Hello, beauties! This week, I'm bringing you my biggest beauty secrets! These helpful (and some unusual) tricks have helped me to achieve my inner and outer beauty goals! Many of these hacks have been taught me to since I was a young girl and others I've recently added to my routine. For the last two weeks, I challenged myself to incorporate all of these routines into my daily life and noticed immense results that I outline in this post. Enjoy, xx
1. Pre-Breakfast Juicing
Half of my beauty tricks are inspired by my mom, including this one. Before I eat breakfast every morning, I drink a full glass of celery juice (app. 24 oz) and follow that with the same amount of room temperature water, topped with half a lemon. This helps to kick start my metabolism, increase my water intake and boost my energy levels. While I'm at school, I add 1000 mg of celery seed extract, available on Amazon for $15.96 per 8.8 oz, to my water. At home, I have access to a juicer and prefer to use that. Similarly, while I'm at school, I buy pure lemon juice and add this to my water rather than juicing lemons. This helps to kick start my metabolism, increase my water intake and boost my energy levels. Following this, I'll eat a bar if I'm on-the-go or sit down, mix a protein shake, or sit down with a bowl of oatmeal. Often times, I'll add stevia to my various meals to kick my sugar craving. The calorie-free, natural sweetener; stevia, is a life saver if you have a sweet tooth but don't want the added sugar. My mom and I have noticed extreme improvement in our skin, bodies and moods in just two weeks of juicing!
2. Chinese Cupping
Perusing on Sephora brought me across a small pink tool that looks like a mini suction cup, called the Cell-Cup. This, somewhat unusual, tool effectively tones and minimizes the appearance of cellulite at an affordable price of $18. While this may sound intimidating, I promise it's not as scary as it sounds! It feels like a light massage and you can use it in the shower, tub or dry with your choice of cleanser or lotion. For optimal results, move the device over areas that you want to tighten, tone or reduce cellulite in until the tool turns from dark to light pink. This is inspired by the trend of "cupping", originating in China, and is used by many Olympians, including Michael Phelps. According to Healthline, cupping "may be particularly effective at easing conditions that create muscle aches and pains" and "is possibly effective at treating digestive issues, skin issues and other conditions commonly treated with acupressure".
4. When it Comes to Skin, Keep it Natural.
Countless years of struggling with my skin has taught me that the grocery store is my go-to stop for skincare. While I still enjoy the occasional face mask from Mario Badescu or Kate Somerville, I found that keeping it natural was what really helped me clear my skin. I have combination skin; sometimes it's oily, sometimes dry and I get highly enviable blackheads and cystic acne. To top what I like to call a "cocktail" of skin issues, I am a chronic picker, gifting me with stubborn acne scarring. Once I decided to get serious about clearing my skin, I hit my local Whole Foods and filled my cart with tea tree oil and vitamin E oil. Every morning and night, I apply a thin layer of these oils over my entire face, paying closer attention to my problem areas. This, along with a game-changing product I mention later in this post, helped me to rid blackheads, pimples and scars, as well as brighten the overall appearance of my skin. Remember that what you put into your body is just as important as you what you apply topically!! Trial and error has taught me that maintaining a balanced diet (i.e. plenty of healthy fats, lean protein, veggies and water) and including majority natural ingredients, even some that I normally eat, such as avocados, in my skincare routine is the key to beautiful skin. Remember that your skin is constantly rebuilding itself and acne is only temporary. If you're struggling to clear your skin, ditch the expensive products and keep it natural!
5. Power-Trio: IGK “Mixed Feelings” Leave-In Blonde Drops, L’Oréal Summer Lights Hair Lightening Gelée, VERB Leave-In Mist
One of the main issues I struggle with hair-wise is color. I have light-brown/dark-blonde hair that gradually loses its brightness during the colder months. I've tried the whole dark hair and pale skin look and, let's just say, I'm no Lily Collins (thank you New England). To avoid pesky roots during the winter, I use L'Oréal Summer Lights Hair Lightening Gelée . I know you hear this about every product, but this really is a miracle. It doesn't dry out my hair and is far more affordable than going to get my hair colored professionally. At the rate my hair grows, I'd have to get it done at least every two weeks and you can imagine the cost of that (not complaining though, it did save me from my bangs faze in fifth grade and the short hair idea... not as cute as I thought it would be). Amazon offers a pack of 5 for $24.47 and once you get your hair to color you desire, you only have to use it on your roots. During the summer, you can enjoy the leisure of getting a tan and lightening your hair. During the winter, you can blow dry over it to create more noticeable results or leave it to work its magic alone. Often times, I'll keep it in overnight and wash it out in the morning but once it dries, you can brush over it and go as is. Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with the cool blonde tones my sister has. To minimize brassiness, I mix IGK "Mixed Feelings" Leave-In Blonde Drops, a concentrated purple formula, with VERB's Leave-In Mist and apply it throughout my hair after I shower. I have long, thick hair and IGK's "Mixed Feelings Leave in Blonde Drops" tones my entire head in 2-3 small pumps. Although it's a small bottle, I've had it for months and still haven't worked through the whole $29 bottle. VERB's Leave-In Mist comes in a large bottle and is even cheaper at $16. This concoction of products leaves my hair shiny, smooth and blonde year-round without steep salon costs. If you're looking for a solution to brassy hair and creeping roots, your "heaven-send" is finally here.
6. My Unlikely Remedy for Acne Scarring
As I mentioned earlier, I use a "game-changing product" in my skincare routine. Well, here it is folks. A while back, my friend mentioned she used a crazy product from the drug store that has rid her skin of its acne scars; pregnancy stretch mark cream. Despite her flawless skin, I thought this sounded like a recipe for disaster on my face. To my surprise, it worked just as well for me as it did for her! For a long time, acne scars kept my skin looking 50% when it could have been looking 100%... if you know what I mean. Indeed, a product geared towards pregnant women helped me gained the confidence a clear complexion can grant you. I chose a $27.70 bottle of Mederma Stretch Mark Therapy and didn't even use the entire tube before I noticed results. After making the executive decision to finally STOP PICKING AT MY FACE (simple for most people... I wasn't one) I never had to buy it again!
6. Turmeric Lattes
Ah the basket of various supplements and health powders that sit in corner of my desk actually got put to use!! Turmeric is one of the most powerful superfoods and is a once-ignored member of my disregarded "health basket" (chocolate is too... not as much disregarded and totally a healthy superfood). Since I've been in college, I've adopted the techniques of my peers and become a frequent coffee drinker. Noticing that I had some issues with inflammation and a reappearing boredom with my lattes, I figured why not "kill two birds with one stone"? I started working through the turmeric powder in my basket by adding about a teaspoon of it to my daily latte. This has helped me to diminish swelling, as well as increase my body's antioxidant levels. Check out Healthline to learn more about the many benefits of turmeric!!
7. Gua Sha... You Heard, or Shall I Say, "Read", Me Right ;)
This is one of my absolute FAVORITE beauty findings. The Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool works wonders for not only your complexion, but the actual structure of your face. Mount Lai offers this incomparable tool for only $28. The Xiyuan jade stone calms and smooths skin, removing any (and all) impurities. I love to put it in the fridge overnight and use it cold in the morning. The light massaging quality of this tool promotes blood circulation and leaves my skin naturally glowing. Instead of using my fingers to massage in my concoction of tree tree oil and vitamin E oil, I use this tool to help my skin better absorb my products. While this may sound far-fetched, my skin has never felt, or looked, better. This tool triples to diminish the signs of premature aging, boost the benefits of your skincare products and eradicate fine lines, including tiresome eye bags. For a quick refresh in the morning, pick-me-up at noon or relaxer at night, add the Gua Sha to your beauty bag!
Thanks you reading beauties and in the wise words of Kendall Jenner, "Do your squats, eat your vegetables, wear red lipstick and don't let boys be mean to you" ;)
xoxo , Alex