Day 92- cover acne scars with makeup

I have some acne scars.  It seems that no matter what I do they always show through my makeup.  I have tried everything I can think of doing.

I saw a pin about how to apply makeup to cover acne scars.

Steps from the pin:

1.Face Wash: Before applying any makeup product to your face, wash your face with lukewarm water or acne face wash and dry it by gently patting with a soft towel. Don’t rub or swipe your face skin as it may irritate acne.

2.Anti-shine: If your face or some parts of it (such as near the nose) get oily, apply anti shine product on it. Anti-shine products prevent your skin from getting oily.

 3.Primer: Apply makeup primer to smooth the fine lines. Even though makeup primers are not very often included in a woman’s makeup routine, they can be extremely useful for those having acne or scars. A makeup primer fills the skin and makes it smooth preparing for actual makeup. For instance, sometimes foundation may make your acne even more visible if applied on uneven skin, thus if you use a primer, foundation is likely to be smoother. Primers also help your makeup last longer, as they usually contain waxes, polymers and silicone.

 4.Foundation: Next apply foundation matching your skin color. You can use your fingers or a stippling brush to apply the foundation. However, make sure to apply the foundation patting and not wiping or rubbing your skin. If your acne is really too much, you can use a lighter tone of foundation for the first layer and then apply another layer with a slightly darker tone of foundation.

 5.Concealer: After fully applying foundation, apply concealer again by patting and blending it in with fingers or a warm brush. Tip: Green tone of concealer hides the redness of acne, however yellow is also just fine. If you are using a green tone, apply the concealer before applying foundation.

 6.Face Powder: The next step is applying face powder. For best results work with two types of powders: light and setting. First apply the light tone with the help of a 134 powder brush going in triangles. Blend it in well. Then apply the setting powder (preferably oil-free).

 7.Fix Plus Spray: Grab a fix plus spray, hold it at about 14 inches far from your face, close your eyes and spray at your face.

 8.Face Blush: You can apply face blush if you like to finish up your makeup.

I tried these steps this morning.  What happened?  There was no difference.  In fact, I think that my scars were more noticeable.  By the end of the day, it looked like I wasn’t even wearing any makeup.  This did not work at all.

Does anybody know any good tips for covering acne scars.

Day 91- get rid of blackheads

I have been noticing a lot of blackheads on my nose all of the sudden. It’s probably because I am sick and have been wiping my nose a lot.  My nose is also very red right now. 

Anyways, I hate blackheads.  I absolutely hate them.  My fair skin draws attention to how dark the blackheads are. 

I saw a pin that suggestions a way to get rid of them.

Take gel facial wash and mix with a tbsp of baking soda and a tbsp of salt. Apply to damp skin with cotton pad; leave for 5 mins.

I did just that.  It helped.  Are they completely gone?  No, but some are.

 I have this bad one right at the point of my nose that seemed to get angry from this treatment.  It’s not going anywhere.  I am have to get a pore strip to get that sucker out of my pore.

Day 90- Simple bun

I needed a new hair style to wear.  A ponytail was getting too old and too casual.  So, I hopped on Pinterest and found a simple hairdo that seemed easy enough.  It turned out fine, but it wasn’t as good as the original pin.  It was still wearable and only took a minute.

Mine was kind of lopsided.

Day 89- Workout Motivation

I have been sick with a sinus infection for the last couple of days.  The last thing I want to do is workout.  I just want to sleep, but I know that if I don’t keep up with my workouts I won’t continue them when I get better. I was on Pinterest and a couple of workout motivational pins popped up.  I thought I would share them.

Day 88- Carpet stain remover

It’s no secret that I believe that baking soda and vinegar canclean anything.  I use them all the timethough it never ceases to amaze me at what the two of them together cando. 

I had a large mud stain on my carpet.  It’s been there for a while despite tryingnumerous times to clean it up.  When I sawthis pin, I knew I had to put it to the test.

Magical Carpet Cleaner Directions:

1. Scrape up the liquid (My stain was dry, so I skipped thisstep).

2. Sprinkle baking soda on stain to let absorb for 10minutes and then vacuum.

3. Mix one tablespoon clear dishwashing liquid and onetablespoon white vinegar with two cups of warm water.

4. Using a white cloth, sponge the stain with thedetergent/vinegar solution and blot until all the liquid is absorbed.

5. Sponge off with cold water and blot dry.

For added stain fighting, I didn’t vacuum up the baking sodaduring step 2.  I like to see the fizzleof vinegar and baking soda.  It makesthings seem cleaner.

The stain disappeared very quickly.  I am extremely pleased.  I can’t believe it worked as well as itdid.  I have a stain on my carpet fromwhen I dropped my mascara brush that is calling my name.

The top of the carpet has been cleaned, but I didn't clean the bottom part yet.  See the gross, mud spots?  It was much worse.  Now, I have to finish cleaning the bottom of the carpet in the picture.

Day 87- 40 Ways to Tie a Scarf

I wear a lot of scarves. I do.  I don't know why.  I just do.  Anyways, I am always looking for different ways to tie scarves.  I saw this pin and had to post it. 

I will definitely be using it.  I love new ways to tie scarves.

Day 86- Garlic and Sinus Infection

I have a terrible sinus infection.  I can't breathe.  I can't sleep.  All I do is drink water and hope for the best.  I hate being sick.  It's the worst.

I try so hard to fight the sinus infection myself without the help of antibiotics.  Sometimes, I have to break down and go to the doctor, but not until I try everything I can.

I found this pin about garlic helping clear up sinus infections.  It says to eat garlic or take a supplement.

I broke out the garlic and started putting it on everything I ate.  It's only been a couple of hours, but I do feel slightly better. The only downside is that I smell like garlic.  I hate that, but if garlic really gets rid of sinus infections, I can deal with that.

Day 85- dry shampoo

Today, I was at work when I saw my hair.  It looked oily even though I had just washed it a few hours earlier.  I think it was the humidity.  My face felt oily all day, too.

 There was nothing I could do, so I hopped on Pinterest and found a pin about using dry shampoo for oily hair.  It worked like a charm.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
4 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol

 Mix together, pour into a spray bottle and give it a shake!

 Now, spray anywhere on your head or hair that needs to be degreased.

I was lucky enough to have cornstarch (thank goodness I use it as loose powder makeup) and rubbing alcohol on hand.  It’s weird that I did, but true.

I mixed it up and rubbed some into my roots.  As soon as the water dried, the oil was gone.  My hair looked normal again.  This works!  I’m so glad I didn’t have to walk around all day with oily looking hair.

Day 84- Relieve Caffeine Headaches

It’s no secret that I drink way too much coffee.  It’s become my source of energy.  I know it’s not good to drink so much coffee.  It just can’t be. 

When I don’t drink coffee, I get bad caffeine withdraw headaches which makes my need for coffee so much worse.  I saw a pin on Pinterest about how to get rid of caffeine headaches. 

I have not had any coffee today and it is thanks to these tips.  I have been eating peppermints whenever I feel a headache coming on.

Here are the tips from the pin:

Peppermint: peppermint has been used for centuries to treat everything from digestive issues to headaches. You can dab a little peppermint on your head to help ease a headache, or even drink peppermint tea (it's non-caffeinated, and it will help you hydrate--water is also good for headaches).

Aromatherapy: ginger, lavender, or eucalyptus oils have all been shown to help beat a headache into submission.

Sleep: it's kind of a non-option for busy days that won't let you stop everything and nap, but it's possible to simply sleep through the pain (caffeine headaches eventually go away on their own--usually after about 48 hours). If sleep's totally out of the question, a short rest in dark room with soft music could help.

Give yourself "the pinch": With your thumb and forefinger of one hand, squeeze the area on your palm halfway between your thumb and forefinger of your other hand. Massage gently.

I think it is interesting.  Whenever I don’t have coffee, I crave peppermint.  Of course, I crave a peppermint latte, but it’s still peppermint all the same.  I also get super sleepy without coffee, but that’s to be expected. 

Day 83- Button Initial

I had no idea what to get my friend for her birthday, so I decided to make her something from trusty, ol’ Pinterest. She was redoing her room, so I wanted to make her something cheap and simple that she can use to decorate.  I decided to make her a picture frame with her first initial made out of buttons. 

Don’t tell her, but I had everything on hand except I needed to buy more buttons.  Her birthday present cost me $1.97. shhh!

I took a piece of fabric and cut it to the size of the picture frame.  Then, I pulled it taunt over the back of the frame.  Then, I hot glued the buttons in the shape of the ‘T’ while burning the crap out of my fingers from the glue seeping through the holes of the buttons. I put the frame over the letter after I was finished.

Tada!  It was so simple and cheap.  Also, it turned out a lot cuter than I thought it would.  My friend now has it hanging in her room.  It looks good if I do say so myself.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it.  Maybe I will next time I see her.

from the pin

Day 82- shiny stainless steel sink

I saw this pin about making your stainless steel sink shine.  The picture looks pretty promising.  The sink is nice and shiny, so I decided to give it a try with my dull stainless steel sink.

Let me tell you that my sink is just as dull as when I started.  It may be a little cleaner, but it is not near as shiny as the picture from the pin.

To create your mixture, add a fourth of a cup of vinegar to a half cup of baking soda.  I used a little bit less.  I didn’t need that much to clean my sink.

The pin say to add 10 drops of lime oil.  I didn’t have any, so I substituted baby oil.  It’s just supposed to give it a shine.

Mix everything up so you have a nice thick paste and spread it around your sink.

Scrub your sink and rinse with warm water.

This was disappointing.  I wonder if there is a way to make a dull sink shiny again.

Day81 weird braid

I saw a pin about how to do a braid. It looked so cool that I was certain I couldn't do it.

All you do is make a normal braid. Then, you hold the middle strand tight and pull the side strands up.

It was simple. Mine didn't turn out as good as the original, but they never are. Anyways, I think it looks pretty cool.

Day 80- coffee addict

Over the last week or so, I realized that I can’t go a day without coffee.  It’s a sickness.  I’m addicted to caffeine. 

If I don’t have it, I get a headache that can only be tamed by a latte.  I also get super crabby and lay in bed all day.  I don’t have the energy to do anything without coffee. 

This pin shows how I feel.  I am definitely a brewking.  If I stop drinking coffee, I'll die.  It's not good.
I'm sure that in a week or two I will be posting tips on how to break a caffeine addiction.  There has to be a pin about that, right?

Day 79- 54 uses for binder clips

I have about ten million binder clips. I don’t know where they come from, but I have an ungodly amount of them.  The only thing I have more of is paper clips.

I was pretty psyched about this pin because it could finally put my binder clips to good use.  It has 54 uses for binder clips.

My favs:

I think the razor safety cover is one of the cleverest things ever.

Two different smartphone docks

Cell phone car mount

Day 78-Toilet Paper Roll Wrapping

I saw these and decided to give them a try.  They looked super easy to make and are a cute way to wrap small presents. 

I grabbed a toilet paper roll and smashed it down like they showed. 

Then, I tried to pull the edges in.  Well, it didn’t work because my toilet paper roll began to unravel as I bend it.

It didn’t work.  Maybe if I bought more expensive toilet paper, the cardboard wouldn’t be so cheap. 

I’m sad this didn’t work out.  Maybe it’s just me.

Day 77- Trimming Bangs

Ok, so I have a confession.  I cut my own hair.  I have long hair, so it’s not too difficult and my natural waves in my hair cover up any mistakes I may make. 

I have long bangs that I can still pull back in a ponytail.  I saw this pin about how to cut bangs.  It is similar to how I normal cut them, but I decided to give it a try.

With the first cut, it was perfect.  I didn’t have to clean any edges up.  It was short and simple.

This pin is a must for those whose bangs need a quick trim. 

All you have to do is twist dry, brushed bangs and cut to a desired length. Simple as that.

Day 76- the perfect eyebrows

I need to do my eyebrows.  I am so terrible at waxing them that I usually put it off until they are over grown.

I never know where my arch should be.  I saw this pin and it really helped me shape my eyebrows. 

They look so much better.  I will definitely use this from now on.  I printed it out and put it in my makeup bag.

Day 75- paper roses

I have a surplus of newspaper.  There is always so much of it.  Even though I recycle it, I still feel bad that it’s there.  Out of sheer boredom and excess newspaper, I decided to make paper roses from Pinterest. 

Now, in the pin, they use paper from a book.  I’m not going to ruin a book.

All I did was draw a spiral shape on the paper can cut it out.

Starting in the middle of the spiral, I wrapped the paper in a circle. 

It was super easy.  It only took me one try to get it right. 

Now, I only have to figure out what use paper roses have. 

Day 74- blueberry muffins

I tried this blueberry muffin recipe and it rocked.  Check it out.

Note: The original pin includes a crumble topping, but I was too lazy to make it.  I also used frozen blueberries that were thawed. 

Ingredients: (Makes about 9-11 muffins)

•1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
 •1/2 tsp salt
 •3/4 cup white sugar
 •2 tsp baking powder
 •1/3 cup canola oil
 •1/3 cup whole milk
 •1 whole egg, room temperature, beaten
 •1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry

Begin by heating the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, oil, and baking powder.  To a small bowl, add the milk and beaten egg and mix that together.  Add this to the flour mixture, and begin mixing with a wooden spoon until all lumps are out. Next, add in the blueberries, and gently fold into the mixture, being careful not to bust any of them open.

Take this mixture, and begin filling the muffin liners. You will want to fill them almost to the top but not all of the way as they will rise up a bit.

Place these in the oven for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven to let cool a bit.

Day 73-Patty Cake Girl

So I know that I usually try something from Pinterest.  However, today I found the funniest picture Ihave ever seen.  It made me laugh so hard.

 

I want everyone to see it. 

The best part is that the girl looks just like my sister did when she was that age. 

Day 72- Hardboiling an egg

Today I had a craving for a hardboiled egg.  My only problem was that I cannot cook hardboiled eggs.  I just can’t do it.  They always turn out half-cooked, super hard, or explode out of the shell.  So, I decided to go to Pinterest and this is what I found.

Directions from the pin:

1) Start off with placing your eggs in a pot in a single layer and covering them with cold water about an inch above the eggs.

2) Turn the heat up to medium high and once water starts to bubble add some salt to the pot.

3) Bring water to a rolling boil. If your heat is too high, you will get some violent boiling and end up with egg casualties like this.

4) Once water comes to a rolling boil, place the lid on and turn off the heat.                                                                  

5) Let eggs sit for 12-13 minutes making sure to not open the lid or all of the heat will escape. Make sure not to start your timer until right when you turn off the heat.

6) When the time is up remove eggs from pot and rinse in cold water or place in an ice bath to stop the eggs from continuing to cook.

7) Spin the egg really hard on a flat surface. If the egg is hard boiled it will spin standing up like this one below and if it's not hard boiled it will spin horizontally.

I did all of these steps.  I even spun my egg to see if it would spin standing up and it did.  I was pretty excited that I had cooked the perfect hardboiled egg until I cracked it open.

White egg oozed out of the hole in the shell.  I wish I would have taken a picture, but I was so mad that I threw it in the trash immediately.  Plus, it was oozing all over me.  Ugh. I will never learn how to hardboil an egg.

Day 71- cooking spray and nail polish

So a couple of weeks ago, I tried to dry my nail polish quickly by putting my hand in ice water.  Needless to say that didn’t work very well.  I saw a pin about using cooking spray to protect wet nails and make them smudge-proof.  I found my can of Pam and got to work. 

First, I painted my nails.  Then, I sprayed them with Pam.

Here’s what I discovered:

Spray the cooking spray over the sink. It makes a mess.

The nails are still wet under the layer of cooking spray.  Don’t try to test their smudge-proof-ness too much.  They are just protected from being smudged if that makes sense. 

Your hand is covered in cooking oil.  Even though your nails are smudge-proof, you still can’t touch anything because your hand is covered in oil.  If you wipe the oil off, you removed the oil and most of your nail polish.  Try me.

Day 70- Drinking more Water

My new exercise program recommends drinking a gallon of water a day.  I know that there is no way I could do that even though I should.  My job does not allow me to go to the bathroom whenever I want.  It’s just one of the benefits of being a substitute teacher.  I know that drinking a gallon of water is going to make me pee a lot.

So, I was looking around for a different system to motivate me to drink water- a lot less water than a gallon, but more than I do now.  I saw a pin on Pinterest about marking bottles of water with a time that you have to drink it by.  I like this idea.  It keeps me drinking water throughout the day.

I did change the times a little bit.  It fits into my schedule better.  I like that this I easy to modify to fit into anyone’s schedule.

I’m going to be so well hydrated.

Day 69-Earwig Trap

At my house, we have a problem with earwigs.  I hate them.  They are awful.  We spray bug spray, but it doesn’t seem to work on earwigs. 

I found a pin about trapping earwigs.  You scatter traps around your yard.  I have also heard that you can do this in your house, so I gave that a try.  I put a trap right next to the front door where we always find earwigs.

To make a trap you need a low-sided can.  I used a tuna fish can.  Put ½ inch of oil in the bottom.  I used vegetable oil with a bite of fish oil from the tuna can.

It is supposed to attack and drown the earwigs. 

Let me tell you, it did not catch one earwig.  I put it in a place where I see and kill at least three earwigs a day.  I know that it was in a great spot to catch them, but it did not work.

What does work to get rid of earwigs?

Day 68-Fixing a smelly drain

So, the water in my house has smelled gross for like two weeks now.  It’s not just my house; it’s all the water in my entire area.  It’s disgusting.  Even when the water is turned off, the drain smells worse than ever. 

I wish there was a pin about how to get your water company to stop making the water smell gross, but I couldn’t find one.  If there is one out there, let me know. 

Instead, I found a pin that gave a bunch of different ways to make your drain smell better.  I figured that was better than doing nothing. 

I decided to try out putting a cup of baking soda in my drain and let it sit overnight.  Here’s the thing: putting a cup of baking soda into a drain sounds easy, but it’s messy.  I had baking soda everywhere.  The powder doesn’t go down easily. 

I ran water for a second to move some of it down there.  I’m sure I didn’t mess it up too much by doing that. 

Anyways, I let it sit overnight and ran some water in the morning.  My drain smelled surprisingly better.  It was not completely odorless, but then again the water I rinsed it out with smelled.

I would definitely try this.  I wonder if the other tips work as well.  I may have to try them, too.

Day 67- being cat hair free

I have two cats.  They are great except for their hair.  I wear a lot of black and I hate having cat hair on me.  Plus, I’m allergic to pet dander anyways.   Needless to say, I use a lot of those sticky lint rollers.

I saw this pin and I was like “WHAT! Is that for real?” 

Let me tell you that it is for real.

You put on a damp rubber dishwashing glove and run your hand over hair-covered upholstery or clothes.  The hair will cling to the glove, not the material. Rinse off the glove in the sink (with the drain catcher in place, of course).

Tada!  No more cat hair.

This is amazing.  I love when I find pins that make life so much better.

Day 66- Having a shower that's always clean

I have tried to use vinegar and dish soap to clean my bathtub for a while now.  It has been working great.  My tub has never been cleaner.  I love it.

I saw a pin that had the recipe for vinegar and dish soap, which was nothing new to me.  I already posted about that. 

But, this pin suggested filling a wand with the solution and keeping it in your shower. After every shower, use the wand to wipe the shower down.  Then, your shower is always clean. It blew my mind.  It’s such an amazing idea. 

Day 65- getting rid of clutter

Lately, I have been feeling a little bit of a packrat.  I want to get rid of my clutter.  I saw a pin with decluttering tips.  I did a little bit today and have already gotten rid of a garbage bag full of crap. 

They have 5 steps to getting rid of clutter.

1.       Get organized

Most of the stuff I cleared out was papers, so I either recycled or kept it. 

2.       Create some time

It only took me a half hour to get rid of so much.  I can do a half hour a day.

3.       Concentrate on one area

I concentrated on the mess of papers under my nightstand.  It was a small area, but full of crap. 

4.       Stay motivated

They say that clearing the clutter will “boost your mood.”  I did not feel my mood boost.  Maybe I cleaned wrong. 

5.       Stay in control

I just need to remember to put things away after I’m done with them.  That would eliminate a massive pile from forming in my room.

I have so much left to clean. I don’t think that I can keep this up, but I will probably declutter a few minutes for the next couple of days before I give up and let the clutter get bad again.  It’s a vicious cycle.   

Day 64- Coconut oil as an antibiotic substitute

I have been fighting a nasty skin infection for months now.  Gross, but true.  I have been on several different kinds of antibiotics, but none of them have helped.  Apparently, I’m allergic to the best antibiotic for skin infections, so I am SOL. 

I saw a pin that talked about the benefits of coconut oil.  I love coconut oil, so I was excited to read that coconut oil can be good for antibiotic-resistant germs. 

So, I decided to put it on my skin infection.  I have been doing it for a week and my skin looks so much better. 

I can’t believe it.  It doesn’t hurt anymore.  The redness has lessened.  My sores are going away. 

One week of using coconut oil has done more than seven rounds of antibiotics have done.  I’m so impressed.  In a week or two, my skin infection should be almost completely cleared up. 

Seriously, coconut oil works.  I love it.

Day 63- growing lettuce

I was so excited when I saw the pin about growing lettuce from the bottom of a head of lettuce.  I cut mine off and stuck it in a cup of water just like the pin said.  It slowly started to sprout new leaves.

I went to by a pot and soil since it is getting cold outside.  I planted it and it continued to grow.  I was so excited because I would never have to buy lettuce again.  Or so I thought. 

When the leaves were about two inches long, it suddenly started to shrivel up.  Nothing I did helped it.  I watered more.  I watered less. I used compost.  I did everything I could think of, but nothing mattered. 

It completely shriveled up and decomposed.  It’s now part of the dirt in the flower pot.  There isn’t even anything left to take a picture of.  It’s just dirt now.

I had such high hopes for this pin.  I was going to grow my own food and save money.  My dreams of being a farmer have ended.  I will just have to go to the grocery store to by vegetables just like everybody else. 

Day 62- new workout plan

I found this workout plan on Pinterest.  I have tried workouts that I found on Pinterest before, but they never seem to work as well as they say they will.  Or, I'll get bored and forget about it.  This time, I hope that I can do it for more than a week or two.

Anyways, this is what I have decided to change my work out plan to. I’m going to try it for a while and maybe tweak a few things to make it work for me.

 I’m pretty excited about it.  Plus, she included print outs to keep track of progress during the workouts.

 I’m starting this today, so wish me luck!