Adventures in Coffee-Making

February 25, 2013 | By

I am now the proud owner of a coffee machine (early wedding gift) and attempted to make my first cup last night. I thought it would be easy, but it turns out there are many opportunities to make mistakes — and we made them all. It took my fiancé and I about 6 tries to get it right — that’s a whole lotta wasted beans!

The first time I opened up the filter to dump the leftover grinds, I felt too wasteful to do it. There had to be some way to use them, right? Well, 10 years as a beauty editor weren’t spent in vain, because I immediately thought of the perfect way to recycle them: Make a coffee body scrub.

Coffee grinds are soft enough to gently exfoliate your face and body. Caffeine is also thought to help reduce cellulite, specifically by helping your body metabolize fat, and reducing swelling.

Here’s the easy way to do it: Dump the extra grinds into a bowl, and add a small amount of milk to make the mixture creamy. If you like a clean-rinsing formula, leave it at that. If you want more intense pampering, add a little olive oil or honey. I already had a plastic drain cover in my shower, so I knew that would catch the grinds — if you don’t have one, I recommend you get one before trying this, as you don’t want to risk any plumbing issues.

Then, just scoop out a bit with your hands and scrub in a circular motion. My coffee-and-skim-milk scrub left my body so soft that I used it on my face, too — just be extra gentle (as always) until you see how your skin reacts. For easy clean-up, grab the shower head and rotate it around the perimeter of the tub at any grinds that accumulated there, and they’ll quickly wash right down into the drain catcher. Then simply dump that when you’re done, and enjoy your soft skin.

You can even make these in advance and store them in mason jars. Let us know if you have your own body scrub recipe (because we know many of you clever girls do!) and we’ll feature it in an upcoming post here. Email daily@spaweekmedia.com.

Filed Under: Spa Treatments, Spas Tagged With: , , , , ,

DIY Thanksgiving Decorations

November 21, 2012 | By

Hosting Thanksgiving dinner is quite the expense in itself, without the added burden of decorating your home for the occasion, too. But a sweetly adorned table shows that you really care about the occasion and the overall experience that your guests have – and it doesn’t need to set you back, either. We’ve searched the vast expanse of the internet and uncovered some easy decorations you can make with things you have at home (or with a quick, cheap trip to Michaels!) that will instantly spruce up the feel of your Turkey Day celebration.

Fall Center Piece from Rachael Ray

Ornate centerpieces can often cost hosts a pretty penny – but not this season! Use a glass cake stand to create this simple yet elegant looking centerpiece. Fill the dome of the cake stand with pinecones, nuts, mini pumpkins and gourds, fall colored leaves – whatever you associate with the season. Then put the bottom of the cake stand over the filled dome, flip over, and voila! Easiest (and probably cheapest!) centerpiece ever!

Autumn Leaf Table Runner from Celebrations.com

Walk away from the home goods section at Macy’s – this year you can avoid costly table runners. All you need to make this adorable addition to your tabletop is a roll of cellophane from your pantry and some leaves from your yard! Simply lay out cellophane, spray with adhesive and lay out the leaves in whatever design you like. Cover with more cellophane and you have a cute, totally original table runner!

Candles and Pumpkins from Tiny Prints

This Thanksgiving, think outside the box. Tiny prints came up with a range of easy and chic ways to decorate that you’ll love! Forego the usual orange and spray paint some mini pumpkins white to arrange around the house – it offers up a sleek and sophisticated edge. Another favorite idea – filling a square vase with corn kernels and a colored candle to make a festive light for your table. Both are easy and you probably have everything you need at home to do it!

Napkin Holders from Inspire Bohemia

No need to polish the heavy silver napkin rings – these ones are just as festive and keep with the relaxed tone of the holiday. We’re definitely going to run to Michael’s for a spool of printed ribbon to recreate this idea! Whether it be a thoughtful saying like this example from Inspire Bohemia, a cute holiday print or just a festive color, ribbons are a simple way to display your napkins that add a touch of class and creativity to your table.

Make one or make them all – your guests will no doubt appreciate the thought you put into planning this year!

Filed Under: Home Sweet Home, More Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Spa Foodie: DIY Hot Lather Shaving Cream

January 19, 2012 | By

Most of the Spa Foodie features we’ve put together over the past few months have been almost exclusively geared toward the needs of women (think Lavender Bath Truffles and Honey Apricot Beeswax Cuticle Cream… okay, we know our gays love this stuff too). But lest us not forget about our fellow bearded friends… men! Guys need at-home DIY spa treatments, too. Even though, there’s a big possibility that you will be the one making this recipe for your man instead of him making it himself, we’re pretty sure he’ll love to see you in the kitchen whipping this stuff up (in heels and an apron? Wink, wink). Plus, the ingredients are super cheap and most of them are already in your pantry (so he’ll love that you’re not spending loads of money). All of this catering to your man might even score you a Phenomenon-inspired John Travolta/Kyra Sedgwick sexy-face-shaving-scene. Bow chica wow wow.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bar Dove® soap
  • 1 bar Ivory® soap
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon castor oil
  • Essential oils (try sweet orange and clove)
  • 1 bottle of distilled water
  • 1 grater
  • 1 stainless steel pot (8 quart)
  • 1 ceramic coffee mug
  • 1 Pringles can, emptied and cleaned
  • 1 shaving brush (badger hair is best, boar’s hair is acceptable)
  • 1 razor (a classic double-edge razor is the most traditional, but any will work.)

Directions:

  1. Grate 1 bar of Dove® soap and 1 bar of Ivory® soap into a large stainless steel pot
  2. Add the olive oil and the castor oil to the soap mixture
  3. Add just enough distilled water to the mixture so that the grated soap starts to stick together when stirred
  4. Over low heat, continue stirring the soap mixture until everything is combined and the water begins to evaporate. This is called rebatching.
  5. As the soap thickens, add essential oils for more manly fragrance
  6. Pour the still-pliable thick liquid soap into a clean coffee mug and let it cure for several hours to a day. The final product should not be “goopy” … if it is, you can reheat it over a stove and evaporate more water out of the product. The best texture will be like chilled soft margarine (think the kind in a tub)
  7. You’ll probably have leftover soap. Pour this into a small, cleaned Pringles® potato crisps container. After it hardens, you can slice through the cardboard to make disks that you can use to refill your mug

To Use:

  • Dip  a shaving brush into very warm water and then whisk the brush in the coffee mug to create loads of lather. Spread on your face and shave as normal
  • Rinse the shaving brush carefully and let it air dry between shaves

Tips/Tricks:

  • You’ll probably have leftover soap. Pour this into a small, cleaned Pringles® potato crisps container. After it hardens, you can slice through the cardboard to make disks that you can use to refill your mug
  • You can make a non-lathering shaving oil which works as well as the shaving cream by mixing sweet almond oil, olive oil, castor oil, and adding a few drops of peppermint oil, clove oil, and sweet orange oil. Spread a few drops over a wet face using the palms of your hands, and then shave.
  • Castor bean oil is the oil that gives these shaving creams their thick moisture-rich lather

Recipe via

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Men, Spa Cuisine Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

3 DIY Spa Treatments Made From Thanksgiving Leftovers

November 28, 2011 | By

Stuffed to the brim with stuffing? Us too! Now that you have put down the fork and pledged to forgive yourself of your turkey transgressions, put your Thanksgiving leftovers to good use with these three homemade spa treatments made from all that stuff packed into of your remaining matching Tupperware. A few DIY spa recipes and a nice, well-balanced non-turkey meal will definitely help you feel happier and healthier.

De-puff Under Eye Circles with Potato Slice Soothers

Why: According to dermatologist Dr. Frederic Brandt (featured on LiveStrong.com), ”A chemical found in the potato called catecholase helps lighten skin.” It is found abundantly in potatoes and is commonly used in cosmetics to lighten skin. Refrigerated or frozen potato slices will act like mini ice packs to help reduce the bruised effect of under eye circles.

Ingredients

  • Raw potato

Directions

  1. Refrigerate whole potato overnight (freeze if preferred)
  2. Cut 2 slices or, if you prefer, 5 to 10 very thin slices, several for each eye. Either method works
  3. Spritz eye area with water
  4. Lying down, place the potato slices on your eyelids and leave in place for at least 10 minutes for best results.

Recipe: Care2

2. Fight Acne with a Cinnamon and Nutmeg Masque

Why: Cinnamon is not only good for you when added to your plate once a day for two weeks; it is also great for your skin topically. Nutmeg has anti-inflammatory qualities so it helps to calm flare-ups as well as reduce redness of acne scars. Cinnamon is a natural exfoliant as well and it’s also known for its antiseptic qualities. Combined with moisturizing honey, it serves to calm your screaming skin.

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp honey

Directions

  1. Combine into a thick paste
  2. Apply to your face for half an hour and then rinse off with warm water
  3. Moisturize as per usual afterwards

Recipe: Viva Women

3. Smooth Skin with a Cranberry Body Scrub

Why: Cranberries are chock-full of anti-oxidants that fight free radicals that can age the skin. They are help improve blood flow and contain Phytochemicals that benefit body tissue structures and promote new cell growth and rejuvenation. Plus, they smell great and you can make a tasty Cranberry Lip Gloss, too!

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 tbsp raw sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp orange peel
  • 2 tbsp canned cranberries

Directions

  1. Combine mixture completely.
  2. Apply to your skin with a wash cloth or luffa.
  3. Gently scrub your face and then rinse with warm water

Recipe: Planet Green

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Skin Care, Spa Cuisine, Spa Treatments Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Snooki Lets the Cat Out of the Bag

November 22, 2011 | By

I’m all about at-home skincare recipes (like this DIY Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Scrub I made recently) but I was slightly concerned by Snooki’s recent confession. While promoting her new book she stopped by the Conan show where she dropped the bomb that she uses cat litter on her face! Conan looked just as baffled as I was. But Snooki reassured us she only uses clean kitty litter – “obviously.” The world is relieved. She said she found this tip while searching Google… so I did some Googling of my own.

Apparently she got the idea from beauty expert Diane Irons. Ms. Irons has written several books including The World’s Best-Kept Beauty Secrets and has been on TV shows sharing her budget-friendly beauty tips. She says that cat litter is made of the same ingredients as special clays found in $100 spa facials. When shopping for a natural clay cat litter make sure there are no added chemicals. Check the ingredients for “sodium betonite clay” or “100 percent natural clay.”

There are several kitty litter mask recipes out there but to make a clay mask, all you have to do is add water to turn it into a paste. So simple – it’s brilliant! The masks are great for oily skin. Snooki says she hasn’t broken out from using kitty litter so it gets her seal of approval. Who would have thought we’d be getting schooled on beauty by Snooks?

Perhaps she was hinting at this beauty secret with her Halloween costume this year. Meow!

Images via and via

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Skin Care Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,