DIY Beauty has taken on a world of its own, and there seems to be a recipe for everything these days. It’s easier than ever to source and fulfill your very own customizable beauty needs no matter how far-fetched or specific they may be. ‘Tis the season for gift giving, so what better way to celebrate the person in your life who could use a bit of pampering than by gifting them a handmade treat? Here, we gathered our top 20 DIY beauty products to use on your face, lips, hair and body. These favorites span the spectrum of DIY beauty, both in terms number of ingredients needed and difficulty level + scent + usage, so not only can you find one you can *totally* make, but there should be something here for everyone dear to you.
The Best DIY Beauty Gifts: For the Body
Edible Chocolate Body Scrub
For your hubby or bestie, this actually edible chocolate body scrub will leave their skin feeling soft to the touch and radiant on the eyes. The coconut shavings and brown sugar will exfoliate dry skin, while the coconut oil and coffee grounds give your body that bronzed, dewy glow. (via Brit + Co)
Faux Self Tanner
For your island girlfriend at heart, this faux tanner will be the gift to give! Two easy ingredients will deliver just a hint of bronze without looking unnatural. Package this up in a mason jar and add your own label to personalize it. (via Brit + Co)
Aphrodisiac Blend: Sensual Massage Oil
Clearly this formula is designed to indulge in with your lover! This aromatherapy blend can be worn as your perfume for your beloved, or you can gift it with a little game plan for your date night in. (via Brit + Co)
Solid Perfume Lockets
This gift is the ultimate customizable gem because you can literally grab a sample of your friend’s fave scent and make her her own solid perfume locket necklace. The locket not only serves its purpose beautifully, but can be worn as a lovely accessory, making it a two-in-one gift! (via Living Chic)
All Natural Eye Shadow
Even the non-makeup-wearing gals would be intrigued to give this all-natural approach a go. This tutorial has recipes for four neutral hues of eyeshadow that might soon become part of your everyday look. (via Thank Your Body)
The Best DIY Beauty Gifts: For the FACE
Makeup Remover Wipes
We gave this one a try first hand and are here to tell you that the concoction is a must make! Plus, it makes the perfect gift for your friend on the go. (via Brit + Co)
Chamomile Red Wine Face Mask
Vinotherapy comes in many forms, and here, you can reap the benefits of applying it right to your face with this unique formula. Grab a bottle of wine and make this face mask to gift your bestie — don’t forget to sip while you DIY! (via Brit + Co)
Apple Cider Vinegar Pomegranate Toner
Apple cider vinegar has countless benefits for both ingesting and applying topically. This DIY takes ACV used for beauty to the next level by adding pomegranate and orange zest to create a face toner that brightens and tightens. (via Brit + Co)
Cranberry Coconut Lip Stain
The ultimate treatment for the winter’s cool dry air: Coconut oil, shea butter, cranberry and beetroot powder are blended together to make a gift suitable for any pucker. Bonus: this also doubles as a cheek stain. (via Hello Natural)
The Best DIY Beauty Gifts: For the LIPS
Kool-Aid Cayenne Lip Plumper
There is something nostalgic about Kool-Aid on its own, but when you add a few more unexpected ingredients to the mix, you end up with a lip plumping stain that really takes you back (Oh yeah!). (via Brit + Co)
Rosemary + Peppermint Lip Scrub
This has been deemed a classic staple beauty DIY here at B+C. The mint-infused sugar topped with the therapeutic scent from the fresh rosemary will treat any chapped lips. You can even gift this to one of your male friends — he will love it! (via Brit + Co)
Vanilla Creamsicle Lip Balm
I mean, the name itself is enough to make me want this as a gift, and that is my rule of thumb when I’m deciding whether or not I’m giving a good one or not. This all-natural blend of oils, shea butter and beeswax is not only totally simple to make, but you can adjust the recipe to make enough to give to a bunch of your favorite peeps. (via Modern Bohemian Lifestyle)
Dry Shampoo (for Brunettes!)
For anyone who likes to go a few days without washing their hair, or for the gal who needs more volume, dry shampoo is a great solution. This three-ingredient blend is cost friendly and even helps to disguise your root outgrowth. (via Brit + Co)
The Best DIY Beauty Gifts: For HAIR
Lavender Sea Salt Beach Spray
Just because summer has come and gone doesn’t mean you need to stash of one of the best, most universal hair products ’til next season. Beach spray is the ultimate style product to add texture and keep flyaway hairs tame during the time when the cool air can take a toll on your hair. (via Brit + Co)
Hair Pomade
Here is another go-to gift for your man friends. Your dude will love the DIY element, and you can create a custom label to make this gift even more personal. (via For the Love of Body)
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures