Wellness / Beauty / Inspiration

In this issue:

• Ask the Abbey....
• NATURAL BEAUTY: Carrot Seed Oil for wrinkles, scars, skin irritations
• FOUNTAIN of YOUTH QUICK TIP:Make any mascara into a curling mascara.
• SKIN CARE COSMETICS: Patchy Powder Problems
• WELLNESS. Natural Treatments for Hot Flashes
  

My teenager's skin has cleared up tremendously with the Comfrey Toner and Vitamin B Creme (when she uses them), but she still gets breakouts occasionally. Is there anything else she can she do?

Carrot seed (Daucus carota) essential oil is considered one of the best for mature or weathered skin, and to reduce or prevent wrinkles. Rich in beta-carotene, vitamins B, C, D, and E, and essential fatty acids, carrot seed oil is appreciated for its regenerative properties in treating scars, rashes, inflammation, and for healing burns. During the dry days of winter, it is the perfect facial treatment for dry skin, especially the area around the eyes. Carrot seed oil is very healing for chapped lips.

Open up your eyes for a more youthful appearance by adding a gentle curl to your upper eyelashes. Subtlety is always the key and you want to avoid eyelashes that give you the Betty Boop look. Eyelash curlers can make lashes look too springy but curling mascara provides a natural curve to the lashes.

The secret is in the brush. You create the curling mascara magic just by gently reshaping your brush into an arch. A slight bend in the brush will still fit into the tube. Add several layers to the upper lashes, lesser amounts to the lower lashes. Enjoy.

Less is Younger ~~ Keep it Natural

Skin that is losing firmness needs less makeup, not more. Makeup tends to slide into and accentuate even tiny facial furrows. Mineral powders applied with a light hand reflect light and minimize wrinkles and sagging.

Mineral powders should gliiiiide onto your skin. Gliding is accomplished best when the skin is smooth and dry and your brush is soft and clean. If you find that your are leaving patches of too-heavy powder or if your brush just drags across your skin, here are some solutions:

Read on...

A friend calls these power surges, a metaphor that fails to amuse when she is in the midst of the discomfort brought on by this transition in life. Sweating, flushing, anxiety, heart palpitations, and a flow of heat through the body from the inside out....these are not the trappings of power, but of discomfort. Doctors know that decreasing estrogen levels cause the symptoms of hot flashes; they just don’t know why a drop in estrogen causes them. When the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study found that long term estrogen/progesterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increased a woman’s risk of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, and blood clots, many women went off HRT and have been trying to handle hot flashes as best they can. The severity of symptoms is unique to the individual and requires some trial and error to manage them. What follows is an overview of natural alternatives and their effectiveness.

Read on...