As we enter this "season of love", many of us will follow the centuries-old tradition of gifting red roses to our heart's desire for Valentine's Day. A timeless symbol of romance since the dawn of civilization, the rose's association with love can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans and even Cleopatra. Fossil evidence suggests that the rose is about 35 million years old, so it’s little wonder that it crops up in many ancient stories! The renowned Greek Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, is credited for the creation of red roses. In one myth, it is said that Aphrodite discovered a murder plot against her mortal lover, Adonis, and as she dashed through a rose bush to warn him, she cut her ankles on its thorns. Her blood turned the white petals red. Upon discovering that she was too late to save her lover, she wept as he died in her arms, her tears mingled with his blood and burst into red roses. Cleopatra adored the use of rose petals during many of her public appearances and was inspired by the idea to associate the beautiful smell of the rose with her own scent, a rose smelling goddess. This idea of "smelling like a rose" was again used in Cleopatra’s romance with Marc Antony as her living quarters were filled with rose petals to associate the fragrant smell with her presence.
So what is it about this splendid flower that delights us so? With its messages so deeply woven throughout myth and legend, the beautiful sweet rose touches and inspires the heart of humanity as a symbol of love. There may be no other plant that embodies such deep feelings of the heart. Rose carries the medicine of softness AND strength. Of all the many ways it brings healing, one of the most important is by reminding us that softness and strength can co-exist. In fact, they MUST. Power without vulnerability isn’t strength; real strength always contains an element of vulnerability, of sharing the truth of ourselves with the world. Likewise, softness without an underlying structure of strength, as in the sureness of self, is bound to collapse in on itself, crushed under the weight of other people’s demands and expectations.
Alongside its silky petals are rose’s sharp thorns, which remind us to keep our boundaries intact and to balance our soft openness with a strong sense of discernment between what or who to allow into our space. The importance of these boundaries cannot be overstated.
Used since antiquity as a medicinal plant, roses have helped to staunch bleeding, ease colds&flu, cool the heat of inflammation, address digestive complaints and headaches, and support women’s health. Yet most of us still ponder love when we think of a rose. Perhaps then it is a surprise to learn that roses go beyond symbolism to profoundly open and care for the heart. Rose can comfort the wounded heart while calming and deeply nourishing the nervous system, allowing us to open to our inner self AND to the outside world. Rose may be of help to the modern human who is often over-wrought and emotionally out of touch with his or her heart.
In this month's collection, Everything's Coming Up Roses, we will invite the sweetness of rose into our life, alongside the Heart Stone, rose quartz. This month’s collection has been curated to help you to embody and radiate love - to radically fall in love with ourselves - even in the face of adversity. Start this new year by first falling in love with yourself, and with your very existence. Speak, listen, and act in love. BE LOVE.
Everything's Coming Up Roses - Collection Highlights
Our sweet rose-themed collection is a whimsical, romantic jaunt through history and legend. Here are some of the highlights. Be sure to visit our website to see the full collection so you don't miss out on any of these beauties!
Milk of Roses Beautifying Facial Cream
Through all times and ages, women have looked to cosmetics to improve their skin and combat the signs of aging. During the glitz and glamor of the Regency era, during which time Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice, rose-based cosmetics were ubiquitous. One of the most efficacious, and a product that actually delivered on some of its promises, was Warren and Rosser's Milk of Roses. An 1819 advertisement touted it "the most delightful cosmetic in Europe" and goes on to say that "It is highly recommended, not only by the proprietor, but by most females of distinction, for clearing and preserving the skin, and for rendering the complexion delicately fair and beautiful: it entirely removes redness, sunburn and freckles." The original formula is purported to be not much more than rosewater and almond oil; a simple and classic concoction.
We have taken the broad idea of this facial cream and fully modernized it with botanical actives and science-backed nutrients to create a high-performance moisturizer that you will have you falling head over heels! Rosewater and aloe marry with rosehip seed oil and camellia (green tea) oil as a functional base. But we didn't stop there! Hyaluronic acid, Pro-Vitamin B5, and niacinamide feature here to add ultimate hydration and anti-aging effectiveness. A dewy complexion and healthy skin awaits you!
Olympian Dew Gentle Rosewater Toner
Another Regency-era favorite also known as Grecian Bloom Water. It's efficacy was endorsed by celebrities of the day such as Marie Antoinette and was lauded in verse by poets such as George Crabbe, who wrote:
Come, faded belles, who would your youth renew,
And learn the wonders of Olympian Dew;
Restore the roses that begin to faint,
Nor think celestial washes vulgar paint;
Your former features, airs, and arts assume,
Circassian virtues, with Circassian bloom.
We understood the moniker "Olympian Dew" to be a reference to Aphrodite's tears in the aforementioned myth. The pic to the right is a 1786 advertisement for Olympian Dew by Mr Charles Sharp and sold by every perfumer of note in England.
Our contemporary Olympian Dew formula couples the illustrious rosewater (rose hydrosol) with luxurious age-defying rose geranium and neroli hydrosols, tonifying witch hazel, protective Pro-Vitamin B5 and plumping hyaluronic acid to produce an elegant and effective toner that may well become the most esteemed component of your skincare routine.
Love Frequency Shimmering Body Oil
Embrace your inner Aphrodite while moisturizing your skin! Our skin-nourishing and quick absorbing dry oil blend of jojoba, calendula, apricot kernel, meadowfoam, and fractionated coconut oil delivers a rich spectrum of antioxidants and essential fatty acids to support skin health while also delivering the ultimate beauty experience - a youthful glow, intoxicating scent, and silky soft skin. The gorgeous sheer pink finish has just the right touch of sparkle so you can embody the Divine Goddess you are! Rose quartz chips amplify the love frequency to encourage unconditional love, inner healing and feelings of peace.
Hugs for the Heart Solid Botanical Perfume
A sweetly sensual blend of wild rose, uplifting sweet orange, grounding and centering vetiver, and tranquil frankincense. Use this blend not just as a perfume, but as a path to elevating your mind to a more spiritual, reflective state. Rose represents the feminine water element and is useful for addressing sexuality, self-nurturing and self-esteem. Frankincense is known to assist one in connecting with our own divinity, alleviating feelings of worthlessness, self-destruction and anxiety. Vetiver balances the entire chakra system, strengthens and stabilizes, instills confidence, calms and protects from over-sensitivity. A rose quartz heart purifies and opens the heart at all levels to promote love, self-love, friendship, deep inner healing and feelings of peace. Apply the perfume to your pulse points, chakra centers, and temples. Allow yourself to take a moment or more to breathe in the healing aromas, clear your mind, re-center, repeat a self-love affirmation . Reapply whenever tension and self-doubt take over. You’ve got this!
Crystal Blush Artisan Botanical Soap
Pretty in pink with a brush of gold and adorned with a generously sized polished rose quartz crystal to add to your collection. She features our butter-rich formula with a lavish addition of super creamy coconut cream for maximum lather and an oh-so-rich skin lovin' experience!
A top note of effervescent champagne and playful notes of ripe strawberries brighten up the heady heart of rose and jasmine backed by sweet vanilla and a light touch of musk. Look out...this girl is quite the charmer!
The Love Formula
As many of us look for ways to reconnect with each other and with our own heart – through practices such as meditation and kindness – we may find that rose, in her beautiful simplicity, can help us. In rose we can find a dear friend who will be there to hold our hand and help us to open our hearts to new positive life experiences as we strive to meet our full potential.
Whichever way you decide to enjoy rose medicine, you will find her to be uplifting and supportive and filled with ancient wisdom. Allow the gifts of rose to nourish and protect you.
Bountiful heartfelt blessings to you!
xoxoxo
Stephanie
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