English Garden Mint and Iced Tea

Iced Tea with mint and fruit

Iced Tea with mint and fruit

For a lovely summer drink, I can think of nothing else than iced tea that instantly hits the spot in terms of quenching thirst.

It has to be icy cold of course.

To make it up fresh is much better than the type you can get pre-made. At any rate I think they are too sweet to taste. I prefer the sharpness of fresh lemon and lime to cut through the taste of the tannin in the dark tea.

The version shown is simple to make.

In a jug, pour hot water, about 90c (not boiling), into this add two tea bags. this can be green tea or any blend you prefer. For a more traditional taste, I’ve used an English Breakfast blend which is great as it is refreshing without being too strong or smoky dark.

Add slices of lemon and lime and let them steep in the hot water with the tea bags. I like to leave the lemon and lime peel on the slices so that the scent of the peel infuses with the juice and tea. You can of course experiment with any citrus fruits, oranges or grapefruit works well too.

When the jug has cooled, remove the tea bags, you can remove the lemon and lime slices too, but I think they look lovely in the jug and when they slip into the glass tumblers.

English mint and Strawberries

English Mint and Strawberries

English mint is at their best in summer, you can of course get mint ready cut and trimmed from most supermarkets at any time of the year, but I think they are best when in season, cut fresh from the garden.

I’ve bruised the leaves to release their lovely scent. You can add this to the drink, just before serving, I think the scent of the mint really lifts the drink.

As we had a bottle of vanilla syrup in the cupboard, I added just a splash of this to the cups along with some slices of fruit. You can add sugar or honey to sweeten the drink as well.

Vanilla monin Syrup

Vanilla monin syrup

I think Vanilla and Strawberries work great together, so in they went into the cups along with lots of ice cubes to make the drink icy cold.

To vary this, you can add different pieces of fruit when serving.

I hope everyone in the U.S. is having a great time celebrating the 4th of July.

Please let us know by dropping a comment on what’s your favourite drink for summer.

 

Summer Party and 10 tips for stay put make up

Summer Heat Proof Make-up tips

Summer Heat Proof Make-up Tips

Although this post is not particularly about scent, I feel it might be helpful now that we are in high summer, to share 10 beauty tips I’ve learned over the years.

The company that I work for decided to throw a summer party this year in celebration of it’s 150th year anniversary, it also happened to be on my birthday.

While everything was being prepared, what we hadn’t accounted for, was that the date scheduled for the party happened to be the hottest day of the year.

Since I was determined to enjoy myself without having to worry about  makeup sliding off my face, I applied every tactic I’ve learnt to keep my make-up intact and ready for the party.

Some years ago, I had a number of make-up lessons for my wedding from various make-up artists from various brands. What I learnt about wedding make-up was that it needed to be flawless, fade resistant and take you from day into evening with the minimum of touch-ups.

Here’s the 10 tips I’ve learned for stay-put make up:

1) A good Oil Free Moisturiser: Before applying make-up, and after you have cleaned, toned your face, the moisturiser should be oil free and best quality you can afford as this would protect and act as the base for any primer and foundation.

No7 Beautifully Matt Make Up Base

No7 Beautifully Matt Make Up Base

Chanel’s Makeup artist’s tip on applying makeup was to let the moisturiser sink into the skin before applying a primer or base.

2) Mattifying primer/base: To maintain a shine free complexion, apply a mattifying base over the t-zone area or whole face. The one I have discovered recently which works very well at keeping my face shine free is from Boots No7 Beautifully Matte Make-up Base.

3) Oil Free Foundation with high SPF: Leave the primer to settle for just a little while before applying any foundation. The one that I am currently using is the CC Cream from Clinique as the oil free formula, combined with the SPF30 is a great way to have coverage whilst keeping everything looking natural during the day. As soon as I finish this however, I am going to try the Chanel Vitalumière Acqua that I discovered on Ravishing Roses’ blog here. and use it along with Clinique’s oil free Super City Block SPF 40 that I use alone at the weekends.

4) Concealer for eyes: Apply a primer over the eyelid area, this will prevent eyeshadow from creasing and blur any wrinkles. I always use a base for my eyes – Clinique’s All About Eyes concealer, which I find works great as a concealer and primer in one.

5) Set with Powder: Applying a light dusting of powder will set and help make-up last longer in heat and humidity – the one I’m using is Clinique’s Blended Face Powder, Transparency 3.

Clinique Transparency 3 face powder with CC Cream and Foundation

Clinique Face Powder, CC Cream & Foundation

Over the years I have tried many face powders, but this one is the one I keep returning to. It is mineral based and natural looking, you forget that you’re wearing it and is also long lasting.

6) Use good quality products for eyes:  The tip from my make up lesson from Chanel was to use a tiny bit of water to mix in with the eyeshadow to create a more intense look, it will also last longer. You can use it even as an eye liner, with the darkest shade in the eye shadow palette.To line the eyes, I used Bourjois Khol and Contour eye pencil in a dark grey, I find this is a good quality pencil and easy to blend. I took the Bourjois Smoky eye trio in Gris Party a very dark instense grey pallet to use for the party.

Kanebo Sensai 38°C Mascara

Kanebo Sensai 38°C Mascara

7) Smudge free mascara: To compete the eye make-up, the mascara that I use is Kanebo Sensai 38°C in black, this stays put in any heat. As it is smudge proof and suitable for contact wearers, it’s helped me avoid the dreaded panda eyes. Best of all it only comes off with warm water that is over 38 degrees. I have been known to bulk buy this so that I do not run out. You can now order this online through Harrods website. I have also discovered that Clinique has a similar product called Lash Power Mascara Long Wearing Formula which I’ve not tried yet so can’t tell you if it stays put as well as Kanebo’s.

8) Lip line the whole of your lips: The final tip from the make-up artists, was to use a lip-liner, a natural shade close to your own lip colour and fill in the entire lip, that way you don’t get the circle of colour around the mouth.

9) Long lasting lipstick: My all time favourite lipstick is Chanel’s Rogue Coco in Légende which has a slightly blue tone and is a perfect match to my lip colour, it adds a slight iridescence and I love the subtle scent of rose.

It tends to last and last so I never really have to remember to re-apply more than one or two times in a day. Although it’s pricey, I find it lasts 2-3 times longer than budget brands and that means for me, better value and a little bit of luxury that makes me smile.

For the evening, I chose Revlon’s Super lustrous lipstick in Revlon Red 730, which is a vintage red, that suits any skin tone. This is also a great quality moisturising lipstick which has very dense pigment is also very long lasting.

10) Use blotting paper or loose fine powder: Finally, I have always kept blotting paper in my bag for the occasional touch-ups. My favourite is the little booklet of Lehacresor Papier Poudre which is now only available to buy online. Since I had run out of this, I took the Bourjois Java Rice Powder that I use occasionally as

Bourjois Java Rice Powder

Bourjois Java Rice Powder

a subtle highligter for days when I think my skin needs help.

This powder looks like powdered mother of pearl. Although it is a soft delicate pale creamy pink, it is very fine and is translucent with a lovely light rosy fragrance which as you apply wafts around you, making the air feel soft and fragrant. I love the retro packaging.

By the time of the party, the office had literally melted in the heat, we had a power outage in the morning which meant most of the building had been without power and with it no air conditioning or fans to keep everyone cool.

I gave up on any idea of taking off the day-time makeup and re-applying fresh make-up for the party. Instead, I opted to dust the Bourjois powder over my face to revive my skin.

As the heat of the sun begun to fade, the open roof-top terrace was transformed into the maritime themed party, complete with a bar in the shape of a ship’s deck serving cocktails. The humidity and heat was forgotten as everyone turned up in fancy dress and partied on the lawn. I slipped away to get home early enough, just in time to unwrap a few of the birthday presents my kids had made for me before their bed-time.

How to use Star Anise with Coca Cola and Gammon

Star Anise

Star Anise used to flavour Gammon

These wonderful starshaped hard seeds have been used by the Chinese for generations. It was always a go to spice that my parents would use to make any ordinary piece of meat, chicken or pork transform into something that we would find irresistibly tasty.

The smell of Star Anise is as the name suggests similar to aniseed or fennel and has been used by the Chinese for cooking. It is the major ingredient in Chinese five spice and it is also used for medicinal purposes.

A few years ago, we came across a recipe from one of Nigella’s cookbooks – I think it is from Feast, where she writes and provides recipes from all over the world and explains some of the cultural relevance of special events.

Whenever we cook with Star Anise, the smell of the cooking transforms the kitchen and instantly transports you to somewhere exotic, even with everyday ingredients. Just one Star Anise will do the trick used with any meat and even Tofu. When combined with Soy Sauce, Star Anise is going to instantly conjure up the smell of a Chinese feast.

Nigella’s recipe is one which steeps a piece of Gammon in a can of coca cola. The combination of sweet sugary cola along with the saltiness of the Gammon combine beautifully. Best of all it’s as simple as putting a piece of Gammon into a pot along with the cola, a stick of celery, an onion and carrot stick if you have these to hand and letting it all cook on a low gentle simmering heat for as long as possible. The longer you cook the Gammon, the more it takes on the sweetness of the Cola and all the other ingredients in the pot.

To be honest, we didn’t even look at the cook book to start cooking the Gammon. I think that’s a sign of a good recipe, one that you can remember and don’t have to worry about measuring out anything. The basic principals of the dish allow you to be creative and experiment.

Gammon with Coca Cola, Cinamon and Star Anise

Gammon with Coca Cola, Cinnamon and Star Anise

We added our twist by including one Star Anise and a stick of Cinnamon. The result, the most wonderfully fragrant meat, soft and tender. The cola, along with the star anise and cinnamon stick has combined to make a liquor that can be poured over the meat and any accompanying side dishes.

For an everyday Saturday afternoon meal with the kids, it was as easy as putting the Gammon on the stove to simmer away.

To accompany this dish, this week’s organic veg box included broad beans which arrived still encased in their pods and the potatoes looked as if they had been given to us with their mud still on to protect them.

It was only right to cook them as simply as possible to let as much of their natural flavour to come through.

My youngest helped shell the lovely broad beans and once the muddy new potatoes have been washed, they revealed tender skin beneath so we left them on, I think the skins make the potatoes fuller in their flavour, which simply means you just cook them until they are tender and add a little knob of butter just before serving.

I think when you have the quality of freshly picked vegetables, whether they are from your own garden or carefully sourced from an organic farm, they taste best when you do as little as possible to them.

Our Saturday tea which was originally just plain Gammon, with chips from the freezer and peas, turned into something else, we couldn’t resist using the vegetables from the organic box (we usually try and stretch to last two weeks). and used up most of the box this weekend.

What was going to be an ordinary meal ended up being a little more exotic – best of all, there were no left overs, which means it was a hit with the kids.

Cucumber, Witch Hazel and Rosewater Eye Mask, a delight for sore eyes

Cucumber, Witch Hazel and Rosewater Eye Mask

Cucumber, Witch Hazel and Rosewater Eye Mask

I’ve not written a post for a few days, quite honestly this is because there have been a few late nights, combined with the summer heat, contact lenses and staring at a computer screen, my eyes feel sore. I mean really sore, the kind that feels as if you have sharp sandpaper in your eyes and are on fire.

By the time I got home last night, I needed something to help soothe my eyes. I’ve used cucumber slices before and they do help, but I needed something that would be potent and act quickly to relieve the sore tight feeling in my eyes.

I thought about this on the commute all the way home and I decided the best way to get results would be to mash up cucumber slices so that all the juice from both the flesh and the skin could be used.

I had recently purchased a bottle of Witch Hazel to try and make a Rosewater and Witch Hazel toner that was featured in Janis Natural’s blog. She’s got some great tips about natural beauty.

This was a good combination I thought. Witch Hazel is a natural astringent and is good for helping to soothe bruised skin. (It lists this as one of it’s many uses for Witch Hazel on the bottle I bought) Cucumber has lots of health benefits that is widely known and written about.

So here’s what I made:

Cut 4 thin slices of cucumber and chopped them up thinly. In a pestle and mortar, I mashed the cucumber up as much as I could.

Sliced Cucumber

Sliced Cucumber

Into the mortar a poured some Witch Hazel and added some Rosewater.

I combined this with the cucumber and let it sit until the cucumber, witch hazel and rosewater had infused and mixed with one another. I poured this mix into a small bowl over a small sieve so that all the solid bits of cucumber were removed. The remaining liquid was a lovely cool green colour and had a lovely cucumber scent.

Cucumber with Witch Hazel & Rosewater liquid

Sieved Cucumber, Witch Hazel and Rosewater

Using a couple of cotton wool pads I dipped them into the mix and squeezed out the liquid so it would not drip into my eyes.

I put these pads over my eyes once I’d removed my make-up and contact lenses and let them do their work for about 10 minutes – basically, I was so tired yesterday, I fell asleep in my daughter’s bedroom with the pads on my eyes as they were so lovely and cool.

When I awoke, my sore eyes felt much, much better.

There’s enough mix for a couple of days. Which is about right as I don’t think it can keep any longer than this, as it’s the freshness of the cucumber that I think makes it so powerful at combating sore and puffy eyes.

Do let me know, if you have a remedy for tired sore eyes, I’d love to find out about other ways to help de-puff sore eyes.

(BTW apologies for the slightly blurry, wonky photo in this post – I didn’t have my glasses or contact lenses in, which means I was as blind as a bat, when I took the picture.)

Father’s Day and a 5 star breakfast – Update

Breakfast tray with freshly brewed coffee, sesame seed bagel with bacon.

Breakfast tray with freshly brewed coffee, sesame seed bagel with bacon.

I managed to wake fairly early this morning, by the time I headed downstairs, my eldest was awake too, this was a good sign.

Reminding her to wish her dad a happy father’s day, she asked what I was doing up. I let her know that I was making dad breakfast.

Columbian Coffee, Marmalade and Rasberry Jam for breakfast

Coffee, Jam, Marmalade, ingredients for breakfast

She got out of bed pretty quick and came down to inspect what I was doing. By the time I had found the bacon in the fridge, she was in keen to join in and with the pan on the stove had taken over to fry the bacon.

We had Sesame bagels in the cupboard, along with sliced bread, so these went into the toaster.

By the time the coffee was brewed, my youngest had made an appearance, she took one look and disappeared upstairs.

Hand Made Father's Day Card

Hand Made Father’s Day Card

When she came down, we had just started to put breakfast on the table. She presented her dad with a card.

I hadn’t seen what she had written and assumed this was a card she had gone to buy with her nanny when she came to visit on Tuesday. Turns out she’d made it.

It produced a burst of laughter from my husband. I looked at the card and as he’d only just had his birthday, the humour and timing was perfect.

Although I’d had an idea to treat my husband to a breakfast, the kind you get in a swanky hotel, when you order room service, wearing their fluffy bathrobe and slippers.  We used to enjoy these as a treat on weekend breaks, when we were just a couple without kids, when breakfast would arrive cooked to perfection. It didn’t turn out quite the way it was planned.

As my cooking skills are basic and it mostly involved keeping my eldest from burning herself on the hot stove, it ended up a simple home made breakfast, with a few good ingredients. I think this breakfast turned out better.

Father’s Day and a 5 star breakfast

Columbian coffee, marmalade and Rasberry jam for breakfast

Coffee, jam, Marmalade ingredients for breakfast

 

This is a quick post today, as we’ve been visiting our parents to watch my father in law perform in a choir concert.

For Father’s Day, I had the idea of getting a few things my husband enjoys and pulling off a great breakfast, with the kids helping me. I picked up a few ingredients on the way home from work on Friday:

Coffee – artisan bag of Columbian coffee, hand made.  I love the smell that hits you when you open a fresh bag of ground coffee.

Rasberry jam

Marmalade

In the cupboard, I should have the following. (Unless the kids have eaten their way through some of it)

Sliced Bread for Toast

Croissants

Bacon  & eggs, of course

Pics of how we got on later. Could be good, could be a disaster –  I’m not a morning person at the weekends, the kids know not to wake me up too early. They went to bed very late this evening so I’m not sure if they will be up without being grumpy.

Come back later to see if we made it together.

 

Lavender, lemon and Rosemary foot scrub and soak in one

Lavender and Lemon essential oil, with Dead Sea salt foot scrub

Lavender and Lemon foot scrub and soak in one.

Summer has finally and at last arrived. As I was sitting outside on the terrace at work, I thought how lovely everyone looked in their sandals walking about on the lawn.

My feet though felt hot and uncomfortable in the shoes I had been wearing, by the time I got home they were puffy and sore and all I wanted to do was plunge them in cold water.

So yesterday evening, I made this quick no fuss foot scrub and soak in one, which was inspired by a blog post by Emily Jefford about a sugar and coconut oil scrub she uses to clean her hands with after painting with oils, you can read it by visiting here.

I have major art envy, her paintings are exquisite and I have fallen in love with her summer collection, so am figuring out what I can do to save up for the set.

If you’d like to try out this version, which uses just coarse salt, so that you can use it as a soak for tired feet. (I wasn’t sure what soaking with sugar might do) The foot scrub couldn’t be easier to make. All of it is made with ingredients which most people should have in their cupboards:

Coarse salt

Essential oils

Fresh or dried herbs

Oil – either sweet almond or coconut

Lavender and Lemon essential oil with Rosemary and Dead Sea Salt foot scrub

Dead Sea Salt foot scrub

The one I made is with Dead Sea salt which you can get in a chemist or online. As I wanted it to be refreshing with the scent and a pick me up for hot tired feet after work, I used Lavender and Lemon essential oil. To exfoliate the skin, I mixed the Dead Sea Salt roughly with some dried Rosemary and a dash of sweet almond oil, along with a squirt of lemon juice (don’t use this if you have broken skin as it might sting).

Once all the ingredients have been combined, I sat down and rubbed my feet over a bowl of warm water. The coarseness of the Dead Sea Salt acted like a pumice and took the dry skin off.

Any flakes of salt or dried herbs that fell went into the bowl of warm water beneath. I poured the remaining salt mix into the bowl and let my feet soak for about 10-15 minutes.

Dead Sea Salt has many therapeutic benefits. In fact, I managed to snag a bargain as the bag I purchased had a big sign with an extra 25 percent included.

Here’s what it said on the back of the pack: Dead Sea Salt have a unique ability to attract and retain moisture. For dry skin conditions and aching joints, Soak for 20 minutes. This reminds me, I  will need to find an air tight container for the salt as it has a habit of turning to liquid though it’s still good to use in this state.

Bliss. My feet are literally tingling and feel like new. I think I’ll be wearing sandals tomorrow now that they have had a bit of TLC. My kids were a bit sceptical, they took one look at the mix and left me to it.  Just wait, once they’re older they will appreciate this recipe and I’ll be gloating with the Mum knows best smile!

Organic Veg Box update

Bunched carrots

Bunched carrots

These lovely carrots were in Friday’s Organic veg box.

As they arrive complete with their stems, they are a reminder that they were freshly pulled from the ground.

They can be a little soft, because they are so fresh and have not been stored for long like winter carrots, so we like to soak them in very cold water so they become crisp and crunchy. It makes them easier to slice too.

We only needed five of these to add to the garden peas which we had already in the fridge.

As the weather had become cloudy, we decided against a barbeque outdoor.

Since most of the food had been bought for a planned barbeque, we had light summer veg, such as garden peas and asparagus, so we used these as part of Sunday’s roast .

The Pork Belly which would have been for the barbeque, was scored and then salted (to take the moisture out) to make the outer layer of fat crisp up in the oven.

It takes a good 2-3 hours for the Pork Belly to cook slowly on a low heat, (about 160 degrees) so that the fat within the meat can release it’s deliciousness.

In the past, we’ve usually roasted pork above a bed of root veg, so that as the juices run, they combine with the veg to make the gravy. A side effect of this is that the roasting pan at the end of the meal is easier to clean.

Roast belly of pork

Roast belly of pork

Belly of pork is thinner and this meant that resting it on veg might make the whole thing soft. Instead, we filled the bottom of the pan with water and put the pork above on a rack, so that the meat could roast with a bath of steaming water to keep the meat tender.

It worked out quite well as the skin became crispy and the meat was soft and buttery.

To compliment the pork, a sauce was made, with fresh apricots, that had been peeled and the stone removed, they were cooked with some sugar and honey and then strained to take away any pulp to make a smooth sauce. (We didn’t have any cooking apples to hand)

Along with this, was some Venus black rice that was a gift. We had never tried this variety of rice, and when cooked the rice turned a deep purple and had a nutty aroma.

Even though the weather was overcast today, we still enjoyed the time to just cook and enjoy lunch together.

The smell of the cooking and food usually brings the cats in from the garden, and today was no different. They sit on the kitchen window sill inspecting the meat, waiting for one of us to relent and feed them.

Friday’s organic vegetable box

Organic Vegetables

Organic Vegetables

We’ve been getting a box of organic vegetables delivered since we started our eldest started weaning.

Now that the girls are older, we’re a little more price conscious about food and don’t always buy organic produce anymore. But the organic vegetable box is staying.

Every fortnight, the yellow van arrives early, and I am usually the first to see it pull up in front of the house. It is always a surprise to see what’s inside, the seasonal food that comes has been sourced carefully and I love the fact that we’re trying out vegetables that we wouldn’t usually buy in the supermarket.

As it’s summer, most of the box is salad. So here’s a few things that we’ve done with this lovely box of veg this weekend:

Cucumber, tomato, lettuce leaf and yellow pepper salad

Summer salad with Red Salanova lettuce

1) Summer Salad with Basil and lemon dressing.

For the salad we used the Red Salanova Lettuce, some of the tomatoes, spring onions and the rest of the ingredients in the salad were the Yellow Peppers and yellow cherry tomatoes that were in the fridge.

For the dressing, we used fresh basil which was growing on our kitchen window sill, the juice of half a lemon, a small dollop of whole grain mustard, extra virgin olive oil. Since we had a small jar of mini baby capers in brine, I used this as well, plus salt for seasoning.

Chopped basil infused in olive oil and lemon

Chopped basil infused in olive oil and lemon

To get the Mediterranean aroma of basil to infuse into olive oil, I roughly chopped up a small handful of basil and added the olive oil and the juice of the lemon. I used honey, but if you don’t have this to hand, something sweet such as syrup or even marmalade is a great alternative. Using the pestle, this was roughly blended together with the whole grain mustard, mixed again until it was combined into a lovely mixture. I added some salt for seasoning, tasting it with my finger until it was right. The final ingredient added was the mini baby capers, which my eldest suggested as she liked them in salads.

Rosewater and Glycerine toner

Rosewater and Glycerin toner

Rosewater and Glycerin toner

I love the floral scent of Rosewater. It is one of the most versatile ingredients to use both in beauty and in food.

Sometime ago, my daughter’s sensitive skin had a rash and as I was discussing this at work with a friend, he took me to one of the many shops along the Edgware Road that sells Middle Eastern ingredients for the local community that lived in the area.

He explained that his wife used Rosewater to soothe mild skin rashes for their children and it always worked. He showed me in the store where to find it, amongst the herbs and spices and explained that using the type of rosewater that is for cooking was better for the skin.

The bottle looked beautiful and I offered to pay him, but he said it was his gift. I took it home and that night applied it gently over the rash that was on her arm. After about a week the rash was gone.

Since then there is always a bottle of Rosewater in the bathroom, to use as a skin toner, refresher and of course as a tonic for irritated skin.

This is one of the simplest recipes for an all purpose toner and moisturiser in one, using just two ingredients.

Rosewater and glycerin. Both of which have properties that will make skin feel silky soft and refreshed.

I don’t really measure out the quantities, I fill up a 30ml bottle to nearly full and then add a small squirt of the glycerin into the bottle and shake well before use. I tend to use a cotton wool pad to apply, as the mixture is a liquid, like a toner.

If you have dry skin, add more glycerin. Your skin should not feel taught after using the toner and it has dried on your skin.

Making it in smaller quantities means it stays fresh and keeping it in the fridge, will make it extra cool and refreshing when you are feeling hot.
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