As we look forward to spring's approach, this simple, three-step ritual from Farmaesthetics delivers nourishing benefits to the skin as the cool, dry weather begins to retreat.

1. Add a dropper of Farmaesthetics Complexion Conserve to a teaspoon of Farmaesthetics Nourishing Herbal Cream. Mix together and apply this enhanced preparation, slathering it onto clean, damp skin on the face, neck, and décolleté as a mask.

2. Then apply Hand to Heel Softening Salve to hands and feet, nail beds, cuticles, elbows, and any other areas where skin is thin, dry, ragged or cracked. Allow the Hand to Heel Softening Salve to rest on skin while you mask. The salve will absorb into the tissue, and you will most likely not need to wipe away excess product or add additional moisture.

3. Once Hand to Heel is applied, cocoon the face with a warm, dry cotton cloth and relax for a few minutes, allowing the skin time to absorb the herbs, moisture, and nutrients needed to restore skin elasticity. When it's time to remove cloth from face, simply wipe away any remaining product. You will probably not need an additional moisture application, but if you do, just dab a bit of Nourishing Herbal Cream to areas in need of a little extra care.
 

Rounding out our winter renewal series with tips for keeping hair healthy and shiny through the dead of winter, Mordechai Alvow, founder of Yarok, shares his home remedies for combatting flyaways and dryness.

"If your hair is lacking moisture, there are several items you'll probably find in your own kitchen that can replenish dry hair. It's no secret that your hair needs certain oils and olive and avocado oils are great for overall hair health and shine. Yarok Feed Your Roots Mousse contains both oils along with many other all-natural ingredients that give your hair the lift it needs to look voluminous.

Flyaways are another common winter hair nuisance. If you want to beat that static cling, one quick trick is to rub a fabric softening dryer sheet on your hair to remove the frizz. You can also use a product like the Yarok Feed Your Shine Hair Serum to add shine and tames those flyaways."

The third in our winter renewal series, Rose-Marie Swift of RMS Beauty shares her unexpected-yet-effective uses for RMS products during the harsh winter months.

"In the winter, the sensitive skin around our eyes seems to be a little more vulnerable to the dry air in our heated homes. A great way to restore the lost moisture content is to apply a little touch of RMS Beauty Lip & Skin Balm to the skin around your eyes. This will work magically to moisturize and nourish the eye area as well as chapped lips, dry elbows, or mild skin irritations.

RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream, in addition to being a make-up remover and body moisturizer, can also be used to combat dry scalp. Apply a small amount to your roots to restore the area's natural oils.

Finally, the "Un"Cover-Up has a plentitude of nourishing oils to protect the skin's moisture balance; giving ones skin a natural, winter dewy finish." 

The second in our winter renewal series, our friend and founder of Farmaesthetics, Brenda Brock, recently joined us to share her advice for altering a winter skincare routine to nourish the skin throughout the harsh season. 

Farmaesthetics Winter Renewal from Terrain on Vimeo.

We're starting the first in a series of posts dedicated to winter renewal by considering what we take into our bodies. Taking a cue from our newest cookbook, Clean Start, we're looking more deeply at what we eat, with a focus on how it affects our overall well-being and the well-being of the environment. This excerpt from Clean Start author Terry Walters has been particularly inspiring for us in the new year.

"When it comes to eating clean and living well, the most powerful tools we have are intention and the ability to make the choices that serve our best interests. Together, these tools can help us navigate our way through grocery stores, restaurants, and a variety of temptations. But when I'm cooking in my kitchen, my goal is much more basic -- to bring together tastes, textures, colors and nutrients to create meals that all will enjoy. I think of my cast-iron skillet as my palette, clean food as my paint, and my finished dishes as the resulting creation that brings together and nourishes my family and friends."

Walters points out that clean eating is less about rigid rules than it is about making one healthy choice at a time. A few of her simple guidelines follow, and many more can be found in her book.

"Eat The Colors Of The Rainbow.
The more colorful your diet, the more nutrient-rich. Go easy on empty white filler foods and heavy on healing greens.

Eat Dark Leafy Greens Every Day.
For me, green is the most important color and the one most lacking in our diets. Greens are cleansing, healing, uplifting and rich in calcium and minerals. Try using a variety of greens to amp up the nutritional value of your salads, soups, sauces, stir-fries and even smoothies. Just get them in!

Eat All Five Tastes.
Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent are all found naturally and nutritionally in clean food, as opposed to manufactured "natural flavors" and the imbalance of sweet and salty tastes found in processed foods."

Clean Start, by Terry Walters. Sterling Epicure. 

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more in our Winter Renewal Series, including expert wellness tips for skincare, hair care, and freshening your makeup in the colder months.
 

Binchotan charcoal is believed to have a multitude of beneficial effects. Whether used dry or wet to absorb chemicals in tap water, enhance blood circulation in a hot bath, stimulate healthy soil in the garden, or balance negative ions in your home, Binchotan charcoals are a natural way to boost overall wellness.

Wet usage: Prior to first use, rinse Binchotan with water, scrub lightly, and boil for ten minutes. Since the charcoal has been prewashed, do not ignite it. Once cleaned, the charcoal is ready to use in a pitcher of water, your bath, or for cooking rice. After the first use, repeat this cleansing process each week or, alternatively, leave the charcoal in direct sun for several hours. With wet usage, Binchotan will last roughly three months.

Dry usage: Every two weeks, brush Binchotan lightly and leave it in direct sunlight for several hours. It can be used all over your home, and with dry usage will last for over three years.

Best Uses for Binchotan

1. To purify drinking water, add 1/4 pound of Binchotan to a pitcher of tap water. The charcoal will help release ions to increase the water's pH, release natural minerals, and absorb chemicals.

2. Add Binchotan to a pot of cooking rice to emit infrared rays that will help retain the taste of the rice, absorb any chlorine in the water, and release natural minerals.

3. For a purifying bath, add approximately one pound of Binchotan to hot bathwater. Infrared rays emitted by the charcoal will help enhance blood circulation and keep the body warm and relaxed long after the bath.

4. Keep dry Binchotan by electrical appliances like the television, microwave, computer, or mobile phone, to help block harmful electromagnetic waves.

5. Kept dry in various spots around your home, Binchotan charcoal will help balance the charged ions in your environment to freshen and purify the air around you.

6. To keep closets, drawers, and refrigerators fresh from odor, dampness, and mold, a stick of dry Binchotan can be kept inside to absorb bacteria and unpleasant scents.

7. Once your Binchotan has reached the end of its indoor use, improve soil health by recycling it in the garden. Mix broken pieces of charcoal into new soil, or apply it over a garden bed to improve the movement of air and water through the soil. This transformation will help increase microbial activity, alkalize the soil, and reinforce trace elements; creating an optimal environment for healthy plants.

 

When it comes to thoughtful, delicious recipes to bring family and friends together, Maggie Beer never disappoints. This recipe for Chocolate Cake with a Fig Centre and Ganache makes for the perfect finale to any family gathering.

Chocolate Cake with a Fig Centre and Ganache
serves 8-10

This is an amazingly luscious cake that is best made with figs picked ripe from the tree. The base recipe is in fact Simone beck's Very Rich Chocolate Cake with Cherries from Simca's Cuisine, an old favourite; the page in my copy is very fingered and chocolate-splattered! This cake is rich rather than sweet, so is perfect for my taste.

For the cake
450g (approximately 2 cups) bitter chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon best-quality instant coffee granules
1/2 cup brandy or fruit liqueur
4 free-range eggs, separated
150g (approximately 2/3 cup) unsalted butter, chopped
1/3 cup plain flour
Pinch salt
1/3 cup (75 g) castor sugar
8 plump, ripe figs, peeled and chopped

For the ganache
225g (approximately 1 cup) bitter chocolate, chopped
150 ml (approximately 5 ounces) cream
2 teaspoons best-quality instant coffee granules

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Our friends at Farmaesthetics recently paid us a visit to share a simple home recipe for an all-over exfoliating body scrub made with organic coffee grounds, local honey, and fragrant orange zest. Here, founder and long-time terrain friend, Brenda Brock, shows us how to make this scrub in just a few quick steps.

Created to nourish and firm the skin, smooth lines and renew elasticity with rich cocoa bean, our friends at Amala developed this rejuvenating ritual* especially for terrain, as a way to enjoy a potent anti-aging facial at home.

1. Rejuvenating Cleansing Milk: Add a small amount of water to the cleanser. Cleanse the eyes, face & neck using gentle circular movements. Wipe off cleanser with damp cotton rounds. Repeat cleansing steps again, if necessary.

2. Rejuvenate Treatment Oil: Fill your basin with warm water. Add one pump of the Treatment Oil into warm water. Using a face cloth, apply warm compress to the face and hold for 10-15 seconds.

3. Rejuvenating Face Polish: Add small amount of water to the polish. Using gentle circular movements, massage polish into skin with moist hands for approximately one minute. Remove with cotton rounds or a face cloth.

4. Rejuvenating Treatment Oil: Press ten drops of the Treatment Oil into the face with your hands.

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A quick and easy cashew milk, from BluePrintCleanse founders Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss and their book, The 3-Day Cleanse.

Easy Cashew Milk
Yields: one 16-ounce drink

½ cup raw cashews, soaked for one hour in one cup of water
2 cups filtered water
1 ½ teaspoon extra virgin coconut oil
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons agave
Pinch sea salt

Drain the nuts. Combine all the ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Store in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Shake well before use.

The 3-Day Cleanse by Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss. Wellness Central, $15.99

Made with organic Turkish Myrtle celebrated for its deep cleansing benefits, this Detoxifying Home Care Ritual* was created especially for terrain. The perfect ending to a busy week, this at-home treatment refreshes, smoothes, and refines.

1. (Optional) Detoxifying Bath Crystals: Fill your bath tub up with warm water and add one – two scoops of Bath Crystals. Soak in the tub 20 – 30 min

2. Detoxifying Body Cleanse Detoxifying Polish: Step into your shower and wash your body with the Detoxifying Body Cleanse. Turn off the water. While the skin is wet, massage the Body Polish over the skin using quick scrubbing movements, covering the entire body (excluding the face), for one – two minutes, adding more water to the polish as needed.

3. Showering off: Turn on the shower, and rinse off the Polish. Dry with a warm towel

4. Detoxify Firming Body Treatment, Detoxifying Body Butter, or Detoxifying Body Oil: Once the skin is dry, moisturize the entire body (excluding the face) with a Detoxifying Moisturizer of choice.

*Permission is required by Amala for duplication of this document