Easy Eye Makeup Remover

This natural, gentle, effective makeup remover is also a DIY project-- or, as I refer to it, a two-for-one! I've spent countless amounts of money perfecting my beauty routine, and as last week's Beauty Tuesday post revealed, I'm not only about the St. Ives scrub and Benzoyl Peroxide cream at Target (though I might die without them). I know how and when to spend money. And this is when not to.

Here are your ingredients/supplies:

Empty bottle (I got mine for $1.50 at Target in their travel stuff section)

1/3 cup distilled water

1 1/4 tsp no-tears baby shampoo (I used Burt's Bees- $6.99 for 8oz)

1 tsp grapeseed oil

Mix all the ingredients together, and, using a funnel, put them in the bottle. Or, if you don't have a funnel, put all the ingredients in the bottle and shake! You have to shake anyway, each time you use it.

I got the reusable pads here from Etsy.

The original recipe I made this concoction from includes instructions on making your own reusable pads. But I don't have that much time. Or a sewing machine.

Anyway, it's super cheap, and it works really, really well. The oil and soap combo dissolves even my water-proof mascara, and it's so easy to just swipe each eye every night. I will warn you, though, that the pads get dirty and stained VERY quickly, so don't spend too much time or money on them.

Also, I don't recommend using essential oils or fragrances, even though they make it all nice-smelling and everything, because they burn the eyes. And this is the FIRST eye-makeup remover I've ever used that doesn't burn at all. Also, the trip to the store for the grapeseed oil is worth it because it has antioxidant (read: anti-aging) properties, and it's thin and gentle enough for the delicate eye area.

Happy DIY--uh, I mean, Beauty Tuesday, everyone!

Evanhealy is Awesome!

I am a starving grad student. Well, perhaps not starving exactly (see some of my yummy recipes!), but certainly not rich. I DIY my heart out and will pledge allegiance to Forever 21. However, there are some products that I find are worth the extra money (even though it pinches a bit to part with it-- I could have bought FIVE Trader Joe's bottles of wine with that!).

Evanhealy is one of these brands. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to douse my face in every perfectly well-made, pure and natural, and heavenly-smelling product they make. But I have three that I keep at all times in my medicine cabinet.

Their Blue Lavender Cleansing Milk, Lavender Facial Tonic, and Chamomile Eye Care Cream I will not be left without. No other products can handle my super-oily/ dry-in-certain-patches/ turning-30 skin like these delicate products can. And did I mention the heavenly smell??? My nighttime beauty routine feels like a nice, relaxing ritual that I actually look forward to every evening. Plus, the eye cream doesn't contain caffeine, a chemical present in many "anti-wrinkle" formulas that tends to de-hydrate the skin under the eye-- NOT something those of us in our 20s and 30s, or really any woman using a night cream, should be looking for in our eye products.

I buy my Evanhealy at Whole Foods, but they're online too. The prices are WAY lower than the expensive department store brands (though a commitment for those of us used to shopping at Target), but take a look at the ingredients. Plus, the products last forever, and they're generally just worth it.

Check them out here: http://www.evanhealy.com/