in small batches to insure optimal integrity, I knew it was going to have some powerful rose moments. My gateway drug was the Radiant Rosewater spray and now I’m covering my entire body in this lovely line. I am quite sensitive to energy and I have to say, the energy in these products emit positivity and that positivity goes right onto your skin and into your soul.

I’m deeply into skincare these days as I have pared-down my use of makeup, opting for more natural beauty. When you can’t hide your skin behind foundation and powder tricks, you have to make it naturally look as good as you are trying to fake it with the application of makeup. Smooth, even tone, and naturally glowing. It honestly even took me some time to get used to looking at the natural texture of my skin!

I’ve been experimenting with different beauty lines and currently I’ve been focusing on Shiva Rose. Overall, I say these beautiful products are great for the woman who wants mega moisture and natural scents delivered through a bouquet of essential oils and topped off with a lot of happy spirit juju.

The Gentle Cleanser-

Pearl Milk Cleanser might be my favorite of all Shiva Rose’s products. It’s a face wash that doesn’t strip your face bare of it’s natural balance. It feels calming and hydrating to use with a very delicate natural exfoliant from black willow bark and luminizing elixir from the pearl powder, your face comes out clean and radiant. Shiva is not just about the physical aspects of beauty but how it ties to the inner spirit and this gentle fresh scent cleanser really does feel uplifting.

The Perfect Beauty Balm-

Glow Face Balm is that kind of do-it-all-for-you treatment. Slightly thicker in the jar, the moment it touches your skin it melts into a silky oil I use all over my face, lips, neck, décolletage, and cuticles. It’s oily at first application so give it a few minutes to soak into the skin and you’ll feel soft and radiant. The fragrance notes are brighter, mixing floral roses with the woody and lemony notes of frankincense. This “goddess glow” balm also contains Argan Oil, also known as liquid gold, a beauty weapon I discovered on my journey through Morocco.

For the Body-

This product is amazing. Typically when I think of body scrubs I think of an abrasive texture sitting in oil you sandpaper all over your body. This, however, is not like that at all. With a slight grainy texture, this paste melts into your skin like butter. A strong bouquet of lemongrass instantly makes you feel brighter and lingers on your skin afterwards in a way no other body scrub has. It’s no wonder she calls it the Sea Siren Body Scrub, it truly makes you feel like a sea goddess.

For the Eyes-

Before you even put it on you feel the soothing nature coming through with this Blue Crystal Eye Cream. I love the dusty blue-green tone and intense organic smell, a mix of anti-aging evening primrose, chamomile, blue tansy, lavender, and sandalwood notes balanced with powerful natural ingredients like aloe to fight puffiness and activated by azurite crystals.

The Rosewater Spray-

This was my point of entry into Shiva Rose’s collection. I love rosewater sprays. I think they are the secret to natural beauty. I spray this on my face first thing in the morning, after any point in my skincare routine, throughout the day, and after I finish applying what little makeup I do wear. I am a firm believer it keeps your skin hydrated, glowing, calm, and youthful. Shiva’s Radiant Rosewater has an organic rose scent without smelling perfumed.

Other botanical mists I rotate between are Chantecaille’s Pure Rosewater made from 100% Rose de Mai from Provence, May Lindstrom’s Jasmine Garden Mist (possibly the best smelling beauty product in the world!), and Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray with aloe, herbs and rosewater. I also always carry a travel size Caudalie beauty elixir spray with me for multiple applications on flights.

Above, a portrait of Shiva Rose I took in the backyard of her L.A. home when she first discussed the desire to make a line of skin care for women based on natural beauty. Her blog, The Local Rose, goes even further with stories of wellness, at-home natural beauty remedies, healthy lifestyle recipes and much more for the mind, body and spirit.

More beauty stories…

Tata Harper ||  Stowaway || Chantecaille