Homemade Coffee Scrub

I may never have to buy a scrub ever again.

Several months ago, my fellow blogger friend, Jasmine posted an Instagram picture of herself using Frank's coffee body scrub. It left me intrigued.

Fast forward. Recently, I have been watching a Korean YouTuber, SoYoung and in one of her videos, she featured two all-natural ingredients she incorporates into her skincare routine: coconut oil and coffee. 

Today, I decided I would make my own coffee scrub. I had all the ingredients on hand and was in the mood for a mini at-home spa treatment. 

Coffee is packed with antioxidants and caffeine, making it anti-inflammatory and a great exfoliant. 

Coconut oil is a wonderful, multi-purpose ingredient. It is beneficial to your health when consumed, but it is also great when used topically as it has antibacterial, anti-fungal properties. It is also incredibly moisturizing. 

Brown sugar acts as an additional exfoliant with its coarse texture. 

Ingredients: 

• ground coffee - I used leftover French Vanilla coffee I had at home that I was not planning on drinking anymore. You can even use coffee grinds after drinking coffee or even use the grinds in pods (Nespresso, Keurig) 
• organic brown sugar 
• coconut oil - Our house was pretty warm today so the coconut oil had already been in liquid form. You could also substitute with olive oil, jojoba oil, vitamin e oil. 

I used equal parts of all three ingredients (about 3 tablespoons each. It made enough to use on my face and entire body). Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and add a bit more coconut oil, if needed, until you reach the desired consistency. You can store it in an air-tight container if you want to make a bigger batch. 

The scrub left my skin feeling soft and moisturized, without being overly greasy. I plan on making this a weekly ritual. (Next time, I may add some cinnamon and honey - both are antibacterial.) 

Warning: It may leave quite a mess in your bathtub/shower. But I can guarantee, use of this scrub will leave your bathroom smelling like a beautiful coffee shop! 

Makeup Monday - Laneige BB Cushion

The summer sun, the humidity, the heat. They were doing a number on my face of makeup. (Basically, by the end of the day, my makeup would be melted off.) 

So I began a search for a powder compact so that I could touch up throughout the day. 

But then I was pleasantly surprised when I found out about the Laneige BB Cushion through a few YouTubers, of course. (Here, here, and here) 

My mom tells me the BB cushion phenomenon is all the rage and quite widespread in Korea. However, to me, it was a fairly new concept. It's quite innovative. It's a BB cream in a compact form. And I love it; it's travel-and-purse friendly. 

The Laneige BB Cushion is a 5-in-1 product that claims to "protect, cover, hydrate, sooth and brighten". I'm not yet sure about its brightening effects but I can vouch that it does the former four. 

I chose the color Light and though I was worried that it may be too light for me I figured it wouldn't be anything a bit of bronzer couldn't fix.  But it's quite blendable.

Pros: its cooling sensation, has an illuminating effect, SPF 50 (which is hard to come by in a makeup product!), light, airy, while being long-lasting, good coverage, a dewy finish, the formula makes it easy to touch up throughout the day 

Con: The only con about this product is that it's quite scented. It's not an unbearable scent and it wears off, but sometimes right after I apply the product, the scent can be overwhelming. 

How to use: Push the puff into the moistened sponge and then pat on your face. 

The compact costs $34 a comes with a refill. 

Best part? It is sold at Target! 

(No) Makeup Monday

As much as I have confessed my love for makeup, I also love the feeling of taking off my makeup after a long day. And I love that feeling all the more when I use a really good makeup removing cleanser. 

Initially, the idea of washing my face with oil felt quite contradictory and odd, especially considering my combination/oily skin. But as they say, iron sharpens iron and I guess oil dissolves oil! 

I was first introduced to the Shu Uemura oil cleansers by my friend. (Shu Uemura has one for every skin type). But within the last year or so, I've switched over to DHC (mainly because it's easier to find). 

The DHC Cleansing Oil is quite brilliant. It takes off all my face makeup (foundation, powder, bronzer, blush) but it also takes off waterproof mascara! 

I take one pump of the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (I sometimes mix in castor oil - purchased from Whole Foods - recommended by CloudyApples) into my dry hands and massage it into my dry face. Then I take some water and continue massaging my face. Then (my favorite part) I take a washcloth and run it under hot water, wring it out and then lay it on my face to let the steam work its magic!  

Sometimes, I follow up with a second cleanse with a gentle cleanser but lately I have just been using the oil cleansers. 

After I finish this bottle, I may go the all-natural route and just use organic pure olive oil. (Or coconut oil!) 

Let me know if you try this out! 

Makeup Monday

Oh hello there! And Happy Monday. 

In light of it being Monday, I thought I would try something new: Makeup Monday. 

I love makeup.

And though luxury makeup products are appealing, I've said it once and I'll say it again: I love me a bargain. So my daily makeup routine consists of quite the fair share of drugstore products. (Hey, if you can buy something that works well for cheap, why not?) 

I go through phases: seasons where I try new things. I've been recently pushing the envelope and trying out a bold lip, winged liner.  But sometimes, simple is best (especially when you have to wake up at 6am for work).  

So here are the products I use for my current makeup routine:  

Foundation: Bare Minerals Original Mineral Foundation in Light

Powder: Bare Minerals Touch Up Veil

Bronzer: NYC Bronzer in Sunny *Would you believe that this bronzer is a drugstore matte bronzer that costs less than $3???* 

Blush: Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso

Eyelash Curler: Shu Uemura

Mascara: Loreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black

Lipgloss: NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee

Summer Nail Polish Picks

As a counselor, I've heard all too many times the importance of self-care. Though there are many ways of caring for self (exercise, spending time with friends and family to just name a few), one way I do that may be a bit unique is doing my nails. Yes, mani's and pedi's are my weapon of choice to fight against occupational hazards. 

You may ask how doing one's nails may be considered self-care. But oddly enough, I find it quite therapeutic. 

I actually worked at a nail salon in my college days. I would help out here and there and over the years, I have not only gotten good practice at beautifying nails but I've accumulated a hefty nail polish collection. A few guys friends (including a fellow blogger Broken Rhythms) once humorously and genius-ly (yes, in my mind that's a word) compared girls choosing nail polish colors to guys playing drafting players for fantasy football (Nail Polish Draft! Fantasy Nail Polish!) 

So here are my summer draft picks! 

L to R: OPI "Big Apple Red", Essie "Geranium", Essie "Lights", Essie "DJ Play That Song", Sally Hansen "Pacific Blue", OPI "You're Such a Budapest", OPI "Alpine Snow"