Saturday Steam Facial

Happy Saturday all! Hope you all had a great break. Please enjoy this Saturday to its fullest extent because we are back to the normal two days weekend now. :)

The last couple of weeks have been very stressful so it's not hard to see why I've neglected my skincare routine since. I haven't been diligently doing scrubs and mask and facials. I mean I have, but not as much as I'd like. Thank goodness there's not much problem that needs handling. But the oil though...

It's okay, it's been a good while since I've given my face a nice steam facial.What better day to do it then on a chilly day like today? Now, let's go cleanse those impurities from the pores!

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

Skincare Saturday: DIY Cucumber & Aloe Vera Mask

Hello Saturday everyone! I hope you're enjoying your weekend. :)

Who else is having skin problems during these devastating Winter months? By problems, I am referring to dry, itchy skin, maybe from the stripping of moisture from the weather or from showering or bathing in warm, hot water. Whatever the case may be, my skin needs to be tended to, like pronto!

Today's recipe is composed of two ingredients and two ingredients only. Not only are cucumbers flushes out toxins and keeps is hydrated, it is also packed with skin friendly minerals. Aloe vera are usually used to alleviate sunburns or burns for that matter, it rejuvenates the skin to be good as new. Haha.

With that said, let's just get our mask on!

CUCUMBER & ALOE VERA MASK

What you’ll need:
-1/2 a Cucumber
-a medium leaf of Aloe Vera
*This recipe yields one mask; if you want to use an entire cucumber, add another leaf of Aloe Vera. Place the unused mask in a container with a lid and store in the fridge for no more than two days.

**For today, I will double the recipe so I can use it on my legs and arms.

Skincare Saturday: Brown Sugar

Hi all! Hope you're all enjoying your weekend!! :)

Alrighty, getting to the point, another Saturday at home means another Skincare Saturday it is. Not really a mask today but more of a scrub. Only three ingredients needed, very basic, very simple.

With it being Winter, I know I moisturize religiously. With all the moisturizing, I can't help but realize how much unnecessary buildup there are. This is why I like to exfoliate my skin every now an then. Don't do it too often because that will just strip your skin and instead of benefiting, you'll be doing the opposite. Do it just the right amount and exfoliation will remove dead skin cells for a healthier glow.

Let's get our scrub on!

BROWN SUGAR

What You'll Need:
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Nutmeg

Saturday Steam Facial

Happy Saturday all! Hope you all had a great break. Please enjoy this Saturday to its fullest extent because we are back to the normal two days weekend now. :)

The last couple of weeks have been very stressful so it's not hard to see why I've neglected my skincare routine since. I haven't been diligently doing scrubs and mask and facials. I mean I have, but not as much as I'd like. Thank goodness there's not much problem that needs handling. But the oil though...

It's okay, it's been a good while since I've given my face a nice steam facial.What better day to do it then on a chilly day like today? Now, let's go cleanse those impurities from the pores!

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 counterand 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.

Give this steam facial a try you guys. Your skin will thank you in the long run. My skin has been thanking me by being clear and acne free; it also controls somewhat of the oil excretions too.

Thank you so much for visits and thank you for reading. Please come back soon! :)

Saturday Facial: DIY Warm Oatmeal Mask

Hello, hello Saturday my pretty snowflakes. :) How are y'all doing on this very chilly day? Staying toasty I hope. I'm serious, it is a "toasty" 3o-ish degree today in the AZ. I would not have gotten out of bed if it wasn't necessary but I had too. Uncle and aunt went to Cali until Sunday so the bro and I babysitting the "kids" and house sitting.

Almost 2 whole days with these (not so) little kiddos, which are 15, 11 and 9 by the way, so not kids at all but they'll always be kids in my eyes. We have enough board games that will last us for 2 weeks. Haha. But kids do get bored quick so we gotta be prepared. They're actually pestering me to hurry up and blog so we can start. Ooooooppps. :roll:

I am all bundled, mug of hot cocoa in hand. All I am missing is a warm mask on my face. I crave for warmth!! Very easy mask recipe today, only 3 ingredients. So what are we waiting for, let's get our mask on!

WARM OATMEAL MASK

What You'll Need:
- 1/4 Cup Oatmeal (cooked)
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons Yogurt

Saturday Scrub: DIY Mint Scrub

Saturday greetings  my pretties!!

I bring you another recipe, this time, a scrub. This recipe, unlike the others I have present you is a little time consuming and have various steps but it is worth it at the end.

Pimples have been sprouting on my face like weeds. Ugh. I'll take care of one and in comes a new one the next day. This scrub recipe is natural and healthy.

MINT SCRUB

What You'll Need:
- 1/2 a cucumber (solids)
- 1 tablespoon instant milk powder
- 1 tablespoon oats
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 15 mint leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon (plain) yogurt (optional)

What To Do:
- Depending on how strong your food processor/blender is, you might need to cut up the cucumber to appropriate sizes; after it's cut up, put it in a blender/food processor to blend
- Strain the blended cucumbers and keep the solids and discard the juices
- With a blender/food processor OR a mortar and pestle OR finely chop the mint leaves
- In a bowl, add the oats and milk powder and mix well
- Add the cucumber solids and mix, mix, mix
- Add the mint leaves and mix 'em up
- Lastly, add the honey and mix that in, make sure everything is well mixed

How To Use It:
*Make sure you'll have about 10 minutes of free time because this scrub will fall crumble if you walk around so it is extremely important for you to sit or lay down.
- Apply the scrub to a clean face
- Leave it on for about 10 minutes
- Slowly walk yourself over to a sink, but be careful that the now dried up ingredients might drop all over your house
- Over the sink, use clean fingers to scrub the mask in circular motion until all of the mask have fall off
- Rinse off with cool water and pat to dry

I'll use this scrub again tomorrow and hopefully that will clear up or prevent the pimples.  I am crossing my fingers and hope that my face will clear out soon.

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading everyone. Enjoy your weekend!! Come back soon! :)

Skincare Saturday: Almond Scrub & Lip Scrub

Hello, hello Saturday everyone!! Hope y'all are enjoying your weekend! :)

I'm leaving y'all with my two super trusted scrub recipes I've used for years and years. One is an almond scrub for the face while the other is a lip scrub. Go ahead and check them out down below. If you give any of the recipes a go, please do let me know your experience with 'em. :P

ALMOND SCRUB

You will need:
- 1 teaspoon of Almond Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Honey
- Water (optional)

What to do:
- Mix 1 teaspoon of Almond Powder and Honey to form a paste  in a small bowl

* You can apply the paste just like that or you can add a tad water to make it more liquidy.

How to use it:
- I recommend using a brush to apply the paste onto the face
- Leave on for about 5 to 10 minutes
- Use your fingers to massage your face, the grains act as an exfoliation
- Rinse with warm water and finish with a splash of cool water
- Pat to dry

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BROWN SUGAR, HONEY LIP SCRUB

What you’ll need:
- 2 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon of Honey

What to do:
- Mix everything together thoroughly.
- Place the scrub in a covered container.
- Refrigerate for about an hour.

How to use it:
- Mix the scrub again with a spoon to make sure everything is blended.
- With the spoon or your fingers, pick up as much scrub as you feel adequate.
- Gently massage the scrub onto your lips, in a back and forth, up and down motion for about 30 seconds.
(You can also use a soft-bristle toothbrush too.)
- Rinse with warm water.
- Gently wipe clean.
- Apply your favorite lip balm for hydration.

I use this scrub diligently during the cooler seasons like Fall and Winter. I do use it from time to time during the Summer and Spring, but not my lips doesn't need that much of a boost in warmer seasons. Fall/Winter trends call for dark, vampy lips. From wearing such lip colors constantly can and will stain your lips and make them appear more pigmented than they should. Using this scrub weekly will lift away those stains, keeping your pouters pretty and pink.

And I'm off to get things done. Super hectic at my house today. Hope y'all enjoyed this post.

As always, I really appreciate each and everyone of my visitors. Thanks a bunches for reading. Come back soon! :)

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SONG OF THE DAY/MOMENT

Skincare Saturday: DIY Cucumber & Aloe Vera Mask

Hello Saturday everyone! I hope you're enjoying your weekend. :)

We are officially two days away from entering the Fall season. Yep, mark your calendars guys, September 22 is the first day of Fall. I was suppose to post the Fall/Winter 2014 Beauty Trends today but I will hold that off for a later day. Because today, I cannot sit still to type for the life of me. I am soooo ITCHY! About 70% or 80% of my legs and arms are covered in mosquito bites! It's hideous and uncomfortable. I have been crazily scratching at the bites to no avail. I've tried lotions and so many other remedies. I am going crazy with this itch!!!!

From all the scratching I've been doing the last couple of days, my skin is just horrible. So dried and gross. I need something to dehydrate my skin again. This recipe never fails me when it comes to repairing sun damage, so I am hoping it'll soothe my itchiness.

CUCUMBER & ALOE VERA MASK

What you’ll need:
-1/2 a Cucumber
-a medium leaf of Aloe Vera

*This recipe yields one mask; if you want to use an entire cucumber, add another leaf of Aloe Vera. Place the unused mask in a container with a lid and store in the fridge for no more than two days.

**For today, I will double the recipe so I can use it on my legs and arms.

What to do:
– Cut a cucumber in half. Leave out the half you’ll use and put away the other half.
-Wash and peel.
-Cut off the serrated edges on both sides of the Aloe Vera.
-Slit the top layer of the leaf lengthwise. You will see the translucent Aloe Vera gel inside.
-Carefully fillet the Aloe Vera gel from the leaf.
-Place the Aloe Vera gel in a bowl
-Blend the Cucumber to a puree.
-Add the Aloe Vera to the puree and blend.

*You can add a bit of water if the mask comes out too thick.

How to use it:
-Apply the mask onto a clean face.
-Leave for about 15 minutes.
-Rinse in cold water.

Ahhhhhh, my skin is now rehydrated and rejuvenated. A very easy recipe, yet such a life saver. :)

Thank you for joining me and thanks for reading. :)

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.

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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

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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! :)