The Minimal Sisters

I have prepped my self for a wonderful at home Sunday Spa because I am ready to try some of the goodies I bought a couple of weeks back at the Miami Arts and Entertainment District Flea Market event (read the blog post here).

I decided to try two of the 4 products I bought: the Return to the Roots Facial Steam mix and the Beatnik Beauty Pumpkin Clay Mask. I figured it would be a good mix of products since one is meant to open your pores and the other one to clean them. What can go wrong?

I start off with clean face and heating up water for the steam. Make sure you heat the water in a pot on the stove and not in the microwave (don’t be lazy here). I pick up a glass bowl, big enough to cover the circumference of my face. Okay, it’s not quite a circumference, more of an oval shape, but you get my point! Once the water is boiling hot, I first deposit 2-3 teaspoons of the facial steam mix at the bottom of the bowl. Then, gently, pour 3-4 cups of boiling hot water on top of the mix and stir the mix into the water with a spoon.

Right away, I can smell the delicious scent of the Chamomile and Rose flowers. I grab a big towel and position my face on top of the bowl not touching the water, but close enough to feel the heat and the steam on my face, and cover my whole head plus bowl with the towel as if to make a tee-pee.

 

The sensation is really glorious… the heat is very much bearable, it doesn’t bother my face or eyes and the scents of the flowers and leaves is calming, soothing, inviting. After approximately 5-7 minutes, I need to come out to breathe fresh air and I decide to pour another cup of steaming hot water to bring the most of the mix out. I position my face again inside the tee-pee and stay there for another 5 minutes or so.

After the steam gives way, my skin is revealed: 

My skin is sweaty, but it feels wonderful, supple. The experience is not just for my face, but in general for my senses! the calming smell has left me ready for a nap… but I need to push on, because next comes the mask.

When I bought the mask, it was recommended I use apple cider vinegar or yogurt to create the mask. I decide to use apple cider vinegar since this is what I have available at the time. I pull out my Bragg’s Organic Apple Cider vinegar and start by mixing in a ceramic bowl, 2-3 teaspoons of the Pumpkin Clay mix plus two cap-fulls of vinegar.After mixing it with a spoon, I get the right consistency where it has become a smooth paste. The mixture blends easily and I start applying it to my face, first with the spoon, later with my fingers to spread it around evenly.

The look is very in vogue, especially this time of year – green is the new in.

I let it sit for a good 15-20 minutes, until I feel the paste starting to dry (great break to drink a cuppa tea, my Vita Blend from Mountain Herbs from the things I love blog post).

I start to feel this mix does bother my eyes, and my gut feeling is that the Apple Cider vinegar is a tad to strong. I can smell it, and that tells me I may have used one too many cap-fulls of the liquid. But I push on because I am no quitter and I will see this through, Fiona face or not.

I use a warm damp cloth to remove the mix. Immediately, as I remove the mask from the first part of my face, I can see it irritated and red.

Once I remove the mask from my entire face, I see the redness all over it. It feels hot to the touch and when I see it against the light, it appears as if I was burned or something. Oh well, I wanted to have great skin on a Sunday afternoon and ended with a face on fire and the coveted look of a bloody Mary.

This is definitely not what I envisioned!!! In reading about Apple Cider Vinegar, it says that it is typical to have redness when using it for the first time; it should be used in 5 minutes increments until your skin has developed resistance to the liquid. Well, I should have done some research before slathering this onto my sensitive skin. However, I have read so many great things about this type of vinegar, and the multiple beauty and skin benefits, ranging from clarifying, toning, cleansing, etc that I don’t want to discard what it may do to my face after the redness subsides.

I wait for it.. maybe after an hour, I see the results.

My skin is absolutely radiant!! I LOVE the way it shines, the brightness. It appears as if some of my discoloration and hyper-pigmentation has dissipated, which is fabulous and promising. I am very impressed with both products, however for the clay mask, I will probably use a different mixing agent next time, perhaps the yogurt.

Not a shabby Sunday afternoon friends.

See you on the next one ~

Joanne,

The Minimal Sisters.