Skim Milk Face Wash

Milk is often an ingredient used in beauty products since it contains lactic acid which hydrates your skin and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) which serves as a light and gentle exfoliant.

For all the reasons stated above, I was excited to try this DIY milk face wash recipe.

The process is simple: Take a little bit of water (say 1/16 cup) and add milk powder (teaspoon by teaspoon) until you get a consistency you're comfortable with. Then simply apply a generous layer on your skin--you should feel a tightening feeling immediately or within a few minutes. Once dried, rinse off with lukewarm water.

The results? My skin definitely felt softer upon first use and looked fresh. But I really didn't like the sticky after-feeling. I had to rinse my face twice because of the residue. After trying this mask on for two nights straight, I have to admit I'm torn. I think it is effective...but I'm not so convinced of its cleansing properties.

Review: Pure 100% Mascara

A while back Living Social had a deal for Pure 100%. On a whim, I purchased two deals and I gotta say, I'm so glad I did.

The first thing I got my hands on was their 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Mascara in the color Black Tea.

Price: $18

Ingredients (as featured on their website): Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Organic Green Tea), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Cera Alba (Honey Beeswax), Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract (Blackberry Extract), Ribes Nigrum Fruit Extract (Blackcurrant Extract), Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract (Raspberry Extract), Hydrolyzed Oat Protein (Oat Protein), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein (Wheat Protein), Pantothenic Acid (Pro-vitamin B5), Fucus Vesiculosus Extract (Seaweed Powder), Coconut Stearic Acid (Coconut Acid), Mica, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cocoa Butter), Pearl Powder, Oryza Sativa Germ Powder (Rice Powder), Theobroma Cacao Extract (Cocoa Powder), Coffea Arabica Seed Extract (Powdered Coffee Beans), Mel (Lavender Honey), Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract (Oregano Extract), Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract (Thyme Extract), Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract (Rosemary Extract), Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract (Lavender Extract), Hydrastis Canadensis Extract (Goldenseal Extract) 

Claims:

• 100% natural
• 100% vegetarian
• Lengthens, separates, thickens and glosses lashes with fruit pigments and Black tea pigments
• Conditions lashes with ProVitamin B5, Vitamin E, Oat and Wheat protein
• Water and smudge resistant 

Thoughts: I love this mascara! The mascara is pigmented (for full disclosure: I have dark lashes so I cannot speak for anyone with light lashes), visibly lengthens and separates my lashes. 

What's more, one night I forgot to take the mascara off and I didn't wake up the next morning with stray lashes that fell off. I think the most visible difference lies in softness of my lashes--after 2-3 coats, my lashes aren't crisp as they are with a traditional drugstore brand. 

But if you're looking for a water-proof mascara, this product does not fit the bill. Get a little wet from light rain or a few tears, and this mascara will be running down your cheeks. That said, the mascara doesn't promise to be waterproof so I can't really hold a grudge.

The only criticism I have--and it hardly matters in the big picture--is that the packaging looks a bit teen-bopper. I wish the mascara tube didn't have vines growing all over it. But it's definitely not a deal breaker for me.

Will I be using this again? Yes! As an eye makeup junkie, I wear mascara on a regular (translation: every day) basis and this would be a great item to have in my arsenal for daily use. 

Coffee Grounds Hair Conditioner

If you're an avid coffee drinker then chances are you're sitting on a beauty trick that can change your hair. Coffee grounds serve as a great ingredient for conditioning your hair by making it shiny and even inducing highlights on brunettes.

You can make your own conditioner with coffee grounds (and your favorite oil) or simply incorporate the grounds in your normal haircare routine:

• Work the grounds into clean, wet hair and massage for a few minutes, then rinse.
• Add the grounds to your conditioner. Apply conditioner as you normally would, then rinse.
• Add coffee grounds to olive oil (2 parts coffee ground for 1 part oil). Massage for a few minutes, let it sit for 20 minutes, then rinse.

I was super excited to try this. I opted for the third option (coffee grounds immersed in olive oil) and my hair looked really shiny! I do want to try this with my conditioner so I can see if the shine was due to olive oil or the coffee.

Image via diylife.com