It's my last fling before the ring, and we're headed to Vegas! We've dubbed this summer the #SummerOfYes, so when an opportunity came up to go on a pre-vacation vacation, we jumped aboard to spend a few days pampering, planning, and enjoying refreshments by the pool.
I love an at-home facial, so we began our weekend using ingredients inspired by our new favorite spritzer, Palm Breeze, to create a tropical scrub. We completed the facial with products made from complementary ingredients. An at-home facial is a great excuse to spend more time with your girlfriends! Here's how it's done:
Step 1: Cleanse
Always start a facial with clean skin. We used a natural Pink Grapefruit Facial cleanser for a deep, but gentle clean. I love cleansers that boast Vitamin C for anti-aging (I'm not getting any younger!) as well as Salicylic acid to treat acne.
Step 2: Steam
Open up your pores and soften your skin by placing a hot wet towel over your face for 2-3 minutes. Alternatively, you can fill up a sink or bucket with hot water, hover your face over it, and drape a towel over your head to keep the steam from escaping.
Step 3: Exfoliate
A gentle scrub removes dead skin cells from the surface of your face, leaving a smooth, soft surface. It also helps create an even skin tone. Be careful to use a scrub without ingredients that have jagged sharp pieces (like nuts, for example.) Those can create micro-tears in the skin. This homemade sugar scrub recipe is easy to make, totally natural, and smells delicious:
Pineapple Coconut Sugar Scrub
(makes 1 1/4 cups)
What You'll Need:- 3/4 cup natural cane sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pureed pineapple
Puree chunks of fresh pineapple in a food processor or blender until smooth. Melt 1/4 cup of coconut oil in the microwave for 5-10 seconds or until liquefied. Add it to the pineapple puree and fold in the cane sugar. Pour the scrub into a Mason jar or air-tight container. When you're ready to exfoliate, gently rub 1 teaspoon of the scrub in circular motions onto wet skin. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. This scrub is effective enough to be used all over the body, but gentle enough to be used on the face.
Step 4: Treat
The next step is to treat your skin to a mask based on your specific skin type. There are several types of masks on the market, but the latest trend is the Sheet Mask. Once you remove it from its packaging and taken off the protective layer, place the mask on your face and smooth it over your skin. Leave it on for 10-20 minutes, si a refreshing Palm Breeze while you wait, remove it, and gently work the remaining ingredients into your face and down your neck. My favorite masks are from Leaders Cosmetics. They're all made with natural coconut oil for amazing hydration, and tie into our tropical theme. Here are my favorite solutions:
- Coconut Gel Mask with Orange. The Vitamin C from the orange is bursting with antioxidants, which acts as an anti-aging preventative and brightens skin.
- Coconut Gel Mask with Tomato. This is the perfect summer mask, as lycopene from tomatoes is known to restore skin cells, hydrate, and strengthen the skin. After a day of sipping Palm Breeze by the pool, this is exactly what you need!
- Coconut Gel Balancing Recovery Mask. For those with oily, acne-prone skin, look for masks that control oil, redness, and irritation. This mask gently manages excessive sebum while offering natural hydration.
- Coconut Gel Moisturizing Recovery Mask. If you're like me, your skin can't get enough hydration. Dry, sensitive skin will thank you for this mask, which contains amino acids to reinforce the skin's natural barrier to seal in moisture and expel pollutants.
Step 5: Moisturize
End your facial with a gentle, natural moisturizer that won't react negatively with the previous treatments. I am a huge proponent of Argan Oil. It's natural, gentle, and doesn't clog pores. Those with dry, sensitive, or normal skin can use the regular formula, while those with oily or acne-prone skin benefit from the light version.
- Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser (available at drugstores)
- Pineapple Coconut Sugar Scrub (homemade)
- Leaders Cosmetics Coconut Gel Sheet Masks (Available here)
- Josie Maran Argan Oil (Available here)
Check out the rest of our weekend pics below!
