About Face

   Come May Day morning, I can be found collecting the dew from the plants of the garden and applying it to my face,in the hope of acquiring the year-long, magickal glamoury that is known to be imparted with the observance of this annual ritual. I am fortunate to have pretty good skin. It is very fair and thin; so light in fact, that as an infant, my Mother claimed she could see the beating heart through my chest! Phlebotomists (blood specimen takers) love me,as my veins are readily accessible for their sanguine collections. As a young woman, I faithfully wore Chanel's "Porcelain" foundation year round,as it complimented my delicate facial skin tone.Upon reaching middle age,I consulted a dermatologist and allowed him to laser the broken capillaries that the ravages of time had incurred on my visage. He also gave me the pronouncement of roscacea( a sensitive skin condition with a redness response trigger to a type of antimicrobial protein called "cathelicidin").

    Aside from only using products that are organically plant-based and not tested on animals, the toner called "Queen of Hungary's Water" is never something that I want to be without in my skincare routine. Variations of it's legendary gypsy formula can be obtained (I like Thayer's Rosewater/Aloe formula for myself,and my teens swear by their astringent Lemon variety) or can be made when fresh herbs are in season.

• 6 Parts Lemon Balm
• 4 Parts Chamomile
• 1 Part Rosemary
• 3 Parts Calendula
• 4 Parts Roses
• 1 Part Lemon Zest
• 1 Part Sage
• 3 Parts Comfrey
• Vinegar to cover ( organic apple cider or wine vinegar)
• Rosewater and/or Witch Hazel extract

To Make:

(1) Place all the herbs in a wide mouth jar and cover with vinegar. Be sure there is about one to two inches of vinegar above the herb mixture. Cover tightly and let sit in a warm spot for two to three weeks.
(2) Strain. Set the liquid aside.
(3) To each cup of herbal vinegar add 1/2 cup rosewater and/or witch hazel.
(4) A drop or two of essential oil such as lavender or rose can be added.
(5) Bottle in sterilized glass of a dark color,if possible. This product does not need to be refrigerated and will keep indefinitely ; but you can keep it in a refrigerated spray bottle to have a refreshing, warm-weather skin spritzer.

 This versatile herb-infused liquid can also be used as a hair rinse,after-shave, or foot-soak(add a few drops of tea tree oil to the mixture for this purpose). Use additional rosewater, if a more perfumed scent is desired. Other facial blessings are the applications rose otto oil for softening time lines & soothing inflammation, calendula flower tea for its skin-healing properties, and the use of facial steams to deep-clean the complexion,as clean skin retains more moisture.