FALL in Love with Apples

Photo: North Carolina Department of Agriculture; Jill Wright Spa; thesungblog

Since around mid July I've been waiting for fall to arrive. The beautiful foliage, cute chunky knits and crisp air aside, I've been wanting to blog about this apple-themed pedicure party that I dreamed up during the summer months. Party inspiration can really come from anywhere, and after coming across the idea of a candy apple bar (which I'll share more about in the next post), I've been totally smitten with the idea of a fall apple party. So grab your chunky knit sweaters, roll up those jeans, and indulge in a cinnamon kissed pedicure party before your toes go into hibernation for the winter.

Start your pedicures off with a warm aromatic soak in a galvanized metal beverage tub, which adds a little country feel. You can use either The Cinnamon Apple Pedi Redi a brand which is used in many a professional nail salon, or create your own apple cider soak with the following instructions from the blog Pretty By Nature:

Roughly grate [an] apple and bind it together with a little honey. Wrap it in some cheesecloth with a cinnamon stick and a cup of oats. Tie it off and throw it in the bath

Follow the soak with an exfoliating scrub, you can whip up a simple scrub by combining brown sugar,  and pumpkin pie spice with a light oil like grapeseed until it is just wet. If you want somethinga bit more complex this scrub recipe from Donna Maria, combines the textures of tapioca pearls, oatmeal, and sea salt for more intense exfoliation than a brown sugar scrub would offer.

Rosemary's Apple Crisp Body Scrub

Ingredients
5 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons freshly juiced apple juice
4 tablespoons tapioca pearls
2 tablespoons whole rolled oats, lightly crushed
1 cup Epsom salts or coarse sea salt
1 drop rose essential oil
1 drop neroli essential oil
2 drops palmarosa essential oil
2 drops lemon peel essential oil

1. Warm whipping cream in microwave for about 15 seconds, then remove from microwave.

2. Add honey and apple juice, then stir to combine.
3. Add tapioca and oats, then stir.
4. Add salt and stir well.
5. Add essential oils and stir.
6. “Age” the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before using

After exfoliating, give feet an extra treat by using SoHo Too Cool  Apple & Oatmeal Detoxifying Foot Facial Mask, which will draw toxins from the skin while imparting vitamins and nutrients to promote cell renewal. The last step before hibernation ensues (other than polish if you like) is a rich moisturizer to fight seasonally dry skin that starts creeping in when we turn on our heaters. There are a host of enticing apple scented body butters available on Etsy, some that look good  are the Apples & Oak Whipped Body Butter , the Autumn's Harvest Body Butter with Apple Extract, and The Mulled Cider Velvet Butter Cream.

Did you know: An apple a day may keep the dermatologist away. In addition to the health benefits of eating apples, using apples, apple juice and apple cider in your skin care regimine can help brighten and tighten your complexion. Apples contain a host of vitamins plus  antioxidants, organic acids, tannin and pectin that serve to tone, tighten, moisturize and heal skin. Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples contain more collagen and elastin than most other apple varieties, while Braeburn apples help protect against UV rays.

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