Category Archives: Uncategorized

Christmas Gift making – Sweet Orange, Cinnamon and Ginger Beeswax Candles

Posted in Christmas, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Projects, Scent, spa treatment, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

 

Last weekend, I decided to make some lovely Christmas gifts to give to friends and family. After a Sunday spent making these lovely gifts, I found myself succumbing to a cold which I have only just shaken off. It meant that I didn’t get round to writing this post until now.

If like me, you like scented candles, receiving one as a Christmas gift would be lovely. I love the gentle glow of candle light, it seems to calm and soothe the senses. I have a small collection of candles from L’Occitane in little metal tins, which gave me the inspiration for this little hand made version.

Making your own filled candles is so easy that I’m now addicted to making them, all you need is to find some containers, flame proof of course and some candle wicks for lighting the candles.

The wicks can be simple pieces of string tied to a stick so that it can dangle down to the bottom of the container (I’ve tried this using chopsticks and a metal Skewer) but it turned out that the cotton string I used didn’t stay alight.

After a bit of research, I found a company that makes ready-made wicks (already inserted into stablisers). They are actually called sustainers. Choose the ones that are pre-waxed and are labeled with the diameter (You need to make sure that the pool of the melted wax goes to the edge of your container) that matches the diameter of your container.

To keep the sustainers from moving, place a small amount of melted wax on the bottom, or if this is a bit fiddly, use Glue Dots – these won’t show as they are transparent.

Once the beeswax has melted in a jug over simmering hot water, add your choice of fragrance to the wax just before you are going to pour them into the containers. Personally, I prefer using essential oils.

I’ve chosen Cinnamon Bark, Sweet Orange and Ginger to fragrance these little candles.  Just add 10 drops of each essential oil into the wax which is based on the dilution amounts in aromatherapy – 30 drops for every 100ml of carrier oil (The quantity I’ve put into the tins is approx 100ml in each tin. I’ve made two tins with cotton wicks and two with Cotton Wicks.)

If you’d like to make the candles as gifts, there’s just enough time to order the materials from Amazon in time to make up a batch.

Heres what you need:

You can get the beeswax from Amazon *in the UK here:  or if you are in the US you can find it here.*

I also tried them with these wooden wicks* from Amazon, they crackle and sound like the crackling of an open fire. Perfect to sit and enjoy with a hot cup of coco at night. If your in the US, you can get these here:*

Metal Tins* can be found here in the UK.

You can get them also from Amazon in the US here*.

As these are little, they will make perfect little stocking filler treats.

*Contains affiliate links

Jasmine and Citrus, Hand blended Perfume for Christmas

Posted in Christmas, Health & Wellness, Perfume, Projects, Scent, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

 

 

Making your own perfume is relatively straightforward.

This year, I’m making a few Christmas Gifts, as a way of making Christmas feel just a little bit more home spun and personal.

Having looked on several sites and researched the types of ingredients that goes into perfume making, there are just a few ingredients most of which you will find easily either in your cupboard or online.

To make the Perfume all you need to do is the following:

  1. Decide on the strength of the perfume:

    This is determined by the amount of scent to alcohol. An Eau de toilette is around 10 percent. An Eau de parfum is around 15-20 percent and the strongest called Parfum is around 30 percent.

  2. Decide on how you want to use the perfume:

    Solid (such as in a oil based waxy balm) or Rollerball (oil based) or in a Spray. The main ingredient in the perfume is the carrier, which can be alcohol or oil based. With Alcohol, the oils in the fragrance can be dispersed from a spray and is how most of the famous brands market their perfumes. Very high quality fragrance houses such as Chanel will offer the perfume in stronger variants, for instance Chanel No5 is available as a Parfum in a very tiny but exquisite bottle. The higher the alcohol content (proof) you can find the better in terms of dispersing the scent. You can of course go for perfumers alcohol, but since there’s likely to be chemicals, which is sometimes called Alcohol Denat – this means it’s been treated so you can’t drink it. Personally, I think it’s better if you can drink it, as it means, if it’s ok to drink, it’s going to be suitable to put onto your skin. I’m choosing Vodka as this has no scent and is as pure a form of alcohol as you can get easily. Smirnoff or Grey Goose will do.

  3. Decide on the fragrance or Scent:

    Perfumes tend to be made up of top notes, the scent you can smell immediately. The middle note, the heart of the fragrance and the base note which is the final scent that lingers long after the others have dissipated, all three notes combine give the perfume the harmonics that make defines it’s unique character which when mixed with the chemicals that make up your skin, makes the experience of the perfume unique.

I love experimenting and mixing scents together. It makes the process so much fun and it also means it’s one of a kind, unique as no one else will have the scent that you’ve made.

Since Jasmine is my favourite scent of all time, I’m going to use this as the “middle note” for the heart and distinctive character of the perfume. And as I prefer things to be as natural as possible, all the oils I have chosen to make this perfume are essential oils.

Jasmine Officinale or Jasmine Absolute is known as the King of flowers. It has a very sweet floral scent. The scent has been central in perfumes for centuries, in China it represents the sweetness of women, in Persia it was known as the perfume of love.

It is also amongst the most expensive pure fragrances, the version I am using is 10% diluted in Jojoba oil. Since the fragrance is very strong, a little goes a long way.

I’m combining this with citrus notes of Sweet Orange and Bergamot essential oils.

Finally, for the base note, just a hint of Cedar wood essential oil, which not only has therapeutic benefits, is also a “fixative” which will slow down the evaporation of the perfume and slows down the overall scent of the perfume from fading. It is sweet and woody at the same time and combines well with both the citrus notes as well as the floral scent of Jasmine.

To make the perfume couldn’t be easier. In a small bottle which should be as opaque as possible to prevent sunlight from affecting the oils, I have combined the following:

Ingredients for hand blended Perfume:

50ml Vodka

20 drops of the Jasmine Absolute in Jojoba oil

10 drops of Sweet Orange

10 drops of Bergamot

2 drops of Cedar Wood essential oils.

With the spray stopper in place, shake the bottle until all the essential oils have been mixed together into the Vodka.

It will take about a week for the oils to come together to form the perfume. You can of course mix the oils first in a small mixing jar until you get the desired scent you prefer.

You can find more information about the different types of scents at Aromaweb’s section on Aromatic blending.

All that’s left is to find a pretty box and gift wrap to make this little personalised gift ready to give for Christmas.

Sunday Spa Feature – Rosehip, Argan, Jojoba, Sweet Almond facial oil

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Scent, Skin Care, Skincare, Uncategorized by

Facial Oil Serum with Rosehip, Argan, Jojoba and Sweet Almond OilThis is such a great facial oil for anyone of any age and would make a great Christmas gift if you are looking to find a gift that’s easy to make.

Rosehip Oil has been in the beauty news having been cited as the wonder oil used by celebrities such as Miranda Kerr. It is a natural source of Vitamin E which you’ll find in many skin care creams, used for it’s antioxidant properties to calm, hydrate dry and sensitive skin.

The oil is also rich in fatty acids such as linoleic acid (or omega 6) as well as linolenic acid (or omega 3). High in Vitamin C, it will help to speed up the healing process for skin damaged by burns, scars or age spots as well as hydrate and add moisture.

I’ve chosen this as it’s the dry oil, it does not leave any feeling of grease and absorbs very quickly into the skin.

With the properties that feel more like a serum than an oil, when I found it online, it gave me an idea for creating a nighttime facial oil that would help rejuvenate and revitalise skin.

With this oil, I have combined it with 3 other oils:

Jojoba oil, which also non-greasy and has a similar consistency to sebum. A liquid wax, found in the seeds/nuts of jojoba plant, it has anti-microbial properties and contains iodine which prevents bacteria from forming and is, therefore, good for skin that is prone to blemishes

Sweet Almond oil, not only does this oil contain plenty of vitamin E, it has lots of minerals such as Calcium, potassium, magnesium as well as vitamin D. Good for dark circles under the eyes, blemishes, fine lines, wrinkles and helps to firm skin.

Argan Oil, high in fatty acids it helps to restore skin’s elasticity and leaves skin feeling plumper and softer.

To give this luxury facial oil some fragrance, I have combined this with three essential oils, which also have skin rejuvenating properties.

Ylang Ylang  Essential Oil- I’ve written about this oil in a lovely home made bath-soak. It has an uplifting effect and can give you feelings of joy and hope. It has a rich floral fragrance which should be used sparingly particularly for skincare purposes.  As it helps to control oil production, minimises breakouts and helps regenerate skin cells, I’ve included this in the facial oil

Jasmine Officinale – is my favourite scent, reminds me of my early childhood, it is used in so many ways, I love its scent in green tea as well as in perfumes such as the Jo Malone’s Jasmine and Mint cologne spray. It tones dry, greasy, irritated skin and helps to fade scars and restore elasticity to the skin.

Lavender Essential Oil – there are so many uses for lavender, that it is one of the oils which I take everywhere and use it in so many ways. In a bath soak, foot scrub it’s lovely scent is relaxing and calming. It is also a good antiseptic so I like to use it as a room and linen spray. It helps to reduce age spots, fine lines and wrinkles by boosting the flow and supply of oxygen and nutrients, helping to boost the skin’s renewal process.

To make this facial oil, which I’ve called the Fourtifying Facial Oil, just mix the following together:

15ml of Sweet Almond Oil

15ml of Argan Oil

15 ml of Rosehip Oil

15 ml of Jojoba Oil

1-2 drops of Ylang Ylang essential oil along with 1-2 drops Jasmine and 1-2 drops of Lavender.

Shake the bottle thoroughly to combine. I’ve used a blue glass bottle with a dropper to make the experience the same as if the facial oil is one of those high-end beauty serums. You can of course just use a bottle with a stopper or small opening.

To use, only 1-2 drops of the facial oil is needed, add the oil to the tips of your fingers and smooth over your skin, underneath your usual night cream.

That’s all there is to it, now I’m looking forward to bed-time and waking up to soft glowing skin!

 

Chocolate Magic Cake

Posted in At home, baking, Food, Uncategorized by

Magic Chocolate CakeA few weeks ago, I came across an article in a newspaper about a new cake recipe that was fast becoming the next big thing, after cupcakes, macaroons and pop cakes.

Magic cakes apparently are cakes that have three different layers of textures, a crumbly cake layer beneath which sits a custard textured layer which sits on top of another layer of cake.

It is the chemistry or is it alchemy, that creates the layers out of a single mix.

The article and recipe idea described was so tempting, that I had to give it a try, aside from the fact that I love anything with Chocolate.

Before making the cake, it’s helpful to check out this feature on YouTube, as I had no idea what kind of consistency the final batter should be, my first attempt at this cake didn’t quite achieve the three layers.

I got a very thin layer the first time I tried, it was still a very tasty cake and filled my house with the beautiful scent of vanilla and chocolate. I don’t think there is a more heavenly scent than a hot oven with chocolate cake baking inside.

So for ingredients, as the recipe called for a lot of milk, I’ve substituted this for Almond Milk, as my hubby reacts badly to cow’s milk.

He gets what I can only describe as a man headache, like man flu and has to lie down in a darkened room until it goes away.

So, to avoid a headache, it’s Almond milk that I’m using in this recipe, but you can, of course, use cows milk as normal.White Vinegar in Magic Chocolate Cake recipe

The second time, I tried this bake, I added a small amount of white vinegar to the egg whites. I omitted this the first time, as I wasn’t sure about the idea of using vinegar, in case it wouldn’t taste very good. You can’t taste anything but sweetness and chocolate in the final cake.

You will also need a whisk and 3 mixing bowls. One for the egg whites, one for sifting flour and cocoa and one to mix it all together.

Now for the ingredients:

113g Butter

600ml Warm Milk (I used Almond milk)

115g Plain Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

43g Cocoa powder

30ml Dark Espresso (I used powdered decaff)

4 eggs

4 drops white vinegar

210g soft brown sugar

1-2 drops Vanilla essence

8″x8″ dish

 

To make:

Preheat the oven at 165c

Soften/melt the butter

Whisk the flour and cocoa powder together

Separate and whip the egg whites until it becomes stiff as if making a meringue.

Beat egg yolks and sugar, beat in melted butter and the espresso mixture and the vanilla essence, then mix the flour and cocoa with the baking powder into the batter. Gently mix in the warm milk and gently fold in the stiff egg whites a third at a time.

It will look like a lumpy thick batter, not like a cake mix but a very thick milkshake kind of consistency.

Pour this into the prepared pan (I lined my square cake tin with greaseproof paper.

Bake at 325f/165c for 50-60 minutes.

When you get it out of the oven, the mixture may wobble a little, this is normal for this type of cake. The first time I made this cake, I wasn’t convinced and put it back in several times, but after about three times in the oven I was convinced that the wobble was expected and the cake was in fact cooked.

The second time around, it looked perfect.

Leave to cool completely.

Dust with Icing Sugar and add some fresh fruit to serve.

Hmmm, I think I’ll go and have another slice!

 

Clinique – Gifts with purchase at Harrods

Posted in beauty, Make-up, makeup, Skin Care, Skincare, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

Clinique GWP

Whilst Harrods caters mainly for tourists and the super wealthy, there are a few things which if you are a beauty addict like me, then Harrods is a destination for the sheer experience of exploring the Beauty and Perfume Emporiums.

About twice a year Harrods and nearby Harvey Nichols also promotes the Clinique Gift With Purchase offer.

What’s special about both Harrods and Harvey Nichols Clinique Gift with Purchase promotions is that there are usually extra items. For other department stores, Clinique Bonus Time usually contains around 5 products plus make-up bag.

For Harrods and HN, there are usually 7-8 items in the Clinique’s Gift with Purchase promotions, so well worth the effort of visiting the stores if you want to bag more with the Clinique offers.

Having seen the posters for the promotion, I knew it was time to stock-up.

The two products I purchased to get the gift were:

  1. Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector. Does what it says on the tin. I find this works to even out skin tone and lightening the dark spots that I now have. The texture is light and non-perfumed.
  2. Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream with SPF 30. This is not only a great moisturiser, it gives just enough coverage without the need for any foundation. For work, I use this with a little concealer under the eyes and set with powder to give a natural and even finish to the skin on my face.

The Harrods offer was conditional on spending a minimum of £65. Yikes, but since I hadn’t bought any makeup for a long while, and I’d just about finished the CC cream, it was worth it because of the additional products in the Bonus offer. It included the following products:

  1. All about Eyes. I like this one as the texture is so light and under make-up, it seems to hold eyeshadow in place for the whole day.
  2. Moisture Surge Intense Fortifying Hydrator. Great moisturiser for the winter.
  3. Smart Custom Serum. I’ve not tried this one yet, it promises to adapt to your skin and works to reduce wrinkles, uneven skin tone, firmness and radiance.
  4. Rinse off Foaming Cleanser. This feels creamy and light. A great Travel size to keep for overnight stays away from home.
  5. Blusher in Precious Posey. A delicate pink colour with a just a tiny amount of shimmer.
  6. Chubby Stick Lip Balm in Mightest Maraschino – Lovely plummy shade with a lovely texture.
  7. High Impact Mascara in Black – the travel size mascaras are great to keep in the make-up bag for emergency touch-ups. Once I completely forgot to put any mascara on before going to work and was thankful that I had included a small tube of this in my bag.
  8. Aromatics in White Perfume Spray.  I’ve never been too keen on the original Aromatics. This version is lighter and less overpowering though it’s unlikely that it will become a regular perfume as I prefer making my own or Chanel and L’Occitane scents.
  9. Large make-up bag.

Not a bad haul, considering that most of these products are ones that I would choose to buy anyway. The promotion has ended now as they are gearing up for Christmas. There will be another in Spring early next year. You can sign-up online at the Clinique website here in the UK to receive their text alerts for their Bonus Time offers.

Lastly, Harrods at night just looks so pretty. Lit up, it is so over the top that there is nothing else to do but stare at it.

A blatant homage to commercialism. I think, though, every once-in-a-while, a little bit of decadence is just a bit naughty but nice.

Paris – City of love

Posted in Uncategorized by

Pray for Paris

Last night, like everyone else I watched and heard the terrible events unfold in Paris.

Paris represents a city for love, romantics at heart come from all over the world to celebrate it as an expression of love.

I used to think the Eiffel Tower was a cliche, but when I visited Paris, a long time ago now, the atmosphere and feeling of romance was everywhere and very real.

With all the joy and beauty that it represents, it is a shock to see such violence and terror.

I have no words of my own that are adequate to express the sadness. All I can think of and hear are the words and songs of John Lennon.

 

photo credit: Eiffel Tower Through the Fog via photopin (license)

Inspiration at the Mademoselle Prive Exhibition

Posted in inspiration, lifestyle, Perfume, Places Visited, Uncategorized by

Chanel Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery Sloane Square

The Mademoiselle Privé exhibition for Chanel arrived on 23rd October and finished on Friday 1st November at the Saatchi Gallery in Sloane Square. It was a chance to take a sneak peek at the world of Chanel.

Although we had been busy, I wanted to visit the exhibition on Sunday evening before the show closed.

When we arrived, however, there was a long, long queue of people waiting patiently to get into the exhibition. Instead, I queued up the following Monday, the last week before the exhibition closed.

I’ve always considered Gabrielle Chanel to be an inspirational business woman.

I think of her as one of the first women entrepreneurs of the 20th century. She figured out how to be successful in business at a time when it was almost impossible to succeed as a woman. I can only imagine the kind of obstacles that she must have had to overcome.

Each room was a journey through her work. As you entered, the first exhibit was about her apartment and Salon in Paris. The accompanying App for mobile devices in Android or Apple used your location and revealed more about the exhibition as you walked through each room.

What I liked about the exhibition was that it told the story of her creativity through the eyes of the current Creative Director, Karl Lagerfeld. She taking the lead, he acting as the curator in a film that was part of the exhibition.

As I walked round, it made me wonder about her life, she must have had such an extraordinary will to succeed.

The exhibition included a recreation of the staircase in her Salon. It was mirrored, faceted along the curve of the wall along on one side, with a sleek elegant metal hand rail. It is said, that she designed the staircase so that she could stand in one place and see what was happening on every floor.Faceted Mirrored Stairwell at Chanel' exhibition at the Saatchi Exhibition

There was something about the detail in the design of the stairs that reminded me of the attention to detail of the cantilevered glass stairs in Apple stores that seem suspended in air.

If you have ever visited an Apple store, each of them has the same design features and a set of glass stairs. They are similar in a way, as both have gone beyond the products they designed and made sure their surroundings were stylised and designed to showcase their brand.

If she were alive today, I wonder whether she would be in fashion or whether she would have ventured into technology.

I loved the perfume and garden room exhibits, the boxwood in the garden was laid out featuring intertwining C’s.

I was expecting the perfume not only to be on display in terms of the iconic bottle designs but also the unmistakable scent of No5.

The perfume room was designed to be a visual impact to see rather than an experience in terms of scent.

Chanel No5 was launched in the 1920s and is still one of the best-selling perfumes today. At the time, it embodied what Chanel was searching for to describe femininity:

It was what I was waiting for. A perfume like nothing else. A woman’s perfume, with the scent of a woman.”

The ingredient that makes Chanel No5 ahead of its time was the use of Aldehydes which hadn’t been used in such quantities before Chanel. She worked with the Perfumier Earnest Beaux to create the iconic perfume.

He combined the aldehydes with Ylang-Ylang, neroli, as well as Jasmine, Mayrose, Sandalwood and Vetiver.

I think she must have liked to break with tradition and must have chosen to work with Earnest Beaux because he wasn’t afraid of challenging conventions as well.

I was thinking that in this aspect again, she was ahead of her time, breaking with tradition and innovating through her perfume, fashion and jewellery.

The exhibit included a number of workshops on the top floor, the Chanel No5 workshop was an opportunity to learn more about the fragrance.

I left the exhibition inspired by the notion that she was brave, took risks and never settled for anything less than perfection, even in the smallest details of her work. I think that’s what I learned, to strive for perfection in the detail.

hmm, I think some Chanel fragrance, will be on my Christmas list this year, either to give as a gift or to receive, something to wear to remind me of the exhibition as inspiration every day. Can’t wait…..

 

Saatchi Gallery, Chanel Exhibition

 

#MademoisellePrive

A video posted by CHANEL (@chanelofficial) on

We felt as if we were in a James Bond Movie – An 80th birthday celebration

Posted in Family, inspiration, lifestyle, Places Visited, Uncategorized by

London 5 star

We knew the weekend would be special, it had been planned early on in the year. A celebration of my father in law’s 80th birthday which my mother in law had planned in great secrecy.

She had mentioned that the hotel booking was in central London, something about it being near Whitehall. This was some time ago and with getting the kids ready for school each day, work and everything else in between I forgot all about it until the weekend approached.

The address of the hotel is located at Number 2 Whitehall Court and called The Royal Horseguards Hotel.

We checked in last Saturday afternoon, that is my hubby and our two kids and headed for our rooms on the 8th floor. My parents-in-law had checked into the hotel the night before.

James Bond roof- top scene in Skyfall

As we looked out across the London skyline from our room on the 8th floor at the top of the building, we both commented almost at the same time that it vaguely reminded us of something we’d seen in a film, probably a James Bond Movie.

Turns out we were staying in a hotel a few feet away from the scene and shoot location for the Skyfall movie. The location of the shoot was at N0 3 Whitehall Place, the department of Energy and Climate Change.

Directly opposite the hotel is the street sign for New Scotland Yard, I think you can just about make this out in the photo with the Bus below.

Here’s the scene in the movie trailer:

Here’s some pics from the windows across the rooms on the 8th floor:

The Royal Horseguards Hotel  was once apartments and built in 1884. It was modelled in the style of a French Chateau and adjoins  the Liberal Club.

During both world wars, the building that is now the hotel was taken over by the Ministry of Defence and used by MI5 and MI6.

The 8th floor of the hotel is where the MOD held meetings and coordinated their activities during the wars, it was then known as Block Two.

It was easy to get carried away imagining the secrets, decisions being discussed, perhaps even, in the rooms we were staying in.

The opulence of the hotel and its history was breathtaking, we even managed to get a sneak peek into the Liberal Club, where a portrait of Sir Winston Churchill is proudly displayed amongst many portraits of national heroes.

In March of this year, the first Chief of Secret Intelligence Sir Mansfield Cumming was honored with an English Heritage Blue Plaque which commemorates his former London home and office at 2 Whitehall Court which is part of the Royal Horseguards Hotel.

He was known as “C” due to his habit of initialising papers. This tradition of adopting the pseudonym “C” continues today as each Chief of the service is called C. It inspired Ian Fleming to create the character “M” in the James Bond novels.

Nearby to the hotel are a number of London’s landmarks:

  • Trafalgar Square
  • Buckingham Palace
  • The London Eye as well as the beautiful views across the River Thames.

Although we live in London, it isn’t often that we take a moment out of the hectic daily grind to take-in the history and iconic scenery that surrounds us in everyday life.

As we looked across the rooftops, it was easy to imagine James Bond standing on the roof terrace planning a secret rendezvous. With the release of the next instalment of Bond’s adventures in Spectre this week, I’m looking forward to watching the film.

All in all, it was a fantastic way to celebrate such a big milestone for someone who has been the patriarch of the family. I couldn’t imagine anything else more fitting than this.

 

Sunday Spa Feature – Orange, Cinnamon and Ginger Cellulite Smoothing Skin Polish

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

Orange, Ginger and Cinnamon cellulite smoothing skin polish (2)

I’ve been baking with Oranges and Cinnamon this week and the delicious scent gave me an idea for a cellulite smoothing skin polish which is easy to make at home, packed with ingredients that will help firm, tone and smooth skin which might be looking a little bumpy because of cellulite.

Whilst there are many commercial products available, most health and skincare experts would agree that a healthy diet, combined with exercise to stimulate the circulation will help eliminate toxins from your system and therefore improve skin and muscle tone.

Now, I’m not what you call a gym bunny, so to help improve skin circulation, I’ve created a cellulite smoothing skin polish that can be used once or twice a week as part of a spa experience.

The Ingredients that made it into this Cellulite Smoothing Skin Polish:

 

Dried orange peelOrange Peel

Orange Peel has excellent antioxidant property, containing Vitamin C an antioxidant found in many expensive skin care products, it also contains Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, minerals which is great for skin. The citric acid in the orange peel that will help to exfoliate and brighten skin.

Root Ginger

Contains powerful antiseptic and cleansing properties, it increases blood circulation. With the heat from the Ginger grated into the skin polish it will gently warm and stimulate circulation to the skin.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been used in Asian and Chinese cultures both in food and herbal remedies for centuries.  Cinnamon will boost circulation when applied to the skin and has been shown in recent studies to rid the body of toxins and boost the immune system.

Coconut Oil

Known in it’s ability to moisturise, it’s packed full of antioxidants which work to increase skin elasticity and firmness.

Argan Oil

Rich with Vitamin A and E, Argan Oil is mainly composed of fatty acids (80%) and antioxidants such as linoleic acid. It will smooth, add moisture and rejuvenate skin, no wonder skin care and cosmetic companies have been using this in many of their products.

Dead Sea Salt

The waters of the dead sea are renowned for their therapeutic benefits. Containing lots of minerals such as Magnesium, potassium, calcium chloride and bromides, it increases circulation and helps skin to retain moisture. It has been proven to be effective for easing muscle aches and pains. As the grains of this salt are fine, it can be used as the basis of the skin scrub.

If you don’t have Sea Salt to hand, then soft brown sugar can be used as an alternative.

How to make:

This is so simple to make, as Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, I have put a tablespoon of the coconut oil in a glass jar and in a jug of hot water to melt.

Once melted, combine the Orange Peel powder with the Coconut oil. (I have dried the orange peel first before putting it into a food blender and then blitzing it so it becomes a fine pebbly mixture which will mix better with the oils.) If you don’t have the time to do this, simply grate the orange peel.

Add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon. You can either use the pre-ground powder or grate some cinnamon sticks if you have this.

Grate some fresh root ginger, about a teaspoon or more if you are feeling brave as the heat of the ginger will be very stimulating.

Combine all these ingredients and make into a paste. Add 5-6 tablespoons of Dead Sea Salt and mix together so that the paste of coconut oil, orange peel, grated ginger and ground cinnamon is mixed thoroughly into the dead sea salt.

At this point the mixture will be a little dry and crumbly. Add a teaspoon or two of Argan Oil so that the mixture is soft to the touch but remaining granular for the scrub mix.

You can either use this scrub in the bath, or in the shower, apply a little at a time, rubbing and massaging the mixture in small circular motion into your skin.

You’ll notice not only does it smell great as the scent of oranges, ginger and cinnamon is released into the warmth of a shower or bath, but your skin will get a little pink and and you may tingle all over*, this is from the heat of the spices boosting your circulation and improving lymphatic drainage. The granular salt works to polish and improve the appearance of any cellulite, lumps, bumps and skin blemishes.

The mix can also be used as a bath soak. Just sprinkle into warm running water. It is particularly great for sore aching muscles or as a treatment for the symptoms of a cold or flu.

Once you’ve finished in the bath or shower, if you want to go all out and complete the spa experience, why not try making and using the pampering body oil to lock in moisture to your skin.

*Before trying this recipe, please do a patch test first in case of any skin irritation.

 

A window renovation that turned into a room revamp

Posted in At home, Decorating, inspiration, lifestyle, Projects, Renovation, Uncategorized by

Bedroom Update (3)About a month ago, I decided that our windows were in need of repair. Seriously, they looked really bad and although neither I or my hubby were great at DIY, something had to be done as I was convinced the windows would fall out in the middle of one night.

So, with the purchase of some wood primer and white satin wood paint for wood, I started to sand down the windows. If you own an older property, you’ll understand what a relentless task it is to keep up with all the repairs that are needed.

As I painted, there were big gaps between the leaded windows and the wooden frames which needed to be filled. This was somethng I’d never done before, so looking up on YouTube I found an instructional video on how to put linseed oil putty into wood framed windows. Of course it looked easy, but was actually very fiddly. In the end, I managed to patch-up most of the big gaps, but there are a few that I haven’t managed.

Bedroom Update (5)Once painted, the windows looked fresh and clean, in stark contrast to the room which hadn’t been decorated since we first moved in over 10 years ago.

Lots of other jobs around the house had taken priority, namely my kiddies rooms first and a major extension to the side of the house to fit our growing family needs.

So, now whilst looking for the linseed putty in the DIY store, I mentioned to my hubby about getting some paint for the ceiling, where some of the paper had started to peel away and looked as if it was ready to fall.

At this point my thoughts were to just glue the paper back in place. My hubby had other ideas, he decided the paper had to come down.Bedroom Update (8)

If you’ve ever moved into a house and started to take paper off, only to find layers of paper underneath, this is bascially what we found underneath the first layer of paper. Seriously WHO puts embossed paper over more embossed paper?

So, with limited options financially, we couldn’t afford to get a decorator in. It meant painting over the ceiling to at least cover up the unsightly stains and ripped paper and bare plaster in places.

This of course meant that the walls looked tired and grubby as well. So a fresh coat of paint was needed here too.

It was actually choosing the paint colour that took the longest time.

Hubby wanted a big change, contrasting dramatic colours. Of course that would be ok if we could afford to change our drapes.

Personally I would have preferred an off white, simple neutral backdrop for our dark wood furniture. But marriage is about compromise, being in harmony.

So in the end we did choose colour, a sunny yellow for most of the walls, (my choice) with a dramatic strong accent wall colour in Teal. (Hubby’s choice)Bedroom Update (2)

Against this Teal, I think the dark wood sleigh bed looks great. (An investment purchase we made before the kids became our priority).

As for the windows, we couldn’t afford to replace the drapes or roman blinds that had been badly stained by spots of mildew from all the condensation comming off the wooden windows. I cleaned them and aired them outside in the garden. They look ok, since they were chosen for their period, vintage feel, my reasoning being if they were never trendy or in fashion to begin with, they wouldn’t look out of place with changing fashions or trends in interior design. I don’t think they’ve aged too badly.Bedroom Update (1)

There’s still a lot of work to be done of course. I’m looking out for some lovely containers to make some scented candles to fill the room with Ylang Ylang and Jasmine, scents that will remind us of our honeymoon.

Let me know if you’ve opted for strong colours in your home schemes.