14 days of love: lip balm

Thanks for joining me for Day 8 of the 14 Days of Love project!  If you have been following along you know that Dana from Wonder Forest and myself teamed up to shared 7 projects each (over the course of 2 weeks) with a sort of 'love' theme to them.  What's great is that practically all of the projects we have shared, which you can view here and here, can be used for anytime of year!

Today I'm sharing a little 2 ingredient beauty recipe for you that is so insanely easy, honestly the worst part about this project is the clean up.. like I'm talking greasy ass clean up so either use disposable supplies or get ready for some dish washing fun.. I originally found this recipe here.

*UPDATE* 03/22/2012

This tutorial is the most popular post on my blog with thousands of page views and pins from Pinterest (thanks so much!). I  do however want to re-iterate that I found it online and just decided to post a tutorial based on my experience doing it and was originally sharing this for a DIY series we had going on here in Jan/Feb. I would also like to mention that you can substitute the vaseline, so please don't leave negative comments with your opinions about vaseline and/or artificial sweetener, this is simply a tutorial to show you what you can make with these products. If you dont like the products used either find a more favored alternative for your lifestyle or don't make the product.. super simple =) 

SUPPLIES

Vaseline or a petroleum free alternative 

(if you want something more natural)

kool-aid or crystal light

microwave safe bowl

spatula (spoon)

lip gloss containers

(I purchased 4 for $1 at michaels)

First up.. because the Kool-Aid is what supplies the color to your lip balm I would suggest you purchase a flavor that comes out red.  I mixed cherry and tropical punch together.  I have also done this recipe with Crystal light which tastes much better, but sometimes the crystals don't dissolve as well as the Kool-Aid ones do so it can be tricky.

Gather your supplies and in a microwave safe bowl (I ended up using a mixing cup) put a glob <--- that's a proper measurement right.. ok about a cup into the bowl and heat on high for about a minute. Stir. Do again. This is the repetitive part, I usually browse pinterest on my phone while standing next to the microwave.. or sometimes I eat raw cookie dough from the fridge.. whatever works for you!  Keep repeating this step and make sure to stir, stir and stir some more in between each heating. If you plan on making a lot of these I would suggest doing it in batches as it will be easier to melt down.  **please do in small increments to assure that you do not blow your microwave, also if you have access to double boiler that works great too!

Take your bowl of liquid greasiness =) and let cool for just a few seconds, stir in the kool-aid a little at a time and make sure it starts to dissolve (keep stiring!)  The more you add the darker it gets so this is up to you and what you want your lip gloss to look like, I used two whole packets for this pretty color.

Now if you use Crystal Light the flavor is so much better, since the Kool-Aid is bitter I simply pour in a couple packets of stevia just for a little sweet on my lips.  Oh and it's zero calorie in case you ingest the stuff!

If your vaseline looks like it's getting too cool or solid again, put in the microwave for another 30 seconds, stir again and then get ready to pour into your containers. You can use plastic containers like this, or even the cute little tin balm containers. Most of which you can find at crafts supply stores.

Let cool before using or giving as gifts, and for something extra fancy use a custom sticker or even a sharpie to write on the lid.  Have fun, kisses!

*please monitor this project if doing with children or clumsy friends as the vaseline gets hot, and the Kool-Aid stains, as always safety first people... safety first!!!*

*i would use crystal light or for sure add sweetner to the mix, or it will be very sour!*

*if cyrstals are not fully dissovled you will have grainy lipbalm so stir lots!!*