Pura Botanicals' Green Beauty Blog
PURA Botanical's Top 5 Plant-Powered Antioxidant Ingredients
At PURA, we believe in the power of nature to heal, restore, and refresh. All of our skincare relies on highly potent, plant-powered ingredients, soothing aromatherapy, and nutrient-dense formulas designed to give you the ultimate in non-toxic skincare results. Many of PURA’s potions contain high levels of plant-based antioxidant ingredients, sourced from around the world, which work to combat the effects of free radicals.
Clean Beauty Magic: Lane Edwards & Lindsay Jang Collaborate On Their Dream Potion
All of PURA's imaginative potions weave a story, and our newest release, The Azure Dream Cloud, begins with the tale of a friendship born long ago between PURA's founder and formulator, Lane Edwards and Edmontonian turned global entrepreneur, beauty and wellness expert, Lindsay Jang.
A multi-acid recovery fusion, the Azure Dream Cloud is an ethereal ‘2-in-1’ lotion and serum hybrid that exfoliates, preserves and regenerates the skin with its whipped cloud texture. Keep reading to hear more from Lane and Lindsay as they reflect on their shared childhood experience, moving abroad, and crafting the Azure Dream Cloud.
All Rollers Are Not Created Equal: A How-To Guide To PURA's Five-Head Gemstone Roller
The PURA Muse Makes Us Our Dream Mask: Megan Lawrence
Overnight Masking 101: Find the Right Overnight Mask for YOU
The PURA Muse February 2021: Georgina Reilly
A PURA Muse is a woman who inspires us with their content, business, work ethic, values or beliefs. This month we are chatting with actress Georgina Reilly about life, love and self-care during the pandemic.
Romance Thyself: Falling In Love This Valentine’s Day and Beyond
At Home With PURA: Bring the Spa to YOU This Holiday Season
Home for the Holidays With PURA- A Cozy Gift Guide for 2020
Spring 2020 Wisdom: Gentle Reminder to Lean Into Self Care More Than Ever During Covid-19
As the weather warms up at last, and we are still self-isolating, it's more important than ever to be looking after yourself. We are collectively experiencing so much change in such a short period of time. You may feel a range of emotions all at once. You may feel exhausted, afraid and overwhelmed. You may feel grateful, while also grieving the very things you feel like you are missing out on. You may be struggling with not knowing what the future looks like.
Here at PURA, we want to remind you that we are in this together. We are all struggling in our own unique ways, and however you are processing this change, is okay. Be gentle with yourself as you move through this experience. You are doing the best that you can.
You may feel like all of a sudden you have an overwhelming amount of time. Time at home, time to think, time to cook, time to worry. Alternatively, you may feel like there isn’t enough time in a day. You may be trying to run your business all while caring for your family, educating your children and maintaining relationships with friends.
Regardless of how much time you have, being able to care for yourself through this process is incredibly important. Whether you have five minutes or an hour, finding ways to care for yourself will create space for understanding, compassion and peace.
Self care allows you to honour your needs, take care of others and show up where you need to in your life.
The beautiful and interesting thing about the act of self care is that it looks different to everyone. Self care could be:
- Going for a walk in nature.
- Staying in to watch your favourite Netflix show.
- Cooking a nourishing supper.
- Ordering in from a local restaurant.
- Daily meditation practice.
- Writing in your favourite journal.
- Taking your medication.
- Spending time looking at old pictures.
- Checking in with a loved one.
- Reading an uplifting book or listening to an interesting podcast.
- Listening to music that inspires you to dance or is an outlet for your feelings.
- Purging spaces in your home that need a culling.
- Making your favourite cookie recipe.
- Spending time tending to your plants.
- Moving your body in any way that feels good in the moment.
- Watching a movie that makes you laugh.
- Enjoying a long bath with your favourite essential oils and body products.
- Taking 5-10 deep slow breaths, counting to four on each inhale and exhale.
- Dry brushing your skin and then applying a nourishing cream or body oil.
- Taking extra time for your AM & PM skincare rituals.
- Giving yourself a tender hug or self-massage.
- Investing in a weighted blanket to help you sleep better and calm anxiety.
- Calling or FaceTiming a friend who brings you joy and inner peace.
- Allowing yourself to have a good cry.
- Saying kind things to yourself. Affirmations are powerful.
'I am safe. I am strong. I am loved.'
*There is no room for judgement when it comes to self care. Get curious about what makes you feel good, and trust that your body has the answer to what you need.
A Note From Our Founder
Hi Friends,
I hope you are doing well, and staying strong during this time. We have never felt our purpose more than now. Thank you for sharing your favourite PURA rituals with us on Instagram. We love when you tag us in your stories. It's such a treat to be able to see PURA in your homes, on your vanities and on your skin, especially during this time.
I'm also really enjoying the new hashtag: #isolationcreation, as so many people are taking this time to create some pretty wonderful art. Take a peak when you get a minute. It definitely inspires me, even if its just to admire. This is not the time to feel any pressure. I think we're all just doing our best. I'm finding each day is different, and I'm doing my best just to pause, breathe and appreciate the simple things that bring me joy and assurance that we are going to get through this. We will!
We miss seeing you in our flagship boutique, but we are so grateful for your online orders and for helping us give back during our recent 'Let's Give Back' Initiative to frontline healthcare workers at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Soon we'll be sharing another blog about how we as at team are individually taking care of ourselves with some of our most favourite PURA potions at home. Rituals that maybe you haven't thought of, so please stay tuned.
Stay well, safe & healthy.
With Love,
Lane
How are you caring for yourself right now?
Stay tuned for a GIVEAWAY on our Instagram centred around your #selfcare.
Sending light & love,
The PURA Family
Written by Kalin Herbach, RD & Lane Edwards
The PURA Muse November 2019: Sarah Chan
A PURA Muse is a woman who inspires us with their content, business, work ethic, values or beliefs. This woman is aligned with the goals and motivations that we strive for each day here at Pura Botanicals (if they are already a Pura lover, it makes it all the better!). Our monthly muse is working to elevate their community through their business, volunteerism, or their commitment to wellness, and they consistently advocate for well-being & intentional living.
The PURA Muse November 2019: Sarah Chan
Having grown up in the City of Edmonton, how do you think the city has evolved in the past five years?
There has been a surge in local creators building their reputations and businesses! There is cross-promoting and collaborating within those spaces as well! Our food scene also continues to get better and better. Yum!
We love your passion for music & dance. Can you tell us about being a piano teacher, and how music and dance have impacted your life?
I never planned on having a career in the arts, I always thought I was going to be a lawyer. The reason I have continued to work as a musician and teacher is because it brings me so much joy. Nothing comes close to the deep connection I feel with my students and their families. Nothing is more gorgeous than playing music every day, it is beautiful and therapeutic.
I was playing a student’s song the other week and his mom said, “what a gift, to be able to do that” - I sometimes take for granted that what I do is a gift. On the logistics side, owning and operating my own business has given me flexibility over my time. This is especially important as I handle the bulk of parenting at our place, and I invest a great deal of free time in social advocacy within our community.
As for performing arts - music & dance - these creative outlets are my foremost resources for self-care and neuroplasticity! I am learning more & more that if you want to build your capacity and think differently, you need to have arts in your life. They help your brain sparkle - creating is fun!
I wear so many hats. It can often be disorienting and I sometimes feel misunderstood. The lowest common denominator, though, is that I am 'Miss Sarah'. My values and work ethic translate across all my roles. Whether it’s being a mom, teacher, social advocate, citizen, wife, mentor… my integrity, instincts, and sense of humour are always present.
What I’ve learned within myself is to trust my instincts. There are so many people, priorities, and it is noisy out there. It has been quite a journey for me, to return to my confidence in knowing who I am. And, discovering new depths within! I’ve learned a lot about myself and the big, wide world out there. Sometimes I feel like public life has chewed me up and spit me out. I had to gather new tools; I needed to rely on the love, support and encouragement of the best friends you can imagine. I had to face the saddest and most wounded parts of myself and dig deeper than I ever have before.
I am happy to report that challenge has been purifying and galvanizing - I am stronger than ever! I have gained much through struggle. I love the power in being softer, more refined and, leading through love.
What do you find to be the greatest challenge that you face when trying to balance the many things you are passionate about?
I’ve gotten much better at this! I try to always ]trust my gut and ask myself a series of practical questions including...
- Am I the best person for this job?
- Does it have to be me or do I know someone who would be a better fit?
- Do I have enough time to do my best?
- How can I best help & serve?
- How does this request align with my work and my values?
- Is it fun?
We are inspired by your infectious energy and passion for community engagement & volunteerism! Can you give us an idea of what a day in the life of Sarah Chan looks like?
A lot of people ask this, and I find that each day is a little different. I have also refocused much of my time on self-care (hence the return to trusting my instincts). I think my life is better represented as a week. Regular things I do each week include...
- Getting the kids all breakfasted and off to school each day
- Yoga, pilates, or somatics
- Hip-hop at Kore Dance Studio every Tuesday night
- An unsatisfying amount of administration
- Connecting with my friends & loved ones
- Teaching 33 students per week
- Sexy mom stuff like planning meals, grocery shopping, making lunches, laundry, project managing the kids, taking kids to appointments, and cleaning. Working from home has its advantages and disadvantages!
- Spending time at Spruce Ave Junior High with my mentee from BGCBigs
- Meeting with one of the organizations or initiatives I am involved with.
- Attending events with Mayor Iveson
- Snuggling my babies
The great thing about my schedule is that there are lots of weird curve balls that are random and fun! This fall I have guest-hosted a Drag Queen Bingo in support of The United Way, and I went as a DRAG KING! I got to go to Jasper on a sweet vintage train as a member of the CN Community Giving Board, and the family enjoyed an outdoor concert at the new Jim Venas stage. I raced as “Secret Spice” in a University of Alberta plasma car derby - in support of United Way. I was Honourary Co-Chair for the annual BGCBigs Lobster Lovers dinner. I visited a different school or sometimes two every day during read-in week. Finally, I delivered a keynote on wellness to grades 4 to 9 at a local school.
Each week has hilarious, joy-sparking stuff peppered throughout it - I am really lucky!
Can you share some of your favourite self care rituals with us? Do you and your husband have any joint self care rituals or ways you like unwind together? We know Don is a fan of our Nobleman Face Oil, but we have heard that he enjoys using your Cocoa Honeycream Mask once & a while.
I am ALL about the self-care these days! I love seeing every little opportunity to do something nice each day. I’ll treat myself to a Kashmiri Chai at Remedy Cafe. Buy myself flowers. Drink a coffee in bed. Have lunch with a friend. Write down things that make me happy or hilarious stuff my students say to me, so I’ll remember it later. And, of course, PURA is a huge part of my life. Each time I use a PURA product, I pause & focus on how good it smells and how I am using clean products made of real ingredients by real people. It is totally luxurious. Those moments are golden for me, especially on the days when I feel like a pile of trash.
As for rituals Don and I practice together - we’ve recently started going to yoga! It’s a game-changer for mindfulness and release. At home, I force him to wear whatever mask I happen to be wearing, if he is within arms reach. He often invades my bath soak! Cost of entry is applying my Cocoa & Rose Body Oil for me.
We're flattered that you have loved and supported PURA for such a long time - even before we rebranded, when our original logo was an egg with a flower growing out of it. What attracted you to using our potions and how do they make you feel?
My first Pura Botanicals product was a rose facial mist. It was divine. PURA products are gorgeous, smell amazing, have fantastic results, and are extremely flexible. I love that there are no rules to using the products. You can tailor them to what you need that day and be your own chemist. I like to mix the Overnight Masks on my face as I have combination skin; the acne parts are REALLY bumpy and the aging/dry parts are elsewhere.
I am currently really into the Ambrosia Beautifying Serum. Massaging my face every night has become ritualistic and I even say nice things to myself while I do it. It’s sort of embarrassing but, I’ll tell myself good job on something that went well that day or just something gentle & kind like, “let’s be nice” or “now you get to rest”! It is just one of the ways I appreciate myself each day.
Overall, my PURA potions are an everyday treat, and an incredible value - They go a long way! Plus, I feel really good knowing real, very fine, and loving people are behind creating and producing the brand. It is a win-win-win!
XOXO, Sarah Chan
@misssarahchan
Miss Sarah Chan
From Left to Right: Overnight Garden Mask, Zingara Gypsy Mist, Cocoa & Rose Body Oil, Ambrosia Beautifying Serum, Rosemary Clarifying Mist, Seashell Mane Mist, Nurturing Nova, Overnight Watermelon Mask
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