BC@HOME Spa Day

February 2, 2009 By 2 Comments

In Preparation: As the expression goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. Plan your home spa-day in advance and you’ll guarantee a refreshing experience. Here are a few things you might want to have.
~ A comfortable robe, slippers and fluffy cotton towel
~ A soothing music CD
~ Scented candle
~ A washcloth, loofah or bath brush
~ Bath salts & essential aromatic oils
~ Cleansers, toners and moisturizers
~ Exfoliating body scrub

7141 150x150 BC@HOME Spa Day

Slow Down: Put on your favorite CD and start prepping a very simple shower or bath in a wonderfully slow, deliberate and unhurried way. Take time to watch the candle burn, smell the fragrance, feel the soft robe or towels, look at the sparkling drops of water and run your hands through it… take in the joyful process of an every day activity that we just fly through without a second thought!

Use Essential Oils: The rule to applying essential oils is to never apply them directly on your face or skin. Just add about five drops to a bowl of warm water. Soak a washcloth in the water and then apply to your face and neck as a compress for five
minutes. Repeat three times. Gently towel dry and finish yourself off with an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory facial splash.

6745 150x150 BC@HOME Spa Day

California Baby Essential Oil (not just for babies!)

Body Scrub: If you decided you only have time for an indulgent, relaxing shower…start with a basic body scrub. Whatever sponge, cloth or brush you decide on… scrub mindfully and gently brush your skin. Gentle circular motions will increase your circulation and eliminate toxins and excess water. The scrub will exfoliate dead skin cells and cleanse the pores.

0060025 xl 150x150 BC@HOME Spa Day

Ahava Gentle Body Exfoliator

Draw a Bath: Add 5 to 10 drops of an essential oil to bath salts and use a bath pillow. If you don’t have one handy, grab an extra pillow, put a kitchen trash bag over it to keep it dry and then put a pillow case over that. You just bought yourself 10 extra comfy minutes in the bath tub. Follow it with a warm shower and dry yourself off with a fluffy cotton towel.

0060032 xl 150x150 BC@HOME Spa Day

Ahava Dead Sea Bath Salts

Care for Your Hair: Your hair is taking a beating in these winter elements. Essential oils can make invigorating scalp massages. If you decide not to use
the oils, make sure you at least give yourself a
long, sudsy scalp massage. Close your eyes, lay your head back and drift for a moment.

Treat Your Fabulous Face: Grab a new wash cloth or small sea sponge, add a few drops of your favorite cleanser (preferably an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory liquid cleanser) and then rinse thoroughly with warm water. Apply face firming treatment then put an ice cube inside of a small plastic bag and gently rub over the face and eye area for several minutes to tone and plump up the skin.

Replenish from the Inside Out: Take vitamins with essential fatty acids. Drink 8-10 glasses of water every day. Eat whole foods, green vegetables, fresh fruits, grains, nuts and lean protein to reduce inflammation, replenish moisture and bring back a youthful glow.

Source: www.shesite.com

We’re a fan of Julie Hunt

Filed Under: BC@HOME Tagged With: , , ,

BC@HOME Complete Manicure

February 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment
  1. CLEAN & SOAK: Remove old polish & soak hands for 10 minutes in warm water.
  2. FILE & PUSH: File nails and push back cuticles using a cuticle treatment.
  3. MOISTURIZE: Massage your hands using a moisturizing lotion.
  4. TREAT & POLISH: Apply a base coat & finish with a nail polish color of your choice.
Filed Under: BC@HOME Tagged With:

8 Minutes a Month to Greater Happiness

February 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Use this simple gratitude exercise to put yourself in a better mood in as little as two minutes per week.

Really good moods are like gold dust. They bring optimism, laughter, creativity and sheer joie de vivre. Good moods help us bear all the daily irritations of life with good grace.

Psychological research agrees. Positive emotions are associated with greater creativity, increased problem-solving ability, and greater overall success in life.

So here’s one way to quickly and sustainably improve your mood: practice your gratitude.

Convinced? Well, even if you’re not, the beauty of this exercise is that it’s so easy that it shouldn’t even be called exercise. All you need is enough time – as little as two minutes – to write down three things that you are grateful for, that benefit you and without which your life would be poorer. Then, if you have time, you can think about the causes for these good things. And that’s it.

The danger is that this exercise seems so trivial that it isn’t worth doing. But consider this: people are constantly worrying about things they don’t have or things that haven’t happened, consequently they rarely take stock of the beneficial things that they do have and good things that have already happened. If it’s possible for even the simplest negative thought to provoke a change in mood, then why not a positive grateful thought as well?

If you find it difficult to get going, here are some suggestions, but it’s better to think of your own:

  • I don’t have a headache today.
  • I had a good lunch.
  • I have my family.
  • My new socks keep my feet warm.
  • I made a joke and people laughed.

…some of these are on the trivial side but no grain of thankfulness is too small once you’ve exhausted the usual suspects.

You can try experimenting with carrying out this exercise weekly or even daily depending on how you feel. If the exercise starts to lose its power this could be because of habituation – try to be creative with your gratitude.

Article by Jeremy Dean, www.spring.org.uk

Filed Under: Life Advice

Happiness

February 2, 2009 By 3 Comments

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” Cicero

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each
of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Albert Schweitzer

Filed Under: Quotes We Heart

Be Grateful ~ Be Happy

February 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. For too many of us, Valentine’s Day has become more a burden than a blessing. Even if we’re among the lucky who are happily married, partnered, coupled, or at least dating someone we like (or think is hot), let’s face it: we can only get so excited.

Because most of us need something that’s going to bring us a little more long-term happiness, we here at Beauty Collection have decided to make February “Be Grateful – Be Happy” Month.

Appreciate what you already have
Why “appreciation” you ask? Studies prove that being grateful leads to greater health and happiness. And you don’t have to do much to get the benefits. Start by appreciating things like: Living in a comparatively peaceful country, our loved ones, our health, the money we make, medical breakthroughs, electricity, modern technology (like the Internet), instant communication, fast travel, our yoga practice, our church, and more. Start appreciating what you already have.

Pamper yourself
Throw out your preconceptions. Pampering doesn’t need to be a costly endeavor. For every expensive solution, there’s usually one that’s more affordable. Try the following easy ways to treat yourself with love: take a weekend road trip out of town, listen to your favorite music, see a play, concert or movie, create your own Home Spa Day (this is our favorite of course – visit page 4 for our recommendations), enjoy a massage or mini-facial. If you treat yourself with appreciation and love, appreciating the rest will come easy.

Put yourself in the driver’s seat
Don’t have a significant other to go out with on Feb 14? So what! There are plenty of other ways to enjoy a perfectly good day. Here are a few of them. Make it a girl’s night out, pay a visit to the spa, spend time with family, go on a date with your best guy friend, (“a boyfriend doppelganger”), throw an anti-Valentine’s Day party, give yourself a makeover, hit the gym, go shopping for a brand new outfit. Just enjoy yourself – no matter what you do. Make Valentine’s Day about loving you!

Find ways to give back
There’s no time like Valentine’s Day to do something for someone else. And once again, research has indicated that giving to others makes us happier. Visit a nursing home and spend some time with the people there. Volunteer to help out at a soup kitchen. Help out at your church. There are fabulous online resources to help you get involved – see www.1-800-volunteer.org. In these tough economic times, it’s important that we work together to build a community by getting involved in service. Giving back will not only make a difference for others, it will change your life too.

Filed Under: Life Advice Tagged With: