Pinterest Review: DIY Thyme and ACV Toner

Like I've said before, I'll try pretty much any kind of skin care remedy out there. After years of testing different products for my oily and acne-prone skin, I love it when I come across a DIY recipe that could not only save me money, but also be better for my skin!

I came across this recipe for a DIY Thyme and Apple Cider Vinegar Toner, another project from Delighted Momma. This toner is said to help clear skin better than benzoyl peroxide...whaa? Yes please let me try this!

So I got my thyme and I got my Apple Cider Vinegar and I heated and mixed...

 

And I strained (using the mini strainer that I used to make my hippie coffee) and poured into an old hotel shampoo bottle...

And then I tried it on my skin.

I'm sure that everything they say about thyme being better than benzoyl peroxide is perfectly true....but let me make a couple observations about this particular toner:

1. The smell of ACV is wayyyyy strong. Like, so-strong-I-had-to-air-out-my-entire-house strong.
2. Also, I hate the smell of vinegar....
3. ...thus I HATED my face smelling like ACV.

So it's fair to say that I was not a fan of this particular DIY....maybe there's another liquid I could use instead of ACV? It might be completely fine for other less babyish peeps, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm a baby. Totes.

Any suggestions? Has anyone else used this and had success? I'd love to know if it was worth the smell...but at this point, all it's going to benefit is my compost pile :)

xo, Morgan

Pinterest Review: One Bowl Cupcakes for Two [or one...]

A few weeks ago, I came home from a long day at work and had a taste for something sweet. But alas, in an attempt to be healthy, I didn't allow myself to buy anything sugary for these munchie-craving times. Ugh.

But then! I remembered a recipe I'd pinned for One Bowl Cupcakes for Two! Perfect! Nevermind that it is now 11pm, I'm making some cupcakes, dang it!

Now, I must have done something wrong because I came out with 3 cupcakes, not that I minded....

And every cupcake needs frosting, amiright? I'll be honest, when it came to the frosting, I didn't measure...but I threw together some softened cream cheese (full disclosure: neufchatel cheese), butter, splash of vanilla, and powdered sugar.

And oh my wow. Delicious. This may have been the best thing from Pinterest that I've tried so far.

Obviously. oh so perfect.

I think what I liked best about this was that it made the perfect number of mini cakes...it's always the worst temptation for me to have an entire pan of brownies sitting around....I end up having dessert after ever. single. meal. No joke.

This way, there weren't too many cupcakes....and what did I do with the other two cakes? I'll never tell....

xo, morgan

Pinterest Review: DIY Lemon Juice and Baking Soda mask

I've posted before about seeking natural remedies for keeping my skin feeling refreshed and clear, so when I came across this recipe for a mask made with orange juice and baking soda that promised to not only refresh your skin but also help take care of blackheads, I knew I had to try it.

Unfortunately, I don't usually drink orange juice, so I didn't have any and had to improvise. Fortunately, I ALWAYS have lemon juice in my fridge and I've seen other DIY masks with lemon juice as an ingredient, so I used that as a substitute.

Basically, just mix lemon juice and baking soda until you have a paste-like substance. If it gets too thick, add more juice...if it's too soupy...well, I think you get it...

Then slather it all over your face, wait about 15-20 mins or until you're feeling crusty, then massage the crust back into your face with some warm water and rinse.

I'll say this: my face felt refreshed. As far as blackheads, meh. I'm not sure that I saw a difference, but I liked that this was super easy (and cheap) and my skin felt like it was actually clean for hours following. Overall, I'll do this one again, but I wouldn't say that this is the mask of all masks. I'm still on the hunt.

Do you have any DIY masks/washes that you use? Please share! :)

xo, mo

Pinterest Review: DIY Vitamin C Mask

As promised, here is the first of what I hope to be weekly reviews of Pinterest DIY projects! Some will be skincare, some crafts, some even maybe gardening-related projects (I started composting last week!!! SUPER excited :) In the past year, I've pinned more ideas than I can remember with the thought "oh, I really need to do this sometime!"

well sometime is now.

Sooooo here we go! 

I'm always looking for new facial masks that can leave my face feeling refreshed. So you can imagine my glee when I found a DIY Vitamin C mask from Delighted Momma!

Vitamin C (as I'm told) is great for your skin as a natural brightener and since I had some VitC just laying around (don't ask why), I figured I'd take a whack at this recipe.

First you get yourself some powdered VitC...maybe you could just crush up some swallowables? Not sure. I got mine at Natural Gourmet. It can also be found here.

 cute bowl optional.

Then mix in some H2O until you've got a paste of sorts.

 Like so.

Aaaaaand spread it all over your face.

 better keep those eyes open to avoid VitC up the nose...

That's it! Check yourself out to ensure complete facial coverage.

Don't be concerned if it burns a little...happened to me too.

...wait for awhile until you're feeling kind of crusty... 

Then use a warm washcloth to remove the crustiness...

And voila! My skin definitely felt smoother and...brighter? I don't know....it felt....refreshed is the word, I suppose. A few hours later, my skin was still oil-free, which NEVER happens so that was awesome.

I'd definitely recommend this Pinterest DIY and count it as a success!

Have you tried this mask? I'd love to hear about your results!