What defines Natural Beauty?

What defines natural beauty? Is it the way someone applies makeup to create a natural appearance or is it the way someone’s texture of their skin appears without any makeup at all?

Being a makeup artist for many years, I love wearing makeup and playing with all types of shadows and blush and bronzers and glosses….I can go on and on! I also love and appreciate good skin care products that help our skin and body look and feel its best. When we have a good skincare regime, it makes anything we put on top look even better.

Makeup can only do so much to create great texture of our skin. Texture is the way the skin feels to the touch. For someone who has blemishes such as white heads or pimples, when they feel their skin, they will notice a rough or uneven texture. Makeup, when applied correctly, can reduce the appearance of an uneven texture by creating an illusion that their skin is clear. Proper skincare is the only thing that can correct the texture of your skin.

So back to the original question – what defines natural beauty? The answer is that we are all beautiful. We all are different and have various skin tones, colors, and textures. The way we care for our skin with proper skincare will give us better texture without makeup. However, rather you use makeup to enhance your beauty or go without makeup, naturally beautiful is simply who we are because of who we are!

Be Sweet!

Welcome to our Etsy Friends!

Welcome to our new friends from Etsy! So far, moving our store to Etsy has been a great experience. It is really nice being part of a community of artisans that have a passion for creativity. We look forward to meeting more people and interacting here, on Facebook, and on Etsy.

Be Sweet!

Nourishing Carrier Oils

You may have heard of the term "carrier oil" and wondered what exactly does that mean. Carrier oils are oils that can be used alone or used with added essential oils. Some of you may have used or still use a carrier oil such as baby oil. The bad thing about using mineral oil based "baby oils" is that they do not allow your skin to breath - they form a barrier on the skin which can lock in moisture but does not allow additional moisture from the atmosphere to enter the barrier.

Oils that I use routinely are:

Aloe Vera Oil: Aloe Vera is known for its ability to heal and moisturize the skin and hair. Aloe vera is obtained from the inner fillet of fresh aloe vera leaves and then processed to remove the pulp and fiber. Aloe vera is then combined with a carrier oil such as sunflower oil so that you can receive all the benefits of the aloe vera easily.

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is useful in formulations for dry, itchy, sensitive skin. It will not clog pores, and it absorbs readily into the skin.

Sweet Almond Oil: This high quality nut oil is a great emoillient for softening and conditioning the skin and hair. It is well suited for eczema, psoriasis, and itchy dry and inflamed skin. It is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and E.

Try a natural carrier oil and see if you notice a difference in your skin's texture and softness. I think you will!

Be Sweet! ;)

Summer Festivals

We had such a great time this past Spring and Summer meeting new people and sharing our products. We look forward to meeting more people this Fall and during the holiday season! Be Sweet!

The Power of the Smile ;)

There is a saying that goes: “A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks!” I really believe this is true and smiles come from the eyes as much as they come from the expression on the face.

There are studies that show we are drawn to people who smile. There is something attractive about a smiling person and it makes us want to know what is going on to make that person feel so good. Frowns, on the other hand, push people away. Have you ever wanted to go sit next to someone frowning and giving you dirty looks! Probably not! ;)

It’s funny that we also use smiley faces a lot these days in text messages and emails to convey to the reader that we are smiling as we are typing – it’s another way of sharing body language that can not be seen through the phone or computer. ;)

I hope you are smiling today and bringing joy into every situation you encounter. It will make you feel better and make the people around you feel good too!

Be Sweet!

Exfoliation

The Persians, Ottoman Turks and other ancient peoples understood that cleaning starts with the removal of dead skin cells and other impurities on the surface of the skin. Bathing, steam baths, rubbing with coarse minerals, grains, or cloths were all common and still are in other parts of the world.

Skin exfoliation stimulates circulation and evens skin tone and texture. You should try to exfoliate your body and face at least once a week and you will see a wonderful difference in the texture of your skin.

Be Sweet!

Moisture for Skin and Hair

Did you all know that moisture is essential to the integrity and elasticity of the skin. There are two types of ingredients that help you get moisture: humectants which draw moisture to the skin, attracting water from the atmosphere; and natural occlusives such as shea butter, soybean oil, mango butter, and cocoa butter which prevent dryness by "sealing in" the skin's natural oils and moisture.

If you wear you hair in its natural state, you may have heard the phrase "moisterize and seal". What people are doing is basically using water or a water based product to add the "moisture" and then "seal" by using a oil based or butter based product. We also do this with our skin by showering or bathing and then using an oil on our body afterwards which seals in the moisture or water from the shower.

Hope this was helpful to you! Be Sweet!