Beauty on a Dime {Guest Post}

photo (3)Today’s Beauty post is by Michelle from Skana Spa in Upstate New York. She is here to share tips and tricks of her trade! Enjoy!

No matter how busy of a schedule you may have you should always find time for yourself. Every woman loves to get away to the spa for a day of beauty and relaxation but that isn’t always an option. However there are alternatives, with a couple ingredients you probably have in your house you can make yourself a rejuvenating body scrub.

Now And Then the best remedies are those that are the least expected. In the case of skin, one of the most efficient means for cleaning pores is more dirt. Minerals picked up from quarries. Volcanic ash, and sea beds around the globe, cosmetic clay holds a multitude of minerals that nourish the skin and are naturally absorbent qualities help draw out debris, excess oils, remove dead skin cells and even contagions from pores. Applied once a week, a clay mask results in a soft, supple, genuinely clean skin texture.

Mixing cosmetic clay powder with cold, filtered tap water is the easiest method to make a mask, but there can be additional perks by taking advantage of other liquids. Cool green tea produces an additional antioxidant boost that may help slow down the development of fine lines. To soothe irritated or dry skin, try combining the clay with cold milk or heavy cream.

To start off, add one tablespoonful of tap water, green tea, or milk to a small container. Continue to add tablespoons of fine cosmetic clay powder to the liquid mixing to prevent clumps. The resulting paste should be smooth; if it is too thick or runny, add a couple of drops of tap water or a little extra clay to reach the desired texture.

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Cleanse skin thoroughly with facial cleanser and warm water and gently pat skin dry.

Place a warm wet cloth over the face for a minute or two to open up pores before smoothing on the mud mask. This will allow the mud to absorb more oil and impurities in the skin.

Using fingers, smooth the mud mask over the face beginning with sides of the face and brow applying the paste in a thick layer to clean, dry skin. Make sure to keep away from the eyes and lips.

A one-inch paintbrush can be used for an even application. While the mask is drying, sit back and relax. Staying still will make sure the clay does not crack or fall off.

After 10 to 12 minutes, wipe mask off with a very hot washcloth. Periodically run the washcloth under hot tap water, and squeeze out any excess water then press it to the face to soften the clay. Then, lightly wash off the mask in a circular movement. Rinse with lukewarm water.

Pat skin dry with a soft towel and then follow up with a mild toner and moisturizer to soften skin and nourish it throughout the day.

Some types of clay are a mild skin purifier that does not soak up oil, which makes them safe for dry or delicate skin textures. Others types deep clean and remove oils and toxins from the skin, which can help oily skin and minimize the impacts of pollution. For optimal results, opt for one that best suits each skin type.

Refrigerate any remaining mask for up to one month in an airtight container and reapply once a week.

I hope you find this post useful! And don’t forget that I am participating in the Refashion Runway contest! Please vote here, to keep me in the competition and see more of my refashions!

Xo,

Z

PS. Check out the latest Sale on ROMWE

American National Day Sale at Romwe! 06/11/2013 – 06/15/2013 
http://www.romwe.com/manage_activity/Happy-National-Day/

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Treating cystic acne ASAP!

Today’s post is a review on a product that I bought last week, because I started to break out! And the breakouts I got weren’t the regular black heads here and there, I got the really painful bumps that take forever to disappear, and are so deep under your skin, they are impossible to get out. And worst of all, it seems like those things grow roots, because you can feel them from the inside of your cheek with your tongue! Grossed out yet? Well I was! I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror, let alone apply any sort of foundation over them, let alone sell make up looking like I just escaped from some freak show circus. Anyways, cysts suck and we all know it. In my attempt to control them I used everything from vitamins and herbs, to “Badiaga” (a well-known Russian remedy, sort of like a natural peel) and nothing helped! I wanted them to be gone, and I didn’t want to wait!

And then I had an idea, I went on line! Isn’t this how we get better ideas these days anyways? And I saw pictures of the clay that I’ve heard of about a year ago, but since last year at this time I was in Russia, that product wasn’t really available! Anyways I am talking about this:

It’s a 1 lb jar of my salvation! Seriously! The best clay I’ve ever tried, kicks all those Russian clays butts big time. It’s a powder that you mix with either water or apple cider vinegar, to make a paste and then apply it to your face. Below is a picture of what the instructions look like, so if you are extremely curious that one is for you :P

Also, here is a Spanish and French version of everything mentioned above!

Now I decided that apple cider vinegar was going to be so much better for my skin than just water, that’s why I mixed an equal amount of both in a little plastic container. It’s preferable that you don’t use anything metal when preparing this treatment. It was kind of fun watching the whole thing bubble up, but the  smell  stink was just UGH! I also used a cheap Heinz brand Apple Cider Vinegar, maybe after this bottle is all out I’ll splurge and buy an all natural one!

What you see in the picture are left overs from that first batch! I made too much for one facial, so I refrigerated the rest and have used it again once as a full facial treatment, and once as a spot treatment.

So here is how you do it! Start with a clean face (and apparently a dirty mirror :) )

Apply all over your face, avoiding the eye area (as I also mentioned above, you can use it as a spot treatment)

Let it do it’s magic for 15-20 min if your skin is normal/oily, or 5-10 if dry!

You are going to feel your face pulsing, which was pretty cool, but I think a lot of clay based masks have the same pulsing effect. Your face is also going to start looking like a desert surface. And please make sure to watch time when doing this facial. The manufacturer also mentions that redness may occur for about 30 minutes after you wash it off, so it’s absolutely normal, don’t panic. My redness went away real fast btw!

You can see that my skin isn’t perfect and I am by no means saying that this treatment is going to solve all of your problems, it’s just the best I’ve seen so far! And it worked in just one application. The swelling went away, the cysts dried up, there was some dry and flaky skin, but everything can be fixed with a little 7 day scrub from Clinique, right?

So where do you buy this? I had to go to The Vitamine Shoppe, because that was the only place in Minneapolis that I found that sold this, and the price was $7.99 if I am not mistaken. Another thing is – the label says that you will get 10-15 facials out of the jar. So far I’ve gotten 3 – from 1 tablespoon :)

Good luck on your skin care venture, I hope I was able to help!

Doodles,

Z