Tag Archives: Skin care

Nuxe nourishing dry oil for unpredictable weather

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, Skin Care, Skincare, Sunday Spa Feature, Wellbeing by

 

It’s been snowing this weekend, in the middle of March! when it’s supposed to be spring. The unpredictable weather has caused all sorts of problems in my garden, the daffodils which were just starting to bloom have all died, and the cherry blossoms are looking all very sorry for the snowy blizzard conditions. Not that I’m complaining too much, the house is warm, and we are enjoying the snowday in watching films on Netflix.

The weather and central heating have made my skin blotchy with dryness. Whenever this occurs, I use a facial oil to boost the level of moisture in my skin. If you’d like to make your own facial oil, there’s an easy recipe here

Last year, for my birthday, I received

a lovely multipurpose oil from the French beauty brand Nuxe.

It boasted many uses, from adding shine and moisture to your hair, reducing stretch marks, alleviating dry flaking skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, it truly is an amazing multi-purpose oil.

With so many uses, it means that it has reduced the number of products in my bathroom cabinet.

I use it as a light body moisturiser, a quick spritz after a shower means it locks in skin softness and prevents dry, cracked skin. It is so quick; I don’t have to wait for the oil to sink in before getting dressed because it’s a dry oil.

On my hair, I spritz it into my hairbrush after blowdrying so that it protects and adds shine to my hair and seems to make my hair between washes last longer.

On my face, I can use it by mixing it into my moisturiser and add extra oomph to combat the recent cold weather.

The ingredients in the oil all have skin benefits. There are no less than seven botanical oils, sweet almond, camellia, hazelnut, borage, macadamia and argan oils and is free of preservatives, silicone or mineral oils.

The scent of the oil is a warming fragrance like a comfort blanket, or a warm hug and reminds me of vanilla and sandalwood. It is described by the brand as orange blossom, magnolia and sweet vanilla.

Hmm, even though I love making a facial oil because this has so many uses, I think this is going to be a permanent addition to my skin care routine.

Enjoy!

Spring clean your skin with Grapefruit 

Posted in beauty, lifestyle, Skin Care, Skincare, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

Sunshine and spring weather has finally emerged and is making me feel it’s time to give my skin a spring clean.

I love the scent of Grapefruit and on a recent trip to the high-street, I purchased this lovely tube of refreshing Grapefruit skin sorbet from The Body Shop. The scent is uplifting and energising. Since my budget did not stretch to getting any further skin treats, I decided to make my own refreshing bath soak and skin scrub in one.

This is the simplest way to get the scent of grapefruit to fill your bathroom and give skin a refreshing spring clean.

All you need is half a grapefruit. Just squeeze the juice into a bowl and mix in a large helping of rolled oats (I had porridge oats in my store cupboard), next add in a teaspoon of Green Tea leaves, since I’d received a gorgeous tin of White Peony Tea, I used this to ensure the antioxidant benefits found in Tea would make its way onto my skin.

To add moisture, I added half a teaspoon of Jojoba oil to the mix.

To boost the scent of the grapefruit, I added Bergamot essential oil. You can add any citrus-scented essential oil that you have to hand if you don’t have grapefruit.

Add the zest of the grapefruit skin by grating it with a fine grater.

By now this mix looks clumpy and can the smell of Grapefruit and the citrusy scent has already filled my kitchen with its wonderful aroma.

You can now use it as a skin scrub or use it as a bath soak.

So that the small bits of the porridge do not float around the bath, I filled some empty tea bags. You can order these empty tea bags online or use a tea infuser.

These tea bags with fresh ingredients will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.

Just hang the tea bag under a hot running tap in the bath and the aroma of Grapefruit and all the lovely ingredients that have been used in this mix will infuse the bath water with its scent and goodness.

There’s just nothing like a good soak, except perhaps smoothing over the Grapefruit souffle body lotion to complete the experience.

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.

Refreshing herb tea foot soak

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, In the garden, lifestyle, Skin Care, Wellbeing by

This is the easiest recipe to make at home which will revive and refresh tired aching feet. I had all the ingredients in my garden. Better still, the only cost involved was just the use of the pre-made little tea bag pouches which I got online. One hundred of these little pouches ready to fill with tea leaves, herbs or anything which you want to infuse or soak in hot water.

For this refreshing herb tea foot soak, I simply picked a small bunch of mint leaves, a few sprigs of rosemary and some lavender buds which were still flowering in the last days of summer.

A dash of Dead Sea salt, which I already had in my cupboard and a few drops of Peppermint and Lemon Essential Oils, and Orange Blossom Water all mixed roughly together in the tea bag pouch.

Soak in a bowl of boiling water for as long as you want and pour into a warm bowl of clean water. Ready to soak tired weary feet.

I know this seems like quite a bit of effort, but after a long day at work, I like the idea and ritual of preparing something a little indulgent, a little bit of me time to indulge in. The scent is uplifting and has this magical way of transforming the  room into a scented retreat.

Feet are now soaked and feeling light and refreshed. Hmm now for that pedicure, a colourful treat for my toes.

Because everything will be coming up roses – Rosewater Facial Wash

Posted in beauty, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

Rosewater Facial Wash

I love the sent of roses.

Yesterday I finally got around to planting the two rose bushes purchased a couple of weeks ago. I hadn’t got round to putting them into the garden as the previous weekends had been busy and the weather had been, well pretty unfriendly.

So when I looked out of the window in the morning, there was no more excuses. I dug the soil, as it had been wet, the ground was soft and much easier to dig. With some bonemeal to sprinkle into the earth around the rose bush, I patterned down the earth around the two rose bushes.

I can hardly wait for the first rose buds to appear. The rose bushes cost just the same as a bunch of ready cut roses from the Supermarket, but hopefully, they will yield a lot more blooms throughout early summer and Autumn. I chose fragrant varieties in deep pink and white.

Rosewater Facial Cleanser

Meantime, in the bathroom, I’d run out of face wash. I prefer to wash the day’s make-up off with soapy cleanser, somehow the foaminess feels so much more refreshing than just the Rosewater toner/cleanser that I use afterwards.

Since I have a bottle of Doctor Bonner’s Castille Soap (baby wash version) waiting to find a use in my cabinet, I’m using this for the first time to make a batch of facial cleanser. As it is supposed to be non-scented, it will make a good base for a natural facial wash, though it still has the scent of Castille soap.

I’ve combined this with Rosewater along with Jojoba Oil and the scent of rose along with Jasmine makes the facial wash a floral sensation.

Here’s the ingredients:

1/4 cup Doctor Bonner’s baby non-scented Castille Soap (you can use solid or liquid)

1/4 cup Rosewater

1 teaspoon Jojoba oil, 1/2 teaspoon Rosehip Oil*

4-8 drops of your chosen blend of essential oil (I’ve chosen to use a 10% dilution of Jasmine Absolute and Rose Geranium)

Making the facial wash could not be easier, just combine all the ingredients in a bottle shake vigorously to combine and put a cap on.

I use this at night to remove make-up and afterwards use the Rosewater and Witch Hazel Toner. Just wash face until all trace of make-up has gone. It is quite watery, though if you use a muslin, simply squirt a bit on a damp muslin and rinse until clear.

That’s it, and best of all it’s all natural and can be customised to suit your skin

*I have chose Jojoba Oil and Rosehip oil as these have great anti-aging properties. You can use Coconut or Sweet Almond or any other natural oil best suited to your skin instead. Experiment until you get the right consistency you prefer

Rosewater Facial Wash

 

 

 

 

 

 

Korres Jasmine Shower gel

Posted in Bathroom, Family, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Scent, Skin Care, Skincare, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

This is one of my favourites as there’s only one way to describe the scent in this bottle and that is its sublimely indulgent.

The heady scent of Jasmine will hit you the moment this makes contact with water and skin.

The scent is as natural and as authentic as you can get to real Jasmine. I love the idea of enveloping myself in its aroma, drinking in the scent as if I’m sipping my favourite Jasmine Tea from Whittards.

From outside in, the scent of Jasmine can be a natural drug to lift your mood. It stimulates the release of serotonin which boosts energy. Perhaps this is the reason I love it so much.

As it is one of the most expensive essential oils to buy, I have a small bottle which contains a 10% dilution in jojoba oil, which I keep to add a few drops into the night time facial oil I made.

Around 8 million Jasmine blooms are needed to produce a kilo of essential oil, commercially the blooms are hand picked at night when their scent is at their most powerful. I love the idea that the magic of the scent is only released at night. There’s something very Arabian nights about this.  It also means it’s one of the most expensive oils to buy.

It also reminds me of my early childhood home where we had a Jasmine bush climbing outside our front door.

In in early evening as the blooms released their scent, our home was bathed in the delicate scent. I can’t explain how I remember this, I just do and that’s mostly the reason why I am always drawn to anything that’s Jasmine scented.

 

Sunday Spa Feature – Anti Aging Eye Serum

Posted in beauty, eye care, Skin Care, Skincare, Sunday Spa Feature, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

It started to snow today, little fluffy flakes which made the air feel very cold. While I love snow, my face, particularly my eyes don’t.

This homemade Anti-aging eye serum is more like a gel than a serum. That’s because it’s full of the goodness of Rosehip oil.

Rosehip Oil is packed full of antioxidants, is super moisturising and is considered a “dry oil” meaning that it’s quickly absorbed by the skin. It heals scars, is great for pigmented skin and is a great all-round moisturiser for your skin.

Combine this with the calming benefits of Chamomile and the delicate scent of Jasmine, with the antioxidants from Green Tea to prevent dark circles, this nightly eye serum has kept my delicate under eye area nourished, and in spite of the cold weather, the area under my eyes feel soft and replenished.

To make this eye gel is very simple.

In a pan, put a jug in simmering hot water.

(makes 30ml)

Add your ingredients:

3 ml of Bees Wax

20ml of Rosehip Oil

7ml of Shea Butter

Wait until melted.

Now add some Green Tea (I’ve used a Green Tea bag and simply sprinkled this into the mixture to infuse the green tea into the oil.

Add one drop of Chamomile and Jasmine to the mixture

Leave to simmer for 5 minutes and then strain the mixture  through a fine sieve into a small container or jar.

Leave to cool.

The beeswax should emulsify and hold the Rosehip and Shea butter together in a gel-like consistency.

I tend to use this at night just before bed so that all the goodness of the rich serum works overnight. Just tap a very small amount onto the skin under your eye, being careful not to get any into your eyes.

Handmade Christmas Gifts – Peppermint and Cedarwood Foot Salve

Posted in beauty, Christmas, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Projects, Uncategorized by

 

Every year, I look for gifts to give friends and family that are unique, thoughtful and show that their tastes or what they like have been considered and reflected in the gift.

On most occasions, their gifts to me have out done me in every respect, so this year to show my appreciation, the gifts I’ve made are uniquely personalised. Even better, I’ve not spent any time walking around shops trying to find something special, because the ingredients are already in the cuboard ready to be made into something special and take very little time or effort to prepare and make.

If you have ever tried the Shea Butter Hand and foot cream from L’Occitane or from Burt’s Bees, these are lovely little gifts to give and receive. The only thing is that there’s a possibility that someone else has had the same idea and purchased the very same. They smell wonderful, with a range of delicate scents and I must admit are lovely gifts to receive.

To make these Foot and hand Salves is very simple, easier than baking a cake in fact. All you need to do is measure out the ingredients, gently melt them in a jug in a pan of simmering water, add the essential oils and once melted, pour into your chosen containers. Personalising the scents makes these gifts unique, especially if you know what scents they enjoy the most.

Ingredients for the footsalve:

1 tablespoons of Argan Oil

2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1 tablespoon beeswax

4 tablespoons of unrefined Shea Butter

1/4 tsb of essential oils – a combination of Peppermint and Cedarwood (for the boys) or Peppermint and Lavender (for the girls)

To make the Hand Salve variant, you can change the oil and use Jojoba or Rosehip Oil, whichever you think their hands (or your own) will appreciate the most and add your choice of essential oils to add scent. Beeswax and the Shea Butter will emulsify and give the salve it’s lovely thick creamy texture.

Better still, if you want to make the Handsalve to treat age spots (after all, most beauty mags will tell you it’s your hands that show the first signs of aging) select the essential oils for their skin therapeutic benefits.

That’s it. All there is to it for making scented rich moisturising salves. Perfect as a gift or an indulgent luxurious treat. Hmm I think I’m going to find a bit of me time for a Manicure and try some of the handsalve I made.

 

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!

 

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.