Wash & Scrub??

Ok, so I'm a big fan of Phytomer products normally; ever since being introduced to them at the Four Seasons Spa in Cyprus a few years ago. The downside, as usual, is the price. Just the Rose toner itself is almost £20 a pop, and that's the cheapest product they do.

So, seeing as I was just about to run out of scrub/cleanser I thought I'd give something else a go for a change that might be a bit lighter on the purse strings; that's when I came across Neutrogena's new Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit facial scrub & wash.

This scrub and face wash is said to have a unique formula that helps eliminate spots and blackheads whilst preventing future breakouts from occurring. It is suitable for sensitive skin; ideal for me, and although it is fragranced I’ve not experienced any irritation whatsoever.

The pink and white packaging LOOKS fresh, which automatically draws your eye to the range on the display; then when you open the lid, your sensory neurons are hit by a delicious, zingy, smell which is both refreshing and invigorating. I felt like I wanted to try it straight away; always a good sign – indeed I did as soon as I got home.

I tired the scrub first, squeezing slightly less than a 50 pence piece amount into my hand and mixing it with a drop of warm water. As soon as it touched my face I could feel the micro-beads bursting into action; I was quite surprised at how large they were considering the scrub can be used daily. It lathered up into a thick white foam, which made it easy not to miss any areas; I felt like my skin was getting a really thorough clean so carried on working it in for a minute or so. I rinsed it off and then applied the facial wash, which is a smooth refreshing gel; a little goes a long way, which is always a bonus.

When finished and dry, my face was completely cleansed of any make-up; my skin felt smooth and my complexion was bright. After a week of using the Pink Grapefruit scrub & wash daily, my face looks radiant – even without make-up.

Another fantastic thing about this product was the price – on offer for £5.00 for BOTH (from Boots) – no brainer really!

Anyone for a Spritzer?

Not the alcoholic kind I’m afraid. I’m talking about ‘body spritzers’.

I started making them when I went to Dubai about 5 years ago. I stayed at the Royal Meridian, and by the pool the staff would give their clients little spritzer bottles of chilled water to keep them cool during the day. It was lovely, but I found it evaporated on my skin too quickly, and once was gone my skin felt dry again, so I ended up adding some of my Aloe Vera Vaseline Intensive Care to the water.

Not only did it give the spray a delicious, fresh smell, but it also moisturised my skin at the same time. I found myself using it ALL the time, so I then went a step further and added some factor 15 SPF sun cream (Piz Buin, but any non-oily make is fine), which also gave me continued protection throughout the day too.

Obviously it’s important not to thicken the liquid too much, as it will clog up the tube and not spray, however if at least 80% is fresh water, and the bottle well shaken, it will be enough to keep things working smoothly.

That is my favourite spritzer for the pool/beach, however it’s nice during the summer months to have a bottle in my handbag, which I can use throughout the day as and when I feel like it.

For that I like some variety, so I use essential oils instead. This is process is just as simple; but remember that it’s extremely important to use safe oils during TTC and pregnancy.

These are my favourite (safe) oils, and their uses:

Bergamot - Analgesic, antiseptic, antidepressant, uplifting, and refreshing. Helpful for cystitis during pregnancy.

Frankincense - Antiseptic, astringent, sedative, warming.

Geranium (OK after 3 months) - Antiseptic, antidepressant, astringent, refreshing, uplifting. Eases aching legs and is good for poor circulation.

Grapefruit - Astringent, digestive aid, lymphatic stimulant. Helps with water retention.

Lavender - Antiseptic, antibiotic, analgesic, antidepressant, healing, relaxing. Helps soothe aches and pains of pregnancy, encourages cell renewal and helps with fluid retention.

Lemon - Antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, astringent, stimulant, tonic. Useful as an inhalant for morning sickness and in massage for varicose veins.

Mandarin - Antiseptic, refreshing, tonic, mild relaxant. Can ease fluid retention in leg and ankle massages.

Neroli - Antiseptic, antidepressant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, relaxing. Useful in pregnancy to promote healthy skin cell regeneration and for easing nervous tension.

Petitgrain - Antiseptic, antidepressant, sedative, refreshing, tonic. Helpful in dealing with pre or postpartum depression.

Tangerine - Antispasmodic, lymphatic stimulant, calming, sedative. Helps to prevent stretch marks.

It’s not necessary to use more than 2 drops per 100ml and it’s also fine to mix scents, for example, I like to mix a drop of Mandarin with a drop of Bergamot, which gives a really fresh scent with a musky after taste.

There are also plenty of great looking bottles out there these days, especially on ebay, so you can look good as well as feel good - and also colour match to you handbag in one fell swoop!

The 'C' Word...

Cellulite.

The very word makes it sound like a terrible disease.

I absolutely HATE it, but have it in abundance - and can't seem to get away from it. I’m not over weight even; in fact, there have been times when I have been slightly underweight, but STILL a victim of the dreaded ‘orange peel’.

Now the sun is out in force, so are the legs; and subsequent ‘lumps 'n' bumps', mine included (actually not; I’m a dedicated maxi-dress wearer and let my other ‘assets’ do the talking).

According to the statistics, it's a very normal condition and affects nearly all women at some stage of their lives.

Why, why, why?

Is it God's way of punishing us for being so much more perfect than men? *wicked grin*

The bottom line is, no matter how normal it is to have cellulite, none of us actually want it. Let's face it, to see those dreaded dimply bumps on our own bum, hips and thighs when they should be soft and smooth, is enough to bring a lot of us out in a cold sweat.

So appalled are we by the unsightly lumps that many women will spend huge amounts of cash trying to get rid of it. Creams, lotions and potions, scrubbers and massagers, and even liposuction - you name it; we'll try it.

But most products don’t live up to their claims. Just this week, the US Bureau of Consumer Protection ordered the distributors of a cellulite 'treatment' to pay £12m to its customers who had spent £120 per packet. The product claimed to free us from cellulite but, unfortunately, like most cellulite creams out there, it didn't live up to expectations.

That's primarily because, to some extent, it's determined by your genetic make-up and by your hormones.

Fat is stored around your hips and thighs for a reason - it's to protect that area of your body during pregnancy and to act as an energy store when you are breast feeding.

That said, there are some measures you can take to try to tackle cellulite.

Cellulite is worsened by poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle and poor circulation. It will help to eliminate toxins by eating more healthily, starting an exercise programme and incorporating some massage into your daily routine.

For example:

Diet


Eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables to provide plenty of vitamins, minerals and fibre
Eat plenty of wholemeal breads and wholegrain cereals
Eat less processed foods, which can be high in sugar, fat and salt
Avoid artificial additives, such as sweeteners and colourings
Drink at least 2 litres of water daily
Reduce your alcohol intake

Exercise
Any aerobic activity (jogging, swimming, stepping, rowing etc) which increases your heart rate, increases your blood flow and improves your circulation can benefit the appearance of those problem areas.

Massage
Brushing or massaging the problem areas every day can help stimulate circulation and break down fatty deposits. Although specialist anti-cellulite creams and oils should help, something as simple as baby oil works just as well for massage.

So, is it worth sacrificing a lot of things you love for the sake of smooth, youthful looking legs? Only you can decide…

Although this sort of change is credited towards ‘less cellulite’, I've yet to see it tried and tested by the experts, with truly successful results.

If I’m going to alter my whole lifestyle I want to see the proof in the pudding (low fat of course).

Anyone need a guinea pig?!

Rustic Looking Glass

So it's almost summer time - exactly one month to go.

I'm sure a lot of people will be holidaying in the UK this year; what with recession and a slightly angry looking mound of bellowing lava and smoke up there !

Now if you're anything like me, you'll enjoying bringing back some kind of souvenir from your travels; just a gentle reminder that sparks your memory bank from time to time and brings a smile to your face. OR, how about creating your own?

Obviously I love all this; I have a creative mind, however doing this sort of thing also brings a sense of achievement - and there's nothing like doing something that makes you feel good about yourself.

SO, if you find yourselves walking along the sand; maybe Devon or Cornwall (or even Scotland), see if you can bring a bit of your beach escape back home in the form of driftwood.

Driftwood comes in interesting shapes that have been exposed to the elements making them smooth and hard. Using driftwood in your home décor gives a room a relaxed, laidback feel.

Not only is smooth, knotty driftwood pretty to look at it provides texture to your room when touched by guests. Obviously make sure your driftwood is free of ‘visitors’ like tiny crabs, ect, then boil small pieces of driftwood in a pot of water to get them clean. You can clean larger pieces with a hose and spray nozzle.

And what better way to accessorise and ‘remember’ than with a new large mirror. They are especially effective in halls, kitchens, bathrooms, lounges and bedrooms.


This is SO easy to do and SO effective – you can even stain the wood to match your existing décor (maybe a dark oak brown or white wash), or leave it completely natural - it's entirely up to you.

You’ll need:

A piece of mirror to the size of your choice (remember that you will loose the edges to the frame), preferably with wall fixings already in place (mirror of this sort can be purchased from B&Q)

Wood stain (if you need it)

A glue gun

Here’s what you do:

Step 1
Cut driftwood into random pieces between 5 and 20 inches long. You will need many pieces to fit around your mirror, so don’t worry about getting everything perfect. Now is the time to stain your driftwood if you wish to change it’s colour to match your décor

Step 2
Lay the mirror flat on a workspace. Do a ‘mock’ run of laying the driftwood around the perimeter of the mirror in one layer 3x deep. Once you’re happy with the look, get out the glue gun

Step 3
Glue a second layer on top of the existing driftwood all the way around the mirror to give it texture and depth

Step 5
Let the glue dry for about an hour

Step 6
Hang your mirror (securely as it will be quite heavy)

There you have it; a reminder of your holiday and a piece of artwork that you made with your own two hands...priceless...

Perhaps next time we'll make matching candle holders...

Project Munchkin

Here I am; 2010 and my very first blog.

It's likely to be a mish-mash of musings and dramas – let’s face it; life in our house is rarely boring - however, after a long hard slog over the years trying for a baby, I find myself almost 6 weeks along...

Ours has been an IVF/ICSI journey(s) from Hell, but no doubt you'll find out all the gory details later on I suspect. For the moment though; here's hoping the wait (and trauma) has paid off and we're going to hit the jack-pot.

At 35, I'm no spring chicken; bio-oil has become my new best friend and I'm contemplating finding a bedroom ‘colour coordinated’ bucket as the joys of morning sickness creep up on me - well, more all day 'blergh' at the moment really - not helped by the sore throat and cold I've managed to pick up.

So that’s copious amounts of snotty tissues to add to the ever growing list of ailments that accompanies the miracle that is the ‘growing fetus’ or ‘fetusES’ in my case possibly; seeing as we had two perfect tiny embryos put back.

The little munchkins were actually conceived back in February (2010), however due being hospitalised with an excruciating case of Severe OHSS (after a terribly managed cycle; cue full re-fund) embryo transfer had to be postponed until April.

Today I find myself at 5+6, full of twinges, aches, nausea…but loving every minute. Mentally, I’m finding things a little more challenging as a result of ‘The Fear’.

Now ‘The Fear’ (I trust I’m not going to get sued by Lily Allen for Copyright) is a normal part of early pregnancy - there are always worries for new mums that everything is ok in ‘there’ and growing as it should be.

However for a seasoned IVF’er ‘The Fear’ can be psychologically debilitating, rendering even the simplest thoughts utterly irrational; emerging like a huge angry monster of emotion, whose tentacles grab hold of your reason, slowly suffocating you with anxiety. It rears its ugly head randomly, without rhyme nor reason, and takes every last morsel of strength to ward off… exhausting.

Work has gone out the window for the moment too – the Interior Design world will have to wait for ME for a change. Luckily I have some time before phase 3 of ‘The Hotel’ kicks off – I haven’t got a creative inspiration in my body at present; it’s all going into creating something much more important.

Today is a good day. Apart from the mountains of snot and fits of sneezing, the sun is shining, the animals are out and all ‘n all, it’s a good day to be alive.