Give yourself a (facial) Boost!

We all need a little boost in our lives- the extra oomph here and there to help with our goals. This applies to our skin & beauty routine as well. If your face has been feeling a bit blah lately, I recommend checking out the new facial mask by Somme Institute called Boost. It's a gentle mask that actually warms up when it's left on your skin, due to a key ingredient zeolite. I usually leave a thin layer of the mask on for about 4-5 minutes or when it hardens. I also replace cleansing w/ a mask sometimes to save some time. The Boost mask is great for my combination skin b/c it contains kaolin to absorb the oil on my face. What makes this mask unique is its patented technology and it uses pumpkin enzymes to help with with cellular regeneration. I haven't tried any other mask before that has this warm, pumpkin pie scent! It really smells like the holidays- Thanksgiving anyone?

Overall, I enjoyed using this mask because my face looks and feels a lot more energized and refreshed. Along with weekly exfoliation, this facial mask will help you get that boost come winter time! Available at select online retailers and Somme Institute here.

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Relax this weekend DIY Beauty Recipes

Reduce Stress with Natural Homemade Beauty Recipes

Work, home, the economy -- it's all too much! Get stress relief with these soothing treatments

Let's face it: these are pretty stressful times. And since most of us don't have the budget for a spa massage or facial, we need to make do with home remedies. All of these are quick, easy and you can make them with stuff that's already in your kitchen (so they're cheap too!). Take a moment to indulge, you deserve it! See recipes

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Ring in the New Year with DIY Beauty Masks

I am an avid magazine reader- currently subscribed to over 15 magazines, mostly women's interest magazines and some business ones as well.

I received the February 1, 2009 issue of Woman's Day this past week and it's not even the new year and I'm already getting February's issue! I can't complain though because the magazine revolves around getting Discounts/Sales and Ways to Get Healthier! (Two of my favorite subjects)

Woman's Day included an article on DIY masks using all natural, simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen or bathroom cabinets. I have been meaning to write a blog post on this because it has been the subject of a beauty consultation I've had recently. The topic was more on getting rid of blackheads but beauty masks seemed the next natural (no pun intended) step.

Since this article is not on their website yet, I will not post their DIY recipes until they do so. (Link to be added soon!)

The recipes they include are Honey-Banana hair smoothie (hint: another ingredient is a tablespoon of yogurt), Milk and Honey Facial Mask (another ingredient is: Powdered milk) and Essential Body Scrub (using sugar and olive oil.)

After a quick internet search, I found many sites that list DIY facial mask recipes, depending on your skin type. Some that I liked are:
Fat Free Kitchen- http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/beauty/facial-masks.html
About.com:Beauty- http://beauty.about.com/od/skinflaws/a/facemasks.htm

Another comprehensive site which lists many recipes to homemade masks is at TotalBeauty.com- Natural Homemade Beauty Care Tips.

Their recipes include:
-Aloe Vera Facial Cleanser
-Chamomile and Oatmeal Facial Scrub
-Rich Avocado Facial
-Honey Lip Scrub
-Pineapple Sage Facial Mask
-Hand and Foot Sugar Scrub
-Lavender Bath
-Skin Firming Clay Mask
-Cucumber-Honey Toner
-Green Tea Toner
-Tropical Eye Cream
-All-Purpose Olive Oil Moisturizer

I had previously tried a recipe similar to the Honey Lip Scrub, but I used for my hands/arms instead. The recipe exfoliates well because of the sugar, so it leaves you with soft skin.

Some masks that I have tried before were simply plain yogurt and plain avocado, but now I have these recipes- with just a few more natural ingredients-to look forward to using for the new year!

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year everyone!!Let me know if you have tried out any of these recipes and which worked best for you!