Travel Packing

      Two of my favorite passions are organization and travel. Put those together and you'll find me spending hours scouring the web for DIY travel notebooks and planners, packing list inspiration and the smallest toiletry containers I can find. I love figuring out exactly what products work best, how much I need for different trips and the best ways to organize it all.

DIY Makeup Remover and Eye Serum

      I'm not gonna lie. I have such a hard time remembering to take my makeup off at night. It's a terrible habit I know. It's just such a pain! Long wear eyeliners, mascaras and primers really make a mess when you go to take them off. I have to almost trick myself into washing my face.


     The two things that really help in removing my makeup are makeup remover cloths and DIY make up remover/eye cream. I started using this eye cream as a serum for the tender eye area but then I discovered how amazing it was at liquefying my eye make up. So without further rambling, here it is!!

What you will need:

Coconut Oil
Rose or Rose Hip Oil
Sweet Almond Oil or Vitamin E
Rosewater (Optional)
Beeswax (Optional)


     All you have to do is warm up the coconut oil so it can mix with the other oils and stir it all up until it's thoroughly combined. I sometimes like to add lavender or castor oil as well, but they are completely optional. Pour or scoop the mixture into a container of your choosing. Use a dab or two on your eye area before or after you wash your face to loosen and remove your makeup and simply pat off any excess. And that's it!! Super simple and very effective.

     Sometimes I add beeswax to give it a thicker consistency, usually needed in the summer. The rosewater is a nice touch as well, and less expensive than the rose oils. But you may have to shake it up a bit if the rosewater doesn't mix with the oils.

     One of the other things I love about this is that I don't have to worry about what will happen if I get this in my eyes. No stinging or burning for me and it actually helps with my dry eyes. If you do get this in your eyes, the most that will happen (from my experience) is that your vision may blur. That should clear up after a few minutes. If you are a contact lens wearer, (like myself), you will want to remove your lenses before you use this as it could cloud the lenses.



What would you add? Are there any essential oils you like to use for your skin?










***Disclaimer: All items mentioned in this or future posts have been purchased by me, at my own expense unless otherwise noted. I am not affiliated with or sponsored by any company or brand so you can be assured my opinions are mine alone. My opinions are based on my own experience and independent research. 

Mini E.L.F. Haul and DIY Travel Eye Shadow Palette

       Before I begin my post, I wanted to give you guys an update on the blog. Recently I've found that trying to stay on top of writing, editing and sharing blog posts has been very difficult. I like to spend as much time with my family during the holidays as possible and between that, a full-time job and various other priorities, it doesn't leave much time for quality posts. I don't want to abandon my readers but I also think you deserve to read something good, not something I threw together and typed up at the last minute. I was trying to maintain a schedule of two to three posts per week, but as you may have noticed, that hasn't happened. Until things quiet down, I may only be able to post once a week, or every other week. Even though I have so many ideas and things I want to share with you, I want to make sure I am being respectful of the time you give me when you read my posts. I'm still learning how this whole thing works and trying to find my style which is why I feel for now it is more important to practice producing meaningful material that you will appreciate than how many posts I can throw together every week. Thanks you guys!!!



     A while back, E.L.F. had a free shipping promo that I couldn't wait to take advantage of. I had been wanting to pick up a few things that weren't available locally but I can't bear paying $7 in shipping for $15 dollars of products. While I could have easily spent more, for the sake of my bank account, I refrained. Here are a few favorites I picked up plus some new ones AND l'm going to show you a cute and easy DIY eye shadow palette! So read on!!

Maybelline The Nudes Palette Review

   

     First off, let me say, Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to those of you who have served and protected this country. The freedoms we have did not come free, they were dearly won by those who have gone before us and are protected now by those who currently serve. Veteran's Day is in honor of those who served our country in war and I hope we never forget that. Regardless of your political opinion, I hope we can all take a moment today to remember those in service to our country.


On to the review!

     I'm admittedly a little late getting on board with this one. Do you ever see something and get really excited about it but when someone says something negative it changes your mind? You wait for months before you try it yourself and then kick yourself for not getting it sooner. No? Oh, just me then... This was how it went for Maybelline's "the Nudes" palette. I just bought this palette about 2 weeks ago and after I opened it, I thought to myself, "Why did you wait so long?!?!?!?!" For some reason I got caught up in other people's negtaive or so-so reviews and I didn't think it was worth it. And maybe for $10.99 it wasn't. But for $6 something on sale I'd thought I'd give it a try. Also, some of my favorite eye shadows are a duo called "Browntones" and a trio called "Almond Satin." When I remembered that those colors were all from Maybelline, I was even more excited to try this palette. So read on!!

BEST ever DIY Lip Balm!

Today I have something extra special for you!!! 

     I know there are tons of recipes like this on the web right now, but seriously, this one is the best. How do I know? Because I tried it of course. I also had my friends and co-workers and families try it. I've adjusted and readjusted the recipe until I came up with the perfect lip balm.

And I'm super picky about my lip balm.

It's smooth, moisturizing, long-lasting and actually helps your lips heal and moisturize themselves. Plus, it's extra shiny. Like, wear over your lipstick, lip gloss shiny. I would say that it's non-addicting, but if you love the way it feels on your lips as much as I do, you won't want to stop using it. And most of the ingredients you can find locally. And because I'm nice and love you all so much, I'm going to share the recipe with you!!