December 2013

Posted on December 27, 2013

How to use coconut oil in your beauty routine

I’ve recently incorporated coconut oil into my beauty routine as a way to grow my hair. A few weeks back, I popped into Holland & Barretts in a quest to find a natural hair treatment that I could use on a daily basis, and of course – like olive oil– I quickly discovered that coconut oil is yet another beauty multi-tasker.

It’s one of the very few oils that can be fully absorbed in the hair shaft, rather than just sitting on it’s surface. Besides applying this oil to the roots of your hair, here are five other ways you can use it as a beauty product.

Shaving cream: Coconut oil is a great shaving cream substitute,especially for those with sensitive skin. Since it’s a natural oil, it’s a good option for people that might have an allergic reaction to normal shaving creams – unless of course they’re allergic to coconuts! Other than that, it also gives a smooth base for your razor, leaving you with glamorous supermodel legs.

Body moisturiser: For a nice glowing finish, use a bit of coconut oil on your body right after the shower. It will give your body a silky sheen before a big date or a regular night out.

Makeup remover: Another gentle way to remove makeup, just apply a bit of coconut oil to the eye area and use a cotton pad to remove it. You’ll be very surprised by the results and to put the cherry on top, it will hydrate the skin around your eyes – the more its hydrated the more you avoid getting crows feet!

Hair mask: If your hair is particularly coarse then you will definitely feel a difference after this mask. Warm a chunk of coconut oil between your hands and massage thoroughly through hair. Once evenly distributed, wrap hair for 30 minutes and rinse out before following your normal shampoo and conditioner routine. (Some people like to leave it over night, but I’m pretty sure your hair will stop absorbing the coconut oil well before you wake up….)

Body scrub: Why buy a body scrub (or any scrub for that matter), if you can make one at home? Just mix a bit of sugar with coconut oil and scrub scrub scrub! Since coconut oil has anti-fungal properties, it makes for a good foot scrub as well.

If you’re not sure about investing into a tub of coconut oil right away,you could probably get a small bottle of the liquid in a pharmacy (It certainly isn’t as off putting as the jar of lard that I have!) All jokes aside, this natural oil is definitely worth trying, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed shaving so much!

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Posted on December 23, 2013

Home-made almond milk and it’s beauty benefits

recipes

A non-dairy alternative to milk is something that a lot of people look for- let’s face it, with obesity at it’s high, and many “unfortunate” enough to be lactose intolerant , everyone is on the look out for healthier alternatives when it comes to food.

Of course with the New Year only days away, I’m nearly certain that the majority will be “turning over a new leaf” (myself included), so to get ahead start, you can use this quick recipe as a replacement for regular milk – a food that can cause weight gain and trigger acne

What you need:

1 cup of almonds
4 cups of water
honey to sweeten (optional)
1 drop vanilla essence (optional)

Steps:

1.Blend the almonds and water until it gets frothy
2.Filter the mixture into a glass (or jar) using a sieve
3.Put what ever is left in the sieve back into the blender with some water and repeat
4.Refrigerate for a couple of days

5 beauty benefits to drinking almond milk:

Helps in weight loss. A serving of almond milk milk has nearly half as many calories as a serving of regular milk, so this is a guilt free milk (in moderation of course)

Helps build muscle. It contains vitamin D, calcium, and many chemical properties such as iron which is responsible for muscle repair. So if you’re not a fan of protein shakes, a glass of almond milk should do the trick!

Antioxidant. Almond milk is enriched in vitamin E, a well known antioxidant which protects the skin from damage caused by the environment. Replacing almond milk with regular milk will help promote glowing skin.

Oil regulation in the skin. It contains essential fatty acids that help control how much oil is released by sebaceous glands. This can reduce how much oil is trapped and clogged in the pores.

Hydrates the skin. It can be used as a topical solution for dry and flaky skin. Properly moisturised skin can prevent premature aging.

Note: Almonds, like many other nuts are high in Omega 6 (too much of it can cause high blood pressure) so remember everything in moderation!

I know Alpro do a nice almond milk, but making it yourself works out a lot cheaper…..so now that you know how to make almond milk at home, there’s no reason why you should go back to drinking that fat injecting regular milk right? it’s your call!

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Posted on December 22, 2013

Christmas party makeup

tutorials

Only three more sleeps until Christmas day, but four more until Stephen’s night…..

We all know how busy the nightclubs can get on the 26th so of course you’d want to look your best. I’ll admit I’ve never been out on St.Stephen’s night (I know shame on me…. but I’m all about New Years!)

But for you party animals out there who want to look glam for the nights to come, here’s a simple look I’ve recreated with only three products:

Calvin Klein Tempting Glitter 21308 Sage Shimmer
Gold and black eye shadow by Fuschia
Black gel liner by Maybelline

Steps:

After prepping the eyes, start by putting bronze eye shadow on your lids and slightly over your crease (not too high, we don’t want it ruining the eyebrows now do we…..)
Apply black gel liner on the lid ONLY – this will set a good base for the eye shadow and make it more prominent, (especially if your black eye shadow isn’t great)
Apply black eye shadow over the lid and blend inside your crease
Use the gold eye shadow on your lower lash line – going three quarters of the way only- and then use the black on the outer lash line
Apply gel liner (or eye liner of your choice) on the water line

And there you are, five simple steps to achieve this glamorous look! I’m not a fan of false lashes, but when you wear black eye shadow, your real lashes will more than likely disappear,so a pair of falsies would be a perfect way of completing this look!

Don’t be scared to give it a try and let me know how you get on! For more easy tutorials, click here

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Posted on December 12, 2013

Home-made protein bars

recipes

I’m excited to finally have my first recipe up! I know, it’s long overdue, but I guess I’ve just been a bit distracted by all the pretty makeup – you can’t exactly fault me for that, now can you? 🙂

Initially, I planned to have an avocado smoothie recipe up for my first food post, but since there aren’t a lot of avocado fans out there, I’d have to make some alterations to that recipe before sharing it! So for now, you’re getting the next best thing….home-made protein bars!

Last night I uploaded a picture of my protein bars in the making and got a lovely comment saying the mixture looked like poop – nice!

I’ll have you know that it does NOT look like poop, and more importantly, it doesn’t taste like it either! If I’m honest, it’s a lot better than your average protein bar (or chocolate bar for that matter) especially since you control what you put in it so it’s a lot safer as well.

What you need:

250g cup of peanut butter
85g of oats
300g of honey
70g cup dried fruit/chocolate chips
50g chopped hazelnuts (optional)
2 scoops protein powder

Note: You can throw in your favourite seeds and nuts into this mixture, it all comes down to personal preference!

Get started:

1.Mix the honey and peanut better in a saucepan over a low heat.

2. Add the oats and mix through.

3. Throw in your dried fruit/chocolate chips with nuts and then keep mixing.

4. Add the protein powder (a lot of mixing I know)

5. Flatten the mixture into a greased tin.

6. Cut through and refrigerate overnight.

Tip: Wrap each bar in tin foil and keep them in the fridge – great way to pack them up and bring to work/college

I used to have one of these after the gym, but now I think it makes for a tasty snack- could even work for breakfast as well.

I’m not trying to get ahead of myself here, but my father, (who absolutely ADORES Snickers) told me my protein bars taste like Snickers – I know right! I think this recipe will give Snickers a run for their money – in the health world anyways!

Do have a go at it and let me know what you think, but so far, I’ve had nothing but positive feedback on these 🙂

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Coconut Chia Pudding
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Chia seeds have been a staple food in the health and fitness world for quite some time. They are loaded with antioxidants, have a good amount of protein, and they also have a serious amount of calcium in them – gotta look after those bones! For this recipe, you only…
Home-made almond milk and it's beauty benefits
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A non-dairy alternative to milk is something that a lot of people look for- let's face it, with obesity at it's high, and many "unfortunate" enough to be lactose intolerant , everyone is on the look out for healthier alternatives when it comes to food. Of course with the New…
Chocolate avocado mousse
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I’m sure many of you have come across my infamous protein bar recipe. And if you’ve tried making them at home, then you would know that they are highly addictive. Whenever I make my protein bars, they barely last four days in the house, never mind a week! My father…
Tags: protein, oats, honey, add, snack, mixture, peanut, recipe, bar, bars

Posted on December 10, 2013

Product review: Nimue rejuvenating mask and lip cream

product review

Hope you’re all well, I decided to give you a quick lunch time read on two Nimue products I received in a goodie bag a while back. At this stage, I think I’ve used the mask enough times to have an opinion on it (and the lip cream is completely gone, I have nothing left at all!)

So first things first, what does the face mask claim to do?

The Nimue rejuvenating mask supposedly

Eliminates the damaging effects of free radicals to produce a brighter, smoother, radiant and clearer complexion

it also claims to

Reduce the signs of premature skin ageing

and

Has a hydrating benefit

Honestly, It would be great if the the instructions on the pack came with a time frame as well (it would give us something to hold on to), as I’m not sure I’m getting all the benefits from this product. That could be because I found it very blotchy and hard to remove, (once there’s a struggle to remove a mask it goes into the bad books!)

Cons:

– Blotchy and hard to remove

– Requires you to use a lot of product

– Not easy to find (only available in selected beauty stores)

– No prices available online

-It doesn’t actually harden on the face (not a bad thing for everyone, but when a mask is clay-based, I expect it to feel like cement after 10 minutes)

Pros: I love the scent!!

Verdit: Pretty obvious here isn’t it? Think I’d give this mask a pass…..

On a brighter note, the Nimue lip cream is something I brought with me everywhere (no wonder it didn’t last me very long!)

Pros:

– The lip cream is so glossy it would pass for a lip gloss

– It smells amazing

– Extremely moisturizng

– Looks like lipstick (too cute)

– Has an SPF 20

Cons:

– 5g didn’t last me very long

– Difficult to find (again)

– Have to contact Nimue Skin Technology Ireland to find a stockist

All in all, I must say, I preferred the lip cream over the face mask, it glides right on and looks like a lip gloss. It I love how it contains an SPF of 20 (always a bonus)

It’s just a shame I can’t get it just anywhere close by, in this case, I think Carmex lip balm will have to do!

My give away ends soon, don’t forget to enter below !

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Posted on December 1, 2013

Bloggers Meet Up

Events

As you know, the event was supposed to take place at 4pm in Dakota on South William Street,Dublin. However, when I arrived with event planner Christelle Matonto, the manager told us that he knew nothing about our event at all (words can’t explain how I felt when I heard that) apparently the person dealing with Sales & Marketing didn’t communicate anything to him at all so we were basically sitting there with all our load, ready for an event and no venue at all (it was horrific!)

He said the closest time he could give us to set the place up was 3:45 but even then he couldn’t guarantee us the area we had left a deposit for 5 weeks prior to the date – disgraceful

The place was packed so we couldn’t really have the event anywhere there.

I left Dakota thinking it would be a nightmare trying to look for a venue as I didn’t know who was going to take us in at such short notice…..

Luckily for us, the staff in Lost Society were kind enough to take us in with all our load so we had time to set the place up before everyone arrived. They actually saved us , I really can’t thank them enough.

They had a great little place for us and everything, it was perfect! (much better than Dakota)

Moving on to the fun stuff……

Despite our little hiccup with the venue I think the evening turned out quite well. The place was decorated with coconut water (I felt like we had a years supply of that) and aloe vera water as well(absolutely hooked on that stuff now!) I’m so grateful Mark from Koh Coconut was able to provide us with everything.

There were 17 of us, which meant that everyone was able to get a goodie bag provided by Cloud 10 beauty. Each bag had four beauty products, a mini mirror and a €5 voucher to use on www.cloud10beauty.com.

They also had a mud mask from Anatomicals, a voucher for a free mini facial in the Buff Day Spa, a sign up from Boots and one free raffle strip.

Giovanna from Cloud 10 Beauty was the first guest speaker. She shared with us some fabulous beauty products from their site,one of which was a real techniques brush set available only from Cloud 10 beauty. They even offered us a set to use as a spot prize (too kind!)

Next up was Aoibhe Devlin from The Secret Obsession. All I can say is – WOW. Her talk blew everyone away. Aoibhe didn’t hold back on anything at all: she was honest, funny and really well spoken. Her advice yesterday was just invaluable to me, delighted she was there. Thanks again chick!

Through out the evening, everyone had lovely cheesecake bites provided by Cheesecake Dublin on South William Street. We had vanilla flavor and nutella as well, they were both amazing and staff in Cheesecake Dublin are just so kind!

Raffle winners!!

Elisha from Always Time for Tea won the Real Techniques brush set – lucky her! and Marlene from Everything Coco Chanel won the voucher for an hour session on any treatment in Buff Day Spa (very kind offer!)

All in all, I thought everything turned out well in the end, I mean who knew it was possible to find a venue at such short notice!