Thursday, November 29, 2012

DIY Biore Pore Cleaning Mask

So today I have dealt with a sick toddler, and almost didn't do a post. But I have really been attempting to stick with the things I start lately- like my healthy diet and keeping my sink clean. 
To be honest, Delaney isn't a problem during the day when she's sick- it's nighttime when the sadness starts.  

So despite my lack of sleep, here I am, attempting a pin I have seen a million times from Petit Elefant... (Click on the picture to get to the pin)

I just happened to have some unflavored gelatin from a homemade fruit snack recipe I got off of (betyoucan'tguess)- PINTEREST!
(These were NOT the biggest pin success, by the way).  But I will save that for another time...

So the face mask seemed like an obvious choice.  (Don't you just love finding out that you have everything you need for something?!) 
 
Here was my setup, plus a silicone scraper to stir and apply which worked pretty well:
So as this very clever lady warns, the rest of the process goes kind of quickly so rather than ruining my attempt, I opted to concentrate on not blowing it rather than taking pictures.  I did take a picture of what my face looked like with the mask on, and let me just say, I looked like a very dirty girl at the end of an adult film, so sorry, no pictures of THAT. 
 
 I also want to note that she says to use one tablespoon of gelatin- This is more than one of the little envelopes that come in the package, so make adjustments accordingly.  I think I made mine a little bit too liquidy, so I ended up having to put more than one layer of gelatin on my face.  This means it took me more than twice as long to wait for it to dry.  I was dying to peel it off, as well as hoping that Delaney didn't need me to come in her room ("Mommy!  Why is your face melting off?!")  I also avoided windows.
 
 
 
Now, not always, but often I try to check out the comments left on DIY's like this, and see what people who have already attempted this experienced (errr, kinda like what I'm doing). 
  • A LOT of people made comments about the smell.  Yeah, it's pretty bad, but definitely tolerable.  Definitely like a sour baby puke aroma.  I would avoid this if you are pregnant.        (I know I would have ralphed.) 
  • Quite a few comments talked about the pain of removing the mask- Yeah.  PRETTY painful- especially when you apply without having your contacts in and you are too far from the mirror to see clearly (or when you apparently have a hairy face! OUCH!).  I smeared that shit everywhere. 
  • But almost everyone said that your skin feels as smooth as a baby's butt afterward, and to be honest- who doesn't strive for that?
 
The verdict:
 
If my face weren't hardened in place you would know that I am secretly grimacing in pain right here- the bright red forehead tells the story. 
All in all, if you want every single baby hair removed from your face, try this.  To be honest my pores on my nose look as bad as they did before I put myself through this. And I am now definitely missing a few of what used-to-be necessary eyebrow hairs.  I may never get those back.
 
Please. Don't do this on your whole face. 
Oh sure- you can be a tough guy if you want- that's the route I took, and regretted it.  Do it on your T-zone where your pores actually need cleaning.  That's a better idea.  Maybe it will you do you more good than it did me. 
homemade facial
Ugh, she even looks cute while she's doing it. 
 
I promise I am going to try to take pictures not on my crappy phone camera next time.  Let me know if you give this a try!  I'd love to hear what you thought!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

A Blog I Can Handle (Plus Beef & Broccoli)

  Ok, I'll start off letting you know I love to write.  So a blog has been something I have hoped to create and keep up with, but unfortunately that's not always the case...  (Like the Budget Wedding Blog for the planning that is currently on hiatus.  Or the "Dear Diary" style ones I've half-heartedly tried to maintain long ago.  Uh, no.  No one cares.)
 
But wait!
  To be able to document my excessive use of Pinterest, and then consequently share this unhealthy hobby with others? 

 You have my attention. 
 
 So while I live my life filled with pin-successes and the many pin-fails, I can send the knowledge out through these mighty interwebs; Then you can make educated pin-decisions for yourself. 

I can honestly say that I use a pin almost everyday- from recipes (oh, save me from myself), to skincare, makeup, toddler activities, organization, DIY- I pin and use it all!!  Pinterest is the most motivatonal time waster on the planet.  I mean come on, what website has ever gotten you to do this much crafty/productive in your house?  So here I go, an attempt at an informative blog.  Here goes nothing!!
 
 
 
So today, I went with a recipe.  I have been big on meal planning, it really helps me not go nuts at the grocery store, and then I actually cook what I plan on making rather than just making something up with found ingredients (Which can be a stressful task.) 
 
This pin read: "homemade beef and broccoli: UPDATE - this is the best recipe so far I've found on here. I make it about 2-3 times a month. WE LOVE IT!"  (You can click the image to get to the link on my pinterest board) 
 
Well, they had me at HOMEMADE BEEF AND BROCCOLI, but then to tell me one of the best recipes on here- I had to try!!
Pinned Image
 
 
 
And here is my (pitiful) phone picture turned instagram version of Homemade Beef and Broccoli. (I promise I am going to not be lazy and start getting out the real camera.  And will hopefully capture some action shots- like the steamy deliciousness you see above!!)
 
Overall the taste was good, but may have been helped with a bit more brown sugar or even a little maple syrup (Maybe some ginger, rice wine vinegar?  Anything?!).  It was VERY salty.  Not to mention the sauce got kind of... well, gloopy for lack of a better word.  Then that soy-salty gloop got all stuck up in my broccoli.  I'm thinking that must have been due to the cornstarch and flour in the recipe?  Next time I may try whisking a little water in to make it more of a sauce than "clumps'o'flavor".  I wouldn't rate this a failure- it was definitely edible and still a decent dinner (Heaven knows I've made worse)...