Recipe: Beauty Blend Smoothie

This nutritious and delicious smoothie provides a great big blast of complexion-friendly nutrients—Vitamins C and E, Beta Carotene, Selenium and Omega 3 fats.

Ingredients

• 2 cold oranges, peeled and cut into sections.
• 1/2 chopped mango, cold
• 1/2 cup sliced frozen (unsweetened) strawberries
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, shredded
• 1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt, chilled
• 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. This recipe serves two.
 
 

The post Beauty Boost Foods appeared first on Anna Warwick.

• Mineral Oil sounds innocent but it’s actually liquid petroleum, a by­product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. Cheap mineral oils actually prevent skin from functioning normally and are most likely carcinogenic.
• Propylene Glycol: This cosmetic form of mineral oil is commonly found in skin and personal care products, as well as household cleaning products. It is an eye irritant and an ingestible poison and can cause numerous skin reactions.
• Parabens: The most frequently used chemicals in cosmetics, parabens such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl paraben are used as preservatives and antibacterials but they mimic oestrogen and  upset the hormone balance, with potentially significant side effects.
• Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS): Used as a surfactant (foaming agent) in body washes, bubble baths, foaming cleansers, cream cleansers, shampoos and toothpaste, SLS is a common skin irritant and rapidly absorbed and retained in the eyes, brain, heart and liver.
• Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES): The alcohol form of SLS. Both SLS and SLES may react with other ingredients, causing potential carcinogens, such as nitrates, to form and enter the bloodstream after just one shampooing.
• DEA (Diethanalomine): This readily absorbed  detergent and emulsifier is frequently used in both cosmetics and shampoos, despite warnings of carcinogenicity and chronic toxic effects in organs such as the brain.
• Artificial Fragrances: These often contain carcinogens such as methyl chloride. Unless an essential oil is specified on the label, the chances are it will be synthetic.
• Colours: Colours made from coal tars have been found to be carcinogenic in varying degrees and can cause nausea, mood swings, headaches and fatigue. Check for artificial colour ingredients in your shampoos, eye colouring, mascara, nail varnishes and lipstick.

This article first appeared on ninemsn.com.au.

The post Skincare Detox for Natural Beauty appeared first on Anna Warwick.

The treatment

I lie on the table in Yamamoto’s treatment room overlooking Sydney’s Bronte beach. She asks me how I want to feel, and waves two tiny bottles of heavenly scented handmade oils under my nose. I choose one for her to burn.
She begins the massage by lightly brushing my face and then feels around my chest and my stomach, pressing until a pulse is released under her hand. She moves to my feet, using a delicate and precise rubbing to free the energy down there. All the meridians in the body are connected, and I do feel a bizarre tingling here and there in my neck and ears as she works.
Yamamoto moves around the table and stands behind my head, kneading at points on my face, undoing tiny knots, draining my eye sockets, sinuses and lymph glands, moulding my forehead like play dough and pressing the top of my skull like a pianist playing a tune. She works on my spine and neck and I pass out.
After the treatment, Yamamoto leaves me to rouse myself and dress. I run as fast as a semi-conscious person can to the mirror, and see myself looking as though I’ve never had a stressful or toxic day in my life. My eyes are bright, my cheekbones and jawline contoured, there is space between my eyebrows and my cheeks are lifted. My skin glows and has a more even tone.
Most of all, I feel wonderfully peaceful, like I’ve been on a long, lovely holiday.
Yamamoto says: “We women, in particular, carry stress in our faces and we’re so harsh on ourselves. We make far too close a friend of negative emotions. It’s only stress – it’s not ageing and it’s not forever. It can be changed!”
Yamamoto tells me that now my body knows how relaxation feels, it will want to come back to this state. I believe her.
To get in touch with Fumi, visit www.zenfacial.com
This article first appeared on bodyandsoul.com.au

The post Natural Zen Facial appeared first on Anna Warwick.

Before you start

To avoid pulling or stretching your skin during the exercises, make sure you lubricate it generously with a natural oil or moisturiser. Do as many repetitions of each exercise as you feel comfortable with. A word of warning: Do not perform these exercises in front of your partner!

Eyes

This exercise tones the eye muscle — the orbicularis oculi. Gently place your index fingertips flat on the bone of your outer eye socket (right over your smile lines). This creates resistance. Firmly contract the eye muscles until they almost close. Don’t use your cheek muscles. Squint for a second, then release.
Place your three middle fingertips on your temples and pull the skin back slightly as you tightly close your eyes. Hold the contraction for two seconds, then release. Open the eyes as wide as possible, hold for two seconds, and release. With time, this exercise will get rid of any bagginess around the eyelids.

Cheeks

The delicate cheek muscles give a youthful look to the face when they are firm and defined. Place your index fingertips on the muscles on either side of the nose. Press down and resist as you scrunch up the nose. Toning this muscle will soften the lines from the nose to the corners of the mouth.
Place your three middle fingertips over the apples of your cheeks and press into your cheekbones. Smile upwards so that the tiny, delicate muscles underneath contract. Keep your eye muscles relaxed. Hold for a few second and release.

Mouth

This small movement will strengthen the muscles around the mouth and make the lips look fuller. Place your clean index fingers in the corners of your mouth. Pull them out slightly — about a centimetre. Keep pulling as you make a kiss shape with your lips, and attempt to pull the fingers together. Contract the mouth as hard as you can while resisting with your fingers. Hold for two seconds and release.

Chin

With lips together, push your jaw slightly out and then slowly move it from side to side, holding in place for a few seconds each side.
This exercise works the muscle at the front of the neck (platysma) and the chin muscle (the mentalis) to ward off the dreaded turkey-neck syndrome. Press the lips firmly together in a thin line and wrinkle the chin. Now slowly lower the jaw, keeping the lips together. Keep the head in place as well. Hold this contraction for a second or two and release.

Neck

These exercises firm up the jawline and the front of the neck. Sitting up straight, tilt your head back and look at the ceiling. Make exaggerated chewing motions, so that you really feel your neck and jaw working up and down.
While tilting your head back (against a wall is best), press your tongue hard against your back teeth. Hold it for a few seconds and release.
Keeping your head tilted back, open your jaw wide and stick out your tongue as far as you can. Hold it for a few seconds and release (I warned you to do this in private!).

Forehead

This exercise helps with forehead lines and is great for a healthy head of hair. If you’ve never been able to wiggle your ears, the movement may be almost imperceptible at first, but keep practising.
Raise your eyebrows (contract the frontalis muscles), hold for one second, and lower. Now, try to pull back your ears (contracting the occipitalis muscles towards the back of the head), hold for one second and release. Keep going, alternating between the eyebrows and the ears.

Keep it up

Like with all work-outs, these exercises require persistence, but after a few months you can expect your face shape to be more defined and your skin to be tighter and brighter. Every time I do these exercises consistently for a month, people begin to ask if I’ve had “something done”. From time to time I inevitably let the exercises slip and regret it. Don’t do this — keep it up! All you need is 15 minutes a day.
This article first appeared on aww.com.au

The post Exercise your Face for a Natural Facelift appeared first on Anna Warwick.

The magic of pH balance

For optimum health our bodies need to maintain a slightly alkaline state. This is the opposite of an acidic, or toxic, state.
In modern society, our levels of acidity are dramatically increased through excessive stress, poor eating habits and environmental toxins that we ingest every day, through the food we eat and the air we breathe.
This acidic state is ideal for the fermentation of yeast and the incubation of bacteria, parasites and disease. But it’s far from ideal for your health. Common signs of this toxic acidity include weight gain, fatigue, digestive disorders and the outward signs of ageing. By helping our bodies eliminate acidic toxins and increase alkalinity on a regular basis, we take enormous strain off our organs and immune systems, and help them to do what they do best: concentrate on building health, strength and vitality.
If you’re healthy and alkaline on the inside, you’ll see the results on the outside. So you must look after the physical state of health your body at a cellular level. Your skin will glow, eyes will sparkle, hair will shine, and you’ll radiate energy and wellbeing.

Regular detoxing

Regular detoxing is the best way to achieve optimal inner and outer health. When we stop consuming new toxins, we allow the body to properly eliminate everything that’s built up. Avoid foods that cause acidity, such as animal products (meat and dairy), sugar, processed foods, alcohol and caffeine.

Keep it up

There’s very little point in doing a big detox and depriving yourself of all the things you love for a week, only to overindulge for two days afterwards, then go back to life as it was. You need to maintain your new level of health by doing little things to help your body detox on a regular basis.

Help your body to stay on top of the modern-day toxic overload by following these simple tips.

• Start your day with a squeeze of lemon in a glass of hot water.
• Drink alkaline water (with a pH of 8.0 or higher). This is rich in essential buffer minerals which help neutralise acid.
• Dry brush your skin or use salt scrubs to clear off dead skin cells, allowing clear pathways for skin elimination.
• Use skin products that are as natural and nourishing as possible.
• Get plenty of rest and relaxation to reduce stress, which reduces toxic build-up.

Clinical treatments

The following treatments aim to assist the body’s natural pathways of detoxification; taking excess strain off organs and systems and allowing the body to bring itself back into balance.

• Naturopathy assists through diet and lifestyle changes, implementing personalised detox programs, supporting the organs with herbs and supplements when needed.
• Infrared wraps and detox saunas increase circulation and aid skin elimination.
• Colon hydrotherapy is used to cleanse built-up toxins from the bowel. Un-eliminated waste in the bowel means toxins are reabsorbed into the bloodstream and must be recirculated and “cleaned” again by the liver. Keeping the colon functioning means the liver can focus on filtering new waste rather than old.
• Endermologie clears blockages and assists flow in the lymphatic and venous circulation systems.
• Natural skincare products put on the skin are absorbed into the bloodstream. Products that are natural rather than heavily chemical will help decrease toxic load in the body.
• Massage and spa treatments are a delicious way to help reduce stress levels.

For a blood test and analysis with personalised advice, visit Alkaline Spa and Clinic.

This article first appeared on aww.com.au.

The post Alkaline Beauty Tips appeared first on Anna Warwick.