DIY Lip & Face Sugar Scrub

I absolutely love Summertime. The watermelon, the cookouts, catching lightning bugs, wearing a bathing suit top as an acceptable shirt… everything about the season gives me that warm, happy feeling. Warm, for sure, because it’s been about 103 degrees every day here in Virginia this month. To relax a bit from the heat and to compliment that bronzy glow we get this time of year, I’ve come up with a delicious sugar scrub for both lips and face. It has exfoliating natural ingredients like sugar and lemon, with honey and olive oil for gentle nourishing.

Here’s what I did to make the scrub:

Ingredients - 

1 cup Sugar

3 tbsp Non-melted Coconut Oil

2 tbsp Honey

1 tsp Almond Extract

1/2 tsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Grapeseed Oil

Directions -

Combine ingredients into a bowl (not the one you’ll be using for storing the scrub) and mix them together with a spoon. If you’re finding you’d like a different consistency, just add sugar for a rougher scrub and add more coconut oil for a less rough scrub. The Grapeseed Oil acts as a preservative so that your scrub stays fresh. 

Once the ingredients are mixed well so that all the sugar is incorporated into the liquid, add a small drop of food coloring in the color of your choice. I chose red and included the smallest amount so it would stay pink. Add your color and mix again. Then, find a jar or whatever you wish to store your scrub in, and scoop the scrub out of the bowl with a spoon. Pack it into the jar or container, and wipe off any spills or excess. If you have leftover scrub after filling your jar, try buying little travel container pots and filling those with scrub. Then you can take it on the go and have soft lips anywhere!

Hope you enjoy!

For my jar -

I used an old Yankee Candle jar that had only a little bit of candle left. To remove the remaining wax and wick glue, I put a doubled-up sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet (take care to fold the sides of the foil up so that wax doesn’t spill off the sheet) and I placed the candle in the middle of it, upside down so that the wax could drip out. I then put the sheet in the oven, set to 200 degrees, and let it work its magic for about ten to fifteen minutes. Just check occasionally to make sure all of your wax is gone. Then I took it out of the oven, let it cool down, and used a paper towel to clean all remaining wax particles from inside. After it was clean of wax, I soaked the jar in hot water for ten minutes to make the labels easy to remove. I used a knife to scrape the soaked labels off. Any remaining soot stains can be cleaned with a bit of Acetone and a cotton pad. The candle jar makes a really neat container for the scrub and wrapping a ribbon around the jar adds a girly touch that enhances the summery feel even more!

I hope you like this DIY project! Let me know in the comments if you try it out or if you have any recommendations.

Love, Kristin

Haul: Ulta & Bobbi Brown

Yesterday, I spent a “girls’ bonding day” with my mom, which basically always adds up to spending a lot of money on hair, clothes or beauty products. Sometimes a combination of those three. Our latest expedition led us to Ulta, Estee Lauder (for my mother) and Bobbi Brown. Here’s a look at what I rounded up: 

Products from left to right (for the most part): 

1. Bio Oil Specialist Moisturizer

2. Benefit Cosmetics Browzings Brow Shaping Kit

3. L’Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Airbrush Self-Tanning Mist

4. Real Techniques Travel Essentials brush kit

5. Estee Lauder Lip Gloss Holder (free gift with purchase)

6. Benefit Cosmetics Angled Brush

7. Benefit Cosmetics Sleep Mask (free gift with purchase)

8. Formula 10.0.6 So Totally Clean Cleanser + Toner

9. Essie Nail Polishes in Shifting Power - currently on my toes - and Steel-ing the Scene

10. The Body Shop Strawberry Polish Exfoliation Body Wash

11. Exfoliating Loofah

12. Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don’t Stray Eyeshadow Primer (free gift with purchase)

13. Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream in Light/Medium (I did a post on my review of this)

14. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit in Cool Sand

15. Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque

16. Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Facial Towelettes

There you have it! I’m planning to do reviews on a few of these bad boys, so keep your eyes out for them! Here’s a link to my post reviewing the Garnier BB Cream: http://thecrownless.tumblr.com/post/26592229371/product-review-garnier-skin-renew-bb-cream

See you soon!

Love, Kristin

Product Review: Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream

The Product: Garnier BB Cream Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector in Light/Medium

The Claim: To instantly renew, brighten, even and hydrate your skin with an added SPF 15. “Skin concerns, such as discoloration, dullness, blotchiness and dryness can come from a number of different sources. It’s hard to find just one product that addresses all these concerns at once. Solution: Garnier introduces Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector that immediately and effectively fulfills your skincare expectations.” - The box.

The Statistics: After one application - “90% of users had a more even complexion, 93% saw a more healthy glow and 96% saw smoother skin.” - The box. 

The Price: $12.99, varies based on seller.

The Online Reviews:  

“ I love the BB cream. It has the right moisturizing effect for my skin, which is dry. I love how I have the luminosity glow on my skin. I like the dewy look. It does not look oily. I am so glad that I tried this skincare line of products, they do work.”- Garnier.com user review

“I was so excited to try this cream because I like Garnier and read about it in O Magazine, but was completely disappointed. I have clear skin and this product made me break out like no other! It also has a bad smell.” -Ulta.com user review

“I HATE this because I have super oily skin and this does absolutely nothing for it. I look insanely shiny within an hour and this is with a setting powder. I LOVE this product because it honestly has made a difference in my skins appearance. I can already see my skin color evening out, some of the redness is gone and I’ve only used this about 3 times.” -Makeup Alley user review

The Test: I removed the dirt and oil from my face using my Yes to Cucumbers Facial Wipes. Then I applied a dime size amount of the BB cream using my fingers (I held it in between my finger tips for a few seconds to warm it up so it would go on more smoothly) and blended into my entire face. My first reaction was that the cream was a bit sticky and a bit darker than I was expecting. After giving it a few minutes though, I did see a difference in my skin tone. The redness in my cheeks was less apparent yet didn’t look like I tried too hard to cover it up like it does with foundation. Overall, my skin did look more even - and the color matched well - and I could actually go out of the house with just that BB cream on…if I applied a bit of concealer under my eyes first. After a few hours, the sticky feeling lessened though my oily areas like my forehead and chin still felt sticky. I never noticed a bad smell -just a slight spray tan type smell- or the cream running off with sweat, though I didn’t sweat much while testing it. Next time I plan to wear it, I’ll be sure to dust a powder over it (I use the BareEscentuals Mineral Veil) to make sure it stays. 

The Final Word: I would recommend this product! It does even out my skin tone and it gives a light coverage that looks like you aren’t wearing makeup - you just have good skin and confidence.  It’s not what I’d call a miracle product, though it is possible that my skin tone will become naturally more even after a few more uses. I love the summery look it gives me (I’d maybe tone down the darkness of the color by putting a few drops of the BB cream in your daily moisturizer for Fall and Winter) and I’ll definitely continue to use it as long as it doesn’t cause breakouts. Renews? We’ll see. Hydrates? I don’t think so. Brightens? Yes. Evens skin tone? Yes. Not bad, Garnier. 

The Grade: B… (B cream)

Let me know what your opinion is on this product! Love it? Hate it? Share it! 

Love, Kristin