Ahh...a Home Spa

Now that colder weather is setting in, it feels like bath not shower time. It is so easy to have a spa-like experience in your own home. Follow these tips for an ahh-mazing time.

1. Choose just one room in your house where you can be alone and quiet. The bathroom is the usual choice, but it can be anywhere. Prepare your space ahead of time so you can relax during your spa time. Clean, declutter, and dust the space. It doesn’t have to be perfect; but your mind needs to be at peace, not looking around at reminders.
2. Set yourself up with a pile of big, fluffy towels and a couple of washcloths. You'll want at least one extra large towel for your body and another towel for your hair. If your towels are looking a bit shabby, invest in a few new ones. There is nothing like a good, luxurious towel for your home spa experience. pioneerlinens.com has an incredible selection of towels!
3. If you don't already have one, invest in a plush bathrobe and nice slippers. This is a one-time expense that will make you feel pampered each time you treat yourself to your at-home spa.
4. Decide on a theme (relaxing or energizing, for example), then set the mood with music and lighting. Choose a tranquil or energizing CD, depending on the mood you wish to create. Light several aromatherapy candles in a scent such as lavender (for relaxation) or citrus (for rejuvenation.) When you set the right mood, you will intensify the effects of your other spa treatments.
5. Put aside at least 20 or 30 minutes to fully enjoy your luxurious home spa. Fill the bath with hot water and turn on the shower for additional steam Add bubble bath, bath confetti, or aromatherapy bath salts for a softening effect. The bath salts help to cleanse and detoxify your body.
6. Turn off the overhead lights, light the candles and turn on the music. Wash your face with a warm face cloth and apply your facial mask. Then take off your robe and slip into your hot bath. While your facial mask is working, start with your exfoliating scrub or pumice and let yourself relax. The entire body should be scrubbed at least weekly. Exfoliation should be done in a circular motion, beginning with the feet and up the legs, then hands up the arms, down the back finally up the front to the heart. It is usually best to rinse with tepid or cool water after the scrub to further activate circulation.
7. When the time for your home spa has come to an end, rinse off the facial mask and dry off with your luxurious towels. Then take time to moisturize from head to toe. 9. Conclude your experience by wrapping yourself in your soft robe and enjoying a cup of your favorite relaxing or invigorating herbal tea, selected to compliment your homemade spa experience. Choose peppermint or citrus tea, for example, to end a relaxing home spa or select jasmine or chamomile tea for a relaxing home spa.

Creating a home spa is so simple and affordable that you will have no excuse not to indulge at least once a week. When was the last time you pampered yourself!!

Quick Takes

Here are a couple of short little tips from Prevention Magazine (prevention.com)

*Wash your face to ward off wrinkles

A new British Skin Foundation study found that 50% of women don't wash their faces at night. This habit can make you look older. It can enlarge pores and further irritate dry skin. To clean away signs of aging, gently rub your cleanser onto damp skin and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

*Exercise to Help a Charity

Eric Harr, author of Goal Digger Fitness, will donate $5 to the humanitarian organization CARE for every hour you exercise and log at www.care.org/workout--up to $1 million. This could bring clean water, build a home or educate a child in developing nations around the globe. You can build a better world while you are building a healthier body!!

*How to find the right bra

A professional bra fitter can help or on your own keep these in mind:

It's important to choose a bra that's tight in the band. That's where most support comes from. (I didn't know that!) A bra with a seam gives more support.(I didn't know that either!) Check out unfamiliar brands. American bra companies produce just seven cup sizes, European brands offer 14 cup depths that allow you to get a better fit.

That was just a little potpourri of interesting items. For more information check out Prevention Magazine.

Anti-aging Perfume?

In addition to products that claim to lift, firm and get rid of wrinkles we now have a fragrance that is supposed to make you "smell younger". Harvey Prince has launched a new perfume called "Ageless Fantasy". It's the world's first anti-aging perfume. It is designed to make women "smell younger" using mango, cherry and pineapple scents. Apparently using these scents will make others perceive you to be 8 years younger. (How did they decide on that number and those particular scents?) It's also advertised as "prescription-free youth". Although you may smell much younger, the perfume won't make you look younger.

Boy we sure are obsessed with being younger aren't we? In this month's issue of MORE magazine (more.com) Jane Fonda,Sharon Stone and Tea Lioni are featured. Jane is 70, Sharon is 50 and Tea is 42. All reveal how they make their age work for them, not against them. There is no mention of any work done on their faces or bodies which I think is pretty cool. They focus on their careers and talents and not on their looks.

I am very happy to be getting older and having some wrinkles. This is a great time in my life. I don't really need people to perceive that I am 8 years younger. (a little younger maybe...if I'm honest) I am taking care of my face and body--avoiding the sun, exercising, using a good moisturizer and eating healthy. I think I would rather look healthy than look many years younger.

In the article in MORE, Tea says that "aging gracefully to me isn't about accepting or doing only a little bit of Botox. I think it's a spark--a way of being." Well said!

Recipe for a Self Tanner

If you go to nikileighspa.com you will find lots of fun recipes in the "recipe vault". Here is a fun one that sounds almost too good to be true. A self-tanner you can make yourself. I haven't tried it but it sounds pretty easy. Only two ingredients!

Recipe for a Self-Tanner

• 1 tablespoon white unscented lotion
• 1 tablespoon pure cocoa powder

Mix the lotion and cocoa powder together until very smooth and creamy. Apply to skin using a makeup wedge. You will have a natural glow! Your tan will last until your next shower.

What do you think? If you try it let us know how well it works. Or if you go to the "vault" and try any other recipes give us your opinion of those too. It's pretty cool to be able to make these in your own kitchen!

Beauty Tips by Audrey Hepburn

I don’t remember watching Audrey Hepburn movies when I was younger but I have seen snippets of her movies. She always seemed so full of grace and charm. She left behind these Beauty Tips that still work today.

Beauty Tips by Audrey Hepburn:
For attractive lips,
Speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes,
Seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure,
Share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair,
Let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise,
Walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed. Never throw out anybody.Remember: if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, the other for helping others

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Every woman is at risk. Breast cancer doesn't care if you are old, young, wealthy, poor, educated or uneducated, etc. It can't be prevented or cured. One out of eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer. This is a good time to reflect on screening, risk factors and what you can do to make a difference with your own health.
Risk Factors:
*A family member with the disease raises your risk.

*You're still at risk even if you don't have a family history of breast cancer.

*Getting older raises your risk for developing the disease. More than 75% of breast cancers are diagnosed after age 50.

*Being overweight increases your risk.
Screening

*Getting a mammogram annually starting at age 40 is the best way to catch the disease in its earliest, most treatable stage. Women who get regular mammograms reduce their chance of breast cancer by 63%.

*Self-exams. Women should check their own breasts so they can know what's normal for them and then they will be able to tell if something changes. They can then contact the appropriate caregiver for evaluation.
Take Charge of Your Own Health

*Exercise. Women who exercise regularly throughout their lives lower their risk.

*Watch the scale. Women who gained more than 20 pounds after menopause were more likely to develop breast cancer. Those who lost 20 pounds or more cut their risk by 57%.

*Get regular mammograms and do regular self-exams.

*Limit the alcohol. Cap it at three drinks a week.

*Eat better: Think high-fiber and low-fat; veggies and vitamins; and lean meat and other sources of protein. Eating 3 or more servings of red meat a week has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.

*Know the risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT): For every 10,000 women taking HRT (yes, even the bio-identical kind), eight preventable breast cancers occur. Understand your personal risks versus benefits before popping that pill.

Some fun pink products that promote awareness are on the market. Dove chocolate "Promises of Hope"candy is wrapped in pink foil. Chinet Casuals are pink paper plates. Breast cancer survivors designed boxes of Celestial Seasonings Cranberry Pomegranate Green Tea. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Candle is available at Pier One stores.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month started out as a weeklong event in October 1985. It has grown into a monthlong chance to remember those who have died from breast cancer and to honor those who have survived. Pass this info on to the women in your life. You can help make a difference!

Let Your Hands Do The Talking

Do your hands reveal your age, disguise your age or do they add years to your look?
What makes hands look older than their years? They actually get more use and abuse and less pampering than your face. Here are some solutions to make your hands look timeless and beautiful.

Sunspots—UV damages pigment producing cells causing brown spots to form. Slather on that sunscreen!!

Veins—To minimize the color contrast between your skin and the dark veins try using a concealer or use a self tanner. Jewelry and manicures help give you a younger look too. Keep nails short (1/8 inch long). Shorter nails soften the appearance of veins.

Dryness—As we age our skin produces less lubricating oil and loses its ability to hold moisture.
Apply lotion throughout the day. Rub it on immediately after washing your hands to seal in moisture. Before using household cleaners or doing dishes apply lotion or a hand cream and pull on cotton-lined gloves.


Gathered From The Garden has the most wonderful Goat Milk and Honey Lotion. It’s our best seller! It is loved by doctors, nurses, teachers, and others who need to do frequent hand-washing. It comes in many fantastic fragrances. Once you try this lotion, you’ll never try another! $11.00/8oz. or $4.50 for a 2 oz. purse size.

Our Satin and Silk Shea Butter Lotion is excellent for dry skin too. It would work great to put on your hands before gloves to do those chores. $12.00/8 oz.