Monday Morning Face Lift

Hello Friends -

Egg whites are not only great for your diet, but you can use them on your skin for a radiant glow and instant face lift. Beat two egg whites until frothy. Rub onto your skin in small circular motions avoiding immediate eye area. You will actually feel your skin tighten as the egg dries. Once completely dry (it doesn't take long) rinse with warm water. Apply moisturizer as usual.

Today is a bit overcast with threat of rain. It's the perfect day to stay inside and put the finishing touches on our book, niki leigh in the kitchen, a compilation of our most favorite skin care recipes along with girlygirl tips, inspirational messages, and super cool tidbits of information. Did you know the avocado pit was the very first pumice stone? My friend, Kelly, is the photographer/artist. We met in Mrs. Simpson's 5th grade classroom in upstate New York. She still remembers the shirt I was wearing; a big Oreo on the front that said, "No Crumbs, Please." Kelly lives in Georgia now and still has some of our "earlier pieces," poetry and short stories I wrote that came alive with her vibrant illustrations. Thirty-six years later we're partnering on a book. Mrs. Simpson would be so proud. Make the best of today!

T.G.I.M.

- The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Lazy Sunday

Hello Friends -

Yesterday got away from me so I never tried out eBay or Craigslist. I'm hoping to give it a try this week. So more on that later.

In the meantime, today is sunny here in Charleston so I think we'll lounge around and enjoy the day.

-The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Charleston Magazine

Hello Friends -

We are anxiously awaiting our recipe and write up in Charleston Magazine. Stay tuned. We'll announce it to you as soon as we hear it from them. It's a recipe with all the ingredients in the pic at the top of this page...oatmeal, creamy milk, dry milk powder and cinnamon. The perfect treat for autumn skin care.

What's up this weekend? I'm going to learn how to sell stuff on eBay or maybe Craigslist. Kids' clothes and barely worn shoes, furniture, books, Gameboys, iPods, and tons of jackets and coats the kids wore once or twice. This is going to be very very interesting! Will send updates.

Happy Weekend -

-The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Hydrating Facial Mist

Hello Friends -

Today I am thankful for all the executives of Delta Airlines for responding to my letter in which I explained their lack of customer service which resulted in a thirty-two hour trip from New York to South Carolina. Not only did they send a very apologetic and specific letter (not form, mind you), but they gave us $1,200 in travel vouchers. Our hats are off to Delta Airlines!

Do you have any travel plans in the near future? If you do then you need to make this fabulous facial mist to carry on the plane with you. Remember to use a 2oz. container or smaller. Fill it about 3/4 full of seltzer water or club soda. Add an uplifting scent like bergamot or tangarine essential oil. If you are prone to motion sickness try ginger. It's supposed to help with that.

When the dry air on the plane starts to suffocate you simple spritz your facial mist around you and breath in the calming oil.

Happy Travels!

- The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Quick & Easy Sugar Scrub

Hello Friends -

I'm starting my birthday with well wishes from Facebook friends and it makes me smile. I am on the brink of a fabulous day.

I'd like to start by reporting on yesterday's Parisian Facial Peel. Turns out it's not french at all, but simply the brand of peel. So there ya go. It was very cool though. Half pressure wash/half vacuum cleaner. My skin felt amazingly smooth and I believe I glowed radiantly the rest of the day. Thank you, Brandy!

Today's recipe comes from the glowing complexion idea. It's a simple sugar scrub you can make in about 20 seconds and use twice a week for younger looking skin. Start with 1/2 cup of sugar, add enough grapeseed, macadamia nut oil or olive oil to make it look like oatmeal. If you want a scented scrub you can add something yummy that makes you happy like rosemary or grapefruit essential oil. Just a couple drops. Stir it up and rub it on your skin then rinse with warm water. Enjoy.

- The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Lemon Cuticle Oil

Hello Friends-

Today I'm getting a FREE Parisian Facial Peel in honor of my birthday tomorrow. I'm not sure how a Parisian Facial differs from an American Facial, but I'm going to savor every minute and report back to you tomorrow. Plus I'll leave a really generous tip since the service is FREE. It's a win-win-win.

I'll be pampering my face this morning so I thought it fitting to share an amazing nail recipe with you. This is a product we get requests for all the time - from the television reporter in Columbia to the tennis players at The Family Circle Cup. It's an oil you dab onto your cuticles. Absolutely divine. Grab a glass bottle and fill it 3/4 full with whatever oil you have in the house. Grapeseed, sweet almond, macadamia nut, olive oil are best. Next add some vitamin E oil and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Lemon works really well with this one. Shake it up and apply with a cotton ball. You will be amazed how great your nails look.

P.S. - Did you know that your cuticles are very important? They keep bacteria out of your nail beds. So don't cut them or push them back too far.

Happy Nails to you -

The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Rosemary Aromatherapy

Hello Friends -

Bad dreams last night. Crazy working dreams where I'm sweeping but can't find the right broom and no one appreciates me and I'm frustrated. So that calls for some aromatherapy today.

I'm going to create a happy place at my desk using cotton balls, essential oil, and a zip top bag. Rosemary essential oil is very calming and peaceful. It's one of my go-to oils when I'm feeling overwhelmed. It restores your zen and helps you find your balance. Place about 3 cotton balls under running water to saturate them and then drop a couple drops of the rosemary essential oil onto them. We do this because it is never safe to apply essential oils directly to your skin. They are medicinal and potentially dangerous. Place the wet cotton balls into your zip top bag, leave it on your desk and waft it under your nose all day long. You'll feel relaxed, calm, and ready to tackle the world.

Oh - if you've never bought essential oils it's easy. Go to Whole Foods or Earth Fare in the natural beauty section. They have samples there that you can smell to decide which scent is best for you. Some of our favorite combos are rosemary/peppermint, lemon/sage, and orange/grapefruit. They cost anywhere from $3 - $50.

Happy Tuesday -

-The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Coffee Scrub

Hello Friends -

Hope the fizzy bath bombs were a hit yesterday. We made vanilla and peppermint bombs and used half last night. See what I mean? We've got no patience at all. But that's the beauty of the bomb - you don't have to wait for it to dry.

OK, since it's Monday and we're all back to work and the kids here in Charleston are back in school let's keep it simple.

How about a lusciously invigorating coffee scrub to get us up and at 'em. Mix 1/4 cup of your used coffee grounds (yes - used) with 1/8 cup sugar and a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Stir well and apply while in the shower or bath. Rub in circular motions over thighs, heels, and anywhere else that's dry. Not only is this scrub great for super dry skin, but there is some research - not that we believe it yet - that says coffee reduces the appearance of cellulite. Personally, we believe it's the rubbing in circular motions that does that and if you rubbed say, cat food on your thighs you'd get the same results, but whatever the reason this scrub is going to leave you with a youthful glow while the coffee scent will wake you up. So it's a win - win. And that's a great way to start the week.

-The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Fizzy Bath Bombs

Hello Friends -

It's hot and humid here today in Charleston so we're going to stay inside and make some fizzy bath bombs with the kids. Have you seen these in the stores, those chalky dry yummy smelling bombs that fizz when you put them in water? Use our recipe and you'll save money, have fun, and man-oh-man will your house smell de-lish. Here we go.

Ingredients: • 2 Tbls. Citric Acid • 2 Tbls. Baking Soda • 1/4 cup Corn Starch • 3-4 drops Vanilla Extract (or another fave like peppermint, almond, or orange) • 3 Tbls. Canola Oil

What do to: Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl until it's the consistency of molding clay. Roll between your hands to form a ball. Place on a piece of wax paper for up to 72 hours to dry. But you can use them right away if you're like us.

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz...

- The Girlygirls at niki leigh

Welcome to our blog

Hello friends -

We're starting a blog today to share our luscious body product recipes with you.

Most every recipe we post will contain ingredients you already have in the house so no need to search out obscure ingredients. We're going to make skin care inexpensive and fun! So gather the girls, roll up your sleeves and check back in tomorrow for skin care recipe #1. Hint: You'll need baking soda, corn starch and powdered citric acid. Don't have the citric acid? You can find it at EarthFare or Whole Foods. That's where we get it.

-The Girlygirls at niki leigh