Due to popular demand, I opted to do a followup post on last week's fresh beet lip & cheek stain. What started as just a fun kitchen experiment, has resulted in a few questions in the comment section: Will the fresh beet juice oxidize? How long can you keep this fresh beet lip & cheek stain? How should it be stored? Is it okay to wear it in the sun, as it contains fresh lemon juice?
Okay, so I'm not an expert when it comes to these things, but I can post my observations and link to some helpful research. For example, I added the lemon juice to my "recipe" (about 1/4-1/3 cup fresh beet juice, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and 1/2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil) for fear of the fresh beet juice oxidizing (yes, I had the same concern from the start). Here's a fun article about oxidation and reduction from "Your Mother Was a Chemist: Science in the Kitchen." That explains why I decided to add the lemon juice.Unfortunately, lemon juice is known to be only a temporary solution, but while observing the color of my fresh beet lip & cheek stain for an entire week, I am pleased to report that the hue is as vibrant as the day I juiced those beets. Talk about un"beet"able.
However, I'm not sure if the maintained vibrancy is due to the lemon juice, coconut oil or both. I also have been storing it in the refrigerator to keep it fresher (sometimes the coconut oil freezes up a bit on the roller, but that's nothing a quick run under warm water can't fix; just put the closed container under the running water).I only plan on keeping my fresh beet lip & cheek stain for about a week or so, as I'm worried about bacteria building up in the container after multiple uses. Again, I'm not an expert, so this is just my opinion.
The article also mentions cooking the fruit or veggie to prevent browning, which is what I've noticed in various other beet lip stain recipes (it would eliminate the need for the lemon juice, making it safer to wear out in the sun). Some of the cooked versions claim to last up to 6 months, but again, I would take into consideration how you apply it (directly to your lips or with a sterile applicator).If you want to use a rollerball lip gloss container for your homemade lip stain (like the one in my update photo above; that's what the lip stain looks like right now), I'd recommend recycling one from an old lip gloss, blemish touch stick or mineral eye makeup (you can use old rollerball applicators for your other loose mineral makeup, too). You can also buy packs of brand new empty ones online.
So, I hope that answers your questions, although you're probably still wondering about all the silly pics of me with the raw vegan cake pops from my last post (I'm wearing the beet lip stain in them). It's just my little tribute to one of my favorite sites at the moment, Lookbook Cookbook, that showcases its vegan, gluten-free (and sometimes raw) recipes in photo shoots with real models enjoying their yummy sweets.
In my last post, I mentioned answering the site's request for submissions by sending in some pics I took of myself with a cake pop (I happened to have cake pops available at the time; I wish I had a professional photographer), as well as various shots of Hayden from past blog posts. I figured I was too old (and far from model material) and Hayden's too young (although very cute, in the eyes of her biased mommy), but let's give it a go anyway, just for kicks (which explains my ridiculous doe-eyed pic that still makes me laugh).To my surprise, Jessica from the site actually e-mailed me back and said she might use our mustache pics, as well this adorable photo of Hayden with her Rawdorable Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake. She even gave us permission to post the following photos and recipes from the Lookbook Cookbook site. Thanks, Jessica!
Here's how Lookbook Cookbook photographs it's Pink Lemonade:
Lookbook Cookbook's
Pink Lemonade
Quench your thirst and sweet tooth without turning on your oven!
Serves 2
- 2 cups filtered water
- 2 Tbsp. fresh berries
- 1 lemon freshly squeezed
- 1 Tbsp. agave nectar
Refrigerate until cool, or serve over ice.
*****
Okay, so maybe Pink Lemonade isn't exactly the first beverage that comes to mind to drink when it's cold outside, but the Lookbook Cookbook's Chocolate Cookie Pops are hard to turn down year-round. And, the photos are so much better than mine ... except for my photo of Hayden with her pop ;-)
Lookbook Cookbook's
Chocolate Cookie Pops
These delicious goodies have a moist fudgy filling covered in a dark chocolate shell. Sold?
Serves 6-8
- 1 cup dried dates
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 3 Tbsp. organic cacao powder
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
- 6-8 ice pop sticks
Remove from the freezer when no longer sticky. By rolling pieces of dough in the palm of your hand, form 6-8 balls. Place back in the freezer for another 10 minutes. Once they have refroze, insert an ice pop stick into each one, and place back in the freezer.
To make the chocolate coating, mix 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/8 cup maple syrup and 1 Tbsp. cacao powder in a small bowl and mix well. Mixture should be a smooth liquid, but not too watery. If it is watery, place in the freezer for 30 seconds and remove. If it becomes too hard, put on very low heat on the stove for a few seconds.
Take each cookie pop, and dip it into the chocolate. You can use the back of a spoon to smooth it out. Sprinkle immediately with your choice of crushed nuts, shredded coconut or vegan candies. Allow to set for 30 seconds before putting back on the plate. Enjoy immediately, or serve frozen.
*****
Thanks again Lookbook Cookbook for considering our submissions and for allowing us to share your recipes and pics with our readers. Hope everyone reading this enjoyed them, too :-)
BTW, just wanted you to know that our blog will be featured at the beginning of this week's episode of Blythe Raw Live. Don't forget to tune in at noon on Friday, if you live on the West Coast. We're on the East Coast, so we'll be watching at 3 p.m. I'll post about it more before it airs.
