Dirt Chic

Skin Care Diaries: Prepping a Purchase & Looking at Labels

So I finished my semester, and was trying to "kill time" tonight (a weird concept for me) so I went back to my ongoing hobbyist-frugalist interest of making my own skin and body care.  Like any other project that is somewhat large in scale and therefore rather unwieldy, I messed around for it a bit, learned a few things, then gave it up to mess with again at a later date.

Then I was thinking about writing everything down.  Like, in a Word document.  Well, duh.  I then thought I might as well just write about it here NOW instead of later, though you aren't going to have the benefit of my re-writing and editing. ;)

The first thing I realized today is that I still don't have enough information to make a good "fell swoop" or purchasing.  This is important; I'm running out of almond oil (my bath oil of choice) so I went to get s'more at a local health food store - and a 16 oz. bottle is $16.  Yikes.  I know it's cheaper at the health food store in Kankakee.  And I definitely know it's mega-cheaper ($4.75!) online from one of my favorite sites, MMS.  So it got me to thinking that I should just combine my various needs/interests (I'm also going to start soapmaking - not the melt-n-pour kind... though that is fun... but the kind involving lye.  Oh my.) and buy everything at once to save on shipping.

So tonight I put as many things in my online "basket" as I could figure out.  It came to about $100 with shipping, but I still need other things (sadly, can't get it all from one outlet).  In the short-term and long-run spending $100 for bubble bath, soap, face care, body care and gifts is a truly frugal purchase, but right now, I still don't have some key things (enamel pots for soapmaking; a legit recipe for moisturizer).  So I have to keep "messing around" until I have a solid order to make.

And, I'm broke.  So I have to wait until November anyway, so there's that. :)

In the meantime:

* Look for the correct soap-making supplies used (thrift stores, craigslist, family and friends?)

* Now that I know what is comedogenic (as in what causes zits - thanks to this), I have to figure out how to make a cream out of oils and glycerin and other things.  I'm going to study the ingredients of face products I already use.  (I have books with recipes but they have a lot of zit-causing ingredients in them.)

* Solicit family and friends for their favorite fragrances and products so I can start thinking of what to make for them.

My Hair Tricks

I am a Cosmetologist.  I don't really do hair that often anymore but I do have some tips for you all to use.

First, here are a list of my all time favorite Professional hair products.  I haven't tried everything under the sun because this industry comes out with new things every minute.  Here is what I love though....

 

It's a 10 Miracle Hair Mask.  This wins my love for a deep conditioning treatment.  I was really skeptical for a long time because I didn't love the packaging.  This conditioner is great for over processed hair.  Meaning, frizzy or dry from a chemical service.  I don't know what's in it.  It's probably pure protein. I always say that you must buy product from your stylist or salon.  it is a great way to help them supplement their income.  I can't find a a website to send you to so I guess you better Google it.

 

Paul Mitchell's Smoothing Serum.  I love to buy Paul Mitchell products because they are so commiteted to giving to charity and helping the enviroment.  This serum is a must have for flat iron users.  I use this on wet and dry hair to make my hair super shiney.  I also have really fine hair and it doesn't weigh it down.  It smells great too. You should always be protecting your hair from the heat of an iron and this does the job.

 

Paul Mitchell's Express Style Quick Slip.  This is a leave in conditioner, a UV protector, a shine enhancer, and a light hold styling aid all in one.  It also is proven to cut down blow drying time.  Great for all hair types. Here is where to find a salon that sells it. http://www.paulmitchell.com/Pages/Homepage.aspx

 

Aquage Finishing Spray - This is the best hairspray ever.  It is so light but can really hold.  Plus it has a great smell.

 

Aquage Transforming Paste- This is an awesome texturizer.  It's really sticky so I wouldn't recommend it on dry curly hair.  Well, it depends on how you are using it.  I like to use it in extreme styling.  I love it for fine hair and straight hair.  You can use it on curly hair as a great smoother if you use it on wet hair.

 

Alterna Hair Concrete - This is the best hard hold dry wax ever!  It holds forever!  My brothers-in-law love this.  They hate anything that makes their foreheads greasy and this doesn't.  It is also great for people with really heavy hair.  it can really lift and hold. Use only on dry hair.

 

Alterna Volumizing Spray Gel - This works better than any other volumizer period.  It has a nice light hold that won't make you look oily.

 

Hempz Herbal Moisturizer - This is a lotion.  It smells awesome and works really well too.  It is great for all skin types.

More later!

--Mary

DIY Skincare, Etc.: Embarking

Well, I've been wanting to do this for awhile.  That is - start to replace products I normally buy for things I MAKE.  I have three big reasons for this:

1 - Cut down on excess plastic/container consumption.

2 - Save money.

3 - Have fun.  This is the kind of thing that floats my boat.

Disclaimer: I believe in science.  I love buying skincare.  But - I could spend a mint on it.  And as I do need some good hobbies, I figured this could be rewarding, as I like to work on small craft-type things that end up turning out right.  So, I've been spending a good bit of time looking into what types of ingredients are best for my body, face, etc.  

It hasn't hurt that I've been reading up on cosmetics and skincare for some writing research.  Like I said, I believe in science and advancements, but I also am thinking that unless you are basically trying to give yourself a facelift via products, that you could probably get away with making some stuff for yourself, and you won't look any worse than when using store-bought products.  

Right now I CAN research, as I still have plenty of products I need to use up before I start to make more.  And I know it's going to take some initial investment, so I either need to set some money aside, or ask for stuff for Christmas.  And I need to do some further cost comparisons, to find out just how much I will be saving, even with initial investment (I already did a few here).

Things I am going to start making myself:

-bubble bath

-skin cream

-face cleanser or facial soap

-cold-process soap (not the melt-and-pour stuff, though that is fun)

-scrub, maybe (I am so in-love with what I use, it will be hard to turn away)

Also, I want to make candles, and laundry detergent, and anything else that pops into my head.

I'll let you know once I get started in earnest.  In the meantime, do you have any homemade remedies/recipes?

Inexpensive Makeup, Part Two: What I Use

My favorites:

-L’Oreal Color Juice lip gloss, $8.  It is not too sticky, but sticky enough to stay.  It comes in a zillion colors.  I can get it ON SALE frequently.  It makes me look younger.  It applies nicely.  (Lancome makes something similar but it's twice the price.  Nope.)

-L’Oreal eye shadow, $4.50.  I would love to have some NARS in crazy colors, but it is expeeeeensive ($22)….

-Mary Kay Ultimate mascara, $15.  I hear great things about Maybelleine mascaras, but I hate to buy any that might not be just right, so I stick with MK.  Plus, the packaging is more appealing to me.

-Bed Head.  Mary used to sell this, and I’m pretty sure you can still get it.  I have their blush, eye shadows, bronzer, and eye shadow base.  All excellent stuff.

-Almay Nearly Naked touchpad foundation, $12.  It’s hard to find anymore.  But it’s basically airbrush foundation in non-airbrush form.  I hate to think of it not existing anymore.  Airbrush foundation from Dior is $50, not $12.

-Benefit Hollywood Glo highlighter, $28.  It’s more of a darker rose highlighter, but it’s what I’ve got and I LOVE Benefit.  I saw a friend with extremely luminous skin, and I figured this was the answer.  It is.  It’s pricey, but I need so little of it at a time, it will last indefinitely (and apparently they don't make it anymore, but there are comparable things out there).

-Mary Kay blush, $10.  They have new mineral cosmetics that are excellent.  The packaging is cool, too.

-Almay liquid eyeliner, $7.50.  I’m picky about the applicators for these.  I have to break new ones in, which is annoying – but they last for a long time, and are easy enough to apply once you get the hang of it.

-Maybelline brow color, $5.  I don’t use much.  But it works.  And unless I drop it, I’ll never have to buy another one.

-I have other random things I use.  I have a Bioelements concealer that I use strictly for blemishes – I don’t use it undereyes, as I look cakey.  (Any concealer has done this, I’ve found).  I mixed two shades of it for winter, but use a regular jar of it for warmer months.  I have various cream and liquid blushes that rule – they don’t last as long as powder, sometimes (unless it’s a stain like Benefit’s), but they make me look younger and fresh.

What do you use?

 

Inexpensive Makeup, Part One

With makeup, there aren’t a lot of shortcuts to cheapness.  The ones that are there are good, though.  I’m not a makeup expert – but as with my apparel, I follow the same rule – find what really works, and stick with it.  I wish I had the luxury of buying new makeup often, but I have to enjoy what I have, for the most part. 

Part of the appeal of makeup is not how you “need” it, though.  It’s instant gratification of the most perfect kind, in my opinion!  So, if you’re just needing a pick-me-up or are out and about, it’s not like you’re going to find tons of great deals, if any.  But if you think ahead, and know what you use, there are ways to get better prices.

eBay does have some excellent deals.  Use Sephora or any other website that has original prices as a guide, and comparison shop (don’t forget the shipping cost, too).  An excellent way to get drugstore brands cheaper is to check the weekly sale flyers, either in the paper or online.  Drugstores and large retail chains regularly have decent-to-awesome sales on certain brands, depending on the week (such as my favorite BuyOneGetOneFree on L’Oreal lipcolor).  Occasionally, I will find a coupon for items either in the Sunday paper, or on special seasonal displays.  Keep an eye on the expiration date, and use it in conjunction with a sale.

Also, keep freshness in mind.  Makeup shouldn’t be old.  It most certainly shouldn’t be opened if originally sealed.  And ask yourself: how much makeup you can go through in a reasonable amount of time, if you’re buying multiple containers?  Makeup might not go bad, but still – it’s not the best thing to have sitting around.

There are also some ways to extend what you have.  Some of my tips/techniques:

General: Don’t wear makeup all the time, if you don’t have to.  Give your skin a break.  You’ll also go through less.  And try to have a few different palettes that you use, depending on your mood.  I do like to mix it up according to my clothes, which means that I have more colors (usually, blush) which means the individual colors tend to last longer.  If you only use one color, it will go faster, of course.  (Sephora makes those huge palettes that are fun.)  And, swap colors you didn’t up liking/using ith friends.  (If you trust them. :)

Foundation: Mix it with moisturizer for more of a tint.  And use your fingers.  It seems to me that brushes and sponges probably soak up a lot of extra product.  I was my hands first, though!

Powder: I don’t really use it that often, unless it’s something like Bare Minerals Mineral Veil, and that’s more in winter.  I have a little jar of it, and that probably helps me from using too much.

Lipstick: Dig out the extra that is in the base and put it in a little jar or compact.

Lipgloss: Buying the type with wants will most likely leave you with a lot of unused product.  If you can get it out and transfer it to another container, do it!

Mascara: I tend to use mascara long after it has a lot of product in the bottle – but as long as it still gets the job done, (even with a few coats), I’m cool with it.

Eye shadow: Go with the better stuff, because it lasts longer, because you need less.  I like to buy packaging that has one color – usually, there is more of it.  If there’s a 2^nd color or more, it’s most likely that I won’t use one color as much.  Now, if they’re just fun colors, that’s fine, but if it’s a color you use often, stick with just one color per pan.

Brushes: Good brushes should last forever.  They don’t have to be expensive.  But they can be.  You should wash them occasionally with warm water and shampoo and let them air dry, to make you look better and perhaps prolong their working life.  Get the ones you need, and no more.  Both of my favorite brush’s handles broke at one point, but I just glued them back together.

Highlighter: This can be a foundation replacement.  Learn how to use it.  It’s great!

What are your favorite tips for improving the longevity of your makeup, or getting it cheaply?

Next: What I use.

Inexpensive Makeup: Prelude

Two on eBay for $11 with shipping.  Hard to find these days, if anywhere but the 'net.  Normally about $10 for one.  And now, I don't have to buy more for a looooong time... love me some stock-up!!!

Supplying Your Own Grooming Items

This is something I've been chewing on for awhile, but haven't really messed around with it further, for various reasons.  However, I've been inspired recently to really look into it.

Something that troubles me about an aspect of my purchasing and consumption habits is the amount of plastic I and my household goes through.  I used to pick up whatever grooming item that met my fancy (and was reasonably-enough priced), to the point where I had dozens of lotions and soaps and gels.  I've been systematically trying to go through this stockpile without buying more (exception: very delicious soaps that I put in my underwear drawer.  I only have 3 in there right now).

See, I finish them.  I TOTALLY finish them.

I had such a good time making soap from a basic base back in the day, though, that I wondered, why not do this for other products, too?  I mean, once my stockpile is gone(who really knows when this will be), I could easily enough buy more of the things I enjoy, even frugally... but I could also make my own.  Even more frugally.  And ecologically.

For instance: the case of bubble bath.  I absolutely love this bubble bath:

but it is $7.99 for 24 ounces, which comes to 33 cents an ounce.

If I purchased the 1 gallon bubble bath base from The Sage, and a corresponding amount of fragrance oil, with guesstimated shipping I would pay 31 cents an ounce.  Not a huge saving, but certainly this way, you wouldn't run out of bubble bath anytime soon, and you would be re-filling a container.  If you had the storage space, cash-up-front (or perhaps friends who want to go in on it with you) you could get the 5 gallon size, which would come out to about 20 cents an ounce.

(And don't forget, you can certainly go with different fragrances, it's not like you'd have to commit to one fragrance for 5 gallons....)

What about shower gel?  Well, I LOVE this stuff:

At retail, it is $1 an ounce, not including shipping if you had to pay for that.  If you went with The Sage 5 gallon extra-thick shower gel and fragrance, it would be 23 cents an ounce.  Granted, that doesn't stack up to, say, Suave shower gel at around 13 cents an ounce.  But then again, different ingredients, and throwaway packaging.

I'm no longer chewing on this idea - when I run out of stuff, I'm going to start making my own.  By that time, perhaps, I'll have the space for it all!  But in the meantime, perhaps I can find some people who will go in on the 5-gallon sizes with me.  It's a good idea.

DIY Bubble Bath

Cool!  Cool!  Yay Real Simple!  You don't even have to buy anything!

A Word from Mr. Tooth

I just have to post on this.  Partly, because someone is paying for me to go the dentist, and I am scared out of my mind and want commiseration.  Partly, because it's awesome.

So, I have a lot of fillings.  I don't really know where I stand regarding my teeth; hence, dentist visit.  I do know that for years I had one tooth that was the WORST - I couldn't eat anything sugary with it or else it would cause stabbing, horrific nerve pain.  Sometimes, even when I would just drink something cold, it would hurt.  So I just started eating sweet things on the other side of my mouth.  I also tried having it re-filled, and did this twice, to no avail.  The dentist couldn't even figure out what was wrong.

Well, I was reading my Going, Going, Gone book while eating (as I always did until I finished it - sadness), and read the "chapter" on fluoride.  It floored me.  (Ha ha!)  I had always thought of fluoride as a mere preventative, but in fact, it can re-mineralize teeth (read all about it here).  I also freaked out about my teeth, just because.  I've been a flossing maniac since I got my most recent fillings (years ago), but with that and brushing, my regimen was complete.

Not really.  After I read that chapter, I went to Macy's and got this electric toothbrush.  In some ways it was not the most frugal purchase, as I did go there just because I could put it on my Macy's card.  It was significantly on sale, though - $55 from the $90 suggested price.  And, I researched the consumer ratings, and it fared well in those.

I also bought fluoride mouthwash.  I'm a big fan of bubblegum flavor, so I got that.

(I don't actually use this kind, I use a brand I get at Target, but the name escapes me.)  At about $3 a bottle, it is not cheap - but what standard do I have?  Other liquids?  Bottled water?  Suave shampoo?  

I was rinsing with the full amount they recommended until one day, I realized I could do less.  Basically, I can use just enough to swish around.  Half of the recommended amount is fine.  Less than half is fine.

I've been doing this for about 6 months.  I'm here to report that I can eat full-on hardcore candy (taffy, chocolate bars, ice cream - you name it) on the aforementioned tooth with no pain whatsoever.

It pays to be preventative, but being preventative can sometimes have extra rewards.  Dental care is prohibitively expensive, even if you have insurance.  I would rather rinse and brush and floss than pay for a root canal, crown, or pulling.  Wouldn't you, too?

(I will report later on the dentist visit.  *sigh*)

Waxing from Home

O.K.  I want to specify that as a licensed Cosmetologist i don't recommend doing any facial waxing yourself.  If you are not careful when waxing you can burn yourself or wax your eyebrows off or give yourself ingrown hairs that are really unbecoming. 

Now that I have that out of the way.  i want to share with you how to wax your own feet and hands or whatever by yourself.  It really isn't that hard. 

There are lots of wax products that you can use.  I am going to deomnstrate how to use hot wax of a salon quality.  I suggest you go to Sally's beauty supply and buy an individual roll on waxer.  They are pretty cheap.

These are really easy to roll on.  You can't really mess up too much.  You just heat it up and roll on.  This is what I started waxing with in school. 

Here is what I use now.  This is a pot waxer.  Both of these wax warmers you can buy at sallybeauty.com.

So let me go through the procedure.  First of all you want to wax on clean and dry skin.  Never wax right after tanning.  Never wax when you are on any kind of acne medication.  Never wax the same spot twice.  Trust me, you will tear or lose skin and it will leave a nasty scab.  Always check the temperature of your wax.  Always read the directions of your waxing machine.  Use these directions at your own risk.  You may not sue me for any reason.  Haha.

OK, First cleanse the area of the skin that you want to wax. 

I use the GiGi Pre-Hon cleanser.  Please use a Professional product.  These products are available in small sizes and are pretty cheap. Put a little bit on a cotton ball and clean the area and let dry.

Now dip your stick in your wax and apply in the direction of the hair growth.  you can see on my hairy feet that the hair grows at an angle.  You don't need a lot of wax.  You don't need to rush.  Do not double dip if you are ever going to let anyone else use your wax.  You will spread disease if you have it.  It only takes one double dip to give your pot some nasty bacteria.

Now place Muslin strip over the area.  You don't have to use Muslin.  There are many cloth strips available and all are fine. Press down gently in the direction of the hair growth.  never rub in opposite direction.  It causes ingrown hairs.

Here is me pressing gently. My fingers look a little fat.

Now you want to rip off the strip in a fast punching motion.  Do not peel.  Get a really good grip and then rip.  You must remove in the opposite direction of the hair growth.  It's best to practice the punching motion before you remove.  You want to try to use as little peeling as possible.  I mean all that will happen if you do this wrong is you will have a few ingrown hairs. Or it might hurt a little more than it needs to.

Work in small sections.  The hair on the strip is very satisfying.  And it won't grow back for at least a month!

Now remove the left over residue with a wax-off product.  Once again, please use a product made for wax removal.  You don't want to damage your freshly exfoliated skin with something harsh. I like GiGi's Wax Off. 

Now use an after waxing cooling gel.  You can just use Aloe Vera gel if you like.

Do not tan after waxing for 24 hours.  Do not wax on the same day as a big event.  Please do not tackle your legs yourself until you become pro.  I still have a hard time doing mine and I have been a Professional for 7 years!

Happy Hair Removal!

By the way, a creme wax is good for all skin types and is most gentle on the skin.

There is also sensitive skin formulas available. 

I like to use these small sticks for better control.  In the beauty industry I have found that it is worth it to buy the more expensive tools.  They usually do work better overall.

--Mary