Your Summer Food Essentials-PART 1

BLUEBERRIES:
Beautifying Compound: Anthocyanins
Beauty Benefit: Boosts Skin Elasticity

When it comes to blues, go easy on the eye shadow and fill up on the berries. On the surface, blueberries may not look powerful, but their deep blue skins contain a stable of anti-agers that keep you looking, thinking, and seeing yourself, at least 10 years younger! Specifically, anthocyanin pigments boost skin's elasticity and connective tissue (bye-bye sagging) and protect against UV damage, while catechins defend against wrinkles. Vitamins C and E top the list of the more common beauty nutrients in blueberries (they are even more powerful together, since C helps regenerate E in the body), and their healthy does of potassium boosts the circulation of nutrients and oxygen. They may even help reduce fat storage in your body, thanks to their ability to decrease insulin resistance. Eat them fresh or frozen, but not dried, for the biggest benefits. 


CANTALOUPE: 
Beautifying Compound: Vitamin A
Beauty Benefit: Protects Against UV Damage

Cantaloupe combines two major beauty vitamins, A and C: just 1 cup/170g has more of both A and C than you'll need in a full day! Vitamins A and C are powerhouse prevention against acne, wrinkles, sun damage, lackluster skin, and dry scalp. Cantaloupe also has plenty of potassium to keep your body hydrated and your beauty nutrients circulating, aided by vitamin B, which keeps sodium and potassium balanced in your body. Those B vitamins are also key for healthy, lustrous hair. cantaloupe is superoxide dismutase that supports mitochondrial health. For optimal digestion, eat your cantaloupe by itself, or at least thirty minutes before a meal.


CELERY: 
Beautifying Compound: Sodium
Beauty Benefit: Maintains Electrolyte Balance

It's healthy balance of sodium and potassium makes it a natural diuretic, with the power to cool, detox, and flush your body of excess fluid. Celery is just what you need when you're feeling a little too hot and heavy in the summer heat. And as you're cooled by celery, you're calmed, too, thanks to the phytochemical coumarin and its blood pressure-lowering properties. Celery's content of silicon supports skin elasticity and hydration, plus healthy hair growth. As you crunch away, remember that celery also defends against inflammation and wrinkles.


CUCUMBER: 
Beautifying Compound: Silicon
Beauty Benefit: Boosts Skin Elasticity And Moisture

When it's hot outside, cucumbers are like a cool breeze for your body and beauty. they're rich in silicon, a beauty mineral that's essential for healthy connective tissue and skin moisture and elasticity; and they're packed with water (95 percent!) for a hydration and detoxification boost. The potassium in cucumbers keeps beauty nutrients circulating, while magnesium keeps you calm (and together, research shows, these two chemicals may lower blood pressure). Cucumbers are anti-inflammatory, kidney-cleansing foods that prevent water retention and keep your body slim. They're a surprisingly good source of vitamin K, and super low in calories (an entire cucumber contains only 45). It's worth buying organic cucumbers so you can eat them with their skins, which are a good source of vitamin C and chlorophyll.


PAPAYA: 
Beautifying Compound: Lycopene
Beauty Benefit: Defends Against UV Damage

It's no surprise that this sunny orange fruit bursts full of age-fighting vitamin C; there's about one and a half times your recommended daily intake of vitamin C in 1 cup/225g of the tender flesh. Together with it's natural does of vitamin E, beta-carotene, and lycopene, papaya protects skin from signs of sun damage, like wrinkles and brown spots. Even more beautifying: papaya contains a digestive enzyme that reduces aging inflammation and promotes healthy digestion of proteins, as well as phytochemicals thought to protect from cancer. Papaya seeds are said to cleanse the intestines.


- Danie J

What To Look For In A Backpack

So with a little over a month before i head on my First big 'Back packing' Trip, i thought i'd write about one VERY important thing to do with Travelling and Backpacking.... YOUR BACKPACK. Picking the right backpack is an important part of any trip. Too big, and you’ll have too much extra weight. Too small, and you’ll never fit anything in. Pick the wrong material, and when it rains, your stuff will be soaked. There are so many options out there that it can be very confusing.

What to look for in a Backpack?

Water resistant material – While your pack does not need to be 100% waterproof, make sure your bag is made out of a semi-waterproof material so everything doesn't get wet in a drizzle. Many packs come with tarps/ waterproof covers you can put over them in case of some rain.

Multiple Compartments – A good bag must have multiple compartments. This way, you can break up your belongings into smaller sections so it’s easier to access and find the stuff you need. For example, my clothes are in the main compartment of my bag, my shoes in the bottom, toiletries in the front/separated small bag, and miscellaneous in the front/separated medium bag. It saves time from having to dig around your bag to find what you are looking for.

Padded Hip Belt, Shoulder Straps, & Back – Most of the weight you will be carrying around will be pushing down on your hips and shoulders, so you’ll want a padded belt to make supporting the weight more comfortable. The belt will help provide support and distribute the weight load more evenly on your back causing less strain and problems. Make sure the padding is very thick and made up of a single piece of material as it will be less likely to split and thin out. The hip belt should also be adjustable so you can tighten it for extra support. A lumbar-shaped pack makes carrying it more comfortable, as it allows for a more natural arch to ensure no back pain. Another bonus, this type of pack creates a small space between your back and the bag allowing air to move through which is a fantastic way too keep you cool after you've been lugging your bag around in 40+ degrees Celsius.

Does size matter – No one backpack size is better than another. What matters is that your backpack is the right size for what you need, and the right size for you. It should be proportioned to your body, so that might mean a backpack that is 40 liters or 80 liters. If your backpack is too big or too small, the weight won’t be balanced properly and will cause back pain or make you unsteady when carrying it. You don’t want a bag too big in comparison to yourself, it can leave you feel vulnerable and an easier target for someone to knock over/or take your things. But, you also don’t want a pack that is clearly too small and overflowing with all your stuff. When you are at the store (and any good camping/outdoors store will do this), they should be able to stuff your backpack with the equivalent of 30 pounds (15 kilograms) so you can see how that much weight feels on your back.


- Danie J

6 Hairstyles In 60 Seconds

*Alarm goes off* *7:00am* *Turns off* *Back to sleep* 

*Alarm goes off* *7:05am* *Turns off* *Back to sleep* 

*Alarm goes off* *7:10am* *Turns off* *Back to sleep* 

    ..........*Sleepily wakes up* *Looks at clock* *7:42am*

Oh No... I'm LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soooo, this has happened to all of us at one point or another, you keep hitting snooze, you don't even hear your alarm, you forgot to put on an alarm, or you are just that god damn tired! Being a girl, you CAN'T sleep in, especially, depending on the industry you work in...(for me, i am getting paid to look presentable) so every minute counts! Being a makeup artist, i have quick Makeup Application Down to a T... (but for those who don't, i will post another blog on how to do your makeup 'Perfectly Fast'). So for me... HAIR is the real issue!! So to help out all you other long haired beauties out there, i have 6 Hairstyles you can do within 60 seconds each, and still look like you have made an effort. No one will even know that you were asleep 15 minutes ago! (All you need is some Ribbon and a Hair Brush!)

BEFORE YOU START: Get one piece of Ribbon, about One meter in length and place by your bed, or bathroom mirror incase of this 'Running Late' Emergency!!



1. Part your hair, and brush it to one side. Take your ribbon and tie it around your hair to make a pony tail. Tie the ribbon into a bow, or just let it hang down.
(A hair tie may be used for extra support)

2. Brush and part your hair, and pull the ribbon from the back, underneath your hair and tie on top of your head. i then pull some of my fringe/bangs out for a more relaxed look.

3. Brush you hair back, then pull the ribbon from the back, underneath your hair and tie on top of your head. I then tied a small bow on top so the ribbon didn't dangle in my face.

4. *You will need one bobby pin for this style. Part and brush hair, then twist and pull fringe/bangs back on one side and pin. Tie ribbon into a bow and slide underneath the bobby pin.

5. *You will need two bobby pins for this style. Part and brush hair, then twist and pull fringe/bangs back on each side and pin. Then place the ribbon on top and over your head and slide tight under each pin, let then ends flow down.

6. Brush all hair back and up high, start twisting your hair and wrap it round itself into a bun. Hold in place with one hand, and get your ribbon and start to wrap in around the base of your bun. When finished tuck the end of the ribbon under.

(A hair tie may be used for extra support)

- Danie J

Build a Beautifying Tea Apothecary

Tea offers so much more then warmth and hydration. Steep the right teas and you’ll relax, be better equipped to fight off a cold, feel more energetic, and yes, defend against wrinkles! For the biggest beauty benefits, I always recommend tea over coffee. A few of my favourite teas for healthy vanity:

CHAMOMILE TEA Protects your skin from sun damage, thanks to its high concentration of the phytochemical quercetin, and promotes restful sleep and for us girls, cramp relief during our period.

DANDELION ROOT TEA is a gentle diuretic brew that supports liver function and digestion, both of which are essential for gorgeous skin.

GINGER TEA or an infusion of fresh grated ginger root, chases away colds, helps you digest heavy meals, and works beauty magic as a powerful anti-inflammatory for your body and skin.

GREEN TEA has the ability to block wrinkle formation and even reverse UV damage, thanks to its free radical- fighting catechins like EGCG. The catechins in green tea are even more powerful antioxidants than vitamins C and E, and they’ve demonstrated the amazing ability to restore and revive dying skin cells.

ROOIBOS or red tea is a brimming with antioxidants, including quercetin, the UVB-protectant pigment that’s anti-cancer, antiaging, and – bonus for allergy sufferers – a natural antihistamine. 

TULSI TEA helps the body handle stress and balance hormones with its soothing, energising powers. Some of my favourite tulsi blends combine the herb with ginger, jasmine, and rose.

WHITE TEA contains anti-inflammatory phytochemicals that prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin, which directly contributes to signs of aging. White tea offers antiaging effects even in small amounts, so you can feel beautiful about sipping just one cup!

- Danie J