Blackhead Mask

I was up for trying another blackhead remover.  Mine just don't seem to go away.

Website

http://petitelefant.com/how-to-pore-strips/

Directions

1. Measure 1 Tablespoon of unflavored gelatin into a disposable container {if you put say, green jell-o on your face, there might be trouble}
2. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of milk into the gelatin
3. Until it looks like this
4. Mix it up, and be quick about it, until you get a chunky consistency.  Add more milk if you’re uncomfortable with the amount of chunk.

Microwave the gelatin for about 10-15 seconds.  It will get creamier in the microwave.  Stir that around and start applying it IMMEDIATELY to your face.  This stuff hardens up fast so you’ve got to act fast.

Picture

My Thoughts
1. Well I didn't read the part that says you should microwave it.  I would suggest doing that.  The milk made the mask freezing. 
2. It does clump up very quickly and I barely had enough time to spread it on my face.
3. It smells like rotten milk - no, my milk was not rotten.
4. It does not peel off the way that she shows in the picture.
5. My face was soft afterwards.
6. My blackheads still existed.

My Pictures

With Mask - notice the clumps

Afterwards - it's hard to notice the blackheads, but they
are still there.  My skin is a little red from trying to
scrape off the mask.


I don't think I would waste my time doing this again
because I really hated the smell.

Homemade Body Scrubs

I haven't been buying body scrubs for the past couple of years because I feel like they are such a rip off.  I love the way it makes my skin feel, but 20 bucks is a bit out of hand.  Ever since I lived at home as a teenager, someone was always stealing it from me and when I would go to use it, it would be gone.  How could I resist a homemade recipe? So how could I resist 24 recipes?

Warning: These recipes are sold for $3.99 (not from me)

Website

http://inbetweenlaundry.blogspot.com/search?q=scrub

My Thoughts

I've tried several, and it's worth the money to spend on the recipes.  They aren't just sugar and oil and scent.  They are full on mixtures but still keeping it at a cheap price.  The recipe makes a ton, so I cut it in half to make smaller portions.  I want to try all of the recipes and how can I do that if I keep the same one around for a long time.

One Thing I Changed

I like to use Grapeseed Oil because it's a lighter oil.  They have a large quantity of it at Target for about the same price as the cheap olive oil.  It's more expensive everywhere else and for half the quantity.

My Picture of Caramel Apple

(yes I keep them in tupperware)

 These will make great Christmas Gifts!  I will have to buy nicer containers though!

Homemade Lip Gloss

I've been on a big kick lately with everything being fresh.  Now it's time to make homemade bath products instead of spending all of that money for it at the store.  I know that lip gloss isn't expensive, but no how many times I misplace it and have to buy another, it will be worth it.

Website

http://blog.justlove.ly/2012/01/14-days-of-love-lip-balm.html

Directions

First up.. because the Kool-Aid is what supplies the color to your lip balm I would suggest you purchase a flavor that comes out red.  I mixed cherry and tropical punch together.  I have also done this recipe with Crystal light which tastes much better, but sometimes the crystals don't dissolve as well as the Kool-Aid ones do so it can be tricky.

Gather your supplies and in a microwave safe bowl (I ended up using a mixing cup) put a glob <--- that's a proper measurement right.. ok about a cup into the bowl and heat on high for about a minute. Stir. Do again. This is the repetitive part, I usually browse pinterest on my phone while standing next to the microwave.. or sometimes I eat raw cookie dough from the fridge.. whatever works for you!  Keep repeating this step and make sure to stir, stir and stir some more in between each heating. If you plan on making a lot of these I would suggest doing it in batches as it will be easier to melt down.  **please do in small increments to assure that you do not blow your microwave, also if you have access to double boiler that works great too!

 

Take your bowl of liquid greasiness =) and let cool for just a few seconds, stir in the kool-aid a little at a time and make sure it starts to dissolve (keep stiring!)  The more you add the darker it gets so this is up to you and what you want your lip gloss to look like, I used two whole packets for this pretty color.

Now if you use Crystal Light the flavor is so much better, since the Kool-Aid is bitter I simply pour in a couple packets of stevia just for a little sweet on my lips.  Oh and it's zero calorie in case you ingest the stuff!

 

My Thoughts

It's a very simple process, don't let the directions fool you.  She is just wordy with the directions.

 

I love this.  Vaseline is great for your lips.

 

The only problem is that it tastes so good, I'm scared I'm eating too much of it.  Ha Ha!

 

This will be a recipe that I will keep!

 

Another Blackhead Remedy

I thought this would work because it uses baking soda and so did the first mask that I tried.

Website (it's in Russian and hard to find anything)

http://vk.com/pin_beauty

What the original pin states

Beauty Club Getting rid of Blackheads with fine salt and soda. Take gel facial wash, mix with tablespoon of baking soda and tablespoon of salt. Apply to damp skin with cotton pad, leave for 5 mins.

Problems

1. It burned.  Salt in an open wound burns!!  We all know this but I thought since it was just a scrub and not a complete open wound it would only burn slightly.  I was wrong.

2. There was no change in my skin

Looks like I'm sticking to the orange juice and baking soda mask!

Blackhead Remover

I have mentioned before that I hate blackheads and I'm always looking for ways to get rid of them.

I really was curious about this one.

Website

http://stylebees.com/get-rid-of-black-heads-in-5-minutes/2213

Directions

You just need to grab half lemon from your fridge (doesn’t matter if some juice is already squeezed from it) and put 3-4 drops of honey on it. Now just rub the lemon on your face for some time, make sure you emphasize on the black heads prone areas like nose, chin etc.  Leave the lemon and honey mixture on your face for 5 minutes and then wash it with cold water. You will be able to see the results immediately. Additionally, lemon juice will also fade other marks/spots on the face and honey will moisturize. So what are you waiting for friends , go and try this one out.

Problems

This was very messy!!!!!  The honey was dripping everywhere!  I'm still sticky!  And worst of all, I still have the same amount of blackheads!

DON'T BOTHER WITH THIS ONE!

BEFORE

AFTER

Yummy Brown Sugar Body Scrub

So I've done a face scrub and a leg scrub to use while shaving, but what about the rest of the body?  I've been loving the soft skin and I want to have it all over.

Website

http://www.glamour.com/beauty/2008/11/13-diy-at-home-spa-tricks#slide=5

Directions

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup raw oatmeal
• 1 cup olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together and then apply on dry skin, using your hands. You want to perform slow circles—this treatment is to be enjoyed and not rushed.

I figured that was way too much, so I cut it down.  I used 1/4 for everything.  I figured I would try only a sample or so to see if I like it before I go wasting all of these great cooking ingredients.  1/4 was more than enough for 1 use.

This was a great scrub!  My skin is silky!  I will said that it makes you feel like an apple pie while you are scrubbing.  The scent is delicious which seems strange in the shower.  I love yummy scented scrubs and lotions, but that's a chemically made smell.  This smell is authentic.  Also, make sure you really wash all of the oatmeal off.  I kept finding pieces of it after I thought I got it all off.

I suggest using this weekly and feel luxurious!

Tell me what you think!

Getting Rid of Sunburn

Since I was at the beach this summer, I was ready to try this.  It's not like I tried to sunburn, but I just knew it would happen.

First I had to find black tea while on vacation.  Of course that means going to the grocery store.  Basically you put 3 bags of black tea in hot water and let it cool down enough to put the tea on your burn.

Website

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-single-most-effective-way-to-get-rid-of-a-sunb/?ALLSTEPS

Results

This didn't work for me.  Applying lotion with aloe is what worked.  I was hopeful for this one because I hate that it takes days to recover.  Well it seems as if that's just how it has to be.  There doesn't seem to be a shortcut.

I didn't want to take a picture of my burnt back so I'm using the picture posted on the website.

Summer Towel with Pillow

We are leaving for the beach soon so I really wanted to make this.  I mean its perfect, a pillow inside a towel that can roll up and have pockets on the outside.  Heaven!

Website Directions:

http://verydarkhorse.blogspot.com/2011/09/summer-series-project-2.html

This project was a mess.  I understand that I haven't been sewing long, but come on.  I was already questioning it when it said to stick velcro to a towel.  I thought it might rip some of the towel if you continuously did that, but I really wanted one.

So here's all of my problems:

1. As soon as I cut the towel to make the straps, the towel started leaving those fuzzy things everywhere.

2. I made the straps as instructed but they were so hard to turn inside out because they were skinny.  I probably could have cut them bigger, but I was trying to follow the directions.  So because of this problem, one of the strips actually ripped apart when I was pulling it through.  So I was going to have one strap and I still thought I could improvise.

3. Sewing the 2 towels together is tough because it's so thick.

4. I was going to use a pillow instead of fluff because there isn't any at my fabric store.  My pillow has trouble fitting.  See how the sides are the same all the way down the towels?  Well mine wouldn't sew like that because the pillow took up too much space.

My Pictures (I don't have a picture of the ripped handle because I got so mad that I threw it out)

If you find one on the market, I suggest paying for it.  It's not worth the frustration.  I think I'll just take a pillow to the beach and lay on the blanket that I already own.

Soft and Silky Legs

There's a homemade scrub that is supposed to leave your legs very soft and silky.

Directions 

Scrub:
-2 1/2 Cups of Sugar (Yes, just normal sugar)
-1 Cup of oil (I used Olive Oil and of course, I smell a little like Olive Oil. You can also use Canola, Vegetable, Avocado, Coconut or any fragranced body oil you have).
-5 Tablespoons of a citrus juice. Preferably fresh squeezed. (I used Key Lime)

Bath Time:
-Draw you a warm/hot bath.
-Soak for about five minutes.
-Shave one leg.
-Take a palm full of your homemade sugar scrub and scrub that leg and then rinse off.
-Shave your leg again. Yes, again.
-Take a palm full of sugar scrub and scrub your leg again.
-Repeat on your other leg.
-After your bath, dry off and then lotion your legs. 

These directions come straight from the website at http://glutenfreenavywife.blogspot.com/2012/01/softest-silkiest-legs.html

Outcome

This is an amazing scrub and very cheap.  It's all ingredients that I already have in my kitchen.  I used lemon juice in a bottle instead of fresh squeezed because that's all I had.  I do agree with saving again.  There is a ton of gunk that comes off of your legs.  There was actually so much that I couldn't clean out my razor and threw it away.  This is definitely a keeper and I keep it in stock in my bathroom.  I also cut the amount in half because I didn't know if I would like it and I didn't want a huge amount of it sitting around.  I had a lot of oil left over so I added more sugar to it and lemon juice.  This was great since oil is the most expensive ingredient.  So go on and make this and feel like you stepped out of a spa!

Baking Soda and Orange Juice Mask

This mask claims to get rid of blackheads.  I was skeptical.

Here's the directions (from the website)

1. Mix 1 tbsp real orange juice with 1 tbsp baking soda (I like to use a shot glass – ha!). Add more baking soda as needed to thicken mask.
2. Spread a thin layer on face. There should be enough for two applications, or one if you put it on your neck and décolletage, too, which I do.
3. Leave on for 20 minutes
4. Dampen finger tips and scrub mask in circular motions for extra exfoliate
5. Rinse

Here's the website

http://www.beautybets.com/2010/06/diy-baking-soda-face-mask/

This is a great mask if you have oily skin like I do.  It drys out your skin.  I do feel like I used a Biore strip when I use this mask.  Don't do it too often or your skin will get too sensitive and burn.  I know from experience.  I guess I get too anxious when those stupid blackheads come back.  Have fun with it!