Pay your lips service

Besides Aveeno body lotion, my chapstick is my best friend when it comes to beauty products in the winter. When I was younger, I didn't pay much attention to taking care of my lips in cold weather. I'd always been adamant about using gobs of lotion on my body, but nowadays I take care to make sure my lips are just as moisturized. With a couple of products you probably already have at home, you can make your own lip exfoliant to use year-round, or just during the cold months. Here's how to make it, along with a few other products I always have on hand to avoid dryness.

Use a spoon or your fingers to spread a small amount over your lips, and gently rub in a circular motion. Repeat until lips are smooth and buttery, and then wipe off with a tissue. 

Brown sugar: acts as the exfoliant

Honey: a natural cleanser/anti-bacterial

Olive oil: moisturizes dryness

For easy storage, I used an old make-up sample dish from Nordstrom

My favorite lip products:

Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter: This tiny jar of vaseline is about the size of quarter and is the cutest thing. I used to always use regular vaseline on my lips, but the cocoa butter is even better, with a sweet, chocolatey taste.

Burt's Bees Grapefruit Lip Balm: Burt's Bees gets even better with this grapefruit flavored chapstick. The labeling does not lie, this balm feels very refreshing on your lips. A definite must-try for those who love grapefruit.

Thymes Essentials Lip Balm with SPF 15: Although I'd never heard of the brand, I picked up this chapstick when I was in Las Vegas this summer, and I can honestly say it does an even better job than Burt's Bees in the winter. It lasts for hours and makes the most driest lips instantly moisturized.

Perfumeria Gal Madrid in Apple: I've had this little jar of lip balm for years, and it smells amazing. Imported from Spain, its like putting scented Vaseline on your lips.

A Pop of [cheap} style: Target's latest Sonia Kashuk collection

If you're a Target frequenter, chances are you've heard of Sonia Kashuk. Her partnership with Target was launched in 1999, and she became the first make-up artist brand in the mass sector. Since then, Kashuk has been a part of creating her Target cosmetic line, and her latest project does not disappoint. 

Appropriately titled "TGIF" (Thank God It's Fall), the line includes limited edition hair accessories and beauty products in fall shades. They've already started trickling into stores, and more will be arriving August 19. A few of my favs are below. 

xxo

Are self-tanners no longer safe?

If you're one of those fair-skinned gals like me who rely on self-tanners to garner some extra glow, you may want to put down the bottle of lotion and listen to this.

The active ingredient in spray tans/self tanners, called Dyhydroxyacetone (simply DHA to us), has been found to cause genetic alterations and DNA damage, as concluded by a panel of scientists after an investigation done by ABC News. The reports are saying, according to an article by Prevention.com, that the DHA has the potential of causing genetic alterations, DNA damage and even cancer. Right now spray tans are of the utmost concern, because DHA can be easily inhaled due to the way spray tans are applied.

In terms of lotions, when applied the DHA interacts with amino acids in the top layer of your skin to produce pigment called melanoidins, or the brownish tanned look we see. In self-tanning lotions, the DHA is not supposed to migrate past the outermost layer of skin, but some FDA reports have cited research saying otherwise-- that it does go beyond that layer. Where to? They're not really certain but it's assumed that it is nowhere good.

So I guess now I'm supposed to ditch my Jergen's Natural Glow and stick to more bronzer? Apparently so, or just keep the use to a minimum.

Photo from beautifulwithbrains.com.

Organize this: everyday make-up

One of my favorite things to do when I'm bored is to organize. So, I'm starting a series of posts that includes all of my best organizing tips, which are kind of DIY projects as well. Hopefully you'll enjoy them and be able to garner a few tips along the way.

I have a lot of make-up that I don't use every day. Purple eyeshadows and navy eye-liner pencils make the cut for this category. Still, most of the make-up that I use every day (mascara, make-up brushes eyeliner, concealer) gets mixed in with the stuff that doesn't, and it becomes somewhat of a hassle. I've always seen cute ways of storing make-up, but wanted to try something new that would look cute and still be a good way to organize my products.

ENTER: Pinterest.

It seems like every creative bone in my body has been replaced by my Pinterest boards for the past year. One of my secret santa gifts from Christmas was an oversized Anthropologie mug, and I've seen many DIY crafts done with these mugs, so I wanted to use mine for that and not for coffee-- I'd rather have it on display than inside my cupboard. So I took my make-up, bought about two cups of coffee beans and viola: organization that is quick and cute, and now I have easy access to my products!

xxo

Before (yes, it's organized but everything is mixed together):

After:

How-to: Clean those dirty make-up brushes!

After reading beauty sections of the many blogs that I have categorized in my "daily reads," I've come to the realization that I lead a somewhat unsanitary lifestyle when it comes to make-up. Sometimes my mascara tubes have lifespans of 5+ months, and I'll admit that I've never once cleaned my make-up brushes... until now.

We change our toothbrushes every 4 weeks, so why not give those that touch our face a little attention too? I found this household remedy for cleaning make-up brushes on Pinterest, and all it takes are two ingredients, water and white vinegar. It disinfects grease and make-up buildup, leaving your brushes clean and sanitary.  

What you'll need:

1 T white vinegar

a glass

hot water & cold water

Mix the white vinegar in with a glass of hot water, and let your brushes soak in the mixture for 20 minutes. After, take out each brush and rinse in hot water, then cold water. Pat brushes dry with paper towels, and you're good to go. 

xxo