* Diary of a Sweet Little Blonde *: homemade body butter

What's so magical about it, my little skeptics?

I MADE IT!

It's homemade...

and that just MAKES it better by default.

I found this recipe for Body Butter last week

and I was intrigued.

However, the part with the zest

not rubbing in and having to brush it off after?

Nah. I'm not down with that.

I don't want to work for my body butter...

I want my body butter to work for ME,

so I doctored up the recipe a bit and it worked.

I felt like a mad scientist,

on the cutting edge of a new discovery,

going where no beauty scientist had gone before.

Beauty is madness!

Here is the recipe, but feel free

to experiment with your own proportions.

Rachel's Honey Almond

Beauty Body Butter

Ingredients:

2 Parts Shea Butter

1 Part Coconut Oil

Almond Essential Oil (or a scent of your choice)

Honey

Directions:

Add 2 parts raw shea butter (you can find this at a health food store - I found mine at Sherry's in Babylon, but I'm sure Whole Foods or Trader Joe's stocks it as well) to 1 part Organic Coconut Oil to a large mixing bowl. I found the coconut oil to be a bit greasy (it IS an OIL!), so I added more shea to stabilize it and thicken it up a bit. Feel free to substitute cocoa butter, but be aware cocoa butter has a strong chocolate smell and so it probably won't play nice with any essential oil you might want to add (lavender, green tea, etc)
Add a teaspoon of honey to the bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute or until ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Finally, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Remember, coconut oil already has a distinct coconut smell - so you'll want to keep that in mind when choosing a scent for your body butter. Something tropical would be nice!
When finished mixing, add your body butter to your favorite jar (I found this one at Michael's for $4.99) and store close to your shower for easy access.

I try and moisturize fresh out of the shower

when my pores are wide open

and most welcoming to salves.

(I hope thats the right word.

It felt natural as I typed it out.)

Body Butter is the best

because its thick,

usually its made with the heavy hitters

(you know my friends Shea & Cocoa?)

and it has staying power.

So lather up,

and keep it classy. ;)

xo,

Rachel

Lots going on this week.

1. Divas San Francisco. I am prepping for the Divas Half Marathon: San Francisco Bay. I've kicked up my mileage to 9-10 miles this week and I've been walking around like a rag doll, not sure whether my legs are actually attached or not. I see them, but I can't feel them (I guess insane amounts of Icy Hot will do that). Mom and I leave on Thursday May 2, early early - 6am! We are going to Napa Valley (my first time) and so I need some suggestions. Where the heck do we go? So many wines...so little time. Anyways, the trip will culminate with me running 13.1 miles that Sunday, and then basically I'll be crawling onto the plane for a red-eye and back early Monday morning. Good luck to the people in close proximity to me- I'm sure I'll be moaning in pain the whole way back. Hopefully Mom will sedate me with something good. P.S Go DIVAS!

You can see a flashback of the last race that Dad attended - the Divas Half: North Myrtle Beach here.

You'll know me when you hear my dad screaming: GO RACHELLLLL!

Embarrassing or Supportive?

YOU DECIDE.

I'm at the 5:20 mark.

P.S My dad cracks me up with the pep talk the whole time.

Maybe he should have been a coach! :)

2. Yves Saint Laurent. I've very excited to announce that my Yves Saint Laurent lip stain and lipstick has arrived[!] I love the light, creamy, peachy color - it's perfect for summer! I've been wanting a more neutral daytime lipstick, and I plan on leaving this color all over my coffee cups - so coffeehouses that host me, beware! I also blame it on my obsession with Emily Maynard. Her blog has me all sorts of frenzied (in a good way). You can find the blog listing that led me to make this purchase here.

Don't mind my extremely WHITE winter skin - I'll be sun-kissed before you know it.

Showing off my new Yves Saint Laurent lip stain and lipstick. :)

3. What I'm reading. I am just finishing up 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' - I liked it a lot! I am not sure what to read next - but trust me, it's not for lack of a list. I am thinking its between 'Glass Castle" - a memoir or 'The Fault in Our Stars'. Has anyone read either of these? I'd love your feedback.

4. Homemade Body Butter. I am newly into D.I.Y projects and homemade stuff. I am planning on hosting a craft night at my apartment to "Make Your Own Soap" - don't laugh, I'm serious (I know, if you didn't think I was a big enough loser as is, now I really have sealed my fate!) and this week I plan on making homemade body butter. Coconut Oil + Honey + Citrus Zest = Don't be surprised if I lick my skin. I'll let you know how it turns out. If you need some ideas, check out some of my other D.I.Y crafts here and here.

Homemade Body Butter.

5.Goo Hoarding. I had my little sister over for dinner last night and I made a new recipe. It was delicious! If you want a lighter pasta dish for Spring, definitely check this out - its a heavily mix of olive oil, garlic, basil, parmesan, and pine nuts! Anyways, after dinner we were fooling around on YouTube and she showed me Jenna Marbles YouTube channel. We spend 15 minutes cracking up on my couch, giggling hysterically (like abs are sore the next day laughing). Please excuse the profanity (she curses a lot) but this girl is hysterical. Known for being brutally honest, she tackles topics like "Drunk Makeup Tutorial", How to Trick People Into Thinking You're Rich", and Things Girls Dont Understand about Guys. H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S. Excuse the f-bomb this and f-bomb that, HOWEVER if you can make it through a video without feeling like you need to go to confession, I highly suggest you do. Obsessed.

In this particular video, Jenna talks about GOO HOARDING - the pink lip glosses? Guilty as charged.