DIY Eye Makeup Removal {A Pinterest Project}

Once upon a time, as I was perusing Pinterest, I came across the idea to make my own eye makeup remover.

kristanlynn.com

Someone had found a recipe for eye makeup remover here in blogland and shared it on Pinterest. (My cousin's friend also has a recipe for eye makeup remover. Visit her blog,  A Lighter Journey, for her recipe and many money saving ideas!) What a good idea! I usually avoid washing my face before bedtime because my mascara and eyeliner get smudged all over the place and I find it in my pores the next morning. (gasp! I know. Some people say that a woman ages seven years for every night she doesn't wash her face. I don't believe those people -gasp again! I know. But if it were true, I'd look like I was 100 years old....and I don't think I look like I'm quite that old yet) Nevertheless, no matter how I try to avoid it, I always end up washing my face at night. I get into bed and get all snuggled up and then...dun dun dun...my eyes begin itching. The only way to make the itching go away is to get out of bed (and get cold again) and wash my face.

It hasn't always been this way. I used to purchase Clinique's Take the Day Off Makeup Remover, but have avoided the price of it lately. And so, I've been in the conundrum of black pores vs itchy eyes for quite a stretch. I decided that making my own eye makeup remover would be the solution.

Until I thought of a different problem.

Cotton balls. Those little white balls of fluff shed and the fibers get in my eyes. I don't like using cotton balls. What else should you use with eye makeup remover?

These!

Alli Crafts is a crochet blog with lots of useful free patterns. These are Alli's eye makeup remover pads.  These are my answer to cotton balls. I modified the pattern to reflect my own personal preferences and tastes (I really dislike the look of the double crochet stitch in anything) and made some of my own. I also used Kristin's formula for home made eye makeup remover. And now I can wash my face at night. No itching eyes. No straggly strands of cotton balls stuck in my eyes. No black pores. (and no looking seven years older every morning...if you believe in that sort of thing)
YAY!! I can get in bed, snuggle down in my covers and not have to get out and get cold anymore.....or at least for a few hours until my alarm clock wakes me up.

Here is my own eyemakeup battle remover kit

These little eye makeup remover pads work really well. I find that when they are made out of cotton yarn, they are soft and not at all abrasive to my skin. They also wash well, so my mascara doesn't stain them. I just throw them in my washing mahine with my towels. So far, so good.

I made a bunch of them (more than pictured here) because I....want to do laundry more often.

I also made coordinating washcloths. I think the pattern is really pretty and modern. Pretty, modern, and functional.

So, thank you, fellow Pinner, for putting this miracle answer to my every night problem on Pinterest. I am so glad you did!

Becoming Cheap

Becoming Cheap was an assignment given to me in my Family Financial Management class. The task was to find ways to cut back & save money.
The assignment was challenging and competetive. The person who saved the most money got to skip the final. I did not want to take that final.
The easiest way we've found to meet our needs and be cheap is to purchase some items from the classifieds and Craigslist. Cheap and environmentally friendly. Here are some of the items we saved money on.

Oh - this one isn't on the classifieds! But it is good. Visit to the Student Health Center versus visit to our regular physician. The Student Health Center at UVU only charges $10 per visit. My physician charges $150. I saved $140 by taking advantage of my status as a student and going to the student health center when I had a nasty sinus infection.

Ok, the rest of these are deals I found on the classifieds. Woops. Nope. I lie. Just one more non-classifieds cheapie. Great Clips. I needed a haircut to trim off the dead ends. I've been burned by beauty schools. And recently, my preferred professional salon. I got a coupon delivered to my door for a $5 cut from Great Clips. Not the Ritz of hair care, but it'll do. I saved $30 by going to get my hair cut there.

Ok, here are the items we saved on in buying through the classifeds. For reals.

TI-83 Plus Calculator. My husband and I both have one. They both died. He needed one for school. These babies run $100 retail. We found one for $40. $60 under retail and it had hardly ever been used. Sweet!

Netbook. Yes, I said netbook. Remember, we are being cheap and the awesomeness of the iPad is just not something we are willing to afford right now. But we needed a second computer at home. So we bought an Asus netbook for $150 from someone in Salt Lake. That saved us a few hundred dollars. And it came with a case and wireless mouse. Bonus!

Dining room table. We bought one of these from the classifieds when we got married. But it was tiny. There was hardly enough room on it for two plates. We dished up buffet style at the counter before sitting down to eat our meals. And we only had two chairs. The table was not a recipe for successful entertaining. My parents were coming into town and I wanted to be able to host them properly. I found an awesome table at Target...but it was about $450 for the complete set. Bummer. So I looked in the classifieds and found the exact same table, used, for $60. Score!

Other things we've bought on the cheap include an armoir for the computer I'm composing this post on - $40. The cute little desk that I use for my sewing and supplies - $10.

What ways have you found to be cheap?