So while you’re waiting to find out if you won the Fall Cozy Fair Trade Giveaway (you entered, right? there’s still 24 hours left to enter!), I thought I’d offer you a reprieve of DIY spa luxury: A skin toning mask of fresh pressed pomegranate juice and raw honey, an ode to my favorite tree, my favorite fruit.
Pomegranates—even with their mythical lore of Persephone set aside—are astoundingly magical. Their taste is as enlivening as their bejeweled encasements. They are truly orbs of sweet wonder, waiting to be cracked open and devoured.
Bonus: Pomegranate juice is exceedingly high in Vitamin C, making it a potent antioxidant and skin revitalizer. As it works to slough off dead skin cells, it makes way for your skin to receive new moisture. And since the juice is made by blending whole seeds, the resulting pomegranate nectar is filled with traces of the seeds’ oils. These oils promote skin regeneration, even as the polyphenols in the fruit prevent oxidative damage. Pomegranates also contain high levels of ellagic acid, which reduces the breakdown of collagen. Translation: Skin full of all the vibrance of a thousand pomegranate jewels.
Paired with raw honey, this is a true elixir for radiance. Honey is a natural antibacterial and cleansing agent, used for centuries as a preservative (hello, mummies in Egypt!). It’s also my daily facial cleanser, and has helped dozens of friends end their battles with skin irritations, red bumps, and bothersome breakouts. (Sidebar: I’m no dermatologist, and would never imagine I could prescribe a course of treatment for you!)
This mask takes only as long to make as it takes you to deseed half a pomegranate and blend it up. You’ll need some kind of straining device (even a sifter or handheld strainer will work, if you don’t have a nut milk bag). The rest is as easy (and beautiful) as pie. One word of caution: Pomegranate juice stains. It may stain beautifully, but it does stain.
POMEGRANATE HONEY TONING MASK.
Ingredients
- ½ small pomegranate deseeded
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
Instructions
- Blend pomegranate arils (seedin blender until juicy and fully pulverized. Pour mixture through a strainer or nut milk bag into a bowl, and set resulting pomegranate juice aside (again, careful here, as the juice will stain). Discard remaining pomegranate seeds and pulp.
- In another small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon raw honey with 2 teaspoons strained pomegranate juice. Blend to combine. Apply half of mixture to face and neck, spreading evenly. You will look quite pink, but have no fear that the pink hue is entirely temporary. I promise.
- This will keep for up to a week in the fridge.
