Current Faves, Part Three

So it's been a while, but I'm finally getting around to posting part three of my "Current Faves" series! (You can see parts One & Two here and here.) I always love hearing what other people are currently loving, so I'm going to continue highlighting things that I love here on the blog. Enjoy!

1.)  Ed Sheeran's New Album, Divide

I just can't even handle how much I love this album. I love Ed Sheeran, and this album did NOT disappoint. I love every song, but Castle on the Hill, Perfect, Galway Girl, and Supermarket Flowers are a few of my favorites. All the feels, you guys. All of them. Who wants to see him in Philly July 11th with me?!

2.) Presto Belgian Waffle Maker

Fact: I've always been more of a pancakes girl than a waffle girl. Matt and I received a waffle maker as a gift when we bought our first house seven years ago, and after using it maybe once, I sent it to Goodwill so it would go to a house that actually used it. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I started getting weird, intense cravings for thick, Belgian waffles. Matt loves waffles, so he was totally on board with this new obsession of mine. I started researching various waffle makers, and after reading a bunch of reviews, I landed on this one. We made our first batch of scratch-made Belgian waffles in our new waffle maker last weekend (using this recipe, which I would HIGHLY recommend), and I'm in love. Now I'm exploring Pinterest for other things I can make on our new waffle maker: Egg & Cheese Hash Brown Waffles, Pizza Waffles, or Banana Cream Pie Waffles, anyone?

3.) Rocky Mountain Essential Oils

I promise I'm not going to go off the deep end and start being one of those people who sells doTERRA or Young Living or whatever, clogging up your social media feeds trying to sell their product and raving about the benefits of essential oils (was that too much? Not trying to offend anyone, it's just a little pet peeve of mine...), but I wanted to invest in some good essential oils for several reasons. If you saw my hand scrub/lip scrub post, you know I want to start exploring DIY-ing some other beauty products, and essential oils are a great way to add scent and various benefits to these products. I did a lot of research and decided to go with Rocky Mountain Oils. I used this blog series on Essential Oils, among a few others, to make this decision. I'm excited to play around with the new oils and see what other homemade home & beauty goods I end up making!

4.) Contigo SnapSeal Travel Mug

Simply put, this is the best travel mug I've ever owned. We bought four of them in various colors and threw away all of our other travel mugs. It doesn't leak, the lid mechanism is great and easy to clean, and your coffee/tea stays hot for hours. Win win win. Go buy it - You won't be disappointed. 

5.) Hue Ultra Legging with Wide Waistband

I live for these leggings. I, no lie, didn't jump on the whole leggings bandwagon until this year. I just didn't think they were for me, and now I am so sad that I missed out on years of wearing these glorious pieces of clothing. Paired with a dress or good tunic and a cute pair of wedge booties, I feel like I can rule the world when I wear these things. And this is the only brand I'll wear. I have one pair of black LuLaRoe leggings that I'll wear around the house, but the wide waistband, thick fabric, and high quality construction of these Hue leggings definitely make them the best in my mind. Go grab a pair if you haven't already!

So that's it! Five of my favorite things at the moment. Stay tuned for part four!

xoxo,

Steph

Hand & Lip Scrubs

Hi friends! Today I'm sharing two recipes: one for a homemade hand scrub, and one for a homemade lip scrub. I don't know if anyone out there is as obsessed with scrubs as I am, but I love them so, so much, and I find them totally necessary in the winter months. I work in healthcare, and therefore I wash my hands approximately five gazillion times a day. Between the months of November and March, my hands are usually so dry and cracked from being over-washed that they're often on the verge of bleeding. I've tried just about every hand lotion/cream out there throughout the years (my all time favorite and daily go-to is this Organic Mandarin - Blood Orange Shea Butter Whip from Pure Suds Co in Scranton), but I still find I get the best results when I regularly use a good hand scrub in addition to a quality hand cream. I've purchased various scrubs over the past few years, but when I started seeing a few recipes for DIY-ing them at home, I figured I'd give it a try. I can't believe it took me so long to make my own! These recipes are suuuper simple, and it's highly likely that you already have all of the ingredients in your pantry! So grab a little mixing bowl, and follow these directions for softer, smoother hands (and lips!).

What you'll need:

(Don't be intimidated; there are ways to adapt the recipes to what you already have at home.)

Hand Scrub:

Ingredients:
1 c. White Sugar
1/4 c. Oil (I used Grapeseed Oil, but you can use Olive Oil or Coconut Oil)
Approximately 20 drops of Grapefruit Essential Oil (add more or less to your taste)
Optional:
A Squeeze of Fresh Grapefruit Juice (for added scent/color)
A Few Drops of Beet Juice (for added color)

Notes:
You can totally adjust the scent to your taste. If you don't like the scent of grapefruit, you can certainly use another essential oil. Or, if you don't have any essential oils at home, you can use a teaspoon of vanilla extract! And I only added the grapefruit juice and the beet juice (I boiled a few beets in water and then froze the leftover liquid in ice cube trays to use as a natural food coloring in the future) for natural coloring and added scent, but this is optional. You could use food coloring if you'd like, or just keep it color-free!

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, and then store in airtight container. Wash and dry your hands before using scrub. Scoop out a small amount (to your preference; I use an amount slightly smaller than a grape), wet your hands/the scrub slightly, and then massage into hands. Wash off with warm running water. Pat dry. Do not re-wash afterwards. Your hands might feel slightly oily, but the oil will absorb into your skin quickly. If you wash your hands after applying the scrub, you will wash away all of the oil that is mean to moisturize and nourish your skin.

Lip Scrub:

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 - 2 tsp. Oil (Coconut, Olive, or other)
1 tsp. Honey
10 Drops Essential Oil (I used Grapefruit, but again, use what you like)
Optional:
Grapefruit and/or Beet Juice for Natural Color

Notes:
If you're skipping the grapefruit/beet juice, you may want to add slightly more oil to get the scrub to the consistency you like. I prefer my lip scrub to be slightly more liquidy, while I'll keep my hand scrub more dry.

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, and then store in airtight container. Apply a small amount of scrub to your lips and rub in until sugar begins to dissolve. Let sit on lips for 30-60 seconds, and then wipe off with clean towel.

There you have it! Easy, right? These scrubs are guaranteed to give you smoother hands and lips, and they make great gifts as well. I'm so glad I took the plunge and finally tried out these recipes - I can't wait to experiment with other DIY beauty products!

Happy Scrubbing!
xoxo,
Steph