Supernatural Botanicals

For lip color that lasts all day long, try this… Use a lip pencil to color the entire lips.  Next, blot lips to “seal” the color onto the lips.  This will create a matte look and will “stain” the lips and lock in the color.

Your lips will maintain the color for most of the day.  Lips are also more kissable when they are not layered with a gloss finish.  Great lip color that won’t come off on him….love that!

Periodically apply a great lip balm to the lips to moisturize, as a lip pencil can be somewhat dry and matte on the lips.

Keep nails and cuticles looking summer-soft in the winter by applying a great, all natural lip balm to your cuticles and nails several times a day.  The beeswax will protect your nails and cuticles from the cold, harsh weather, and the cocoa butter will moisturize them to keep them soft and beautiful. Try this.

Don’t you just hate when you get to the bottom of your favorite lipstick?  You know it’s gone and you should just let it go, but you also know that there’s still a third of the lipstick left in the base of the tube.

You also know that if you really, really love that lipstick, you’ll start digging into the base of it with tools (and sometimes, not even a lip brush…like the cap of a eyeliner pencil).  …Don’t judge, you know you’ve done that.

Well, finally someone has done something about this travesty of wasted lipstick.  Jill Quillin (let’s just call her a genius from here on), created the LipStix Remix.

This cool tool allows you to capture all the waste.  You simply empty your lipstick containers of the lipstick to the very base of the container.  You can use various lipsticks to create your own custom shade.

This can save thousands of dollars alone from buying lipstick that you didn’t like once you ended up getting home and trying it on.  Simply mix that color with one that  you like.  That’s recycling at it’s finest!  *Team Earth*

This is an absolute must have for everyone who wears lipstick.   Check out the video to see how it’s done.  You can visit their website here:  LipStixRemix.

Did you know that anxiety causes an upsurge in stress hormones that can worsen acne or other skin conditions?

If you skin is prone to breakouts and rashes, it’s time to check your body/mind/soul meter.

It’s scientifically proven that stress can cause skin eruptions and even make you susceptible to deadly  diseases.

If this is happening to you, put yourself on your to-do list and get serious about about having some downtime doing something that relaxes you (yoga or Pilates is so good for this.)  After all, your beauty is at risk here, girlfriend.

Did you know that some apples are better for you than others?  The Red Delicious variety gets five stars.  All apples are loaded with vitamin C and other nutrients, but the Red Delicious has the highest level of flavonoids, and as much as five times as many antioxidants. 

Don’t peel the skin.  The beautiful red skin contains the highest concentration of the flavonaoids and antioxidants, so be sure you are eating the peel as well. 

Eating baked potatoes is actually great for your skin.  Did you know that one baked potato (with the skin) provides 75 percent of your daily copper needs? Copper, when combined with vitamin C and zinc, produce elastin fibers that support skin structure, therefore elasticity. Copper deficiency in your diet can reduce skin’s ability to heal and cause it to become rigid and lifeless.  So if you are feeling bad about carbs, don’t sweat it.  The bright side is… it’s making your skin look beautiful.

Today’s blog post is courtesy of our friends across the pond in London at the Natural Curtain Company.  They, like us, believe in living a sustainable, Green lifestyle.  We love that we can connect globally, entire countries apart, yet for the same cause…treading lightly on the planet and treating the environment with loving care. 

Guest post contributed by natural product enthusiasts, the Natural Curtain Company.

Although cosmetic companies are very busy convincing you that their products are the key to maintaining healthy, bright skin, you might be surprised to learn that there are many simple natural remedies that you can use out of items in your kitchen or garden to maintain a glowing complexion.

1.  Tea Bags

(Credit: Adermark)

Black tea has diuretic tendencies, which means when drunk they tend to “squeeze-out” liquid from cell membranes so that can flush out toxins and eliminate them from the body when you urinate.  The same principle can be used to combat “bags under the eyes” by simply applying a damp tea bag on both the eyes while laying quietly with your eyes closed.  The tea bags will draw out the excess water build-up that causes the delicate issues around the eyes to appear swollen and dark.

2.  Oatmeal

(Credit: Wallis)

For beautifully refreshing and exfoliating facial cleanser, cook up a batch of a regular, unflavored oatmeal and allow it to cool.  While standing over the sink, use a handful of the oatmeal to scrub your face, particularly and the oily patches around your nose and forehead.  Be gentle when scrubbing the eyes, this delicate skin is easily damaged, but the rest of the face can benefit from a vigorous scrub.

3.  Witch Hazel

(Credit: Crossthwaite)

Although the actual name comes from the old English word “wice,” which means pliant or bendable, it became associated with witches is because the branches of this plant were often used for divining rods.  The bark and leaves from this plant make an excellent astringent that gently removes oil and helps to shrink and contract the blood vessels back to their normal size.  It is ideal for combating — and preventing — pimples and blackheads. Witch Hazel astringent is available for very low cost at most health food stores and pharmacies, and to boost its healing properties you can chill the Witch Hazel before applying.

4.  Aloe Vera

(Credit: Geist)

This succulent plant contains a thick, gooey substance inside its broad leaves that has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes.  In its natural form that promotes healing and has antibacterial and antifungal properties, which make it ideal for treating minor skin infections.  It is also excellent for sunburns because of its moisturizing tenancies.  Regular use of aloe vera keeps a skin supple and helps prevent the build-up of bacteria that can cause skin infections. 

5.  Baking Soda, Vinegar and Salt

(Credit: Mullen)

This powerful combination of simple ingredients can be made into a paste to scrub your face and remove impurities, exfoliate skin cells and remove oil.  Combine the three into a simple paste and use it as a daily scrub or you can use each one separately.  Baking soda alone makes a wonderful tooth-whitener, vinegar is an excellent a stringent — especially when you have been sweating profusely — and salt can be added to a basin full of water and splashed on the face to stimulate healthy circulation, but be sure to keep your eyes closed tight.

Phthalates are used to enhance fragrance or make it last longer. They are commonly found in perfumes, fragrance, hair products, deodorants, body lotions and nail polish. Unfortunately they are NOT required to be listed on labels as they are classified as proprietary. This is a cause for concern as consumers have no real way of knowing which products contain them. In order to be a savvy consumer avoid products that claim an ingredient as ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’. They are believed to cause cancer, disrupt DNA and have been linked to birth defects.  Always read your labels and use products that are phthalate-free.

To eliminate puffy eyes quickly, simply place something cold over the eyes for several minutes.  The secret with cucumbers on the eyes is not in the cucumber itself, it’s that the cucumber retains the cold temperature.  You can get the same effect by placing a spoon in the refrigerator for a couple hours, then placing the spoons over the eyes.  Tea bags that have been moistened, then refrigerated…same thing.  A washcloth wrapped around a couple pieces of ice, again, totally effective in combating puffy eyes. 

A new trend in haircare currently is dry shampoo.  It’s particularly good for hair that tends to go oily.

If you want to see if dry shampoo will work for you, you can easily achieve similar results with cornstarch at home. 

That’s right, simple cornstarch from your kitchen pantry works exactly like the main ingredient in dry shampoos, and it’s a fraction of the cost.

Simply shake a small amount of cornstarch on your hair, starting at the scalp, and working your way down the hair to the ends.  The cornstarch absorbs excess oils.  In total, you’ll use approximately 1/2 cup of cornstarch for medium to long length hair, somewhat less for shorter hair.