Frump to Fab 2016 - Lets make it AWESOME!!!

Grandad's_Offspring

Thank you maman (and a very happy birthday to you) and LL!
All good points! Thank you for the suggestions
Maman, I wear an uniform, but for the interview/promotion I will wear a dress. I have some beautiful dresses that make me feel good
LL: clay!!! Where do you get it from? I used to have some from abroad, no idea where to buy it from here. Steam cleanse you say? Sounds very good, I'll try that.

It was just beautiful today, was 't it? I went for a long walk with DD, came back quite refreshed.

Oh, I just remembered, I received a Liz Earle muslin and cleanser, I'll open it tonight.
I have an 800 ml bottle for water at work, I drink one before lunch, one after. Already on vitamins. But, as you rightly say, that's what the blusher is for

chanie

GO In terms of skincare, I would start with a basic cleanser and moisturiser and see how you go from there. I find my skin looks better the less I do to it. I use cleanser, serum and moisturiser and that's it. If has taken me ages to get a routine I'm happy with as it takes time to see if a product is working, so I'd recommend introducing 1 New product at a time.

I used to use Liz Earle in my pre-children days (when I could afford it!!!!!). Superdrug do budget range called 'naturally radiant' which £6 for the hot cloth cleanser, but is often half price.

Ellsbel

Liz Earle's cleanse and polish is one of my favourite cleansers *GO*:) I also used to love her day cream but the last time I had it, it didn't make my skin feel as nourished as it used to do - I don't know whether it's the formula that's changed, or the needs of my skin!
*LL* I've gone back to using Bio oil as a night moisturiser:) I think it's as good as any other and does seem to leave the skin really soft - I bought some for my eldest recently when he developed a shaving rash, and it cleared it up in next to no time!
I can't believe Easter is nearly here! Time to begin body fabbing in earnest as it'll be short sleeve and sandal time before we know it!

lessonlearned

I make my own masks.

For congested skin I use clay masks, the principle ingredient is bentonite, more commonly known as fullers Earth. I mix this with witch hazel.

You can buy both ingredients from any chemist, failing that through Amazon. 500g of fullers Earth will cost you around £5 and will last for years.

If you want ready made masks, you can get them from superdrug, boots, most chemists and most of the big 4 supermarkets, paying anything from £2 or £3 to over £20 for the posh brands like Origins.

You can make your own masks from kitchen cupboard ingredients -

A few examples

oatmeal is a good deep cleaning mask, mashed strawberries are good for brightening dull skin, yogurt, honey, banana for dry or irritated skin.

Just google home made face masks for lots of tips, recipes and ideas.

Here's one of my "secret" recipes.:rotfl:

Ideal for congested skin, blackheads etc

Asprin Face Mask.

6 dispersable asprin mixed with a little water

Apply to cleansed skin, leave on for 10 minutes

Avoid eye and mouth areas and do not use on inflamed or broken skin.

USE NO MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK.

Have fun.

lessonlearned

A bit more about home made face masks.

You can use simple kitchen ingredients to make your own face masks. It helps if you remember a bit of basic science.

Lactic Acid - is found in milk

Alpha hydroxic acid (AHA) is found in fruit - fruit acids and is the basis of many facial peels, along with hyraulonic acid.

Now you can buy these in various commercial products. Amazon has a vast range and prices are pretty good. But of course it's much cheaper to whip up something in the kitchen.

if you want to try fruit acids, then soft fruits are the best especially the dark fruits such as strawberries, black grapes, etc, although peaches or mangoes work well too. Just mash them up and apply to skin. You don't need to add anything else but you can add a drop of milk, cream or honey.

Egg white can be used to tighten skin and refine pores - avoid eyes.

Egg yolk is rich in nutrients and can be combined with cream. .

Yoghurt, honey and banana can be combined to "feed" and soothe dry or inflamed skin.

Oatmeal makes a great exfoliant and can be used by itself as a creamy cleanser or mixed with fruit to make a deep cleansing and brightening mask.

GrAm flour (chickpea) is a fantastic ingredient for face masks. You can combine it with turmeric, lemon, honey and milk. Especially good for acne. Gram flour also produces a slight "lifting" effect.

A word of caution about turmeric - it can stain the skin so be extra careful to avoid eyebrows and the hairline which will "grab" the colour.

Of course none of the home made recipes will be as effective as a professional salon treatment but they are of course much cheaper. However I do think that they often compare quite favourably with a lot of the commercial beauty products.

Just be careful and remember if you are allergic to an ingredient then avoid it. If you can't digest it then don't put it on your face.

Another day I'll talk about essential oils and their uses.

But there is loads of information on the net, just google home made beauty and you'll find loads of sites and places to purchase products and ingredients.

I am currently using a range of clays, powders etc by a company called "Strictly Professional". They usually sell to beauty salon wholesalers but you can buy some of their products on Amazon.

Grandad's_Offspring

Well, so far so good. I used Liz Earle cleanse thingy last night and this morning... I am impressed! I really like the muslin! No idea about cost, it was a christmas present, but it's good to know there are cheaper alternatives. I think I saw it in John Lewis for about £20?

Thank you for the tips. When I was little and had a cold, my nan used to boil some water, put a handful of camomile flowers in and made me breathe that with a towel over my head. So the steam suggestion, I'm going to enjoy that one!
Thank you for the facial recipes. I really like the Guinot Hydradermie facials, i used to have them quite regularly. Hmmm, perhaps I should splurge on one as a treat if I get the job? In the meantime, bananas, oats and honey are lovely and natural and cheap, so we'll go for that.
And I'll order some clay, thank you again!

maman

chanie wrote: »

I used to use Liz Earle in my pre-children days (when I could afford it!!!!!). Superdrug do budget range called 'naturally radiant' which £6 for the hot cloth cleanser, but is often half price.

I've had the Superdrug cleanser and got to like the feel of the muslin cloth so much I now use one with other cleansing products. They sell them very cheaply in Home Bargains.


I've had success with this
http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/face/view-all/warming-mineral-mask.aspx?utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=sem_gen&utm_campaign=160902_Skincare&utm_term=%7BKeyWordTerm%7D&utm_content=GenericTrade


face mask too. DH was given it as a freebie when he was bulk buying the shampoo and body splash he likes. It's really easy to use and I just put it on my chin and nose which are the problem areas.


Wearing a uniform takes a lot of the decisions away in the mornings GO. So you can focus on your hair and make up and glamorous undies!:D Seriously, I think that helps enormously for confidence boosting.
Delighted to hear you have dresses that 'bring you joy' as Marie Kondo would say.


I'm going to weigh myself today. Dreading it as I know I've been lax on the healthy eating what with the weekend away for family wedding, meals out and my birthday I've had too many 'off' days.:(

chanie

I use my own homemade face cleanser. Its based on Lush 'Angels on Bare Skin' and is made up of clay, crushed almonds and essential oils. The ingredients cost about £20 initially, but most have lasted for ages. I tried making a facemask, but I didn't get the consistency right.

Ellsbel

You are good,ladies, making your own masks and cleansers:).
I agree *maman*, the muslin cloths work well with any cleanser really - I could do with some new ones actually.
I did the basics today but finding it a bit hard to focus on much as a much loved member of my wider family is very unwell, and I'm worrying about them and their loved ones....hoping for some better news soon.
I'm a bit conscious of "wasting time" - probably because of what's happening; I seem to intend to do a lot of things but never actually do them - lack of confidence, household chores that need doing!! Not wanting to leave the dog alone for too long - just some of the reasons I find to stay in my shell, and all of which can probably be got around. I need to make a plan of action like you, *LL* and stick to it!
The more I get "out there", the more fabbing will become a habit.

chanie

ellsbell sorry about your relative. If you don't feel up to physical fabbing, what about some mental fabbing? Maybe some yoga or breathing exercises. This may help you to get back in the fabbing zone.

I've decided I need to so something about my weight now. Clothes aren't fitting me nicely and im getting fed up. I have some Xmas vouchers which are burning a hole in my pocket, but I hate the way everything looks on me.