Let's Face It

         To anyone who cares, sorry I haven't written anything in forever. I wanted to share with anyone who happens to read this poor excuse for a blog something I've discovered. I've struggled for acne for the past 3-4 years or so. I thought that I had escaped the bad skin genes, but they caught up with my in my senior year of high school. After spending time in the dermatologist's office, paying for bottle after bottle of pills (some of which were so atrocious that they made me violently ill), and slathering my face with harsh, drying chemicals, I finally called it quits, and I stopped treating my acne.
         I've noticed that French women have beautiful skin. They take such good care of their skin, especially their faces. I've started moisturizing--moisturizing like crazy! I try to keep it as natural as possible. I use a St. Ives moisturizer (trying to keep it as natural as possible). It's so important for us to keep our faces supple and lovely looking! When I told my friend that I had started trying to be conscious of moisturizing, she suggested something she does to keep her face clean: the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). If you've never heard of this, it sounds crazy. As someone studying chemistry, I can tell you that substances comprised of similar intermolecular structure dissolve other substances structured similarly (like dissolves like). I found more in formation from the Mommypotamus Blog. So, washing your face with oil will dissolve the oils your face has produced. By washing your face with oil, you're not stripping the skin of all oil--you're moisturizing and cleaning!

Here's how I do it:
1. Find a clean glass container (an old mason jar or one of the Starbucks frappuccino bottles will do).
2. Pour your oils into the bottle (it may take some trial and error to find the types of oils and in what ratio they need to be added).
**I use 1 part castor oil (this is your astringent oil) :1 part avocado oil or jojoba oil     and finally I top it off with about 0.5-1.0 oz. of tea tree oil (oil known for antiseptic and anti-fungal qualities).
3. Take a clean washcloth, and run it under hot water (I like to use really hot water!). Place the washcloth over your face, and allow the steam to open your pores.
4. After your pores are open, remove the washcloth, and pour a small amount of the oil mixture in your hands. Massage the oil onto your face, making sure to work it into all parts of your face.
5. Rinse your washcloth out, and run it under water as hot as you can stand. Place the hot washcloth on your face and once allow the pores to open. Leave the washcloth on until it cools (this will close your pores), and then wipe off the excess oil.

Yay, you're done!

I really look forward to cleaning my face every day. It's one of the times I get to relax and destress. I know a lot of people have had a period of breakout as their faces adjust to the new cleaning method, but I haven't really noticed any rebellion from my face.

Happy Cleansing! Let me know if you have any questions!

Love,
MJ

Fitness is not for Pansies

So I realized something today while I was at the gym: 99 times out of 100, you give up on your body, not the other way around. It's not really your body that says you can't go further to climb that next flight of stairs, or run that extra minute, it's your head. If you tell your head to suck it up and keep pushing your body, you won't collapse.
I also realized that when people tell you to measure yourself in the morning instead of at the end of the day, they generally know what they're talking about. I measured for the first time so that I could track the progress of toning and trimming my body yesterday. Apparently you should not do that after a workout. I measured in the morning just to see what the difference would be...two whole inches off my waist and off my hips in the morning compared to what I measured in the evening after a workout.
If you haven't tried Zumba, go for it! I didn't want to do it at first; I can't dance, but it's so much fun!

Beginning of Shenanigans and Vegetable Chips

Ok guys, I'm just starting this little blogging project for fun, and I hope to just share things that I love and adore, find funny, think are inspiring, etc.

Today I got to sample these wonderful Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips. As a college kid, sometimes I find myself yearning to nibble on something salty, but alas! I only have sweet things in my room. Like heck I'm going to walk a mile down to the meal hall. I'm already addicted to these chips. As I'm currently typing, I'm restraining myself from opening the bag back up to eat another handful. The cheddar chips are wonderful (who would know there's broccoli in them?)! The sweet potato chips are so yummy and multigrain-y and sweet and salty all at the same time, I just can't help myself! I do believe I've found my new delicious snacking treat!

Have a wonderful day, lovlies! Stay true and love always!