101 Free Ways to be Beautiful - #2 Smile

We've all heard it.  

Smile, and the world smiles with you.

It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown.

A smile is just a frown upside down.

There are so many ways smiling makes us beautiful.  I mean, come on, how many times have you heard "Oh, she has such a beautiful scowl".  I know it's difficult at times but if you practice, and give yourself permission to smile more, even if you don't feel like it, you'll be amazed at the changes that will happen in your life.

People like people who smile.

It's that simple.  When you meet someone who smiles at you, it sends a message of friendship and safety.  It's positive, inspiring communication without saying a word!  When you smile at someone, especially in today's society, it could be just the thing that turns their day around.  What's not beautiful about that?

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~ Mother Theresa

Smiling brightens your face.

 

Seriously, people seem to have a brighter light to them when they're smiling.  A happy glow.  It works from the inside out. It increases beta endorphines and lowers stress, worry and tension levels. It's good for your health and healthy people are more attractive.

I have never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful. 

~Anonymous

Smiling can make you more successful.

It increases energy, motivation and drive by increasing positive energy and can make you more popular.  Who wants to hang around the grouch with the slouch?  It's also habit forming so over time the little acts of positive energy will multiply and magnify.  Smiling reduces negativity and puts it on hold for a while.  It helps put you in a positive state and in that state you have more power and potential to shine.  There's a reason that almost all advertising photos have people with big smiles.  A smile is the universal language of good things.

Beauty is power; a smile is its sword. 

~Charles Reade

So.  What are you waiting for?  It's free.  It's beautiful. It's contagious.  It can change the world.  And it's one habit that's good for you.  It's the first step to feeling better and better.  When you feel better, you look better.... 

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

 but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh

DIY - Eye Make-up Remover

Hello Beautiful People!

This week I have another fabulous DIY beauty product for you.  Eye make up removers can be just another expense to add to your beauty arsenal but they don't have to be.  Yes, a commercial product contains a whole bunch of things claiming to be gentle, have amazing, out of this world benefits and blah, blah, blah.

Honestly.  All you need is... oil.

 

Most eye make up products are designed so that water will not wash them away.  An obvious idea because our eyes are likely going to water (yes, I say my eyes leak because apparently "Big girls don't cry" *eye roll*)  So, naturally washing with soap and water isn't too effective.  That means that most eye make up is what we call oil soluble.  Dissolves in oil.  Now, I could have designed a product, as the big companies do, to make money off you but I can't in good conscious bottle plain old oil, jack up the price and sell it to you as something else.   I find it a little bit ridiculous when all you really need is oil.  

Any oil.  But my favorite is jojoba oil.

Okay, you got me.  Jojoba oil is not really an oil.  Its a wax ester that takes a liquid form but for our purposes it acts extremely similar to our own skins sebum.  It's gentle.  It's not overly greasy.  Though I don't recommend putting it in your eyes on purpose, this of course, has happened to me, and it doesn't terribly hurt.  But I digress.  Use what you've got, but I'll mention again, for those of you new to this... baby oil is mineral oil.  Mineral oil is a petroleum product.

K.I.S.S.  (Keep It Simple Sister) 

Humans, and IMHO the cosmetic industry, have a tendency to over complicate things.  Just take the oil, put it on a cotton pad or swab, gently wipe over your eyes and voila.  Cleansing and moisturizing in one go.   As I mentioned, you can use any ol' oil.  Almost all of us have olive oil in the kitchen now.  Sunflower oil is usually my go to body oil.  But I love the jojoba for eyes, face and hair.  You'll likely have to search it out at a health food store.  Although some of the larger super markets may have some in the beauty section (ie: soap, shampoo etc) if they've jumped on the "all natural" band wagon.  You know the section I mean, the one carrying the "natural" products from the really big companies *another eye roll is required here*... but that's another story.

Vegetable oil.   I ask you, what could be simpler?

DIY - Enzyme Scrub

Hello Beautiful People!  

Today I have a real treat for you to be even more beautiful.  It's a fabulous DIY enzyme scrub recipe!  What's that you ask?  Only the easiest, most amazing way to get your tootsies touchably soft.  That's all!

Many of you are probably familiar with a traditional pedicure (or manicure for that matter).  Basically you exfoliate with a pumice on dry feet, then remove nail polish, scrub with enzyme scrub, soak, moisturize and paint toenails.  Voila!  Sounds simple enough.  Pretty DIY friendly.

But what about this mysterious enzyme scrub?  No problem.

An enzyme scrub chemically helps break down the bonds in dead skin cells to allow them to slough off easily, revealing touchably soft skin underneath.  It softens corns and callouses and gives you confidence to step out in style.

So without further ado... here's what you do.

 

Juice one small lime.

(contains the elusive enzymes)

Dissolve 5-10 aspirin tablets in the lime juice.  (contains beta-hydroxy acids)

Add to this 5 tbsp of cane sugar.

(contains alpha-hydroxy acids)

After scrubbing dry feet with a pumice, scrub this mix on.  It will be sticky.  Leave it on as you put your foot into the foot bath.  This can just be a tub of warm water.  You can also add milk powder or milk to this foot bath because it contains lactic acid which will further enhance the softening aspects.  Leave your feet for 5 minutes and towel dry.  Continue with your pedicure and don't forget to moisturize with a great nourishing cream like mains de mariposa's Healing with Calendula.  Calendula oil, olive oil, shea butter, glycerin, and castor oil are an unbeatable team for tootsies!  You can find them all in this cream guaranteed to help soften heels and keep toes glowing and looking their best.  Amazing for thick, cracking skin, you'll want to show them off as they're never looked better!

Have you tried this?  Is it not the absolute best gift you've given your feet in ages?  Forget expensive enzyme scrubs from the spa!  This is effective, fresh and chemical free!

Give it a go!  Let me know how you glow!

Spa Night!

If you live in the Ottawa area and you're interested in taking the DIY spa a step further check out our all natural spa nights!  $45 per person and you'll learn by doing all natural facial and pedicure/manicures.  Get some old friends together, wear some old clothes and leave feeling brand new!


Get a group of 4 or more together and the cost is only $40 per person.  With groups of 4 or more you can even set your own private Spa Night date.  Great for girls night out, mothers day gifts, bachelorette parties, you name it.


For dates and other workshops available check our site www.mainsdemariposa.com under workshops.

How to Naturally Remove Chlorine Smell From Hair

Hello again beautiful people!  I trust you made it through the holidays and life has hopefully returned to normal, whatever that may be.  For me it means getting back to an exercise routine.  One thing I love to do is to swim at my local pool.  One thing I don't love is the chlorine smell.  Especially in my skin and hair.

What's a girl to do?

There are many products on the market to prevent the chlorine smell lingering in your skin and hair.  There seems to be mixed reviews.  Some swear by them while others say they didn't work at all.  It seems, as usual, this is going to be a trial and error process.  Myself, as I train for triathlon, I've tried a product called "Triswim".  It worked quite well for me but as is often the case was a little more than I wanted to spend.  I was also curious to see if I could find a more natural DIY alternative.

Beautiful Baking Soda!

This was almost a no-brainer.  We use baking soda all over the place to get out odors!  This was no exception.  But after reading the ingredients from all of the commercial options I was getting a little skeptical.  Could our humble sodium bicarbonate really rise to the challenge?  After some routine trials at the local pool with my swim partner, we definitely agreed that the chlorine smell was greatly reduced if not totally avoided by using baking soda in our post swim shower at the pool.  But there is more!

Surprising side effects!

My swim partner and I have very different hair types.  My hair is very fine, straight, limp and at very high risk for appearing oily.  Hers on the other hand is a "fro" waiting to happen.  Very curly, on the drier side and at very high risk for puffing up like a blow fish if not treated with respect.  Any of this sound familiar?

We both found that by using baking soda in our post swim shower that our hair felt different, in a good way.  It felt smoother and more controlled.  We also agreed that it looked better, longer.  Mine didn't get as oily, hers behaved longer.  We can only assume this is due to the way baking soda alters PH levels.  Sort of the way an apple cider vinegar rinse does to hair.  I liked it so much that I've added a container of baking soda to my shower at home and use it some days even when I don't go to the pool!  But because it alters PH I wouldn't recommend it on a daily basis.

Avoid the green of swimmers hair!

This is not a problem that my friend nor I have experienced but from researching the topic I did find that it is for many people.  Hair can develop a green tinge from chemical deposits developing in the hair.  The consensus is that using a baking soda wash post swim helps immensely.  Some also suggest a weekly aspirin treatment.  Dissolve 2 aspirin in a cup of warm water and use as a rinse over clean hair.  Like you would an apple cider vinegar rinse.

How to naturally remove the chlorine smell from your hair.

Beyond baking soda there are a few other things you can incorporate that I've found effective.

      
• Before you swim, wet your hair and add some conditioner.  Your hair will absorb them and leave less room for the chlorine water to be absorbed.
• Shower at the pool or immediately when you get home.  Just like you wouldn't leave your bathing suit without rinsing it, don't let the chlorine sit on your hair and skin.  Wash it right away.
• Baking soda!  In your post swim shower mix equal parts shampoo and baking soda in your hand to form a paste and then use that to shampoo hair as usual.  Yes it still makes suds.
• Use a good conditioner or a few drops of jojoba oil post swim. 

Do you have a favorite mains de mariposa product that has worked for you when all else failed?  Tell us which product you love and why and as a thank-you we'll enter you into the next monthly draw.  You could win a fabulous gift pack!  Send your story to bonnie@mainsdemariposa (dot) com


To view other testimonies visit the website at mainsdemariposa (dot) com

How to make modern holiday pomanders

Hello beautiful people!

Now you may be thinking "what is she up to"?  Why is an aromatherapist blogging about how to make pomanders?  Pomanders were an early form of aromatherapy of course!  One of our most powerful senses we have is our sense of smell.  It is hardwired directly to the brain.  A message from your sense of smell will get to the brain before any other message received from our five senses.  Nothing cements feelings and emotions in our bodies like the smells associated with them.  And to me, nothings says "holiday happiness" like cinnamon, cloves and oranges.

Where does it come from?

Originally pomanders were little balls of perfume carried in viles, vases or perforated metal balls (much like a locket).  They were used, well, to smell good.  As they were used as far back as the 1500's you can well imagine there were plenty of bad smells around you would want to cover up.  They were also used to protect against infection.  Spices like clove and cinnamon are very anti-bacterial.  Apparently even Nostradamus had a famous (if not infamously elaborate) pomander recipe.  You can check it out here.

Traditional orange pomanders

So without further ado, let's look at the modern "traditional" version of the pomander.  There are all kinds of decorated balls out there.  That's how a modern pomander has come to be known.  Today we're looking at the orange/clove pomanders that would have traditionally been hung in the house during the winter months to freshen the air, kill germs and of course just look pretty and smell good.  Remember, our easy access to essential oils and even those horrid  $0.99 air fresheners are relatively new developments.  

So - You're going to need an orange and lots of cloves and, if so desired, lots of spices and some ribbon.

Making the pomander

This is easy and fun.  There are so many variations of this project that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.  The simplest method is to stick cloves in your orange.  Done!  Kids can do it and they love it!  Stick them all over, make great patterns, lines, designs etc.  If you like, then simply tie a ribbon around it to hand and voila!  This variation will last a week at best.

If you want to take it up a notch you'll need a knitting needle (or something equally pointy) and lots and lots of spices like cinnamon.

First poke holes where you want your cloves to go.  One clove per hole.  If you want your pomander to last a long time you'll need to cover it with cloves like in the picture.  You'll also need to make sure the holes don't touch each other.

Cover your orange by pushing a clove into each hole.  Don't leave exposed orange where you want the ribbon to go. It will get shriveled and nasty.  You'll have better results for your efforts if you cover the entire orange and tie the ribbon over the cloves.

Now if you want it to last even longer you need to cure it.  There are a couple of ways to do this.  The best (but most expensive) is to cover the orange with a ground spice mixture (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom) as you wish.  Leave it in there for two weeks, turning from time to time.

A less expensive way is to put at least a cup of spice mixture into a small paper bag.  Put in your orange and shake it around to cover the clove covered orange. Leave it in the bag with the bag closed and every day shake it to re-coat the orange.  Do this for about 2 weeks.  With this method I've seen pomanders last up to a year.

When it's cured.  Tie the ribbon around it and hang!  Breath deep and enjoy your DIY aromatherapy.  Do this every year, maybe with a group of friends to pass an evening and you'll be amazed at how the scent will fix beautiful memories of friendship and warmth in your body.  Memories of the time spent making them and the warm memories of smelling it in the mornings, warming the room.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Testimony for November

Every month mdm has a draw from all of the lovely testimonies people send me.  The draw is for a great mdm gift pack.  This months winner is Diane from Ottawa, Ontario.  Thanks Diane, for your lovely words!

Bonnie

I started buying Body Shop products decades ago when the shops first came to Canada and the company was seen as the healthy alternative for personal care products. When the government began requiring the ingredients be listed on the containers, I was absolutely shocked at how many ingredients with long, complicated and unpronounceable sounding names were listed on the Body Shop products. I was also surprised and disconcerted that they listed the ingredients under a removable sticker so that they were hidden. Then I started hearing about the dangers of the ingredients put in many personal care products. I even went to a David Suzuki Foundation lecture on "the dirty dozen" - the worst 12 of the toxic ingredients in personal care products. In a study that the Foundation did, 80% of personal care products contained at least one of these ingredients. I was putting toxins on my body while I put organic food into my body and use natural products to clean my house and clothes. Instead of doing research about the chemicals that are listed on the products to try and figure out what is safe, I decided to start looking for alternatives. I began going to craft fairs and bought a few different natural personal care items from different crafters. 

And that's how I discovered mains de mariposa. I bought a few of Mains de mariposa products at a craft fair and absolutely loved them. They work incredibly well, feel luxurious and have a short list of pronounceable and recognizable ingredients. But the best thing about Mains de mariposa is Bonnie. She is personable and engaging, goes out of her way to provide service in the most gracious and accommodating way imaginable, and is so incredibly knowledgeable about her products and the ingredients she uses. For example, she doesn't just make one hand cream and put different fragrances in it so that it appeals to different people. She carefully researches ingredients and formulates each hand cream product to do a different job. I am so very lucky that I found her!

                                                                                                    ~Diane, Ottawa, Ontario

As a thank-you, Diane will be receiving a great mdm gift pack!  Thanks again Diane!

Do you have a favorite mains de mariposa product that has worked for you when all else failed?  Tell us which product you love and why and as a thank-you we'll enter you into the next monthly draw.  Like Diane, you could win a fabulous gift pack!  Send your story to bonnie@mainsdemariposa (dot) com

update

Hello beautiful people and sorry for the content delay.  If this is your first time stopping by the blog rest assured that I'll be back to my regular daily schedule in a few days.  I've been out peddling Mariposa products at the holiday gift shows and meeting so many wonderful people.  The next show's will be the Hintonburg Community Association on November 26th and we'll be back at Lansdowne Park in the Aberdeen Pavillion on November 27th!  Check the website for more details on where to buy or where the shows are.  www.mainsdemariposa.com

Explore and enjoy what's here.  I'd love to hear your comments/suggestions/opinions, and check back often as we'll resume our posts shortly.  Or better yet, subscribe by email and when we're back to normal you'll be the first to know.  This will save you having to check back.  I'll let you know.

In the meantime I hope you're all well and finding balance in what can be an overwhelming season.  I think that's a great topic to discuss in the next few days.  Maintaining balance throughout the next few months when pressures from society and family etc. can weigh heavy on us to over extend or commit ourselves.  Balance is a big part of being beautiful.

So until then,

Be beautiful!