personal growth and perfect cat eye

hello all,

i was out sick yesterday, i say it's both the healthy eating and budget police catching up with me. i had a delicious burrito bowl sunday and paid the consequences by being horrifically ill for 24 hours.

now that i've shaken that off, time to update you on a very exciting development as a result of using the OCM. as mentioned castor oil is one of the ingredients in my new face wash (which is working fabulously still), and castor oil is known to encourage hair growth. well, i went out on saturday night and noticed a definitive difference in the length of my eyelashes. as a person who historically purchased every deal for mink eyelash extensions even the slightest amount of improvement is a HUGE deal.

it started with me finding a great video for idiot proof cat eyes, using tape as a guide. check it out here (also, how great is she?):

it's as easy as it looks, and while mine may not have been equally perfect to hers, I can't complain. 

Insert bad "cat eye" pun

i've always struggled with the eye flick, and know the frustration of perfecting the first eye to fail miserably on the second. for me at least, this completely avoided that issue. worth noting though that the angle you apply the tape is key, and i was really focused on getting that right. 

more importantly here though - check out how big my eyes look, and how full my eyelashes are. for a girl who was once told she didn't have enough eyelashes for full extension application, i can say this is a proud moment. 

strawberry teeth whitener

hello friends!

three days into the OCM and my face hasn't broken out! while i still can't relax and anticipate that a massive reaction may still be in my future, i do have more confidence in this DIY beauty - and soft skin to boot!

and so, i continue the quest to save money through DIY products. next up? tooth whitener. 

i am a huge sucker for any and every marketing ploy and product out there that offers me whiter teeth. in fact, before christmas, i was very seriously considering getting my teeth professionally whitened. but, in the interest of being on a budget, i instead turn to my trusty friend Pinterest. and the potentials were endless - turns out a lot of people were having the same thought - how do i get white teeth without the big price tag.

the base for all "recipes" was baking soda, which as we know from the face scrub, i have. the specific one that caught my eye though used a strawberry. turns out the strawberry will bring the stains to the service, i'm not sure how that works but sounds like a plan - and at least it would hide the taste of the baking soda. 

- 1 strawberry, medium sized

- 1 tbsp baking soda

I brushed on with a toothbrush, and left for 2 minutes. i couldn't go past 2 minutes as the taste was AWFUL - so turns out i was wrong about hiding the taste. I spent the next 3 minutes brushing it around my teeth. which still didn't make the taste enjoyable, but was at least bearable.

the results were positive, my teeth feel silky and smooth - they are maybe a touch lighter, though certainly are brighter. which, for one application i can't complain about.

before/during/after (top to bottom)

I say, give it a try - most likely you already have the ingredients laying around the house, doing this once a week may not be the highlight but it certainly isn't difficult or time consuming! 

DIY Facewash / scrub

This week, super inconveniently for someone on a strict budget, I ran out of my face moisturizer and scrub. As I was scanning Sephora to restock, I had a thought - was there a simple DIY method to replace both of these for less?

And so the search began. The scrub was easy, within moments I had a recipe for a simple and gentle scrub - baking soda and water. Things that cost me nothing as they were already sitting in my pantry.

The recipe is straight forward:

- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon water

Mix together, and rub on your face for a couple moments, then rinse.

I found that the mix didn't feel like a scrub at all, I will actually try a little more baking soda next time. Once off though, my skin felt smooth but a little dry - it's something I'll try again though I'm not instantly convinced this is a true solution for me.

The more difficult search was a new DIY face moisturizer. Olive oil was the solution I was being offered by the Pinterest community - but with a little more research I found that a lot of people were breaking out after a few days as a result. My skin is combination, and while generally it is clear, I have a history of being prone to breakouts - I was too scared to try the olive oil approach.

I kept looking, and then I came across castor oil, and the "Oil Cleansing Method" . Years of oil free facial washes, moisturizer and a wide variety of cosmetics had me initially shaking my head. But, I couldn't argue with the logic - your skin needs natural oils, and when you strip them out your body is forced to over compensate with oils which ends in an oily face and breakouts. I also couldn't argue with online reviews - people who suffered from mild to severe acne were writing rave reviews. Castor oil is the secret here - with anti-inflammatory and healing properties, it helps to heal the skin and prevent further breakouts. Mixed with olive oil, with the same pH level as the skin, and moisturizing properties - you have a great face wash for moisturizing the skin without breaking out.

While terrified of breaking out, I couldn't help but at least try. Castor oil cost me $6 at a health food store, and the EVOO I already had in the cabinet. Again, the recipe is simple:

- 1.5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
- 2.5 teaspoons castor oil (cold pressed)
- Face cloth

** for dry skin 3:1 EVOO/Castor oil, for oily skin 1:3. 

Mix ingredients together and massage onto the skin. Once applied to the skin, run a face cloth under hot water, and apply for one minute (until the cloth starts feeling cold). Then rinse.

My skin instantly felt dewy, and glowed. I can't help but feel paranoid that I'm going to wake up in the morning with skin that has broken out from the oil - but so far so good, my skin feels amazing. I'll be sure to update you in the morning - but if this does end well, then the benefits extend beyond soft, clear skin - castor oil and EVOO are great for anti-aging.

Stay tuned for an update on both fronts.