(Above picture is not my photograph)

This blog post is 'inspired' (ha, see what I did there), by the book launch of Flower Evolution: Blooming Into Your Potential With the Magic of Flowers by Katie Hess. Katie Hess is the owner of the company Lotus Wei. Her brand is based on flower essences in the form of elixirs, mists, anointing oils, serums, perfumes & more. Flower essences work as energetic vibrations through the body. They counteract the issues we are having and work on them in different ways based on the different essences.

I can't even begin to explain how enthralled I am about the new book, as I have been a long devotee of Lotus Wei. In this book, Katie will be delving into 48 different flowers, and how they can benefit and transform your life. Also included, is the amazing photography shot by Louie Schwartzberg. If you haven't seen any of his photographs, or cinematography, you have to! A lot of his work is on Netflix as of now, go and check it out, you will be AMAZED. I put his films on when I want to relax.

In reference to the 48 flowers, this post is part of a blog ring which will link to each bloggers take on an individual flower. Keep reading, and when you get to the end, make sure to click on and read everyone's experience.

In collaboration with the launch of the book, I have been testing out the Inspired Action elixir. I had been drawn to Red Bird of Paradise which is one of the flower essences in the Inspired Action elixir. When choosing an essence, Katie has you visually look at photos of flowers, and pick which ones you are most drawn to. For me, I couldn't take my eyes off of Red Bird of Paradise. I recently went to Arizona in May where I stayed with a friend. I remember standing inside her living room, staring out at this magnificent flower bush. I immediately went outside and marveled in its beauty. I couldn't step away, as it's energy and essence was one of the most remarkable things I had been called to.

This is the description of Red Bird of Paradise from Lotus Wei:
Activate: Focus
Message: Get it Done
The Red Bird of Paradise is a fiery gem. The flowers look like exploding orchids, bursting open into flames of orange, red, and yellow. The electric-red stamens reach out in long beautiful strands, and the leaves range from the deepest greens to blue. It flourishes in intense environments like the Sonoran desert, where the summertime temperatures can rise over 115 degrees! Instead of withering, it channels the hot sun and unfurls into a passionate display of floral fire. If you’re drawn to the Red Bird of Paradise, there may be something on your to-do list that you’ve been avoiding. Even though it may be high priority and important to you, you find yourself procrastinating. Red Bird of Paradise elixir motivates and inspires us to get things done. It fills us with passion and drive, and makes projects that we’ve previously put off effortless to finish. It dissolves struggle and resistance and helps us act with ease.

Here I am now, accepting the Red Bird of Paradise essence into my body, and I want to share my experience with you. I'm going to be honest when I say that I am THE biggest procrastinator of all time. All throughout school I would write my papers at 2 AM, having to be up for 5:30. If I had any type of deadline, I sometimes never reached it, and would even pass things in late. I have no excuse, I just like to rush things, what can I say? It makes sense as to why I was drawn to Red Bird of Paradise. I was actually pretty shocked as I read the description since it's pretty dead on!

How did I fair with the essence? The first day I received this essence, I immediately popped it under my tongue. About a couple hours later that day, I was putting away laundry that had been sitting in a basket for two weeks, no joke. For the next couple of weeks, I experienced the same phenomenon happening with everything that I was doing. I was finishing blog posts, I was cleaning, I was getting everything done that I needed to.

In the mornings I take 5 drops of this essence sublingually. Throughout the day I will add 5 more drops into my water, multiple times throughout the day. In taking this essence, I  have also noticed that I am more focused. I have the power to focus on projects now that I would otherwise get distracted from. Besides procrastination and focus, this essence has also helped in reinventing my creativity in many ways. I didn't realize how much of a creative rut I had been in before I had been taking this elixir. I have so many projects up my sleeve at all times now, it's as if I don't have the time to procrastinate. I guess I didn't realize how strong of an effect I would have based on this essence. Not that I doubted Lotus Wei, or the power of flowers, but I have been pretty blown away. Once you open yourself up to new things, the possibilities are endless.

If this in anyway describes you, I highly recommend taking the Inspired Action elixir. Or if you are drawn to Red Bird of Paradise like I am, your body might be sending you signals, like mine did. I am beyond pleased with this elixir, and I will forever be an Inspired Action user.

Be sure to check out a sneak peek, giveaways, free downloads, and more: here
Also, check out Suzi's blog post to continue the blog ring: here

For more info, follow Lotus Wei on Instagram @lotuswei. & Follow Louie Schwartzberg @MovingArtbyLouieSchwartzberg

**This elixir was provided for review purpose. As always, I am transparent with my readers, notifying you when I have received something for free.

As always, thank you for reading. xoxo

Well it's Autumn of course, so I thought this would be the perfect time to do a pumpkin DIY. Nothing like a Head to Toe Pumpkin Mask to get you in the spirit! I mean you will be literally COVERED in pumpkin. So let's jump in.

First off, I want to mention that this book is written by Jessica Ress who is the owner of Angel Face Botanicals. After Jess sent me some of her products some odd months ago, I fell in love with her ethos, products, and energy. Jess is a plant and crystal intuitive. She's studied aromatherapy, reiki, crystal reiki healing, sound healing, and herbalism.

Her book goes over everything from facial masks/scrubs, moisturizers, facial oils, eye creams, body butters, infusions, bath/spa products, + more. I love the variety of projects that you can do yourself with this book. A lot of these recipes contain very simple ingredients and are not hard to re-create at all. Jess recommends to make these recipes with focused healing intentions and lots of love. I loved that little inspiration at the beginning of the book to get you going.

So let's get on with this DIY!
This is described as a nourishing, skin-brightening, soothing and moisturizing mask.
Here's what you'll need: (Yields 1-2 Full Body Masks)
1 Cup flesh of one small pumpkin, pre-prepared, or 1 can pumpkin
1/2 Cup of Cooked Oatmeal
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Avocado, that's all I had)
1 Teaspoon Fresh Grated Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Grated Orange Zest
1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
1/2 Cup of Raw Turbinado Sugar

Before I did anything with the other ingredients, I first cooked the oatmeal. Then I refrigerated the oatmeal letting it cool down before I moved on. For this recipe I decided to go with an organic can of pumpkin instead of using a fresh one. Then, in a medium sized bowl I used a fork to blend the cinnamon, avocado oil, and oatmeal together. The recipe recommends letting those ingredients sit together for 10-15 minutes. After letting that sit, I added the pumpkin along with the ginger, orange juice, and orange zest. After stirring, add the sugar and make sure to blend well. 

To store the mask: put it in the refrigerator for a few days in an airtight container.

To use the mask: Jess recommends to take a quick shower or to use after a long soak in the tub to soften skin and remove toxins. The warmth of the shower will help to open your pores more easily for the mask to absorb into the skin. It is recommended to towel dry and then apply the mask all over your body. For me, I just sat on my shower chair while simultaneously letting a hair mask saturate my hair. It was a full pamper day in my house. I let the mask sit for about 10 minutes, but you can do up to 15 minutes. You will also want to use this on your face, keeping it on for the recommended 5-7 minutes. After the allotted time I washed both masks off. It is recommended to use a mild soap after. I used Dr. Bronner's. (Keep reading to see what I thought of this recipe)

Honestly I think the last time my skin was this soft is the day I was born. It may sound like I am exaggerating, but this was intensely moisturizing. My skin was super plump and hydrated. I also smelled like a pumpkin pie which was quite nice. I kind of wanted to lick this off my skin, so don't do this mask if you're hungry! I did have a bit of trouble in getting this to stay on my skin. Once I sat very still and just accepted my position, I didn't have much of it fall off. There was a slight tingling that occurred, but nothing that made it uncomfortable. The ginger and cinnamon are warming agents to the skin. Overall it was definitely a fun way to get nutrients and hydrate my body. I much more preferred to use it on my face though.

The face mask resulted in my skin appearing more bright, plump, and just down right rejuvenated. I think I would do this DIY more so knowing that I would be using it for my face. I was kind of terrified thinking of clogging my drains since I live in a very old house. I wonder if this would work sitting outside in the sun and rinsing it off with a hose after? I think I shall try it in the summer time.

Any who, I had such a fun time making it. I always love DIYs, so when Jess asked to collaborate on this, I was pumped. I've actually done another DIY based off of one of her other recipes that I will be sharing in some time.

You can find the book here: http://www.angelfacebotanicals.com/products/100-organic-skincare-recipes-make-your-own-fresh-and-fabulous-organic-beauty-products

Make sure to follow Angel Face Botanicals on Instagram @angelfacebotanicals

Want some?

*This book was gifted to me so I could share a DIY with my readers. I find it would definitely be worth it to purchase, especially if you area beginning to DIYs and want to learn an array of recipes.

As always, thank you for reading! Much love xoxo