I Tried It: Edible Sugar Lip Scrub

A couple of weeks ago I posted this recipe for an edible sugar lip scrub. My lips have been feeling a bit dry lately, so I thought it was the perfect time to try it out. It was super easy and I had all of the ingredients already in my pantry. So that's a plus!


The Recipe:

• 1/2 teaspoon of brown or white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil
• a pinch of powdered cinnamon

Then the directions say to rub all over lips for 2-3 minutes. Wash off. And then put on some chapstick. It was all so easy. This recipe wasn't hard like the other DIY recipes I have tried in the past. It took less the 5 minutes for the entire treatment. 

And my lips actually do feel softer. I don't know if I rubbed for the entire 2-3 minutes. (I had muffins in the oven that needed to come out!) But I did do it for at least a minute. I'm sure they would feel a whole lot softer if I had continued. 

The edible part is for real. It tasted good when it slipped off my lips into my mouth. I wouldn't use a lip scrub unless it was made from real products. Don't want to ingest yucky processed stuff.

The grade: A

How To Tuesday: Braided T-Shirt Headband

Don't run away if you think you can't DIY! I'm a terrible DIYer, but I did this project with ease.

I love this DIY headband because a) I've got a ton of t-shirts lying around and b) my short hair is always falling out of my pony tails when working out and c) who doesn't love a cute headband?

No one. That's who.

Step 1: cut your shirt

You want to cut off the bottom hem first. Then cut three 1" sections all the way across.

Step 2: braid

So there's a step in between that. Okay two steps. First cut one end of your loops to make them into three long pieces. Then pull them so they roll into each other. Tape one end together (then to a piece of furniture)... So that was three steps. Don't judge me.

Then braid it. 

When you get to the end (or big enough for your head) just tie the two ends together. The end.

Homemade Remedies: DIY Wax

Remember that recipe for homemade wax I posted in the Link Love a while back? Well, I thought I'd give it a try myself to see how it worked.

I'm all for saving money and while I don't really like to inflict pain upon myself, I did it. All for you my lovely readers.

Professional Wax
I prepared my legs just like I have been talking about all week and was excited (and a wee bit nervous) for my wax appointment today. It went well, pretty much like every other wax I've had. It hurt a lot. I made a lot of noises. We laughed. It was a good time.

I still have a bit of left over hair. Although, they are small, bitty white hairs that the wax won't pick up. After 24-48 hours I will be able to shave them away.

DIY Wax
Here's the recipe:
2 cups sugar 
¼ cup water 
¼ cup lemon juice

Heat over low heat until sugar is thick and brown.

It took forever for it to turn thick and brown. So long that I thought I was doing something wrong. I reread the instructions 17 times. Honestly it probably took almost 30 minutes for it to look like the picture above. And I had even cut the recipe in half, and then in half again (I had no idea I was almost out of sugar!) 

Now. Let me list the reason for you to never try this. ever.

1.  I pretty much ruined a saucepan
2. I burnt the bajesus out of three of my fingers
3. and my leg
4. The wax didn't come off of my leg with the cloth strip, I instead had to pull it off...slowly and painfully.
5. It didn't take much hair off.

Are five enough? Or should I keep going?

Needless to say...I'll be back in the wax room again tomorrow finishing what the nice wax lady started. 

Homemade Remedies: DIY Pore Strips

If you read Link Love you know all about my obsession with DIY things. But here's a little secret...I hardly ever actually do anything DIY. Shhh!! I know, I know, super lame right? But I hardly ever have time to do anything DIY. It's so much quicker for me to just pop into the store and buy whatever it is I was going to DIY. Yes, I spend more money, but I gain knowledge. Wait..no..I guess that saying doesn't really apply here.


But to appease my inner DIYer I decided to try out some pore strips. Easy to start off with right? Then I asked myself...do they actually work better than the store bought kind? And boom! Blog post idea. 


So here we are:

homemade pore strips vs. Biore pore strips


The recipe I'm using (or stole from these people) for the DIY portion of today's show is as follows:

• combine 1tbsp. honey with 1 1/2 tbsp. milk
• microwave for 10-15 seconds
• apply to face where desired

I put the Biore on my nose and the homemade on my chin and forehead area.

15 minutes later...


Biore Pore Strip

Let me first start off by saying, don't ever google image search Biore pore strips. Ew.

I always forget that these things never work the way I want them to. I expect them to pull out every blackhead in my nose, leaving it perfect like a baby's bottom. And let me tell you what it does not do: leave my nose looking like a perfect baby's bottom. There are still tons of blackheads up in there and I can't tell if the little things that the strip pulled out are small little blackheads or tiny hairs that I had on my nose. Some of them are probably blackheads. I can't have that much hair on my nose.

rating: B-

Homemade Pore Strip

When I put it on (using a cotton ball) it smelled so delicious I wanted to eat it. But then I put it on and was instantly deterred from eating. It was just this giant sticky mess on my face. Yes, it went on in a film like manner, but it just looked shiny and gross when it dried. 

Then I tried taking it off. Tried. Because that stuff wasn't coming off. It is suppose to just peel right off like a normal pore strip, but the mixture must of really liked my face because it stayed on really nicely. I ended up having to rewash my face and in the end, there was no blackhead difference. 

rating: F

I'm not sure why the DIY version didn't work out for me. Maybe I mixed it wrong, or didn't apply enough, I don't know, but there are a couple of other recipes for homemade pore strips out there that I might try next.

Do you DIY? What is your favorite homemade remedy? 

Friday Link Love 12/30/2011

Last link love of 2011.

• Braids have been everywhere, but have you tried a twist? They are just as fun! 
• And hello, end-of-the-year jackpot! 101 hairstyle tutorials. All on one page. 
• Last week, I showed you the 2011 trends we didn't want to go away. Now, here are the ones we can't wait to see go. Except for maybe the owls...I love owls. 
• Also from R29, an updo in less than a minute.
• Another updo, but this one is Audrey Hepburn inspired. Who couldn't love that?  
• This braided updo is amazing. And, just so you know, we tried it today and it looked fabulous! 
• Some 2012 New Year's resolutions that think about adding to your list. 
• Also on New Year's resolutions, how to make and keep them. 
• A girl came into the salon with one of those waterfall braid. It was amazing. Everyone should learn how to do it. 
• I love Jeff Bridges and what he has to say about perception is interesting...
• Must try this "brown with a twist" makeup look.
• Maiden braids and how to style them! 
• These are perfect NYE nails!
• In case you're as stopped up as the rest of us...how to clear a blocked nose. 

What did you guys see this week? Any cool end of the year things?