Wednesday: Grapefruit Mint and 4 Other Ways to Healthfully Jazz Up Water

For this weeks Wellness-Wednesday, I wanted to give you some ideas on delicious ways to spritz up water. The right (or wrong) beverages can literally make you or break you when it comes to a healthy body weight. As great as a diet soda may be to cut calories, sometimes just a fresh look at water can be great way to quench your thirst naturally. These 'water recipes' are a few different ways to jazz up your water without 'adding to the luxury of your waistline.'

Grapefruit Mint
*1 sliced grapefruit and a 5-6 sprigs of chopped mint per 2 liters of water

Cucumber Lemon
*1 sliced cucumber and 1 sliced lemon per 2 liters of water

Lemon Mint
*1 sliced lemon and 5-6 sprigs of chopped mint per 2 liters of water

Strawberry Basil
*6 sliced strawberries and 3-4 sprigs of chopped basil per 2 liters of water

Citrus
*1/2 sliced grapefruit, 1 sliced lemon, and 1 sliced lime per 2 liters of water

Looking for a few other ways to improve your health? Try out 5 Accidental Workouts!

How to Use Bleach to ACTUALLY WHITEN Your Clothes

I had a robe from Bath and Body Works that had become dingy. I didn't want to buy a new one- I was ready to try anything. So, I decided to go a little bleach-crazy- I had nothing to lose, I was about to throw it out anyhow! And so I learned how to ACTUALLY whiten clothes with bleach! (Fun fact- I wrote this article nearly seven years ago- and I STILL have this robe- no holes, tears or other issues! I don't recommend this method for weak fabrics, but for sturdy fabrics!? What do you have to lose?)

Enter October's FREE Giveaway HERE!

-Gather all of the clothes you want whitened (make sure they are sturdy and not delicate fabrics and that they don't have any colors at all, threads, etc.)

-Throw them in the washer on HOT and wait until it has been filled with water- then STOP the washer

-Add (believe it or not) 4-5 cups of bleach

-Allow to soak for a few hours

-Add laundry detergent and wash

You'll be shocked that what seemed un-whitenable actually turns pure white!

***If you are using CONCENTRATED bleach, please use the following directions.

-Start your washer on the hot cycle and wait until the tub has filled with hot water
-Add 2-3 cups of bleach (2 for medium load, 3 for large load)
-Allow washer to agitate for 30 seconds (allow the bleach to mix into the water)
-Add clothing you want whitened and regular detergent
-Run on the longest cycle you have available but DO NOT allow your clothing to soak in the water.

I have been using this method for YEARS now and each time I do it, I'm like "MAN! Miracle whitening and cleaning going on here! So glad I know how to do this!"

Sidenote: A few weeks after I wrote this, I started using DIY OxyClean that I just made at home- and while bleach is good to freshen up and whiten clothes, this DIY OxyClean just blows it out of the water in terms of stain remover. DEFINITELY check it out, especially for delicate fabrics.

(As I added to the comments below, please note that this method of using bleach really is only for sturdy white fabrics, not delicate or old fabrics. If you are in doubt, put a small piece of the shirt in the bleach water and let it sit to see how it stands up to it. If you have any qualms about the fabric, boil it instead in the DIY OXYCLEAN from above.)

Tuesday: How to Do Your Makeup in 2 Minutes

The Official Before-After

Sometimes, I feel lazy when it comes to getting ready and it feels like a hassle to do my makeup. So, one morning, when I felt really lazy, I told myself, "Just do your fastest routine. It won't be that bad." and so I timed myself. BOOM! Under two minutes. In the off-chance that this helps someone else out there, this is how I do my make-up in two minutes. (forgive me, I only have my own face to use an example)

My products of choice

Products:
-Good foundation (I liked Nu Skin's tinted moisturizer, because it gives a good cover, but feels like moisturizer
-Black eyeliner
-Bronze powder (got mine for .99 at Charlotte Russe)
-Light pink shimmer (from the dollar store, oh yeah!)
-Black mascara

Step 1: Apply foundation (25 seconds)


After step 1

Step 2: Use the bronze powder to dot your cheek bones and then brush over your eye area, avoiding the actual lid (5 seconds)

Step 3: Using the pink shimmer, dot your cheek bones and then apply directly to your eyelid, underneath your eyebrow arch, and dot sparingly at the corner of both eyes (to brighten them up!) (7 seconds)

Step 4: Using your finger tips, blend the makeup on your cheek bones and on your eye lids so there are no define lines (10 seconds)

Step 5: Use the eye liner on just the outside corner of your eyes, focusing on the eye lids (15 seconds)

After step 2, 3, 4, and 5

Step 6: Apply mascara (a good mascara can take a couple of coats, so use the rest of your time here)

ALL DONE! And you have a nice, beach-y summery look! Win. One thing that really makes this proces speedy is to use your fingers instead of a make-up brush. Not only is it much quicker, it's actually far more sanitary, since you wash your hands far more often than your make-up brushes.
















PS! Make sure to check back here every Friday for your (very good!) chance of winning something great!