Makeup Brush Clearer

With the popularity of my eye makeup remover, I decided to post my homemade natural make-up brush cleaner!

And seriously - this works.

Before.... After!!!

Like most women, I wear makeup almost every day.  We all make sure to clean our faces really well, but what about our brushes?  Starting in college, I made a habit to clean my makeup brushes about once a week - mainly to prevent break-outs. 

I used to buy my makeup brush cleaner from Mac Cosmetics, but at $14 it gets pricey - especially if you have multiple brushes.

You'll need:
1 cup of warm water  (I microwave mine in a cup for 30 seconds)
1 tablespoon of dish-soap (I use Dove and Ivory because these are more gentle)
1 tablespoon of white vinegar 

Step-by-step:
1. Make sure your water is warm enough
2. Mix in dish-soap and vinegar with a spoon and stir (bubbles form on top)
3. Dip each brush in the makeup bush cleaner and swirl around (for about 5-10 seconds)
4. Gently rinse out any extra using warm water
5. Form brushes and set to dry on towel overnight.  Large brushes can take a long time to fully dry.

That is gross... it looks like cafe latte. 

Treat your makeup brushes with care!

-DD

Homemade Fruity Gumdrops!

I'm usually not the biggest fan of gummy stuff - I'd rather have chocolate or fruit desserts.  But I was browsing around Hoosier Homemade when I saw homemade gumdrops and I was craving them instantly!

Perfect snack! 

These are simple, and absolutely delicious.  I normally don't like gummy snacks because they are too gummy - these were perfect and made the house smell so sweet!

You can either use a silicon tray of your favorite shapes, or just put them in a pan and then cut them (you can use cookie cutters if you want a cute shape).  I did both.

You'll need:
2 cups of sugar
1 1/3 cups of applesauce, unsweetened 
2 (3 oz) small boxes of your favorite Jello flavor
2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin 
1 teaspoon of lemon juice


Step-by-step:
1.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray  (I used a smaller pan and put half in my hearts shaped silicon tray)
2.  In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients and let stand for 1 minute
3.  Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil for 2 minutes
4.  Immediately pour into your prepared pan, or silicon trays
5.  Allow to cool for 3 hours in fridge
6.  Take gummy out of silicon tray, or cut out of pan
7.  Using cookie cutters, or just a knife dipped in hot water cut the gum drops
8.  Roll gum drops in extra sugar (optional - I skipped this step)
9.  Store in airtight container!

Consume in 1 week!

-DD

Homemade Hummus

I loved hummus before it was cool.  No really, my grandma used to make hummus all the time as a child.  I remember eating it with crackers or carrots as snack.

Now hummus is a bit hit - and rightfully so - delicious and relatively healthy! 

Serve with carrots, pita bread, crackers or add 
to any sandwich for extra flavor!

Here is one of my favorite recipes!  I like this recipe because all the ingredients are staples in my house - and by that it means it doesn't have tahini.  I don't have anything against tahini, but it's not something we keep in our house. 

You'll need:
1 can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (15 oz)  drained and rinsed
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of cumin
sea salt - to taste
1/2 teaspoon of tony's cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
3 tablespoons of sundried tomatoes (optional, but very good!)
parsley, for garnish
paprika, for garnish 

Step-by-step:
1.  Pour all ingredients in blender - mix until very smooth
2.  Add any flavors to taste (I add tony's cajun seasoning because I like it to have a spicy kick)
3.  Put into dish and garnish with parsley, paprika.
4.  Serve with favorite crackers, pita bread, celery or carrots! 

Enjoy!
Domesticated Duchess