D.I.Y. Clay Masque

Clay Masques Clay masques can provide deep cleansing as part of your regular beauty treatment routine. Use once a week to refresh your face. Two types of clays are usually used in masques. Swelling clays have three layers and can trap metal ions and other materials between the layers. These tend to hydrate as loose slippery materials without much body. They include bentonite, Green montmorollinite (French green) and Rhassoul clays. Since the kaolins and illites hydrate on the surfaces, they are less absorbtive but will provide body to the masque. Both types are usually combined to create a balanced product. Clay masques are also a very effective way to apply many active anti aging ingredients. Add them to the water that is used to hydrate the clays. Since clays are natural minerals, it is difficult to predict the exact amount of water that they will absorb. Add the water and mix until you achieve the correct consistency. Be prepared to add more as the clays swell over time. Wet masques must be properly preserved. Adding over 10 % glycerine will prevent microbes from growing and help hydrate the skin. Refreshing French Green Clay Masque Combine 1 tsp horsetail herb, 1 tsp lemongrass herb, 1 tsp chamomile herb and 2 to 3 crumbled white sage leaves in a heat seal tea bag. Steep for 10 minutes in 16 oz of boiling water combined with 4 tablespoons of glycerine. Allow this mixture to cool before adding other ingredients. Add 1 to 2 tsp SDF Hydra and 1 tsp Marine collagen. Add 1/2 tsp Panthenol and mix well. You can also add Kojic acid and/orDipotassium glycyrhizzate to work on age spots. Start with 1/4 tsp and work up as needed since these ingredients may be irritants at higher use rates. Use this water mixture to hydrate the clay mix. Look for these anti aging ingredients in the following article. Combine 1 cup of French Green Montmorollinite clay with 1 cup ofKaolin clay. You may combine 1 to 2 tablespoons of Jojoba oil with the clay if desired to help treat dry skin. 2 tsp of Seabuckthorn oil and 1 tsp of Vitamin E oil may also be added to help nourish the skin. Add up to 2 tsp of fragrance or essential oils as desired. Add the water mixture slowly and mix well to form a medium thickness paste. It may take several hours for the clays to swell. Be prepared to adjust the mixture to an easily spreadable consistency. If more water is required, add 2 tablespoons of glycerine to 8 oz of water to finish the hydration. Package in jars. Steam your face using a herbal tea to open pores prior to use. Spread a thin coat of the masque over the face and allow to dry for about 15 minutes. This masque will remain slightly flexible due to the glycerine content. Wash the masque off thoroughly using a natural soap. You may finish with an herbal astringent if desired, but this treatment alone will leave your face clean and refreshed. Enjoy! http://www.snowdriftfarm.com

Better Hair… A Little More Money…Bigger Vocabulary!

As I sit here with my big class of cheap red wine (not suitable for anything but a hard & fast buzz and the Sunday gravy), I find myself reflecting on the events of the past few weeks. I am early into my 3^rd decade of this journey we call life and I am wondering if anything of significance has really changed. Or is it just the same old story…different chapter.

We are supposed to make smarter and wiser choices, based on the proverbial “lesson learned” adage, but do we? By now we’ve been expected to step into line, but do any of us have a clue as to what that looks like and what its coordinates are?

We have big plans, we use big words, we think deeper and harder, and sometimes we even know the answers. And yet we often find ourselves as lost as we were on our first day of school!

If you’re sitting there thinking that I’m full of shit and you’ve got it all figured out, then my friend, you need to write a book!

If our mistakes are the same—just tied up in a different bow—how can we change the outcome? By definition, that would make us insane!

One Wish for My Birthday!

The Brave and Often Unsung Heroes…. Our Service Men and Women!

Chances are you know someone who served our country; have you thanked them? Far too often we fail to recognize what really matters in this world. We take for granted our “creature comforts” without ever really stopping to think about why we have them. We can go to the store whenever the mood strikes and buy whatever we want or dine out in a 5 star restaurant because a solider fought to give us this right. We live in a capitalist society that allows us these luxuries because someone’s husband, wife, brother or sister laid down their life to give us the right. We are basically free to do what we want and it is because of the brave men and women who fight to protect us and our freedom!

I met someone last weekend that inspired me with his selflessness and bravery. His sheer willingness to enlist in the army just to ensure the safe return of the men and women of the United States Military made me believe in humanity again!

With all the news of wars and people killing each other under the banner of God in order to gain control and make more money than they need, I can’t help but feel that the fate of mankind is bleak, but because of people like this brave solider I have hope once again!

After hearing this man’s incredible story, I’ve decided that I can no longer sit and just listen to these stories on the news and feel heartbreak and anger. My new motto in life is “Be the change you wish to see”! If these soldiers’ are willing to lay down their lives to protect me, I am going to do everything I can to make sure they know how much I appreciate what they have done for us!

As some of you may know, I will be turning 30 in a few days. As my only birthday wish I am asking all my friends to pay it forward. I have done some research and found two wonderful organizations that you can make a small donation to. The details of these organizations and the wonderful services they provide for our troops are listed below.

Thank you for reading and I do hope you can help me in my quest to make a difference in the lives of those who put themselves on the line.

Give peace of mind and help a soldier stationed overseas talk to their loved ones by clicking here: http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/shippingLabel_generic.html

Donate A Phone

It's simple and FREE! Every phone you donate will help increase the amount of talk time we're able to provide to our troops!

Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas.

Help to keep the USO in the business of sending care packages and providing other types of assistance by clicking here:

http://www.uso.org/

Love...

Can there be more than one earth shattering, soul shaking love that feels as though destiny is giving you another chance? Or is it that the love you had was just to prepare you for the next level of enlightenment?

Do we simply fall in love way too easily and what we often feel and recognize as love is nothing more than an emotional upheaval of past experiences. Are we longing for a “story book fairy tale” and so we perpetually seek out the careless whispers and what we believe to be an unfounded connection to one another-- in an attempt to mask the pain of heartache and heartbreak?

Is there any validity to the theory of a soul mate? What if you have found your soul mate in someone other than a lover? Is it possible that your soul was split into several pieces, therefore giving you more than one soul mate? Or do we just have a propensity to continually fall down the proverbial rabbit hole until we can no longer stand to be so dizzy?

Can you believe enough in love to understand that maybe love is earth shattering and soul shaking not once, but several times, because what we feel with another may just be what we had lacked with the former?

Is there more than one true love out there because the needs of your heart have changed and love is willing to adapt to that?

Illuminating Moisturizers: My Top Three Picks

My skin is far from perfect and therefore I have to use a little more than just a tinted moisturizer. So when my dear friend Carrie asked me to do some research, I thought it might be useful to see which ones have the best coverage, as well as giving your skin that youthful glow.

My third pick was chosen because it is a great product if you’re on a budget. This product provides the perfect balance of moister, sunscreen, and illumination. You may still need a touch of concealer, if you have problem areas like I do, but it is lightweight and gives you a nearly flawless appearance.

Pick # 3: Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer

My second pick was chosen because I couldn’t leave out the brand that is most near and dear to my heart…. I use nearly everything this particular brand has to offer and I have never been disappointed, especially by the POREfessional. If you don’t already use it, you should be!

But enough about that…. This moisturizer has anti-aging properties, such as Vitamin A and Vitamin E, which are essential in fighting against the elements that wreak havoc on our delicate skin.

Pick # 2: You Rebel SPF Tinted Moisturizer

Drum roll, please…..

My first pick was chosen because it has the best coverage. And while I still had to use a little concealer— when used with the hydrating primer—it gives an almost airbrushed look. It comes in three shades which should make it easy for everyone to find that perfect match. It is also SPF 20 which will protect the skin from UV damage while giving you a healthy youthful radiant glow.

# 1 Pick: Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

Use with: Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer

In conclusion, these topical treatments will give you a wonderful youthful radiant glow, but it is only temporary. The only way to achieve a permanent look of true radiance is thorough proper nutrition and diet. Nothing beats a good sweat and a serving of omega 3 fatty acids, daily!

Siren of Serenity Facebook Page

Easy to Make Oatmeal & Avocado Oil Sugar Scrub....

This nourishing all organic oatmeal and sugar scrub is rich in essential nutrients and contains clarifying ingredients to help exfoliate and protect the skin from free radicals, harmful UVA/B rays, pollution, and poor nutrition that we expose ourselves to daily.

Combined with the Oatmeal &Avocado Oil bath gel and body lotion with SPF 100+, your skin will thank you for a lifetime.

¾ cup organic raw sugar (see recommended brands below)
½ cup steel cut oatmeal
¾ cup cold pressed organic avocado oil
¾ to 1 cup (or to total saturation) fixed oil of choice (recommended :Babassu, Karanja and Sweet Almond)
1/4 tsp Essential or Fragrance oil of choice (optional) Jasmine or Lavender absolutes work nicely (see recommended brads).

Mix the sugar and oatmeal together in a large bowl. Slowly combine the oil in with the dry mixture. Mix well. When all dry ingredients are saturated and sink to the bottom of the bowl, add the essential oil and/or fragrance oil to the emulsion. The mixture is now ready to be bottled and stored for use.

Poor mixture in to your container of choice (a six or eight ounce wide-mouthed jar works nicely).

Recommended Use: For optimum results, use up to three times per week.

Recommended Brands:

Raw Organic Sugar: Sugar in the Raw http://www.sugarintheraw.com/

Essential Oils (Lavender): English Lavender http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/english_lavender_eo.html

Essential Oils (Jasmine): Jasmin graniflorum (India) http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/essentialoils_2.html

Essential Oils: Avocado, Babassu, Karanja, and Sweet Almond http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/fixedoils.html

*May be stored for 24 months at a temperature not exceeding 77°F (25°C ) from the date of manufacture.