12.24.2009

Soothing holiday bath recipes!

Happy holidays from webcake! xoxo

We're smack dab in the middle of another freezing winter, and it's Christmas eve! I couldn't possible be in a better mood! :)

I might not have the same sort of family many others have, but the people I spend my holidays with are more of a family to me than many people's real life families are. I'm so grateful for everyone and everything I have, and I'm so glad I made so many wonderful beauty maven friends to share my holiday wishes! ♥

So here's a little gift from me; a compilation of some awesome d.i.y. holiday recipes for some serious Christmas day relaxation! Let's face it -- Christmas is a great day to spend with loved ones, but it can be one of the most stressful times of the entire year. At the end of the day on Christmas, lots of women like to kick back, relax, and enjoy the rest of their time off. What better way to do that, then with a bubble bath filled with all natural, easy to make goodies that will relax your body and soothe your skin!

Instead of linking to one of my bath salt recipes, I'll just type out the quick version here. I like the recipes where you can have the scents sit for a week or two, but it's Christmas eve and we just don't have time for that!

This recipe has one or two ingredients that can be interchangeable, depending on what you want your salts to do and what you would like them to smell like. The basic recipe is very easy to follow:
  • 1/4 cup sea salt
  • 1/4 cup epsom salts
  • oil (essentials like lavender, peppermint, tea tree)
  • other (buttermilk, baking soda, fresh squeezed orange juice)
For oils, it's very simple. You can pretty much just feel out how much oil you will need to use for your salts, depending on the consistency and type of oil you want to use. For instance, if you want something that will strip the dirt from your pores and leave your skin naturally moisturized, extra virgin olive oil can be used in place of an expensive essential oil. Or, if you love to use essentials, try using a holiday scent like pine or peppermint!

The strength of the oil also has a lot to do with how much you will need to add. Try adding two drops at a time and feeling it out as you mix the oiled salts together with your fingers. This will give you a good idea of what they will feel like once dissolved in water -- too little and it will be gritty, too much and it will be greasy!

When combining your oils and your "other", you want to make sure you don't make a gross combination that will confuse your skin and smell like feet. For example, don't put a small splash of buttermilk with peppermint essential oil. It won't smell good, and it will make your skin icky and filmy. Use buttermilk if you're using just a small amount of cinnamon, coconut, or olive oil. Just use common sense, you can't go wrong.

Why baking soda? It's a detoxifying agent that softens your skin. Add just a SMALL amount of this to your salts if you would like, but it's not necessary.


Why orange juice? Because it's full of vitamins and the natural goodness of citrus, duh! Adding just a teeny splash of OJ to your salts and mixing well can help clean and brighten your skin, and can also aid in removing more dead skin cells. Sure, they'll be floating in your water for a while, but they'll slide easier off your skin, and that's what's important!

What am I making? Buttermilk and cinnamon salts.

OH, I should mention to tie your hair back or up if you use a particularly softening salts recipe...you don't want super oily hair!



Save money this Christmas while treating yourself like a queen! I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season!!

12.22.2009

Your diet's relationship with your hair and skin ...

Everyone is well aware that our diet has almost everything to do with our body's health. What a surprising number of people don't know, is that your diet also has quite a lot to do with your skin and hair's health too. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can make shiny hair look dull and limp, and can cause blotchy and clammy looking skin all over. (Ewies.)


Woman eating


I admit, I will eat unhealthy things from time to time, because not only am I weak willed, but I have a butt as big as Mars, and it takes a lot to keep that badonkadonk bouncing efficiently. Though I cram the occasional (3) burger(s) down my chute, I still make sure that most of my week is filled with foods stocked with natural goodies that will keep my skin and hair looking healthy.

For example, if you want to keep your hair and skin naturally moisturized, add natural foods to your diet rich in fruit and vegetable oils. Try adding lots of olives, avocado, peanuts, almonds, and salmon to your diet for starters. Eating enough of these foods can even help cure cases of eczema!

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, there are some that are specifically suited to heal and repair skin and hair. Vitamins E, C, A, K, and B complex are all super best friends of your skin and hair. Adding lots of foods to your diet that contain these vitamins (like oranges, radishes, cranberry) can seriously improve your skin and hair health in no time!

Changing your diet can even help get rid of skin and hair conditions that you may already have. I already mentioned eczema (let me add that many products on the market today to treat eczema contain avocado, almond, coconut, and peppermint oils!), and there are also plenty of diets out there tailored to cure things like acne, psoriasis, spotty hair growth, and excessive sweating.

I have two articles that you should take a look at if you care at all about your smooth skin and luxurious hair:

10 Foods for Healthy Skin
5 Foods for Healthy Hair


Close-up of woman eating frozen treat


Also, you should try to make yourself more aware of the toxins that are in many of today's food products. You could end up just as appalled as me to find out that half of the food in your cupboard is, in large enough doses, somewhat poisonous. That creeps me out, but that's a rant for another day. Drinking lots of water can help rid your body of some of the toxins, and can also help curb hunger. Of course, water helps keep your skin and hair hydrated too, so drink plenty! (As much as you possibly can without peeing every four minutes.)

Though it sucks hardcore, eating less of the things like ice cream, pizza, burgers, and fries can severely improve your health in every single way. I know they're delicious, believe me, but there's nothing more important than being smart and pretty...and you don't look very smart and pretty shoving pizza in your mouth with oily skin and dry, dull hair.

Happy holidays, stay cute and healthy and don't forget to send me cookies ♥

12.18.2009

Helpful makeup & hair tips for girls with glasses! *




Remember when wearing glasses made you a nerd? Kids still said "four eyes" and other manner of silly things to make the few that wore glasses feel like outcasts for being different. Boy, have times sure changed!

Young woman wearing glasses, portrait

Now, glasses are chic and sexy! Pretty much half the kids in school nowadays are rocking some sick shades, and it's a safe bet that much of the ridicule has ceased. There are even many, MANY boys (and girls) that think glasses on a lady are the hottest thing since the white hot fiery pulses of a quasar.

Sure, glasses are awesome now, and sure, lots of girls are even buying a pair with see through glass lenses instead of prescription lenses simply for the style, but there are still some small drawbacks.

For instance, when you have a long (real long) beauty routine in the morning that includes masterful foundation application, you could get very very frustrated if your glasses leave lines on your cheeks. It rubs off the foundation and powders in a perfect little red line right on your cheeks and makes it look like you got smacked in the face with the side of a George Foreman grill. Also, those two little soft bumpers on the bridge of your nose -- you know the ones I'm talking about -- can bcause troublesome dry spots, or just simply irritate you with the way they rub off all your makeup on your nose after a while. Also, those hinges that keep your glasses together can pinch your hair, if it's long enough. And that can be very, very painful if it gets tugged out!


Taking along a pressed powder compact in your purse/bag/pocket/whatever could help patch up any smudges your glasses create. Also, make sure if you can't brush your hair every few hours, keep it as non-straggly as it can be by putting it behind your ears, and kicking the habit of playing with your hair. (If you play with your hair too often anyway, it can get greasy and develop split ends.)

You might also want to try carrying around a soft cover stick (like e.l.f's All Over Cover Stick) to help conceal those smudged or red spots. Try dabbing the areas you use the cover stick on with some pressed powder to help blend it back into the rest of your foundation. Be careful, too...if it's winter time, you need to make sure your skin is properly moisturized before you start adding layers and layers of foundation! That reminds me...keep the bridge of your nose and the upper parts of your cheeks extra soft and moisturized when you plan to wear your glasses!

Woman with glasses


As usual, I've compiled some helpful thingies to help you achieve makeup & hair perfection while you wear your glasses. First, a video from Michelle Phan from earlier 2009 with excellent tips for glasses & makeup.

Here's a great post with a video included from MissChievous. She makes it look so easy and glamorous!

Also, there are a couple great tidbits; here's a post from Makeup Talk with a couple good pointers, and a great article from Beauty with Brains with unique make up tips that are organized very well -- you can even find out how your prescription changes how your eyes look!

Have fun! Aqua teen is over, which means it's time for webcake to visit sweet, sweet dreamland. Good night ladies!

xoxo

12.12.2009

Winter makeup tips!






Happy winter from webcake! xoxo

When the weather starts to get cold and the wind starts to sting your skin, you know you're going to need a bit of extra protection against the elements. Get a head start on things by making sure you moisturize properly with oil-free moisturizers and face creams.

Using moisturizers with vitamin E, aloe, and shea butter can help improve your skin's texture through the day if you are often exposed to the cold weather. (See why vitamin E is good for your skin here.)

Aside from making sure you moisturize enough, you also need to make sure you don't use a foundation that dries too quickly. (The cheap ones unfortunately seem to do even more damage in cold weather.) If the wind makes your cheeks cold and puffy, it can completely mess up your complexion and make all of that time you spent in the morning completely worthless. And that...is very annoying.

If you're like me and you live somewhere that gets pretty darn cold in the winter, you'll notice that your beauty routine almost completely changes with the seasons. Once it starts to get colder, there are just some products we can't wear.

For example, I've noticed mousse or cream eye shadows and foundations (or anything with a light whipped type consistency that you put on your face) seem to disappear when chilly wind hits your face for extended periods of time. Either that, or they start making strange lines and seeping into whatever is left of your skin's natural oil, making streaks on my eye lids.

You also want to make sure that the soap and/or body wash that you're using is doing it's job properly, and not over drying your skin. Your soap can't tell when it's winter, so you have to adjust how and when you wash accordingly. Also, just because it's winter doesn't mean you shouldn't use your moisturizer with an SPF! The sun is still beating down on your skin, even when it's cold.

Looking for some products that are specifically made for your skin in cold weather? Lucky you, because I've scoured the internet for them so you don't have to!



First, I'll start with Clinique's Moisture Surge moisturizer. It's incredibly easy to apply and goes on so very smooth, you can feel it absorbing right into your skin! Also, it's suited for long wear and can last through the elements, keeping your face properly moisturized and keeping you from getting those big red puffy cheeks.





Next, I'm crazy about e.l.f tinted moisturizer. I use it a heck of a lot every day on the circles under my eyes and on the shadowed parts of my forehead and chin, because those places seem to get dry the quickest. This not only blends easily into my foundation and powder, but is actually a really great moisturizer for the price.







It's blue, it's chunky, it's in an ugly little tub and it smells like menthol and camphor! Surprise! It IS menthol and camphor! It's Blistex's Lip Medex, and no winter would be complete without this little blue pot of menthol lip balm. It cools your lips when they're dry and chapped, and keeps them moisturized for a good amount of time. It's not cute to whip this out all the time, but before you leave the house it's a good idea to put some on. You can find it at pretty much every drugstore ever.


Keep your hoods on and tie them closed so a lot of snowy, chilly, winter wind doesn't directly contact your skin. Use spot treatment moisturizers as much as you can, and never skimp on the chapstick!

Looking for some more makeup tips from the pros? Here's a recent good tidbit from ELLE on keeping your skin healthy in winter.



Natural D.I.Y face masks can rejuvinate and heal your skin this winter!

Many, many women have one similar problem in common when the weather brings icy, raw winds and snow. We all get skin problems — like dryness, patches, puffiness, etc. — that can seriously hinder our makeup routine or even destroy it altogether. It’s very difficult to have a perfect look if you’re over moisturizing or using too many concealers to try and combat a problem brought on by the winter weather.



portrait of a young woman with a face pack



There’s some fantastic at-home face masks you can make that can help protect your skin, as well as heal it before the next day’s beauty routine. I’ve got a collection myself:

˟˟ Skin Smoothing Brown Sugar Mask

˟˟ Moisturizing Olive Oil Mask

˟˟ Rejuvenating Aspirin Mask

˟˟ Softening Cucumber Melon Mask
I hope you enjoy making them and using them as much as I do! If you’re looking for facial scrubs you can make right at home using natural ingredients to use before your mask, I’ve got some of those too:

˟˟ Exfoliating Cinnamon Face Wash

˟˟ Deep Cleaning Lemon Face Wash

˟˟ Pore Cleansing Tomato Basil Wash

˟˟ Soft and Sweet Coconut Milk Wash

Stay natural ladies, and keep your skin safe and healthy this winter! Happy early holidays!

xoxo webcake <3

Kick that cold to the curb with natural home remedies!

Nobody likes getting sick, especially when it’s a monster cold with sniffles, runny nose, horrible congestion and a sore throat that feels like fire and razorblades. I’m still in the process of getting rid of a really persistent cold, and I was utterly betrayed by modern medicine the past couple nights.

Obviously, I’ll try for the conventional bottled medicine in the cabinet before I start chugging salt & vinegar water. But this time, even after (well over) the reccommended dosage of Robutissin, Sudafed, and even slathering Vicks all over my entire upper body, I was getting little to no relief at all. My throat was the worst, it just felt like a bunch of bees kept stinging my throat cavity over and over in an attempt to make me claw through my skin and let them out.




Box of facial tissue



After not sleeping for over 24 hours and laying with an agonizing cough, I decided to do what I should have done in the first place. The ceyenne pepper remedy!

There are plenty of helpful places on the web that can tell you how to make simple ceyenne pepper remedies, like Earth Clinic’s recipies. Here I’ll share with you a simple way to use it in your morning tea. You’ll need:

  • a warm cup of black, green, or red tea
  • a few drops of (preferably local) honey
  • a hearty dash of ceyenne pepper
  • a circular medium-thick slice of fresh lemon

I expect people to already know how to make a cup of remedy tea, but just in case you don’t, I’ll explain it so you don’t basically mace yourself with this one. Make your cup of tea, remove (and squeeze remnants from) the tea bag and throw it away. Add your drops of honey and dash of ceyenne. MIX INCREDIBLY WELL. Why do you have to mix it well? Because if you sip it, and any dry ceyenne happens to hit the back of your throat, it will burn. Very, very badly.


Now drop in your lemon slice, let it sit for a moment and then give it one more stir, in case any pepper has settled. Now, enjoy your tea. The best part about this remedy is; if you’re using it, you most likely are so sick that you can’t taste/smell anything. That works well here, because the tea might taste a bit awful and I’m sure it doesn’t smell so great either.


Take small sips, and don’t be alarmed if your lips or the tip of your tongue tingle a bit. It’s pretty much the same sensation as if you ate a bunch of hot wings. Unless you’re a weenie, you should be able to handle that. Just wash it down with another cup of regular tea with another lemon in it, and you should notice almost immedeate results. Your stinging throat should haave subsided, and if you couldn’t previously eat solid food, you can now! This remedy works very fast and it’s perfect for me. (You can’t look pretty when you’re coughing up brown stuff and have snot hanging out of your nose.)

There’s truly nothing better than natural remedies. You can use apple cider vinegar and organic honey in lots of natural cold remedies too, and both can be found right at Earth Clinic. Stay safe and feel better!

12.10.2009

Salts in your beauty routine ♥

There's been a good number of ingredients that have been part of a woman's beauty routine for centuries upon centuries. One of those indispensable ingredients is salts. Some of the most prized salts are dead sea salts, because of the density of all those excellent minerals packed into such tiny salty granules.

Bath salts



"While the ocean has an average salinity of around 3%, the Dead Sea has a steady salinity of over 33%. This concentration of minerals causes the salts harvested from the Dead Sea to have more goodies packed into each natural grain. Also, while sodium compromises most of what's in regular sea salt, Dead Sea salt contains only 10% sodium. The rest is natural minerals."

(Read the rest here.)







Dead Sea salts are expensive, that's no lie. Luckily, there's a cheaper, and still very effective alternative. Natural sea salts are great for your skin, whether you're using them to help clean it, heal it, exfoliate it, or get rid of acne on it's surface. So grab that cylindrical container and make some awesome stuff for your skin right at home!



Use natural products and ingredients (like using sea salt or cinnamon for exfoliation) as often as you can. It's always better for your skin no matter WHAT.

Byesies! xoxo





 

Blog Template by YummyLolly.com - Header made with PS brushes by gvalkyrie.deviantart.com
Sponsored by Free Web Space