We’ve all heard of essential oils and usually assume the only way to use them is to pour them into a bath or put them in a vaporizer. Well, it’s time to find out that these little babies are a bit more useful than you may think.

Image via life123.com

Below we’ve found some new uses for some of the most common EO’s that you may have in your pantry:

Lavender

• Great for relaxation and taming anxiety
• Rub onto your feet for an all over body relaxation or pour a few drops into a bath
• Pour some on your pillow to help you sleep
• Apply to bug bites to reduce swelling and itching.
• Rub on chapped lips and skin to moisturize.

Peppermint

• Put a few drops into tea or warm water to aid indigestion.
• Apply to the soles of the feet to reduce symptoms of fever.
• Inhale for an instant mood and energy boost.
• Rub on temples and forehead to relieve symptoms of headache.
• Place a drop on the tongue to stop bad breath.

Tea Tree

• Great anti-fungal, antibacterial and anti-viral.
• Add a few drops into your bottle of shampoo to cure dry scalp.
• Dab on pimples to treat acne and swelling.
• When you have a cold, add a few drops to a bath to relieve symptoms.
• Add a few drops to your laundry to make your clothes smell fresher.

Give some a try for yourself! Do you have any essential oil uses that some of us may have not tried? Let us know in a comment.

Hope everyone’s having a fabulous weekend!

With fans including Madonna and Britney Spears, this style of yoga has recently blown up around the world as the place to get your yoga on. It’s called Bikram yoga and trust us, it’s HOT.

What is it?

Bikram Yoga was developed from Hatha Yoga. It is a 26-posture sequence that repeats twice making a 90 minute routine. The catch? The practice takes place in a studio heated to 40 degrees Celcius.

Below are the poses that are performed:

Image via Palter.ca

Why try it?

Along with the usual benefits of Yoga, it is claimed that due to the heat and the sweat being produced, many toxins are released from the body. It also keeps all of your muscles warm allowing for less stress on your body (especially people with injuries) and easier flexibility and movement.

Some beginners tips for Bikram yoga:

• Trial it first. Most studios offer a trial period (either free or for a small non-contracted fee) which will allow you to get a feel fornot only the class, but the studio too. Make sure you feel comfortable and welcome there, otherwise you will not want to keep attending.
• Bring a buddy. Having a buddy to bring along to each session not only makes you feel more at ease in a new place (and doing awkward poses in front of strangers) but you can also motivate each other to keep attending classes.
• Wear breathable workout gear. Many hot yoga participants basically wear a glorified bra and underwear set due to the excessive sweating. You, however, can simply opt for something highly breathable so that you don’t feel like you’re wearing 5kgs of sweat-filled attire.
• Get a hot yoga toweling mat (if you’re looking to do this regularly). Due to the sweat, a regular yoga mat just won’t cut it as you’ll be slipping and sliding all over the place which can be highly distracting. You can also just bring a regular towel with you. At the class, you’ll slowly learn what works best for you.
• Bring a big bottle of water with you to rehydrate yourself after your session and also keep hydrated throughout the day BEFORE you session. DO NOT opt for energy drinks or sports drinks. Water is your best friend! And if you need some flavour, then reach for some organic coconut water.
• Learn your studios rules BEFORE you go to your session. Many Bikram studios have strict rules such as not allowing people to leave the room for the first 30 minutes, or not being allowed water until the 3rd pose. Have a friendly chat to the instructors so you know what to expect.

Alenka has become a recent fan. Here’s what she has to say about her experience:

“After recently hearing all of the amazing benefits of Bikram Yoga, I decided to start taking some classes for myself to see what all the fuss was about. I must admit that during the first session, I didn’t think I would be able to make it all the way through as I have never experienced so much sweating with any other activity before. It’s no wonder though as you are practicing in a room heated to 40-degrees!

Once it was all over, however, I felt so energized and amazing that I continued to attend 6 classes over 10 days. After each class you feel cleansed of any toxins, your skin feels soft and toned plus I feel like I look younger and have less wrinkles. It’s almost like a natural microdermabrasion!

Since my trial sessions, I have now persuaded my daughter to join me 4 times per week and we are both loving it. Not only do I feel more energized on a daily basis but I am more focused, especially in my business pursuits. I am also hoping to improve my knees through my yoga practice due to a pain that still remains from a bad car accident that I had 20 years ago and has always limited me in certain sports.”

Alenka attends Bikram Yoga Gold Coast. Click here for more information on them.

Give it a try for yourself. You’ll either love it or hate it but what have you got to lose except maybe a few toxins? And just remember, the first session may be uncomfortable but don’t give up just because that was hard. Push through that mental barrier and you may surprise yourself and be all that much more healthier for it!

Happy weekend all!

If you have been living under a rock this past week then you may have missed that Sunday was the evening of the biggest red carpet event of the year – The 84th Academy Awards!

This year brought some stunning looks with an obvious trend and focus on enhancing natural beauty, something we here at Alexami strongly approve of. So, we thought we would give you all a few of our favorite faces of the evening and how you can recreate their look!

Emma Stone

Firstly, we have cutie Emma Stone. This look is perfect for almost any occasion and will suit you gorgeous gals with cool and paler skin tones.

1. The Base – On a clean face, apply Alexami’s Mattifying Primer to prepare the face. Follow with Alexami’s Mineral Foundation Powder in Matte, in the color that suits your skin tone.

2. The Eyes – As a base, apply Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Pearl White with your finger all over your lid and up to your brow. Then using a blending brush, lightly dust Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Candy Pink over the lid and just above your crease. For the liner, dip a brush such as Alexami’s Vegan Angle Brush into a small bit of water. Dab of any excess moisture onto a tissue then using the slightly damp brush, dip into Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Matte Black. Line the very inner corner of your top lid and continue along the rest of your eye making sure to stay close to your lash line. Apply another line just above the one you made to thicken the line out slightly at the outer lid. Moisten your brush again if necessary then finish with a cat eye flick tapering to a fine point just beyond your outer corner (refer to image). Finish the eyes with Alexami’s Herbal Mineral Mascara in Black and lightly fill in your brows with the technique of your choice (either shadow or pencil).

3. The Lips - Exfoliate and moisturize the lips with lip balm. Follow with Alexami’s Mineral Vegan Lip Gloss in Raspberry. Then pucker and press your lips to a tissue to mattify the gloss slightly.

4. The Cheeks – Being careful to keep this very subtle, lightly apply a dusting of Alexami’s Perfect Puff Minerals Blush in Candy Pink to the apples of your cheeks.

Octavia Spencer

Next up is something for the darker, warmer toned beauties using Octavia Spencer as inspiration. Her look, as Emma’s is very versatile. It manages to be sultry but not too dramatic at the same time.

1. The Base – On a clean face, apply Alexami’s Mattifying Primer to prepare the face. For a more radiant finish, make your own liquid foundation (for tutorial, click here) with Alexami’s Mineral Foundation Powder in the color for your skin tone. Apply to face with a sponge by blotting it onto the skin. Contour the face with Alexami’s Mineral Bronzer in Medium/Dark, focusing on your cheekbones, temples and under the chin.

2. The Eyes – Using your finger, apply Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Camel all over the lid and up to the brow. Using a shader brush, press Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Cappuccino over the lid up to the crease. Put Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Black onto a small/medium blending brush and tap off excess to avoid any fall-out. Guide this into the outer crease of the eye and from the outer edge of the lid to the center. Blend well with a larger blending brush. For the liner, dip a brush such as Alexami’s Vegan Angle Brush into Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Matte Black and apply along the upper lash line. Finish the eyes with 2 coats of Alexami’s Herbal Mineral Mascara in Black and then lightly fill in your brows with the method of your choice.

3. The Lips – Exfoliate and apply lip balm to your lips then follow with Alexami’s Mineral Vegan Lip Gloss in Bronze. Blot the lips with a tissue to mattify the gloss slightly.

4. The Cheeks - Using a blush brush, apply Alexami’s Perfect Puff Minerals Blush in Coral pink along your cheek bone. Finish by highlighting your cheekbones with Alexami’s Mineral Illuminating Powder in Gold.

Jennifer Lopez

Despite the controversy over Jennifer’s small ‘wardrobe malfunction’, she still looked radiant and amazing as always. This look is so great for the evening and would suit neutral to warm skin tones.

1. The Base – Same as Octavia’s above.

2. The Eyes – Using your finger, apply Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Soft Peach all over the lid and up to the brow. With a small/medium shader brush, apply Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Aubergine to the outer crease and into the inner part just below the eyebrow, avoiding the very inner crease (reference image above). Blend out well with a blending brush. Using the shader brush again, apply more Aubergine below the eye, focusing more on the outer side. With a clean shader brush, apply more Soft Peach over the lid, avoiding overlapping your defined crease that you just created. For the liner, dip a brush such as Alexami’s Vegan Angle Brush into a small bit of water. Dab of any excess moisture onto a tissue then using the slightly damp brush, dip into Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Matte Black. Thickly line your top lash line to the outer edge. With the excess powder that remains on the brush, line the very outside of your lower lash line and pull it up into a flick (as seen in picture). Now, using Pearl White and the damp brush technique, apply another line just above the flick you created. This opens and lifts the eye. Finish by filling in your brows and applying 3 coats of Alexami’s Herbal Mineral Mascara in Black along with false lashes if so desired.

3. The Lips - Exfoliate and apply lip balm to your lips then follow with Alexami’s Mineral Vegan Lip Gloss in Clear. Blot the lips with a tissue to mattify the gloss slightly.

4. The Cheeks – Jennifer has very slight contouring which will be created with bronzer during the base application. To make the whole look pop though, apply Alexami’s Mineral Illuminating Powder in Gold to your cheekbones and the bridge of your nose.

We hope that you enjoy these looks and give them a try for yourself! Let us know how they turn out!