Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Clean slate

Okay, today let's talk makeup removers. I can't even begin to stress how important removing your makeup at the end of the day is. So much harm can be done to your skin if makeup is left on before you go to sleep. Our skin regenerates during the night when our bodies are at rest so having clean moisturized skin is vital.

So many women use the excuse of being too tired or too exhausted to remove their makeup some nights, but no matter how tired you may be there is no excuse for not removing your makeup. Cleaning my face before bed time is a routine I never miss, and I do mean never. Okay, enough with the nagging now.

For the easiest, quickest way to remove your makeup just head to the kitchen and grab your handy bottle of olive oil. You can also use jojoba oil for this. Just massage your dry, made up face with a very thin layer of olive or jojoba oil before washing your face with your regular cleanser. It will get off all traces of foundation, eye makeup, and whatever else you may use. You can also put a few drops on a cotton pad or ball and use just to remove your eye makeup. Just wipe gently over your eyes until the makeup is all gone. Just remember to never tug or pull as the eye area is very sensitive.

Olive oil and jojoba oil are super gentle and nonirritating. They work for all skin types. They are also very affordable and easy to find!

What do you use to remove your makeup?

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Want teeth that are berry white?

Oh gosh, I apologize for my lame joke in the title line, but it made me giggle! What doesn’t make me laugh though are teeth that aren’t as white as they can be. I hate when my teeth appear discolored and dull, as I’m sure you do as well!

I don’t want to skip my morning coffee in hopes that my teeth will no longer be exposed to the dark, staining liquid so instead I found something that works really well to practically erase stains.

Yes, strawberries – the delicious red fruit. Strawberries have malic acid which cleans and buffs away surface stains on teeth. I read somewhere that Catharine Zeta-Jones often rubs a strawberry on her teeth to keep them looking extra white.

Strawberries alone work well, but try mashing a strawberry and mixing it with baking soda until it becomes a paste. Baking soda is also a common and popular at home whitening product. Brush the mixture onto your teeth and let it sit for as long as you can handle, five minutes minimum. Brush your teeth with your regular toothpaste to remove the paste.

While this method doesn’t work as well as expensive dental office treatments it does its intended job well. Plus, it’s cheap and easy! Check it out, because it's definitely worth a try!