the frugal chef-recession recipes for radiant skin

as much as we all LOVE our luxury beauty products, we probably LIKE saving our shillings a wee bit more these days, so i thought it was a good time to whip out a short list of ingredients and share my recipes for radiant skin that will help you keep more money in your pocketbooks and a bigger smile on your face.

1. BAKING SODA exfoliator-my favorite skin polisher-add a dime sized amount to your favorite cleanser and buff away any dead skin cells while minimizing your pores-it really works...it's my favorite trick before a big event! (you can also dip your toothbrush in for some extra whitening action too)

2. HONEY AND EGG WHITE mask-this will make a babies bottom seem rough-in a bowl, mix a teaspoon of honey and an egg white or two....whisk and apply to your face and neck with a clean  medium sized brush....layer if you like.  let dry then rinse....ahhhhh!  follow with your fav moisturizer or press in some olive oil.

3.  SUGAR AND HONEY body polisher-mix 1 part honey with 1 part sugar (enough for your whole body) and jump in the shower.  wet your skin then vigorously introduce and work the scrub on all your parts that need it.  rinse and glow.

4. OLIVE OIL moisture seal-after your body is squeaky clean, but before you towel off-work the olive oil into your wet skin.  this will help to seal in the moisture and keep your skin super supple.  towel off excess water and oil.  you can also use it for a hot oil treatment by combing it through your tresses and wrapping a plastic bag around your head for 20-30 minutes (add heat for more intense results) then shampoo and condition as needed.

5.  SEA SALT bath soak- pour half of a large container of sea salt into the running water as you fill up the tub.  soak for as long as you like.  not only does the sea salt help to heal the skin, but it also helps to pull out excess water and toxins and many mystics believe that it pulls out bad energy too:)

 

lash growth therapy...

Being the child of a half Chinese and Hawaiian father and an Italian, Scottish, Dutch mother....things could have gone either way with regard to my lashes....my mother having picture perfect, long, thick eyelashes with an enviable natural curl and all, but that would have been too easy-instead, I of course inherited my fathers short, bone straight Asian ones.  You know-the ones that virtually disappear when uncurled and are without lacquer.  Well fast forward to the beginning of this decade, back when I held the title of Blackbook Magazine's beauty editor, and my very first beauty product that I presented to my editor-in-chief to be featured in our very first pages dedicated to beauty was Mavala's Eye-Lite Double Lash.   It promised to encourage hair growth and fullness...and while this did little else than condition my lashes, it put the idea in my head that this WAS possible.  After all, we'd been sending men to the moon for a good 30 some odd years by this time....I mean if you believe the Neil Armstrong story...but my point is-we SHOULD have the technology!  Fast forward to right now-we do indeed have the technology and it WORKS!!! While I wasn't privy to Jan Marini's original lash growth formula (by the time I had discovered it's miraculous claims-it had been taken off the market), but without regret because I was introduced to Revitalash!  All I can say is IT REALLY WORKS!! I now enjoy what I thought only possible with surgical adhesive and synthetic, perfectly curled, long hairs glued to my eyes....my very own longer, fuller, thicker darker eyelashes!    But wait, there's more!!!  (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)  Upon further discovery I found another product that is supposed to deliver the same results without irritation called LiLash...I've personally NEVER had any irritation from Revitalash but understand that it is somewhat prevalent, so if you have been craving your very own longer thicker lashes, check out LiLash and for those of you over-tweezer's out there, there is LiBrow as well.  I imagine that it has to be a similar if not the same formula, so if you're on a budget....use just the one!  You can search "Lilash" to go to there site to learn more, but shop around....you'll find this product that is 139.- for a lot less elsewhere.  

CLICK the title link "Lash Growth Therapy" to goto www.youtube.com/slpbeaute "the REAL makeup show w/ Shawnelle Prestidge to watch fun comprehensive makeup tutorials in there entirety. 

cirque de beaute'

A wee peek at my latest beauty story...to see it in it's entirety Click on the title link "Cirque de Beaute" above.