DIY Lip Plumper

Did you know that you loose 1 percent of collagen in your lips per year?

That's why your grandma had gorgeous Angelina Jolie lips when she was 20 years old and at 80 her lips are as thin as a model's waist.

The very first time I used lip plumper was when I was in middle school. I was at my friend Abbey's house and was looking through her beauty products {I've always been fascinated by cosmetics}. Seeing a roller tube of lip gloss I didn't recognize, I asked her about its contents. She told me that it made her eyes water because it hurt so bad. I tried it. My eyes watered. It reminded of of the time when I was six and got stung by a bee on my bottom lip.

I'm all about big, full, gorgeous lips. Good lip plumper can cost a fortune, {my absolute FAVORITE lip plumper, and in my opinion, the best working one, is this one} and having worked in cosmetics and having tried at least twenty, I know a lot of them don't actually work very well.

I was doing some research on lip plumpers and discovered something interesting: they all have similar ingredients for agitation. Not only do most lip plumpers have at lease one of these ingredients, they're also common household spices. Peppermint oil, cinnamon, and ginger have all been used to effectively plump that pout.

I tried a little experiment and I've been very pleased with it.

What you need:

• 2-quart pot
• Pyrex glass container
• Lip balm or chap stick (I used Burt's Bees beeswax lip balm)
• Cayenne Pepper
• Cinnamon

              

Create a double-boiler effect by filling the pot with water and placing the Pyrex in the water on Medium heat. Scrape the lip balm or chap stick out of the container and wait for it to melt. 

Measure out 1/16 of a teaspoon of Cayenne pepper and 1/16 of a teaspoon of Cinnamon.

Stir ingredients together until mixed throughly. This may depend on the product you use, but I mixed it for around three minutes.

Pour the contents back in the original container, and voila! Let sit on counter for 10 minutes or place in refrigerator for 3 minutes.

If you don't want much of a sting, I highly recommend putting less cayenne pepper in the mixture. If you have peppermint oil feel free to add four or five drops instead of cinnamon.

Have YOU ever tried using lip plumper? What were your experiences with it?



{Song of Solomon 4:3}

Mini Lesson: How to Take a Good Picture

Have you ever looked at yourself in a picture and thought, "either that is the most unflattering angle or I'm the least attractive person alive."? I am SO guilty of thinking this on occasion. I'll leave the house thinking, "I look really cute today!" and I'll see a picture of myself later and the camera is all, "LOL, no."

I read Psalm 96:6 today and it said this: "Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary." ESV

I've been thinking a lot lately about how the presence of the Lord is where I am made beautiful, regardless of how I feel. I'm no stranger to feeling ugly. Thoughts of my weight or imperfect skin or facial structure often plague me. Truthfully, I encounter it daily.

But it's not how I feel that matters. It's the fact. This is what the Bible tells me is factual: "The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." Psalm 45:11 NIV

Enthralled, huh?

Yeah, that's right. Because nothing the Lord makes is mediocre. Least of all, His beloved children whom He made in His image.

Back to posing. The most important part of any photo is the woman. When the woman {or women} looks good, everyone and everything else in the picture look good. Research has showed that the most attractive side of your face is the left side. This is because the left side of your face {which is controlled more by the creative right side of your brain} shows more emotion.

Right side vs. Left side

Full height poses are incredibly difficult to pull off unless you are tall and have an athletic body shape. Instead of standing straight, position your body in an "S" shape with all your weight on one foot and your hip and shoulder going two different ways.

Slight "S" shape pose

If you are facing the camera and can't move, slightly bend your right knee and move it half way in front of your left knee. Bend forward slightly and tilt your head a shade.

"Planking" pose ;)

Tell me about your awkward/awesome posing experiences!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday to the best mom in the entire world! {okay, I may be a little biased}

Mom I love you so much and am so blessed to have you as my mom. I know I often take your life experiences for granted but I want you to know that I really think everything you've done in your life is truly incredible.

Mommy and me circa 1992

Thanksgiving 2009

You have offered the world so much. Your admirable work ethic and work/home balance amazes me. I hope some day to be a mom like you.

There is much to be said about someone who is as accomplished as you--your ability to cook fantastic meals, clean spotlessly, sew and quilt like a master, be an affectionate wife and mother, follow Jesus, change our city for the better with the influence that you have through work and find a way to work out in the midst of all that blows me away.

I love you so much, mom. Happy Birthday!! xoxoxo

{P.S. If you were wondering, she's the one I got my style from! :)}



The below images are courtesy of EMZ Photography

Confessions of a Brand Snob

I have a confession.

I'm a brand snob.

Don't get me wrong. I love a good bargain. And if there were two identical products next to each other that did exactly the same thing but were at two very different prices, I would choose the less expensive one.

The feeling of an expensive lotion on your skin. The intense pigmentation and smooth application of a high-end eyeshadow. The perfect, creamy blendability of a pricey foundation. There is nothing like it.

For all you guys that might be rolling your eyes at me, let me just tell you a lot of the time expensive products do make a difference. The ingredients are more concentrated and richer in consistency. The results are often seen sooner. There are some decent drugstore brands. Probably half of my beauty products are drugstore brands. But there's one thing that I haven't budged on for years. Up until a few weeks ago I refused to buy cheap hair products {with the exception of Tresseme hairspray. That stuff is bomb.com}. One time I even came upon a sample of this stuff. 

As of recently I haven't had the budget to spend oodles of money. The things on my beauty regime were the first to get cut. So I went to the grocery store and bought this stuff:

Blew. My. Mind. $6 each for a huge bottle that gets my hair shiny and creates an effect similar to getting highlights?? Could it get any better?! Point of this story is that Jesus loves me. And the less important point of the story is that this pair will make it feel like you spent some serious Benjamin's at the salon. Prepare to feel like a million bucks, people!