Fragrance Friday

I haven't been smelling any new perfumes this week (but I re-found a stash of unsniffeds, so there'll be a fo realz FF next week), but this is Fragrance Friday, which includes more than just perfume, so today I'm going to talk about homemade bath oil!

I have a rather sizable collection of pure oils, purchased originally to help with my skin woes. I'm very, very slow about adding them into my skincare regimen, though, since my skin has a tendency to break out horribly, but I feel so bad about all those bottles sitting sad and unused in my fridge. My solution: put them to another use!

I remember reading on Bois de Jasmin many months ago about how you could add perfume to unscented lotion or oil to make your own perfumed body products on the cheap, so I decided to give it a try with a perfume that has caused me such heartache: Mitsouko. Absolutely loved the original sample I tried, but the full bottle is evidently from a different reformulation, and it pulls powdery on me. I do not like powder in perfumes, for the most part, but I so, so loved my sample vial that I'm not willing to give up on it, even though there's no reason to suspect it will get better with age. However, I figured it could make for a very decadent bath experience, so I decided to try it in bath oil form.

I used macadamia nut, jojoba, borage, and evening primrose oils, combining in a 1/2 oz vial, then added about 10 sprays of Mitsouko. I belatedly realized I should include an emulsifier so that the bath oil wouldn't coat my bathtub, but the vial was almost full so it ended up being less than 10% polysorbate 80 (my emulsifier of choice), so it wasn't quite as cooperative with the water as it could have been (15-20% is my usual choice for oil:emulsifier ratio). The bath experience itself was still extremely enjoyable, but I'll have to be careful when I shower tomorrow, ha!

My bath smelled quite strongly of Mitsouko, and while it was still not right, I found it much more pleasant in a different format than when applied directly to my skin. The oils made the water super soft, and post-bath, I had no need for lotion or perfume, as my skin was left moisturized and gently perfumed. Still a bit powdery, but it was okay––it just made me feel like I was clean and pampered.

I imagine any perfume could be bath oilified, and I hope to experiment with some of my other full bottles in the future (and maybe make use of some unloved sample vials, as one bath's worth would empty them!). Any oils you have on hand would undoubtedly work as well; you don't have to include an emulsifier, but it makes cleanup much easier. I purchased my supplies over a period of several months/orders from Lotioncrafter and Garden of Wisdom and recommend both sites, and there are tons of other places to purchase online.

Have you ever made your own bath oil? What's your favorite way to spoil yourself?

Skincare Saturday: Grapeseed Oil

I've been exploring diy skincare the last couple months, and after some overly-optimistic headlong dives using a ton of ingredients at once, I've scaled back and am gradually adding things one at a time. I'll be featuring one or two ingredients per week, talking about their properties, benefits, and my experience with them.

I am not a chemist, at all. I cannot overstate that. As such, I rely on internet sources for my information; I have neither the time nor the interest to read scholarly articles on the subject, but I will try to relay reliable information. For anyone who's interested, I highly recommend Points of Interest; Susan (Swift) is incredibly knowledgeable and there's a ton of information on her site, including several extremely helpful ingredient comparisons and oodles of recipes. Wikipedia, in spite of its faults, is still a good place to start, and if you're a science-minded person, you can go straight to the research articles themselves.

First, some very basic terminology: carrier oil means an oil that can be used at high ratios in skincare formulations; as such, they are usually more affordable. With my oily, acne-prone, sensitive skin, I prefer carrier oils that are lighter and drier (such as grapeseed or safflower), whereas those with mature or dry skin might prefer heavier, richer oils (like avocado). Carrier oils serve as the base for other ingredients, such as essential oils, which are extremely concentrated, usually fragrant, and need to be diluted like whoa, and exotic oils (following Garden of Wisdom and Points of Interest), which are more expensive, often richer or higher in healthy ingredients, and which can help skin more dramatically. I'll be talking about items from each type in this series, but today my focus is on a carrier oil, grapeseed (or grape seed) oil.

Recommendation Thursday: Winter Skincare, Lips Edition

For a more thorough explanation of how to keep your lips happy through winter, see the TT post here.

I'll talk about lip balm first; I have a lot of personal knowledge of balms, so most of the products recommended here have been tried and tested by me, as the notes accompanying most of them will attest. I also included a few that are very popular and well-liked but that I haven't tried myself, because I am nothing if not thorough!  A note before I continue: all of the lip balms discussed below are highly rated on MUA (minimum lippies of 4/5, minimum buy-again of 75%), so you'll notice several popular products that aren't included (many Burt's Bees items, for example).  I have given notes on those that I have tried, and some of them I really disliked, but since the general consensus is contrary to my experience, I figured it was still okay to include them in a recommendations list.  And, as always, your own suggestions are very much appreciated!

Lip Balms with SPF (because your lips can get burnt, too!)

Image from Sephora

Jack Black Lip Balm SPF 25 is HG for me (and Christine from Temptalia, who is the one who inspired me to give it a try).  It comes in several scent variations, and all except the Natural Mint are flavorless and free of any ingredients that induce tingliness and possible irritation.  My favorite is Grapefruit and Ginger, though I've yet to try the Black Tea and Blackberry (but I included it in my Sephora F&F order, whee!).  Lemon and Chamomile was too sweet-smelling for me, though I've used it nightly for close to 6 months (can't let it go to waste!), and the Lavender and Vanilla scent is actually quite masculine to my nose.  It's $7.50 for 0.25 oz, but, as mentioned above, it lasts a very long time, and it is intensely moisturizing and stays on a long time as well as leaving lips soft and healed once it wears off.  Also: there's a set of 4 out for the holidays, including Natural Mint, Lemon and Chamomile, and two new varieties, Mango and Mandarin and Shea Butter and Vitamin E, and if you buy it during F&F, it's $20 for 4 balms, or $5 apiece, which is 33% less than they are individually!  The two new scents are exclusive to the set, though I suspect they release individuals of them once the holidays are over, as that's what happened with Black Tea and Blackberry and Grapefruit and Ginger.  So if you're wanting to give it a try, the set's a great way to acquaint yourself with the brand!

Skincare Saturday: Shaving Routine and Tend Skin Review

I was going to do a big shaving post, but I didn't get around to it before school started and now I know I won't have the time.  But N asked for info on what to do after shaving, so I figured I should at least do a review on Tend Skin and a quick run-down of my routine.

Image from Sephora

I've found that shaving cream or shave gel works way better for me than soap or body wash, so I definitely recommend buying some (it's less than a latte for a can of shaving cream or gel; I've used Gilette's shaving cream for sensitive skin [aimed at dudes, but worked fine for me] and Skintimate shave gel for women and liked both, so it's really a matter of preference).  I tend to use disposable razors, because my mom buys the 50 pack from Costco so it's effectively free to me, but non-disposables are better for more sensitive areas (bikini line, etc.) or if you have easily-irritated skin.  Men's razors are (almost?) always cheaper than women's, and I've found they actually tend to work better, so as long as you don't mind shaving with something that looks like it fell off a rocket ship, I think buying men's is the way to go.  There are usually coupons on razors and other shaving paraphernalia in the Sunday ads, so I suggest looking through those before purchasing anything, because you can save some money!

Tip Tuesday: DIY Beauty Solutions A-G

For a summary of Tip Tuesday, see here.  For reviews of diy beauty I've personally used, see here (or click on the "diy" tag at the bottom of this post).

There are many appealing things about diy natural beauty.  For one thing, you get to feel like a mad scientist, and who doesn't love that?  (If you don't, go away, this post is not for you.)  For another, you have control over exactly what you're putting on your skin, which means you can avoid ingredients you know irritate you, and don't have to worry about the negative effects from chemical additives.  This does not mean, however, that diy beauty is without its hazards, so please, use caution!

So, here is the first half of the many ingredients you can use in your beauty concoctions (though there are even more that I'm not covering here!), as well as what problem areas they address, and the major concerns to keep in mind regarding side effects and the like.  I hope this is helpful to you, and I welcome any diy suggestions of your own in the comments!  H(oney) through Y(ogurt) will be posted next week.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Used as: Toner, hair treatment
Good for: Acne-prone and/or oily skin
Bad for: Sensitive skin
ACV, as it's known in the biz, is used as a toner to restore the pH balance of skin and help combat acne.  I've never used it, but the intertubes say: it smells nasty, though the smell dissipates after application; you should mix it with water (start with a 1:8 ratio of ACV to water, then increase the amount over time); organic is generally gentler than conventional ACV; and tread with caution if you have sensitive skin.  If you pour it through your hair, it helps get rid of residue and build-up from hair products, though unless you want to smell like a salad, you should probably shower and wash your hair afterwards.

Aspirin
Used as: Mask, toner
Good for: Acne-prone, oily, and/or sensitive/red skin
Bad for: People who are allergic to aspirin
Aspirin, it is claimed, is a source of salicylic acid once it breaks down, though the Beauty Brains did a post about this and said the science isn't really there to back the claims up.  I've tried mixing aspirin in with a yogurt mask, and saw a decrease in redness and swelling, but that could have been due to the other ingredients in the mask.  To use, crush 4-6 uncoated aspirin tablets (uncoated can be hard to find, though health food-type stores often have them) and add a few drops of water to make a paste.  As a mask, you can either spread it over your face like that and let it sit until it dries, or you can mix it with yogurt or honey.  I prefer to do the latter, because the powder has a tendency to fall off as it dries, and mixing it with something else gets rid of that problem.  Some people swear by it as a toner, though when I tried it as such, I got really annoyed with the little pieces of aspirin that stuck to my face.  Do not use this if you have an allergy to aspirin (though I hope that would go without saying!).

Skincare Saturday: Baking Soda Facial Exfoliator Review

I've heard back from a couple of you that you'd like to see more skincare reviews, especially of the homemade variety.  Lucky for you, I've got quite the arsenal to share.  I'll try and post a review on skincare weekly (Saturdays, naturally), though it may be less frequent than that, so I'm going to have to ask you to bear with me!

First up is a scrub I've used and liked to tide you over until my next skincare posts.

image from Arm & Hammer

Honey, Revisited

I've written before of my love of honey as a cleanser and mask, but recently bought some raw honey to use instead, and would like to talk about it today!  If you haven't read my original post, it's a good place to start.  Otherwise, read on!

Adzuki (Azuki) Beans Exfoliator Review and Tragic Tale

For those of you who have read any of my skincare posts, you know that my skin and I don't always get along (understatement!).  In spite of its tendency to break out at the slightest anything, I have continued my dogged pursuit of diy skincare treatments in an effort to tame it without harsh chemicals.  I've had some successes (honey, sea salt, yogurt masks), and some failures (cucumber toner, green tea [which, in spite of my excitement at the time, has since broken me out]).  None of my reactions, good or bad, have been nearly so impressively epic as the effect adzuki beans had.  Brace yourselves.

raw adzuki beans, image from here

Aspirin and Yogurt Mask Review

For some reason, my skin was really acting up today––perhaps because it's finally gotten hot here and my skin doesn't know what to do with the sweatiness.  Lots of new zits, redness, irritation...not fun.  I figured tonight would be a good time to try an aspirin mask, known for helping calm reactive skin.  Lord knows such remedies haven't always worked as they should for me (cucumber toner, for one)...

Yogurt, Honey, Lemon, and Oatmeal Mask

Yogurt masks are touted as being good for exfoliation (thanks to the AHA lactic acid) and as a carrier for other ingredients (like honey, oatmeal, lemon, aspirin, tea tree oil, banana, strawberry, cucumber...).  I'd used this mask once a week for the past month+, but then decided earlier this week to try using it every night for 4-5 days to really see its effect.  Anyone care to guess what happened?

Cucumber Toner

I recently decided to try adding shredded cucumber to my go-to sea salt toner, since cucumber is recommended for oily skin.  Now, I love eating cucumber.  It is the vegetable I crave most often.  The crunch!  The juice!  So refreshing.

Sea Salt Toner Update

A week and a half ago, I wrote about using sea salt as a toner (original post here), and have changed a few things since then so figured I should share.  For one thing, I decided I needed to get some more sea salt, preferably something that's not years old and of questionable origin.

Sea Salt Toner

I'd read about using a sea salt toner to help with oily skin on MUA, but didn't have any sea salt at school, and didn't want to buy a big bag that I'd have to leave behind when I came home.  I kept it in mind, though, and a few days ago mixed up a batch using some sea salt I'd gotten many moons ago when I got my cartilage pierced.  I think any kind of generic sea salt should do the trick, and table salt would probably work too, though it's lacking many of the minerals that sea salt has.

Honey

I've mentioned before that I have "bad" skin: oily, acne-prone, uneven, large pores...pretty much anything that can go wrong does (including being dry in the wintertime!).  I've been on and off prescription meds for my skin for a decade, and while I've generally got it managed (not great, but not terrible), I am always looking for a way to make it better.  I like to browse the most popular and highest rated things on Makeup Alley when I'm procrastinating, which is how I've come across several more "natural" options for skincare, one of which is honey.