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.

Winter Cleaning

Hermanas!!!

I was able to do this before departing for Mexique; but today; while you are getting all vampy to go out and about, do an overview of your makeup goodies. Seriously. How many years will you keep that lip gloss your aunt Yaya gave you that tastes like bowling alley ashtrays? Or how about that shade you love but never used because it was discontinued?

Remember mujeres, makeup has a shelf life. It is not only creepy to see and use oldmakeup, but it is also unsafe. Even the FDA has an info sheet on how long to keep that stash.

Quick double check list:

• Foundation: 12-18 months depending on texture (oil, pressed, liquid, etc).
  
• Powders (blushes, bronzers, etc): 2 years
• Eye shadow: 2 years
• Crayon Liners: 2 years (I say more like 1 and 3 months)
  
• Liquid eyeliner: tops 6 months
• Mascara: 3 months (I ditch mine within 8 weeks, perhaps because I go for the killer eyelash look daily)
  
• Lipstick + lipliner of the creamy type: 2 years
• Lip gloss: 18-24 months

For more detailed tips on getting over old makeup -and making space for all those nifty things you got for Christmas; check out this fabulous article on UK's iVillage.

Now, go get luvly and hit the town (or the couch, which is what Rojo and I will do as soon as work is over). Enjoy yourselves, don't get stupid (a drunk hermana is NOT sexy or cool or charming; believe me), have 5 minutes of me-time to reflect on what was good in 2008 and smile a New Year in.

See you in 2009 hermanas!


Siempre, Bella.

Oily little secrets...

I was just replying to my hermana Brittany @ CoM and remembered to post one of my latest discoveries (cut me some slack, I am slow) for deep hair conditioning.

First. My hair is long. As in really, really long. Say 3 more months and I could be the Lady Godiva of C-@-TL. I rarely use product, and only occasionally do I blow dry or straighten the mane. As you might know or guess; keeping hair this long shinny and healthy is not easy-peasy. Unless you have always wanted to look like Janis Joplin on a bad-bad hair day (imagine that!). I refuse to pay bucks and more bucks for so called deep conditioners (except for Aussie 3 Minute Miracle). So I use oils. Yup, oils.

Coconut oil is my personal fave. Rojo does not mind the smell so I sleep with my hair oiled in. A tiny bit goes a long way. It looks like white wax, dissolves in your hands and then on the hair it goes. I pass a comb all over to make sure it gets all the strands. Mi madre (who turns out knew about this coconut gift from heaven all along.... kthx mom) says one should be careful not to get too close to the scalp or it will get greasy in the morning. Advice confirmed hermanas.

Coconut oil should be the only ingredient in the label hermanas, because others have mineral oils and other stuff we do not want in our cabezas.


Jojoba oil is my BFF Legally Smart's weapon of choice. She also has long locks that are always shiny and soft. She dabs a tiny bit of jojoba oil after showering and looks like a million bucks. I sometimes use it on the weekends; but mostly I use jojoba oil to take my eye make up off at night, and it works like a charm, you need about 2 drops of it -I'm serious-; and it is the perfect base for my next oily little secret.....

Castor Oil. Yup, and don't begin a freak out session because you have heard it is poisonous. Mi madre used to smother our eyelashes with it every night. For years. She also used Talika, which I luv but it cracks at 30USD. The result is I have fab eyelashes. No need to curl them or anything of the sort. My brother is the guy whose eyelashes you love to hate. So, do it. I do it still every night after the cleanup routine (which I admit to hate) - a bit on the eyelashes, some on the eyebrows.

NOTE: DO NOT use castor oil if you are pregnant. NEVER.

Now go home and oil away!!

KORRES lip butters

Hermanas!

As promised, I did my pilgrimage to downtown C-@-TL yesterday, to exchange the empties for a nice MAC lipstick. I will use it a couple of more times before giving a review - so far it's a bit sticky. Bella is not impressed.

Yet, while I was there, the magic of Sephora just called to me. Seriously, it was like the mermaid call from Greek Mythology (if you don't know what I am talking about, pleazzzze read up hermanas!). So I took the chance to go in and get some absolutely necessary items for las primas, aka my gorgeous and beautylicious cousins in Mexico city, and one for La Nena, my loveliest niece.

Got them all nifty lip butters from KORRES. I love their products, since they are mostly natural. And, as a big fan of the Greeks and their beauty style, I swear by them. These butters are the only ones I use: I mostly do not do the lip conditioning thing (I forget), but I adore the guava one - do it at night after taking all the makeup off and doing the i-really-hate-this night beauty routine.

I got the whole collection: pomegranate, guava, wild rose and quince. Funny enough, this shall fit las primas' personalities just fine. Now the problem is they will probably read the blog and find out.... which gives me the perfect excuse to go back and get them something else, mwahahahaha. These are lovely women, las primas.

Still have to get my cuñada something she will like, it is her birthday and of course, the holiday thing. I think/smell perfume- she likey. Or essential oils. She is such a sweet creature, my sister in law. Her only flaw is being married to my brother - let's face it, he is loco. Luvz them both though, and their little bundle of joy (who will get more presents than anyone else, except Rojo).

One more reason to love MAC

Hermanas,

I shall venture into Freak Central, aka downtown C-@-TL; with the purpose of going to MAC and exchanging my 6 empties for a lipstick, courtesy of their Back to MAC program. I mean, what more could a woman want on a cosmetics line? Rojo says I have a funky idea of what "free" is and insists on doing the math for me.... not cool. Yet he shall join me for dinner and a nice sweep of Elliot Bay's digs, because we always need more books (as in, who doesn't and insert snicker here) and he still has a gift certificate from last X-mas! I shall make puppy eyes and see if I can get away with Jonathan Kellerman's latest thriller. Even if in paperback.

So far, I have about 5 MAC lipsticks, all from freebie land. Of course that to get each one I had to buy, use and finish say 35+ MAC products; but they are usually worth it. Few things I never did like were their mascaras and the Studio Fix Fluid foundation. In time, I will review my faves and also be on the lookout for hermanas who review MAC.

Since Father Winter has no mercy on my lips, I think I might just go with one of their Satin finishes; since they have a bit of conditioner in them. In that case, I shall decide in between Mocha or Siss. Or perhaps the plain old Lip Treatment. Decisions! Decisions! Although all their lipsticks have behaved quite decently; I find the Matte finish good for picture taking, not for everyday use, it does some serious drying.

By the way: MAC is giving FREE STANDARD SHIPPING with any USD$50+ purchase online.