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Hi.

I'm Nadine. Thanks for stopping by. The floors are creaky, the kids are loud, but the door's always open and the coffee's always on.

Make yourself at home.

Face Off! The Beauty of Coconut Oil

Coconut. It's not just for drinking anymore. 

Once upon a time, I outlined a long list of great blog ideas. One of them was a series on "beauty secrets," because I don't think women should keep these sorts of tricks to ourselves. Knowledge is power, friends! (As is time, so I like finding ways to keep life simple in that area.)

If you know how to create a perfect cat eye, I want in!

I often call the makeup application process "putting on my face." So I guess it's only appropriate that its removal be called "defacing"?

Anywho.

For the longest time I avoided wearing mascara. Partly because I have — *humble brag* — reallllly long eyelashes (which threaten to hit my glasses), and partly because….clumps.

I also avoided black eyeliner because I was under the impression it would make me look dead.

Bonus: I can look like this with too much paint on my face:

In the last few years, however, I've stepped up my face-game a little. (As I'm in sweatpants mode most days, on date nights I aim to transform from frumpy-work-from-home-non-mom to something a little more hot-wife-ish.) This has included venturing into black eyeliner and mascara territory. And — very important — I've gotten over the fear of dark makeup.

Until I try to take it off.

Eye-makeup remover is the worst. You have to rub at your eyes repeatedly, sometimes aggressively — and have extra cotton pads on hand — and still end up looking like a sexy raccoon in the morning. (There's no such thing as a sexy raccoon.)

Enter my new favourite thing ever: coconut oil. (It's not just for Pinterest, folks. It works in the real world!)

At night, I warm a teaspoon of organic virgin coconut oil between my fingers, rub it over my eyes and….voila! All gone. A quick wash with gentle cleanser and you'd have no clue I bothered to put makeup on at all that day.

Coconut oil removes makeup. It is natural. It's easy. It softens the skin around your eyes — if you're into that whole aging gracefully thing. It smells divine. And it's fun!

Okay, that's my beauty secret of the week. What's yours?

Powerless

Never Say Never