DIY Glowy Makeup Setting Spray

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Setting sprays have become extremely popular over the last few years. Beauty Bloggers across the internet and YouTube Beauty Vloggers have identified these sprays as essential to creating the perfect makeup look. There are so many sprays on the market promising to do everything from prep and prime the face for makeup to set and perfect a completed makeup look, control oil, provide just the right amount of luminosity and ensure your makeup lasts 12+ hours without fading, caking or creasing.

Those are some big promises! And for the record, no single makeup product can do all that. That being said, a good setting spray can do some great things in terms of finishing your makeup look and providing some nice benefits to your skin, depending on the ingredients included in your spray of choice.

You have be careful because there are a lot of setting sprays that have high alcohol contents (e.g., the very popular L’Oréal Infallible Pro-Spray and Set is extremely high in alcohol and fragrance so it’s basically like spraying hairspray on your face!). The alcohol in some (thankfully not all) of these sprays can not only dry out your face but has been shown to cause death to skin cells in a dose-dependent rate (read more about alcohol types used in skin care and the latest research here). In layman’s terms that means the more you use those sprays, the more you could be killing your skin cells (source). Scary stuff!

The best alcohol-free setting sprays tend to have a few common ingredients (generally a base of water, glycerin, some sort of slip-agent and a few antioxidants thrown in), but they can also be fairly expensive. MAC’s Prep and Prime Fix+ (AKA Fix+) is one of the most enduringly-popular setting sprays with some of the most vocal YouTube devotees (including my favorite YouTube beauty blogger Tati Westbrook AKA . Cost = $23 for 3.4 fluid oz. MAC’s website doesn’t provide the full product ingredient list but states Fix+ is “infused with a blend of green tea, chamomile and cucumber.” According to the Paula’s Choice / Beautypedia Fix+ review here, this spray is composed primarily of water, glycerin, butylene glycol (slip enhancer), along with some chamomile, cucumber and green tea extracts as well as some Vitamin E, panthenol and caffeine thrown in for good measure. But the key ingredients in terms of makeup setting, eliminating a powdery look and helping several layers meld together into a seamless finished look are actually the water and glycerin. The glycerin is especially important for imparting that lovely glow and helps the other ingredients in the spray blend together well so I encourage you not to skip it. Vegans take note – vegetable glycerin available from Amazon, Vitacost, or other Internet sites.

Consider the antioxidants in this spray as an added bonus, not your primary source. You’ll still want to use your regular serum and moisturizers. But this recipe includes some great antioxidants! Green tea is well-established as a potent anti-oxidant and skin soother. Chamomile is a great ingredient to include in your setting spray because it also provides antioxidant and skin-soothing even benefits (source) and some research has shown it may be helpful in fading sun spots (source, and the marks left behind from acne scarring (source).
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A Few Notes about Storage: Many of those un-pronounceable (not sure that’s a word) ingredients you see so often in cosmetics are actually preservatives which extend the shelf life of the product, since companies have no idea how long they’ll sit on the shelf before purchase and/or how long it will take you to consume the contents. This spray has no preservatives or funky chemicals. For that reason, once you get the full recipe mixed up, you may consider pouring half into a smaller spray/storage bottle and stashing it in your refrigerator until ready to use.
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Since I’m all about reduce and reuse, if I make this spray during the summer (when I’m likely to store it in the refrigerator full-time), I usually pour the full recipe into this dark-colored bottle which previously held One ‘n Only brand Argan Oil Treatment, which I’ve carefully washes a couple of times with hot soapy water. Then I just keep in the fridge so it’s nice a cool when I use it!
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Otherwise, I pour half into this 2 oz. bottle which previously held E.L.F. Cosmetic’s Mist and Set which excludes glycerin but includes several great skin-beneficial ingredients and antioxidants including forms of Vitamins C, E and A and some Green Tea. The dark bottles protects the fragile antioxidants in this recipe. If you don’t have any suitably-sized dark bottles available for reuse, keep in mind that Walmart and other discount retailers sell spray bottles for reasonable prices in various sizes and colors.
Ingredients:
• 1 pouch each green tea + chamomile tea brewed with 1/2 cup (or 4 oz.) total distilled or filtered water
• 1 Tbsp. glycerin
• 2 Tbsp. rose water
• 1 Evening Primrose Oil gel-tab (optional, oily skin types may skip this as it adds additional oil)

Hardware:
• Measuring Spoon
• Clean 6-8 oz. spray bottle (preferably one made of opaque or dark-colored material to preserve antioxidant ingredients)
• Sewing needle (optional)
• Funnel (optional)

Instructions:
1. Brew chamomile and green tea in 1/2 cup filtered or distilled water if possible. Allow tea to steep at least 5 minutes. For best results, allow tea to steep covered overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Pour cooled tea into a clean 6-8 oz. spray bottle (I find using a small funnel help prevent making a mess or wasting half the tea when pouring). Then add 2 Tbsp. rose water and glycerin.
3. Finally (if desired), using a clean sharp sewing needle very carefully puncture evening primrose gel-tab and squeeze contents into spray or storage bottle. Then tightly secure lid onto the bottle and gently shake bottle before using or pouring into desired storage bottles.

Wisdom for the Day:
“In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His face was like the sun when it shines in all its brightness.” ~Revelation 1:16 (God’s Word Translation)
Read more here.

If you’re interested in discovering an easy and delicious recipe combining the health-benefits of green tea and the proven anti-aging benefits of collagen proteins, check out this link from Daily Beauty Wisdom: The Amazing Anti-Aging Power of Collagen Part 2 – Beautifying Beverage Recipes

$1 Makeup Brush Cleaning Tool – Available at Walmart

Can a $1.25 Tool Clean My Messy Makeup Brushes?

Can a $1.25 Tool Clean My Messy Makeup Brushes? Yes!!!

I’ve tried to be honest about the fact that I’m not a makeup artist/expert. I’m a makeup fan/lover (there’s a big difference). My skill level may best be described as amateur, but I’m getting better, primarily because I’ve gradually acquired some nice makeup brushes. Quality makeup brushes are an investment. You really only need 5-10 high quality makeup brushes to take your makeup application technique to the next level.

Of course, you’ll need to properly care for those brushes in order to ensure they last a long time and give you the most bang for your beauty buck. And that means regularly cleaning them. That’s the step that tends to trip up busy moms (like me). We all know cleaning our brushes is important. Dirty brushes = patchy uneven colors; poor distribution of creams and liquids; breeding grounds for acne-causing bacteria; etc.

In recent years, an entire industry has grown around makeup brushes and cleaning led by innovators like the Chapman Sisters of Real Techniques fame along with Rea Ann Silva and the others at beautyblender®. So many companies today now offer cleaning supplies including brush cleaning solutions, wipes, mitts and even electronic brush cleaners like these (for a whopping $120+)!

Don’t worry. You don’t have to spend that much to quickly and effectively clean your brushes. One of my favorite YouTube Beauty vloggers – Emily Noel – raved about these silicone brush-cleaning eggs mitts she discovered at an “everything for $1” subscription shopping website in this video:

Emily is so adorable and enthusiastic. She almost always convinces me, but I’m trying to avoid signing up with any additional shopping sites. Too tempting. Still, those brush cleaners intrigued me, especially at just $1 + $3.95 shipping (roughly $3/each). So when I spotted these Lil’ Scrubbies facial brushes at Wal-Mart priced at just $2.43 (plus tax) for two, I grabbed them immediately hoping they’d work as well as Emily’s egg mitts. I tested my Scrubbies-as-makeup-brush-cleaners theory, and they worked great!
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To be clear, the Lil’ Scrubbies are designed to be used as facial exfoliators. But (as I’ve written before) I don’t need that because I’m really satisfied with my Foreo LUNA sonic cleanser. Both my Foreo LUNA and the Lil’ Scrubbies are made of quality silicone and have very similar scrubbing surfaces. So if you don’t currently have a daily facial cleansing tool you love, these little guys can meet that need as well (although Lil’ Scrubbies obviously will not provide the oscillating sonic technology of the Foreo LUNA).

Left: Foreo LUNA (Sensitive/Normal Skins) Right: Lil Scrubbies Silicone Facial Scrub Brush

Left: Foreo LUNA (Sensitive/Normal Skins)
Right: Lil Scrubbies Silicone Facial Scrub Brush

Lil’ Scrubbies’ have 2 different surface textures – tiny bristles and little round nubs which allow you to quickly clean different-sized and shaped brushes. The small nobs are especially effective at cleaning the sides of tapered brushes. The Scrubbies are made of a single piece of silicone with a suction cup feature built into the back. This suction cup piece makes it easier to securely hold the wet soapy Scrubbie securely between two fingers of your non-dominant hand while you scrub the brush with your dominant hand.
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You’re also able to keep the Scrubbie and the brush secure while cleaning and also have your thumb free in case you need to apply more pressure to spread out the tip of the brush to get it thoroughly clean (as Emily describes around 6:00 in the video).
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I found them exceptionally easy to use and effective in cleaning all types of brushes – from large fluffy powder brushes to flat-topped kabuki brushes to tapered shadow brushes and lash combs. Lil’ Scrubbies cleaned my brushes gently without ripping out the bristles or breaking the hairs. All this for a price of $1.215 each!
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Lil’ Scrubbies themselves are easy to clean with warm water and (if necessary a gentle soap). Then simply store on your mirror using the suction cup feature until ready for next use.

Clean Brushes All in a Row and Ready to Be Hung up to Dry

Clean Brushes All in a Row and Ready to Be Hung up to Dry

One last thing, toward the end of the video Emily talks about the brush drying “Sunflower tree” she uses for drying her brushes. Those trees retail for around $40 plus tax and shipping. Learn more here. But I use this recipe book rack I had sitting around (unused and in the way) in our kitchen. It works perfectly to hold for most (not all) of my brushes as they dry. It keeps them off the bathroom counter and holds them at a slightly downward angle, preventing water from collecting in the metal barrel of the brushes (which can damage the brushes and shorten their lifespans).

Multi-Tasking - A Repurposed Recipe Rack Holds Clean Makeup Brushes

Multi-Tasking – A Repurposed Recipe Rack Holds Clean Makeup Brushes

Wisdom for the Day:
Purify me from sin with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ~Psalm 51:7 (God’s Word Translation)
Read more here.

Hi I'm Karen.

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