One of the things I always tell my customers is that: puberty doesn’t end! Skin is a great barometer of what is happening inside your body and as such, it never seems to get to that point of perfect on its own.

One of the largest problems I hear about are the summer doldrums for skin: As you bare more, there is more to upkeep! With the warmer weather also comes more attention to skincare maintenance, particularly making sure the shoulders and back stay blemish-free. Here’s a quick guide on some methods to keep breakouts at bay:

Keep it clean.

By focusing on making sure to treat the dirt and sweat that gets taken down to the shoulder region from the hair follicles, you’re able to stop blemishes before they start. Use a cleanser that is designed to treat acne and oily skin. I usually recommend Dark Lavender and Lime Artisan Soap. Its essential oil blend of lavender, tea tree, and lime helps control acne while the activated charcoal draws dirt from the pores.

Salt for start, sugar for upkeep.

Removing dead skin cells helps unclog pores and freshen the complexion. For the beginning treatment, or for heavy sweat days, salt scrubs are the best as they are a deeper treatment than sugar. I loved Grapeseed and Lemon Salt Scrub as the lemon helps to tone the skin while the grapeseed bring skin-loving vitamins to the epidermis.

For regular upkeep, sugar is best as its a more gentle exfoliant (you can also use it on the face!). My go-to sugar scrub for summer is Grapefruit and Spearmint; the essential oil blend is so refreshing!

Moisturize… lightly.

The good thing about our scrubs is that they are dual action and contain shea butter and sunflower oil, which help keep skin lubricated. If you are concerned about losing moisture to the skin, a light moisturizer will help, but use sparingly.

Sun/block.

Getting a little sun is great for helping dry out excessive oil and tighten the pores. But a little definitely goes a long way, so make sure to use a non-comodegenic sunblock.

Hydration is key.

Your skin is a great barometer of what’s happening inside your body. By keeping hydrated you’re able to flush out toxins from the body, which will go a long way to helping the skin look fresh and clean.

She hand-selected three of her all-time favorite soaps to share with our customers:

“The lavenders are my favorite. So probably aloe, chamomile and lavender. Lavender and sage. I like the rosewood and oatmeal. Grapefruit is a good one too……..it’s too hard to pick!”

The set comes wrapped in a limited-edition gable box, tied with a bright pink ribbon (Mom’s favorite color!) ready for gifting.

We are so excited to announce the launch of our limited edition Spring Essentials set! This gift set includes all of the necessary tools to get your skin ready for beautiful weather.

The gorgeous plates that the kit sits on were provided by the amazing eco-friendly company BAMBU. They create amazing plates, cutlery, and other household items all out of sustainable bamboo. We are so proud to have our first partner in a gift set be an amazing green company.

The set includes:

Calendula and Citrus Uplifting Herbal Soak

Lemongrass and Lavender Pumice Scrub

Lime and Mint Lip Cream

Lavender and Tangerine Artisan Soap

Ginger and Lime Artisan Soap

Due to the partnering with Bambu, we have an extremely limited edition run of this set so make sure to hurry before they run out!

Spring Essentials Set on Metropolis Soap

April 5th-7th, 8am-8pm

Pure Yoga East

203 E. 86th St

April 14th, 11-4pm

Bay Ridge Festival of the Arts

7420 4th avenue

April 19th – 21st, 8am – 8pm

Pure Yoga West

204 W 77th St

First, the color is simply stunning, as you have seen in our Hibiscus and Ginger Sugar Scrub. It also carries a light and fresh (but faint) floral smell, which I think definitely helps calm the mood and prepare the body.

As for the skin benefits, hibiscus is one of the biggest carriers of I-hydroxy-acids in the plant world. I-hydroxy-acids help improve skin elasticity and creates a higher echelon of moisture on the skin.

Many like to drink teas made from hibiscus because of its anti-inflammatory properties, but we love it most for its astringent qualities, and it’s ability to lend critical nutrients to the skin.

We use it in:

Hibiscus and Ginger Exfoliating Sugar Scrub

So excited to show off our new line of exfoliating body scrubs! These have been a big customer request and we’ve been working hard to formulate this new line of products.

There are 7 different scrub combinations in the new line. Each feature a remarkable dual-action function: they begin as an exfoliating scrub, but once they hit water, the ingredients turn the scrub into a lotion with the moisturizing powers of shea and sunflower oil!

All of the scrubs feature real fruit and flower powders and custom essential oil blends.

We are so proud of these scrubs and I hope you love them as much as we do!

Check them out

We’re celebrating by having an incredible month of sales. Each week will be a new deal, check it out!

The essential oil from the patchouli plant is a dark, maple-syrupy color. Like a fine wine, the scent becomes better with age, and aged patchouli is an expensive and rare treat. The plant is usually found in the West Indies and in some parts of Paraguay.

Patchouli oil has a vast range of properties. It’s used in anti-aging products because it’s been known to tighten skin. There are also those that claim patchouli oil is an appetite suppressant, though essential oils should NEVER be ingested “neat.” It’s also an antidepressant, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, astringent, deodorant, fungicide and insecticide. Patchouli can also assist with new tissue growth in skin cells.

We use patchouli in:

From the site:

While studying with Master Perfumers and Distillers,[Amanda] was reminded perfume was originally produced from flowers, fruit, herbs and spices. As chemicals are a cheaper alternative today, most perfumes are now formulated entirely with chemicals. Amanda only wanted to use the finest, rarest, safest, and purest ingredients from plants…she decided to launch A Perfume Organic!

The packaging is simplistic and beautiful and I love the green message behind the brand.

More info at aPerfumeOrganic.com

 Granola Lab is another Brooklyn-based company (what can I say? I love my borough!) They make the MOST DELICIOUS granola and have the best combinations.

From the site:

Granola Lab creates exciting, flavorful granolas that strike the ideal sweet-savory balance. It’s better breakfast through (quasi-)science!

The picture to the left is of the AMAZING Tamarind Fusion — tamarind, banana and walnut granola

More info at GranolaLab.com