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

Body Polish - my go to product

When it comes to beauty products one of the most amazing products I've ever used is body polish.  It's a busy girls best friend.  A major multi-tasker and you get quite the bang for your buck.  Everything a Beauty loves.

 A body polish is basically something that will exfoliate your skin and moisturize at the same time.  It removes dead skin cells to reveal the bright healthy skin layer below.  It usually contains some type of oil to hydrate the skin as you rub it in.  By sheer virtue of how you have to scrub it in, it increases circulation,helping to aid in detoxing of the skin.  (Detoxing can = less cellulite btw.)  Wow!  What more can you ask out of one product!  Add some well chosen essential oils and you've just boosted the power of your polish!

No matter how many times I use my body polish I'm always amazed at how wonderfully soft and glowing my skin is after.  It's the quickest, easiest way I know to raise the health of my skin with almost no effort at all.  It's great to moisturize our face everyday but nothing makes you feel more like a Goddess than having baby soft skin... everywhere.

This holiday season mains de mariposa will be releasing the first in the line of all natural body scrubs.  The main ingredient in our body polish is organic cane sugar.  Sugar contains natural alphahydroxy acids.  These help to chemically remove dead skin cells while the scrubbing action will physically remove them.  Again, what a multi-tasker!   Cane sugar was also chosen over salt.  This way you can feel free to shave and then finish off with your body polish without the worry of getting salt scrubbed into any tiny cuts or nicks the razor may leave.  

The mdm body polish also contains sunflower oil which is high in vitamin E.  It is easily absorbed by the skin but doesn't leave you feeling like a french fry.  Just a touchable, dewy glow.  Specially chosen essential oils elevate the entire experience making every shower like a trip to the spa.

For those of you who are DIY Beauties, here's a great recipe to try at home!

Simple Scrub Recipe

What you need:

1 container (even an old yogurt or sour cream container will do)

2 parts sugar (or salt)

1 part oil (any oil will do but keep the 'french fry' factor in mind)

a few drops essential oil (optional)

What you do:

Mix everything together.

When you're done your shower, turn off the water.

Using small amounts rub the mixture over your body, starting at the feet and moving towards the heart.

Turn the shower back on and rinse off.

Gently pat dry.

Glow like a Goddess!

Use this scrub every 2 to 3 days, a little less if you have sensitive skin.

Don't forget to scrub your hands with it while you're in the shower. You'd be amazed at how far this will go to keeping your hands looking great!

Have you tried this?  Have you tried mdm's body polish?  Let us know what you think.  Do you love mdm's body polish? Let us know why and how it worked for you.  Email your story to bonnie@mainsdemariposa dot com and as a thank you we'll enter you in the monthly draw for great mdm products!

The Oil Cleansing Method

When I mention the Oil Cleansing Method or OCM as it's known, most people screw up their faces and say "What? Wash my face with oil?"  Most in disbelief, some in terror.  The OCM is one of the best ways to cleanse your face, save money and, in the end, save time, that I've ever found.

The way this works is this:  The dirt on your face is stuck there because of the oil in your skin.  It comes in contact with your face, sticks to the oil and accumulates (or we put it there on purpose in the form of make-up).  We don't want to strip the oil, we simply want to remove the excess that's trapped the dirt.  Oil, can do this.  Add clean oil, to old dirty oil and you dissolve the old oil washing away the dirt. 

I can see you still don't believe me.

I'm not here to convince you. You'll just have to trust me on this one.  But there are a few points to remember.  Your skin needs oil.  It is part of what makes it glow!  Pimples and blemishes are not by-products of oil in and of itself.  There are many factors that contribute to them.  Secondly, not all oils are created equal. 

Why it Works

The magic ingredient in the OCM is castor oil.

Castor oil is quite thick and sticky.  It has been used for ages to draw out impurities and it can be drying.  Don't believe me?  Try this method using only castor oil and you'll be amazed how tight and dry your face feels!  You can usually find castor oil at health food stores or at the pharmacy in the section with epson salts, glycerine, mineral oil and the like.

The second ingredient in the OCM is usually EVO  (Extra Virgin Olive oil).

This provides moisture and lubrication to dissolve the dirty oil.  You can use almost any oil you have on hand though in a pinch.

You can vary the amounts of the two oils to customize your blend.  Start with the recommended tsp of each.  If you find it leaves your face a little too oily, add more castor oil.  If it's a little too drying add a little more of the other oil you've chosen.  Just be sure as with all DIY formulas you create, to write it down so you can reproduce it!  Once you've found your magic match, you can make up a larger batch.

The final magic ingredient is hot water.  Not so hot you burn yourself.  Don't use the kettle or the microwave.  Just use hot/very warm tap water.  The heat from the water will help to open up the pores and dislodge the dirt as well.  I love the feeling of the warmth on my face.  It's like a mini facial, a mini getaway I can do every day.  Don't underestimate the power of these mini moments!

The Recipe

What you need:

Castor Oil

Other Oil - Extra Virgin Olive oil is recommended

Face cloth

Hot tap water

 What you do:

1-Mix together 1 tsp castor oil and 1 tsp Olive oil

2-Get the tap water hot.  Not boiling but as hot as is comfortable.Hotter is not necessarily better.

3-Put the face cloth in the water

4-Apply a generous amount of the oil mixture to your face and massage in well.  Massaging also helps increase circulation.  Increased circulation brings oxygen to the cells and helps your skin look (and function) better.

5-Wring out the water from the face cloth lay your head back and drape it over your face.

6-Relax for a few seconds until the cloth is cool.  For me this is anywhere from 5-15 seconds.

7-Repeat steps 5-6 as many times as you like (at least twice)

8-Use the face cloth to wipe away the oil (and dirt).

9-Glow!

Have you tried this?  Let us know what you think!

Don't forget to also stop by the website.  Let us know why you like mains de mariposa product, how they worked for you and why and you will be entered into our monthly draw for great mdm gifts! www.mainsdemariposa.com