Happy Halloween

Just wanted to share one of my Halloween Makeup looks, I was a...ZOMBIE! This was my first time attempting to do a zombie look and I think it came out pretty decent. I am most definitely not a zombie fan, I avoid movies, shows anything to do with thinking about them. I was asked whether I could do a zombie look and so decided that I would attempt it. It was actually fairly easy to do this look, but I'm definitely going to do another zombie look in the future. So check it out:

Dead girl

Figured I would share a dead girl look I did a couple of months ago. I was going to a monster or masquarade themed party and stumped I wracked my brain for a costume idea. Not being in the mood to walk out in full costume in the summertime I settled on a dead look. I would get to wear my regular clothes and only had to make myself appear dead. The walking dead are monsters so I figured it was a win. Paling out my skin and drawing in dark shadows I started forming a story to go along with my character.

She was a girl on her way out when she was a victim of a random act of violence. Unbeknownst to anyone she was choked from behind with a chord on an empty subway platform. Poor girl wasn't discovered for some time but by then she had become one of the living dead and it was too late to help her. She would forever wander the subway systems at night looking for a sign of her killer.

I'm satisfied with the results 

My First Bullet Wound!

So I got asked if I could do a zombie look and it got me reading up on the body after death. In general I hate zombies and have never felt a desire to dress up as one. I avoid zombie movies and shows if I can. I didn't have the products I wanted to achieve a zombie look so I decided I would make myself look dead. Doing a little research I figured out what I wanted to portray, Algor Mortis. 


Algor Mortis is basically when the blood pools to the lowest part of the body. An example would be if the body is laying on its back then that's where it will go. It turns this reddish fresh burn looking color then above that is a lightish-medium purple with a tinge of black then on top of that (think of it as in levels) its the pale regular color. I even looked at real pictures so that I could see for myself what it looked like. They were definitely graphic to say the least, not for the faint of heart.


Anyway I just wanted to give it a try using some makeup, it took a lot of blending that in the end I got tired and left it as is. When I do time consuming looks I normally surf youtube and watch videos, it just so happened I watched a lot of sfx videos. One of the videos was about filming bullet wounds and it inspired me to try it. 

I only wanted to try it on half my face 

I improvised with the bullet wound on my forehead and used a 

cotton ball dipped in some color. It looked like muscle or tendon 

in person, pretty cool. 

It looks so sickly but this isn't a glamours look. 

Yet there's something beautiful about something that's really ugly :)

So before I started on my face I did a wound on my wrist with nothing particular in my mind. 

I don't even know what it looks like exactly.

Soft skin

Do you suffer from dry skin? Or are you just interested in finding ways to make your skin even softer?

Well here's a tip for you, exfoliate. I'm sure you've heard it before but it is an important part to making skin softer. Exfoliating allows for you to get rid of all the dirt and dead skin that accumulates over time, you'll be surprised just how much. There's no need to spend money going to spa's or buying pricey instruments, you may just have what you need at home.

I have never really exfoliated my entire body all that much until I went to a hammam in Morocco and realized how beneficial it is. The only things used on me there were a towel,henna,half an orange and some organic soap. The ingredients were just so simple and my skin afterwards felt amazing and baby soft. So here are my suggestions on getting a similar result.

I would suggest getting an exfoliating mitt, similar to this one. 

You can get them where ever they sell bath products, I bought one from 

Target

You can buy a ready made exfoliating scrub or make one at home.

Target,The Body Shop and stores that sell bath products sell scrubs in

different scents

A moisturizing bar of soap would also be best. You 

can find natural ones at shops like The Body Shop.

Firstly you should do a superficial wash using your soap to get rid of any dirt that is on the skin. This is going to take some time, so make sure you it. After the superficial wash you want to take the scrub that you bought or made and work it into the skin (focusing on one body part at a time). Taking your scrubbing mittens or towel which ever you use, you are going to roughly scrub your skin. Make sure you scrub every inch you can, you want to scrub away all the dead skin and dirt. You make the determination as to what is a good pressure for scrubbing. *The most painful places to scrub are normally the armpits and the chest area. The back is also hard to scrub by yourself so you can ask someone for help or do the best you can on your own. After scrubbing all over you should wash away all the scrub and dirt on your skin. Afterwards taking your moisturizing lotion gently wash all over, rinse and you are done.

You should feel a noticeable difference in your skin, it will feel soft and clean. I wouldn't suggest doing this everyday but about once a week or every two weeks should be fine. Also do not vigorously scrub your face as it is sensitive, it should be treated slightly different. 

If you want to exfoliate your face I would suggest getting an exfoliating pad or cloth for your face.

They sell these also where there are bath products sold.

Rather than vigorously scrubbing at your face with even pressure in circular motions buff away dirt and dry skin with an exfoliator for the face. You can make your own with some sugar and water or purchase one. After buffing away the dead skin, apply a moisturizer to keep skin soft and hydrated.

Do it your self Scrub

Ingredients: Pure baking soda, water

1. Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part water into a paste
2. Apply in a circular motion before rinsing

Texture is very important, the grains act as an exfoliant which uncovers fresh skin underneath.


Do it your self Scrub


Ingredients: Sugar (can be brown or white), water, milk (optional), kosher salt (can be subbed instead of sugar), Lemon/Orange/Lime juice (optional it works as an astringent)


1. Mix sugar(salt) and water together into a rough paste that has the consistency of something like wet sand
2. You can add in the optional fresh juices from the fruit as well
3. Apply in a circular motion 
4. Rinse



                                              

Wake up!

Do you suffer from midday slumps, where all you want to do is sleep?


 Here is a tip to help wake you up when you start feeling that slump. Step into the sunlight. Exposing yourself to direct light halts the process of sleepiness. From about 1pm to 3 pm your bodys' core temperature drops,which starts the production of melatonin which signals the body to sleep. So, something so simple as a walk or standing outside in the sun for a couple of minutes will do the trick. You will feel more awake and will be able to postpone your sleepiness. 

Can't go outside to get some sunshine? 




Another cool (literally) tip is to smell or taste Peppermint. I know whenever I smell anything peppermint it instantly makes my eyes widen and stand to attention. Smelling or tasting it stimulates the trigeminal nerve which is connected to the part of the brain that induces wakefulness. 

Next time you feel the afternoon slump try one of these two out!

Rid yourself of Menstrual Pain

Do you suffer from painful cramps that are won't go away unless you pop some pills? Many women and girls suffer from pms symptoms that vary in intensity and some can be so painful that it often is hard to cope with. This is a tip on how to deal with the pain that often accompanies your monthly visitor.

 So I suffer from painful periods, where the first three days are the hardest to cope with. It has been suggested that I take pills a week before my period is set to come and it will eliminate the pain. I don't tend to remember to do that and I do not like to take pills to deal with my pain unless it's completely unberable or I am somewhere that I have no choice. So the natural way that I deal with it is by applying heat.

Now you don't have to go out and by yourself a heating pad because you have the tools right in your home to make your own. All you need are three things, a sock,microwave and rice. I would suggest using a long sock for this since you can fill it with more and it is easier to tie.

 So taking a sock fill it up with as much rice as you'd like, it should be full enough to cover a good amount of the area you will be applying it to. I use about 3 cups for my own sock. *You can place the rice in a plastic bag and then put it in the sock if you do not want to have it in the sock. This works the same either way.*

  Next tie the sock in a not and place it in the microwave for about 3 minutes. When you take out the sock it will initially be very hot but you want it to be hot because if it will stay hot longer. Normally it is too hot to place straight on the area that I'm getting cramps so I lay a towel or a blanket over myself and then place the sock on top of it. After a couple of minutes you will find that it has cooled down and you can just place it right on the area without a buffer.

 Now you should stay sit or lay down and relax as the heat seeps through your pores and relaxes your muscles. I have had my cramps get a little more painful but that is only because they are working against the heat. Eventually you will find that the pain goes away when you start to feel the pain a couple of hours later all you need to do is put the sock back into the microwave to heat up and place it back on the area.

This method is seriously a life saver when I don't want to take anything, its natural and very effective. Another thing you can do for cramps, is rub lavender oil on the affected area and it should rid you of menstrual pain. Then there is the opposite and applying cold pressure is said to help some females.


Next time you get even a smidgen of pain just remember there is a simple easy way to rid yourself of it.

*If your period is heavier and more painful than normal I would suggest seeing a health care professional to rule out anything serious.

Staying Cool

So even though summer is over I still think its useful to know how to stay cool all year round. Some individuals sweat easily others not at all and so on. One important tip that I always try to keep in mind is this- Keeping your neck cool helps regulate your body's overall temperature. 


I am one of those individuals that tends to sweat very easily no matter what the weather is like outside. My core body temperature tends to get high quite often and when it does no amount of fanning will immediately help. What does immediately refresh and cool me down is applying something cold or cool at the base of my neck. Almost instantly I feel a dramatic change in my core body temperature. When you get flustered and hot most often than not your reflex is to fan yourself, then after that doesn't work you try to find something that will cool you off. Rather than looking for a fan or air conditioner or even a piece of paper, find something cold to place on the back of your neck. I guarantee that you will be glad that you tried it out. Even dampening some paper towels and placing them on your neck will give you faster relief quicker than anything else. If you have a water bottle even better, just place it there for a couple of seconds and you will feel better.


I tend to always go through this whenever I straighten my hair which is counterproductive if I am sweating and it becomes puffy. The second I start feeling hot I look for something cold and after a couple of minutes will find that the sweating stops. No one wants to walk around all sweaty, so give my tip a try.


Here are some other ideas for staying cool:

Capsaicin, the chemical that gives hot peppers their kick, increases your body temperature, which in turn causes you to sweat, then cool down. 

 Drinking cold water in extreme heat adjusts body temperature, It increases circulation and may even boost metabolic function, refreshing you from the inside out. So sprinkle some chili powder on some fruits or go visit a Mexican or Indian Restaurant.




If you eat fruit to cool down then you might want to consider this:

Melons are the perfect hot-weather food, they hydrate without bloating and fill you up without making you feel heavy.