BellaSugar

DIY Spa Treatment: Face Brightening Mask

BellaSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:00:25 PDT

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.

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How To: D.I.Y. Spa Treatment - Easy, Breezy Facial

BellaSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:02:22 PDT

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,

Begin by washing your face with a gentle cream or milk cleanser and exfoliate your skin softly and in small circular motions.
Next steam your face. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and if you like, you can add your favorite essential oil to the water for aromatherapy benefits.
Once the water is boiling, turn off the stove and let the water cool for about five minutes. Then, take a clean towel, and drape it over your head and stand a little bit less than a foot away from the water. Let the steam work its magic for about ten minutes and then wipe the water off of your face with a new, clean towel.
Here's the tricky part. Most people will tell you not to do extractions yourself at home, however, I tend to go for anything that looks white with a gentle and careful touch. If you dare try this yourself, never use your fingers to squeeze - use two Q-tips to apply pressure to the whitehead. If you don't have any whiteheads, skip this part and move right to a clarifying mask. Apply a mud, or a clay mask to your face and allow it to dry for about 15 minutes.
Then, rinse off your face with tepid water first and then finish with a cool rinse to close your clean pores. Lastly, apply a serum (if you choose) and then a moisturizer to your face and your eye area.

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A Clean and Clear Face in 2007: Clarifying Masks

BellaSugar — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:23:53 PST

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,

Murad Clarifying Mask, $35, is intended to treat problem skin. This all natural, clay-based formula deep cleans, removes toxins from your face and helps to calm irritations/acne breakouts. It has also been known to help heal traumatized skin as well as prevent free radical damage. It has a lovely and light lavender smell.

Three Secrets of Shiny Hair

Brittney Stephens — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:07:07 PDT

Katie Holmes hit the red carpet for last night's Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards - and we were promptly blinded by her impeccably shiny hair. Though we don't know Katie's exact secret, we're betting that her lustrous locks are the result of a few easy healthy-hair moves. For three ways to get lustrous, shiny hair, just keep reading.