Wannabe a Cheapskate?

Check out my SIL Barbie's wonderful money saving blog Wannabe Cheapskate, where she shares her forays into super coupon shopping and saving money for her family. Barbie is the reason I was brave enough to try coupon shopping for myself and I'm so glad I did! You can be sure that as soon as I get transportation again, I will be planning a couponing trip to get rid of these withdrawals once and for all. Yes, it's addictive. In a great way.

Barbie will be featuring weekly homemade spa recipes (by moi!), cheapskate style! Although I will continue my Thursday spa night posts (I can't survive without them!), the cheapskate recipes will not be repeated here on Beauty and Inspiration. Which is great for you because now you'll be getting TWO spa recipes every week! So please make sure to check out Wannabe Cheapskate regularly for more beautifully frugal spa posts via yours truly. Today you can read my post for Cucumber Conditioning Treatment over at Wannabe Cheapskate.  I know you'll enjoy reading about Barbie's awesome deals and maybe pick up some tips for your next shopping trip! She's living proof that you can be a busy wife and mom, have a blossoming career in teaching and save serious money at the same time. Truly inspirational.

So add that cucumber spa recipe to your homemade repertoire, read up on the Cheapskate posts you've missed and get ready for a fabulous week, you beautiful people!

Spa Night: For Raznoggle 5/06/2010

This post is especially for a fellow blogger at Raznoggle.com, a dear friend of mine who is dealing with some skin changes in her pregnancy. I promised I'd recommend some homemade spa products for her skin type and here they are! Everything here is for dry, sensitive skin with a focus on smoothing, healing and hydrating.

Three steps to happy skin:

Step 1: Remove dead cells and make room for new growth 

Unveil your sweet new skin: If you don't want to make a huge batch of sugar scrub, you can still get the benefits of using this natural exfoliator in your daily skin cleansing and save the majority of kitchen sugar for your coffee!

Lather up your face with your favorite cleanser, then take a small handful of granulated sugar (just a few tablespoons will do) and massage the granules all over your skin for about 30 seconds. Be extra gentle around the sensitive nose and eye area. Rinse off the soap and sugar to reveal smoother, baby soft skin. I use this every day and love it as an alternative to buying expensive scrubs.

Step 2: Nourish your skin with a moisturizing mask. Now that the older dull skin has been sloughed off, let's pamper the new cells and set them up to be moisturized and glowing! I've got three of my favorite masks for you to choose from.

Quenching Mask for smooth, moisturized skin

1/2 small avocado
1/4 cup Honey

-Peel and mash avocado and add honey until you have a thick paste.
-Apply to clean skin and leave on for 15 minutes
-Rinse with cool water.
Skin should feel beautifully soft and quenched!
*This is the mask I"ll be doing tonight. Yay!

Soothing Moisture Mask to heal, soothe and hydrate

 

1 Tbs plain yogurt (w/ live enzymes is best. Hey! a reason to make Crockpot Yogurt! Haha)
Honey
1 Tbs oatmeal

The finer you can get the oatmeal the better. I've used a blender before to blend half a cup of oatmeal almost to a powder, then set aside the remainder in a zip top bag for future spa treatments.

-Warm a spoon by placing in a mug of hot water for 2 minutes.
-Add 4 to 5 drops of honey to the spoon, so honey will be well warmed. 
-In a small bowl, mix yogurt and oatmeal with your honeyed spoon until all ingredients are well blended.
-Apply to clean face and neck, massaging with fingertips to stimulate circulation.
-Relax for 15 minutes as your mask sets. Rinse with warm water and apply moisturizer.
Enjoy your silky smooth, freshly nourished skin!
*This yogurt honey mask is a favorite of mine. My skin feels so silky afterward!*

Deep Conditioning Mask for skin that needs moisture - quick!

1/2 Avocado.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Peel and mash avocado.
-In small bowl, mix in olive oil 1 Tbs at a time until you have a smooth, spreadable paste.
-Apply to clean face and neck. Let it soak into thirsty skin for 10-15 minutes.
-Remove with warm water and revel in your kissably soft, newly conditioned skin :)
*I've used this in the winter for quick hydration. It works wonders!

Step 3: Apply toner and/or moisturizer and enjoy. You're done! It will be hard not to keep touching your baby soft skin :)

Soothing Toner

 The best toner for dry or sensitive skin is the simplest. Green tea! Brew a cup and keep it in the fridge. Apply onto freshly cleansed skin before you moisturize. Replace every 3 to 4 days with a fresh batch.

Witch hazel is also a great gentle toner, but is a little more drying than green tea.

FUN FACTS:
Honey is a naturally gentle cleanser that will aid in healing and leave your skin soft and smooth.
Yogurt, another natural antibacterial, soothes and softens, locking in moisture.
Oatmeal will soothe irritated or dry skin that is developing sensitivity.
Avocado and Extra Virgin Olive Oil are amazing deep conditioners. Use on hair and skin for great results!
Green tea is a wonderful antioxidant that can also soothe dry skin. It's rumored to have anti-aging qualities as well.

SWEET TIP: If dry skin is extremely sensitive and becomes irritated when wearing homemade masks, apply a thin layer of warm honey to skin and then apply the mask on top of that. The honey will act as a breathable filter for your skin, softening and cleansing while allowing the mask ingredients to seep through and work through the protection of the honey 'shield'.

Hope these options help your skin feel fabulous, Raznoggle darling. Who knows? One of these might be your new favorite spa treatment :) Happy pampering!

Arkansas Bloggers

Click here to be taken to Arkansas Bloggers if you're interested in getting to know some fellow bloggers in my state. I'm hoping to become better acquainted with them myself. You'll see that I signed in at #92 and then resigned at #93 to include more info. Ha! Yes, rookie blogger here. Someday I'll learn to navigate all this good bloggery internet stuff. Go to Arkansas Bloggers if you'd like to sign up and link your AR blog. Thanks to Debbie for giving me a heads up!

Inspiration loves company

Here are links to some fellow bloggers who are trying to appreciate every day things and better themselves in their own way. It's good to know I'm not alone!

Looking for Something...
Three Beautiful Things
Thankful Blog
All I Need Is A Moment

I hope to find more people who are on this track.