My Favorite Beauty Book!

I have always been obsessed with skin and nutrition.  I absolutely believe that what you put in your body effects your skin on every level.  A couple of years ago, I picked up this book by Susan Ciminelli who is a well known esthetician and also created her own line of skin care.  She shares the same philosophy that I have and she created this amazing book that has a 7-day plan for radiant skin, recipe ideas, home made skin care and an easy to understand philosophy that you can follow for the rest of your life.  I love her home-made recipe for 'pre-moisturizer' oils and her soup recipes!  The only thing that she is really against (which is something that I LOVE) is putting any type of acid on your face.  I have to admit that I'm all about glycolic and lactic acids.  Other than this, I'm a believer. I have lent this book to a ton of friends, but I think it's worth it to get your own copy because I refer to it often! 

I've been asked a lot about my skin care routine so I'll share that this week too!

Drink Your Greens!

During the winter, I find it harder to get my veggies and nutrients.  I'm going to blame this on entertaining people - too much pasta, steak, cheese and wine.  My friend Sarah introduced me to these 'Super Greens' that have too many super foods to list.  Every morning I try to make a shake with the following:

*Super Greens powder

*Barlean's Essential Woman

*My Antioxidants

*Bee Pollen

*Orange Juice

*Greek or Plain Yogurt

*Fresh or Frozen berries

It's kind of a big meal so if I don't need that, I just mix the greens in with orange juice (because the greens don't taste like ice cream).

I feel a lot better that I get a huge dose of greens each morning - good for my health and great for my skin.  

Dessert Anyone?

I remember my high school days when my dad and I would sit in front of the TV watching football (I AM daddy's girl!) and we would each eat a pint of ice cream.  Oh, how I miss the days of my really fast metabolism!  

Ice cream is still my absolute favorite dessert, but I try not to keep it in the house because.... it disappears.  

For a nice, healthy dessert I love to freeze grapes and bananas.  My friend Jamie introduced me to frozen grapes.  Just put bunches in a big ziplock bag and you have a tasty frozen treat that everyone loves!  It's like frozen Champagne!

I also love frozen bananas.  I put them in the freezer (still in the peel) when they are ripe and the skin turns almost black in the freezer (it's not pretty, so I didn't take a picture).  Once frozen, I just take a knife and start peeling.  It's a bit messy, but it's heaven.  

Try it!

Dress Up Your Salad

So, we all know I can't bake, but I make a mean salad dressing that my friends rave about.  I learned about this salad dressing at a cooking class by J. Cipriano - here it is for you to try!

Ingredients I mix well -  all in a small glass:

1 tbs. honey (wildflower)

1 1/2 tsp. orange blossom water *

3 tbl. extra virgin olive oil

1 tbl. plus 1 tsp. Champagne or white Wine Vinegar

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

This amount serves 8 as a very light dressing.  I like to make a salad with arugula, walnuts or pine nuts, freshly shaved pecorino cheese and Chicken or Prawns (if I want a heavier salad).  

Try it and let me know what you think!

*You might be able to find the Orange Blossom Water at Whole Foods in the spice section, but not every store has it.  You can also find it in The Krafty Life Store I created that holds some of the various items I recommend!  More on the store later.

Mountain Girl Beauty

Living in Vail is amazing, but it's not great for the skin!  I've lived in dry, high-altitude climates before (Santa Fe, NM) and know what it's like to put on body lotion while still in the shower.  Last year when we came up to Vail for the weekends, I would wash my face with olive oil - I love products with multiple uses! Here are some key products I love that keep my skin hydrated and (hopefully) keep away the wrinkles.  I'm embarrassed to show you the gazillions of other products I have/use, but trust that I've tried a ton of products that are on the market. I used most of these hydrating products when I lived in San Francisco too, just not as often:

Weleda Skin Food - This thick cream is for dehydrated, chapped skin.  I always put it on before skiing and my skin feels completely protected.  During the winter, skin can become really dehydrated and I like to slather on the heavy moisturizer.  I would rather walk around looking like a shiny penny than deal with dry, flaky skin.  Weleda is a German company that makes holistic skin care.  I love their baby products too (for all my friends in baby-mode!).  

Egyptian Magic  - This all-purpose skin cream has "magic" in the title so you know it's good!  (I am every marketers dream customer).  This ancient Egyptian recipe blends Olive Oil, Beeswax, Honey, Pollen, Royal Jelly and Propolis Extract to create this wonderful hard paste that turns to oil when you warm it in your hands.  I don't have any skin issues besides dryness, but apparently this cream is good for multiple skin conditions.  I like to use this a few times a week as my night cream. Take a small amount, warm it by rubbing your hands together and massage the oil onto your skin.  A little goes a LONG way so use it sparingly - you can also use it as a hand and foot cream, put it on your elbows or any other dry parts.  A big thank you to the Ancient Egyptian peeps!  

Aveda Energizing Composition - I just picked this up the other day because....I guess I needed more oil?  This oil balances the skin and is actually good for oily skin.  The smell is intoxicating (ylang-ylang), invigorating and the oil has many uses - scalp treatment, body oil, pre-face wash (yes, now we have come to the time when there is a PRE-face wash, not just a face wash.  Who knew I was missing a step for 29 years!  How did I survive?).   Aveda creates a great range of products and I love that they focus on preserving the environment and using good ingredients.   They also make products for people with sensitivity to scent etc.    

 

Here's a quick list of some of the body moisturizers I love (and have people hooked on):

All the Shea Butter products from L'Occitane.  I use their Pure Shea Butter on my lips and cuticles.  I have pots of it everywhere.  I've been using products from this company since high school and their products make the best gifts!  I almost forgot - I'm completely addicted to their Shea Butter Hand Cream.  It's the best out there and the tube lasts me at east a year.  It also comes in smaller sizes so you can keep one in your purse, car, and at work.  This is a 'must-have' product.

Dr. Hauschka oils.  I love the Moor Lavender Body Oil (warming and calming) and the Rosemary Body Oil (warming and invigorating) .  I usually mix a few drops in with my normal body cream and use more during the winter.  I try to use it religiously because it's an organic product and expires after about a year.  Another great company - check out all their products!  

ALBA Botanica makes my favorite body cream.  My entire family has been using it for years.  They have a few different kinds of lotion, but I like the "Maximum Dry Skin Formula" with Alpha Hydroxy acids that revitalize dry skin.  This is a natural product, but this particular cream smells a little fruity (smells a bit like fresh tuberose) so most men I know use the unscented lotion.   

As you all know, one of the key factors in keeping your skin moisturized and youthful is all about what you put in your body, not just on your skin.  Drink a ton of water (I have to constantly remind myself to do this because I seem to prefer espresso and wine - these don't count as water!), eat tons of fruits and veggies and eat good fats like olive oil, avocado (yum yum!), fatty fish, and nuts. I also take a great Omega-3 supplement - I am so bad at taking pills so I prefer liquids and this is a key supplement because it's an internal moisturizer, among other health benefits. I take "The Essential Woman" from Barlean's.  In addition to all those great Omegas, it contains a ton of powerful ingredients like Evening Primrose, Flaxseed Oil, Lignans, Isoflavones and Rosemary.  

Many of the items I mentioned above are available at Whole Foods or multiple websites.  Whew, that was a long post...I could write forever because I love this subject and will continue to add more posts about this!  Now I'm ready for a nice glass of wine... think antioxidants people!!