Clarifying Masks

Feeling as tired, dull and dry as your skin looks? Don't worry, here's a quick and easy at home recipe to brighten your complexion and put the life back into your lackluster skin. All you'll need is some gram flour, turmeric powder, lime juice, olive oil and milk. Sounds easy enough, right? Here's what to do:

• Add one teaspoon of gram flour into a clean, medium sized mixing bowl. Gram flour is in the chickpea flour family and is a very popular ingredient for facial exfoliators in India and Pakistan.
• Next, add a pinch of turmeric powder to help disinfect and cleanse the skin without drying it out.
• Then, add in about four drops of fresh squeezed lime. Limes are packed with Vitamin C and AHA's. They help to lighten and brighten even the oiliest of skins.
• Next, drip a half teaspoon of olive oil into the bowl and slowly begin to emulsify the mixture. This will help moisturize the skin. Lastly, blend in a half teaspoon of whole milk to soothe and calm your face.
• Stir the ingredients together and apply the mixture to your skin for half an hour or until your face starts feeling a little dry. Then wash your face first with warm water and then with cold water. For more DIY Spa Treatments, click here.

Source and Source

I didn't start getting facials until around the time of my wedding. Although they are totally and utterly amazing, I guess I was just always more of a massage person. Spending my hard earned monies on both treatments was just getting too expensive, so I began reading up on mini facials that could be done at home.

I'm not going to lie to you - there's nothing quite like a professional spa facial to help you relax, open up your pores, remove black and whiteheads and polish your face. But when you can only do it professionally every few months, this treatment works great for maintaining a healthy glow.

To read more of my past D.I.Y. spa treatment posts, click here. For even more D.I.Y. ideas from FitSugar, click here. To
discover an easy breezy five step DIY at home facial treatment, read more

Clarifying masks are a great way to deep clean clogged pores and awaken tired winter skin. They help get rid of dead cells on the surface of your skin as well as dry up blemishes that are beginning to form. Start off 2007 with a clean and clear face!

Gently apply these masks in a thin layer, avoiding your delicate eye area. Allow seven to twenty minutes drying time (whenever it feels crackly) and then rinse off with warm water in small circles to help exfoliate your skin. Here are my three top picks for clarifying masks sensitive enough for all skin types.

Lierac Soin Éclat Express Clarifying Mask, $35, is a mud-like, menthol facial mask derived from weathered volcanic ash that attracts and then absorbs toxins, free radicals and pollutants on your skin.

It also contains polyethylene microbeads which exfoliate dull skin as well as bearberry which acts as an astringent and antiseptic to deep clean your pores.

Lastly, the peppermint extract in the formula helps to soothe facial muscles. Use this mask two to three times a week and sit back, relax, and take deep minty breaths while it works its magic.

YonKa Masque 105, $32.95, is one of my longtime favorite clay masks since it is especially formulated to calm red, sensitive, easily irritated skin.

This sage green colored concoction helps to detoxify, tighten up your swollen pores and can even be used as a spot treatment for blemishes.

It also smells delicious since it's made from: lemon, savory and five quintessential essential oils. I find this mask to be relaxing and invigorating. After 15 minutes of this, you'll look and feel like you've taken a refreshing cat nap.

For one last clarifying mask, read more