09 March 2012

DIY Custom Lipstick-Guest Blogger Alanna!


Hi, y’all! I’m Alanna from Charlie + Lu (say the + as “and”). I’m super excited to be posting for Janel while she and Adam are settling in with Amelia! This is actually my first guest post ever; Charlie + Lu will be a year old in May but I’m still finding my voice and my niche as a blogger. Come over, say hi, and be a part of my blogging journey!


I’ve been unemployed/under-employed for a little over 10 months. Not going to put a Pollyanna varnish on this time… it’s been painful and hard. But there have also been so many blessings and joys. Even joys which I would not have found another way! I have definitely learned many – and difficult – lessons in gratitude and happiness in spite of lack and abundance. I’ve found it a fun challenge to keep my style and life fresh and interesting without spending much money.

I’ve never been much of a lipstick girl – gloss is my fav! – but lately I’ve been wanting to experiment with a brighter, red lip like I see on a lot of ladies. Problem was, I only had these two shades of lipstick:


The one on the left is fine… and I liked it several years ago. Now it feels too old for me, and it’s definitely dated (yeah, sorry about the bad pic – the lighting in my roomie’s condo is awful and I forgot to take a pic when I moved outside). The one on the right, well, it doesn’t look bad in pictures but let me tell you it’s a different story in person. It’s not a flattering color for me, and it is glaringly bright (it’s Wet’n’Wild after all). Perhaps it would be a great lip color for someone else, but I feel like a strumpet when I wear it (isn’t strumpet a fun word?). Hence the dorky face.

Recently I’ve been combining the two on my lips and it happens to be the perfect shade. I had a light-bulb moment the other day: why not just mix the two and be done with it? So here you go… my adventures in custom lipstick creation!


1.     Find a clean little container. Mine was holding beads until I commandeered it for its new purpose.

2.     Slice (probably not with one of your roomie’s good knives… oops) enough of your first lipstick to fill about half the container. This is assuming your custom color is half-half. If you’re experimenting you may just need to play around some to find the perfect color before you mix it all!

3.     Now here I’m going to recommend something different! I put the lipstick in the container at this point but I’m going to suggest you wait and just mix it on a [clean, slick] countertop. It wasn’t bad, but I think it would be easier to get smooth with more room to squish and smoosh.


4.     Repeat with the other lipstick. Now you’ve got a bi-colored mess!

5.     Using a q-tip (I pulled most of the cotton off) mix up your new color. Hint: I ended up using the knife to smooth out the chunks.

6.     Smooth the new lipcolor into your container and – voilà! – you’re all set!


So much better, no (it’s okay if you can’t tell, trust me , it’s better)? I hope you enjoyed this little DIY (it’s so easy I almost feel guilty calling it a DIY) and perhaps I’ve inspired you to mix things up without spending a dime. Frugality can be fun!

Janel, I’m praying that your new little family is bonding and settling in peacefully. I know there’s just an explosion of love in your home. I’m so happy and privileged to be able to help out during this special time!

xoxo,

Alanna


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3 comments:

  1. YAY!!! Great job, I'll have to try this! I have a lot of regrettable lipsticks.

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  2. Hang in there! I was unemployed for nearly two years. It is tough and scary but at the same time it taught me how to stretch a dollar and the enjoyment to be had in "making do". I wish you the best of luck!

    Cool DIY too! :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for commenting!! xo