DIY Christmas Gift: Candy Cane Bath Salts

So I have discovered a completely gorgeous DIY Christmas gift idea for this year.

I come from such a huge family that, for the adults at least, the rule is the present has to be under £5 or homemade. To keep things interesting, most people handmake their presents. We get an array of truffles, potpourri, lip balm and knitwear...but we've never had bath salts!

So it's dead easy.

You will need:
Salt - any type you like, but coarse sea salt I find the best. Amount depends on how big your jars are

1⁄2 teaspoon glycerin

Peppermint essential oil

Red food colouring
Jam jars - washed and dry
Candy canes - for decorating, optional

Card, ribbon and tags (again, optional)

 

Basically, mix it all together (minus the red food colouring, wait a bit for that) then split the mixture into two bowls. NOW add the red food colouring to one of the bowls. When tipping it into the jars, you can use a funnel but I'm not fancy like that, so I just rolled up some paper into a cone. You want to layer the mixture white, then red, then white, then red etc.

 

I like to use different sized and shaped jars, I just feel it looks all home-madey and rustic. Now just wrap some ribbon round, add a candy cane if you like and voila, under £5 AND homemade.

 

New Benefit High Flyin' Lip Gloss Set Swatches

I've been eyeing up this set for ages and so was delighted when I received it as a birthday gift from a family friend.

 

I was actually really impressed with the pigmentation of the glosses and the true-to-blush colours. The smell isn't too sweet or sickly and the consistency isn't too tacky.

 

 

Overall really pleased, currently finding the perfect lipsticks to pair them with, even though I know they'd be great alone.

Pumpkin Spice Latte @ Starbucks

Okay, trying hard to keep breathing calmly...

So I received an email a few days ago telling me that on Monday 1st October 2012, Starbucks would be launching their famous Pumpkin Spice Latte here in the UK!

 

I have heard so much about this drink from bloggers in the states and have been jealous for years, but it's nearly here.

On top of all that, as a Starbucks card holder, I can pop into Starbucks between now and Monday and, as long as I pay on my member card, grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte before the launch!

According to Starbucks, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is "Espresso, pumpkin-flavored syrup and steamed milk. Topped with sweetened whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices." Can't go wrong.

Plum Blush...Where Art Thou?

I recently watched Macbarbie07's video "DIY Mad Hatter Halloween Costume & Makeup" and it lead me to a new obsession.

 

 

In the video, Bethany (Macbarbie07) pairs a deep lip with a plum blush and I have absolutely fallen in love with this combination. I don't know why I hadn't tried out this look before, especially as I am obsessed with plum tones for Autumn, I guess I'd always tried to keep my ldark ips from being too overpowering by pairing them with a muted cheek. Once I'd seen this look, though, I needed to try it.

 

However...

 

I didn't realise just how hard it is to find good plum blushers.

 

For a while now I've been using plum and berry lip colours as cream blush but I do find that it takes a while to build up the pigmentation and, because I always like to matten them with translucent powder, I feel it loses its vibrancy.

 

So then I put some research into (drugstore) powder blushes and there wasn't too much to choose from! In the video, Bethany used a Maybelline blush (she didn't, however, mention the name which really irritates me) but even then when I looked online - and briefly instore - I couldn't see any deep shades at all.

 

Luckily for me, the brand that seems to have the best range of colours is Revlon, my favourite drugstore brand. Also, I read somewhere that Revlon blushes are currently on sale for £5.99. Deal!

 

 

 

These are the two shades that I like the look of. Berry Rich looks like a beautiful shade but I am worried that it will appear too pink on the skin. I also have a similar concern for Tender Plum, the brown undertones could be too much. I'll have to test them in store tomorrow to see which I like on me best. Or maybe I'll just get both...



Transitioning Into Autumn...

So, as I'm sure magazines, adverts and YouTube beauty gurus keep telling you, Autumn (or "Fall") is just around the corner. Well, I say that, I can feel the cold toes and runny nose already!

And, even though I'd love to live in warm corals and cute pastel shades forever, I refuse to be left behind when everybody else is reaching for deep berrys and plums already.

Therefore, I thought I would share the 4 ways I have been trying to transition into Autumn this week:

#1 Raspberry Nails
Without a doubt, my favourite berry shade for the colder months is Raspberry by Barry M. This isn't a new find, it was a Christmas present last year from my best friend, but my love for it this time round is just as strong as it was last year. It's definitely one of Barry M's most pigmented nail polishes and you could get away with applying just one coat. On top of all that goodness, it pretty much goes with any outfit. Thumbs up all round.

#2 Blacking Up
No, not doing a dodgey Mr T fancy dress costume, I'm talking about wearing black. I mean, I'm not saying that I didn't wear black all through Spring and Summer, because I did, but I very much avoided the double-black-funeral-look that I go for in Autumn and Winter. And so, even though it's not properly Autumn yet, I have started going for fully black outfits, broken up by lots of silver and gold jewellery.

#3 Ditching The Sandals

This Summer, I have been practically living in these unique embellished sandals I bought from New Look (I got them for £25, they're now reduced to £3!). I originally bought them last minute for a wedding I was going to in April and didn't think I would get much use out of them after that but they have really come in handy over the past few weeks. However, as it's getting a bit colder now I have retreated back into plimsols and even military boots...at least I don't have to worry about chipped polish on my toes!

#4 Not So Nude Lips
I will wear nudes on my lips til I die, however, I was breaking this up with light pinks and corals over the Summer. In all honesty, I would probably still be doing this if it wasn't for everyone else around me talking about darker "more Autumny" shades, so I decided to branch out. I still think it's too early to go straight for a deep plum (my favourite is e.l.f's Prime Plum) but I have gone for slighty more berry shades and put MAC's Viva Glam Gaga away completely (until May at least).

 

Nivea Does Retro Sweets?

I recently picked up Nivea Cashmere Moments Cream Oil and straight away noticed a familiar smell.

Now, I'm very good with smells. In fact, I could smell a perfume sample and tell you who I know who wears that scent. However, my nose let me down for a while and I just could not figure it out.

But then it hit me...Cola Cubes! Yes the sandpaper-like cuboids that tear your mouth to shreds while claiming to taste like "cola".

With shower creams and body washes, I normally hate it if the smell doesn't last on my skin. However, I'm kind of greatful this time. I don't mind sweet smells, but I don't want to smell like a sweet. I guess it makes me feel subliminally sticky.

But scent aside, it's a pretty okay product: lathers up nicely, leaves my skin feeling clean and soft, good value for money as you don't need a lot (especially on a shower pouf) but I'm still having issues with the smell. I sort of feel like I'm showering in Panda Pop.