Make your own lipbalm recipe with free labels.

Long time no blog so by way of an apology -how to make your own lipbalm.I've included cute little labels for your lipbalm pots/tins which you can just right click save and print on sticker paper..I hired  the v v talented louise over at adori to make these for you and they include an ingredient list label for the bottom of your container.Anyway on to the recipe which I got from spirit and destiny magazine ages ago.
Ingredients

• 20g/3/4oz natural beeswax
• 5 tsp organic cold-pressed sunflower oil
• 2tsp organic cold-pressed honey
• 2 drops peppermint oil.

Recipe

• Chop the beeswax into small lumps.
• Put these in a bowl with the sunflower oil and honey,then place over a pan of simmering water to heat gently.
• When the ingredients have completely melted,remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the peppermint oil.
• Pour the mixture into a small,clean,dry pot with a lid.Leave the lid off while it cools and solidifies into a balm,then close.
• Your home made lip balm should keep for a year.

Pumpkin face mask.

 Since halloween  is nearly here and that means loads of pumpkins left over that nobody knows what to do with ,Well I was flipping through a beauty receipe book and lo and behold  a receipe for a pumpkin face mask-problem solved and here it is.

1. 1 medium pumpkin cored to remove the stem.
2. 4 pineapple chunks.
3. 1 tbsp finely ground oats.
4. 1 finely ground almonds.
5. 1 tsp milk.
6. 1 tsp honey.
7. 2 drops rose geranium essentialoil.
8. 1 drop rose essential oil.

Slice the pumpkin chunks into 6-8 pieces and remove the skin.Place the pieces (including seeds and strings)ina microwave safe dish with about 1/4 cup of water.Microwave for 2 mins or until flesh is soft,allow to cool for a few mins.Cut the pumpkin peel from around flesh and discard it.Place the pumpkin flesh ,seeds and strings into a small food processor with the pineapple chunks  and blend for 1 min or until smooth.Add oats,almonds,milk and honey blending for a short time after each one.Add essential oils and blend again.The texture should be rich and smooth but slightly grainy from the almonds.Apply a layer to clean and toned face and neck skin,leavefor 10-15 mins,rinse with warm water and apply moisturiser.

megsmakeup-come join me

I know some of you girls are already meg heads but for those of you who arent-yet!!!-here's the skinny.Megs is the most amazing site-probably in the world(no biggin it up here it really is).It works like this make-up obsessed chicks like you and me join up,fill out a teeny profile just screen name,skintype,3 fav products-then you chat away about makeup and believe me there are tons of reviews to talk about-which earns you points which you then redeem for free beauty products-yes you heard free-meg is so generous she even pays the postage then you give feedback on your products which earns you more points-its just a really cool community with major perks-what's the catch you ask-absolutely nothing!!!.If you want to become part of this all you have to do is leave me your e-mail address under this in the comments and I will send you an invite which you click on to accept and then your part of the make-up fun-simple as that.Just to give you girls an idea of what you could get your hands on here's a photo of some of the lovely treat's I received from megs so far.

Red lip looks

Red lips have been seen on all the catwalks for autumn/winter including Dries Van Noten,Lanvin,Emporio Armani and Alexander McQueen.If your going for red lips for the first time try on a few shades before hand so you can see what type of red suits your skintone.A bold colour is ideally suited to a natural eye and cheek look.Invest in a matching red lipliner as this will create a great base and stop your lipstick bleeding.
Lipprep
Exfoliate with a baby toothbrush and some vaseline and then moisturise-apply a balm such as clinique superbalm lip treatment$13-then blot away excess.
Apply
Apply lipliner along the natural lipline and then slightly colour inward along the lip,then apply your red lipstick from the inside of the lip and then over the lipliner.To achieve better precision use a lip brush.To achieve a sharp edge to your lips,use a small amount of concealear on a concealear brush and apply along the outer edge of the lips.This will also correct any mistakes.
Quick Tips

• Shades-Cool bluey reds are better on paler skin tones and warm orangy reds work best on olive or tanned skin.Corals can be worn by almost anyone.Blue red is more formal as worn by dita von tease where as orangy red is a little more undone and rock'n'Rolla la Gwen Stephani or Debbie Harry and goes well with tousled rock chic hair.For a perfect red that is neither too blue or too yellow and works for most skintoned and age groups try Shu Uemura's rouge unlimited RD190.
• When wearing red lips ,pare down the rest of your makeup and tone down blush.
• Stick to matte red shades if your younger as matte can be tricky to pull off.If your older opt for a satin texture.Matte is really only for a rockabilly look-e.g-Mac's ruby woo.

Making it last-to make your lipstick really last,blot and reapply a couple of times.Separate the layer in a tissue and with a large powder brush apply a coat of powder through a single ply of tissue before your last lipstick application.The powder will create enough texture for the colour to grab on to.
The looks

• The classic hollywood look-as worn by dita von tease.For this look a semi-matte formula is best.If your wary of very bright reds you can mix your red with a pinky brown for a more wearable shade.To prevent bleeding colour in with your liner then slick on your lippy, blot then reapply.Some good colours are.
• Lancome 120 color fever lasting radiance sensual lipcolour in vogue£16.
• Barry m lip paint in pillar box red£4.25.
• No 7 stay perfect lip lacquer in plumberry£9.25.
• Maybelline moisture extreme lipcolour in precious ruby£4.99.
• EYELINER
• Apply-Make-up artists tend to use a fine brush,wetted and dipped in black eyeshadow.But you can use a kohl pencil and smudge it for a smokey look,or go for a ready make liquid liner(my personal fave).Steady your hand by resting your elbow on a table.Carefully apply the liner along the lash line in one stroke,from where the lashes begin at the inner corner to the middle of the eye.Top up your brush with more if neccessary,then continue lining from the middle to where your lashes end.You can add an upwards flick at the outer corner for an elongated cat's eye effect.Finish off with two coats of black mascara.
• Quick tip-to correct any mistake use a cotton bud dipped in eye make-up remover.
• try-Lancome liner design in noir sensuel£16.
• Clinique brush-on cream liner in true black£12
• Barry M liquid liner in black£4.50(http://www.barrym.co.uk/)
• Bourjois liner clubbing in absolute black£5.95.

Blondie inspired rock chic look.

• Line upper eyelid with black eyeliner-put it on thick.The line should become thicker toward the outer edge of the eye,extend the upper line out beyond the corner of the eye,to form a cats eye-like shape.Line the bottom of the eye under the eyelashes with a thin line-Lancome artliner-$28 in smoke.
• Use a neutral eyeshadow on the rest of the eye-Ombre perfecteur perfecting eye shadow base in clair.
• Apply a coat of Virtuose divine lasting curves mascara-it holds the curl for 12hrs $24.58.
• Go for a matte foundation that wont be noticed-Lancome teint idole ultra$40.If you have any blemishes cover with-Maquicompleat complete coverage concealer$22.50.
• Pencil in brows lightly with-Le crayon poudre-powder pencil for the brows$23.50.
• Line upper lip emphasing its shape create a rounded heart like shape at the top of the lipline with the pencil-you can go for a neutral liner if you wont be rocking the red lip every day-Le lipstique-lipcolouring stick with brush in sheer natural-$23 is a waterproof pencil with a blending brush on the other side.Then apply your lippy with a lipbrush-L'Absolu rouge lipstick$29.00.Then apply your gloss on the centre of your lower lip-Lancome color fever plumper in suggestive $29 and rock on.

Glowing skin juice.

From Margo Marone-founder of the organic pharmacy.www.theorganicpharmacy.co.uk

This is the ultimate inside and outside smoothie.Once you've sipped most of the juicescoop the rest out and apply to your skin.

Ingredients.

4 plums.

20 goji berries.

Juice of 1 lemon.

1 cup of water.

1.Stone the plums and chop up the flesh.

2.Whizz all the ingredients together in a blender

3.Apply the left over mixture to cleansed skin,avoiding the eye and mouth areas.Relax for five mins,then rinse off with warm water.

shelf life of your beauty products.

Ever wondered when to toss that mascara.
Here's a few general rules.
Mascara and liquid eyeliner-You should replace mascara and liquid eyeliner every three or four months.As they are used so close to the eyes they can easily cause infections if bacteria gets into them.You should never use other people's mascara and don't pump the wand in and out so many times as it will introduce air and dry it out.Never add water or other liquid to keep them from drying out.This can cause the preservative to become more diluted and offer less protection.
Eye and lip pencils-These can be kept for up to three years.Sharpen them before each use as a way to keep them clean.Keep out of sunlight and heat.
Lipstick and lipgloss-These can last two to three years-but if it smells any way strange,throw it out.Lipsticks will last longer if you keep them in the fridge,especially in hot weather.Never use lipstick if you have a cold sore,otherwise it may spread it.
Foundation-Depending on the type,you may be able to keep it for about two years.An oil-based foundation will last longer than a water based one.However,if you wear make-up every day you will go through a bottle in a couple of months.Throw foundation away if it starts to look or smell different or if the ingredients start to seperate.Try to wash sponges once a week.Allow to dry natueally before placing back into the container,or this could encourage mould to grow.
Concealear-can last up to three years.Sharpen concealers before each use as a way to preserve them and keep them clean.If the concealer comes with a wand or brush applicator always wipe it aftr using,especially if you're trying to cover a spot that may harbour bacteria.These concealers are more easily contaminated than stick ones,because they 'feed' bacteria back into the container.Use stick or pump concealer on spots.
Powder-Although powder will actually last longer,two years is the longest you should really keep it.After that,it will dry outand compact powders may not go on as smoothly.
Eyeshadows-Powder eyeshadows can keep for two years while creams should be retired after 12-18 months.The reason that powders last longer is ecause,like cream blushes,they use emulsions that break down over time.

Get clear skin with chamomile

If your skin is less than clear right now-here is a suprising cure-Herbalist Douglas Schar,quoted in the doctor's book of Home Remedies(Rodale £20)suggests that you invest in a supply of chamomile tea.In studies German camomile(available in healthshops0has been shown to reduce inflammation and speed wound healing."Drinking chamomile tea will stimulate your immune system,"he says,'and applying cooled tea to your face will improve the health of your skin and pores.Two cups of chamomile per day and a morning and evening wash with the tea will make a big differance in most cases.