Rebecca Casciano's Sacred Beauty

Anjie Cho February 15, 2017

I recently met the incredible, Rebecca Casciano, creator of the Sacred Beauty Salon Series. Rebecca's series aims to not only provide women with practical makeup tips, but also to hone in on the relationship between self-love, acceptance and appearance. Beauty does start from the inside, after all! This week, we sat down with Rebecca and sussed out exactly what's behind her idea of sacred beauty and how it relates to our philosophies at Holistic Spaces. Ready for a quick lesson on finding your inner beauty?

AC: What does it mean to have "sacred beauty"?

RC: It means that we acknowledge, honor and celebrate the connection between our inner and outer selves: the mental, spiritual and physical. I believe this is a sacred relationship, one that connects us with our higher power and the deep knowing that beauty comes from the inside out. Sacred Beauty is confidence, connection and sisterhood.

How does non-toxic makeup relate to the idea of beauty and radiance?

For many years, the beauty industry has relied on toxic products and ideas to sell the standard of beauty. Consuming these products and ideas has negative effects on women's physical and mental health. Choosing more natural, non-toxic makeup is an act of self-care, as it is so much healthier for our skin, bodies and the environment. When we honor our overall wellness, we create a more effective, sustainable approach to beauty.

Can you offer 3 tips to start the switch to "sacred beauty"?

First, set the stage for Sacred Beauty by preparing the space you use to apply your skincare and/or makeup. Clean off countertops and go through your products, letting go of anything that is old, broken or you don't use. Add a favorite photo of yourself, a candle, crystals and any items that represent beauty to you. Make it a space that feels welcoming, clear and inspiring.

Next, create a new intention to bring mindfulness to your beauty routine. Rather than rushing through the task or criticizing your reflection in the mirror, take the time to savor the moment to yourself. Notice the scents of your products, give yourself a face or neck message-- think about this quote that is thought to come from Buddha:

“You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”

It's so true!

Last, I like to recommend clients to use their time in the mirror to say beauty affirmations. These are positive statements that reinforce how you want to feel about yourself. Beauty affirmations can be unique to you, you can take a few moments to create your own! Begin by tuning into some of the negative thoughts that come up when you look in the mirror. Then, write out the opposite of that thought, starting with the word I AM. For example, if I say to myself "I am disgusted with my skin. This acne is horrible," then I will replace that with "My skin is radiant and healthy." Even though it may feel untrue, the more you say it, the more your mind will begin to believe it!

What do you find is the most surprising thing your clients learn when working with you?

I would say they learn that they can love themselves/their looks more and that they CAN wear red lipstick!

How do you create your own holistic spaces?

I love vibrant colors, bright light, candles, crystals, art, nature and handmade objects. I tend to create little altars with beautiful items I've collected over the years. I love to burn incense, sage and palo santo to bless the space, clear energy, help me to feel more peaceful and grounded. I definitely feel best when my environment is tidy, organized and clean. I think feng shui is an amazing sacred art, and I would love to incorporate it more in my home.

We can absolutely help with that! Keep checking back for more tips on incorporating feng shui into your holistic life style. Thanks so much to Rebecca for stopping in and sharing her thoughts on sacred beauty. I think her series is an amazing way to tap into our inner beauty and make getting ready a thing of joy. We'd love to hear your thoughts on sacred beauty and if you're preparing to make the switch!

by Anjie Cho

Rebecca Casciano is a Makeup Artist, Natural Beauty Expert and Sacred Beauty Coach whose mission is to help women discover the connection between their inner health and outer beauty. She strives to bring this intention to each person who sits in her chair, attends one of her events or reads an article she's written. She loves what she does and from what her clients tell her, it shows! For more on Rebecca's story, her services and her Sacred Beauty Salon Series, check out rebeccacasciano.com!

Browse the site and learn all about her makeup artistry, makeup workshops, one-on-one coaching, live events and more. Or contact her with any questions or to set up an appointment. Rebecca's new 3-month membership program, Sacred Beauty Collective, also begins on March 9th in NYC. For more info visit rebeccacasciano.com/collective.

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Rituals and Holistic Spaces: Amy T. Won

Anjie Cho October 26, 2016

I'm excited to welcome artist Amy T. Won for our second installment of Rituals and Holistic Spaces! As you know by now, rituals hold an important place in feng shui and in creating holistic spaces, and we each have our very own rituals, personal to us. Each morning I do a bit of Shambhala calligraphy to get my day started, our good friend Katie Dalebout journals regularly, and Amy has a beautiful collection of rituals surrounding her magical art studio.

Amy has an amazing experience available online that she calls Wonder Walks or Walk the Labyrinth. It's an incredible experience for artists who need fresh inspiration and to awaken their creativity, and Amy is a wonderful guide.

In addition, Amy has a detailed map of how to create an "enchanted studio," and she was gracious enough to share these "realms" with us!

AC: Tell us a little about the Walk the Labyrinth experience.

AW: Artists are explorers. Wonder, curiosity and play are what keeps us so enchanted with life that art overflows from within like magic. When we lose our creative sparkle, it’s often because we’ve lost touch with that inquisitive explorer child we once were. While the spotlight on art is often on technique, I created ‘Walk The Labyrinth’ to share with you everything I’ve discovered about the important yet unsung work of lighting and sustaining our creative flame from within. We answer questions like: Where and what do I want to explore? What’s most enchanting to me right now? How can I balance intuition and idea, structure and spontaneous play? What’s the secret to learning from others without feeling bad about where I am?

How do you create a holistic space in your studio to nourish your creativity?

For me, there are six realms of an enchanted studio, and each of them is an important piece in building my creative space.

The Inspiration Wall:

The Inspiration Wall is sometimes a literal gallery wall, sometimes a mood tapestry and other times a group of paintings against my easel. It's meant to evoke an emotion and atmosphere that I'm enchanted with at the moment. This is inspiration assemblage-photos, clippings, bits from nature, my own experimental scraps and magical words of wisdom coming together to form a collective vision of what I'm trying to achieve with my latest collection.

The Daydream Corner:

The Daydream Corner is a comfortable, cozy little space by my library where I dream up ideas with a cup of tea, a large drawing pad, color pencils and a stack of my favorite reads of the moment. It's where I go when I want to disappear into another world, and I'll sometimes have my favorite soft toys to evoke a child-like imagination and candles and incense to set the tone. It's a personal retreat away from the busyness of creating and one of my favorite places in the studio.

Mise En Place:

Like a chef preparing for his grand creations, my studio desk is always ready for creative play and art-making. I'm not an extremely tidy person but this is my most organized corner of the studio : brushes and tools where they are supposed to be, paints and mediums arranged by type, papers in a stack, fresh flowers or nature's gifts ever ready to inspire with their textures and colors, reference books right there to thumb through.. It's never a static space, because it beats to the rhythms of my latest work and therefore, colored and shaped by it.

Nature's Wonders:

My work is very inspired by nature's wonders so I always make sure there's plenty of the outdoors inside-fresh flowers, potted plants and mementos collected from my wonder walks and adventures. It makes me smile and reminds me that there's a bigger world out there to explore and be inspired by, and that sometimes the best thing to do is to step away and let life, adventure and nature direct my art. I'm always looking out for little brass bowls, unusual vases and vessels from thrift shops to collect my treasures in.

Objects That Enchant:

One of the pleasures of having my own studio space is surrounding myself with objects that enchant and light me up inside. These are usually curiosities that evoke my personal symbolism-a rabbit, a snail, a swan vessel. It's ever changing and I'm always looking for ways to make my studio more magical and my own. What do I want to surround myself with? What makes me smile? What do I want to remind me of what matters most in life and art?

Art In Transition:

One of the realities of being an artist is how much intuition and rhythm shape our work and sometimes, no matter what we wish, a piece will not appear in its final incarnation. This means I always make room for beautiful pieces of imperfection and incompletion : oil panels as mood paintings for now, ink splatters on handmade papers waiting to be completed. Sketches and discarded paintings. Those are all part of the artist's life and they are badges of honor to be displayed, lived with and reach for when inspiration strikes.

by Anjie Cho

Amy T. Won is the artist, storyteller and enchantment-seeker behind The TreeSpace Studio, where she shares her explorations and painted mementos of our wonder-filled world. You can also find her adventures on Instagram (amytwon) and Facebook (The TreeSpace Studio) or take a peek into her inspirations on Pinterest (Amy Won).

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

How to Use Oranges to Welcome Positive Energy Into Your Life

Anjie Cho August 5, 2016

featured this week on MindBodyGreen

Whenever I need a little sunshine, a little uplift, I place nine drops of orange essential oil into my diffuser. In case you didn't know, in feng shui philosophy, the scent of oranges and orange peels can bring in happy and life-affirming yang energy.

Yang energy is like the sun at high noon, shining vibrantly with strength. It's bright and constant. Even on rainy or cloudy days, the sun is still present above the clouds. Similarly, the scent of oranges just makes you happy and cheery, feeling strong and energetic. Alice Waters (founder of Chez Panisse), the American pioneer of a culinary philosophy that maintains that cooking should be based on the finest and freshest seasonal ingredients that are produced sustainably and locally, says that since oranges are available year-round, they can brighten up even the darkest of winter days and provide much-needed immune system support no matter what the season.

...read full article

by Anjie Cho