Over the weekend, I hung out with my “twin” Sani, which was long overdue. I accompanied her on a drive to Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven to pick up her house keys that were left behind in her haste to get home for her Spring Break. Because I’ve been reading up on cupcake establishments in CT, I knew there was a cupcake truck {yes, mobile cupcakes!} that roams around New Haven. Sani, who is always up for an adventure, said she’d love to find it.

I checked out the Cupcake Truck’s blog for its location and we found out it was only 5 minutes from SCSU. We scoped it out, parked, and waited in line for 30 minutes for our treats. Unlike some of the other bakeries I’ve been to so far for my cupcake fix, this one leaves the frosting off until you order so you can have a more custom cupcake. They typically have 4 different cupcakes and 4 different frostings to choose from, which means 16 different flavor combinations! Of course, as much as I love cupcakes there was no way I could eat 16 different ones, so I settled on two: Red Velvet Jones with White Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting and Guinness with chocolate frosting. I opted out of further customization, but you can also add sprinkles, cookie bits, edible gold, and candy flowers to top off your cupcake!

Sani {above} admits she had never eaten an entire cupcake before this excursion. I think she needs to stick around a bit more!

P.S. The Cupcake Truck also caters and offers “do-it-yourself party boxes.” For more information, check out their website.

P.P.S. We added a new category, “cupcakes,” to the blog. We hope to have quite a few more cupcake excursions like this one!

Okay, I know. Suuuper lame heading, but it’s true, strawberries have so many health benefits, including cosmetic ones. Strawberries contain salicylic acid, which reduces fevers, helps get rid of stomach aches, and, oh yeah, gets rid of acne! If you look at the ingredients in your face wash, you may see salicylic acid listed as an ingredient. It works by shedding dead skin cells, opening up your pores, and preventing your pores from being clogged. Strawberries also contain malic acid, which whitens teeth, which is why Tom’s of Maine, a natural personal care company, puts strawberries into some of their toothpastes.

So, how can you reap strawberry’s health benefits? Easy! Here are a few quick ways:

• Eat them! Just by eating strawberries, your teeth will naturally whiten. Of course, you have to make sure you brush your teeth, too, because strawberries still contain sugar.
• Wash a strawberry, cut it open,  and rub it all over your face in the morning, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse off. This will open your pores, give your face a nice wake-up call, and make your face smell sweet and fruity.
• Crush up strawberries into your favorite shampoo, face wash, or body wash to exfoliate skin all over your body, and get rid of dandruff naturally.

Over the weekend, my “twin” Sani and I experimented with the natural benefits of strawberries by making a super-simple mask that I discovered in the book Eco Beauty by Lauren & Janice Cox, an excellent book for beginners in the diy beauty department {like me!}.

“Fresh Strawberry Mask” by Lauren & Janice Cox:

What you need:

• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons honey

What you do:

• put all of the ingredients in a blender {the recipe doesn’t say to cut off the leafy green part of the strawberry, but Sani & I decided to} and blend on high speed until smooth.

• pull your hair back and put on a shower cap {or, if you only have one if you’re nice enough to give it to your friend, wear a fuzzy hat instead!}

• after cleansing with your usual face wash, spread 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture all over your face & neck {yes, we realize we look very silly and like we have lots of acne — I promise those are just the strawberry seeds!}

• leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse!

Your skin may feel a little tight afterwards {we know ours did}, so we used a very light, oil-free, face cream after our skin was dry.

I realize that strawberries are not currently in season over here in CT, but making a strawberry mask is still much less expensive than going to a spa or buying a mask, especially since you probably already have the other ingredients.

Here are a few links to learn more about the health & cosmetic benefits of strawberries:

Planet Green: Whiten Teeth with Strawberries

eHow: How to Brighten Dull Skin & Clear Up Blemishes with Strawberries

Spa Index: Strawberry Hand and Foot Exfoliant

Hub Pages: the Amazing Health Benefits of Strawberry