Vote for Woman Divine!

Maybe you already have heard that Woman Divine has been nominated for Faces Magazine 2024 Ottawa Awards - Best Natural Wellness Company! 

Thank you very much to the kind soul who has nominated us for this award and to everyone who has already voted. Also, thank you much for placing us within the Health & Wellness industry because at heart we feel that that's where we belong. 
As a small unassuming business that was built by word of mouth, we feel truly honoured.

We are grateful for initiatives like this one by Faces Magazine which provides a platform to celebrate Ottawa's most appreciated professionals and businesses. From personal experience we know that running a small business in the best of times is a hustle but the last three years have been exceptionally difficult. So a little bit of cheer feels extra good.
Please check out other nominees in various categories. You may find your fave people and business there. We are certain that your votes will be deeply appreciated ❤️
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Saying all of that, if you like us:) and would like to vote, here is how to do it.
You can vote daily until March 7th/2024

1. Go to Faces Magazine
2. Scroll down to categories and choose Health & Wellness
3. Select Natural Wellness Companies and scroll down to find us
4. Vote for Woman Divine🙏

Thank you for your support and for celebrating local businesses and professionals. We are very proud to be part of this amazing community❤️

Magdalena and Julie xo
 

Spring and your Skin

If you are looking for best ways to take care of your skin during spring season, you may find my article ‘Spring and your Skin’ written for The School for Aromatic Studies helpful.

The seasonal shift is in its full swing and spring has arrived!

Many welcome longer days, warmer temperatures and life waking up from its deep winter sleep. Yet some, especially at the beginning of spring can feel physically and emotionally uncomfortable and their skin doesn’t look or feel happy either.

Because nothing in nature stands still, seasonal changes remind us that it’s time for a thoughtful atonement. If we wish to flow with seasonal rhythms with ease, observing and embracing what nature teaches is the obvious thing to do…. continue reading HERE

Your love keeps me going!

It’s true, your love does keep me going! Whenever doubt creeps in, in some miraculous way loving words of encouragement arrive in my mailbox. And such was today when I opened the newsletter from Sonja Payette.

Sonja is a Real Estate Professional and a damn good one! She is in the top 1% in Canada! Here is her website She has been a client for many years and I’ve always enjoyed her visits and her vivacious energy and generous spirit! I was very humbled to read her kind words and find Woman Divine featured in her newsletter. Thank you very much Sonja! I can’t wait until we can have our facial again!

I will be honest, it hasn’t been easy to function as a small business for the past two years. Sometimes, I have moments when I feel discouraged and unsure how to move ahead. I miss my clients and I miss our meaningful interactions very very much! At the same time, it feels completely unsafe to invest in a new location as lockdowns and intense measures continue.

So, I am not sure how my work and my business will evolve over time but I can tell you that I will not give up! I will keep on making my products and I will keep on envisioning a beautiful future for all of us! I will hold a vision for in-person services and a perfect future setup for Woman Divine:)

Love and Light,

Magdalena xo

Eye Balm | arnica + blue tansy

The aromatic chemical compound Chamazulene present in Blue tansy (Tanacetum Annum) essential oil, gives the beautiful blue hue to Woman Divine Eye Balm.

Besides its stunning deep blue colour and beautiful sweet, apple like aroma, Blue tansy essential oil is a rather impressive skin healer.

I included it in WD Eye Balm because it’s cooling and soothing, it reduces inflammation and helps to alleviate dark circles (I paired it with Arnica to help lighten darkness around the eyes).

The aroma of Blue tansy has a similar effect on the mind and spirit as it’s oil has on the skin. It’s soothing and calming and it helps to let go of the heated emotions that we experience.

I love making and using this formula very much!
It was created with the intention to address dehydration, fine lines, dark circles, and also to uplift your spirit.
My wish is that its texture, colour and aroma will invite a deeper connection with the self and healing plants every time you apply it.

Love and Light,

Magdalena

Visit to the farm.

Summer is my absolutely favourite time for Woman Divine.

This is the time of bounty, when local healing plants are harvested for our formulations and for our treatments.

Every year, I impatiently wait for the days when I can visits our friend and partner grower, Anne Janssen of Creek’n Tree Farm.

It’s truly a blessing to visit Anne and her land, to get a peak into her day and to be part of the harvest. Even if for a few hours.

I make the point to do this every year simply so I can be close to the growing plants but also so I can always remember how much work goes into growing medicine and food. I find that this keeps me humble and fills me with gratitude both to the earth and to the people who work so hard to feed us and to feed our skin. 

We were chatting with Anne while harvesting her beautiful plants and it is obvious that Anne does what she does simply because it’s her passion. It is a labour of love which is physically demanding and somewhat unpredictable as we never know what weather conditions we will be presented with during a given year. 

Generally, organic growers are not in it for the money. Most find prosperity through providing a valuable service, through doing work which supports healthy life on the planet and they absolutely treasure their connection to the land and to the plant life. 

when I say that local growers feed us well, I really mean it:) all grown with Anne’s hands and on her land.

Anne tends to the soil and grows plants with her hands. She doesn’t use any machines so the process is slow and as she says herself, it’s not efficient. 

For Woman Divine, Anne picks flower by flower with her loving hands. She carefully plans how to group plants so they can support each other as they grow together. There is science and incredible devotion to everything Anne does. 

I am honoured to know Anne. Woman Divine products wouldn’t be what they are without Anne’s love for the land and her hard work.

Nothing that we do, we do alone. Prosperity and success mean different things to different people. My hope for the world is that we will value that which brings wellbeing and sustains life over that which brings profits alone. I see it as the only way to move forward if we are to continue as part of life on Mother Earth. There is no time to waste. We each need to do our part. Voting with your $$$ is a good place to start.

Magdalena xo

Woman Divine in-house Refill Program is on!

It’s been my dream for a couple of years now to offer a refill program at Woman Divine Skin Care Studio. But realistically I knew that it wasn’t really possible while I was working on my own. 

Well, Julie has joined Woman Divine, I’m no longer working on my own and finally we can do it!!! 

Why the Woman Divine Refill Program?

We are initiating the Woman Divine in-house refill program as a collective effort to create less waste and less garbage. It is urgent that we all take whatever steps necessary to change our habits of overconsumption  and careless tossing out of objects that can easily be reused or repurposed.

How does the Woman Divine Refill Program work?

• This service is offered at the studio only and it’s pretty simple. You bring your bottles and we refill them for you on the spot:)

• This can be done when you come to the studio for your treatment appointment and/or every Saturday between 10am - 3pm. Dropping in to refill your products otherwise will not work.

• If you wish, when your bottles start looking a bit ‘tired’ we will freshen up the cup or the mister pump and/or the label. It will look brand spanking new when you leave.

• We will also be happy to refill your Radiant Exfoliant Powder jar for you.

• We are not able to refill your balm jars on the spot because balm making is a bit complicated, but you can bring your empty jars to the studio. We will sterilize them and refuse them in our production. So no jars go to waste.

We also highly recommend that you reuse the jars yourself whenever you can. We especially like using our empty jars for spices in our kitchen. Amber glass will keep your spices fresher for a little longer.

Will you get a discount when you get a refill or bring your empty jar back?

No, you won’t. We are not doing this to get you in to buy more under the pretence of saving you a couple of dollars. We are doing this 100% as a joint effort to create less waste and so together we can take action to live more mindfully..

We hope to see you with your empty bottles and jars at the studio. It’s a good thing to do!

Magdalena

My very first podcast:)

Rudie Jay is the beautiful vibrant human behind THE PURSUIT Your Guide To Happy, Healthy Living PODCAST.
Rudie invited me to be a guest on her podcast. Since this was my very first podcast experience, I was a little nervous, but Rudie is a natural and makes her guest feel right at home😀We chatted, skin care, products, local business, and my skin-therapy journey.

LISTEN HERE: https://soundcloud.com/poypodcast/ep-054-magdalena-divine-skincare

Much gratitude to Rudie Jay for helping me spread the word about holistic skin care❤️

I hope that you will enjoy listening,

Magdalena xo

Woman Divine Ritual

This collection is super close to my ❤️
The Woman Divine Ritual Collection was created as a legacy for my daughter Carollyne with the most precious ingredients. I crafted the collection as a wedding gift to her in the hope of helping her develop a strong connection to self and as an invitation to the inner journey of seeking the source of joy, peace and contentment.
I have often wished that someone had taught me years back that only by tending daily to our personal needs of mind, body and spirit, can we give freely to others and live a vibrant, clear life.
Each product in this collection has a meaning, a mindful purpose if you will. A beautiful affirmation has been created to amplify its action - all to help you develop a ritual, a self-loving practice, enhancing your life and your relationship with yourself and others.
May you embrace the power of Woman Divine which resides within you. May you draw upon strength of women who came before you and become a living example to those who will come after you.

Rose Petal and Milk Bath
I wash the day away. Every night before I go to sleep, I let go of all which no longer belongs with me. I float free in the cleansing water, sprinkled with rose and milk. My skin, my muscles, my entire body feels light and clear and my heart is soft - filled with gratitude. I feel pure, clear and light.
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Precious Flowers Body Oil
I remember who I really am. Every morning, I anoint myself with oil to remember that I am an auspicious being. As I nourish my skin and awaken my body, I remember that I am worthy and good. I am already everything that I am seeking.
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Meditation Drops
I sit in stillness. Every day I consciously sit in stillness. Silence emerges when tension, conflict and struggle fall away. I find myself listening to the sound of silence.
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Breath Salts
I breathe in the moment. Whenever life is spinning a little bit too fast, I pause for a few seconds to observe the flow of my breath. When I own my breath, nobody can steal my peace.

May you live with mindful presence and find beauty in simplicity,
Magdalena .

My thoughts on Beauty Industry, ingredient sourcing and transparency.

I’m part of a professional group and there was an interesting discussion about transparency and ingredient sourcing in a skin care product formulating.  I would like to share some thoughts with you on this subject because I believe it is an important one.

In general there are very few companies in the skin care industry that are truly honest about their ingredients. Period! First it was (and still is) game playing with the word ‘organic’. Many used one organic ingredient in their formula but made it sound as if their whole formula was such… Some did not use any organic ingredients and still managed to sneak the word ‘organic’ into their packaging and advertising.  Now I can smell the same thing happening in regards to ingredient sourcing…. So watch out! The industry is going to entertain you with words like ‘transparency’, ‘sourcing’ and such for the next little while.

To tell the truth, I don’t spend much time any more on trying to figure out who speaks the truth and who does not. I don’t even consider myself part of the industry to be honest. I do my small thing in my small way and I am content with it. My products are truly a micro-batch creation and when I call it ‘artisan’ and ‘handcrafted’ it is because these are proper and honest words to describe what I do. Tim Hortons has an ‘artisan’ sandwich and a ‘handcrafted’ latte on their menu now. You could think we work in similar ways lol. 

I feel like I am part of something much more beautiful than the INDUSTRY can ever be or offer. I am part of a still small, but very potent movement which is built around TRUST and RELATIONSHIPS and HONESTY and COMMUNITY and a simple belief in surrounding yourself with decent, solid human beings whose intentions and integrity you don’t have to question. 

I thought about my sourcing practices and I must say they are not very complicated at all. I happen to know the people who grow herbs for my product. One of them is a dear friend, the other came to me as a client a long time before I bought any herbs from her. We know and understand each other’s values and beliefs. That’s what keeps us together:)  They have my full confidence. I know how much love and care goes into their growing practices and I’d like to think that they trust I will put their hard work of growing herbs to good use. When I purchase other ingredients which come from far away places (which I had no chance to visit personally yet) I do so through people who have developed relationships with small producers around the world, similar to the one I have with the herb growers. TRUST is a common theme.

I understand, that the bigger the company the more tricky it gets to have this kind of connection. The beautiful values of HONESTY, TRUST, RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNITY, which I cherish are lost and abandoned in mass-produced product and profit driven industry. Isn’t it ironic that we call it BEAUTY INDUSTRY. Where did the BEAUTY go?

Magdalena xo

This is why I do it.

If you are reading this, we probably have known each other for some time. Actually, few of my clients have been gracing my life with their presence for twenty years straight. It appears we are getting old together like a married couple. Yet many clients still ask me how my work really come about.

When I look back, I can see exactly why I have chosen this path in service. I grew up with a very nurturing mom and a very sick dad.  He was suffering very much and she was doing everything she could to make it better. Long story short, food was always freshly and mindfully prepared, we drank freshly pressed carrot juice (we are talking the 1960’s so give my mama respectJ). There was an aloe plantation living on our window sill and mom was frequently preparing healing remedies for dad. She rubbed our feet and backs with essential oils when we had colds... She never took natural healing courses. Simply put she was wise from within. She applied what she had learned from her mom, relied on her intuition and definitely listened to her heart.

From my mom I have learned the beauty and value of nurturing, compassion, inner wisdom and the desire to create harmony within and without. She has also taught me about the importance of prime quality ingredients both in food and remedy preparation. 

My dad did get better by the way and was with us until my early twenties.

Dad was a master tailor and created bespoke men’s wear. He designed and made beautiful pieces of clothing, all by hand. The process required many hours of tedious work and a lot of care. People lined up for my dad’s services because he made them feel and look great and his work was of excellent quality.

From dad, I learned about unquestionable value of a handcrafted product, high quality service and about developing caring relationships with people we serve in life.

Without a doubt, my parents’ influence stands behind my strong desire to nurture and heal and to make effective botanical skin care products.  Both parents gifted me with creativity and a deep appreciation for beauty, design and creative thinking.

I will now skip my teenage years and my early twenties as I know my parents would rather I not talk about it:)

When I came to Canada, I was immediately attracted to healing modalities and studied quite a few bla bla bla…

At one point I found myself working at the beautiful Carmichael Inn and Spa in Ottawa. It was a lovely place. Because of my suggestion the owners brought in Jurlique organic skin care line, which as you know I have worked with for many years. This is how professional organic skin care started for me and actually this is how it may have started for Ottawa. It was 20 years ago!!! We are talking times when every esthetician in the city was putting toxic stuff on people’s skin…

I will always be grateful for discovering Jurlique at that time and to the Carmichael Spa for giving me the opportunity to explore the organic skin care world. Otherwise, I probably would have never transitioned my practice from massage therapy to skin care because working with toxic products was never an option for me.

Over the years I have worked along many exceptional therapists, too many to mention. I always felt lucky to be part of the natural medicine community as I never felt part of the esthetic world and until today I have a strong dislike for the beauty industry in general.

I had come to fully understand the holistic beauty approach when Ayurveda showed up in my life. I do not remember the exact timing but one of the Ayurvedic books sitting on my shelf is marked 1997. From the get go, I was taken by the deep wisdom and applicability of the science. It helped me organize in my head what I’ve always felt in my heart but had no ability to verbalize.

Rather than the superficial model of beauty promoted by the skin care industry, Ayurveda taught about Beauty being the highest level of health, the sacred aspect of female and connectedness of all living things. It all resonated deeply within me and I felt as I have finally arrived home. The name of my business, Woman Divine, was actually inspired by these teachings.  Ayurveda also brought together my studies of spirituality, herbs, oils, touch therapies and nutrition and from this point I understood that they were most powerful and most effective when applied together.

So, today here I am in my lovely studio, aloe plants on my window sill are replaced with jars of herbal infusions. I lovingly design and handcraft my skin care products and every day I get to nurture through my treatments…  many plans for the future, many creative ideas. We’ll see how it all unfolds but one thing is for sure, without you none of this would even make sense. There would be no treatments, no products to make. I can understand now that we do find happiness in service to others and this is the greatest gift I could have gotten from my parents.

Magdalena