Tag Archives: brown sugar

Sassy’s Lifesavers (Part Two)

14 May

In a previous post, I wanted to share my skin care routine with my readers and followers. I know that many of us are dazzled by makeup and all the colors and techniques that go with it. Before you can have any glamour look amazing on your face, you need a good canvas. A clean, fresh slate to work your color magic on. When I first got into the skin care and makeup industry, I learned how important it was to have your skin in the best condition possible. Otherwise, your makeup just won’t look its best. I’m often reminded of the story of the farmer that couldn’t understand why his barn always looked old even though he would try to put a fresh coat of paint on it every year. Why did it look sloppy? Because the farmer didn’t “prep” the barn before painting it. He didn’t remove the old paint, sand down the rough spots, wash it thoroughly or treat the wood properly. He just kept slapping on new paint without taking care of the barn first. Your face is the exactly the same way. You need to treat your skin to give you the best base you can before you add any color.

I mentioned before that a morning skin care routine should go as follows:
• Cleanse
• Tone
• Vitamin C & Antioxidant Serums
• Moisturizer/Eye Cream
• (Sunscreen)
• Primer
• Foundation

An evening skin care routine show be:
• Cleanse
• Exfoliate (2-3x a week)
• Mask (1x a week)
• Night Serum
• Moisturizer/Night Cream

Although it sounds simple—and it should be—it can be difficult to get into the routine if you haven’t had one before. You need to take some time to make sure you are getting what your skin needs, with ingredients that are pure and healthy, targeted to do what you need for your skin’s concerns. I am an exception to the rule with my skin being “normal”. I will say, however, that it took MANY years of right’s and wrong’s to get it that way. When you do some research, try some products and get what is right for you, you will notice the change in the way your skin looks and feels very quickly. The clock is going to keep ticking when it comes to your skin… the best we can do is give it what it needs to slow that down as much as possible.

Part One we covered my morning routine. Today let’s talk about the evening:

Before Bed Routine

Cleanse:
Same As The A.M.
You don’t need special products to clean your face in the evening. Your morning cleansers work just as good. Follow the directions and use them just as you would before you put on your daily makeup.

Exfoliate:
This is where things can get a little “sensitive”. Literally. Anyone who has sensitive skin knows that many exfoliators can have ingredients that can be irritating, burning, harsh or down right painful for your face. This may take some different trial products to find the ones you like. I seriously suggest you go to a makeup store (like Ulta or Sephora) to get samples of the ones you may want to try, just to use them a few times before making the final purchase. Another idea may be to sign up for a glamour subscription (like “Ipsy” or “How to be a Redhead”) and try some of their suggestions. The only negative about that is you have no idea what you will get and won’t be able to research ingredients or reviews first. Depending on your skin type or what you want your mask to do, you may just want to do a search of these products and read which ones are fan favorites.

For me, I absolutely love Albertini International’s Warm Love Exfoliating Mask. This came as a sample in my H2BAR’s October subscription box and it was not just great for fall but for any time of the year. It does say “mask” however I tend to just rub it on my face (it will get a little warm and tingly as it stimulates blood flow) and rinse off with cool water. It’s a gentle scrub that doesn’t irritate my skin at all.

Another one of my favorites is BeFine’s Exfoliating Cleanser. When you use this product 2-3 times a week, you can eliminate your cleansing step that day as this does both. This natural gem is filled with brown sugar for a light scrub, ginger root extract for detoxifying, sweet almond oil to keep your skin’s moisture balance, and orange oil to help heal skin imperfections. This non-irritating healthy cleansing scrub clears away dull damaged skin that can accumulate after a couple of days. Your skin will feel soft and will instantly brighten your face.

Mask: Well, that depends…
Masks are essential in your weekly beauty routine because they get “down and dirty” to target problems with your skin. Because of the different brands, formulas and types of masks that target specific issues, giving your skin a treatment mask will help you ultra-nourish your skin with a weekly dose of goodness. They tend to have more precise/stronger ingredients than daily products do. That is why you really only need them once a week.

There are times when I can feel the buildup of environmental “ick”. I think you know what I mean. This is when I use my newest find. Last year, I posted about a new body cream by a company called Rad which I love. A few weeks ago, while killing time at a local mall, I actually saw Rad’s flagship store! I was SOOO excited to go in and meet the owner to rave about how much I loved her products. We chatted and talked for a while, as she remembered me writing about her products. She knew I had sensitive skin (from the article) and insisted I try this face mask that she thought I would like. She was right! Rad’s Skin Psyche Detox Face Mask is incredible. Enriched with ingredients such as Marshmallow Root, Coffee Bean and Jojoba, this mask is blended with essential oils to detoxify the skin by opening pores and drawing out accumulated toxins. After the first time I used it, I can’t begin to explain how soft and healthy my skin felt. The jar is large and you don’t use a lot. Just apply—avoiding the eye area—let sit for 15 to 20 minutes then rinse.

When I am getting ready for a week of photos and need my skin to feel a little more tight and fresh, I fall back on an old-school style peel-off mask by Labotica called Transforming Liquid Foil Mask. There isn’t much this mask doesn’t do, but my main attraction to it is how well it brightens and firms up your skin. Made with nourishing botanical exracts that calm inflammation, this luxurious pearlescent saint goes on like a creamy liquid and dries to a silvery, shiny, peel off mask. I like to make sure it is doing its job, so I let it set about 30 minutes then peel. Get off as much as you can, being careful around the eye area. Any little specks that you can’t peel off will come off with a cotton ball and water or micellar water. I love how my skin looks and feels after this relaxing treat!

Night Serum: TwinMedix Pro: Essentials A15
I bet by now you are seeing a trend with my love of the TwinMedix products. That’s because they work to keep my skin healthy and young looking—hands down. TwinMedix Pro:Essentials A15 night serum is formulated with 0.15% Retinal (pure Vitamin A) and antioxidants to help improve and diminish the appearance of aging skin by softening the look of existing wrinkles and increasing cell turnover to bring younger skin to the surface. Using a small amount over your clean face before bed will leave you waking up to softer, fresher looking skin.

Moisturizer/Night Cream: Lumene Artic Lumenessence Valo Light Overnight Bright Sleeping Cream
Way back, when I first began writing, I had used several of the Lumene products since they were easy to obtain at my local CVS drug store. After a while, two things happened: 1) CVS began to carry less and less Lumene products and; 2) because my skin was way more sensitive than it had once been, I was concerned that this product may not agree with my skin the way it once had. One day, I received an email from a beauty company that asked me to try a moisturizer and give them my feedback. I got a coupon, and out I went. It was Lumene’s Overnight Cream. Awesome! I went out, grabbed a jar, and took it home to try. The first thing I noticed about it was that it had a great citrus scent to it. It wasn’t heavy but it did feel enriching. The jar is decent sized and the amount you need is very little. Plus the added benefit of it containing Vitamin C helps to even skin tone and brighten my face while I sleep.

So that is how Sassy tends to her skin–keeping it soft, smooth and young looking as I try my hardest to fight the hands of time. For someone my age?…. I think I’m winning. Some of my skin care products are a necessity due to my sensitive skin. Others, however, can be used by anyone. Your skin is the biggest organ of your body. If you would do everything you could to make sure your heart and brain were in tip-top shape, why wouldn’t you do the same for your skin. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Whatever you choose to buy, just make sure you do your research first. Keep yourself looking your best (and youngest) with natural products and ingredients that will fend off Father Time for as long as possible!

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The Kitchen Facial….

28 Jan

If you’ve ever been in a Macy’s, Bloomingdales or Sephora, then I’m sure you can see how someone could easily spend hundreds of dollars trying to keep themselves looking young. Between cleansers, moisturizers, toners, masks, scrubs, firmers, softeners, lifters, tigheners, and everything in between, the world of skin care and glamour is enough to make any consumer crazy… and bankrupt! Are all of those funky ingredients necessary when it comes to keeping you looking your best? Depends. Some people swear by the “’what’s new & what’s hot” mainstream products. Others, like myself, find that the more involved a product is, the more likely my sensitive skin is to flip out from it.

After a nasty breakout from an anti-aging night cream last winter, I researched online what I could use to calm my skin down. I made a homemade mask of specific kitchen products, slathered it all over my blotchy face twice a day, and watched as my skin went from raging red to peaceful pale. This triggered me to look up other natural items and recipes that might help keep my appearance at an even keel. The information I found would change my skin care routine forever.

Since my troubles mainly occur in winter because the cold temperatures, dry indoor heat, biter winds and the nasty snow glare turn my face into a dry flaky mess, this is when I put away my department store cosmetics and start hitting the refrigerator and cabinets for the goodies that help me the most. The recipes?… Simple. The cost?… pennies. The results?… priceless.

Here is my skin care regime from now until further notice:

breakfast1Cleanser/Mask: “Breakfast In A Jar”

½ banana mashed, 1 tbs. heavy cream, ½ aloe leaf pulp, 1 tbs. finely ground oatmeal, 1 tsp. honey.

Not only does this cleanser work great for removing makeup but it also smells great and softens the skin. The bananas and heavy cream are rich in protein and fat which helps moisturize and smooth the skin. Aloe pulp has healing properties and is an anti-inflammatory. The oatmeal has soothing properties to calm any redness or irritation. And the honey? Honey naturally moisturizes, is packed with vitamins and antioxidants, and contains a natural acid which helps the skin’s cell renewal. Once you mix all of the ingredients together, you put the “goop” in a jar or small Tupperware cup and keep it in the refrigerator till ready to use. The bananas will cause the top layer of the cleanser to turn dark after a couple of days, but that doesn’t mean it is spoiled. Scrape it off, and keep using it. I suggest you make a new batch every 7-10 days to keep it fresh. To use: put mixture all over your face, let it sit for a minute or two, Rinse with cool water. Use morning and evening. (FYI—sometimes it is easier to buy a small jar of organic bananas baby food. It’s easier to work with and mixes smoother.)

brown-sugarExfoliate: Brown Sugar

Sugar is a natural and inexpensive way to include alpha-hydroxy acids in your skincare program. Usually to get the benefits of alpha-hydroxy acids, you have to schedule appointments with a dermatologist for various types of peels. By getting sugar into your routine at home, you will experience all of the benefits without the inflated price. Brown sugar is a gentler grain sugar and is not as rough as regular table sugar. To use: once a week in the evening, put a small amount (½ tsp.) of brown sugar in the palm of your hand then add your “Breakfast in a Jar” cleanser to it. Rub together then gently apply to your face in a circular motion. Rinse with cool water.

tea1Toner: Chamomile Tea

A toners main purpose is to remove any last traces of cleanser and makeup. Many cosmetic lines add alcohol to their toners which is a disaster to dry skin. A winter toner should be gentle, refreshing, soothing and still do its job. Chamomile is the perfect herb for that. Take an all-natural decaffeinated chamomile tea bag and let it steep in ½ cup of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove bag (do not squeeze it out) and discard. Keep cooled tea in the refrigerator and use on a cotton ball after cleansing or whenever a clean face needs a little soothing. Make a new toner once a week.

olive-oilMoisturizer: Olive Oil

Nothing fancy here. Olive oil is an excellent moisturizer because it attracts and holds moisture close to the skin and forms a breathable film to prevent loss of internal moisture. And its anti-oxidants help to prevent dryness and wrinkles. Go to the supermarket and buy a bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil, put some in a little jar or bottle and leave it on your bathroom counter. Apply dots of it all over your face, paying special attention to your cheeks and neck. Avoid the eye area with excess oil, but any you have left on your fingers that isn’t absorbed can be dotted under the eyes. If you are thinking, Don’t worry about your pores clogging. Olive oil is non-comedogenic, and the extra virgin variety is actually very light on the face.

The one thing that I didn’t mention is that no matter how natural you make your skin, you must-use a sunscreen. There are many on the market that are combined with other ingredients that can make your face red and irritated. Products containing PABA or padimate A and O can be a problem to people with dry and sensitive skin. Benzophenones, cinnamates, dibenzoylmethanes, and others are also irritating and can cause an allergic reaction known as contact dermatitis. Although sunscreens known as physical blocking agents can be good for people known to get allergic reactions, they can be very heavy and don’t absorb well into the skin. Products that are titanium dioxide- or micronized zinc oxide-based seem to be the best for people with sensitive skin. A good thing to know is most mineral foundations have these ingredients. If you already use a mineral foundation, you may not have to add an extra step for sun protection. Check your foundation’s ingredients to see the ingredients and how much sun-protection is in them. Another great natural sunscreen is by Burt’s Bees. It’s heavier than some, but don’t need a lot. I find it absorbs quicker than most. I have also found a foundation primer that contains an SPF which I use from time to time. (Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF15 w/Dermaxyl Complex, $36)

Even if you had to purchase everything you would need to pamper your face this season all at once, you probably would still come out spending less than if you were to buy one high-end department store age-fighting moisturizer. Plus you’d still have enough ingredients to whip up about 10+ more batches (at least!). You can see how the savings would quickly add up.

If you aren’t sure if what I’m using would be good for your skin type, or if you’d like to add a couple of ingredients for other specific problems, take a look at these great websites. They give you a list of various ingredients and their benefits as well as some great recipe ideas. Cook yourself up an inexpensive homemade facial and take those savings to splurge on something fun (like a killer purse!)

Homemade Facials—Ingredients and Recipes: http://umibrahim.tripod.com/id26.html

Natural Ingredients for Inexpensive Skin Care: http://www.emzblendzsoap.com/ingredients/ingredients.htm

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