Beauty 8 years ago

My Secret Trip to Athens Revealed

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Hand Picked

Saffron is found in the stigmas of the fragile flowers. It is hand-picked to preserve its potent antioxidant properties. The entire harvesting process has to be completed in the same day.

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Hand Separated

The tiny red stigmas inside the flower have to be separated by hand from the flower bloom. In order to make a pound of saffron, it takes more than 70,000 flowers.

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Natural Drying Process

After the flowers are separated, the stigmas are sent off to be dried. The extensive process of harvesting saffron makes this spice one of the most expensive in the world. A pound goes for anywhere between $500 to $5.000 USD.


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A few months ago I took a short trip to Athens, Greece for a very special project. I’m very excited to finally share with you guys why I was there. I was lucky enough to be flown out by Korres to see the blossoming of the saffron flower (Krocus), which only happens once a year in a small town in Northern Greece. This spice is one of the most expensive in the world, and the best saffron is harvested in Greece because of the climate and condition of the soil. Because of the harsh climate in Greece, plants there have a different defense mechanism which makes them very unique. It was amazing to have witnessed the intensive process of harvesting these flowers. We were able to visit the flower field where the farmers showed us how the flowers were harvested. We even had the honor to go to one of the locals house to hand separate the flowers from their stigmas. (Did you guys remember the sweet grandma that I met on that trip?) A lot of families get employed to hand pick these flowers. It’s amazing how this one flower can support so many of the surrounding villages!

Korres is the first beauty brand to use this Greek organic red saffron in their new elixir, Golden Krocus Ageless Saffron Elixir Serum. I’m really excited about this because of the strong antioxidant power this elixir has from this rare saffron. It’s  a great way to provide nourishment for your skin before your moisturizer. In addition to partaking in the harvest, I was able to go behind the scenes in the factory to witness the production process of this elixir. Korres has a medicinal and homeopathic approach to natural beauty. They are the first company to debunk the theory that natural remedies can only do so much. They study things that happen on the cellular level and apply that to their products. The water they use is checked 3x a day from 20 different sample points to make sure the water is clean, that’s the same quality that’s used in hospitals for injections! Korres doesn’t use beauty standards, they use pharmaceutical standards. Their water is 300x cleaner than the bottled water in the US. Because of the higher standards that Korres holds themselves to, their products are really next level and effective and makes me trust their products so much more. 

Their Saffron Elixir has been one of my favorite products so far. Everything from the little gold bottle that it comes in & the slight shimmer when applied makes this product feel so luxurious. Most consumers never really have a chance to witness the production process and often times it’s hard to know what goes into the making of a product. Seeing this process makes me trust the brand so much more because now I know exactly what I’m putting on my face. I’m so thankful to have been able to witness this process and to share my experience with you guys. Stay tuned to learn how I use this product in my daily routine!

 

Credits:

Photography by Karen Rosalie