The New York holiday windows are all about fantasy, luxury and indulgence this year. We took a tour and captured some of our favorite presentations. 🎄
While we're in holiday mode, we took a moment to think of the things that made our holidays special to us growing up:
Lisa: My family has Scandinavian heritage, and even though we were all American born, we celebrated with some really cool traditions. Mostly food, of course! My mom made oyster stew and salted cod and we always had fondue. I know now that we're all fearless eaters because of her insistence that we didn't eat "kid foods" back then. Presents were always plentiful; our parents always treated us to such generosity. And love was always in the room. 💛
Nathalie: I am first-generation French. Growing up, my family knew how to have fun. I recall big family gatherings during the holidays. Lots of wine for the adults and lots of presents for the kids. Children were put to bed early and were then awoken at midnight, so that they could open their presents. Look at that stack of presents! Now, I'm a mom and we carry on the same tradition of waking my son up every holiday at midnight. It's so fun to see the excitement in his eyes!
Now for the other goodies ...
Glow as you go - our tips for glowing holiday skin:
- Make sure your skincare contains no allergens or irritants! Check those labels.
- Get the blood flowing by exercising regularly. It doesn’t have to be for 30-plus minutes; 8 to 15 minutes is enough. There are many helpful exercise apps out there; we like the "8 Minute Workout" for a quick boost. It’s easy to squeeze into a hectic schedule before going to work in the morning.
OK, now that you've got the blood pumping, you can do a few extra things to minimize puffiness and/or lack of color.
- Drink a lot of water. It will help you cleanse. Green Tea is also wonderful as an anti-inflammatory drink. You can add lemon for extra cleansing properties, too.
- Ice Massage. Only do this if you are not too sensitive to cold. If you are too sensitive, skip down to the next tip.
Take one or two ice cubes, place in a soft, non-textured cloth, and let melt slightly. Then lightly rub on your clean face for just one minute (no more) - making sure to address the areas where you see the inflammation. It's OK to do this on the eye area. It will help with puffiness. Once done with massage, apply your favorite serum and moisturizer. Your pores will soak it all in.
- Cucumber Slices or Warm Chamomile tea bags are also great alternatives to an ice massage for those who are too sensitive. Sit back and relax somewhere comfortable. Place either the cucumbers or warm tea bags on your closed eyelids for 20 minutes. Voila ... puffy eyes are diminished or gone.
- Get a facial. Do an at-home facial massage (or go to the spa and treat yourself). For a home facial, there are all sorts of tutorials online. Find the one that works best for you.
- Use Starling Glow Balms to enhance your best features and give you the extra glow you are looking for.
Allergen Watch
This Week: Almonds
Lisa's story : I used to think almonds were delicious, nourishing and healthy. And paired with chocolate, forget about it! I remember those days. They were amazing…
Also back then, almond oil did wonders for my skin, too. It was glowing, clear and smooth.
My skin never looked better ... until it didn’t. Out of nowhere, I had a crazy, itchy rash on my face, and a nose as red as a reindeer. I felt ugly and uncomfortable. I looked tired all of the time. I was itchy everywhere. Something was definitely wrong. After many arduous visits to many doctors, I was actually grateful for the diagnosis of an almond allergy so that I could start to look like a normal person again.
I was deeply ungrateful when I realized what had to come out of my skincare routine and my diet. I was using products and eating nuts frequently, and almost everything had to change.
Almond allergies are the most common of the tree-nut allergies. If you are allergic to almonds, you can expect some or all of the below side effects:
- Stomach bloating and pain
- Itchy skin/rashes (can be caused by skin contact or ingestion of allergen)
- Acne
- Runny nose/constant sinus problems
- Swollen lips/mouth
- In very serious cases, anaphylaxis and constriction of air passages
If you suspect a nut allergy, please see an allergist and get a diagnosis, right away. If you have an allergy, there are several things that you will want to avoid. Here we will focus on ingredients that are “hidden” in plain sight. They identify the ingredient but use lengthy scientific names and don’t show the common name of the ingredient.
If you are allergic to almonds, please make sure you are looking on labels for any of the terms below as identifiers.
Prunus dulcis
Prunus
Prunus amygdalus
Prunus amara
Amanda douce
Amande
Amygdalus dulcis
Prunus communis dulcis
Amygdalus communis L
Sweet almond oil
Almond oil
This is not an exhaustive list. Please be a detective and inspect your skin labels carefully. Always consult with your physician if you have questions or need guidance.
A question many people ask ... do Natural Deodorants work? We've tried almost all of the brands out there, and the majority of them do not work. How are we judging their success (or failure)? Easy - there are three factors we look for: Odor control, texture, and the need to reapply.
We had many people try our deodorant before we launched. We targeted people who were already using natural deodorants. Every one of them preferred ours. It went on smoother, kept them smelling fresher longer, and kept them dry. We also asked people who used commercial, non-natural deodorants containing aluminum to try our products. The majority said the deodorant did not keep them dry enough, but that it did keep them smelling fresh.
There's a reason for that. Many people (especially those using non-natural deodorants) do not realize there is a transition period that needs to take place when someone switches from a synthetic deodorant to a natural deodorant. When your underarm sweat glands are used to being unnaturally blocked by the aluminum found in most commercial deodorants, your glands do not create sweat. For your body, that's a false positive. Deodorant chemicals create unnatural effects and may carry potential health risks. Your underarm area is a direct portal to your glands, so anything you put there will enter your bloodstream quickly.
When switching to a natural deodorant, your body over-compensates at first; as a result, you may sweat more than usual. This is because your sweat glands are opening (which is a good thing). Don't give up if you don't like the results right away. You may need to reapply a few times a day at first to feel comfortable. It will take time before your body adjusts and the product works fully. Once you have gotten through the transition period, you will be able to wear your natural deodorant fearlessly. Of course, we're biased. We want you to be wearing Starling.
We're ending on a fun note - things we LOVE at Starling! Spoiler alert ... there are pet pics.
We're a small team that does everything and tries to keep the process fun and light while we're shipping lots of orders or building our next product. That said, the little things mean a lot to us. Here's a few pics of the things we love most.
Nathalie enjoying teatime while working! ⭐️ Her smile lights up the day.
Beautiful luxurious Suzy
Sweet Tuki
Fearless Frida who loves treats
And lastly, who doesn't like a good dog in a Santa hat? Henri!
Happy Holidays from us at Starling!