If you're feeling the financial strain of Christmas already or if you just fancy pampering yourself after a long day at work, why not try some of these home made cosmetic ideas that are a really cute and thoughtful alternative to anything you can buy in the shops. They're cheap, easy and they really work!
Avocado & Natural Yoghurt face mask
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of chopped Avocado
2 slices of cucumber
1 tbsp of Natural Yoghurt
1 tbsp of Natual Honey (optional but highly recommended - acts as a natural anti inflammatory and can significantly reduce redness on the skin!)
Method:
Squash the avocado with a fork until creamy, add in the yoghurt and honey (optional) and mix thoroughly until a thick and creamy mixture is formed. Apply using clean hand in circular motions over your face and neck and apply the cucumber over your eyes. Applying a thin layer is just as effective as a thick layer so why not use sparingly so you can keep it wrapped up in the fridge for another day? Once applied, leave it to set for 15-30 minutes and then rinse off gently with warm water and pat dry with a clean towel. Yep, it really is that easy!
This face mask is so cheap to make and is really popular - Kim Kardashian and Victoria Beckham both LOVE avocado face masks so it just goes to show that even the rich know that sometimes homemade cosmetics are just as good, if not better, than the expensive retail products! Avocado is really good for dry skin and improves the appearance of your complexion by helping to reduce uneven skin tone.
Tip: Add ground almonds, oats or a little bit of milk into some mashed avocado and apply to your face, leave for ten minutes before washing off with warm water. Repeat 3-4 times a week and notice visible results in your skin complexion within a week!
Strawberry Sugar Face & Body Exfoliator
Ingredients:
8-10 ripe Strawberries (minus the stalk!)
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
2tbsp sugar - white or brown
Method:
Mix the strawberries and olive oil in a blender for about a minute or until liquidized. Pour into a bowl and add 2tbsp of white or brown sugar (whatever you've got to hand - it doesn't really matter!) and stir into a paste. Use in the bath or shower all over your body for lovely smooth and beautifully smelling skin in minutes!
This is so easy to make - when I made it I used a whole box of strawberries and added the olive oil a tbsp at a time and blended until it was the right texture - just keep adding and blending until you think it's right! Do the same with the sugar - keep adding until you've got a nice thick paste texture and voila! You've got a good supply that will last you a couple of weeks when you keep it in an airtight container - in the fridge if possible!
Tip: Recycle your empty pots of cream / lotions and use them to store your homemade products! Remove the labels and add your own with a "To:" and "From:" space for the perfect little present.
Homemade Lipbalms
I've not actually attempted making a homemade lipbalm yet but I'm posting a blog about it regardless because I've read some really easy recipe ideas that I'm going to try and give you an update on how it goes - I'm really excited!
The ingredients in the picture above are:
Grated yellow beeswax,
Flavoured cosmetic oils,
Shea butter,
Lip balm pot,
Mango and strawberry just to represent different flavours - you don't actually need real fruit.
All you really need to make your own lip balm is:
6ml or 10ml lip balm pot
1tbsp grated yellow bees wax
½ tbsp shea butter
6-7 drops your chosen cosmetic flavour oil
All the ingredients are then melted together and the oil is stirred in well - it's then poured into the pot and left to set for a good few hours.
When I was looking around the internet for supplies to make lipbalm, I came across a website called Gracefruits. They sell all of the different ingredients you'll need to make your own at home and you can purchase different quantities too depending how many you want to make. Their list of lip balm flavour oils is so varied from mango, mixed berry and strawberry to chocolate, bubblegum and tiramisu!
They also sell individual lip balm pots for around 35p each which is an absolute bargain. Or if you're thinking of making a few to give to family and friends you can bulk buy really cheaply too.
All the recipes I've looked at are different but all seem really simple - the only really strict rule being that once you've left your balm to set, it's important not to touch it for at least 3 hours. Gracefruits also do a Custom Organic Lip Balm Kit for £15.99 which includes enough ingredients to make 20 lip balms!
The kit includes:
20 6ml lip balm pots
30g Your Choice of Wax
60ml Apricot Kernel Oil
30g Shea Butter
15g Cocoa Butter
1ml Your Choice of Flavour or Essential Oil
Complete, easy and straightforward instructions
Just to make this website more appealing, the staff are really helpful and informed me that the lip balm pots included are clear (not blue as shown in the picture) and can be sent with different coloured lids if you put a note on the order (pink, black or white).
I'm going to purchase the kit with yellow bees wax which appears to be the most popular product amongst reviews against other commonly used ingredients including white bees wax and almond wax (this is a good idea to buy if you plan on giving one of the balms to a vegan friend!). There's such a wide variety to flavours to choose from - I'm currently stuck between mango, vanilla and pomegranate but I'll let you know which one I decide to go for and do a review blog. To make them into little gifts I'm going to buy some small drawstring gift pouches and make customised gift tags to finish them off - I think these will look really cute and make a nice thoughtful addition to my Christmas presents!
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