Scrubs away!!!!!

Exfoliation is the removal of the deadest skin cells on the outermost layer of our skin, it is very important to exfoliate these dead skin cells to prevent them from building up on the surface creating acne and a dull complexion. And is great for skin rejuvination and the growth of new skin cells.
but why spend all your money on expensive spa packages when you can do them yourself at home using ingredients that are always available in our kitchens. you can even invite the girls over with a jug of sangria for a exfoliation spa day !!

All these exfoliation recipes are to be mixed and used the same day, we are using natural ingredients that don't have a shelf life and therefore have to be mixed and used on the same day. All the ingredients we are using in our exfoliation recipes are all ingredients you can easily purchase at a grocery store if there not already available in your kitchen. for best results try using all natural or organic.

OLIVE OIL AND SUGAR: 

This is probably the most common and easy recipe available. I'm always using the recipe at least once a week to exfoliate and I LOVE it!! Olive oil is great for your skin, hair and overall health and when mixed with the sugar it creates the perfect simple and effective scrub.

1 tsp sugar

1tsp Olive oil (thats it !! it's that simple)

Whisk together ingredients and massage all over your face and neck, rinse with warm water, pat face dry with a clean towel. and taadaa its that simple and the results are amazing.

BAKING SODA AND WATER: 

Baking soda is considered a gentle exfoliator and is safe to use on sensitive skin.

add a little water to 1 tsp baking soda to make a paste. Massage gentley on your skin and leave on for about three minutes and rinse off.

HONEY AND YOGURT: 

This is very effective in treating black heads and nourishing your skin. Honey helps to reduce inflammation and redness and therefore is great for acne treatment. Honey is naturally anti-bacterial and has a slight acidity which gives an extra boost of exfoliation power. Honey is also a humectant which means it traps moisture and leaves your skin cleansed but not dried out.

mix 1 tsp of honey with 1tsp of plain yogurt. Spread and message on your face and leave on for 15 min. Rinse off with lukewarm water. this scrub is a bit messy but the results are worth it :)

LEMON JUICE AND SUGAR:
This one is also a very common and effective scrub that is very easy and convenient. Again we have the sugar acting as our exfoliation agent, but lemon juice contains salicylic acid which help kills bacteria in the skin and leaves your skin cleansed and refreshed! I love this scrub as well i never thought lemon juice and sugar would work such wonders on your skin but it does!!
Using a cotton face pad soak the cotton pad with a couple drops of lemon juice just enough to get it moist but not soggy. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar onto the cotton pad as well and scrubs away!!!! using small circular motions. Be careful around the eye area as well this stuff doesn't feel good in the eye.

CUCUMBER AND YOGURT MASK:
Yes I said it cucumber! Cucumber contains 96% water and is an excellent body hydrator. cucumbers contain lots of vitamins and minerals and have great health and beauty benefits.
For this mask you want to finely chop and mash 1/4 of a cucumber and mix it with 2 tbsp of plain yogurt in a bowl, mix to create a paste. Apply over your face and leave on for 20-25 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat skin dry with clean dry towel.

SANGRIA: 
mhmmm the only way to top a spa day with the girls is bringing the perfect drink into the mix. Sangria is a punch consisting of either red or white wine( i make mine with both) juice and fruit. you can choose any white or red you prefer and if your not a wine drinker I still encourage you to give this a try even people that hate wine have enjoyed this drink because it tastes like juice!
in a jug with ice mix in a bottle of red or white wine (or both)
next add the juice this can be any kind of juice I find orange juice works great!
thats pretty much your basic sangria however you can go even further and add fresh fruit slices and citrus slices. and if you want something with a little more to it you can also add soda water or sprite to give it a little extra something.
please remember to drink responsibly, if you have a little to much turn your spa day into a girls night in ;)


And there you have it ladies. So who needs to go spend all that money at a fancy spa when you can have just as good of a time at home with your girlies. There are hundreds of face mask and scrubs recipes available in books and on the internet.There are also many ingredients laying around your house that have great beauty benefits so get messy, try new things and have fun doing it :D Scrubs away everyone :D may your skin glow as bright as your hearts
xoxox Relish

Depoting eyeshadows :D

Heyy everyone!!

Having eyeshadows organized in a palette is such a beautiful thing both for a make-up artist or for your own personal collection. I've seen and tried a lot of different methods but I find this one is the most convenient and easy way. so lets get started :D

Heres what you'll need

Straightener

Eye shadow in pot

Nail file or anything with a flat point

Palette of your choice 

Magnetic tape: can be purchased at dollar stores or craft stores.

Step one.)

Plug in your straightener and set it on a low to medium heat (if thats an option for you). With the lid of your pot open place the eye shadow on your straightener and let sit for about 30 seconds to a minute, so that the glue holding the eyeshadow in starts to heat and loosen. keep a close eye on it and using the pointed tip of the eyeshadow poke the bottom of the pot to push the inner metal pot containing the eyeshadow upwards.

 Step two.)

When you feel the glue is loosened enough use the pointed tip of the nail file around the rim of the metal pot to remove the eyeshadow from the pot, be sure to be gentle and use finesse with this procedure because we don't want the eyeshadow to crack or break. you can also remove the label with the same procedure and place the label on your newly de-potted eyeshadow. Place a piece of magnet tape at the bottom as well and taadaaa a new member to add to the palette. :D 

Continue this procedure with all your desired eyeshadows and arrange them in your palette however your little heart desires.

 To me having all my assortment of colours arranged in my palette reminds me of a painter and thats exactly what a make-up artist is, a painter, with the face as our canvas there are endless opportunities your imagination is the only thing holding you back and thats what I love about this industry.

Big hugzz and happy de-potting 

xoxo Relish ;)

Moisturizers are our friends!!! :D

hydration is key!! especially in the summer! not only for our bodies but our skin as well. The skin is our outer protection and has to deal with all the stress from the elements, UVA/UVB rays, as well as environmental stress's like pollution. moisturizers are a great way to have extra protection from these elements as well as provide moisture under our makeup so our skin doesn't dry out and get flakey, its also a great way to prevent premature wrinkles and with summer finally here (although hear in British Columbia you could hardly notice :( ) you need  extra moisture to protect the sun from drying out your skin and keep your skin looking healthy!
I dont know about you guys but I LOVE to moisturize!! My vanity table crawling with various moisturizers for hands,face,feet  and everything in between.
here are a list of all my favourite moisturizing products. I try a lot of products out however I always seem to come back to these...

First one up...
KISS MY FACE natural moisturizer:  I LOVE this stuff!! its budget friendly and its all natural!! they contain no animal ingredients, no PARABENS! or artificial colors its PH balanced, and 100% biodegradable, check out the rest of there products on there website. The moisturizers have different formulas for different skin types. My favourite is the one that contains Olive oil, i love the consistency its goes on creamy yet doesn't feel greasy a little goes a long way with this stuff!
 This is also my all time favourite moisturizer to mix with foundations to create a tinted moisturizer. Because of it's creamy smooth consistency it goes on like silk, is easy to apply and gives the face a natural, moisturized fresh look. This is definitely one of my favourites.

Baby Oil: Heyyy we all can't disagree that babies have the softest skin so why not use what they use. Baby oil is a great way to keep your skin hydrated and lock in moisture and it can be used so many ways! I always have baby oil on hand. Its great to put on while your in the shower/bath(Or after, whatever tickles your fancy ) to condition, hydrate and lock in moisture. I also use baby oil for many other things like cleaning your makeup brushes or removing make-up!

Vaseline Cocoa Butter: I get the big size of this stuff from wal-mart for like 7$ and it lasts a long time!!! i use it every time I get out of the shower all over my body to keep everything soft, smooth and moisturized :) It also works well as a tanning lotion (if your cheap like me and don't buy the fancy expensive stuff ;) it also works if you've had.. a little to much sun. (I recommend the aloe cucumber vaseline for sunburns it feels great and it so refreshing on your red burning skin lol )
it smells delicious and it keeps your skin well moisturized without being greasy.

O.P.I Peach juice lotion: You usually find this stuff, as well as other O.P.I products at salon's but if your hands crave moisture like mine do you'll be glad you have this. Not only does it smell delicious!! but its a great hand moisturizer that leaves them feeling soft, Not greasy! and smell wonderfully delicious.

The body shop body butter: I usually always have some of this around its one of there popular products and comes in many other delicious fruit combinations just pick one that you like. its a more intense moisture (like butter for your skin) so I usually just use it when my skin really needs a good moisturizing.

M.A.C lip moisturizer: I know there's no picture but if you go to M.A.C you'll see it with there cleansers and such. your lips are very delicate and easily stressed from cold weather and hot sun. I get really dry, chapped lips all the time and i've tried everything!!!! to keep my lips well moisturized and healthy. no product seemed to keep my lips consistently hydrated until I found this stuff and I've never looked back! it goes on so smooth and creamy and it really hydrates and keeps them hydrated! hydrated lips are also important for applying lipstick so it looks like a smooth application as opposed to cracked.

Happy product hunting :D I'm always experimenting and trying out new products and I always seem to come back to these products. I hope they work as great for you and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. It's  just a simple collection to keep everything well moisturized and healthy.

Have fun in the sun!!!
happy hydrating :)

depoting lipsticks..yayy!!!!!

Heyy everyone!!
 is your lipstick collection taking over !!!! tubes of lipsticks everywhere you go, in your purse, in your car, various drawers of the bathroom and scattered all over your room! well i have a solution :D yayyy!!! how bout changing your tube of lipstick into a pot!!! why ..is genius!!!
Having your lipstick in a pot is not only more sanitary for your clients but it makes traveling a lot more easier. you can do this with your own personal lipsticks as well. so lets get started..

things you will need:

Stackable pots - you can find these at a dollar store, drug store or when in doubt wal-mart :D I found mine at a dollar store in the first aid section, you can also use a 7 day vitamin container if you cant find any stackable pots.

Lipsticks you wish to depot: any brand, any colour!

Paper towel and Q-tips: just in case things get messy ;)

Butter knife or a make-up spatula: to scoop out the magicalness in a tube that is lipstick.

Blowdryer: to melt the magicalness into the pot.

lets do this :D

step 1.) layout your pots and lipsticks so that you know which lipstick will be going into which pot. be sure to stay organized so you know which colour is going into which pot for labelling later on.

Step 2.)  Using your butter knife or spatula cut the lipstick into the pot. Then use the spatula or knife to scrape the access lipstick contained within the tube into the pot as well, you don't want to waste any of that magical goodness. be sure to wipe the lipstick off in between colours.

Step 3.) Take out your blowdryers ladies and have them hot hot hot ;) blow the hot air directly overhead the pot that contains the lipstick within 5-10 mins (depending on the lipstick) the lipstick will begin to melt, i have to admit it stings a little to see it melt so sadly but it really is quite pretty :D when its half way melted stir with the tip of your knife ever so gently, while still heating with the blowdryer. tap the pot every so often as well to make a nice even layer of lipstick. you want the lipstick completely melted and smooth texture. 
After, heat the bottom of the lipstick tube that you have just melted for about 30 sec and using your butter knife peel off the label and stick to the bottom of the pot. this way you know which colour it is for next time :D 
Repeat this procedure for each individual colour, then place individual containers in the fridge for about 20 mins or until hard and taadaa!!!!

Now your overflowing drawer of lipsticks has become a stackable paradise, which means room for more!!  When working out on set or with a client having lipsticks in pots is not only more sanitary but it makes it easier to find the colours your looking for.
If theres a colour you cant seem to find why not try making your own??  get creative and experiment by melting two different colours of any brand together to customize your own shade . No one around will have the same colour as you!!you can also collect your empty MAC lipstick tubes and return them as part of their recycling program.

Happy depoting :D  I'll see ya next time

Peace..Love..And Make-up
    Arielle Elliot

A little Introduction to myself :D

Heyy Everyone!!!!!
Welcome to my blog...such a weird word BLOG..hehe If my neon green head title didn't give me away Iam.. true to my title.. a make-up addict but to put it more specific a freelance Hair and Make-up artist. I'm 21 years old and I'm from Vancouver Canada. I have been doing hair and make-up since I was 18, I was a hair and make-up artist before I even graduated high school! I'm here to share my passion and my journey's of working in this competitive industry. 


 It all started when I was just a little wee one, running around butt naked and free. I was a very loud, colorful, eccentric little girl (although nothing much has changed since then) everyday pretending to be a different disney character I dressed myself up to play the part perfectly! My creative imagination that was playtime for me then is a passion for me now.
 Still a loud, colorful, eccentric individual my goal still is to stand out more then it is to fit in. For me Hair and make-up is a form of art. I love making people look and feel there best! both inside and out!! I love being creative, pushing the boundaries and undefining what it means to be "normal." 
I'm the type of person that smiles at everyone and says hi to strangers on the street even if it results in a weird look. I'm the girl at the club that dances outrageously because I don't care who's watching.. I'm having a good time and thats all that matters, I'm the girl that has the word RELISH tattoo'd on the inner part of my lip and lastly I'm the girl that no one can put in a category. I'm undefined, I'm weird, I'm loud, I'm outgoing, I'm Me :D and I encourage everyone to be You. 
life is to short to care what people think all that matters is what you think of yourself, at the end of the day you truly are your own best friend, wake up in the morning look in the mirror and love yourself!! because your the most important person in your life. 
So I suppose this is me in a nut shell (that is if i could fit in a nutshell) thank you for taking the time to read my very first blog post!!! and for allowing me onto your computer screens and getting to know me a little bit. I look forward to sharing with all of you!! feel free to ask me anything or request anything im here for your viewing pleasure :D  




Peace love and Makeup Arielle Elliot aka RELISH !! :)