I have been on a natural beauty haul for a few years now.  Everything from my nutritional intake, to vitamins, juicing, blending, exercising and practicing yoga whew its a lot!  A woman’s got to look after herself right ?

Honestly  I can’t say I have seen any stand out results though now I am actually recording my progress thus far to see if what I am doing works so watch this space and i’ll inform you of my progress !  On that note lets get into the Bentonite Clay and Australian Pink Clay I’ve been making healing facial masks out of.

Bentonite Clay,  believe it or not has a multitude of health benefits and is not just for vanity purposes, it can also be used to rid the body of toxins and heal skin issues like eczema and psoriasis; that being said bentonite can also be used internally.

So I have only used as a face mask which I mix equal parts of rose water, apple cider vinegar and any essential oil like lavender or peppermint.  You MUST use a plastic or wooden spoon or spatula and a plastic, ceramic, or wooden bowl to mix components in.  The reason plastic etc should be used is so as not to affect the activation properties of the clay.  I apply the mix with a application brush and leave on for 20 minutes or more.  Upon removal with a warm face cloth you will notice your skin may have a reddish tinge but that will die down after about 15 minutes.

With the Australian Pink clay I use the same process though I don’t think the plastic element is imperative and sometimes I  remove the apple cider vinegar. Using the same method with application I leave the mixture on for 20 minutes and remove with a warm face cloth. It’s recommended to use the clay mask one or twice per week for best results.

Hey loves as promised here is my little snippet on some of the lipsticks I use.

1.  My age old fave is Sleek’s ‘Papaya Punch’ £4.99 Superdrug which is seemingly hard to find and sadly I feel like its being discontinued so i’ve had to grab about 10 online !

2.  My more expensive replacement to Sleek’s ‘Papaya Punch’ is ‘Hourglass” liquid lipstick in ‘Muse’ £25.

3. I wanted a nude looking lipstick that is complimentary to dark skin so upon a little research I went for ‘Illamasqua’s ‘Buff ‘ £19.50  though I’m a little undecided about how I feel about illamasqua’s Buff right now !   Its a  good  idea to be aware and know your skins undertones and admittedly this was purchased blindly online though if i tried before I purchased I may have had different thoughts.  My undertones are warm red and warm yellow, though some may appear to have the same complexion your undertones determine which colours are really complimentary and suit you; also what doesn’t.  I want to try Illamasqua’s Minx £19.50.   I know a another blind buy but it looks awesome on dark skin and I’m willing to risk it one more time, I promise to take snaps of me actually wearing and not the models in another post. Besos x

I am a true addict to Epsom Salts.  I use in the bath as directed after doing daily exercises and slather over my face and body as a natural scrub.  I  absolutely LOVE it and recommend it profusely !

My recent quests have taken me to natural remedies and fixations rather than overpriced beauty products.  Now I love nice things and never said I exclude over the counter beauty products from my regime, I just wanted share the benefits and the reasons why I am addicted to this salty stuff.

Many athletes use Epsom salt as a natural remedy to help their bodies recover faster.  It relaxes muscles and releases toxins. Epsom salt is made up of naturally occurring minerals magnesium and sulfate, which can help improve health in numerous ways, reducing high blood pressure, hyperactivity, heart problems and other health issues. . Sulfate is essential for many biological processes. It helps to flush toxins and form proteins in joints, brain tissue and mucin proteins.

Though many of the benefits may be far fetched or unbelievable I just love me some Epsom Salts and will forever use in my regime.

Ok I have never had a facial in my life so I am very, very new to it.  On Tuesday the 15th of April I took the jump to have a facial with added back massage.  Lets just say I have a new addition to my maintenance and necessity list.  I was treated so well, though I have been attending this beauty salon for almost 7 years and i’m never disappointed.  I was scrubbed, masked, steamed and cleansed to perfection; I so wish I took a before and after pic to share with you but alas next time!

So why do I let you know of this experience you ask…..Well I wanted to define as to whether it is something that needs to be done all the time or if an unnecessary expense, the verdict stands that I think I will do this every 6 weeks or so as I feel and look so much better.

Added to drinking lots of water, lots of green tea and lots of exercise it is an added luxury in taking care of you !

Charisma Hair and Beauty is based in Plumstead SE London and are my not so secret haunt!