Who doesn't love to save money?  I have been on a kick of making my own products lately using my essential oils, ranging from deodorant to dusting spray to face serum.   Who knew that essential oils had so many uses?!  (hint: I did...)

EDITED:  THIS ORIGINAL RECIPE CONTAINED BORAX.  THIS INGREDIENT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MY RECIPE BECAUSE APPARENTLY IT IS A TOXIC INGREDIENT AND ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR THAT'S BANNED IN MANY COUNTRIES.  THE RECIPE BELOW WILL NOT MAKE AS MANY LOADS AS THE ORIGINAL.

This laundry detergent recipe equals out to about 50 large loads, using 2 tablespoons per load.  Here are the supplies needed:

• 1 1/2 cups of Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 cups of Washing Soda (be sure to get the plain, additive free version)
  
• 1/2 cup Epsom Salt 
• 2 tablespoons of Table Salt 
• 5 drops Purification Essential Oil blend or Thieves Essential Oil blend 
• 5 drops Lemon Essential Oil  
• Glass Container

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, and store in a glass, airtight container.  After doing the math, for me, this completed recipe cost $2.50!  Depending on where you buy your baking soda, washing soda, etc., your recipe might even cost less than mine!  THAT is a cost savings, especially when comparing it to the other "natural" laundry detergents on the market that cost anywhere between $10-$15!    And bonus- I had a ton of supplies left over to make 2 or 3 more batches. 

Want to see a video on how I made this?  Watch below!

Glasses.  For the last 25 years I have worn glasses.  WHAT?!  25 years?!  Let's just say I started wearing glasses at a young age.  A very young age.   Needless to say, I'm pretty well versed in my spectacle experience.  

I was contacted by Firmoo (www.firmoo.com) to review a pair of their glasses, and let me tell you, I was pretty excited!  You can never have too many glasses!  They had a huge assortment to choose from, and I was even able to upload a photo of myself so I could virtually "try them on" before settling on the right pair.  It's always so hard to choose!!  

Once I picked my frames, I started the order process.  It was SUPER easy.  I entered my prescription (that I got from my eye doctor's office), entered my address, and that was that!  Processing only took a couple of days, and shipping did as well.  I actually received these glasses quite quickly, considering they had to make the lenses, fit them in the frames, and ship everything to me from China.  

I settled on these babies...

Brown frames with a neon green side-piece.  When I took them out of the package and put them on, my very first thought was "wow, these are comfortable!".  The brown part of the frame is very sturdy, and the neon green part is very flexible, so they weren't too tight or too loose.  

My prescription and sizing is very difficult to get exact because of my astigmatism, so the vision that I have in these lenses is very (VERY) good at a distance, so these would be great glasses for driving.  Looking close up, my vision isn't as clear, so I will not be able to use these regularly as computer or music reading glasses, but they would work nicely as a back-up pair.   This is not the fault of the company, though- my eyes are just very picky!

They also came with a very nice case, cleaning cloth, screw driver, and carry bag.

Overall, I am very pleased with the whole process of selecting glasses, virtually trying them on, the ordering process, shipping process, and customer experience!  I would definitely recommend this company to anyone wanting to purchase glasses online.  Speaking of which, you can get 50% off sitewide at this link- be sure to check them out if you're in the market:  http://www.firmoo.com/z/new-50-off.html.  

So I just realized that I hadn't yet filmed my October favorites!  I was just too excited about the upcoming holidays that time got away from me!  In any event, here they are!

Pure Formulas- get a FREE $10 to use (how I go the Rescue Remedy for free!)  http://bit.ly/1uxf89o

Hugo Naturals Body Butterhttp://amzn.to/1E8Oljz

Bare Minerals Celestine Eye Shadow http://amzn.to/1xkCRHL

Burt's Bees Apricot Lip Shimmer http://amzn.to/1thI1QD

Stash Pumpkin Spice Decaf Tea http://amzn.to/1xdpPNO

Justin's Organic Peanut Butter Cups http://amzn.to/1uC1Kl5

Alpha Trace Minerals 450x  http://amzn.to/1E8OELm

Hip2Save  https://www.youtube.com/user/hip2save

HouseOfAqua  https://www.youtube.com/user/HouseOfAqua

*this may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own

Good Thursday morning, everyone!!   November is here, which means Holiday Prep is underway!!  Check out the latest videos in my Holiday Prep Series.  More of this to come, so stay tuned!  

Parabens are nasty little preservatives!  They're in almost every beauty product on the market, and are absorbed by the body.  In fact, 99% of breast cancer tissue has shown to contain these little buggers.  So, help reduce your exposure by throwing out your deodorant and using this DIY version instead.  It's cheap, fast, easy, and much healthier than what you'll find in the drugstore.  Give it a try!!

Hey guys!  It's time for another weekly Trader Joe's Haul!  Gluten-Free, mostly organic, and oh-so-exciting!

Who wants another DIY beauty recipe?!  Can you ever have enough of those?  This body scrub makes a great gift for coworkers, family and friends... and you already have everything you need in your kitchen.