Mysteries of Mint and a couple fun finds

 

Mint. A wonderful herb that can be used internally and externally to flavor, heal, and soothe. All mint has menthol, making it great for the digestive system. It relaxes the stomach and assists with gas. It can also help keep your system clean by getting rid of bad bacteria. Externally mint can be applied as a cream or oil and is great as a cooling agent. It helps soothe aches and pains and can be used in aromatherapy. 

Mint is a great herb, but not for everything. One way mint should not be used is on the lips. I know, there are many lip moisturizes and lip balms that contain mint, avoid them. Mint can dry out the skin, especially sensitive skin. Our lips are more sensitive than other parts of our body, often cracked, dry, or damaged. Mint, since it contains menthol, can dry out and irritate your lips. It may feel soothing to apply a mint lip balm to your lips at first, but it will cause irritation and dryness over time.

I live in high desert and keeping my lips moisturized can be a chore; there are some great products out there to help lips, just read the ingredients and make sure mint/menthol are not in them.

In addition to my mint awareness post, I wanted to share my finds while I was out and about this weekend. 

First, I found some fantastic new heals, on clearance! 

Via Spiga leather heels

I found a pair of leather heels in my size for less than 25% of their original cost. Why so cheap? Because they were considered last season in an uncommon size. I don't keep up with fashion seasons, I just wear what I like, and I like the way these heels look. I didn't even know they were leather when I bought them. It is difficult finding shoes in my size, because I wear a size 11 or 12. I know, huge, but I am also almost six feet tall and I have some long toes. Usually I have to find shoes online, so imagine my excitement with these!

Second, I stumbled upon a vibrant purple mascara.

 London Butter Wink Colour Mascara in Indigo Punk

I had a 20% off coupon for Ulta that was about to expire, so I decided to use it on a product that I have never tried before. While lurking around the store I noticed a colorful London Butter display and decided to check it out, this gorgeous mascara caught my eye. I dyed my hair purple last month and I thought that it might be neat to have my lashes and brows match. I haven't tried this mascara out properly yet, but I did try it at Ulta. When I tried it at Ulta I was not wearing any previous mascara and no makeup of any kind. It went on fairly well, you could definitely see the color after the first coat and even better after two coats. I talked with an associate and she recommended putting on your normal black mascara and applying the colored mascara over the top. I have not tried this yet but I plan on doing it soon and will let you know!

Until we meet again.. Razzle Me, Dazzle Me

~Stevi

Big Goals and Beauty Boxes

It has been a long time since my last blog post and I am sorry for it. A lot has happened in the last few months, many changes and many realizations. I want to share these with all of you.

Recently, my partner and I have been able to get our troubles in order and relax because of it. It feels good, I feel refreshed and inspired. I don't want to talk about my woes because I left them behind, no need to give them credit here. What I choose to share are my goals.

I have a variety of goals that I am determined to accomplish, the first of which involves this blog. I plan to make at least one blog post a week. I want to share the things I love, learn, and discover.

I have discovered a lot this month.

I discovered beauty boxes, forgotten herbal facts, and hidden treasures. I intend on discovering new music, beautiful quotes, fantastic teas, new photography ideas, and anything else my mind and heart can conjure. I want to share it all. I am passionate about the arts and music; I am an aspiring photographer and graphic artist, as such I want to share my art and talk about my dreams and inspirations.

Above is an early birthday gift I received from my boyfriend. Yes it is real. I love butterflies (Even though this is called a sunset moth, a day flying moth) I see it as a butterfly. Butterflies are symbols of change, transformation, and beauty. They are special to me in very personal ways, I can never get enough of them.

Now, speaking of beauty...

Have you heard of Beauty bags/Boxes? I discovered them yesterday. My boyfriend told me about something called a loot crate (lootcrate.com) which is a box of geeky/nerdy treats that you subscribe to monthly and every month a box of geeky goodies gets shipped to you, a mystery until you open your box. I LOVE SURPRISES. As interested as I was in a loot crate, I must admit that the goodies in former boxes werent ones I would often use. So, I ordered for my boyfriend because because, well, he is a nerd. Now I wanted my own version of a loot chest, and I love makeup. After requesting help from my friend Google, I found two well used sites that send out monthly beauty samples.

The first site is Ipsy. You can subscribe to Ipsy and for 10 dollars a month (with free shipping) they send you samples (and full sizes) of beauty products from a number of different brand names. I signed up, no hesitation. If you are interested here is my link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/6m4e. Ipsy has an awesome reward system, if you use my link I get points and with those I can get extra goodies in my Ipsy bag each month!

The second site is Birchbox, which is very similar to Ipsy. Birchbox also sends beauty samples each month, is costs 10 dollars and has free shipping. I also signed up with Birchbox. They also have a similar reward system, and here is my link: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/kwh7l.

I invite you all to check these sites out if you are interested in beauty surprises like me. I am not affiliated with either site, I just want to share my excitement with what I consider fun finds. There are plenty of youtube vlogs with many women sharing their beauty bags/boxes. They come with some great stuff!

I have been really into etsy the last few months as well, I am waiting for a couple of treats to come in the mail, when they arrive I will share them along with some beautiful art that I found.

Razzle me, Dazzle me

~Stevi