Hello everyone,

today we have another guest post by the lovely Vanessa. This time, she’ll teach us how to make a sweet sugar exfoliant.

Beach weather is nearly here which means no more hiding your dry, dull skin under long pants and bulky sweaters.

And if you are like me, whose skin gets ravaged throughout the dry winter months, you know that exfoliating is one of the easiest ways to get your skin summer ready.

While luxurious exfoliation treatments from your favorite spa can be…well…luxurious, they can also get quite pricey. So if you want to save some of your cash money, you can make your own natural exfoliators simply by using ingredients you probably already have lying around the house.

What’s best is not only are these DIY exfoliants simple and easy but they are also oh-so-sweet.

Hey Sweet Thang

Exfoliating comes in handy when we ladies are trying to get our skin beach-ready as it helps to get rid of the dead, rough skin and leave you with glowing, soft skin that is just screaming to be touched.

Simply round up some plain sugar, olive or coconut oil, a couple mason jars, and your favorite essential oils.

Once you have all your supplies all you have to do is combine your oil (coconut or olive) with as much sugar as it takes to make a paste. Stir your paste so that it is well combined and then add in your favorite essential oil.

If you want to use different scents just make a few separate (and smaller) batches so you can smell different each time you exfoliate.

Once your batch is well mixed, scoop it out into your mason jars and secure the lid tightly so you don’t have a big mess on your hands…or the floor.

What’s even better about these sugar exfoliants is that on top of being a simple and easy DIY project, these mixtures also keep for months at a time, so you don’t have to worry about throwing them out after only 2 months.

Finally, once you have your exfoliants all packaged up make sure to label each jar with the proper scent, and then all you have to do is scoop and spread each time you are in the bath or the shower.

And in case that wasn’t enough, you can also use these cute little sugar jars as little presents for your girlfriends. You can jazz up each jar with ribbon, twine, neon tape, or even chalkboard paint to create a label which you can then write a personalized message on.

Not only will your gal pals appreciate the thoughtful gift but they will dig the personalization of each present.

And who said DIY’ing had to be boring and time consuming?

AUTHOR BIO:
Vanessa is a skincare blogging babe whose work can be found on various websites around cyberland, including reviews on products such as Revitol anti aging, as well as other popular skincare brands. The best part about her job? She has awesome skin!

Source: debcll

Avocado and carrots are not only tasty and healthy to eat, they also make a wonderful moisturizing treatment for dry and mature skin when blended together. Avocados contains Vitamins A, D and E, while carrots are rich in antioxidants and beta carotene that will nourish and soften your skin. And the mask is so easy to make as well. Here’s how:

Ingredients:
- 1 mashed avocado
- 1 boiled and mashed carrot
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Start by scrubbing and peeling the carrot, then boil it for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, peel the avocado as well. Next, put the cooked carrot, avocado, honey, heavy cream and olive oil in a blender. Combine them all together until you get a creamy and smooth mixture. Now it’s time to apply the concoction on your clean face. Wait 15 minutes and then rinse it off.

Have you ever used homemade masks with avocado?

As you all know, I like to make my own beauty products every now and then and have shared lots of recipes with you. And when I do that, I often get asked things such as how long can I keep these concoctions for and how to store them to prevent them going rancid too soon. So I thought it was high time to share with you a few tips on how to prepare and store homemade beauty products safely and avoid them getting contaminated by bacteria, which could cause irritations or worse:

1. Wash your hands and sterilize your tools

Before your start preparing your homemade concoctions, you need to sterilize your hands and tools to make sure that no bacteria will end up in them and contaminate them. So wash your hands, clean your work surface, your spatula, your bowl and anything else you’re gonna use. To do this, you can use either hot water or Denat or Isopropyl Alcohol. Then, make sure they are completely dry (either let them air dry or use a clean paper towel) before you proceed to use them. Bacteria, fungi and yeast need a moist environment to thrive, so if there’s still some water in your containers for example, they may grow in your concoctions and spoil them. Finally, use a spatula or a spoon instead than your fingers to pick the small quantities of ingredients you need.

2. Make small batches

Unlike traditional cosmetics, your homemade concoctions don’t contain preservatives and so they have a much shorter shelf life. Because of this, you should only make small batches and use them while they are still fresh. This is especially true for those who contain liquids, which spoil sooner than dry products such as bar soaps or bath bombs, which can last for weeks (although you may want to add an antioxidant to keep them fresh for longer). But creams, lotions, masks and anything else with liquids should be used up as soon as possible. You can store them in the fridge for three or four days maximum so don’t make a big batch or it’ll just go bad before you have a chance to use it all and you’ll have to throw most of it away.

3. For bigger batches, use preservatives

If you want to make a bigger batch, then you’ll just have to use a preservative. Keep in mind that, although there are some natural ingredients that can prolong the shelf life of your concoctions, they won’t last as long as traditional cosmetics, so don’t go overboard and make a very big batch. One of the most common ways to preserve homemade beauty products is to use Vitamin E. Vitamin E is not a preservative, but an antioxidant, which means that it will make your concoctions last longer by reducing the rate at which they oxidize. In other words, your products lose effectiveness and start to go bad when exposed to light and air. Vitamin E will slow that process down.

Another alternative is to use those essential oils which have antimicrobial activities such as grapefruit seed, tea tree, rosemary, thyme, lavender, lemon and sage. The problem with essential oils is that, to adequately protect products from spoilage, they need to be used in large quantities that aren’t always deemed safe for use in cosmetics. That doesn’t mean that they are necessarily dangerous, but only that you shouldn’t improvise if you don’t know what you’re doing. Experts such as cosmetics chemists for instance, know the right amount of essential oils to use to protect products adequately and safely so either follow a given recipe where the amounts of essential oils to use are clearly specified or make a smaller, preservative-free batch to use for a couple of days only.

4. Store them properly

As I’ve mentioned in #3, products can oxidize and lose their effectiveness when exposed to light and air, so make sure you use an opaque and air tight container to store your products. In addition, homemade concoctions are more likely to get contaminated by bacteria because they contain less effective or no preservatives at all, so it’s best to put them in dispensing bottles and tubes instead than jars. If you use jars, you should pick up the product with a clean spatula whenever you wanna use it. Then, store the products in a dark and cool place (heat can make products go bad too) such as a cupboard or the refrigerator.

Do you make your own beauty products? If so, do you have any additional tips on how to prepare and store them?

I’m not a big fan of cream eyeshadows because they tend to crease on my somewhat oily lids, but I had a couple of eyeshadows that fell down and broke in a thousand pieces so I thought I’d put them to good use and create my own cream eyeshadows with them. Wanna know how I did it? Read on:

What you need

I prefer to use broken eyeshadows that just sit around in my drawers unused, but you can use loose or pressed powder eyeshadows too if you prefer. But if you choose to use a pressed powder shadow, you would also need a spatula or scraper to scrape it out the pan. In addition, you need either a clear gloss, vaseline or a lip balm and something to mix everything with such as a q-tip or a spatula. Oh, and a clean container to mix and store your cream eyeshadow in.

How to create your own cream eyeshadow

First of all, clean the container well with soap and water even if you’ve just bought it. You never know where it’s been and you don’t want to risk anything nasty to end up in your eyes. Once the container is dry, mix the eyeshadow with either a clear gloss, a lip balm or vaseline. How much of them? That depends on your preference. Just keep adding the ingredients until you get your desired consistency. And remember to stir well to get rid of all the lumps. And voilà, your cream eyeshadow is now ready to be used!

Safety tip

Before mixing any loose pigment, clear gloss or lip balm, make sure they are approved for use around the eyes. A quick way to do this is to compare their ingredient lists with those of your eye products. If you find any ingredients in a lip balm for instance that aren’t used in any of your eyeshadows/primers/eyeliners etc, don’t risk it and use something else. This will prevent negative reactions and infections.

Have you ever created your own cream eyeshadows? And what do you do with your broken powder eyeshadows?

I have tried a lot of eye makeup removers throughout the years and most of them either didn’t work, irritated my eyes or were just too expensive. In the end, I got tired of looking for my HG eye makeup remover, especially because I knew there was a very effective and cheap one sitting on my kitchen shelf: olive oil. Olive oil is really effective at removing even stubborn, waterproof makeup, doesn’t irritate eyes and moisturizes skin too! And it is just so inexpensive! The only con? It feels really oily and greasy, which is why I don’t like to use it alone.

So, I just add some water to it to dilute it. I just get an empty bottle or a dispenser and pour in first some olive oil and then some water. How much of each? That depends on your personal preference. Considering that it is the olive oil that removes makeup, it is recommended that you add more oil than water (3/4 olive oil and 1/4 water for instance). However, some people still find this to be too greasy for them and prefer to use more water than oil (3/4 water and 1/4 olive oil). Just experiment until you find the formula that works best for you. Oh, and remember to shake the bottle well before each use to allow the oil and water to mix together.

Have you ever made your own eye makeup remover?

Although homemade remedies and concoctions, from toothpaste for pimples (which is actually a very bad idea) to milk for sunburns, shouldn’t be used as a substitute for properly-formulated products designed to target specific skin concerns, a lot of women would still try them in an attempt to solve their skin woes. While some of these remedies are useless and can harm skin, others are actually effective and great, quick fixes for emergencies. So, what DIY beauty treatments work well?

1. Cucumber and tea bags for puffy eyes

Placing cucumber slices on the eye area is a very old and popular trick and if it’s still so used is because it works. Cucumbers have soothing and anti-inflammatory properties that can help treat puffy eyes. Tea bags, another popular trick, is effective as well. That’s because tea contains tannin acid that can tighten skin, and caffeine, which shrinks blood vessels. But of course the results are only temporary.

2. Aspirin mask for pimples

Aspiring mask is a very popular homemade treatment for pimples and acne. The active ingredient in aspirin is Acetylsalicylic Acid, which is converted into Salicylic Acid in the intestine. Salicylic Acid has anti-inflammatory and exfoliating properties, making it an effective treatment for blemishes and blackheads. However, when you apply Acetylsalicylic Acid topically on the skin, it doesn’t turn into Salicylic Acid. Yet, because they are both Beta Hydroxy Acids, some of the acid is still delivered into the skin. What does this all mean? It means that although Aspirin is not as effective as a topical treatment containing Salicylic Acid, it will provide some benefits to the skin anyway and may help heal pimples. Just avoid using it if you have sensitive skin as it could be irritating.

3. Milk to soothe skin

According to dermatologist Amy Wechsler, milk “contains proteins (whey and casein), fat, amino acids, lactic acid and vitamins A and D, all of which calm dry, upset skin”. If you have dry, irritated or sunburnt skin, prepare yourself a milk bath. It’s a lovely, luxurious treat that will help to soothe skin. Just remember to apply moisturizer afterwards.

Have you ever tried these homemade beauty fixes?

Source: tatiana nyanko @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/tatyanah/4348364667/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Hello everyone,

today I’m very excited to bring you a guest post, written by the lovely Aleya,who writes a blog for the LI Beauty School, on homemade masks. These wonderful recipes work well and are easy to make. Enjoy!

HOMEMADE FACE MASKS

One of the best ways to pamper yourself and get beautiful healthy looking skin is to apply a face mask. While many women like to use a readymade mask, more and more women today are making their own at home so that they know exactly what they’re putting on their skin and to save some money. Here are a few of our favorites.

Source: kightp @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kightp/2755877744/sizes/s/in/photostream/

Oatmeal Mask For Oily Skin
Oatmeal is the most versatile ingredient of all of the foods when it comes to making face masks. While there are different versions that you can use to improve any skin type we find that it works exceptionally well on oily skin. All you have to do is ground five tablespoons of it and mix it with lukewarm water to create a paste. Put the paste on your skin using small circular motions and leave it on for your skin for ten minutes. Once the paste has dried and your time is up wash it off with lukewarm water. You can use this mask once a week.

Avocado Mask For Dry Skin
Avocados are packed with nutrients that moisturize the skin which is why it works so well to heal dry or sunburned skin. If you mash up half an avocado and mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil into it you will have the ultimate moisturizing combination. Leave the mixture on for half an hour and be sure to use it within an hour of making it. If you suddenly have something to do and don’t have time to apply it until the next day then throw it in the garbage and make more. This is not something that you want sitting in your fridge.

Source: Sifu Renka @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sifu_renka/2657418810/sizes/s/in/photostream/

Yogurt Oatmeal Face Mask For Sensitive Skin
If your skin is sensitive the last thing that you want to do is use products on it that will stress it out even more. Yogurt and oatmeal are both commonly used to treat extra sensitive skin types such as psoriasis and eczema and can do you a world of good if you have problematic skin. All you have to do is grind up half a cup of oatmeal and mix it with one cup of organic plain yogurt. Leave the mixture on for fifteen minutes and wash it off with lukewarm water. If you simply have sensitive skin you can use this mask weekly but if your skin has a disorder talk to your doctor about whether or not you should use it more often.

Strawberry Face Masks For Normal Skin
Even normal skin needs some attention so that it looks radiant and feels healthy. To make a strawberry mask all you have to do is crush some ripe strawberries so that they get mashed. Once you’re done spread the berries on your skin and wash them off with lukewarm water after fifteen minutes.

It’s important to use all of these face masks within an hour of making them. You don’t want them to sit in the fridge and have bacteria build up in them. Enjoy and stay beautiful.

This post was written by Aleya who writes the blog for LI Beauty School which is a beauty school college and Hair Design Institute which is a hair and makeup school with locations throughout New York and Florida.

When it comes to taking care of our hands, cuticles, the skin immediately around the fingernails, are often neglected. But they too contribute to give hands a beautiful and neat appearance, and, when they are badly damaged, they may put skin at risk of infection. One of the most important things to do to keep your cuticles in great condition, is to use a good moisturizer or cuticle oil. Making your own is really easy. Here’s how:

1. Lemon Cuticle Oil

ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
- 2 drop of an essential oil of your choice (I like to use lavender oil)

Warm the olive oil for a few minutes. It doesn’t have to be hot, just warm. Now, add the essential oils and stir. Store the mixture in a dark, opaque bottle away from light. And whenever you need it, just soak your fingertips in the mixture for several minutes to make your cuticles softer.

2. Jojoba and Almond Cuticle Oil

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of almond oil
- 2 tablespoon of jojoba oil
- 2 drops of your favourite essential oil (optional)

Mix the ingredients together and apply the mixture to your cuticles. I like to use this one before going to bed and, when I wake up in the mornings, my cuticles are so soft!

3. Simple Cuticle Oil

Ingredients:
- olive oil

Olive oil is a great moisturizer that can be added to other recipes or even used on its own. Just massage it into your nails for a few minutes and it’ll make them softer.

Have you ever made your own cuticle oil?