Beauty: Antioxidants, the future of youth!

The list of celebrities who have seemed to found the fountain of youth is endless. Like a scene is "Death Becomes Her," Celebs and savvy women alike are keeping quiet about their anti aging secrets. Many, starlets, have endless cocktails of facial rejuvenation products. While it may not be economically feasible for the average lady in lust for teenage skin there are certain key ingredients that are proven to enhance skin complexion, elasticity, and radiance. Love your self, and celebrate your beauty with a youth enhancing at home facial. After all, the secret for age-less skin, is self love, and regular facials. 

Home Made Antioxidant Mask:

10 blueberries

1 half of a lemon, fresh squeezed

1 tbsp soy/dairy yogurt

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

In a small bowl, microwave the blueberries until super juicy and leaky. Squeeze in the lemon juice, and the yogurt. Mix until well combined. Gently dust in the arrow root powder, and stir until smooth. 

Transfer the mix into a storage container/jar and let the mask sit for at least 20 minutes. The arrowroot is a starch so it helps to bond the mask. 

Gently apply the mask liberally to your face. I like to apply masks with a foundation brush. Let the mask soak on your skin for 25 minutes, before rinsing off with a warm face cloth. 

Benefits of the Mask: 

Blueberries:

When applied in a mask form to skin, help protect and repair element damaged skin. Blueberries are rich in anti-oxidants which help fight free radicals, preventing signs of aging.   

Lemons:

 The citrus acid in the lemon is a natural exfoliant, and the vitamin C helps remove blackheads while brightening skin.

Soy/Yogurt: 

The  yogurts pro biotic properties help sooth skin irritation, and is antibacterial. If you are using soy yogurt the soy has added skin benefits due to natural occurring phytoestrogens which help in the regeneration of skin cells.The calcium in the yogurt helps combat dry skin. 

 Arrowroot Powder:

 The starch adds just a splash of potassium, to help fight fluid retention (great for puffy eyes) and folate which helps naturally tighten skin.

Enjoy, your  beautiful, fresh, and youthful skin.

Winter skin solutions

The East Coast has already had their first snow storm of the season. Which means, it is only a matter of time before we in the West get gifted with beautiful snow. I love winter, I love snow, I love everything about the season except the extreme cold and painful dry skin winter can cause. In the winter months we combat the outside chill with dry furnace air. The combination of dry air and cold air zaps moisture. 

The most common winter skin problems and their remedies are: 

Not moisturizing enough: 

Winter cloths such as wool, can irritate the skin, mix that irritation with the dry furnace air and you  have a recipe for dry, flaky, and itchy skin. A once a day, post shower moisturizer might not be enough. Come winter you should aim to moisturize 3 times a day. My favourite winter luxury creams are Pretty Peaushun, and Johnson & Johnson Baby lotion. 

Over exfoliation: 

In the winter, when suffering from dry skin it is common to make the mistake of over exfoliation. Exfoliating removes dead skin cells to make the skin appear brighter. In the winter we want to over exfoliate instinctively because our skin appears dry. However, doing so can cause more harm. When we over exfoliate in the winter we strip our faces of the good oils that help keep our skin moisturized. Come winter, exfoliate only once or twice a week. 

Using to a Harsh a cleanser:

Anti blemish cleansers and heavy duty cleansers are too much for winter. In the winter we need to swap out our summer skin products for a more gentle variation, (a milk based cleanser). Wash with lukewarm water.  

Forgetting to wear sunscreen:

Sunscreen is a must all year. UV rays are not exclusive with summer; they hang out in the winter too. In fact they can be even more potent in the winter. The UV rays reflect off of snow and ice which hits us with twice the force. SUNSCREEN is a must all year long. Use a day moisturizer with a spf 15 or higher and keep it with you. In winter a moisturizing sunscreens is your best friends. 

Taking HOT showers and baths:

Yes it is cold outside, and yes a nice scolding hot bath or shower might sound like the perfect way to relax. While your muscles may thank you profusely for the soak your skin wont. Long hot baths and showers can worsen dry skin. Try to limit your soak to ten minutes max, and use water a little cooler than normal. If your skin is still in need of moisturizing; an air humidifier in the bedroom can help offset the dry furnace air.