Sweet spuds for your skin! ♥

Solanum Tuberosum, the noble and helpful potato...it's been used for centuries to help get rid of skin problems like blotches, scarring, and any other discoloration.  It's also very useful for lightening your skin tone in certain areas, making it ideal for getting rid of those pesky under-eye circles. Another awesome thing these cool tubers can do is soak up any excess oil from your face.  They can even help soothe your skin after a difficult sunburn too!

 

There are lots of products you can buy at the store or online that contain taters, like many different varieties of wrinkle creams, skin tone lightening (or bleaching) products, acne products, and many clarifying and firming face washes and masks.  Neutrogena's Oil Free Cream Face Wash is my favorite product using solanum tuberosum because it pairs with salicylic acid, a beta-hydroxy acid that's used to help clean and revive your skin.  I also LOVE Fil-Lup Potato Essence Mask.  There's another great product using solanum tuberosum, LUSH cosmetic's Volcano Foot Mask, which makes your tootsies feel like you spent a long day at the spa.  Awesome.

Looking for more information on spuds and how they help your skin?  Try this article, and you can also check out this article for useful tips on using potatoes and other natural stuff in your kitchen to get rid of dark spots and blemishes.

 

Salicylic acid: What does it do for your skin?

If you check the ingredients list on many of your favorite and most effective acne treatments and face washes, you'll find an ingredient that tops almost every list.  Salicylic acid, a weaker beta-hydroxy acid, is fantastic for getting rid of many troubling skin conditions because of it's natural ability to hasten and replenish the desquamation process. This process is the natural way in which your skin cells are "sloughed away and replaced." (Need more information about what desquamation is and how it works? Read here and here.)

When your skin has a lot of trouble healing and / or recovering from bad bouts of acne, you probably have a problem with your skin's desquamation process.  This means that the rate at which your skin should be replenishing itself is either too slow, or could possibly not even be happening if you keep piling on products like heavy or thick cosmetics.

Salicylic acid, a lovely extract from willow bark and other completely natural and green sources, is not only the way we get rid of acne, oily skin, and blotch problems.  Salicylic acid is also how we create something great for our bodies AND skin -- aspirin!  (Remember aspirin face masks?  Bring them back, cause they work!  Try this video from Michelle Phan, and this article from yours truly. ♥ )

"Products that use salicylic acid normally boast the ability to help cure (or completely cure) cases of mild acne, dandruff, and psoriasis, among others. Since it is extracted from willow bark, salicylic acid is considered an organic ingredient in many aspects and is a key ingredient in many natural skincare products, as well as shampoos, conditioners, and acne-friendly moisturizing products as well. When this ingredient was extracted at first, it was used to help ease pain of injury and illness, giving us what aspirin is today. Aspirin is made by utilizing a reaction that occurs within salicylic acid, so using aspirin based recipes for your skin can also greatly improve an existing condition like acne..."

 (Read more of this article on salicylic acid and your desquamation process here.)


Looking for some products that contain salicylic acid?  Here are a few you may already be familiar with:

Neutrogena Acne Rapid Clear Daily Treatment Pads
Olay 7 in 1 Anti-Aging Salicylic Acid Acne Cleanser
St Ives Swiss Formula Medicated Apricot Scrub
Psoriasil Body Wash from Tao of Herbs


As always, there are people that have sensitivities and reactions to certain beta-hydroxy acids.  Make sure you check with your dermatologist if you have any serious skin conditions before you start a skincare regimen using products heavy in salicylic acid.

I hope this helped out! ♥ webcake xoxo

Fruit & Your Face ♥

The best thing for your skin, especially the skin on your face, is something 100% natural.  You need something gentle and effective, something that won't irritate your skin, and something that can help prevent skin issues in the future.  You also need something full of vitamins, minerals, and natural moisturizing properties.

It's really (really!) hard to find products that are completely natural, with nothing man-made in them at all.  But there's one thing you can always count on to help revive that natural beauty inside of you -- fruit!

There are plenty of ways to use fresh fruit to get great skin right at home, and you don't need anything else other than what's probably already sitting in your cupboards and fridge.  Here I'll make a quick and simple list of fruits and which skin types & conditions they are best used for:

Acne

Lemons

Apples

Strawberries

Grapefruit

Kiwi

Dry Skin

Bananas

Guava

Olives

Melons

Discoloration / Dark Circles

Tomatoes

Grapes

Orange

Tangerine

Wrinkles / Sagging

Any Citrus fruit

Papayas

Blueberries

Pineapples

These fruits all contain antioxidant properties, and also can help naturally cleanse and refresh your skin.  Another reason these fruits are great for your skin's health is because they contain alpha-hydroxy acids.  Find out why AHA's are good for your skin here.  For more information on how these fruits and others are helpful for your skin, check out this article from DivaVillage.

For some awesome home-made facial recipes using all natural ingredients like fresh fruit, check out these articles:

Exfoliating Grapefruit Facewash
Refreshing Banana & Orange Face Mask
Cucumber & Melon Face Mask
Deep Cleansing Lemon Face Scrub

Have fun and stay cute ♥ xoxo

Using hemp & hemp seed oil to vastly improve your skin's health!

No, I am not exaggerating when I say you can "vastly" improve your skin's health using hemp products and extracts!  There are many products made using hemp oils and hemp seed oils that are used for severely dry skin, as well as skin conditions like eczema, excessive acne problems, and problems with blotchy skin.

There have been testimonials of people for years and years (since it became legal to grow the crop again in Canada in 1998, anyway.)  of people that have had fantastic results with hemp seed oil and hemp oil.

The craziest part about it though, is that when you search the internet far and wide, you can only find very minimal negative reviews of hemp seed oil products, and it's almost ALWAYS by someone who's a puff-chested anti-drug that can't muster the brain cells to tell the difference between hemp and cannabis.

I won't go into all the hemp plant's many other uses that could not only enrich our lives, but stimulate a dying economy, so instead I'll just focus on it's great uses in the beauty world.  I wrote a helpful article on using hemp oil &  hemp seed oil at home yourself to greatly improve the health of your hair and skin.  You can read it here.  If you're interested in what popular high-rated products use hemp seed oil and/or hemp oil as a main ingredient, here are a few:

Body lotion and bath products from Yaoh! Organic Products
Hempz Haircare Products (AMAZING products.)
Good ol' Burts Bees hemp Res-Q lip balm
GiGi Hemp Skincare Products  (Ultra-moisturizing wax & lotions)

There's plenty of simple ways to use the extracts and oils of the hemp plant right in your own home to get great results.  If you've got a skin, hair, or other condition and it's possible to cure it with hemp oils and extracts, shouldn't you give it a try?

Yes, that is a hemp wiimote. Stay cute, smart, & green! ♥ xoxo

Great & cheap beauty buys that don't suck! ♥

So, yeah, it's tough to buy all the cool stuff that I want, what with the economy in shambles and all.  Luckily, there are a few companies that continuously pump out the quality products at a wallet-friendly price.  Cosmetic & skincare companies like e.l.f, Rimmel, and Alba consistently keep my attention with new good quality, affordable stuff.  Here, I'll name and briefly discuss a few of the very best beauty buys I've been able to find...


Cosmetics

e.l.f Luscious Liquid Lipstick
(Favorite shade: Ruby Slipper)

They smell nice, they go on glossy and smooth, and they last a surprisingly long time.  The applicator is a sponge type point that filters slow shots of liquid lip color up from the tube and through the soft sponge.  It's unique, it's good quality, and it's CHEAP.  Yeah, I mean cheap.

Price: $1.00







Rimmel Lasting Finish (16hr) Foundation
(Favorite shade: True Nude)

This is another great find, a long lasting foundation for under $10.00.  I use the 10 dollar mark on foundations, because the quality for me seems to halt at 10 dollars.  It doesn't get any better after that mark, and all the rest of the money you pay for a brand over that is just fluff name-spank that I don't care about at all.

Rimmel is a drugstore beauty brand, and it's a great one.  I own this foundation and I still buy it every time I run out.  It's thick and creamy, and it stays on for a while.  Sure, 16 hours is a pretty big push, but I have experience with it lasting over 6 hours without even fading, so that's pretty darn good.

Price:  $7.29




Application

e.l.f Kabuki Brush

I own this brush.  It's awesome.  Like most Kabuki brushes, the way the bristles are set up has a lot to do with how the handle is shaped.  Kabuki brushes boast the ability to cover huge areas of your face as flawlessly as possible, and a small stocky handle makes it easier to apply using this big fan-type brush.  It's a high quality brush for an incredible price.

Price:  $5.00





e.l.f Sugar Kiss Eyelash Curly Tool

A high quality eyelash curler that's not put together like any other cheap curler.  It doesn't squeak, the handles are soft and easy to use, and it has no harsh tug.  It's a great find, and certainly a great buy.

Price: $1.00









Skincare

Alba Deep Sea Face Mask

I have to say that this face mask is one of my favorites.  That's saying a LOT for me, because I'm a huge advocate of DIY beauty routines at home.  The face masks that work the best (and are obviously the most natural and best for your skin) can be made at home, where you know EXACTLY what's going onto (and into) your skin.  This is one of the few product exceptions, mainly because it's got so many goodies from the sea in it.

Price: $7.65

Freeman's Beautiful Face Peel-Off Masque

(Favorite: Cucumber)

This is another great face mask that goes above and beyond when it comes to end-result and price.  It's cheap, and it's got lots of natural goodies inside, which makes me not hate it.  Also, it smells GREAT, and leaves your skin completely smooth with a light fragrance.

Price: $3.99









Well that's about it for my great beauty buy post...there's lots more that I've found, so stay tuned.  Happy shopping!  ♥

Bee & Flower Rose Soap & some new pretty things ♥

Hello again! The other day, I made a small purchase that I'm absolutely loving. I was at the natural foods store and found some Bee & Flower soap, one was sandalwood and the other was rose. I'm obsessed with anything rose, and it was only 99 cents, so I got it. It's a vegetable soap and uses no animal related products, and it's super easy on your skin. Not only that, but it smells SOOOOooo good. It actually leaves a light scent on your skin too, without a nasty film or anything gross like that.




Another perk is it's beautiful packaging! It's very neatly wrapped in an ornate little pocket type thingy with pretty flowers and Chinese writing all over it. You can smell it right through the package. I have no idea where this soap is normally found, but if you find it, BUY IT!

As for the pretty things I made:





Those round pretty green orbs are Green Aventurine, and sporadically dispersed amongst them are sets of three sea glass chips. I looooove this, I wore it yesterday.




This one is basically on the same idea, but with only sets of 1, 2, 3, and 4 grade B Lapis Lazuli chips. It's also a little longer, and I made earrings for it too. I only have one shirt that matches, but I love it anyway. Both of them are on basic silver plated double link chain and have silver plated barrel clasps.

Well that's my piece for the day. I'm about to play some CoDmw2 until my eyes bleed. ♥ xoxo

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!!

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.)

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

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 ♥

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! ♥

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!

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

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.

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.

"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!

• Make your own green tea bath salts
• Make your own stress relief salts
• Make a moisturizing face mask with sea salt
• Simple and effective sea salt spot treatments
• Remove dead cells with this salt scrub

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