High Vibrational Beauty: Recipes & Rituals for Radical Self Care

Another way we liken natural beauty to the world of food is by assessing our skin like we assess our hunger. Some days, you wake up hungry and need a hearty breakfast, whereas, other days, a green juice calls. Likewise, there are days when your skin will need more love than others. Some days, a deeper cleansing is in order, more hydration, a more active serum. Listen to your body; listen to your skin. Once you learn its language, you’ll become fluent in what you need.
 
Clearly, we love food, making comparisons at every turn. So, it’s natural we look to food to support our beauty from the inside out. What started as a tiny selection of products on our web site has grown into a thriving grocery corner that has a life of its own. By the time we opened our doors, we had a full shelving unit devoted to the herbs and superfoods we stock. And, our customers keep wanting more. We’ve been surprised (and yet not) by how popular these foods have become, and it thrills us when our customers make the connection between what they eat and how they look and feel. As we’ve said, it’s impossible to separate beauty and wellness. And, what we eat is a cornerstone of health.
 
Education is vital to our mission. The world of natural beauty is advancing at lightning speed with so much information to distill. The products and practices we live by are new to many. And, to those already indoctrinated, there’s always more to learn. So, we use our clubhouse as a classroom for free education. We enlist our own wellness heroes. Learning is vital to this lifestyle. Really, to any. Meditation, spirit animal quests, talks on adrenal health and tonic demonstrations are just some of the offerings in our curriculum. This component of CAP Beauty is so important to us that we hosted our first event just 2 days after we opened our doors. And, at every event, it thrills us to see the room fill up with busy New Yorkers (not known for their extra free time). We’re inspired by the curious, and we count ourselves among them.
 
From the first days of visualizing CAP Beauty, we knew the importance of offering treatments. We think of our facials as another way to dive deep, and to learn and understand the nuances of skin and its health. At the time we opened, it was challenging to find a spa that offered truly natural facials. And, those that did relied on just one or two brands. We believe in the importance of diversity, of matching a client’s skin to the perfect product. Because our estheticians can draw from so many product lines, they create a truly bespoke service for each and every one they see. Our clients learn to care for their skin on a deeper and more comprehensive level, and they learn the ever-important technique of facial massage, which is the backbone of our treatments. We teach our clients to understand that their skin is a living organ, one that is constantly shifting and reacting to the environment, both inside and out. It should be nurtured as such. Our CAP Beauty estheticians are like personal trainers for the skin, partners by your side to guide you to your most radiant self. Working out between training sessions is vital to improving fitness, and the self care you continue at home will yield the best results.
 
YOU’LL FEEL GREAT, AND, LIKE US, YOU’LL WANT TO SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.
The CAP Beauty treatment had to embody our disruptive approach to conventional beauty, and so we enlisted a like-minded and brilliant expert in the field to write our protocol and educate our staff. Kristina Holey is unlike any skincare expert we’ve met. A true devotee to both science and self care, she views the skin as an ecosystem, one whose balance must be maintained through ritual, nutrition and topicals. She embodies our philosophy perfectly and, like us, dives deep. She brought her passion and intellect to CAP Beauty as well as her love for the extraordinary benefits of facial massage. You may be surprised to learn that simply massaging the skin can purify, detoxify, tone and oxygenate the skin to great effect. Expect vibrancy, hydration and the elusive glow. This is a pre-party facial. You don’t need to schedule a night in. Go out and show it off.
 
The good news is, you can practice this technique at home and cultivate all of its benefits. And facial massage is just one of the rituals we offer in this book to deliver true health and radiance. When you adopt this High Vibrational Beauty lifestyle, your friends will take note. They might even just make you their guru. And, we say, share the love. You’ll feel great, and, like us, you’ll want to shout it from the rooftops.
 
Read on, and let beauty radiate from every aspect of your being.
 
SPRING
AN INTRO TO SPRING: THE REAWAKENING
For us, spring is possibility. After the chill and quietude of winter, we embrace its new growth. A return to sun-kissed days, lighter foods and more time outdoors makes spring a season to celebrate. We are reborn, rekindling our deep love affair with Mother Earth. We plant in her soils, roll in her grasses and dance in her rains. We know in our hearts that, for the next half-year, our bodies will be warm, and our spirits will be light. Longer days and sultry nights, we welcome you.

The recipes and rituals shared here are designed to prepare your body, mind and spirit for a reawakening. The season of rebirth lies ahead. Embrace it.
 
RITES OF SPRING THE SPRING SKIN PROGRAM   PERFORM: Once or twice daily
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Cleanser, toner and oil or moisturizer
DURATION: 5 to 10 minutes
 
Put your best face forward, and shine bright like a diamond. Incorporating a deep and thorough cleansing ritual into your bedtime routine will encourage your most beautiful skin ever. While we sleep, our skin detoxes, moving toward perfect balance, so everything we can do to support our skin before bed is beneficial. A thorough cleanse, a deep massage and a sealing of moisture leaves you glowing and radiant. Evenings are the focus of our skincare regimens. By committing to a more thorough cleansing routine at night, you allow your body’s natural rhythms to support your most radiant and nourished skin. A deep cleanse and massage encourages overnight cellular regeneration and healing, making a simpler, more streamlined routine in the morning. Many mornings, you can even skip the cleanse and just do a quick wake up with cold water, a spritz of hydrosol and a moisturizer or serum. We encourage you to cleanse the moment you get home. As busy women, we know all too well that the evening can be taken up with other obligations, and sleep can set in all too fast. By taking care of your skin early on, your most active products have a longer time to work, and you have more time to relax. Another one of our favorite self care activities. And, best of all, washing your face won’t fall by the wayside. Sweet dreams, natural beauties.
 
After the long chill of winter many of us are left dry and sensitive. Spring’s rainy climate is a welcome shift. Your routine these months incorporates revitalizing nutrient-dense products that hydrate with a lighter hand. Those with less sensitive skin will also look to exfoliate, to remove the layers of winter. Through the foods we eat and the products we choose, we also start to prepare our skin for more time spent outside, laying the groundwork for healthy time in the sun.
 
HOW TO DO IT: Start with a small amount of cleanser in your hand, and apply it to the skin on your face. Work into your neck and face for 2 to 4 minutes, using small and gentle circular motions moving upward from the neck to the forehead, spending extra time on the center of your face. Do your best to not rush through the massage. Take care, but massage your face like you mean it. Facial massage increases blood flow, oxygenates muscle tissues and assists in the flow of the lymphatic system, revealing a healthy and youthful glow. Then, add some water to your fingertips and work it into your skin, removing your cleanser. Continue this part for 2 to 3 minutes, incorporating enough water to remove all of the cleanser. Do not use hot water. Warmish is best. Make sure that all the cleanser is removed, and softly blot your face with a soft, clean towel.
 
Time to hydrate. Spray your face with a hydrosol or toner, and soak it up. Finish off the process by massaging a moisturizer or oil onto your damp skin.
 
When morning comes, assess your skin. You may feel the need to cleanse again, but you may skip this. We’ve been conditioned to believe that our skin is always in need of cleansing, but this is really only necessary in the evenings, after a workout, or when you feel oily or congested. Your skin’s best balance comes from maintaining a healthy biome, or the layer of healthy bacteria that should live on your skin. Be mindful to not disrupt this through overcleansing or exfoliating. Nourish it, hydrate it and cleanse it, when needed. A rinse with coolish water may be all you need. Follow with a mist of hydrosol and your favorite moisturizer and serum. If you plan to be outside, add a layer of zinc-based sunscreen (see page 83 for our favorites). Remember, you are your own best guide. Learn the language of your skin. It speaks to you. Get fluent.