DIY Natural Coffee Under Eye Cream Recipe for Puffy Eyes

I had recently purchased and tried 100% Pure Cosmetics’ Organic Coffee Bean Eye Cream made with Arabica Coffee Seed Oil and Green Arabica Coffee Seed Oil, and as a result concocted my own coffee bean infused oil for creating my own version of a caffeinated eye cream that would help with those morning dark under eye circles, puffiness and even fine lines.

I strayed from the ingredients in 100% Pure Cosmetics product a bit – and looking back my next batch will definitely have some vitamin E in it – but I was rather pleased with the results of my own recipe which creates a smooth, rich cream that smells like delectable coffee. I also made sure to use natural ingredients known for their anti-inflammatory properties like shea butter, olive oil and lavender & chamomile essential oils, as well as jojoba and rosehip seed oil which have skin rejuvenating properties (with evidence that they reduce fine lines and wrinkles). The end product is smooth and creamy and literally melts right into skin. A little goes a long way.

You can either make this recipe for one large container or pour the cream into smaller sized lip balm pots for gifting and sharing.

Natural Coffee Under Eye Cream Recipe

© Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen

Ingredients:
1/2 oz. coffee infused oil (see below)
.25 oz. jojoba oil
.25 oz. rosehip seed oil
.75 oz. shea butter
.5 oz. cocoa butter
1/2 ml lavender essential oil
1/2 ml chamomile essential oil
5 drops non-GMO vitamin E

To Make Coffee Infused Oil:
Coarsely ground 3 Tablespoons of whole (unflavored) coffee beans in a coffee grinder. Combined the grounds with 4 oz. by weight of olive oil over low heat for about 15 minutes, then strain the oil using either cheesecloth or a coffee filter in a pinch. As I didn’t have cheesecloth handy, I improvised by taping a coffee filter to the top of a cup then poured the coffee and oil into the filter. Once the majority of the oil dripped through I carefully removed the filter and then squeezed the rest of the oil out into the cup.

Instructions:
Using a digital kitchen scale weigh out the shea and cocoa butter into a glass Pyrex measuring cup. Heat in the microwave until melted, then weigh out the coffee infused oil, rosehip seed oil and the jojoba oil and stir into the melted butters.

Next, using a different 3ml Graduated Plastic Transfer Pipettes for each essential oil, measure out and add the chamomile and lavender essential oils and mix into the other ingredients. Finally, add several drops of vitamin E if desired and pour into your container(s) of choice.

This recipe will yield approximately seven 10ml or 1/3 oz. lip balm pots or will fit into a 2 oz. container or jar.

Review: Passion Parties Pomegranate Ginger Romanta Therapy

One of my all time favorite products is the Passion Parties Romanta Therapy Pomegranate Ginger Smoothing Sugar Scrub ... I love this product so much so that I will not use any other sugar scrub ... never, ever!

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago.  I was perusing one of my Facebook networking groups and noticed a friend was looking  to swap her Passion Parties products for one of the products I am a preferred customer for.  I contacted her and we arranged a swap.

Of course as part of the swap, one of the products I chose was the Pomeganate Ginger sugar scrub (can't have enough of these around) as well as a couple other products I hadn't tried:

Pomegranate Ginger Refreshing Bath & Shower Creme

Pomegranate Ginger Liquid Body Silk

Pomegranate Ginger Body Mist

My parcel arrived on  January 22nd ... and I was excited to try both the shower creme and body mist that evening.

Now, let me say I have been a long-time user of the Philosophy 3 in 1 bath, shower and shampoo (although I've never used them as shampoos because I have color treated hair), and they were always my go-to shower gel.  That was, until last night.  

I don't know why I waited so long to try the other Romanta Therapy products from Passion Parties, but I'm definitely glad I did.  The Pomegranate Ginger bath and shower creme literally blows the Philosophy products out of the water!!  The shower creme is so silky and smooth, and a little bit goes a long way.  The lather is plentiful and leaves your skin silky smooth.  Two thumbs up for this one!!

Next up was the liquid body silk ... this amazing lotion goes on smooth and dries to a fine powder over the surface of your skin.  While using this lotion at this time of year might not be ideal, I did give it a try and it does leave the skin feeling soft.  I'm looking forward to trying this lotion on one of our trips to Florida - I hate the sweaty feeling I get under ,y bra from sweating all day in the heat, so hopefully this will help keep both my bras and me dry by applying it under my bust.  Also, I'm thinking with my long hair, it will be good to use on the back of my neck to keep my neck cooler and hopefully dryer in the heat, and will also try it on my feet to help keep them cooler/dryer.  

After both those, I gave myself a quick spritz of the body mist, which is enriched with jojoba, white tea leaf extract and vitamin E.   The Romanta Therapy Body Mists are moisturizing without being oily on the skin or staining to clothes, and I think this is just what my dry winter skin needs to help keep it moisturized, especially after a warm bath/shower!  

My verdict?  The Passion Parties Romanta Therapy products are the perfect addition to any pampering routine.  And best of all, they are paraben free!!!  Check them out by clicking on the picture below!  You'll be glad you did.

Have you used any of the Passion Parties Romanta Therapy products?  Let me know what your favorites are!

I'm Inspired to Declutter

A good friend of mine has recently decided to teach her 5 year old twins the joys of entrepreneurship, and how it can be very rewarding for them to set a goal and reach it.  Every day, they are listing items they no longer need/want on eBay and decided the proceeds from the sale of those items would be put toward a family vacation to Walt Disney World. They are are going through drawers, closets and storage spaces and deciding on what to sell.  Even other family members are getting in on the fun ...

This made me think about the clutter in my own home and how I have drawers and boxes full of "stuff" that I once bought but haven't used or needed in years, so inspired by my friend Candice, I decided to do my own version of the online garage sale and list some items of mine for sale.

In the process of deciding what I wanted to get rid of, I discovered I have way too much "stuff" ... so I am starting with something easy - something I don't use any longer - my nail polish.  There is a reason for this - I love the way my nails look when polished, however, I don't have the patience to sit and do my nails perfectly.  I get frustrated when the paint job on my non-dominant hand looks better than my dominant hand, and hate having to wait for the polish to dry.  I hate that my polish only lasts a day or two, and thus I rarely polish my nails.

Now, I'm not sure what I will do with the money raised from my eBay sales - maybe my hubby and I will take a vacation to somewhere like Punta Cana, or maybe we'll take a Disney cruise.  It will all depend on how much "stuff" I am able to get rid of.

Check out my auctions/sales here - http://www.ebay.com/usr/msbonl

And please, check out Candice's family auctions/sales at http://www.ebay.com/usr/hollywoodchick as well as her 100 days of eBay videos on Hollywood Chick's Youtube channel

TTFN,

Bonny

DIY Homemade Luxurious Sugar Scrub Recipe

FACT: Sugar is not good for your intestines!

FACT: Sugar can be very good for your skin…

Those expensive sugar scrubs you see in department stores and spas… they cost pennies to make! Sugar scrubs are a simple beauty recipe with countless variations, and they can be incredibly moisturizing and exfoliating to the skin.

If you are new to making your own beauty products (or even if you are a veteran natural beauty alchemist) I highly encourage you to try out these sugar scrub recipes.

They can be used on face, body or (especially) feet for silky skin. You can add endless ingredients for your desired outcome, and they take under ten minutes to make.

Convinced yet?

Here’s The Basic Recipe:
~ Use 2 parts sugar (regular white or brown sugar work great) to 1 part oil (almond, olive and coconut are great), add 1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil (or the gel from a few capsules), add other optional ingredients, and mix well.

Sound simple? It is!

Here are a few of my other favorite combinations:

Pumpkin Pie Scrub:
~ 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 tsp vitamin E oil and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spices (or just 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub:
~ 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup almond oil, 1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil and 1 tsp real vanilla extract

Lemon Hand Scrub (for after washing dishes):
~ 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp vitamin E oil, 15-20 drops (or more) of lemon or orange essential oil

Vanilla Lavender Relaxing Facial Scrub:
~ 1 cup fine white sugar, 1/2 cup almond oil, 1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil, 1/2 tsp real vanilla extract and 15 drops lavender essential oil

These last on the counter for up to 2 months (or more) and smell good enough to eat… Actually, they are good enough to eat, but don’t… sugar is bad for your intestines!

Ever made your own sugar scrub or facial products? What is your favorite combination? Let me know below!

DIY Homemade Eye Make-up Remover

We all know how important it is cleanse your face and neck before bedtime. Removing makeup and impurities from our crazy day time routine. One never wants to wake up with raccoon eyes with without a good reason. Right? Which I remember would often happen in my teenage years.

Truthfully, the eye makeup removers available in the stores are packed with nasty chemicals, plus they are not cheap, so I have a great DIY recipe that I’m sharing with you! The best part is that It’s inexpensive, natural and super simple.

DIY Natural Eye Makeup Remover
~ Cotton Pads
~ Organic Coconut Oil
Place a small amount of coconut oil on your finger tips. Gently rub the coconut on your eyes and eyelashes, to take off your mascara and eye shadow. Gently wipe your eyes with a damp cotton pad and finish by cleansing your face with your favourite cleanser.

How much more simple could that be??? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!!!

I hope that you have enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by.  Let me know if  you have any eco-friendly skincare tips to share - I'd love to hear them.

TTFN,

Bonny