How Much Does YOUR Face Cost?

I first came across this tag on iluvjesse444's youtube channel a couple days ago and since then, I've seen it pop up on a couple other blogs too.  Basically, you total up the cost of your daily face - no skincare, just makeup.  It looked like fun and I wanted to see what mine would add up to.  I do switch up eye and lip products, but this is what's on my face on a given day.


1. Lucy Minerals Lucy Light Foundation in Light ($13.50)
    Natural looking and the BEST coverage I've found from a mineral foundation.

2. Lucy Minerals Lucy Light Finishing Powder ($13.50)
    Translucent powder that really helps your makeup last longer.

3. Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Under Eye Concealer in Light Peach ($6.50)
    Peach-toned concealer.  Does a fantastic job covering any darkness or under eye circles.

4. Lucy Minerals Blush in Juicy Peach ($2.50 for try it size)
    A nice soft peach blush - awesome if you're blush-shy like me!

5. Pollen Cosmetics Saddle Up Eye Shadow ($1.25 for sample size)
    A gorgeous medium brown that blends out beautifully in the crease.  Review/swatches 
    coming soon!

6. Shiro Cosmetics Master Sword Eye Shadow ($1 for sample size)
    Glittery pale taupe.  Looks like a blend of silver and gold, all in one.

7. Zuzu Luxe Mascara in Onyx ($16.70)
    My go-to mascara.  I've talked about this many times before!

8. Silk Naturals Vegan Kisser Slicker in Figment ($4.75)
   A beautiful plum shade that I think, sadly, has been discontinued, as I can't find it on 
   their website anymore.  Silk Naturals still has a TON of other beautiful colors though.

9. My Beauty Addiction Pretty Lil' Puckers Lip Cream in Buff ($5)
    My new favorite glosses, these are moisturizing and super shiny.  Buff is pretty sheer, so 
    it works over almost any lip color.


And the GRAND TOTAL is $64.70.  Not too bad, especially considering these are all non-toxic and chemical free!


Now I'm curious, natural or not, how much does your face cost?  Leave a comment below or do the tag yourself.  Nosy girl is nosy and wants to know!


         

Summer Empties

I always like reading these kinds of posts, but I just don't go through enough products to justify one every month.  Instead, I've decided I'm going to start doing one every few months or one per season, since I think that'll give me enough time to accumulate a few things to write about. Here's what I used up over the summer:


Face Naturals Acai Berry & Lime and Liquid Sunshine Body Cleansers (trial sizes): I reviewed these here.  To summarize, these are probably the best shower gel I've found to date.  The acai berry and lime is especially delightful - I am planning to buy the full size, but I want to get through a couple other products first.

Lucy Minerals Lucy Light Finishing Powder (trial size): On days when I wear makeup, I always finish by lightly dusting my face with this powder.  It makes a big difference in how long my makeup lasts on my face and helps prevents shine throughout the day.  The trial size alone lasted me months, but I've since purchased the full size.  Complete review can be found here.

Chequered Lily Apothecary Neverwhere Eyeshadow (sample): I really don't use up many eye shadows, even samples, so the fact that this made it in here at all says a lot.  This is one of my favorite eye shadows ever and I've since bought the full size.  It's a gorgeous brown full of pink and gold sparkles.  Not obnoxious glitter by any means, just a beautiful complex neutral shade.  (Check here for a swatch.)

Pollen Cosmetics Future Sunrise Eyeshadow (sample): I adored this color over the summer and it was on my eyes almost every day.  It's a soft pinky/gold that works beautifully for a more subtle eye look.  (You can get an idea of the colour here.)  Another one I've repurchased in full size. 

Shiro Cosmetics Longcat & Plain Intertubes: Shiro Cosmetics' intertubes are very moisturizing tinted lip balms.  Longcat is colorless with silver sparkles.  It's gorgeous either on it's own or layered over other products.  I love the formula so much that I asked Caitlin, Shiro's lovely owner, to make me a plain, untinted version, which I also managed to use up over the summer.  I have a backup of Longcat, and it turns out I wasn't the only one who requested a colorless one - Shiro has recently released one, and even better, it's on sale for $3.50 until the end of the month.  I'll definitely be ordering one!

Young Living Lavender Lip Balm: I always have at least one of these lip balms puttering around on my desk or in my purse.  I've gone through a ton of these over the last few years and this make two more over the summer!  A fantastic, basic lip balm. 

Nature's Gate Organics Neroli, Orange & Chocolate Mint Lipbalm: I'm not sure if Nature's Gate even makes this anymore.  (Confession: I've had it for years.)  Another decent lip balm - pretty moisturizing and smelled yummy, like chocolate and mint.

Zuzu Luxe Onyx Mascara: This has been my top mascara pick for the last few years.  It's fairly natural looking, but it can be built up with multiple coats.  My favorite part: it doesn't budge, so no need to worry about checking for raccoon eyes mid-day.  Usually I switch this out every 3-4 months, but somehow I managed to finish up two of them over the summer.

Young Living Deep Relief™: This is an essential oil blend of peppermint, balsam fir, clove, vetiver, wintergreen, lemon, helichrysum, and copaiba that works great for any aches or pains.  I got shin splints a few years ago and I still sometimes get pain in that area after exercising or wearing the wrong shoes.  This works really well when that flares up - it feels nice and tingly from the peppermint and eases any discomfort right away.   It also comes in a roll-on bottle, which makes for even easier application.

Organic Excellence Wild Mint Shampoo and Conditioner:  These didn't manage to make it into the photo, but I did finish them up over the summer.  They're awesome and I ordered backups as soon as these started getting low.  Also super affordable - at only $12.85, the shampoo literally lasted me 8 months!  I go through the conditioner a bit faster, both since I use more and because it's also my shaving cream of choice, but it's still a great value!  I have a full review here.

So, I know I'm a fan of empties post since they really show what products are liked enough to use to the very end, but what do you think of them?  Are they something you enjoy reading?


        

DIY Clay & Honey Face Mask

Face masks are probably one of the easiest DIY beauty projects you can tackle.  This mask literally takes two minutes to mix up and it's fantastic at perking up my skin and just generally making it look brighter and healthier.  The main ingredient is green clay, which is full of minerals and is effective at drawing out dirt and toxins from the skin.  It also increases blood flow and acts as a mild exfoliant.  I add honey and essential oils to the clay to pep up the mask even more.

Product Description: Now Foods European Clay Powder is 100% pure and natural and can be mixed with water and customized to your specific skin type.  This mask will help draw out impurities from the pores and remove debris from under the skin, decreasing pore size and improving skin tone.

Price: $4.57 for 6 ounces (170 grams) from iherb




Recipe:
1 tsp green clay powder
1/2 tsp honey
1 drop lavender essential oil
1 drop frankincense essential oil
1 drop Young Living Purification™ essential oil blend
1-2 tsp water (depending on your desired consistency)

Everything together in a bowl
Mix all ingredients together and apply to clean, dry face.  Let sit 15-20 minutes, until dry.  Wash off and (generously) apply your favorite moisturizer. 

All mixed up


My Thoughts: I've played around with the recipe and I'm really happy with it as it stands now.  I aim to use this about once a week, and the recipe makes just the right amount for one mask.  I don't recommend mixing up a larger batch, since once you add the liquids, it will only stay fresh for a day or two.

The essential oils are ones I already use on my face semi-regularly, but you can obviously play around with them as you like.  [I do have to make my usual disclaimer here and stress that you should always ensure that any essential oils you use are high quality and pure.  A lot of essential oils are extracted using chemicals and can be diluted with other junk too, and laws are such that this does not have to be noted anywhere on labels.]

I add the honey, since, as a humectant, it draws in moisture and helps keep the clay from being to drying.  You can also add olive or other oils to moisturize even further, or change up the kind of clay to suit your skin type.  Green clay (usually montromorillonite or bentonite) is good for normal to oily skin, but is not recommended for dry skin.  I have pretty normal skin and I find it necessary to apply a good moisturizer after this mask or else my skin is left feeling tight.  Alternately, white and rose clays are supposed to be milder and might be more suitable for drier or sensitive skin types. 

The requisite green face photo

The Bottom Line: I'm really happy with this face mask recipe.  It's so quick and simple to make and it works like a dream.  If you try it out, leave a comment - I'd love to hear how it works for you!

Also, I purchased the clay from iherb, which is you're new to, you can get $5 or $10 (depending how much you spend) off your first purchase by using my referral code: ITI429.