My Homemade Lavender Syrup Recipe

I love to use dried herbs in my skincare recipes. Lavender and chamomile are my two current favourites. Both have delicate, calming scents and are perfect for sensitive skin. I spotted my bag of dried lavender when cleaning recently and decided I'd better find a way to start using the rest of it up. So I thought I'd experiment in the kitchen and make some lavender syrup.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
A few tablespoons of lavender, fresh or dried
A few spoons of honey

How much sugar you want to use is entirely up to you. Obviously the more you use, the thicker and sweeter the syrup will be. The same goes for the lavender. The more lavender you use, the more aromatic the syrup will be. I used 5 tablespoons, which is quite strong, so be careful.

Recipe:

Mix the sugar and syrup together in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the lavender and bring to boil.

Let it simmer on a lower heat for five minutes then take it off the heat. At this point I added the honey as I wanted sweeten the syrup again. Allow to cool for half an hour, then strain and bottle the syrup.

Store in the refrigerator. It should last around a week.

I'm not totally sure if I'm a fan of this syrup yet, it may be an acquired taste. I do have a fair amount to use up, so I daresay by the time it's finished I'll love it!

Do you like to use flowers or herbs in the kitchen? I'd love to hear about your favourite recipes!

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Five Reasons Aloe Vera Gel Should Be Part of Your Skincare Routine

I'm fairly new to the wonders of Aloe Vera Gel. I was always aware of its soothing and antiseptic properties, but it took me a while to add it into my beauty routine. Now that I have it won't be going anywhere! Here are five reasons it should be part of your routine too.

It's a great primer for make up.

I've tried a lot of primers: benefit, bare minerals, smash box, No.7 and just about every drug store brand. They have all either not worked or not made a difference. I'd given up on primer until I smoothed some aloe vera gel over my face one day and I am now in love. Along with smoothing out my skin it feels like I get a face lift every morning. It is the perfect base for my mineral make up.

It keeps your brows in place all day

Yep, aloe vera gel makes a great eyebrow gel, and my brows can be pretty unmanageable. All I need is a tiny drop of gel and my eco tools brow brush to keep them tamed.

It soothes and heals damaged skin

Razor burn? Eczema? Acne? Sun damage? Aloe vera gel is here to save the day. It helps calm damaged skin and speeds up the healing process. A little goes a long way!

It's a great DIY face mask ingredients

I love adding aloe vera gel into my face masks when my skin needs a little TLC. It's calming, cooling and helps keep the honey from dripping off of my face.

It helps tame flyaway hairs

The gel type formula of aloe vera is great for hair, although I'm not a fan of applying it neat. I mix this with some coconut oil and green tea for a great DIY frizz spray. I keep it in the fridge and use it every day to help tame my hair. Sadly I have a lot of broken, flyaway hairs just now thanks to my eczema, but this does help!

So there you have it. There are many more uses for aloe vera gel, and with a bit of creativity it's easy to use it in a lot of skin and hair care. Try to buy organic when possible, and try to get the purest formula you can. Companies will add preservatives to aloe vera gel, so it's up to you to find something safe for your skin!

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

*All photos in this post are sourced from www.pixabay.com

The Skincare Routine That Rescued My Skin

This last year I've been picky with what I put on my skin. Nothing harsh. Nothing unnecessary. Nothing unnaturally scented. Nothing that's been tested on animals. Has my nit-pickiness and high standards been worth it? Yes, oh yes. I've always had bad skin. Not terrible, but bad. Mild acne, redness, dry skin,.. you get it. My skin just always lacked that "glow". I never woke up in the morning  and liked what I saw.

I've tried and tested near enough every drug store brand from Simple to Dermalogica and nothing worked. So I decided to take things into my own hands. Why was I trusting products with illegible ingredient lists the length of my arm? The answer to me seemed logical: Ditch these companies. Ditch the harsh chemicals, stop funding animal testing and start doing things for myself. 

My research has made me discover some amazing brands: Lush, Neals Yard Remedies, Balm Balm, Arran Aromatics, Lily Lolo and Honeypie Minerals, just to name a few. I also discovered that sometimes the best thing for your skin is lying in the kitchen cupboard: olive oil, coconut oil, honey, turmeric, oats... These are all ingredients I use often on my skin. Over the last year I have completely changed what I use on my skin and have watched acne disappear, redness fade, texture improve, and I can barely remember what an oily T-zone feels like. My make up applies much better and I also like how I look barefaced. So without any further rambling, here is the skincare routine that rescued my skin!

Morning

I try to start my mornings off with a short jog. Yes, exercise helps the skin, so try to get moving every day. Afterwards I wash my skin and mildly exfoliate with my DIY facial scrub. It contains oats, lavender and chamomile which soothe and soften my skin. When washing your face, always start with warm water to open the pores, and finish with cold water to close the pores.

I apply a few drops of my DIY facial oil to moisturise my face. This is currently a blend of jojoba, grapeseed, rosehip, lavender, patchouli and frankincense oil. I change the ingredients every time it runs out to suit my current needs, but a blend of jojoba, geranium and lavender is a great starting point for everyone. My recipe for this is here. Also, please never moisturise with oil on a dirty face or it will just seal in the dirt and make your face break out. Always cleanse beforehand. I point this out as people are always coming back to me complaining that oil broke them out. "Do you cleanse beforehand?" I ask. "No". 

If I'm wearing makeup I give the oil a few minutes to sink in, then wipe the excess away. I then apply pure aloe vera gel as a primer. I've only just discovered how great this stuff is. It's quick to dry and smooths the skin wonderfully. The first few times I used it I felt like I'd just gotten a face lift.  It's great for skin and is the best primer I've used for my makeup - it also helps my brows stay in place. 

I then do my makeup and I'm set to go. I use a mixture of products from Honeypie Minerals, Lily Lolo and Everyday Minerals. I won't go in to my makeup routine just now - perhaps in a future post!

I set my makeup with a rosewater spray. If you're prone to acne, witch hazel is a great alternative. I personally love the smell of rosewater and just wanted something to give me a burst of moisture and "set" my makeup. It gives my makeup a glowing, airbrushed finish (or as close as I'll ever get!).

I try and make sure to drink plenty of water during the day to keep my skin hydrated and looking good. Water is so important for good skin and this is why I count it in my skin care routine.

Yes, it's the same with food.  Make sure you're eating your fruit and veggies. You think 5 a day is enough? That should be your minimum. I never realised how important these were until I started eating more, so eat up as many different colours as you can. It's worth it in the long run and I have my skin to show for it.

SPF is also something you have to consider. Yes, even in Scotland we have to protect our skin from the long term damage of the sun. Especially us paler girls. My mineral makeup has a natural SPF, so when I leave the house I always try to have some on. If your makeup doesn't have an SPF, look into finding a cream with an SPF rating. I personally prefer my mineral foundation over an extra cream, but it's up to you. Just protect your face from those rays - you'll thank me when your less wise friends begin to wrinkle.

Evening

I like to cleanse my face in the evening rather than right before bed. I heard once that you should always wash your face before 10PM as that is when your skin starts repairing itself. Despite the many flaws in that statement (Time zones? Body clocks? Daylight saving hours? Doesn't the body repair when you're sleeping?) I've always preferred to cleanse the day off before it's too late.

I use my DIY facial cleanser to remove makeup. I massage the oil into my skin then wet a cloth with warm water and sit it on top of my face for a few minutes. This is called "hot cloth cleansing" and it is amazing.  The oil cleanses away any makeup, dirt or whatever I've managed to get on my face that day  while the hot cloth opens up my pores and "draws" the dirty stuff out. I then wipe it all away.

Twice a week I follow this up with a face brush and a face mask. I don't use the face brush in the morning as the harsher exfoliation (compared to me DIY face scrub) leaves my skin rosy. It is brilliant for getting rid of dead skin and leaving my face baby soft - no need for harsh scrubs or micro beads, yay!

Now that my pores are open it's the perfect time to tidy up any facial hair. I recently learned how to thread hair myself, and have used this technique to rid myself of any dark chin or stray brow hairs. My trusty tweezers are there for anything else that's too stubborn to move. 

My go to face mask is organic set honey from tesco, but a few other ingredients have made their way into it now. I add turmeric to help with redness and cinnamon for it's antiseptic qualities (but only a little as I hate the smell and taste). If my skin needs some extra loving I'll add in a dollop of aloe Vera.  I mix in a little cornflour to turn the honey into a paste to stop it dripping off my face. I leave this on for about 20 minutes before washing it off with cool water.

I then massage some of my DIY facial oil into my face.  I also use my DIY acne oil on any spots on my face or body. If my skin is feeling particularly dry (from not drinking enough water, being in the sun or drinking alcohol) I'll follow up with my nettle cream from Caurnie Soaperie.

And that is my daily skin care routine for an average make up-wearing day. I don't actually wear make up most days, so the routine is even simpler. So if I'm not wearing makeup and it's not a "facemask" day, the routine is more like this:

AM 

wash with DIY face scrub

moisturise with DIY facial oil

PM

cleanse with DIY cleansing oil

wash with DIY face scrub

moisturise with DIY facial oil

    

It may seem a lot, but in reality it's quick and low maintenance. It's also fairly cheap. I use the same ingredients in most of my DIY recipes, sourced from either the supermarket or online. 

When I started this routine my skin did take a few months to adjust. I had overly oily skin for a while and it seemed like every time I solved a problem another appeared. Once I got through the transition period I was amazed with my skin. I rarely get spots, my redness and dullness have dramatically reduced and my skin is as smooth as a babies bum. I have more of that "glow" I envied in others and I wear far less makeup. My own devised routine made up of DIY scrubs, masks and facial oils has done for me what big branded, drug store "miracle" products could not. More so, it has healed the damage they have done (bar a few spot scars that are still fading). 

So if you're having skin problems, want to shake up your routine or want to start using purer products, give this routine a try. The best thing about DIY skin care is that it can always be adapted to your own skin, but this routine works great for me and could be a great starting point for anyone.

All photos that are not my own sourced from pixabay.com

PS. Keep up with me on instagram here.

DIY Natural Oat, Lavender and Chamomile Face Scrub

I love a good DIY beauty product, and one of my favourites so far has been my DIY face scrub.

It's so easy to make, is gentle on the skin and offers a mild exfoliation.  This recipe is inspired by one of my favourite Lush products, Angels on Bare Skin.

Ingredients before blending

What you need:

Organic Oats
Dried Herbs (I use Lavender and Chamomile from Woodland Herbs)

To make:

Simply put all the ingredients in a blender or grinder. It's up to you with how much you want to make. Blend until the ingredients have become a powder and store in a tub or jar.

To use:

Wet face with warm water and take a pinch of the scrub. Mix with a little hot water in your palm until it becomes a paste, and massage into your face. Wash off with warm water.

The ground lavender and chamomile calm and soothe skin while the ground oats exfoliate. This is great for even sensitive skin, and I use it everyday.

I love using lavender and use dried lavender or lavender oil in a lot of my creations. Do you have any favourite DIY ingredients you love to use in products? I'd love to hear!

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Books I Wish I'd Read Sooner

We've all done it. Scoffed at the love for a movie franchise just to fall deeply in love with it years after everyone else. Ignored the hype of a TV show just to accidentally stumble across it and spend the next 6 hours telling yourself "one more episode". Continually skip by that one book on the bookshelf until you finally give it a chance and find yourself a few days later lying in bed, the book in your arms, wondering what you're going to do with your life now you've turned the last page.

So here are a few books that have done exactly this to me that I'd encourage everyone to give a go:

The Anne of Green Gables Series

Yes this series was written for children. No, I do not care. I read the first book as a child, completely oblivious to the fact there were more books until I was at college. I then ordered them all online and buried my nose in them. The series starts off when Anne Shirley - an orphan - arrives at Green Gables to discover the family wanted to adopt a boy instead. Ouch,

Anne is such a lovable character, and the world is very sweet. It's so sweet sometimes it's almost like a fairy tale, which puts many people off. As a usual lover of drama, tragedy and heartbreak it isn't the type of thing I feel I should like, yet I love it. The truth is that sometimes real life is too damn depressing and I need a visit to Prince Edward Island. I want to get caught up in all the neighbourly gossip and ponder over who is courting whom. Yes, it may seem too "goody goody", but I think it's meant to be a reflection of Anne's optimistic character rather than the world, author or quality of her work. There are some heartbreaking events, especially later in the series where the books are focused more on Anne's children. I won't give away any spoilers, but there were tears.

So why is this on my list? I read the first book when I was a little girl. I loved it when I was a little girl, and I wish I'd found the rest when I was a little girl. It's a series a hold dear to my heart, and a series I can't abide others bad mouthing. Yet I've never met anyone who's read it who doesn't love it (unless they've failed to mention this to me). Plus Gilbert Blythe was my first fictional crush - who didn't crush on him?

The Screwtape Letters

As a Christian, I love a good religious themed book. This story is told through the letters sent by a senior demon, "Screwtape" to his nephew, a junior demon, "Wormwood". Wormwood has been assigned a man to temp and lead to damnation.

It's one of those books that just sticks around and makes you think. Although I'd recommend this to anyone, I felt I found a greater depth reading this as a Christian than I would have otherwise. It explored many issues, and deeper than they may at first seem in such a short book. Not only was it smart and entertaining, I found it busted a lot of myths about my beliefs too. I wish I'd discovered it many years ago when I struggled with what religion really meant to me.

I did read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe series as a child (spoiler: they're all about Christianity), so I wasn't expecting the darker, twisted style this book was written in. Although I did thoroughly enjoy it.

And before anyone asks, no, I do not take this book literally.

2001: A Space Odyssey

So I hadn't read a lot of sci-fi before I read this series. Mainly because a lot of new sci-fi movies put me off (and no, I'm not referring to the new Star Wars, which I loved). I wanted to give sci-fi a try and asked a friend for advice on where to start, and ended up with Arthur C Clarke.

An interesting fact is that the novel and the movie were written at the same time. Clarke and Kubrick worked alongside each other and ended up producing both a fantastic movie and novel (with a few notable differences to suit each platform). You learn something new every day, eh?

I never thought I'd say this, but I loved these books. Although they may get to "sciency" for some people, I find it interesting and pulls me further into the plot. The first book begins way back in time when humans were still apes, and a mysterious "monolith" appears on Earth. It nudges along evolution and the apes end up evolving into men. Men who reach the moon, and discover another monolith...

This book opened me up to the world of great sci-fi novels. I'd been judging the whole genre on a few rubbish movies, which I now regret. After reading this book I decided to start reading more genres, no matter what I thought of them. I even expanded that and began to read more graphic novels, comics, short fiction and non-fiction too. There's only one genre I struggle with now, and that's romance - but I'm trying! "The Rosie Project" is on my reading list...

A Christmas Carol

It took me quite a while to get round to this classic, but oh was I happy when I finally did. Everyone knows the story of Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet To Come, but it didn't make the original any less riveting. What else can you expect from Charles Dickens?

I read this during Christmas one year (shocker, I know), and it did make you put things in perspective. I'll be super cheesy and say it reminds you of what Christmas is all about. Yet it does it in such a compelling way it's hard not to praise. I'd go as far to say that this is a must read, for everyone. You can take a lot from this book if you wish to do so. There's a lot crammed into this little tale, which is probably why it is one of the most famous and most adapted tales ever made.

I only read the original a few years ago, but I wish I'd read it as a child. Not just for the style, or the plot, but for the lessons that stick with you just like the eerie images of the three ghosts.

Also, if you didn't find the "Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come" even a little scary, you're telling porky pies.

A Song of Ice and Fire

Yes, I was quite late to discover Game of Thrones. Anyone who knows me would probably assume I followed it from the start the way I talk about it. Truthfully, I didn't even watch it until shortly before the fifth season. Yes, I watched the show before I read the books - something quite unusual for me.

So I've now read all of the released books in the series, along with the three novellas in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms", and even the short children's book: "The Ice Dragon". I've still to read another two novellas set in the "Game of Thrones" universe: "The Princess and the Queen" and "The Rogue Prince". As you can tell, I love the world.

As a child I was a huge lover of fantasy. Why read about the monotonous world I already live in when I could read about magic, quests and fairy tale beasts set in whole new worlds? That was the logic I applied to my reading habits then. Although I do still indulge in fantasy, I'm well aware modern day literature can be anything but boring, and some fantasy can turn into snooze fests.

So why did it take me so long to read this series? Well anyone who hasn't been living under a rock will have heard of the TV series, Game of Thrones. It is hugely popular, yet before  I watched it I knew nearly nothing about it. This is what I did know: 1) It was often described as a "porno". 2) It was violent and a lot of central characters died. So I shrugged it off along with everything else popular that doesn't interest me. Until my mum bought the first 3 series for my dad as a Christmas gift and he told me it was a great show. "Is it better than Breaking Bad?" I enquired (his favourite TV series). He was unsure, which made me watch it that night. A few episodes in I was hooked, and I soon fired through the books too. Now that the 6th series has ended and "The Winds of Winter" has still to be released, I'm searching for anything that can fill the huge Westeros shaped hole in my mind just now. When reading the books I just kept repeating the same thing to myself: "Why didn't I give this a chance sooner?".

Animal Farm

Yet another short and sweet novel... although this one is admittedly lacking in the latter. Animal Farm is about a farm of animals that rise up against the farmer and take over the place for themselves. They then elect the pigs to run the place, as they are of course the most intelligent animals of the lot. What happens then? Well, you'll have to read it for yourself (it doesn't take long), but their slogan may give you an idea: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.".

It's a brilliant read, and I can't help but continually compare it to modern day politics where I live. For all my international readers out there (I do have some!), British politics are a complete mess just now. If you don't laugh you'll cry. A lot. And if you're smart you'll jump in a boat and swim away in the river of your tears to a better world. Am I being dramatic? Maybe.


I could most probably add a lot more titles to this list, but I'm forcing myself to keep it short. If anyone's interested in what books I do read, check out my goodreads account. Not to brag, but I have Stephen King as a friend on it. Okay, he does have over 2000 friends, but still...

Do you have any books you wish you'd read sooner? I'd love to hear about them!

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Lily Lolo Nail Polish - Review

So I've recently arrived home from a short trip to Paris and, admittedly, my blog has been a little neglected. So to get things back on track I decided to review one of Lily Lolo's new products, their 8-free nail polish.

Lily Lolo have impressed me with their new releases recently, although I haven't been able to try them all as my budget can't keep up! I've unfortunately found myself unemployed after my Au Pair family sadly cancelled our contract early due to their personal circumstances. Visiting Paris again made me miss the french countryside.

So what is 8-free nail polish? It just means it's free of 8 of the "nasty" ingredients usually found in nail polish. Not everyone will agree on what exactly is too nasty for nails, so I'll leave that up to debate. I ordered the nail polish in "soft coral", a wearable, everyday shade of light pink.

I don't paint my nails often anymore. Most of my time is spent drawing, typing or on my hands and knees playing with my rabbits. Groomed nails can get in the way and are the least of my concerns. As I've previously said,  most days I'll only wear a little makeup and brush through my hair (if I leave the house, that is). Why am I blabbering on about this? Just to let you know that I'm not too good at painting my nails.

That being said, the nail polish went on lovely. It wasn't "gloopy" as I expected - probably because it was 8-free. The formula actually didn't seem any different from other nail brands I've tried, such as Barry M or Nails INC (that's about how far I've ventured into nail polish). Again I'm no expert, but the formula gets a thumbs up from me.

I hate waiting on nail polish to dry, but I decided it was worth it for my friends wedding last month. When applying the first coat I was doubting whether it would work - it was very light and looked streaky. After the first coat dried the streaks disappeared, and after a second coat the colour was nice and solid. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures for my blog.

I'd say the polish lasts for 5-7 days, perhaps with some small chips if you're as clumsy as I am. I'm currently on day 10 and I probably should have taken it off by now. Maybe tomorrow...

So to my readers out there, would you consider trying this cruelty free, 8-free nail polish? Or do you have another favourite cruelty free brand for your nails? I'd love to hear about it!

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here.