If you’re anything like me, you’ve been fully adoring the exceptionally warm weather this winter. Thanks El Nino! Sixty degree weather got me driving with my windows down, belting out Adele songs (yes, still) and ordering iced lattes.

And then one day it got a little chilly. We pulled out our coats, looked at our calendars and much like the McCallister family who suh-suh-slept in (!) we all realized at once that Christmas is in, like, FOUR DAYS! Like, Christmas is soon enough that we might not even have time to order things from Birchbox or Sephora for our mothers and our sisters and best friends. The horror! The horror!!

Oh, but my friend. I’ve got you. What I have for you is not one but two glorious DIY’s. A very easy one and an even easier one. Are you ready??

First things first, the easy one.
A decadent Vanilla Brown Sugar Lip Scrub:

Ingredients:
1 Part Olive Oil
2 Parts Honey
2 Parts White Sugar
2 Parts Brown Sugar
A smidge of vanilla or a little bit of scraped vanilla bean seeds

Method:
Mix all of this together in a bowl and then disperse into little jars. In fact, I’ll recommend tiny jars. I used small jars but judging about how little you use each time you use a lip scrub, this small jar will last for decades. I’m not exaggerating.

I’ve used homemade lip scrubs in the past. I’ve decided that I really don’t like coconut-oil based products for this because coconut oil is so persnickety as far as temperature is concerned. This olive oil based lady maintains her texture over time.
Just scoop out a tiny bit, rub it into some damp lips and rub and rub and rub. It feels so good and I love it. And if you swallow some, you’re fine. You don’t need to call poison control.

Pro tip: If you can, try to gift this along with a glorious lip balm. I recommend this Mango+Ginger balm from The Grove Collective which is accessible through ePantry.com or this delicious TokyoMilk Femme Fatal Dark Salted Caramel Bee Balm and Jasmine Lip Balm that I got from Birchbox (but, again, if you’re working on a strict time-budget, just tell your gift recipient to finish up with a lux balm for best results.)

Second things second, the even easier one that may not even require a grocery trip.
A Sweet, Dirty Hands Scrub:

Ingredients:
3 Parts White Sugar
1 Part Dish Soap (I used that pink kind that has Oil of Olay in it to keep your hands nice and pretty but I’ll bet that Miss Meyer’s Basil Dish Soap would be so incredible, too, especially for gardeners.)

Method:
Dump it all into a bowl and pour it into medium-size jars.

This is so, so great for people who get exceptionally dirty hands. I intend to give a jar to my brother who works on his car a lot and a jar to my mother who spends a good amount of time in her garden. But it’s also really, really nice if you just really want to get down with a good hand-scrub. It’s relaxing and really does an excellent job of exfoliating.
If you can, pair it with a delectable lotion that is good for sensitive skin–time allowing, of course. I, personally, don’t have any recommendations for this as I am constantly on the hunt for a lotion that will not only not set my sensitive skin on fire but will also keep me from feeling greasy. Now accepting suggestions in the comments section.

And now, a few photographs that I took and want to use even thought they didn’t necessarily fit:

Do you have any go-to last minute gifts?
Do you have a suggestion for a lotion that will keep me feeling like a human?
What do you think of DIY gifts? Are they cheap and unwanted or are they extra thoughtful and delightful?

I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Maybe even a couple’a holidays. I’ll see you after the new year with my very, very exciting list of New Years Resolutions! Twenty-Sixteen is full of so many exciting things that it hurts me to not tell everyone about it right now but let’s keep you guessing.

XOXO,
LIB!!

PS! If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m hosting a giveaway on the XOXO,Lib Facebook page with the support of R&R Roasters (a company that you have heard me rave about in the past and will continue to hear me rave about in the future–speaking of last-minute gift ideas, did you know that you can order a Coffee Subscription. Do it! Do it! Do it!)