June 1, 2012

Scary, huh? What in the world is going on here?

Remember when I told you about the Indian Bridal Mask a couple of weeks ago? I had seen it on Doctor Oz, and whipped up a batch from turmeric, chickpea flour and almond oil.

Well, I mentioned that I might take photos on my next use of the mask, and LilSis pretty much dared me to show the dirty reality of this process.

So, without further ado – and certainly without any pride or ego – here are the photos I promised/threatened to share!

When I said it was messy, I wasn't kidding and I wasn't exaggerating. You schmear it all over your face and pretty soon it looks like your neon mustard color skin is melting off your bones…

Be sure to avoid your eye area with the mask.

Now that I've been through this process twice, here are my Top 10 Indian Bridal Mask Tips:

1. Keep the concoction away from your eyes.
2. Even though the mixture smells kind of interesting, don't eat it!
3. Mix the ingredients up in a plastic or paper bowl, and use a plastic spoon so you can toss it all in the trash when you're done.
4. Half or quarter the recipe if you don't want to have a lot of leftovers hanging around. Store any leftover mask in the fridge in a glass container.
5. Wear gloves when you apply the mask and when you remove it.
6. Wear old clothes when you do this treatment, just in case! Any miniscule drip or crumb of this mask will cause a HUGE yellow stain.
7. Protect your sink and application area with paper towels.
8. Remove the excess product with damp paper towels before you rinse. Don't use a washcloth until all traces of yellow are gone from your face.
9. When you think your face is clean, rinse it even more. Pay special attention to your eyebrows, hairline, neck and nostrils.
10. Gather up all of your trash items, and check your bathroom carefully for any stray mask bits before you leave. Examine the bottom of your feet or shoes to make sure you don't track yellow all over your house.

If you follow these tips, your chances of a yellow disaster should be lessened. You'll have nice, smooth, silky skin to enjoy and that makes us girls very, very happy. All of the care that you took with this process will be completely worth it!

Happy face…anticipating the silky smooth skin!

PS: I was clearly overdue for botox (7 months) in these photos, and I'm smiling even more now that I just took care of that little issue!

~BigSis

May 20, 2012

I love the Doctor Oz Show, and record it every day like clockwork. I always learn something from it. It might be a supplement I never heard of, a medical issue to be aware of, or a new beauty product I need to try.

About a month ago, I saw a Doctor Oz segment on ancient skin secrets from other cultures. His guest was Shalini Vadhera, who has written a book called Passport to Beauty. Two of Ms. Vadhera's treatments intrigued me.

One was a Korean rice water treatment to fade brown spots. I haven't tried that one yet, but I will. Even with sunscreen, I still end up with brown spots on my face, mostly on my upper cheekbones just outside the protection of my sunglasses.

The other treatment that caught my attention is called the Indian Bridal Glow Mask. Indian women use it on their face and body to make their skin smooth, bright and soft for their wedding day. It sounds pretty simple.

Just mix 1 cup of chickpea flour with 3 tablespoons of turmeric, and add enough almond oil to make a paste. The chickpea flour absorbs oil, the almond oil moisturizes, and the turmeric is anti-inflammatory and antiseptic.

The directions are to apply the paste to your face and let it sit for a few minutes. Instead of just removing it with a washcloth, you rub it off with your hands to exfoliate, which also is supposed to take off some of the peach fuzz that most of us have on our cheeks.

I finally tried the Indian Bridal Glow Mask today, and am pleased to report that it was surprisingly effective. Dare I say it was incredible even?

My skin feels softer and smoother than I can ever remember it being, even after using my favorite exfoliator; the amazing Exfolikate by Kate Somervell. I only have a small sample size tube of Exfolikate from a New Beauty Test Tube a while back, but if I bought a small 2-ounce size tube it would cost me $85! (PS: if you aren't getting the Test Tubes, you HAVE to do it! You will thank me.)

So, I could spend $85 for 2 ounces of a fabulous professional exfoliation product, or I can spend a couple of dollars on simple ingredients that I might already have in the house (which I did). Which is more appealing?

I can tell you I'd spend that $85 if I had to in order to get great skin, but if I don't have to, I'm spending that $85 on something fun, like shoes, workout clothes, craft supplies, a kitchen gadget, or anything pink.

Back to the Indian Bridal Glow Mask. I just used it on my face, and saw amazing exfoliation. My pores look smaller, my skin texture is smooth, and there is absolutely zero irritation. Lots of heavy-duty scrubs and masks can leave behind redness, and inflamed delicate areas that can start to peel in a day or two. That is not the case with this mask.

I didn't see a complete removal of  peach fuzz, but I think some of it is gone. The demonstration on Doctor Oz showed that the mask was drier than mine was, and when it was rubbed off, it actually came off in blobs. Mine was creamier than that, so the exfoliation was probably milder on my skin. I didn't feel that I added too much oil though; just enough to make a peanut butter consistency paste.

I have lots of the mask left, so I put it in a glass jar to save in the fridge until I do the next treatment in a week. I think it should be ok. If not, then next time I'll decrease the batch by about 75%.

One huge word of caution about this mask: BE CAREFUL! I cannot tell you how messy this concoction is! The turmeric will stain everything it comes in contact with. I'm not using the mask on my body as suggested, since the turmeric would absolutely instantly cause a huge yellow stain in the shower that I don't want to imagine.

I recommend mixing the mask in a plastic or paper bowl with a plastic spoon so you can throw it all away. When I was rubbing the mask off and wiping the residue off with wet paper towels, I had a couple of layers of paper towel in the sink to catch any drips. Otherwise I would have been scrubbing a yellow sink for a while.

Make sure you wear gloves when you work with the mask. It will stain your fingers and fingernails. Strangely enough, it didn't stain my face at all. Not sure why, but it didn't.

I'll use this mask again next week, and might let it sit on my skin a little longer to dry out more. I may get a photo of it actually on my face…it's pretty scary looking!

I highly recommend this treatment and am really excited about it! I love that it was effective, inexpensive, and completely natural, and I can't wait to try the Korean Rice Water Treatment next. I think that Shalini Vadhera just might be on to something!

~BigSis