Spices in Silverlake + A Homemade Beauty Recipe!

It seems as though I always stumble upon the best stores on the days when shopping is never intended.

They have the tendency to just pop up out of nowhere, and Spice Station was one in the same. While I was exploring LA back in February, a quick pass was made through Silverlake and I stumbled upon Spice Station after having a delicious meal at The Black Cat. A couple doors down from the popular brunch spot, I found myself wandering down a boardwalk, following signs that said “Spices”. Not sure why, but they caught my attention; I don’t generally see “spice” signs, so I was curious.

The boardwalk dropped me into the cutest little courtyard where two french doors opened up into Spice Station. The first thing you see when you look in, is the back wall lined all the way to the ceiling with glass jars full of spices. The colors were so beautiful! Cooking spices, loose teas, herbs, salts… it’s like opening up the mecca of all spice cabinets. Little jars, morter and pestles, and other trinkets are sprinkled about a reclaimed wood shelving system. One thing that was so helpful was the tiny index cards underneath each spice that explained what it was, multiple ways to use it, and its medicinal properties. It felt like I was reading my own personal spice encyclopedia — so helpful!

I wanted to take a couple things home with me that I’d never used before, something harder to come by in Philly. Per suggestion of the man on duty that day, I left with some licorice root and tomato powder. I’d never used either before, but I was curious as to what I could do with them when I got back home.

The licorice root is still sealed tightly in the bag… I think I’m going to try making some homemade root beer with it soon. As for the tomato powder, the color is so rich, I thought the deep red would look great as a blush or a lip stain. It has the same consistency as beet root powder, and this post inspired me to try making an all natural tomato powder blush! Check out the recipe below:

All Natural Tomato Powder Blush

you need:

Tomato Powder

Arrowroot Flour

Combine some tomato powder with a little arrowroot flour. This will lighten up the color a bit and make it easier to apply on the skin. If you want a darker shade, you could sub in cocoa powder instead of arrowroot flour. Using a blush brush, apply to the face right along the cheek bones. Voila!

I want to try making a lip stain with it next! Has anyone ever done so? Do you have any other uses for tomato powder or licorice root? Let me know in the comments!

More homemade beauty products from the BLDG 25 Blog.

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