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facial masks

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It was back in the late 16th century when Shakespeare immortalised the tragic heroine Juliet. When she spoke of “Thou know’st the mask of night is on my face,” Juliet wasn’t referring to her bedtime beauty routine, of course. However, when it comes to yours, you can travel back in time and glean secrets from the past, and blend the past with the present.

The Native American Indians knew of witch hazel’s magical properties as soothing balm and a cleanser. A few drops of it in warm water or on your facial sponge can work wonders for your skin. Other natural remedies for skin cleansing and facials include snail gel — currently flying off the shelves fast enough to make snails jealous!

Okay, the face of a snail probably isn’t that much to look at — except perhaps to other snails — yet Chilean snail farmers have long known about the healing effects of snail gel itself, particularly of the Helix Aspersa breed (the common garden snail). Rich in collagen, elastin, glycolic acid and vitamins A, C and E, people who have used snail gel twice a day as part of a facial beauty routine have reported it to leave a softer, silkier complexion, lessen the appearance of scars and acne, smoothen out wrinkles and rejuvenate the overall feel of the skin.

Naturally, this doesn’t mean you should dash out into your back garden and rub a snail all over your face (and just imagine if your partner were to walk in you doing that!). The shops sell plenty of facial masks with which you can pamper your skin, but if you want to try a few natural methods to better skin and get in touch with the deeper you, here are some suggestions:

For a refreshing facial steam add one teaspoon of lavender buds, a teaspoon of jasmine green tea, a teaspoon of camomile flowers and three rosebuds to a bowl containing 400 millilitres of boiling water. Place your head over the bowl, cover with a towel and steam for five minutes. Do this once a week.

Mix a tablespoon of plain yogurt, a tablespoon of cooked oatmeal and one egg together. Mix into a paste, smooth onto your face and relax for 10 minutes. This can help energize your face and take away that run-down feeling the pace of modern life can sometimes give you.

Back-to-Beautiful-Beauty-Treatments-from-the-Past

Image by Reggie Alvey

For softer skin, mix one egg yolk with one tablespoon of milk and two tablespoons of honey. Smooth into a paste and apply as above. For red or troubled skin add five drops of lavender. For acne-prone skin add a drop of camphor, bergamot, tea tree oil and two drops of lavender.

Of course, whether you travel back in time to observe your skincare routine or live in the now and let the snails live to fight another day, you should still drink plenty of water and eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. There are just some things that snails can’t argue with!

Julie Wellingworth is a life coach with a passion for beauty and something of a romantic. She loves looking good, travel and the novels of Jack Kerouac. 

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Self-taught beauty expert Michelle Phan claims pasting kitty litter on your face will shrink pores, prevent acne and leave skin feeling “extremely soft”.

Michelle Phan, 25, from Boston, Massachusetts, who produces online make-up tutorials for a number of big brands including Lancome, reveals that kitty litter are made from bentonite clay – the main ingredient in most purifying facial masks and body wraps.

In a homemade video – which has attracted over 745,00 hits as of today – Michelle Phan sets to work using a $2 bag of cat litter and warns viewers to opt for the unscented variety “because scented versions might have harmful chemicals that can irritate the skin”.

“Open your brand new bag of kitty litter,” Michelle Phan chimes while scooping out two tablespoons of granulated clay into a small mixing bowl.

She notes that a bag of litter will probably last over a year if used for cosmetic purposes only.

After adding a splash of water Michelle Phan squirts in some Aloe Vera, and gives the muddy-looking concoction a stir.

After all of the ingredients are combined she places the mask into the microwave to cook for 20 seconds.

“You just want your mask to be warm not hot, this will help dilate the pores,” Michelle Phan explains.

Self-taught beauty expert Michelle Phan claims pasting kitty litter on your face will shrink pores, prevent acne and leave skin feeling extremely soft

Self-taught beauty expert Michelle Phan claims pasting kitty litter on your face will shrink pores, prevent acne and leave skin feeling extremely soft

Once baked the “flat and muddy” clay is ready for application. Instead of the pellets Michelle Phan only applies the murky water to her skin.

“Try not to directly apply the clay rocks onto your face, you just really need the water.

“The water contains enough of the clay particles for this to work. The clay rocks are way too rough for your delicate skin.”

Michelle Phan also warns to avoid the eye area and only use thin coasts because “less is always more”.

Once she’s finished applying the kitty litter mask she waits 15 minutes for it to dry and even has time to give her pet cat some affection in front of the camera.

“At this time you should start feeling a minty tingling sensation on your skin,” Michelle Phan says at the five minute point.

Once time is up Michelle Phan uses warm water to wash the white paste off before moisturizing.

She concludes: “It’s going to feel really refreshing… your skin should feel extremely soft. It just comes to show you the best stuff comes from the most unexpected things.”

Several other websites also recommend the bizarre treatment. The Vegan Beauty Review states that it’s “one of the best face masks you will ever try!”.

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