Makeover Your Style and Your Budget

My friend Ellen just spoke to our MOPS group about that oh-so-sensitive word...budget. When i think of budgets, I usually cringe. I think of words like: restrictive, controlling, limits, and stressful.

But one line from Ellen's talk sparked an idea with me that has been so freeing.

She said: when you walk through the grocery store and say no to that awesome, pre-packaged, organic, 5 minute meal because the price is $$$, don't feel sad for yourself, don't pity yourself. Walk with your head held high because you are saying no to that because you are saying yes to something bigger.

Are you saying yes to something bigger?

Did you catch that? Budgeting isn't just about pinching pennies so you can pay your utilities. Its about cutting back in some areas so you can make a bigger impact where it counts. This applies to all of us, no matter our paychecks! This idea has kicked me in the butt and gotten me excited about budgeting once again. What better time to start then at the beginning of a new year too!?

Over the next few posts I will show you how to style your home, your self, and your life...all on a budget, all so you can say yes for a greater purpose.

Will you join me as I blog for a series on budgeting for a purpose, all with an emphasis on style?

 

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Oil Face Wash -- the Update!

In June of 2010 I met a woman with the most radiant skin.  She said she always had trouble with acne (same here!) until she found the recipe for the oil cleansing method.

I know -- oil on your face?  Oil on an already oily face?  I was really hesitant, but since nothing else had ever worked (dermatologists, prescriptions, Proactive...all would work for a month or two, then I would have issues again), I thought I should give it a try.  Here is my first post on it with lots of links.

More people have asked me about the oil cleansing method as more and more is coming out about the harmful additives in commercial beauty products (Skin Deep resource page, news areticle on the call for recall on Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo!).  Plus, since I started using the oil cleansing method, I have seen articles in Elle, Real Simple, and even Martha Stewart Living.  It's the new thing people!

Here is the recipe I use and love:

•  Dropper bottle from health food store
• 1 part castor oil (if you have oilier skin, you would want to use more)
• 3 parts sunflower oil (high in vitamin E. I usually use a mix of grapeseed oil and sunflower oil)
• 1/2 part of neroli oil (neroli is fantastic for your skin as it helps regenerate skin cells, reduce scarring, etc)
• About 10 of drops of sweet orange essential oil (reduces redness and smells great!)

To use the wash, wet your face and then massage a small amount of oil (about the size of a nickel) into your face for about one minute.  Focus on trouble areas, like the t zone, and just think about massaging all the dirt away.  Then, wet a washcloth with as hot of water as you can stand and hold the washcloth to your face.  I focus on an area at a time and hold it there till the cloth cools.  You are blotting, not wiping.  Except I do wipe off my eye makeup.  (*Note: I use an old washcloth for this as the mascara never really comes out, but it is so nice to wash your face and get all the makeup off at the same time!)  When you are done, your face will be slightly oily (you'll want to do this at night before bed), but when you wake up you will be dewy fresh!  Just rinse your face quickly with water and you are ready for the day!  You may break out more the first week, but keep going!  Once all the impurities are rinsed out, you will be so happy with the results!

Check out the Oil Clensing Method website for lots more info and recipes to tweak to your specific face type.

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So soft and wrinkle free

Ok, I'm getting older. I can't avoid it...no one can.  But seeing 30 in the near future isn't the easiest for someone who prided themselves on being mistaken for a high school student.  But whatever.  I'm going to try and age gracefully, but that doesn't mean I can't use wrinkle cream, right?  This stuff is amazing and I can already tell the difference.  Try it. 

Also, I made my own oil face wash.  I know, it sounds like the last thing you would ever want to put on your face, especially break-out prone me.  BUT, again, it works!  My face hasn't been this clear and blackhead free in years.  I first heard about it from the wife of the farmer we buy our confinement free meat from.  Check out here post here.  She linked to her friend who has a recipe that I've been using.  I couldn't find neroli oil, so I made it without, but it has worked great for me.  Check out that recipe here. 

They call all of this the Oil Cleansing Method.  If you want to go to the "official" site, check it out here. 

For those who want more info than my simple, "I love it! It works!" here is an excerpt for the http://www.oilcleansingmethod.com/:

"The reasons we have so much trouble with mainstream skin care products are numerous, but two reasons, in particular, lead the pack. These products strip the oil out of our skin, leaving our largest organ trying to repair itself by replacing the oil stripped away. This leaves us in a cycle of being tight and dry followed by the inevitable oil slick. Each time we strip the oil away, our skin over-compensates for the lack of moisture by creating more oil. On top of the drying effects, these products are highly-scented. Fragrance is one of the top skin irritants and strangely enough, even the so-called "unscented" products usually contain fragrance. See for yourself and check the labels. Dry, irritated skin replaced by oily skin, inflamed and trapping debris."

I am loving it and love how my skin looks.  It is so soft, smooth, and now even somewhat wrinkle-free.  Hmmm...I sound sort of like a fabric softener commercial....

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