Pampering Playdates

I love pampering. This was the pampering foot soak I received at my Blessingway in 2009.



Isn't that delightful??

I believe every woman deserves to be pampered. One category of women in particular deserves pampering: moms of young children. Yet they have an especially hard time finding time to take care of themselves, even (or especially) when it comes to their daily skin care and makeup routine. Who can navigate the gazillion choices at the local drug store or big box retailer, or take the time to navigate the makeup counters at the mall, especially with kids in tow??

Yet most moms want to look their best and take care of their skin, whatever age they are. Many moms are also looking for anti-aging treatments and sun protection, too, which only complicates their choices all the more.

My solution for this mom dilemma is a....Pampering Playdate!

{I am officially coining the name "Pampering Playdate." Aren't you glad you were here to read it?? I want to be included in the Wikipedia entry for it someday!}

A definition of a Pampering Playdate: "A time for a deserving mommy to be pampered while her kids play."

A deserving mommy comes to my home studio and is treated to coffee or tea and refreshments and receives a personalized Mary Kay skin care assessment, hand treatment and microdermabrasion treatment in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere...all while her child or children play happily in my playroom. Her skin will feel AMAZING! My most popular comment following a treatment: "My skin has never felt like this before!" That's awesome!



I can also do a foundation match and even a glamour makeover if she wishes.

The mom doesn't have to infringe on their evening family time, hire a sitter or ask her husband to watch the kids for her, plus her child or children will have a blast playing with new toys in a new environment, mere steps away from their mommy. It's a win-win-WIN! Plus I will provide her with the products she needs on the day of her playdate and make sure she knows how to use them at home for maximum benefit.



After the Pampering Playdate, I'll be her personal Mary Kay beauty consultant for LIFE, answering her questions and addressing her concerns while helping her stay current on skin care and makeup advances and trends.



How cool is that for a busy mom??

I know when I was looking for personalized skin care and makeup recommendations since becoming a mom over six years ago, I would have loved to be invited to a Pampering Playdate! I love kids and I love moms so I hope this will prove to be an effective and enjoyable solution to at least this one challenge of motherhood.

{Live in the Phoenix metro area? Visit my Mary Kay personal web site and use the "contact me" form to schedule your Pampering Playdate!}

Now. How do we solve the "removing the stuck-on Cheerios from the dining room table" dilemma...??

Beat the Heatwave Summer Strawberry Facial

Got some strawberries "on their way out?"

Put them to good use! Overly-ripe, mushy (but not rotten) strawberries work best.

This is one of my favorite facials--it leaves your skin tingly and refreshed. Fabulous after a long day in the heat! You could even make it in the morning then store it in the fridge to apply later in the day. Aaaahhhh. Perfect to pamper yourself or for a girls' night in.

You will need 4 very ripe strawberries and 2 drops of peppermint essential oil.

The fruit enzymes will slough way dead skin while the essential oil will refresh and perk up your complexion. The peppermint oil is so invigorating!

Instructions: mash the strawberries and press through a mesh strainer or squeeze through cheesecloth or (clean) panty hose. Catch the juice in a small bowl. You could even use the leftover pulp in a smoothie while you're at it! Then add the essential oil to the juice and blend. Apply to face and neck with a saturated cotton square and massage into skin for about 1 minute (avoiding the eyes!). Rinse with cool water. Enjoy!

Homemade sugar body scrub

{I love saving money by pampering myself at home! For my other "At-Home Beauty Ideas," including all the steps to a salon-perfect pedicure, click below}

HERE

Even if you live in a cold climate, you're probably itching (maybe literally) to prettify your feet and paint your toenails a fresh, spring color. If you live in the South like I do, you may already be wearing flip flops, but still have some of that dry, winter skin hanging around.

Here's a super-easy foot scrub you can make at home for mere pennies.

You can use sugar or salt but sugar is more gentle and slightly less abrasive.

1. Just pour 1/4 cup (ish) of sugar into a bowl.

2. Add oil to moisten just enough to be easily spreadable on your skin. I prefer olive oil but you can use almond oil, safflower oil, etc.

3. Add a few drops of essential oil if you have it.

4. Mix well and apply to dry or damp skin.

5. Rinse.

** Can also be used on hands, knees or all over your body!! Especially lovely before you shave your legs! **

My mom and I do this on a night when we're planning to take a relaxing bath: As you let the tub fill with water, stand in the tub and apply the mixture all over your body, from toes to neck, allowing the extra sugar to fall into the tub. After you're done scrubbing, slide into the water, which will now have all the yummy oil and fragrance from the scrub! Fabulous!

Be sure to pat yourself dry so that the oil can stay on your skin to be absorbed. You shouldn't even need lotion!

You can also add whatever strikes your fancy, like rose petals, honey, chopped up papaya, etc.

For other fun variations on this "recipe," check out

Tip Nut

Happy Scrubbing!

Friday's Find

My mom is on summer break so she made the long trek across town to stay here at our house, which we've nicknamed "Lavender Lane Bed and Breakfast," for a few days. I wanted her stay to be as relaxing and fun as possible so I got her lots of goodies to enjoy while she's here, including THIS . It's chenille "minky" washcloths and facial pads, for taking your make-up off at night. I think it's the perfect "something I wouldn't buy for myself" kind of thing. She and I both have multi-step routines for washing our faces at night so I think she'll enjoy using this. Here's the pictures from the listing on Etsy. I got my mom and I each a set, one brown and one pink, in each size.





She wrapped it so cute--even mine! I love those special touches.



Check out Antoinette's Boutique by clicking on the link below. Treat yourself or someone you love!

Antoinette's Boutique Shop link

I'll be taking pictures of mom's accomodations and her welcome basket, etc. soon!!

Friday's Find

I've been a fan of Earth Therapeutics since my aunt got me their pedicure kit, oh...eight years ago?? The "find" is that their web site offers free shipping on orders of $20-plus--and a FREE gift with purchase!
Their foot scrub is hands down, the best I have ever used. It's the perfect consistency and is ultra-refreshing and minty.

I've been using their pedicure block for years. It is by far THE BEST TOOL for making a home pedicure look like salon-quality. It's $3 and the coarse side is perfect for getting rid of dry skin around the toes, while the finer side buffs the top of the nail for a smooth finish, making the polish adhere better. Oh, yeah!

The brand is a little hard to find (which is why I will be shopping on-line from now on!) but our local ULTA and Bed, Bath and Beyond carry it. The ingredients are so natural and beneficial, like these, which all have organic tea tree oil in them.

I ordered them for my mom's upcoming stay at the Lavender Lane Bed and Breakfast (our home). We're doing a "Girls' Night In" with pedicures and a movie. I got the foot soak...

...and peel-off foot MASK (which recommends applying, then putting your feet up for half an hour. Can do!!)...

...along with the ever-important foot repair balm.

I'm putting this in Mom's welcome basket.
It's a meshy sponge made out of bamboo, which my mom is obsessed with at the moment. It's naturally anti-bacterial and feels really good. I may need one now!

Here's what I got in the mail today, all for about $25. The other sponge and the little sample you see in my picture were freebies. Delightful!

If you need to treat yourself to something fabulous or need new pedicure goodies, check them out! Free shipping sure beats a trip to the store!
Their web site is at the link below.
Earth Therapeutics Web Site

Strawberry Cleanser

This is one of my favorite facials--it leaves your skin tingly and refreshed. Fabulous after a long day in the heat! You could even make it in the morning then store it in the fridge to apply later in the day!
You will need 4 very ripe strawberries and 2 drops of yarrow or peppermint essential oil.
Instructions: mash the strawberries and pres through mesh strainer or squeeze through cheesecloth or panty hose. Catch the juice in a small bowl. Then add the essential oil and blend. Apply to face and neck with a saturated cotton square and massage into skin for about 1 minute. Avoid the eyes! Rinse with cool water.
Enjoy!

The Perfect At-Home Pedicure

I'll let you in on a little secret. Lean in real close, OK?

Nail techs at your local salon don't have any magical tools or skills to give you a pedicure that you yourself don't possess. GASP!!!

Every time I give myself a pedicure, I tell my hubby, "I just saved us forty bucks." $12, $25, $50, whatever--it's money in my pocket. I buy a $4 bottle of nail polish every-other month or so and maybe a new file here and there but once I assembled all my tools (for under $20), I was set to give myself a year of pedicures. And no one believes that I do it myself. You have the power to make your feet beautiful!!! Save the pedicures for special occasions and use that money on new flip-flops!!

So! To commemorate the holiday weekend and what is perhaps the official start to sandal season (it's sandal season in AZ 12 months out of the year), here is my tried and true "15 Steps to the Perfect Pedicure." This is not a "change your polish and go" pedicure, ladies. Your feet will look and feel like you just left the salon.

Here's what you need to assemble before you start, or maybe a trip to the local drug store is in order. Just remind your hubby about that money you're saving!! All the tools that you can use for at least 6 month will cost a tiny fraction of a pro pedicure!

TOOLS:
1. polish remover. If your polish is extra-stubborn (which some of the more expensive brands are), get the pure acetone one.

2. cuticle sticks (a.k.a. orange sticks)

3. scissors or clippers

4. good nail file

5. nail file with a fine surface (or a buffing block)

6. pumice stone or other callous remover

7. foot bath or plastic tub (or a bath tub!)

8. exfoliating foot scrub

9. foot lotion

10. nail polish (I prefer Revlon, L'oreal and OPI because they don't have the harmful ingredients)

11. toe separators, if desired

12. clear top coat

And here are the 15 steps. Yes, there are a lot but it makes all the difference!! Start checking out the nail section of your favorite stores--there's a lot of fun tools out there AND cute nail decals that really give you that professional touch!

15 STEPS:
1. remove old nail polish
2. push cuticles back with orange stick and gently scrape away dead skin
3. trim toenails to desired length
4. file toenails into desired shape
5. use fine file or buffer to smooth nail surface (removing small remnants of polish, dead skin and ridges)
6. use pumice or foot file around toenails to remove dead skin
7. soak feet in warm water (add salts or oils if desired)
8. when skin is soft, use pumice or foot file on calluses, paying special attention to heels, ball of feet and beneath big toe
9. apply foot scrub (it can be made by simply adding olive oil to salt or sugar)
10. remove and dry feet; apply lotion (you may want to leave it on overnight before continuing)
11. remove lotion from toenails with nail polish remover so the polish adheres better
12. apply toe separators
13. apply polish, allowing to dry between coats. After second coat, apply nail decals, if desired.
14. once dry, apply top coat
15. remove errant polish with a cotton swab
Enjoy your beautiful feet!!

Happy pedicuring, ladies! Let me know if you try it!

Brought to you by the letter "C"

My Monkey son and I hit the store for a few essential items today (aloe, chicken, coffee creamer, M&M cookies...necessities!!) and spent a while at the park before I drug him home, literally kicking and screaming!! We had to get ready for the carpet cleaning guy (his name is Al) and I was suffering low blood sugar because I was too cheap to spend my precious cash on McD's and wanted to eat a turkey sandwich at home instead. He wasn't thrilled (my son, not Al) and didn't seem to get the idea of "Mommy's got the shakes and we've got vacuuming to do." Hmm.
So the carpet look A-mazing!! Like new. I spruced up the house a bit, too, so it would all look good when my hubby got home. I even made dinner--and a cake!! Dinner was my famous chicken/mushroom/tomato concoction in the crock-pot. We ate it over whole wheat pasta. The tomatoes had green chilies so it had a little ZING. The cake was just a mix but since my hubby is watching what he eats, I made it with applesauce instead of oil. Cut the fat in half! And it was sooooo moist and delicious!! I enjoyed mine with a glass of milk. Mmmmmmmm.
So a fairly productive day. I feel better about tomorrow since we're going to the zoo first thing, then going to a friend's for dinner. At least the house is in order for the weekend, so the rest of the fam can destroy it properly. It'll keep me busy next week! It never ends.
Here's a random shot from today of us holding hands in the park. I'm trying to be more artistic with my photography. I like this one!

P.S. For the chicken recipe, see comments.