Exfoliating: where, how, and how often?

Hermanas!!!!

If we took basic anatomy, biology and chemistry in high school; we are pretty aware that our skin, like that of snakes (insert snarky smile here) sheds. Yup. the skin you have today is not the same skin you had 2 weeks ago. The body has its way of getting rid of dead skin cells; and we most certainly should help it out.

Here's where exfoliation comes in. When I exfoliate, I focus on several parts of my body: face, hands, body, lips. If you can afford it, by all means go crazy and indulge in buying brand scrubs. I do use a different concoction for each part.

FACE

For my cara, I personally favor LUSH's Angels on Bare Skin; being all natural and lovely. The appearance of this one for sure has put more than one sistah off; but get over yourselves and try it!!!


I also like some of the Clean and Clear collection . Their website helps you find the best match for your needs. I just go with the Detoxifying or the Morning Burst Scrub.

I exfoliate my face about every other day. Always with love and never like I was sanding down a piece of wood. Hyper-exfoliation is not good for your skin -- and makes you more exposed to the sun, and we all know that is a bad, bad thing.

BODY

For my body, I actually cheat. A lot. If I happen to have some LUSH's Rub Rub Rub or Ocean Salt scrub, I will of course use it. But my trick here is not to spend tons of money on body scrubs, and instead use soaps that have granules that exfoliate.

OR, use my fave body wash with a net bath sponge. OR make good use of LUSH soaps like I Should Coco, Porridge and some of my all time super faves Pre de Provence herbal treatment soaps: since they also have exfoliating beads and smell heavenly!

LIPS

When it comes to exfoliating and hydrating my lips, I simply L.O.V.E. Tarte's fRxtion. Goodness in a case. Not only does it come in the cutest packaging you will ever see; but it has athe dual purpose of exfoliation and moisturizing.

TARTE is well known for their green-beauty approach. The fRxtion goes for $11.00 and I do believe it is worth it.

AT HOME $$$ SAVERS

Now now... we are all on a budget, I know. Dinero is important, a broke hermana is not a happy hermana. My serious take is that you do not need to cash out half your paycheck in beauty products. And in your pantry I am sure you have the basic ingredients for coming up with your very own and personalized scrub and exfoliator.

Magic ingredients: brown sugar, honey, olive oil. Voila. Some hermanas use oatmeal at home, but I find it too raspy and irritating. But if you mix sugar with oil, or honey with sugar and rub rub rub; you are exfoliating AND giving your skin much needed moisture.

See? No need to break the bank. Exfoliating also leaves you feeling immediately refreshed. Just remember to treat your skin with love chicas, no need to get nasty and scrub so much that you bleed or break capillaries, ok?????

Which are your fave scrubs? Any homemade ideas you care to share with us? Do tell!!! I want to know.

Siempre, Bella.

And the winner is.....

Hermanas!!!


As promised, my beloved Rojo got serious this morning, put on his super hero outfit, offered me an empty can of our favorite Trader Joe's French Roast; and I ceremoniously dropped the names of all the chicas who participated in our LUSH for Boyz giveaway. We had quite an event around it and it was fun, fun, fun. So now, without much blah blah, the winner of the super fabulous Shave the Planet LUSH gift is.....

CAROLYN G. !!!!

Carolyn is a beautilicious latina who hangs out at the Café Beautique often; and now I wonder who will be the lucky hombre to get all those goodies. Note from Rojo: Massages are compulsory every Monday at 9 p.m. (and no, he is NOT kidding). I will email you right away so that we can fine tune the details, chica! You have to come back and tell us how it worked. I tell you, I have gotten away with many, many things after the Monday night massages....

Thanks to all of you who took the time to look up the answers to the trivia. Here are the correct ones:

What does LUSH mean by “Naked products”?
No packaging.

What is LUSH’s signature scent?
Karma

Which best-selling facial cleanser was taken out of a medieval recipe book?
Angels on Bareskin (a Bella must-have)

What facial moisturizer used to be Princess Diana’s facial cream of choice?
Gorgeous

What are LUSH’s two edible massage bars?
Soft Coeur & Mange Too

Felicidades hermana. And the rest of you stay tuned... I have another giveaway coming up oh very soon!!!


Siempre, Bella.

LUSH favorites, volume I

Hermanas!!!

As I said before, Legally Smart dragged me into LUSH once more. I know, I didn't want to really go, but I could just not refuse (she has documented restraining orders against her from former friends...). So we went to our fave LUSH in downtown's C-@-TL Westlake Center and were treated to fun and laughs by Manic Lushette --- the most absultely fun LUSH gal (after my hermana Kitz Chic from Edmonton, of course).

So, I did indulge. I got Rojo 2 pieces of Spiced Curls; which just might replace MudFlats in his heart. I loved the cinamony smell hermanas... this is seriously sexy stuff and warms up on contact.... I see many woooohoooo showers ahead.

I usually buy 2 small cuts whenever I am trying a new LUSH soap. Just in case I do not like it you know??



I also got the holy grail of hand cremes for mi madre: Helping Hands. I do not know why, but this stuff is the best hand cream of all times; "hands down". My girl Kitz Chic got us into it. Rojo is an artiste and works with a loft of mediuma, including wood and metal. Kitz Chic told us that construction workers, carpenters, etc; arrive in hordes to get Helping Hands. It rocks. Big time.



I think I might still give LUSH a chance next year. But some items are so absurdly expensive that it's ridix.


Siempre, Bella.

Soapie soapie

Hermanas...

OK. I am assuming we all shower at least once a day... please say it is so, or you will break my heart and increase the evil eye looks of folks riding the bus with you.

I begin my day with a nice hot shower. I have tried this and that and the other soaps and body gels, etc.; and must say I am still a sucker for soap bars. Must be the voice of mi madre in my head.

Right now, I am on a Pre de Provence spree since they were on sale for 4.99 at a nearby shop. Usually they are a bit spendier.

So far, I have tried the Verbena (lovely and subtle scent, with a bit of exfoliating granules), Rose Petal (never again, unless you want to smell like my aunt E. or a cheap hotel toiletry set), Honey Almond (stay away from this one unless you have a thing for painful scrubbing; or if you are patient enough like Rojo who uses it with the net bath sponge and loves it).

Wait, it is not all bad hermanas. My total fave? Lemongrass. Citrussy, sexy, wake me up kind of feeling. Nice, very nice. Lavender is good when I have had a loooong day and I want to sleep deeply and perfumy. It's like love in a soap bar.

Others who deserve special mention here are of course the rustic cuts from LUSH. Those LUSH ladies are always sweethearts and make you feel like the goddess you are any time you walk in. Problem is, LUSH is going a bit too corporate for my taste. I loved shopping there years ago when I lived in Canada and LUSH was almost a kitchen biz. Although, I still have a weakness for some of their stuff:

Mudflats is Rojo's favorite soap. He lavished on it like it was never ending source of enlightenment. That was until he discovered how much it was *gulp*. It has a nice melty feeling to it, chocolaty almost. Mud, lavender, rosemary = sexy in a bar.

Honey I Washed the Kids is the best "simple" LUSH bar. When they say it is for all the family, they mean it. And it does not smell overwhelmingly "honey-ee" like their Flying Fox gel. Likey, but not too much.

What is YOUR favorite soap? Or maybe gel? Do tell.

Bella