Going Bananas for Beauty

I love a good au naturale beauty recipe. 

I believe that everything on this planet serves a purpose and is given to us for our use. I try my best to stay away from chemicals and pills and all that!

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A recent post on hudabeauty.com inspired me to share the benefits of bananas with you!

There are so many! Bananas are a great snack too. Every time you feel hungry, have a banana, it's so full of goodies (vitamins and minerals), low in fat, and boost your mood (serotonin level) and energy levels, making it a great snack to have at your work place as well!

I always have bananas stocked up in my house. They are high in potassium and rich in vitamin A, B6 and B12 which means they're great for preventing hair loss, beautifying your skin, & strong nail growth. 

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It's great properties, including being anti-fungal help allergic reactions and itches. Just rub the peel on the irritated area

Mashing up a couple bananas and applying them to your face, chest, or any part of your body (skin), keeping it for a couple hours and then rinsing off, is a great recipe for anti wrinkling, restoring needed vitamins and mineral in your skin, & beautifying your skin further.

It also a great moisturizer for you skin.

I feel like the benefits list is endless! They're that good for you. 

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Did you know: that the whole banana tree is considered a herb, which basically means you can eat everything from the banana to its peel, to the roots of the tree! I wonder how healing the parts of the tree are, the must be backed with vitamins and great properties! 

Tip: Some people just can't eat bananas, but apparently if you sprinkle just a bit of pepper on the banana, it works wonders! It sounds strange but is supposed to work great!

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On a side note - I can't finish this post without mentioning this - Speaking of bananas, but in another sense, I personally love Banana pudding, wether homemade or bakery bought. Specifically Magnolia Bakery's. It's delish!!

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If you haven't already, you have to try all of the above..the banana benefits, and the pudding ;)

Until Next Time

À Bientôt!

the 10 Commandments for Youthful Looking Skin - Part 2

Here's part 2 of the 10 commandments for youthful skin via SELF.com

Read part 1 here

6. GET EVEN

Don't neglect skin below the neck: Brown spots on the chest and on the backs of hands are red flags of aging just as much as when they appear on the face. Fade them away with creams with niacinamide, and vitamin C and/or treat yourself to an IPL (intense pulsed light)/laser treatment which gets rid of such pigmentation.

7. FIRM UP

Though age and sun damage can cause skin to lose elasticity over time, fighting back is getting easier: Recent research shows that maintaining a healthy, moisturized epidermis will help prevent the breakdown of the skin's collagen and elastin infrastructure. Also, look for creams containing barrier-strengthening elements. RE9 Firming Body Cream is pretty well known and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe recommends the lavish Acrona 'Instant Magic' Reversal Serum

8. ERASE WRINKLES

The best way to banish wrinkles before they begin is to develop good habits, such as vetoing sunbathing and cigarettes, which trigger free radicals that damage DNA in cells Regular application of creams that have niancinamide head to toe will also help thicken skin and boost collagen synthesis, and keep skin hydrated. Thirsty skin means fine lines will be more apparent. 

9. BRIGHTEN UP

Glowing skin can make you feel better and define your body in a way that you look skinner too! But we all know we want to avoid the harmful rays so self tanners that react with your outer layer of skin cells and turn them brown. A daily lotion with a low does of DHA (responsible for the reaction) will allow a gradual and subtle glow to appear. My personal favorite is the Jergens' natural Glow. Available for light to medium and medium to tan skin tones. In just three days you really see a natural looking and gradual even tan on your skin.

10. LOOK AHEAD

Protect your skin for a beautiful future. A full-on solar defense starts with broad-spectrum sunscreen that guards against both UVB and UVA rays by using a mix of physical blockers and chemical blockers. Make sunscreen the first step in your regimen: applying it to bare skin, therefore binding it to cells, boosting its efficiency.

This ELLE approved Neutrogena sunscreen is great (Elle recently had a huge feature in it's july/august issue about the sun and protection from its harmful rays. LVP will be summarizing that for you very soon!). And if you've read my previous posts, Neutrogena is a personal favorite as it's dermatologist recommended and is trustworthy as all the products of theirs that I have used, I have been happy with!

Text adapted from SELF.com

Photos via Pinterest.com