DIY spa: avocado face mask!

This post was generously submitted by Michelle, one of the talents at Skana, the spa located at Turning Stone Resort and Spa in glorious upstate New York!  Thanks Michelle - this sounds divine!!

Summer is quickly approaching, and thanks to Mother Nature's last minute cold weather, some of us are still battling the wintertime blues. Dry, scaly skin is definitely not something that we women want to show off as the temperatures heat up and we start to reveal more and more of our skin. As wives and mothers extra time and money can be hard to come by sometimes. Everyone loves to get away for a day relaxation and wellness at the spa but sometimes that just isn’t an option. However there are alternatives, with some ingredients you probably have in your kitchen you can make your own facemask that will give you the same results.

If your face is particularly dry, you will undoubtedly be looking for a facial mask that can slough away dead winter skin while softening the baby soft skin underneath. Avocados are packed with nutrients that can nourish your body from the inside out, so it is no surprise that an avocado facial mask can make a complexion glow. Add a little citrus fruit to the mix and your face will be thanking you for letting it show its softer, suppler side.

What you need

One ripe avocado

Juice from half of an orange

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

A knife

A fork

A medium size bowl

Note: Since this mask features fresh ingredients, you will need to use it within a few days of creation.

Directions

Use your knife the cut the avocado in half. Remove and discard the pit. Scrape all of the fruit into your bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Use a fork to mash all of the ingredients together to create a smooth and creamy paste. Wash your face and neck, making sure to rinse away all of the residue completely. Pat dry and use your fingers to smooth the mask on your face and neck, making sure to avoid the eye area. Lay down somewhere quiet, close your eyes and relax for the next 20-25 minutes while you allow your facial mask to seep in. When time is up, rinse your face using warm and cool water, alternating between the two. Pat dry and apply a toner then moisturize as usual. For a truly spa-like experience, turn off all the lights, light some scented candles and pop your favorite relaxing music into your cd player.

skin like a geisha

 
Tatcha is a new skin care line, deeply rooted in the ancient Eastern beauty secrets of the luminous geisha.  They generously sent me some divine samples of their luxurious beauty products.  When I say "luxurious" I mean it...we are talking facial blotting papers laced with actual gold, moisturizers made from silk, crushed pearl and other products made from natural rice bran, red algae and green tea.  Talk about a sumptuous experience.

TATCHA rediscovered the coveted daily regimes of the geisha in a 200 year-old ancient manuscript, written in the twilight of Japan’s Edo Period. Traveling back to the City of 2000 Temples (Kyoto), TATCHA has worked with teams of scientists, scholars and geisha themselves to decipher the rituals and ingredients from this text.  What we uncovered is the very foundation of Eastern skincare and beauty.

They offer the opportunity to purchase a sample sized travel kit of their products so you can try their skin care ritual at an affordable price.  Also - their blotting papers are a great price, $12 - a perfect stocking stuffer or gift for your bridesmaides!!   I'm pretty sure my beauty bag will always have their blotting papers in it - I am sold!  (oh...and I should mention that they provide THREE FREE samples with every order!!)

i've given up on makeup

on mother's day!

 In recent months I have streamlined my morning routine by skipping makeup. (Well...almost.)

I think I've worn eye makeup for the past 15 or so years...sometimes eyeliner, sometimes brow filler, always eyeshadow and mascara...with curled eyelashes.  Pretty basic makeup for the rest of my face...lipgloss or chapstick, some Bare Mineral foundation and a dash of blush.  Maybe it sounds like a lot of makeup?  I dunno....it never took me longer than 5 minutes...and I am by no means a beauty guru. 

I realized that I would wear a LOT of makeup on bad skin days...or weeks...or months...or series of months.  Yet, I found that when I piled on the makeup, I would be even more preoccupied with how I looked...if I need to touch something up, if I smudged it, if I looked like I was trying too hard?  I never wanted to look like I was trying to hard...which is exactly how I'm sure I looked.  (Maybe.)

I think I kiss her 4,987 times per day.  Or more.

Many of the female doctors that I work with, and ADMIRE, don't bother with the whole make up thing at all....or they wear so little that it looks completely natural.  Same goes for my favorite female professors in both undergrad and medical school.  Gosh, this even goes for some of the lovely role models in my family.  These ladies appear so confident with themselves, and uninterested in presenting themselves as beauties.  They present themselves as smart, no-nonsense, down to Earth women.  They are pretty but don't appear to obsess with their looks...and certainly don't define their self worth with their beauty (which is admiral...and very difficult to do in our world.) Now...all of these women present themselves well, and I am not suggesting that they don't care what they look like...but as far as makeup goes many of them were minimalists.  And now, I think it looks sharp...and appealing.  (Or maybe I'm just turned off by glitzing myself up, now?)

I quit wearing eyeshadow a few months ago.  And brow filler.  And I haven't worn eyeliner since Halloween.  I still wear mascara...(on days that I don't wear it people ask me if I am sick...my eyelashes are blond.)  I'll occasionally throw on some Bare Minerals over my sunscreen...and my trusty chapstick is still a must.  

I wonder if this is a phase. 

I'll take it.  I find this rather liberating.

*note...eyeshadow is kind of fun to apply...but so far I don't miss it. I'll probably go a little glam for date nights...if we ever have another one of those :-)

cheap mascara

I used to be sold on expensive mascara - I loved any of the items MAC sold.  Then my student loans started kicking my ass and mini luxuries had to get re-prioritised.... and thus began my search for awesome cheap mascara 5 years ago.

The good Lord blessed me with many things...lush dark eyelashes were not one of them.  Mine are blond...if I don't wear mascara people ask me if I am ill, so I tend to wear it all the time. 

I don't like spider-leg looking lashes...or when my lashes all stick together...or when the lash product barely comes out of the tube requiring a gazillion coats.  I can honestly say that I would try a cheap mascara (various brands really) and get disgusted and then buy an expensive brand.... it was very cyclical. 

Then Christmas came and Tommy was in charge of my Santa stocking.  He filled it to the brim with all sorts of little stuffers - including a mascara.  I kindof rolled my eyes at the mascara.. it was Covergirl... not "good" stuff... but the fact he ventured into the makeup aisle at all was very sweet.  Needless to say, a couple months later I found myself needing a new one and trying the one he got me.

IT WAS AMAZING!!  I am totally sold on Covergirl's Lashblast Fusion....it's even better than the expensive mascaras I was once so hooked on.  It's so funny that it took my hubby randomly picking up the first mascara he saw in the drugstore to be one that I like so much...after my years of searching!! 

Are there any cheap products that you happen to love?? 

Ummm...in case anyone might be wondering - this isn't a sponsored post or anything - just wanted to share my cheap mascara thrill with my readers :-)

my fave make-up

I do my own make-up everyday anyway...I figured I could handle this task.  Tommy totally hooked me up for my Valentine's Day present, and gave me a giftcard to M.A.C. cosmetics - I waited to cash it in until the week before the wedding.  Let me recommend some of the products that totally rocked my bridal face off :-)  As you can see....my look was more natural than glam...which was what I was going for.

Eyeshadow
A product I never used before that I totally fell in love with was the Paint Eyeshadow.  It never creases and helps the other shadows stay in place beautifully.  This was my single greatest product purchase...I totally heart this stuff and wear it LOTS!

Lips
A friend of mine used the Pro Longwear Lipcolour for her wedding and her lips were the perfect color all night.  So I wanted to use that same product.  The color lasted forever - and I never reapplied another coat of color (but I did forget the lipgloss top layer at home, so I didn't have the shiny lips all night!) A little sidenote about these products is that there are lots of little "glitters" in the gloss...and I'm not exactly a glitter makeup fan...but I liked it anyway. :-)

Cheeks
I told the makeup consultant that I was interested in a "dewy" complexion.  She recommended this blush called,  Blushcreme.  I used this, and it was fine, but there are so many sparkles in it that I can't bring myself to use it in real life.  Sooo...

Foundation
I'm a BareEscentuals foundation girl through and through.

Photo primer
A friend of mine swore that this Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer was awesome.  I bought it last summer and use frequently for special occasions - I'm a huge fan!  My face can get pretty shiny....so this stuff keeps the shine at bay. 

Those were my favorite wedding beauty products.  Just wanted to share my little 2 cents.

*note:  Sera asked about what mascara I used...I used a Smashbox waterproof mascara in Black Black.  Didn't love...don't recommend it.