Featured Artist of the Month: Lisa Ann Turkel with Shimmer Organics-Raw Beauty Products!

Many of you who follow my blog know that I love to post a new natural beauty recipe once a week. I also love to try out new beauty products that other people create, especially and ONLY when they really benefit me and my health. I try to use only the best products for my skin. Products that are made from natural earth made ingredients without unnecessary petro-chemicals and other substances that are harmful for my health and the health of my pets and anyone around me. The best beauty products are not the kind that last forever on a shelf somewhere but the kind made from fruit, vegetables, mineral clays, and other raw materials that are from the earth, trees, and plants.

This month I’d like to feature a natural beauty artist, Lisa Turkel with Shimmer Organics. Lisa and I met on Facebook through a mutual friend. I was attracted by her presence from her picture and I wanted to be her friend. I also noticed that she created raw beauty products, the kind of product I wanted to try, and we immediately became friends right away. She offered to send me samples and I am happy and thrilled to be sharing with you what I experienced along with her interview of her journey as well as her future goals for her homemade raw soaps, masks and more.

First I want to say that my face felt so soft and vibrant after trying Lisa’s Mandarin and Honey Rivitalizing Facial Mask! My favorite by far! And I had no reactions on my skin as I am prone to allergic breakouts due to synthetic fragrances and other strong chemicals that are often put in products, even so called natural products on store’s shelves. I can always tell by the smell of a product if I will like it or be allergic to it, and anything strong to me tells me that it is far from being natural, unless it has essential oils in it which is of a different smell that is either welcoming or not, depending on what you like. I personally love the clean, earthy smells and often times vanilla and cinnamon spicy smells. I don’t like strong flowery smells very much or even fruity smells. Lisa’s products look and smell like they are from the earth (made from clay) and my skin soaked up every bit of it very nicely.

I also tried her soaps and I love them! Again, very earthy and clean and it left no residue on my skin. I felt like I was using a very good quality product that was good for my skin as many soaps leave my skin feeling dry.

Here is the interview with Lisa and her journey with Shimmer Organics:

 

1. Lisa, please tell us about yourself and also how you stand out from other companies who create beauty products, and how we can contact you for information on your wonderful skin products:

My name is Lisa Ann Turkel and my website is: http://ShimmerOrganics.artfire.com. My contact info is ShimmerOrganics@yahoo.com.

I create handcrafted organic and raw skin care and body care products – and they are created with love using pure and raw ingredients. I put my heart and soul into every product that I make, and my products are handcrafted with Love.  Each ingredient is added by hand, blended by me… and the finished product is uniquely original and contains the loving energy I put into them. I care deeply about my customers and I am very passionate about creating pure skin care and body care products.  What makes my products special is that they are handcrafted with Love – are very balancing and great for all skin types – and I only choose ingredients for their healing and restorative properties.

2. Lisa, give me a brief history about yourself and how you came about creating Shimmer Organics:

I studied to be an esthetician, and that’s when I realized that I had a strong interest in creating pure skin care and body care products. My motivating energy is creating pure products and making a positive difference in the lives of others.

3. Lisa, can you explain in more detail why making these products means a lot to you, why it is so special?

I started creating my organic and raw clay mask in October 2008.  I used to have problem skin with acne and I have tried many different products on the market, including prescription medicine from a dermatologist and over-the-counter products.  Nothing worked—and many of them irritated my already sensitive skin.  So, I decided to make my own skin care line using organic, raw, and pure ingredients.  I did a lot of research, purchased my ingredients and started formulating my mask. And that’s how I created the Mandarin and Honey Revitalizing Mask. I decided to make my organic masks as Christmas gifts for my friends and family, and everyone loved them!  They all encouraged me to sell them, and that’s how ShimmerOrganics was born!

My skin is healthier and looks better than it has ever looked, and it is such a wonderful feeling helping others to have healthy, youthful and beautiful skin! Many people who have been using the Mandarin and Honey Revitalizing Mask started asking me when I was going to have an organic cleanser to go with the mask. I use the mask twice a week… and I also wanted to have a pure, gentle, deep cleansing cleanser that is wonderful for our skin and can be used daily. I started researching, and then ordered the Organic, Raw and Wild Harvested ingredients. Then I started formulating… then formulating again and again and again… until I finally created ShimmerOrganics Pure Luxury Cleansing Bars. And they are multi-purpose, and can be used on our face, body AND hair! I love the deep cleansing, softening and smoothing benefits that I get from using the Pure Luxury Cleansing Bars.

Oh wow, Lisa! I didn’t know those cleansing bars could be used on hair too!! That’s awesome! I will have to try that on my hair next!

That brings me to my next question….

4. Lisa, what are the main ingredients in your product? The “raw” ingredients that  you use? And please tell the people that are new to “raw” what that means?

The Key ingredients in the Mandarin and Honey Revitalizing Mask are: pure clay minerals, raw and organic aloe vera, raw and organic antioxidant rich oils, raw and organic honey and an organic blend of healing essential oils.

The Key ingredients in the Pure Luxury Cleansing Bars are: Virgin palm kernel oil, pure, unrefined shea butter, potash produced from the ashes of plantain leaves and local tree barks and organic, raw and wild harvested ingredients blended in at a low temperature to keep the life energy within the ingredients practically untouched.

Raw ingredients are not prepared by the action of heat, and they are not altered from their natural state.

The raw aloe that I use in the Mandarin and Honey Revitalizing Mask is from certified organically grown Aloe Vera plants. Raw and Organic aloe contains amino acids, vitamins and minerals, live enzymes and essential fatty acids. Raw and organic aloe has so many therapeutic qualities. It is very soothing, anti-inflammatory, healing, moisturizing, and is especially beneficial for sensitive and dry skin. The aloe that I use was created by hand and is cold pressed.

I use a wonderful spa quality and mineral rich clay blend in my skin care and body care products. This special clay blend is 100% naturally occurring, unprocessed and sun dried in nature.

5. Last by not least, please tell us about your future goals for Shimmer Organics…

To have a simple, raw and organic beauty skin care and body care line that is effective and affordable – to help people have healthy, youthful and beautiful skin – and beautiful, healthy and shining hair.

I want to have raw and organic beauty skin care and body care parties, and have my products available in natural spas, salons and other health and beauty businesses and institutes. I also want to have my own charities to help women, children and animals. Staying connected with my customers is very important to me. I care deeply about my customers and about creating high quality products.  I am passionate about using only the purest and highest quality ingredients. What we put on our skin is absorbed into our body.  And just as eating healthy is so important, so is using healthy and pure products on our skin and hair. Natural, pure and raw is always best!

Lisa, thank you so much for this awesome interview! I thoroughly enjoyed using your product and I wanted to post your wonderful natural “beauty” creations to share with people that we can use healthy beauty products without the harmful ingredients. Your product is perfect for people who are limited on time because of their busy schedule, people who don’t particularly like to spend time in the kitchen, for people who have sensitive skin, people who have acne or other skin problems, and for those who are concerned about the environment, who want to be ethical in choosing what is best for the earth and themselves.

If you have any questions for Lisa, please leave a comment below and she will be happy to answer them for you. Also, leave a comment to show support and love for Lisa! Thank you Lisa!