Farmers Market Skin Care: Cucumber Lemon Mint Facial

picture from Foodmomiac

The Cucumber Lemon Mint Facial is great for oily skin. Summer can be especially taxing on oilier complexions. The combination of sun exposure, sunscreen and increased heat can cause oily skin to go a little nuts, this combo will help soothe, cleanse and tone the skin. Mint naturally helps brighten dull skin and it's cooling properties are perfect for acne prone skin. Cucumber is high in skin soothing Vitamin C (more info here) and has astringent (pore tightening) qualities that make it a natural skin toner. Lemon peel adds Vitamin C and a bright uplifting scent with mild exfoliating properties. Lemon is also said to help rid skin of blackheads.

Grate 1 tsp. of fresh lemon peel add to a blender with 2 tsp. fresh mint with 1/2 peeled de-seeded cucumber. Apply and gently massage onto clean skin. Leave on for 15 mins, rinsing with cool/room temperature water. Apply witch hazel toner and a light moisturizer.

Use extra mint and lemon in ice water to create a refreshing beverage.

Farmers Market Skin Care: Strawberry Watermelon Facial

picture from Make it Do

A few weeks ago I saw a query for Farmers Market inspired facials in the media lead section of the IBN (Indie Beauty Network) site. I missed the deadline to respond but I was inspired to come up easy recipes anyone can do at home with a few farm fresh ingredients. More facials to come!

Strawberry Watermelon Facial

This facial was created with normal skin in mind but would definitely be lovely for oily, combination or even dry skin (for dry skin you may want to add half/half, jojoba or olive oil). Strawberries are filled with Vitamin C and fruit acids that gently exfoliate the skin. Vitamin C plays a vital roll in your skins production of collagen and it helps combat free radicals that can damage and age skin. Watermelon has a high water content so its great for re-hydrating skin. It also contains A, B and C vitamins. Our skin needs Vitamin A to maintain a healthy moisture balance and repair itself. Topically Vitamin A has been shown to reduce signs of aging. While B vitamins have been shown to tone skin and give it an instant glow. Plus the two make great summer snacks. :)

Recipe: Gently mash 2 strawberries with about 1/4 cup of watermelon. If mixture is too watery add 1 tsp. to 1 tbsp. of honey to help bind together. Apply mixture to clean damp skin and leave on for 10-15 min. Rinse with lukewarm water, follow with lavender flower water and light moisturizer.

The Soap Studio Part 1

A few weeks ago, I let everyone know about my exciting new soap studio and posted a few of my studio inspirations here. I would love to say that the soap room is looking as amazing as these studio spaces but I haven't quite completed my soap room project. I have basically gone from this:

to this:


which isn't horrible but it definitely needs some work. Here is the plan: Mister is going to build some extra shelving into the closet area, then I can re-organize a bit, reassessing the space to see if I need more organizational devices, I'll sew curtains to cover the closet (I haven't touched a sewing machine since I was 13, so that will be interesting), put up my bulletin board, then some art and I'll be much closer to my Etta + Billie soap studio vision. In the meantime, I am dealing with the semi-organized chaos. :)