I like posting non-bookish stuff a lot, as you well know, and I thought it’d be fun to post some DIY beauty/crafty/other assorted things that I like to do. Sometimes, such as with something beauty related, there might be a wait time so I read while I’m waiting. Sometimes I might listen to an audiobook while I do a craft or something like that. Sometimes there is no wait time but I’m going to post it anyways. haha. So, it will be multitasking for me and multitasking for YOU — you’ll get a book recommendation and a little something else right in one post.
So here we go…
I’m a DIY face/hair recipe collector. I am always trying new ones. Sometimes you just need a little pick-me-up during the middle of the week but don’t want to make a huge mess or do one with a TON of ingredients and steps — I leave those ones for the weekend. This one I did tonight was perfect for what I needed.
My face has been super irritated lately so I wanted to find a mask that would calm my face down so maybe it would STOP acting like I’m 16 again. I had seen this Honey, Cinnamon & Nutmeg all over Pinterest and decided to try it because it looked super simple and I had all the ingredients on hand.
*NOTE: I am no esthetican or beauty guru by any means. I just find lots of DIY mask recipes, learn about the ingredients & their benefits and then try them. *
The ingredients:
– 2 tablespoons of honey: Honey has a whole lot of good benefits for your skin. This was the post that helped me learn about honey.
– 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
My read: Stella Bain by Anita Shreve — check it out if you like historical fiction!
After the 30 minutes, rinse off your face with warm water. I put moisturizer on after just to lock in the moisture. I had a decent amount leftover so I don’t know if it just makes too much or if I didn’t use enough. It was super easy and my skin felt really good afterwards! ALSO, it smells amazing!!
I got this particular mask recipe from this blog.
What are your favorite DIY face masks? I want to try them! I used to buy them years ago but they were SUPER expensive so I’m definitely wanting to expand my arsenal of face masks!
alice-jane says
Ooohhh I have to try this one out! I personally use an egg white mask where I put egg white on my face. I think it tightens my pores? Then I put a diluted honey mixture on my face to clean my pores. Sometimes it’s vice-versa in terms of order. Super excited to follow this series to see where it goes!
Jamie says
Ooh I need to find an egg white mask! I know I have one on pinterest or bookmarked somewhere but I’m always too afraid to do it!
Andie says
I have never tried a DIY face mask. This one looks pretty easy to do though. I might try it. Does it exfoliate as well?
Jamie says
It felt like it exfoliated a little but I wouldn’t say it’s a huge exfoliating one to be honest. It was REALLY easy. Hardest thing was making the honey come out of the bottle haha.
Andie says
hmm maybe if I added some sugar to it. Ugh I know it takes forever to get honey out of a squeeze bottle so I get the kind that comes in the jar and use a spoon instead. Thanks for posting this I’m going to try it.
Philippa says
I’ve never tried making my own face masks but this sounds great, and I bet that the smell is amazing! I am definitely going to try this one out 🙂
Jamie says
Yay let me know how it worked for you! Weirdly enough it smelled even better when I was washing it off — the cinnamon came out strong and so yummy!
Anya says
All righty, noob question time. I’m 23 and my skin decided this year that it missed out on a lot of drama when I was a teen, so I’m breaking out worse than when I was a teenager. I want to do crazy masks if they will help, but have you ever noticed an actual difference on pre-existing acne when you do these?
Jamie says
I only had a little bit of acne scarring and I do feel like mine has gotten better but I’ve done a TON of masks (DIY and store bought) over the years so I couldn’t be certain what helped BUT honey is supposed to, according to all the blogs I read that use honey in their recipes, it is supposed to be good for acne scarring AND for current acne — which makes sense because of its antibacterial properties. I don’t feel like I notice my scarring like I used to. I used to be too afraid to NOT wear makeup on my face because of it but now I’m less self conscious about it because it doesn’t seem as BAM in my face. (also could be I just don’t CARE as much anymore haha)
Anya says
Haha, I’ve definitely reached the don’t care stage as far as make-up goes, who has the energy? Oo, I didn’t realize that honey was antibiotic, that rocks and makes me feel much more confident putting it on my face 😀 *goes to find face mask recipes*
Ginger @ GReads! says
I have never done a face mask (not even the ones you buy from the store). My skin could probably use one though, haha. I’m laughing at your mud mask pics though! Also really looking forward to more posts like this. I adore books & enjoy finding out what everyone is reading & their thoughts & all that, but sometimes it’s nice to see other stuff too.
Jamie says
It’s seriously SUCH a nice treat in the middle of the week to relax and pamper yourself. You really should!! Especially this one. It honestly only took 2 minutes to make because I had everything on hand and it was only 3 things, it mixed together quickly and putting it on was easy. Then you can sit back with a glass of wine or cup of tea and RELAX and read. 🙂
And yay! I’m glad you are excited because I am. I’ve been wanting to do this for a very long time but I kept thinking people wouldn’t care but then I stopped caring if other people did because I just really wanted to share recipes, masks and other things I do plus get OTHER people’s suggestions for those things. Helps weed out all the bad pins and recipes and such out there!
Terri @ Starlight Book Reviews says
Ha! I’ve done this mask before and it was really nice! Smelled lovely and reduced irritation quite a bit. Plus, you’re right, if you’re going to look like a mud monster, you have to rock it. I went down to my brother’s room and roared at him, but he was not amused or frightened. :p
Shortly thereafter, excited by all the DIY beauty remedies, I tried a DIY pore strips tutorial and it was awful. They didn’t work and my face smelled like warm milk after several washes. GROSS.
Jamie says
Yay! I’m glad someone else can vouch for this one. I loved how easy it was and how my skin felt after. And it wasn’t SUPER messy. Some of them, man, I feel like I get all over and they are way more messy.
Will is used to me coming out and scaring him with various masks. I was doing one mask that you peel (super expensive but was amazing) before the wedding and it was BLACK. Like completely black..like there was tar all over my face. I had just gotten it in the mail and I didn’t tell him what I was doing so he was downstairs watching a game with my stepdad and I put the mask on and then was like hey can you come here and totally scared the crap out of him hahahh.
UGH was that diy pore strip on Pinterest? I have that one pinned if so. WILL AVOID.
meg says
Ooooh! I want to try this. I’ve been looking for a good DIY face mask. Any recommendations for DIY hair masks?
Jamie says
I’m relatively NEW to the hair mask and I’ve tried a few duds BUT the best thing I started using was coconut oil. I wanted my hair to grow and be nice for my wedding so in like January 2012 I started using it and have not stopped and LET ME TELL YOU. It’s amazing. I get it from Trader Joe’s and it lasts me quite a while. I used to buy a ton of hair products but nothing has worked this great and it’s SO CHEAP. Sometimes I put it on an hour or two before I go to bed and then sleep with it in my hair (normally put it up) but sometimes when I don’t have it in my hair overnight I will just put it in early on a Saturday morning for a few hours until I have to shower and go do things. It will help even for a little bit of time but sometimes I like it longer. Sometimes, if I’m really in a rush, I will just hit my head with the blowdryer for 10 minutes but I try NOT to do that because of the heat damage. I do it like 2 times a week and it’s been great for my hair. I put it on about half of my hair because I don’t want my roots to be oily. SOMETIMES I have to shampoo twice if I put a ton in but mostly I’m good with just shampooing once.
I have a whole list of hair masks to try for specific things/extra boosts sooo hopefully I can find some good ones to try!
Stormy says
Ooh, I need to try this! My skin has also decided it wants to be a teenager again(weird. Maybe something with the Fall weather?) so I’ve been looking for something because it’s getting EXTREMELY red/irritable lately. And that mask is so simple. . . I have all the ingredients in my pantry all ready!
What a fun feature! I’ll look forward to more.
Jamie says
It has to be something with the weather..I can’t explain it!! That’s why I picked this one out of all the ones I have on Pinterest/bookmarked. SO EASY. A nice little pick-me-up mid week! You’ll have to let me know how your skin feels after!
Andrea @ Bookish says
I’ve always been too afraid to try a home remedy. I know they’re cheaper and supposed to be better for you, but I just envision them going horribly HORRIBLY wrong. I may have to attempt this one though – my face has been acting weird lately, too. Though that may because I’m trying a new product that I got a sample of… Probably time to pitch that.
Jamie says
I was always the same way until the year-ish before my wedding and I was so sick of spending money on a TON of products to find the right one. (though Sephora’s policy was FAB!). This one was SUPER easy so not much could go wrong. I would just do a test patch somewhere (a lot of people suggest on your wrist – sometimes I do it on my face but like right under my chin) just to make sure your skin isn’t super sensitive to it. It tingled a little bit but not a ton so if it starts burning TAKE THAT ISH OFF because it’s not supposed to haha.
Also, sometimes I’ve seen with my face, that my new product has an “adjustment” period where my face gets worse before it gets better. I don’t know what product you are using but maybe it could be that? Which is why I never found samples from Sephora (unless it was makeup or perfume) helpful bc I need MORE TIME WITH IT. But you can bet I would always get samples lol. I couldn’t help it. Mostly it was to see the smell and such.
Let me know if you try it!!
Jen @ Pop! Goes The Reader says
I love the concept behind this post, Jamie! As much as I adore reading, I do think it’s important to strike some semblance of balance in one’s life so that other passions or interests aren’t forced to fall by the wayside. I particularly like the idea of combining the two, as it’s a little like having your cake and eating it too 😉 I’ve never made a homemade face mask before, but I might have to try this one as I love how simple the recipe is! Like you, my skin has been acting up a little lately, likely because of the change in the seasons, and I’ve been searching for something that might help moisturize and rejuvenate my skin. It can’t hurt to try something different, right? 🙂
Jamie says
YES! I’ve been feeling very unbalanced at the moment (actually have a post drafted up about it but I was sitting on it because I didn’t want it to come out too angsty lol). Let me know if you try it! SUPER easy plus you have to park your butt and read for 30 minutes because you can’t go anywhere looking like a mud creature! 😛 OR you COULD. That would actually be rather funny.
Rebecca @ The Library Canary says
What a cool post! I will have to try this one. I have a million diy things pinned on my Pinterest, but I never get around to trying them. This one looks easy and I’m pretty sure I have all the ingredients. I bet it makes your face smell like fall. 🙂 Also, I don’t think my skin is ever going to get the memo that I’m not 16 anymore…. damn skin. That whole “acne is only there when you’re a teen”… dirty lies.
Rita @ Weaving Pages says
I think I’ll try this later, since my skin decided in the past week that it hated me…hehe! I’ll either read or catch up on some bloggy stuff!! I have sooo much to do, so I can rock my mud monster look whilst doing it! haha! I think it’s a great idea to do posts like this. I really look forward to reading more!!
Rita xx
Molli says
Love this, of course. I am so squeamish about trying natural stuff because I had a terrible experience last year with organic shampoo/conditioner (seriously I STILL shudder when I think about it. Supposedly my hair was “detoxing” but after two freaking WEEKS of looking like the oiliest critter on the PLANET and haaaaaating my hair I almost cried with relief when I got some REAL shampoo and used it. UGH.) BUT you are brave and this looks awesome. Might have to try it!
Molli | Once Upon a Prologue
Elizabeth says
I’m pretty crazy into honey, it’s pretty much great for everything. Breaking out? Great, use some honey it’s antibacterial. Dry skin? Great use some honey, it’s moisturizing. Skin is uneven? Great, put some honey on it and then using baking soda as an exfoliant. Want to lighten your hair? Leave honey in it for hours, it’s got peroxide in it. Hair is dry? Great, put some honey in it (not for hours unless you want lighter hair). Basically, what I’m saying is that honey is THE PRODUCT OF GODS. (Raw honey, of course. Although for lightening it doesn’t matter) …what? I’ve been spending too many hours on pinterest you say? Impossible!
Wendy @ Book Scents says
Ohh this sounds like something I’ll try!! My face has been all kinds of dry and also been breaking out lately (ugh). I used to do this other DIY mask but haven’t done it in awhile (probably should) — I used egg white, a few drops of lemon, and a liiittle bit of honey. It’s really good! I loved it! I really should make it again and use it too!
Angie F. says
Hmm. I hate the smell of cinnamon, but my face has been freaking out a bit more than usual. I’ve never tried a DIY face mask before (I try hair ones occasionally though!), but this one seems simple enough. I can probably handle the smell for 30 minutes, but hopefully my puppy won’t try to eat my face! 😛
Alexa Y. says
I have no idea how you manage to look so cute when you’re putting a facial mask on (I always look like a monster!). But I love that you did a fun post like this! It’s nice to get a change every now and then, and this facial mask goes hand in hand with some reading time for sure.