T-House

As celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin says, “your self-care ritual is the one moment you have all to yourself.” Read on for his self-care tips & picks for red carpet radiance from skin to soul. What does it look like to commit to a skincare ritual?It takes intention and time to appreciate one's cleansing ritual and when you do, it doesn't seem like a chore but rather a meditation at the beginning or ending of your day.How do you recommend your clients get started?Start by identifying what's the most important to you with your skincare at the beginning of your day. Start there and add as you see fit. As you build your skincare wardrobe, you're also adding more intentional time for yourself and your ritual.Why's it so important to commit to your own self-care?It's the one thing that you have all to yourself to appreciate and take care of. We forget our skin is our largest organ and we overlook its appreciation because we're constantly moving and on the go. So taking the time to respect it and show it love, you'll see a difference in your skin.What's your advice for falling in love with your skin?Be patient and appreciate yourself. When you are at peace within, it truly reflects on the outside as well.What are ways you invest in yourself?I've learned that I have to move my body as I've gotten older so going to the gym and doing pilates is my way of investing in my health and wellness.What products would you recommend to "plump and protect for ever after"?Essence, Dewy Serum, Dewy Skin and Dewy Skin Mist.

Sound is a form of energy that can be heard and felt through the skin and mind, and has long been incorporated into healing practices. In Japan, sound is often used to open and close meditation practices; the clear song of a singing bowl or the pure ring of a bell can instantly refocus a wandering mind. This practice inspired us to offer The Meditation Bell—a tool to help you return the present moment with a single ring. We turned to Nousaku, an esteemed copperware purveyor in Japan, to craft this timeless instrument. Based in Takaoka in Toyama Prefecture—which is responsible for 90% of copperware production in Japan—Nousaku has designed brass and bronze treasures like Japanese tea ceremony utensils, bells, and flower vases since 1916. Their advanced casting techniques, expert knowledge, craftsmanship, and creativity have been passed down through generations. Heard most often through trumpets and horns, brass was the ideal material to create The Meditation Bell, as it is prized for its clear and beautiful sound. Each Nousaku piece is finely shaved by experienced craftsmen, which accentuates the beauty of the brass itself. In a world that is filled with motion, noise, and distraction, this gentle pause invites you to reconnect with yourself. It has also been proven to have a profound effect on your mood, and even your well-being. In a study on the effects of singing bowls in meditation, participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood following the sound meditation, as compared with pre-meditation.* It’s no wonder that bells have been incorporated into meditation practices for centuries in many parts of the world. We asked our Global Well-Being Mentor, Toryo Ito, how bells are used in his daily life, at his temple in Kyoto: “The healing ring of a bell is used to signal the beginning of activity or a shift between tasks. At our temple, for example, a bell is rung to wake the monks, or when we start reading the sutra. We also like to ring the bell before making a wish.” Informed by his own experience, Toryo Ito crafted a unique meditation practice that you can recreate with The Meditation Bell. To mentally prepare yourself for using the bell in your practice, Toryo Ito recommends ringing the bell during relaxing activities, like when you’re having tea or watching your favorite show. This will help your mind associate its sound with relaxation. For Meditation Step 1: Find a comfortable position. Step 2: Ring the bell to enjoy the reverberation until it fades. Step 3: Meditate for the desired amount of time. Mentally engage with all of your senses. Step 4: Ring it again and enjoy the reverberation until it fades. Step 5: Slowly and naturally go back to daily life. *Goldsby, Tamara L et al. “Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study.” Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine vol. 22,3 (2017): 401-406. doi:10.1177/2156587216668109

I have always believed that a brand is a promise. When I started Tatcha over a decade ago, our promise to you was, and remains, to help bring you harmony from skin to soul. Throughout this journey, we ask ourselves constantly if we’re living up to this promise, and how we can be of service to you. Two years ago I focused my work at Tatcha entirely on the connection between the skin and the mind. We have always believed that skincare is self-care, but what we’ve learned through research into bodymind science is that skincare can be care of all health: physical, mental, and even spiritual. There is a saying in Japanese, hinou dokon, which translates to “skin-mind same root.” It comes from the belief that caring for the skin is caring for the mind. This is biologically true: our skin and brain develop along the same stem cell line so that our skin both affects and reflects our internal state, even how we think and feel. From goosebumps and blushing to stress breakouts and eczema, our skin is constantly talking to us about what’s happening under the surface. This work has completely changed my relationship to my skin. For decades, we have been taught to see our skin as a list of problems to be solved and offered an arsenal of increasingly harsh treatments. But the truth is, your skin was not made to be burned, stripped or scrubbed. It is a wondrous organ that carries you through life. Our hope is that by empowering you with a deeper understanding of the wonder of skin, you can fall in love with yours too. To date, the skincare industry has created formulas for what you see on the surface, and rarely addressed skin health at the root. But serums and creams can only go so far if you aren’t attentive to your well-being, because caring for your skin requires caring for all of you. With this realization, Tatcha is undergoing a transformation. All our skincare will now be formulated to provide both physical and emotional benefits, such as a calmer spirit or clearer mind. And for truly holistic care, we will also offer curated well-being rituals that touch the mind, and engage your five senses for harmony from skin to soul. Our research is new and ongoing, and we will be sharing our learning journey with you every step of the way. As part of this work, we’re changing how we show and talk about skin—honoring its dynamism as an organ, without perpetuating unhealthy beauty standards. We will phase out the use of “normal” as a skin type from our packaging and retail merchandising because it implies that the natural condition of skin is somehow abnormal. We are also phasing out “anti-aging,” as a term because we believe that aging is a gift, and our formulas are crafted to support healthy aging. We are all trying to live longer, healthier lives, and supporting our skin helps promote longevity. And finally, we’re making an even deeper commitment to portray skin as it really is, celebrating it at every age, in every shade of beautiful. As a woman and a mother, I’ve come to realize how important it is to not only practice self-care, but self-compassion, too. Perhaps if we view our skin as a part of ourselves, we can give it the appreciation and care it deserves. Wishing you health and harmony,

Did you know that while you sleep, your skin devotes all its energy to repairing, healing, and growing so it comes back better the next day—just like you? Every night our bodies go through a natural recovery process from the inside out, so that in the morning we feel refreshed and recharged—including our skin. Our skin is our immune system’s first line of defense—its strength is essential to our well-being. All day, our skin protects our insides, acting as a natural armor against daily stress from pollution, climate, and the environment. These stressors can cause visible irritation, from redness to dryness. At night, our skin switches to repair mode, and this is where the idea of beauty sleep comes in.The closer you get to the ideal sleeping range of 7-9 hours, the better the opportunity for your skin to have the most visible recovery. As you sleep, skin rebuilds its collagen, which helps visibly plump skin, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Skin regeneration peaks at nighttime, which occurs because your body produces more melatonin—yes, the same kind you can take to help fall asleep. Without enough sleep, you will produce more of the stress hormone known as cortisol, which makes your skin prone to inflammation. If you’ve ever woken up with puffiness around the eyes, that is a perfect example of inflammation from lack of sleep. Studies have even shown that getting more sleep can help heal wounds faster. Ultimately, getting some shut eye will make you feel better, but it can help you look your best, too.Whether or not you’re always able to get in that ideal 7-9 hours of sleep, we formulated our newest overnight treatment, Indigo Overnight Repair, to help accelerate skin’s natural recovery process. This cushiony serum in moisturizer is formulated to treat and nourish your complexion as the final step in your evening ritual, cocooning skin in gently effective, nourishing botanicals to reveal calmer, stronger skin by morning.What is most exciting about this formula is how you can see a difference in your skin after just one night. In a 4-week clinical study of 41 participants, 93% of panelists showed improvement in skin radiance and 88% showed improvement in skin softness and suppleness after one night using Indigo Overnight Repair. Japanese indigo extract and red sage root visibly calm irritation caused by pollution and environmental stress, from redness to dry patches. Irritation like this is usually due to a depleted skin barrier, so we formulated this treatment with ceramides, which replenish lipids to retain hydration in the skin barrier. You can see this through a diminished look of dry, fine lines and wrinkles, and in our 4-week clinical study of 41 participants, 100% of the panelists demonstrated a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles after 4 weeks.We also included mondo grass root to balance the microbiome, which is an invisible ecosystem that lives on the skin. Home to billions of friendly living microorganisms, this layer of skin communicates with our immune system, protects us against infection, tempers inflammation, and protects against environmental aggressors. When unbalanced, the microbiome may function less effectively, and can lead to conditions like psoriasis, allergies, eczema, contact dermatitis, acne, poor wound healing, skin ulcers, rosacea, and accelerated skin aging. A balanced microbiome is important because its innate immune defenses can actively prevent bad bacteria from proliferating while allowing good microbes to flourish, which helps skin perform at an optimal level, revealing radiant, healthy-looking skin.

Are you craving deeper, more restful sleep? With all the demands of modern life, it can be difficult to fit in the recommended eight hours, and even when you do, you may not wake up feeling as rejuvenated as you hoped. But quality sleep is vital to your well-being because it’s the only time your brain, body, and even your skin truly recover from the environmental stressors of the day. To help you achieve your best night’s sleep, we’ve compiled our favorite bedtime rituals. These simple practices are an easy way to prepare your mind and body for sleep so that you can fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Play soothing sounds Set the tone for your bedtime ritual with a playlist of your favorite nature sounds like rain, beach waves, or a crackling fireplace. It’s proven that naturalistic sounds affect the systems that control the ‘fight or flight’ response, promoting relaxation. Light some incense  Did you know smells can impact how you feel? Functional fragrances like incense, activate one of the oldest parts of our brain using the olfactory system to control mood, memory, behavior and emotion. Calming aromas like Japanese cypress induce relaxation and promote better sleep. Bathe in comfort In Japan, it’s customary to bathe at night to cleanse away the dirt and pollutants of the day while relaxing the mind and body. More recently, research has shown that an evening soak also helps you fall asleep faster, too. The warm water stimulates blood circulation from your core to your hands and feet, reducing your internal body temperature by 2-3 degrees, which is ideal for falling asleep. Drink in calm Wind down with an herbal tea like chamomile, which is thought to have anti-anxiety benefits. The bedtime tea is rich in an antioxidant called apigenin, which binds to receptors in your brain that can decrease anxiety and help initiate sleep. Release tension with healing touch Elevate your evening skincare ritual with a short facial massage with your favorite moisturizer. We recommend the Indigo Overnight Repair, because it's made to amplify your skin's nightly recovery cycle so you can wake up to calmer, more luminous skin. Massaging the cream into your skin for just a few minutes, you can stimulate circulation while releasing tension to calm the body and mind. Follow the instructions below for our custom Yuyake Face Massage, which can be performed with our Akari Gold Massager, or just your hands. Yuyake Face Massage Step 1: Begin just above the hairline and move in a back-and-forth motion on the scalp. Step 2: Press the massager above the inner corner of the eyebrow and slide outward along the brow, stopping in front of the ear. Step 3: Press tool to the base of the nose and move outward along cheekbone. Step 4: Place the massager behind the ear and draw down along the jaw and neck to the collarbone.Repeat five times on each side of the face, using the narrow side.

Reconnecting with nature through shinrin yoku Sunlight streams through the lush greenery, illuminating spiderwebs, creating a visual feast. Conversations between squirrels and birds harmonize with wind-rustled branches. An errant breeze kisses your cheek as your feet sink ever so slightly into the soft earth. The smells of damp moss, fresh flowers, and wet wood fills your lungs. You feel your pulse gently slow. Your breathing becomes easier. You are forest bathing. All month long, we’ve been exploring the Japanese concept of shizen, which focuses on the importance of nature to our well-being. With so much of our lives existing in the digital space, we’ve come to realize how nurturing it is to reconnect to nature. One of our favorite ways to do this is forest bathing. Better known as shinrin-yoku, forest bathing is any act that involves making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest. Coined by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in 1982, shinrin-yoku is an ideal way to restore harmony in your mind, body, and soul. Something as simple as taking a walk through a wooded area has been shown to help lower pulse and blood pressure*. Even if you live in the heart of a city, spending some time in a nearby park or green space can help trigger the same soothing effects. You could consider forest bathing a form of healthcare. Many studies have been conducted with positive results concluding that spending prolonged time in nature can help reduce stress levels and boost immunity. Humans evolved in nature, so it stands to reason that returning to our original environment can act as a natural remedy for our modern-day stresses. Forest Bathing: How To Engage Your Senses With Shinrin-Yoku from Tatcha on Vimeo. For the most authentic experience with the best results, we recommend diving in head first—leave your phone at home and no, you don’t need to bring a bathing suit! While bathing is in the name, forest bathing does not involve swimming. Our preferred forest bathing activity is slow, aimless wandering. Walk without a destination in mind—the destination is to simply experience each and every aspect of the present moment. Take in the environment and mentally note each sensation you feel—the warmth of the sun on your skin, the pungent scent of soil in your nose. If you feel so moved, stop to examine the lines in a leaf, or peek under some brush—who knows what beauty you may come across.