Self-care Saturday

It’s quiet this morning. The birds are singing and it’s the perfect time to practice self-care.

I like to take whatever existing store bought mask (not the kind we wear to protect ourselves and others from Covid-19) I have and embellish it with my own ingredients.

fullsizeoutput_f68This is a Kale + Niacin gel mask that’s the perfect consistency to DIY. 

I got inspired by the ingredients of my yummy vegan smoothie recipe and decided to put the same ingredients on my face as I did inside my body.

Inner and outer beauty!

  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1 tbsp.organic spirulina
  • 1tbsp. organic moringa powder
  • 1 tbsp.organic wheat grass powder
  • 1 tbsp. matcha green tea powder
  • 1tsp. turmeric oil
  • 3 or 4 tbsp. of any existing masks you might have (OR you don’t need to… just add 2 teaspoons water and 2 teaspoons coconut or olive oil.)
  • Combine all ingredients
  • Spread all over your freshly washed face either using fingers or a foundation brush.
  • Leave on for 20 minutes.
  • Wash with warm water and feel the difference in your skin.
  • Moisturize immediately.
  • I save any leftover mask in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Have a wonderful self-care Saturday!

Nourish + Brighten! Loquat + Emergen-C #DIY Facial Mask

Loquat Emergen-C facial maskHow about a smoothie for your face?

This zesty homemade mask will freshen, nourish, and brighten up your winter-weary skin.

When my tugboat man is home (and when son/DIL are here) we enjoy “Family Facial Day”.

To be honest, “enjoy” is a relative term, the boys describe it as “endure”.

Of course hub and son don’t participate without a lot of whining, but DIL and I can be fairly persuasive. There’s nothing funnier than using a scrub on a couple of men who’re complaining about how much it hurts like they’re being abused. Men are such babies even though they’re always pleased with the results.

For those of you that had to endure skin-drying heating all winter along with harsh snowy weather, this is a perfect mask to nourish and brighten.

In SoCal, we’ve had our hottest March ever recorded — coupled with low humidity, my own face was looking as parched as the Anza Borrego Desert.

Probably because it’s been so unseasonably warm, the first of our loquats are ripe.

As soon as enough of them are ready, I’ll make jam with our harvest (RECIPE HERE) but I thought I’d experiment creating a mask.

Loquats are full of vitamin-A — looking around our garden, I picked a lime for vitamin-C and a few leaves of white sage for cleansing and purifying. (If you live in an area where loquats don’t grow, you could use apricots or even peaches.)

loquatfacial1

I tossed it all in the blender with bananas, avocado, and a squeeze of agave nectar.

Then I spied the secret weapon: Emergen- C!

With all the C and other vitamins and minerals, it’s like a healthy smoothie for your face. This is the one I used, but any flavor will work. Hopefully, it won’t tint your skin pink; it didn’t do that to me.

loquatfacial3loquatfacial2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t invent the Emergen-C facial; my research revealed others have discovered its benefits, too.

Facial Tips:

  • Start with a really clean face so the facial will be better absorbed.
  • Only make enough for one or two facials — as the ingredients are so fresh, they need to be used right away.

Nourish + Brighten Facial Mask Ingredients:

Loquats: Three small, remove seeds.
Lime Juice: Squeeze half lime
Banana: One half.
Avocado: One half.
Emergen-C: Half or whole packet.
Agave or honey: A teaspoon or two, just to make it sticky enough so the facial doesn’t slide off your face.
Sage: A few leaves (optional if you don’t grow it in your own garden.)
Try adding a few shakes of ground turmeric or cinnamon, too.

  • Toss it all in a blender until smooth.
  • Pat on your face, neck, décolleté (don’t forget that!).
  • Leave on for about fifteen minutes while you recline with a towel behind your head and neck to catch any spills.
  • Rinse off thoroughly and moisturize.
  • Admire the glow!
  • Refrigerate any leftover mask.

It’s been a couple of days since I did it; I’m very pleased with the results, and will absolutely make this again when the rest of the family is here.

It’s so much fun to torture the guys!

 

Boys DO Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses. Oh YES, They DO.

Kate Spade glasses2

Newsflash: Eyeglasses are the new aphrodisiac.

Sasssy and sexxxxy in a slightly librarian-beeyotchy way. 

That describes both me AND my new Kate Spade glasses, don’t you agree?

Aren’t those polka dots TDF?

And the hair? It looks like my head had a curl explosion.
Oopsie, it seems as if the picture on the wall behind me is slightly askew; my OCD side will fix it immediately, since I clearly have no control over my hair.

And yes, that IS my enchanting bathroom, and no, I’m not wearing any makeup.

Kate Spade glassesIt’s a different world now than when I first needed to wear glasses. Back then, it tolled the death knell if you aspired at all to be a popular gal and hang out with the cool kids.

I was continually taunted with.such witticisms as,  “Hey, Coke-bottle‘s here. Ha Ha.”

Not so funny to be the target of mean girls. 

I couldn’t wait to be old enough to wear contact lenses.

But now, wearing glasses is just another important fashion accessory, not a signal to the world that the wearer is a bookish nerd, not that there’s anything wrong with that!

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Stop Wolf Hunts Now

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Ghandi

Heart Your Curls with Mixed Chicks

Like many other curlyheads, I’ve spent my entire life hating or loving my curly hair.

orangejuicecanI’ve fought it, ironed it, straightened it, hated my genetics for not endowing me with straight blonde hair, and bought every product under the sun to tame the curls and control the frizz, from Dippity-Do (anyone remember that?) to sleeping — painfully– on hair set with orange juice cans.

I know I could get a Brazilian BlowOut and end up with the straight and shiny hair I’ve always dreamed about — but my stylist has convinced me to love the hair I have — it’s who I am — and now, finally, I do love my curls.

A good cut and color made me fall in love with my curls.

Yesterday, I was out shopping (what else) and stopped in a little beauty supply store nestled between Ross Dress For Less and Pier One in Encinitas. (I wasn’t really looking for anything, not REALLY; just a bit of browsing therapy. Of course, if anything caught my eye, I wouldn’t have — couldn’t have–resisted.)

When the sales associate asked me if I was looking for anything specific, I pointed to my hair and asked if they had anything for curly hair like mine. She directed me to Mixed Chicks which I had never heard of before and said I’d really love it.

According to the Mixed Chicks website:

Finally, a curl-defining system for “us”. Whether you’re black, white, asian, latin, mediterranean, or any glorious combination of the above, you’ll love the way these non-sticky, lightweight curly hair products leave your hair inviting to touch as they define and lock moisture into every curl. Be a proud part of our multiracial movement…

Mixed chicksI got the shampoo and leave-in conditioner which doubles as a styling lotion.

The shampoo info: 

…quickly cleanse your defiant hair with a combination of borage seed and avocado oils that work harmoniously in a blend as unique as you are. botanical extracts are infused for their healing properties. silk amino acids, soy protein, and panthenol penetrate the follicle and add luster.

I do so love good ad copy, don’t you?

Last night I used the shampoo and I have to admit that I’m not totally convinced I like it…my hair certainly felt clean but I had to use another product for a rinse-out conditioner because it was impossible to comb through. SoCal has extremely hard water, so maybe that’s part of the problem…

Then I used the leave-in conditioner. I could immediately feel it soak in and caress every wave and define each and every curl.

See? What do you think? No frizz, right?

curls1

I’m kinda loving the Mixed Chicks leave-in conditioner.

curls2

To summarize: I’m not overwhelmed by the shampoo, but I’ll give it another try. It’s a definite thumbs up for the leave-in conditioner, though.

If you’re a curly girl like me, give it a try it and let me know what you think.