Final Blog Post

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Farewell, my amazing readers!  This is the last blog post for Breakthrough Beauty.  It’s been a blast and I’ve enjoyed interacting with you all.  Each of you are incredible, talented, gifted, unique, special, beautiful, and necessary  – and you were BORN THAT WAY!!!!  \o/  It’s been my honor and privilege to share this piece of cyber-space with you, no matter how small or large our interaction may have been.

Beauty, Peace, Life, Love and Transformation to you! \o/

Cheers! xx

~^~  Katie ~^~

“Behold, the winter is past . . . ”  Song of Songs 2:11  <><

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© 2013 Katie Regan

5 Ways to Recycle Roses

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Go to my Facebook page and enter my MAC Giveaway here: http://tinyurl.com/bjpg9de

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Roses From My Love Muffin <3

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So you got some lovely roses for Valentine’s Day and now they’re fading.  Don’t toss them just yet!  There are so many ways you can still reap an aromatic harvest of benefits from these power-packed lovelies.  Let’s discuss five.  (You can use these methods for other flower varities, as well, not just roses.)

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Experiment with adding other plant products to your rose bath concoction — herbal teas tossed into your mix are wonderful and medicinal!

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1. ROSE BATH: Toss the petals into a steamy bath.  Fast, easy, beautiful and a GREAT way to relax after a long day.  For added luxury and skin-nourishment, pour in a cup or two of milk.  Hey, it worked for Cleopatra!

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2.  ROSE FACIAL MASK: Rose petals, honey, plain yogurt — that’s all you need for an amazing, skin-rejuvinating, DIY facial.  Use a food processor or grinder to grate the petals into small pieces.  (Alternately, you can rip them, cut or chop them until crushed.) Add roughly a tablespoon each of yogurt and honey until it reaches your desired consistency.  Apply to face and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Voilá!  Visibly cleaner, smoother, brighter skin.

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3. DIY DRIED ROSE KEEPSAKE: The first year that Love Muffin and I were married, I dried the petals of a bouquet of roses he’d given me, then placed them in an empty (washed and dried) bottle of wine that has special meaning to us.  They’re pretty to display and a sweet reminder of special memories.

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When you’re drying your own flower petals, let them sit on a paper towel for several days.  Choose any kind of pretty bottle that you would like to display.  You can even add dried leaves,  fruit rinds, or other plant products that you think of.

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4. ROSE WATER FACIAL MIST/TONER: It’s easier than you might think!  Instead of spending scads of hard-earned $mula$ on high-end facial sprays, make your own.  Make sure you use organic or home-grown flowers to ensure your product doesn’t have pesticides or other chemicals in it!

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Start off with a glass bowl full of your rose petals.  Pour enough boiling water (distilled or purified)  into the bowl to fully cover the petals.  Cover and let sit until it’s cooled off completely.  Strain the pink water into a pretty jar (if you’ll be applying with a cotton ball) or a misting bottle.  That’s it!  This doesn’t have a preservative, so use it up within a week.  Keeping it in the fridge will prolong it’s life and will also be a refreshing treat for your skin in hot weather.

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5. Rose Salad: Toss your petals into your next salad!  No, I’ve not gone mad…..not entirely, anyway. ;D  According to Livestrong.com, eating rose petals and other flower varieties is common place around the world in both cuisine and medicine!  Again, be sure your flowers are organic.  You’ll find that different colors and varieties have different flavors and sweetness levels, plus different types of vitamins, minerals and healing nutrients!

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Which idea do you like best?  What are YOU going to do with your leftover holiday flowers?!

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Cheers! xo

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~^~  Katie ~^~

“Behold, the winter is past . . . ”  Song of Songs 2:11  <><

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© 2013 Katie Regan

First Peek: Influenster, Beauty Bloggers VoxBox 2012

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I’m in the process of testing out some goodies from Influenster and wanted to give you guys a little peeky.

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The Goods

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Product Descriptions — Be sure to click on any photo you wish to enlarge!

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Here we have a White Barn brand mini-candle, from Bath & Body Works, in the scent “Nutmeg and Spice.”  I’m burning it right now — very warm, cozy and comforting.  Perfect for winter hibernating.

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Two Boots products — a cleansing balm and a night cream, both formulated for dry/very dry skin.  I’m looking forward to trying these honeys out!

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Above you’ll see a limited edition, NYC eye shadow palette which includes four powder shadows, one cream eye primer and one cream illuminator for inner eyes, brow bones and cheek bones.  The colors are a great winter mix — good for day and nighttime looks.  Can’t wait to see how these perform.

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Next, we have Not Your Mother’s brand hair product called Kinky Moves for curly/wavy hair.  I’m not mondo excited about this one, as I have uber-duber straight hair. =/  I’ll try it, though and who knows? Maybe it’ll work well as a gel smoother/frizz-fighter or something . . .

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Here we have EBoost, an energy/health drink.  Way back when, I got a sample of this in my Birchbox and I liked it.  I’m planning to down this bad boy this afternoon for a quick boost. =D

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Gotta say, I wasn’t thrilled about this one either.  Because of my straight, fine and thin hair, super cool and fancy hair junk almost NEVER works for moi.  I just don’t have enough volume and texture to hold hair dealies.  So, this morning, I casually twisted my (still wet) hair into a nonchalant bun and inserted the Goody brand Spin Pins.  Lo and behold . . . it held!  Not only did it hold, it held WELL and is STILL securely in place. O.O  Now, mind you, this is only the beginning of the day — we’ll see how things look tonight and under more dire testing circumstances, but I’m already pleasantly surprised.  Just goes to show you that sometimes the thing you think will NEVER work, may actually be worth a try! ;D

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Kiss, false eyelashes starter kit — I’m energetically excited about testing this one.  I’m hoping these will be extremely luscious and exremely NOT fakey. *crossing fingers*  =) Woo! =D

So, people what do you think?  Do any of these look intriguing to you?  I’ll report back and let you know which ones I luff. XD

Continued love and prayers for the many people, animals, land and all of creation affected by Hurricane Sandy.

xoxo,

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~^~^~  Elizabeth ~^~^~

“Behold, the winter is past . . . ”  Song of Songs 2:11  <><

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© 2012 Elizabeth Regan

Influenster, Summer Beauty VoxBox, 2012: Product Peek

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Good day, peeps!  I’ve been enjoying testing out some new products from Influenster’s Summer Beauty VoxBox and wanted to give you a peek.  If you’re interested in trying out new beauty and lifestyle products for free, in exchange for honest feedback, go to Influenster.com and check it out.  I’ve enjoyed taking part in this free program over the past several months and have found some great products that I wouldn’t have otherwise tried.

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*Remember to click photos for an enlarged view.

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The Back of the Welcome Card

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Sally Hansen, Nails & Cuticles, Hand Creme

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Sally Hansen, Magnetic Nail Color: #902 Polar Purple

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Quaker, Banana Nut Bread, Soft Baked Bars

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Hawaiian Tropic, Silk Hydration, Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen

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Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy, Shampoo and Conditioner

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Tampax, Always Radiant Collection, Including 1 Purse, 1 Pad, 3 Liners and 2 Tampons

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What do you think, lovelies?!

As always, I’ll bring you a full review at the end of the testing phase.  Smooches!

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~^~^~  Elizabeth ~^~^~

“Behold, the winter is past . . . ”  Song of Songs 2:11  <><

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© 2012 Elizabeth Regan

Happy Skin: 3 Glad Oils for a Glowing Body

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I admit it:  I get ridiculously happy about oil. XD  Oil is GOOD for you!  Oil is healthy, happy, medicinal and amazing!!!!!  But don’t settle for the counterfeit.  The  more pure, unrefined, cold-pressed and organic the better.

Of all the jillions of different wonderful oils available, today I’m going to focus on three amazing oils to get your mind pondering.

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• Olive Oil: Of all the oils in my bag of tricks, olive oil is probably my favorite.  It’s incredibly versatile.  It tastes great, is very medicinal and nourishing when consumed in your favorite dishes and can even be taken by the spoonful for general wellness.

Besides cooking with olive oil, it’s fantastic applied topically to the skin.  It’s my hands-down favorite cleanser:  simply splash the face with water; massage a quarter size drop of olive oil into the skin; use a warm, wet wash cloth to rinse and clean the face.  Perfect.  It removes makeup and even mascara easily and quickly.  Plus it leaves your skin feeling silky soft and hydrated.

Try adding olive oil to your bath water (this is one of my favorite things!!)  Double your pleasure by wearing an Olive Oil Honey Mask as you soak in a luxurious, steamy, soothing olive oil bath.  Put on some soothing music, light some candles, throw some rose petals in the bath water and you’ve got your own private spa.  Do it!!!

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• Rose Hip Seed Oil:  True story:  several years ago, an unfortunate series of epilator incidents left my darling, little legs a mess. They were covered with red marks, ingrown hairs and scars.  With summer fast approaching, I knew I needed help.  I asked the friendly and very knowledgeable ladies over at one of the Garden of Wisdom message boards if they could recommend something.  Someone suggested Rose Hip Seed Oil and it struck a chord with me.  I immediately purchased a bottle and after every shower I slathered the miracle oil onto my legs.  In less than three months, my legs were picture perfect again.  I was hoping for an improvement, but was frankly and happily shocked to discover that Rose Hip Seed Oil had not only healed my legs completely, but left them beautifully glowing. Double score.

Rose Hip Seed Oil is a light yellow green (depending on the source . . . it can also be a more amber color), is transparent and has a slight herbal aroma.  It’s not heavy and can easily be incorporated into your daily routine by adding a drop or two to your regular moisturizer.  Mix it in the palm of your hand and apply. Voila!

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• Argan Oil:  A few weeks ago, I got my hands on some of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil.  It’s new to me and I’m loving it.  Unlike olive oil and a lot of other heavier oils, Argan is relatively light-weight.  It soaks in quickly and neatly, making it ideal to use as a daily facial moisturizer.  It has no scent (that my  nosebuds can detect) and is clear and nearly colorless.  It’s lovely on cuticles, small scratches that need healing, under eyes before bed and because it’s so light-weight it’s fantastic on the ends of hair.  I’ve been applying a healthy dose to the very ends of my hair before bed and when I wake, my hair is soft, silky and much improved, but not at all greasy (unlike heavier oils that I’ve applied to hair in the past).

I have normal to dry skin and I love it, however I’ve read that Argan is especially ideal for those with oily, combination or acne-prone skin.  Not only is it healing, but it’s nourishing, as so many oils are.  It actually *feeds* your skin the good nutrients that it needs to thrive.

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So, what are you waiting for?  If you’ve not yet dipped your toes into the wild, waiting world of happy oils, go ahead and make your plans.  Oils will make you GLAD!!  Get some on ya!!!!

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What are your favorite oils to use?  Happy Weekend, beautiful people!!!

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~^~  Katie ~^~

“Behold, the winter is past . . . ”  Song of Songs 2:11  <><

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© 2012 Katie Elizabeth Regan