VB's Beauty Tip of the Week: Summer’s Secret Sauce Recipe #1 - D.I.Y. Bronzing Shimmer Oil a.k.a. How to Fake a Tan Hella Fast

This week’s tip is how to make a Bronzing Shimmer Oil using last week’s pick, Manoi de Tahiti oil, similar to Body Glow by Nars, also featured in last week’s pick, and with the same concept as Benefit’s Jiffy Tan ($24/6.7 oz.), but costing a fraction of the price.

Now I like this Bronzing Shimmer Oil in particular because it does a great job of helping me fake a really nice, even and natural looking tan, about 2-3 shades darker than my own skin, and the results are instant. It’s great for anytime you don’t have the time or patience or lighting for self-tanner. The inclusion of shimmer powder in this recipe will give your skin it a very rich and radiant glow, and the scent of the Manoi de Tahiti oil is always an instant indication of summer to me. And since the Bronzing Shimmer oil is oil based, it provides sheer coverage, and is easily spread onto and absorbed into the skin, delivering very even and consistent looking color throughout its application. Rub through hair for subtle golden glitter highlights, or dab a small amount on your t-zone (forehead, length of nose, chin) for a sun kissed complexion.

What you need to buy:


Dark Foundation (Inexpensive brand like Black Radiance $4.99 – Walmart, Walgreens)


Manoi de Tahiti Oil ($9.95 - Manoi.com)


Shimmer Powder – (Inexpensive brand like wet n wild $2.99 – Walgreens, Longs, Rite Aid)

Instructions: The right consistency requires a 4:2:1 ratio of the Manoi de Tahiti oil (4), to the shimmer powder (2), to the foundation (1). For instance, to mix enough for one application to the body: Mix 2 Teaspoons Monoi de Haiti oil with 1 Teaspoon shimmer powder and ½ Teaspoon foundation in a sealable container and stir. Test a small patch on your body to check the color and shimmer levels, and add more ingredients if needed. The result should be a deep bronze creamy oil with golden flecks and a sensual tropical scent. It will leave your skin feeling incredibly soft and smooth, looking naturally and luminously bronzed as well.

*Variations on Secret Sauce Recipe #1: If you don’t care for the Monoi de Tahiti oil’s summery coconut scent, you can substitute Jojoba oil, Olive oil (see rosemary infused recipe), or even baby oil or lotion to get the same effect. For a more casual, office friendly look, don’t include the shimmer powder in the recipe.

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!!

VB's Beauty Pick of the Week: Get Your Tropic of Cancer On - Summer’s Secret Sauce: Monoi de Tahiti Oil

I’m a person who likes the idea of alternate universes, alternate states of consciousness; alternate products, and this week’s pick, Monoi de Tahiti Oil, incorporates all of the three. Monoi de Tahiti oil is basically coconut oil infused with the Tahitian gardenia, which delivers a fragrance so quintessentially summer; the best way to describe it is like “the beach in a bottle”.

Now Nars has two products containing Monoi de Tahiti oil as its fragrance base, Nars Body Glow, a bronzing shimmer oil, and a very beautifully packaged Monoi de Tahiti oil product called Monoi Body Glow II, both retailing for $59 for 3.9 oz. bottles.

However, my personal pick is from Manoi.com, whose packaging is not at all aesthetically pleasing, but whose price tag is. It costs $9.95 for 4 oz., and smells virtually the same as the Nars Monoi de Tahiti oil products, even to my discerning nose. Since Monoi de Tahiti oil is made from coconut oil, it is extremely moisturizing, and can be anywhere on the body. Dab a bit on the ends of your hair for added shine and fragrance, apply to pulse points for subtle all day fragrance. And FYI: Monoi de Tahiti oil solidifies in colder temperatures, so if this happens, run your bottle under hot water or roll it between your hands to have the heat return it to its liquid state.


REVIEW:
Price: $9.95 + shipping and handling for 4 oz.
Accessibility: Fair (Manoi.com)
Value: Excellent!!!!

Enjoy and next week, I’ll show you how to use this week’s pick into a D.I.Y. tip.

VB's Beauty Tip of the Week: Saving Face – D.I.Y. Deep Cleansing & Rejuvenating Clay Mask

I came up with this clay mask recipe last Christmas as part of an at home facial kit for my close friends. It’s great for any type of skin, it’s super easy and relatively inexpensive to make, and all of the ingredients except for the Powdered Clay (health food store), can be purchased at the grocery store. This clay mask can be used anywhere on the body, and works especially well for bringing painful skin ailments, such as ingrown hairs and pimples, to the surface, and one recipient recently told me it cleared up a small patch of acne she had been struggling with. And I always get a kick out of mixing the clay mask ingredients as well, sorta makes me feel like a junior scientist with all its fizzy sound effects.

What to buy: Powdered Clay like Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay or Fuller’s Earth (health food store), Apple Cider Vinegar, Water, Oatmeal, Milk (Powdered or liquid)


Instructions: In a bowl, mix together 3 teaspoons of the powdered clay, with 1 teaspoon powdered or liquid milk, 1 teaspoon oatmeal, 3 teaspoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon water until it forms a thick paste. CAUTION!!! IF YOU HAVE SENSITIVE SKIN, DO NOT USE THE VINEGAR!! MIX THE MASK WITH 4 TEASPOONS WATER INSTEAD. Apply liberally to face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Leave on 15 minutes, or until dry. Rinse with warm water.

What I like about this clay mask is that it is all natural and you can FEEL it working. The slight stinging sensation from the vinegar means its natural acidic properties are sloughing off old layers of skin to reveal a fresher and radiant complexion, and if you suddenly begin to feel you can’t talk cause the clay is hardening and constricting the muscles around your mouth, then you know it’s tightening and extracting impurities from your skin, and you shouldn’t talk anyway while wearing this mask, since this will cause a crumbly mess. Like they say, the old adage, “No pain, No gain”, is especially true when it comes to beauty’s saving face: a clear complexion.

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!!

VB's Weekly Picks - BEAUTY C.R.E.A.M. - How to Stretch your Beauty Dolla Dolla Bills - Part IV - Liquid Courage: My Favorite Summer Shower Gel Picks

I’m absolutely obsessed with shower gel. Think it’s cause I like the intense sensory stimuli it creates. It’s sexy to me. Combined with the water, heat and steam, shower gel usage starts off a pretty potent experience, becoming more and more diluted with the length of your shower, until it’s completely rinsed off, yet it leaves a very sheer veil of fragrance on your skin, but only momentarily, since it dissipates with the accrual of additional products, clothing, and time. Now with that in mind, here are my top summer shower gel picks, any of which you can “stretch” by putting in a foam dispenser type pump, as featured in last week’s beauty tip.


1. Origins Paradise Found Body Cleanser

DESCRIPTION: If you are long overdue for a tropical vacation, then this product will make your longing even more painful, or satiate it for a while, hopefully the latter. This body cleanser comes in a tube and has a thick, creamy consistency, and a very light milky fragrance infused with pineapple and coconut - it reminds me of an expensive and therapeutic piña colada drink for your skin, but packaged it in a tube.

WHY I LIKE IT: This shower gel smells sooooooooo good and it’s good for your skin too. Made with shea butter, it’s extremely moisturizing, excellent for anyone like myself with dry skin, and I imagine it would be great after a long day spent on the beach.

REVIEW:
Price: $22.50 for 6.7 oz.
Lather: Low
Accessibility: Good (Nordstrom, Macy’s)
Value: Moderate



2. Booth’s Pomegranate Body Wash

DESCRIPTION: This shower gel definitely has a tart citrusy fragrance. I wouldn’t call it a true pomegranate note, more like a raspberry lemonade to me. Nevertheless, it smells delectable and “fun”, it even has a “fun” magenta color to it, and it leaves you feeling impeccably clean, and pert.

WHY I LIKE IT: This shower gel is reminiscent of one of those hot summer afternoons, where over many hours and many drinks, you’re giggly then laughing hysterically with your favorite friends. (This is the fun part, of course you felt clean and pert prior!)

REVIEW:
Price: $5.99 for 16 oz.
Lather: Medium
Accessibility: Good (Walgreens, Walmart)
Value: Good



3. Lander Essentials 3 in 1 Bubble Bath, Shampoo, & Body Wash

DESCRIPTION: I love coconuts and anything with a coconut type fragrance. This is a 3 in 1 deal (bubble bath – good, shampoo – adequate, body wash – best).

WHY I LIKE IT: I like this product cause it’s versatile and it works, and it’s super moisturizing and cost less than $0.10 per once. I ALWAYS keep this one in my foam dispenser type pump, and honestly use it the most!

REVIEW:
Price: $2.99 for 32 oz.
Lather: High
Accessibility: Good (Walgreens, Walmart)
Value: Excellent!!!!

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!!