It's Thursday!
Thursday? Why the exclamation point? you might ask.
I've decided that Thursday will be spa day for me. I'm a pretty low-maintenance girl. I wear make-up and comb my hair, but I've never cottoned to the beauty routines that a lot of girls swear by.
Take, for instance, mani-pedis. (No really! Take them! If my dad read this blog he would crack up). I have no desire to get one. I'm too ticklish to get relaxed while someone touches my feet or hands. I get bored easily and don't like to sit around. Hence, mani-pedis don't seem to be my thing.
But I do love nice nails and cuticles, and I do like to have a nice, fresh complexion (one reason to live in Houston, where the humidity acts as a natural anti-aging treatment). So, on Thursdays, when I sit back and watch Project Runway (where Portland's eco-friendly designer, Gretchen Jones , is doing two things to the other contestants: kicking their asses and annoying them) I'll have my own beauty night.
Of course, my spa day, just like a Project Runway dress made out of recycled bottles, must be eco-fabulous.
Nails
I have teeny-tiny little hands with the nails of a second-grader - scuffed and broken. I'm trying to look like an adult professional however, so I'm trying to institute a simple nail routine of filing and buffing. The little buffing block I use (which I bought from an Israeli girl at a mall kiosk) shines up my nails without any chemicals.
My nails, post-filing. Note how freakishly small my hands are.
I don't wear nail polish because I can't keep it unchipped, but I do like the way it looks. However, it's not Mama Earth's best friend. Nail polish, as you can tell by its toxic aroma, often contains weird chemicals. You can download a wallet card to tell you which brands are free of toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate. Just because a nail polish is free of these chemicals, however, doesn't mean it's toxin free. As always, the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is a great place to look if you want to know the impact of the products you use.
Wily gets into spa day with some claw-filing.
Clean Face
My go-to facewash is ... Ivory soap! However, sometimes I like a deeper clean, so I go for Burt's Bees Pore-Refining Mask with French Green Clay (ooh la la!).
Burt's Bees ... since I've started this blog, Burt's Bees is my beauty company of choice. No, they aren't "the greenest", but they are the most consistent company I've found in terms of eco-impact, price, and effectiveness. Go Burt!
Moisturized Face
I don't need much moisturizer, due to the fact that the very air in Houston moisturizes my skin. When I do need something (as I did in our peculiarly dry spring) I like Burt's Bees Radiance Night Cream. It has royal jelly, which is something involving bees, and which I don't look into too much, in case I'm grossed out somehow.
Here's me, face completely stripped and clean. Not too bad, Burt's Bees!
What do you do to pamper yourself?
4 comments:
I'm so glad you included the link to the info on nail polish! I stopped wearing it years ago, because it made my nails peel, but my daughter loves her some girly nails. I wanted to pick one that's least toxic for her. Thanks!
Also, your face looks fab! Burt's Bees is doin' it right! ;)
Forgot to mention my pampering--massages!
I had an Israeli girl at a shopping centre kiosk try and sell me a nail block thingy too.
I have a good handful of organic/environmentally conscious beauty products around the house that I received as samples when I worked in an organic store.
My face however has always been dreadful and I haven't found anything that not chockers full of chemicals that works for me.
@kaimoana -- I used to break out all the time and still do if I eat too much processed food. WHen I stop the processed food - skin calms down. That's what allowed me to simple up my beauty routine, but it sounds like you eat a pretty organic diet yourself.
@Wombat - so glad the link was helpful.
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