Here at Spa Week, we believe spa transcends beyond outer beauty and into overall inner health and well-being (in case you haven’t noticed!). So, a few weeks ago when I got my hands on a sample kit from Shaffali Skincare, I was so excited to learn that not only did the products work wonders on my skin and smell fantastic, they are also grounded in strong Ayurvedic practices and rituals that promote overall health and wellness from the inside out. At Shaffali, a facial cleanser isn’t just a soap. It’s a purifying experience where French lavender and Indian turmeric wash away impurities, stress and insecurities while increasing self-awareness and inner confidence. Each Shaffali product is accompanied by a ritual: a mantra, breathing exercises and meditation, to help you harness the full power of the products and yourself.

I had a chance to interview the creator and CEO of Shaffali Skincare, Shaffali Miglani herself. Learn all about how she got into Ayurveda, how the products and corresponding rituals are created and what yoga means to her. Plus find out about her first business, her favorite spa treatment and her New Year’s resolution…

**Spa Week Daily Exclusive: Receive $11 off your next Shaffali Skincare purchase at Shaffali.com with code: SW212

Stephanie: How were you introduced to Ayurvedic practices?

Shaffali: My mom’s cooking, both home remedies and beauty recipes, introduced me to Ayurveda. My mother is truly an exceptional cook who has an amazing repertoire of recipes from all over the world. As young child, I was very curious and wanted to cook like my mom. The house was always filled with the warmth of her creations.

When did you know this was something you wanted to do for a living?

I have always been drawn towards creating my own business. One of my most favorite and comical memories is when my two neighborhood friends and I picked all the rose on our whole block (yes, including from other neighbor’s yards!) and soaked them in water. Then we sold this rose petal water as a perfume. Instead of a lemonade stand, we had a perfume stand! At around 14 years old, I started creating my own skincare creations and recipes on a weekly basis to replace store-bought skincare products. Because of my childhood, my kitchen cabinet is truly my medicine cabinet, full of herbs, seeds and spices I use for a variety of recipes.

When I was a freshman in college, I was torn about wanting to do something deep and meaningful, like practicing holistic health and wellness, versus something practical, like starting my own a business.  So, I decided to merge both the meaningful and the practical and work in the spa industry. After a few years, I was offered a job at a skincare manufacturing company that distributed products to resort spas in over 130 countries. It was there that I had the epiphany of starting my own skincare line – especially as I had been refining my own creations for over 10 years by that point. I truly felt I had something special, unique, thoughtful and effective to offer.

How has this affected your life and your brand?

The key ingredients in Shaffali Skincare are Ayurvedic. For each product there is a corresponding ritual experience that one can do as a part of a meditative Ayurvedic practice where the mind, body soul and spirit are addressed as well as the skin.

How did these skincare rituals come to fruition? Who created them?

These rituals are a result of my own experiences. Every week, I do a ritual of preparing my own homemade skincare products. Then I do items (such as a guided meditation) to bring balance to my soul as well. After years of doing this, and especially after being trained as a yoga teacher, I started correlating specific thoughts with specific steps in each skincare practice.

Why are these rituals important? How do they affect the skin, mind, body, soul etc?

The rituals are important because they address what is going on inside so that you can truly have a glow on the outside.

Who comes up with the interesting ingredient combinations that make up the different products?

These come from the refinement of my own weekly rituals (I’ve being doing this for the past 15 years, so, 15 years x 52 weeks, I never miss a week, equals 780 refinements and experimental versions of recipes). These refinements continue to propel new product development for the Shaffali line. It is not uncommon for you to find me at home in my skincare lab (my kitchen) concocting new creations on the weekends.

What advice can you give our readers about Ayurvedic practices and products?

My advice is to approach Ayurveda with an open mind. Don’t overlook it or be intimidated by it. According to Ayurveda, in order to live a happy and healthy life you have to take yourself into account, your body type and mind you are born with (your dosha). Then you can implement your own personal plan to optimize your dosha (or balance) through the foods you eat, exercise, your state of mind etc. (To find out more about your dosha, take our quiz.) Knowing yourself, through Ayurveda, can create a rich and beautiful life path.

Which Shaffali product(s) do you use every day?

Every day I use the Detoxifying Exfoliant with Peppermint + Pineapple and the Replenishing Moisturizer with Neem and Neroli in the morning. For me, the exfoliants’ aromatherapy scent of peppermint and pineapple is like my natural caffeine wake-me-up in the morning. The exfoliant is not only a manual scrub but also contains a fruit enzyme peel. I leave it on for a few minutes while I make my tea and brush my teeth so I get a mini facial each morning.

How does your brand balance wellness and beauty?

Our mantra is “reflect the light within,” which refers to finding your inner beauty, balance and happiness and making it shine on the outside. Our logo has many spiritual interpretations; it is a beautiful symbol of the light and beauty within each of us. It also represents a stylized Lotus Flower, which rises towards light and beauty. Like a Chakra, or energy center, in the body, it is symbolic of our higher self.

How does your relationship with yoga influence your brand?

Yoga is an inherent part of the brand. As I mentioned before, each product has a ritual experience associated with it: positive mantras and instructions for what to think about when inhaling and exhaling the aromatherapy in the product, which is the mantra for the line as a whole (reflect the light within).

Due to my intertwined connection with yoga, I started a signature workshop where I teach yoga poses that correlate to each step in the Shaffali self-facial. This workshop is called “Beauty from the Inside Out” and, after many requests, I am going to be offering a certification course to train yoga teachers so they too can teach these workshops as official Shaffali Ambassadors.

What advice can you give our readers about yoga?

Yoga is a beautiful way to quiet the mind while becoming mindful of the body. It is not just exercise, though it can be used as such. The beauty in it comes from the exploration and introspection of the self. It teaches you to be comfortable in the quiet and challenge of any pose. I use yoga as moving meditation and I like to emphasize the mind, body, breath and soul connection, which I encourage students to embrace fully. Through this embrace and awareness, I believe we can become more conscious of every aspect of our lives, in both the microcosm (our being) and macrocosm (the universe), leading us to our highest potential, and in essence, our highest self.

Tell us about your wellness blog, Meditate on This…. How did this get started? Who writes for it?

I am the main writer for the blog. I share bits of insight, resources and wisdom from my own humble experiences of living a wellness lifestyle. I also have guest writers from time to time who offer reflective or wellness oriented pieces. The blog also helps me connect with the Shaffali community. It helps me remind people that Shaffali isn’t just a brand name but is also a real person who has a sincere story and belief behind the brand.

What is your number one skincare tip/trick?

It comes as a package: Sleep, a smile, a good diet, love and happiness from within.

What is your favorite spa treatment to receive?

Shirodhara. My third eye is a place on my body that I am extremely sensitive to; it is our marma point for intuition, meditation and relaxation.

What is your New Year’s resolution?

I have been writing my New Year’s resolutions for as long as I have had my journal (22 years). This year, my resolutions are focused on self-improvement. My resolutions are to eat more sea vegetables, experiment with a Gluten-free diet (two of my very dear, and very different friends swear by this), fast more (I used to fast so much often when I was younger, again, the influence of my mother) and launch all of the exciting new Shaffali products that are in the works!

For more from Shaffali, sign up for her blog newsletter and visit Shaffali Skincare on  facebook page.

Happy Friday, gorgeous! Remember a few months back when I was a judge for Calling All Makeup Artists, the glamorous beauty showdown between six makeup artists? The competition included a day-long photography makeup workshop, and the winner scored the career-changing prize of being featured in the Spring 2012 lookbook for Your Name Professional Brands, seen by over 12,000 industry professionals.

Well – the lookbook has dropped, magazine style, springing to life with electric colors and editorial features. Scroll down to see the winner’s image, some daring makeup ideas, and Your Name’s Top 5 Trend picks for spring:

The Winner! Congratulations to CAMA winner Monica Verduzco of MOKA Cosmetics, whose final photogaph from the competition is featured here:

I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a colorful spring.

Are you a makeup artist? The next Calling All Makeup Artists compeition is set for NYC April 30. Join the CAMA Facebook page for updates!

It’s truly amazing what a talented makeup artist can do. He or she reaches into their bottomless makeup trunk, a beautiful mess of shadows, liners, primers, concealers, mascaras and lipsticks hitting every Pantone shade in existence, and in under an hour can turn you into a living, breathing masterpiece – that looks exactly like you, only hotter. Or softer. Or from another era.

Remember that recent report we covered on the importance of makeup in the workplace? It’s no secret that cosmetics play a role in our every day lives, the only secrets are how to achieve the precise look we so desire.

A few months ago I was invited to be on the panel of judges for Calling All Makeup Artists, a makeup showdown between six artists presented by YOUR NAME Professional Brands, 35-year-old industry leader in private label cosmetics for the salon and spa industry. As someone who has worked with many a makeup artist – from my days in editorial interning at VOGUE and Glamour, to the many beauty whizzes who have transformed me for events, on-camera appearances and weddings – I couldn’t wait to be on board to support.

Here’s how it worked: YOUR NAME sponsored six up-and-coming artists in a career-changing opportunity on October 3rd. They partook in a day-long photography makeup workshop led by renowned makeup artist David Maderich, during which each contestant was charged with creating an interpretation of YOUR NAME’s Spring 2012 collection. Each rendition was captured by acclaimed photographer Roberto Ligresti and handed over to a panel of beauty industry veterans – including yours truly! – to evaluate and select one lucky winner. The winner, yet to be announced, will be featured in the Spring 2012 YOUR NAME catalog which will be seen by over 12,000 beauty industry professionals.

THE JUDGES: Julie Keller, Editor-In-Chief, American Spa, Maggie Mulhern, Beauty and Fashion Director, Modern Salon, and me - Michelle Joni Lapidos, Director of Social Media & Editor of Spa Week Daily, SPA WEEK.

THE CONTESTANTS:

Devra Bader - Devra Bader Beauty Spa
Larry Chowning – About Face Designs
Jennifer Meletis – Lois Christy Salon
Monica Flor – Moka Cosmetics
Caty Flor – Moka Cosmetics
Zekira Kobas – Adam Broderick Salon

THE 6 FINAL IMAGES: After the glamorous showdown, I received the best final photo of each artist’s shoot, below. They haven’t yet revealed which photo is from which artist, and the winner is yet to be selected… so weigh in below! Which look do you love most? Scroll down to see all the looks, and at the bottom you’ll see who got my vote, and the super-fly reason why.

EDITORIAL WINNER – Jennifer Meletis of Lois Christie Salon:

BRAND WINNER – Monica Verduzco of MOKA Cosmetics:

My favorite? #6. The delicate rosiness in the cheeks, the sweet, glossy coral lip, and of course – the eye shadow. That look was obtained by taking a pair of carefully placed lacy panties and airbrushing eye shadow over them!

Check back soon to see who the winner is when it’s announced. (UPDATE: Winners have been announced – it was a tie! Check their Facebook page to see the vote count, and I also updated the tied winners above.)

Have a gorgeous (Halloween makeup-filled) weekend!

Is there anything more intimate than the relationship between a woman and her makeup? We wear it on a daily basis to help hide our flaws and enhance our natural beauty. Most of us wouldn’t dare leave the house without putting on some form of makeup (unless it’s Monday… remember Makeup Free Mondays?) Makeup is a powerful thing and now there’s a new benefit. A recent study published in the New York Times last week shows that women who wear makeup appear more competent. (more…)

By Melissa Williams

While the debate is still on as to whether humans should drink cow’s milk or not, one thing is unquestionably right…

Milk, applied topically, is great for your skin!

Of course you’ve heard of Cleopatra’s regular soaks in tubs full of honey and milk, helping her maintain her porcelaine soft skin, but did you know that milk also has other soothing properties?

Milk’s essential proteins, amino acids, and vitamin A work wonders on sensitive skin and its natural beta-hydroxyl acids act as skin conditioners to exfoliate, soothe, and soften. They also act as a natural skin brightener. Lactic acid cleans and softens, and stimulates cell renewal.

And in the summer months, milk has an even greater role. It helps alleviate and soothe skin that has seen just a few too many sunrays. Yes, if you’ve forgotten the sunscreen (tisk tisk) or just stayed outside too long, the jug in the fridge might help.

To make an ice-cold milk compress, poor a small amount of chilled whole milk into a bowl. Dip a washcloth into the mixture and apply to the skin. Allow the skin to soak in the milk, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Click to find a fabulous milk bath recipe, spas that offer milk based spa treatments and top skin care lines that offer milk based products

Originally featured on Healing Lifestyles.