Posts tagged skincare
Tepezcohuite
14 years ago
Last week I wrote about Ojon, a company that offers products made from the oil of the Ojon tree, only found in the Honduras rain forest. As I wrote that blog entry, I kept thinking about my own ancient beauty secret, which you won’t find in Sephora in pretty packaging; at least not yet.
I am referring to Tepezcohuite, a pomade made from the bark of a tree found in southern Mexico (Oaxaca and coast of Chiapas) all the way to Brazil. The Mayans used roasted Tepezcohuite bark to treat lesions of the skin for over a thousand years. Powdered tepezcohuite bark contains large amounts (16%) of tannins, which act as an astringent, making the skin stop bleeding. This helps protect the body from infection, while the skin builds new protective tissue. It also contains three kinds of steroid, which have an anti-inflammatory effect.
There have been several instances were Tepezcohuite has been used to treat thousands of burn victims on the aftermaths of disasters in Mexico, such as a very large gas explosion and the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. Extensive research has been performed in labs in Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. It is now used in commercial hair and skin products for rejuvenating skin.
Tepezcohuite is sold in the form of a pomade and can be found in any pharmacy in Mexico. It’s been a staple on my medicine cabinet since the night I fell down on a sidewalk near the beach and scrapped my knee very badly with sand and concrete. The following day, after I took the neccesary steps to lessen my hangover, I treated the lesion with the pomade.
Several times a day I applied Tepezcohuite over my huge scab and did so for several weeks until the scab just peeled off and my new skin was revealed, not a trace of a scar on my knee. Since then I’ve used it every time I burn myself cooking. If you use this pomade, I recommend you apply it several times a day and don’t get discouraged when you notice the scab getting darker, it is working. It will not give you immediate results, depending on your injury it might take two weeks or more; just be consistent and you will end up with new skin and no scars.
As I mentioned before, this product is sold in any pharmacy in Mexico. I recommend the brand Arbol de Vida, although other brands are available as well. Online you can purchase it from Herbs of Mexico and it can be your ancient beauty secret as well.
Do you use non-conventional beauty treatments? We would love to hear about them and maybe feature them in this blog.
Going Natural.
14 years ago
I used to be a self-proclaimed make-up hound. I would wake up as early as 5 am on school days in order to make sure that my face was perfect. Granted, this was necessary in high school because I had a terrible acne problem (one part due to hormones, the other part due to cheap chemicals in drug store make up that I clogged my pores with) and would rather die than be caught dead with a pimple showing. But it wasn’t just foundation and cover-up I even sported fake eyelashes to chemistry class. To me, beauty and sex appeal was all in the full face makeup. Looking back, wearing all of this for more than 7 hours a day was not only uncomfortable but also completely ridiculous; I didn’t need make up to make me beautiful.
I still wear makeup but I have swapped out my M.A.C studio fix foundation in N15 for Urban Decay tinted moisturizer in Halo. It’s much lighter and lets some of my nature imperfections show, which I now appreciate. It also doesn’t cling as badly to my dry spots when the day starts to wear away at my make-up. Natural makeup just seems to suit who I have become. I think that there is a common misconception in women (and especially teenage girls, I know… I was recently one) who consider themselves stylish that a full face of make up is high fashion or sexy. Let me clarify full face. It’s smokey eye, foundation, blush, bronzer, and lipstick. Every inch of the face is covered. Yes, it can be perfect on the right occasion, but it shouldn’t be an everyday look.
And you know what a lot of make up can do to a girl? … age her. Since I have decided to not wear as much makeup as I used to (some days I don’t wear any at all and I still feel confident!) I have been told that I look “innocent” and “sweet”. I will gladly take these adjectives because I have a feeling that for the rest of my life I will be trying to regain that youthful look that I “covered up” for most of my young life.
PRIMER* talk – Perfecting with Primer
14 years ago
The power of primer should never be loss on any makeup wearer. In fact, you always want to prep & prime the skin to ensure that the makeup stays and that even the micro pore doesn’t magnify in photos. Oily skinned gals experience creasing, sliding — and makeup tends to make a disappearing act but not if you are smart and you prime your face & eyes. This is the makeup artist secret, its also the first step in perfecting skin to read flawless. Some great ones to try are:
NARS Makeup Primer, $33
And after you’ve primed and added that quick glamor to meet your hot date, mist yourself with Skindinavia’s No More Shine Makeup Finish ($39) to preserve the look!
Julianne Moore, Jeff Koons, Pharrell Williams & Malia Jones x Kiehl’s
14 years ago
In honor of Earth Day on 4/20, Kiehl’s collaborated with actress Julianne Moore, artist Jeff Koons, producer/musician Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D. and pro-surfer Malia Jones to raise funds for the Rainforest Alliance. This partnership allows, Julianne, Jeff, Pharrell and Malia will showcase their vision of social responsibility. They each have designed their own limited edition product labels and packaging for Kiehl’s Acai Damage-Protecting Toning Mist. This product is an antioxidant-rich refreshing spritzer that is certified 100% organic, and protects skin from environmental damage with acai berry, soothing aloe vera juice, lavender and essential oils of rosemary and orange fruit water.
The limited edition products are currently available at www.kiehls.com and will be available starting April 1st at the stores.
Style Bust’s earlier post on KAWS and RxArt x Kiehl’s.