DIY Cucumber Eye Mask

It is often said the eyes are windows to the soul... Whether you had a late night, bad case of allergies, or bout of stress, puffy eyes betray it all. There are some remedies people use such as cold spoons and fresh cucumber slices for puffy eyes. The coldness of the spoon reduces the amount of fluids that flow to the eye and induce puffiness, as does the coolness of the cucumber. Cucumbers also contain antioxidants that relieve irritation, and its high water content also help to moisturize the eye area. Unfortunately, I don't always have fresh cucumbers on hand being a college student with limited time and lack of transportation.. so I like to make my own cucumber eye masks which can be stored for a long time, and are always fresh and on hand  :) Here's how I make them!

Ingredients: cucumbers, cotton pads, plastic baggies

Recipe:
1. Chop up some cucumbers.
2. Throw them in a blender or juicer.
3. Pour cucumber pulp into a bowl or pan.
4. Take some cotton pads and soak them in the cucumber pulp until the cotton is fully saturated.
5. Pop the cotton pads in a plastic bag. Store in the freezer.
6. De-puff away :)

To use:
Take out two cucumber eye masks and let it thaw for a minute. Please please thaw! Remember that scene from A Christmas Story where Ralphie gets his tongue stuck to a frozen pole? It would suck to have it get stuck to your skin...which happened to me once with a frozen spoon... never again!
I like to use these cucumber eye masks in the morning to wake me up..as does having a block of ice on your face would probably do... That way I walk out the door having no sign of late-night cramming and a fresh eye for learning :)

Hope this helps!

Top 3 Best Healthy Eating Apps

When it comes to healthy eating, my phone is my BFFFFF times infinity. Seriously, who else can break down my daily nutrients, rate my grocery items, and suggest recipes based on my cravings? Thanks to apps, my phone has transformed into my 24/7 healthy eating sidekick! 

1. Fooducate

This app is a savior for those of us who don't want to spend forever trying to decipher ingredients lists and nutrition charts. Fooducate rates food items on a A to D scale. Yes, it literally grades your food. If you're curious about a food product's rating, just use the app's bar code scanner or search it up in the database. It quickly sums up the food's good and bad points so you can instantly find out how healthy (or not) the food is. 

2. MyFitnessPal 

This app works as a daily journal to track your health and fitness. You can use it to log in your meals and exercise. MyFitnessPal is great for those who are starting a healthy lifestyle as it keeps your accountable for your diet and exercise goals. What I love the most about this app is that it breaks down your daily nutrient intake so you can see if you're lacking in a vitamins, minerals, protein, carbs, etc.

*My reservation with MyFitnessPal is that this app can be abused as a calorie tracker. My recommendation is that you don't use this as a calorie tracker but as nutrient tracker. Make sure you meet the daily nutrient requirements. If you're prone to counting and restricting calories, please skip this app as it may trigger those behaviors. 

3. SparkRecipes

With this app, you can browse through hundreds of healthy recipes filtered by ingredients or dietary needs. Got a bunch of asparagus sitting in the fridge that you don't know what to do with? Simply search up asparagus and choose from a wide selection of user-rated recipes. I admit, I often browse through the recipes when I'm bored. It's helped me find ways to use up all sorts of random things in my fridge. You don't have to be a gourmet cook to use this app since most of the recipes are fairly simple!

All of these apps are available on iPhone, Android, and online.

Healthy eating is super easy once you have your phone as an ally. With these apps, you can easily see how you're doing nutrition-wise. 

       Stay beautiful,