Recent Reads - The Voice of Knowledge

Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz left such a positive and inspirational impression on my mind and longing to read some more of his works. Today I would like to share with you another of his books - The Voice of Knowledge. It is a masterpiece of its own and shares a Toltec Wisdom as a practical guide to the inner peace.

2016 was a year of inner wanderings for me and this type of books, which open a different perspective of thought were very much welcome. If you are searching for the meaning of your life and trying to unravel the real yourself, this book might appeal to you as well as it did to me.

The Voice of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz is a book which shows you how to recover your faith in the truth and return to your own common sense. Author shares his knowledge through tale of his life and challenges you as a reader to challenge everything you know to be able to see beyond your knowledge into a real you. 

You notice the Four Agreements in between the lines and each chapter ends with Points to Ponder to summarise and to simplify the message author tries to deliver.

Here are some of my favourite quotes:

- The mind isfertile ground for concepts, ideas, and opinions. If someone tells us a lie and we believe it, that lie takes root in our mind and can grow big and strong, like a tree. One little lie can be very contagious, spreading its seeds from person to person when we share it with others.

by Miguel Ruiz, The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace

- All of the humans suffer is the result of believing in lies, mainly about ourselves. The first lie we believe is I am not: I am not the way I should be, I am not perfect. The truth is that every human is born perfect because only perfection exists.

by Miguel Ruiz, The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace

- "You can never be what you are not. You can only be you, and that’s it. And you are you right now, and it’s effortless."

by Miguel Ruiz, The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace

- "Humans are the storytellers of God. It is in our nature to make up stories, to interpret everything we percieve. Without awareness, we give our personal power to the story, and the story writes itself. With awareness, we recover the control of our story. We see that we are the authors, and if we don't like our story, we change it."

by Miguel Ruiz, The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace

- "What you call thinking is the voice of knowledge making up stories, telling you what you know, and trying to make sense out of everything you don't know. The problem is that the voice makes you do many things that go against yourself."

by Miguel Ruiz, The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace

- "The best way to write your story is with love. Love is the material that comes directly from your integrity, from what you really are."

by Miguel Ruiz, The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace

- "Life is a force that you cannot see. You only see the effects of life, the process of life in action. You don't see yourself, but you see the manifestation of life in your physical body. You have the sense of time, but it's nothing but the reaction of life passing through you."

by Miguel Ruiz, The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace

- "The truth is not in the story. The truth is in the power that creates the story. The truth is the real you: it's your own integrity, and nobody can guide you to that place. Only you can take yourself there. When the voice of knowledge becomes the voice of integrity, you return to the truth, you return to love, you return to heaven, and live in happiness again."

by Miguel Ruiz, The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace

Beautiful book, it touched something deep inside me and took my mind to new places.

Have you read it yet or any other books by Don Miguel Ruiz? I would love to read your thoughts and experience.

Marija

Facial skin care routine update -winter 2016/17

This type of blog post you seems like the most, so I thought to treat you to mu updated skin care routine before this year is out. It took me few cleansing method trials before my skin settled into a happy existence this winter. Usually it takes just few weeks to transit between seasons, but this time it took me few months. Not sure why it is so, but here are all the products I use in my facial skin care routine.

I would like to begin with a disclaimer. I am not a skin care professional, this is just my personal skin care routine. Please use it only as a guide to establish your own. This is not an advertisement, all products I purchased with my own funds.

Whenever I plan my skin care routine, I try to follow 5 rules: cleansing, toning, moisturising, exfoliating and a special treat. I would say that all my skin care routines are and were based on those; only products themselves tend to change.

1. Cleansing. As I have mentioned above, I had a bit of a challenge with cleansing this year. It took me longer to figure out what method my skin prefers and I am glad that I have found a solution for now. I wend from cleansing gel to oil cleansing method to my very old style - less is better. At the moment I use Nivea Daily Essentials Extra Gentle Eye Make-up Remover to cleanse my eye make up and I use a bit extra to cleanse all my face followed by a good rinse with warm water. Not much, but this calmed my skin irritation and improved overall complexion.

I use Vichy Purete Thermale Fresh Cleansing Gel now only once or twice a week in the morning and Miaroma Avocado Oil as a cleanser when I feel like to give my face some massage in the evening.

2. Toning. I haven't changed my Vichy Purete Thermale Perfecting Toner and still am using it to spray over my face and neck after cleansing and after a shower. I love the fresh scent and formula seems to agree with my skin. 

3. Moisturising. I am using Nivea Daily Essentials Sensitive Day Cream and Night Cream. Both are gentle, soothing and seems work well with my skin type. Day cream comes with SPF15, so I am not using a separate skin protection at the moment. I bought again Yes to Blueberries Fine Lines and Wrinkles Eye Firming Treatment for my under the eye skin. Personally I find it very hard to decide on the eye cream, most of them I have tried haven't really left any impression on my memory, well apart from Yes to. It it light, but hydrates and moisturises gentle skin very well. 

4. Exfoliating. I am opting for a mild exfoliation this winter: face cloth with Avocado oil when I do oil cleansing, Konjac sponge when I use cleansing gel or gentle scrub once a week. Vichy Normaderm 3 in 1cleanser, scrub and mask is one of my favourite multi-tasking skin care products. I use it mostly as a scrub and a deep cleansing mask. It is gentle and leaves my skin fresh and clear after each use.

5. A Special treat. We all need one! I love to treat my skin with some oils or face masks as often as I feel the need. I don't have a permanent choice of skin oil or face mask. At the moment I am going through my reserves and trying to finish products I have bought or received from the Glossybox. I am using Rodin Luxury Face Oil once in a while as a serum, just before my night cream, and Mudmasky Facial Detox Purifying Recovery Mask or Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask. I apply masks once or twice a week, opting for a cream textured one more often this winter.

There are three more beauty products I would like to add to my skin care routine: Miaroma Tea Tree and Lavender essential oils and The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Lip Balm. They are part of my facial skin care routine, but don't really belong to any particular section. I use Tea Tree oil on my breakouts in the evening, if I have any and I like to add a bit of Lavender essential oil into the Avocado oil when I cleanse my face with it. Lip balm is a must have for me this time of the year and The Organic Prarmacy Antioxidant Lip Balm is my perfect choice so far.

What is your must have skin care product this winter?

Marija

Read more:

- My skin care routine - face - spring 2016

- My skin care routine - face - spring 2015

- My skin care routine - face - autumn 2014

- Simple face massage - DIY

- Oil Cleansing method

MWgift(s) - December 2016 update

Amazingly 2016 is almost over, just over a week left for the new year to commence. My project is going slowly, but surely on background of my busy life. Recently I started to have some creativity cravings and would like to introduce you to my new gift line. 

These little booties are hand made from 100% cotton, perfect for little feet to keep them warm, but not overly so. They are such lovely gifts for christening or for a new born. 

Here are two more items I came across last month. Both are decorative and elephant themed.

1. Vintage wooden elephant

2. Collectable Trumpeter's Ball from Harmony Kingdom.

I am currently updating MWgift(s) accounts on eBay and Amazon. All these items will be available for sale shortly.

Happy shopping everyone!

Marija

Empty bottles: VICHY and Sachajuan

I am again so much behind with my posting. Life is amazing and it keeps me busy with lots of things. I hope you all are doing well and don't mind my irregular writing.

I came across this draft and thought to finish it for you today. Personally I think it is important to share beauty product reviews, because there so many of them out there and we all want to make the right choice. Even through our skin and a lot of factors vary, just a glimpse of shared knowledge, can make the process and shopping experience the worth while.

I have one skin care and one hair product to write about.

1. Vichy Purete Thermale Fresh Cleansing Gel. I used it though all summer and some of the autumn daily. Its gentle formula provides good cleansing without drying out the skin. I loved the scent - light and fresh. I would say it is a long lasting product and worth its price.

Here is the ingredient list:

AQUA / WATER, GLYCERIN, COCO-BETAINE, SODIUM COCOYL GLYCINATE, PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE DIOLEATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL, LAURIC ACID, TRIETHANOLAMINE, MORINGA PTERYGOSPERMA SEED EXTRACT, PHENOXYETHANOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CITRIC ACID, TETRASODIUM EDTA, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE

It isn't the best, if you prefer a more natural skin care product, but it isn't that bad either. On a personal level it is 50/50. Natural cleansing products not always work for me and I think this cleansing gel is a wonderful substitution to the most of cleansing gels I have tried so far. I already got another bottle, but because season has change I use it only once or twice a week. If I would want to rate it from 1 to 5 stars I would give Vichy Purete Thermale Fresh Cleansing Gel full 4 stars. It will be part of my skin care routine for some time or until I will get tempted with something else. 

2. Sachajuan Hair Repair. This is a professional hair care treatment from Sweden. According to the brand it contains silk technology and perfect for damaged and stressed hair. It is promotes cell regeneration and lend vitality and strength.

Personally I think it is a very good hair care product and deserves some attention. My memory brings out the hair texture after the use and a wonderful long lasting fresh scent it left. It made my hair silky, soft and easy manageable.

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Hydrolyzed Rhodophycea Extract, Parfum, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Phenoxyethanol, Glycereth-2 Cocoate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Peg-7 Glyceryl, Cocoate, Laureth-8, Succinoglycan, Sodium Chloride, Isopropylmyristate, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Citric Acid, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Sodium Methylparaben, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool.

Sachajuan hair care products are priced as majority of professional hair care and they are available online from various stockists. I am not sure, if I would like to buy it again, just because there are so many other brands I would like to try first. Not a full stop for me, but it was wonderful to try it. If I would want to rate Sachajuan Hair Repair treatment from 1 to 5 stars I would give it 3 stars. It blends in with so many others and didn't stand out for me. I find it hard to locate a perfect hair care brand to stay loyal to. This one was nice, but something still is missing. 

Have you tried any from above? Have you discovered your hair care heaven?

Marija 

November beauty favourite

As soon as weather change and autumn kicks in, my lips let me know first that season has changed and it is time for extra lip care. My simple lip gloss suddenly isn't enough, my lips tend to go dry and sensitive. I love simple, natural lip balms and used to make my own, when I had more free time and a motivation, but this time I came across a wonderful alternative in a little tube.

The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Lip Balm.

This lip balm's consistency, the feel and results are so amazingly close to my own simple lip balm recipes, but it comes in a more convenient tube, so there is no need to dip fingers in.

Here is the full ingredient list:

Castor Oil, Soybean Sterols (Glycine Soya), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii)*, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao), Honey (Mel)*, Parfum (Fragrance), Jojoba Oil(Simmondsia Chinensis)*, Pomegranate (Punica Granatum), Benzyl Alcohol, Vitamin E (Tocopherol), Benzyl Benzoate, Citral , Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool, Rose Hip (Rosa Canina) Oil*, Candelia Wax, Rice Bran (Oryza Sativa).

The Organic Pharmacy lip balm is wonderfully soft, gentle and efficient with the lip care. I am sure it will keep me happy though this winter, so far it did very well. Antioxidant lip balm is hydrating, moisturising and provides enough protection from adverse weather to keep lip skin healthy and plump. Another point goes to its scent - it is mild and refreshing.


Have you tried this lip balm before or what is your must have lip care this time of the year?
Marija