We're Heading to Finland!

[SephoraSkinTeam]

Hey Community!

We are two skincare lovers who work at Sephora in marketing (Betsy, left) and merchandising (Gaby, right). We’ve been invited to take a trip of a lifetime to Finland with Origins in celebrating the relaunch of their Mega Mushroom Collection! From Chaga mushroom foraging, a mushroom culinary experience hosted by wellness guru Dr. Weil and prepared by Michelin Star Chef Jouni Toivanen, an authentic Finnish sunrise smoke sauna, snow-mobiling, to a fermentation experiment with mushrooms—we’ll be discovering the best of what Finland has to offer in true Origins fashion.

We want to share this incredible experience with you all. Please comment below with what you want to see from behind the scenes!

Xoxo,
Betsy & Gaby

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EDIT: 

Hey guys! It's Betsy and Gaby again! We've heard your requests loud and clear and are back with some updates. We can't believe how beautiful Finland is! On the first night we were lucky enough to see the Northern lights.

Transported into a winter wonderland, we settled into our igloo hotels and warmed up in the subzero degree weather with some reishi mushroom tea. FYI: Reishi mushroom (which is one of the mushrooms in the Origins Mega Mushroom line) is known to boost the immune system and help with stress and fatigue--just what we needed after our long travel. 

Stay tuned for more updates and continue commenting on what you want to see!

xoxo,

Betsy & Gaby 

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Hey guys! 

Thank you for all your questions and comments. We're back from a trip that we'll remember for a lifetime.

We made some furry Finnish friends along the way.We were educated on how powerful the process in fermentation can be, both for ingesting and topically on skin. When you add the element of mushroom into the formula you get an even more potent output!We snowmobiled the beautiful scenery of Lapland.Foraging for Chaga mushrooms with Dr. Weil and mycologist Jaakko Halmetoja.The beautiful and powerful Chaga mushroom or "king mushroom" in the wild.Brave Gaby jumping into the ice pond after the hot sauna-- a traditional Finnish routine!Our lovely dinner menu prepared by Michelin chef Jouni Toivanen.White fish from inarinjarvi & punnel porridge.Charred cabbage with polar shiitake mushroom.The beautiful Origins Mega Mushroom Mask & Serum. The perfect treat for the skin after a long day in the cold.Gaby and Betsy bundled up for the sub zero climate.Thank you for the wonderful time Origins!

Thank you for your support!

xoxo,

Betsy & Gaby

[Mcakes]

You guys have the best job ever @SephoraSkinTeam! Thank you so much for sharing with us. What an incredible once in a lifetime experience! 

[SephoraSkinTeam]

Thank you for sharing it with us!

[sister13]

Wow!  What an amazing experience, I’m in awe. Thanks for sharing! @SephoraSkinTeam

[curlychiquita]

Oh my gosh, Gaby, that ice pond :-O!! The food looks fantastic!  It is super exciting that you get to be there with Dr. Weil - I've read his book Spontaneous Healing and I really liked it - I often recommend it to people I know dealing with chronic illness.

[KatieBT]

@curlychiquita sounds interesting, tell me more! 

[curlychiquita]

p.s. Here is his Time Magazine cover from 2005

[curlychiquita]

Hi, @KatieBT! It is Dr. Weil's 1st book, from the late 1990s. In it he discusses the body's amazing ability to heal itself. A lot of his book does focus on diet. A lot of the reason that people popularly associate the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in salmon and other fish with health is because of how well this book did. At the same time, right in the intro, for those that are firm believers like I am in vaccines, he explains how important he, as a medical doctor, believes that vaccines are. So he had a radically new (at the time), yet common sense, approach as to how you can help your body help itself. His approaches are things that you can do while also receiving proper medical care. A lot of his message has crept into the mainstream over time, but got corrupted into using alternative medicine at the expense of pursuing traditional medicine (for example, drinking apple cider vinegar alone will not cure you of cancer, even if we wish that it would - otherwise everyone in the 1800s would have done it). He really did help start a movement in natural healing, even though his message sometimes gets corrupted. That's why it's often best to read his original books.

[Libellules]

@curlychiquita I'm obsessed with his restaurant :x. I worked 3 blocks away from it for 2 years and ate there almost every day. Still go there a couple of times a week :x. I've bought his cookbook and tried a couple of the recipes. I need to read more into what he's all about!

[curlychiquita]

@Libellules, that is so neat! I didn't even know that he had a restaurant! 

[Libellules]

@curlychiquita Really? It’s actually a chain. True Food Kitchen. I think the original is in Arizona, but every major city in my state now has one. The food is excellent. And the drinks! There’s a non alcoholic version of the Medicine Man on their regular menu (my hubby is a fan). We probably eat dinner there once a week, and I’ll pop in for lunch at least once a week. It’s also on our short list of brunch places. 

I hope you have one near you - you should check it out!

[SephoraSkinTeam]

I can't wait to try the restaurant! What is your favorite dish there?

[PrettyPaint]

Thank you for sharing these photos. It looks like it was an amazing experience!

[SephoraSkinTeam]

Thank you for sharing it with us ❤️

[Tamara76]

Wow!  Thank you for sharing pics!  The Northern Lights!  The igloo hotel!  The reindeer(?)!   Looks like an amazing trip!💜💜💜. @SephoraSkinTeam

[bonafide11]

Wow! The scenery is beautiful! Thanks for sharing 😊

[SephoraSkinTeam]

Thank you for sharing the experience with us :)!

[KatieBT]

Betsy this photo of you is everything, staying in an igloo hotel is officially on my bucket list! You know I'll interrogate you when you're back but I'm loving these photos and the info about your trip 🙂 

[JessyAnne]

I would also love to hear more about what you’ve learned on the Reishi mushroom. Is it used as a instant boost only or does it have a cumulative effect?

[SephoraSkinTeam]

Great question @JessyAnne! We learned that the reishi mushroom in the mega mushroom formula helps to boost the overall resilience of skin. This means that it helps prepare your skin to protect itself against inflammation and environmental pollutants! #mushroompower

[JessyAnne]

What an amazing picture of Betsy all cozied up! The view from that the hotel room is jaw-dropping, I’m so happy for you two. Life is a beautiful thing, isn’t it? 

And I just don’t have words for the northern lights. She’s been on my bucket list for quite some time and hopefully won’t be there much longer 😄