Sunday Mask: DIY Avocado, Honey Mask

Hello all! Another Sunday has come upon us... Yay?? Haha. :P No, really though, who is ready for the upcoming week? Last week of February, today next week will be March 1st. Man...

Anyways, here is another mask recipe to pamper the face. The lack of sleep, the stress, the busy schedule all last week has not been kind to my skin. I can tell my skin is angry with me. I have never seen this many pimples appear on my face at once. Need to apologize, must apologize.

Remember that we had only used half of the avocado yesterday for the hair mask? Well pull that avocado out, or cut up another half and let's get our mask on! :D

AVOCADO, HONEY MASK

What You'll Need:
- 1/2 Ripe Avocado
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Saturday Hair Care: Avocado Hair Mask

Hello Saturday all! :) We are now on day 3 of the Lunar New Year, technically the last also, even though the "new year" goes on for another 7 days. It has been one heck of a busy three days, but finally today, I can let out a sigh of relief. A whole 'nother year until all these crazies will happen again.

I have some time on my hand earlier before I had to get ready for the fam gathering tonight. I have been neglecting everything about me, from my hair to my skin. Neither of which are happy with me might I add. I'll worry about my face tomorrow when I have more time, but for today, let's focus on the hair.

My hair is as natural as it gets, virgin hair as some hair enthusiast might call it. I haven an abundant head of healthy, thick, course hair. I usually don't do much to keep them shiny and healthy but not all things stay that way. I shouldn't really complain because it really isn't that bad but since it is the new years, I am supposed to wash my hair everyday for the last three days. I normally wash it every other day or every two days in the dead Winter months. With all the excessive washing, my hair has become very dry and any ounce of hydration is stripped from my hair.

Cue the DIY recipe for a hydrating hair mask made from avocado and banana, rinsed in apple cider vinegar. While the mask already will give you all the hydration needed, the apple cider vinegar will just be an extra boost.

AVOCADO HAIR MASK

What You'll Need:
- 1/2 Banana
- 1/2 Ripe Avocado
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar

Sunday Mask: Avocado

Hi guys! Hope you're all enjoying your weekend!! I sure am. :D Which in turn resulted in my weekend being very unproductive. Yeah... Did not get around to that tree yesterday either. LOL. I somehow got sucked into playing he Wii, for what was supposed to be an hour which ended up taking ALL day and night. Now, I cannot lift my arms; my limbs feel so foreign. Haha.

Procrastinate all I want but today is chores day. Boooo! Sunday is chore day, but Sunday is also mask day. Hooray for compensation. :P After the moisture and humid left Arizona, we are not back to our usual dry winter. My skin is not fairing well at all. It's become unbearably oily, yet manages to have random dry patches, and let's not even mention these pesky pimples. UGH! However, every problem has a solution, a very delicious solution at that today. Avocado, please come save the day!

The avocado is a super food; it is jam-packed with nutrients and vitamins. Avocados benefit not only your health (prevents certain cancer, heart health, eye health) but your features as well, like hair and skin. You can find avocado oil in a lot of your beauty products like shampoo, conditioner or skin care products.

Alright, let's get our mask on. ;)

AVOCADO MASK

What you'll need:
-1 Ripe Avocado
-1 Egg White
-1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice

What to do:
-Smash the avocado until there are no more clumps
-Add the egg white to the smashed avocado and mix thoroughly
-Lastly, add lemon juice and mix, mix mix

How to use it:
Apply the mask evenly to the face, always avoiding the eyes.
Let it dry for about 30 minutes before rinsing off.

Try using only half of the mask. One avocado will give you more than enough mask for one time use. Just scoop the half that's left into a clean jar or zip lock bag and throw it in the freezer for a later use. It will turn an icky brown but I assure you, it'll be fine to use still.

Wasn't that super quick and easy? Beauty is just that easy to maintain. Take 30 minutes to yourself and relax. Your skin will surely thank you down the road.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday guys!! Thanks for visiting and thank you for reading! :)

Sunday Mask: DIY Nourishing Face Mask

Hello Sunday everyone! Ah yes... I know, Sunday already. The weekend seem to just flew by.

I did not set foot outside yesterday so no new mosquito bites. Hooray! Yesterday's recipe really helped out a lot. My skin felt rehydrated so that ended up soothing the itch a whole lot. I lathered myself in Sarna lotion before heading off to bed. I was itch free all night and was able to finally sleep. I felt the need to further nourish my skin to help the healing process move along.

Unfortunately, I will have to move the Fall/Winter 2014 Beauty Trend to Tuesday since tomorrow is a manicure post. I really wanted to post it u before Fall officially starts, tomorrow, but I guess a day later is fine too. I'm sorry guys!!

So this is what's going on today.

NOURISHING FACE MASK

What you’ll need:
– 1/4 ripe avocado
– 1 tablespoon milk

** I will use a whole avocado for today's recipe since I will apply it on my arms and legs as well.

What to do:
– Take 1/4 of the ripe avocado to a clean bowl
– Start mashing the avocado into a lump-free paste
– Add the milk and mix it into a smooth paste

How to use it:
– Apply the mask onto your clean face
– While applying, do massage the mask onto your skin by moving your fingers in circular motions
– Let the mask sit for about 15 to 20 minutes
– Rinse your face in cool water thoroughly, the avocado will dry and will be super hard to wash off
– Pat to dry

And that is it guys, a very easy breezy recipe that will do your skin good. I hope you’ll give it a try and if you do, please do share how that works out for you.

I am off to go prep my nails for tomorrow. Please come back to join me for another Manicure Monday tomorrow. Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading guys! :)

Skincare Saturday: Skin Preparation for 20+ Hours Makeup (DIY Steam Facial & Moisturizing Mask)

Helllllo Saturday everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your weekend.

It's been one long week for me and unfortunately it doesn't end there. Although it is the weekend, I am crazy busy today. Reason? Answer, one day trip to Cali tomorrow.
We leave at 5 and there are endless of things to do before that. I gotta sleep early tonight also because I for the life of me cannot sleep in the car. What's worst, I get car sick easily. So it's like death for me to travel in a car for more than an hour at a time. Nooooot looking forward to it at all. But on the upside, we're going to Cali to stock up on food, I think it's currently fruit season right now. Mmhmm, fresh jackfruit, longan, rambutan, dragon fruit, durian...gahh! I also get to stock up on my beloved banana milk when we stop at H-Mart. They seriously need to have an H-Mart in Arizona. Making us drive six dang hours to Cali just to visit them.

Besides food we can take back to Arizona, are the endless restaurant choices at Little Saigon. Haha.
Intensive diet can be tucked aside for a day or two. Yummy food comes first. Also super ecstatic we get to stop by Banh Mi Che Cali (I prefer this over Lee's Sandwich if you're wondering) before leaving Cali. Thirty banh mi to-go please!

So tomorrow's blog will be posted early in the morning before I leave. By the time anyone reads it, I will probably be on my way or Cali-bound already. It'll be my "Today's Make Up" on super long lasting. I will have my makeup on for about...20 hours? So if you're interested in what I will use, please come visit tomorrow.

Which brings me to today's post. Maybe because I've been
stressing out or something, but my face has recently become a minefield. I take care of one and up sprouts another. I tried out a Mint Scrub yesterday; it seems to work? No new pimples today and the old ones seem to be losing the battle and will disappear soon. I had some left over from yesterday and used the remaining this morning when I got up.

My Mommy, being the all-knowing Mother that she is, asked me why I haven't done steam facial in a while. She was right, I have not done a steam facial since maybe January, back during the Winter. Ever since I can remember, my Mom would have me face steam to clear my pores and what not. I'm using this "recipe" as a facial steam but it was actually initially a sauna type steam for when you're sick, used by most Asians. Like say you caught a cold or flu and you feel weak, sluggish, unwell. They'll just brew this up and cover themselves tightly with a blanket or sheet with the hot pot inside and use the steam to sweat out the "bad sweat". I've actually been
forced to do this when I was younger and while I don't do this now as a cure for sickness, I will do it to clear my pores. I'll probably do this once or twice a year but for my face, I'll do it more frequently. Somehow, I  just blanked out and forgot about this.

I have to go to bed super early today because I'll have to be up by 3 at the latest. But before that, I'll whip up a quick face mask to help hydrate my face for tomorrow. I mentioned earlier that my makeup will be on for a good 20-ish hours so I already know my face will hate it for it. Giving it some attention for about 15 minutes will greatly make a difference tomorrow.

Now check out the recipes below. :)

DIY STEAM FACIAL - ASIAN STYLE (Family Recipe)

What You'll Need:
- 20 to 30 leaves of lemongrass (tied up into a knot)
- 10 leaves from a grapefruit tree
- 10 leaves from a lemon tree
- 1/2 ginger (smashed)
- water

What To Do:
- In a pot, throw in all of the ingredients at once.
- Fill the pot with water so that all of the ingredients are covered
- Place the lid on and bring to a boil on high
- Do check up on it every now and then because it might cause an overflow if it continues to boil

How To Use It:
Option 1 - Take the pot off of the stove, lid on and set aside. Hunch yourself over the pot, face directly over the pot and drape a large towel over your head to completely cover the pot. Slowly open the lid bit by bit to let the steam out. Be careful to not open the lid too much at a time or you might risk burning yourself. Continue until there are no longer no more steam OR until you feel like you've had enough. Pat to dry.
**Please, please, pleeeeease be extremely cautious because this is boiling water and hot steam we're dealing with. This could cause burns and/or injuries. I do not recommend this option for beginners or people with sensitive skin. I myself use this option because I have been doing this for years so I know the timing and limits.

Option 2 - Do not take the pot off of the stove but instead turn it to medium-low heat. Set it so that the water is continuously heated so there will be steam but not to the point of boiling. Completely remove the lid. Put your face directly over the pot and let the steam work its magic. Do this for 10-15 minutes OR until you feel like you've had enough. Pat to dry.
**I do recommend this for beginners but still, please be very careful!

Option 3 - If you're still uncomfortable with the idea of hunching over the stove, just pick the pot off the stove, take the lid off and put your face over it (without the towel) until there is no longer steam. Pat to dry.

This can actually be used for a few more times, three at least. Just leave it out on the counter and reheat it when you want to use it again. Don't worry about it going bad, I've done it before, maybe five days or so and it did not spoil.

My face feels super clean afterward, it's just an amazing feeling. One so hard to describe. I cannot believe I forgot about this facial. Mothers does know best. :P I will do this again tonight, before I go to bed.

___________________________________

DIY MOISTURIZING FACE MASK

What You'll Need:
- 1/4 avocado
- 1 teaspoon (plain) yogurt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil

What To Do:
- In a clean bowl, with a fork or spoon, mash up the avocado until it is lump and chunk free
- Add the yogurt and stir well
- Add the olive oil and give it one final good stir

How To Use It:
- Apply to a clean face
- Leave on for 30 minutes
- Rinse with warm water and pat dry

______________

Alrighty guys, hope you enjoyed these recipes. Check out other recipes I have posted before, here. Give 'em a try, most are super easy to prepare. Pamper your skin now, they'll repay you in 10 years.

Annnnd I'm off to finish preparing, among other things. Only a few hours before I need to head off to bed. Ugh, one day trips are so stressful. Hopefully the abundant of food will be worth it... :roll: haha, oh who am I kidding. OF COURSE it'll be WORTH it.

Final reminder guys, tomorrow's blog will go up super early tomorrow morning before I leave. I will compose the blog later so just a heads up.

Thank you for joining me again guys. I really appreciate each and every one of your visits. Thank you for reading and please come back soon! :)

Sunday Mask: DIY Nourishing Face Mask

Hello Sunday all! It's been a while but I am back to share with you all a new DIY face mask recipe!

If you keep up with my blog everyday (which I hope you do), you'll know that I recently suffered severe sun burn to my arms, neck and shoulders. For the last two days, I have worked endlessly to try and repair my damaged skin. My face is now healed although I do think I am darker than I was before. Would ya look at that, it IS possible for me to tan. My shoulder and neck are about 95% healed as it is no longer tender or red. The only area that is basically still tender to the touch, red and burning is my forearm.

But anyways, now that my skin is almost back to normal, I wanna give it an extra boost to speed up the recovery because I do plan on starting the filming process this week. I do hope everything will go according to plan, everything is already
delayed as is.

So today's recipe is fairly easy, it only requires two ingredients. While both milk and avocado will provide my skin hydration, milk soften hard, tough skin and avocado contains Vitamin E and healthy fats.

NOURISHING FACE MASK

What you'll need:
- 1/4 ripe avocado
- 1 tablespoon milk

What to do:
- Take 1/4 of the ripe avocado to a clean bowl
- Start mashing the avocado into a lump-free paste
- Add the milk and mix it into a smooth paste

How to use it:
- Apply the mask onto your clean face
- While applying, do massage the mask onto your skin by moving your fingers in circular motions
- Let the mask sit for about 15 to 20 minutes
- Rinse your face in cool water thoroughly, the avocado will dry and will be super hard to wash off
- Pat to dry

I already did this earlier today and I plan on using it three more days this upcoming week. The left over avocado I will store in an air tight container until I use it again.

And that is it guys, a very easy breezy recipe that will do your skin good. I hope you'll give it a try and if you do, please do share how that works out for you.

I am off to go prep my nails for tomorrow. Please come back to join me for another Manicure Monday tomorrow. Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading guys! :)

Saturday Facial: DIY Hydrating Face Mask

Helloo everyone! The first day of the three-day weekend, how do you feel? Any plans for today?

It's actually a chillaxing day for me today. Had a few errands like going to the store for tomorrow's BBQ and taking my Mom to her appointment but I was able to squeeze in some time for a face mask this morning. It was much needed. I went swimming yesterday and despite the full out protection, I still received some minor sunburn to my face. My skin is slightly red and tightly stiff. On my forehead area, there's also slight drying. All of this calls for a hydrating, moisturizing face mask.

HYDRATING FACE MASK

What you'll need:
- 1/4 ripe Avocado, mashed
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Coconut Oil

What to do:
- Cut up 1/4 of a ripe avocado (your best option is to eat the other 3/4 but you can totally save it for another mask also)
- Mash the avocado with a spoon in a clean bowl
- Add the honey and coconut oil
- Mix everything together thoroughly to make a paste

How to use it:
- Apply the mask on a clean face
- While applying the mask, do also try to massage the mask on by moving your fingers in circular motions
- Let the mask sit for about 15-20 minutes
- Give your face a final massage before rinsing it off with warm water
- Pat dry with a towel or tissue

So why these three ingredients? Within these three ingredients, there are Zinc, Vitamins E and K and other B-Complex Vitamins present. Simply put, Zinc is able to reverse damage, Vitamin K brightens the skin while Vitamin E reduces skin pigmentation and B-Complex Vitamins reduce redness and skin irritation.

After using this mask this morning, my skin immediately became rejuvenated. The slight redness from the minor sunburn, the tightness, stiffness, dried up skin is now replaced by moisturized, hydrated soft skin. Not only was I able to repair my skin from yesterday's damage, I also prepped it for tomorrow. We're having a Memorial Day BBQ tomorrow and I'll have make up on for most of the day.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and will give a try. Check out another Avocado face mask recipe I posted a while ago or if you'd rather want another sun-soothing mask, this Aloe Vera mask is my go to after swimming. Enjoy your three-day weekend everyone. Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading guys! :) 

Sunday Mask: Avocado

The avocado is a super food; it is jam-packed with nutrients and vitamins. Avocados benefit not only your health (prevents certain cancer, heart health, eye health) but your features as well, like hair and skin. You can find avocado oil in a lot of your beauty products like shampoo, conditioner or skin care products.

AVOCADO MASK

What you'll need:
-1 Ripe Avocado
-1 Egg White
-1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice

What to do:
-Smash the avocado until there are no more clumps
-Add the egg white to the smashed avocado and mix thoroughly
-Lastly, add lemon juice and mix, mix mix

How to use it:
Apply the mask evenly to the face, always avoiding the eyes.
Let it dry for about 30 minutes before rinsing off.

Try using only half of the mask. One avocado will give you more than enough mask for one time use. Just scoop the half that's left into a clean jar or zip lock bag and throw it in the freezer for a later use. It will turn an
icky brown but I assure you, it'll be fine to use still.

Wasn't that super quick and easy? Beauty is just that easy to maintain. Take 30 minutes to yourself and relax. Your skin will surely thank you down the road.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday guys and thanks for reading! :)