Be Gone Spots!

So lately Ive been dealing for less that lust worthy skin, due to either wearing makeup everyday, stress or just fluctuating hormone levels.  Red spots were popping up everyday and I found myself looking in the mirror saying "Hey, where did that one come from, it wasnt there yesterday".  And then of course, the more spots you get, you want to cover them up, so then you get more spots because of the makeup-a vicious cycle.  So of course, I thought well maybe I need a professional facial....and then I looked at the prices of a spa quality facial and well, there goes that idea.  So of course, my kitchen beautician thinking cap came on, and I researched home remedies for curing red spots on your face.  I landed on a bunch of sites that recommended the Aspirin Facial.  I was a bit skeptical at first, because well its Aspirin! But using my scientific knowledge it totally makes sense.  The chemical term for Aspirin is Acetylsalicylic Acid, and its metablolite (or breakdown) is Salicylic acid (you'll notice most over the counter acne fighting products have this in the ingredients list).  So basically Acetylsalicylic acid is a precursor to Salicylic acid.  Cool right?

So I decided to go for it, since I am heading to Vancouver Fashion Week, I know Im going to be surrounded by models slim with their spidery long legs, I felt I needed to at least have clear skin.  So I put the facial on my face and left it on for the recommended 10 minutes.  After washing it off there was no difference, so little difference that my boyfriend actually said "you look the same" (gee thanks).   So I followed my usual skin care regime, serum and night cream and went to bed defeated.

The next morning I woke up and although my spots are still there, they were NOTICEABLY diminished in size and redness!  I actually really believe that this facial works!  It also made my skin softer and silky feeling.  Below you"ll find the recipe, give it a try, for $5 you can cure your annoying red spots and still have money in the bank to by a cookie (which may have caused the spots to begin with, but I wont tell anyone).

Aspirin Facial:
3-5 uncoated Aspirin tablets (you can use the generic brand to its no different, but it has to have Acetylsalicylic acid and uncoated, if its coated, run it underwater to wash the coating of the tablets)
a few drops of fruit acid (I used lemon juice, you can use orange if you like)
honey (this helps it stick to your face, and honey is also great for rehydrating.  You can also use yogurt, as the lactic acid in it is great for oilier skin types)

-Put the aspirin in a bowl with the fruit juice.  Crush them up completely then add your honey/yogurt.  Massage onto your face in circular motions and leave on for 5-10 minutes (the longer you leave it on the better)  You might feel tingling, thats the fruit acid.  Tip: try not to exfoliate before this facial, as the facial does both, and you dont want raw skin.  Tip: try to crush the aspirin as fine as possible, bigger pieces=greater exfoliated (but also if you massage to hard, giant red scratches all over you face)

So there you have it Be Gone Spots! Beauty Recipe!

Frankie says RELAX!

According to a bunch of scientific studies we are more stressed today than we were 20 years ago.  You would think that with all the technology and its capabilities, we would be more relaxed as things that used to be done manually are done by a computer now.  But alas, our fingers are tired from tweeting, our eyes exhausted from skyping, our arms are fatigued from taking pictures of ourselves from our reverse cameras.  

Its a hard life now, so hard that in my most recent job interview the employer asked me: "And how do you relieve stress?"  The first thing that came to mind was "Umm well I like to eat my feelings in the way of something chocolate, then wash it down with wine"...but what I actually said was "I work out, exercise and physical activity are really important to me."  And it is! but sometimes its a toss up between the two since I am a big believer that good food cures many emotions and that is just a fact of life.  But having been a ballet dancer for 16 years, physical activity does play a big role in my life, especially when I'm stressed.

Along with the health benefits of exercise, working out (in any way) boosts the happy hormones, the sexy hormones (wink,wink) and gives you an overall glow that even a triple chocolate brownie cant bring about.  And while I am also a huge believer in retail therapy, shopping for a new purse or shoes always puts me in a good mood, exercising is free and that makes it the most economical stress reliever to date!

So weather you are weight lifting, going for a jog, pole dancing or dancing in any way, channeling you inner yogi and taking up a yoga class, getting up and being active can relieve you in a way you never imagined.  The key thing I try to remember is to not make it a chore and although I am guilty of having the feeling of dragging myself to the gym sometimes, the feeling I get after is well worth it. 

Here are some facts you may not have known, about the benefits of staying physically active:

1) Of course I know you know exercise controls weight, but in keeping with my bluntly honest approach on how I overcome stress, if you want to reach for that triple chocolate brownie, how about walk the stairs at work instead of ride the elevator? a nice trade up wouldn't you say?

2) Exercise is a non medicinal way to decrease your risk for health problems, and remedy current ones.  Physical activity is one of the first things I would tell someone to do if they have high cholesterol, it increases the good cholesterol (HDL) and decreases unhealthy triglycerides.  Exercising is also a way of decreasing risk for other ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.

3)  It actually increases your energy levels.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not the girl who works out at the beginning of my day before work, but if you are, more power to you.  But you will realize that the more regular you exercise, the more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to your tissues thus increasing your energy levels to get through your day.

4)  Most importantly, exercise makes "Sexy Time" fun!  Working out releases endorphins, the same ones that chocolate can induce which makes you more than willing to jump in the sack (or wherever sexy time happens) and have more calorie burning fun!  Of course after working out you will also feel better about your body and this will help you let go of your inhibitions.

So what are you waiting for? Thank you for reading my blog, but go out and get your sweat on, because the best Beauty Recipe I have is to work it out!  Let your stress melt away, jam to some amazing tunes and just make sure you have fun doing it!  Need a good tune to jam to while sweating it out? Listen to this song Ive attached its on my current playlist!

Product Push: BB Baby!

I was on a mission, after a terrible breakout from a foundation I was using, (brandname to be undisclosed, becuase its good, just not for everyday), my skin was in desperate need of repair.
Aside from my normal regime of exfoliating and at home masks (see previous blog for that), I needed one more addition to my makeup bag.  Enter Garnier BB cream.
This miracle cream boasts to do 5 thinks at once including acting as a primer and a sunscreen, evening out skintone, color correcting and hiding imperfections/dark spots.  I personally noticed that even when the stuff wasnt on my face, my skin was clearer, smoother and brighter! I swear!

I must put a disclaimer here that this cream is definately not a product I would recommend to those with Oily skin types, as it can be kind of greasy itslef.  I have combination skin, so it works fine for me, but if you want your makeup to have that matte look, this is not the product for you.  Think more along the lines of obtaining a Jennifer Lopez-esq glow, with more of a dewy finish.  You can set your BB cream with a light powder, Im using Mineralize Skin Finish  by MAC to finish off my look, but you can choose any powder you like, or wear it on its own!

Garnier brand makes 2 colors: Light and Medium-Dark.  If you use MAC makeup and your color ranges from NC-30 to NC-45, the Medium-Dark is for you!  It lets your tan show through also, so perfect for summer or vacations that include tanning weather.  It does come off super easily, water alone, so its not waterproof at all, again it acts like a face cream, so think about what happens after you lotion up then shower right away, same thing with this BB cream. 

I didnt want to splurge on this item (Note here: I got a 2 pack from Costco for half the price of one at the drugstore), but there are more high end items, or other drugstore brands that have jumped on the BB bandwagon, those such brands are Loreal, Lancome, Bobbi Brown (a splurge I would like to try), Maybeline, just to name a few. 

So all in all BB cream has been my go to cosmetic this summer, and probably will stick with me through the fall and I will pop one into my makeup kit for clients, thats how much I love it! Garnier had a great Beauty Recipe, Im glad I tried it!

Dear Food Diary...

It has been a month since my last entry “Ode to my Elastic Waste Pants” and I am excited to say that I have put on jeans since then, a few times actually, and made it through the full day without being uncomfortable! 

The vitamins with chromium and green tea, boasted to help digest and burn calories from carbohydrates protein and fat did not have an effect on me and are so big they make me gag! I will continue to take them, but only because they’re a multivitamin.

I know that when I work, I am usually in no mood to schlep myself to the gym, so with the weather getting better, on my breaks at work, I walk around my building, its about a 15-20 minute walk, and I feel great! (elastic waste pants are still my friend though)

You Gotta See it to Believe It!

And now that I have a wedding to attend in June my sister has asked me to join her (she yelled at me and whined until I surrendered) into logging my food.  The old adage “You Gotta See it to Believe it” rings very true, and I have known this for years, teach it to patients and clients (but no I don’t listen to myself).  Keeping a food log or diary is a great way to get on track with healthy eating. 

The act of writing down what you eat when you eat it (or even before you do) makes you more responsible of what you shove in your pie hole!

Like a majority of others, I am a visual learner, and I respond well to visual cues.  A food diary is just that.  You see what you have eaten or what you are planning to eat, and it’s like that food item you just wrote down (Cheese Doritos-55 chips), comes out and slaps you in the face “did I really eat all of those chips”?  may be your first reaction (mine is: “how and why did you count each individual chip?”), but never the less, it makes you aware.  That’s the key word here: being AWARE. Not mindless munching, chatty crunching, daily dipping.  Although it may seem tedious at first, logging your food does eventually lead straight to success.  Another thing I noticed is that my daily food habits have become more routine and consistent.  I more or less eat the same thing every day, and the electronic food diary I use gives me the total calories and therefore I know how many calories I am eating all day.  Again, I am more aware. 

The software I use is called “MyFitness Pal” and its also an app for your phone! You can log in your weight, goal weight and obtain a estimated amount of how much calories you should consume to reach your goal weight.  You can also track exercises.  Ask you friends to join with you for encouragement (don’t be like me and try to sabotage your brother in law and sister who already lost 5+ pounds, gross: I told them I ate my weight in chips, followed by cheapo wine and candy when really I just at carrots)

While you will have to pry the food I love out of my cold dead hands because I will never give them up, I know that I have to start being smart about my choices so that I feel beautiful inside and out. I also want my cute pair of white jeans to fit me in the right places, but regardless, there you have my second Beauty Recipe for shedding some pounds and retiring your (my) elastic waste pants. 

Natural Remedies Please!

“Hi, my name is Rain, and I make my own soap.”

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the words “natural remedies” is the image of a hippie chick with grass skirts and hemp clothing, she eats barley for dinner and in fact makes her own soap, paper, shoes…you name it.

But I do not like to scoff at natural or naturopathic remedies, because some actually do work. 

One of the ones I swear by is the use of fennel.  I have a super sensitive stomach, anything can trigger a stomach ache, bad food, good food, fried food, alcohol, and the list goes on.  But from a young age, my mom would always give me fennel seeds to sooth any belly aches.

Delving deeper, fennel is what I would call a super plant.  It is not only used as a vegetable, but as a spice and herb!  The bulb that grows in the ground is the vegetable, often used in soups and stews, the sprouts are the herb and the seeds are the spice.  The seeds are what I consume to ease stomach pains, but not only are they great for indigestion they also help with menstrual cramps. 

To take the seeds to another level, their healing properties have been seen to have an effect on colitis (inflamed large intestine), heart disease and high blood pressure.  One study discovered the seeds to have brain boosting effects, making them great for those people with memory loss (even dementia and Alzheimer’s).

3 Easy ways to incorporate fennel into you diet:

1) Add a pinch of seeds to you cup of tea.  This is one of my ingredients when I make chai.

2) Use the seeds as one of your spices when cooking curries

3) The fennel herb is mild enough to pair with salmon (poach it in the oven with a bit of lemon, salt and pepper)

A natural Beauty Recipe indeed!

Ahh...Just Put Some Windex On It!

To my utter mortification, I saw my uncle massage his sore calf with WD40, for those of you who don't know, thats grease used for squeaky hinges, mostly on cars!  His reasoning, it contains fish oil, which is an ancient remedy for sore muscles..."Sure thing uncle!"  was all I could say, but that got me thinking of the weird home remedies I do (in the privacy of my own home, when there is NOBODY looking)

First off, I'd like to say that I'm not weird in any sense of the word, as home remedies is what started the beauty industry in the first place. 

Here are my Top 5 home made Beauty Recipes that work!

1) Dry up pimples with Milk of Magnesia or crushed up uncoated aspirin tablets mixed with enough water to form a paste.  Aspirin aka acetysylic acid is similar in composition to the famous acne fighter salycylic acid (notice the similarities in the names, your a pro at organic chemistry now!) so fight acne back!

2) Honey is your new best friend, use as a moisturiser or as a antibacterial agent to fight against inflamed blemishes.  Honey Firming Face Mask: 1tbsp honey, 1 egg white, 1 tbsp glycerine, 1/4 cup flour, mix to form a paste, slather on face and throat, leave for 10 mins...Enjoy!

3) A&D baby cream is my go to product ALWAYS for scars, scabs, dry or chapped skin, its a universal cream, (smells like babies bottom, but works!)

4) Olive oil massaged into the scalp and combed through to the ends acts as a great conditioner for dry, damaged hair.  Once the oil is in the hair, wrap a warm towel (warm it by running it through the dryer, or stick it in the oven for a minute on low-be careful), for 30 mins.  Shampoo your hair, take extra care to wash out all the oil.  Lustrous locks await you, for more info read my blog "Lustrous Locks"

5)  Milk has been used for centuries for its healing and soothing properties.  Cleopatra would soak herself in a milk bath to maintain soft and supple skin.  Milk contains high quantities of Vitamin A, D and E act as anti inflammatory agents, and the lactic acid in milk is a great exfoliant.  I use it in my nail soak-find the recipe for this on my blog "Dare to go Bare"

Ode to My Elastic Waste Pants

“I am going to die in elastic waste pants!”

This is my rant of sorts where I have just realized that every pair of pants that I am wearing right now has an elastic waste.  I don’t now if this is a habit adapted by the culture of the City of Vancouver (long live the yoga pant), or the fact that when I do decide to be daring and put on pants with a zipper or buttons (what most people call “regular pants”) I feel like a stuffed sausage and cant wait to take them off!

I am not complaining nor am I saying I am fat (well 5 lbs over my normal weight thanks to the long winter here in Vancouver and my love affair with gummies, chips and good food).  If you look at me I am a petite girl all of 5 feet tall and about 110 lbs (notice I said about, I like to round down).  But lately it has alarmed me that none of my pants that aren’t elastic waste fit comfortably, ie: I am getting that uncomfy line around my midsection (to me it’s a beacon claiming that I simply must not wear these pants). But rather than this being an obsession with weight or fashion for that matter, this is me being extremely frugal and not wanting to go out and buy a pair of pants that actually fit!

So yes, as a nutrition and healthcare professional I have to admit to you that I have gone over to the “D” side a few times, and this is one of them (not the Dark side as some of you may think, but the Diet side, which is far scarier, but I like to think I am just on the perimeter of a full blow diet).  Because I am a 25 year old woman first, and body image is something that creeps up on all of us once in a while so give me a break!

This is one of the times where I feel that simply “eating right and exercising” is not going to cut it.  And we all know I am NOT going to go on a diet.  So follow me on my journey while I test out a few products that may help my weight loss (or I will call it “My Plan to Fit Into My Pants Plan”).  These will be products or foods that may aid, enhance or better my well being so that I can fit into my pants again.

First product that I am trying is a multivitamin that contains chromium and green tea.  Chromium is a mineral that our body does not produce but is essential in metabolizing fats and carbohydrates (this will give me the boost I need to jump start my weight loss).  Chromium is usually obtained through a normal balanced diet, and we need 25 micrograms a day.  Green tea is a powerful antioxidant, contains caffeine in its natural form (so that’s going to give me energy to work out after work right?).  Green tea contains a polyphenol EGCG, a fancy word for a compound that has anticancer and metabolism boosting properties (fingers crossed). And did I mention it’s a multivitamin? So I’m doing my body good.  Notice that I am not taking anything that I don’t need (ex: whey protein, weird powder milkshake drinks, pump juice, etc.), this is just my regular routing of eating right (cutting out unnecessary calories, sorry potato chips, you are the first to go) but adding a little natural boost.

Ok so today is April 13, 2012, day one, took my first pill (since it has caffeine one should take it first thing in the morning, you don’t want an unnecessary buzz at 9 at night on a school night right?).  Stay tuned, this may be a Beauty Recipe from the “D” Side!