Natural Beauty Tips: How to Avoid Dry Skin This Winter? CiCiLicious Vlog #75

Winter brings all the dryness — American doctors name dry skin as the major skin care problem in winter. But did you know that South Africans are even more concern with dryness, because of the harsh climate and long time exposure to sun. Therefore, we are heading to RAIN Africa, my challenge is to solve the dryness problem and to unveil to you African beauty secrets, and give you first hand information.

In Africa, rain gives life and life depends on it. The cycle of the season is born into all living things, young and old. Rain is the gift that brings simple wealth to the plains, villages and mountains. Rain is refreshing in the still heat of the day; it cools the thirsty land, awakens the senses and sharpens the aromas of the bush. The dry wind brings the gift that African people can smell, a gift that is a cause for celebration. The Sotho people use the words ‘Khotso Pula Nala’ meaning peace, rain and abundance as their traditional greeting.

The African Landscape, so blessed with abundance, is the source and inspiration for our bath and body products. The time honoured secrets of indigenous flora and medicinal plants are gathered from the various plant regions blended into the Rain products. Kalahari Melon oil with its water retentive properties from the desert region, Baobab oil from the bushveld, Mongongo nut oil from the midlands, Marula oil and Mafura butter from the lowveld, along with palm butter, tropical coconut and castor oils, delicately perfumed aromatic and essential plant oils, our products uplift body and spirit.

Rain products are intensively handmade. They create employment and opportunity where millions have no work and no hope. Each product wears, as a badge of honour, its unique tribute to the maker. They ought not think of irregularity as a defect. Handmade by its very definition means a delightful uncertainty when it comes to uniformity and tangible evidence that a human hand has carefully made the item.

Time honoured african medicines have been tried and tested over thousands of years. Southern africa’s traditional healers or ‘inyangas’ have relied for centuries on the medicinal plants of the region for the ingredients of balms, tinctures, infusions and salves, gathered in the wild. The knowledge of these wise herbalists was passed on through oral tradition and today modern science has confirmed the curative value of many of south africa’s indigenous plants.

Ingredients are wild harvested from the veld by groups of women who are formed into co-operatives. These oils are refined by laboratories in France and rendered safe and highly suitable for cosmetic use. We have made use of kalahari melon, marula, mongongo nut, baobab and mafura butters throughout our african spa range.

This range offers scrubs, muds, butters, masks, soaks, oils — a veritable pantry from which to feed and nourish your skin in the privacy of your home or via professional spa or salon use. Their african spa range is founded on the age-old wisdom of african herbalists and perfected by contemporary botanical scientific research.

RAIN Africa at Rockefeller Center
59 West 49th Street between 5th and 6th Ave
New York, NY, 10112
Tel: 212.239.3070

http://rainafrica.com

Store Hours:
Monday — Friday: 10am — 8 pm
Saturday: 10 am — 8 pm
Sunday: 12 am — 7 pm

The Coolest White Truffle Hunting at Alba in Italy, CiCiLicious Vlog #74

Food, Travel, Lifestyle Videos — Be happy and be CiCiLicious!

Truffle Hunting is a very exciting experience. A white truffle hunter is accompanied by….. a dog! In fact, white truffles grow under the ground, so only with dog’s sense of smell and intuition could lead us to white truffles.

12 Dos and Don’ts in Piedmont Region in Italy

It was my first trip to Italy…

After not being able to sleep on the plane for 10 hours, we arrived at Turin in Italy with 6 hours of jetlag versus New York. For the first time: hearing people spoke Italian everywhere but not English; seeing Romanesque and Baroque styled building everywhere but not Skyscrapers; smelling super fresh air in the sky everywhere but not polluted air from yellow cabs.

They also say sì sì sì sì sì sì wherever I go, which sounds like I’m super popular there… CiCi CiCi CiCi! So I was no longer tired. I was so eager to discover every single detail of this region! Here are some dos and don’ts for you!

Dos:

1. Bring European adaptor plug.
2. Wear comfortable shoes and stylist clothing.
3. Exchange dollars to euros.
4. Bring Amex or Capital One cards if you have because they don’t charge exchange rate.
5. Have breakfast in the hotel because most of them include breakfast.
6. Go to the top of National Cinema Museum and you will see the view of the entire Turin.
7. Check out the Piazza Castello, the heart of the city, where Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Madama, the Royal Library and Armoury, the Teatro Regio and the church of San Lorenzo are located.
8. Drink a cup of Bicerin, a traditional hot drink for Turin, made of espresso, chocolate, and milk.
9. Check out Fontanafredda, one of the most historical wine cellar in Alba.
10. Join a white truffle hunting tour in Alba. It’s one of the most exciting of experiences for truffle enthusiasts. A white truffle hunter is accompanied by….. a dog! In fact, white truffles grow under the ground, so only with dog’s sense of smell and intuition could lead us to white truffles.
11. Visit the International Alba White Truffle Festival. They have been celebrating the harvest of white truffles since 1929 from every early October through mid-November.
12. Bring white truffles, hazelnuts, chocolates, and wines such as Barberesco and Barolo back as Souvenirs. In case you do bring white truffles back, be aware that they only last for a week.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t order Cappuccino after 11am because it only serves in the morning.
2. Don’t order soda with your meals because people only drink wine or water with meals.
3. Don’t order Diet Coke because they only have Light Coke and it’s a girly and childish drink.
4. Don’t order food to go unless is a pizza place.
5. Don’t eat a salad before main course because they consider a side dish not appetizer.
6. Don’t drive in Alba as they have super tiny routes and mountain routes.
7. Don’t use their toilet papers too hard because most of them are harder and rougher than what we have in the US…
8. Don’t go to the shops from 12:30pm to 4pm because they usually take 3 to 4 hours lunch break.
9. Don’t go to the bank in the afternoon because they only open in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon.
10. Don’t give money to the baggers because then they won’t leave you alone.
11. Don’t wear tank top and shorts in a Church.
12. Tipping is not required. Indeed, tipping people you personally know is considered offensive.

The Best in Soho New York City, Food & Travel with CiCi Li! CiCi’s NYC Diary

A Gateway to Culture Through Food

Let’s eat our way through NYC with Foodie CiCi Li

Writer
Ian Blei, Optimized Results
Mark Levy, Overland

Today CiCi is exploring SOHO; a trendy and diverse area of Manhattan filled with shopping, fashion and food. CiCi’s getting an early start, before the street gets busy and crowded.

First stop: “Loopy Mango.” Once plentiful in SOHO, now boutiques like this are rare. Under one roof, you’ll find everything from jewelry to clothing to a working classic Harley Davidson motorcycle (not in the budget.)

For refueling, CiCi stopped at “Vive la Crepe.” She learned how to make crepes, even making her own with Nutella sauce. They have many choose from; sweet to savory, and specially folded for portability.

Keeping with this theme, CiCi’s next stop was “L’ecole,” a restaurant within the French Culinary Institute, where they teach the next generation of chefs in a real-world setting, preparing meals for discerning patrons. CiCi got to sample several dishes, while interviewing an Instructor.

Next, CiCi visited a little shop called “Yaso;” another SOHO boutique, filled with unique fashions, accessories, and a very friendly owner.

Outside, a light rain inspired CiCi to find “Sanctuary,” a very special teahouse, carrying more varieties than you can imagine, including some with a flower that “blooms” in your cup.

Next, CiCi’s instincts led her to an amazing bookstore café called, “Housing Works.” This is a non-profit volunteer run café. Beyond a gathering place to sip coffee, tea, or wine, and perhaps enjoy baked goodies while perusing books, their proceeds go to AIDS awareness and education.

For dinner, Yelp’s rave reviews inspired CiCi to visit Ed’s Lobster Bar. There she helped prepare the famous lobster rolls, and taste the new lobster meatballs. Ed is so committed, he wears a tattoo of his lobster logo proudly on his arm.

After a day in SOHO, CiCi reflected on her adventure: boutiques, crepes, the French Culinary Institute, a library with a social conscience, and lobster rolls. With all that diversity and creativity, the connecting thread was their passion to share their art, cultures, and food.