Tip Tuesday #8

I ran into this one a little over a year ago and I LOVE IT! After hearing from fans ask about a better way to shave, I thought I'd share this awesomeness!

I got this one from The Gluten Free Navy Wife!

I love love love sugar scrubs! Seriously! They are so great and so good to exfoliate! But did you know they can help you get a better shave??

That's right! Make yourself this great scrub and you can have SUCH an amazing shave that your husband (boyfriend, partner, significant other, etc) will not be able to keep their hands off you!

The recipe is simple! (this is taken STRAIGHT from her blog with a few added notes from me)

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Scrub:
- 2 1/2 Cups of Sugar (Yes, just normal sugar)
- 1 Cup of Oil (I used Olive Oil and of course, I smell a little like Olive Oil. You can also use Canola, Vegetable, Avocado, Coconut or any fragrance body oil you have).
- 5 Tablespoons of a citrus juice. Preferably fresh squeezed.
- Optional: Essential Oil of choice (check below for great options)

Mix all of this together in a jar that can be kept closed so it doesn't rot. I had an old pickle jar that I put it in. This will separate after time so you will need to mix it before every time you use it. ALSO do NOT stick your hands in the jar. It is best to use a spoon to scoop it out and then put it in a cup or straight onto your skin. But do not let the oil from your hand get into the jar cause that will make bacteria to grow in the jar. ALSO do not let any WATER get in the jar cause then it will separate the oil and it will not be as effective. So what I do is scoop some sugar scrub into a cup and leave that close by so when I'm ready to go, I can just grab it.

How To Use:
- Draw a warm/hot bath. (I actually do this in the shower cause I hate baths)
- Soak for about five minutes. (If you are in the shower, just let the water hit your legs continuously for 5 minutes and try to keep the outside air as warm as possible to open up your pores)
- Shave one leg with your normal leg shaving routine.
- Take a palm full of your homemade sugar scrub and scrub that leg and then rinse off. (scrub it good! It feels great and you will be AMAZED at the dead skin that comes off. But do not use soap! Do not rinse off the oil)
- Shave your leg again. Yes, again. (the oil is an amazing 'shaving cream')
- Take a palm full of sugar scrub and scrub your leg again.
- Repeat on your other leg.
- After your bath, dry off and then lotion your legs.

When you shave your leg the first time, obviously, it's going to remove the hair. When you scrub after you shave, it removes any dead skin. By shaving your leg again after you use the sugar scrub, you are getting all of that dead skin off of your leg. You will need to rinse your razor frequently (you will see why).

Essential Oils you could use

For a cooling effect:
- Eucalyptus
- Peppermint
- Tea Tree (will also act as antiseptic if you cute yourself)

For sweet and floral scents:
- Citrus
- Lavender
- Geranium
- Chamomile

For masculine scents:
- Cedar
- Patchouli
- Juniper
- Ginger

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You will truly be amazed at the amount of dead skin that comes off and how incredibly soft your skin is afterwards. I couldn't help but feel my legs and make my husband feel my legs! You will love this and never want to shave any other way. You can switch up the recipe if you'd like.

An article I found on Livestrong.com mentioned using different oils in shaving creams to help with razor burn and when you cut yourself. You could easily add these oils to the mixture either when you make the entire mix or in each individual use (in the cup you put it in beforehand)

Livestrong said, "Aromatic essential oils are what give the shaving oil its scent. These oils can be expensive, but you do not need to use more than a few drops per ounce of base oil to get a lingering aroma. The essential oils in shaving oil are a matter of personal preference. You can use a single oil or blend of oils to make a unique smell. Oils like eucalyptus and peppermint have a cooling effect on the skin, while tea tree oil can be added as an antiseptic in case you cut yourself. For women, a broad range of sweet and floral scents are available, such as citrus, lavender, geranium or chamomile. For a more masculine scent, try spice oils like cedar, patchouli, juniper or ginger. Before using any aromatic essential oil for shaving, test it on a small patch of skin on the inside of your wrist to make sure you don't have any allergic reaction to it. The CNN Health website points out that it is the fragrances in shaving products that cause skin irritation for many people."


I personally love Doterra Oils! They are guarteenteed pure and there are SO many available and they say directly on the bottle what they can be used for. I highly suggest you teach yourself about oils before attempting to use them though. Some can be used on your skin and some are not suggested. Some are very strong while others are more weak. Feel free to ask questions if you need any help!

Tip Tuesday #4 and #5

So I totally missed last weeks tip. I got it on Facebook and I wrote it up on here but never actually published it.

Give me a break. I'm a stay at home mom and some times things happen.

Boston is feeling not so great today so today has been a little hard as well. But that won't stop me! I WILL get last week and this week's tip posted. And actually... they go hand in hand!

So last week on Facebook, I gave everyone a little tip about the best way to pluck eyebrows.

I use to pluck my eyebrows when I was younger. I HATED getting them waxed. Especially since you usually had to pluck a few in the end anyways. Well, I wish I had known this little tip when I would pluck. Probably would have made things a little easier. 

TIP TUESDAY: TIP #4

Image via ThinkStock

Hold off on plucking your eyebrows until right after (or even during) a hot shower. I'm sure you've heard that heat helps open your pores and that is exactly what you need to help ease the pain.

So whether you keep a mirror in your shower and pluck your eyebrows or pluck right after you've been in a hot shower (or bath), plucking when your pores are wide open will help reduce any pain that may happen.

Super simple. But a great way to avoid any unnecessary pain.

Now that we've done last week's tip.... you probably want to hear THIS week's tip!

I said they go hand in hand... and you'll see why in a second.

Younique has an AMAZING face wash. I honestly have loved every second of it. If I decided to stop wearing all makeup all together, (Younique or not), I would STILL use Awake Facial Cleanser and Brilliant Moisturizer. They are my FAVORITE products that we carry.

But I will tell you more about them some other time.

TIP TUESDAY: Tip #5

How do you wash your face? In the morning? At night? In the shower? In the sink? With the hose in the backyard? (I sure hope not)

Image via ThinkStock
First off... no one does this. Who wants water all over the place? Really?

I remember when I was about 12 years old, I was at a church function and we had some older girls teach us about properly applying makeup. One thing they said always stuck out to me.

"When you wash your face, always use warm-hot water."

Now not scolding hot but not too close to being cold. You want the water to be pleasantly warm. Do you know why? (this is where last week's tip is related)

You want to open up your pores! LET THOSE SUCKERS BREATH!

Closed Clogged Pores

A big reason that we get acne is because our pores get clogged up. People think that just washing your face is good enough. They don't care what product they use or how often or even the water temp. Washing your face is washing your face, right?

Wrong.

I'm not going to tell you that Younique's facial wash is the only kind that anyone should use. But I will tell you. Do not use a bar of soap. Please, please, please. When you use soap in a solid form, it actually clogs your pores more. You only want liquid soap when washing your face. (I actually don't use bar soap at all no matter what or where I'm using it)

Here is my routine:

As I'm getting ready for bed, I do the norm.

Get in pjs, Go potty, take my contacts out.

Then

1. I always wet my face with warm-hot water.
2. I get a small amount of Awake Facial Cleanser and massage it on my face in circular motion for about 60 seconds.
3. I then wash my face with warm-hot water again (making sure to get all soap off).
4. PAT dry my face. Do not rub your face with a towel. Ever. That agitates your skin and will cause irritation.
5. Lastly, I apply one pearl and some gel of Brilliant Moisturizer on my face.

Super simple but it helps my face feel so clean and fresh!

I've been told that you should always apply cool water to your face afterwards to then close your pores. But I just let the coolness of my moisturizer do that. If you do not use something like that, I would suggest just wetting your face with cool water.

Like I said in part 4, please do not rub your face with a towel. Your face is a very precious part of your body and you do not want irritation.

I know this was a super long one but I take my skin very seriously. I want everyone to know how important it is to take care of your face! Like I said before, if I ever stopped wearing makeup for some reason that I honestly don't know, I would ALWAYS wash my face still.

I hope I helped some understand better how to take care of their skin. All of this can be applied to anywhere on your body. Your face isn't the only part of skin you have.

Do you have a blog about makeup or other beauty supplies? Have a beauty tip to share? Are you interested in becoming part of Younique by Emily's Tip Tuesday? Shoot me a message or email me at youniquebyemily@gmail.com. Give your name and a short description of what you do, then leave a link to your tip and you may be featured on Tip Tuesday!