Lemon - The Natural Sanitizer

If you've ever zested a lemon, you probably remember the wonderfully fresh smell as you were working, and perhaps you noticed an oily feel on your hands afterwards – that's pure, unadulterated lemon essential oil. The essential oil resides in the outer rind of the lemon (INCI: Citrus Limonum), why the essential oil is not steam-distilled, but 'fresh-squeezed'. It takes about 3 whole lemon rinds to make a mere 20 drops of the essential oil. Just as I would never use the zest of a non-organic lemon, neither would I ever consider using anything but organic lemon essential oil.

Make-up Labels

After having to play guess what's inside the container for longer than I care to, I broke down and made labels for my latest make-up projects.
Much easier this way!

Discount Solution - Facial Exfoliating

The other day I wrote about facial exfoliators and had a question from Anette. Because of her input, I was reminded of this little tip about exfoliation which fits right into a the discount solution series – facial exfoliating that is both efficient and free. You'll need the following:
- a soft (terrycloth) washcloth
- your regular face cleanser
- 5 minutes

Meet The Mask - Rejuvinating Rosewood

Rosewood essential oil is the star ingredient here, bringing a cellular regenerating action to this mask – a great pick-me-up for sensitive and/or mature skin. Both pink clay and kaolin are an ideal choice. I've mixed them together (just for fun), but this mask works equally well with one or the other. Be aware that kaolin is available in several different grades (as it is used in all sorts of applications). If you decide to give it a try, be sure you shop for cosmetics-grade kaolin. If you are unable to get hold of rose hydrosol, make an infusion of rooibos tea. Rooibos brings antioxidants and will work beautifully with these ingredients. This is enough for one application.

What's in Shampoo - Should We Care?

Most people don't tend to wonder about what the chemical composition of their shampoo or body wash is – as long as it works. Fair enough. We all want a product that will lather up nicely, feel good, cleanse our hair and skin perfectly without drying it out, and have an appealing and pleasant scent. Ideally, it should also be planet-friendly in a perfectly, 100% biodegradable kind of way. That shouldn't be such a difficult thing to acheive, should it?

Mascara - The 2011 Batch

This may look like I've made a bigger batch than last year, but it's the new, 

super-cool square containers on the right that hold half as much as the others.

Spring is on it's way! It's time to think about making make-up! I've jumped the gun just a little in anticipation of warmer weather and the return of real daylight (which brings proper conditions for mixing eyeshadows and foundation colors), and done this years' batch of mascara for myself.

Rosewood - The Cell Regenerator

The Brazilian rainforest

is home to real rosewood

Rosewood (INCI: Aniba Rosaeodora) is also commonly known as Bois de Rose. It is one of the first essential oils I ever experienced. I was immediately taken by it's rich aroma – soft, floral top notes and woody undertones – what an exquisite combination! The scent has enough depth to stand alone, yet mixes beautifully with citrus oils (such as orange or mandarin) and florals (such as geranium or rose) adding a rounded fullness to any mix. This wonderful essential oil is made by steam-distilling wood chippings of the endangered (yes, you read correctly) rosewood tree.

Discount Solution - Rhassoul Hair Mask

A correctly mixed mask
won't drip

I recently had a conversation about hair care and was reminded of this enriching (and inexpensive) hair mask. If you have never tried a hair mask, I can heartily recommend this one for 'first-timers'. It is easy, relatively quick to do, and gives an immediate, tangible result. I am always impressed with how glossy, clean, and naturally conditioned my hair is afterwards. (amazing what a few simple ingredients can do!) This mask takes about half an hour from start to finish.

Cream Blush - First Attempt

I read the other day (on the Danish blog: BeautySpace) that cream blush is an up and coming trend this Spring. I've been meaning to try making one for a while, and this little tidbit of information inspired me to give it a whirl. I have photographed the process to share with you. Pictured above: The little jar containing the blush is placed near a business card so you can get an idea of how small an amount this first try is - not even enough to fill a teaspoon. The color of the blush in this picture is a bit darker than the actual blush. The color in the pictures below are more accurate.

The Serum Sampler

It's pretty cool they can make
an airless serum pump this small

Yay! I've finally found a supplier of mini airless serum dispensers that hold a mere – yet generous – 5 ml. (That's 1/2 fl. oz or the equivalent of 1 teaspoon). This allows me – for the first time ever – to offer a decent sample size of my serum-type products. Previously, I've tried putting serum products (such as Herbal Repair Eye Toning Solution) in a 5 ml screw-top sample jar, but it was far from ideal.

Cocoa Butter – Skin Care Good Enough To Eat

Chocolates melt-in-the-mouth
quality comes from cocoa butter

Besides being the core ingredient of the worlds favorite delicacy, Cocoa Butter (INCI: Theobroma Cacao Butter) is ideal for topical use, offering skin care properties such as protection, softening and nourishment. By nature, cocoa butter is so rich in antioxidants that it outrates blueberries.

Happy Valentines Day

Whether you are in a relationship or flying solo, I wish you a wonderful Valentines Day. If you don't celebrate Valentines Day where you live, then I wish you a wonderful day with your loved ones.

Polyparaben - The Most Dangerous Of Them All

After running into the name Polyparaben a few times during a recent research session on cosmetics ingredients, my curiosity got the better of me and I simply had to take a bit of time to investigate further. Was Polyparaben some new paraben type that had just hit the market? My initial search showed this was not the case.

Discount Solution – Nourishing Body Oil

Even though a personally formulated body oil with added active ingredients and essential oils is the ultimate luxury, a quality plant-based carrier oil will also nourish and soften your skin.

If you have allergic reactions to some products or ingredients, have sensitive skin, or just want to keep things simple, try leaving your body lotion on the shelf for a week and replacing it with one of these oils.

Hydrosol Mix of the Week - Neroli, Carrot Seed and Witch Hazel

This combination is beneficial
for several skin types

For a few months now, I have been working on hydrosol combinations with Neroli (also called Orange Blossom) as one of the core ingredients. Neroli blends well with Carrot Seed, and although uniting these 2 creates a great skin tonic blend that can both moisturize and tone the skin, the scent is 'not quite complete'. Therefore the quest for the ideal third component.

What a Simple Question Caused

A 15ml container is accompanied
by a few sample sizes of the new
eye serum inspired by Anna-Vera

What an impact a simple question can have. I didn't plan this product at all. This is all Anna-Vera's doing. She asked me if it would be possible to add some hyaluronic acid to the Herbal Repair Eye Solution that she has been using for a couple of years, and that got the ball rolling. I sat down to tweak the formula to accomodate her request. What a great thing to ask for – adding plumping action to an eye cream only strengthens it's wrinkle fighting abilities. What a fabulous, insightful and totally inspiring question she put to me!

Witch Hazel - The Natural Astringent

Witch Hazel (INCI: Hamamelis Virginiana) is native to North America. It has been valued for its healing and tonic qualities for over 200 years, having a rich history of different medicinal uses among native North Americans. Fresh witch hazel leaves could be applied as a poultice for inflammations in one tribe, where another would steam branches in a sweat lodge to help soothe sore muscles. Some made tea from the bark or leaves to treat coughs and purify the system, while others would use the same infusion to apply topically for itching or irritation.

The Sage Saga - Taking Note

My 'Flash Cards' started as loose leaf sheets
but have progressed to a handy notebook

I'm monitoring myself. I'm trying to be very scientific about it – gathering data and making note of every hot flash – day and night. The object: to create a clear picture (and discover any pattern) of length, intensity and duration. After the first 2 weeks of day and night note-taking, I'm surprised to discover I actually have an average of 16 hot flashes (of varying degrees of intensity) on a 24-hour basis. Because it's easier to jot down a number each time (especially at night), I developed a scale. Every hot flash starts off as a '1', then may or may not get progressively intense.

Discount Solution - Sweet Lip Scrub

Exfoliate and moisturize your lips with this natural, effective and gentle method that will leave you with the sweetest smile and soft, honey-delicious, beautifully kissable lips. If you already have these ingredients at hand, the cost of this little beauty treatment is absolutely nothing.
Method
Spread a thin layer of (runny) honey on your lips. Dip your fingers into the sugarbowl and then gently exfoliate your lips with your sugar-coated fingers. Don't overdo it – you needn't exfoliate for more than 10-15 seconds. Rinse and blot your lips. Finish with a thin layer of sweet almond oil, pure cocoa butter, shea butter or a good lip balm (note: If you use a lip balm, check the ingredients. Anything containing petrolatum, paraffinum liquidum or mineral oil is off limits – vaseline is a no no!).

Silk Protein - The Luxury Addition

The larvae dies in
the harvesting process

They don't call it 'smooth as silk' for nothing. Silk is synonymous with luxury – the ultimate softness, the highest attainable smoothness and the most perfect shine. Silk products of all kinds have been coveted and traded for hundreds of years. Silkworms are amazingly productive little creatures – each one producing up to a mile of thread within a mere 2-3 days! The ancient Chinese were the first to develop the process of creating cloth from these precious, protein-rich threads. It is also from the threads that the protein is 'extracted' and used for skin and hair care.

Facial Exfoliaters - Take Your Pick

Below is a selection of the facial exfoliaters I work with at present, along with a short description  of each one. Each of these are effective enough to 'polish' the delicate skin on the face, yet gentle enough for daily use. It is possible to order the exfoliater of your choice in any LisaLise cleanser.

Ground Loofah Flakes
Just as a loofah is great for skin-brushing and gentle enough for use on dry skin, ground Loofah flakes provide a very gentle exfoliation and feel quite lovely while you are cleansing your face. Because the flakes don't dissolve, you have a constant feeling of 'exfoliating action' as compared to the other 2 exfoliaters mentioned here.

Super Size Me

The tube holds twice as much as the bottle.

Lavender (and White Clay) Gentle Buff Cleanser has been a staple in my skin care regimen for years now. I use it every morning and go through a 125ml bottle fairly quickly. It's been bugging me for a while that the pump bottle I've been using (for ages) isn't really the ideal container for this particular product. The bottle looks good and functions well – until you get near the bottom. Then it becomes a bit of a battle getting the final bit of product out. The texture of this cleanser is light – like a lotion, but stiff(ish) – like a cream. It will migrate beautifully towards the bottom of any container, but just isnt thrilled about being forced up through a pump when there's only a little bit left. In short, the texture begs to be 'tubed'.

Behold the SuperTube
Thanks to my 'tube supplier' for expanding their selection to include a super-size 250ml. Just to try out a new look, I have made a super-hero-type label for it.

PS: Can you find the fault in the picture? I just noticed it. Post a comment here if you can see it.