DIY Make-up setting spray

It's that time of year where the weather is getting warmer, the humidity levels are rising and I hate what the combination of those two things do to my makeup. I don't know about you but the melting makeup is not my favorite look to rock during the warmer months. 

There are a few makeup items that I swear by that are made by high end makeup companies...MAC setting spray is a must have, but I do hate the price tag. 


You can use setting sprays to moisturize your skin, set your make up, and add some shine to your hair. If you look cakey with too much face powder you can use this product to make it melt into your skin. It is great in the summer months because it prevents your make up from moving or if you are one of those girls who wears makeup to the gym. If your foundation dries before you buff into your skin all the way, you can spray it on your brush and then finish applying the make up.

Here's how to make it:

• 1 part pure glycerin (You can find it in the facial care, pharmacy, cooking, or even craft stores) 
• 3 parts filtered water 
• Something to put it in, I used an empty MAC bottle

   

All you do is mix 1/4 glycerin to 3/4 water inside a spray bottle and use. That would be if you have combination skin. If you have oily skin try 1/5 glycerin to 4/5 water and if you have dry skin try using 1/3 part glycerin to 2/3 parts water.

    If you have redness in your skin you can add 1 part rose water, that will also give it a nice rose smell. I like to put one part witch hazel in mine personally because it makes it feel less sticky. If the stickiness is still a problem for you, try just a little rubbing alcohol.  

Give it a try. I hope you like it!

DIY Custom Shade Tinted Moisturizer

It is springtime. Well it is a really screwed up version of springtime. I don't know about where you live but here in North Carolina its 80 degrees, sunny, laying out at the beach weather and the next day its 45 degrees, raining and you are looking for your winter coat.

The warm days are on the way though to stay, hopefully, very soon. When the heat starts to rise and we ungratefully welcome the wonderful humidity, it is time to change from full face makeup to tinted moisturizer. Personally, I don't like the 'my face is melting off' look. The only problem I have is making sure I have the right color. Not only that, living at the beach, I tan very fast. Granted I have more than my fair share of makeup, I really don't want to have to buy a whole range of colors to match my tan and then my fading tan once September gets here.

To make your own custom shade all you will need is a little pot/pan/container, your favorite foundation and moisturizer.

Mix, Mix, Mix

There you have it. Your very own custom shade of tinted moisturizer  You can make a lot of just a little but now you will always have the right shade on hand!

Copy Cat Starbucks Frappuccino

Are you surprised that I found an amazing copy cat recipe for a Starbucks drink, yea me neither. I don't drink these very often but when I am on a road trip and need a pick me up or when I am out running errands on a warm summer day, something about this just hits the spot. Granted I could go for the super caffeinated version of this drink on most days. 

I ran across this recipe not because I was particularly looking for a Starbucks recipe, I just wanted a good iced coffee recipe that I could make that didn't require lots of things that I normally do not keep stocked in my pantry. Plus every now and then its nice to have a cold drink that isn't water.  With summer around the corner, this is something that I will keep on hand for a nice treat and mid-day pick me up.

First lets brew some coffee. Now let me tell you, I actually added 20oz of coffee because with just the 10oz it was too sweet for me. Start with the 10oz first, if its too sweet, add some more coffee. 

To your pitcher add Vanilla coffee creamer.

Then sugar

and a little more sugar.  Pour the hot coffee on top of the sugar mixture in the pitcher. Stir it up and refrigerate for a couple hours, overnight is better though. 

Now when you need a pick me up, something a little cold while you are playing with the kids, just head on over and get a tall glass. 

Coconut Honey DIY Lip Scrub

Even though we are leaving behind the cold winter months, I still like to give my lips a little TLC during the warmer months.

 Lip balm and chapstick will not be able to do there job if they don't have a good foundation to work with. With the summer time rapidly approaching and the countless hours we are going to be spending soaking up the sun, make sure to love on your lips at least once a week just like you would do for your body.

Here is a simple and easy DIY. Once it is made make sure to remember it only has a shelf life of about 2 weeks. So if you make a big batch, give it out to your girlfriends!

Coconut Honey Lip Scrub

1 tbs honey

1 tbs sugar

1/2 tbs olive oil

1/2 tbs coconut oil

Mix all ingredients to combine. Apply a pea size portion to your lips and rub gently with your index finger. Rinse with warm water and apply your favorite moisturizing chapstick.

Images from style within

Easter Centerpieces

To all of my readers who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter. Unlike every other year, I decided not to get out my Easter decorations. We are making a big move in only 2 months and I did not feel like rummaging through boxes to get to them. 

Yesterday while we were out running errands, my oldest son found the prettiest bouquet of flowers. With those big brown eyes, he looked at me and said "can we at least put these on our table?" All right, how could I say no to that face....off to Dollar Tree we went, WITH our new bouquet of flowers.

I wanted to find something inexpensive just in case we decided to through it away instead of packing it. Not only was this under $8 bucks, it came out super cute and it will be packed into a box and will find a place on the table next Easter.

Easter grass, any color

bunny peeps

jelly beans

glass container

egg decorations

First pour the jellybeans into the glass containers. Fill about 1/4 of the way full.

Next line up your bunny peeps all around the container.

Now fill the middle in with the Easter grass.

Take your egg decorations and stick them into the grass, through the jellybeans until you hit bottom. 

Voila! As you can see, my oldest was quite proud of himself. He did a wonderful job. Looks like he will be making them next year too.

Easter bunny origami tag

Easter bunny origami---free template

This week is spring break. I have been scouring the internet for ideas to help keep them occupied . Anything to avoid the countless hours staring at the TV or playing video games. We might not have the perfect Spring weather yet, but I believe that kids need to be outside, exploring, as much as they can. 

We have had a few rainy days so far and after we turned our living room into a fort, played pirates, baked way to many yummy treats, settled down and watched a family movie...I need more ideas for inside play. 

I came across these beautiful tags and thought that my kids could "help" me with them. Theirs came out, interesting, to say the least but they were adorable and will look beautiful when they are adorned on bags full of Easter goodies for the grandparents.

DIY Natural Room Scent

I am one of those people who absolutely love to have my house smelling amazing. Whether it is the lingering scent of something baking, my overused Scentsy warmer or a new obsession of mine DIY Natural Room Scents. 

I don't use them as much as I would like to because it usually requires you to keep your stove on and with two smaller children I just don't seen comfortable with that. But I did find a solution. I bought a small crock-pot. Now I don't have to worry about the stove being on and the crock-pot can be put out of reach from the kids.

One of my favorites scents is anise. I know its so cliche, but there is something about that sweet yet spicy aroma that I just love. 

I stumbled across a new room scent that included anise and as soon as it started to warm in the crock-pot I knew I had found my new favorite scent! These are super easy to make and can be customized to your preferences. Play around with some of your favorite scents to come up with new fragrances. 

What you will need---Oranges, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and anise. One reason it is my favorite scent is for it's staying power. This scent carries into multiple rooms better, and it can be reheated to scent your rooms for several days. 

source

How to heat it using a mini slow cooker. Mine only has one low heat setting. The mixture never actually bubbles and visibly steams. I leave it uncovered on my kitchen counter to slowly release scent throughout the day. It's subtle, but creates a pleasant smell in my kitchen and a hint of scent in surrounding rooms. When I'm home, I keep my mini slow cooker going. It's easy and uses very little electricity. When I fill mine in the morning, it won't dry out for an entire day. If you're concerned about accidentally letting it run dry, you can put a lamp timer on it so that it automatically shuts off at the desired time. 

Cheaper and A LOT better DIY laundry detergent

I know a few women who swear by making their own laundry detergent but I could never bring myself to try it. I tend to be a little picky when it comes to my detergent. It has to smell yummy and the smell has to last, it cannot fade the colors of my clothes, it has to make my towels nice and fluffy and it HAS to be able to get the funk out of my family's gym clothes and sports uniforms. I am not asking too much am I? I had fallen in love with Tide with Febreze and the Febreze sport a long time ago and that is all I use.

But at between $12 and $20 a bottle, depending on what size I bought, even with coupons it seemed to cost me and arm and a leg. I usually do about 4 loads a week, sometimes 5. That adds up to be a lot of money. I know there are many other things I could spend that money on....Hobby Lobby and Traders Joe's come to mind!

So after looking around the internet for "recipes" for laundry detergent, I came across one that seemed to have some potential. After I made my first batch, ran my first laundry cycle, I pulled the clothes out, stuck my nose in them and OH MY WORD, they smelled amazing. After the dryer cycle was finished they still smelled good. And for about $28 a year...I am sold!

All you are going to need is 1-2 tablespoons of soap, depending on how dirty your load is, in each load of laundry! 

Here is what you will need:

2 bars of Fels-Naptha

1 container of Oxygen stain remover ( I feel that the Dirty Jobs stain remover is better than Oxi-clean)

1 bottle of Purex Crystals (this is optional but it gives your laundry an amazing smell)

1 box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1 box of Borax

4lb box of baking soda

Grab your cheese grater and start grating the bars of Fels-Naptha. 

It should look like this when you are finished.

Grab a bucket with a lid, mine is a 5lb bucket from Lowes, to mix and keep your detergent in. 

Add all of your ingredients to the bucket. 

Now take those tools, hands, that you were given and mix it all up. It will look like this when you are finished. 

I like to save the scoop that comes with the Dirty Job remover because I use it to scoop the detergent into the Purex Crystal Bottle, so that I can keep a bottle of soap on top of the washer. Put the lid on the bucket and store it away.

Now this is why I save the Purex bottle. I filled this bottle about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I have done about 13 loads of laundry and this is all I have used! Yep, that is right. 13 loads of laundry and I am down about and inch from the top. This is going to last you a good while!