How do you like your coffee?

If you are anything like me, you really love your cup of Joe in the morning! If you make your own coffee at home before rushing out, what do you do with the coffee grounds that are in reserve after you've made your brew?

Well, before you go to throw it out to make room for the fresh coffee in the morning, WAIT! I got another purpose for you, how about two? Coffee grounds can be used for facials AND cellulite treatments.

It's a very simple procedure, requiring minimal ingredients that anyone can do themselves or request it by a skincare professional. For a cellulite treatment you need :

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  a quarter cup of warm coffee grounds

  
  


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  A tablespoon of olive oil

  
  


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  plastic wrap

  
  

Mix the ingredients together apply to the affected cellulite area with your hand or a loofah mitt. Wrap the area with the plastic wrap and let sit for several minutes (10-15). Unwrap brush it off and rinse with warm water in the shower. Twice per week is sufficient for this procedure.

For the face, try an aromatic coffee facial. Just as with treating cellulite, the coffee on the face helps to tone and firm, as well as remove dead skin and minimize pores.

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  1/4 cup used coffee grounds

  
  


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  one egg white

  
  

Combine well and gently massage on the face. Let it dry, then rinse well with warm water. Apply a good moisturizer.

This proves yet again that it does not take lots of money to have beautiful skin.

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It's all about time

Ever have one of those moments when the whirlwinds of life kinda slow down? Things are just still enough to see clearly because the dust and debris is low and at your feet instead of skidding past your face and blowing over your head. I had one of those moments recently (although briefly).

During this time I began to think about myself and the direction that I am going, and essentially the direction of Be.Beautifully.Well. I love what I do and what I offer to my half of the business. However, I want to offer more.

I am a person who totally believes that things in life happen in due time. Timing bears a heavy weight in how smooth things work. In the past I was seriously considering becoming a licensed massage therapist. Seemed like a perfect transition since I am already a reflexologist, right? Well, at the time I had these thoughts I was a home schooling mother of two...'nuf said! I just could not find school scheduling that fit my lifestyle and so I just stopped trying to make it fit. The timing wasn't right.

Fast forward two years and I am no longer homeschooling (boohoo!). My schedule is open and I have the desire to expand my wings again. So do I look into my original plan of massage school? Nope! I decide that although I love the healing art of massage, my gravitational pull is not going in that direction. (gasp!) I began to think about what I like and ways that I want to be challenged.

I decided that I wanted to do more with body treatments. I have some experience with it, but I want to perfect it with superb professionalism. So I decided to enroll in the Elite Institute of Aesthetics and by this time next year I will be a licensed esthetician! I am soooo excited. I am following my heart on this and It is the right time!

Even better is that once schooling is done, I will be able to share my passion and expertise with all of my beautiful clients. So be on the watch! Can you feel the excitement and see the possibilities?

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Be Beautifully Well on Your Time and Your Dime!

When it comes to beauty, it is a general agreement that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This holds true. Be.Beautifully.Well. likes to put a bit of a spin on that. Beauty is in the eye of YOU. Not the beholders of you. So your internal and external efforts are felt mostly by you. And since it is a fact that one can and does create his or her own reality, how beautiful do YOU feel?

Lets go through a few tips for your Beautifying routine to keep your inner god or goddess satisfied and therefore Beautifully.Well.

1. You ARE what you EAT --> Be cautious of the things you allow into your sacred spaces. Your throat, stomach, and blood are all vital organs, carrying tremendous energy- especially the emotional connection. Be mindful to nourish yourself because of the love and appreciation you have for the body that you have been given. TIP: Shop at local farmers markets. Cobb International Farmers Market, Dekalb International Farmers Market, and even the Green Market at Piedmont Park has great deals on healthy eats. Some local growers offer deals such as $20 for 20lbs of fresh produce. Check out beautiful souls with healthy eating recipes such as www.Naturibeauty.com and ExoticEarthOnline.com.

2. Glam It Up Girl! --> Feeling frumpy? Why not step it up a taste with some easy DIY beauty? Try a pair of strip false eyelashes to add a little sassy texture to your face. On a budget? Well, while it is nice to have them professionally done, gluing on a pair of falsies will roughly run you about $5, saving you an average of about $15 for the service. Take a run to your local beauty supply store and pick a pair that works for you, and play with them. You'd be pleasantly surprised that it is much easier to do than you may have thought. TIP: Follow @SamFineBeauty on Twitter. As one of the leading makeup professionals in the industry, and having over 20 yrs of MUA experience, Sam Fine is so generous with his tips and how-tos. He is always open to individual questions and offers wise expertise.

3. Pretty Up Those Hands! --> A self manicure is one of the easiest and most inexpensive beauty treatments you can do. For about $1, you can get a simple manicure set, and for a few more dollars, pick up your favorite nail colors. I recently found a package of nail art stickers for $1 and couldn't hardly wait to get home and try them! I felt so beautifully invigorated after adding such flair to my fingers. Tip: Check out YouTube! YouTube has a major variety of different nail techniques posted by professionals and non professionals alike. I have found several techniques from my YouTube tutorials.

4. Culture Yourself --> Bring art & meditation into your cypher. Peace, love, and internal harmony are essential for unity in your external environment. You would be beautifully pleased to find the peace that accompanies passion. Create something beautiful. Take a visit to your local art or fabric store, and try your hand at whatever creative expression you are naturally drawn to. This could cost little of nothing and can be very rewarding! Tip: Bliss In Me Meditations offer guided meditation sessions right through your webcam. She even has free guided meditation downloads. Cozy up with your headset and feel your creativity and motivation skyrocket after such beautiful affirmations! www.blissinme.com

Being beautiful is a state of mind. Nourish it. Being well takes action. Pursue it. I hope these tips help you to maintain or create an even more fabulous YOU!

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A Fishy therapy

Would you be willing to give this treatment a try?

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A therapist should be...

When a person makes a decision to employ the services of a massage therapist, reflexologist, manicurist, hairstylist or any other 'ist they are letting down their guard and placing their body in the care of another individual. This act may leave some feeling vulnerable, open and exposed. For some, this may pose a bit of a challenge and require a mustering up of courage. So the last thing they need is to walk into a room greeted by a person that makes them feel uneasy.Where is the stress relief in that?

If a person is uneasy and put off by something they see, feel or smell from the person providing a service, the intended purpose of the service / experience may be lost. Which in turn could have a client feeling as if it was a waste of money and cause the therapist to lose clientele.

Since being in business for myself this has always been a topic that is very important to me. When having this conversation with others it seemed to me that some may feel that this has a lot to do with vanity on my part. I don't believe this to be the case, I just feel that there should be certain standards when in a service oriented profession. I mean, when you go out to a restaurant and the chef is preparing the meal, how appetizing is it when you see that he/she is dripping sweat profusely over the main course? Or that they may have some dirt under their finger nails while they are hand mixing the ingredients? It is my guess that no matter how delicious the food smells and taste, you will not have enjoyed it half as much as you would if you did not have that picture in your head.

I see things this way because of who I am. Not necessarily a person of great vanity but one who loves great ambiance. Pleasant surroundings = pleasant feelings. It is important to create the enviornment and experience that I want my clients to have. I am passionate and I care about my healing touch and my clients should walk away feeling it mind, body and soul.

So whether you book your next therapy session with the women of Be.Beautifully.Well or someone else of your choice here are my list of things to look for in the ultimate experience.

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  Personal presentation. Being a beauty queen is not a prerequisite , however they should look like they took time to care for themselves before trying to care for you. Hair should be neat, nails clean. Skin should not be dry and cracking, they should definitely not have front teeth missing! (laugh not, I have seen a therapist missing teeth with bad dry skin in real life)

  
  


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  Clothing should be professional in appearance. Most wear a type of uniform i.e., black shirt, black pants, white shirt, white pants or whatever . It should should be clean, not displaying their coffee from breakfast or the salsa from lunch. If wearing a shirt sporting the company logo, that's great! It should definitely not be pealing or overly faded. It just looks tacky.

  
  


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  Very importantly there should always be clean sheets of decent quality. No one has to have egyptian cotton of 800 thread count (although that would be nice right?) but hopefully it's not the cheapest sheet set they could find either. You know the kind that has the little lint balls all over, ewww! If the provider lacks interest or concern in this matter, then what message might that send out about them?...

  
  


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  Clean equipment. Depending on the service certain tools of the trade may be used. Hopefully they are clean and sanitized.

  
  


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  Music is always a plus when receiving services. The volume and selection should be one that is appropriate for the occasion.

  
  


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  Candles help to create a soothing scene. I think it is best when the unscented kind is used. Some have a sensitivity to perfumes that may cause a headache. Additionally, the scents may clash with the massage oils or creams being used on you.

  
  

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  Most importantly, the therapist should listen and hear what your concerns are and act accordingly. There is nothing worse than suffering through a painful massage because the therapist does not care when you said the pressure is too much or the area is very sensitive. Or perhaps they are not applying enough pressure. Ruins the whole experience! Happened to me once, and I was not a happy camper. :(

  
  

So there you have it, my list of things you should look for or look out for when you are ready for your next therapeutic experience.

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These little hands of mine

Have you ever looked at your hands? Have you ever noticed the curve of your fingers, the size of your knuckles or the lines in your palm? I have, and I realize that there is so much power in my hands. In fact we all have power with our hands, unfortunately some use their power for evil instead of good.

With the hands one can make a fist and strike a mighty blow or provide loving assurance with a pat. Hands can help to bring life into the world in a delivery room or end a life in a fit a rage. With your hands you can feed a child or provide the means to feed the child. In any case the hands are tools that we all need.

I look at my hands and I am so appreciative of the gifts that I have in them. With my hands I feel that I have the power to create happiness, healing and rejuvenation for every client that I touch. It makes me feel like a superhero of sorts, because with my hands I can often save a stressful day. With my hands I am able to clear away blockages that may hold a person back physically & mentally. With my hands I am able to give people back their lives because they feel better after each and every session.

My hands are my gift and I am ready and willing to share them with you.

Do you have a gift? How do you use it, please comment and share it with us.

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Grab your brush!

o many times we women and men too, often complain about dry skin. Seems like we can never get enough moisturizing to keep our skin from looking scaly. We try everything from vaseline to butter to give our skin that smooth silky look and feel. And Ladies what about that unsightly cellulite that we get? Ughhhh!

Well I got a great tip for you. Start brushing! No not your teeth or your hair (although that might be a good idea too). Your body! The skin that covers your body is the largest organ you have. Through it your body takes in and expels out toxins. Acting almost as a kidney. Dry brushing is a technique that brings wonderful results when done regularly and it doesn't take long to do. All you need is a soft natural bristle brush.

Dry brushing not only improves the circulation but it helps to remove dead skin. It is also known to internally massage the body, tighten the skin to prevent premature aging, help with digestion, gets rid of cellulite and cleanses the lymph.

As an added bonus you can use a citrus oil, such as grapefruit & Lemon or Lavender and Juniper to help with purifying and detoxing. Add a few drops of one of these oils to the brush before brushing or mix it with a carrier oil such as avacodo or olive oil and massage into the skin.

Here is a video that I found. I think you will find it helpful, I know I did. Happy Brushing!



*Please note that some essential oils can burn the skin if used improperly, and or may cause an allergic reaction. Please seek advice from an aromatherapist if you are unsure of how to use them.*

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A natural skin glowing remedy

Recently I was told by a couple of folks that my my skin had a nice glow to it. They noticed that it looked very clear and just overall was looking good. I was very happy to hear that and somewhat surprised because since becoming an adult and more specifically a parent, I have battled with acne. I was also a victim of prenatal acne which left lots of scarring. Ugly little black spots on my face, *sigh*.

Anyhow, when asked what have I been doing I came up with a few random answers. (1) I used an acne wash off and on about a year now. (2) I have less hormones since having a partial hysterectomy 9 months ago? (3) Genetics? Hhmmm, Unfortunately I couldn't claim to be drinking a gallon of water a day, although I should be (and so should you). Later on I was dwelling on this and it dawned on me one other thing that I have been doing and I think is the real reason for my skin change, a home remedy!

As most know who follow this blog, we love things that are natural and often try to live holistically in our day to day lives. Often sharing what we know with others. So now I'll tel you what has been in my bathroom cabinet adding to my skincare regimen. It is very simple, it is the same ingredients that you have in your cabinet. Although perhaps not in your bathroom cabinet, but you will find it in your kitchen.

Baking soda and honey (raw and unprocessed works best)! Yes, just those two ingredients if you don't count water. Baking soda is a wonderful natural cleanser and can be an exfoliate as well. Honey is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. The anti-inflammatory properties in honey is great for acne. Combine these ingredients and you have a fabulous cleanser, exfoliate and mask.

Here is what you do: grab a small dish or you can just do as I do and just use your hands *wink*smile*, pour a generous portion of baking soda and add a few drops of honey. Make a paste, and apply to the face, careful not to get close to the eyes. Massage in circular movements all over the face, once covered let sit for 10 minutes then rinse with warm water. You skin will feel very clean and supple. Very little moisturizer is needed once patted dry. Try this once a week and for an added treat rub a little on the lips for kissable soft lips.

If you would like to know more about the benefits of honey and baking soda check out these sites:

www.worldofhoney.com and www.naturalhomeremedies.org

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