Browsing Category:

Beauty

What Beauty Chick, Neema , Can Teach You About Dry Brushing!

Dry Brushing is exactly what it sounds like: You brush your skin! This technique creates significantly smoother skin as well as increasing the circulation in skin. Increasing skin circulation is one of the best ways to maintain smoother, brighter skin.

Benefits of Dry Brushing:

Reduces Cellulite

Dry brushing helps stimulate the cells and break down toxins from beneath the skin. It does increase the blood circulation which helps the extra fat to flush out from skin which is the major reason for having cellulite. Blood circulation also helps other organs release toxins, but our skin does not have that additional boost to help rid of toxins itself, so dry brushing is necessary to get rid of those toxins and bad fats inside our body.

Exfoliates Dead Cells and Unclogs Pores

When we are young, dry brushing doesn’t necessary because the skin automatically renews itself but when we are in our late 20s or after 30s, it becomes necessary to exfoliate our skin to get new skin cells.  Dry brushing helps to exfoliate dead skin cells and unclogs the blocked pores. Clogged pores can lead to ingrown hairs and acne, which is why dry brushing is needed.


Detox Your Skin

To detox skin, dry brushing is similar to massage. The light pressure against the skin and the direction in which we brush, it helps to move lymph fluid into the lymph nodes so that the waste can be eliminated from our body. Our body naturally detoxes the skin, but dry brushing speeds up the process and at the same time boost circulation, delivering oxygenated blood to the skin and other organs, which helps them do their jobs better.

Stimulates Lymphatic System and Improves Immune System

Lymph is a fluid in our circulatory system and it has white blood cells, so lymph also affects our immune system. It picks up bacteria, toxins, and other waste from our blood and filters it through the lymph nodes, where the bacteria are destroyed. Poor blood circulation means the lymph is not doing its job properly which results in cellulite, varicose veins, and a weakened immune system. Dry brushing improves the lymph flow.

How to Dry Brush

Brush your skin upwards with a dry brush, usually before showering. Brush your skin towards your heart, starting at the feet and hands and brushing towards the chest. Brush in a circular motion on your tummy and under arms. Shower right after, pat dry, and apply a body moisturizer of your choice. I like to use organic Coconut oil on my body in the winter!  See how fellow Chick, Sonia uses it in her hair here.

Don’t brush your skin too hard. Be easy on your skin and build a tolerance to the brush strokes. Don’t forget to wash your brush every few days to remove any skin cells.  Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see what happens when my fellow chicks give dry brushing a try!

Hope you found this to be helpful! Have you tried this? Comment below.

Your Chick,

Neema

Chicks Picks:


Sanaya Set: Be Distinguished by Shopping With Purpose

The Story
We were thrilled to check out a subscription box designed for women of color by women of color.  Although our journey as humans has many similarities, life has a way of testing us in different ways.  The women behind the Sanaya Set all have a story and a common interest that brought them together.  They have used their work with API Chaya, a community for women who have been marginalized by domestic violence and sexual assault, to channel their energies to create a product that delivers awareness for a variety of good causes that speak to the experiences of women.
The Box
The Sayana set is a subscription box that is full of hand picked products that each tell a story and support a cause.  What could be better than a seasonal box that comes to your door with a message?  These products help women feel educated, engaged, and empowered to make the world a better place.
We felt strongly about the quality of the products (all 8 of them!) and the design of the box.  A lot of thought and effort has been put into the selection of each and every product.  The items each come with an information card and beautiful packaging.
If you are looking for a way to reach out to those who are working each and every day to make life better for themselves and their communities, look no further, the team at Sanaya Set has done the work for you!  For $99 per box, per season, you can do good in a way that feels good and looks good.
Check out our unboxing video here:
Thanks for checking out our unboxing and be sure to check out Sanaya Set for you or as a gift!
Your Chicks,
Rina and Sonia

Night-time Beauty Maintenance: An Essential Routine for Women in their 30’s

I don’t recall ever being as tired as I am most days after work, school pick ups and drop offs, homework, extracurricular activities, going to the gym, and managing my household.  Taking care of me and making time for myself comes only after all of that is done an settled. I like to call the hour of 8:30pm to 9:30pm the “golden hour”.

During this time, I am truly off duty. I am not worried about tomorrow, I am not worried about what is not done from today, but I take this time to just appreciate the end of yet another day with my family.  I use the golden hour for leisurely multitasking: TV time and skin care.  While watching Green Arrow on Netflix (OMG – I love Stephen Amell!), I apply a half a dozen or so products to my face nightly. If I keep these at my bedside I am 100% more likely to use them regularly. Here is the step-by-step night time regimen I use.

Makeup Remover Wipes

I know I could just wash my face, but I have never been in the routine of doing this.  I usually brush my teeth and hop into bed. But more than ever I need my skin to breathe at night. I keep face wipes at arms length to guarantee that I don’t skip giving my face a chance to breathe at night.  Although I do not have sensitive skin or any true allergy to common ingredients, I love these make up removing wipes because they are inexpensive, or do not leave a soapy or filmy feeling on my skin after I have used them. Even baby wipes work well and are cost effective. I have tried a bunch of different make up remover wipes but have yet to determine if one actually works better than the other, so I usually grab whatever is economical.  Night time skin cleaning is paramount for brighter skin.

Make Up Remover Wipes

Lash Boost by Rodan and Fields

My sisters and I swear by this amazing product by Rodan and Fields.  As former Latisee users, we loved that we were able to get Lash Boost without a prescription.  The product works similarly and have therefore has similar results- fuller appearing, more dramatic and appealing eye lashes.  As a wearer of ‘falsies’ I love the ‘pop’ that your eyes get from having enhanced lashes. For the days I am not wearing my go to wispies, Lash Boost has my back.  This is an expensive product, but fellow chicks get an exclusive discount or gift with purchase if you contact Dr. Erica Bennett at drericabennett@gmail.com.  Trust me, this works. You’re so close to gorgeous natural lashes.

Lash Boost

Rodan and Fields

Under Eye Serum

I have cycled through several of these, most recently I used Advanced Night Repair from Estee Lauder which I had received as a gift.  This product is intended to help with fine lines, puffiness, and dark circles.  The serum has great reviews, and in my personal experience it seemed to hydrate well which helped with fine lines, but when it came to covering up my dark circles, I am not so sure.  Once I finished up that little bottle I switched to a product from Rodan and Fields called the Bright Eye Complex and with a water base it promises hydration for the bags under your eyes.  After using this for 10 days, you can see the before and after below, this product is a keeper and can be purchased a la carte from their list of products.

Before and After Bright Eyes Complex

Castor Oil

Like many other children of the 80’s and 90’s I totally trashed my eyebrows trying to keep up with the thin eyebrow trends. The beauty gurus that I follow have given me hope to regain what is lost of my eyebrows with Castor oil.  Castor oil has natural antibacterial and antifungal properties and is high in Vitamin E, minerals, proteins, and Omega 6 and 9 beneficial fatty acids. Its unusually high ricinoleic acid ratio which is what makes it beneficial to skin and hair. I am going to try this on my eyebrows as part of my nightly routine, I will keep you all updated on Instastories.

Lip Therapy

With winter almost behind us, I could not have survived without all the lip balms that I have scattered all over the house and in all my purses. My lips chap easily and require frequent hydration. Currently by my bedside is an argan oil-based balm that is unscented, organic, and simply divine.  In my opinion, truly any balm is a good balm if you ask me. Just layering some hydration before bed can fix all types of cracked lips.

Hopefully you are already using some of these in your daily skin care routine. If you are not, consider this post a life hack to place beauty items by your bedside. Ladies, it is NEVER too late to take care of your skin. This is also a great way to use products that are cluttering up your counters — place them on your end table (NOT in the drawers).  Believe me, seeing them will make you use them.  What fun products do you use as part of your daily skincare routine?

Your Chick,

Rina


**Complimentary Rodan and Fields products were received in exchange for this honest review.  Thank you to Dr. Erica Bennett for her generosity and engagement. **

Sonicblend Brush VS Beauty Blender

When I received the Michael Todd Beauty Sonicblend Brush for the holidays I was super excited to try it and see how it compares to my tried and true Beauty Blender.  Make up application is a part of my everyday routine, I have simply made it a habit to never leave the house without it.   I am always looking for new ways to speed up my routine and love seeing what new products are out there.

Sonicblend Brush VS Beauty Blender

Check out my video to see what happens when I apply foundation to half my face with the Beauty Blender and apply foundation to the other half with my new Sonicblend brush.

Although I still LOVE the Beauty Blender I dare say that the Sonicblend Brush has a more ‘done up’ finish (which I prefer!) whereas with the Beauty Blender you can still kind of see your skin through the application which creates a more natural looking finish unless you layer up!  Also the Sonicblend brush does not require water for application so your finish benefits from the full foundation coverage whereas with the Beauty Blender your foundation can get watered down.


I loved testing out this new product and lately I have been sharing my thoughts on our YouTube channel, tell us what you think and if you like what you see, hit subscribe!  For more of our other beauty hacks, click here.

Cheers,

Rina