DIY: Gold Makeup Brush Holders to Brighten Your Space

Let's start off with my love for the color gold. Period. So anything gold catches my eye which is why that pinspiration attracted me to this project in the first place (don't even get me started with rose gold *dies*) I am absolutely loving the results of this DIY project.  Eeep! I was so excited to share.

The Supplies:

♡ Wax paper or newspaper

♡ Gold spray paint (I used Beauti-Tone, pictured below)

♡ Mason Jars

Beauti-Tone Metallic Lacquer (Gold)

The Process:

First things first, wash your glass jars in soap and water and thoroughly dry them.  

I then put down a sheet of wax paper (or newspaper- or any disposable surface to catch paint) *outside* and then set my mason jar *upside down* on it. Using short bursts of paint while holding the can about 6 inches away from my jars I coated them (one by one) in a light layer of paint. I then waited 5ish minutes for them to dry and repeated until the color was opaque. SO EASY.

The Conclusion:

I love this project.  These would look adorable on a white counter top or vanity stuffed full with makeup brushes and lip products, they would look good on the bathroom counter. I plan to keep mine on my bedside table. It's an easy, quick, and affordable way to give your current space a face lift.  I chose to fill the smallest jar with small pearl beads for an extra touch and I also chose to use jars that varied in size shape. 

Note: My naive assumption was that spray paint is spray paint and any kind would work but that is wrong.  I initially bought a cranberry color of acrylic paint (I think) as well which did not stick to the glass or dry at all. It left me with a sticky blotchy mess.  If you're unsure at all make sure to ask a sales person at your hardware store!

If you try this project I'd love to see! Link your results down below!

xoxo

DIY vs Fresh Sugar Lip Polish

They say the secret to a bold lip is smooth/ exfoliated lips, but in my opinion the secret to any lip color is a polished base. When lips are exfoliated color not only goes on smoother but they will absorb moisture better, allowing for your lips to look and feel healthier.

A little over a month ago I purchased the Fresh Cosmetics "Sugar Lip Polish" from Sephora because my lips were in desperate need- I was really hesitant at first because of the steep price tag but I eventually went for it anyway because who doesn't love to try new things?

"What it is:

A sweet treatment that that leaves lips incredibly soft and smooth.

What it is formulated to do:

This unique formula is enriched with real brown sugar crystals to gently buff away dry flakes. It nourishes the lips with the oils of meadowfoam seed, jojoba seed, and grapeseed while shea butter provides long-lasting moisture."

This being said I still wasn't sold on the $26 price tag! However- I did decide that it would be a good opportunity to compare it to a (much more affordable) DIY lip scrub you can make at home using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. If you're considering splurging on the Fresh Cosmetics Polish but sitting on the fence my experience may encourage you to try an at home remedy before opening your wallet.

After some quick research on the Pinterest machine and found tons of at-home scrub recipes which were all very similar (people are so crafty).  The one I chose to try seemed simple and called for 1 part olive oil, 1 part honey, and 1 part brown sugar.

After mixing it all together I wasn't completely happy with the texture so I decided to tweak it a bit and ended up using around double the amount of brown sugar than in the original "recipe".  Therefore all together I used 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 table spoon of olive oil.

So why do these ingredients work??

Sugar acts as a natural exfoliant- which is why it is the common ingredient in both scrubs.
Olive oil is rich in vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids which allow it to nourish and rejuvenate and protect skin.
And honey acts as a glue, holding all the ingredients together and also has moisturising qualities of its own.

To use either of these products simply rub a small amount into your lips for a few minutes then rinse away any excess sugar with a warm wash cloth.  Apply lip chap as needed and only use once every 2 or 3 days.

Direct Comparisons:

	DIY	Fresh Cosmetics
Scent/ Taste:	Sweet	Citrus-y (contains "Citral")
Texture:	More gentle exfoliant	Coarser
Shelf Life:	About a week	Unknown (similar  Lush scrubs have a 14 month shelf life)

The bottom line: While I hate to say it...considering I spent almost $30... I think I actually preferred my DIY version (biggest facepalm) because it was more gentle on my lips.  If you're interested in a more "intense" exfoliant you can simply replace brown sugar with raw sugar and get a coarser texture.  I found both do a great job and left my lips moisturized and smooth- therefore I can't justify the price difference when the results were ultimately the same. I guess I was hoping there would have been some magical ingredient or blatant different in my Fresh polish that would have made it obvious I didn't waste my money. For my own purposes it would have been wise to compare them earlier, before it was too late to return my purchase to Sephora.

This being said is the Fresh Sugar Lip Exfoliant a good product? Yes
but is it worth $30 when you can make one in your kitchen for a fraction of the cause? Absolutely not.

While I am suffering from a small dose of buyers remorse I will continue to use and enjoy my lip scrub from Fresh, although it will not be a re-purchase.  I learned that there are so many other natural scrubs you can make at home! I'm considering using the remainder of my home made sugar scrub on my legs, although I think body scrub recipes call for a different ratio of sugar to oil and honey.  We'll see how it turns out.

Have you ever made a scrub at home? What are you favorite recipes?

8 Useful Ways to Reuse Sample Pots

Talking about depotting lipstick last week got me thinking about other ways that you could reuse little jars you get from Sephora, MAC, or any other cosmetic counter.  When I have used all the product I always clean mine out using water, makeup remover and a Q-tip, then I reuse them for a variety of different things.  

1. Get more use out of those "single use" foil packets:  this is my favorite way to recycle sample pots.  Often times when you get a foil sample there is enough product for more than just a single use but after opening it it just gets thrown away. Transfer the remaining product into a small jar and you'll be able to prevent it from drying out before you use it again.  I did this with the Urban Decay "Primer Potion" samples that came with my Naked3 palette and I've been using them quite regularly since Christmas - there's a lot of product in there! 
2. Travelling: instead of bringing a whole bottle of concealer or foundation pump the amount you need into a pot- they should hold enough concealer for a week or more and foundation for a weekend.  This will not only free up space in your bag but also make it lighter!
3. Similar to this, if you're one who likes to carry some makeup with you on-the-go, instead of constantly putting products in/ taking them out of your purse just keep a small pot in there permanently and refill it as you need.  Or, what I like to do is keep small amounts of products at my boyfriends house so whenever I'm over there I don't need to worry about remembering my daily makeup/ skincare products.  
4. Customizing shades: I love this.  I sometimes mix a liquid highlighter directly into my foundation or concealer so I once again reuse my baby sample pots instead of doing this on the back of my hand and wasting product.  What's great about this is if you're really creative you could mix  lipgloss/ lipstick to customize your look, and you can do the same with loose pigments. 
5. Speaking of lip products, you can always depot your lipstick!
6. Make your own samples to share with friends/ family. 
7. They make great mini pill boxes to stash in your purse, car, or for travel.
8. And finally, for those DIY Queens out there- they are the perfect container for home-made lip balms!

Is this something you already do? What are the ways you reuse your sample pots?

 Happy Tuesday everybody!

DIY: Depotting Lipstick

Depotting:

verb

Removing a product from it's original package and placing it into much more practical packaging.

I'm a sucker for pretty packaging so initially the idea of ripping apart my products didn't seem like something that I was interested in doing.  Makeup is a hobby for me so I have no need for a "kit" and I have a manageable amount of makeup so storage is not really an issue (yet). 

Anyway, despite all this I decided one day that keeping my lipstick in my bra while working was a smart idea (it wasn't- I work in a kitchen) aaaaand it melted into an unusable mess.  Wah.  So here I am, reporting back from my first "depotting adventure". 

MAC "Lady Bug" A72

   
 Supplies:

1. Lipstick
2. Sample pot or palette
3. Spoon
4. Toothpick
5. Candle

I wish I had taken step-by-step photos of the process but I got too excited and forgot (woops) but don't worry- it was incredibly easy.

The Process:

I started out by using my spoon to cut off what was left of my lipstick bullet and then going back in with a toothpick (or any other small tool) to dig out what was left and unreachable in the tube.  I really mean dig- there's an alarming amount of product in the tube beneath the surface and by doing it this way you'll get more product into your pot than what you would have been able to use in it's original bullet form.  Next- hold your spoon full of lipstick a safe distance away from my lit candle and it will melt gradually.  It's important to be careful not to burn the spoon or the product because I read that overheating may alter it.  Once your lipstick reaches a smooth liquid consistency carefully pour it into your new container or palette.  You could stop here; however, my final step was to warm up the label on the bottom of the tube just enough to carefully peel it off and place it on the bottom of my new container. Voila!

Since, I only had one lipstick that I needed/wanted to de/repot and I only had about half the product left I went to my local MAC store and asked if I could have a small sample container- the ones they would give you if you wanted to try a small amount of any liquid product.  It fit perfectly for the amount of lipstick I had but I believe this container would have been too small for a brand new tube. The best part about this option is if you ask nicely most associates should have no problem giving you one for free.  Sephora also has similar small sample containers that you could use but I preferred the look of the MAC one.

Additionally, if you're interested in melting more than one lipstick (or even newer/less used lipsticks) but aren't interested in creating a palette-  MAC sells stackable travel jars for around $10CDN that can be easily labelled and screwed together making it easy to keep your depotted lipsticks organized. A definite pro to having your lipsticks melted into a pot is that they're clear it makes it easy to identify which color you're reaching for without having to open lipstick after lipstick.

The Conclusion:

After my experience I must say... It was a lot of fun! I'll admit if I were creating a palette and wanted to melt 25-50 lipsticks at once I would want try another (probably quicker) method.  I've seen palettes you can get that are microwavable so you simply crush your lipsticks and then pop them in the microwave for a smooth/ clean finish. I know some people prefer not to melt the product in fear that it will alter the formula.  Luckily, this didn't happen to me.

I felt just like a scientist.  Or Walt Whitman from Breaking Bad.  And its so cute. Lil' baby lipstick. 

The only con to my cute little pot of "Lady Bug" is that now in order to apply it I'll need a lip brush (preferably with a cap so it can stay clean and travel friendly).