DIY Face Mask for oily and sensitive skin

I’ve posted an entry in the past about a burning mask that floated around Pinterest that worked pretty well with cleansing the dead skin, but my pores were still the same. Also, another dilemma I faced with that scrub was that I found it made my skin oil/greasy if used too close in proximity to my last scrubbing.

I’m on a hunt to find the perfect cleansing mask or scrub. What do you all do that works?

I recently tried the baking soda, lemon juice, and honey mask, and wasn’t all that impressed with it… initially. I left it on for a bit, and washed it off when it started to burn. I definitely wasn’t expecting that to happen so quickly! Yes, yes, I know. I should have thought that one through. Both baking soda and lemon juice could potentially cause a burning sensation, and there was a disclaimer on the tutorial from The Glossier. But, they had said 5-15 minutes! I lasted two…

Initial reaction for me consisted of mostly irritation. Baking soda is gritty which aids to the exfoliation, but it’s also a pain to wipe off cleanly without just splashing water across your face. After an annoying clean-up process that lasted longer than the mask itself, I saw no difference in my pores.

Alas! I was quite disappointed. I’m not all that feminine when it comes to taking care of my beauty on a regular basis, so this was something I psyched myself up for. I got to bed, and the next morning I definitely saw some change: my pores had shrunk down! Not the miracle I expected, but still pretty darned good results. They were about a quarter size smaller than they originally were!

Now, I posted a before photo on this blog entry, so you can see just how bad my nose is. I’m allotting my disappointment to that and the fact that my skin is a little sensitive. It’s difficult to have a problem area and then be patient with results.

I tried the mask again after 5 days, and my pores remained the same from the last time. I was a little disappointed with that, so I started to do some research on the different types of mask and ingredients that you can use in them, and concocted my own to suit my skin.

This is what I used that worked for me:

• 1 tablespoon of sugar (exfoliator)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil (moisturizer)
• 5-6 drops of witch hazel (astringent)

I was a little hesitant with my experiment, because my skin does get oily. The use of oil in a scrub or mask was a new and scary thing for me. I still gave it at shot. The results were... interesting. Let me explain why. My pores, no real result with those. But, my face? Oh my goodness! It's soft, silky, and has this BEAUTIFUL glow to it. I would post photos, but I'm not sure if I want my face plastered in the interwebs. 

I think I've made a decision that I'll be doing both the mask and the scrub within a couple of days within one another. This attempt was done 5 days in between. They worked EXTREMELY well in succession and completely unintentionally. The baking soda left my skin somewhat dry, and the olive oil seemed to replenish it.

Update: Facebook Page & ShopEnvy Store

Quick and fabulous update!

I finally set my URL on my Facebook Page! YAY! Check it out here. I revamped the layout on here a bit. Yay, again. And, I've linked you all on my ShopEnvy store front before, so I won't do that again. No new merchandise up on there. But, played with that layout recently, too! :)

That's all for now.

Expect a real entry really soon, though!

Back from Narnia

It's been a while since I've updated this blog. And, by 'a while', I mean about a year and a half. My excuse? Life got in the way. I've been on hiatus with the jewelry business for the most part, eventually going to get my shopenvy store front up and active. Goal is to get it running within the end of the month, but I'll be more reasonable to myself and say by the end of March. Sometimes I forget I'm human and overestimate the amount of hours I have in the day. And, school is my number one priority at the moment. For those of you that do not know, I have Facebook page that I update more regularly. I'd love to have a few more 'likes'! I'll do an update with a link soon. I was just made aware that I don't have a set web address for it... SAY WHAT!?

But, fear not! I will be updating and blogging here more regularly. I've actually worked on a lot of nifty little projects since my last update, and I'll be back-tracking and filling you all in on those. Some of them have been actual DIY and artsy endeavors, others have been geared to towards organization and decorating. 

I'll be doing a set of "beauty" product reviews this week, too. I've been raving to all my girlfriends about some of my finds and complaining about a very particular product that I have come to despise with a passion. 

So, hooray for getting back on track with my writing! 

Pintested: The Burning Face Mask

Okay, so, how many of you have a Pinterest? I'll just wait patiently as all of you raise your hands.

I'm sure there's a bunch of Pinterest addicts in the blogosphere. I'd just like to mention an awesome pin that I've come across, tried and adopted into my life.

I think I'll be posting a couple more over time, too. ;)

The first one is going to be a face mask/ scrub at My Yellow Sandbox. This is phenomenal! My face hasn't been this smooth or clear in years.

I don't know about the rest of you, but college has made my skin blackhead and breakout central. I had FLAWLESS skin in high school. I never had to do a thing to it. But, the last two years have been a struggle. I don't like to use chemicals on my face, because the skin there is so sensitive.

I've been using the mask from My Yellow Sandbox twice a week and I've seen tremendous amounts of progress.

I'd like to mention that I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my skin type and needs.

My recipe:

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp purified water

Why did I do this? Well, let me break it down to the additions and subtractions from the original recipe:

1) - Nutmeg: Nutmeg's properties are used as an anti-inflammatory. Not something I need; I just need to deep-clean my skin.

 
2) - Lemon Juice:lemon is very acidic and I didn't feel comfortable using it on my sensitive skin. 

3) + Water: I added water so it would be less thick. I actually didn't use this as a mask, I diluted it a bit and I used it as a scrub. 

Regardless of the changes, my face felt and looked AMAZING. So, thank you My Yellow Sandbox!!

Leopard/Cheetah Print Nails.

I used a great tutorial last night to do my nails from SugarMedic88! What do you guys think?? I feel like mine ended up looking more like cheetah print rather than leopard, but I still love the outcome!

I strayed from SugarMedic88's tutorial just a bit. I didn't have a dotting tool so I used a cotton-less cotton swab. I just pulled the cotton off of the stick and wiped it clean in between dipping it in nail polish. 

I used CoverGirl's NailSlicks in Sunrise for the orange and Maple Sugar for the base color. The black was done with LA Colors Art Deco Nail Lacquer in Black. Which, by the way, I'm a big fan of. I always use LA Colors Art Deco for drawing on my nails and I haven't been disappointed yet. You can almost always find a myriad of colors of it at the Dollar Tree for $1 a piece.

I've heard you can use Sharpie instead to draw with, but my experience with it hasn't worked too well. It smears when you apply a top coat. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Loki'd

I may have a bit of an obsession.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these images nor the character it portrays.

TP Repurpose: Headband Holder

I’m on a cleaning binge right now, and the first thing I noticed was how many headbands I had laying around without a home. I wear A LOT of headbands. Ask any of friends, there’s rarely a time when I don’t have one on. (I even have one on right now.) The point is, I got a little crafty and turned some old toilet paper rolls into something useful!

First you take that TP roll and cut it into equal thirds. (Roughly estimated, it’s about 1.5 inches per piece)

Here’s where I made my marks.

Then you take some old computer paper (mine are some old Philosophy notes) and cut them into strips according to your TP roll pieces. For one roll, it’s three pieces. So, three strips of computer paper cut to 6.5 inches long X 1.5 inches wide. Now comes the fun decoupage part. Apply your Mod Podge (or Mod Podge hack like I use) to your TP rolls and then apply the strips.

You can leave them this way if you like or take some scrapbook paper and cover it a second time. I used an old Zen calendar. Once you've decoupaged, wait till they’re all dry and just staple them together.  

Voila! You're ready to thumb tack this onto your wall for use.

Just a heads up to you folks, this is not necessarily a permanent solution. This is in no way sturdy. I plan on keeping this as is until it breaks or tears. Once it does, I'll probably just do this again.