Saturday 11 January 2014

DIY Organic Lipbalm

Hello,

Recently, my mum made some lovely organic lip balm which is so simple to make so I thought we'd make some more and I'd share with you how it is done :)

 
 
 
 
Ingredients:
 
The amounts of each depend on how much you are making (see below)
 
Organic Coconut Oil - can be bought in most supermarkets :)
 
Organic Shea Butter - we bought it on Ebay here but it can be found on many websites or in some farms
 
Organic Beeswax Granules - again we bought them on Ebay here but the same as above
 
They are the only ingredients! (Please note that you could use either Coconut oil OR Shea butter with the beeswax OR both (like I did))
 
Equipment:
 
Saucepan
 
Measuring jug - you should either have a measuring jug specifically for the purpose of this or ensure to clean it out with boiling water as otherwise the oils will not come off properly and they will get into your food (or whatever else you put in the measuring jug) - alternatively you could use an old tin can instead of the measuring jug - that way it can just be thrown away it's your choice
 
A teaspoon (this one is slightly larger than a teaspoon)
 
Pots/tins to put the lipbalm into - these are the tins we used off of Ebay but they are a personal preference, and can be found in many different shops or on many different websites all in different sizes
 
Method
 
1. Firstly you need to put some water into the saucepan, about 1/3 filled
 
 
2. Next put the measuring jug (or tin can) into the water to create a double boiler. Turn on the heat to as high as you wish (we put it of the highest) and start to boil the water
 
 
3. There's no need to wait for the water to be boiling to add the ingredients, so you can start to add them now.
 
You'll want to have double the amount of fats as beeswax in your mixture (the fats are the coconut oil and shea butter put together), so your recipe will change whether you're including one or the other or both
 
The amount you use will depend on the amount you want to make, but there is no need to measure the ingredients too strictly. I used 3 'teaspoons' of Coconut oil, one of Shea Butter and 2 of Beeswax and this filled 5x 15ml tins so made 75ml.
 
The first thing to add will be Coconut oil, so I put 3 large teaspoons of Coconut oil into the measuring jug.
 
 
 
4. Next, I added 1 large teaspoon of Shea Butter
 
 
 
5. Lastly, I added 2 large teaspoons of Beeswax Granules
 
 
 
Alternatively, you could buy a block of beeswax and grate it yourself.
 
6. You then leave the mixture on a high heat to melt
 
 
7. After around 5-10 minutes the mixture will have all melted, depending on how much you made, so take it off the heat and take the measuring jug out of the water (I'd also recommend drying the bottom of the jug)
 
 
 
8. Then carefully pour the mixture into the tins
 
 
9. Let the mixture sit for around 10 minutes until it goes like this:
 
 
and is hard
 
10. At this point you can either put it in the fridge or just leave it out to fully set, preferably overnight
 
Made like this, the lip balm will have a shelf life of around 6 months. To make it last longer you could add a couple of drops of vitamin e oil which can be bought from Holland and Barret or online.
 
It can also be used as a hand cream or body cream, you could even put it in a bigger container for this use. I used it on a dry patch I had on my face and it cleared up over night :)
 
 Have you ever made any skincare at home?
 
Don't forget to follow on Bloglovin' while you're here!
 
Bye :)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Debenhams Winter Style Challenge

Hello everyone,

So I heard about an amazing completions (type-thing) hosted by the lovely Victoria from VIXPO and Natasha from Girl in the lens where there is a £500 Debenhams voucher up for grabs! Yes, you heard me right. And there's also 2 £50 vouchers for runners up, so who wouldn't enter! The 'challenge' is two create 2 winter looks, one for daytime and the other a party/evening look, see the full rules here. So here are my looks:

The Daytime Outfit

Sunday 5 January 2014

Get To know Me Tag

Hello Everyone!

I saw this tag on the lovely blog Leesha Jane and thought it was a great idea, I haven't really done many tag posts but I love reading them, although I am pretty bring so I'm not sure I'd want to read my own.... Anyway, I just thought it was a nice idea for you to get to know me 😊

1. Are you named after anyone? Not that I know of, although when I was little I liked to think I was named after Jemima puddle duck...

2. When was the last time you cried? Christmas Day.... Because I was being sick and it was really horrible...


3. Do you have kids? No!!!


4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? I think I would after a while, but I give awful first impressions!


5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Unfortunately yes, sometimes it's a good thing but other times I think I need to not be so sarcastic..especially as some people think I'm being serious....


6. Will you ever bungee-jump? This is a tough one, because I'm the type of person who is SO unbelievably terrified of something like bungee-jumping but then once I do it I want to do it again and if I don't do it, I really regret it, and one of my New Years resolutions is to try and have no regrets so never say never I guess....


7. What's your favorite cereal? Im not really sure, I don't often eat cereal but I quite like weetabix minis with the chocolate chips.... Or honey Cheerios with no milk because I can't stand them with milk, not a good combination!


8. What's the first thing you notice about people? I think I generally notice someone's facial expression first, like if they're smiling or they look upset, but I also notice someone's hair as soon as I see them


9. What is your eye colour? I actually had to go and look in the mirror to answer this one, my eyes are a really odd colour but the best I can describe them is greeny yellow?!


10. Scary movie or happy endings? I love happy endings, but sometimes I'm really up for a scary film, so I'd say mostly happy endings but it's debatable


11. Favorite smells? This is a really random one, but the smell of a bag of mini eggs is like no other....


12. Summer or winter? Summer all the way!


13. Computer or television? definitely computer! I don't really watch much TV, except vampire diaries....


14. What's the furthest you've ever been from home? Florida in America :)


15. Do you have any special talents? No, nothing


16. Where were you born? Essex in England


17. What are your hobbies? Writing my blog, anyhting makeup related! and reading blogs!


18. Do you have any pets? I have a dog called Nina, cat called Betsy and a goldfish called Goldie (named by my ever so imaginative 4 year old sister)


19. Favorite movie? This is a tough one, but I really love the film Overboard!


20. Do you have any siblings? Yes, I have 2 older brothers that are 24 and 22, an older sister that is 19 and a little half sister who is 4!

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? At the moment, my heart is set on being a pediatrician (which is a children's doctor if you don't know :)) 



I want to tag YOU reading this to do this post! Be sure to leave a link in the comments if you do it!

Byeeeeeeee :)

Saturday 4 January 2014

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Merry Christmas!

Wow, can anyone else not believe that it's Christmas TOMMOROW?! It's absoloutly crazy! 


I would like to wish every single one of you a fabulous Christmas! I hope you have an amazing day filled with fun, food and presents! Most of all, spend time with your family and friends! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Xxxxxx






Saturday 21 December 2013

The Christmas Tag 2013

Hello Everyone!

Are you excited for Christmas? I'm feeling positively Scrooge-like as it's the 21st of December (where did the year go) and I haven't done any Christmas themes posts. So when I saw this post on Alice's lovely blog I thought I'd get on board. The tag was created by the amazing Georgina so well done and credit to you!

1. Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?
I always used to have a real tree when I was little and I love them! I just think they look nicer and get everyone into the Christmas spirit, I love the smell of them too! However I think that there are some lovely synthetic trees around and the pines are slightly annoying!

2. You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?
I don't really like coffee or go into coffee shops very often so I'm not really sure what's available at Christmas time but I love hot chocolate so I'd go for a big hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows!
3. What's your favourite colour scheme for decorating the tree?
I love the multi-coloured look personally, but my tree is based on reds and gold and I love it :)

4. Giving or receiving?
The look on someone's face when you give them a present is a priceless feeling so I'd definitely go for giving! I also love to shop around and find people's presents! But obviously, anyone who says they don't like opening presents is lying!
 
5. To mince pie or not to?
Is this even a question?! To every time!
 
6. What's your traditional sunday lunch?
Generally we go for the whole hog. Turkey, ham, pigs in blankets, brussel sprouts, stuffing, roast potatoes etc.
 
7. Christmas day fashion
Generally I make an effort on Christmas day, I would normally wear a dress and heels :)
 
8. What's your favourite Christmas song?
It's got to be Fairy-tale of New York! "...And the bells are ringing out for Christmas Day..."

9. What's your favourite Christmas film?
Now this is a tough one. Its a close call between Elf and Love Actually, I love Polar express too! I'd probably say Elf though, I've seen it about a thousand times and it never gets old!

10. Open Presents before or after lunch?
I know I'm answering this with a question, but, can anybody wait until AFTER lunch to open any presents?! But seriously, Generally I will open my stocking as soon as I wake up, then all the presents from my Mum throughout the morning and have my presents from family after lunch when we see them :)

I would like to tag anybody who is reading this and hasn't yet done this post!
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING CHRISTMAS AND GET EVERYTHING YOU WANTED :)
 
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee <3

Hair Texturising Sprays: Loreal Vs. V05

Hello,
 
Today I am going to be doing a comparison of V05's Dry Backcombing Spray and L'Oreal's #TXT Volume Supersizing Spray.

 
First up, V05's Dry backcombing Spray:
 
 
V05 Plump it Up Dry Backcomb Spray - £3.79 here
 
I'm not sure how this spray works, but it is amazing. It really makes your hair look as though you've backcombed it without the damage or the time! I don't generally backcomb my hair on top as I think it looks a little bit like I've just got out of bed so I will generally pick up the top layer and backcomb underneath to give volume on top, so this is what I do with this spray. It lasts well and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It also smells quite nice, sort of fruity.
 
 
L'Oreal Studio Line #TXT Texturizing Spray - £3.79
 
This spray is also really good, and instantly adds texture to my hair, however rather than making it look backcombed this one just adds texture. I can use this spray anywhere on my hair and, unlike with the V05 one, I don't need to separate my hair first. This one also smells nice, however its more like the smell of a salt spray.
 
Now for the comparison:
 
Both of the sprays are the same price for the same amount (200ml) and I like the way both of them work, in different ways.
 
Although the L'Oreal spray highlights its 'Matt Finish' I think both sprays achieve this. The V05 spray comes out of the can as more of an aerosol, like a body spray or deodorant would whereas the L'Oreal spray is more like a wetter spray, but it doesn't leave any wetness on your hair.
 
I like both of these texturing sprays and they both work really well, however overall for daily use I think I prefer the L'Oreal #TXT spray, even though the V05 spray gives more volume as its easier to use and I don't want my hair to have too much volume haha.
 
Have you tried either of these? Which one is your favourite?
 
Bye!