Natural Yogurt Pancakes

So this isn't exactly beauty but it's healthy eating and I had to share it!!
So a while back I bought a giant tub of low fat healthy yogurt because I can eat it on everything! And I wanted to try something new and I found a way to make it into pancakes, and who doesn't love pancakes? Especially low fat ones, this idea is slightly adapted into my own cause I had to test out the measurements, and this makes 8 small pancakes

Ingredients:
6 ounces of natural yogurt
Half a cup of flour
Teaspoon of baking powder/soda
1 egg
And any toppings you desire

Step one: mix the yogurt and egg together in a bowl.
Step two: mix the baking powder and flour in a separate bowl.
Step three: gradually poor the flour mix into the yogurt mix whilst stirring then stir until it is all mixed in together.
Step four: grease a pan (I use oil and butter, heat until melted and then pour any excess into a cup to use later)
Step five: spoon on the mixture to the pan on a low-medium heat, now I do four first then when they've cooked I then use the rest of the mixture do another four, and I use about a heaped tablespoon to make one pancake.
Step six: cook until golden on each side, make sure they aren't to thick otherwise the won't cook properly.

Cool tips:
You can add different flavour to your mix such as lemon, vanilla or anything you like!
You can also add finely chopped fruit to your mixture to make it taste even more delicious!
These are great served with classic leon and sugar or chopped fruit and icecream or even if you're a little bit yogurt mad you could serve them with a drizzle of yogurt!!!

Hope you enjoy this recipe :)

DIY Matte Lipstick

So when I apply lipstick I always find that it can be too sticky and shiny looking which I don't particularly like. I like matte lipsticks but they can be more expensive and don't come in as many shades as normal lipsticks.

When putting my lipstick on this morning I thought how could I make my lipstick look matte then I thought of using a powder, I didn't have any translucent powder so I decided to use baby powder and it worked great! I put some on my finger and dabbed it on lightly this started the matte look, I then got a medium sized make up brush and applied some powder to it, knocking off any excess, I then lightly dabbed it on my lips covering all over.

Once I finished, I checked my lips and any bits I had missed I applied more powder to the brush and went over them. The powder blends great and doesn't leave any white speckles on your lips either so I would highly recommend trying this technique!

Coconut Oil - Hair Care

So to make my crayon lipsticks I had to go and buy some coconut oil and since buying it I have found so many uses for it.

Firstly it is great for your hair and hair growth, there are many beneficial factors such as:
Shields hair protein: Lauric acid, a major component of coconut oil gives the oil its protective properties. Lauric acid is a fatty acid that easily binds hair proteins thus helping in protecting roots of hair strands and preventing hair breakage
Seals in hair moisture: Regular application of coconut oil can help you to keep your hair strong and moisturized. The oil supplies enough moisture to protect your hair follicles from environmental impurities and heat.
Contains antibacterial and anti-fungal properties: Coconut oil’s antibacterial and antifungal properties give the oil the ability of protecting your scalp against dandruff and lice, both of which can hinder hair growth.
Contains nutrients: Coconut oil is a rich source of nutrients like vitamin E, vitamin K and iron. These nutrients are essential for maintaining your hair’s shine and softness. Vitamin E is particularly effective in eradicating dandruff, which is a major cause of hair fall and hindered hair growth.
Improves blood circulation: Massage your scalp with coconut oil to stimulate blood circulation. Improved blood circulation to your scalp will ensure that your hair follicles receive the required amount of essential nutrients and oxygen. This will make your hair follicles healthy and promote hair growth.

For me this is great to use because I have curly hair and I wash it everyday even though I shouldn't so being able to have a product I can leave in is perfect.

For applying you can leave it in for as long as you can before washing, obviously the longer you leave it the better, so overnight is best for your hair, but you can also just leave it in for 20-30 minutes.

Firstly either pour or scoop the oil onto your hand (some oils will have a different consistency) and massage into your scalp and routes this will help with hair growth and looking after your scalp.
Then apply some more to your hands and run it through all of your hair making sure to cover it all and all the way through the tips. Once you have covered it leave it for how ever long you want too, if you are leaving it over night I would advise laying a towel over your pillow.

Then when you are ready to wash it out, use your normal routine shampoo then condition and your hair will become super soft and luxurious if you do this a couple of times a week then you will start to see great results! 

Home-made Lip Balm

Even though I have done the last two posts on lip stuff I'm gonna do another one because you can never has to much lip care.
I find that when I use vaseline instead of helping my lips it just makes them worse so I looked online to find a way to make my own to help my lips more.

Ingredients:
Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)
Vanilla Extract
Mousturiser or coconut oil
Food Colouring
Small pot

So even though this has vaseline in it it works well for my lips!

Firstly if your vaseline is too hard you can put it in the microwave until it is a little softer to work with, then put as much softened vaseline as you think you will need into a bowl and add a few drops of vanilla extract and mix them together

You then add a couple of drops of food colouring, I would advise going for red as it will tint your lips slightly (but don't worry it does not stain your fingers or lips)

I then decided to add my own ingredients to the recipe I found as I wanted my lipbalm to be more beneficial so I added a few drops of the body lotion I use, you could also use coconut oil, if you melt about a teaspoon down and mix it in that will also hydrate your lips!

When everything is mixed together put it into your chosen pot (I used one of the little green tins) and leave in the fridge over night or until you think is ready, if you use a lotion at first the lip balm will have that wet texture but after you use it a few times it disappears and you are left with the most perfect lip balm! 

Home-made Lip scrub

So I have found my lips get really dry and chapped, and soon with the cold weather coming in there is nothing worse than the cold making your lips horrible! So I found this really cool recipe for a lip scrub

Ingredients:
White Granulated sugar
Almond oil
Almond extract
Food Colouring
Small Pot

So firstly you should combine 3 tbsp of the sugar with 1 1/2 tbsp of almond oil (obviously if you are allergic or don't like almond oil you can use a different type of oil such as coconut oil or even olive oil) in a bowl. The oils are what hydrate your lips. You can also use brown sugar but white sugar is easier to colour.

Secondly for flavour as three drops of the almond extract (again you can use a different type of flavouring depending on what you like)

If it is too runny then you can add more sugar for a drier consistency

Then add a drop or two of food colouring to the mix, I suggest red or orange as they are nice warm colours :) and look nice.

Then pop it into the small pot and use whenever your lips need exfoliating! Enjoy

Crayon Lipsticks

So the other day I found a new recipe to make your own lipsticks! and they came out really well so I thought I would share it.
All you need is coconut oil or caster oil and wax crayons (which sounds crazy, but wax crayons are completely safe there are no secret nasty things in them)

So firstly you get a small pan and fill it about half way with water and put that on a low heat, you then get a glass jar and put that in the middle of the pan so its about half way in the water.

Once you have let the water heat up you then place either a quarter teaspoon or half a tea spoon of the oil (depending on how sheer you want the lipstick, just play around with them until you can figure out whats best for you) into the glass jar so it melts, you then add half a wax crayon (and you can do this with any colour!) then get something to mix them with (I use a cocktail stick) until both ingredients have melted.

Once they have both melted pour the mixture into a small container of your choice and leave to dry, depending on how much you want to make I would go by for every half piece of crayon use half a teaspoon of the oil.

Once they have dried you should be left with really cute colourful lipsticks! these are the first two I made and I love them :)
 (The white in the purple is from where I put a little too much coconut oil in it, but it still works fine and it doesn't affect it at all!)