Friday, May 29, 2015

DIY natural beauty recipes for beautiful Skin!



A big thank you to Arizona Midday in Phoenix for asking me to share some of my favorite and best beauty recipes last week on the show! Here is the segment video and the directions to make in case you missed it.


Natural DIY beauty is great because not only will you save tons of money, but you will know exactly what you're putting on your skin! Completely green, here are some of my favorite and easiest recipes that really work!

DIY Toner
This recipe is especially wonderful for oily or acne prone skin. Apple cider vinegar will not only help regulate the pH in your skin but it is also has anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties which helps with reducing redness. Apple Cider Vinegar can be a bit strong on it's own so it is best to dilute it with either filtered water or some brewed green tea.

For acne prone or oily skin use a 1:1 ratio, for normal to dry skin add more water.

DIY Cleanser
This DIY trick is a perfect way to get rid of blackheads naturally. Let's face it, no matter what your age blackheads continue to be a problem. Contrary to popular belief, blackheads are not really dirt. What happens is that the dead skin cells and sebum (oil) produced from your skin combine and get stuck in a hair follicle. Oxidation from exposure to air makes it appear dark but it's not really dirt at all.

Mix a few Tablespoons of baking soda with water or lemon juice to form a paste. Let it sit on your skin for 10 to 15 minutes (no longer or it can irritate your skin) and rinse with warm water.

Chlorine Neutralizer
I don't know about you, but I hate the way my skin smells and feels after getting out of the pool or hot tub. An easy fix is to mix 1 teaspoon of Vitamin C crystals with a pint of distilled water. You can buy Vitamin C crystal at Trader Joe's for just $9.99. Put the solution in a spray bottle and use it on your skin rubbing it in with your bare hands. This spray also works great if you happen to get a sunburn because the Vit C will help stop the pain from a burn.

Oil for Makeup Removal
Oils are the best products to use for make up removal, especially stubborn eye makeup. The science behind this principal comes from chemistry. "Like Dissolves Like" . Most of our makeup contains oil and so using oils will naturally dissolve the dirt or makeup from your skin without the need for harsh chemicals and it will remove mascara and eyeliner quite easily.

The key is in combining olive oil with castor oil, although you could use either separately, the castor oil is anti bacterial. If you skin is more oily use more castor oil and if you skin is drier use more olive oil, otherwise a 1:1 ratio 

Anti-Aging Serum
These products can cost over $100 but this is treatment that you can make yourself using resveratrol. Resveratrol is an anti oxidant that will stop free radical damage that causes aging. It is an ingredient that is found in the skin of red grapes and is readily available in a liquid form at stores like Whole Foods. 

Combine 1 cup mineral water (like Perrier) and 2 teaspoons or droppers full of liquid resveratrol
Add 4 Tablespoons of grape seed oil and 1 Tablespoon of Glycerin
In addition use 8 drops of your favorite essential oil (rosemary, lavender, peppermint ...)
Pour into a spray bottle and shake vigorously. Spritz Away for Younger looking Skin!

Moroccan Oil
Many women are in love with this brand of hair treatment because MoroccanOil conditions your hair without leaving it greasy. This is made with Argan Oil which comes from the Argan Tree found in Morocco. You can purchase 100% Argan Oil and put it in a spray bottle and it will work just the same plus be free of chemicals and silicone. However, it will cost just as much so not a bargain DIY tip!




Friday, May 1, 2015

The Kylie Jenner Challenge - DIY bigger lips with no surgery The SAFE way.

In the pursuit of celebrity enhanced beauty, teens everywhere have been following a trendy "challenge" by enhancing their lips in a natural, but painfully and potentially harmful way. This dare has become viral, so much so that it has it's own hashtag #KylieJennerChallenge, however it's leaving many with "Buyer's Remorse". Although there is a safer way to achieve this natural lip augmentation
 - read down the page for my recommendation because this trick really does work.



Kylie Jenner Then and Now
Even though the reality star claims she has never had plastic surgery one thing is for certain - she was not born with the lips we see her in today.

Kylie: 2009 WireImage vs 2015 Instagram photo

The now 17 year old Kylie Jenner has denied that she has had any plastic surgery and claims that she creates a fuller looking lip by over drawing with her lip liner -  as a model I know that over-lining will give the illusion of bigger lips, but not this much. Since Jenner herself has not laid claim to using this popular "challenge" technique we can only guess that injectable filler has been used to create her pout. Teens everywhere, in pursuit of the no surgery DIY Kylie lip are shocked with the very real results. The Challenge itself takes less than a minute but the effects can last up to a week and according to some dermatologists ... not without potential long term damage. Here's how it works.

1. Take a shot glass, or plastic cup (even a Pringles can)
2. Put on top of your mouth and suck in





A SAFER WAY:
As a beauty expert I talked about this phenomenon a couple of years ago for Arizona Midday on nbc affiliate KPNX, and featured a lip pump that can be used safely if you follow the directions which only allows for a few seconds of suction a day to create a prettier version the Kylie lip challenge.  Watch this video clip below to see more.




Get your Luscious Lip Pump {Here} $49.95


The Science Behind why this works
Swelling and Bruising happen because the suction created is actually breaking your blood vessels in the fragile tissue of your lips. The longer you suck the worse it is and if you have fair skin you will probably be even more sensitive.




50 Shades of Swollen 
Example after example are being captured by bloggers and in social media - these type of compilations going viral with million of views. Watch this: