Sugar Creek Candle Company

*I received this item free for reviewing purposes. All opinions are 100% my own*

There is something so soothing and pampering about a really nice candle. I love to have one burning on my desk when I'm writing my blog posts, or when I'm taking a pampering spa bath. They just elevate everything, and depending on the scent can make you feel different things. Now I'm way to cheap to pay for Bath and Body Works candles (seriously, why are they so expensive?!?), so I'm always on the lookout for awesome candles that won't break the bank and I think I've found my new favorite ones. Sugar Creek Candle Company is an online based candle shop available through Amazon that offers 100% soy candles in a variety of scents. They were kind enough to send me a 12 oz candle to review on my blog.

I received the scent "Love Spell", which smells like candy and I LOVE it! I really like the sweeter scents or citrus based scents, so this was right up my alley. The candle boast a 75 hour burn time, which is pretty impressive for a 12 oz size. I prefer soy candle like this because they burn clean and there's no soot to clean off the jar. The art on the label is really cute too and feels perfect for Valentine's Day.

The candle itself is a lilac purple shade, which looks really pretty in the glass jar. The jar comes with a lid and is a really nice size so I'll probably save it and use it for something.

There was a small crack in the top of my wax but I really couldn't care less. It still burned just fine which is all I cared about. The wick caught fire easily and so far I haven't had a problem with it. It was melting really evenly till one night when the temperature dropped below freezing, then the side I had by the window didn't melt as quickly as the other sides. But that's a cold spot issue and not an issue with the candle.

I'm really happy with this candle, and for $16.99 with free Prime shipping this will probably become my new go to candle company. They have a ton of different scents available and did a really great job packing it for transport. I'm giving them two thumbs up for sure.

Peppermint Salt Foot Scrub

Winter here in the Pacific Northwest means low temps, lots of rain, and very little snow at my elevation. It rained so hard over the weekend the island in my pond was completely underwater. Then two days later it was below freezing temps. All with no snow. This constant back and worth between freezing and not freezing does horrible things to my skin, parts of me look like a 600 year old mummy. I went to paint my toenails the other day and realized my poor feet have been neglected quite a bit when I put my nightly lotion one. To fix this mummy feet problem that I'm sure some of you are suffering from I've got a foot scrub for you that you probably already have the ingredients for in your kitchen already.

To do this tutorial you will need:

• 1/4 of a cup of kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of table salt
• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• 1/3 of a cup of oil, I used olive oil but you can use whatever you want
• 1 tablespoon Argan oil (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint oil
• A jar with a lid, measuring cup and spoon, and a fork to mix with

First, pour 1/4 cup of kosher salt into your chosen jar. I like using these wide mouth glass jars because they clean easy and don't absorb smells like plastic does.

Now add the tablespoon of regular salt. This adds another layer to the exfoliating effect of the scrub. You have the course kosher salt scrubbing away the bulk of the dry skin while the finer table salt buffs away whatever is left over.

Finally add in two tablespoons of baking soda. This is both to help with the exfoliating and to act as a deodorizer for your feet. Mix everything up with the fork.

Now add your 1/3 of a cup of oil, giving everything a good mix. I used olive oil since I buy it by the gallon at Costco but you can use whatever kind of oil you prefer so long as it is a liquid.

This step is optional, but I added a tablespoon of Argan oil to increase the moisturizing effect of the scrub. I've been using the oil on my hands and hair and loving that so I thought I'd spread the love a bit. Give it a good mix again.

And lastly, add about 1/2 a teaspoon of peppermint oil to the scrub. This will not only give it a pleasant scent but will give a cooling/tingling effect to the scrub, helping your tired and aching feet. Give everything a mix, then seal the jar up until you are ready to use it.

Tutorial Tuesday: Peppermint Body Scrub

Sometimes I pick things for Tutorial Tuesday because I think they are neat and I want to share them and sometimes I pick things because I needed to make some anyways and it's a little "two birds, one stone". Today's Tutorial Tuesday is a little bit of both. I wanted something Christmas-ish AND winter has hit in full force where I live so my skin is gross and dry. A peppermint sugar scrub fit perfectly, and it's super easy to do for those who are looking for a last minute gift.

To do this tutorial you will need:

• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• Oil of some sort. I used Olive Oil because that's what I had on hand but an almond oil would be great for this instead.
• Peppermint essential oil. I'm using one by Pure Body Naturals (I did receive this bottle for free for testing and reviewing purposes, full disclosure and all.)
• Bowl and spoon for mixing
• Container to store finished product in. I'm using a handy dandy mason jar as always.

First, measure out your half cup of sugar into the bowl. Check it for any clumps, mine always seems to have a clump or two, part of living in the Pacific Northwest I guess.

Decide how wet you want your scrub. I personally like a drier scrub so I drizzled my oil in until I reached my desired level, maybe 1/4 of a cup total. For a wet scrub you can use a half cup of your oil instead. Mix them up so the oil is evenly distributed.

Now add 15 drops of peppermint essential oil. I chose peppermint for two reasons, one is candy canes are an iconic part of Christmas and the second reason is peppermint is really good for nausea. The holiday season can be VERY stressful and I always get a raging case of what I call "stress belly", so sniffing peppermint or drinking peppermint tea always makes me feel better. So there's some therapeutic aspects to this scrub as well.

Mix everything up and place in your container of choice and you are completely done! If you are giving it as a gift you could buy some red soap dye and do half red and half white them pipe it into your jar so it looked striped like a candy cane. But since this is for personal use I'm not bothering to make it look fancy.

Weekend Tips and Tricks

The weekend before Thanksgiving, is anybody else panicking a bit? I'm doing all my test runs this weekend so hopefully turkey day will go smoothly, or as smoothly as a big family holiday can go. Here are some tips and tricks to help your beauty routine run as smooth as you want your gravy to be.

Tip #1: Want curly hair but really don't have the time to sit there and use a curling iron? Take a page from the 1940's and do it the night before. Cut thin stripes out of an old t-shirt and use them to wrap chunks of your hair up like you would with rollers. Tie the two ends of the strip together do you have a little bundle of hair, then do that for the rest of your head. Go to sleep and you will wake up with some great, no heat curls with no real work in the morning. Do this on slightly damp hair for even better curls.

Tip #2: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! The cold winter air is sucking all the moisture from your skin, so make sure in addition to using lotion every day you are drinking plenty of water. It will not only keep you feeling great but will help you look your best. Dehydrated skin will be saggy and dried out and just won't have that youthful glow we all want. So drink up!

Tip #3: Extend the life of your manicure by painting the actual tip and part of the underside with your clear top coat. This seals down the edge of the polish and makes it a bit harder to chip off. While you won't be chip free for a whole week, it can give you an extra day of nice looking nails.

Tip #4: That aloe gel you bought over the summer for that nasty burn can continue to help you during the winter months. Apply it to wind chafed cheeks after that all day snow boarding adventure. Unsharp razor leave you with some nasty razor burn? Aloe that baby up! New face mask leave you with raw, red, and angry skin? A little aloe gel with help soothe and replenish your poor skin.

October 2014 Empties

These post have oddly enough become one of my favorites to do. I love looking back at what I've used up and seeing my empties bag fill up makes me feel super proud. Is that weird? I feel like its weird. Any ways, last month I set a goal of finishing at least 20 items and I hit it! I actually had 29 empties for the month of October, so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Since I had so many items I'll try to keep it quick.

Wow, that is an impressive pile, right? I'll divide this post up by foilies, hair, skin, and makeup to make things easier and quicker. If you want more details than what I give let me know down in the comments.

DHC Velvet Skin Primer x4: Not Purchasing I got about 3 uses out of each pack so 12 uses total and it just make me love it. And for the price I need to love it.

EVE LOM Cleanser: Not Purchasing According to Vogue this is the world's best cleaner and all I can say is what the hell is Vogue smoking. This stuff REEKED and took like 10 minutes to use. Sure, it got my face clean, but so does the non-stinky cleaner I already own that takes me a minute to use. I do like the muslin cloth that came with it so I'll be using that as my shower face scrubbing cloth till it gets gross. Did I mention this stuff smelled awful? Because it did.

Curel and Jergins Lotions: Not Purchasing Some lotion samples I wanted to use up, didn't wow me enough to actually buy.

Garnier Cleansing Oil: Not Purchasing I actually requested this sample because I was looking for a cheaper dupe of the DHC Cleansing Oil, which is amazing. This stuff sucked. Left makeup on my face, doesn't emulsify at all, and left my face feeling oily. I got about 3 uses out of the packet so I tested it out pretty well.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil: Purchasing Eventually This stuff is amazing, as I've mentioned before. I have one more foil pack and a travel sized bottle left so when those are done I'll actually buy a full sized bottle of this expensive but totally worth it cleansing oil.

Alba Botanica Acne Gel: Undecided I haven't decided it I liked it enough to actually buy one. Didn't like the other things in this line and I *think* it only comes as a set at the store I got the sample from.

Briogeo Hair Mask: Not Purchasing I got this is my last Ipsy bag and while it did make my hair soft it smelled super bad. Which meant my hair smelt super bad for the day every time I used it. Gross

Marc Anthony Sea Salt Spray: Purchase Eventually I already have an second bottle of this, this bottle is the one that got damaged in an exploding Ipsy bag. I really liked it, smelled great, and was cheap.

Feria Hair Dye and ect: Undecided I'll write more about this later probably. Like the color but I think it's fading faster than it should.

OGX Moroccan Deep Conditioner: Purchase I actually have one more tub left but I love this stuff as I've mentioned and buy several whenever it's on sale at Ulta, which seems to be every few months.

Marakesh Split Endz Mendz: Not Repurchasing Another Ipsy bag item, worked ok but made my hair smell like moldy earth. Not exaggerating at all.

Klorane Dry Shampoo: Not Repurchasing I was going to do a full post on this but long story short works really well but is SUUUUPER expensive, $20 for a regular can. And I go through a can every other month, so that would add up fast. I'll stick with my $6 Psssst! Dry shampoo.

Kirkland Facial Wipes: Purchasing I've talked about these often enough you know I like them, but I'm finally down to my last pack so I need to actually buy more. Wish they would go on sale for even better savings.

ULTA Heart Throb Body Was: ???? So I *think* this was a seasonal Valentines Day scent and isn't usually available. I got it on clearance for under a buck and actually really loved the scent. If it ever comes back I'll buy more, but it may never come back. Curse you seasonal items!

Whish Saving Cream: Not Purchasing A Birchbox item, I liked it enough to use it but not enough to spend $20 on a full sized tube. The scent was weird too.

Cotton Swabs: Purchasing I buy a pack every other month from the dollar store.

Save Tan Lotion: Not Repurchasing I'm not even going to tell you how old this was. Don't even ask. So embarrassing, but I go through lotion really slowly I noticed. This was actually bought in Hawaii to help my severely burned Husband, this stuff is like an IV for the skin. So even if I wanted more I doubt I could get more.

Up&Up Face Toner: Not Repurchasing I was actually going to buy more of this until I made my own toner and decided I liked that better. But if you are looking for this one I recommend it. It is a dupe for the Proactiv+ toner for a fraction of the price.

Mary Kay Foundation: Not Repurchasing I have a friend who sells Mary Kay so every once in a while I buy stuff from her. This foundation matched my skin tone perfectly when I bought it, but it's old enough the color is getting orangish and it smells off so I'm chucking it. Though in retrospect it is pretty old. Like older than my son...by a lot. Kind of grossed out I was still using it. These aren't bad foundations, but they are on the more expensive side and can only be purchased from a rep which can be a pain if you don't know someone who sells it.

Dr Jart+ BB Cream: Not Purchasing Another Birchbox item, this is apparently a really popular brand and this specific BB cream is really popular, but it just didn't do it for me. Color and texture were great, wasn't heavy at all. It just felt greasy on my face, like it never really dried. And it had to be applied with either a stippling brush and then buffed in or applied with my fingers for a smooth finish, which meant it took a while to do. I'm a brush fan, keeps things cleaner too.

Makeup Forever Mascara: Not Repurchasing This was part of my free birthday gift from Sephora and is apparently a nice brand but I'm not seeing it. The mascara was pretty standard, though the brush was gigantic! Just not m cup of tea.

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara: Purchasing Ok, I know I typically don't buy expensive things that won't last for a while, but this mascara is AMAZING! I got this tube in an Ipsy bag and I fell it love after the first time I used it. Not the most waterproof out there, but it make my lashed look long, thick, and as black as can be. I'll treat myself to a full sized tube if I can make it through the holidays without murdering anyone any trouble.

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner: Not Repurchasing Another Ipsy item, just wasn't worth the $20 price tag. Is it better than most pencil liners? Yes. But for $20 I expect a heck of a lot more. Like not having to sharpen it every friggin time I used it. I seriously hate sharpening my eyeliners, I prefer liquid, cream, or those mechanical pencil ones. Sharpening just takes to long and I always end up breaking the tip off.

That's it for my empties, I think I did really well. For November I'm predicting a lower number, maybe around ten if I'm lucky. I've got some makeup almost finished so fingers crossed that they are in next month's post. If you keep track of your empties, how did you do?

Tutorial Tuesday: Nail Vacation

One of the perks of being a beauty blogger is that I get to do really creative designs on my nails each week. The downside is that I'm putting on then stripping off nail polish on a weekly basis. That puts quite a strain on my nails, and sometimes they need a vacation (and some stunt nails). This week I'm going to show you how to give your nails some TLC.

Your supplies are going to be things you should already own if you do your nails on a regular basis. You need nail polish remover, nail clippers, a cuticle stick, a file, a buffer, some oil for your cuticles, and some good hand cream. Now I'm using a file with a smaller grit side as my buffer because mine has apparently disappeared. If I had to guess I'd say it's in the same place as my missing comb, thank you small child (my son is 3 and sometimes "helps" me put things away).

First you want to remove your nail polish. I like a gentle formula that is also antibacterial, but you can use whatever style you prefer. I recommend soaking a cotton swab or ball and letting it sit on your nail for a bit (especially if you are wearing glitter polish) to soften the polish up, you'll have to do less scrubbing which is better for your nails in the long run.

Now take stock of your nails. Mine are awful right now. They are stained from certain colors, a bit cracked, and there are some ridges forming as well. Because of this I'll be giving them the full treatment and I'll be continuing some of the steps everyday for the next week to help them heal and get back to where I want them to be.

Grab your clippers and give your nails a trim if they need it and cut off any hang nails you see. I trimmed mine down quite a bit due to some split ends and some staining on the ends of two of them. I went back after I took this picture and trimmed them some more so they are very short right now.

Now you are going to file the ends of them to get rid of any unevenness and rough edges. Make sure you only file in one direction, never back and forth. This can actually make the nails weaker and more prone to breakage. A gently curving edge is less likely to break than a flat edge or the pointy nails that have been popular lately, so keep that in mind as you shape them.

If you want you can soak your hands in a bowl of warm water for a bit before this step, but I skipped it. You want to push back (GENTLY!) your cuticles with either a cuticle stick or an orange stick. Just be careful not to tear your cuticles or skin open, an infection under your nail bed is painful and takes a very long time to heal so be extra careful. Don't let the nail technician at a salon tell you its fine when they make you bleed while doing your nails. That is never OK and can lead to some nasty health issues.

Next comes the buffing. If you have a buffing block, use the finest grit you have if you just need to buff them. If you have some ridges like I did you can go a little coarser to help buff them out. I used the finer side of my file and went in gentle circles till I had smoothed them out to my liking. Buffing will help to stimulate blood circulation to your nails, promoting healthy nail growth. I will do this step again in about 4 days.

As you can tell, I gave them a pretty thorough buffing and filing. I wanted them to be pretty smooth and to get rid of the cracked areas.

Now you want to apply some sort of cuticle oil to your nails. I'm using the Caudalie sample that came in my September Birchbox, I've been really happy with it as a cuticle oil so far, but you can use any sort of cuticle oil here.

You want to massage the oil into your cuticles and also your nails depending on the oil you use. The Caudalie has stuff in it that will benefit my nails so I made sure to rub it into my nails as well. I will be doing this step everyday for the next week.

And lastly you will apply a really good hand cream or lotion to your whole hands. I'm currently using the original Nivea Creme, which I like for my hands. It's nice and thick and seems to be doing a great job moisturizing them, I'll do this step everyday forever, I can be pretty rough on my hands so I'm trying to take better care of them. Give your nails (and hands) some TLC and you might be surprised at how nice they look even without polish.

Weekend Tips and Tricks

We had a really horrible week here, sorry if I've been delayed in getting back to you or if the last few posts have been pretty short. After this week I will be doing some massive TLC and self care for sure. Today's Tips and Tricks will be my guide to getting back together after an emotionally or physically tough week.

Step 1: Get some sleep. There is no mask, serum, or special cream that will do as much for your skin and how you feel as getting enough sleep. Even a half an hour long power nap can make a huge difference.

Step 2: Take a shower. Use that fancy body wash you love, that really good hair mask, and a good exfoliate to scrub away that dull skin.

Step 3: Use that luxe body butter you've been saving, think of today as an at home spa day so use the good stuff.

Step 4: Pick a mask depending on your skin needs. Freeman's makes a ton of really great masks for like $4 each, and you can find them at just about any place that carries body stuff. I like the charcoal black sugar scrub one since my skin gets oily and broken out when I get stressed.

Step 5: Make yourself a cup of tea, get your comfy jammies on, and curl up with a good book or movie and just relax for an hour or two, you've earned it.

Tutorial Tuesday: Pre-Shave Leg Scrub

Another Tuesday mean another do it yourself project. This week I'm going to show you my secret to setting the smoothest shave ever, my pre-shave scrub. There are lots of variations of this floating around Pinterest, this just happens to be my particular ratio of items.

To make this you'll need:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup olive oil. I use olive oil because it's cheap since I'll be using so much oil, but you can use whatever oil you want
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice. I just get the kind you buy in the giant bottle, otherwise I'd be squeezing lemons all day just to make one batch of this.
• A bowl and fork to mix it, measuring cups, and a container with a lid to store it in.

First measure out your two cups of sugar, then place it in the mixing bowl.

Now add your cup of oil and mix, making you you get the oil evenly distributed throughout the sugar.

Watch out for secret pockets of sugar, you don't want a big glob come shower time.

Now add your 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. This acts as a bit of a preservative and to help your skin when you use the finished product. 

Mix everything together and voila! All done.

Now this is a much more liquid scrub that I've shown you before, and I'll explain why. You are doing to use this to scrub off the dead skin and what not from whatever area you are going to be shaving (not suitable for pubic hair. Sugar is bad down below, instant yeast infection if you're not careful). Once you rinse off the scrubby part you've be left with oiled skin, helping you razor to glide smoothly across your skin and giving you an extra close shave. The razor will strip off the excess oil, leaving just the right amount for your skin to absorb. This can make your razor gunky so make sure to rise frequently with hot water to keep it clean.

Post Holiday Self Care

Did everybody survive the Easter weekend? I know I barely did, and I'm betting most people are in the same boat. Holidays can be rough, especially for people who may not have the best relationship with their family or loved ones. Now that the holidays are over for a bit, let's focus on some self care to help you feel and look good again. These are things I like to do to destress and relax after a chaotic and family filled weekend.

Never underestimate the healing powers of a hot bath. Throw in some bath salts and maybe some bath oils to really take it up a notch then climb in and relax. Let the hot water soothe any sore muscles and let the steam open up all of your pores. If you have a facial mask you like, now is a great time to use it. I also like to make myself a big mug of tea (chamomile or the Celestial brand Sleepy Time Vanilla are my two favorites for relaxing), but just a glass of cool water next to the tub can help you feel pampered. Put some mint leaves or sliced cucumbers into the water for that extra spa feeling.

Once out of the tub, slather on some nice lotion to make the most out of the moisture your skin absorbed. Rinse off the mask and follow up with whatever facial products you would like. I use a soothing eye gel to help depuff my eyes and reduce the dark circles I know I will have. Try and drink a full 8 oz of cool water once you get out of the bath as well. Now go put on your favorite relaxing around the house clothes and take some time to do what you want to do. Holidays are always about pleasing others, so having some you time to balance that out is crucial. Decompressing is important, so don't skip this step unless you absolutely have to. And lastly, go get a decent night's sleep, you've earned it.