Sleeping Beauty - Beauty Treatments while You Sleep

So, here's a secret: You don't actually have to have the time to get your beauty routine in during the day. In fact, most of it can be done in your sleep. Here are some night time beauty treatments to make you a sleeping beauty:


Skin :

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• Apply tea tree oil to any acne prone areas as a treatment to get rid of pimples and shrink pores
• Apply vitamin E oil to fade acne scars and dark marks
• Apply retinol A cream under your eyes to fight wrinkles, bags and sagging

Nails

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• For peeling, stripping nails rub some olive oil onto your nails before bed
• For dry cuticles you can rub argan oil into the cuticles before falling asleep
• Picked up a fungus from the nail salon? Tea tree oil under your fingernails will help in getting rid of the fungus

Hair

• The night before you go into the salon for a relaxer, colour or other chemical treatment, treat your hair to some moisture - apply coconut oil to the ends of your hair, fold them under and tie up your hair
• Have an event the next day but don't have time to wash your hair? Sprinkle some baking soda onto your scalp and massage it in gently. When you wake up brush it out and it will act like a dry shampoo getting rid of dirt and oil to make your hair easier to style
• Hair falling out like crazy? Strengthen it with argan oil overnight by applying a small amount to the roots and the ends.

Lips

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• Get rid of cracked lips by lathering up with your favourite chapstick or with olive oil before bed. When you wake up, your lips will be buttery smooth and hydrated
• Notice that your lips have been darkening because you play an instrument or live in lipstains? Apply eye cream to your lips every other night for two weeks (make sure you don't ingest it though). If you are a lip licker like me, then just use vitamin E oil.

Feet & Hands

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• Lather up with cream before bed to bring back softness. To amp up the results sleep with socks or mittens on.
• Seeing more wrinkles than anything on your hands? Apply a thick lotion with collagen or caffeine listed in the ingredients to help decrease the appearance of wrinkles or fine lines

Lashes

• Grow and strengthen your lashes by brushing olive oil onto them with a clean mascara wand every other night. Make sure to remove all mascara before you do this and apply only a tiny bit.

I really only like to use products that are all-natural or made specifically for the area I am applying the product to when I do so at night. I don't know the science behind it but I just feel like I don't want unnatural products soaking into my skin while I sleep. So, until you know how your skin responds to something I would suggest using only natural products for your night time beauty routine.

Do you have any night time beauty treatments you're crazy about? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Till later,
**Jane

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Take It Off! (Lazy Girl's Guide to Good Skin Part 1)

I've been guilty of being too lazy tired to wash my make up off when I come in from a night out, and that smear of cream blush on my pillow case always mocks me the next morning promising that I will almost certainly be seeing a new pimple by the end of the day. Without a doubt, putting on makeup is more fun than taking it off. BUT like, all other good hygienic habits, it must be done. So, of course I had to devise the laziest way to take it all off at the end of any kind of day. *Disclaimer - I'm not a dermatologist, skin specialist or medical professional. This is just what I think from my own experience*

Here we go:

Work Day :

Whether you're a super busy run-around person or you sit behind a desk all day, the optimum time to take off your makeup is as soon as you get home. Why? The longer your skin has to breathe with absolutely nothing on it, is the longer it has to recover on its own. Remember how it feels to take your shoes off and wiggle your toes? That's what you're doing for your face.

Make it easy by putting a pack of makeup remover wipes close to where you put down your bag or take off your jewellery when you get in, and you're less likely to forget to do it. After you've wiped it all off, on your next trip to the bathroom splash your face with some water.

Gym/Workout:

Always always always sweat make-up free. Makeup and sweat is a horrible combination for your pores and will leave you super clogged. Yes, I know you still need to look presentable at the gym, but for the sake of your skin, please wipe off your face make up (foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter) at least. If you don't want to go completely bare leave on your eye makeup, make sure you're wearing waterproof mascara and that your eyeliner is on your top lid only, otherwise you will end up with raccoon eyes. Plus, foundation on your gym towel just looks like dirt, or worse...skid marks.

Make it easy by slipping a pack of makeup remover wipes into your gym bag. Reduce smears by wiping off your foundation and blush before you change your clothes. Never mind if you look like you're missing a little colour. Working up a good sweat will make you flushed and glowing naturally.

Night out on the Town:

You're finally home and your feet ache and you can barely stand but you slathered on the makeup earlier and you need to wipe it off. Typically, we go heavier with the makeup at night and are even more lackadaisical about taking it off when we get in.But this is exactly why we need to do it. Heavier makeup requires a two-step process especially if you're gonna be too lazy tired to wash your face.

Take a makeup remover wipe or two and wipe everything off as best as you can. Wipes can end up leaving your face slightly sticky so you can always substitute the second wipe for witch hazel on a cotton pad. The second step is a face oil. Didn't see that coming did you? An oil, in its virgin form like tea tree oil or argan oil will do alot for your skin. The moisturizing properties will help to combat the dehydration from any alcohol you consumed or any smoke that was in the air while the anti-bacterial properties will nix any remaining dirt that could be clogging your pores. Get your oils here if you live in Kingston, Jamaica.

My favourite make-up removers are:

  

Neutrogena                                        Simple                                                   Ponds

                                                                                                                     (Keep this in the fridge)

DIY- Makeup Removers I like:

- Witch Hazel & Rose Water

- Olive Oil and Witch Hazel

Fave Eye Make-up Remover:

Neutrogena Oil-free Eye Makeup Remover

Remember ladies, just washing your face doesn't remove your makeup. Your best bet is to use a make-up remover (store bought or DIY) and then to wash your face. I don't recommend using an exfoliating scrub after you've used a makeup remover. A cream cleanser or other regular cleanser will do the job without irritating your skin.

If you want a step-by-step breakdown on how to make your own makeup remover leave me a comment and I'll get right on it. 

Till later,

**Jane

PS - Can we take a minute to just swoon at the loveliness of cream blush at night? Especially in candlelit areas? Swoooooon!

P PS - Yes, I'm starting a new series of posts, and aren't you a smarty pants for noticing.

  

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Shop Talk : Earth Elements in Savannah Plaza

Bush tea, aloe vera wash out and garlic remedies are all familiar to you if you live in the Islands. Now that the world seems more focused on the benefits of going natural, the natural/organic industry is hurriedly harnessing the wave to sell us all kind of natural/organic labelled items. Amidst all of this jabber, I was directed by a fellow blogger and youtuber Michelle,  to Earth Elements, a store specializing in natural products.

Earth Elements is located at Shop #3A in Savannah Plaza on Constant Spring Road in Kingston Jamaica. This is the plaza across from popeyes. I visited there last week and picked up a bottle of Argan Oil and an all-natural Blackberry Soap because my skin is irritated and is still suffering from the wicked sunburn I got the other day. (Rave Review coming soon!).

The store is small but the two workers who were there were very pleasant and everything was clearly labelled with the ingredients listed on each label. Happily, all the products I examined were bottled in Jamaica and I did not see one sulfate of any kind on any labels, nothing with added fragrance and nothing with added mineral oil. Their products are varied - from natural soaps like the one I picked up, to raw shea butter and cocoa butter in tubs, to bath salts, various body oils and scented oils and loads of candles.

The prices ranged from $100 up to $800 (JMD) which, I thought was pretty affordable. The ladies were eager to help and they were knowledgeable about each of the products that were there (gasp!) which is a special treat for me as a Jamaican consumer. Remind me to tell you about my experience trying to shop for a wedding dress here.

The Argan Oil I picked up was $360 and a little goes a long way. The blackberry soap was $200 and best believe I will be visiting that store again very soon. If you are looking for a product and want to make sure they have it in stock then you can give them a call at 926-4428.

I am not associated with Earth Elements or the persons who work there or own it. I just really like what I saw and I think they deserve some support. So if you check them out let me know how your experience was. :) Also, if you are a hair product nerd they have a wide array of natural products. I am currently on a ban until I finish the products I am using.

I will be doing a post/video on my hair routine or my top hair products pretty soon but I have a couple more shops to recommend to you guys so look out for that!

Till later,
Jane

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