So fun, SO easy and so cheap!? I can’t wait to try this out right away.
Check out her other videos – she’s become super successful thanks to her savvy skills.
Filed under: beauty, DIY, Honey, moisturizing, olive oil, Organic recipes, organic skin-care, refreshing, scrub, Skin-care, yogurt | Tags: beauty, body butter, DIY, fruit, honey, lotion, mango, moisturizing cream, olive oil, organic, yogurt
I’m kind of a fruit addict. I find the natural sugars in fruit far more scrumptious than those in sugary candy. Maybe if I had developed this fine taste for fruit over candy earlier I wouldn’t have gotten circa 20 cavities. I guess we’ll never know.
Lately, people have been buying a lot of mangoes. I work at an enormous store whose name I will not divulge for fear of being visited by people, and that is where I do all my research. So you can trust me when I say that people are buying mangoes at an alarming rate. Maybe it’s because they’re exotic and you can imagine yourself in a warm, far-off place while you eat them. Or maybe it’s their rich iron, vitamin C, and vitamin E content (which is great for the skin, especially now that it’s getting colder).
Face
Mango Mask: SO easy! 1/2 mashed mango, 1 or 2 tsp of plain greek yogurt (it’s thicker than regular yogurt) and some honey. Leave on for 20 minutes. Add sugar if you want it as a scrub!
Mango Body Butter: If you don’t make this, I will. And I’ll sell it. Because this sounds incredible.
(Taken from www.vitamin-supplements-store.net)
2 oz mango butter
1 oz olive oil, almond oil, kukui nut oil, macadamia nut oil, etc…
1 TBS(or more) cornstarch (to make it less greasy)
6-8 drops of Fragrance of your choice (try vanilla, lavender, or mix your own)
Melt the mango butter in a double boiler or you may use the microwave. When using the microwave, set the temperature on medium and check every 45 seconds. When the mango butter is completely melted, add oil and cornstarch and stir until it is a nice creamy consistency. Add essential oil or fragrance last. Allow your butter to set in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
So, if you can keep yourself from eating the mangoes you buy to do these skin tricks, then whip up some of this goodness.
Filed under: Uncategorized
You may not know this, but the first jack-o-lanterns were carved from turnips, not pumpkins, and were hung in Ireland to ward off evil spirits. As the tradition traveled westward, the turnips were ignored because they were far too difficult to carve. Plus pumpkins are bigger – and we all know how westerners like to oversize and simplify everything.
Of course, my blog isn’t about bashing western culture – I like living here (almost all the time). No, my blog is what you can do with the insides of that pumpin you carve for the halloween festivities.
You might be surprised that pumpkin has high carotene levels. Or you might not, if you know that carotene is what turns pumpkins and carrots orange, much like what lycopene does for tomatos. And it’s a great thing for the skin as well as your hair.
So, before you put on your Lady Gaga costume, make a smooth, clean canvas for all that make up.
Face
Pumpkin spice: Use 1/2 cup canned or fresh pumpkin purée and mix with brown sugar. Smells great at acts as a purifying and moisturizing scrub.
Pumpkin pie: Use the canned or fresh pumpkin purée and mix with 1 egg (for oily skin) or heavy whipped cream (for dry skin) and leave on for 20 minutes.
Hair
Pumpkin hair mask: Use 1/2 cup pumpkin purée and mix with a small amount of milk so that it is a smooth liquid. Leave on hair as a mask for 10 minutes. Rinse off with hot, followed by cold, water. WARNING: Not for the blonde of hair. The high carotene content can sink into the pores of your hair (yes, your hair has pores) and turn you orange.
When I first moved away from home, I was 18 and living in a small apartment in Örebro, Sweden. And I still couldn’t even cook pasta without burning it. Many people gave me helpful cookbooks, hoping I would survive the year in the Scandinavian cold.
I did survive, in case you’re wondering. And I learned from one of the books that the water you boil potatoes in is incredibly healthy. Mixing it in with recipes – even skin recipes- is superb for oily skin! Do these tips – they’re among the easiest on this blog.
Cleanser: Potato water on its own is sufficient, but blending potatoes, potato water and some cucumbers makes for a refreshing, anti-oil cleanser.
Eye mask: Cut slices of raw potato and place under eyes for 20 minutes. The texture, and the oil-absorbing property as well as the enzymes found naturally in the spud will help reduce puffiness and dark circles. Bonus, use a potato that has been in the fridge – the colder the better to ease puffiness.
Facial mask: Simply grating a raw potato and leaving on the face for 15 minutes has a pore-reducing effect. It sounds weird, but I dare you to try it.
Filed under: antioxidant, cleanse, cleansing, Honey, organic skin-care, refreshing, scrub, Skin-care | Tags: apple, autumn, cleansing, fall, firming, organic, skin-care, toning
It’s that time again. Although after today’s 80-degree weather I’m not sure what season it is. Whatever the temp, though, it is autumn again and I couldn’t be happier about it. I love chilly mornings and sunny, temperate afternoons.
I also went apple picking for my first time ever last weekend. I mostly stood in a 45-minute line for apple cider donuts, but I DID pick one apple! I let my little brother climb trees and fill our paper bags with apples from Walingford’s. So, this week we’ve had two apple pies, a few apple dumplings, an apple crisp, and the most amazing apple strudel muffins.
And here’s what I’d do with the apples left over.
Apple Mask: Oily skin? Grate one apple and mix with a teaspoon of honey. Leave on for 20 minutes and rinse with the coldest water you can stand.
Wrinkle Mask: Grate one unripe apple and leave on wrinkly skin for skin for thirty minutes.
Time consuming but worth it (taken from Care2.com):
“Autumn Magic Facial Mask
This formula soothes and nourishes skin and nerves, and provides gentle exfoliating action.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cored apple, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon rolled oats
1 teaspoon cream
1 teaspoon honey
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Apply to clean face, massaging gently, and allow mixture to remain on skin for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/apples-kitchen-cupboard-beauty.html##ixzz10aky6Jjp“
Filed under: anti-aging, beauty, moisturizing, refreshing, rose, scrub | Tags: autumn weather, exfoliating, rose, rose-water
Roses are everywhere: at grocery stores in neon colors, on TV, in films … the list goes on. And understandably so. Roses (especially the red variety) have always signified the love aspect of human nature and often represent something or someone truly unique.
The smell is at once uplifting calming and even drinking rose hip tea is rejuvenating. I myself have bought the same lip balm for four years, addicted to its light, rose scent and healing properties.
These tips are as simple and as elegant as the flowers they stem from.
Rose water
As simple as boiling rose petals in water for as long as it takes to distill water. The water can be stored in a cool dry place for as long as you use it. Rose water is a simple astringent used for cleansing the skin of dirt and oil. It is also moisturizing, making it perfect for the dry weather soon upon us.
Rose at-home spa
After you’ve made rose water on the stove and before you bottle it, use it to steam your face and proceed with spa treatments: cleansing, exfoliation, massage and finally whatever creams and serums you use on a daily basis.
Rose exfoliator
Crush rose petals and mix them into a store-bought exfoliator or any home-made one.
Filed under: baking soda, cucumber, DIY, Honey, lemon, organic skin-care, refreshing, salt | Tags: baking soda, beauty, DIY, gym, heavy cream, honey, lemon, organic, salt, working out
Now that my busy schedule has become a routine, I can get back to some of the things I love: blogging and going to the gym. I’ve been on hiatus from the blogging (yes, again) and from the gym (want these!) because I have to actually buy a membership now that I’m a grown up and can’t use the university gym for free. Bummer.
I’m not exactly a gym-lover, I just love the way a work out feels. I also love pretending to be good at running and always exit the gym with a tomato-red face while avoiding the pretty, skinny girls at the desk.
When I return home I promptly take a shower (even before speaking to people. I don’t want anyone to recognize me post- gym) and do a few things to restore my energy and ease the occasional muscle/joint pain.
Cold
DIY Ice Pack: So easy! Fill a heavy duty zip-lock bag with three parts water and one part rubbing alcohol and freeze it.
Hot
Salty sock: No, really. Heat as much salt as desired in a heavy pan and pour it into a clean, heavy sock. Tie the end and use it on strained or sore muscles.
Mask
I like to follow my work outs with a deep- cleansing mask because sweat and oil settle in pores to create blackheads and infections. Sometimes I use Korres Cinnamon Mask because it has unexpected ingredients and it’s not DIY so I can use it in a hurry, but if I have more time I’ll do this one: 1 tbs heavy cream, 1 tbs honey, and enough baking soda to make a paste.
Remember to replenish precious water lost from the body. I like to add lemon for extra cleansing or cucumber for even more hydration. I hope this entry inspires me to get a membership soon!
Filed under: apple juice, beauty, caffeine, cleanse, coffee, Honey, moisturizing, olive oil, refreshing, scrub | Tags: apple, apple juice, cleansing, coffee, firming, honey, moisturizing, olive oil, school, scrub
I wish I were going back to school this fall. I’ll miss Farmington and the people there that I love. But graduating has its perks too, like working full time (if you’re lucky!).
I got lucky and landed a nanny job for two beautiful boys. I’m excited to grow and learn with them – expect many “how to clean up after kids” posts in the future!
But if you’re reading this and going back to school soon, congratulations! Here are a few ideas to get your skin and hair back in order after a long summer. These tricks involve minimum ingredients – ingredients that you should pack with you when you move in.
Honey
Yes, I’ve done honey before. But I have to reiterate what a wonder it is. I always have honey on hand to use as a scrub for hands and face (a little honey, a little raw sugar – done!) as well as an antibacterial. When you’re straightening your hair for the first day and you accidentally burn your face, put honey on it for five minutes while the swelling goes away.
Apple juice
The 100% juice, not the 100% sugar stuff. Freeze the apple juice as individual ice cubes in your mini fridge and use them as a toner in the morning. This is excellent for puffy eyes!
Olive Oil
I buy the smallest bottle I can and keep it with my bottles and cans of face and hair magic. Olive oil can be used to shave with (nick-free and silky skin) as well as soften cuticles and skin (a little oil, a little raw sugar) when the temperatures drop. 
Coffee
Warm, wet coffee grounds are by far the best morning facial. If you’ve been up all night studying and writing papers, not only will the scrub constrict pores and firm skin with its major dose of caffeine, the smell will wake you up instantly.
Of course, there are plenty more tips that take more time and effort, but honey, olive oil, coffee, and apple juice are easy to pack and store and will help you out of many bad hair/skin days. Trust me.
Filed under: alpha-hydroxy acid, anti-aging, antioxidant, beauty, cleanse, cleansing, pink grapefruit, refreshing, scrub, sugar | Tags: anti-aging, anti-oxidant, cleanse, organic skin-care, pink grapefruit, scrub, sugar
I love citrus fruits. They have so much vitamin C and they’re always so refreshing. Even when someone is peeling an orange or digging in to a grapefruit in the next room, you can smell it and it wakes you up.
My favorite citrus is probably pink grapefruit. Yes, it’s tart to the point of being bitter, but I just love it! Remember, vitamin C is only good from its natural source, so why not try these tips? Here are some easy ways to include the pink lady in your skin care routine.
Face
Good morning: This one is so elegant, I feel pretty instantly. It’s easier to do this if you have a spray bottle (you can get them anywhere empty travel-sized bottles are found). Make some rose water and pour the cooled liquid into your spray bottle. Now juice a grapefruit or two and pour that in with the rose water. Store in the refrigerator to cool and keep it there when not in use. Shake before spraying on as a toner every morning. Uplifting, anti-aging toner!
Good morning scrub: This one is excellent and smells like heaven. There are easier, more chemically enhanced ways of smelling this good and being this clean, but it’s so much fun to make yourself – and so easy. Just squeeze some juice from a grapefruit into some raw sugar and make a paste. Scrub on and rinse off. Delicious.
Hair
Fun Monday: 1 cup of club soda and as much grapefruit juice as you want. This is very cleansing and a good way to start your week. Rinse hair with the mixture in the shower after you shampoo and before you condition.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: American food, cultural differences, culture barriers, food, international, organic food, processed foods
I am an ESL instructor this summer so it’s my job to bridge culture gaps, correct grammar, and encourage good attitudes. Today was just another day like that. During my one-on-one with a Japanese scholar who has been struggling with his English, we discussed cultural differences (a personal favorite topic) and I asked him: what is one thing you would change about your culture?
My own answer came to me very quickly. If I could change one thing about American culture, it would be the way we view FOOD (definitely check out this link – it’s incredible!).
Why food? Think about it. We gulp down our food at lunch and supper time, often running around while eating and not paying attention to what we’re putting into our bodies.
We sometimes eat just for the fun of it – not because we’re hungry, just because we can.
We eat processed foods, but our country is so wealthy that, in some places, we have farms just around the corner (especially here in New England).
I ate a traditional Chinese meal with my students a few weeks ago and had the opportunity of trying tons of new foods. One student introduced a vegetable saying “this tastes really bad but it’s very good for you, it cools your body down which is good because it’s hot today“. Most Americans can’t imagine eating something that tastes awful even if it benefits their health.
I am in no way perfect when it comes to food and health. But I have long been interested in eating more of the good and less of the bad. America’s getting better at food, too; we’re all about organic choices, we are beginning to buy locally and some are even starting their own gardens.
Maybe today you can start to make little changes, too. Rethink how and what you eat today… and tomorrow, too.
