Tag: BEAUTY DIY

Sipping Pretty: Infused Water Recipes

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

Aside from coming across as beautiful, drinkable works of art, infused waters have a subtly sweet taste and a cleansing effect on your body that is equal parts refreshing and healthy. From time to time, I find myself making a large pitcher of lemon cucumber mint water and drinking it for a week. And after embarking on a recent “pinge” on Pinterest, I discovered a few other infused water recipes that I was eager to try. I gave them a go and were pleased to find that they tasted as lovely as they looked. Here are the four infused water recipes I created (and couldn’t get enough of)…

  • orange + lemon + lime
  • lemon + raspberry + mint
  • lemon + cucumber + mint
  • blackberry + cherry + lime

To make any of these recipes, all you have to do is slice the fruit you want to use and drop them into your water. You can start drinking it right away, but you might not notice the flavors until it infuses for a few hours (four hours achieves the most potent flavor). I like to let my waters sit overnight in the fridge, and if I’m using a recipe that calls for lemon I will squeeze half a lemon straight into the water for a little detox boost. As long as you keep your water refrigerated, the fruit should stay fresh. If you are filling your pitcher with water throughout the week, keep in mind that it will dilute the flavor each time you refill. I would recommend drinking your water within 3-5 days and making a new batch once you notice that fruit has started to soften or turn your water cloudy. Which infused water recipe will you try first? Leave your questions and comments below! And if you liked this post, be sure to take a peek at my detox diary for all the details about my first juice cleanse. xx

Rose Honey Brown Sugar Lip Scrub

Published on by Lee5 Comments

Hi loves!! If your lips tend to go through the motions with the seasons and have been dry lately then DIY Rose Honey Brown Sugar Lip Scrub is for you. Let’s get right to it …

Morning everyone! Erin here!! A little kitchen beauty sesh kinda makes the perfect Sunday morning activity! Just me?! I whipped up this yummy (yes, I tasted it just to check, or as my mom used to say, to make sure it wasn’t poison, lol) rose honey brown sugar lip scrub on a Sunday morning while watching Food Network and I had to share it with you!

Let’s break down the ingredients:

  • Brown sugar – acts as a gentle exfoliator because of its grainy texture
  • Honey – honey is a natural humectant so it’s actually adding moisture
  • Olive oil – adds moisture to bind the ingredients
  • Rose essential oil – because IMO, anything rose is a big YES

So why would you want to exfoliate your lips? A few obvious reasons – it gets rid of dry skin, and makes your lips softer. A reason not so obvious? It helps your nourishing lip products penetrate better! If you’re gonna spend on those, let’s makes sure they are the most effective they can be, right?!

Rose Honey Lip Scrub Recipe

  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup olive or coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 10 drops rose essential oil

I personally LOVE the smell of rose, but if you’re not so into it, customize this scrub with mint or lavender oil instead of rose, or maybe adding lemon zest would be your jam?

The most amazing thing about this scrub (besides the soft lips!) is that it can double as a body scrub if you whip up a double batch! I added some dried rose petals into the body scrub just because it’s pretty and a little more luxurious, then put it in a bigger tin for the shower. Incorporate the lip scrub into your nightly routine – leave it by the sink and use it before you put on your nighttime lip product and hop into bed… and by all means, friends don’t let friends have sandpaper lips, so pass on a jar to your bestie, okay?!

xo

3 Tips For Kissable Soft Lips This Winter

Published on by Lee1 Comment

We all want our lips to be as smooth and soft as possible. The problem is all the heating in our homes and offices makes the air really dry, which plays havoc with our delicately balanced skin, hair, and lips. So, to keep your lips protected – chapped lips can be seriously painful – we’ve got three tips to make sure your pout stays as gorgeous as ever, even when it’s cold as fuck outside!

Fix your surroundings

Do what you can to make the air around you as hydrating as possible. Invest in, or dig out your humidifier – it will add moisture to the air, which will benefit your skin, lips, and hair as well. The heated vapor produced by humidifiers also kills 90% if the bacteria and spores in the air, so you’re less likely to catch an annoying cold. Found a humidifier on Amazon for $16.99, which also diffuses essential oils – bonus!

Prevent chapping

Stop your lips from chapping in the first place and always keep a lip balm to hand. Look for lip balms with lanolin in, a highly moisturizing natural ingredient that comes from sheep’s fleeces (it can hold 200% it’s weight in water!). And always ensure that you apply lip balm before bed, so your lips don’t go without added moisture all night. Drinking water before bed can help too!

Lanolips has to be my all-time favorite lip balm for combatting chapped lips, it’s super protecting, and one layer lasts all day. Another lip balm I’ve been obsessed with for years is Carmex; not only does it contain lanolin, but also beeswax, shea butter, and Aloe Vera, which work together to heal chapped lips and prevent future drying. It also costs less than $2!

DIY lip mask

I love using natural ingredients to heal my skin, and honey is one of me and my mom favorite ingredients because of its moisturizing, hydrating, and repairing properties. It’s also antibacterial, which means it’ll help to prevent any infection that can occur when your lips get dry. You can apply pure honey as a mask to your lips for 15 minutes, before gently wiping it (or licking it) away. You can also make a lip oil by combining a teaspoon of honey with a teaspoon of sweet almond oil; stir the mix well and store it in a small plastic container or lip tin so you can use it throughout the day.

Lip Beauty Tip:

Another great alternative is the Coconut LIPS by ToGoSpa – The Kisser Fixer- 3 Lip Masks, $15.

Coconut Lips by ToGoSpa are Micro-Infused Collagen Gel Masks with Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamins C & E that work to moisturize, re-hydrate and soothe  lips, creating a more full and moisturized appearance.

Each silky application is infused with a combination of natural high-density marine collagen, enzymes, amino acids, natural marine minerals, trace elements, proteins and vitamins. With just one 20 minute application, you will see improved elasticity, texture and overall appearance of the lips. Activated by the body’s temperature, the nutrients stored in ToGoSpa® gel pads work together to decrease the appearance of fine lines around the mouth. 

They added Coconut Extract and Allantoin for a SUPER DUPER moisturizing experience, with the gentle aroma of Coconut, you will be transported on your very own Tropical Staycation! (No Parabens, No Dyes, Cruelty Free)

The ToGoSpa Lip Mask + Balm make for a great combo, $25!

Organic Splash for Lips: A ripe zesty citrus scent of Brazilian Orange and Italian Grapefruit soothes the senses, and calm the mind. Organic jojoba, evening primrose, sunflower, and coconut oils deeply hydrate and protect lips from moisture loss, and Rejuvenating Shea butter and Vitamin E moisturize and condition skin, helping to soothe dry, chapped lips.

Scented with a brilliant splash of Brazilian Orange & Italian Grapefruit to invigorate and refresh; fortified with a skin-conditioning blend of healing evening primrose and grape seed oils to protect your lips from the damaging effects of daily pollution and provide long lasting moisture protection.

Energizing, invigorating and oh so moisturizing.

Organic Love Balm for Lips: Fresh and tingly on the lips, our Organic Love balm is crafted with a scrumptious formula of certified organic virgin coconut oil and ultra-softening African Shea Butter to prepare your lips for their chosen role. When our ever vigilant product crafters extraordinaire came across a report indicating that the act of kissing worldwide was on the decline they immediately cried as one, this shall not be and sprang into action with the single goal of correcting this most egregious of situations.

Lip smackingly good-for-you this unique blend of organic oils moisturize lips from within rather than sealing them off like petroleum-based lip balms. Fortified with Lavender, Peppermint and Spearmint to soothe and refresh and a super skin-conditioning blend of evening primrose and grape seed oils to revitalize dry, parched and cracked skin. Hooray for happy, healthy kissable lips! No synthetic ingredients or flavors.

WILL YOU BE TRYING ANY OF THESE PRIMP TIPS? IF YOU HAVE MORE TIPS FOR KISSABLE LIPS, COMMENT DOWN BELOW!

Vitamin 101 | Green Tea Blemish Buster

Published on by Lee1 Comment

We all hate breakouts, but sometimes it seems we are fighting an uphill battle with these little red devils! If you are looking for a way to fight acne without harming your skin, this may be the solution for you. According to Dr. Jennifer Gan Wong, Green tea extract has been proven to be effective in its fight against acne without the harsh effects of the commonly used benzoyl peroxide. Green tea nourishes skin while it combats acne and keeps you clear. It also helps reduce inflammation and works as a detox for your skin! Talk about badass blemish buster!

Get a good quality green tea from your local health food store, traditional Chinese or Japanese store or online. You can use any type of green tea, such as Sencha, matcha or genmaicha and should aim to drink two to three cups per day. To prepare it, heat fresh water to just before boiling point, pour into the cup and steep for five to 15 minutes, depending on individual instructions. Do not add sugar to green tea as it will diminish health benefits.

Drinking green tea daily can also help prevent new acne breakouts, which are caused by bacteria, because, as Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. of Green Tea Library notes, the catechins in tea kill bad bacteria while maintaining good bacteria.

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According to Dr. Jennifer Gan-Wong of Memorial Medical Center, green tea also works as a topical application for skin problems, including acne scars, eczema, and psoriasis. Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, is another type of antioxidant found in green tea that is very beneficial in reducing acne and scars by both cleansings the skin of toxins and neutralizing the bacteria that causes acne. Green tea has astringent properties which help diminish redness and inflammation.

For a facial cleanser, use pure, unflavored green tea. Heat one quart filtered water to just before boiling, pour over one cup of green tea leaves and let steep for about 20 minutes. Allow the tea to cool and splash on your face, or use cotton balls to dab directly onto acne scars. Apply the green tea extract to the affected area three times daily. Really simple! Do not rinse. Store the tea in a sealed container in the fridge.