Little Luxuries

The other day I was thinking about the little things that perk me up if I've had a rubbish day - the sorts of things you don't really "need" but still want and appreciate. So I put together a list of things I feel are totally vital if you've been having a rubbish week and fancy picking up a few treats for yourself.

Lovely Jubblies - Boob Cream. All boobs deserve a pot of this stuff - it smells beautiful (because it's from Lush, of course), is super hydrating and how luxurious is it having a cream especially dedicated to your boobs? You can't go wrong really, big or small this cream is designed to help reduce lines and tighten up the skin with tigerlily. Applied after a shower it sinks in over night and keeps your neck and chest looking especially lovely.

A new nail polish. I love Butter London and OPI - OPI in particular I think are fantastic quality. Sometimes it's a bit of an effort but I always find with a colourful set of fingers and toes my life is that much more "put together." Splashing out on a new bottle now and again is always a lovely way to treat yourself, it's fairly inexpensive in comparison to getting your nails done and obviously you get a hell of a lot of wears out of one bottle of nail colour.

Perfume. I was going to say expensive perfume but to be honest one of my all time favourites is actually a pretty afforable one - from Lush (good old Vanillary - a warming and comforting smell). However I do love a good high end perfume too - I think Coco Chanel Mademoiselle is a pretty universally appreciated fragrance and my most recent addition is Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb extreme - it's just like if Vanillary and Mademoiselle had a baby. Quite a rich oriental one with strong vanilla notes and floral top notes. All in all, bloody gorgeous and I always feel fantastic wearing it.

MAC Lipstick. If there's some other brand you prefer, go for it. However for me MAC is king in the lipstick department and I haven't really ventured away from it...ever. There's such a huge colour range and the feel of the packaging feels well...like a little tube of luxury that you smoosh onto your mouth.

A scented candle. I've really only just been able to justify this financially recently, but when Ecoya came out with a Coconut and Elderflower scented candle I could really pass that u, could I? There's something wonderfully relaxing and calming about a scented candle - I like to light mine in my room while I'm sitting there reading, or have it burning while I plan blog posts. Keeping it for special occasions I find sometimes helps bring on the "inspiration" as it were - it puts you into writing mode or relaxing mode or whatever you want to be doing when you can smell it burning. Shop around and find one you love.

Bit of a different post to normal but I quite enjoyed writing it - frankly the list could have been much longer but top five seemed about right (for the first post anyway).

Claire x

Focus On: Coconut

Coconut is a bit of a buzz in the beauty community lately - and with good reason. I thought I'd start this little series - now and again I'll choose a set of products I love based on a key ingredient - I always like to know different properties and benefits of ingredients and as I buy pretty natural it's a good way to find new products you might like. Anyway - on with the coconut edition!

Daddy-O shampoo by Lush. I've mentioned this lovely shampoo before in my hair care post. The coconut in it is lovely and hydrating without weighing my hair down, aside from that it adds a beautiful if not delicate fragrance to the shampoo. Coconut oil is great for your hair due to its lauric acid content - your hair is naturally acidic so treatments with coconut in them help counteract the drying effect sulfates in shampoo can have (personally I use half/half - one SLS free shampoo and one with, I don't find it harsh at all).

Coconut Oil - cold-pressed and extra virgin. Which brings me to my next item - of course I have to include coconut oil itself. It's fantastic for your skin, as mentioned the lauric acid content is very high in the cold-pressed version and makes a wonderful hair mask or an oil to be added to a bath. It's lovely for your face to remove makeup at a pinch, is great on sensitive or sun burned skin. Aside from all that it's also slightly anti-bacterial so it's a win-win-win really. What's not to love?

Frank - Coconut. Having got through a packet of all three Frank varieties now I can say this one is by far my favourite. Definitely the most gentle, the coconut (and grapeseed) oils are so hydrating and gentle whilst also being scrubby and refreshing. I love to use this one before tan, to remove old tan and to help clear up spotty skin - I just pat it all over my face like a face mask and leave to soak while I was my hair then rinse off the coffee and coconut and my skin is always less red, smoother and absorbs serums and moisturisers better. It's a dream in a brown paper bag.

Hurraw - Coconut. I love the night treatment Hurraw balm but the coconut really takes the cake - if for no other reason that it smells like a coconut lovers dream. It glides across chapped lips like you wouldn't believe and lasts a long time on the skin too. Aside from that it's all natural, cruelty free and vegan. Need I say more?

Any coconut based products you love? I'm always keen to try more with this beautiful ingredient.

Claire x

Weekend Post: Cocktails and Sheep

This weekend dad needed help dagging the sheep, so I helped shift them through the races and separate the lambs from the sheep (we did the lambs last week). It stops the sheep from getting more grubby and helps keep any flies away going into summer. 

This was pre-shearing but I'm just pleased with how brown I am after using my Loving Tan Ultra Dark tanning mousse. The photo doesn't do it justice - I think I'll need to do a post on it later on, it's a beautiful product and lasts such a long time.

 In the evening I was due at a cocktail party - Harvey Wallbangers and a Pink Paradise were what I went for. Am I the only person that's guaranteed a hangover if I drink champagne?

I posted more on instagram (whee I have instagram) which is linked on the sidebar if you're interested. I wore high waisted Levis jeans, a drapey top, white singlet and Jeffrey Campbells. I had no idea what to do with my makeup so naturally I just went for my usual winged eyeliner and added some xobeauty lashes - the same as what I was wearing the other weekend - called The Flirt.

Before - After - Pink Paradise

The anal-retentive person in me wouldn't allow three portrait photos when all the rest of my blog photos are landscape. So I made a collage...anyway here's my outfit for the night. Today I've just been playing with my new phone like mad (I am absolutely in love with it might I add). Aside from that a spot of gardening and a lot of drafting for the next week - work is busier than ever and I'm trying to make sure I can stay on top of everything. Another fairly quiet weekend all in all but I'll be heading back into the city next week - feels like it's been absolutely ages since I was there.

Right, on with the rest of my Sunday work - next post will be up on Wednesday usual time!

Claire x

Social Media!

I've finally received my new phone in the post which of course means I had to get Instagram and Twitter. I'll keep you guys updated on new posts and the like so head over and follow me if you want more regular updates. I'll be doing my usual weekend post tomorrow! All links are now in the side bar if you're interested.

Claire x

Recently Rediscovered

Much like shopping my stash I've recently found a few products I used to use a lot have crept back into my routine. I thought I'd highlight a few that really stood out - you might find something you'd like to add to your own collection!

Fair Trade Foot Lotion. I've been using Lush for over seven years now - and recently I've been having a real "binge" as it were. Seeing as we're heading back into warmer months and my feet are on display in my recently purchased black Havaianas my heels need a little more attention. After I've scrubbed my feet with Frank I like to smother them with this and put some socks on. If it's a cool night I put my super warm woolly ones on, otherwise just some thick cotton socks work wonders. This cream makes your feet feel cool, refreshed and most importantly very soft and jandal-weather worthy.

Mineralise Skinfinish in Lightscapade. This well known MAC product gets mentions all over and for good reason. It's one of those highlighters you can't really go wrong with - it's beautifully pearly, not sparkly at all, gives a beautiful natural glow whilst being nearly impossible to overdo. It's great for summer if you're more oily as it's not adding more cream to your face (my other favourite highlighter is of course Benefit Watts Up). Beautiful cool toned pearly colour with some gold hints in it, it's a great option for fairer ladies as well.

Sea Spray. Another Lush one (sorrynotsorry). Since cutting my hair shorter I've been angling more towards beachy waves and a bit of texture. This one got pulled out because it's great to spritz into damp hair before you plait it to give beautiful long lasting waves (and naturally because it's Lush it smells heavenly too). I often use it to re-fresh day old waves and to give a bit of oomph but also as a setting spray for my hair - think a sock bun with fly-away hair tendencies, a few puffs of this and your hair is held for the day.

Beeswax and Banana Hand Cream. Along with coconut and vanilla, banana is one of my favourite ingredients/scents in beauty products. Beeswax of course is great for dry cracked skin and this is genuinely the best cream I've found to counteract/prevent my dermatitis from flaring up. It's a little on the pricey side - I have to buy it online for about $16NZD but it's worth every cent. A little goes a long way and lasts on your skin a long while. I take this to work with me every day in my hand bag and it sleeps besides me on my table at night (after I've applied it before bed of course!)

Seen anything you fancy?

Claire x

Current Hair Care Routine

Although I use (some) products formulated more with blonde hair in mind I honestly think these would suit most hair types. I've been using almost all of these for quite some time - with the exception of the Kevin Murphy shine spray so I can attest to their effectiveness and quality for certain.

Daddy-O Shampoo by Lush. Not only does this smell heavenly (violets and coconut anyone?) but it also does a superb job of maintaining my summer lightened hair and keeping any strong brassy tones away. My hair tends to be ashy blonde on the top where the sun touches it and a more strawberry blonde underneath. This shampoo cleanses without being stripping, tones with its purple colour and gives me a bit of body without making my hair feel "crunchy" like some shampoos can do. As blonde hair is a bit more porous than darker hair colours it can pick up dirt more easily and look grubby - after washing with this my hair looks fresh and bright every time.

Plumping Wash by Kevin Murphy. This company does not test on animals and like Lush isn't owned by a bigger company that does - so I was quite pleased to trip across them. This shampoo is SLS free so if my hair is a little oily but not in major need of a cleanse or I just want something that gives more volume than Daddy-O I use this. I find mixing up your products now and again can really help your skin/hair from getting stuck in a rut and getting to used to the same products.

Absolut Repair by L'Oreal. I'm gradually trying to steer myself away from anything L'Oreal but I must admit, they got it bang on with this one. It's designed to be a hair mask but I use it as a conditioner as my hair has a tendency to be on the dry side. The lactic acid helps maintain the hair follicle (your hair is more acidic than basic which is why too much shampoo can be drying) and has really helped slow down the appearance of split ends in my hair. Not only that but it makes my messy blonde locks a dream to tangle tease away after I've got out of the shower.

L'Oreal Mythic Oil. Again, this one was a gift a few years ago, it in similar in the way the conditioner works - it also helps tame frizz and lock in moisture.

Kevin Murphy Shine Spray. The ultimate in a quick finishing spray for glossy and lightly scented locks. If I want a bit of extra shine on the ends of my hair and I'm in a hurry this is a dream to use - just shake up the bottle and spritz a few pumps and brush through.

L'Oreal Texture Dust. This dust can be a little sticky if you're too heavy handed, but when you get it right you get a great amount of volume in your hair as well as the fact it helps absorb some excess oil. I usually lift the top sections of my hair and just dust a little underneath to fluff up. That way my hair is volumised but not sticky looking on the outside.

Got any different recommendations? Always keen on cruelty free options!

Claire x

Weekend Post: Kale Chips + Gardens

 I've finally got a great crop of kale growing in the garden - from little wee seeds all the way up to big bushy plants. I decided to try making kale chips from some of the leaves. They turned out pretty delicious so I thought I'd share what I did to make them.

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius on bake.  

Remove stalks from the kale and place on a baking tray. 

Drizzle with olive oil and some garlic salt. Try and keep the leaves as elevated as possible to they can go crispy. 

Bake for 8 - 12 minutes or until they go crunchy and delicious. 

I also fake tanned with Loving Tan - my legs below turned out pretty well (I haven't washed off the colour guide layer yet) - please ignore the feet. My hands turned out hilariously, I thought I'd done pretty well getting between my fingers but by the time the tan had developed overnight I had ombre little brown paws haha.

Finally this afternoon mum and I went to the local garden centre - I'd wanted to get some more plants to replace the ones that got munched up by accident (I was very sad, they were the only seeds aside from my kale that were still living...). So as I drove in my car, mum paid me back for the gas with plants instead - I was more than happy with that!

I bought a little aloe vera - I'm jumping on the blogging bandwagon with cacti. This little guy in the middle will only get about twice the size he is now so will be perfect for my office. I also chose out a few marigolds as they're very pretty flowers to have in the garden as well as attracting insects away from your veggies. If you have snails and butterflies eating your plants, put some marigolds in, the bugs will eat the marigold leaves instead and the flowers add some real colour to the area - let alone the fact that the bees love them!

Above on the left is a little cactus I plucked from our garden, we have so many of them around at the moment and they sort of just fall out their roots are so small. So, I picked a cute little one with a bit of a root on it and shifted it into its new home. On the right is my aloe which will be coming to work with me tomorrow and the radishes are what I picked from the garden this afternoon - dipped in a little salt and they're delicious.

Lilah is my little "helper" and by this I mean he stares at me while I de-pot and re-plant things. Occasionally he'll follow me around if he's feeling espeicially energetic.

My marigolds planted and some lovely bunches of wild flowers - they were all going a bit mad so I just kept them as they were. This is the pollinator mix, made especially for bees. I love bees and having them in the garden is lovely so hopefully these will grow into some beautiful flowers that help draw more bees to the veggie patch and give the bees something to eat!

For a weekend that seemed like it was going to be pretty quiet it turned out quite nicely - now all I have left to do is bring in my laundry to make my bed and do the vacuuming (sigh).

Claire x