DIY: Revived Lip Balm

Lip Balm. Revived. 

I had bought this Wild Argan Lip Balm from The Body Shop hoping that it would help soothe my wind burn. 

It did not end well: the result was even tragic. 

My lips chapped and became very dry and flaky. 

I cannot resist not removing the skin and there I was with a bloody upper lip, literally. 

I had been using the moisturizing balm from them and it was great so I think this Wild Argan thing is not really meant for me. 

Since I had decluttered my makeup bag/box, I don't want to have this almost full balm away. 

Thanks to Pinterest I found a way to at least "revive" it. 

I emptied it out in a glass jar, added a table spoon of petroleum jelly in cocoa, a few drops of olive oil and a generous amount of almond oil. 

I chopped off a bit of my fave pink lipstick to add a little tint. 

I placed the jar in a shallow pan with boiling water to melt and mix everything up.

Just after five minutes of stirring, everything have melted. 

Then, I had placed it back on the original tiny tin container and put it in the fridge to harden up for approximately 15 minutes. 

Tada! 

I have my lip balm once again. 

Surprisingly, it is now working well with my lips, so goodbye, wind burn! 

Make Up and Beauty Capsule

Maybe you have come across my post on Project 333 - a way on decluttering your closet and your life. 

While looking out for some cool new pins on Pinterest, I bumped into this pin on a Makeup Capsule. 

Yes, I am also guilty of having a lot of lipsticks, palettes, etc. - mostly drugstore make up though, but I have a lot. 

Sometimes, I have the urge to buy a lot of body butter, nail polish, a lot of lippies in different shades which had only expired and are barely used. 

Talk about a waste of money! 

A big sigh. 

Nonetheless, I am ready to move on. 

I had given away my barely used make up to my friends when I had gotten home a few months back; thrown all the expired ones and maintain only the basic ones that I think I really need. 

I have started off The Minimalism Game  with the Project 333, mainly with my closet (I don't have a Carry Bradshaw closet or that of Rebecca Bloomwood, but mine is almost bursting), and will move to the other parts of the house and my life soon, little by little, so I don't get overwhelmed. 

Parting with stuffs that you got attached to is hard at first: tossing out your worn out jeans or the bag that you really liked before, or the make up that you got during the yearend sale, and the list goes on. 

But believe me, it's going to be worth it, I believe so. 

After a few hours of sorting everything out, these are the only ones I had kept: 

- Garnier Facial Scrub 

- Olay Moisturizer - I've been using it for years 

- Clinique Mask - I am using it at least once a week 

- Garnier Micellar Water - a cleanser and makeup remover in one 

- Facial Cleanser 

- The Balm Voyage Palette - I loooveeee this palette. You can rock different looks with only this palette. 

- 3 Lippies: Pink Dior Lipstick, Happy Skin Shut Up and Kiss Me, Loreal Lipstick in Toasted Brown 

- The Body Shop Shea Butter Lipbalm 

- Loreal Eyeliner 

- Loreal Eyebrow Pencil 

- Loreal Powder Foundation 

- Loreal True Match Foundation 

- Maybelline BB Cream 

- Guerlain Blush On and Highlighter 

- Maybelline Mascara 

- a set of Royal Langnickel Make Up Brush 

- 2 Bottles of Lotion (I cannot live without this)

- a jar of Cocoa Vaseline Petroleum Jelly 

- Bench Body Spray and Colonges (am not really a big fan of perfumes)

That's basically it and am hoping that I can still reduce and not add more on this list. 

Am also thinking of using DIY products pretty soon. 

Wish me luck! 

One of the Biggest Beauty Secret: H2O

Did you know that water is one of the best kept beauty secrets?

Drinking a good amount of water (at least 6 or 8 glasses per day) helps to keep the skin and hair nourished aside from the other health benefits.

Have you noticed your glow if you are hydrated?

I am not surprised when I had learned about Micellar Water.

It was from Instagram when I had first seen the one from Garnier.

I’ve been wanting to give it a try since I had finished off my makeup remover and my toner.

I got mine from Carrefour and I can say that it is nice though – without the strong scent and does the same task as that of a makeup remover.

A friend had also posted the mist from Evian. This one’s from Watsons in the Philippines and is very refreshing.

After cleansing my face, I just spray it on and let it air dry.

I’ve been using it for almost 2 weeks and my skin is supple and does not seem dry especially the area near my nose.  

Surprisingly, the basic and most abundant element can also keep us pretty too.

Happy Skin: Shut Up and Kiss Me Scene Stealer

Before my vacation to the Philippines, I have listed down the items that I want to buy from there.

A lippie from Happy Skin is on top of my list.

I got it at around Php 600 and is worth it. 

It says that “This lippie offers a three-fold “lip service”: a trendy matte texture, the pigment of a lipstick and the hydration of a balm” and so far it is living up to its promise.

I’ve tried a lot of matte lippies and most of them are so disappointing and I had ended up with very dry, chapped lips.

Being based in the Middle East, hydration is a must! Else, imagine cracked lips and wind burn all the time.

My verdict on this lippie: will be a mainstay in my makeup bag!

Hmmm, am already thinking of the next shade to buy.

NYX Pore Minimizer

It was just last week when my two-week vacation in the Philippines ended.

I had gone off to SM Megamall for a quick lunch/catch up with my good old friends and off course, I did not pass the chance to drop by NYX’s boutique.

Then I was in makeup heaven! 

Compared to the ones that we have here in Doha, the shops there are way jam-packed with stocks and I don’t know which one to try out first.

Since I was converting to Philippine Peso, I find them pricey (hehehe) so I just got what I really needed.

I was supposed to get the CC creams but the shades are way too light for me so I giddily went out of the shop with this Pore Refiner.

It says that it can be used as a base, on top of make up or on it's own. 

It really does help. My pores are visible on the nose and some under the eyes and it appeared smoothen out.

Too bad this one’s always out of stock here so I have to use it wisely.

Have you tried any product as such?

The Balm Voyage Palette

The Balm Voyage

Hubby gave this one as a “forced gift” and I’ve been using this palette for quite some time now.

I do love the shades plus it also has a cheat sheet on different looks that you can try on.

The lip and cheek creams’ shades are also fab!

Fab Shades

Cheat Sheet

Surprisingly, it stays up for a long time too.

Saying that I adore it is an understatement.

Maybe it's Maybelline...

I am a big fan of BB Creams. I've tried some brands - Garnier and Ponds - both of which I love and adore. 
They give you that flawless finish without looking overly made up. 
These Dream Fresh BB from Maybelline will also be a regular in my beauty kit. 
It is not oily and surprisingly it stays up. 
The liquid concealer I got from them is indeed great and am using it as a base for my eyeshadow. 
Am hoping to try more products from Maybelline as it seems to be a match with my skin type. 

Purplish and Blue!

These beauties are from City Lifestyle at Centerpoint. 
I am loving the purple mascara - the color is also just right for day wear. 
Nyx's Smokey Fume Palette is also a good find. 
You can create fab day and night look with these. 
I scored some Royal and Langnickel brushes too - will post a review after weeks of using them, but so far, am loving them too! 
Have you visited them so far?