Lapis Lazuli

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
(Genesis 2:10-14 KJV)

In my desire to better understand the history and context of the bible and find that place - this garden between four rivers I'd read about in Genesis - I found the Ancient Semarians.

And they loved lapis lazuli.

The most exotic color of blue -- my favorite color of blue. How I wish I could have seen the beauty of Babylon with my own eyes.

Some of my favorite pieces from Mesopotamian antiquity:

Pictured: The Standard of Ur, depicting life in Mesopotamia from two sides: "The War Side" and "The Peace Side." Shown below: "The Peace Side," illustrating the bounty of the land and a royal banquet in Southern Mesopotamia. Geometric mosaic made of pieces of shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone set into bitumen.

Pictured: Gold Semarian Bulls Head, attached to a lyre, adorned with a lapis lazuli beard. Used in funeral rituals. Mesopotamian Art, 3500 – 300 B.C.E.

Pictured: The Gate of Ishtar. The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II on the north side of the city. The roof and doors of the gate were of cedar, according to the dedication plaque. The gate was covered in lapis lazuli, a deep-blue semi-precious stone that was revered in antiquity due to its vibrancy and the blue-glazed bricks, a continuation of the lapis lazuli coloring, gave the façade a jewel-like shine.

Modern Art

In 1961, Yves Klein, a french nouveau réalisme artist, set out to create the "most perfect color of blue." Klein worked with a chemist to develop his own particular brand of blue for a monocrhrome abstraction - the use of one color over an entire canvas - a strategy he likened to "an open window to freedom." Made from pure color pigment and a binding medium, it is called International Klein Blue. Klein adopted this hue as a means of evoking the immateriality and boundlessness of his own particular Utopian vision of the world.

Pictured: International Klein Blue, The Most Perfect Blue

BBC Four - The History of Art in Three Colours

By far one of my favorite documentaries. Dr James Fox explores how, in the hands of artists, the colours gold, blue and white have stirred our emotions, changed the way we behave and even altered the course of history. In the episode Blue, he discusses how the discovery of lapis lazuli turned the color blue into an exotic color.  

Beauty Secret: Potent Vitamin C Serum

When I was a teenager, I had to see an aesthetician for acne. During that time, I remember thumbing through some product literature and coming across a study on Vitamin C and its ability to reverse the signs of aging. The product information showed an aboriginal man who had been treated with this pure Vitamin C concoction and the before and after pictures offered evidence that it could definitely reduce wrinkles and hyper pigmentation.

The results, as they were depicted in the aesthetician's literature were dramatic. So it always stuck with me - knowing that Vitamin C had the potential to reduce the signs of aging.

I think most women know that Vitamin C has this capability, but what I don't think most people know (and I certainly wasn't aware of it up until a few years ago) is that Vitamin C is highly unstable and therefore, its difficult to actually deliver into the dermis at an optimum dosage from products you get over the counter. What that means is that all of those products labeled as containing Vitamin C that have been sitting on store shelves for any length of time - the Vitamin C content is not effective at all.

I did some research on the problem of Vitamin C's degradation and came up with an organic way to create a highly potent Vitamin C serum that would be potent and active enough to actually work. The catch is that you have to mix it in weekly batches as it only remains effective for 3-5 days at a time. You will also need to buy a dark/shaded eye dropper to keep the serum away from light and store it in a cool, dry place. Here's how to get started:

Buy a dark eye dropper with a small funnel, a bottle of pure rose water, a small bottle of vegetable glycerine, and dry, powdered Camu Camu capsules. Camu Camu is a cherry-like fruit from a tree in the Amazon and contains the highest content of Vitamin C found in any fruit on earth and is 40-50% higher in Vitamin C than an orange. You can order all of these ingredients on Amazon or at your local International Farmer's Market.

Note: you don't have to use the rose water in this recipe, but I use rose water for everything (face washes, etc) because it has natural antiseptic properties.

Mix 1/2 a teaspoon rose water, 1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerine into a small glass dish. Open 1 Camu Camu capsule and mix in the powder. Wisk briskly and pour the mixture into the dropper using the funnel.  

Voila! You now have a highly potent Vitamin C serum that's all organic that you can apply to your forehead, under eye area, and decolate. Because the glycerine gives it a moisturizing effect, its best in my opinion to use in the evening before you go to bed.

Again, this serum is not effective after 3-5 days, so please remember to create a new batch!

Also, be sure to drop me a line and let me know what you think! Did it brighten your skin? Soften some of the crows feet? I'd love to hear what you think!

Blue Skies,