Posts Tagged ‘Beauty’
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
As you know, when seasons change, it’s the perfect time for a gentle detox. Dandelion detox (internal cleanse), sugar exfoliation detox (externally removing old dead skin cells for softer smoother skin), and now 3 more detox tips to cleanse mind, body and spirit and maintain a healthier you:
Hydrotherapy Yoga Sleep
Mar 22
Beauty Sleep
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
If you feel as if you’ve been hibernating most of the winter, the last thing you may want to think about is making sure to get enough sleep now that spring is here. You’re ready to burst forth and enjoy, greet your neighbors, catch up with friends over outdoor lunches, and spend evenings out after bitter chills and early sunsets have kept you indoors for too long.
I dream of taking my beloved ’98 S70 lipstick red Volvo out for a spin, give her a turbo thrill anywhere but 30 mph Valley View Road (and I don’t mean 32 or 35 mph which is pushing a speeding ticket).
This I can no longer do. She was forced into retirement last May when one of her cylinders unexpectedly went down. I was in deNile, in part because everything else about her was perfect. I don’t want to believe she’s gone. Even now, I sometimes look for her in parking lots, wondering who might have brought her home, fixed her up, and now takes her out for a spin.
I wanted her back the moment I felt with little choice but to replace her with a computerized black Volvo S60 that has a bazillion features (of which I still have minimal comprehension), and lacks her colorful personality. Without my Mimi magnets, I feel a little guilty saying this, but she’d be just another black car in a sea of black cars, undistinguished from all the others.
She’d been huffing and puffing (running rough they call it) for about a week before I took her in to Borton, thinking she might need new spark plugs. Don’t all of us older gals need new sparks from time to time? Made sense. Unfortunately, the problem lay deeper. When we’re not on all cylinders, it’s a serious problem, one I wasn’t prepared to face.
Dan at Borton Volvo service told me to have a stiff drink and say goodbye. She was no longer safe. She could blow at any moment. What does that even mean I remember wondering. Would she just stop without warning on the freeway? Would she blow up? I didn’t feel she’d betray me in that way. She’d give me a few signs. Dan continued to impress upon me the severity of the safety risk. It could be a day, a week, a month, maybe a year. I didn’t want to let her go, but I couldn’t continue to hold on. I drive my daughter around town. Safety’s a big deal.
So, I took photos. I stood next to her. Wherever she went from the Borton Volvo lot, she remains ever in my heart. I’ve not yet had the stiff drink, and don’t really think it would have worked anyway. She was bigger than that. She grows more special in her physical absence from my life.
I’ll never feel the same about another car. She was my first Volvo, my signature red, a boxy handmade Swedish girl who developed a distinct personality with age, and carried on even after I blew out her ignition one winter, and someone pushed her gently in a parking lot, leaving a subtle barely remarkable dent in her otherwise perfect frame. She proudly wore my kissing Mimi magnets till the end.
One never knows, but I can’t imagine ever feeling quite the same about my new (to me) Volvo S60 on whom Mimi blowing her kiss to passersby seemed sadly faded. My new Volvo demanded new magnets. That’s the thing about changing one thing – other things seem suddenly old. And who I am to judge. I’m getting older too. My parts will wear out. Where will I go? She deserved better. I acted in haste. I wished she were back. It was too late.
I digress. Besides, if I count out the years, I’ll have a few more Volvos enter my life. Or I’ll leap into a hybrid. Just must remind myself to get ready and prepare for it emotionally next time.
Back to our theme of beauty sleep. Cherie, now is when you need your sleep more than ever, to handle the ups and downs of life, hopefully more ups…
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Everywhere I go, I hear women complaining about their dry skin. They pull out purse-size moisturizers to spread over their faces and hands, and it’s still dry. Sometimes what starts as a cosmetic issue quickly winds up to a deeper chronic issue such as itchiness, eczema, and other inflammatory conditions. We can probably each name several people we know and love with eczema in the winter, maybe including ourselves.
The reason why these skin irritations are so important to prevent is that our skin is the largest organ of our body, our first line of defense to prevent the entrance of toxins into our body. When skin is open and exposed to environmental and chemical toxins we encounter everyday, it’s more likely to allow these agents to pass into our body where they can do harm that is more than skin deep.
So what can we do? Time to get real with effective solutions.
As with most things, prevention is the best option. Then there’s the first ethical principle of medicine: Do no harm.
Yes, we’re told to wash our hands throughout the day to prevent the spread of viruses and illnesses that spiral during the winter months. This is essential. As we talked about in our earlier post about CLEANSING, the sulfate-free soap you choose is essential to protecting your skin, since it’s not an option to cease cleansing. See more about cleansing below.
Next, some of us use anti-bacterial lotions.
I’m not a fan of anti-bacterial soaps and lotions. They tend to contain harsh irritating ingredients, some which may be suspected of serious toxicity, and frankly, are not necessary. They do no better job at cleansing than products which are not classified as anti-bacterial. If you work in a medical environment, considerations may be different, but for most people, I don’t believe we need to expose our delicate skin to the elevated health risks of anti-bacterial cleansing products.
That said, I’m a big proponent of washing hands, but if your skin is super dry or you’ve noticed inflammatory patches, have you thought about what soap you’re using? Not all soaps are created equal.
You can use the best moisturizers on the planet, but if you’re using a harsh detergent-based soap (you’ll know if it foams abundantly – sulfate or detergent-based soaps tend to generate a lot of foam which is not at all indicative of its cleansing properties), you will most likely continue to suffer skin irritations.
Change to a sulfate-free soap with added natural oils, butters and botanicals, and I promise you’ll notice a difference.
Then, immediately after washing, apply a thick rich body butter (fragrance-free if you’re suffering any degree of inflammation) over slightly damp skin to protect, soothe, heal and nurture your skin. Do this EVERY TIME after you wash. Applying your body butter to slightly damp skin makes a remarkable difference, as opposed to applying it to dry skin. When applied to damp skin, your moisturizer will protect the natural moisture in your skin and your skin will be visibly and tangibly softer and plumper than if you simply applied it to dry skin. Try it. I promise you’ll notice the difference.
One big reason we make our travel mini body butters is so you can take them wherever you go – pop one in your purse, and re-apply after you wash your hands – every time. If you wait until you get home, your hands will be exposed to cold, dryness, wind, and other environmental irritants. Again, we’re big on prevention, because we know it works.
WHY MOISTURIZE?A good body moisturizer (lotion, creme or body butter) will:
lock in skin’s natural moisture, keeping it soft and supple protect it from dryness, topical irritants and inflammatory agents Moisturized skin feels and appears healthier, younger, softer and smoother moisturized skin will optimally intensify and retain fragrance → Read more
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
WHAT IS EXFOLIATION? the topical removal of dead surface skin cells by particles (see below) or a chemical application (e.g. glycolic, lactic or other acids) sugar, salt, nut or seed particles (e.g. walnuts, almonds), grains (e.g. oatmeal, rice), or synthetic granular materials are used within a lotion, cream or butter/oil base to gently massage skin to remove old surface skin cells which can otherwise clog pores, leave skin looking dull, sallow, or with blotchy pigmentation discoloration, and feeling rough or uneven textured. → Read more
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Getting gorgeous this holiday season begins with your skincare for the bath ritual. Ritual means more than a 5 min shower or bath. A ritual is “a big deal”. It implies indulging in something absolutely fabulous that, in this case, you create for yourself. BECAUSE NURTURE YOU TIME IS NOT A LUXURY – IT’S A MUST!
Hey, you totally deserve more than 5 min, so make it happen!
You know what they say on the flight – secure your own mask first…Think of your bathing ritual as a lifesaver, because it just might save you from the holiday bonkers busy craziness!
Make time for a warm relaxing bath to relax and refresh before going out. Get out the candles, fragrant soaps, sugar scrubs, bath melts, a glass of tea, cocoa, wine (whatever you’re in the mood for), and maybe some music.
Think of your skin as the most elegant, carefully prepared canvas upon which everything else rests – your make-up, hair, clothes and fragrance. Feeling great in your skin is also an emotional thing. It changes how you feel, move, speak, think, respond, and live your inner and outer lives. It’s where it all starts.
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Your school-age kids will soon be home all summer. Already you’re thinking about all the ways you’ll keep them entertained? Neighborhood games, day camps, lemonade stands, swimming pools, in and out with wet clothes, wet feet and maybe wet dogs?
It’s a tall order, but you’ll do it (you’re a tall order girl), and maybe have the time of your life? Looking at the big picture (not the wet floors, carpets and dogs), it’s just a short while that kids are kids, so let’s enjoy the moments, right? Clean your house, get your work done, and leave time to be a kid again – that’s the gift. Don’t miss it.
If you don’t have children, or they’ve left the nest, summer might be the perfect time to jump into your inner child. When you were a kid, what did you love to do for hours…time would pass, and you’d feel like you just had breakfast and now mom is calling for dinner? Do that now. If not now, when? (For me, it was reading adventure and mystery novels or making art outside on the front steps).
Now that you’ve dug deep to get in touch with your inner child, let’s not forget that you’re a grown up after all, and with that too are amazing and memorable things.
The day has been awesome. You played like you were 5 or 7 or 10 (whatever your favorite age) again. Now, the night belongs to you. Switch gears. Doesn’t it feel great when you have gears to switch, when you can be 5 one minute and 35 (or whatever) the next? No one could have explained this wonderment to you. It’s one of those things you just have to experience, and now you do!
Okay, grown-up girl, when it’s just you and your special someone as the sun goes down, reach for fragrances whose names speak for themselves.
Waiting for your special someone, or just dumped a less than special somene off at the ex-boyfriend graveyard? No worries. YOU deserve something sensual and playful to celebrate your spirit and delight YOUR senses.
Because when you come down to it, you are absolutely complete, and while having someone around might make life more fun sometimes, this whole fragrance and skincare thang – well you do it for YOU! We all know that. → Read more
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Are you thinking about New Year’s resolutions for 2021? Have your promises to revolutionize life, love, work, and everything in your personal universe gone into hiding, in temporary isolation like you, OR are you dreaming big with news of widely distributed COVID vaccines sometime within the first quarter? Has this global pandemic and time away from the rapidly spinning wheel we call life led you to make one or two changes that may change so much more in your life and the world?
I know, I’ve been thinking about how I want to feel in 2021. I want to feel calmer, more rested, happier everyday, less frazzled, less self-rewarded for doing too much too fast, checking off items on longer and longer detailed daily lists, leaving precious time gone, gone, gone (because that’s all we really have when you think about it) without the reward of feeling peaceful and happy as a human being in a human(e) world.
How about you? Do you love writing down a to-do list of resolutions, or would you prefer to dream about how you’d love to feel in an ideal world of your own making, and then take baby steps, or leaps if you like, into creating that world?
Whatever makes your heart happy – make some dreams come true in 2021!
If resolutions work, super! If a modified mindset, looking at your life from a fresh perspective or reflecting upon how you want to feel, and then taking actions to make you feel this way seems intriguing, why not try it on? I think a lot of us will be trying on new ways of looking at things, doing things, and seeing if we feel better, more genuine, happier, more peaceful, as we come out of a global pandemic that most of us would have believed to be unimaginable before it became all too real.
Here’s a couple of my thoughts:
Celebrate the beauty of who you are, inside and out. Mostly inside. Be compassionate with yourself, how you look and feel, and all else will fall into place. → Read more
