How To Make Eyeliner with Burnt Almonds... Seriously

Unless we're talking about a last minute facial recipe, I don't dabble too much in the world of DIY (Rainbow cakes? No. Fancy table decor? No. Birthday party decorations? Party Source, here I come). That being said, every now and then, a beauty DIY pops up that is just too simple to not try. Example A: making eyeliner with burnt almonds.

Inspired by a brief mention of almond eyeliner on Into The Gloss, I went out in search of easy almond-eyeliner-making instructions, which I finally found on Bella Sugar. For this DIY, you only need four things: one almond (unflavored only... save the cocoa roast for eating), a metal spoon, a lighter and tweezers. Besides the Greek yogurt mask, DIYs don't get much simpler than this.

Step 1: After gathering your supplies, pick up your almond with your tweezers and while holding it over your spoon, light it on fire.

On today's installment of stupid things to do around your computer...

Step 2: Let the almond burn for a little while until one side is completely black. Then, set it on the spoon to cool.

Step 3: After your burnt almond has had the chance to cool off, take an eyeliner brush (or a Q-Tip) and moisten it slightly with water. Then, rub it all over the blackened part of the almond.

Step 4: Finally, apply the the color you picked up on your brush as you would a normal eyeliner.

A little heavy-handed on the lower lash line, but I think it looks good.

And voila! You've just DIYed your own almond eyeliner. Now, if you're ever stuck on a desert island in dire need of eyeliner, and they have almonds, you're in luck!

Don't Get Mad, Get... A Better Hand Cream!

Many great things are starting to happen around this time of year.  Starbucks is bringing out the Christmas cups, they're finally starting to play Christmas music on the radio again, and (drumroll!) holiday cosmetic collections are being introduced!  I have my heart set on Laura Mercier's Colour-to-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips in Warm Neutrals.  However, with all of these good things happening, there has got to be a downside, right? Right.  And that downside is dry, wintery hands.  I have found two Burt's Bees products that have really been helping me a lot with this as of late.  Neither product is really Holy Grail in my opinion, but they are both doing a decent job at making sure my hands don't look I've been playing with chalk.  

Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme...where do I start?  Well, I love anything that smells like almonds so that was my main reason for buying this.  It is very rich and moisturizing.  I actually love it when I have ten minutes to sit around and let it soak in, but that's just not realistic.  It's so thick and errs on the side of greasy.  I can't carry it around in my purse and apply it whenever I want because everything I touch ends up with little grease smudges all over it.  That's just gross in my opinion.  As for the Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, I'm in love with it.  No, I do not think it has reached Holy Grail status simply because this is the first cuticle cream I've used on a regular basis.  I bite my nails, especially when I'm stressed, so they always look a little bit rough. I keep this cream on my nightstand and apply it around my nails before bed.  With consistent application (once or twice a day) my cuticles and nail bed look visibly healthier within a week.  I've found that when it comes to dry skin during the winter the best thing you can do is keep some lotion handy (no pun intended) and apply it as often as possible.  Now go get yourself a White Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks and get on with that Christmas shopping!