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Posts Tagged ‘beauty’

Brightening Beer Facial After an exhausting weekend helping my daughter pack and clean her apartment and then relocating her hundreds of miles away, this old lady needed some TLC. Before leaving home, I’d read an article titled Facials to Feast Upon. One recipe in particular caught my attention – maybe because it contained beer or maybe because it claimed to brighten. And I desperately needed to be brightened. From reading the article, I learned that: the ingredients in beer help to “dissolve dead cells and increase the skin’s luminosity;” the yeast in the beer and the egg white combine to create a “mask that hydrates and improves the elasticity of the skin;” and the vitamin C in the lime “helps to clear pores and fade brown spots.” What a wondrous way to spend 10 minutes and what a good excuse to drink up the remaining beer in the bottle!

Brightening Beer Facial
Real Simple Magazine, April 2014

INGREDIENTS
1 egg white
1/2 cup beer (any brand)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the egg white and beer with the lime juice.

2. Slather onto the face.

3. After 10 minutes, rinse with warm water.

LINNELL’S NOTES
1. The article mentions for best results to “gently cleanse and exfoliate” your skin prior to applying the mask.

2. This facial smelled fresh and left my skin feeling smooth and more taut.

3. I stored the remaining concoction in an airtight container in my refrigerator. I’m not sure how long it will keep this way, so I plan on using it a few more times this week before discarding it. It’s so easy to make, you can whip up a new batch anytime you want.

Enjoy!

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Lemon Tea Sugar Scrub Cold winds, dry heat, yard work, cooking, cleaning, etc. all contribute to making your skin rough and dry. Without spending a fortune and in only a few minutes, you can make a deliciously moisturizing scrub for your face and body. Keep containers of this wonderful scrub near your kitchen and bathroom sinks or your shower stall for whenever your skin needs a little tender loving care. To give away as gifts, put the scrub in cute jars, add labels, and tie on little spoons or scoops. Its fresh natural fragrance appeals to both guys and gals!

Lemon Tea Sugar Scrub
The Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano

INGREDIENTS AND SUPPLIES
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Epsom salt
10 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
3 green tea bags
1 lemon to zest
Grater or zester
Large mixing bowl
Beautiful container

DIRECTIONS
1. Grate your lemon rind and set aside the zest.

2. In the large mixing bowl, combine and mix the sugar, Epsom salt, and loose tea (just rip open the bags and sprinkle the leaves in).

3. Add in the olive oil and mix.

4. Add the honey and combine well.

5. Add the lemon zest.

6. Mix everything in the bowl, then fill up your container.

LINNELL’S NOTES
1. Instead of using tea bags, I used loose-leaf green tea that I had at home. I estimated the amount of leaves that would be contained in three tea bags and I crumbled them into a bowl.

2. The next time I make this, I think I will try using a lemon-infused olive oil.

3. Little jars of this scrub make lovely hostess gifts or party favors.

ENJOY!

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Fallen Oak With a lonely heave, a small oak tree fell across a pathway. People walked around the “nuisance,” refusing to break their stride. It was as if a fallen tree was an everyday impediment. No one paused long enough to admire its beauty, even in its sad state, or to show appreciation for the gifts it had bestowed upon the earth during its lifetime. No one mourned its loss–except for, perhaps, one. That one stooped down low and touched the tree. As her gaze followed her fingers, something caught her attention. A random broken twig, bound tightly to the tree by delicate lichens, resembled a cross.

#1 – Make a Difference
Make a Difference Day Making a difference in the lives of people and in the world should be an everyday happenstance, but sometimes people need a little push or added motivation to get involved. To that end, an official day has been declared. Make a Difference Day is on October 26th this year. To learn how to register a project or to find ways you can help, click on the link for more information. If you want to search for an organized project in your area click here and insert your zip code or city in the box. Large or small, your participation can make a whole world of difference.

#2 – Sit!
30 Places You'd Rather Be Sitting Right NowFor those of you who sit for many hours on the job, you’ll enjoy scrolling through 30 Places You’d Rather Be Sitting Right Now . I guarantee you that all of the seats offer more fun and excitement than your desk chair!

#3 – One Great Costume
 Operation Game Costume Remember the board game Operation in which participants would pretend to be surgeons and try to remove plastic “body parts” with a pair of tweezers? Well, a creative person figured out a way to make the Operation game into a costume. It’s clever, it’s fun, and it’s interactive!

#4 – There’s Pumpkin on Your Face
6 DIY Pumpkin Face Mask RecipesPacked with essential vitamins and minerals, pumpkins are good for your body inside and out. Along with your favorite edible pumpkin recipes, add these 6 DIY Pumpkin Face Mask Recipes to your collection of homemade beauty recipes.

#5 – Live Your Life
“Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light. Give thanks for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. And if perchance you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured the fault is in yourself.”
Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Indian Chief

GO NOW AND SPREAD JOY!

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First Kiss Rose Delicate porcelain-like petals unfurl into a creamy kiss of pink — First Kiss to be exact. All the qualities of a first kiss can be seen in its blossoms: blush, innocence, and joy. Admiring the beauty of this rose had me wondering about the person who named it. This person’s first kiss must have left an everlasting imprint. Do you remember your first kiss?

#1 – 96 Seconds of Joy
This video has been around for awhile, but it never fails to make me smile. The pure joy the dog exhibits is a reminder for all of us to live in the moment and to do what we love with gusto!

#2 – Amazing Product Designs

Bottle Opener Cell Phone Case

Bottle Opener Cell Phone Case

Loving clever and innovative designs, I always enjoy sharing them. Some of these designs, compiled by Glorious Mind, are Eco-friendly, some of them are extraordinarily clever, and some of them are just playful.

#3 – Homemade Hand Scrub
Black Sand Hand Scrub After a long day working in the garden or around the house, it’s nice to treat your hands to a moisturizing scrub. From the site StyleList comes this recipe for Black “Sand” Scrub, a scrub packed with good things:

1 cup leftover coffee grounds
2 tablespoons macadamia oil
1/4 cup of steel cut oats
Contents of 1 tea bag of high antioxidant tea

Combine coffee, oil, oats, and tea in a small disposable bowl until everything is well-blended in the oil. Scrub into skin using a circular motion.

#4 – Three Simple Materials

Art by Kumi Yamashita

By Kumi Yamashita

Last Friday I featured an artist who used thread and nails to create huge rainbow-like art installations. This week I’m featuring a talented Japanese artist named Kumi Yamashita who uses similar media to create portraits. Of her Constellation series, Yamashita says, “This body of work consists of three simple materials that, when combined, produce the portraits: a wooden panel painted a solid white, thousands of small galvanized nails, and a single, unbroken, common sewing thread.” While on her website view some of her other amazing portraits made from different media.

#5 – Dreamers and Doers
The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.
Sarah Ban Breathnach

Kiss someone you love this weekend!

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