The Magic of Coconut Oil

After seeing many Pinterest posts and reading up on some blogs, I decided to buy myself a jar of this magical product- Coconut Oil. The list of what you can do with coconut oil is lengthy, but I'll describe what I've used it for so far.

Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (Unrefined) from Walmart, about $7

My uses for coconut oil:

-Oil Pulling. You may have read articles about oil pulling on Pinterest- it's quite the fad right now and it's what sparked my curiosity about coconut oil. This article I read on Fashion Lush blog teaches the step-by-step process of oil pulling, click here. Essentially, you swish coconut oil in your mouth in the same way you would mouthwash, for about twenty minutes. The benefits include: whiter and stronger teeth, detoxifies the body, banishes bad breath, and headache relief!

- Quick and easy lip balm. Swipe some coconut oil on your lips for quick and easy moisture.

-Eye makeup remover. Use your finger to grab a dollop of coconut oil, rubbing it on your eyes in a circular motion. It removes eye makeup much more quickly than the usual Vaseline that I use, and leaves your skin feeling soft.

-Lotion. Rub some coconut oil on dry spots, like elbows, for instant moisture!

-Shave gel. Use coconut oil instead of shave gel or soap. Your legs will be silky smooth!

-DIY Sugar Scrub! Click here.

-Hair frizz. Rub a little coconut oil on fly-a-ways to prevent frizz (be careful not to use too much or you could end up looking greasy).

-Hair mask. In the shower, apply coconut oil from mid-shaft to ends, let it soak in while you continue your shower routine. When you wash out you will have seriously softer hair!


These are the uses for coconut oil that I have personally tried so far. Frankly -I'm in love with the stuff! You can also use coconut oil for cooking and baking. I haven't tried that yet because it does have a distinct coconut flavor.

I'm glad I got sucked into the hype of coconut oil. I'm amazed with how silky smooth it makes my hair and skin, and plan to continue on my oil pulling regime.


Mallory

DIY Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub

1/4 cup granulated brown sugar
1/2 cup organic unrefined virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp honey

I have been using this simple recipe for a facial scrub, body scrub, and also as a lip scrub to remove dead skin before applying lip color! It tastes and smells delicious and truly leaves skin feeling super soft!

DIY Vanity Staining- Easy Bathroom Makeover!

Hello,

Right now we are in the process of fixing up our house to get it ready to sell. Dylan would like to have the house on the market in August and I plan on moving to Duluth in September.
Our goal is to make things look as awesome as possible, but without spending a lot- I'm sure most people have that goal when renovating, right?
I have MANY projects to get done before August (mostly by myself with no help from Dylan, mind you) and this is the first solo project that I tackled. And let me tell you, I am SO proud of how this vanity project turned out! Let me describe to you how simple it is to completely update the look of your bathroom vanity for less than $20!

Would you believe that these are the SAME vanity?

Minwax Polyshades in Espresso Satin - this size container cost about $10. I could have gotten away with the smaller size but didn't want to take the chance! I still have enough for many more staining projects!

Tools and Supplies:
Minwax Polyshades in Espresso Satin (this color was not available at my local Menards, found it at Home Depot)
5-10 cheap foam brushes (I threw mine away after each coat)
Painters tape
New knobs and pulls if desired (could spray paint your old ones if you liked the shape of them)
Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint (used to spray paint the hinges rather than buy new)


1. You will want to start by cleaning the vanity. This is a step that I could have put a little more effort into. I scrubbed lightly with soap and water with a sponge. I think a scrub with a little more 'elbow grease' would have definitely helped with the application.

2. The beauty of Minwax Polyshades is that you don't have to sand!!! That's right. The product is designed to lay over the current varnish/stain that is on the wood. Again, I think it would helped my stain application to have at least lightly sanded, but I am still happy with the way things turned out.

3. To make it easier to stain all the nooks, crannies, and edges, I removed the doors and drawers and laid them out on an old sheet for staining.

4. Tape off your sink, floor, walls, etc. and lay a sheet to cover the floor if needed.

5. Get to staining! The key to this project is VERY light coats. Start at one end and slowly drag the foam brush to the other. YES, it will take longer to do 4-5 very light coats as opposed to 2-3 heavy coats, but the results will be worth the extra time! My very first stroke was thick, and the stain started to bubble up on the surface and wouldn't even soak in.
I worked on this project over the course of a weekend, allowing between 12-24 hours between coats (just because I had other things going on over the weekend as well). I did 4 very thin coats of stain.


6. After giving at least another 24 hours for all coats to set, I added the new knobs and pulls, which really made the look.

New pulls, around $4 each from Menards

7. I spray painted the old hinges (because there was nothing wrong with them) with a dark oil rubbed bronze color, because I wanted them to blend in with the color of the stain. Another option would be to get new hinges or spray paint your hinges to match with your new knobs and pulls!

Door on the left after 1 coat. As you can see the difference is very minimal- THIN coats.

TIPS:
-Scrub that baby clean beforehand! Do not half-ass this step. It will make a difference. I found leftover soap residue, dust, etc to cause quite the problem for me.
-Drag the brush from one and to the other, without stopping, as much as possible. If you lay the brush down in the middle, you will see a brush stroke.
-Again- VERY THIN coats. This is the key to this product. Without sanding, essentially this product is just laying on top of the current varnish. Thin coats will stick better
-Be careful not to let any stain drip - and if it does, blend it in quickly. It doesn't take long for it to become tacky and hard to manipulate.
-Remember the edges of the doors, drawers, etc.

Finished Product

I couldn't be happier with how things turned out for the price! Like any DIY project, it's not perfect, but it makes a huge difference in the look and feel of my bathroom. Only a few more small steps and my bathroom remodel will be complete! More to come soon!

Mallory

DIY Spring Wreath

Happy Easter!

I'm a bit behind with my posts because once again Dylan has taken the laptop as he has now moved up to Minnesota. 

Speaking of which it's definitely been a change to be 3 1/2 hours away from him! Today was Easter and it just didn't quite feel right not being together. 

This DIY is a spring wreath that I created a couple weeks ago to give to a friend as a bridal shower gift. I saw a lot of wreaths on Pinterest and also on Etsy selling for upwards of $50 or more. I'm a pretty crafty girl so I knew that it would be ridiculous to pay $50 for a wreath, when I could easily make it myself!

I ended up getting all of my supplies at my local Hobby Lobby but I'm sure the supplies were also available at Michael's or Joann. I actually have all three stores in my area but Hobby Lobby is usually my go-to. 

Materials:

Twig/branch wreath to use as base, they sell various sizes

Assorted artificial flowers, branches, greenery

Ribbon 

Wooden letter or numbers 

Acrylic paint 

Brush 

Floral wire (or jewelry wire or any sort of flexible wire)

Wire cutters

Hot glue

You'll want to start by picking out a wreath base that is the size you would like, depending on where you want to hang it. I designed this to be hung on the front door. I want to say mine was about 1 foot in diameter. 

I then started by arranging the flowers in the way that I wanted them to be before I even started attaching. 

I then trimmed down the excess wire of the floral pieces the best that I could. Some of the thicker parts of the 'stems' wouldn't stick to the wreaths with glue so I used floral wire to wrap around and attach to the wreath. Make sure that you then spread out the flowers and branches to cover up the wire. I used hot glue for the rest! 

This wreath was for a friend who's new last name will start with an 'N' which is why I chose that letter, and then I painted it with two coats of white acrylic paint. I have also seen wreaths on Pinterest that use your house number rather than a letter which I think is cute as well. I was able to attach the letter to the wreath with glue. 

I made the bow out of burlap and also attached it with hot glue. I also made a loop with the burlap ribbon that she can use with a wreath hanger. 

It's hard to describe the process because it's pretty simple- just pick out the flowers, ribbon, and other adornments that you want and start attaching them to the wreath! There is no right or wrong! 

The best part about this project is that the total cost was only about $15! I can't wait to make one for myself. 

Mallory

My 'Beauty Station'

Because Dylan is going to be living in Duluth without me for a few months (sigh), he is taking the spare bedroom furniture, leaving the room completely empty.
Prior to today, I would sit on the spare bed, with a mirror propped against the wall, to get ready in the morning. This was neither glamorous, comfortable, or practical.

Today I moved the desk from my front room that I refinished a few summers ago with my friend Kelsey into the spare bedroom and set up my 'Beauty Station'. I few months ago I picked up these decorative canister/candle holders? at Target for just a few bucks each. I had them in my dining room hutch for decorative purposes until today- now I'm using them to hold my brushes, hair products, and lip products! I picked up a plastic organizer at Target today on clearance for under $5 where all the rest of my makeup is now held.

I'm so happy to have my own space, to be comfortable in the morning, and be organized! I think I threw it together pretty easily. What do you think?

Canisters, Key wall decals, mirrored tray, lamp, and organizer all from Target. Wall mirror was given to me by my mom. 2 way magnifying mirror from Menards.

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm

From Left: Twilight, Frenzy, Gothic, Instinct, Dawn, Desire with 2 coats

I'm all about a good deal, and whenever I stop at Walgreens for an essentials purchase, I always check out the cosmetics section for any good clearance steals. I came across the Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm, regular price $9.49, clearanced to $4.79. This price was good enough to at least catch my eye. Then one of the employees that I know there informed me that they would also qualify for the buy one get one 50% off sale on all Revlon products. I then checked the Walgreens coupon book (which can be picked up by anyone upon first entering the store- I believe you need to be signed up for their rewards program, which is free, to use) and there was a $1 off Revlon lip color coupon!



Regular price to purchase 6 lip stains= $56.94
Clearance, bogo 50% off, plus $1 off each coupon price for 6 lip stains = $15.54

Yes just $15.54 for all 6 lip stains, which I purchased over the course of a few days.

Now, sometimes I can get a little TOO excited about a good deal and buy things I don't even need (or want- what?!), so you might be wondering, how great are these things?

The Revlon website claims:

This unique 2-in-1 gives you kiss-proof color with soft shine and a nourishing balm for supreme comfort.

1. YES this color is kiss-proof. I gave Dylan a kiss on the cheek and he freaked out 'aww man am I going to have kiss marks on my face?' No. No he did not!
2. The balm IS nourishing and does leave a soft shine. Without it, you could go for a more matte look.

The Revlon website directions:

EXPERT TIPS:
Step 1: Apply lip stain evenly to clean, bare lips and wait 30 seconds. Build color and coverage as desired.


Step 2: Follow with moisturizing lip balm. reapply as desired for knockout shine and moisture throughout the day.

I'd say the instructions are about all you need to know. My personal tips: Practice makes perfect! This was my first time with a lip stain, and it takes some getting used to! The applicator is basically that of a Crayola marker.


So my review:

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in Dawn

PRO's
-The great sale price (duh)
-Easy to apply once you get used to the marker tip, easy to control
-Balm is moisturizing
-Don't have to re-apply often as the color lasts a long time
-Can go matte or slighty shiny depending on whether or not you use the balm
-Can build up the color by adding more coats
-Very lightweight. You don't even feel it once it's on.
CON's
-The balm of at least 2 of them broke off the first time I opened them! They are very fragile.
- The darker colors seem to cling to the crevices of my lips. My lips are in my opinion, well moisturized, and don't have dryness or cracks. However when I applied the darker colors it ended up looking spotty. I might try a DIY lip scrub to get rid of this issue!
- This is not something you can touch up on the fly. You need a mirror and you have to take your time.
- More color pay-off with the darker colors. As you can see from the swatches, Desire is hardly visible with 2 coats.
- When they say stain, they mean STAIN. At least for the darker colors. I wore Gothic to work on Friday - a bright, classic red. I scrubbed Friday night, Saturday morning... This morning (Sunday) when I woke up all the color had finally faded from my crevices.

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm in Dawn, one coat.

Week 6

Me and Dylan on the Skydeck in Chicago

Hello!

So very unfortunately on Dylan's last day here before leaving for Illinois, he decided to bring the laptop with him. Of course he definitely needed it for studying more than I needed it for blogging, Pinterest, and Facebook, but alas, I was very sad without it!

Dylan was home for his midterm break last weekend, so he brought the laptop home for me now that his tests are done.

Like I said above, Dylan passed all of his tests. I'm very proud of him and how hard he has been working! He really dedicated himself to exceeding in class and passing these tests. His last two weeks are spent doing fieldwork which I think he will find much more enjoyable.

I went down to visit the first weekend, and we laid low for the most part- trying to save money between paychecks! We found a local bar in Tinley Park - Teehan's - that quickly became our favorite hang out! Turns out my parents used to hang out their when they were younger, too. I spent the second weekend at home, and went back down the third weekend. We went into Chicago for St. Patty's Day and went to the Sears Tower Skydeck. The fourth weekend Dylan came home secretly without telling any of his friends and family- so it was wonderful to have that 'alone time' uninterrupted. He was home last weekend for his 'midterm break', and now we are debating what to do this weekend - will I go down there or will he come home? We are leaning towards him coming home because it is the cheaper option- he can ride home for free with a friend from class!

I'm happy to have my laptop back so I can start posting about what I'm up to while I'm alone! My next project is a spring wreath for my friend Karissa's bridal shower.