Spa Day - Pamper Yourself Gals!

All this animal activism gets stressful. I can't tell you how many times I've cried after watching PETA vids or hearing things in the news. (On Sunday a dog died in a New York fur trap. In a nature PRESERVE, with its owner by its side.)

Now to lighter stuff...

You don't have to do all the spa stuff together. I did it over 2 days, and it is sometimes better so you have time to do other things. You can also add things to it that aren't listed here. Do whatever YOU want, since that's what its all about.

Not only does spa stuff make YOU feel good, its is GOOD for you. Helping your skin stay clear AND relaxing at the same time is a pretty sweet deal, dontcha think? And while still being vegan? Damn tight.

Now for the sched------------

1) Exfoliate your skin with your favorite vegan scrub.
i) Wet your face. (If your face is particularly grimy, you can also wash with a mild cleanser so that the scrub will actually work)
ii) With a cotton boll or your fingers, apply your scrub in a circular motion. Rinse clean.

2) Open the pores with hot steam.
i) Fill a sink with hot water. Dip a washcloth in it. Wring until damp but not wet.
ii) Put the cloth over your face until it cools down. Do this about 8 times or longer if you feel like it. Lie down, and relax!

3) Kill bacteria, and get rid of oil.
i) Take some Tea Tree oil, and rub over your face. Make sure to do the T-zone and other acne prone areas.
ii) Take a damp hot washcloth and put it over your face. Do this for as long as you like. This helps the tea tree oil get in the pores. The oil will kill bacteria and get rid of oil in your pores.

4) With a clean cloth, wash your face with warm water to get rid of the tea tree oil and anything it brought out of your pores.

5) Close the pores.
i) Take a clean cloth, and wet with ice cold water. Wring until damp.
ii) Put over your face until the coolness goes away. Repeat for as long as you like.

6) Apply moisturizer. No matter how oily your skin is, you MUST do this (use a light one or dilute one if need be, but dont skip!). The tea tree oil is a heavy duty astringent. Your skin will be tight and can dry out if you dont do this. The moisturizer wont clog pores because they have been closed.

** Many women say "Moisturizer gives me acne". Many women apply their facial moisturizer right AFTER a shower. A hot/warm shower opens the pores, and lets the moisturizer get deep in, causing acne. If the face is cooled, and if the pores have been allowed to close, the moisturizer will do its job of hydrating the cells instead of clogging the pores. **
(This is a good thing to keep in mind, even when it isnt your spa day. However, after a shower, apply moisturizer to your body within 3 minutes to trap in moisture. Splash cold water on your face to get the best of both worlds, without ending your showing with a icy blast!)


By now your pores should be clear. If you like, you can replace Step 3 with a mask (or do it after Steps 3 + 4), preferably with The Perfect Pore Cleansing Mask.
You also could do the mask beforehand, to make your skin softer and make the pores open easier.

After you close the pores, you shouldn't do anything to your skin because it will have little effect.

This procedure will leave your skin dewey soft, less red, and help reduce acne.

DONT FORGET TO MOISTURIZE!!! Its the difference between a lovely complexion and looking like a fish out of water (scaly) I cannot emphasize this enough!!

The Perfect Pore Cleansing Mask

This is a great mask. I made it last night, and it works great.
I've found that cornstarch and water make the best base for masks. It goes on easy, dries up, and comes off easily. No chemicals either. I didnt put measurements for the cornstarch and water because you often have to add more cornstarch/water to the mixture to get the correct texture.

Ingredients:
Cornstarch
Warm water
Tea Tree essential oil
1 teaspoon Green Tea extract (dried, approx. around 4 capsules)

1) Put some cornstarch in a cup. Add water until you get the consistency of gak. If you can tip the cup and have it flow, yet at the same time you can press down on it with your finger and have it be solid, its the right texture.
2) Add a few drops of tea tree oil. Stir in the oil completely.
3) Add a green tea extract. Stir in completely.

Voila! You are done. Wet your skin, apply, and let dry. Then remove.

***If you dont have Green Tea extract you can substitute brewed green tea for water instead.

Update...

Because I've been so busy, I don't have the time to research for the second part of Down With Meat. I wish I could, but I dont have enough time to research for it.

In other news, the film "Manolete" (Lolafilms, starring Penelope Cruz and some hunk) has some great news. The film is about bullfights and such, and it recently declared that they will be using CGI (computer generated images) in the film, so that no animals will be harmed in its making. This is good news, since many animal rights organizations (including PETA) have been concerned about the film.

In the next posts I will do a mini-series (I promise to finish this one!) on how to pamper yourself veganly. Sometimes dealing with the news of animals being abused gets stressful and you just want to relax and remember that YOU are making a difference, and that other's stupidy is not YOUR fault. And a little YOU time helps you feel better for a lot of animal time. YOU perform worse when you are frazzled, and this is going to help defrazzle YOU.

Love YOU,
Allie

Steven the Vegan

Have you seen Steven the Vegan yet? If not, you need to. He is uh, a very interesting vegan chef. This guy is awesome, check him out here.

Its FUNdue

I just got a 3-cup fondue pot for my birthday (an upgrade from the 6 oz one I got for Christmas.) With it I got a fondue platter (its a quarter circle, almost looks like a sushi box)

You can expect to see some more recipes for fondue coming up! As soon as the brownies are gone, I will be making fondue.