In light of my post the other day about my new almost-favorite probably-too-dark-for-me matte lipstick and the fact that autumn tends to bring around more matte or matte-ish lips anyway, I figured this was timely and appropriate. Not that lip care is inappropriate at any time, but YOU KNOW.
As much as pricey lip exfoliants may entice (looking at you, Bite Beauty Whipped Cherry Lip Scrub or Fresh Sugar Lip Polish), they really aren’t worth it unless you’re that hung-up on branding for something that just whisks away dead skin from your lips. Using chemical exfoliants isn’t a good idea for our lips, so these (just like what I’m going to show you in a moment) are sugar-based scrubs. Check out the ingredient list on both – Bite’s is a nice blend of oils…and sugar, and Fresh’s has a bunch of oils as well as some less-familiar chemical components (not to scare you – chemicals are not always bad. Do your research, as always). Why pay $18-23 for something that is basically oil and sugar? I wish I could channel Sam from Batalash Beauty when I say that it is crazy (crasy! By the way, go check out their blog and YouTube channel. They’re hilarious and damn good artists to boot).
You need:
- A container with a lid
- Coconut Oil
- Honey
- Olive Oil or Almond Oil (not pictured because derp)
- White or Brown Sugar
- bonus points if you sub it out for something grainier like Sugar in the Raw
- Vanilla Extract (artificial is OK)
- Mixing utensil
- Optional mixing bowl if you want to make an unreasonably huge batch
Spoon your sugars into your container – I like to do two parts white sugar to one part brown sugar, but 1:1 would be fine, too. Combine them well.
Squeeze in some honey… I started on the conservative side with it because I didn’t want this to wind up too sticky:
Add your olive or almond oil. You can use both if you want, but I just went with one.
Then mix it up…
Add your vanilla extract, mix again.
Add a dollop of coconut oil, ideally solid.
GENTLY combine with the existing mixture, you don’t want to wind up with liquid.
Transfer it to your storage container if you didn’t mix it there, then chill for 15 minutes. Now you can use it, just scoop out a bit and apply to lips, rubbing in circles. The oils will allow to sugar to move with ease and will hydrate your lips. If you want to apply lipstick right away, pat them dry afterwards – oil isn’t the best base for a lipstick, after all.
The beauty of this recipe is that it is so simple and very adaptable. Hate vanilla? You’re crazy, but the good news is that you can sub in any flavoring you please. Dig orange? Go for it. Hell, zest an orange into it. Want cherry without dropping $18 on Bite’s scrub (I mean, that’s a tub of Dipbrow. More than a MAC Lipstick. Come on)? Visit your baking aisle and pick up some cherry flavoring. Very easy. Not a fan of how olive oil makes this taste? Use an oil with a subtler flavor.
Your lip scrub should be stored in the fridge and can be kept for two weeks.
Do you have any neat DIY beauty recipes?