With all that has been going on in the world this last year, we have never found more solace in my self-care routines. It's so important to find the time to unwind, relax, and appreciate the little things so that we can remain focused and positive. Here at MAVE, we believe in indulging in our me-time - which is why we've added a few new items to our daily rituals.
One obsession as of late is the sea sponge. Not only do these help make your skincare products last longer, but it also provides an incredibly soft exfoliation on sensitive skin. Plus, they are bio-degradable making them a non-toxic solution. Zitomer’s is an upscale pharmacy in the Upper East Side that carries a variety of sea sponge sizes.
Adding a bunch of eucalyptus to any bath time experience immediately gives you that spa feeling. Eucalyptus also has decongesting benefits - an added bonus during cold and flu season. We are also big fans of this Eucalyptus Boxed Set from C.O. Bigelow for an added bonus.
Facial massaging is nothing new - but this ancient Chinese technique has become more and more prevalent, and we can see why. Using tools like a facial roller or gua sha tool helps to increase circulation which can help with pigmentation, puffiness, and cell renewal. We love the natural glow our skin is left with - and recommend this facial roller from Alder’s New York, a queer and woman-owned independent skincare brand business based in NYC.
While we might be biased, one of our favorite self-care items is The Shave Brush. It provides such a lovely, gentle exfoliation while making it easier to create a rich lather of shaving cream. You can shop MAVE's Shave Brush here.
It’s no secret we love our tea-time here at MAVE, our signature scent was inspired by black tea after all. We’ve turned to tea artisans like The Qi to elevate our tea-time with their beautiful, hand-crafted floral teas. Try out different tea recipes with friends over zoom as a way to stay connected.
1. Start With the Air
Add moisture to the air to keep your skin moist in and out of your soak. Add a humidifier to your ‘me-time’ space.
2. Use Warm Water
Hot, long showers or baths can actually strip your skin of its natural oils. When your skin is extra dry, try limiting your bath or shower time to 5-10 minutes - and use warm water.
3. Don’t Skip the Buff
A gentle, light exfoliation will help buff the skin so “serums and moisturizers can penetrate and really get to work.” MAVE’s Full-Body Exfoliant was designed to be effective, yet gentle enough for everyday use on the most sensitive skin.
4. Ditch the Towel-Dry
Moisturize immediately after washing. Try using a body oil to help lock in the extra moisture from your shower. Our Post-Shave Body Oil was made for just that - a deeply moisturizing formula that works to nourish dry or irritated skin.
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Jennie C. Jones is a Black artist currently working in New York. The Midwest native has made waves through her ability to combine painting and sound. Her work as a visual and sonic artist draws from minimalism, abstraction, and Black history in an effort to engage her audience.
These connections between art and sound are made with multiple mediums, from paintings to sculptures and paper to audio collages. Jones’ conceptual works reflect on the impact of both modernism and minimalism. Her use of unconventional materials and simplified compositions work to bring sound to the forefront.
We look to Jones’ works for inspiration in unlikely combinations. Her ability to combine unexpected elements and strive to find the perfect balance is one reason why Jones continues to motivate us. The nuisances of her work inspire us to pay attention to every detail - as none is too small!
Valerie Cassel Oliver noted in “Outside The Lines,” that “Jones’s work challenges us to understand the frameworks of modernism, which embraced black musical forms but excluded black visual art from its canon.”
We know these red, irritated bumps can not only be annoying, but painful. So we are here to help you prevent them!
What causes ingrown hairs?
Ingrown hairs happen when your hair grows back into the skin - and most commonly happens post-shave. Sometimes, it’s due to dead skin clogging a hair follicle - forcing it to grow sideways under your skin. Other times it’s the act of shaving itself. Shaving can create sharp edges in the hair, especially if the hair is dry when shaved. No matter the cause, you are often left with the same result: a very uncomfortable situation.
What are the best ways to avoid them?
There are plenty of steps you can take to help avoid these pesky bumps - and it starts with the prep! Here are our best tips to avoiding ingrown hairs:
Our next ‘Inspired By’ artist is a celebrated contemporary sculptor: Simone Leigh. Her artworks frequently incorporate materials traditionally associated with African art and history while also blending in her own personal experiences. The Chicago-born artist focus on race, history and gender, but above all on the black female experience.
After her time as an intern at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., Leigh developed an interest in the categorization and display of African diaspora. From there, she took her career to New York where she remains today. Leigh also founded an organization called Black Women Artists for Black Lives Matter, a collective formed after the murder of Philando Castille and in protest against racial injustice. her work continues to be auto-ethnographic through her ongoing exploration of black female subjectivity.
Leigh’s dedication and exploration of the construct of Black women in American history and its relation to female form is constantly inspiring us to take a look at our own relationship with the world around us.
With love,
Marisa
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GREG BREDA
Painting with acrylic paint on canvas, mylar and paper, Breda’s work explores the strength, resilience and beauty of the human spirit.
LILLIAN BLADES
Blades’ work incorporates symbolic objects and imagery that, when combined, create emotional landscapes of colors, textures, and patterns.
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We’re committed to sharing stories of those who continue to inspire us - because we could all use some extra light in our lives. Our next artist, Jaye Moon, is known for using her artwork as a universal, communication tool.
Moon’s most recent work, The Wizard of Oz, is one of those pieces that just sticks with you. It was just installed at Nam Jun Paik Art Center in Korea for a show called “The Future of Silence: when your tongue vanishes.” The exhibit examines language and it’s cultural representation - so it only makes sense that Moon’s work is included.
The New York based Korean artist was inspired by Nam June Paik’s himself after seeing his monumental piece, “Electronic- Superhighway : Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii.” She was struck by his incorporation of media technology and the bridge it created between different people and cultures. Moon ran with this concept in creating ‘Wizard of Oz’
The famous movie’s script was translated into Korean Braille and then Moon reconstructed the Braille pattern using 50,000 Lego and Soho bricks. The Braille system is based on binary code, which can be universally interchangeable. Legos are also based on a numerical system, so translating the bricks into Braille not only creates a visual, but also acts as a universal language. Moon used colors that were representative in the film: yellow for the brick road, red for the ruby slippers, shades of green to mark the Emerald City. The final piece is aw-inspiring and transformative.
Her dedication to creating works of art that can be appreciated and understood by a diverse culture is the kind of inspiration we could all use right now. No matter where we come from, we all truly have so much in common. Thank you, Moon, for continuing to use art as an inclusive form of universal communication.
With love,
Marisa
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Behind every great artist, is someone who supported them. Art dealers, collectors, and galleries help bring esteem and admiration to an artist or an art movement. One of the country’s most notable supporters of the arts gave rise to this very idea in the 1920s.
Edith Halpert, businesswomen turned art dealer, is most known for championing American art in the early 20th century and trailblazing the rise of the modern art gallery. While European impressionism was all the rage, Edith was able to bring recognition to many avant-garde American artists.
Before her rise in the art industry, Edith first made a name for herself as a leading female executive. Between 1920-1925, Edith worked in a number of roles at the investment banking firm S.W. Straus & Company. By the time she was 25, Edith was named to the board of directors - earning her a reputable reputation and a then-unheard of salary of six thousand dollars a year.
Despite her success, Edith eventually left her position at Straus and was then able to refocus with her first love: modern art. While traveling abroad with her husband, she noticed that many European artists had more opportunities to display and consequently sell their work. With the money she earned at her time with Straus, Edith was able to open the Downton Gallery in
Greenwich Village upon her return to NYC. By 1931, she had opened the American Folk Art Gallery and the Daylight Gallery. Her business savvy, eye, and dedication helped triumph the American art genre through the modern age.
As a gallery owner myself, I find Edith exceptionally inspirational. She brought recognition and appreciation to a genre that otherwise was ignored. Her charitable work, continuous education efforts, and contributions to the art world are many reasons I go into this career. Not only did her revolutionary career pave the way for women in the arts, but her dedication to the freedom of expression made way for a more diverse culture.
For my fellow New Yorkers, you can learn more about Edith Halpert at the Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art Exhibit running through February 5th. The exhibit will feature approximately 100 works of American modern and folk art that passed through the Downtown Gallery. You can learn more here.
With love,
Marisa
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This time of year is all about New Year Resolutions. We are all about looking introspectively at our lives - it allows us find ways to improve. It can be hard to not get down on yourself though when all you focus on what you should be doing. So, this year, we are creating an anti-resolution list to start 2020 off on the right foot.
What is an anti-resolution? Much like resolutions, the list is meant to help you take stock of the things you’d like to change. However, the focus is on what you won’t do this year. For example, instead of an “eating healthy” resolution, you might choose to not snack after 8:00pm. I find that targeting a specific behavior can help me make larger life changes, without getting overwhelmed. So instead of focusing on larger lifestyle changes, I am focusing on a few small habits that I would like to kick. I’ve shared some of my top ones below:
What are some of your anti-resolutions for 2020?
With love,
Marisa
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I have been obsessed with Calzedonia Hosiery for decades! For a while they were only available in Italy, but now you can get them here in the US! The Cashmere Thigh High Tight is only $20 and makes for such a chic, luxury gift without the high price tag.
For our next ‘Inspired By’ series, we highlight the work of notable artist and sculptor, Nicole Cherubini. Nicole’s work references traditional ceramics and sculptures, but it is her unique use of objects and unexpected bases that modernizes her pieces. Her ingenuity in combining old and new makes for a collection of distinctive abstract pieces.
Nicole is known for blending the line between craft, decor, and art. Her work uses techniques of ornamentation, assemblage, and coiling to meld the visual aesthetic of modern sculpture while keeping the historical use of the materials intact. The layers of texture, color, and forms come together to make one singular art form - which allows viewers to reconsider the traditional use of ceramic sculpture. It is Nicole's innovative process that forces her audience to view her work from a different perceptive.
Not only does Nicole push us to rethink sculpture, but her incorporation of unexpected objects inspires us to rethink beauty in our everyday lives. It's artist like Nicole that continue to inspire us to look at life a little differently.
With love,
Marisa
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(images from 'thru' by Lynne Golob Gelfman)
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The temperatures are starting to cool down, leaves are starting to change colors, and kids are headed back to school - which means Fall has officially begun. I always look forward to the change of seasons because it is an opportunity to start fresh and re-focus.
Summertime can be a chaotic whirlwind so once September hits, I am usually craving a more regular routine. Structuring my day-to-day tasks into a routine brings me so much solace, but it can be hard to get back into a rhythm after a laissez faire summer. Here are a few ways to help you get back into a regular routine:
1. KEEP A DAILY JOURNAL
One of my favorite rituals is daily journaling and when I stick to it, I find it easier to follow through when it comes to the rest of my routines. Journaling gets my creative juices flowing, helps my mind to focus, and gives me a sense of purpose first thing in the morning. I am a huge fan of the MUJI notebooks. They are compact for on-the-go journaling and open flat for easy note-taking.
2. DE-CLUTTER & RE-ORGANIZE
Spring isn’t the only time to do some cleaning! Take some time to clean out that junk drawer or organize your closet before your schedule gets too hectic. You’ll feel ahead of the curb and any small task will help you feel accomplished and motivated to keep it going.
3. SCHEDULE IN SOME FUN!
Just because summer has ended doesn’t mean the fun has to! Make sure to schedule time with both your family and your friends. One of my favorite traditions is getting together with my friends for Happy Hour before school starts. Our kids tag along while us moms enjoy a few glasses of wine and good conversation at The Mermaid Inn.
4. MAKE TIME FOR EXERCISE
Living a healthy lifestyle means staying active, but it can be hard to find the time when life gets busy. Lately, I have been really into the ClassPass App. When I do find a spare hour or so, the App helps me find something available in my area and I am able to try a few different exercise regimens.
5. FIND THE BEAUTY IN SMALL RITUALS
Make the little things beautiful by adding a little luxury to otherwise repetitive tasks. For example, I like to slow down and take a long soak in the bath instead of rushing in the shower. I’ll add a few drops of the Post-Shave Body Oil to the tub for a little something extra. It’s these small acts of small love that make all difference!
1. MUJI Notebooks | 2. ClassPass App | 3. Post-Shave Body Oil |
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We're Celebrating!
It is incredibly exciting to reach another milestone and MAVE New York just turned 3!
MAVE was created to provide women with beautiful objects that help with quotidian life. I personally like to have elegant items on my dresser, nightstand and bathroom etagere, but our shower shelves needed some love and attention.
When MAVE was just an idea, I started doing my research and I was soon filling up one MUJI notebook after another. First, I was trying to see if there were any luxury shaving brands designed for women, and I quickly found there weren’t. That led to doubt and concern that perhaps women neither needed nor wanted such a product, but after talking to real women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds, I felt that was just not the case. I believed that shaving as a luxury – or even a club - was intrinsically associated with men and no one dared to open it up to women. It was time for that to change!
I continued to develop the Moisturizing Shave Cream, Full-Body Exfoliant and Post-Shave Body Oil with ingredients I know are beneficial, and essential oils that are aromatic and healing. And of course, I designed the Razor and the Shave Brush to sit in one’s shower as objet d’art - mini sculptures for your shower and for you to enjoy.
Three years in, I am so thankful for our loyal customers who have shown me that women do indeed want a luxe leg, and a beautiful shaving ritual. MAVE New York thanks each and every one of you for joining us on this journey!
With love,
Marisa
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Welcome to our blog.
We are starting this journal to talk about what we love most: rituals. MAVE New York was founded with ritual in mind and we wanted to create a space where we can share, learn, and indulge in life's daily routines. To kick off our blog series, I wanted to share a little bit about the inspiration behind MAVE and how it all came to be.
I typically shave every day - since I started shaving as a teenager. I admit that many things in my life sometimes feel like a chore, but I wanted to change that outlook and creating rituals around my daily routines made them more enjoyable and beautiful. MAVE New York was created for that exact purpose - to add beauty into a routine that typically felt like a “have to,” making into a ritual we look forward to, celebrated and even enjoyed. I found most shave creams and razor handles where unattractive, so by adding in beauty and soothing ingredients, shaving suddenly became joyful.
So, what is ritual? At MAVE, we consider it to be doing an action in a prescribed order, while being present. Presence is the key - when you’re present and find joy in your morning ritual, preparation for the day ultimately begins to feel great.
Feeling good is the other key part of ritual - I want to be clear that I shave everyday, and follow my rituals, because they make me feel better. Life is crazy and can be messy if I don’t try to stick to a schedule and routine, but I am also kind to myself if I fall off track. I give myself the grace to get back on track and find my way back into my rituals.
While I live for routine, these rituals are about taking the time to enjoy it. The first products in the MAVE Shave were created with this in mind.
Rituals are much like routines and we can’t all do them everyday. However, instead of looking at our daily tasks as chores - changing our mindset can help us slow down and enjoy the little things in life. I hope you’ll join me as I share the rituals that help bring joy and beauty to my life - and I’d love to hear about your rituals, too!
With Love,
Marisa
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