Woman’s Passions

Now the whole world returns to a natural way of life. And it’s not surprising, that all leading cosmetic manufacturers certainly include vegetable extracts and oils in their creams’ compositions. Leading experts on thalassotherapy keep on inventing new programs, using various plants and minerals. Other thing is surprising: if one looks closely, he’ll see that at the heart of this beauty industry of many millions lie nothing but good old recipes, secrets of hereditary herbals and folk doctors

Now the whole world returns to a natural way of life. And it’s not surprising, that all leading cosmetic manufacturers certainly include vegetable extracts and oils in their creams’ compositions. Leading experts on thalassotherapy keep on inventing new programs, using various plants and minerals. Other thing is surprising: if one looks closely, he’ll see that at the heart of this beauty industry of many millions lie nothing but good old recipes, secrets of hereditary herbals and folk doctors. Moreover, a modern attitude towards one’s beauty care (SPA-philosophy as a complex approach to inner and outward human condition, a theory of biorhythms and physiological types) - all this is based right on ancient rituals and traditional concepts about human body.
We pay a special attention to our way of life and inner senses. And receipts remain the same, we use the same plants, which have been keeping beauty of women for many thousands of years. Fruit extracts, flower essential oils, concentrated medicinal roots, crushed spices - the entire culinary-cosmetic alchemy came to us from ancient days. And now it’s quite time to use it in our purposes - with its help we can recreate almost all the procedures of a SPA-salon at home. And if other people suspect us in our addiction to magic or attempts to learn a super-exotic cuisine, we’ll answer them bravely that taking care of one’s appearance includes both these factors, however, this is an art, above all. So, arm yourself with a mixer and cook your own elixir of everlasting youth!

Eggs: add them in face, body and hair masks. Yolks nourish, whites pull and clear skin.

Oatmeal: clears and softens skin, a wonderful base for scrub and nourishing masks.

Salt: tones up, takes out excessive liquid and saturates skin with minerals. A bath with sea salt prepares skin for other procedures.

Turmeric: it’s traditionally considered to be a female spice. An excellent base for masks and scrubs. Has a healing effect.

Sugar: you can add it in body scrubs to polish and soften your skin.

Cucumber: has moistening, cooling and slightly astringent properties. Is used in masks and compresses.

Oil: a vegetable oil suits for massage and nourishing masks.

Crush an apple to receive an apple sauce, add honey and petals, then boil with water. Leave for 20 minutes. Add essential oil and apply on a cleaned face with a cotton tampon. Wash off in 10-15 minutes.
You can use this receipt for your steam bath. Pour this mixture with boiled water, cover your head with a towel and breathe scented steam during 10-15 minutes. You can replace rose petals by some collection of dry medicinal herbs or a usual tea.

Baths and scubs
… will help to clean and refresh your skin, and scents of herbs and oils will raise your spirits.

Salt feet bath
(refreshes and deodorizes)
You’ll need:
- 200 g of sea salt
- dry chamomile
- sage
- mint leaves

Boil herbs with 2 glasses of water and leave for a while. Dissolve sea salt in warm water in a bath or a basin and add your decoction there. Dip your feet in it for 10 minutes. Then massage your feet with a sugar-olive scrub.

Sugar-olive hand scrub
(peels and nourishes)
You’ll need:
- 1 tea-spoon of sugar
- 1 tea-spoon of olive oil (you can also add grounds, salt or spices)

Mix all ingredients right in your palm. Massage your hands and other parts of callous skin with this scrub. If you replace sugar by large sea salt, then you’ll receive an excellent remedy for anti-cellulite massage. And some cinnamon, crushed cloves or mint will help you to improve circulation of blood and increase skin tone. Rinse your skin with water after massage.

Flower-herbal bath before going to bed
(calms down and softens)
You’ll need:
- a hand of dry lavender
- a hand of chamomile flowers
- 1 small pack of valerian root collection.

Mix all herbs, put them in a linen pack and tie. Put this pack under warm water stream and fill in your bath. You can also boil herbs, filter and add to your bath.

Balsams and wrappings
Massage a steamed out body with a scented balsam-scrub. Take contrast shower and do anti-cellulite wrapping.

Shower balsam from Java Island
(peels and smoothes)
You’ll need:
- 3/4 glass of sugar
- 2 tea-spoons of turmeric
- 1/3 glass of vegetable oil
- a pinch of vanilla and several drops of essential oils

Mix all ingredients to receive a spread. Take warm shower and massage your skin with spread. Take a shower, run your skin with a sponge, sodden in kefir, and rinse with water again. Don’t be frightened if turmeric gives yellow color to your skin - hot water will wash it clean. Don’t use this scrub if your skin is sensitive or damaged.

Fruit hair balsam
(renews and nourishes)
You’ll need:
- juice of 2 oranges
- pulp of ?? apple
- ?? banana
- 1 teaspoon of caraway-seeds

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Rub the mixture in clean wet hair. Leave for 20 minutes. Cover your hair with warm towel for better result. Then rinse with warm water carefully and wash your hair with shampoo.

Anti-cellulite wrapping
(strengthens and smoothes skin)
You’ll need:
- 1 small pack of dry kaolin (pharmaceutical one)
- 5 drops of lemon, orange or mandarin essential oil
- 2 table-spoons of cinnamon

Dissolve kaolin in water and stir up carefully. Add cinnamon and essential oil. Apply on problem areas, massage and cover with food film. Put on some warm cloth and wrap in a blanket for about 20-30 minutes, then rinse kaolin with water. This professional procedure takes excessive liquid out of your cells and reduces water retention and roughness immediately.

Face compresses and masks
Close your eyes and think about something beautiful. Let this refreshing mask become a reason to find although a minute for yourself!

Mask of oatmeal
(calms down sensitive skin)
You’ll need:
- 1 tea-spoon of oatmeal
- 1 tea-spoon of cream
- 2 tea-spoons of water
- some salt
Mix all ingredients and apply on your face for 10 minutes. Then massage it gently and rinse mask with warm water. This old receipt will help to smooth wrinkles and cal down all irritations.

Cucumber-honey compress
(softens dry skin)
You’ll need:
- 3 table-spoons of honey
- 10 drops of lemon juice
- 1 cooled cucumber
This eastern receipt will return freshness and radiance to your skin. Add lemon juice in honey, apply on your face and massage during 5 minutes. Don’t wash off. Then put slices of cucumber on your face and neck. Have a rest for 15 minutes.

A luxurious balsam of banana
(cleans and nourishes)
You’ll need:
- ?? banana
- 1 tea-spoon of fresh cream
- 1 tea-spoon of honey
Mash banana with a fork to receive puree. Warm up cream, mix with honey and pour in a banana puree. Apply this mask on your face and neck, leave for 15-20 minutes and then wash off with warm water.

Mask of almond-milk
(neutralizes greasy shine)
You’ll need:
- 5-6 shelled almonds
- 4 tea-spoons of oatmeal
- ?? cucumber
- 1-2 tea-spoons of dry loam
This is a great remedy for combined skin. First of all, cook almond-milk: pour nuts with ?? glass of cool boiled water, then crush in a blender. Crush a cucumber (unpeeled) to receive gruel, separately. Pour off juice in separate plate, and add gruel in almond-milk. Then pour oatmeal into loam. Apply this mixture on your face, massage slightly and leave for 15 minutes. You can use cucumber juice as a separate cooling and toning mask. You can soak a piece of cotton wool in this juice and do eye compress.