Tuesday 25 June 2013

DIY CHARCOAL FACEMASK








I'm going to start off this beauty DIY series with the 2-in-1 Charcoal congestion busting & exfoliating face mask. 
I've tried lots of DIY facemasks over the years and only the best have stuck. When I was still at school it was like a little Sunday morning ritual for me to watch Castaway (anyone remember Castaway? Is it still on??) and slather on a homemade facemask. It might've been the lovely glowy skin that comes from living on a desert island seeping into my subconscious, but a good little facemask was the closest I was getting to a sandy beach and sun sun sun!
Now, this isn't the kind of charcoal you put on your barbecue, but big pills (or capsules) you can buy from the chemist or online. This is activated charcoal and it has a huge surface area (one teaspoon has a surface area of more than 10,000 ft) that can absorb up to 10 times its own weight and size in chemicals and toxins. Activated charcoal is one of the main treatments for poisoning in pets and humans, and I've actually found its a brilliant hangover preventer if you take a few pills with lots of water before bed!
For the mask you'll need:
- 3 or 4 Charcoal Pills or Capsules
- 1 teaspoon water
as the charcoal is our main ingredient you can mix it with a variety of other ingredients eg-
- 1 Aspirin tablet 
- Tea Tree gel to tone down blemishes  or
- A couple of drops of Glycerine for hydration
The mask above was made with Glycerine and and an Aspirin tablet, my skin has been congested but also quite dry recently so this is the combination I chose. To make your mask, first open the capsules or crush your tablets. The easiest way to crush them is between two teaspoons over your mixing container. The charcoal won't dissolve so you want to make sure you crush it the best you can, as well as drawing out toxins and congestion it will exfoliate the skin so you don't want it too gritty. Next add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well, I added just a teaspoon of water to wet the mixture and a couple of drops of glycerine to hold the hydration onto my skin.
You can put this straight onto clean skin but I like to steam my face for a few minutes first to help it get right into the pores. Also, don't wear white! The mixture is liquid and although it shouldn't be drippy it does get a bit messy to take off.
Apply the mask onto your face with a brush or fingers and let it sit for 5 -10 minutes until it dries, its very very black so don't get it too close to your nostrils or you'll have dark snot for a while after! Once its dry take a wet flannel, muslin cloth, cotton pad (or you can just use your fingers) to remove the mask, this is where the exfoliation comes in and you can massage very gently in small circles on any congested or flaky patches to make your skin super soft.
Once its all washed off your skin should be smooth and completely clean! Because this is a detoxing mask it can bring congestion to the surface so will speed up any breakouts you have and you might notice a few blocked pores unblocking themselves in the next day or two. I like to use this mask at night and follow with a good thick night cream to prolong the smoothness.
Let me know if you try this mask, or have any great DIY recipes yourself!


MY 5 FAV LIPSTICK













Best Lip Gloss Products In India – Top 5

Every girl dreams of flaunting a glossy, girly pout most of the times. Come summers, and the desire to wear light glosses goes higher up than any other time of the year. Lip glosses are light, shiny and add that flirty, girly fun to the face. Here’s a list of the top 10 lip glosses in India:

1. MAC Lipglass:


Every girls’ dream, and almost every girls’ favourite lip glosses come from under MAC’s hat! MAC makes one of the best lip glosses, with amazing staying power and texture.

2. Revlon Colorburst lip gloss:

 

 High on shine, high on pigmentation, and availability in a lot of bright, vibrant shades makes these glosses a favourite amongst girls who prefer wearing glosses alone. The popsicle coloured tubes can make any girl crave for these!


3. Maybelline Hi-Shine lip gloss:

 Maybelline comes up with one of the most affordable and good quality lip products from time to time and their glosses are no exception to this rule. The glosses can easily fit into every girl’s budget, and they deliver in terms of quality too. The recently launched Hi-Shine Lip Gloss range has been getting some very positive reviews around. These glosses are highly pigmented, light and non-sticky and have a good staying power of about 3 hours.


4. L’Oreal Paris Infallible lip gloss:

 The L’Oreal Infallible ranges of glosses are known to be high on the ‘shine’ factor, and are perfect for that glistening pout. Most of the shades are sheer, and hence are best used on top of lipsticks/ liners, unless you have non-pigmented lips.

5. Lakme Absolute Plump and Shine lip gloss:

A famous product from the house of Lakme, this one is famous amongst Indian girls ever since Kareena Kapoor sported these shades during the campaigns.

Best Lip Balms With SPF – Our Top 5

1. The Body Vit E Balm with SPF 15

This Lip balm is quite popular and reviews by users cite that 80% will repurchase this product again. This is enriched with the goodness of Vit E which gives a gentle and soothing moisturising effect to the lips. It has Spf 15 which is good for regular for everyday use.



2 Nivea Vitamin Shake Cranberry and Raspberry with SPF 10

This is affordable and is also easily available. It has nice SPF protection and can be a very good choice for school and college going girls. It can slide easily into your delicate little purse and keep your lips happy all day long. The flavour gives it added attraction.


3. Maybelline Baby Lips with SPF 20- Anti Oxidant Berry

This is a massive hit since it got launched. This is easily available in any cosmetic store these days and can be a very handy tool. It has good moisturising effect and can sooth down any chappiness of lips. This one doesn’t really have any fruity flavour, so if you are not fond of fruity flavours, then go for this one. This also contains anti oxidant properties of berry extracts.


4. MAC Lip Conditioner Stick With SPF 15

This is also a great lip balm with a good level of SPF. But this may not be easily available.

5. Biotique Lightening Lip Balm SPF 30-Bio Morning Nectar

This Lip balm comes with SPF 30 which is good for lips which have already got tanned quite a bit. SPF 30 is the best you can get for extreme sun protection. You can give this one a try.




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