DIY Pink Lemonade Sugar Body Scrub

I normally use exfoliating gloves to exfoliate my body, but I got it into my head that I just had to make a body scrub, and once I get an idea, there's no stopping me! I was going to make a brown sugar and vanilla scrub, but then came across this post and decided to make a pink lemonade one!

For this, you'll need:

• Sugar (I used granulated because I like a scrubby scrub, but you can use castor)
• Olive oil
• Lemon extract
• Pink food colouring

I haven't given quantities because it all depends on how exfoliating you like your scrubs to be. For reference, I used about 400g of sugar and 100ml of oil because I wanted mine to be very scrubby. I then used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract and a teeny tiny amount of Wilton Food Colouring Paste in Pink. I've used this on my hands so far, and they were left feeling very soft and moisturised. At first, there was a small amount of oil residue, but a towel and time to absorb resolved this. It was also brought to my attention that you could be left with residue in your bath, which is dangerous, so make sure you give it a quick clean afterwards! 

The extracts were on clearance in my local co-op, so I bought a few lemon ones and a peppermint one, and I'm planning on making a refreshing foot scrub! I also want to make a coffee body scrub, and one without oil.

NYX Gems

NYX isn't a brand readily available in the UK, but I've tried a handful of their products over the last few years. I've liked all of them, and a few have become part of my everyday routine. Those few are above!

The first product I use nearly every day is the Rouge Cream Blush in Natural. I also have Glow, but tend to use this shade more. Let me just say, NYX cream blushes are my favourite ever. They're so pigmented and creamy! You just need to touch the product with the very tip of your stipple brush and you have enough product for one cheek. A slightly harder dab will give you enough for both. Most of the other cream blushes I've tried need to be warmed up with your finger to give any pigmentation. In terms of colour, Natural is... natural! It goes with everything. It does look very pink in the photo, but compared to Glow, it's a lot more neutral. You can see swatches of both shades here.

The Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan isn't a product I use every day because I love my lip crayons, but it's still a product I often use. You apply it like a lipgloss, but it dries matte. I think the finish is really natural, and the effect lasts a couple of hours, almost creating a slight stain. When applying, it feels really soft and smooth, meaning I can blend it out with my finger if needs be. When it comes to products like this, some people dislike them because they can be too drying. However, I've never experienced this with a matte lip cream. Then again, my lips are in good condition! You can see a swatch of Milan here and here, along with a swatch of the Glow cream blush.

You can see how much love the Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha has had; it's becoming very small! I've been using this for... over a year and a half, and there was about a 6 month period where I wore this daily. That's how much I love it. I've been branching out with different shades recently, but I always come back to this. It's pigmented, creamy, and perfect for my lower lash line. The colour is dark enough to define, but the metallic sheen allows it to reflect light, brightening your eyes. You can read more about it and see a swatch here.

I used to buy my NYX products from a reliable eBay seller, but since then, they've increased the P&P costs a lot, so I'd suggest going over to the UK NYX website here. 

Do you own anything from NYX? What's your favourite product from them?

Organic Surge Sale Purchases

I must admit, I hadn't heard much about Organic Surge before their current sale. However, I then started reading tweets about people stocking up on their favourite products at amazing prices, so decided to check them out! The fact that they're natural and organic persuaded me to place an order. I bought the Blissful Daily Moisturiser for £2.12 down from £8.49, and the Super-Intensive Daily Moisturiser for £2.25 down from £8.99, both of which are still available to buy. I also used the code NEWDEL for free delivery! I actually wish I picked up the Daily Care Face Wash, too. First impressions of these two moisturisers are good. The packaging is nice, they smell great (Because of the lemon essential oil in the daily version, and the organic rose geranium essential oil in the intensive one. My mum has just smelt them and isn't keen, though), they sink into the skin quickly, and leave it feeling soft. I've only used them a couple of times so far, though, so these thoughts could change.


Have you bought anything in the Organic Surge sale? Or are you planning to? I was going to buy the brown sugar scrub for £8 down from £32, but can easily make one myself! I may try to, actually. If it goes well, I'll blog about the recipe!

Flower Shaped Shortbread Biscuits

I didn't plan on baking today, but then thought I'd give myself a break from watching Supernatural and Criminal Minds! It's a hard life, eh? I wanted to make some kind of biscuit, and decided on the classic shortbread. Shortbread is so easy to make, and most books/websites have a recipe for it. This time, I followed this recipe. The only thing I didn't do was chill the biscuits in the fridge before baking because there was no room! For the flower shapes, I used the cookie cutters I bought from Wilkinson at Christmas. They were around £1, and have definitely been more than worth it. You can find similar ones on eBay, too. I've just had a quick search and found these for £1.69, and these for £2.09. All I need now is good old cuppa to go with these little treats!

Stocking Up

Does anyone else stock up on products? I could open a small shop with the back ups I have! I stock up partly because I'm organised, partly because I'm a shopaholic, and partly because it's more cost effective in the long run (I buy back ups when they're on offer). The products in the photo above are mostly necessities. I haven't even included my shower gel, moisturiser or makeup back ups! I would have had to use my bed or floor.

Let me know if you can relate!

The Body Shop Haul

I told myself I wasn't going to order from The Body Shop, but the sale, 40% off code (EXTRATREAT), and free delivery over £5 reeled me in!

I bought a Raspberry Body Butter for just £3 (normally £13), and the matching Shower Gel for £1.80 (normally £4). I already own the body butter, and love it, so thought I'd get these two products for a birthday present or something. I have so many products in my birthday/Christmas present box now! It's my excuse to buy things I don't need, but want :)

I then added the Cranberry Joy Linen, Room & Body Spritz to my basket for £2.10. I bought my mum the shower gel in this scent for Mother's Day and really liked it. It smells like fresh berries!

The products from here are not from the sale, but were 40% off with the code. I bought the Banana Conditioner for £2.70 (normally £4.50). To me, it smells more like coconut than banana, but it still smells great. Very sweet, which I love. I'm going to use it tonight, so will let you know how I get on!

I also bought some more Hand Cleanse Gels in Coconut and Mango for £1.50 each (normally £2.50 each). I already own these, but wanted to add them to birthday/Christmas presents because people are always interested when they see/smell them. They're also practical!

I bought another pack of Organic Cotton Rounds for £1.50. I love these because they don't fall apart! They're normally £2.50 though, which is expensive. That's why I always buy them when there's a code floating around.

Lastly, I bought another Paddle Hairbrush for £4.80 (normally £8). I've had three of these now and love them. My current one was getting a little worse for wear, though!

Have you bought anything in The Body Shop sale?

eBay Necklaces

 

I bought these necklaces months ago, but didn't start wearing them until recently because I don't wear much jewellery! My first, and favourite, can be bought here for £1.39 including P&P. You can also buy it in silver here for the same price. The second necklace can be bought from here for just 99p including P&P. And the third can be bought from here for £2.39 including P&P. Keep in mind that the listing for this one shows a blue stoned necklace, but I received a grey one. I still think the grey is pretty, though. All of these necklaces are from the same seller. They sell a load of necklaces, and I'm just about to buy some more! I always check eBay before I buy jewellery from the highstreet because you can get exactly the same thing, or something similar, for a lot cheaper. I've bought a few necklaces that have been exactly the same as ones seen in Accessorize!