At Aveda, we love to connect the worlds we are most passionate about - Beauty, Wellness, Environment, Fashion, Art and Community.
 

In celebration of the launch of our newly-designed web site, Aveda.com, and our blog, Living Aveda—which will feature a whole new look, feel, and, of course, a lot more content—we asked six of our favorite partners to answer questions about these six topics that our company values most. We hope you’ll find their answers equal parts enlightening and inspiring. Thank you for reading—and continue to look to Living Aveda for ideas to help enrich your life.

Beauty

From: Monica Stevens of @MoKnowsHair (Seen above)

Living Aveda: What beauty trends are you liking for fall?

MS: I am in love with baby pink! It's soft and pretty and goes with so many neutrals. I’m also into metallics—rose gold, pewter, silver—they dress up a casual look with a little glitz and glam. Also, braids...updos, crown braids, any type! Braids are a way to add depth and texture to hair, and there are so many types of them that everyone can find a style they like.
 

Living Aveda: What’s the best beauty tip anyone has ever given you?
MS: Dip your freshly polished nails in a bowl of cold water to dry faster.
 

Living Aveda: What’s the one beauty product that’s always in your bag?
MS: Hand cream. Aveda Hand Relief™ Moisturizing Creme to be exact.
 

Living Aveda: How do you keep your skin beautiful when you travel?
MS: With travel sizes of what I use at home: Botanical Kinetics™ Purifying Gel Cleanser and Toning Mist. And my spinning face-cleaning brush.
 

Living Aveda: What are some of your favorite hair-care tricks?
MS: Using oil to diffuse my hair for added shine, and finishing with a cool shot of air.
 

Living Aveda: What’s your favorite Aveda product?
MS: Just one??! It's a three-way tie: Damage Remedy™ Shampoo and Moisturizing Masque (I consider them a set); Botanical Kinetics™ Toning Mist, and Hand Relief™ Moisturizing Creme.

Wellness

Shiv Nath Tandon, Ayurvedic consultant to Horst Rechelbacher, Aveda’s founder

Living Aveda: What was it like to work with Aveda’s founder, Horst Rechelbacher?
SNT: It was very inspirational because he was so open-minded; he always encouraged me to be my best.
 

Living Aveda: When you created Clove Shampoo with Horst, did you have any idea that Aveda would become the company it is today?
SNT: I never focused on the future, but rather in what we were doing in that moment. I very much believed in what we were doing, so it was easy to be in the present state. Clove Shampoo was always very special to me; formulated with herbs and proteins, we were very mindful of the ingredients we put in it to cleanse and condition the hair for a rich, beautiful brown color.

Living Aveda: What’s the biggest misconception about Ayurveda by practitioners of Western medicine?
SNT: Thinking that Ayurveda can be a quick fix. Ayurveda doesn’t have instantaneous results; it is rooted in longevity. An Ayurvedic lifestyle allows you to build a richer life for duration.
 

Living Aveda: What is one thing everyone can do to promote healthy living daily?
SNT: Pay attention to what you are doing when it comes to your breath, thoughts, and food intake. The whole human being is built on these three things—when you take care of one, it will result in taking care of all three. If you choose to eat healthy, your breath and thoughts will benefit. If you meditate with the right breathing exercises, you will make better choices in food. When these three core areas are taken care of, you will find change and positivity throughout your whole being.
 

Living Aveda: What's the worst thing for our health right now?
SNT: Ignoring what our inner guide keeps telling us. When you ignore your inner guide, you will suffer the consequences.
 

Living Aveda: What is your favorite Aveda product?
SNT: I really don’t want to pick just one as all Aveda products are guided by one simple principle: They do what they are supposed to do while making one’s life more joyful, happier, and convenient. Of course if I had to narrow it down to a few, I am definitely partial to the men’s aroma and the Chakra™ Balancing Body Mists!

Environment

Melissa Chelminiak, Director Mission, Partner and Stakeholder Engagement at Aveda

Living Aveda: Have you always been an environmentally conscious person?
MC: Growing up, my mom made it a point to educate me and my brothers on the importance of protecting the planet. From buying groceries at our local coop, growing vegetables in our garden, shopping at our local thrift store, and reusing materials whenever possible, we actively cared for the world we live in. In my twenties, I adopted a vegetarian diet in response to health, animal welfare, and environmental concerns. In my early thirties, after a high cholesterol reading, I eliminated all animal products and adopted a vegan diet. That was a great decision for me - I am the healthiest I’ve ever been!

Living Aveda: What’s one thing everyone can do today to lessen their carbon footprint?
MC: Go vegan! According to a study from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, raising animals for food is a significant contributor to many environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. So for me, adopting a plant-based diet is one of the most significant ways to reduce my carbon footprint.
 

Living Aveda: What’s an easy way people can conserve water daily?
MC: Take shorter showers. According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency, the average American shower lasts 8 minutes and uses 17 gallons of water. By reducing your shower time to 5 minutes or less, you will save thousands of gallons of water per year. You will also save money on your water, heating, and sewer bills!
 

Living Aveda: What’s growing in your garden?
MC: Greens, greens and more greens! Kale, spinach, romaine, Swiss chard, arugula, collards, parsley and cilantro. I juice daily and love being able to harvest produce right from my backyard.
 

Living Aveda: What’s your favorite Aveda product?
MC: I love them all! If I had to choose one I could not live without, it would be our Shampure™ Dry Shampoo.

Fashion

Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin, designers of Tome

Living Aveda: What’s your favorite fall fashion trend?
Tome: Shirting. It’s funny to think of it as a trend as we’ve always had shirting in our collections. The market is saturated with so many fashion brands and consumers are constantly bombarded with product. Perhaps that’s why women are turning to the non-seasonal, versatile, classic shirt again.
 

Living Aveda: From where do you draw inspiration?
Tome: We’ve always been inspired by female artists we chance upon here in NYC and abroad. But we also love that social media shatters geographical boundaries and makes the exchange of inspiration accessible from anywhere.

Living Aveda: What’s an easy look to put together for fall that flatters most women?
Tome: Any look put together with confidence.
 

Living Aveda: What’s your favorite Aveda product?
Tome: We love the Chakra™ Balancing Body Mists. They are perfect for restoring balance in any space. We also like taking them on the plane with us. It makes the daylong flight to Sydney from New York a little bit more pleasant!

Art
Ian Michael Black, Aveda Global Artistic Director, Hair Color

Living Aveda: What is the biggest trend in the art world now?
IMB: The biggest trend right now is that the art world is seeping more and more into popular culture, which exposes a lot of art work to a much broader audience.

Living Aveda: What are your favorite fall fashion trends?
IMB: One of my favorite trends for this fall is plaid overcoats. On the runways we saw what can be a rather dull and unexciting winter basic given a fun twist to make our winters seem less gloomy!

Living Aveda: Whose art inspires you now?
IMB: Inspiration is so personal. Right now I’m enjoying watching others work, watching them perfect their craft. Be it hairdressers or other artists, its inspiring to watch the journey to mastery.

Living Aveda: Who is your favorite emerging artist?                                                       
IMB: A Chinese photographer and poet named Reng Hang. I’m a huge fan.

Living Aveda: What’s the best place to find affordable art for one’s home, office, or salon?
IMB: It all depends what you’re looking for. You can find local artists where you live. They quite often do work inspired by what’s local, so you’ll have a nice connection with their art. Or there are web sites that sell limited edition prints from some major artists.

Living Aveda: What is your favorite Aveda product?
IMB: My favorite product of the moment is Beautifying Composition Oil™. You can use in so many ways, and it’s easy to travel with. And that aroma—I just love it.

Community
Yovana (@Rawvana)

Living Aveda: What got you interested in raw foods?
Y: A family member told me about the raw food diet. I tried eating raw vegan for 2 weeks and felt instant benefits such as increased energy, healthy skin, and clear mindedness. That motivated me to keep eating raw foods.

Living Aveda: What are some simple changes people can make to improve their health?
Y: Drink more water, sleep 8-9 hours a day, walk 10,000 steps a day, and substitute one meal a day for a whole-food meal made of fruits and veggies.

Living Aveda: What’s your favorite quick and easy breakfast?
Y: A delicious smoothie: 1 frozen banana, 1 cup of frozen berries, 1 date, 1 tablespoon of hemp seeds, and 1.5 cups of coconut water.

Living Aveda: What’s one thing a person considering switching to a raw food diet should know? 
Y: To take it one step at a time so that the body can get used to eating raw. I suggest starting by trying to eat 4-5 raw meals a week. Try substituting some breakfasts or dinners for a smoothie, smoothie bowl, or salad. The body craves what it eats; by eating raw food, the body will naturally want more, and the transition will be an organic one.

Living Aveda: What’s the most surprising question a fan has asked you?
Y: How many kids would I like to have.

Living Aveda: What’s your favorite Aveda product?
Y: Shampure™ Dry Shampoo, I love it! I don't like to wash my hair every day, and it keeps my hair looking fresh, not oily.

Do You Feel Inspired?

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