Becoming la niña – Page 10 – Love, Life, & Natural Beauty

Carrot Cake?

My inspiration for this week’s carrot topic came while I visited my parents. I asked my father what kind of dessert he would like me to make for him. To my surprise he replied “I would really like a carrot cake”. Carrot cake?? Uh, oh… I’ve never made carrot cake before! Luckily, I had my trusty book Rose’s Heavenly Cakes and found a recipe. I switched out the raisins for walnuts.

I must say, this cake was scrumptious! I hope you all take some time and bake your own… You will not be disappointed. Enjoy!

Carrot Juice and Clay

Carrot juice is packed with vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy skin and hair. Clays help cleanse and moisturize. They also contain minerals, which nourish the skin. Combine these two ingredients and you get an amazing, nourishing mask.

Approximately 2 large carrots

1/4 cup any natural clay

You can use store-bought carrot juice for this mask, but making your own is super easy, and fresh. Puree carrots in a blender or food processor (you may also use a juicer).

Using cheese cloth, strain the juice out of the carrots.

Slowly pour some of the carrot juice onto the clay and stir until thick and smooth. If it’s too dry, add more carrot juice, or add more clay if it’s too runny.

Apply the mask onto your clean face with your finger tips or a synthetic brush, and let it sit for 15 – 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, pat dry, and apply a moisturizer.

Use this mask once a week to help keep blemishes away and maintain a healthy glow.

Beauty Basics 101: Carrots

Did you know that carrots are a great natural beauty product? Carrots are excellent for treating a wide variety of skin ailments, whether you use them on your skin or in your diet.

Carrots are packed with beta-carotene, an anti-oxidant that helps slow the aging process. They are also rich in vitamins A, B, C, D, and K, which prevent premature aging, acne, dry skin, and uneven skin tone. Vitamin A protects our skin from sun damage, and helps the liver flush out toxins. Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulphur, and iron help nourish and moisturize the skin.

Not only do carrots have great beauty benefits, they also have amazing, overall health benefits. Carrots may help improve eye sight, and are effective against breast, lung, and ovarian cancers. Carrots also prevent strokes and heart disease.

Now that you know some of the natural beauty benefits of carrots, I hope you become a fan, if not already, of this amazing root vegetable.

Beach Bound

This is my backyard… Well, not really. But it’s only a 20 minute drive from my house. I don’t get out here as much as I could, and when I do, I wonder why I don’t come out more often. It’s so peaceful.

Tomorrow is the first day of fall, but with 80+ degree weather, I still have some time to enjoy the sun and sand… So I will. I find that some of my best days are those in which I don’t really do anything at all. Laying out at the beach with a good book is just about as perfect as a day can get.

Peanut Brittle… Yummy!

I found this recipe for peanut brittle a few years ago and I love it because it’s easy and delicious. My father has asked me to make it for him several times to appease his sweet tooth. And I must say, once I start eating it, I can’t stop! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Zap Those Zits!

I don’t usually break out, and when I do, it’s only one or two blemishes. However, one blemish or a face full of blemishes… it’s all considered acne, and I like to take care of it right away.

This is a recipe I tried not too long ago and I really liked the results. Strawberries are rich in salicylic acid, which is the same ingredient used in many commercial acne products. They also have whitening properties to help get rid of any acne scars. Honey is antibacterial and will also help keep the skin moisturized. I also use an egg white in this recipe as a binder.

3/4 cups of ripe strawberries

1 egg white

2 tsp honey

Mix all the ingredients together with a fork or a food processor until it’s completely smooth.

The end result will kind of look and smell like a strawberry milk shake. Apply it to your face with a cotton ball or a synthetic brush applicator. You will feel your skin tightening as the mask dries. Keep it on for 10 – 15 minutes, then remove with warm water. Dry your face and apply moisturizer.

This mask will keep in the fridge for a week. I used it every other day for a week and my skin was back to normal. Let me know how it works for you. Enjoy!

Sweet, Sweet Sleep

I sometimes have trouble sleeping. It may be due to stress, anxiety, or a number of other factors. While there are many sleep aids on the market, I prefer not to use them… And why should I, when I have grapes?

Grapes are packed with melatonin, a sleep hormone. Our brain’s pineal gland produces melatonin to regulate our sleep cycle. It increases our levels of melatonin at night to help us fall asleep, and decreases melatonin levels at dawn to ease us out of sleep.

Snacking on grapes before bedtime is a great alternative to sleep aids. They’re easy to find, affordable, and all you need is a handful. Starting a good nighttime routine will also help ease your sleep troubles. Make it something you can look forward to. A warm bath, turning off all electronics, reading a book, and meditation are great ways to relax your mind and body in preparation for sleep. Enjoy some sweet grapes and don’t let trying to get to sleep keep you up at night.

Nix The Yellow Nails

While visiting my parents last weekend, my mother asked me why her nails were so yellow. My mother is not a smoker, so I know nicotine is not the cause. However, she always has her fingernails polished in a light brown shade… Aha, the culprit. Red, burgundy, and brown based polishes contain dark pigments that can stain your nails. All dark polishes have these red bases and contain these dark pigments. Some light polishes also have a red base, such as pinks and oranges, which may also leave a slight stain.

There are a few ways to get rid of this yellow stain, but this is my easiest solution. First, I lightly buff my clean, unpolished nails with a fine grit emery board. Then I soak them in lemon juice for about 3 minutes, twice a week, until the stain is gone (usually about a week). I also like to leave my nails unpolished for a while after I’ve had them polished. Our nails are very porous and they need to breathe. So, giving them a break from polish for a while isn’t a bad idea.

If you can’t bear to see your nails naked, apply a moisture locking base coat before you paint them again.

August Favorites

It’s September and fall is just around the corner. As the season starts to change, I though I’d take a look back and share a couple my favorite things for the month of August.

Make Up For Ever’s HD Powder is hands down my favorite translucent powder. It sets your foundation, but doesn’t feel heavy on your skin. You can purchase this powder at Sephora.

I don’t usually wear perfume because I’m allergic, but sometimes I find something that I really like and doesn’t irritate me when I wear it. “Daisy” by Marc Jacobs has a fresh floral scent that’s long lasting yet not overpowering. I got the roller ball, since I didn’t know how I would react to the scent, but you can also get a really cute 2.5 oz. or a 4.2 oz. bottle.

This is Andru. Not only has Andru been busy charging my cell phone (BlackBerry Torch), he also charges my eReader. This little guy can charge anything that’s USB powered! He’s light and portable… but most importantly, he’s super cute!

Lip Balm

Lip balms are very popular in the cosmetics world. They nourish, moisturize, and protect our lips. Here is a simple recipe for you to try at home.

1/2 tsp almond oil

1/2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp grated beeswax

Almond oil is a very light oil, which helps to nourish and moisturize the skin. It’s high content of fatty acids are close to the skin’s own sebum. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature. It helps serve as a protective barrier to help lock in moisture, since coconut oil is not easily absorbed by the skin. Beeswax is used as a thickener and emulsifier, and also protects the skin against environmental irritants.

Mix all the ingredients together in a heat safe bowl.

Melt the ingredients in a double boiler over medium heat. Pour the melted ingredients in a lip balm container and let sit until completely cooled.

Use your finger to apply. Enjoy!