Started my Sunday off with our dry brush & a homemade coffee scrub! Super simple to make. The caffeine found in coffee scrubs typically increases blood flow, and may reduce the appearance of cellulite and give your skin a more even tone. Paired with our Dry Body Brush this is the ultimate skin boost! So how do you make this scrub? It’s easy! Take coffee grounds, mix with coconut oil + add an essential oil. (I used eucalyptus as I’m fighting a cold) I honestly just got my coffee grounds and slowly added coconut oil until I liked the consistency. Once I had the texture I liked, I added two drops of the essential oil I chose. Using my Dry Brush before hand and then applying this scrub really invigorated my skin and felt amazing. Coffee grounds are great for tightening the skin & the Dry Brush got my circulation flowing. Dry Brushing has been a practice for hundreds of years, many cultures have used it to boost immunity, promote lymphatic drainage and get circulation flowing.

Founder Tayler is breaking down how to use our Dry Facial Brush, Face Serum & Rose Quartz Roller before makeup for the perfect base. Make sure to check it out below by clicking the photo to start the video! Lots of great skin care tips and info on why this is such an amazing morning ritual to start your day. ✌🏻

Our favourite takeaway? ‘The Rose Quartz Roller is great to release facial tension - think of it like as a foam roller for your face.’ 😊

We've got an incredible giveaway happening with our friends at BC Living - a Detox Kit worth $200! Head over to their page to learn how to enter. Entries will be excepted until June 12th! Good Luck!

Does handmade matter?

It may seem like a small detail but in a world where things are mass produced it’s sometimes nice to know where your products are being made. Embracing small batch may sometimes mean giving things up: price, availability but we think it is human nature to value the creative spirit and support locally made goods. We posted this on our Instagram and got an overwhelming amount of feedback. Reposts, comments and tons of likes. So we think it does matter! And we are so happy that people are aware of it. Vancouver has an incredible handmade, support local community and we hope that is spreading across Canada and the US. Here are some comments from our followers below.

@hulluhdesigns180 "I think handmade does matter!"

haileykreative "Handmade certainly matters! I love getting to the people behind the products I love and knowing that they love what they do makes it so much better. So much love for the homemade community in Vancouver. ❤️"

nutmegmylk "Love this post so much, such a great reminder why homemade matters 💕!"

mybunhead "So fun supporting small business and getting to know the people behind the brands. Being apart of such a supportive community has been one of the highlights of starting my business!!"

myname_is_miss "Handmade is what makes a product special and unique. Buying local and small businesses means supporting your community ❤️"

bobbibohoI "love handmade products. There's nothing like a handmade product... they're so unique and special. 💕"

My allergies have been insane this Spring! Last week I had some super intense sinus congestion paired with a crazy headache that seemed to last for days. I really hate relying on taking medication everyday. After doing some research, I’ve figured out some natural remedies that have worked incredibly well! I wanted to share them with you guys. 
 

• I start with a warm damp cloth to break up anything trapped in my sinuses. Just holding it on your face and taking some deep breaths really helps.
• Then, using our Dry Facial Brush (to help break up sinus congestion/get your lymphatic drainage going) I brush along the tops of my forehead, eyes, cheeks and down my face. It feels great, and you can feel the drainage happening. That paired with Saje Wellness Allergy Spray + Roll On has made a major difference! After I use Leaves of Trees Headache Balm instead of popping a Advil and I really notice a difference.
• Other tips: Waking up and drinking lemon water is a great way to up your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C boosts your immunity which is what will help fight your allergic issues.
• Adding Bee Pollen to your smoothie can help your tolerance to pollen. Important: it should be local bee pollen, you want the pollen that is in the air. (Please do your own research, some people have reactions to bee pollen.)

A lot of people are sometimes unsure of what the benefits from daily dry brushing are. The obvious one is exfoliation but there are so many more. Awaken your face first thing in the morning, stimulate lymphatic drainage, tighten and tone skin. We recommend 4 steps to stimulate your lymphatic drainage but the most important part is that you are using your brush on clean, dry skin. 

What is lymphatic drainage?

Your lymphatic drainage is a major part of the body’s immune system. It is responsible for ridding the body of toxins through lymph fluid. When built up this fluid can cause tired, puffy looking skin. Many of these vessels run just below the skin and dry brushing regularly can help stimulate flow, helping the body to detoxify itself naturally.

What is Facial Dry Brushing?

Facial Dry Brushing It's not just for your body and it's our favourite way to wake up in the morning. Stimulate drainage, tighten and tone, promote exfoliation/cell turnover, boost circulation, reduce puffiness and dark circles, and smooth fine lines. Oh, its also great help with your pores!

Facial Dry Brushing for Acne:

When there is a lot of inflammation on the skin or under the skin’s surface (ie cystic acne) our lymph nodes go into defensive mode and swell up. Under these conditions, they act as a factory to produce and store white blood cells and immune cells. Dry brushing will help move lymph along the channel and clear up any excess white blood cells and inflammation near the cystic lesions - helping them to shrink faster, and reduce pain.

How to Facial Dry Brush (in 4-steps):

1. Start by warming up the face and stimulating lymphatic drainage. Move the dry brush down, along the jawline from the cheekbone to the chin.
2. Brush across your forehead, down the center of the nose, and in light circles over the eyes, repeat a few times.
3. Brush the front of our face down the cheeks towards the chin. Then brush outwards, from the apples of your cheeks towards your temples. 
4. Sweep across your jawline towards the ear. Continue down the neck.

What is Body Dry Brushing?

Body Dry Brushing is our favourite way to wake the body up naturally and get your circulation moving. Using a Dry Body Brush on clean, dry skin pre-shower is the best way to exfoliate and invigorate the skin (plus it's great for cellulite breakdown and all-over skin health)

Dry-brushing is one of those rare things that feels just as good when you do it and it’s incredibly easy to incorporate into your routine. 

General Tips for Dry Brushing

• Always use brush on clean, DRY skin. There should be no makeup on your skin when you dry brush. 
• Use lighter strokes than facial brush than body brushing
• Use your Facial Brush 4-5 per week. You are more than welcome to use it everyday, but listen to your skin. If you have dry/sensitive/irritable skin we recommend starting off with 2-3 per week. 
• Do not share your brush with anyone else.
• Our brushes are meant to be cleaned every 1-2 weeks. Simply use any gentle shampoo, rinse and dry. Your brush should not be damp or wet. This is important. 

Wow! We had a super busy weekend of markets last weekend. We were at both Refresh and Fall For Local. Both markets were equally busy and fun, we met so many new people! Thank you for coming by our booth and giving MP a try. I love connecting with new customers, re-connecting with current customers and discovering new local brands. Our Dry Facial Brush + Mini Body Lotion were our best sellers - can't wait to hear how everyone enjoys their products.

Our next market is a pop up at West Elm on South Granville on May, 12th from 12-4 please make sure to pop by and say hello! 

There is so much talent coming out of BC! Here are some of my favourites below, make sure to check them out! 

Sarah Hammond Design - Amazing hand drawn sketches of animals. 
Be United & Free - Another locally made, all natural body care.
Zaleska Designs - Gorgeous jewelry. I love her pieces!
Lolo Jewelry - I bought a necklace from these guys, such good quality everyday pieces.
Union Swimwear - Reversible bathing suits that are ethically made.
The Soap Co. - Multi-purpose soap with beautiful minimalist packaging.
You + Me Candles - She has the most unique scent combos, they are beautiful!
Kismet Essentials - I love their coco rinse. Such a good idea for oil pulling.
Bareskin Bars - I love these bath bombs, the rose is my favourite!
Nutmeg Mylk - These are the most beautiful nut milks you will ever try. Delicious.
My Bun Head - Yes, scrunchies are back. And I'm so happy about it. 
Traveller Collective - A very unique way to keep your travels close to you. Check them out!

One of our favourite things about our mask is how many different ways you can mix it! Its a great way to tailor it to your skins needs.

All natural yogurt is our favourite when you are feeling breakout prone.
Its also incredibly nourishing. Filled with natural lactic acid, yogurt dissolves dead skin + tightens pores; prevents breakouts; works to diminish fine lines; evens skin tone w/ gentle exfoliation.

Take a tsp. of mask and add a tsp. of yogurt. Easy!

This is Phil. He is our little fur baby. We just made our first donation to the BC Chi Organization where we adopted Philly from 3 years ago. We will be donating a portion of our online sales quarterly to this amazing rescue group. Philly was incredibly shy & afraid of pretty much everything when we first brought him home. Now he is a happy, fun loving boy who makes us smile everyday. (Although he looks pretty serious in this photo, ha!) If you are considering getting a new dog, please consider adopting! We love animals that's why we are cruelty free and will continue to give back

We love seeing your photos of Midnight Paloma in action! Check out Natalie Meyers with her Face Serum, Glossier and Chanel perfume set up. (Oh, and a super cute corner polaroid from her wedding!)