The Aspirin Mask

I've had this bottle of aspirin sitting on a shelf in the medicine cabinet for ages.  I bought it to use as a cleanser for my face after I read or watched a youtube video on it.  I believe it was Michelle Phan but when I watched the vid last night, it wasn't familiar at all.  But after researching for a bit, Dr. Oz had mentioned a recipe on his show as well.  I also found that here are many variations to the aspirin mask or aspirin facial.  I sort of combined a couple of versions and with luck, it worked out amazingly well!

The premise behind the use of an aspirin is quite simple, it is an acid...  Does salicylic acid ring a bell?  Or maybe Beta Hydroxy acid?  Yep, it's both, salicylic and BHA are one in the same!  BHA is excellent at killing bacteria and deep cleaning our pores as well as exfoliation.

In an effort to reduce reliance on drugstore products and eliminating unnecessary chemicals, this recipe is a winner.  And it works well too.  My skin feels... almost... as soft as my HG Shea Terra Rose Hips Black Soap.  I won't ever give that up but this comes in a close second, maybe a 1.5...

I usually take 10 aspirins (could cut that to 5-7 but I found that I like a thicker paste) and put approximately a half tablespoon of lemon juice on them.  I eyeball it.  Dr. Oz says fresh lemon juice is best because fresh juice still has the enzymes in it.  Let that sit for a couple of minutes while it breaks down the tablets.  Now Michelle Phan in her video dissolved it in water.  Starting off, water is probably best and also for those with sensitive skin.  (I have tough skin!)

After swirling the BHA and lemon juice mix, add about 2 teaspoons of honey.  Again this is an approximation. Raw, unpasteurized is best, again it will have key enzymes that pasteurization kills.   Stir the mix until combined.  Honey adds antiseptic properties, moisture so the skin, stimulates blood circulation, balances out oily skin and may have a hand in collagen production.  So honey is good for the skin!

So for people like me that need a recipe so they can focus at this point:


10-12 uncoated aspirins (the bottle of white pills!)
1/2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp of raw, unpasteurized honey

1.  Dissolve aspirin in lemon juice (2 minutes).
2.  Stir in honey to combine.

Now the fun part!  Apply with a cotton ball or cotton pad.  Take the time to lightly swirl the the ball or pad on your face.  The aspirin will be a bit gritty so this helps to exfoliate.  You can also use your fingers of course.

So not manually exfoliate for too long and do so lightly.  The acid will do the hard work for you.  :)  Make sure your entire face is covered but please watch the eye area!  Keep that area acid free or your eyes will surely be hurting.

Relax for 15 minutes.  I didn't feel any tingling, in fact I felt nothing but if you feel burning or tingling, work up to the 15 minutes.  Especially if your skin is sensitive.  Play it safe!  After the 15 minutes, wipe/rinse off with a soft cloth with warm water and you will be left with tightened pores and soft skin.

I would say 1-2 times a week would suffice for this mask.

Let me know if you try it!

Shea Terra Haul!

About a week ago, or is it 2 now, Shea Terra had a 30% off code.  I decided to stock up on my favorite Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Face Mask and Wash.  I was introduced to this lovely gem of a product through Beauty Army.  It is amazing.  Seriously.  You can trust me.  I try out and use a lot of products.  :)

It's a thick black liquid soap that smells, I will admit, I bit stinky...  Hey it's organic!  But you work it into the skin and it sort of foams but more like emulsifies into a mask on the face that you then leave on for 5-10 minutes.  It says on the bottle that redness may occur so leave on for only a few minutes if you have sensitive skin.  I have had no redness after using this product, in fact the opposite happens, my skin is perfectly even toned after rinsing.  Wish it looked like that all of time!

The black soap acts as a microdermabrasion would without the granules.  Rinse it off with some warm water and a face cloth and you will be amazed at how soft and smooth your skin can be.  I used it once a week while I had the sample because I was rationing it to make it last but now I plan on using it twice a week.  I love it!

With the 30% off I also got a couple other things...

They included free samples with my order!  African black soap and Cape Chamomile Soap.  You know how I like my samples!

I also really liked my LUSH shampoo bar so I thought I would try out another one through Shea Terra.  This is Argan & Ghassool Shampoo and Spa Body Bar.  All in one and perfect for summer camping season!  There is so much information about this product so I won't do any justice condensing it.  But it's awesome, 100% natural, a purifying skin and hair treatment.  And anti-aging...  SOLD!

I am almost out of eye creams so I thought I would give this Argan & Green Coffee eye serum a whirl.  I've really been into oils lately for my skin.  They seem to work well and absorb nicely.  And my skin is becoming less oily...  The description says it brings back youthful eyes!  lol  I couldn't resist but with Squalene oil and the anti-oxidants from pressed green coffee, it will certainly help the blood circulation around my eyes. At 2oz, this will last me possibly forever.

There are so many more things I want to try.  Next up will be the Argan & Rose Serum of Youth, umm fountain of youth?, Egyptian Carrot Seed oil, a serious dose of Vitamin A for the skin, Rose Hips & Pink Clay Facial Cleansing Bar, Rose Water Facial Tonor...  I better stop, practically the entire site!

Have you tried anything from Shea Terra Organics?

May Glossybox!

So the first ever Glossybox has hit the U.S. by storm!  Actually I have no idea really but I was excited after I received the promo box last month!

So the products featured this month were the following:

Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Refreshing Hydra-Gel

For my oily skin I prefer gels so this will definitely be used.  I wish the full size price wasn't $100 though.  Don't want to fall in love with this liquid gold.


Glossybox blush brush!  A good size travel brush made "from the finest goat hair."  Not the softest bristles but good to throw in a bag and not worry about damaging them.

Burberry Beauty Lip Mist Natural Sheer Lipstick in Copper No.202

I never would have picked out this color for myself but on my lips, it looks divine.  It is very buttery and smooth.  It practically melts on the lips leaving them so soft.  I hate sticky and dry lipsticks.  This one is perfect for me.  It is sheer as well so the natural pigment will show through, changing the color slightly, or if you have paler lips like me, this will give you a nice wash of color.  It smells a bit like L'OREAL lipsticks but not as strong but I immediately thought of that as I was applying it.


Marvis Whitening Toothepaste

I'm on my last tube of Rembrandt so this couldn't have come at a better time.  I hope it works!

Phyto Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask for Dry Hair

My hair needs this badly.  I've tried a single sample packet before and it works amazing well and fast!  This weekend's activities included sun, surf, sand and pool with disastrous results on my recent root touch up.  My hair feels like straw!  Time to get some moisture back in those strands.

ZOYA Summer 2012- Beach and Surf Collection

Oh how I love ZOYA.  I have been gazing at this collection from afar.  I have it on my nails right now.  It is so pink and feminine.  It is a bright pink with a hint of lilac/light purple with silver shimmer.  On my skin tone it pulls pink.

Oh and I'm wearing a bumpy base coat.  Getting ready for a wedding and I want to grow my nails out in the next 2 weeks and Yves Rocher Soin réparateur works really fast.  It happens to be a bit bumpy but I don't mind if after 2 weeks my nails are stronger then ever.  Oh the sacrifices we make!

So not a bad lineup for their first box.  I'm sure the Burberry mini is a huge hit.  Glossybox is $20 a month.  I skipped this month's Beauty Army and Julep to test the waters. I frequently skip or gift Julep anyway.  I don't really keep it for myself.  :)

The program also has a review system were you can post reviews and get 20GLOSSYDots which count towards a free box.  I frequently "cash" in my Birchbox points for products so this is a nice perk to the sample service.

Have you signed up for Glossybox?  What do you think?

Sephora Pantone Shades of Nature Eye Shadow Palette

Pantone Shades of Nature Eye Shadow Palette in a Beauty Insider Exclusive that features 35 gorgeous shades from neutrals to brights, shimmer, satins and mattes.  It's a lovely addition to my ever growing collection of palettes.  I never purchased any 88 palettes, for the life of me I don't know how I resisted to be frank. Well for starters, 88 colors would make my head spin.  I would never be able to decide what colors to choose!

35 is just right.  And the colors are perfect; lights, brights and darks that span across cool tones, warms and neutrals.  You can play it up, tone it down, it can be taken to and used for every occasion.  In fact, I had my sister's wedding in mind when I ordered this.  A few of the bridesmaids will need help with their makeup and I want to bring a variety of colors and finishes for all eye shapes and complexions.  This comes in a sleek, iPad shape and size, with a large mirror on the inside.  Very cool.

Since it was such a gorgeous day out today, I decided to photograph it outside!

I did all the swatches on my arm primed with Rachel K CC cream.  Not sure why I grabbed this.  I just didn't want to use up my Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  I have a separate review coming up on Rachel K.  Look for that soon!

Without hesitation or thinking, I just swatched across.  Half way through, I wish I swatched down.  But you get the idea about the shadows and the color payoff.  I found them all to be nicely pigmented, most of are buttery soft except for a few, mostly matte shades.  Some were outstanding, some need building which will be best used wet or over a primer or both.  I do not think eyeshadows are necessarily bad if they need a primer.  Most shadows perform much better when used with a primer, high end or low end.

I will point these particular shades out on my arm swatches.  When I describe it as "needs building" what I mean is that I have to swipe it 2-3 times to get the color payoff and they are best used with a primer or wet for best color payoff.  But as you will see from the photos below, the color payoff is there.  Before buying this palette the reviews weren't stellar but I couldn't pass it up because of the variety.  I'm glad I didn't.  

Other than that, it is at a competitive price point ($55) for the amount of shadows that you are receiving and the quality.  I've never ordered a Sephora palette before so I am unable to compare the quality to previous collaborations and current shadows unfortunately.

Here are the first row swatches, left to right:

11-0907 (cream shimmer), 13-1107 (pale champagne shimmer), 12-1209 (pale peach shimmer), 12-2903 (light purple/lilac shimmer), 13-4108 ( pale moss green shimmer ), 13-8105 (mint green shimmer), 12-0712 (antique gold shimmer)

This photo is a bit washed out but they are shimmery, frosty, pale colors perfect for inner corner and brow highlights and blending.  For some, these might be your "boring" shades but I find them very useful for toning down looks and adding a little brightness to the center of the eyelid as well as highlighting.  The were all buttery, soft and smooth, perfect application.

Second row swatches from left to right:

15-1511 (light cocoa brown satin), 12-0812 (yellow satin needs building), 12-1310 (pale matte pink needs building), 13-2802 (plum satin, super soft), 17-3802 (gunmetal gray satin), 13-5313 (aqua green satin), 12-0736 (canary yellow satin, needs building)

The super soft plum 13-2802 is a bit staining so make sure you use a base with this one!

Third row swatches from left to right:

17-1227 (grey brown satin), 14-1312 (dark ripened peach satin), 14-2808 (frosty pink), 17-3725 (purple satin, needs building), 17-3911 (dark grey satin), 15-4421 (bright peacock blue shimmer), 13-0645 (lime green shimmer)

All buttery soft and smooth, 17-1227 and 17-3725, less buttery than the rest.

Fourth row swatches from left to right:

18-1320 (coppery brown shimmer), 15-1327 (medium peach shimmer), 16-2615 (medium pink satin), 19-3619 (blue purple satin, almost a duochrome, needs building), 19-3928 (navy blue satin, needs building)  15-4717 (teal shimmer), 17-6219 (metallic kelly green shimmer)

My favorite of course is the kelly green but I really want to do a look with the coppery brown and the teal first!  The navy blue and dark blue purple are not as soft as the others.

Fifth row swatches from left to right:

19-0916 (cool matte dark brown), 15-1333 (orange shimmer), 17-2625 (hot bubblegum pink satin), 19-3713 (dark grey hint of purple matte), 19-4205 (black/dark grey matte), 17-4427 (dark blue green shimmer), 18-5606 (metallic forest green)

There are a few who dock points off when palettes do not have dark matte shades.  Well here you go!  Perfect for deepening creases, setting gel liners.  

I am really enjoying the variety of colors and finishes.  For me, this palette offers endless possibilities!

May Empties and Resolutions Update!

Man it's that time of the month again.  June 4th.  I feel like today is important but I can't remember why.  lol  But we are almost half way through the year!  What?!

So a little update from my New Year's Resolutions...

1.  I will live off my stash for the next 12 months, the entire year of 2012 or until it is used up.


Have I been living off my stash?  You betcha!  I've used up a ton of products.  You see everything that I have gone though each month.  A ton of stuff, well except for last month.  I have been buying a few new things here and there but no stockpiling and I use up what I buy.  A good chunk of my stash is gone.  I now have one side of the kids' bathroom cabinet empty and filled with beach towels!  Yay!  And only 3 drawers in the cloth shelving unit in my closet are filled.  1 drawer has empty packaging and boxes from products I am currently using/testing. 


I've been to the drugstore 4 times since January.  I know I said that I wouldn't ever go but I ran out of a couple things and had coupons, etc...  One trip was for a friend's newborn baby, I swear!  I also had to get the 3 new Infallible eyeshadow colors which are the only ones I have been using since the weather has turned from warm to HOT!  There are a bunch more that just came out, I might have to get them. :)  I've given away some nail polish and makeup.  I still want empty cabinets at the end of the year though!




2.  I will lose 20 pounds in 2012.


I've lost a solid 15 so far.  I weigh 130.  I was pushing 150 at the beginning of the year.  My weight fluctuates throughout the day so I weigh in each morning and I'm right at 129-130.  It seems a little unreal that 6 months ago I hovered a few pounds over 145.  Nothing fit, I felt very uncomfortable.  I'm a RN so I was taking my blood pressure once a week or so and I was running 135/70.  I am now 115-120/60-65.  I am by no means unhealthy.  I cook my own food, we rarely eat out, rarely eat packaged foods, I juice and eat tons of veggies.  Exercising may have taken a back burner over the holidays but I go through phases with my running, yoga, weight training and gym schedule.  I also chase, literally run after 3 kids around the house, yard and park pretty much all day, everyday.  I'm not a snacker.  I know it seems unreal.  2 things hindered my progress though, skipping breakfast and drinking coffee.


My downfall is coffee.  The more I drink, the more tired I feel, so the more I drink.  In my coffee I would have agave or honey with coconut milk.  Again, not unhealthy.  But caffeine messes with your blood sugar, basically it impairs insulin action and for me and my body type, caffeine is the enemy.  I have an apple shaped body, even more apple-like after kids.  Apple body types carry their weight (fat) around the midsection.  We have nice legs and arms (yes!) but thick middles. Caffeine increases cortisol in our bodies that causes us to crave carbs and sugar which is stored around the midsection if they are not burned off.  Stress also causes an increase in cortisol which causes weight gain and thickening of the middle as well.  This happens in all body types but for the apple shaped, the impact can be significant.  We don't need our middles thickened any more than they are!


So I quit coffee.  I've tried it several times in the past... successfully but after I lose weight, I somehow gravitate towards it again.  This time a read a book, Clean by Dr. Junger.  I've heard about "clean" eating and thought I did for the most part.  So my husband and I went on a "clean detox."  I will go into an in depth synopsis in its own separate post because it will be very time consuming to explain thoroughly and it deserves one!


So that being said...  I think I will be able to stand to lose another 10 pounds.  I see what I look like at 130 and I think 120 will be my goal weight.  Unless I start bodybuilding and pack on the muscle.  hahaha  Then I will re-evaluate.  It's not really the number, it's the clothes that I want to fit into!


So on to the empties!  

1.   John Frieda Sheer Blonde Enhancing Shampoo:  I'm pretty sure I've reviewed this in the past.  It keeps my blonde hair shiny and bright.  I actually haven't used the John Frieda Tone Correcting Shampoo in a while.  I really need to pick some up.


2.  John Frieda Root Awakening Health Infusing Conditioner:  This is a good conditioner with a pleasant peppermint and eucalyptus scent.  I still need a deep conditioning treatment a few times a week.   But with someone with normal hair that is not color treated, this conditioner would be all that you would need.


3.  John Frieda Root Awakening Health Boosting Detangling Spray:  This has a very light weight formula but you can feel the added conditioning that it gives to your hair.  I have a back up bottle that is now in my beach bag.  I like to spritz on my hair after the pool and after rinsing off at the beach.  It has the same peppermint and eucalyptus scent as the conditioner and shampoo.  


4.  L'OREAL Ever Creme Cleansing Conditioner:  Another product I love and have reviewed before.  I will repurchase very soon, like today.  It has a lovely amber scent to me.  It might be a bit strong so someone who does not like that scent though or who is sensitive to scents in general.  But I really like it.  There have been some varied reviews on this product.  The key is using a little at a time and adding water.  It does lather but not like a regular sulfate laden shampoo.  But add a little water, massage in, add a little water, massage in.  I will let it sit on my hair while I finish up in the shower for extra conditioning.  It has built up in my hair before but a good clarifying shampoo once a week takes care of it.


5.  Almay oil-free eye makeup remover pads:  At first I didn't think these were any good.  They do leave eye liner and some mascara behind but for the post part, they remove everything.  I guess I have never came across a remover that removed every single stitch of makeup.  I just press them on my lids and wipe very gently.  They do the job pretty well.  My face cleanser can then get most of everything else.  I'm on my second tub now.  


6.  Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser:  I love this cleanser.  I can't think of anything from Kiehl's that I do not like quite frankly.  My combo/oily large pore skin needs this stuff.  It has Amazonian White Clay & salicylic acid to detoxify and clear out those pores!  My skin responds well to salicylic acid.  I really need to pick up another tube of this stuff.


7. NIVEA Touch of Happiness Orange Blossom Scent and Bamboo Essence Body Wash:  This was my last one!  I have 2 more body washes to go through before I can repurchase another NIVEA.  I love the scent of this.  My skin is a lot softer and smoother when I use it.  I just love the NIVEA brand in general as well.  Great affordable products.


8.  Lubriderm Advanced Therapy Lotion:  I know this may seem kind of strange but I get dry skin in the summer!  Yes I do.  Yes my face is a greasy mess most of the time, even that is changing too, more on that later, but between the sun and air conditioning, my skin gets parched!  I really need to lay on the moisturizer on my legs and arms.  Same with my daughter.  Her eczema seems to flare up around this time.  I really liked this lotion and the smell of it too.  It non-greasy which is very important to me.  I like the pump top and frequently used it on my hands.  We have another bottle of lotion to get through and  I will probably pick this one up again.


9.  John Frieda 9A Light Ash Blonde:  Guess you could say I like John Frieda?  It is getting more and more difficult finding this specific color.  It's not at Walmart or Target.  I found this one at Ulta and there was only one other box.  This is the only color that I have found that does not brass me out.  It's not that ashy where your hair turns green, yes that has happened to me before.  I'm afraid to try another box color to be honest but this particular shade's nonavailability will be forcing me to explore other options.  I really liked 10N Extra Light Ash Blonde but that one has disappeared as well.   Hmmm...


10.  Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil:  I use this for cooking, as a moisturizer, hair treatment, diaper rash cream, feet, hands...  You name it, I have many uses for it.  All from separate tubs I might add.  No double dipping over here!  :)  I have used it on my face and tried using it as a makeup remover but the two particular uses didn't work out for me.  I have this on Amazon click and save so it is delivered pretty frequently at a great price!


11.  Garnier Moisture Rescue Lightweight UV-Lotion:  Love this stuff!  I used to use it on my face but I found it was a bit too greasy for me.  I did find a better one for my face which I am just about ready to review.  I use this on my chest, neck, hands and feet every day.  I have a backup.


12.  Rembrandt Whitening Toothpaste:  Love this stuff.  Keeps my teeth white.  'Nuff said.  We are just flying through the toothpaste.  I guess that's a good thing since we are brushing but I thought for sure my stash of what 13 tubes was going to last us almost the year.  Well we acquired another tube from my mom (she accidently purchased cinnamon, not her fave) and currently I have 3 tubes left, 2 of which are in use!  Incredible.  I never actually figured out how long a tube a toothpaste lasted, I just assumed a month.  Well I was wrong.  :)


13.  Nuance Moisturizing Body Lotion:  I think this is my second bottle that I have gone through.  I really love the rose scent but I don't think it's super moisturizing.  It has rose hip oil, aloe vera and Irish Moss Extract.  It works well but if you have really dry skin, this won't be the best moisturizer for you.  I really like the smell and feel of it and if I can get a good deal on it, I would repurchase.  I do still have $2 off coupons for Nuance but my local CVS' did not seem to carry it a while back, end of last year to be specific.  


14.  Aveeno Hydrosport sunblock lotion SPF 85:  Now let me school you in sunBLOCK and SunSCREEN, in understandable terms of course.  SunSCREEN allows for you to receive color, i.e. a tan, without all the harmful rays.  Sunblock, blocks out all the sun's rays and you should not receive any color.  Well folks, I lathered this sunBLOCK on all my loved ones and myself last weekend and we were all burnt to a crisp.  Not once was this applied, but 3 times, yes, every 2 hours.  I bought it at Big Lots and it has an expiration of 2012/08.  Well it's June, May 26th when we used it, and suffice to say, it either expired early or it was a bad batch.  I will never buy this again or any other SPF lotion that close to an expiration date.  Lesson learned.


15.  Pond's Wet cleansing Towelettes:  Again, nothing compares to my fave Noxema wipes but these work pretty well too.  Nice thickness to the wipe, good wetness.  When I repurchase wipes, it will be the Noxema.  I did spot them at Kmart so I know they still exist!


16.  Willa Naturals Lavender Face Towelettes:  A Birchbox sample.  These 10 wipes went fast.  I liked the small convenient packaging.  Nice scent.  A little dry and didn't seem to take off too much but they felt refreshing nonetheless.  These are way too expensive for me to purchase.  I have no idea how much they cost, but I'm sure they are way more than I am willing to pay!


17.  Karma Anti-Blemish treatment mask:  Beauty Army sample.  I was going to do a separate review on this but it's hard to review something only after using it once.  I did this one night, left it on longer than I was supposed to by 5-10 minutes  My fault.  My pores were noticeably smaller...  But the next day my skin was a bit red and super oily all day long.  The oiliest it has been in a long time.   It was fun putting it on and it felt good.  Very relaxing.  Drank some tea, did my mask...  I would like to try it again though and instead of 25-30 minutes, just stick with the 10-15 per the package directions!  


18.  Aveeno Nourish + Shine Smoothing Shine Creme:  This was a sample attached to a bottle of shampoo that I finally focused enough to finish it.  It has been packed in every travel bag you can imagine.  I finally got around to actually using it.  It smells nice, almost of grapes, kind of fruity, smooths out the hair enough to get a brush though it.  Otherwise unremarkable though, I won't seek this out to repurchase at the moment as I have a ton of other hair creams to get through.


19. & 20.  John Frieda Precision Foam Color Conditioner:  I almost forgot about these until I looked back at the photo.  Seriously, why can't these be bottled up and sold in a full size.  I would totally buy it... all of the time.


So there you have it.  Another 20 bottles and boxes to hit the recycling bin!

Get thee to Big Lots!

I've been in a Big Lots store maybe 5 times in my life.  3 times back in Massachusetts when one first opened up in the old TJ Maxx locale and twice with my husband in upstate New York.  The one in NY was trashed.  I mean super dirty, carts were all banged up and rusted, floor was a mess, stock was just piled up and scattered about.

When we moved to NC, I knew of one down the street and a friend of mine said that it had some good stuff.  Well I was reading on Nouveau Cheap that some readers had spotted Philosophy at their Big Lots.  I figured, no way would Philosophy be in my Big Lots.  Well curiosity literally drove me into the parking lot.

This Big Lots was so clean and neat and organized!  Organic products!  What?  It is a smaller Big Lots but well stocked and I was impressed with the variety that I forgot all about Philosophy.  Until I spotted a small basket on the top shelf.  Filled with Philosophy highlighters, blushes, lip balm, and concealer.  Most had been opened and dipped into but I grabbed the things that I was interested in with their safety seals still intact.

I grabbed from left to right:  Grace Angel Kiss Lipgloss in Pretty Please 01, The Supernatural You Make Me Blush Mineral Blush Duo in Healthy/Happy 03, The Supernatural Lit From Within Healthy Cream Blush in Bare Your Soul 01, Divine Illumination Love at First Light Ageless Skin Illuminator and  Eye Hope Extra Light Concealer 01.

The best part, each item was only $3.  What an amazing deal.  Great company, high quality products, sleek packaging...

Here are some detailed photos.  Warning, there are a lot of them!  Oh and I love the reflection from the window with my Bonsai tree.  So Zen!  One rainy day ago the kids were playing in my light box.  It was destroyed to say the least.  I need to "build" another one.  

The concealer is a bit light for me now that I have my summer "tan."  The above photos are pre-sun.  I suspect I will be getting pretty dark for me this summer as I do spend a lot of time outside.  Don't worry, I wear my 85 spf (I know, I know, nothing over 30 makes a huge difference) but I still got a ton of color this weekend reapplying every 2 hours, for a total of 3 times.  The Southern sun is no joke.

Also I love a good sugar and salt scrub.  The only problem is, they are so flipping expensive!  Even when you make your own.  Believe me, I've tried.  But I picked up this one for $4.

Amazing stuff!  I need to go back and clear the shelf.  I'm not joking.  I hope there is some still left.  It's a huge tub, smells of cranberry and coconut.  It's the perfect salt and oil mix, not too oily that you are slipping in sliding in the shower but just enough that you are not scraping and scratching your skin.  I do not feel the need to moisturize afterwards.  Good stuff!

Then only thing I could have done without as of course the red dye.  The fragrance is very subtle.  And Dead Sea Salts always leave my skin soft and smooth.  There were a few other products by this brand that I am interested in picking up as well.

Were you able to get to your local Big Lots?  No?  Well get there before these beauties are gone!