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The Crystal Queen Skincare Collection
Thoughtfully Formulated, Botanical Rich and Crystal Charged Skincare
Heal your skin for the Holidays with that incredible crystal glow
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Embracing My Inner Crystal Goddess
When crystals erupted into Instagram a few years ago I was one of the people who rolled my eyes at this “woo woo bullshit.” I mean, I've never been inclined to spirituality. The closest relationship I've had to it was resisting a Singaporean Methodist-Presbyterian type of Christianity foisted onto me growing up. And as a former academic who took a lot of pride in her Ph.D., being considered "unserious" or (even worse) -- a Goop-wannabe! was anathema to my bones to take something like crystals seriously.
The Universe, however, had other plans for me early this year. A little shop selling crystals opened up on my way home from working out. And the moment I stepped into the store, I suddenly was transported to my childhood, when I was entranced by rocks and gems, and how I used to love staring at and touching.
I picked up the stones and looked at the descriptions. And instead of going "wtf is a stone of magic," I thought, can't hurt to try. And they just felt so good in my hands. I bought some to experiment with.
And when I started reading about them, how the stones physically felt for me corresponded in a really uncanny way to how Crystal Healing books said that they were supposed to feel. Rose Quartz is supposed to be the stone of unconditional love, and when I meditated with a rose quartz stone, I could feel that its sensations felt like love. The stone seemed to radiate this peaceful, calm and nurturing energy, and I could feel it even more intensely when it was in my hand than when I was simply near it. Obsidian is a type of volcanic glass that's supposed to be deeply protective and truth enhancing. And when I felt it--I'm always the most attracted to it in among black stones--I could feel its energy seeking truth ripping my skin like a knife.
I was blown away. And, when I get blown away by something, if you know anything about me, I research it to death. Like, Sabbatical Beauty is literally the result of one (okay many) of my research rabbitholes.
And so I went even deeper down the rabbithole, considering the properties of crystal healing and-- since I'm always thinking about skincare formulations and how they can make the Sabbatical Beauty community feel better, that's where I went.
But first: How do crystals work?
How Does Crystal Healing Work?
I'll give it to you straight--I've found very little reputable peer reviewed standard medical research specifically on crystal healing. This is probably going to change in a few years with the advancement of the field of biofield therapy, which is a field of study that aims to translate energy medicine practices into something allopathic medicine can understand.
What I can do instead is give you a summary of some of the most compelling explanations of why they work that I've read. All with, however, the caveat though that in my research and in my own experience, crystals really are like magic. You have to want to believe. Because if you disbelieve, you're not going to feel their magic. And as you and I know, science doesn't deal with magic. (If you've a peer reviewed study somewhere that says otherwise, please hit me up in comments because I'd love to see something that argues that science and magic are the same.)
Crystals are supposed to help heal through energy exchanges. Many mystical, esoteric and ancient forms of religion and medicine express the concept of the "subtle body:" that the body exudes patterns of energy which are not yet documented within allopathic science. In Tantric Yoga this is known as the system of chakras -- spinning wheels of light energy that emanate from our bodies that are invisible to most people.
This concept of energy is said to be a universal life force. It spans many cultures and concepts: qi (气) in Traditional Chinese Medicine, prana in Ayurveda, mana to Polynesians, ka to Egyptians, light in Christianity.Because crystals are created through the expending of tremendous amounts of energy (the pressure that pushed magma from the earth's core to the crust to form minerals and then later interlocking crystals), they are said to contain that energy. And the distinctive lattice structure of crystal formation means that crystal atoms all follow the same orderly arrangement. Combining that tremendous amount of energy radiating to you with the same pattern of atoms means that crystals are able to send you certain kinds of healing energies very strongly via subtle energy: specifically, through vibrations.
I know, even I thought that I was losing my mind at many points.
But the strength and pull of crystals was undeniable. Because of their physical power. Because I can feeldifferent vibrations from different types of stones when I hold them.
And because I grew up in Asia, where Traditional Chinese Medicine is taken seriously as a branch of healing, crystal healing started to just "click" and make sense. Jade has been used for centuries as a symbol and talisman for protection in Chinese families, and Chinese people have used crushed pearls topically and internally to brighten and even skin tone (part of why I have three types of pearl in my Chang E Silver Moon Pearl Serum).
Which led me to think--surely I should experiment with how my skincare can be supercharged with crystal healing.Because I know that if they helped reach me emotionally in these ways, they certainly could help my community members as well.
So and after doing more research on the safe use of crystals in skincare products, I formulated, and tested with fifty Sabbatical Beauty human testers what you now see:
The Crystal Queen Skincare Collection.
The Crystal Queen Skincare Collection
Ekaterina Luxury Cream
Ekaterina Luxury Cream. I've been making Ekaterina since 2016, and bring it back for every holiday season. It is seriously the most indulgent thing I have ever made, which explains the price tag.
Ekaterina contains three types ofgold-- colloidal gold (small, microscopic gold particles suspended in distilled water), fermented gold (yeast that has been enriched with gold and then harvested), and 24 karat gold flakes for the touch of extra luxury. It also contains four types of caviar -- white caviar extract, caviar extract, caviar oil, and caviar oil extract as the Omega 3s in caviar are known for helping with anti-aging and dullness. And I've topped off the cream with white truffle extract--high in vitamin B complexes that are essential for skin health.
Travel Size 0.25 oz $75 | Full Size 2 oz: $175
Rose Quartz Cleansing Cream
Rose Quartz Cleansing Cream. I've been wanting to make a cleansing cream that allows you to take off makeup without needing to wash your face, and this cream is the result. It's made with primarily Rose Hydrosol (helps redness, gentle, anti-aging) washable Shea Butter (deep hydration) and Castor Oil (good for acne) and charged with a real piece of Rose Quartz at the bottom of the jar. You can use this to take off makeup with wipes, but you can also wash off the cream. Because it's so nutritious, you can also mask with it.
Travel Size: 0.5 oz $20 Full Size: 2 oz: $60
Rose Quartz Healing oil
Rose Quartz Healing Oil. This is an experiment to see if adding crystal power to an original product will actually increase its effectiveness. I've basically put my discontinued Rosehip Healing Oil in a rollerball stuffed with Rose Quartz and topped with an actual Rose Quartz rollerball here. Why? Because the original oil contains Rosehip Oil, Borage Oil and Evening Primrose Oils--high in Gamma Linoleic Acid which speeds wound healing and helps scarring. And Rose Quartz is the stone of unconditional love. And as the saying goes, love heals all wounds. So I want to see what the vibrations of love can add to healing your skin!
One Size 10ml: $40
Dorothy's licorice mask ii
Dorothy's Licorice Mask II.I've reformulated the original Dorothy mask to make it easier to spread and less clumpy, and to maintain the original brightening power of licorice. The first two ingredients are licorice extract and licorice powder, as licorice contains an compound known as liquiritin which helps to even skin tone.
Other active ingredients in this mask include honey for tamping down redness and healing skin irritation, and rice bran oil for extra emollience and anti-aging properties.
Travel Size 0.5 oz $25 | Full Size 2.3 oz $75
Wise Old Crone Facial Oil
Wise Old CroneFacial Oil. This is an attempt to revisit and supercharge an old product with some radical feminist energy. The contents are my Sleeping Beauty Oil--one of my powerhouses with Camellia Oil (skin identical, rich in oleic acids and Omegas 3, 6 and 9), Blue Tansy Oil (anti-inflammatory, balancing, helps acne, redness and irritated skin), Retinol (anti-aging and helps acne), Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil (Helps skin regeneration, elasticity and acne) and even more. But when I made Sleeping Beauty, I wasn't aware of the rape culture origins of the fairytale.
So when deciding to bring back the formulation but charged with Lapis Lazuli this time--both in the rollerball and in the bottle, I decided to change the name to Wise Old Crone. Especially with the addition of lapis. Crystal healers say lapis is a stone of inner truth, self-awareness and acceptance of that knowledge, dignity in friendship and social interaction. And here you have the same formulation but charged with lapis both in the bottle and as a rollerball. A physical embodiment of wisdom as beauty.
One size 10ml: $75
Lavender Amethyst snow
Lavender Ameythst Snow. To those who love the original Snow Sleeping Cream, this is the Fall 2019 remix: with lavender and amethyst. I've swapped out the chamomile hydrosol and snow fragrance for lavender hydrosol and lavender essential oil in this formulation because lavender helps you to relax and sleep.I've also added blue peaflower to the formulation as it contains potent anti-aging antioxidants. It turns the cream a light purple which will fade over time. There's also an amethyst stone at the bottom of the jar as amethyst helps to protect you and soothe you to sleep.
Travel Size 5ml $20. Full Size 2 oz $75
GAIA Pressed Serum
I've often been asked to turn my Lift Serum (which firms, tones and lifts sagging skin) into a cream-- and here it is. It contains some of the most expensive and effective ingredients I've ever experimented with: Ceramide 1 and Ceramide 3. Other actives include: red Irish moss, fermented copper, Kombu extract, pea peptide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 (synthetic peptide for firming skin), Barley, sandalwood and pomegranate sterols. This has been a SB tester favorite.
Warning: it also has a pungent odor. I tried reformulating it but testers were clamoring for the original to come out, so here it is in all its effective glory!
Travel size 5ml: $47 | Full Size 1 oz. $147
Crystal facial rollers
Get ready for Crystal Roller Time. You've seen these everywhere recently and that's for good reason. In Asia, they've been used for centuries because crystal rolling is believed to soothe and calm skin and has anti-aging benefits. In contemporary science facial massage with a roller helps your skincare to better absorb, to relax you with a massage and also to stimulate collagen building and firm and lift your skin.
In this collection we're releasing three flavors of crystal: Rose Quartz (because who doesn't want to rub some unconditional love on your face), Green Aventurine (good luck, soothes emotions) or Amethyst (protection, soothes anxiety and calms nerves). Bccause when you can charge your crystal charged skincare further with good vibes, why not?
Crystal Rollers: $30
Soothe Mindfulness Cards
Soothe Mindfulness Cards. And finally, we're excited to partner with Erin McCarthy, Ph.D. to launch her Soothe Mindfulness Cards! Erin is a philosophy professor at St. Lawrence professor and Fellow at the Life and Mind Institute, and she runs mindfulness workshops for frazzled people. In this set of cards, you'll get 14 quick mindfulness-on-the-go cards that will teach you how to redirect and soothe yourself even in the most difficult moments.
Each card centers around a different practice: Grounding (Red), Gratitude (Yellow), Energize (Indigo), Joy (Purple), Breathe (Blue), Open (Orange) and Love (Green). You get two practices in the whole deck.
To use: Take a deep breath. Shuffle through the cards. Pick one random card, and read. Do the exercise and relax.
One size: $20.