As the sun is staying out longer, the color yellow has been on my mind. Sunflowers and lemons and bright bursts of yellow is the perfect way to welcome Summer.
Today’s DIY eco-friendly scrub features the color yellow, and lemons. Lemon, with its tart flavor, is a natural astringent that can help fade acne scarring as well as even out the skin tone. To make the perfect summer scrub, squeeze half a lemon, and mix with honey and sugar. Honey is a natural emollient that soothes and smooths for silky skin, sugar is a natural exfoliant that will help slough off excess sebum and dead skin cells. This DIY scrub is great for the face, lips and body. You can store it in a small plastic container with a cover and can keep it fresh in the fridge for a few days, but be sure to use it up within a week.
The other lemon half can be saved to make your favorite lemon treats. Here are two sweet recipes that incorporate lemon, honey, and sugar: lemon honey cupcakes and lemon honey! Happy scrubbing and eating!
picture: polyvore
As events are rolling around the corner, whether you have a prom to attend, or a graduation, or an end of the school year party, or “hey! it’s almost Summer!” party to attend, I’m sure getting your skin in tip-top shape is on the top of your list. Because we all know that other than always putting your best foot forward, it’s even more important to put your best face forward.
Start off by giving your skin some serious detoxing. Detoxing your skin and body well help rid your system of toxins (all those fries, coffee, and soda drinks!). A simple and affordable way to help detox both your skin and body is incorporating green tea to your daily regimen. The best time to detoxify your body is in the morning. Rather than going for your usual coffee pick-me-up, reach for a bag of green tea.
Before you throw your green tea bag into the trash, think twice and save it! Freeze it in your freezer, and the next day, it can be used to help de-puff those tired eyes of yours.
Next, take two tablespoons of the green tea you just brewed, and put it in a small bowl. Safe the rest for your morning tea (add a scone maybe?). Mix the green tea liquid with a dollop of honey and two tablespoons of sugar. Mix it well, and then apply to your face like you would a scrub. Leave the DIY scrub on for about 15 minutes, so all those detoxifying goodness gets soaked into those pores, and then gently scrub and rinse with warm water.
Your skin will feel soft, smooth and rejuvenated. Do this DIY scrub routine once or twice a week and you’ll soon see improvement in the texture and tone of your skin. Add in the bonus of the frozen green tea bags and brewed green tea, and you have a three-in-one detoxifier for your body, face, and eyes!
photo: polyvore
Nothing says Spring better than flushed cheeks and glowing skin. Gone are the dull, dry complexions of winter; we cheeks can now be pinched with the colors of the full-bloom Spring flowers. If you’re still pale from those gloomy months, fake that warm glow with some coral or pink blush. It’s the perfect go-to pick-me-up (besides coffee). Now all you need is a swipe of mascara and some lip gloss and you’ll be springtime ready. Try the eco-friendly blushes below:
1. The first eco-friendly blush that I ever tried was the Josie Maran Color Stick. Infused with moisturizing argan oil, the color stick is easy to use and has great color pay-off. With two adaptable shades, Dusty Rose and Petal Pink, the color stick has micro shimmer that giver your skin that subtle glow. It can also be applied to the lips and eyes, great for those in a hurry. Argan oil contains Vitamin E and essential fatty acids and helps prevent dehydration, inflammation, hyperpigmentation, and sebum production.
2. Zuii Organic Flora Blush in Peach is the perfect shade for Spring. The blush is talc free and includes natural ingredients such as rose petals to help soothe and tone the skin, jasmine buds that help repair scar tissue, chamomile that heals and soothes the skin.
3. Ecco Bella FlowerColor Blush in Coral Rose is the perfect mix of pink and peach. This vegan blush is talc-free and fragrance-free and is made from natural ingredients such as moisturizing almond oil, green tea extract, and soothing aloe vera extract.
Let us know what your favorite eco-friendly blush shades are for Spring and be sure to follow our Spring/Summer Makeup Inspiration pinterest board!
image from polyvore
Since our topic has remained on the eyes these past weeks, let’s talk about how to take care of them. My first experience with eye cream was at age 16. High school stress had apparently taken much tow on my tired eyes and I fretted over the discovery of dark circles while getting ready for school one day. I flipped through Seventeen Magazine that weekend and discovered what could possibly be the answer to my worries: eye cream.
The skin around our eyes is more delicate and thinner compared to the rest of our face. Have you noticed that with a long plane ride, the skin around your eyes and your lips tend to dry out more easily? Also as we age, we tend to get wrinkles around our eyes prior to anywhere else. To care for eyes and keep them youthful looking, adding eye cream to your everyday regimen is highly recommended. Below are three of my favorite eye creams:
John Master’s Firming Eye Gel uses oat kernel and rye extracts to help firm and revitalize our eyes as well as reduce puffiness and wrinkles. It also defends against free radicals and prevents crow’s feet from surfacing. I would recommend this eye gel for use in the morning. The gel texture will absorb quickly and won’t counter react with eye makeup. It will also reduce puffy eyes which are more common in the mornings.
Pangea Organics Turkish Rose and White Tea Eye Cream: the name of the eye cream definitely had me at hello — it sounds like what you would put in a floral scented perfume! Turkish rose is nourishing and helps fend off wrinkles, and white tea is a natural antioxidant that restores tired eyes.
100% Pure Organic Acai Berry Antioxidant Eye Cream: Acai berry has been marketed as the mother of berries, the best antioxidant out there. If you’re too afraid to jump wholeheartedly into the acai berry wagon, try it out first in small doses, with this eye cream. This baby is loaded with acai berry extract, which is known to protect the skin against environmental damage and to reduce signs of aging.
To apply eye cream, only a pea sized amount of the cream is needed for both eyes. Dot the cream onto the area area of your eye socket and then slowly, with the ring finger for the lightest pressure, slowly dot and smooth the cream into the skin. Never rush with eye cream — you don’t want to pull and tug at the delicate skin around your eye.
image from my polyvore
Continuing on with the Spring makeup series, this week’s focus is on colored eyeliner. Some of you may already be satisfied with just a pop of color on the lashes, but those of you looking for an extra pop of spring color that’s maintenance free, look no further than colored eyeliner.
For a pencil formula, Canadian brand Marie Natie has a great series of eyeliners that come in the most requested black and brown, as well as subtle colors such as blue, purple, and green. If you’re already sweeping blue mascara on those lashes, make the whites of your eyes even brighter by adding blue eyeliner to your upper eyelids. For a pop of color that is school-appropriate, try adding purple or green on your lower lash line. This all-natural eyeliner is made from jojoba oil, castor oil, beeswax, carnauba wax, oxide, and mica.
If you’re going out at night and want some extra wow factor, try liquid colored eyeliner. Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner comes in vivid shades such as Azure, an ocean blue, and Nile, a teal green. The eyeliner is fragrance free, water resistant, and hypo allergenic, great for contact lenses wearers. The formula contains moisturizing jojoba oil and aloe juice.
To apply liquid eyeliner, I usually start from the inner corner of my eyelid and with small strokes make my way to the outer corner of the eyelid. For a precise cat eye, you can try drawing the wing at the outer corner first, and then work your way back to the inner corner of your eye.
For more spring/summer inspirations, follow our new Pinterest board. If you tried out the look and want to share it with us, go ahead and pin it with the #nibella in the description. We can’t wait to see the spring looks that you come up with!
image from polyvore
Colored eyeshadow can be intimidating. Done right, and you’ll be admired. Done wrong, and you’ll find yourself soaking a cotton pad in eye makeup remover and having to start from point blank again. Adding a pop of color should not be hard, or intimidating — it should be fun. A great way to make your eyes pop without having to worry about eyeshadow creasing is by letting your eyelids take a back seat and allowing your lashes to take center stage. Yes ladies, I’m talking about colored mascara.
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