Edgar Cayce's Skin Beautifier

I am an Edgar Cayce devotee, and trust in the validity of anything he recommended for health and wellness. Recently, I discovered a recipe for a skin treatment that he maintained would keep skin beautiful and free from blemishes. I'm obsessed with skincare, and so is Johanna over at Sweet Mysterious Feast. When I told her about this wondrous potion, she immediately purchased everything we needed to whip it up ourselves!

I have been using this for the past few nights, and am pleased with the results. It certainly moisturizes and leaves my skin dewy and fresh, but it's super oily and messy. I recommend it for a beauty night spent at home, not before you apply makeup in the morning! It also would be a perfect way to moisturize your whole body after your nightly bath or shower.

What You Need:

1 tablespoon lanolin

6 ounces peanut oil

2 ounces olive oil

1 tablespoon rosewater (optional)

Blend together. I used our Nutri Ninja to whip it up, then stored it in a plastic container in the fridge. 

I discovered the exact amounts to use in Polly Guerin's blog, Awaken Your Sleeping Beauty. Polly has used the mixture for years, and says that she has maintained smooth, wrinkle-free skin. I'm sold! 

C'mon, don't hold out on me. I need your skincare secrets, too, so share in the comments down below!

Get Healthiful with Smoothies

Lately, I have been focusing on improving my health and appearance (getting healthiful!) by introducing better habits and phasing out bad ones. This endeavor has included drinking plenty of water with freshly squeezed lemon, cutting out alcohol, taking the right supplements, improving my skincare routine, and drinking healthy smoothies.

At some point, I'd like to incorporate regular exercise into the above equation, but I'm seriously lazy when it comes to moving! I'll get there, I know!

Anyway, I have been enjoying the services of our Nutri Ninja in my quest for better health. I love the idea of packing so many nutrients and vitamins into one filling drink, and I have no issues with filling the container with as many leafy greens as I can. I tend to stick to spinach, kale, or romaine lettuce, but it's better to rotate your greens.

Today, for instance, I woke up and had a big glass of water with fresh lemon juice. About a half hour later, I made a huge smoothie with non-fat Greek yogurt, water, apples, blueberries, cherries, baby kale, and a smattering of walnuts. It was satisfying and kept me full for a while, though I definitely needed my light lunch when the time came. For dinner, I had a smoothie with carrot, blueberries, cherries, spinach, and water. I feel refreshed and revitalized, like I'm really pumping my body full of beautifying nutrients!

I am by no means an expert, but here are some ideas if you're interested in creating your own beauty smoothie:

Lemon juice in water, apple cider vinegar in water, or green tea would be excellent bases for a smoothie. All are enormously good for your body, and green tea provides antioxidants that improve heart health, beautify, and possibly help trim your waistline. Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar are purported to be detoxifying, and also touted as being conducive to weight loss.

If you go for lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, be sure to dilute them enough so that they aren't too harsh. They are acidic, so they can wear away at the enamel of your teeth. I drink apple cider vinegar in water on a daily basis, so I'm always careful to keep it away from my teeth as much as possible.

Greek yogurt is a good addition to breakfast smoothies, as it's packed with protein and calcium to start your day off on the right foot. It's also delicious!

In terms of fruits and veggies, carrot, spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, collard greens, cucumber, celery, beets, apples, cherries, blueberries, oranges, banana, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, mango, and pineapple are excellent. There are many more, of course, but these are ones with which I have the most experience. These vegetables and fruits are antioxidant and mineral-rich powerhouses.

It's important not to consume too much of certain types of vegetables and fruit, as variety is the spice of life. You will get bored if you eat the same types every day, and some of them can cause harmful buildups or reactions in your body if over consumed.

Introducing things like chia seed, flax seed, almonds, or walnuts to your smoothies is another way to get energy and boost the effectiveness of your smoothies.

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe that you refuse to live without? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below, so do share!

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Style Icon: Kay Francis in Stolen Holiday

I can think of fewer things more fabulous than Kay Francis' style in Stolen Holiday, a 1937 film in which her character assists a confidence trickster in swindling wealthy investors. Elegant hair scarves, flowing silk gowns, and stacks of pearl bracelets make me sigh with the deepest admiration. Seriously, I wish I could dress this way on a daily basis.




Image: Warner Archive

I love everything about this outfit, from the hair scarf to the pearl bracelets, from the glass of champagne to the plunging neckline.

This look is all about elegance. Coordinate your jewelry (check out her earrings,  necklace, ring, and bracelets), keep everything monochromatic, and pop that bubbly, baby!

Don't forget to define your brows and pop some red, burgundy, or berry stain on your pout.

GORGEOUS!

Image: auxiliarymemory.com

I love this dress. Just check out that neckline. Shiny (is that silver or gold?) horizontal stripes make this a bold look. Accentuate your neck and collarbone area with an ornate necklace, gather your hair into an updo, and strike a haughty, imperious pose.

Any dress with a similar cut would go far in emulating this look, and you could emphasize your waist with a cunning belt.

Brows, lips: done.

Image: fineartamerica.com

This simple, yet no less amazing, look revolves around a knockout dress. I couldn't find a better shot of this little number, but I absolutely love how it evokes the grandeur of a Greek goddess.

Off the shoulder, with a luxurious swath of fabric creating somewhat of a "cape" effect, the dress is beyond gorgeous. You can see that Kay's jewelry is kept to a minimum, and her hair is artfully yet simply drawn back from her face.

C'est magnifique!






Thanks for visiting The Gilded Aesthetic! If you have a favorite style icon, be sure to share them in the comments!

Product Review: Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream

While I still consider myself a young lass, I’ve lately been taking an extra interest in providing my skin with the nourishment it needs to fight wrinkles and other signs of aging. Dr. Hauschka is considered to be one of the best in skincare products, and their prices certainly reflect that! Call me cheap, but it pains me to spend more than $20 on most beauty products. But, one must make sacrifices! If you don’t sacrifice some money, your skin will end up sacrificing much more! 

I am a huge fan of rose. I love the scent, have worn tea rose perfume for years, and clamber after any opportunity I can get to permeate my person with the smell. So, when I decided to look into Dr. Hauschka’s skincare products, I was pleased to find that he offers a rose-scented cream. Sign me up!

Though my inner miser snarled a few times, I ignored the $27.96 price tag and ordered a 1 oz. tube of Dr. Hauschka’s Rose Day Cream. It had great reviews, and I appreciated that it wasn’t full of chemicals or unnecessary additives. 

The day came when it arrived. While I knew I’d just ordered a 1 oz. tube, I was still horrified by how light and small it felt clutched in my hand. This wouldn’t last me two weeks, I thought. Wrong.

It’s been over a month and I still have plenty left. This cream goes a long way because it’s so thick and luxurious. I was rather surprised that it’s considered to be a day cream (and marveled at what Dr. Hauschka’s night cream must be like), because this stuff is thick and leaves a sheen on your face for at least 20 minutes. It does sink in, but not as rapidly as most moisturizers I have used in the past. I generally apply it well before I intend on doing my makeup, which gives it time to absorb into my skin. 

It has a really delicate, sweet smell of rose, but the smell doesn’t linger. Those who would rather not smell like they’ve been rolling in rose bushes will be pleased that the smell wears off after only a few minutes. 

Since using this cream, I have noticed that my skin feels smoother and seems plumper. I have used it as both a day and night cream; it’s fairly versatile and suits both needs for me. I have noticed a softening of minor lines under my eyes, which is a great comfort to me since these have just sprung up in the past several months and had me freaking out for the first couple of weeks. I totally believe I can get rid of the little suckers, though, and hope that Dr. Hauschka’s Day Cream Light will assist in that endeavor! 
 
I recommend this cream if you like natural products, a thicker consistency, and want something that could work as both a day and night cream. I plan on buying more in the future, though I am quite curious about Dr. Hauschka’s other products! We’ll see! I'm not thrilled with the price tag considering the amount you get, but that may be the price one pays for superior ingredients that aren't manufactured in a lab.

Seasonal Skincare Part 1: Keeping Your Skin Moisturized

Caring for your skin goes beyond merely cleansing, moisturizing, and slapping on face masks, particularly when the seasons change. What is appropriate for your skin during the hot, sultry months of summer is not necessarily fitting for it during chilly winter days. It can be difficult to maintain balance when skin is subjected to extremes in temperature, particularly in areas where it can be below freezing one day and mild the next. As an East Tennessean, I never know what to expect during the period when winter begins to give way to spring.

Always hydrate. No matter the temperature outside, keeping yourself “lubricated” is essential to maintaining healthy skin. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas, and limit your alcohol and coffee intake. This is non-negotiable for beautiful skin.

 

Keeping a spray bottle of chilled rosewater or green tea to spritz on your face, be it hot or cold outside, is a nice way to perk up your skin.

 

Educate yourself. Take the time to experiment with moisturizers, read product reviews, and research moisturizing alternatives to ensure that you’re educated about different brands of moisturizers and how they influence skin. In addition, make sure you know exactly what type of skin you have: oily, dry, normal, or combination. That way, you’ll be able to pick a moisturizer that will appeal to your unique skin type.

 

Sites like Amazon, Sephora, and Skinstore are a great resource for those wanting to learn what others are saying about a product. You can browse reviews and star ratings to see which products are top sellers, or which are better left alone.

 

Stock up. Stock up on the products that you know yield results for your skin. These could be products you’ve used since you were 13, or they could be products with which you experiment. But have favorites: tested and true creams, gels, or lotions that nourish your skin and pacify its sensitivities. Ideally, you will have at least one product that you can always use without worry. In a perfect world, you would have several to rotate according to the changing seasons.

 

Keep a journal in which you keep up with your beauty products. You can record which products you love, which products might work in a pinch, and which products you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found a moisturizer or cream that made me look and feel like a porcelain doll, but lost the bottle and didn’t write the name down. When you're a beauty product junkie, it happens!

 

Judge. Determine what your particular skin needs during the different seasons. Is your skin an oil slick year-round or do you turn into a flake goblin during the colder months? Do you tend to break out if you use heavier creams, or does your skin lap it up? If you do break out after using heavier creams, research and experiment with different types of moisturizers until you find one that fights dryness, but doesn’t make your skin erupt. It really is about trying different things.

 

You could avoid the commercial moisturizer route altogether and go for natural oils, like olive, grapeseed, or castor (there are countless others). It really depends on what you like.

 

To transition from warmer-weather products to colder ones, you’re probably going to use heavy, luxurious creams to hydrate and prevent dry skin. Warmer weather means lighter moisturizers. Here’s something I do: When it’s cold outside, I’ll often use a super-heavy nighttime cream during the day. I’ll apply it an hour or so before I go anywhere, which gives it time to sink in so it won’t impede the application of my foundation (or leave me looking oily). This ensures that my skin gets a big dose of extra nourishment during the chilly months.

 

I hope this post has provided you with some ideas for creating a unique moisturizing strategy to keep your skin looking its best, whatever the season.