When Is The Last Time You Left The House Without Makeup?

3 Better Ways To Cover Acne & Feel Confident

It wasn’t that long ago that I would never even think of leaving my house without going through my makeup ritual first.

I had so much acne, inflammation and oil on my face that I couldn’t fathom the idea of not covering it up under a layer of foundation. I wouldn’t even go to the corner store without it. Even when I slept over at someone else’s house, I put on my face before leaving the bedroom and eating breakfast with them. And it didn’t stop there – I didn’t wear tank tops ever because I had pimples on my shoulders. Would you believe that the very first time I wore a tank top was just a few years ago?

I felt so inadequate, insecure and disgusting without makeup, sometimes I would even look in the mirror and cry. Wearing makeup really made a difference, made me feel more confident. But I was dependent on it, and I spent a lot of money and time on drugstore products and making my face “perfect.”

And honestly, I didn’t work up the courage to leave my house without makeup on until I had (finally) cleared my skin of acne completely, just a few years ago. I vividly remember the first time I did it: I was walking around outside doing my thang and just kept thinking “OMG OMG OMG, I have no makeup on does anyone notice how do I look what is going to happen next why isn’t the world imploding!?!?”

So I’m not here to tell you what you’ve all heard before: “Stop wearing makeup now because it clogs your pores!” No, most makeup isn’t great for our skin, pores or acne-free dreams, but it can do wonders for our confidence while we try to clear up our face other ways. You feel better with some makeup on. I get it. So did I.

I do believe in following a beauty routine and using products to keep our skin looking great, but let’s use some natural stuff to cover those spots and minimize the artificial ingredients and harsh substances clogging our pores and causing breakouts.

In an effort to convince you of the benefits of natural makeup (and maybe scare you silly,) here is a list of ingredients from a drugstore foundation I used to apply religiously:

• WATER • ISODODECANE • CYCLOPENTASILOXANE • GLYCERIN • CYCLOHEXASILOXANE • PEG-10 DIMETHICONE • METHYL METHACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER • BUTYLENE GLYCO • DIMETHICONE • ISOEICOSANE • DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE • CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE • SODIUM CHLORIDE • POLYGLYCERYL-4 ISOSTEARATE • HEXYL LAURATE • C9-15 FLUOROALCOHOL PHOSPHATE • ISOSTEARYL NEOPENTANOATE • DIAZOLIDINYL UREA • METHYLPARABEN • PROPYLPARABEN • TOCOPHEROL • PANTHENOL • ALUMINA • METHICONE

Ummmm what the heck is all this stuff? No idea really, but I do know this stuff isn’t natural (who’s heard of a Disteardimonium Hectorite plant?), is highly processed and toxic to our skin.

Here are three ways to cover your acne with more natural ingredients that will actually feed your skin nutrients, helping to get rid of those pesky pimples!

Option 1: DIY Green Clay Face Powder

This face powder is SO easy to make and OMG you’ll save so much money too! This is the only makeup I use these days – wash, moisturize, powder, done!

Green clay is highly absorbent (goodbye oil!) and full of skin friendly minerals like magnesium, silica, calcium, copper and zinc. It also tightens pores and reduces the appearance of red acne spots (green neutralizes red.) Awesomeness!

Here’s what ya gotta do:

• ½ cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• ½ cup green clay powder

Mix both the powders together until fully combined.

Using a large soft makeup brush, apply all over face (and even your neck and chest if you want.)

But wait! There’s more!

Here are some optional ingredients for the Green Clay Face Powder:

• ¼ teaspoon cocoa powder, nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon
• 5 drops oil such as tea tree oil, lavender essential oil, vitamin E or jojoba

If you’re looking for a bit of a bronzing effect or have darker skin, try adding the cocoa powder or spices to the green clay mixture above. All of them have skin nourishing nutrients, but experiment with the spices – they’re powerful superfoods, and so can potentially irritate the skin.

Once all those ingredients are thoroughly mixed, add some more love to your skin with one of the natural oils. Check out some more cool oils like Myrrh and Neroli from Body Unburdened, and how they can help clear your skin of acne.

The great thing is that you can customize this powder for yourself – just experiment with different combinations until you’ve got just the perfect colour for you.

Bentonite clay can also be used in place of green clay powder, if you don’t have too much redness or inflammation to cover up. Bentonite has a whole host of clear skin benefits, similar to green clay, and also provides a nice matte finish.

Option 2: Mineral Foundation

The bad news is, all liquid foundations contain toxic preservatives to prevent bacteria and mold from taking over. The good news is, you can make your own natural and mineral rich foundation at home!

You’ll just need a couple of ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon natural face lotion (I use Green Beaver, but any natural lotion will do)
• 1 teaspoon mineral makeup (buy some at Well.ca)

Using a small jar or bowl, mix together lotion and mineral makeup until fully combined. Apply to face as you would any other foundation, and voilà! Just give it a few minutes to set. Rinse the jar or bowl and keep it on your washroom counter to use each day for this purpose. Since mineral makeup does not contain preservatives, it will go bad quickly.

Option 3: Water

Yep, that’s it. Water.

Some mornings, I just splash my face with warm water a few times, dry and moisturize. And I actually leave my house like that! I recommend you try it out too – just own it!

But be sure to use a face wash in the evening when you do this (water is great, but not that great!) I’ve used Desert Essence for years and am totally hooked.

 

The reality is that no one has perfect skin – not even the idealized celebs we’re exposed to everywhere we look. Don’t judge yourself against them because it’s just not a fair comparison; check out this awesome read from Smell The Roses about celebrity culture and the makeup myth.

When we don’t wear a ton of makeup, some imperfections will show through and that’s OK. Really.

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PS – if you haven’t heard yet, I recently released the second edition of my eBook “Food For Your Face: Clearing Your Skin From The Outside“, full of easy DIY beauty product recipes that you can make at home with food that’s probably already sitting in your kitchen. Food For Your Face eBook Sample and buy it now by clicking here!

Summerlicious: 3 Best Meals for Healthy Happy Skin

It’s that time of year again: Summerlicious!

Time to treat ourselves to some drool worthy food for drool worthy prices at Summerlicious. The great annual feast of restaurant sampling is already under way, and we’ve got until July 24^th to savour it!

But let’s not get too crazy – we don’t want to eat dishes and ingredients that are going to cause our skin to breakout or flare up, do we? Better yet, we want to find some good lookin’ food that will help out our skin and make it glow!

So now you’re thinking “But where are the healthiest places to eat during Summerlicious?” Not to worry – I’ve sorted through all of the menus for you and found the three best options for happy skin.

 

Pukka

Indian cuisine is one my absolute faves, with the multitude of flavours, powerful spices and generally wholesome, unprocessed ingredients.

With such great online reviews, it’s hard to pass up Pukka and their modern Indian dishes. They’ve got some cool events on their website too – they just wrapped up a recipe contest (the winner of which will have their recipe featured on Pukka’s menu) and have been hosting some wine evenings – fun!

Side note: I’ve started obsessively cooking Indian food at home since I found Meera Sodha’s cookbook Made In India – OMG so good!

 

Here’s what Pukka’s serving up for Summerlicious dinner ($28):

Appetizer: Pukka Chaat Salad with chick peas, mango, apple, puffed rice, chutney and yogurt

Entrée: South Indian Fish Curry with lentils, curry leaf and tamarind (veggie curry is also available as a vegetarian alternative)

Dessert: Mango Mousse or Rice Pudding

 

Favourite skin friendly ingredient: Mango!

Mango is packed with vitamin A, the most important clear skin nutrient. It fights off pore clogging toxins with its antioxidants, reduces acne redness with its anti-inflammatory  properties and reduces sebum production. Well thanks for all of that, vitamin A!

 

Insomnia Restaurant & Lounge

This great little spot in the Annex has a menu full of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options, and serves up a dinner and a late night menu (their kitchen is open until 2am every day!)

But during Summerlicious, try out Insomnia’s amazing lunch (aka: brunch), and maybe add one of their clever cocktails such as the Rye & Shine or Sunrise Mimosa.

 

Check out their tasty Summerlicious lunch ($18):

Appetizer: Seasonal Fruit Bowl

Entrée: Tofu Rancheros with corn tortilla, scrambled curried tofu, salsa, beans, roasted red pepper, sautéed onion and served with mixed greens

Dessert: Raspberry sorbet

 

Favourite skin friendly ingredient: Mixed Greens!

Being one of the most nutrient rich foods in the world, it’s no surprise that greens are one of our skin BFFs. Their high mineral content make them extremely alkalizing, helping to balance our body pH levels and in turn reducing the oily appearance of skin.

 

Bodega

On pretty Baldwin street, Bodega has a great atmosphere. it’s a cute French-inspired bistro in a gorgeous old Victoria home, and they’ve got a attractive garden patio (be sure to reserve ahead!)

 

Feast your eyes on this Summerlicious lunch offering ($23):

Appetizer: Salad of Sweet & Bitter Greens with heirloom tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, watermelon, radish, balsamic dressing

Entrée: Grilled Atlantic Salmon with quinoa, spinach, heirloom tomatoes (they love the ‘loom!), honey mushrooms, saffron-mint sauce, crispy potato sticks

Dessert: Lime Tart

 

Favourite skin friendly ingredient: Tomatoes!

Heirloom or not, tomatoes feed our skin lycopene which acts as an antioxidant and natural SPF (yes, they actually protect our skin from sun damage!) Lycopene is also found in watermelon and carrots, so this meal was made for sunny summer skin exposure days!

 

Where will you be eating during Summerlicious?

Leave comments about your Summerlicious eating adventures below, I’d love to hear about them! And please share this blog with your friends by clicking the social buttons under this post.

 

PS – if you haven’t heard yet, I recently released the second edition of my eBook “Food For Your Face: Clearing Your Skin From The Outside”, full of easy DIY beauty product recipes that you can make at home with food that’s probably already sitting in your kitchen. Food For Your Face eBook Sample and buy it now by clicking here!