I’m proud to say that I work for a company that instills eco-consciousness into its everyday practice. Here at Sonya Dakar, we’ve been taking strong initiatives towards the production of eco-friendly products, services, and procedures. We have implemented many new company-wide methods to be more “green,” from using biodegradable shipping materials, to reformulating our products replaced with more eco-friendly ingredients (our face washes were the first – now paraben free!).

I thought it would be appropriate to give you a few tips on how you can be “greener” in your approach to beauty.

• Look for beauty products whose bottles are 100% recyclable, and actually do it!
• Avoid products that come in unnecessary excessive packaging – like boxes, wraps, and tissue! Why waste all that paper when all you need is the product itself?
• Avoid using cotton pads and tissue to remove make-up when possible. Use a wash cloth instead and eliminate the trash!
• Don’t throw out old wash clothes -- they make the perfect rags for cleaning!
• Avoid waste by applying creams and foundations by putting product directly from the bottle to your finger tips to your face. Squeezing it out of the tube onto your hands first will inevitably produce products you won’t be using.

• The next time you visit your beauty supply store to stock up, bring your own bag with you – it can be the produce bag you use for grocery shopping!

  To save some water, try using a dry shampoo now and again!

• This one might sound like an obvious one, but don’t leave the tap running when brushing your teeth or washing your face!

Let me know if you have some tips of your own you’d like to share!

Fawn,
xxxx

Like most of you, I LOVE PEDI’s! However, I can’t always spare the time to sit and get it done at a professional salon. So I have had to learn how to make do with an at home version that I think comes close (or close enough).

I came up with a little 10 minute AWESOME pedi that I like to do at night or on the weekends. While it can never take the place of a good 60 minute professional Pedi, it’s a pretty great 10 minute alternative when you are short on time.

I’ve listed the steps below to share with you. You can do this in the shower (ideal), or just sitting on a big bath towel on the floor.

Let me know what you think!

Step 1 - CLEANSE: Wash feet with a body wash. I like to use Body by Sonya Dakar Daily Wash because the salicylic acid helps smooth my feet.

Step 2- SCRUB: Massage a scrub into feet. Try an oil-based scrub with equal parts salt or sugar and oil. This is great because it ex foliates as it hydrates.

Step 3- PUMICE (a key step): While scrub is still on you feet, take a pumice stone and scrub/buff entire bottom of foot. this is not the time to get lazy girls, good scrubbing is key to baby soft feet, so work it! Pay special attention to dry areas like heels. You may add extra scrub in the middle of the process for a super buff. This is especially important because I feel that when I get a regular pedicure, it’s all about the polish because my feet are not smooth. Plus in the chop-shop salons I get squeamish when they use those gross used scrubbers… I mean how can that be sanitary?

Step 4- Rinse feet and pat dry.

Step 5- CUT: Trim toe nails- and discard ASAP! For some reason nail-cutting makes me gag, and I must throw them out immediately!

Step 6- CUTICLES: No need to trim cuticles but you can push them back with a simple wet q-tip (do this gently). You may apply moisturizer on each nail bed before pushing back the cuticles, but be sure to wipe off all lotion afterwards with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol.

Step 7- BUFF: use a nail buffer to go over the surface of your toe nails to give them even, smooth texture. You can also quickly file your nails for a super pro look.

Step 8- POLISH: On dry toes, apply base coat, two coats of color (opt for light shades if you tend to get messy in your application like I do). Follow with a top coat. Finish off with a little dab of oil over semi-dried toes.

Kick back and flip through the pages of Us Weekly while you wait for them to dry.

Voila- you are done! Now put on a pair of sandals and strut your stuff!

XO
Mimi | Bio

image source: neon nail polish, pumice, red carpet feet.

How many of you ever had the chance to go "behind the scenes" of a TV or movie filming? It is way less glamorous than the finished product, but at the same time it’s way more fun to witness the "making of!" Yesterday, we had the opportunity to film 2 segments for the Daily 10 on the E! channel. They are summer spa pieces that will air some time in the next couple of weeks… and I will def update you as soon as I hear back on dates.

But in the meantime, I thought it would be fun to share some of the "behind the scenes" moments and pics with you.

We filmed a Body by Sonya Dakar treatment, and as well as a summer brightening facial. It took us a good portion of the afternoon to do the shoot, and we all (Sonya especially) had lots of fun! Sonya joked about how she was channeling Kim Vo because he is always so upbeat and full of smiles when he appears on the Daily 10. She would envision him between the takes in order to keep up the same type of enthusiasm and energy!

There were a lot of bloopers, retakes, and laughs. But all in all it was a fun day and I can’t wait to see the segments when they air. Special thanks to the E! camera and sound crew, as well as our awesome producer Ferrell who made sure the piece would look and sound flawless.

XO
Mimi | Bio

Temperatures are rising everywhere! So if you are like me and have plans to hit the beach or the pool this weekend, here are some tips on how to get your body looking its best while you show it off in your bathing suit!

FOR LEGS AND THIGHS: This might sound out there, but if you use a rolling pin and press coffee grinds in the shower it will help reduce the appearance of cellulite! It will even out your skin and help with bloating. Enhance legs by applying body oil (like Sonya Dakar Nourishing Body Oil) over damp skin out of the shower (do not towel dry) to seal in moisture. For added hydration and sheen, seal in the oil with a rich hydrator (Sonya Dakar Omega Hydrator).

FOR BUTT: Exfoliate and scrub to smooth out the bottom… like Sonya Dakar Mineral Polish or Triple Action Vita-Foliant! And, for even more butt-astic results, take SD’s advice from the current issue of US Weekly (page 89) and “make sure to apply SPF since underexposed skin is extra-sensitive!”

FOR BIKINI AREA: Get rid of any bumps on skin caused by shaving by exfoliating with a dead sea salt solution (like Sonya Dakar Mineral Polish) and/or a salicylic acid (Sonya Dakar Vita-Foliant) because this will unclog the hair follicle that is causing the bumps and smooth out surface. You can also apply Drying Potion or some sort of acne medication directly onto the bumps to even out skin as well.

If you have more time to plan your bathing suit debut, here are a few long(er)-term tips to looking great in your bikini:

YOUR DIET: A week before, eat gluten-free food items to avoid bloating. Avoid dairy products as it too will cause bloating and don’t have carbonated drinks as it causes cellulite!

ENDERMOLOGIE is a good treatment to have a week before slipping into a bathing suit. It will shape and contour the body, giving it a more slimming appearance.

GO FOR THE PRO: Treat the skin by going to get a professional body treatment – like the Sonya Dakar Total Fitness Peel & Thermal Body Wrap. It will rejuvenate and detox your body and polish your skin to a healthy glow. It’s essentially a facial for your face!

AT-HOME SOLUTION: If you don’t have the time to get a professional treatment, take at-home steps towards getting skin glowing and beautiful. Avoid taking hot baths or showers because it will only dry out your skin. Use a detergent-free wash to cleanse the surface of your skin and exfoliate! Leave skin slightly moist when stepping out of the shower and lather on a rich oil to seal it in, followed by a rich hydrator to lock in all moisture. Do this every day leading up to the big bikini day and skin will be feel nourished and glowing.

And lastly, my cardinal rule to looking great (in or out of a bathing suit) is that beauty starts from the inside. If you follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and drink plenty of fluids, not smoke, etc you will see a big difference in your body!

I wish you lots of fun in the sun this summer and remember to ALWAYS wear your sunscreen!

XO
Mimi | Bio

image source: bikini girl - flickr.com

What: Best Italian meal you will probably EVER eat.

Where: Osteria La Buca
Hollywood, CA | 323.462.1900

Why: Hand-made pastas, gnocchi and sauces made to order… need I say more!

When: Anytime the mood for good food strikes you… completely worth the carbs.

What to order: All the salads are delicious and the gnocchi are like PILLOWS … soft, feather pillows!! The sauces are fantastic, both spicy arbiatta (tomato), vodka, cream and pink. There is even a sauce that has chunks of smoke mozzarella. My mouth is majorly watering for the gnocchi as I write this. I am so grateful the waiter was kind enough to box up the last 4 pieces for me to take home, yep it was that good.

Ambiance: Sweet, romantic, casual… just don’t make the mistake of wearing your super tight skinny jeans like I did last night, or else you might have to undo your top button L

A word of advice: Don’t even think about substituting or creating your own entrée! The chef a.k.a. MAMMA from Northern Italy will not be happy. And no one wants to upset MAMMA!

BUON APPETITO!

XO
Mimi | Bio

PS- make sure and make reservation, this little Italian haven gets booked.

Source: gnochi - http://www.ritzbites.com, jeans - http://levi.imageg.net