Desiree Pais

We love seeing a woman on a mission, and can't think of a better way to describe Benshen skincare founder Desiree Pais. Launching her line earlier this year, we've been so inspired by her rapid growth. Benshen means 'root of the spirit.' It's within ourselves, our spirits, that we tap into the wisdom to root into our bodies, to heal ourselves, and to strengthen our minds. Desiree brings everything she's learned and continues to learn through these passions that have taught her to believe in magic, in the brilliance of the natural world, and that we are much more powerful than we could have ever imagined.We buy it! www.benshen.coThank you Desiree for sharing your vibe with us.xx1. EVENING PRIMROSE OIL- I have been on a journey with my skin for the last 5 years that has been a blessing (hello, launching Benshen!) but man, what a ride. It can get so confusing - what works for one person might not work for me/you. Luckily, my dear friend Melanie Herring, an incredible natural aesthetician at Brooklyn Herborium, has been my guide. We are always conspiring on what to do with tricky skin like my own and as my intuition kept telling me less is more, she encouraged me to work with single oils. Melanie recently sent me this incredible article from Minimalist Beauty which explains why certain oils are better than others for acneic skin. I chose Evening Primrose and am LOVING it mixed with a few sprays of my Rose + Aloe Hydrosol. So simple, so gentle.2. RAW HONEY + LEMON MASK - I’m so addicted to this! I do this mask a few times a week. My skin absolutely eats up the nutrients of the Raw Honey, which also helps to keep breakouts at bay. It leaves my skin ultra-moisturized. Mixed with lemon, it helps to lighten my skin and any post-hyperpigmentation. As soon as I get home from my day, this is my go-to.3. RAMA.TV - Kundalini Yoga has became a very big part of my life recently. I am currently doing a Teacher Training out in LA with the incredible teachers Harijiwan, Tej, and Gurujas. However, in New York, the Kundalini community is quite small. I wanted to do the Teacher Training to eventually help bring that level of teachings to New Yorkers, who could definitely use it (or maybe I’m projecting? ;) I once read in an interview someone say that Kundalini Yoga is the antidote to being a New Yorker. In my opinion, most of the powerful teachers that I am inspired by are in LA. Luckily, Guru Jagat has created RAMA.TV which helps me to get the powerful teachings right in my own home. I even round my friends up and we do the online classes together. A few of my favorites are Angelic Forces of Immeasurable Prosperity which includes a very powerful prosperity meditation, Sobagh Kriya, which when practiced daily, changed my life financially. I have my clients who also do RAMA classes do Getting Rid of I Couldn’t - it’s one of my favorites.4. FREE + NATIVE - Isn't Lacy incredible? Free + Native is one of my favorite sites to browse through. I love that it’s so simple and doesn't quite feel like you’re staring into a screen. I admire Lacy for her knowledge on herbalism and women’s health. When I was really going through the fire of hormonal imbalance, Free + Native was my go-to for information, if not even just for peace of mind. There is something so soothing about her website, so inspiring, yet in such a gentle way. She teaches without instilling fear, which is missing in the wellness world. In an industry that has created so much fear around food, health, and wellness, Lacy has created empowerment.5. CHRIS CHEN - Chris is my healer, my acupuncturist, my Teacher, my spiritual big-brother. I met him when I was studying with Daoist Grandmaster Sung Baek, who he has been a long-time student of. He has helped me with everything from healing my auto-immune, chronic fatigue, hormones, to helping me see clearly through relationship challenges and overcome them with grace, to helping me become a more powerful human being. It’s not always easy having him as a teacher as a real teacher will chisel away at you, creating sparks that fly and tension that breaks, as the stone, the student, begins to transform into something new. But he has empowered me to cut through the spiritual B.S. of peace and loving everything and has guided me, slowly considering I like to bang my head against the wall many times :), on how to become the most powerful and most beautiful version of myself.“People think the purpose in life is to be happy but no one wants to admit they want to be powerful…What is the quickest way to lose power? By giving into your emotions. What’s the quickest way to get power? By doing exactly what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.” - Chris Chen6. GT’s BILBERRY KOMBUCHA - I can’t get enough of this!! Whenever I go off coffee (which means, every other week) this makes the habit withdrawl a little sweeter. Bilberries are also potent antioxidants and can help to improve eyesight, something I am definitely interested in after spending way too many hours on the computer.7. THE BOYFRIEND - He doesn't like when I call him “my” so we’re just gonna roll with ‘the.’ I am grateful to have a partner who challenges me and my Scoprio intensity. I’m an intense lady who loves drama (clearing THAT one out, thank you Addictions Meditation), can get very heady and way too intellectual for my own good, and can take life too seriously. He helps me break all those molds and challenges me to remember that life is actually not serious at all and that the most important things are how much you live, how much you adventure, and how much you laugh.