Banana Avocado Facial

I was all prepared to give you MORE jam recipes, since I jammed and made pie filling out of the 1/2 bushel of peaches I picked last weekend, but I didn't want to bore anyone, so I thought I'd mix it up a bit.

I've always struggled with my skin. In fact, I'm not sure I've had 100% clear skin on a single day since I was about 11 years old. As I've gotten older, I take more and more steps to try to mitigate any damage already done, and keep more from happening. I've tried over-the-counter washes, prescription topical treatments, mail-order programs like Proactiv, and none of it seems to do any good.

But I've finally gotten to a point where I can identify what the source of the problems are. I no longer eat peanuts, since they make me break out. I wear sunscreen anytime I'm going to be outside for more than 5 minutes. I moisturize religiously, both before I apply makeup (powdered, rather than liquid) and before I go to bed.

Every once in a while, I like to treat myself to a little something extra. It's always amazed me how smearing some kind of gray-green goop on my face can make me feel not just soothed and refreshed, but even more feminine and lovely (and I assure you, I don't look lovely walking around with a green face). I found a "volcanic mud mask" once that made my skin feel like satin, but was heavily perfumed, and showed no evidence of actually containing mud from a volcanic area. And I've never been able to find it again anyway.

After much searching through stores and coming up with bupkiss, I finally caved and decided to make my own face masks. And oh, I'm so glad I did! This mask leaves my skin feeling smooth as butter and twice as enervated! The avocado is full of those wonderful anti-oxidants that are so important to our skin. Bananas are also rife with anti-oxidants, as well as healing potassium (any time I got a foot cramp growing up, my dad told me to eat a banana!) and vitamins. The olive oil acts as a moisturizer, and the yogurt contributes calcium and protein to the mix.

**Normally, I would use my blender to mix this face mask to get a nice smooth blend, but I need to order a replacement part, so I used a mixer, hence the lumpier than usual images.

Banana Avocado Facial

1 ripe banana

1 ripe avocado

4 Tbsp plain full fat yogurt

1 tsp olive oil

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to

use. Apply to face and neck, and allow to set for 15-30 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

I hope you feel as decadent and luxurious as I do when I indulge in this!

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