The day honoring the fifth century Romano-British missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland is coming up next week; it’s a day for which many in the U.S. celebrate with copious consumption of Irish beer and raucous merrymaking. However, I prefer to mark St. Patrick’s Day in a quieter manner by reading about the saint’s life and learning about traditional Irish beauty secrets.

Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) is a seaweed high in vitamins and minerals. (Photo: Visoflora)

Irish moss

Irish beauties are known for their alabaster complexions and thick, glossy hair, both of which they maintain with the wealth of natural ingredients available on the Emerald Isle. For a flawless skin and healthy hair, Irish moss should be on every Irish, or wannabe Irish, beauty’s list.

Not actually a moss, Irish moss is a species of seaweed (Chrondus crispus) that grows abundantly in the Atlantic Ocean. Its high nutrient content — it contains vitamins B, D, E, K, beta-carotene and such important minerals as zinc, selenium, calcium, iron, iodine and potassium — make it top-notch in overall health and beauty benefits. It can be ingested in the form of medicinal teas, as was traditionally done in the British Isles, but it can also be applied topically to hair and skin.

One of the most remarkable properties of Irish moss is the mucilage it produces when immersed in hot water. This slimy byproduct, unappealing though it may be, imparts a high degree of smoothness to skin and hair, making it a superb skin softener and hair conditioner and detangler.

You can purchase dried Irish moss in whole, flaked or powdered form. Try the following DIY recipe for smooth, glowing skin:

Vitamin C Seaweed Masque

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Irish moss
1 1/3 cup water
1 tbsp vitamin C powder

Directions:

• Place the Irish moss in water and soak for 20 minutes. Blend the moss and soak water for 30-40 seconds. Add vitamin C. Blend for another 20 seconds or until moss is fairly smooth.
• Pour into a jar with a lid and allow it to set for five minutes, or place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to set.

 
To apply:
Take 1/2 tbsp of the seaweed serum and massage all over your face and neck. Leave on for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with tepid water and enjoy your smooth complexion.

Cabbage

Years ago, I became intrigued by the traditional Irish saying “cabbage juice for the complexion.” Part of the Irish culinary tradition, the humble cabbage has a lot to offer in the health and beauty department. Full of vitamins C, K, B6, and minerals manganese, calcium and sulphur, cabbage also contains omega-3 fatty acids, powerful, rejuvenating phytonutrients and antioxidants. The high-sulphur content strengthens the hair, promotes its growth and reduces hair loss. You can drink raw cabbage juice and apply it topically to your hair to invigorate weak hair with its high vitamin E and selenium content. Try this recipe in your juicer:

Raw cabbage juice is good for your complexion. (Photo: My Health by Nature)

Cabbage green juice

Ingredients:
2 green apples
2-3 cups spinach
6-8 leaves Swiss chard or another cabbage
1 cucumber
4 celery stalks
1/2 fennel bulb
1 bunch of basil

Directions:

• Use juicer to extract juices from produce.
• Stir juiced contents.
• Enjoy cold.

 
And Irish folklore is spot-on in regards to the complexion perfecting powers of cabbage. It’s rich in indole-3-carbonile, a potent antioxidant that supports liver detoxification, which helps rid the body of toxins that can cause dull, blemished skin.

Beer

No St. Paddy’s day celebration is complete without beer, preferably a good Irish stout. I have, during my misspent youth, imbibed my fair share of this wondrous nectar, but these days I limit its consumption to my hair, where it works wonders in enlivening my limp, fine hair. The yeast plumps up the hair shaft, and the malt and hops nourish and strengthen the hair at the root, resulting in shiny, extra-voluminous tresses.

Try this recipe, which also includes hair-growth promoting rosemary essential oil, to achieve super healthy locks:

Rosemary Guinness hair rinse

Ingredients:
5-6 drops rosemary essential oil
1 can of Guinness or other strong ale or stout

Directions:

• Open beer and add rosemary oil.
• Let the mixture sit open overnight minimum — the beer should be flat.
• After shampooing, rinse hair with the beer mixture. Let sit on hair for several minutes, massaging it into the roots of your hair.
• Rinse with cool water and style as usual.

There is nothing more sensual than a little after-hours sparkle on your décolletage and legs, as Mila Kunis demonstrates. A natural oil is the best way to get it, but you don’t want to look or feel greasy. Sally Blenkey-Tchassova, owner of Brazil Bronze Glow Bar in New York City, suggests dabbing a bit of oil onto extra-dry spots like elbows and knees, then using a dry washcloth to rub it in and buff it across other areas, like your shoulders and calves.

Looking for something a little more affordable try these:

Neutrogena Body Oil is a delicately light sesame formula that instantly vanishes into the skin, sealing in moisture to help keep your skin looking soft and radiant.  You can purchase this product for approximately $9.99 at chain department stores.

Vaseline intensive care body lotion helps smooth the appearance of marks and discoloration. Enriched with cocoa butter deep conditioning lotion to smooth away roughness and dark spots. It conditions and moisturizes your skin leaving it silky smooth. Pick up a bottle of this secret weapon at Walmart for less than $5.40.

XOXO Besos,

Article by: Anna Castillo, DC on Heels Beauty Editor and Owner of www.inkcosmetics.com

Finally the weather seems to be letting up and Spring is peaking around the corner. Have you checked out your make-up bag lately? I am sure you probably had your mascara for a month too long and your nail polish is probably separated. This means it is old and time to toss out the old and in with the new.  Here are some helpful tips for how long you should keep your items.

Mascara:

Toss this after three months. If you use your mascara daily, then it should last only two months. Keeping mascara any longer is a no go. It is a breeding ground for bacteria and can cause eye infections.

Concealer:

The best rule of thumb is anything that goes around the eye area should be discarded between three and six months.

Pressed Powder:

Normally, unopened cosmetics will have at least a two-year shelf life. Once the item is open and exposed to oil from the face like your pressed powders, you should think about getting rid of it between six and 12 months. You should never keep your puff pad on your pressed powder. I recommend using a kabuki brush to apply your powder. Using a puff pad can suck up oil from your face, then laying it on the powder all day can produce bacteria and cause breakouts.

Blush:

Toss this product after one year. You use this less often, but you should not keep it longer than a year.

Lipstick:

If is looks funny or smells funny, it is time to change it out!

Foundation:

Almost anything liquid should be tossed after one year. If you notice your liquid foundation starts to separate … then say bye bye.

Nail Polish:

Same as any liquid … if it looks or smells, funny toss it in the trash! Pick up a new trendy color and move on.

HAPPY Cleaning! XOXO besos!

Anna Castillo

Beauty Editor/Owner of www.inkcosmetics.com

Problem – Dry Skin

What to eat:

Drink lots of water and eat good fatty foods like olive oil and avocado.

What to avoid:

Coffee and black tea which dehydrates your internal tissue.  Fried foods are a no go.  They deplete levels of good fats and cause more dryness.

Problem – Dull Skin

What to eat:

Orange and green vegetables help increase vitamin A making your skin cells shed faster for a radiant complexion.  Try eating yams to increase luster to your skin.

What to avoid:

Garlic, onions and spices increase circulation and impart a healthy glow but do not overdue it!  Too much will cause redness in the face.

Problem – Wrinkles

What to eat:

Fruits rich in color that have vitamin C like berries.  They promote anti-aging, skin-firming collagen and antioxidants and antioxidants.

What to avoid:

Eating too much sugar will eventually lead to saggy skin.  Intake of too much iron will contribute to wrinkles.

Problem – Brown Spots

What to eat:

Dark chocolate.  YEP, I said eat dark chocolate!  They are a powerful source of antioxidants that fight sun damage.

What to avoid:

Put down that 2nd cocktail.  Alcohol, especially beer, as well as processed foods, weaken your immune system, making skin more sensitive to sunlight.

Problem – Acne-Prone

What to eat:

Red and orange veggies are rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts to oil-reducing vitamin A.

What to avoid:

Seaweed stimulate oil glands, salt and shrimp.  They tend to cause irritation to the pores.  Pure chocolate is safe but stay away from the sugary desserts.

Problem – Rosacea/Redness

What to eat:

Eat calming foods like fish, cucumber and licorice.  Turmeric seasoning is high in curumin, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

What to avoid:

Hot foods or spicy foods.  Too much alcohol and caffeine will make the blood vessels swell and skin can appear redder.

XOXO Besos,

Anna Castillo

Beauty Editor – Owner of www.inkcosmetics.com

Keeping with this sheer champagne celebration of style was: Lisbeth Salander, star of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I was excited to see her so fresh and beautiful!  Her make-up choice was very Audrey Hepburn; a perfect match with her milky white complexion.

Make-up Tips:

Eyes: Keep your brows full, fill in any sparse areas with a brow pencil.  Sweep on a matte cream shadow and skip the black liner but add a cream liner to the inner rim to help the eyes appear whiter and more pronounced.  Apply black mascara to your top lashes and curl them with a lash curler.  Leave the falsies at home.

Lips: For a crisp perfect red lip, line your lips with a red pencil and fill them in.  Then blot, line again, and add a matching lip color.  This will help keep the color on all night.  For make-up color options check out INK…Cosmetics shop online.

Her some other fabulously dressed women of the night:

Glen Close in a charcoal black two piece gown.

The Help character Skeeter played by the lovely Emma Stone created a little fashion police debate on whether or not she should have chosen her rust orange/red dress for Oscar night.  Well, I LOVED it!  I thought the look was was bold, sweet and glamorous.  I do think she could have gone with a bit more color on her lip or go for a longer cat eye liner and a flesh toned lip gloss.  Either way she looked adorable.

One of my favorites was Jennifer Lopez who exuded class in this Zuhair Murad dress and Ferragamo clutch.  Her make-up choice?  Clean chic!

Make-up Tips:

Face: Start with a clean face and contour by adding darker foundation on the forehead, under cheek bones and the bridge of your nose.  Add a lighter foundation on the sides of your nose and above your cheek bones.  Blend well with a foundation brush.

Eyes: Apply a shadow primer to your lids.  Use a wide brush and add a matte cream color all over.  Use a fluffy shadow brush and sweep on a dark brown matte shadow on your crease.  Line your inner bottom water line with a cream colored liner.  Take a small smudge brush with the same brown shadow under the bottom lash line extending it outward past the eyes.  Apply strip lashes with dark lash glue and top with black mascara.

Blush: Using an angled blusher brush, smile and add a matte bronze/peach blush on the apple of your cheeks.

Lips: Try  a nude plum colored lipgloss to finish the look!

Get dressed and impress! XOXO Enjoy the 2012 Oscars!

XOXO Besos,

ANNA CASTILLO

Celebrity Make-up Artist – www.inkcosmetics.com