Shiva Rose Let Us Into Her Garden, And We Left More Inspired Than Ever
Every once in a while, you come across a truly authentic person, someone who is fully engaged in their work. During our recent stay in Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of meeting the beautiful skincare guru Shiva Rose, a native Santa Monica girl. Happily ensconced in a classic Californian house, surrounded by Oak trees, Shiva and her girls live an idyllic Southern California life, and it is from this idyllic spot that Shiva runs her cult beauty company.
Shiva generously invited us over to walk through her delightful garden, where we sampled herbs from her prolific vegetable garden and visited the chickens that she bravely and ferociously protects from the very present and active coyote population. I was so impressed by her dedication and nurturing spirit. It brought me back to growing up in Berkeley; the more I wandered around, the more nostalgic I got.
Shiva has the timeless, classic Californian garden that I dream about– it’s full of lemons, camellias, and roses, all planted in an elegant yet casual, family-friendly arrangement. There’s a huge tree swing, perfect for playing and dreaming, and a Tea House overlooking the vegetable garden– a dream location for one of Shiva’s favorite rituals: the tea ceremony.
As we wandered around we talked about both her blog, The Local Rose, and her one-of-a-kind beauty line, Shiva Rose Beauty. I’m a devoted lover of her Rose Face Oil— it is true magic. Prior to our meeting I was particularly interested in the presence of the rose ingredient in Shiva’s line. She told me that the Rose is the highest vibrational flower, with a potent nutrient profile rich in vitamins and flavonoids, tannins, and antioxidants. The deeper we dug into conversation, the more I learned.
Shiva is named after her grandmother, Rose, and the rose has been a consistent symbolic thread throughout her life. She’s half Persian, and the rose is held in particularly high regard in her native Iranian culture. (Think rose water, rose ice cream, rose tea, rose gardens.) She got the name Rose from her American side, a legacy from her grandmother Maria Rose, who was a great lover of rose gardens. Shiva has beautifully translated her passion for holistic living and the rose itself into her product line– our staff is now obsessed with her Radiant Rosewater Spray. She’s a classic example of the “now” woman– someone who is deeply passionate and who has created an authentic product that adds value and beauty to the ever-elusive wellness routine we are all trying to perfect.
