Oats and Honey

Chocolate Orange Mud Cake

2009-06-02T16:02:00.002+10:00

A post about something un-soapy related today! It was my friend's birthday a couple of weeks ago and she requested that I bake her a chocolate orange cake. So, I scoured the internet for a good chocolate cake recipe and found one here from Exclusively Food.

Let me just say, the cake was amazing! It was perfectly chocolatey, dense but moist as well as having a delicious, chewy crust. Personally, I am not a fan of chocolate orange but everyone absolutely loved it and I have had requests to make more of this.

All I did was add the zest of one whole orange and I also substituted the water with orange juice. I then added a splash of Grand Marnier to kick the flavour up a notch but you can use any orange liqueur you like.

That was it! I followed the rest of the recipe exactly and was rewarded with a beautiful cake which I glazed and topped with candied oranges.

Do try this recipe, you will not be disappointed!

Mayonnaise Pack for Hair

2009-05-21T21:48:00.004+10:00

I have good news! I got a job! Woohoo!! I'm working front office at a hotel in Melbourne starting Monday. *fingers crossed* I hope I do okay. Thank you everyone for your kind comments, they were greatly appreciated.

Nothing interesting has been happening apart from me getting a job and I've been enjoying my last few days of freedom at home. I've decided to post a recipe for those of you who like to lather mayonnaise on your hair or skin. The oil used is coconut oil because it is the only oil that is able to penetrate hair and make it stronger according to some research I did on the internet.

According to the Beauty Brains, coconut oil is similar to the natural oil secreted from our hair and its molecules are small enough to penetrate the cortex and make it stronger from within.

However, if you have a favourite oil to use there is no reason why you cannot use it instead of the coconut oil.

You will need a blender for this recipe or a very strong arm!

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk
1 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon of runny honey, warmed
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
few drops of essential oils (optional)

1. Whisk the egg yolk in a blender or by hand then add the lemon juice/vinegar and warmed honey and whisk in thoroughly. Add the oil in the blender very slowly until all the oil has been added and the mixture thickens. Otherwise, whisk like mad non-stop while adding droplets of oil now and then until the mixture thickens. As you're whisking or blending, you will notice a change in the mixture as it becomes lighter coloured and looks more like mayonnaise than just thickened egg yolk. Add your essential oils at this point and stir to combine.

2. Slather the mayonnaise on your hair working your way from the roots to the ends. Cover with cling film and a towel. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes then shower and shampoo as normal. Don't forget to condition!

A lovely, luscious treat for your hair which can accompany a home facial for a truly indulgent and luxurious pampering session. Of course, if you don't want to go through all the trouble. Just heat a cupful of your oil of choice (don't burn yourself) and massage it into your hair. Couldn't be easier!

See you guys soon!

Cirque du Soleil

2009-05-13T23:52:00.002+10:00

I caught Dralion yesterday here in Melbourne! It was amaaazzzziiiinnnnggg!! I wanted to get myself a souvenir but I couldn't decide on what to get :(. There was a really nice cirque du soleil jacket but it was 80 dollars and way too expensive. Below is the youtube video of the hoop diving. How good is it? Goodnight, everyone!

Strawberry Cream Bubble Rolls Tutorial

2009-05-10T14:42:00.004+10:00

My first attempt at trying to roll bubble mixture to resemble a swiss roll did not turn out well. However, I tried again with a different recipe and I have to say being quick is really the key here! I waited too long and the mixture became a little dry and crumbly on me although it still managed to hold together in the end.

Ingredients:

First, you will need your favourite bubble recipe. I used this recipe although I had to substitute it with other ingredients as I didn't have Cocamide DEA or Glycerine handy. I suggest you follow the recipe as is posted by Bath and Body Supply because the pictures provided of the mixture sure look good! Basically, you want a good dough-like bubble mixture.

For these cream rolls, you will also need a red colouring agent and strawberry fragrance oil approved for cosmetic use. I used red food colouring although any safe, water soluble colour will do. Optionally, you can decorate with small candy flowers, sprinkles or hundreds and thousands.

Instructions:

First, mix up your batch of bubble mixture INCLUDING the fragrance oil but MINUS the colouring and divide equally into two bowls (Bowl A & Bowl B). Get a damp (make sure it isn't dripping wet) washcloth and lay it over Bowl A to prevent the mixture from getting too dry. Drop a couple of drops of your red colouring into Bowl B to achieve a lovely pastel pink and knead it in well until the mixture is uniformly coloured.

Lay a sheet of wax paper over your work surface, a good one to use is a large, heavy wooden chopping board. Quickly spread the pink mixture out on the wax paper and push outwards with your fingers until you have a rough rectangle that is about a centimetre thick. Still working quickly, spread the uncoloured mixture on top of the pink mixture until you have a rectangle of equal size and thickness. You may need to knead it again a few times or add just a couple of drops of glycerine to get it pliable again.

Now, here's the fun part. If you have ever rolled sushi with a sushi mat, you are going to do the exact same thing here with your bubble mixture and wax paper. Now this is a little hard to explain so I have included this link on how to roll sushi. The steps you want to pay attention to are step 4 and 5. If you have any questions, I will gladly try and answer them.

After you have rolled it up into a tight swiss roll, you are ready to cut immediately with a sharp knife and dip the top of each swiss roll in hundreds and thousands. Leave it on the wax paper to dry for a couple of days before wrapping it up and keeping it in a cool, dry place. Crumble one or two under hot running water and enjoy oodles and oodles of sweet smelling bubbles!

I hope this tutorial was helpful and that you make beautiful strawberry cream bubble rolls!

Winner!

2009-05-10T00:05:00.002+10:00

First of all, I would like to say thank you very, very, very, very, very, very, VERY much to all who commented on my previous post. I really do appreciate the fact that you still visit my blog and I wish I could send all of you a package! However, I will have more giveaways in the future, definitely. Tomorrow, I will post a tutorial of the little candy strawberry rolls and I hope you will find some inspiration from it.

Using Random.org, the number 2 was generated. So, the winner of one fudgey soap and two strawberry cream rolls is Elizabeth Gassner!!

Congratulations! Please email me the address you would like the package to be sent to at michellecheahpeili[at]gmail[dot]com.

Thank you once again to everyone who left a comment on the previous post. Goodnight, everyone!

Chocolate Fudge and Strawberry Cream Rolls

2009-05-01T17:09:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone! I've been gone a long, long time and my blog has been on the back burner for far too long. The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity for me. However, lately, I have been a little down in the dumps thanks to the recession. Unemployment here in Australia is rising steadily which does not bode well for a fresh graduate like me. I have been applying for work for the past few months and still nothing :(.

Oh well, enough of me whining! I actually am sorry that I have not been keeping up with my blog. I know how great it is to read a blog that is updated daily. Now by way of apology to all my loyal readers who still visit my blog, I am holding a giveaway which include some yummy goodies that I have been working on lately.

Delicious, rich, creamy chocolate fudge soap! Would you believe I ran out of coconut oil? I know, it's embarrassing. Thankfully, I still had some palm kernel oil left over.

Ingredients: Olive oil, Palm kernel oil, Castor oil, Cocoa powder, Fragrance, Tussah silk.

Next on the menu, we have Strawberry Cream Bubble Rolls!! This was an experiment on bubble bars and the mixture was a little crumbly at the end. It didn't hold together very well and was supposed to come together like dough. However, I am still pleased with the end result. I ran a few bits and pieces under the tap and there were instant bubbles! It smells really yummy as well.

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Tartaric Acid, Glyceryl Cocoate, PBS Base (Aussiesoapsupplies blend), Cocamidropropyl Betaine, Fragrance, Food Colouring, Candy Sprinkles.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you will be in the running to win 1 chocolate fudge soap and 2 strawberry rolls! The last day to enter will be next Friday. Have fun!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T10:45:00.002+11:00

I'm spending my first christmas away from my family this year. Instead, I'm here in Australia spending it with Dan's family which is all well and good but I still can't help feeling I should be somewhere else.

Anyway, I came online quickly to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone will have a wonderfully joyous celebration today ;)

I leave you with a picture that my dad sent me of my grandfather and my sister titled "Mandy and the Christmas Gnome".

I laughed out loud. He's the cutest grandfather in the world!

See you all very soon!

Make Your Own Solid Body Butter

2008-12-15T15:42:00.001+11:00

My most popular blog post of all was the Make Your Own Bath Bomb post way back in November of last year. I have yet to post anymore tutorials like that and decided it was certainly time to bring back a "make your own..." tutorial.

This tutorial teaches you how to make your own exfoliating, solid body butter much like another most wanted Lush product called Buffy.

Ingredients
Fair Trade Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Ground Rice (Oryza sativa), Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis), Ground Aduki Beans (Phaseolus), Perfume, Lavender Oil (Lavandula hybrida), Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Description
Scrub-a-dub-dub, get this body butter in the tub (or shower) and buff away the day's worries. Stress disappears as our lavender-scented body butter melts into your skin, making it way beyond silky. Ground rice, almonds and aduki beans exfoliate to velvety perfection as the natural butters provide maximum miniaturization. So put down your loofah, grab your Buffy, and smooth your cares away.

Buffy (Lush replica)

Makes: Two 100g bars
Difficulty: Easy

78 g refined cocoa butter (39%)
78 g refined shea butter (39%)
14 g ground rice (7%)
14 g ground almonds (7%)
12 g ground adzuki or red beans (6%)
*4 g fragrance/essential oils (2%)
mould for individual 100 g rectangular shaped bars

1. Melt the butters gently over a double boiler or in short 10-15 second bursts in the microwave.
2. Add in ground exfoliants and stir well.
3. When the mixture is warm to the touch, around 45C/115F, add in your fragrance/essential oils.
4. Allow to cool in the fridge until the mixture becomes opaque and has thickened slightly. This helps keep the exfoliants suspended in the mixture instead of sinking to the bottom when placed in the mould. Stir well.
5. Spoon the mixture into your mould and bang it down gently on the counter to get an even surface and release trapped air bubbles.
6. Put the mould back into the fridge and wait. Check back after 20 minutes and it should have hardened nicely. Pop it out of the mould and enjoy!

*the amount of each essential oil to add really depends on what you like. Lush uses lavender and lemon oil; play around with them to come up with a blend that you are happy with.

The recipe uses 80% butters (including fragrance/essential oils) and 20% exfoliants. You may adjust the percentages of butters and exfoliants to come up with a scrubbier bar or one that is less scrubby. However, I recommend not reducing the percentage of your butters to any less than 70% or it might not hold together very well. 70% butters and 30% exfoliants makes for a very scrubby bar!

This makes a very hard bar and the high content of cocoa butter will ensure your bar doesn't melt at room temperature.You should still store it in a cool, dry place when not in use especially on hot days or if you live in a tropical country. You may have difficulty rubbing it into your skin but the bar is designed to be used in a hot shower and should melt nicely.

A picture of the solid body butters I made. I used 70% unrefined butters, 30% exfoliants and omitted the use of fragrance or essential oils. You can tell it's a bit more speckly :)

The above recipe is NOT the actual Lush recipe (I wish!) but a result of experimentation by me. If you choose to republish the recipe on your site or through any other medium, a heads-up and credit back to my original recipe would be greatly appreciated!

That being said, I hope you have enjoyed the recipe and stay tuned for more Lush "Make Your Own" recipes!

Tip: If you don't have adzuki beans you can use ground coffee beans instead. Caffeine applied topically is apparently supposed to help with cellulite.

Ingredients, description and picture of Lush's Buffy were taken from Lush USA.

Shiricki at Kyaaa

2008-12-13T11:10:00.002+11:00

I was searching the web late last night for photoshop brushes and I stumbled across Shiricki's website. She had some beautiful brushes up for free download because she felt bad about having to charge for them before (isn't she sweet?). From her site, I gathered that Shiricki is one of those rare, talented people who are just brimming with creativity all the time.

Anyway, I found out that she also makes soap which she sells on this website. And wow, what soap! Here are some pictures below taken from her site of the soaps she has made.

Strawberries Soap

Jellyfish Soap

She calls her felt soaps, cozy soaps because you can cuddle them in the shower. I know, it's the cutest thing! I feel like getting one just because they are so cute I can actually imagine myself hugging them in the shower.

These are my favourite. Her soap chocolates are absolutely gorgeous. They look incredibly hard to make and I am suitably impressed!

They aren't just good looking, here's a list for the ingredients she uses for one of her soaps.

"olive oil, coconut oil, cream, strawberries, blue poppy seeds, strawberry perfume-oil, beetroot juice, NaOH "

Yum, yum! It sounds like it would be absolutely divine on its own even without the felt. The felt obviously makes them that much more desirable!

Thank you, Shiricki for letting me share your amazing soaps with my blog friends and readers. It was truly a pleasure!

My Top 10

2008-12-07T18:47:00.007+11:00

I've listed below a list of my Top 10 favourite and staple ingredients that I have to have stocked in my soap pantry. I'm sure some of these must be your favourites too!

10. Almond Meal

picture from Dane International Commodities Inc.

Some almond meal mixed with a dash of the liquid of your choice make for an excellent facial cleanser and scrub suited for the delicate skin of your face. There is really no need for a moisturiser after cleansing unless you have really dry skin as the almonds are loaded with its natural oil. If you don't have almond meal you can make your own by blanching the almonds in hot water and then grinding them in a blender.

9. Coconut Oil

This is THE oil for soapmaking and I just can't do without! It gives soap its bubbly lather which we all love! I also have around extra virgin coconut oil for its delicious, natural scent! It can be used in lotions, body butters, scrubs and it works wonders in a hot oil treatment for hair.

8. Olive Oil

Again, this oil performs divinely in soap and is essential if you enjoy making 100% olive oil soaps. I use regular olive oil for soaps as extra virgin olive oils are expensive. However, I believe they work just as well in soap. I do have my regular supply of extra virgin olive oil as well! Only, I use them in recipes which don't call for heat for fear of damaging any of its wonderful properties.

7. Unrefined Beeswax

This lovely wax has such a sweet smell of honey that it is my favourite wax to use in any recipes that call for wax. Coupled with regular honey, beeswax helps the scent to stick when I make my OMH soaps. It also feels beautiful and smooth when applied to lips in the form of a lip balm.

6. Vanilla Beans

There is absolutely nothing I don't like about vanilla beans. Even if I try to hate it, I just cannot. Vanilla is the smell most loved by everyone and imparts such a comforting warmth and smoothness when added to your products. It goes with just about every scent! I infuse oils with it, put it in my sugar jar, grind it and add it to scrubs as well as soak it in vodka to make vanilla extract.

5. Unrefined Cocoa Butter

Chocolate! That's what my cocoa butter always smells like. I know of a delightful supplier who sells the yummiest cocoa butter and have blogged about them before here. These huge chunks of fair trade cocoa butter are an absolute must in my massage bars. The chocolate-y smell is to die for! If you use enough of it in soaps, the scent will come through as the soap mellows over time.

4. Unrefined Shea Butter

Shea butter is so popular especially in its whipped form for an easy and nourishing moisturiser. I don't have a problem with its smell but it is quite strong and will be prominent in your finished product. This butter is said to have natural, healing properties and soaks in to the skin quite nicely!

3. Honey

Delicious, runny, golden honey; what will I do without you? I love the feel of a jar of warm honey in my hands. As it can be difficult to work with when it's cold, I normally warm it for a few seconds in the microwave. I use this in just about everything. When I'm lazy, I warm up a small bit of honey in a bowl of hot water and apply it to my face for a quick and easy face mask!

2. Full Cream Milk

Goat's milk, cow's milk, soy milk, almond milk, I love them all! If I can find a way to use them in my recipes I will. Fresh full fat milk as the liquid in your face scrubs, masks or cleansers feels delightful on dry, sensitive skin. In powdered form, it can be added to bath bombs or bath milks. One or two cups of full fat goat's milk powder in a bath can transform it in to something so indulgent and luxurious!

1. Oats

Oats! How I love thee, let me count the ways. No, forget it, there are just TOO many ways. I use them in EVERYTHING! I keep regular oats, fine oatmeal and hydrolyzed oat protein. They are often used in my soaps, scrubs, bath bombs, bath milks, shampoo, conditioner, lotions and anything else I can think of. They just feel so soothing on the skin and have such a yummy smell I can't help but be in love. Oats, my number one favourite ingredient!

Do you have a Top 10 list of your favourite ingredients? If you do, I'd like to hear about it or better yet, why don't you blog about it? I'd be thrilled to know if anyone else shares the same infatuation that I have with my Top 10 list :)

I'll try to be good, I promise!

2008-11-30T12:07:00.005+11:00

I'm back from busy, busy land and hoping that I've passed all my exams in my final semester. That being said, if I do pass, I will have completed my first degree :). So many things have happened!

I was doing a Bachelor of Business (Tourism and Hospitality) and I do not want to start working yet!! Well, work for real or full-time rather. I told you I'm lazy. Anyway, in high school in Malaysia or Year 11 here in Australia, I took purely science and maths subjects. Now, I have this crazy desire to take up science and maths again. It's either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts. If I do science I have no clue what subjects I will take but if I do arts I will take up two languages and linguistics.

I wouldn't mind doing a Masters but I don't want to be overqualified and besides, I don't know if I will be able to survive a Masters! If anyone wants to offer their opinions or advice it will be gladly appreciated :)

Back to soap and such! A picture below of the shampoo and conditioner I made for my sister. The recipe for this particular conditioner is different to the one I made before. I upped the water content plus added some extra goodies like green tea extract and dimethicone. Overall, I preferred the previous recipe eventhough it was simpler.

This conditioner is very light and suitable for people with oily hair or those who wash their hair everyday. Otherwise, if you have hair like me on the drier side, you will need to slather on heaps more. However, I find with this conditioner, you can get away with less washing as it conditions but doesn't weigh down the hair. In essence, it takes longer for you hair to become oily (accumulate sebum) between washes.

Still, I will try reducing the water content for next time to increase the strength of the conditioner. However, it still is a lovely conditioner and my friend commented on the softness of my hair which made me happy!

The shampoo has a rich lather and leaves your hair squeaky clean. That may or may not be a good thing depending on what you like. It does contain glyceryl cocoate for emollient properties and absolutely no sodium laureth sulfate! The main surfactant was a PBS base from Aussie Soap Supplies. I, personally, do not like the squeaky clean feel and might experiment with different surfactants.

Both the shampoo and conditioner are paraben free as well as pH balanced to about 4.5 - 5. There is some science to acidic shampoos and conditioners which tighten the cuticles of the hair instead of lifting them up like basic hair products do. It is supposed to make hair look shinier and feel smoother. I was doing some googling about pH and hair which you can do too if you are interested! There are quite a few articles.

The one in the picture is fragranced with Ginger Souffle by Aussie Soap Supplies. The colour was achieved by steeping some hops flowers in boiling water. I'm happy with the colour and although the smell is unlike the Ginger Souffle fragrance from Origins, it is still very pleasant. The smell of the ginger is a bit more evident and there is a touch of honey in it which works extremely well with the sharpness of the ginger.

I also scented another batch with Island Kiss (Escada Type) which by the way smells exactly like the real thing! However, the earthy smell of the hops messed with the fragrance a little. So, in my next batch I will have to keep an eye out for smell altering properties. Some of the surfactants had a strong smell as well but the fragrances covered it up nicely.

Anyway, I'm off! I am going to make a yummy eye cream next which will have a secret ingredient I'm eager to try out. See you all soon! I've missed all my blogging friends :(

A Long Break

2008-10-28T21:49:00.003+11:00

Hi guys! I'm so sorry for my absolutely dead blog :(. I haven't forgotten about it! I still love formulating! I have exams until the 14th of November so I'll be taking a break until then. Expect more posts and a Christmas giveaway after that. Hope to see you all at my "grand reopening" :) Bye!

Xoxo,
Michelle

To Garden or Not to Garden?

2008-10-05T17:06:00.003+11:00

That is the question I am asking myself at this very moment. My aunt loves gardening and I think she gets it from my grandfather who is also an avid gardener. He has a pretty little vegetable garden and a small part is being overrun by the notorious peppermint plant! I'll have to take pictures the next time I go back to Malaysia.

Anyway, it was a beautiful, balmy spring day today and I was looking out into the back garden. Both the front and back garden are badly neglected because my aunt doesn't have time to look after them anymore. She used to devote her weekends to tending them but now she spends her weekends at the farm. So, the poor gardens are literally choked with weeds.

I saw a plant in the corner with pretty purple and pink flowers which I couldn't see properly at first due to all the weeds. They had grown so tall it was like pushing through foliage in a jungle. I started about weeding it and I used to love pulling up weeds as a child in my grandfather's garden. Anyway, I must have forgotten what it was like because I wasn't prepared for this...

and this

and this

and one small unidentified grayish white insect which sort of looked like that small insect next to the spider in the previous picture though I'm not sure if they're the same thing.

I think I now have four new phobias. Four different creepy crawlies in one pot, what are the odds?!? Okay, maybe the odds are good and someone should have told me that before I went outside! The millipede was the worse! I poked it with a dry leaf and it started scuttling out. It's like a worm that can scuttle!!! The worm-like appearance, the amount of tiny legs and that curling up thingy that they do eeewwwww!!

Ugh, so to garden or not to garden? Can I man up to the task?

I don't know.

Right now, I'm cowering indoors like a little girl in my millipede-free world with my millipede-free cup of tea typing on my millipede-free laptop.

I still get shivers looking at that picture.

On another note, ph paper is not so readily accessible and I will have to order them online from a supplier. Sigh, can you say too much hassle?? I was bored waiting for the delivery of the paper so I made some soap. Unveiling tomorrow or the day after!

Have a nice millipede-free day people! Unless, of course, millipedes are your thing then you're welcome to mine. Bye!

P.S. As I went to type center in HTML I typed centipede LOL!

The Hermit Life

2008-09-19T13:48:00.002+10:00

I bet you've all been wondering (or not) why I dropped off the face off the earth *again*. Well, this time it's because I'm planning something big! I'm planning a *drum roll please* wait for it...wait for it...I'm planning a....GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

That's right! It's spring in Melbourne the weather is 21C today and I'm happy. I've been holed up in my house experimenting with my latest creation. I thought it would be easy to put this together but boy, was I kidding myself. There were so many unanswered questions I had that I've been doing a huge amount of research. It really needs to be just right.

So, I think I'm almost there. All I need to do now is to find some pH Hydrion paper. It's proving more difficult than I thought.

Okay, I'm rambling and I'm eager to show you what I've been working on! I've told Dan to contact his high school today to see if they have any. Fingers crossed.

I'll be back with the unveiling and the giveaway details ;)

Banana Bread

2008-09-03T20:25:00.004+10:00

A few days ago, I was over at Joanna's blog Product Body who by the way is an awesome bath and body formulator, and found out about a trade she did with Leslie from The Hungry Housewife. You can read Leslie's take on the trade here. Leslie's banana bread for Joanna's product goodies! How incredible is that? Pure genius, I say!

That's how I discovered Leslie's recipe for a banana bread. If you had gone over to Joanna's blog and read about the trade and taken a peek at the pictures of the banana bread you will understand why I just *had* to make this. It was great timing because I had four bananas sitting in the fruit basket that were starting to turn black.

Ta-dah!

Wow wow wow!! These were so-very-incredibly delicious! I can't believe I actually made these! Why do they look like muffins? I wish I could say I did it on purpose just to be creative and different but the truth is, I don't have a bread baking tin so I improvised :).

Also, there are only three banana muffins pictured in this photo because I took these two days later and these were all that were left. 10 people tasted the bread and all of them gave a thumbs up! And this was without the blueberries!

So, if you are just dying to make some banana bread now and I know you are ;) scoot on over to The Hungry Housewife's blog and check out her banana bread recipe. Then after that, banana bread french toast maybe? All in all, this really is the perfect banana bread!

Merdeka

2008-08-31T11:15:00.004+10:00

It is Malaysia's Independence Day today on the 31st of August. That is a picture of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia announcing Malaysia's independence from British rule amidst the cheers from the crowd

There are many things I may not like about Malaysia, but I still love my country. So to all Malaysians, here's to celebrating 51 years of our country's independence. May we always strive to live and work together in harmony.

Selamat Hari Merdeka!

Kenyir Lake - Waterfall!

2008-08-26T22:26:00.002+10:00

We had the entire waterfall to ourselves, no one else came by! There were tons of fish swimming around in the little lake and ponds! Pretty silvery fish that nibbled at your toes. The water was absolutely divine, crystal clear and deliciously cool. We spent hours swimming and playing with the dangerous looking rope swing ;)

Snow Continued

2008-08-21T21:12:00.003+10:00

It was fun while it lasted :). Spring is coming in September!

A Break from the Snow

2008-08-14T20:20:00.003+10:00

Kenyir Lake, Terengganu

These are the views from the Kenyir Spa Resort. Blue skies are a rare thing indeed in tropical, showery Malaysia!

Falls

2008-08-12T15:19:00.004+10:00

Hello! I'm so happy to see some of you still read my blog!!! *big hugs to all* I won't be soaping so much for the moment because I need to find a part-time job! After that, I can go back to soaping!! Wheee! Here are some pictures from our trip to Falls Creek.

This door was fully accessible on the first day! Taken here on the third day. Look at all that snow!!

My snow angel :) More pictures later!

Tagged!

2008-08-08T23:32:00.003+10:00

Hello! I can't believe I've been away for over a month!!!! My holiday in Malaysia was incredible and I have so much things to write about I don't know where to start. First things first, I've been tagged by Trisha over at Suds to Love and Heather at One Bubble at a Time. I miss each and everyone of my soapy friends and will slowly adjust to my normal routine of visiting blogs and writing more posts! My life lately has been a whirlwind of activity which I dislike by the way. If anyone knows me, they know I am the world's laziest person. Okay, on to the meme!

These are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up

Random items:
1) I am extremely high-strung. A very annoying trait of mine. I need to learn to relax!
2) I have an unhealthy addiction to Coke that I am in the process of kicking ~~unsuccessfully~~.
3) I love the seaside and if I could live forever near the sea I would.
4) My family and Dan are most important in my life.
5) Everything I do, I do last minute.
6) For some strange reason I cannot read love stories which involves one of the couple in the story dying. Although, I can read crime, thriller and horror books just fine!

People I'm Tagging:

I REALLY did this last minute because everyone has already been tagged :( Oh, well I'm bound to find someone who hasn't been tagged (I hope) and I'll add you up here :) In the meantime, if you haven't done this yet and want to have some fun link me to the 6 random facts about yourself :D Goodnight everyone!

Creme Caramel

2008-06-21T13:56:00.002+10:00

I took a little break from studying and made some creme caramel soaps. I'm happy with the design but am really confused about the smell!

The top is scented with Special Edition Vanilla fragrance from Sweetcakes and the bottom part of the soap is scented with Brown Sugar Fragrance from Save on Scents. The reason I switched the two scents was due to the vanilla's discolouring agent. However, when I first removed it out of the mould, the soap smelled like a cross between eggs and cake. Not unpleasant but not great either.

Now, it doesn't really smell like anything. Just sweet and very mildly so which I think is due to the raw cane sugar I sprinkled on top. The heat from the saponification caramelised it quite well even if it was a pain to get it out of the mould.

I think I'll have to increase the amount of fragrance I included although I thought I put in loads of the vanilla! I suspect its not very concentrated at all which is a shame. Anyone have any experience with fragrances from Sweetcakes?

Hello everyone

2008-06-15T14:34:00.004+10:00

I know my posts have been few and far in-between. Things have been a little hectic lately. I have so many things to do and I just want to get them over with.

First, I have to get my visa renewed to continue my studies and I can't decide if I should get a medical check-up with or without a blood test. A blood test is required if I want to apply for a permanent visa which I am thinking of getting done. The check up costs AUD223 and if I do one without a blood test now, I'll have to pay another AUD223 to get it done again even if it hasn't already been 12 months!

You'd think it would be easy though. Just get a blood test done! Unfortunately, I'm a big fat chicken hiding in the body of a 21 year old girl. I detest blood tests. Maybe I need to start practicing by donating blood. Can you imagine me chickening out on donating blood? I won't actually be the most popular kid on the block.

I don't like injections but I'm not afraid of them. It's when they start drawing the blood that I get a little iffy. Apparently, you can feel the blood flowing through your vein when they do it! What's up with that? I just got stuck by a needle, I don't need to feel the blood rushing out of my vein! Plus, I don't think it helps that I hate the sight of blood? Makes me automatically reach for my neck (too many vampire films). AHH, okay I'm freaking out.

I also have to renew my medical insurance, get passport photos blah blah blah I'm boring myself. Basically, need to tick off all the things on my visa checklist and I don't know why I'm even stressing about this.

Secondly, I have an INSANE exam timetable. I have an exam on the 25th and two on the 26th and I'm leaving on a jet plane (insert tune to leaving on a jet plane here) at midnight. I booked my ticket on the 26th because what are the odds I'll have an exam on the very last day anyway. Never happened to me before. Well, someone hates me because i have TWO on the last day.

I'm supposed to do some shopping for family before I go back to Malaysia and I don't know how I'm going to find the time to do that. Did I mention I'm also working??? Four hours a day for five days starting monday. My boss is a tyrant and doesn't allow students to take time off work for exams because most of his employees are students. Although, I'm quitting after this semester so it's all good!

There you have it, I'm a little stressed. I had the worse nightmare last night. I was stuck in the middle of a war from a horror movie, chased by a monster with the biggest and sharpest teeth ever and a bomb dropped on to my baby brother. Woke up at 1 in the afternoon feeling completely drained.

Put some oats in the microwave and it exploded. Oh, okay then! Sighed to myself, cleaned up the microwave, made a fresh batch and set the power to a lower level and a shorter time. Came back to find the oats had exploded again. It wasn't okay this time.

These are the oats that I cook everyday for breakfast and they've never exploded on me. Well, maybe the first time I did them but that doesn't count!

I'm feeling very frazzled and anxious. As I type this, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat. What is going on? However, I'm determined not to adopt a negative attitude but I will be taking a little break from blogging as frequently as I was a month or two ago.

Everything will be back to normal after the end of this month. I have not lost my passion for soaps, creams, bombs, melts, etc. So expect more to come! Wish me luck for my exams everyone!

I'll still be visiting my favourite blogs from time to time. Love, kisses and hugs to all my regular readers and blogging friends!

Michelle

Surprise!

2008-06-10T00:58:00.002+10:00

Look what came to me in the mail recently.

Black Cherry and Vanilla Shea Butter Lip Balm from Elizabeth Gassner at Gassner Custom Soaps! She sent me a little present for commenting on a little competition she had on her blog post. I didn't actually get it right but she sent me something anyway. Isn't she a sweetie? The packaging didn't actually come like that. I've been using it and my fingers must have rubbed some of the ink off. That is proof that I adore this lip balm!

Oh lip balm, how I love thee, let me count the ways! Okay, first of all, this lip balm comes packed in the cutest oval tube I've ever seen. Makes for an easy applicator, I absolutely love it. Very unique!

Second, I fell in love with the scent, oh and what a scent! It smells exactly like sweet cherries. I used to have a doll that smelled like cherries when I was younger and this sure does bring back memories :).

Last but not least, I adore how it feels on my lips! It glides on smoothly and leaves behind a gorgeous, glossy sheen. The best part? It doesn't feel oily at all. After a while, I barely realise it's there!

Thank you Elizabeth for the lovely gift!!

You can get one of her amazing lip balms here. You can also pick any flavour you want and for USD 2.50 it's a steal!

Gassner Custom Soaps Main Website
Gassner Custom Soaps's Etsy
Elizabeth's Blog

Happy 21st Birthday to Me and Coconut Ice!

2008-06-04T22:54:00.009+10:00

I turned 21 yesterday. Now I want to be 18 again. But when I was 18 I wanted to be 16 again so don't pay any attention to me.

I didn't have a big celebration as its too close to everyone's exams especially mine :(. I went for dinner instead with Dan at Ezard. The food was UNBELIEVABLE. The chef knows what he's doing, for sure! The service was impeccable as well. Everything about the place was wonderful (except the price). Definitely a place for special occasions.

My half-eaten Honeycrunch Ice-cream which was supposed to look like this.

Coconut Ice Salt Bars fragranced with Island Coconut from Brambleberry. By the way I don't know if I mentioned this but you can get Brambleberry fragrances from Aussie Soap Supplies if you're aussie ;).

Success at last with the salt bars. I used 100% coconut oil at 20% superfat and stick blended to a very thick trace then added fine sea salt, its weight in oils.

I know I've been away for long and I apologise. I've let my regular readers down. I promise to try and post more regularly.

Elizabeth from Gassner Custom Soaps sent me a little surprise in the mail for participating in a contest on her blog. I'll let you guys know what it is soon ;). It smells yummy!!!

I'm going to go stalk my favourite blogs now! Hehe!!

Cupcake Decorating - Day Two & Conditioner

2008-05-21T21:45:00.005+10:00

Well, I officially hate decorating with buttercream icing. I just can't seem to get the hang of it!

Thought they were mine, huh! Hehe, I wish!! The four cupcakes on the left were decorated by the Chef and the other two by a lovely girl I met at the class named Joanna and they are absolutely beautiful. I have no idea how they got them to hold their shape but they did and they look fantastic!

I didn't manage to take pictures of my buttercream cupcakes because I forgot as I was too busy being frustrated with them which I'm kicking myself for because I actually managed one that was semi-decent.

Anyway, these are the sponge butterfly cupcakes and the royal icing cupcakes. I had a sponge one and it was yummy!

I made a moisturiser/hair conditioner a week ago. It doubles as both but I'm currently using it as my conditioner. It makes my hair so soft and works so much better than any conditioner I've ever bought that I'm truly amazed as it was so simple to make. I've scented it with Coconut Cream from Save on Scents and I definitely added a little too much.

Sorta looks like jelly here and it's a nice buttery colour but before I actually added the wheatgerm oil it was a beautiful snowy white which I really liked! Next on my list is making shampoo and a more advanced conditioner, I'm hooked!

Cupcake Decorating - Day One

2008-05-17T23:05:00.003+10:00

I signed up for a Cupcake Decorating short course at William Angliss today! Let me just say it was so much fun! The chef, Greg Williams, was a lovely guy and he made the class really interesting. Here's what I made on my first day. Not very good but I'll get better with practice I hope!

Stay tuned for Day Two and the result of my hair conditioner/skin moisturiser! Goodnight everyone, I'm exhausted.

Failed Salt Bar

2008-05-13T13:39:00.002+10:00

I don't know what happened :(. I used 80% coconut oil, 15% olive oil and 5% castor oil superfatted at 15%. I stirred the soap to a light trace then added some celtic salt, which by the way tastes great with food, that was equal to the weight in oils so 500g oils and 500g salt. Stirred it some more until it was quite thick, poured it in to the mould and shoved it into a warm oven till it was hard. Somehow, all the salt sank to the bottom and did not incorporate with the soap. So, what I got was soap with salt at the bottom. Not the homogenous bar that you're supposed to get. You can see what I mean in the picture below.

When I washed with it, it was very scrubby and the lather was okay. I read on forums that the lather is supposed to be creamy like a lotion and it shouldn't feel scrubby at all! More like a smooth marble.

So, what went wrong? I'm at a loss :(. Too coarse salt crystals perhaps? Not enough lye? Any insight is welcome!

By the way, the fragrance is Yuzu from Sweetcakes. It smells like grapefruit but I'm not crazy about it. It was never really one of my favourite smells. I might blend it with something smoother. It's too sharp for me.

Falls Creek

2008-05-08T11:20:00.002+10:00

I have no money left to do any shopping :(. All I can do is window shop and stare at soap supplies, fragrance oils, clothes, bags, shoes etc etc.

But that's because I'm going to the snow!!!!

I haven't been to the snow since I was 7! That was in the US and the only memory I can take away from that was my sister and I pelting each other with snowballs and then trying to tear each others hair out.

This doesn't mean I've stopped formulating though! I have enough to last me for uhhh, some...time..? Anyway, I made the salt bars. Let me just say, they were a disaster. Will let you know about it soon!

Seed Paper

2008-05-04T15:23:00.002+10:00

Isn't this a neat idea? Seed paper is just recycled paper with seeds embedded into it. The idea is to plant your seed paper in some soil and watch it grow! An excellent way to give back to nature.

You could use seed paper for packaging your soaps as well! Maybe in a cigar band wrapper? Seed paper can be used exactly like normal paper so you can print on it! The downsides are it's probably more expensive than regular paper and you may not be able to ship internationally with seed paper.

Below are some links to companies that sell seed paper.

Australia
Paper Go Round

USA
Green Field Paper
Flower Seed Paper

Canada
Botanical Paperworks

Here's an article on how to make your own seed paper! But I doubt you would want to go through all that trouble. If you do, let me know how it goes! Click here to be taken to the article.

Whipped Shea Butter and Granola Scrub

2008-05-02T23:11:00.003+10:00

I think I maybe just might have perfected my granola scrub. It looks delicious, smells amazing (my uncle thinks it smells like chocolate cake mix) and feels great on the skin. The best part is the fragrance is totally natural and comes from the cocoa butter and vanilla bean. The texture is pretty firm in the jar but it softens up with a little bit of water. It is quite a gentle scrub consisting more of oatmeal flour and ground almonds then sugars.

I also tried my hand at whipped shea butter and didn't really like the results. Needs more soft oils or more whipping, I haven't decided but the consistency is not as fluffy or smooth as I thought it would be. Also, the unrefined shea butter has a pretty strong nutty odour that I quite like but may affect fragrances. Does anyone have any ideas on how to combat this? Or do you just leave it unscented or opt for refined shea butter?

I'm making my first soap in 3 weeks (feels like months) tonight and I've decided to try my hand at a salt bar. My cousin has bad acne and although she loves the carrot and calendula soap, it is so gentle I feel that she may need something stronger.

Therefore, a salt bar might do the trick. I am so bad when it comes to mixing essential oils. I always end up making it smell like an old lady's perfume or an 18th century boudoir. So, I usually stick to just one essential oil or two. If I'm feeling really daring I use three!

Wonder what I'll scent it with. Hmmm...

A Day in Daylesford

2008-04-30T19:05:00.002+10:00

We went on a day trip to Daylesford - spa county - on Friday and I have to say it was pretty much awesome! The weather was 21C which is about 70F, a perfect autumn day! My cousin (Sarah), her girlfriend (Krissy) and I drove the 1 and a half hour journey to the country and it was all worth it! Also, we were blasting loud music on the way so the journey didn't seem to take so long :P

Autumn has to be the most beautiful season on the planet. There was a myriad of colours everywhere you looked. Pinks and golds and copper adorned nearly every tree we saw. The trees sometimes formed archways so when you drove by you felt like you were driving under a golden bridge; it was simply magical :).

We stopped by at a convent to look around the garden and we weren't disappointed! Look how beautiful it is! They also had a beautiful art gallery inside which we didn't get a chance to look at.

Later, we ate at a local pub in Daylesford, had a look around and bought some gourmet cheese. Then, off we went to taste some wine in the Macedon Ranges. We came away with 3 bottles of beautiful red wine and a bottle of mandarin infused olive oil from Big Shed Wines which was quite frankly, to die for. Miranda, who owns the place with her husband Ken, is incredibly sweet!

We ended the day having dinner at my aunt and uncle's farm in Kyneton. On the menu that night was kangaroo roast which Krissy wasn't too thrilled about. The good news for her was my aunt overcooked the roast. The bad news was, my aunt pulled out kangaroo sausages instead. Apparently, Krissy's nickname as a child was kangaroo.

Our only regret is we didn't get to stop by the chocolate mill or go up to the beautiful gardens at Mt Macedon or visit the Hepburn Springs Spa as it was still under renovation. However, we all had fun and indulged in some wine, cheese and chocolate before bed. It was the icing on top of a truly decadent cake!

I'll leave you with a picture of Sarah trying to eat the farmhouse. Can you believe that we can actually have a conversation with my aunt when she's at the farmhouse and we're up there?

I seem to be posting as Michelle instead of Lovemichie on some of your blogs. I've figured out that this happens when blogger signs me out and I'm still signed in to gmail. How interesting. Hehe!

Till next time!

Andy McKee - Drifting

2008-04-27T17:02:00.002+10:00

What's with my random disappearing acts? Sheesh! :D Okay, okay many things have been happening! I've been rushing assignments (nothing new) and I am getting a new laptop soon. I've also been working and going out so I feel like I'm in one of my busy periods again. Everything will calm down soon, I hope.

Anyway, I went to Daylesford on Friday. Will blog about it as soon as I get the pictures off my cousin's girlfriend.

Meanwhile, listen to this awesome music.

Winner of Giveaway!

2008-04-22T17:58:00.002+10:00

I am pleased to announce that Heather of Twin Birch has won the pink gift bag. Heather, please email me (oatsandhoney[at]gmail.com) the address that you would like these goodies to be sent to!

I wrote down the names of everyone who commented on little pieces of paper and put them into a bag which I shook furiously. The idea was to pick 3 names then scramble them up again and pick 1. However, would you believe it, I picked Heather's name twice. Looks like you were destined to win, Heather! I do hope you enjoy your goodies!

Thank you everyone so much for participating in my giveaway! I enjoyed it and will be having more again in the future.

Happy bathing!

MnM Treasures

2008-04-21T16:59:00.006+10:00

I was blog hopping one day and I happened to come across MnM Treasures on Pegasus Soaps blog! It was pure good luck that I did and I'm so glad! You can read Michelle from Pegasus Soaps' feature on them here.

They make collapsible wooden baskets that can fold cleverly to act as a trivet (hot plate). They also make belt buckles and other trinkets. The baskets looked so beautiful that I couldn't help but order a couple for my mum and a friend. Mike was very friendly and professional and provided excellent communication. He did everything to make sure my package arrived safely and on time and it did!

When the package arrived today, I was blown away. Absolutely beautiful craftmanship. So well-made! You can tell alot of care when into making these baskets. The pictures on their etsy themselves are gorgeous but they don't do the baskets any justice in real life.

I think it's an extremely clever idea. You certainly won't regret picking up one of these adorable wooden baskets for yourselves! Visit their etsy shop here.

Just a reminder that today is the last day to leave comments to be in the running to win the pink gift bag. The winner will be announced tomorrow!

Have fun!

Breakfast Basket

2008-04-18T14:45:00.002+10:00

Hello, everyone! I've moved back to my aunt's and I still have tons of unpacking to do so soaping will have to wait :(

However, I was thinking of putting together a breakfast basket for a friend's birthday which is coming soon in May.

So far I've come up with this:

Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Soap
Hazelnut Coffee Cinnamon Scrub
Chocolate Vanilla Bath Muffins

I also want to add a nice whipped cream in but am stuck as to what fragrance to use. I thought maybe peach or apricot would be good but I'm still unsure.

What do you guys think would be a good fragrance for my whipped cream and still match the breakfast theme?

Keep those comments coming! I am also including a little surprise in my pink giveaway bag but the winner won't know what it is until they get it ;)

Giveaway

2008-04-15T23:54:00.001+10:00

I'm having my first blog giveaway! Oh, I'm so excited! All bath and body products that you will receive have been hand formulated by me and tested on me and my willing human guinea-pigs. They include my family, my boyfriend and some of my more skeptical friends. So far, fingers crossed, reviews have been good :)

You will receive an avocado and yoghurt soap, carrot and calendula soap as well as a box of two chocolate bubble muffins in this pretty pink bag! The winner will be randomly selected.

I apologise that although my soaps are suitable for vegetarians they are not suitable for *vegans.

*The Carrot and Calendula soap and Bubble Muffins are vegan.

Ingredients and Description

*Avocado & Yogurt Soap
This soap is made with 60% avocado oil and contains real avocado pulp and yogurt. It is superfatted with one of my favourite oils, macadamia oil. Deliciously creamy and fragranced with Clean Cotton. Smells like fresh laundry blowing in the breeze! The golden green colour you see is a result of the natural green colour of the avocado oil. Perfect for spring!

Avocado oil, coconut oil, palm oil, macadamia oil, avocado pulp, yogurt, castor oil, fragrance oil, tussah silk.

*Some ash has developed on the top but I left it as it is as I thought it made a cool "topping".

Carrot & Calendula Soap
This soap is incredibly mild and gentle and is suitable for use on the face without drying it out! The smell is a very natual, fruity scent thanks to the Roman Chamomile essential oil. It has a very soft, creamy lather and feels wonderful on your skin.

Olive oil, fresh carrot juice, infused calendula in sunflower oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, castor oil, carrot seed oil, roman chamomile essential oil.

Chocolate Bubble Muffins
These muffins will give you oodles and oodles of bubble fun! The cocoa butter and oatmeal flour (colloidal oatmeal) will leave your skin feeling soft and supple while you enjoy the deligthful fragrance of chocolate covered strawberries. To use, just pop one muffin (this stuff is potent!) into a tub of warm running water, get in and relax!

Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda), SLSA, Cocoa Butter, Citric Acid, Oatmeal Flour, Cocoa Powder, Cocobetaine, Fragrance.

Perfect for gift-giving or for keeping ;). Anyone can enter, anyone from anywhere in the world! And all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog until the end of the contest! The contest will end on the 21st of April. The winner will be announced on the 22nd!

Happy bathing! Start commenting now!

Satin Petal Soap Love

2008-04-15T23:07:00.004+10:00

I received Judi's yummy goodies in the mail yesterday. I ordered her Vanilla Bean Orange Cream soap bon bon as well as her Chocolate Fudge and Honey Cream Bon Bon.

Look at what else she generously included in my package!

A sample of her Sweetest Lemon Raspberry Kiss Shea Butter Whipped Cream, Cafe Mocha Whipped Shea Butter Sugar Cream Scrub and Scrumptious Orange Vanilla Shea Butter Whipped Cream

I couldn't wait to try them so I rushed off to the shower with the Orange Vanilla soap and oh, my it is heaven! It smelled so lovely I just didn't want to get out! Topped it all off with the orange vanilla whipped cream. I wanted to use the raspberry lemon but orange vanilla cream goes with orange vanilla soap! So yummy yummy smelling! Wasn't overpowering and didn't have that overly sweet, cloying fragrances that some soaps have. In one word it smelled real. Also, it made my skin feel baby soft ;)

Judi, I've got a surprise for you. Will PM you soon. Thank you ever so much for the wonderful goodies. You rock! I think it's safe to say I'll be ordering from you again in the very near future!!! Just have to bring some back to Malaysia to share with my family.

You can read my previous feature on Satin Petal Soap here and why not satisfy your cravings and visit her etsy shop here.

Bubble Muffins

2008-04-11T00:31:00.005+10:00

No, it's not edible :). Mini solid bubble muffins! Scented with Chocolate Covered Strawberries by Save on Scents. It really does smell like strawberry-chocolate confectionery! Wow, I love how the top lifted and cracked, just like real muffins!! Unfortunately, I only got three of them with that effect as I wasn't quick enough with the rest.

I have plans for the rest though! I might actually do a giveaway in my next post, just in time for Mother's Day. What do you think?

Hehe! See you guys tomorrow!

The Good News Is It Works

2008-04-09T17:37:00.004+10:00

The bad news is I stuffed up.

This is my first attempt at solid bubble bath. As you can see, or probably not since I did such a horrible job of it, is that I attemped to do a swiss roll.

I should have let the mixture harden up a bit as it was so unbelievably squishy I had a hard time rolling the whole thing up. It was a struggle really but it was too late to stop once I started. And what's up with the colour of the second layer? It looks grey, yuck! It's a bit more pink in real life though but still.

The texture is sort of like playdough only a little firmer. You can break off pieces and crumble them under running water for the bubbles!

Ingredients: Bicarbonate of Soda, SLSA, Oatmeal Flour, Cocoa Butter, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Cocoate, Shea Butter, Cocobetaine, Fragrance.

Oh yes, it works! Lovely bubbles. I've yet to try it in the tub as I don't have one but I'm sending some over to a friend who will test it for me. I fragranced it with Black Raspberry Vanilla (BBW) from Save on Scents and it smells pretty good.

It was still a whole lot of fun making it! Will it ever look like this? Maybe not, but hopefully one day :)

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2008-04-08T20:36:00.003+10:00

So, did Judi's delightful, delicious and divine soap truffles make anyone crave chocolate? If the answer is yes, then I have something un-soaping related for you today. :)

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg (or cinnamon)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups buttermilk

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (plus extra to grease skillet)

¾ cup mini chocolate chips

What to do:

STEP 1: Heat an electric skillet to 375 degrees F. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and butter and whisk to combine. Don’t over mix. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.

STEP 2: When skillet is hot, add ½ tbsp butter to grease. Using a ¼ cup at a time, pour batter onto skillet in evenly spaced rounds. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles pop on top and edges appear done. Flip and cook for about a minute more, until golden brown.

STEP 3: Serve immediately or cool on a wire rack and eat as a midday snack. Really, they’re terrific cold.

Makes fifteen 4-inch pancakes.

I got this from 8legged.com. Do visit the site! It's a cartoon cooking show run by the cutest octopus. Trust me you'll love it! Or your kids will at least :). The pancakes are super duper yummy especially with maple syrup and ice-cream!

On another topic, I'm moving next week. Moving in with my aunt, uncle and cousin and Dan's going back to his mum's. It's temporary until August or so as my parents are planning on buying a house but until then we made the decision to spend the rest of that time back at our respective houses. Rent is insane in Australia lately and the money that we save can go into our holiday fund.

It won't be easy especially since we've tasted "freedom" but we think our bank accounts will thank us in the long run. Wish me luck everyone! My exams are coming soon too in about 2 months *tears hair out*

Satin Petal Soap

2008-04-06T13:23:00.006+10:00

It boggles the mind how I'd manage to miss Judi at Satin Petal Soap on etsy. This lady is a creative genius and you only have to look at the pictures on her site to agree. Apart from that, she also seems like a very sweet and fun-loving person!

Here is what she has to say about herself:

"Hi!

My background...

Grew up in a crazy creative house! LOL! Projects going all the time :o) Piles of projects, tee hee!
I have 3 children...
1 Boy + 1 Girl + 1 Husband = 3 Children
I make jewelry, as well!
Hands always busy, busy, busy!

My passion is animals, I would have Noah's Ark if I could!

My signature product is my Layered Soap Truffles, YUMMMMMY! They are the biggest Pain to make but boy are they worth it! Layer after layer of succulent suds! WOWza!

I was inspired by not being able to find the perfect gift for a woman...
I wanted to have the presentation be a gift in itself.
Truly unique, thoughtful, useful, affordable, and practical gifts that would be truly appreciated."

Here are how her layered soap truffles look like on the inside. She fragrances them individually so if you are hard-pressed to choose from the delicious array of her soap truffles, this is the one you are looking for! It's like having 3 or 4 different soaps in one, kind of like the sweets that change colour and flavour as you continue to suck on them. Judi, I tip my hat to you on this one, truly a unique product!

She also makes these fantastic whipped shea creams. Don't they look exactly like a yummy bowl of ice-cream? It's taking everything I have not to buy out her whole shop!!

She also runs a jewellery store on etsy here with equally creative and beautiful products. The pictures all link back to her listings.

I would like to thank Judi who graciously allowed me to feature her on my blog. Your soaps are absolutely delicious!

Basashi Ice-Cream

2008-04-05T21:37:00.010+11:00

I hear there is a place called the Cup Ice Museum in Ice Cream City located in Tokyo, Japan where you can find some of the weirdest ice-cream flavours. Some of which include, hot spring water, miso ramen, seaweed, straw, potato, whale and of course basashi or horse meat icecream.

Basashi is often served raw as sashimi in Japan with soy sauce and thin ginger slices. It is said that if you can overcome your initial revulsion or prejudices, the texture is chewy and the taste, smooth and creamy.

The cities, Kumamoto and Matsumoto are famous for basashi although the consumption of horse flesh is not as popular as it once was. For more information, you can check it out here and here.

A friend who is currently visiting Tokyo has recently tasted Red Bull ice cream.

I've eaten some pretty weird stuff myself such as pigs' intestines and chicken gizzards. Do I see some people doubling over in horror? Hehe, in all honesty, neither of them has a taste per se. It's eaten for the texture mostly, kind of like escargot (snails).

What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

Silk

2008-04-03T19:40:00.006+11:00

Many soapers enjoy using silk in their soaps as it contributes to a silky feel and a silky lather. However, some of us out there are concerned by the way silk is cultivated. The cultivation of silk is called sericulture and it usually involves the killing of the moth by heat while still in its cocoon to allow the silk to be unravelled in to a single strand and dissolve the resinous gum that holds it together.

Over two thousand silkworms are needed to produce one pound of silk. That's two thousand silkworms killed by being immersed in boiling water, steaming or drying in an oven for just one pound of silk.

Luckily, there are vegetarian-friendly options if you love the feel of silk. Some silk known as Peace Silk or Vegetarian Silk are harvested from the damaged cocoons after the moth has broken free. Because the silk has been broken into many strands, it is spun like other fibers such as cotton instead of being reeled onto spools. It is not as strong and is slightly discoloured due to the alkaline solution the moth uses to break free of its cocoon.

The silk I use is tussah silk from Mountain Spinnery and their claim is that no silk worms are killed in the process of cultivation.

It's important to ask the right questions when purchasing silk for what you believe is a more ethical and eco-friendly option. For more info, you can click here.

However, please be mindful that any silk is still not vegan as it comes from an animal. Definition of vegan here.

To use silk in soap, dissolve a pinch or no more than one gram of silk for a kilogram of oils in your lye and water solution. It won't dissolve straightaway so you may have to leave it to sit for a while. Give a final stir then use as you normally would.

Below are some companies that offer Peace silk:

USA
Aurora Silk
Ahimsa Peace Silk
Near Sea Naturals

Australia
Mountain Spinnery
Treetops Colours Harmonies
Bright View
All Eco

UK
Denise Bird Woven Textiles
Texere Yarns
The Silk Route

Avocado, Yogurt and Melbourne Weather

2008-04-02T19:28:00.005+11:00

The wind was ferocious today here in Melbourne. I had to literally fight my way to the bus stop! Weather warnings were issued all over victoria because of the gusty winds. I was on my way to uni in the bus and I kept spotting trees that had fallen over due to the wind. Suddenly, there was a loud BANG and the bus driver went "Whoa!" while all of us in the bus sort of nervously looked at each other. Apparently, a huge branch had broken off and bounced off the top of the bus and was now lying in the middle of the road.

So now, half of Melbourne has lost its power and I'm just glad that my apartment wasn't hit! Still, it's not as bad as the mini hurricane that we had in Malaysia once. Roof tiles were actually being blown off houses! As if this crazy wind isn't bad enough, we're having rain and there is a chance of a thunderstorm and hail later on. I love Melbourne but I do not love their temperamental weather :(

I forgot my key today so I was locked out for a bit but now I'm warm and cosy back home which is good :)

My new soap! Made with 60% avocado oil, pureed avocado and yogurt. I scented this with Clean Cotton from Brambleberry. It smells great! The soap on the bottom left is the prettiest. As you can see, I still have trouble with figuring out "thin trace". Next up solid bubble bath, wish me luck ;)

I noticed some of you like the blue in the previous post! I used the Blue Brites for CP soap from Aussie Soap Supplies. I think you can achieve the same effect with Brambleberry's Lab Colours.

Speaking of weather, for those of you in the USA, spring is around the corner isn't it? I hope you all enjoy lovely weather! Spring reminds me of colours, flowers in bloom and sweet smells.

Happy Soaping!

Soap, soap, soap

2008-03-31T17:17:00.005+11:00

I just realised I didn't say what fragrance I used for the blue soap. It's Moonlight Path BBW Type from Save on Scents. It has a very heady floral yet powdery scent which I like. It's described as a blend of lavender, roses, violets and musk.

I've been busy making soap! Oh my, it's like an addiction I can't kick. I keep thinking "Hmmm, maybe I should make some cream today but oh, there's that soap I really wanted to make!".

So here are more of my soaps!

Chocolate soap scented with Brambleberry's Dark, Rich Chocolate and it smells delicious! Yum...

Lastly, the Oatmeal, Milk and Honey soap superfatted with meadowfoam seed oil. I left this unscented but included some orange peel and vanilla infused olive oil. The vanilla didn't come through though unfortunately. However, it smells lightly of honey and reminds me of biscuits for some reason. These are great big hunks of soap and now I'm thinking maybe I should have cut them smaller.

I'm making soap again tonight! I'm on a roll! I want to try making solid bubble bath next. My sister would love that.

Soap Dishes

2008-03-28T19:30:00.003+11:00

I saw the cutest soap dish on etsy at the Fruit Fly Pie!

Isn't it adorable? I'm so in love with it. Also, I'm making soap tonight! I've got so many ideas for soaps running through my head that I can't keep up with them! My notebook is filling up fast.

I also really want to make this idea for soap that I have in my head but I can't at the moment until I get my equipment. But it's going to be beautiful!

Edit: Have you seen the panda dog? :)

Swirls by Alkali Soaps

2008-03-24T12:54:00.003+11:00

Mary and Jon have literally turned their soaps into works of art. Check out their incredible swirling patterns!

Soho

Sakura

Jabberwocky

Aurora

Film Noir

Scroll

Espionage

Aren't they just gorgeous? The patterns are so clean and perfect. Not something you see everyday in cold-process soap! I'd imagine seeing these in an art gallery. My favourite is the Soho. It must be hard getting the black line in the middle with the two different colours on either side. Extremely well done, Mary and Jon!

You can pay them a visit at their etsy shop here. All pictures are owned by and linked to Alkali Soaps.

Google is Great

2008-03-22T22:18:00.002+11:00

I was bored so I started looking at my blog stats and reading what people type into google that refers them to my blog.

There are some pretty humourous ones.

is honey dangerous
If there are bears around, most definitely.

why it is important to be organised
You've obviously come to the wrong place.

do oats make your breasts bigger
Yes. No, sorry.

dangers of oats
They're evil. A danger to your tastebuds if you eat them plain.

whats oats
What's oats?? WHAT'S OATS????

Cookies!

2008-03-20T19:21:00.002+11:00

What my 19 year old sister, Amanda and 12 year old sister, Chelsea were doing till 3 am this morning.

Such silly but sweet girls :)

Oh, woe is me :(

2008-03-15T12:08:00.002+11:00

Something terrible happened last night! Are you ready? Okay, here goes. This WAS my soap.

This IS the carpet. I can see it now.

Real estate agent: What the *&@^%*&#^ happened to the carpet?!?!?!
Me: Uhh, funny story actually. It was the lye that actually ate away at it.
Real estate agent: What were you doing with lye?!?!?!??!
Me (sheepishly): Umm, making soap? Hehe...
Real estate agent: ..............................................get out.

Yes, I spilled raw soap on to the carpet. The bottom of my mould which is removable, popped off when I was adjusting it to get a better picture. I managed to spill HALF of my soap on to the carpet. Everything happened so quickly after that. My first thought was to get the soap off the carpet and it took me a few rounds of running back and forth from the closet to the kitchen. In my hurry, I didn't wear gloves as I took them off after I poured the soap into the mould. My hands were burning and so was the carpet. I looked at it closely and noticed weird dark patches. Then I scrubbed at it and a clump of carpet came off in my hands! Dan rushed to get the vinegar and we dunked more than half a litre on to the carpet. Alas, it couldn't be saved.

Why oh why didn't I cover the floor with newspaper. I didn't even think of it. The kitchen is tiled and I never thought I'd spill anything out of the kitchen. I'm so stupid :(. Well, lesson learned the hard way :(. I had thought of not posting up the picture of the carpet because it's sort of painful to look at but I think I need to make sure others don't make the same mistake as me. I still had some left over in the mould which I tried to save and will unmould tomorrow.

I think it's time to get a new mould and also time to wise up.

Updates!

2008-03-14T14:05:00.008+11:00

Hello, everyone! Uni has been keeping me pretty busy as of late. Assignment after
assignment after assignment! I'll be making soap tonight so stay tuned for it in the next couple of days :). Melbourne is sunny today and the max temp is about 40C/104F.
Unbelievably hot so its a good thing today is my day off and I get to stay home and make soap!

Still some people are out and from the shouting and cheering going on outside my apartment, I'd say they're having a pretty good time!

Really, I'm just testing out my camera's optical zoom. They seem to be big fans of Foxtel (cable TV).

Joanna from The Soap Bar and Product Body Blog featured my soap on her blog! Thanks Joanna, I'm glad you like the swirly tops on my soap :). Joanna owns her own business called Product Body which sells handmade bath and body products. From the amount of people who rave about her products, I'd say they're pretty awesome! I haven't tried them myself as shipping to Australia is expensive from the U.S but I still love going to her site and just browsing through her products. She has such clever names for her products like Crush on You (sugar scrub) and Mama Bomb (moisturizer for expecting mothers). Take a look!

Also, I've just received my order of shea butter and cocoa butter from Mama Aum. The first thing I did was open the bag of cocoa butter and take a HUGE sniff. I was absolutely blown away by the scent. It smells exactly like a bar of rich, dark chocolate. Normally, cocoa butters just retain a hint of their chocolatey scent but the smell of Mama Aum's cocoa butter was pretty full on! I love, love, love it! Go here to order some of their yummy creamy cocoa butter! Their shea butter (pictured below) is delicious as well and fantastic to work with in creams, scrubs and soap. Order some here!

Their customer service is also top notch and I can't stress enough on how fantastic the quality of their products are. Do pay them a visit.

This is tussah silk from the Mountain Spinnery. They forgot about my order and forgot to send it until I reminded them a couple of weeks later which was a bit of a letdown. However, the silk is gorgeous. It's so soft and so fine. The great thing about tussah silk is that no silkworms are killed in the process, the silk is collected after the moths have broken free of their cocoons. And yes, the silk is for my soap like everything else is :D. I was also wondering if silk really does make a difference in soap?

Recently I ordered some polymer clay jewellery from Acrylicana's etsy shop! They're really cute too. Take a look!

I've added more blogs to the list of blogs I read. They're on my sidebar and are all very interesting and definitely worth taking a look.

See you all very, very soon, I promise! I also have a visual treat for my readers the next time I blog. Hope you like it :)

Perfect Potion Discovery Nights

2008-03-02T19:16:00.003+11:00

This is for the Aussies! If there is anyone interested in taking up soapmaking and the like, you might be interested to know that Perfect Potion are having their discovery nights this year.

Their discovery nights are like mini workshops where you can learn about aromatheraphy, massage and creating your own soaps, creams and bath and spa products. Some have a participation fee of $40 and some of $10. However these workshops are only available in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

If you'd like to know more, visit their website or call them free anywhere within Australia at 1800 988 999.

Hope this information will appeal to some of you :)

Carrot and Calendula

2008-03-02T18:56:00.002+11:00

Wow, I've been away for a while haven't I? Sorry for my random disappearing acts! Uni has started and I can't believe that I've been so busy this week. I've been dying to make soap and I have all these ideas running through my head that I just can't wait to get on to them!

Apart from that I want to get started on making my own shampoo and conditioner. We'll see how that goes! Hopefully soon. I want to make so many things actually, creams, bath bombs, scrubs. Honestly, what an expensive hobby this is! To profit from it is a dream that I haven't reached yet unfortunately but I'm taking it one step at a time.

This is a carrot and calendula soap made with carrot juice, carrot seed oil and calendula infused sunflower oil.

I scented this with roman chamomile instead and the apple like scent combined well with the carrot oil making it smell sort of fruity. This is meant as a facial soap so my cousin will be my personal reviewer in about 6 weeks? I hope this works well!

On another note, I've misplaced the key to my letter box!!!!! Which reminds me, I'm going to go look for it now! You can tell I'm extremely unorganised :(

Smells GREAT!

2008-02-23T15:49:00.003+11:00

This is the soap from this post below. It contains olive oil, rice bran oil and shea butter and was made with rice water. Also I scented it with Rice Flower and Shea(BBW) Type from Save on Scents. I've never smelled the real Rice Flower and Shea from Bath and Body Works but this fragrance oil is amazing! It's mild, not overpowering and has a delicate scent. I can really only describe the scent as pretty :) I'm happy with this except I would've have liked the base to be whiter.

I'm making a carrot and calendula soap today. It's going to be a facial soap for my cousin who has extremely oily skin. I'll be scenting it with lavender eo and tea tree eo. Hope everything turns out as planned! I'll keep you updated :)

I decided to infuse olive oil with a couple of vanilla beans. I cut it in half then sliced it lengthways but not all the way. Then I put it in the bottle and gave it a good shake. Probably shake it once a day for a week. My hands wont stop smelling of vanilla now. Yummm...

Uni starts next week. I'm not looking forward to it. I have to speak to a course advisor about something that I really hope isn't bad news and she's sort of scary too. Can't wait to get that over with.

New Look!

2008-02-21T17:41:00.004+11:00

Hey, everyone! Oats and Honey has a new look! How do you like it? Any feedback will be appreciated :) The makeover was done by Jessica at Cuppycake Designs and I love it! It's how I envisioned an oats and honey blog should look like :D She did a great job and she is an absolute joy to communicate with. I highly recommend her!

I have always wanted a new look for my blog and was further inspired by Michelle's (sweet friend from the blog world) blog's makeover at Soap Pixie which is so fun and colourful! Also designed by the talented Jessica.

Thanks Jess!

Smells like...

2008-02-20T20:27:00.005+11:00

Hmmm, wonder what I made this time? :) I'll reveal the mystery soap in my next post. I'm really happy with how this turned out! Hope everything goes according to plan *fingers crossed*. It smells pretty :D

This is a close-up of a chocolate scrub I made for Dan's aunt. It has chocolate soap pieces and a sprinkling of cappuccino mica although I went a little insane with the cocoa powder. It soaked up the oil and went a little hard. Softens up under warm water but I think I'll just go easy on cocoa next time :)

Today, the one day I decide to spend outdoors in the city away from my busy schedule and it rains on me :(

Oh, well! I get to spend another day out tomorrow. Please, please don't rain!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T13:45:00.002+11:00

Some people don't believe in this day so they don't celebrate it. They believe that everyday should be Valentine's Day between a couple. And they're right.

However today does fall under everyday. So relax, enjoy, partake in the celebration and if nothing else, tell your partner how much you love them :)

Booties!

2008-02-11T14:45:00.001+11:00

Look what arrived in the mail today!

Aren't they the cutest things you've ever seen? I got them for Dan's niece. These little baby booties are called the Sally and are handmade by Jessica from Baby Things By Jessica. Do check out her shop on etsy! She makes the most adorable shoes.

While searching for a pair of booties, I found this treasure trove of delight on etsy. Baby Bug Shoe Designs has to be one of the best designers of baby shoes I've seen so far. I can't even decide which design to talk about here. She makes Mary-Janes, sport shoes and even a Brown Neck Tie design for little boys. You have to see for yourself!

On Diana's Darnings, you can find the unique and oh-so-adorable kimono style booties. She also runs a blog titled Home Spun Mama and her website here where you can find her handmade blankies! I can't decide which one out of all her booties are my favourite but I have fallen in love with these peach and white ones.

Krafty Lady Kreations sell these one of a kind hand crocheted sneaker booties! Does this lady have talent of what? What's more? They're affordable at around $8.00 a pair. Definitely on my next list of things to buy for friend's babies!

Wait till you see these next ones from Pretty Little. These felted bunny booties will have you hopping with delight! Or maybe just me but moving on. Pricing is a little steep at $30.00 but it isn't enough to stop me from wanting to get it. In fact the urge is so strong, I have to stop looking at them now.

In no way have I even come halfway to exhausting the list of the amount of beautiful designs of baby booties on etsy. Pumpkin Patch, Guess Kids, Baby Gap and so on have nothing on these talented sellers from etsy! I hope you have as much fun ogling the shoes as I did :)

Valentine's Gift Ideas

2008-02-08T19:26:00.001+11:00

I'm a bit late huh? Sorry :( . I thought I'd come up with some great ideas for Valentine's Day! Unfortunately, the only thing I saw running through my head were red roses, chocolates and teddy bears. I know, I know but I tried!

Anyway there are tons of fantastic and I do mean fantastic ideas out there from other people!

First of all, check out these adorable Heart Shaped Tub Teas from Emmy Gabriel at The Natural Beauty Workshop and also check out this other great suggestion for a spa basket!

Anne Marie, The Soap Queen has this unique and fun tutorial along with a few recipes on how to make Massage Candles! Be sure to read them in order of Day One, Day Two and so on!

Or how about some fun melt and pour Heart Shaped Soap? At Candle and Soap Making from David Fisher.

A twist on air fresheners! Cute Wax Dipped Teddy Bears you can use to scent your room at Candle Supply. Might wanna keep this one away from the kids.

All pictures belong to their respective owners and were uploaded and linked from their respective sites.

Finally, how about a box of fizzy Chocolate Tub Truffles! Mmm, yummy.

1 cup bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup of citric acid
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 cup of full cream milk powder
1/4 cup of cocoa butter

If you don't know how to make your own bath fizzies you can find out here! You can roll out your own truffles or use a small mould. You can even scent your truffles to make cherry chocolate, peppermint chocolate or orange chocolate! You can omit the cocoa powder and scent it with vanilla to get a white chocolate truffle! When you're done, wrap them in coloured foil according to the scents and package them in little paper cups in a chocolate box. Tie it all up with some red ribbon or let your imagination run wild!

Have fun everyone and I hope you have as much fun making them as you will have celebrating Valentine's Day!

Soap Again?

2008-01-29T02:05:00.002+11:00

Here's my first attempt at felted soap. What do you think? I'm undecided at the moment. It was lots of fun making it! I wonder though, what happens to the wool when your soap bar gets smaller and smaller. Does the wool shrink with it until it can't shrink anymore or does the soap disappear and leave the wool covering behind? By the way, the soap underneath is a chocolate soap made with goat's milk. Moving on!

This is my Granola Scrub. You can make your own here. This scrub contains ground oatmeal, ground almonds, brown sugar, raw cane sugar, white sugar, almond oil, cocoa butter, macadamia oil, wheatgerm oil, honey, preservatives and sugar cookie fragrance. I'm happy with how this turned out! It feels like moist cookie dough :)

My next soap will be a Shea and Mango Milk soap. If it turns out to be a success, should I give away a bar of soap to someone for free? You could be my personal reviewer! And no your skin will not melt and fall off! Err...I hope!

I joke, I joke! :) Goodnight.

Much Ado about Soap

2008-01-25T01:15:00.001+11:00

I was experimenting with a new soap recipe yesterday and the bars at the front are unscented and well basically just soap without the frills. If they turn out to be nice, firm bars, I will use them to practice handmilling! I'm experimenting with getting smooth bars via handmilling and one of the techniques involved using freshly made day old soap instead of waiting for the soap to cure. I have yet to tell if the experiment is a disaster although the soap certainly didn't melt smoothly. It looked like a gloppy messy pile of...glop.

The soap hiding shamefully in the back is my ham soap. They've darkened slightly although I still think they look like ham! Actually, from the picture, they sort of like pate now. Their only saving grace is the fact that they smell like a fudge brownie. I'm making more soap soon for Dan's father's birthday which is coming up. This time, I'm going to still my itchy hands and make something I know won't turn out to be a disaster. I also think it's time I get a soap beveller or cutter. I want uniform soaps! On another note, I snapped my glass thermometer in half by accident. I was not a happy chappy :(

Anyway, I came home from the tennis a couple of hours ago. Went to see Nadal vs. Tsonga in the semi-final of the Australian Open. Long story short, unseeded frenchman, Tsonga obliterared world No.2 Nadal. I actually expected Nadal to win but Tsonga played well! Until last week, I've never paid the slightest interest in tennis so I was surprised when I actually enjoyed myself!

Before I leave you, does anyone know if using milk powder or fresh milk in soap makes any difference? Goodnight!

Oh, by the way, the soaps are curing in the storage room! Note to self: invest in soap cupboard.

Tagged!

2008-01-21T17:03:00.001+11:00

My shipment of goodies arrived today! I'm so excited! I'll be making lots of stuff later. Queenscliffe was fantastic. It was incredibly relaxing and the beach was definitely not something I was used to. The surf was brutal! I somersaulted without meaning to at one point. I also managed to catch some waves which was so much fun. I want to do it again and again!

Anyway, I've been tagged by Steph at Playing With Soap! Some of you may remember her from this post about her lost cockatiel. However, through her hard work and determination her much loved bird, Tita, is now safely back at home. She makes great soaps and has an interesting post about Beet Juice Soap. Check it out!

The rules are:

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.

Share the five top places on your "want to see or want to see again" list.

Tag a minimum of five random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

Five random and/or weird facts about myself

1. I always dream strange dreams or bad nightmares. Sometimes, I have really bad nightmares and I am reluctant to sleep again the next night because of them. It's always been that way ever since I was a child.

2. I have a phobia of lizards, frogs, the dark and massive amounts of blood. The latter is probably my strangest phobia. When I see lots of blood, my neck starts to feel funny and I instinctively reach for it. Too many vampire movies maybe?

3. I enjoy working with my hands and I learn best this way. Cooking, writing, crafting, playing instruments, video games are all favourite things for me to do.

4. I have lost around 8 mobile phones in a total of 6 years. It was a bad habit of mine that I have learned to break!

5. My mum owns a school of dance back in Malaysia and I've been learning classical dance since I was 3. Though I've stopped ballet, I still enjoy tap dancing!

Five top places I want to see or see again

I have so many places I want to visit! I can't make up my mind!

1. Malaysia
I miss home :( and Chinese New Year is coming soon.

2. Hawaii
The beach is my favourite place. Hawaii would be a dream come true!

3. Switzerland
Where every picture you take is postcard worthy :)

4. Egypt
I've always wanted to go to egypt ever since a friend raved about her trip there. Visiting the pyramids, I can almost envision it.

5.The rest of the U.S.A
Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York! DISNEYLAND!

I tag:

Lori from Homemade Bath Products.

Emmy from The Natural Beauty Workshop.

Denise from Go Planet Earth.

Nadia from Sterces-Ytrid.

Wilson from Wilzc.

Queenscliffe and Mama Aum!

2008-01-11T01:07:00.002+11:00

I'm going to the beach! Yay! I love the beach. It's my favouritest (which is better than favourite) place in the world. Dan's parents rented a beach house up in Queenscliff which is a resort town on the Bellarine Peninsula approximately 103 km south of Melbourne. In Malaysia, if you drive 103 km you end up in a different state.

I think if the sand is nice, white and fine, I will steal some to make a scrub or put in soap. Sand Soap! Better than ham soap, huh?

I've been all geared up lately to make new scrubs and soap and what not. However, there has been flooding in several parts of Australia and suppliers are having trouble with transportation so I'll be crafting after I return from the beach. I don't know which one I'm more excited about!

Also, I've been on the look out for good quality unrefined shea butter lately. I'm eager to try out the difference between West African and East African shea butter. Already I have a few suppliers in mind I would like to try. I started with Mama Aum. They are an Australian based company located in New South Wales.

They sell organic products for the household such as toiletries and laundry products down to nappies for babies. Recently, I ordered 250 gms of shea butter from them and after a few days I decided to send them an email to inquire about the whereabouts of the shea butter. However when I opened my mail, I received an email from them instead, stating that they were having trouble with shipping due to the floods and as an apology to me, they included another 100gms of shea butter for free.

I was delighted! Good service always, always wins points with me and I am a very loyal customer. Do give Mama Aum a try! The people there are so friendly and reply very promptly.

You can read about their company here and about their shea butter here.

I will see all of you next week! Bye!

Ham Soap??

2008-01-04T22:31:00.001+11:00

I made soap yesterday, cold process loaded with luxury oils and ingredients like jojoba and goat's milk. Let's just say I made an expensive mistake. Okay, LOTS of mistakes.

Number one, I am an impatient person. Very, very impatient. Mixed the lye with oils when both were not at the same temperature. Oils were too hot at about 70C and lye was about 45C. I know, I know! I bet you know what happened. No? I'll tell you.

This recipe had tons of extra virgin olive oil so as you can guess I was stirring till my arms were about to break. Added the extra ingredients before trace because yes, I'm impatient. The goat's milk powder AND the honey caramelised giving it a weird dark orangey colour and the lye probably saponified the jojoba oil which was supposed to be used for superfatting.

Finally, I got it to trace. Or so I thought. Poured the soap into the moulds and lo and behold, like magic, the mixture started separating before my wide eyes. Why? Lye and oils at different temperature. NOW I know why they need to be the same. The hard way.

I was determined NOT to let it go to waste so I dumped it back in the pot and started stirring and stirring with the stick blender until everything was incorporated. However the colour of the soap was atrocious so i dumped in some titanium dioxide to lighten it.

This morning I cut the soap into pieces. Dan looked over and said "What's that you're cutting up? Ham?"

"NO, IT'S NOT HAM IT'S MY SOAP! SOAP, I TELL YOU!"

Dan backs away slowly. "Uh, okay okay, I was just kidding. It's totally...soap."

Ham????? Okay, I admit defeat. The soap is now the colour of ham. If there is a soap god, he hates me.

Anyway! I have a question and if anyone can give me some suggestions I'd appreciate it! How do you get citrus essential oils to hold up in soap? I heard somewhere you can mix it with kaolin clay but I'm not sure how to do that.

I cannot find my camera so till then I don't have a picture of my (^&*$R%^%#^%$ ham soap. If you read my blog, you know I am in the habit of losing my camera. If there is a camera god, yes I know you know but I want to say it...he hates me too.

Dangerous Essential Oils

2008-01-01T16:04:00.003+11:00

Most essential oils should never be use undiluted on the skin and can be toxic if taken orally. Some should not be used at all, they have been manufactured for industrial purposes and are extremely dangerous to have around the house.

Ajowan (Trachyspermum copticum)	toxic thymol, powerful irritant
Bitter Almond (Prunus dulcis var amara)	toxic cyanide (prussic acid) present in unrectified oil - only use FFPA grade
Boldo Leaf (Peumus boldus)	very orally toxic
Calamus (Acorus calamus)	carcinogenic oral toxin ß-asarone, methyleugenol; FDA banned from flavorings
Camphor, Brown or Yellow (Cinnamomum camphora)	carcinogenic safrole; EU banned
Colophony (Pinus spp.)	stong sensitizer
Costus (Saussurea costus)	strong sensitizer; IFRA banned
Croton, Cascarilla (Croton tiglium)	methyleugenol, blistering agent; EU banned
Elecampane, Allantroot (Innula helenium)	strong sensitizer; IFRA banned
Fig Leaf absolute (Ficus carica)	phototoxic sensitizer; IRFA banned
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)	severe irritant allyl isothiocyanate

This was taken from Elaine's Aromatheraphy. Please go here for the full list. Also check out this list of essential oils which are known to be skin sensitizers.

Cyanide is a highly toxic poison and the word "carcinogenic" is used to describe a substance that is capable of causing cancer.

Please be extremely careful when handling essential oils. It is mentioned in the article that a 15ml bottle of Birch and Wintergreen essential oil has enough methyl salicylate to kill a person if ingested. They are particularly dangerous to children because of their sweet and minty smell.

In fact, any essential oil should be kept out of reach of children and thoroughly researched before being used. It is better to err on the side of being TOO careful.

Maybe not the best topic to start the new year with uhh hehe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

Busy? Me?

2007-12-24T14:41:00.001+11:00

It's all true! I've been busy :( I haven't had time to do anything lately! Anyway, I probably won't be back until I return to Australia on Thursday. So till then, I would like to wish everyone a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

and (just in case) a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Be happy!

Off To Langkawi!

2007-12-15T09:23:00.001+11:00

Hello, I'm off to Langkawi for a few days! I've been busy and I recently found out about something which is pretty devastating news to me. But it's not something I can't fix and I'm trying not to let it get to me.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays as well. Have fun everybody and I'll see you again in a few days :)

Love,
Michelle

Make Your Own Massage Bar!

2007-12-06T11:10:00.001+11:00

A massage bar is a solid block of oils that you can apply to your body of someone else's body slowly easing sore muscles while pampering your skin with its wonderful moisturising properties. And they are notoriously easy to make. The simplest recipe I can give you is this:

2 parts hard oils
1 part soft oils

Hard oils are basically oils that are solid at room temperature and soft oils are liquid at room temperature. However, there are degrees of hardness and softness. For example, shea butter and cocoa butter are both "hard" oils but cocoa butter is more solid so it has a higher degree of hardness.

When I make my massage bars, I always use a very hard oil and a soft oil. For example, I use 2 parts of cocoa butter and 1 part of macadamia nut oil. You could substitute cocoa butter with illipe butter. It's the only very hard oil I know of. But who doesn't love cocoa butter, right? Say no and you must be a man. What?! I am NOT sexist, how dare you! Go change a lightbulb.

Hehe, I'm just kidding! Oh, I got sidetracked. You'll get to know me, I do this very often. My friend says I'm like a radio because I just keep on talking and changing topics and he just keeps on listening. Argh! I'm doing it again! Okay, back to where I was.

So, you've melted your hard oils and then added your soft oils. Add any essential or fragrance oils. If you add too much, it may affect the hardness of your bar so substitute some of the soft oils with the essential or fragrance oils. Pour the oils into a massage bar mould. Or layer the bottom of a normal mould with uncooked chickpeas or azuki beans. Leave it to harden or speed it up by putting it in the fridge, the oils may stay a little soft in summer so keep them in the fridge.
This is a massage bar so scent plays an important part. Try searching the internet for scent blends keeping in mind what kind of effect you're looking for it to have. Energizing, relaxing, and so on.

Relaxing Scent Blend

2 drops lavender essential oil
3 drops chamomile essential oil
3 drops sandalwood essential oil
2 drops ylang ylang essential oil

Now all you need are some candles, clean towels, soft music and a willing partner. Enjoy!
If you prefer, you can toss the massage bar into a nice warm bath minus the chickpeas or azuki beans and use it as a bath melt. In which case you will also need some candles, clean towels and soft music. Willing partner is optional.

Bye!

Green Tea, Anyone?

2007-12-04T13:34:00.001+11:00

Chelsea's Japanese tea set and part of her breakfast. It was so cute I couldn't resist taking a picture. Sorry about the bad quality pictures, they're from a phone camera. We have two cameras in the house and no one bothered enough to charge them.

They were taken in the garden, under the outdoor shower. Seemed a good idea at the time!

Happy Birthday Amanda!

2007-12-03T05:57:00.001+11:00

I've been busy again! :(

I can't believe I cannot find lye anywhere! It frustrates me. I've been baking to keep my hands occupied or at least trying to.

I went to Pavillion today. It's a new mall and it's gorgeous! I'll post up pictures when I get them off my sister's boyfriend's phone.

It was Amanda's birthday's on the 1st of December. She's turned 19 and still whines like a little girl. She can irritate me like no one could ever and yet she is my bestest friend in the whole world. I could not ask for a lovelier and more cuddly sister.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Throwing a Tantrum

2007-11-29T08:53:00.001+11:00

Chelsea snores like a drunk cow. I don't know if cows snore but boy, if they did they must be taking some serious lessons from Chelsea, drunk.

So here I am, still up at 6 a.m here in Malaysia and throwing a tantrum to anyone who cares to listen. I have to be up in 5 hours to take Chelsea to her friend's birthday party. Her friend has bought two tickets for Amanda and I to watch a movie with the group and paid for us to eat at the restaurant with them. Now, I'm not too cool to watch a movie with a bunch of 12 year old girls or eat at a restaurant with them but I am too cool to have someone almost a decade younger than me pay for my movie and dinner!

There are so many things wrong with this.

Number one, we're not going out.
Number two, she's female (That's not how I roll).
Number three, she's underaged (That's not how I roll either).
Number four and probably most importantly, I don't even know her name.

So I'm sorry, I must either decline politely and offer to pay my own way or fork out a whole lot of money for a present that someone is going to find very suspicious.

The movie we're watching is Enchanted which is rated a stunning 8.2/10 at IMDB. It's going to be good!

I hate geckos and lizards. I absolutely hate, HATE them. This goes back a long time ago when I was about 3 and a FAT house gecko ran over my foot. I ran around the house screaming at the top of my voice and causing everyone to come running to me. Well, ever since then I've been traumatised. Yesterday, I stepped on one. I didn't see it but I felt it wriggle underneath my foot. Have you ever seen a lizard wriggle? It is the single most devastating thing that can happen to your mind. I assure you, I'm like a doctor or something.

Anyway, I jumped like I'd stepped on acid or a lizard made of acid and ran around the house screaming at the top of my voice. Only this time, no one responded to my tearful cries. Because I'm not 3 years old anymore, they said. Does anyone else feel the ageism? There ought to be some kind of law for this.

Well, I'm officially not sleeping tonight so goodnight everyone, I'm off to amuse myself with the television.

P.S Number five, I have a boyfriend.

Dragon's Beard Candy

2007-11-28T05:00:00.001+11:00

This is my youngest sister's favourite sweet. Dragon's Beard Candy is a form of spun sugar and is said to have been invented for the emperor 2000 years ago in China. The candy is made of very fine strands of sugar wrapped around a filling of crushed peanuts and toasted sesame seeds.

The trick to making the fine strands of sugar is shown in this video. You might want to turn down the sound though. I still can't get it out of my head.

It looks like fun and the candy is worth the hassle, or at least, I think it is :D

If you're ever down in Chinatown, I encourage you to try this sweet! Unless of course you don't like peanuts or are allergic to them, in which case, don't eat it! Make the candy and eat that instead! Still yummy.

We also bought some, umm, I have no idea what it's called. The girl at the shop called it mochi but I'm quite sure it isn't mochi.

This is mochi. Japanese rice cakes with fillings such as red bean (azuki). Sometimes they fill it with ice-cream then they call it daifuku. Another must-try!

That's my beautiful sister, Amanda, on the left who has fallen in love with the aspirin mask.

See ya!

Strawberry and Yoghurt Mask

2007-11-28T02:01:00.001+11:00

Let me first warn you that this mask is incredibly sticky, messy and NOT for sensitive skin. On the bright side, it smells sweet, is a lovely pastel pink and according to Chelsea, tastes yummy.

I found out that Chelsea has incredibly sensitive skin. She complained that the mask stung which is understandable considering it's an astringent. So, I made what was supposed to be a soothing cleanser containing fine oatmeal, honey and milk with some aloe vera gel. Yet, she still complained that it hurt. I shot her an incredulous look. "Really?", I asked. So, I cleansed her face with a little bit of honey water and dabbed just a tiny bit of jojoba oil on her face as moisturiser which she admitted felt better.

The key to cleansing ultra sensitive skin is to keep things simple and it's probably wise to dilute everything with distilled or spring water. Acidic ingredients like citrus fruits are best kept at bay. Another very important thing you have to remember if your skin falls into this category is to always, always do a patch test on the inside of your elbow.

Rub a little of the product you are testing on the inside of your elbow and cover with a band aid. Remove after 24 hours. However if it any time at all your skin starts itching unbearably (sometimes a mild tingling action is normal), remove the band aid immediately and wash with lots of cool water. To be safe, assume you are allergic to it. After 24 hours, if you experience any redness, wash the area and discontinue use immediately. If the reaction is strong or severe, meaning the skin is raised and thickened with large blisters and intense redness, I would advise you to see a doctor about the allergy. It might be worthwhile.

I'm scaring you, aren't I? Don't be, patch tests are the only way to determine if your skin is allergic to something. Then, all you have to do is avoid it!

1 very ripe strawberry
1 teaspoon of yoghurt
1 teaspoon of honey
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
oatmeal

Mash the strawberry until it's pulpy. Add the yoghurt and honey and stir to combine. Add the cornstarch and thicken the mask with the oatmeal. You may want to lay your head on a pillow covered with a towel after applying the mask. Wait 10-15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water.

Strawberries are wonderful for softening skin and contain AHAs. It's great for oily and acne prone skin. The mild enzymes and acids in yoghurt is another skin softening agent. But oats and honey again you cry? I'm sorry I can't seem to stay away from them :( They're my staple in natural skincare.

Smells too edible?!

2007-11-27T04:42:00.001+11:00

Aren't they pretty? They're bath bombs from Lush. A going away present from Dan, he knows I sometimes obsess over Lush but never get anything for myself because I refuse to be blinded to the fact that they chargecrazy prices.

However I'm so happy with these fizzies! They smell terrific. My favourite as you can tell is the christmas pudding lookalike one. It smells faintly edible because of the benzoin (smells like vanilla) and clove. The purple glittery one smells the best which I put down to the tangerine and ylang ylang oil. The green fizzy smells very citrusy and I'm not a huge fan of citrusy smells.

Oh, want to hear something funny? I made bath jelly and scented it with strawberry and vanilla then shoved it in the fridge. Everybody commented it smelled like strawberry ice cream, it was absolutely divine! Anyway, my grandmother spotted some left over in the bowl I was using and decided she would eat it while my back was turned. All of us started yelling and screaming "Don't eat that, it's soap!". So for most of the whole afternoon, she berated me for making my soaps smell "too edible". I don't think she appreciated the fact that I burst out laughing every time she mentioned it.

Oh, I made the papaya scrub but unfortunately I don't have any pictures :(. I'm not very camera savvy but that wasn't the problem this time.

Remember the 7 kids I mentioned that were over last night in my last post? Well, one of them ate it. Yes, he ate it. I blame Chelsea as I saw her sneaking a couple of spoonfuls into her mouth. It's a good thing that this time the scrub is edible! My scrubs are usually not and to think I was planning on adding the Polysorbate 20. Chelsea just said,"I knew it! You're trying to kill us!"

Sometime ago, a friend of mine tried to eat a cocoa butter bath melt when they were drying in the moulds. He kept insisting I was lying to him when I told him it wasn't chocolate. Then, he found the cupcakes and it all went downhill from there.I should start scenting my creations with airplane fuel to stop them from getting eaten!

I didn't forget about the strawberry and peaches! It's coming right up although I'm pretty sure it's going to get eaten as well. I'm also making castile soap in a couple of days if I can just get my hands on some lye.

Scent for the soap? Oatmeal, milk and honey. ;)

Have Your Say!

2007-11-26T02:02:00.001+11:00

Please feel free to ask me anything you like at all. Is there a certain homemade skin care product that you would like a recipe of? Are there tips you want on something like combating dark undereye circles? What is it you would like to see me blog about? I'm open to anything at all! I'll do the research :)

Have your say! I will try to help in anyway possible.

I adore strawberries and peaches so I will be posting recipes containing this ingredients for an astringent cleanser and a moisturising mask in my next post complete with pictures and a guinea pig model (my 12 year old sister, Chelsea).

There are 7 children sleeping over tonight, thanks to my brother and sister's impromptu slumber party. This is what I miss about my home in Malaysia. It's always alive with the sound of people's voices. No one is ever home alone because there are so many of us.

In Australia, it's just Dan and I and it does get lonely sometimes. Probably because being around a lot of people is what I'm used to.

I made a cookies and cream cheesecake for Amanda yesterday. Everyone liked it! I couldn't even get a picture, I left it in the fridge thinking I'd come back and decorate it then take a picture. However when I came back there was only a quarter left.

Is anyone interested in the recipe? I'm curious to find out if it's really that good or my family is just being nice to me cause I'm home :)

Ingredients Listing - How to Read Them

2007-11-24T19:17:00.002+11:00

"Hi Evani! It's no problem. Feel free to ask me whatever you want and I'll try to help you if I can :) Yes, you can use mica to colour your lip balm. However, be sure that they are approved for use in lip products as some aren't. Also be careful not to use too much or the lip balm may feel scratchy. There are also dyes specifically made for use in lip products and you can check with either Brambleberry or From Nature With Love. Both links are on my side bar. Or you could cut off a sliver from old lipstick and use that. If you want to keep things all natural, alkanet root colours lipbalm a natural reddish colour with hints of purple, a few drops of beet juice (or you can use beet powder) gives it a lovely red colour. I hope that answered your question and have fun making the lip balm :)"

The Food, Drugs & Cosmetics (FD&C) Act has many rules when it comes to listing ingredients on cosmetic products. First, ingredients must be listed in their correct International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) terminology. It is a system of names for the ingredients used in cosmetics based on scientific names and other Latin and English words.

For example:
Vitamin E = Tocopherol
Jojoba Seed Oil = Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
Peppermint Leaf Oil = Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
Beeswax = Cera Alba

The ingredients must be listed in descending order of predominance. Meaning from the most to the least. If the cosmetic product is 70% water, then water should be listed first. They do have some exceptions to this rule:

a) If the cosmetic is also a drug, the drug has to be declared before declaring the cosmetic ingredients.
b) Ingredients not exceeding the concentration of 1% can be listed in any order after listing the ingredients exceeding 1% in descending order.
c) Colour additives of any concentration can be listed in any order after the listing of ingredients that are not colour additives.
d) Approved FDA ingredients that are a trade secret does not have to be disclosed on the label.

Fragrances or flavours can be listed as "fragrance" or "flavour". If they serve as both a fragrance and flavour they must be listed as "fragrance and flavour".

You can read more about the Act if you wish at theFDA website.

Be a smart consumer and know what you are buying. INCI names are very confusing and reading it straight off the label will probably not make any sense to you. However, Google is your friend and it is wise to educate yourself on what you are putting on your skin.

If you're like how I used to be then you'd never bother reading the ingredients list. I do it all the time now and I don't buy ingredients that contain Petrolatum, Mineral Oil and SLS especially if it's high on the list. And if shea butter is listed along the end of the label and the product says "Whipped Shea Butter", you'd probably know better than to get it.

Clays

2007-11-22T22:16:00.001+11:00

"Thanks, Evani! have a great Thanksgiving yourself!"

There are several different types of clays but they all serve a similar purpose and that is to cleanse and invigorate skin with remarkable results. This beauty treatment has been with us since ancient times but have only recently become popular again. Some clays are edible and taken internally for their medicinal properties. The various clays work well for various skin problems. They are easy to use and effective. If you are going on holiday, all you need is a packet of clay to be mixed with liquid and you have an impromptu facial mask!

French Green Clay - Is naturally green as the name suggests and cannot ever be white or gray in colour. The colour determines a good or poor quality clay. It contains valuable minerals such as montmorillonite, several (up to 9) important mineral oxides, magnesium, calcium, potassium, dolomite, silica, manganese, phosporous, silicon, copper, and selenium. It is quarry mined, sun-dried and heavily processed. The result should be fine, powdery, green clay. It is considered to be the best and most active clay as it is super absorbent and tones and tigthens the skin. Suitable for all skin types except sensitive. Especially suitable for oily skin.

Yellow Clay - Is naturally yellow and also determines a good or poor quality clay. It is a mild clay and believed to stimulate blood circulation while gently exfoliating and cleansing the skin. Rich in minerals, it is good for all skin types.

Red Clay - Is again naturally red :P. It is a powerful astringent for oily skin and hair and has the ability to draw excess oils from the skin and stimulate circulation to the skin.

White Clay - Is the mildest of all clays and is suitable for sensitive skin. It does not draw oils from the skin and can be used for dry skin.

Pink Clay - A combination of white and red clay and has medium absorbency. It is a balanced blend of iron oxide, silica and mineral salts. Suitable for all skin types, especially sensitive and delicate skin.

Bentonite Clay - Is a combination of montmorillonite and volcanic ash. It is a highly absorbent clay that pulls oils and toxins from the skin. It is best suited for oily skin and used in shaving soaps.

These are the most basic of clays. There are more including Dead Sea Clay, Rhassoul Clay, Fullers Earth, Multani Mitti and Green Illite.

Clays can be mixed with other powders such as milk powder, honey powder, yoghurt powder, buttermilk powder, fine oatmeal, cornstarch and so on to make a truly luxurious facial mask. Just combine all the dry powders together and mix with a liquid when you're ready to use it. Clays on their own keep indefinitely but should be used within four to five years to ensure freshness.

Lavender and Rose Clay Mask and Cleanser

1/2 cup of your choice of clay
1/4 cup of finely ground oatmeal
2 tbsp of honey powder
2 tbsp of goat's milk powder
few drops of lavender essential oil
2 tbsp dried and grounded rose petals
2 tbsp lavender buds

Mix the clay, oatmeal, honey powder and milk powder together. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil, depending on how strong you like it. Add the rose petals and lavender buds and then store in an airtight container.

When you are ready to use it, remove a teaspoon of the clay and add enough water to make a paste. Better yet, try a floral water like rose water or orange blossom water. Then cleanse your
face, wash off with water and pat dry.

To make a mask, take enough clay and add it with water or floral water to make a paste and smooth it all over your face and neck. Lie down and relax for 10-15 minutes, the mask will dry and tighten. Wash off with warm water and pat dry.

If you're not into floral scents, try instead adding orange essential oil and dried orange rinds to the clay. Or you could try adding other herbs instead.

Here's another tip. Try mixing and matching different types of clay, you may come up with something that works extremely well for you! One of my favourites is equal portions of Kaolin and Bentonite Clay.

You could keep the clay in a ziplock bag when you go on holiday and although the packaging may not be very pretty, you can be sure the contents are 100% spa-worthy ;)

Edit: I would like to wish everybody who is celebrating thanksgiving, a Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry, I got in a little late :(

Granola Body Scrub

2007-11-21T18:34:00.001+11:00

For some reason, my chatbox isn't working so I'll reply you here.

"Hi Evani! Including titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide in your lipbalm is an option and offers an SPF of 2 - 45 depending oh how much is put in which also depends on the recipe. If you can't find them, some oils have a natural SPF. Sesame seed oil, jojoba oil and shea butter have an SPF of about 4. Just substitute them for the macadamia oil in the lipbalm recipe. Clickhereif you want a set recipe for a lipbalm with SPF."

Okay, well I've got my luggage back. Most of my stuff has been completely ruined as expected when put in the care of baggage handlers. I'm going to file a claim, I doubt I'll get any compensation though. Sigh.

3/4 cup of fine oatmeal
1/2 cup of ground almonds
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of demerara sugar
1/4 cup of apricot kernel oil
2 tbsp of honey
few drops of vanilla extractA dash of cinnamon

This will smell like cookie mix :)

Add the oatmeal, almonds and sugar and combine well. Then add the oil and mix thoroughly. Drizzle the honey over the mixture and stir well to combine. Finally, add a dash of cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla extract.

On a totally unrelated topic, adding milk powders to yourbath bomb recipereduces the fizzing somewhat so if you like strong fizzy action, don't add milk or opt to add hydrolyzed milk protein instead.

I'm making some peppermint jelly roll soaps and bath cupcakes tonight with my sisters. Hopefully everything goes as planned! See you soon!

Uneventful Weekend: Lost Cockatiel

2007-11-20T23:17:00.001+11:00

Well, I'm back! It's been an uneventful weekend all in all. First, MAS left my luggage back in Melbourne which contains some fresh food and would most likely be spoiled by the time it gets to me. Also, my mother had her handbag snatched from her again. Both times when she left the same bank. Two men came by on a motorcycle from behind her and grabbed her bag, it was a while before she realised she was being dragged along on the road and had to let go.

She now has these huge scratches along her back and legs. These things are very common in Malaysia, I've had several relatives experience the same thing. One was even slashed on the hand with a knife. Tourists are targeted as well because they tend to carry large sums of money and things are worse for them because they carry passports which are a hassle to lose, a HUGE hassle. So carry your handbag on the side of your body which doesn't face the road. As much as I love my home, this is the reality and there is really nothing the incompetent police of Malaysia can do about it.

It truly has been a terrible weekend. Steph from Playing with Soap lost a a white face cockatiel with white/light gray feathers near 70th Street/Boulevard East in Guttenberg, NJ. So anyone from Hudson County, NJ please keep a look out for this little bird. She's said to be tame and will perch on your finger if you allow her to. Steph has more information on her blog. Even if you aren't from NJ, please visit her blog and show her some support. No matter in what form, it is always painful to lose a loved one.

I've decided to post the recipe for my Granola Body Scrub tomorrow. So check back soon.

Taking a Break

2007-11-17T12:49:00.001+11:00

Hello, everyone!

I've been a little busy these past couple of days and still am and apart from that I've somehow injured my knee :( Might have something to do with my shoes and walking non stop from 9 in the morning to 11 at night. No, it was not some crazy exercise program I had planned. In fact, it wasn't anything I had planned at all! However I had things to go and places to see. Yes, I'm trying to sound important.

The horror isn't over yet. I'll have to be doing more walking later and tomorrow, then flying away to Malaysia. I never sleep on airplanes because I always fly economy and they don't mean for you to sleep in economy I'm sure of it (lousy chairs). I used to love airports when I was younger because it always meant I was going on holiday or going home. Now, I travel every 6 months back and forth between "homes" and I'm getting weary.

Also, I have to work soon :(

On the bright side, I'll be going for a nice japanese dinner with Dan and his parents later. They thought it would be nice to have one last dinner with me before I leave to Malaysia which I think is really sweet. Also, I'll be making more bath cupcakes tomorrow and some other goodies I plan to be taking back to Malaysia. My sisters are dying to help me with the production of my toiletries so I'll bring back some stuff for them to make. Amanda is the creative one so I might just bring back plain cupcakes for her to decorate.

I've just finished exams on Friday and already I don't have time to rest! I kind of like being busy although it does make time pass so much faster and when you're on holidays that isn't a good thing. Well, I do hope I don't burn out before the next week is over as I plan to post about more and more about my failed and successful attempts at this amazing craft. I might see you all again on Tuesday!

I know you're all out there! I see my blog counter steadily rising. Drop a comment sometime, show me some love! :)

Have a wonderful weekend everybody and I'll bbs (be back soon). Bye!

Want a Bigger Bust?

2007-11-15T17:19:00.001+11:00

Don't want surgery?

Today, I introduce to you if you don't already know of, herbs that purportedly have the ability to increase the size of your breasts!

The first one is fenugreek which is used by nursing mothers to aid the production of breast milk. The seeds and sprouts of the plant have been known for centuries as effective breasts enlargers and contain diosgenin which is used to make synthetic estrogen and has been shown to promote the growth of breast cells.

The second one is fennel which contains phytoestrogens, plant chemicals similar to the female hormone estrogen. However, fennel oil is not to be taken during pregnancy and can cause miscarriages. Use it to complement the fenugreek.

The third one is saw palmetto which is actually a popular and effective treatment for prostate enlargement in men but has its origins as a breast enlarger. Is still recommended by naturopaths today for enhancing breast size. It can also be used as an aphrodisiac.

The fourth herb is wild yam which is also an estrogenic plant. If the outer bark is stripped and the inner bark reduced to a paste in the blender, it can be used as a salve for the breasts.

These herbs can be taken internally and topically. You can find some of these herbs in tablet or capsule form at health food stores. Fenugreek powder can be made by grinding up the sprouts and seeds in a blender then mixed with liquid or lotion to form a paste and then massaged on to the breasts. The herbs can also be steeped in to a tea and then drunk.

I've decided to give this all-natural treatment a go and will fill you in on the results, if any! Oh, if you are pregnant, I strongly advise you to consult with your doctor before attempting use of any of these herbs. I know its reported to be safe, but if I were you I would be extra careful. Note that most essential oils are not to be used during pregnancy.

Edit: Ahh I forgot to mention! If you're on any medication at the moment (e.g. the Pill or depression pills) check with a doctor before you take any herbs! For example, those on depression pills cannot take St Johns Wort and people on the Pill should stay away from saw palmetto. I don't know if it's the same with essential oils but doesn't hurt to check!

Yummy Brown Sugar Body Scrub

2007-11-14T01:03:00.001+11:00

There are many types of exfoliating granules like ground walnut shells, ground almonds, coffee, salt, sugar, bentonite beads, jojoba wax beads and so on. You can use one or combine two or more! Mmm, exofliating without fish. I'll be going back to Malaysia on Sunday. I have a friend who knows someone who works at a place that offers such a service. Although I'm a little squeamish, I can't help but be intrigued. I'll let you know if I do gather up the courage to take the plunge!

This delightful and ever so popular sugar scrub smells incredibly delicious and will leave your feeling oh-so-smooth and moisturised without the greasiness!

200 g of brown sugar
35 g of sweet almond oil
20 g of macadamia oil
13 g of Vitamin E oil
9 g of polysorbate 20
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the ingredients thoroughly and spoon the mixture into jars. The polysorbate 20 is used as an emulsifier and detergent in pharmaceuticals and will help get rid of the greasy feeling left behind by sugar and salt scrubs.

Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg for a truly wonderful sweet smelling scrub or combine brown sugar, turbinado sugar and coffee grounds for a more interesting scrub. Remember the recipe is not set in stone. Be creative! Add some clay maybe to draw out toxins from your body. Lemon juice is a natural disinfectant, oats are hypoallergenic and will soothe the skin. Honey and glycerine will draw moisture to the skin and keep it soft and pulpy.

Scrubbing your body not only gets rid of dead skin cells and encourages the growth of new skin cells but it also gets the blood flowing and helps with cellulite! I have so many yummy recipes for body scrubs like the granola body scrub and the papaya body scrub. If anyone is interested in these recipes, do let me know!

Anyway, enjoy! Go forth and scrub.

Doctor Fish

2007-11-12T18:04:00.002+11:00

Has anyone heard of the new exfoliating spa treatment that is currently all the rage in Japan, China, Turkey and Europe? It has nothing to do with salt scrubs or even non abrasive AHA/BHA
exfoliation. It does have everything to do with tiny fish eating the dead skin off your body.

Do I hear screams of disgust? Oh, wait they're coming from me.

Back in 1917, a shepherd dipped his wounded leg into the hot springs in the hills of central Turkey, in a town called Kangal. These little fish, which are a little under 4 inches, or 9.7 cm, long, nibbled off the dead flesh from the wound. “Miraculously” his wound healed nicely.

Doctor fish, appropriately named for the fact that they consume the affected and dead areas of the skin, leaving behind a fresh healthy new layer of skin to grow. What you do is immerse parts or your entire body into a warm spa pool that is host to thousands of tiny fish who immediately zoom in on the dried, flaky parts of your body.

The experience is known to be quite ticklish. However, the effects are said to be amazing as you emerge from the pool with smooth and glowing skin.

Commonly used to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis. Apparently, the fish exude an enzyme called dithranol (anthralin) which prevents fast developments of cells from the skin, therefore preventing psoriasis. You'd think they'd do the opposite wouldn't you? So more dead skin would form, more food?

Anyway, the effects are temporary for most and they have to revisit the spa approximately every couple of weeks. So no worries there for the fishies. The food will be coming back.

These little fish are dying to feast on the diseased parts of your skin. Trackback to the article can be found here. Read it, you won't be disappointed.

While you must excuse me, I feel like I need a shower.

How Pure is your Olive Oil?

2007-11-12T17:32:00.001+11:00

Remember what I said in the post below about cutting costs and increasing profits with big companies? Classic example here with olive oil. Read this interesting article here on the olive oil scandal. Do read it, it's interesting. What it's basically trying to tell you is that there are no strict regulations for controlling the production of olive oil and nowhere does it say that your olive oil has to be made 100% of olives. Who's to say you couldn't substitute some of it with soy or canola oil? As much as 20% hazelnut oil can be added to olive oil and still be undetectable to the consumer.

Buying "extra virgin" olive oil is sadly, no guarantee of a good quality oil. The way they grade olive oil is by measure of its acidity and nothing much else.

However, we are NOT stupid consumers, right? Right.

So, we will test the purity of our olive oil. How innocent are you, my little bottle of olive oil? Hiding any deep dark secrets? Canola oil, maybe?

Thanks to my fitness nut of a boyfriend who read an article which tells you how to test the quality of your oil through its smokepoint.

Basically start with a cup of olive oil in a frying pan and a baking thermometer. Heat the oil on high and watch for when it hits 350 degrees F. Then turn the heat down low and shine a strong flashlight down on to the pan. Watch for when it starts to smoke then note the temperature on the thermometer.

You want to watch for when the olive oil starts to smoke, a good (one with 20% free fatty acids) olive oil will start smoking at 375 degrees F but anywhere between 355 to 375 will do. An olive oil with 4% free fatty acids will smoke at 425 degrees F.

So short of running your olive oil through a lab analysis, this is the best you can do right at home. Be a smart consumer!

Tip: Don't buy olive oil stored in clear glass containers, light destroys oils. Especially don't buy it if dust has settled on the oil, a sign it has been there a long time. If you must, buy one from the back of the shelf away from direct light.

What do you look for?

2007-11-12T01:28:00.002+11:00

What do you look for when you shop for bath and body products?

Be honest, if something is aesthetically pleasing and sheer olfactory delight, would you buy it? Do we really care if the Blueberry Cheesecake Body Butter we buy is 50% mineral oil or the Sugar Cookie Shea Body Wash contains just 1% shea? The truth is, most of us don't. That's why huge companies like Bath and Body Works make so much money.

I admit, I'm a sucker for anything that smells and looks good. What really got me interested in soapmaking was soap cakes. Soap designed to look and smell just like a cake. It was amazing, I honestly didn't care what the soap was made of, only that it was pretty and yummy smelling. I never bought unscented products, really.

Tell me you don't want to buy this! *drools* Yes it's all soap! Images are from CakeofSoap.

Before getting into making my own bath and body products, I never bothered to look at the ingredients list. The fact that the ingredients are all listed by their INCI names didn't help either. The average consumer would not be able to tell that Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit really means shea butter or that the ingredients are listed by weight from most to least. So who really knows what I was putting on my skin?

I stopped buying from companies like The Body Shop, Bath and Body Works and L'occitane long ago. Not all but most big companies focus on increasing profits and cutting costs. For example, a Japanese restaurant I know swapped japanese cucumbers for ordinary cucumbers in their food as they noticed how much money they would save. However, you'll notice that smaller companies (Etsy!), again not all, are greener and not only do they put more emphasis on the good things that go into their products, they look and smell fantastic! Plus, something handmade has a certain charm to it.

Or better yet, make your own! :)

So is it only me or are other people like this as well? What do you look for?

p.s. Scent for the cupcake below is a pineapple base and coconut frosting complete with sugar flower ;)

Creative Fun

2007-11-11T00:06:00.001+11:00

Another bath cupcake from yours truly.

What do you imagine it smells like? I'll give you a hint, it's tropical :) I'll reveal the mysterious scent in the next post.

Experimented with frosting and added a bit too much of soft oils. Doesn't firm up properly. Oh well, mental note to self.

Enjoy!

Make Your Own Bath Bomb!

2007-11-10T00:04:00.001+11:00

I remember excitedly telling a friend of mine (he's a guy by the way) about the first time I made a bath bomb and he goes "Ewwww, I don't want to know what you do in the toilet." Well, lucky for you, that wasn't what I made and that's not what I'm going to teach you how to make.

A bath bomb or bath fizzie is a ball that when dropped into a tub of water effervesces, basically meaning it fizzes and releases scent, colour or other properties in to the water depending on what it's made of. It is a combination of bicarbonate of soda and citric acid. When combined and added to water creates a chemical reaction and carbon dioxide is released.

Basic Bath Bomb

There are many good recipes for the most basic of bath bombs and you can find one here, here and here

Bath bomb moulds and colourants can be found at Brambleberry if you are living in the U.S and Aussie Soap Supplies if you live in Australia. Links are on my sidebar.

Tip: Don't have a mould? Cut a tennis ball in half, makes a lovely mould. In fact cut open any hollow ball in half and it'll pretty much do the trick.

You can add almost anything your little heart desires like salts, fine oatmeal, oils, milk powders, honey powder, herbs, flowers, cornstarch and the list goes on. Do check out some great recipes for bath bombs at Bath and Body Recipes or At Home with Arista after you are familiar with the technique. Again, links are on the sidebar.

Hereare a list of other fun things you can do involving bicarbonate of soda and citric acid like making a rocket!

Lush Handmade Cosmetics has obtained cult status here in Australia and their bath bombs are part of what projected them to fame. Celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Halle Berry are big fans of Lush.

Below is their bestseller bath bomb called the Butterball.

Ingredients
Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cocao), Synthetic Musk, Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Perfume.

Description
Let's make this clear now; it doesn't have your usual kind of butter in it, the kind of butter that comes from cows. It does have cocoa butter, made from the roasted seeds of the cocoa bean, to condition and soften your skin to make it gloriously smooth to the touch. As the Butterball fizzes into oblivion, the bathroom is scented with ylang ylang with a touch of (synthetic*) musk and a hint of chocolate from the tiny shavings of cocoa butter that melt in the water's warmth. Your whole body will be moisturised and perfumed so beautifully that you won't want to put your clothes back on. Use Butterball just before bedtime or whenever you're going to wear something that reveals an expanse of bare skin.

The picture and passages above are taken from the Lush Australian Website. I used Lush as an example because of their popularity and because this particular bath bomb is notoriously easy to make. I am assuming by now you have already read the basic bath bomb recipe. Please do so as I'm running quickly through the instructions and not covering everything.

Basic Butterball Bath Bomb

1 cup bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup grated cocoa butter
Musk Fragrance Oil (to your liking)
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (to your liking)
60 mm bath bomb moulds

1. Combine the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid and run it through a sieve. This makes it easier to work with as bicarbonate of soda tends to clump and form hard little balls.
2. Add the fragrance and essential oil and blend well.
3. The trick to getting grated cocoa butter is to use a drum grater. Cocoa butter melts at skin temperature and the less you touch it, the better. Add the grated cocoa butter.
4. Spritz lightly with witch hazel while stirring continuously until you get to the stage where the mixture JUST sticks. Yes, a little bit of cocoa butter will melt, we can't help that.
5. Pack the mixture into both halves of the mould and squish together. Let dry for a few minutes, pop out and let dry for a further 3 - 4 hours on wax paper.

Should make about 4 bombs. Well, you know what? You just made 4 butterball bath bombs that would've otherwise cost you AUD 5.95 each.

1 cup bicarbonate of soda (AUD 0.50)
1/2 cup citric acid (AUD 0.48)
1/2 cup grated cocoa butter (AUD 3.60)

AUD 0.50 + AUD 0.48 + AUD 3.60 = AUD 4.58

You get 4 bath bombs for less than the price of 1 Lush bath bomb! I just amazed myself. I never bothered to do the calculations before. I only knew it was cheaper, now I know how much cheaper.

Discounting the price of the fragrance and essential oil because I don't know how much you will be adding...but still!

I hope you enjoyed that. Bath bombs are so fun to make and fantastic to use. Have a great weekend! I leave you with another pretty picture of a bath bomb from Lush. Another bestseller called the Sex Bomb.

Lush Official Website
Lush Australia Website

I failed...or did I?

2007-11-08T20:59:00.001+11:00

Well, yes that is the chocolate soap. It's a mess in so many ways. Normally I give the soap a good whizz with the stick blender to incorporate the ingredients but as it was seizing I thought this was not such a good idea. So, I gave it a quick stir by hand and ended up with little lumps of mica and powdered goat's milk here and there.

Though, still useable it isn't very pretty. Alright, alright, it's not pretty. So, I had a brainstorm! I thought I'll just make it prettier! And ta-dah! Hehehehehe!

Felted soap. :)

Lisa Lavie

2007-11-07T17:08:00.001+11:00

My taste in music is pretty simple. I enjoy listening to artists who have unique voices like Rob Thomas, Maroon 5, Nickelback ,the Calling, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Elvis, Jason Mraz. Their voices must be distinguishable. I have so much respect for people with musical talent. It leaves me in awe. I found Lisa Lavie by accident today.

I was looking for the song "Angel" by Sarah Mclachlan, who by the way is also a fantastic singer, and I found "Angel" by Lisa Lavie. She hails from Montreal, Canada and you can read about her here. Long story short, she has one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard. She is incredibly talented and I think she is just starting out in the music business. Canadians should be proud, she's awesome!

I've posted her song below.

Isn't she just wonderful? I love her energy and I'm absolutely smitten with her voice, it's so strong. I hope you enjoyed her music as much as I did.

Lisa Lavie's Myspace
Lisa Lavie's Youtube

What's Your Skin Type - Part II

2007-11-06T21:30:00.001+11:00

I love the scent of chocolate and if anyone can recommend a fantastic chocolate fragrance, it would be great! I'm waiting for some chocolate fragrances from From Nature With Love. Hopefully, they'll be yummy!

Anyway, decided to try making layered chocolate soap today BUT the soap seized in the pot so I couldn't layer and I had to frantically spoon it into the mould. I've never had soap seize on me before (not saying much as I've only attempted cold process soapmaking three times). So there I was thinking "Hmmm, is it me or is this soap getting thicker really quickly.......hmmmm.......hmmmmmmmmmm...........oh my god!"

Well, hopefully it'll turn out ok :( If not then well, back to the drawing board. I'm determined to make my layered soap! And when I do, I'll post it up. Oh, my lecturer told me two stories yesterday regarding caustic soda. She was working at a hospital when a little girl of about 2 years old was admitted for swallowing caustic soda .Long story short, her esophagus melted into her trachea. Her food pipe melted into her wind pipe. She will never talk again and will always have trouble eating. Basically, her life barely began before it was over. Can you imagine? A 2 year old would only have been talking for about a year or so.

In another story, this is a real case by the way. It is either Meah v Roberts [1977] 1 WLR 1187 or Goulder v Rook [1901] 2 KB 290, I can't remember BUT caustic soda was served as lemonade in a restaurant.

Moral of the stories? Be VERY careful what you do with lye, don't store them in containers meant for food and drink and keep pets and children out of the way. Read this separate incident on TeachSoap here. Okay, onwards.

Sensitive skin
Sensitive skin is thin or fine-textured and may have a translucent quality to it. Surface veins are commonly visible and the skin reacts to changes in temperature and some detergents and cosmetics. They sunburn and windburn easily and some products will irritate the skin causing it to become red and blotchy. People with sensitive skin tend to also have a sensitive disposition and are prone to stress.

What you must do
You must all the more diminish your intake of alcohol and caffeine. Always wear a UVA/UVB sunscreen. Control and manage stress. Use appropriate cleansers, moisturisers and cosmetics for sensitive skin. Use a concealer in a green shade and it will help mask redness.

It likes
Essential oils - Lavender, jasmine, neroli, rose, German chamomile, sandalwood, everlasting
Foods - apple, avocado, banana, honey, oats, papaya, wheat germ
Milks - buttermilk, goat's milk, soy milk
Carrier oils - Jojoba, sweet almond, apricot kernel oil, calendula (marigold) infused oil

Easy Mask Recipe

2 teaspoons dried or 4 teaspoons fresh chamomile
1 cup of boiling water
2 teaspoons rose water
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon pectin or xanthan gum or agar agar

Place the chamomile in a mug with the boiling water and cover. Let steep for 15 minutes. Combine 2 teaspoons of the liquid with the rose water, then add the honey and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle over the pectin and whisk until the mixture forms a gel. Leave on for 5-10 minutes then wash off gently with water. Moisturise.

Mature skin
Fine lines and wrinkles are becoming more noticeable especially around the eye and mouth area. Skin is generally dry and prone to red blotchiness and uneven pigmentation. Skin can appear loose and patchy as there is insufficient sebum production.

What you must do
Seek out skincare products that contain retinol and Vitamin C, A and E. Smoking accerelates the aging process so stop. Minimise alcohol and caffeine intake and drink lots of water. Place more emphasis on eating a balanced nutritional diet. Wear sunscreen.

It likes
Essential oils - lavender, jasmine, frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, neroli, rose, patchouli
Foods - almonds, avocado, carrot, banana, egg, honey, papaya, peach
Milks - cream, full cream milk, soy milk
Oils - avocado, borage, carrot infused, evening primrose, rosehip, macadamia, jojoba, olive

Easy Skin Serum

1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
1 teaspoon apricot kernel oil
1 teaspoon avocado oil
1 capsule evening primrose oil

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, squeeze the oil out from the EPO capsule and mix in as well. Use a cotton ball dipped in the serum and sweep all over the face, sleep on it overnight and wash your face first thing in the morning. Moisturise.

Acneous skin
Your skin is prone to blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, or cysts. Skin is oily and sebaceous glands are overactive. This is commonly due to hormonal changes in the body like puberty, pregnancy and periods. It isn't caused by eating greasy foods.

What you must do
Cleanse face twice a day with a mild cleanser and warm water. Do not attempt to scrub away acne as it doesn't work this way, exfoliate with a gentle exfoliant and cleanse gently in a circular motion. Make sure makeup or sunscreen is non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic. Lotions or creams containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide help dry out acne but beware that it can also dry out your skin. If your acne is severe, consult a dermatologist.

It likes
Essential oils - lavender, Roman and German Chamomile, geranium, clary sage, tea-tree, eucalyptus, thyme, palmarosa
Foods - alfalfa, apricot, cabbage, carrot, Manuka honey, watercress, tumeric, yeast, plum
Milks - skim milk, rice milk
Carrier oils - borage, evening primrose, hazelnut, jojoba

Easy Spot Treatment

1 tablespoon myrrh tincture
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil
5 drops tea tree essential oil

Mix all the ingredients and apply a small amount to individual pimples. There is no need to wash off.

Read this to find out what whitening products can do for acne scars.

Phew! I'm tired. Goodnight everyone!

What's Your Skin Type? - Part 1

2007-11-05T18:46:00.000+11:00

There are 6 basic skin types.

Dry skin
Your face commonly feels "tight", is prone to cracks, flaking and premature wrinkling. This is due to underactive sebaceous glands.

What you must do
I've mentioned this before, drink lots of water. 2 litres a day won't kill you and will effectively keep your body hydrated. Some dry skin is caused by a Vitamin B deficiency so include this in your diet. Carry around a spray of floral or mineral water to mist on your face throughout the day. Avoid harsh soaps and cleansing too much. Moisturise face with creams and allow for a thin layer to coat your face. A good time to do this is immediately after washing your face while the skin is still damp. Yes, you can moisturise too much and end up getting clogged pores.

It likes
Essential oils - lavender, ylang ylang, patchouli, palmarosa, rose
Foods - egg yolks, avocado, carrot, honey, lecithin, papaya
Milks - cream, full cream milk, goat's milk
Carrier oils - avocado, macadamia, kukui, camellia, olive, wheat germ, *coconut

*Use in small amounts. Too much can be drying for some.

Easy Mask Recipe

1 egg yolk, whipped
1/4 of an avocado, mashed
1 tablespoon powdered full cream milk
1/2 teaspoon honey
oat flour

Combine ingredients thoroughly. If you wish, add oat flour to thicken. Then apply on to face and neck and relax for 15 minutes. Wash off with warm water, apply a very gentle toner like cucumber juice neat on the skin. Moisturise well.

Oily skin
Are probably due to overactive sebaceous glands. The skin is shiny, dull and has enlarged pores and a greasy feel.

What you must do
Clay and mud masks are excellent for drawing toxins from oily skin. Oil based cleansers are actually effective in cleaning oily skin as they dissolve sebum. It is probably wise to cleanse face with a gentle cleanser three times daily especially in hot, humid weather. Skin does need moisturising and choose ones for oily skin. The skin around your eyes is very delicate and don't forget to moisturise it. Carry around a packet of rice paper tissues to wipe your face with. In a pinch, pull apart the layers of a normal tissue and use them to soak up the oil on your face.

It likes
Essential oils- lavender, lemon, lime, mandarine, orange, tangerine, geranium, bergamot
Foods - apricots, carrot, egg white, honey, lemon, lemon zest, pineapple, strawberry, tomato
Milks - buttermilk, skim milk, yoghurt
*Carrier oils - fractionated coconut oil, jojoba oil, hazelnut oil, rice bran oil, grapeseed oil

*Jojoba oil balances sebum, hazelnut oil is a mild astringent. All oils are non-comedogenic (no clogging pores)

Easy Mask Recipe

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon rosewater
1/2 teaspoon honey (substitute with aloe vera juice)
french green clay

Best to warm the lemon juice, rosewater and honey so that they mix. Add enough clay to form a paste and apply to face and neck. Relax for 10-15 minutes then wash off with warm water and tone. Then apply a light moisturiser.

Combination/Normal skin
This is the most common skin type. Oily areas tend to be around the T-zone while the cheeks tend to be a little dry, however areas tend to not be as severe as dry and oily skin though it does happen. Skin has medium pores and a smooth,even texture. The colour is healthy and circulation is good. You are unlikely to have completely "normal" skin unless you are very young or very lucky.

What you must do
If the oily areas and dry areas are very dry then do treat them separately and refer to the above. Otherwise use a combination skin cleanser and light moisturiser. It's difficult to tell you exactly what to do because I find combination skin is very different and varies according to each individual. For example, the skin on my T-zone is slightly oily and more so when the weather is hot and humid. The skin on my cheeks is normal and I am prone to eczema breakouts all over the face. Therefore if you think about it, I have oily, normal, sensitive skin.

It likes
Essential oils - lavender, neroli, geranium, ylang ylang, chamomile, jasmine
Foods - almond meal, apple, honey, seaweed, papaya, oats, cucumber, wheat germ
Milks - buttermilk, goat's milk, soy milk, yoghurt, skim milk
Carrier oils - apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, olive oil, *coconut oil

*Use in small amounts. Too much can be drying for some.

Easy Mask Recipe

1 chunk of a ripe papaya about 2 inches in length, mashed
1 tablespoon of yoghurt
1 teaspoon of honey
kaolin clay

Combine ingredients thoroughly and add enough clay to make a spreadable paste. Smooth over face and neck and relax for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with water then gently tone and moisturise.

That's it, for now! However, remember that the best thing you can do for healthy skin is to nourish it from the inside out. Drink lots of water and eat a balanced nutritional diet high in omega-3 fatty acids. Take fish oil which helps your skin, nails and hair and evening primrose oil is rich in essential fatty acids and also helps clear skin conditions like eczema. Get lots of exercise and the required amount of sunshine. Not smoking and drinking alcohol help as well ;)

Dolphin Killing

2007-11-04T10:47:00.000+11:00

I decided to take a break from studying my law and thought I'd read the news. And I'm greeted with this. Basically, its in regards to Hayden Panettiere (celebrity from Heroes) and a group of people who surfed out to sea in Japan to try and stop their annual dolphin cull. To be honest, I never knew that dolphins were killed yearly by the japanese, a tradition that stretches back for centuries. People can be so ignorant, I know and we take it for granted thinking the world is really alright when it clearly isn't.

I don't know how the japanese can be so cruel as to kill these peaceful, loving, trusting creatures and their babies. What have they ever done to anyone? And for what? For their meat? I'm sorry, maybe I've been living under a rock these past couple of decades but are the japanese running out of food? Are chickens, cows and pigs or fish going extinct at the moment? Must we now resort to eating dolphins, whales and turtles? What are we going after next? Possums?? Maybe we're going to realise one day that the skunk is a delicacy and that baboons taste good in a stew.

You'd have to have a heart made out of stone not to feel for the poor dolphins. It makes you so angry and so helpless because really, what can you do? I don't eat dolphin meat, I don't buy anything that comes as a result from harming a dolphin and what does that change? How are you going to encourage the market for dolphin flesh to just...give it up? The japanese eat it, no use putting up videos of the killings cause they get to see it, front row seat, and it doesn't bother them in the least.

The breaking and torture of baby elephants in Thailand, the whaling and now dolphin culling in Japan. It all makes you want to cry. These gentle animals have no way of defending themselves against us, they just don't stand a fair chance. How can man be so cruel? I just cannot fathom. Can anyone out there imagine having to kill a baby dolphin by slashing its throat and watching the blood gush out, while it screams and just not cry your entire heart out? Those men are ruthless and they all deserve to feel the pain and agony of the dolphins 10 times over.

There is a documentary titled Earthlings that you can find here. It is NOT for the faint hearted and only goes to show you what man is truly like. We kill ourselves, we kill the animals, we kill plants. Is it just...human nature?

I'm not a vegetarian as I've said before but I don't eat ostrich, kangaroo, turtle, dolphin/whale, snake and monkey meat to name a few. I've been reading up on the killing of dolphins in Japan and I have to say I've read quite enough.

Please, if you are reading this, help spread the word. Hopefully, people are inherently good and something will come out of this.

Make Your Own Lip Balm!

2007-11-03T20:19:00.000+11:00

Burt's Beeswax Lip Balm - How it works

"This natural lip balm moisturizes lips with ingredients like ultra-emollient lanolin, coconut oil and sunflower oil, and seals in hydration with beeswax. You can use it on healthy lips for a little peppermint tingle. Take your pick of an old-fashioned yellow tin or a recycled plastic tube. No wonder it is our most popular product.

Ingredients: Tube: beeswax, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, tocopheryl acetate, lanolin, symphytum officinale (comfrey) root extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil, tocopherol"

The above excerpt was taken from the Burt's Bees website. I chose to use the ingredients list for their lip balm cause it happens to be insanely popular.

However, today we're going to formulate our very own honey and beeswax lip balm!

I'll tell you what we won't use in our recipe though. Lanolin. It is a greasy yellow, almost waxy substance that is obtained from the serbaceous glands of wool bearing animals such as sheep. No sheep are harmed when lanolin is extracted as it comes from the wool itself and not the animal. It is an excellent emollient and lubricant, absorbs readily into the skin and is wonderful in treating chapped lips among other dry skin conditions. So why am I omitting this wonderful ingredient? I'm not vegetarian, I just have this thing against using animal fat like beef tallow, lard or human fat from liposuction (think Tyler Durden in Fight Club!) in things like my soap. And I don't want to be licking off wool fat from my lips. So all my creations are vegetarian (includes eggs) and mostly vegan. Do incorporate it if you like though!

Fact: Lanolin is a key ingredient in Oil of Olay.

One thing we will add though: honey! Honey is a humectant, meaning it draws moisture to the skin and it keeps it soft and hydrated. Vegetable glycerine works similarly and you can use that if you are allergic to honey, it even tastes sweet! However, we use honey here because of the beeswax, because it tastes yummy and because its all-natural! Glycerine is a sugar alcohol and depending on how you look at it, it is either nearly natural or natural. It is a by product of the oils from soapmaking and biodiesel production.

Regarding peppermint essential oil, there have been contradicting reports . Some experts claim that peppermint oil can be drying for the lips and the tingling sensation is addictive. On the other hand, some claim that peppermint oil is moisturising. Lip plumpers contain peppermint oil sometimes as it is a mild irritant causing blood to flow and the lips to swell temporarily. What do you think?

Now what oils do we use! Desicions, decisions. Okay! I leave the decision up to you! Olive oil, jojoba oil, macadamia oil, shea butter, cocoa butter. In this recipe I use cocoa butter for its emollient properties and the light chocolatey scent and macadamia oil because its nice and rich, doesn't absorb as readily so you get a nice glossy layer on your lips.

However, for the pictures I was experimenting with a different oil and used avocado oil because the avocado is an amazing fruit and so good for you in so many ways. I was worried the green oil would colour the balm and I was right. Yellowish green, umm not very attractive. Still it felt divine on my lips and stayed on well despite my constant licking. You know, I think extra virgin olive oil may colour the lip balm as well so use a lighter coloured olive oil if that's what you plan on using.

Beeswax and Honey Lip Balm

3 tsp macadamia oil
2 tsp beeswax
2 tsp cocoa butter
1 capsule of vitamin E
1 tsp honey
5 drops of vanilla extract (optional)

Heat the beeswax, cocoa butter and macadamia oil in a double boiler or a saucepan on low heat.

When the beeswax and cocoa butter have melted, add the oil from the Vitamin E capsule. Just prick a hole with a knife and squeeze out the oil. Add the honey then remove from heat. Take the top pot out of the bottom pot if you're using a double boiler. Keep stirring and add the vanilla extract. Continue stirring until it has cooled somewhat or thickened slightly (I let it thicken a little too much).

This way you can make sure the honey and vanilla wont separate. Really, it's not meant to as the beeswax is an emulsifier (helps bond water and oil). Spoon it in to a lip balm pot.

I used up all my lip balm pots for my various lip balm recipes so in a pinch, I used empty contact lens cases which I sterilised in boiling water. See!

Well I had to use something! And I'm recycling :)

That's it! Experiment, it's always fun! Enjoy!

Azuki (Adzuki) Beans

2007-11-02T19:21:00.000+11:00

What in the world are azuki beans? Azuki beans are simply red beans (hong dou). The kind that is used to make red bean paste. They resemble kidney beans somewhat. To all the Malaysians out there, you'll know red beans for sure, the kind that your grandmother likes to make into a sweet, aromatic soup :)

They are an old east asian skincare secret and when ground to a fine powder, gently polishes the skin without damaging it. Leaving it on as a mask will tighten the face and lift it. Supermodels are known to eat azuki beans for its ability to cleanse the kidney and remove dark circles under their eyes. Red bean buns!

They are a joy to use because the recipes you can come up with that include adzuki beans are only limited by your imagination. To start you off, I will provide you with the simplest recipe of them all.

Azuki Beans Cleansing Mask

1/4 cup of adzuki beans
water

Grind the azuki beans to a powder in the blender. Let it settle for a minute or so before taking it out to avoid getting the powder in your eyes. Put a teaspoon or two of the powder in your hands and add wnough water to make a paste. Gently exfoliate your face and allow to dry approximately 10 minutes. Then rinse off with warm water.

Easy! I can give you soooooo many variations on this mask. If you find it too drying, soak a cotton pad in some jojoba oil and use it as a moisturiser afterwards. Combine the powdered beans with the clay that best suits your skin (kaolin clay is the gentlest) and/or powdered herbs and/or powdered kelp then add a liquid such as green tea if you want to stay true to the east asian recipe :) Oh, did I mention you could add oats and honey?

Red Bean Soup

You can drink this while letting your mask dry. It is sweet, delicious and will nourish your body from the inside out! Reminds me of home.

1 cup azuki beans
7 cups of water
1 strip dried mandarin peel
1/4 cup gluten rice balls (found at asian grocery stores)
1/3 cup lotus seeds (found at asian grocery stores)
rock sugar to taste

1. Soak the azuki beans in water overnight. Drain.
2. 2 hours before making the soup, soak the lotus seeds in water.
3. Bring the water and the mandarin peel to a boil in a saucepan. You can add more water if you wish for the soup to be thinner. I like mine semi-thick.
4. Turn down the heat and add the drained adzuki beans and draines lotus seeds. Simmer partially covered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the beans have softened and are partially breaking apart.
5. Add the gluten rice balls and cook for approximately 20 minutes.
6. Add the sugar and stir till dissolved. Add more boiling water if it's too thick. Remove the peel and serve hot or cold.

Mmm, yummy! You can substitute the lotus seeds for sago, I prefer this. By the way, this is an old chinese recipe. The korean and japanese version is thicker leaning more towards the consistency of porridge. It is served with mochi, a japanese dessert. Commonly eaten during winter, so it is served hot with the melted mochi. It sounds absolutely delicious.

Oh, I'm getting hungry. Red bean ice-cream anyone?

Icy Push Pop Moisturising Mask

2007-11-01T17:06:00.000+11:00

Here's a fun, fun way to keep your skin cool and moisturised. It's really good for sunburn or windburn and besides that, I think it's a really cute idea!

I found my camera! So I have pictures.

Frozen Honey and Egg Mask

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon of honey
3 tablespoons of finely ground oats
1 cardboard tube (the kind you use for toilet paper)

1. Melt the coconut oil (if it's solid) for a couple of minutes on HIGH in the microwave.
2. Beat the egg until it's foamy.
3. Slowly drizzle in the coconut oil while whipping furiously. It should slowly start getting thicker and have the consistency of mayonnaise.
4. Add the honey and whip again.
5. I love my oats. Add in the finely ground oats at this point.

6. Stand the carboard tube on a plate and spoon in the mixture.
7. Freeze it overnight.

To use, peel off the top layer of cardboard and smooth it all over your face.

Leave on for 20 minutes and then gently dampen your hands and massage your face to exfoliate and rub off the mask. Then wash off with warm water. The oats are soothing and mildly exfoliating while the coconut oil and egg moisturise. I wonder if adding aloe vera gel is an option. Hmmm.

Apple Cider Vinegar & Green Tea Toner

1 part apple cider vinegar
1 part green tea

Make a cup of green tea. Steep a green tea bag or loose leaf green tea in some freshly boiled water. Let it cool. Combine 1 cup green tea with 1 cup apple cider vinegar. Dip a cotton ball into the mixture and sweep over your face in gentle circular motions.

Green tea is rich in antioxidants and the apple cider vinegar will help balance the ph of your skin. Apple cider vinegar is an old folk remedy and beauty secret said to cure ailments when ingested and remove product build up and keep hair shiny when used as a hair rinse.

You may substitute apple cider vinegar with lemon juice, cucumber juice or tomato juice. I added this particular recipe for a toner because some people worry about oil clogging their pores. This will get it right off.

Some people can't stand the strong smell of the vinegar. So do what I do and go over it again with a cotton ball dipped in plain green tea.

It can be drying so moisturise afterwards. On to my buttercream!

These are the ingredients I used for my Apricot Buttercream.

Apricot Kernel Oil
Apricots
Beeswax
Coconut oil
Emulsifying Wax
Conditioning Emulsifier
Distilled Water (not shown)
Vanilla Fragrance Oil
Vitamin E
Phenoserve (preservative)

And this is my Buttercream! It has a more creamy, buttery colour in real life because I infused the apricot oil with calendula flowers. The flowers cooking in the oil smelled so delicious, I kept going back to the pot just to smell it.

All those huge bottles you see at the back belong to Daniel. He's a fitness nut and clutters up my pretty kitchen with his protein and what not. Working at GNC and doing his personal training course seems to have further fueled his already flaming desire to purchase more and more vitamins and bodybuilding stuff.

Pretty soon, he's going to take up the entire kitchen! The good news is I get to take some off the supplements he has that are good for skin, hair, nails and general well-being!

Anyway, have fun with the recipe, I'm going back to studying. Wish me luck!

Being Organised is Important

2007-11-01T04:32:00.000+11:00

Well it's 4:30 a.m in the morning and I can't sleep! I blame it all on the fact that I have a law exam on Monday at 9:30 a.m. I'm too tired to study and the words don't make any sense but I can't sleep.

Solution? Blog.

Nadia was asking me to make some cream for her hands as the skin around her nails are peelings and she has a habit of pulling at the skin *stop it, Nadia!*. So I decided to formulate a vanilla scented apricot cream for her using real pureed apricots.

I took a picture of my pretty cream, however, my camera has gone missing. I vaguely remember having it in my hand and then she said something which made me laugh and I forgot where I put it!

I thought I'd take a look around my house but instead I found other random things that I'd lost at some point or another. And yes, it can happen to you if you're me.

"Oh, there are my glasses! Ah, the hairclip I lost two weeks ago! So there's where the piping bag went!"

Yes, the piping bag. I lost the piping bag. Notice the frosting was not piped onto the bath cupcakes in the post below. Where was it? Oh, umm under the couch. How did it get there? I honestly have no idea.

I have a habit of being really messy, and the boyfriend helps with that too, then doing this whirlwind clean up. So, I spring clean every week or so then find all these goodies.

However, I am very confused about the camera! It's just gone *poof* disappeared. I'm peering around on the floor and my computer desk as I type this. Either I am the world's most unorganised person or there is a mini David Copperfield running around my apartment. I'm going with the latter. Denial is not just a river in Egpyt.

I'll post the picture of the cream next time if mini-David will so kindly return it.

Anyway, I am thinking of the next fruit to incorporate in my creams. Any ideas at all will be welcome and appreciated!

Reminder to self: Blueberries dye your skin and clothes blue.

The Move!

2007-10-31T16:08:00.001+11:00

Hi, everyone. I've moved from http://www.loveablelovebug.blogspot.com! I've put in on private for now and am still wondering what I should do with it. I've had it for about 2 years now and have lots of memories stored away in there. Anyway...

First off, a Murad skincare specialist replied me. Here is what they have to say about the sodium hydroxide in their facial cleanser.

Sodium Hydoxide is an alkaline however there are different ph of alkalines especially when it is mixed with other ingredients. You are correct that too much of an alkaline or an acid can have a burning affect on the skin. However I assure you that all our products our PH balanced.

We do follow the guidelines given to us by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board.

We also use anti-inflammatory agents and anti-bacterial agents as well as Retinol to normalize the skin cells. By using all of these different ingredients, we are creating the best environment for the skin.

Basically, she didn't tell me why they include the sodium hydroxide only that it won't harm the skin. However, I wasn't able to save the comments from my previous post which is a shame because there was a particularly helpful one by Anne-marie.

From what I've read about her in her blog, I understand that she is a young entrepreneur who is the founder of Brambleberry (I have a link in my sidebar), Otion (which offers soapmaking classes and parties) and Organic Fusion (organic skincare). I strongly encourage you to read her blog! She has a fantastic recipe for bath cupcakes and chocolate lipbalm among other things. Basically, she leads a fascinating life, being able to juggle leisure time and work (something I struggle to do) and best of all, she's funny and her blog is a great read.

Also, she suggested that it may have been used as a ph balancer and secondary emulsifier.

My flight's booked for 12:45 a.m on the 19th of November. I'll be back in Australia on the 27th of December for summer school :(

However, my course ends next semester. I can't believe I've been here almost 2 years! Time sure does fly. On the bright side, my family including my aunt's family are planning on packing up and heading to switzerland for a few weeks in July to stay with an uncle who lives there. We'll be taking the train down to Paris and then maybe, just maybe we will then head off to London. I can't wait, the last time I went to London I was three years old and all I remember from the experience was falling head first into a fish pond.

Till next time!

p.s I took Anne-marie's idea of bath cupcakes and made my own below. Although I didn't use her recipe.

Dangers of Sun Tanning

2007-10-30T10:30:00.000+11:00

Ok, I'll start off with the good news. Every living thing in this world; plants, animals and people need sunlight. Sunlight can give your skin a healthy glow, is the most important source of Vitamin D and helps clear up skin problems. It feels good on your skin and is essential for your overall well-being. Try staying indoors for several days without going outdoors to bask in the sunlight and see how depressed you get. It's because sunlight boosts your body's production of serotonin.

This is the reason many people suffer from depression in winter. Everyone can benefit from 30 to 45 minutes of unprotected sun exposure before 9.00 a.m and after 5.00 pm. Don't worry if it's overcast, the sun's rays will still get to you.

Now, as is the same with all things, too much can prove to be bad. Baking yourself in the sun for several hours especially when the sun's rays are at their strongest between 11.00 a.m to 3.00 p.m puts you at a real risk for skin cancer and premature aging.

Please do read this article. It is not long winded and still provides you with a great deal of information. Please use your good judgement. If you must tan, educate yourself so you minimise your chances of getting melanoma.

Know this, there is no safe way to tan yourself in solariums or tanning beds. Don't do it, period. Read this story about a young girl in her twenties named Clare Oliver who died from melanoma after years of visiting solariums about a month ago. During the incredibly short time she had left to live, this brave lady spent it campaigning hard to try and spread awareness about the cancer eventhough she was in pain and weak most of the time. She has touched many hearts and I hope that you will also benefit from reading about her story.

I have a couple of friends who frequent tanning salons. Their skin is dry and tough and the one thing that always strikes me about their faces are the pockmarks. One is only 22 and the other is 30. Yet they both have the same unsightly, leathery skin.

Ok, enough about that. As you all know there is an alternative to achieving that bronzed, golden, sun-kissed glow you all crave. Fake it! 5 top bronzers are tested here in this article. There also tips on how to achieve an even, smooth and long lasting fake tan.

Steps to Tanning "Safely"

1. Exfoliate. This will rub off dead skin cells and help the tanning oil to better penetrate your skin.

Easy Sugar Scrub

4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely ground almonds
3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil (puncture and squeeze out from capsules)
1/2 teaspoon of essential oil(s)*

Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Scrub your body in circular motions starting from your feet and move upwards.

*Note: Some oils are make you photosensitive meaning more sensitive to sunlight and more likely to burn like lemon and orange essential oil. Best to check before you use!

2. Slather on the tanning oil. A fun recipe you can all make right at home for a tanning oil with the SPF of about 8-10. I have several more advanced recipes which allows you to vary the SPF. If you are interested, do drop a comment.

Tropical Scented Tanning Oil

1/2 cup extra virgin unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup jojoba oil (may substitute with another oil like extra virgin olive oil)
2 tablespoons cocoa butter
A few drops of coconut fragrance oil and vanilla essential oil (optional but produces wonderful aroma)

In a double boiler, melt the cocoa butter and coconut oil gently. Remove from heat and combine thoroughly with the jojoba oil. Add the fragrance and essential oil if you so desire and stir again. Pour it into a bottle and allow to cool then cap it and let rest for 12 hours before you use it.

This oil will have a thicker consistency in colder weather and you can warm it in a bowl of hot water. Shake bottle vigorously and apply immediately to the skin after shower or bath while it is still damp. You don't need alot so start with a small amount. Head out into the sun and dont forget to apply lip balm with an SPF of at least 15!

3. Moisturise. Re-apply the tanning oil and drink lots and lots of water. Don't do any vigorous excercise and rest. Don't hop into the sauna. Basically don't overheat or dehydrate your body any further. Lots and lots of water!

Tip: Take fish oil rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. They provide you wih natural sun protection from within.

Ok, that's the end. I hope you have found the information helpful. Have fun but mostly importantly, be safe!

Check back next time for the fun skin care recipes you can create with a bag of almonds!

Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Salicylic Acid

2007-10-29T10:20:00.000+11:00

No, don't run away! This is not a chemistry lesson. I'm going to talk a little about these acids as they are the key to fantastic skin and the good news is they are readily available! Lets start with Alpha Hydroxy Acids commonly referred to as AHAs which I'm sure many of you have used and didn't know about.

It is basically a class of chemical compounds that is used widely in the cosmetics industry in things such as facial peels. The different types include glycolic acid found in sugar cane and considered to be the most effective of the AHAs, lactic acid which is found in SOUR milk and is the reason why yoghurt and sour cream is commonly used in home facial recipes, citric acid from citrus fruits like lemons and oranges, malic acid from apples and tartaric acid from grapes.

Now salicylic acid is a form of beta hydroxy acids (BHA) which are closely related to AHAs. They are commonly used in anti-aging creams and have been medically proven to unclog pores (blackheads, whiteheads), exfoliate dead skin cells and generally provide you with smoother, softer skin!

I'm not going to bore you with the science behind the two acids. I'm here to tell you where to find them. You already know how to find AHAs and regular fruit facial masks will keep your skin in tip top shape although they are generally considered the least effective of the AHAs. Best to mix them with yoghurt or sour cream (lactic acid) and powdered unrefined cane sugar (glycolic acid). Salicylic acid is available at chemists and pharmacies. If not, you can find them in aspirin. Yes, aspirin and if you google aspirin face mask you are bound to find loads of recipes for it as well as many people raving about how soft their skin feels after just one application.

Here's the fantastic thing though. I have found a facial exfoliating cleanser containing AHAs and BHAs and I'm going to share it with you. I guarantee you will be amazed at how soft and smooth your skin will feel!

This is Murad's AHA/BHA exfoliating cleanser and it is selling for about 70AUD. It contains salicylic, glycolic and lactic acids. Jojoba beads for exfoliation and Sodium PCA which naturally occurs in human sebum.

I have taken a look at the ingredients and the only thing I can't work out is why Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)/Caustic Soda/Lye is included. Lye is an alkali used to make soap, however you will never see lye on the ingredients list for soap. The reason for this is that although lye is used to make soap, it is not present in the soap anymore when it reaches the consumer for use.

Lye is extremely caustic and can cause serious burns and blindness if it gets in your eyes. Extreme care must be taken when lye is handled. Therefore, I see no purpose for it to be in this cleanser. Something you would use on the delicate skin of your face.

I have written to Murad and expect to hear from them in about 3 or 4 days. So I'll get back to you on that.

Meanwhile, do try the aspirin mask. It is quick and easy, most importantly cheap and will provide you with the results you crave.

Crush a couple of tablets of aspirin (if you can find non-coated aspirin, they dissolve on their own when sprinkled with water) into a powder and sprinkle water on it to achieve a paste like consistency. Try mixing it with a little yoghurt or sour cream as well as water. If you can find unrefined cane sugar, grind it to a powder and you can use it too for a mild exfoliation. However it exfoliates just fine without the cane sugar. Concentrate on the T-zone and areas prone to blackheads.

Please consult a professional before using it on sensitive skin or do a patch test on the inside of your elbow. If redness occurs or you experience a burning or tingling sensation, DO NOT use it. You don't want to burn tour precious skin. Trust me. The cleanser can be drying and it is best to use it once every three days for oily skin, once a week for normal skin, once a fortnight for dry, mature and sensitive skin. Eczema (i.e. me) and Rosacea sufferers are strongly encouraged to speak to a dermatologist before attempting this mask.

Always, always moisturise after this mask. And please, as always be careful what you do to your skin. Never scrub too hard, never vigorously wash, never pull at your skin. Drink 2 litres of water a day and WEAR sunscreen! I don't know if this will get through to anyone but do not ever tan. Not in natural sunlight and definitely NOT in tanning salons/solariums. Please, for the love of god. Skin cancer kills so many young people nowadays. If that's not enough, your skin will age dramatically leading to pigmentation, wrinkles and leathery skin (YUCK).

Sunscreen should be SPF 30 at least! If you MUST tan and I know you still will. Oh, I beg you don't use SPF 0 tanning oil! SPF 8 is better than nothing and won't affect your tan. I will include a tropical scented coconut tanning oil recipe you can make at home in my next post which I hope you will consider trying! It contains all natural ingredients.

More on tanning and its side effects along with a couple of fun recipes next. Stay tuned!