Don’t Bug Me!!! (Or, How to Make Your Own Mosquito Repellant--That Really Works!)

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I’m one of those people who can literally sit on a patio with a citronella candle between my ankles and STILL get eaten up by mosquitoes! No matter what I have tried---candles, those fancy “bug lanterns,” the petroleum-based oil torches or just covering up in layers, those little jerks always find me. Then, in about two days, I’m covered in ugly, itchy red welts. This summer, I decided that it was high time that I faced, and beat, my nemesis so I began looking for a solution that really works.

Since I have successfully made lotions, soap, shampoo, conditioner and a number of facial products, I decided to check out my trusted sources in the hopes that there would be information on mosquito repellent. It wasn't too long before I stumbled across this post on the SoapQueen.com website. In it, Anne Marie explains how she came up with two recipes for natural bug repellent using essential oils. I already had some essential oils in my soaping stash but not the catnip essential oil, which is used in the “stronger” recipe so I ordered it from Brambleberry.com. Now, this essential oil isn't cheap, but you only need a little bit. I was desperate for a solution so I gladly parted with $10 for .8 ounce. Anne Marie makes it really easy if you don’t have the ingredients. One click of your mouse puts all the needed items in your cart for quick check out online and in a matter of just days, the ingredients for your very own natural bug spray arrive at your door!

I admit that I did tweak the recipe a little bit as I did not have enough citronella essential oil (I just used more catnip). This recipe made enough for me to halfway (or so) fill two 6 ounce spray bottles, one of which I gave to my stepson and his girlfriend to take to the beach (a place notorious for vicious mosquitoes). This recipe is enough to take most people through the summer but not so expensive that you can’t easily (and inexpensively) make another batch.

The big question though---does it work? You bet your bug bitten butt it does! Tested in both the buggy Outer Banks of North Carolina and the humid, bug-ridden forests of Virginia, this recipe gets a big 5 stars!!! So for those of you who want a more natural, less chemical-ly bug repellent alternative, get yourselves over to SoapQueen and check out the tutorials. You can thank me later!!!

Ages of Beauty rating: *****

DIY Lip Balm Redux: Adding Color

I’m trying to have a lot of fun since returning from Florida and the debacle that was my winter/spring. Part of that is getting my creative juices flowing again and this time around, it’s about making cosmetics, shampoo, bubble bath and soap (the last time this happened I started a custom wedding cake business that kept me busy for about four years). Everything I make is either for personal use or for my friends and family, but it sure is rewarding and, as my younger brother refers to it, my “therapy.”

In this post, I showed you how to make your own lip balm. It’s sooo easy and a lot of fun! For pennies, you can have a much better lip balm that you’ll find in the store AND you can customize the ingredients you want to include. The next step for me was adding color to that lip balm and I did that a few evenings ago. Since getting involved in soap, I began noticing the colored pigments that are available from many of my cosmetic and soap suppliers. These are companies like TKB Trading, Nurture Soap Supplies, The Conservatorie, among others. I loaded up on samples as a means to test out different colorants so I had many to choose from when formulating five colors (four of which are shown above). The possibilities are endless but I’ll show you what I came up with. Just make sure that the pigments you use are safe for the lips---the package or website will tell you which ones will work.

First, please note that this can be messy work (as proof you should see the hot pink fingerprints that I left on the microwave, refrigerator, etc---but those prints are EASILY cleaned!). You’ll need some kind of grinder (I use a cheap coffee grinder that I use only for grinding pigments) and some measuring spoons (the smaller the better). I also used ziplock baggies to store my extra blended colors. For all of these shades, I blended 1/2 teaspoon of color with 1 Tablespoon of the lip balm base. You can use more or less color to achieve and more opaque (or sheer) look.

Color #1: My Lips But Better (MLBB)

This lovely berry tone was achieved by blending the following in the grinder and then adding 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture to 1 Tablespoon of melted lip balm:

* 2 parts Red Basics (TKB Trading)
* 1 part Cosmic Carolyn (TKB Trading)
* 1 part Purple Vibrance (Nurture Soap Supplies)

Color #2: A Warm Coral

This warm tone was also mixed using 1/2 teaspoon of the pigment mix with 1 Tablespoon of melted lip balm:

* 1 part Red Basics (TKB Trading)
* 3 parts Red Oxide 170 (TKB Trading)
* 3 parts Serecite Mica (TKB Trading)

Color #3: A Dark Coral

This pretty and pigmented coral uses 1/2 teaspoon of the pigment mix with 1 Tablespoon of melted lip balm:

* 1 part Muraski Violet (TKB Trading)
* 3 parts Serecite Mica (TKB Trading)
* 6 parts Red Oxide 170 (TKB Trading)

Color #4: Shimmering Coral Pink

* 1 part Red #6 (TKB Trading)
* 3.5 parts Pearl White Mica (TKB Trading)
* 1.5 parts Glitter Bordeaux Pigment (TKB Trading)

Color #5: Cherry Red

This color is very pigmented at 1/2 teaspoon of the blended color to 1 Tablespoon melted lip balm base. The pictures really don’t do it justice---it’s beautiful!!

* 4 parts Red #7 (TKB Trading)
* 2 parts titanium dioxide (I use the oil dispersible one from TKB Trading)
* 3 parts Cosmic Carolyn (TKB Trading)

Once you’ve gotten your color mixed and your lip balm base melted, pour it into your pot or tube as normal. Et Voila! Your own colored lip balm!!

This is a fun and inexpensive hobby that doesn’t take a lot of time. Be creative and have fun!!!

I’m wearing color #1 in this picture

Holy Moly Bubbles of Joy!!!

It’s no secret that I love all things bath related. A few months ago, I did a review of Lush’s “The Comforter,” a big, bodacious bubble bar that rocked my world! Now that I am into “soapy crafts” and formulating my own bubble bath, shampoo and conditioner, I stumbled across a tutorial on the Soap Queen blog about making your own solid bubble bath. As I watched the video, I thought, “Hmmm…I’ll bet I can do that and that kind of reminds me of that cool bubble bar that I got from Lush!” So, being the committed DIYer that I am, I ordered the ingredients that I didn’t already have and then got to work!

The nice thing about Anne Marie’s tutorial is that she tested out the formulation beforehand (which is a lot of hard work) so I already knew it would work. Her video clearly shows how easy it is to make solid bubble bath (aka “bubble bars”), which you can customize by using your choice of colors and fragrances. I used a fuchsia color from Brambleberry (Anne Marie’s online store) to make a dark pink and white bar (the same idea as the picture above) as well as a Brambleberry fragrance oil that I already had on hand (“Hello Sweet Thang”). A note on this fragrance—it smells sooo good but it did “brown up” the white part of my bubble bar so next time, if I use this fragrance, I’ll use different colors!

Here’s a link for Anne Marie’s tutorial: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/how-to-make-solid-bubble-bath-on-soap-queen-tv/

The process was really easy!!! Almost all of the ingredients are available by clicking the link in the tutorial but you may already have many of them at home (I did). And interestingly enough, the ingredients list is very similar to “The Comforter!”

Here’s what I did:

Mix the Dry Ingredients.

Once the liquid ingredients are mixed in well, the dough is divided and colored.

One color is formed into a rectangle on freezer paper or wax paper and then the second color is patted on top. At that point, the mixture is rolled up like a jelly roll (or sushi).

Then you end up with a “roll” that is cut into pieces. When I do this recipe again, I will make my roll shorter in length, which will make it “fatter.”

This recipe made ten bubble bars, which took about five days to dry, thanks to Virginia’s humidity.

I used one of these bubble bars for the first time over the weekend. WOW!!! The bubbles were huge and long lasting—amazing!!! I will definitely be making these again.

Do check on the Soap Queen blog and give this project a try. It’s a lot of fun and very rewarding, especially if you love a good bubble bath!!!

A Sudsy Kind of Therapy

I’ve gotten all kinds of practice lately dealing with stress. Right now it’s coming at me from all sides and honestly, sometimes I do my best work during challenging times. Since creating things, whether it’s sales, a strong sales team, a process at work or something that my friends and family can eat/drink/use, seems to ground me, it was time for a new project!

A little over a month ago, I started making soap. Yep, soap! Real, honest to goodness, handmade, oil and lye, feel good, smell good SOAP!!! I already had the cosmetic formulation bug (which I’m still loving) and this seemed like a good tangent to follow. My very first batch, a triple butter soap, just finished its  minimum four week cure and I’ve already started giving it away to friends and family. Reports back say that it’s luxurious, lovely and nothing like they’ve ever washed with (in a good way!). I’ve also been using a bar and I just love it! Of course, one of my guilty pleasures is handmade soap so I knew what to expect. I have to say, though, that it’s so rewarding that I can make something so practical and personal for my loved ones to enjoy!

Making real soap is surprisingly easy. Not only are handmade soaps fun to make but they are extremely gentle to the skin. And more than one person who has used one of my bars was surprised that it was made with oil and lye. A big misconception seems to remain that “lye soap” is harsh and dangerous. Nope…the only way to make soap is by using three required ingredients: oil, water and sodium hydroxide (lye). The chemical process of turning those three ingredients into soap is called “saponification.” And if the ingredient calculations are correct (which is really easy to calculate using any number of available “soap calculators” on the internet), all of the lye is used up, leaving you with a lovely, moisturizing bar of pure soap!

My first bars are kind of rustic looking but over the past month and a half, I have produced some pretty cool looking, dare I say “pretty” soaps (I’ll eventually post pictures). Most of them are still curing and I can’t wait to give them away!

If you’re interested in learning more about how to make soap, check out the following resources:

• Soap Queen Blog: http://www.soapqueen.com/
• Miller’s Homemade Soap Page: http://www.millersoap.com/
• The Dish: http://www.thedishforum.com/forum/

I made the soap above using an all inclusive kit from Essential Depot. Here’s a link for the kit to make “Bonnie’s Triple Butter Soap:” http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-560/Bonnie%27s-Triple-Butter--dsh-/Detail

You can find Bonnie’s (Good Earth Spa) You Tube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/EdentiaFarms.

I purchase my supplies all over the internet but some of my favorite vendors are:

• Brambleberry: http://www.brambleberry.com/
• Essential Depot: http://www.essentialdepot.com/
• Wholesale Supplies: http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/

If you decide to get into soaping, you’ll find that it’s not only relaxing but also rewarding as you brighten other peoples days with a gift of handmade soap!

Baby Soft Hands in a Jiffy: All Natural DIY Cuticle Balm

I don’t know about you but the dry, cold winter air was murder on my hands. Even when I made my way to Florida, my hands weren’t spared from nasty calluses and ragged cuticles. Normally, I’m a slave to hand lotion but this winter I decided to try something different---a real, honest to goodness, greasy, moisturizing cuticle balm that has not only done wonders for my hands but, as it turns out, has a bunch of other uses as well. Read on to learn more!

 

As I’ve written before, one of my newest hobbies is learning about and formulating my own products. My research has taken me all over the internet and one of my favorite blogs is Point of Interest, written by my cosmetic formulation hero, Susan Barclay-Nichols, aka Swift! The last time I was at my home in Virginia (which seems so long ago), I put together this nice Lanolin & Lecithin Cuticle Balm (from Susan’s blog) and I am hooked! It’s soooo easy to make and (I think) just about all of the ingredients can be sourced from either a health food store, Whole Foods Market or from any one of hundreds of online shops specializing in skincare ingredients. This balm is thick and extremely moisturizing because it contains both lanolin and lecithin. Lanolin comes from sheep and provides a great protective barrier to the skin. The mango butter and hazelnut oil are moisturizing and the beeswax gives it its substance and solidity. I’ve used this on my hands/nails, on my dry, cracked feet, on my face when it was really chapped and have also used it as a lipbalm. In fact, when I get back to Virginia, I’m going to do a little bit of experimenting with this formula to see how it will hold up in a lipbalm tube. I’m thinking I may have to change out some of the beeswax for another type of wax to keep it firm in the summer heat, but that’s another post! Here are a few more pictures before we get to the recipe:

This recipe is all natural and made enough to fill a two ounce jar, which I show in the pictures above. Let me know if you try it!

Switft’s Lanolin & Lecithin Cuticle Balm

14.7g Lanolin
6.8g lecithin
6.8g Hazelnut or soybean oil
21g mango or green tea butter
6.8g beeswax
.6g fragrance oil or essential oil

Melt all in a heat proof container in a double boiler. Add fragrance when it has cooled. Pour into container.

DIY Salicylic Acid Toner---So Easy and So Good!!!

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I’m obsessed with skin care. I’m a big advocate of proper cleansing and the use of an acid based toner, a la Caroline Hirons (see this post for more) and in my quest for the perfect acid-based toner, I’ve used so many at all price points that it is mind boggling! Some were just perfect but really expensive and others were pretty inexpensive but contained so much alcohol (or the acid blend was so strong) that my skin dried out. And now, since I’m somewhat into the DIY trend, I’ve researched a bunch of different options until I found one that works really well for my dry winter skin.

What many of these toners have in common is a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) called salicylic acid. The active ingredient in aspirin, salicylic acid is a great exfoliator, keeping the pores clean and clear as well as soothing inflammation. Salicylic acid is also great for acne, promoting rapid cell turnover. Since many of the commercially prepared toners I tried contained alcohol (and a couple were way too harsh for me), I sought out a toner that contained salicylic acid but no alcohol. Much to my chagrin, I couldn’t find any! So onto the internet I went, looking for an answer to the question, “Why is that?” What I found is that pure salicylic acid requires alcohol as a solvent to dissolve the acid. Since I wanted to avoid alcohol, that wouldn’t work. Fortunately, one of my sources, a well respected skincare message board, contained several threads on this very topic. I learned that while salicylic acid toner requires the use of alcohol, white willow bark, which is a natural source of salicylic acid, does not! Before too long, I had a toner recipe to try!

This toner is sooo easy to make and works really well without irritating my skin. I’ve been using it for about a month and a half and not only does it not sting, it doesn’t smell bad, tingle or dry out my face (a big deal in the cold of winter). I formulated my toner so that it has a 2% concentration of salicylic acid (which should work for those with acne as well). A note on the ingredients: you’ll need white willow bark, which can be purchased for a small amount at a number of online stores. I get mine at Skin Actives (link here), where it’s available for $5 for 5 grams. You’ll also need witch hazel hydrosol, which you’ll probably need to order online as this is NOT the stuff in the drugstore that’s full of alcohol. I purchased mine at Organic Witch Hazel but there are a number of suppliers (google “witch hazel hydrosol producers”).

Please do not attempt this if you are allergic to aspirin! For those of you who aren’t, here’s the recipe:

SALICYLIC ACID TONER 2% Using White Willow Bark

2 grams Powdered White Willow Bark

10 mls Distilled Water (room temp-- to dissolve the White Willow Bark]

20 mls witch hazel extract.

70 mls distilled water

Preservative (I have both Optiphen Plus -- which is paraben free -- and Germaben II but am not sure what I used—you can also get these at SkinActives)

 

This is really easy to put together. First, weigh out the white willow bark and place it into 10 mls of distilled water, which should be at room temperature. Mix it thoroughly until the white willow bark is fully dissolved. Then add the other ingredients, being sure to mix everything up well. This recipe makes enough for roughly four ounces. I keep mine in an amber bottle and apply it twice daily as part of my cleansing routine. Easy peasy!!! In my opinion, this toner is great as it is but if you want to add fragrance, you could do that as well.

This is now my go-to toner and I luuuurve it! I’ll always try other products but this one is the cats meow and is my holy grail acid toner.

If you try it, let me know what you think!!!

DIY Mineral Makeup Anyone???

In the last seven years or so, I’ve shied away from mineral foundations. As I learned more about the ingredients in mineral foundation, I realized that the reasons I moved away from it were probably due to the brand of mineral foundation I was using. That foundation had too much sheen and shine. It also seemed very “powdery” (OK…just work with me here) and it appeared to settle into my fine lines. Since my skin was also beginning to dry out, that was problematic as well. Fast forward to now, where I am not only interested in the many different types of makeup, but also the ingredients that go into them. So, I decided to try to make my own mineral foundation. Why? Because it’s FUN and I can!!

 

My search for a “recipe’ that works for me lead me far and wide. There are many potential ingredients that can go into mineral foundation but I wanted it to be as simple and natural as possible. That meant lots of pure pigments, some white clay and a couple of kinds of white powders that not only add opacity and body to the mineral foundation but also sun protection. After lots of research, I finally settled on the methods and recipes promoted by the website natural organic products and recipes.com. This website has recipes for many shades and also tells you how to modify the recipes and the shades to your needs. The great things is that mineral foundation is SO easy to make and the ingredients are easy to find. I used these recipes “as is” except I omitted the Redmond Clay. After researching online site to purchase the raw ingredients, I ended up going with TKB Trading. Here are the links to the exact products I used in my mineral foundation:

• Red Oxide
• Yellow Oxide
• Brown Oxide
• Titanium Dioxide
• Zinc Oxide
• Kaolin Clay
• Serecite Mica

You can, literally, make your own matte mineral foundation for about $1 per jar!

I made four colors (small batches) just to see how the process and the colors worked. What I ended up with were four silky and highly pigmented mineral powders which can be worn as light coverage to full coverage and everything in between. The great news is that not only did this makeup not settle into my fine lines, but it also blended well with the natural oils in my skin, providing me with a beautiful, natural glow. During last week’s business trip, one of my female coworkers commented on my “beautiful, glowing skin!” See below for pictures and swatches.

Very Light

“Denise’s Blend”

1 part Very Light, 1 part Light Pink, 1 Part Titanium Dioxide

Light Pink

Light Yellow

From Left to Right: Very Light;  Denise’s Blend; Light Pink; Light Yellow

Please excuse the few “flakies” I have around my nose. That’s due to Retin A. The mineral foundation didn’t cling to other dry areas nor did it make my pores appear huge. Big win!

Honestly, this is some of the best foundation I have ever used. I have to work on applying it a bit lighter as I don’t usually wear full coverage foundation but that’s just a technique issue. Because it’s so easy to adjust, I’ve finally found the right color that’s a balance between my pink face and my lighter, yellow skin on my neck. And because I found my shade so easily, I can use this pigment powder to formulate a tinted moisturizer, a mineral  based liquid foundation and potentially a concealer. If I actually do all of that, I will post about it (of course)!

So, what do you think? Have I inspired you? Will you be trying a DIY project making mineral makeup?

My Current Obsessions

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I’ve had a lot on my plate lately but still have time to learn about and indulge some of my favorite obsessions. Here’s what I’m loving lately!

Talbots Slimming Heritage Colored Denim Ankle
Jeans

I discovered these just last week and immediately purchased four pair! Although they are not exactly ankle jeans on me, they fit beautifully and live up to their “slimming” description. At $79.50, they’re great quality. These jeans are available in Misses, Petites, Women’s Plus and Women’s Plus Petite sizes. Plus they come in six great colors (including white---if you’re looking for white jeans, you MUST check these out). Find them on the Talbots website here or at your local Talbots store!

Candy Crush

Have you heard of Candy Crush? Chances are you have or you know at least one person who plays it. For those of you who don’t know it, Candy Crush (or Candy Crack, as I call it) is like our generation’s version of a video game that is every bit as addictive as the subject of its name! I started playing it about a week and a half ago, as the stress from my parents health situation progressed (click here for more on that). Any time I got a little too stressed out or needed to clear my head, I fired up my iPad and went to work, making matches for candies, bombs, stripes and wraps! As of this evening, I’m on level 135, which is pretty good for such a short period of time. If you want to have some fun, go to your handy dandy app store or visit the Candy Crush website here!

Cosmetic Formulation

This one really plays to my inner geek. One of my latest, favorite things is to research which ingredients are used in beauty products, why they are in a particular product and what they do. That has lead to me actually formulating some products for my own use. I’ve recently written about a lip balm that I made (see my post here) and this week, I’ll provide a recipe for a great acid based toner that you can make as well. I’ve also made a shampoo that needs a bit more work. Today, I made a mineral foundation from scratch (yes it’s actually really easy to do) and will be testing it out on my business trip this week. I love learning about new things and putting that knowledge to good use!

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Organizing

I have such a love/hate relationship with organizing. Right now it’s love. I was at my parents’ home in Florida for two and a half weeks. Part of that time, I spent deep cleaning their home, reorganizing their storage shed and setting up and cleaning their outdoor furniture. There was something very satisfying about getting rid of the junk and putting everything in its place. I’m sure it had something to do with control---seeing as how I couldn’t control what was happening to my parents but could control the physical space we all inhabited. Of course, once I returned home on Friday, I took one look at my home and decided I would really need to get on the ball quickly! If you have any favorite organizational tips, send them my way!

Finding Non-Smudging Drugstore Mascaras

This one is a true obsession! I am absolutely determined to find which drugstore mascaras are actually non-smudging. For the last three weeks, I’ve tried over twenty new-to-me drugstore mascaras that claim to be waterproof or smudge-proof. Fortunately, I’ve found four or five that actually do the trick and I’ll be writing about that within the next week. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a smudgy mascara but I’m pleased to say I’ve found some affordable products that just may become “holy grail” products for me!

Stay tuned for more as I attempt to get back into my normal schedule this week. Although I do have a business trip (leaving very early morning morning), I hope to ease back in to blogging.

What are your current obsessions? Do tell!

Soft Lips for Less

In last Friday’s post (which you can read by clicking here), I mentioned that there was a new lip balm coming out soon from a very famous brand and that lip balm will cost $50! That really tweaked me because I had gotten hold of a lip balm that it was being compared to (also $50) and the ingredients list for that product was basically Vaseline, wax and some essential oils. Now, that may not sound like a big deal to you but coincidentally, two days earlier I made my OWN lip balm that costs significantly less than $50 to make (less than $7.00 for the ALL of the lip balm you see above plus some left over for another project) AND it had far superior ingredients than Vaseline! So, it just reminded me of yet another way that some in the beauty industry really take advantage of women’s fears by having us think that one has to pay a lot in order to get a good product. Not true! In fact, my lip balm is a perfect example of something that you can make yourself that is a thousand times better than much of what you can purchase in a store.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…”But Denise!!! There’s no way I could make that! It’s too difficult and I could never find the right ingredients!” Sorry…if you can get on the internet to read this blog post, you can make lip balm. There are definitely no special skills required.

All of the ingredients I used can be purchased from your local drugstore, Whole Foods, health food store or about a million places on the internet. I will tell you where I purchased my ingredients plus provide links. You will kick yourself when you find out how easy this is and if you actually do decide to make your own lip balm, you lips will thank you (you can also use this stuff as a cuticle cream as well!)!

OK. Here’s the basic recipe, which is from one of my favorite cosmetic formulation blogs, Point of Interest. I weighed mine out in grams but I’m going to simplify it for you.

• 20% beeswax
• 25% soft butter (I used shea butter)
• 15% cocoa butter
• 40% liquid oil

Let’s talk about the “liquid oil” ingredient for a second. Basically, what you want to do is pick some oils that you like and that you get easily. Some good choices are sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil. All of those are easily available at Whole Foods, many drugstores and health food stores and at many grocery stores. There are soooo many oils you can potentially use (heck, you can use olive oil if you want)! You’ll see a list of oils from the Point of Interest blog by clicking here, here, and here. Susan’s blog is awesome so check it out!

Besides your main moisturizing oils, you’ll want to include some Vitamin E (which comes in oil form) because that acts as an antioxidant and helps keep the other oils from going rancid (always include this). I also used a small amount of peppermint essential oil to give the lip balm a slight “chocolate mint” flavor (the cocoa butter makes it smell slightly chocolaty). Literally, you take all of your ingredients, put them in a Pyrex measuring cup (you don’t need a big one) and either microwave it in 20 second spurts until melted or place the Pyrex measuring cup in a frying pan with a little water surrounding it (I did it this way), and then heat it slowly until everything melts. It’s that easy! Now, if you’re not familiar how the percentages work, I’ll spell out the recipe in measurements that we all know.

Total: 20 Teaspoons

• 4 teaspoons beeswax
• 5 Teaspoons shea butter
• 3 teaspoons cocoa butter
• 8 teaspoons liquid oil ( try 1 teaspoon castor oil, 1/4 teaspoon vitamin E, 1/8 teaspoon peppermint essential oil, 3 1/8 teaspoons sweet almond oil, 3 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil)

Once you get everything melted (the beeswax will be the last thing to melt), pour the lip balm into either small pots or tubes, like I did above. You can use any small, clean container that you already have (wash in soap and water and then air dry) for your own use or purchase small containers and tubes at one of the suppliers I’ve listed below. Filling the tubes is super simple===just screw the insert down, fill the tube by pouring the balm in slowly (it may get a little messy) and then top off the “dimple” that forms as it dries (or not). If it cools too fast as you’re pouring, just re-melt. Let the balm cool without the lids on and within about an hour you’re ready to use your lip balm. So simple!!!

A couple of notes about making the balm. Mine looks yellow because I used natural beeswax, which is yellow. The yellow does not show up as a color on your lips but if you don’t like the color, just use refined beeswax which is a cream color. One of the oils I used when I made mine also added to the yellow color (rosehip seed oil) but, again, it doesn’t show up on the lips.

In the “modified for teaspoons” recipe I showed above, literally every ingredient can be purchased at Whole Foods for not a lot of money. You just need a small amount and any of the oils you purchase that come in larger quantities can be used to moisturize, take off makeup, moisturize your cuticles, etc. Here are a couple of other suppliers if you’d rather order online (my preference):

LotionCrafter (Great company and so knowledgeable!)

• lip balm tubes
• lip balm pots
• vitamin E
• castor oil
• cocoa butter
• shea butter
• fractionated coconut oil (a special kind of coconut oil that has a much longer shelf life than regular coconut oil)

Garden of Wisdom (I haven’t ordered from them yet but will as I’ve heard great things!)

• cocoa butter
• shea butter
• sweet almond oil
• castor oil
• fractionated coconut oil
• beeswax
• peppermint essential oil

Ingredients to Die For (new to me but I’ve also heard great things!)

• sweet almond oil
• castor oil
• cocoa butter
• fractionated coconut oil
• shea butter
• vitamin E
• beeswax
• peppermint essential oil

Get creative with this and have fun!!!

Have you ever tried making your own lip balm or any other cosmetic product? Let me know!!

 

Indulging a Bit of Self Pity with a Sweet Treat

We all have days/weeks/months where little (or big) things have us feeling just a wee bit sorry for ourselves. When that happens to me, I try to get out of it as quickly as possible and I've found that the best way to deal with it is to indulge the self pity in a small but potentially impactful way. Now those of you who know me in real life, know that I'm not much of a shopper, that I like to cook and bake and that a bubble bath goes a long way (heck---my blog readers know that about me!). I had a situation this past weekend that sent me into self-indulgence mode.

I have many pets (or had) and have often said that when I die I want to come back as one of them. They are very well cared for and tend to live long lives. Well, this past weekend, I had to put one of my cats down (and she was the second cat I've had to put down this month alone). Misty definitely lived a good, long life. She was 21 years old (I literally have her birth records) and had recently gone into full kidney failure. As a result, Misty was anemic, had lost a lot of weight and was dehydrated--all due to her kidneys no longer functioning. Leading up to this outcome, Misty and I spent quite a bit of time together. Here we are snuggling a few nights ago:

Misty's death came three weeks after Max's. Max was a twenty year old rescue whom I found over ten years ago in an animal shelter in Oakland, CA. He was such a sweet guy but he finally succumbed to hyper thyroid disease and had gone from 19 pounds in his prime to less than five. 

After spending Saturday morning at the vet's office, I decided to do something I NEVER do---shop. Now, I really like to online shop but as far as I'm concerned, malls and shopping centers are a waste of time (yeah I know---I don't have the shopping gene). Saturday, however, I decided to spend several hours in Bed, Bath & Beyond, catching up on the shopping I needed to do for several home projects. I also decided to purchase the ingredients for my final act of self pity---baking (and eating) a couple of recipes of luscious, ooey, gooey indulgent cookies. I'll just share one recipe here, today, but will share others in the future. Whether you're looking for a little indulgence or looking to satisfy your sweet tooth for peanut butter and chocolate, these fit the bill. They also freeze really well, which is what I did after eating two (that actually did the trick!) so don't feel bad about controlled indulging!!! The recipe (which I have included below) is from Beantown Baker and it is delish! I believe it calls for regular sized muffin pans and peanut butter cups but I used the mini versions of both. Doing this, the recipe made 42 cookies and each one is just enough to satisfy my need for a little indulgence. Here are a few pictures that I took during the process as well as the recipe. Enjoy!!!

P.S. If you're looking for more great recipes, check out the Beantown Baker's awesome site by clicking here!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

ingredients:

For the Peanut Butter Cookie Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
14 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, frozen (0.55 ounces each)

For the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Layer
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

For the Ganache Layer
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
7 0.55-ouncce Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, frozen (0.55 ounces each)

directions:

For the peanut butter cookie crust
Heat oven to 350˚F. Mix butter and sugar until creamed in a large bowl. Mix in egg and peanut butter until smooth; stir in flour and salt. Grease 14 cups of 2 muffin pans and press dough evenly into the bottom of the cups. Bake at 350˚F for 12 minutes or until light golden brown and set. Immediately press a frozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup into the center of each cookie cup. Let cool 5 minutes, then remove from pan, place on wire racks, and allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

For the peanut butter cookie dough
Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and mix until creamy. Mix in the milk and the peanut butter, then stir in the flour and salt. Spread the peanut butter cookie dough evenly over the cooled cookie cups.

For the Ganache
Place chocolate chips and cream in a small microwavable bowl; microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Continue stirring until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Place dollaps of ganache on top of the cookie dough layer. Place cookie cups in the refrigerator for an hour or until ganache is set. Cut Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in half and garnish cups with them, if desired.