Category Archives: Rosewater

Home Made Gentle Eye Make-up Remover

Posted in beauty, eye care, lifestyle, Make-up, Rosewater, Scent, Skin Care, Wellbeing by

DIY Eye Make-up Remover

This is a quick and simple recipe for making your own gentle eye make-up remover.

All you need is some good quality oil, Rosewater and Glycerin.

Make it in small batches as the ingredients are all natural and there is no preservative so it is best to make it fresh every few days, 50ml should last between 3-4 days if you plan on using it every morning and night.

Ingredients:

20ml Rosewater

20ml Jojoba oil

10ml Vegetable Glycerin

How to make:

Pour the Rosewater, Jojoba Oil and the Glyercin in a small bottle. Shake vigorously to combine the ingredients. This recipe is very similar to the home made Micella Water recipe which I wrote about a while ago. You can see the post by clicking this link.

As you can see from the test below, I applied a very dark colour pallet of eye shadow, eye liner and mascara and used the home made version on one eye lid and compared this to the Clinique Eye Make-up remover that I occassionnally use.

Home Made Eye Make-up remover test

I was surprised as the Clinqiue remover was good, I’ve always used this as it’s non-scented and wipes away Make-up with only a couple of swipes. But the home-made version took off much more make-up with just one swipe. Result!

Better still is that it cost considerably less and smells lovely because of the Rosewater.

I’ve been using Rosewater for many years now and I don’t think there is anything better than this gorgeous smelling scented liquid.

Home Made Apricot scones infused with Rose Pouchong tea

Posted in At home, baking, Food, Fruit, inspiration, lifestyle, Rosewater, Uncategorized by

 

Apricot Scone infused with Rose Pouchong tea

 

When we visited Fortnum and Masons, I noticed  lovely jar of Rose Pouchong infused Apricot conserve, which is the inspiration for these apricot and Rose scented Scone recipe.

Scones are so easy to make, and they are better freshly baked, eaten slightly warm with a big pot of tea, jam and whipped cream. I can’t think of anything better to cheer up a dull cold afternoon.

Here are the ingredients for home made scones:

50grams of dried apricots (diced into small pieces about the size of a raisin. Soak the dried apricots in a strongly brewed dark Rose Pouchong Tea overnight. Drain and remove all the excess liquid.

40grams of room temperature butter

225grams of self-raising flour

1.5 level tablespoons of caster sugar, a little more if you prefer the scones to be sweeter to taste.

A pinch of salt

110ml milk (this can be soy milk if you prefer)

A little extra flour for rolling and dusting the scones with.

To make the scones, preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

The mixture should be made as light as possible, sieve the flour into a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour and rub into the flour as if making pastry. Aim for a light fine crumbly mixture. It’s very important to get the butter combined in well with the flour, next add the sugar and salt and mix well.

Slowly add the milk and then add in the pieces of apricots. By pre soaking the dried apricots overnight in the Rose scented tea, they have taken on the wonderfully aromatic floral qualities of the tea. This is enough to add just the subtlest hint of Rose to the scones.

If you want the scones more fragrant, add a couple of drops of Rosewater. Continue to add the milk and then combine into a soft dough.

Roll the dough out on a well floured pastry board. As my work tops are made of granite, I dusted this with plenty of flour and rolled them out with a well dusted rolling-pin. The dough should be rolled out to the thickness of about 2cm or thicker if you want high-rise scones. I’ve rolled these out to about 2cm and then used a large round cutter to cut out 8 scones.

Lay them out on a well buttered baking tray.

I then sprinkled some granulated sugar and dusted the scones with some flour.

Next, pop the baking tray(s)  into the preheated oven (220 degrees Celsius) for 15-20 minutes until the scones look warm and golden in colour.

Cool them on a baking rack.

Best served freshly baked and still warm from the oven with a pot of tea, with Jam (apricot or marmalade is delicious with these scones) and  cream, clotted if you want to be extra indulgent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rose Pouchong Tea and Conconut body scrub

Posted in At home, Drink, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Rosewater, Skin Care, Skincare, spa treatment, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

This aromatic Rose Scented tea, made its way into a body scrub, simply because I could not get enough of the delicate scent of rose scented tea.

Since tea is well-known for its antioxidant properties, the act of steeping the tea leaves in hot water and drinking it will activate its health giving properties. I thought it would also make for a wonderfully fragrant body scrub, which would not only delicately scent    my skin, but would leave it wonderfully soft and pampered this weekend.

Making this could not be easier. Simply take a cupful of coarse sea salt. In my case I’m using the Dead Sea bath salts that I purchased a while back and am working my way through.

Add a spoonful of Rose Pouching loose leaf tea and mix into the salt granules.

Add a spoonful of Coconut oil and mix until the consistency is soft, slightly damp and granular. If you want to boost the moisture content, you can add a splash of Rosewater, and mix in until you get the consistency you’d like for the scrub. Just enough moisture in my case to make the salt form a clump in my hands.

You can add Rose essential oil to this to further enhance the delicate scent of Rose. The scent of the coconut oil compliments the sweet floral scent of the Rose tea and will moisturise the skin, leaving a silky softness.

Apply to damp skin, by gently rubbing the mixture in a circular motion on your skin. Don’t overdo it, the aim is to rub until your skin feels as if it has had a workout and has a soft glow.

You can either use thus scrub in the shower and rinse away the tea leaves as you go, or as I did, in a bath so that all the gorgeous scent, little blobs of Rose petals and tea leaves unfurl and surround you in the delicate scent of Rose Pouchong tea. The antioxidants in the tea will aid aching limbs and muscles. I like the idea of bathing in tea, it’s qualities being good on the outside as well as on the inside.

The origins of the tea come from China, later imported to Taiwan, where it has become a specialty. This tea in the pretty caddy was a treat from Fortnum and Masons, you can of course get this tea fairly easily in a supermarket or find it in specialty tea websites.

The leaves from the tea plant are harvested and wrapped in paper, layered and left to dry, with dried Rose buds added to delicately scent the tea, once dried, the loose tea leaves look like little tiny lengths of rope.

It is a lovely tea, refreshing, with just the right rich depth of flavour. It’s strange because if you inhale the scent of this tea, its wonderful scent will transport you to a scene out of The Arabian nights filled with the sweet scent of Turkish delight. It does not have a dark smoky taste like Chinese Oolong or light and refreshing sparkle of green tea, but somewhere in between. Sweet and fragrant.

I love to drink this tea at the end of the day, a full pot with a biscotti, which I like to dunk in the tea or a coconut flavoured biscuit. Hmmm off to brew a cuppa!

Enjoy drinking or bathing in Rose Pouchong!

 

 

Sunday Spa Feature – Pampering Body Oil Spray

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Rosewater, Scent, Skin Care, Skincare, spa treatment, Wellbeing by

Jojoba Pampering Body oil with aloe vera

With the recent haul of Jojoba and Argan Oil, I’ve been working on a new skin care recipe that is rich, packed full of ingredients to moisturise and pamper dry skin.

The ingredients that made it into this Body Oil:

Aloe Vera.  The version I have is 99.9% pure. It is packed full of nutrients that are great for the skin such as beta carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A, (found also in carrots). It also includes Vitamin C and E which improves skin tone and firmness. It is chosen by skin care brands for its ability to reduce wrinkles associated with aging. I keep a small jar of this in my medicine cupboard, as it has many uses and apply it neat to the kids skin to soothe bug bites and sunburn.

Rosewater and GlycerineGlycerine has been used traditionally in many skin care preparations, such as a facial toner. I’ve been using it in a skin care recipe as an alternative to Micellar Water. It’s a handy all in one facial cleanser and toner, that is great to take make-up off when I’m in a hurry.

As it’s used in cosmetics as a carrying ingredient and will work to carry Aloe Vera so that it can be absorbed into the skin.

Jojoba Oil is a premium oil used in aromatherapy and is used for dilutions of rare and expensive essential oils such as Rose and Jasmine, as it has no odour. It’s also packed full of Vitamin E and contains a substance called Oleic acid which is great for skin, you can read more about its benefits on the Jojoba oil site. As it’s also a non-greasy oil, it will leave a soft satiny feel to skin.

I use Rosewater in a lot of skin care, it’s so mild and gentle to use for the whole family, and is lovely drizzled over a fruit salad with some honey. You can read about some of its benefits in this Rosewater and Glycerine Toner recipe. Mostly, I love its floral fragrance.

Geranium Essential Oil has a floral fragrance similar to rose, its uplifting and keeps summer bugs away. I take a bottle of this with us when ever we go on holiday as it’s a much healthier alternative to commercial air fresheners. As it’s such a small bottle, it’s so easy to pack. Dispersed in a cup of water, it will freshen up any room, particularly useful in hotels that have had smoking guests stay.

It has antibacterial properties, balances skin that’s prone to acne and helps fade scars and marks. As it’s an all-rounder, I’m using it to help towards firmer looking skin.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil, is one of my favourite fragrances, it’s heady and supposed to have aphrodisiac properties. A discovery whilst on honeymoon. For me this is bottled paradise and I’m always looking for ways to include it in skin care. It’s great to include in massage oils to revive and rejuvenate.

Lemon Essential Oil, another of my favourite fragrances. As Geranium and Ylang Ylang will make this body oil intensely floral, I have added this to balance out the fragrance of this body oil.

Vodka – for dispersing oil in water (it’s great as it’s odourless and natural, I like it in a cocktail too.)Jojoba and Aloe Vera Gel

The mix is simple, in a 100ml spray bottle add the following:

15 ml (1 tablespoon) Aloe Vera

15 ml (1 tablespoon) Rosewater

15 ml (1 tablespoon) Glycerine

30 ml (2 tablespoons) JoJoba Oil

15 ml Alcohol – plain vodka as this has no odour and will help disperse/mix oil with water

10 drops Geranium Essential Oil

10  drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

15 drops Lemon Essential Oil

Add the Jojoba oil into the bottle first, (I use a funnel to make this easier) and then add the Essential Oils, to blend together, (just swirl the bottle around), once blended, add Aloe Vera, I did this by putting in a small amount into the funnel and adding a small amount of Rosewater, until both were in the bottle then add the Glycerine.

Finally add the alcohol and put the mist spray top on and shake to combine all the ingredients.

The spray can be used immediately, to fully appreciate the fragrance, the scent from the essential oil will take about a week to fully develop. You can of course vary the essential oils to suit your own preferences.

Hmmm, there’s just one thing more, if you’d like to make this a completely indulgent experience, you might like to try the Lavender and Ylang Ylang bath soak before using this body spray.

If you enjoyed this post, please stop by often for more natural skincare and food ideas

Home made Rosewater, Witch Hazel & Glycerine Cleanser vs Micellar Water

Posted in beauty, Rosewater, Skin Care, Skincare, Witch Hazel by

Rosewater & Glycerine Cleaner vs Micellar Water

I ran out of my favourite brand of Rosewater recently and since Edgware Road is no longer on my way home, I did not want to go out of my just to get a bottle of Rosewater.

I found the Cortas brand of Rosewater in a local store selling Middle Eastern, Continental and English food, on my way home,  you might have read about this in an earlier Post about a bowlful of Cherries, I also purchased a lovely bottle of Orange Blossom Water along with the cherries at the same time.

The bottle, although not as pretty as my previous brand, said Cortas was established in 1930. It wasn’t very expensive, so I thought I would try it out.

After some research, I found out that there are several types of Rosewater, the ones that include other ingredients and use Rose Oil, are used for skincare only and may often include artificial scent and preservatives.

The Cortas Rosewater lable had little information about what it was made of or how it was made but after a bit of digging, I found out that it is all natrual, and food grade, it is made from distilled Rose Petals with no additives. It has a lovely sweet Rose Scent, a little tangy compared to my last bottle of Rosewater. It comes from the Lebanon and is a very popular brand stocked by many Middle Eastern stores.

Since I am running low on Micellar water, it occurred to me that the home made Rosewater and Glycerine toner, I’ve been using was pretty good at removing make-up on the occasions I had managed to leave some on my skin after washing my face with a liquid facial soap.

Before getting some more Micellar water make up remover (I use it when I’m in a rush or need a quick freshen up) I thought I’d try making up a batch of a cleanser using Rosewater, Glycerine and Witch Hazel.

Micellar Water is made up of special molecules within the liquid that act like tiny sponges, absorbing any dirt or make-up, grabbing it off the skin and depositing it on the cotton wool pad that the water has been soaked in. There are many brands, some that promise not just the benefits of cleansing, but lots of other claims besides.

I thought that the properties of Glycerine were pretty similar, it’s a humectant, attracting and retaining moisture, it been used widely as an ingredient for skin cleansers. So after a few mixes and experiments, I got to what I thought was the right consistency for the cleanser (too much glycerin and it became too sticky and made my skin feel shiny, too little and it did not clean as well as the Micellar Water).

Glycerin, Rosewater, Witch HazelThe final mixture that is almost like the Micellar Water, a gentle liquid, great at cleansing the skin and leaving no sticky residue. It consisted of the following combination:

5 parts Rosewater

2 parts Witch Hazel

1 part GlycerineRosewater, Witchazel and Glycerine cleanser vs Commercial Micellar Water

The ingredients were simply put into a bottle and shaken to mix thoroughly.

To see if it would work as well the Micellar Water, my experiment involved a comparison test. I used the Rosewater cleanser to cleanse my face on one side, the other side with the Micellar Water.

I’ve been using the home-made cleanser for 2 weeks and my skin feels softer. Since both Rosewater and Witch Hazel have natural astringent properties, I’ve noticed that not only does my skin feel softer, my pores are much smaller too.

The fragrance and liquid are instantly refreshing. I like the fact that I’ve made it, I much prefer to know what ingredients I’m using and in what quantities. As there’s no preservatives, the ingredients are all natural with zero commercial chemicals or preservatives. It also means it’s more likely to be better for my skin.

I think this home-made version works just as well as the commercially made Micellar Water, best of all it smells heavenly, like taking a walk through a Rose Garden, hmmm,  I’m off to go and clean my face.