Friday Faves Vol. 22

This new line of Soft Matte Metallic Lip Creams from NYX!

These glitter cactus earrings!

These anxiety and depression t-shirts from Neon Witch!

BEAUTY: St. Moriz Self Tanning Mousse

I have a love/hate relationship with self tanners. In theory, I love them because they offer a way to quickly bronze up when you just don't feel like broadcasting your it-just-got-warm-out pale calves to the world. In reality, I often hate them because they're stinky, usually turn out at least slightly orange, and are just a hassle to apply. Gotta be honest with you, though - I totally don't hate this one.

I've tried a good handful of self tanners over the years, from mists to lotions to gradual color builders, and I've found some to be acceptable and most to be a waste of time and money. I tend to embrace my paleness until I get a sometimes accidental, sometime purposeful tan in the summer, but I recently picked up St. Moriz Self Tanning Mousse in the shade Medium from Ulta, mostly because I was just really impatient for summer. We just had the longest, coldest, snowiest winter of all time (no, like, literally) and I just felt like hitting the fast forward button to summer. I figured self tanner was an easy way to do that, and if it ended up looking horrible, it's still early enough in the season that I can hide the evidence with pants and sleeves. Luckily, I didn't have to!

St. Moriz Self Tanning Mousse in Medium

The first thing I liked about this tanner is the mousse form (they also have a mist and a lotion), which is very light and easy to spread. To do so, I used a self tanner mitt, which made the job SO much easier, though I'd still recommend wearing a plastic glove on your hand in case the tanner seeps through the mitt. Just like every self tanning tutorial on the planet will tell you, make sure to exfoliate beforehand and apply lotion to dryer spots like knees and feet to get more even coverage.

A lot has changed since I first used a self tanner (a regrettable event at age 10, in which I snuck tanner from my mom's bathroom and applied in such a manner that my legs resembled an orange and brown finger-painted rendition of 'Starry Starry Night' the next morning.) For one, there's no more waiting hours and hours to see your color develop - St. Moriz colors as you go. This means that not only can you see the work you're doing - essential for an even application - you can also start enjoying your color instantly. During your next shower (wait at least 6 hours) the guide color will wash off slightly, maybe half a shade, and you'll be left with your true tanner color.

One minute after application. Don't worry, I tanned my hand too.

Another great development is that the color you get is firmly in the olive family, rather than the orange spectrum, which gives a much more natural look. For me, the color was very similar to how I naturally tan, which is something I've never found before in a tanner. The scent is also much less pungent than I recall from others, though it does still have a tinge of that self tanner odor. Once the application is complete, I toss on loose, dark clothes just to be on the safe side, though it truly feels dry in less than 10 minutes. I've had no issues with it staining any clothes or sheets, either.

My color faded evenly all over, a little bit more each day. For me, reapplying every 4-5 days works well to maintain the color. The bottle holds a good amount of product (6.76 fl oz), and it feels like I'd be able to tan my whole body at least 10 times with what I have. It also comes in a Dark shade, if you're looking for a deeper color.

So, no stink, no orange blotches, and simple, smooth application? We've come a long way, baby.

Have you ever tried a self tanner? Are you more into the pale life? What's your favorite bronzing method?

DIY: Custom Face Mask

Face masks are kind of awesome, right? They can give you smoother, clearer, more even skin and all you have to do is slap some goop on your mug and kick back for a cool thirty minutes or so. That's awesome. Very few things in life have such a favorable effort to results ratio, and for that reason alone, I feel it's necessary to dedicate a little time (and the internet version of ink) to this unsung hero of skincare.

I've tried my share of face masks over the years - from the thick, green ones popularized by every movie portrayal of an old woman ever seen to the oh-so-satisfying peel off numbers, and every squeeze tube in between. One of my main girls is Queen Helene and her tingly Mint Julep Masque - so fancy it requires a 'que' ending (although, I don't know who she's trying to fool because it costs less than a fiver), but the 'Most Noticeable Results I've Ever Seen' award goes to Aztec Secrets Indian Healing Clay, hands down.

And the award goes to...

I love this stuff. Not only is it super powerful on its own - it even claims to be "the world's most powerful facial" - but it mixes quite nicely with your favorite add-ins, much like a delicious overpriced frozen yogurt. Did you realize you could customize your own face masks? You totally can. I love to pair this clay with organic apple cider vinegar that has "the mother" intact because it gives me better results and feels more 'active' than when I just use water. Because this stuff is so powerful, it can leave my face a little dry, but I counteract that completely by adding a dollop of honey to the mix. Soft skin ahoy! Finally, I like a little acne fighting help courtesy of tea tree oil.

There are a million ways to mix a custom face mask for your skin (e.g. aloe, vitamin E or jojoba oil for moisture, oatmeal or sea salt for exfoliation, green tea for antioxidant power) but this is how I do my thing - and how you can try it too:

WHAT YOU NEED

+ Clay Mask {Aztec Secret. which you can get here}

+ Apple Cider Vinegar {raw is best}

+ Tea Tree Oil {cheap at Trader Joe's!}

+ Honey {raw and organic it good, but here I just have the regular stuff}

+ Plastic Mixing Utensil & Plastic Bowl/Cup

HOW TO DO IT

Measure out your clay. I use about 1 tablespoon and mix it with an equal part of apple cider vinegar.

Stir with a plastic spoon or other utensil (I'm using an Ikea chopstick). Metal makes it angry.

Add in a healthy plop of honey and a few drops of tea tree oil.

Mix it allllll together and slather on your face. This one is on the thinner side, so it might be easier to apply with a cheap foundation brush (like the $1 one from ELF), but I just used my fingers.

This mask has deeply enveloped my nose stud. Also, ewww.

Let it dry - it should take about 15 minutes but you can leave it on a little longer if you wish. You will look fantastic at this juncture, so this is a great time to schedule any upcoming blind dates and/or photo shoots.

I recommend doing this before you get in the shower because rinsing off a mask at the sink takes forever and annoys me. You can also use a face cloth, but then you get clay all over it and that annoys me too. Try to be less annoyed than me because, hey - you have awesome skin now! 

Have you ever customized a face mask before? Do you like feeling like a swamp thing-type creature for beauty? What would you add to your custom mask?

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