Weekend Facials Galore

Hermanas!!!

I bet you all partied like it was going out of style last weekend. Fess'up. You know you did. And then your cara and skin pays the price: eyes look bloody, swell, pores go crazy, etc. You know the drill. And in these times of (here comes the "B" word) budgeting wisely; few of us can afford to buy expensive face masks. Do not panic; there is a lot you can find in your pantry that will make you look fresher and feel less guilty for sins of parties past!

For quick one ingredient masks, you can use any of these. Spread on your luvly visage, let stay for say 20 minutes, wash with lukewarm water and feel like the diva you are.

Yogurt: talk about fresh hermanas! Make it plain of course.

Honey: just make sure your pores are open (splash of warm water beforehand so pores are open) and suck up all the honey goodness.

Banana: mash mash mash, apply and enjoy the free-spa smell.

Aguacate: [avocado] again, mash mash mash apply. For better spreading, add a bit of olive oil. A bit, don't overdo it, since the avocado has enough oils to make your face happy.

With both the avocado and banana; end with a warm then cold water rinse; so your pores open+absorb+close.


Coffee grounds: BEST exfoliator ever. But for the love of the Gods, make sure the grounds are cool , don't want any of you burning your caras, mmmm'kay? Also great for making your eyes un-puff after a noche loca.

If you have more time and want to get creative; or if you have specific issues to deal with; try these quick combos:

Yogurt/banana+sugar. Leave this one on for about 10 minutes. I must say, this is one of my all time faves. I always use raw or brown sugar.

Tatziki. Well, not quite. Tatziki is made out of yogurt, lime juice and slices of cucumber. This is quite the mask for those hermanas who overdid the partying and need some wake me up!!

I do not recommend making your own Oatmeal mask for one reason: oatmeal can be too rough on your facial skin, and if you do not know (and I, for one, don't) how to really make it soft, you might just end up looking like a shrimp.

Do you have any secret family recetas you care to share with us here? Any secret weapons for a pick me up on Sunday morning??? Do tell and share the belleza!!!


Siempre, Bella.

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.