EcoChics Earthwear Co-Founder, Jessica Clay, is an Inspiration

EcoChics Earthwear Co-Founder, Jessica Clay, is competing this weekend in the prestigious Arnold Pro Bikini competition. A former gymnast, she holds the distinction of being one of the few women in the world to have competed in both the fitness and figure divisions of the Arnold Sports Festival.

Jessica trains several hours a day, seven days a week, and follows a careful diet to optimize her level of health and fitness. Jessica is a real inspiration to everyone at for taking care of herself and her commitment to helping the environment.

You can read more about Jessica in the Columbus Ohio Dispatch: http://bit.ly/dSQLSZ and order EcoChics Earthwear eco-friendly fashion at www.2ecochics.com.

The Best Lighting for Applying Makeup

Many women have wondered, “What is the best light for applying my makeup?” This question was just answered by world-renowned makeup artist, Pat McGrath, in Allure magazine - it's natural daylight. Natural light shows everything and is unforgiving, without being harsh and unflattering. It’s a true reveal of how your makeup looks to everyone around you. The worst lighting for makeup application is fluorescent, which is found in most offices and department stores. It gives the skin a greenish cast which makes it look unhealthy, almost sickly. Fluorescent lighting can wash out the skin and emphasize under-eye shadows and dark circles. Women tend to over-apply their concealer, foundation, and blush when putting it on under fluorescent lights. They may also be heavy when applying their lip-color or choose a shade which is too dark or too bright, trying to correct the tone fluorescents are throwing onto their face. Unfortunately, this is the lighting at many cosmetic counters and is a reason woman buy makeup, thinking that it looks good in the store, but then hating it once they get home.

Incandescent bulbs in most household lamps, throw a warm yellow light. This is much more flattering; however, it doesn’t reveal the imperfections which make-up can cover. A common mistake when putting on makeup in this light is poor blending because it’s not as easy to see where an area was missed. It’s also a struggle to put on makeup if there isn’t an overhead light-source. We need light thrown onto our face, not the sides of it from a lamp somewhere else in the room. If staying in a hotel anywhere without good lighting, take a compact from your purse and check your application by a window. It’s a quick way to see how it "really" looks before leaving the room. Halogen light is most similar to daylight’s tone and is a great option for people without a window or natural light source in the area where they apply their makeup. Many makeup mirrors come with an option for halogen light and it can be put installed in a bathroom. Once great makeup has been applied, the most flattering lighting for someone else to look at you is by candlelight. It’s romantic, softens those little lines and imperfections, and makes us all look and feel beautiful.

6 Varieties of Green Tea: Add Them to your Diet for Countless Health Benefits

All green tea comes from the Camellia sinenis plant; however, teas come in many different flavors and aromas depending on where and how the individual leaves are grown. Throughout Asia, green tea is a common part of the daily diet. It is both enjoyed as a beverage and incorporated into various food preparations. Global medical studies have shown signficant health benefits of green tea. It reduces belly fat, lowers the risk of tooth decay, repairs DNA damage from UVB rays which decreases the risks of melanoma, and prevents stroke and lung cancer. Regular consumption of green tea can lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease, while new research from the Hong Kong Eye Hospital suggests it may even protect against glaucoma. The beauty industry is also aware of the power of green tea and made it a key ingredient in many anti-aging formulations. Green teas is believed to slow the aging of cells and have rejuvenating properties when ingested or applied topically to the skin.

Below are descriptions of the six main green tea varieties. Enjoy them as a brew or consider these easy ideas for adding them to delicious and nutritious meals:

1. Matcha: A strong and grassy flavor. When the leaves are ground into a fine powder for tea, it delivers more antioxidants than other teas because you are consuming the actual leaves. Matcha green tea powder can be added to a smoothie or sprinkled over ice-cream as a nutrition-packed topping.

2. Dragon Well: A toasty flavor, with soft chestnut notes. Dragon Well tea is among the most popular teas in China. In cooking, the leaves are usually chopped and added to other spices. It works well as a rub on chicken or steak.

3. Sencha: A mild and lightly sweet flavor. These leaves are steamed in Japan and rolled into a needle form. It is one of the most popular drinking teas in Japan. Dried sencha leaves can be added to dough batter for green-tea infused cakes, cookies, and muffins for a dessert with nutrition as well as taste.

4. Gunpowder: A hearty flavor with a sweet finish. This tea is pan-fired and then tightly rolled into small pellet shapes. A cup of gunpowder tea is a good alternative to a traditional broth-base for vegetable soups.

4. Kukicha: A light, woodsy flavor. Commonly called “twig tea”, kukicha comes from thinly cut stalks of sencha and gyokuro leaves. It works wonderfully a seafood marinade and compliments sweet fishes, like halibut or scallops.

5. Hojicha: A toasted, nutty flavor. This tea is made from leaves which are roasted until they’re a dark brown color and picked at the end of the season. It contains lower levels of caffeine than other green teas. A cup of fully steeped hojicha tea can be poured over brown rice or roasted squash and finished with a sprinkle of chestnuts.

Early Egyptian Beauty

Long before there was a cosmetics counter, women were concerned about their appearance. Evidence of beauty products has been found in Egyptian tombs as far back as 4,000 BC and detailed cosmetic rituals are recorded in ancient Mesopotamian, Hebrew, Hittite, Greek and Roman literature. The Ebers Papyrus, a document which dates back to approximately 1500 B.C., even describes an anti-aging treatment made of honey, baking powder, salt and powdered alabaster. Some of the most beauty-conscious of our female ancestors were the women of ancient Egypt.

Egyptian women are known for their mysterious beauty. While this can be naturally attributed to their raven locks and sun-kissed skin, they also knew the power of personal grooming and pioneered early cosmetics and skincare. Since they lived in a sweltering desert, Egyptian women relied heavily on oils and fats to moisturize and keep their skin soft and supple. Duane W. Roller, Author of Cleopatra: A Biography (Oxford University Press) reported on the great Queen’s use of castor oil, palm oil, and various animal fats to protect and hydrate her skin. In fact, oils such as olive, coconut and sweet almond are still used for skin and hair-care by many cultures today. Paintings, drawings, and sculptures of Egyptian women always show their distinctive eyeliner. To achieve the exotic effect, they used a mixture of kohl powder from ground minerals. It not only emphasized their eyes but offered the added protection of deflecting the rays of the sun. Roller also tells us that Egyptian women added flush to their cheeks with a red powder made from ground iron-oxide minerals like hematite and ochre, which was an early form of blush.

Queen Cleopatra reportedly indulged in mild sour milk baths to reduce wrinkles and rejuvenate her skin. The lactic acid in milk is an alpha hydroxyl acid which is commonly added to many of today’s anti-aging cleansers, toners, masks, and moisturizers. To keep them looking younger, Egyptian women also colored their hair. Grays were covered with a temporary black dye made from the blood of a calf or bull. Egyptians also considered thick eyebrows to be a sign of beauty and experimented with brow fillers. Some women having naturally thin browns shaved their off and painted on thicker false ones, while others made their brows look fuller using a combination of honey and crocodile dung.

Green Tea for Great Skin

About Green Tea
Green tea is a powerful antioxidant which has been used for many years in alternative medicines and natural remedies. Its medicinal properties are attributed to its polyphenols, which are believed to help prevent many health maladies, such as cancer, skin aging, cardiovascular disease, and weight-control. Green tea extract also boasts anti-inflammatory properties and provides free-radical protection. Studies have shown that green tea helps the body both when ingested internally and applied topically to the skin through creams, serums, and other treatments.

Skin Cancer Protection
Green tea helps ameliorate sun damage by blocking free radicals which guards against carcinogenesis and DNA damage. It also brings down any inflammation of the skin, rather than simply blocking ultra-violet rays alone. In this way, green tea enhances sun protection synergistically when used in combination with a sunscreen. The flavanols, polyphenols, and EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) in green tea naturally help heal damaged cells and soothes the skin. When applying green tea extract to the skin prior to a sunscreen, look for a product to layer over it which contains zinc oxide so it is non-reactive to the green tea. If skin is already sunburned, a cool green tea compress freshly brewed from the leaves, is both soothing and healing.

Anti-aging
Compared to vitamins A and C, the EGCG in green tea has up to 100 times more antioxidant potency and can be found in many health and wellness regimens. It can be ingested by drinking the traditional tea, adding a concentrated serum to other beverages, or taken through supplement capsules. When enough of the polyphenols in the tea reach the bloodstream, it’s believed the effects will be noticeable in the skin. However it must be drank often and in large quantities. A better way than just drinking the tea, is to apply it directly to the skin’s surface. Green tea is included in many of today’s anti-aging skin formulations because it slows the aging of cells, firms and tones, and calms and restores balance to stressed skin. Green tea is also found in body-care moisturizers, shower gels, facial toners, and treatment masks. Some wellness spas are even using green tea during facials to steam the face, which opens the pores and conveys the tea’s many benefits directly and deeply into the skin. However, when buying a commercial green tea product, it’s important to know that like many antioxidants, the polyphenols in green tea are oxidized and lose their activity when exposed to air. So it is not clear how much of their benefits are retained. The best way to ensure effective results is to brew the tea and make your own skincare preparations. Frozen fresh-brewed green tea can be stored as ice cubes, slightly thawed, and then used as a toner. Cloths soaked in chilled green tea are a wonderful remedy for inflammed skin, while warm compresses of fresh-brewed tea will open the pores and impart a healthy, natural radiance.

Rosacea and Acne Treatment
Some studies show green tea extract cream is an effective homeopathic treatment for the common skin-condition, rosacea. A study was presented at the annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting which showed women treated with green tea extract cream experienced a 70% improvement in rosacea, as opposed to women given a placebo. It was especially effective in reducing the redness and inflammation associated with the condition. Many rosacea patients are seeing their skin signifantly improve once adding green tea as a supplement to their prescription creams, gels, or oral antibiotics. Green tea may even help treat acne naturally, without the drying and irritating side-effects of benzoyl peroxide. Anyone with these skin conditions should discuss the benefits of using green tea with their dermatologist.

Dark Chocolate for Your Skin - not just Dessert.

It may taste delicious but dark chocolate is more than just a decadent treat. It boasts some truly amazing skin benefits. Chocolate comes from the cacao fruit bean and has been used in alternative medicine treatment for thousands of years. The cacao beans are full of flavanol antioxidants which provide powerful protection against free radicals and environmental skin damage. Free radicals can contribute to common signs of aging such as wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and even skin cancer.

The antioxidants in dark chocolate help the body fight free radical damage and may prevent fine lines, age-spots, and wrinkles. Recent studies have shown that it also offers some UV protection. It was reported in Allure magazine that people who drank a dark chocolate preparation daily for 12 weeks experienced, “25% fewer incidents of skin redness due to UV exposure and improved hydration and skin texture.”

As with all things, not all chocolate is created equal. Milk and dairy in chocolate candy may inhibit the body’s ability to absorb antioxidants. To get the most beneficial effects from eating chocolate, you have to consume at least three ounces daily which contains a minimum of 50% cacao. The higher percentage of cacao within the chocolate, the better it is for you and your skin. Ghirardelli offers 72% cacao dark chocolate in its dark Twilight Delight and even 86% cacao dark chocolate in its intense Midnight Reverie selection. A few ounces of dark chocolate each day will keep your taste buds happy and your skin more youthful and beautiful. It's a delicious addition to any skin care routine.

Five Suprising Facts About Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet almond oil has been used for centuries as a skin and hair conditioner. Its use was documented by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians who considered it an essential part of their beauty rituals. It was also used in early medicinal preparations and contributes too many of today’s tastiest desserts. Sweet almond oil comes from the plant which blooms beautiful white flowers and produces sweet almonds. Their kernel contains this essential oil which offers these five surprising health and beauty benefits.

1. Aromatherapy
Among the most popular carrier oils used for Aromatherapy, sweet almond oil is a favorite for massage. It is very light and mixes well with heavier scented oils such as lavender, jasmine, and sandalwood. Sweet almond oil is easily absorbed into the skin and is an effective emollient which leaves skin soft and glowing. In India it is widely used for baby massage because it has almost no scent and is believed to have a calming effect.

2. Alternative Medicine
Sweet almond oil was used in early medicine to treat dry, itchy skin because it has properties which boost immunity and are anti-inflammatory. Alternative medicine practitioners continue to use it topically for psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, sunburn and to relieve strained muscles. Up until the 20th century, a spoonful of sweet almond oil was ingested to help physical maladies relating to the bladder and kidneys. It is still considered soothing to the digestive system and may even help reduce cholesterol.

3. Anti-Aging
Sweet almond oil is full of mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is rich in skin-friendly vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, D, and E and contains the essential minerals magnesium and calcium. Many women consider it as an essential part of a natural, anti-aging skincare regimen because it nourishes their complexion and gives it a healthy radiance. Sweet almond oil has been shown to lighten under-eye circles, while hydrating and softening lines around the eyes. It can also elevate signs of environment stress on the skin and diminish the appearance of wrinkles emphasized by surface dryness.

4. Skin Moisturizer
Sweet almond oil mimics the natural human sebum and is deeply absorbed into the skin. Its’ clear, pure moisture leaves skin soft and restores youthful tone and suppleness. Sweet almond oil is well-tolerated by all skin types, including sensitive skin. After shaving, it prevents a man’s face from becoming irritated and beautifully conditions a woman’s legs. During warmer months, women especially enjoy rubbing sweet almond oil on their shoulders and legs where it leaves a light and pretty sheen.

5. Hair and Scalp Conditioner
A few drops of sweet almond oil massaged gently into the head will help moisturize dry scalp, soothe irritation, and restore balance. When rubbed into dry, stressed hair it adds luster and natural conditioning. Sweet almond oil smoothes the hair cuticle and gives tresses a soft and polished appearance. Its use has been a timeless global hair care secret of many Mediterranean women.