Home Made Face Mask

This is a mask that is good for EVERYONE, no matter what your skin type.

STRAWBERRY HONEY MASK

5 or 6 strawberries, greens removed
2 tbspns honey
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Lemon Juice

Mash the Strawberries with a fork and add the honey and olive oil. Drizzle in freshly squeezed Lemon Juice. The oilier your skin, the more lemon juice you can add (up to 1 tablespoon). If you have very dry skin add 1 tablespoon of oatmeal to the mix and let it sit for about a minute or two before applying it to your skin.

Wash your skin thoroughly and gently pat it dry. Apply the mask all over, avoiding your eye area. Let it sit for up to 20 minutes, then rinse off.

The Strawberries are rich in Alpha Hydroxy Acids which helps eliminate dead skin cells and gives you a nice rosey glow.
Honey is a mild anti-microbial AND is a humectant - so it actually increases your skin's water content as it pulls moisture out of the air and into your skin.
Olive oil is a wonderful moisturizer and because it's natural it will not clog your pores.
Lemon juice is loaded with Vitamin C and acids that brighten your skin.
This mask is chock-full of anti-free-radicals as well, so it's a wonderful natural anti-aging mask.

Whenever possible, try to use organic ingredients, but if it's too expensive for you it's still better than the store-brought stuff that's loaded with chemicals.

Try this mask today and give me your feedback!!!

The importance of Water

I went to a beauty "school" a few nights ago to receive training for one of the brands that we sell where I work. It's a great brand, and even though they like to point out that some of their ingredients are natural, and that they have a "natural origin", the reality is that they are still loaded with chemicals such as Propylene Glycol and artificial fragrances. The risks of these chemicals outweighs the benefits of the natural ingredients, so I generally try to avoid them.

Anyway, something the trainer said kind of stuck with me. She said "Why cover up with cosmetics when you can just take really good care of your skin?" Which is truly easier said than done, but it DOES make sense.

Do you thoroughly wash your face every evening? If you use a toner, is it alcohol-free and gentle? Do you have a suitable moisturizer for your skin? Are you using a rich eye-cream every morning and night? These are great starting points for your skin.

But most importantly...do you drink enough water? 4 cups a day is not enough. For good skin you need to be drinking at least 6 cups of filtered water every single day - CONSISTENTLY. It's easy to say you don't feel the need to drink that much when you fill up on multiple coffees, juices, and pops. So other than your morning coffee, try to avoid juices and pops so that you can get your fill of water first.

I know this isn't easy, but what if I told you that if you did this for FOUR DAYS IN A ROW, you would notice a VISIBLE IMPROVEMENT in your skin?!?

Something else I learned at this school...

Water, when you drink it will in:
60 seconds - hit your blood stream
3 minutes - get to your brain
10 minutes - reach your other organs
30 minutes - spread through your entire body.

So the next time you pick up a pop, ask yourself if you want that all over your body in 30 minutes. And reach for the water instead.