done. with. school.

 

 

It's officially time for summer break.

 

Summer means fresh fruit and clear skin. Yay!

 

Eating fresh fruit like honeydew melon and watermelon can give you skin a boost of radiance. Also drinking tons of water can help get you bikini ready as well as make your skin glow.

 

If you are like me, you have super pale skin. If you aren't like me--then lucky you! Either way, you can cut your risk of skin cancer in half by using sunscreen. For oily/acne/problem skin, there are a few sunscreen that I highly recommend getting ASAP. But even if you are lucky enough to not have problem skin, these sunscreen are packed with yummy skin ingredients that would do anyones skin some good.

 

The first one is Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF 30.

 

 

 

I never buy a product before reading as many reviews on it as I possibly can, and apparently this is the holy grail of sunscreens for people with problem skin. I had to have it. And guess what? It is everything people said. It is definitely matte so there is no oiliness or greasiness at all. It absorbs super quick. AND it is chalk-full of awesome ingredients for your skin like green tea (which helps aid in sun protection as well) and also antioxidants and vitamins. Sephora doesn't carry Dermalogica products and Ulta didn't have this specific sunscreen in their store, so I opted to order it from Amazon. I ended up paying $40 for it.

 

 

The next one I am loving is Peter Thomas Roth Oily Problem Skin Instant Mineral SPF 30.

 

 

This is genius. Powder sunscreen? Uh, yes please! This mineral sunscreen is great because it is a) so incredibly easy to put on and re-apply because it can go on top of your makeup and it fits right into your purse and b) on hot, sweaty days (and even not sweaty days) it doubles as a mineral veil. It contains willow bark which is a natural source of salicylic acid which is great for acne and it contains vitamins as well. I was afraid that this stuff would leave a white cast on my face when I applied it. I knew that something had to happen, it was just too good to be true--but no! This stuff goes on so well and doesn't cake or leave white powdery marks on your face. It blends seamlessly and makes skin look matte and refined. Some people find that the brush bristles are too stiff, but I thought they were fine. But if you have super sensitive skin, you might want to keep that in mind. I ordered this off Amazon for about $18.

 

 

Get ready for summer!

 

 



Green Tea

Some time ago The Beauty Gypsy did a post on the many health benefits of green tea.

Today she addressed how green tea can be used topically to help with skin ailments. You can check out her post here.

Green tea to beautify skin? I have lots of that . . . I'm in!

You can find more topical recipes here. And also read about some interesting, and perhaps contradictory (but very practical) information on using green tea topically, here from the Acne Einstein.

I have been breaking out so badly lately and I am definitely going to be trying this. Hopefully it will help my poor, inflamed skin from the rapidly changing (and very unpredictable) weather!

I also came across this pretty interesting post from August Skin. There's a "right" way to wash your face? Who knew?? Perhaps this could also help my current skin woes, let's hope . . .Check it out here.

Happy brewing.

kombucha snack

Kombucha (an ancient Chinese fermented tea with extolled health benefits) is now all the rage.

Unfortunately for my father and I, we have been making kombucha for years--about 9 to be exact. (Before it was popular and all the rage in the U.S. At the time people thought we were so weird because nobody had ever heard of it before.)

It's too bad--we could have made a fortune had we known our weird little fermented drink would take off like it did in mainstream grocery stores! We are kicking ourselves in the ass now. Oh well, too late.

This is really beside the point. We still brew our own kombucha tea and experiment with flavors.
If you are in the Contra Costa area (Pleasant Hill/Concord/Walnut Creek) and are looking to brew your own and need a scoby (a baby kombucha culture) I have way too many and would be happy to give you one.

Yesterday my dad invented a very healthy kombucha snack.
Here is his recipe.

Ingredients:
two apples, cut into bite size pieces
1/2-3/4 cup of favorite fruit flavored kombucha tea (either store bought or home made)
cinnamon
berries
yogurt
nuts or granola

Directions:
Cut apples into bite size pieces and spread on bottom of casserole or baking dish.
Pour kombucha tea over apples and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 295 degrees for 30 minutes.
Take out and spoon into bowls.
Add a dollop of all or one of: yogurt, berries, nuts and/or granola on top.

Enjoy!

If you want to read more about kombucha tea's supposed health benefits, I've listed some sites below for your reading pleasure. Decide for yourself if you think this stuff is a sham or a health wonder--but don't let it's "gross" looking cultures deter you.

http://www.foodrenegade.com/kombucha-health-benefits/

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/kombucha-tea-risks-and-benefits

http://www.fitsugar.com/Health-Benefits-Kombucha-Tea-377256

http://www.foodrenegade.com/kombucha-questions-answers/

http://www.happyherbalist.com/continuous_brewing.htm

http://www.kombuchakamp.com/basic-kombucha-faq/readers-questions-answered

the beauty gypsy

Have you all heard of The Beauty Gypsy?

If not, browse her blog--she is amazing and all of her posts are entertaining and filled to the brim with helpful tips and information.

Last week she did this post about how to deal with really huge pimples under the skin. I call them SUBMARINES. And yes, I had to write it in all-caps because that's how you have to say it. Pimples like this are not just submarines. They are SUBMARINES to the max. If you have ever had one, you know what I mean.

Anyways, last week, when The Beauty Gypsy did this post, also happened to be the week that I had a huge submarine on my chin. I barely ever get that type of cystic acne so I didn't know what to do. Needless to say, I panicked . . . and made it worse.

It wasn't until after I had made it worse that I saw The Beauty Gypsy's post. But after I read what she had to say, I wanted to make sure that if I ever got a pimple like that again, I would be prepared.

She suggests using Prid Drawing Salve on the stubborn cyst.

The cheapest I found was from WalMart for only $3. That's right . . . only three freakin dollars. Sounds like a bargain to me! The shipping costs more than the actual product. Which is why I ordered two...just to get my shippings worth! You can get a can here.

The Beauty Gypsy told me she uses this stuff all the time--keeping a can at her house, one in her car and one at her office. That was the tipping point for me. I thought this stuff must be close to magic if she relies on it that often and doesn't go anywhere without it!

I am excited to get my can in the mail. I will keep you updated and let you know how well it works for me. If you try it for yourself let me know how it works for you too! I'm curious to see how results will vary for different people.

On another note, I did something that I probably shouldn't have.

I bought these babies.

What do you think???!???! (seriously, what do you think...)

I really really like them. I know it's not everyones style, but I just love chunky boots.

It always scares me to buy things online. I hope that I like them in person as much as I do in pictures.

I'll let you know what I think when I get them!

Link for where I ordered them from here.

I have a lot of packages coming in the mail to look forward to! I'll keep you all updated.

health kick

Lately I've been on a health kick. That means health smoothies/green drinks to brighten and clear my skin, give me more energy and to look good and feel better on the inside.

 

Maybe it's the impending spring...and then summer...and the way the weather has started to warm up in the Bay Area. It just feels like swim suit season is already here when, in all reality, it is only March...we still have April showers and what-not to get through. But that's not an excuse--no matter what time of year it is, it's always the right time to be healthy.

AZ last summer--oh how I am looking forward to this summer! Baby cow is one hour old. Momma looks proud.

 

I thought I would share a green smoothie with you all that I like to make. It's not that crazy or anything and  it tastes good.

I blend it in a magic bullet but any blender will do. I like the bullet because it has individual cups with lids so I can bring my drink to work with me (-:

 

Ingredients:

1/2 apple

1/4 cucumber (with skin)

1/2 lemon (with peel)

1 TBL ground chia seeds

handful/bunch of cilantro

1 cup spinach

a few (2-3) kale stems

a little water

There are so many different ways you could customize this drink.
 

You can peel the lemon if you prefer.

You could use an orange instead of a lemon. I leave the peel on because that's where a lot of the vitamin c is.
 

You can skip the chia seeds if you don't have any--you could also replace with ground flax seed if you have that instead.
 

Last night I didn't have any cucumber, so I skipped that ingredient.

Basically--there is no reason you can't make this drink unless you are out of more than three or four of the ingredients. You could make a drink with just orange and spinach if that was all you had!

One really optional and random ingredient is the kale stems.

The reason why I add kale stems is 1) they have so many vitamins and nutriets 2) I make kale chips and I always feel bad about throwing away the stems so I am always trying to find a way to put them to good use so now I just keep them and add them to my smoothies. They are full of fiber!

 

Have a better recipe? Please share it with us!

In the mean time, if you don't like my recipe...check out this page I found from Healthy Girls Kitchen blog.

It is the biggest list of green smoothies I have ever seen in my life!

Did you click on the link yet? OMG I have NEVER seen such a HUGE variety of green smoothies! How can I possibly choose which ones to try!?

Let us all know if you try any that are particularly good....or particularly bad (-:

TGIF

bad news

I have bad news. Remember this post?

Well,  I saved up a little, splurged, and tried more MyChelle products . . . and they work.

Why is this bad you ask?

Because no lie, this stuff adds up! And now that I know it works . . . how could I possibly do without it!?

Here is what I got:

The Clear Skin Cleanser which you can find here.

I use this facewash at night before using toner, then the Perfect C Serum, spot treatment, then moisturizer. My intricate and time-consuming routine drives my boyfriend crazy, whoops! But anyways . . . I like this cleanser a lot. My skin is nice and clean afterwards but not dried out and so far I think it has cut down my breakouts--though it is hard to tell which product is doing the most work since I use a serum and a spot treatment too. 

One thing that bothers me: I seriously do not know why they call it "Youth Blemish Control". I would not consider myself "youth" anymore, but I still need blemish control! This is not a cleanser just for teenagers. The other cleanser I like is the White Cranberry Cleanser which you can find here.

Clear Skin Spot Treatment which you can find here.

Once again, this is not just for "youth".

I use this at night and in the morning (as needed). I always put it on after using serum but before moisturizer.

One reason I like this spot treatment is because, not only does it work to heal pimples fast, but also, unlike a lot of other spot treatments, it is quite easy to wear under makeup. Sometimes spot treatments ball up or flake off when you try to apply makeup, and sometimes moisturizer, even after it seems to have dried. If you have used spot treatments before I am sure you know what I am talking about.

Clear Skin Balancing Cream, which can be found here.

Even the people on the MyChelle website who write in reviews say they are "definitely not youth" and they "love" these blemish-controling products.

This moisturizer is an awesome, I mean, awesome, base for makeup. No primer needed. It just has a great matte finish that makes makeup look flawless. It helps control shine/oiliness through the entire day--my skin feels clean all day, not all gunked-up like it usually does by 3pm.

One thing is that you don't get a whole lot of moisture from this "cream". If you have dry skin, this might not be the best product for you. One thing I do to balance this out is I use the Clear Skin Balancing Cream in the morning, but at night I apply a heavier moisturizer. I prefer Neutrogena's Multi-Vitamin Night Cream because it doesn't clog pores but it delivers a lot of moisture. You can find it here. You can also find that night cream in Ulta or at Target.

Apple Brightening Mist, can be found here.

I use this in the morning after I have applied moisturizer, right before I put my makeup on.

Honestly, I could do without this product. I think maybe the Fruit Enzyme Mist, which can be found here, would probably be better suited for my skin. After reading the product reviews for the Apple Brightening Mist, I just really wanted to try it.

It's kind of sticky--too sticky--even after it dries. This is very annoying, which is why I find myself skipping it a lot in the morning just because it is not convenient to apply makeup right after spraying it on my face. It's just so sticky.

I thought maybe I should spray it before I apply moisturizer, but still . . . it just doesn't feel good on my skin. I feel like I have a layer over my face which makes it harder for my skin to breathe. Although that's probably all in my head, there is something to be said for the way a product makes you feel. I do not want to start the day feeling like I have a layer of gunk stuck to my face.

I wish I could work for MyChelle--that would be my dream job! Sadly, that will probably remain in my dreams only, but I would seriously be one of their best and most truthful advocates (-:

I hope you all found this info useful!

Let me know if you try any of these products--I would love to know how well they work for others too.

Quick Tips: Enlarged Pores

Hey all! I'm so sorry I have not posted in forever. I have been completely swamped with school and work. Craziness! Here are more "quick tips" for those last-minute emergencies.

Are you looking in the mirror thinking, really? Why do my pores have to be the most clogged they have been in ages today of all days? Here are some quick fixes.

 

·         Tip 1: Exfoliate, Exfoliate (as far in advance as possible...)

o    SCRUB for a full minute with...

§  Baking Soda

§  Cornmeal (Warning: very abrasive!)

§  Sugar or Brown Sugar

§  Epsom salt

§  TIP: You can mix fresh lemon juice, tea tree oil, or lavendar essential oil with any of these scrubs for added benefits.

·         Tip 2:

o    Use toner, you can find my DIY toner here.

o    Use Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

§  Just pour on a cotton ball and rub all over your face, let dry, then moisturize.

·         Mask 1:

o    Egg Whites

§  Egg whites tighten pores and draw out impurities. Just whip up some egg whites and apply all over your face and let dry before you rinse it off.

§  TIP: To get an even deeper pore cleansing, add a few drop of tea tree oil to your egg whites before you apply to your face.

 

 

 

Something else that may really help is to dry brush your face. I'm sure you have heard of dry brushing for your body, but this can also really help cell turnover and exfoliation for your face as well.

 

Dry brushing is when you take a dry stiff-bristle brush and brush your whole body, in long upward strokes to help with detoxification and circulation. Dry brushing can help with cellulite and ripples in the skin. You always want to brush towards your heart. Once the skin is wet it is more sensitive and doing this while in the shower can possibly cause damage to the skin.

 

For the face, instead of a brush, I use an exfoliating glove like the one below. I rub it over my face in small circular motions.

 



 

TIP: You can also use this glove instead of a brush for dry brushing all over the body--it is a great exfoliator. I use it on my back and shoulders as well as my face. You can find these gloves at most drug stores. I found this one at a grocery store.