DIY: Tea-Tree Oil Multi-Purpose Spray

I use tea tree oil for many things- wounds, zits, rashes, infections, etc. Recently, my family has been under attack by the flu virus, and a strange case of rashes caused by goodness knows what-- so, I thought it would be good to post this recipe up. (Not one of my usual beauty DIYs, I know, but I hope it's useful!)

Here it is!

Tea Tree Oil Multi-Purpose Spray

4 drops tea tree oil (I use Thursday Plantation's-review later)
1/2 cup of distilled (Bottled) or cool, boiled water
Spray bottle

Simply pour the water in the spray bottle, add the tea tree oil, shake well (before every use), and spray away!

Tea tree oil not only helps dry up acne and pimples, but also kills acne causing bacteria. (Tip: it is also great for keeping mosquitoes and bugs away)! Use this spray on your pillows (less acne causing bacteria=fewer zits!) and bedsheets, children's toys, or spray it on a piece of cloth and give your keyboard keys a good wipe. You can also use it as an air sanitizer-just a couple of spritzes freshens the air. Just be careful to keep it out of your eyes.

I like to spray in my family's footwear to keep our feet smelling fresh and free of infections. my boy likes it on his legs before he goes to bed, since the mosquitoes at my place have acquired a taste for the poor thing's blood. (It really works!)

I find new uses for this spray every day. My friend just told me the other day she uses a diluted version of this recipe as a toner- being careful to avoid the eyes.

I hope everyone finds this post useful, especially with the attack of the flu virus that seems to be everywhere.

See you soon, my pretties!

DIY: Rose Tea Refresher

Cleopatra carpeted her floor in it for Mark Antony. King Nero showered his dinner guests in it. The queen of flowers, the rose is not only beautiful,but also great for our skin. Rosewater is a great cleanser, it also balances, soothes and gently hydrates sensitized skin. Its astringent effect also means it can be used as a toner. Here, a DIY recipe that will have you feeling good both inside and out.

Rose Tea Refresher

1 cup of boiling water,preferably distilled.
1 cup dried rosebuds

Pour boiling water over rosebuds that have previously been rinsed in cold water. Leave to cool. Pour into container and seal. Leave to steep overnight in the fridge. Strain and discard rosebuds. Store liquid in fridge and use as needed.  Use up within a week.

You can freeze the  liquid into ice cubes to add to your tea for a heavenly scented drink. Placing cotton pads soaked in the chilled rose tea will help relieve soreness,swelling and redness in eyes. Swipe a cotton pad soaked with it over your face, and use it as a toner, and see your complexion becoming clearer as the days go by. Spritz it on your face and body after your shower daily, and your skin will take on a lovely glow with consistent usage.

Stay tuned for reviews, coming up next! See you soon, my beauties!

A Note on DIY Recipes

The Belle loves making her own skincare, but also understands that our homemade skincare, unlike products on the shelf, do not contain preservatives. So, please do note that any DIY skincare recipes on this website, unless otherwise stated, need to be stored in the fridge. As a rule of thumb, make small amounts to ensure freshness, and use up the product within 10 days. If the product you made starts to smell odd, throw it out to be on the safe side.

Happy DIYing, see you soon!

DIY: Vitamin E Green Tea Toner

I love green tea. Hot, cold, with honey, sugar, milk or just on its own. I usually have quite a fair amount of green tea at home. So, I did some research on the internet, and after tinkering around in the kitchen, came up with this toner recipe some time ago. Stored in the fridge, it is not only cool and refreshing, but also helps to keep those fine lines at bay. Enjoy!

Vitamin E Green Tea Toner

Ingredients:

200ML of boiling water, preferably distilled
1 green teabag
1 tablespoon natural honey
3 Vitamin E capsules,400IU (Or you can use the equivalent in Vitamin E oil)

Pour boiling water over teabag, and allow to steep for about 10 minutes. Add in honey, and stir to dissolve. Allow to cool. Break open vitamin E capsules and add in the oil. Mix well. Store in an (preferably)airtight container. Keep in the refrigerator, and shake well before each use. (This is essential to ensure proper distribution of the vitamin E oil.)

This toner is suitable for most skin types, but dry skins will probably like this toner most-honey, a humectant and the vitamin E oil will help with dryness. And, need we say more about the antioxidant properties of green tea and vitamin E? Swipe it on with a cotton ball, or spritz in on with a spray bottle and pat it in before your other skincare products. Consistent usage will help reduce fine lines. As with all skincare products, always test on a small area, particularly if you have sensitive skin.

That's all for this post.  I will be back soon with more goodies. See you soon, my pretties!

Testing and Cooking in Progress!

The Belle is in the process of testing some new products!

Look out for product reviews that are coming up soon! Also, new DIY recipes easy on the wallet and good for you.

Meanwhile,please do keep the comments and emails coming in!

See you soon!

Age of Beauty: DIY:Home Made Youth

What better way to pamper yourself to beautiful, ageless skin than your very own homemade DIY Spa? Here, 2 recipes to pamper and revive your youth. Enjoy!

Anti-Aging Home Facial

1/2 cup unflavoured yoghurt
1/2 tablespoon oats (quaker oats will do)
1/2 tablespoon honey
Spritz of rosewater

Cleanse skin as usual.Mix yoghurt, oats, and honey. Spread on face and neck, leave on for 5 minutes. Rinse off, gently massaging with circular motions as you go. Spritz with rose water, tap face gently. Follow with usual skincare.

This recipe makes enough for  2-3 uses, so store it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, and use on days when you need an extra pick me up.

*yoghurt cleanses skin deeply,balances PH levels,and retains moisture. The lactic acid in it helps clear dead skin that causes dullness and rough skin. Oats exfoliate gently, evening skin tone, and removes impurities. Also, it regulates sebum production. Honey clears and nourishes, and smoothes away fine lines gradually. Inflammation is reduced, skin is clarified and toned, and tissues regenerate faster. Rosewater diminishes fine lines,  broken capillaries and blemishes. Antioxidants in rosewater helps to preserve cell youth, brighten and firm skin, and increase skin moisture.

Green Tea and Chamomile Toner

Green tea Bag
Chamomile Tea Bag

Steep both teabags together in about 200-250 ML boiling water. Leave to cool, and remove teabags. Pour into a spritzer, and store in the fridge. Spritz on whenever needed. It can also be used as a body mist.

*This mixture helps to lighten and tone skin as well as reduce signs of aging.

Anti-aging on the cheap. Of course,  as with all skincare, consistency is key. Take heed, and stay young!

Sweet Memories...

My last year's anniversary gift to hubby. Was going through some photos, and it looks so beautiful (at least to me), so I thought I would share.

Anniversary 2012

 Paper roses made by me. (You can find the instructions online)

What beautiful memory has made you smile today?

Whitening Galore: Kitchen Magic!-Part 2

To all aspiring Snow Whites: Whitening is not just an external process, you have to take care of what you eat too. Here, I am going to share a few simple recipes that will soon have you drinking your way to glowing skin! Note, however, as always that these are recipes that I myself have tried, and found to work well for me. They are not miracle cures, but will help you a little along the way. Every little bit counts!

Almond Milk

1 Dessertspoon Almond Powder (You can grind your own, or if you're lazy like me, just use store bought. Works just fine, for me) 

200ML fresh milk (Unflavoured is best)

Stir almond powder into fresh milk, making sure it is thoroughly mixed. (Those who are lactose intolerant, you can use Soy milk.) Cold or hot, it's entirely according to your preference. Enjoy!

Soy Milk

4 Tablespoons soya beans
350ML water 
Sugar to taste  (may be omitted if you prefer, or replace with other sweeteners)
1 knotted pandan leaf, optional 

Soak soya beans overnight in plenty of clean water. Drain, discard soaking water. Blend soaked beans with water (in the recipe) in blender. Use a sieve/ strainer bag to filter the liquid, making sure to squeeze out all the liquid possible. Pour into a saucepan. (You may add in the pandan leaf at this stage.) Bring to a gentle boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the sugar last, stirring to dissolve. Remove from heat, serve hot, or cold. Enjoy!

Pearl Powder

You can easily buy pearl powder from Chinese medical halls in Singapore. Just mix it in milk or juice. Taken consistently, it also helps to improve the condition of acne. Do note that real pearl powder does not dissolve totally, so be sure to stir as you drink


As always with beauty, consistency is key. Do not (obviously)ingest large amounts at one go and expect overnight results. It simply won't work that way. In the case of whitening, you require consistent effort of not weeks,but months to see results. Some people may see results sooner, and some later. Everyone is different. Your patience will be rewarded.

 I recommend that you start with something that is sustainable, rather than embark on an unrealistic programme that is difficult to maintain. Try one thing at a time, so that you can judge for yourself which one works better on you. As always, do take note of allergies when trying out new recipes.

Coming up soon, reviews on whitening products (that I have not reviewed yet,of course.)--my hits and misses over the years. See you soon!

Whitening Galore:Kitchen Magic!--Part 1

Whether you are on a budget, or have deeper pockets, home remedies are always a good alternative to over the counter solutions for whitening. Not only do you know exactly what goes inside, you also get to control the freshness and quality of ingredients. Do note that while all these remedies are natural, it is always a good idea to do a patch test on less visible areas, especially for sensitive skins.

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Milk

Mix equal amounts of milk powder and honey. Add to the mixture a few drops of lemon juice. Apply to skin, and leave on for 10 to 15 minutes. For sensitive skin, you may add less lemon juice or omit it altogether. This mixture can be used both on the body and face

Lemon

Mix lemon juice from half a lemon, a spoonful of honey and enough sea salt (coarse or fine according to your preference) to form a gritty mixture. Apply to skin and leave on for 5-10 minutes. Then, scrub your skin as you would when using a body scrub. Take care not to rub too hard-- let the scrub do its job! Rinse thoroughly. Moisturize. This mixture is strictly for the body.

Orange

Dry some orange peels and grind them to a fine powder. Add a few drops of milk to make a paste. Apply to skin. Leave the mixture to dry, and then rinse off with warm water. This mixture can be used both for the body and face.

Almond

Soak some almonds overnight. Drain. Peel, grind and add to the almonds an equal amount of milk powder, and enough honey to form a paste. Leave to dry, then rinse off thoroughly. This mixture can be used for both the face and the body.

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The above list is not exhaustive. But in line with my usual practices,I only post what I have tried and liked. You may like to tweak the recipes to your preference, that's the beauty of homemade beauty remedies.

Up next, foods to brighten your skin from inside out!

DIY : Brightening Body Scrub

Most of us take good care of our face,but tend to neglect our body. Here's a recipe that will help to restore the glow to our skin. Happy bath time!

Ingredients:
1 big handful of coarse salt
1 big handful of fine salt
Juice of 1 large lemon

-Mix coarse and fine3 salt together.
-Mix in lemon juice thoroughly without using a mixer or blender.
-Wet skin. Rub in circular motions, concentrating on elbows and kneecaps.
-Rinse thoroughly.


* Lemon juice helps to lighten darkened patches, while salt exfoliates. Coarse salt rubs away flaky skin, while fine salt smooths and polishes.

*Be sure to apply moisturizer, as this scrub can be drying. Avoid the sun as the lemon juice can cause your sun to become sun sensitive. If you really must go out into the sun, apply sunblock with a high SPF. Better still, do this scrub at night. Do this scrub weekly, and say hello to a fairer you!

Skincare DIY: Milk Body Mask

A body whitening recipe to share. Milk nourishes and strengthens skin. Take your cue from Queen Cleopatra, and enjoy!

Ingredients:
-4 cups full cream milk powder, any brand
-1 tablespoon honey
-a few drops essential oil of choice(optional)

-Mix all ingredients together with enough water to form a thick paste.
-Slather generously over darkened areas. Luxuriate for fifteen minutes
_Enjoy your smoother, fairer skin!

Skincare DIY: Green Tea Aloe Mask

I am one of those that tan, but fade easily, and the aftermath is always a sprinkling of sunspots on my arms, shoulders, and the back of my hands. I am looking for ways to get rid of, or at least lessen their appearance before they morph into giant pigmentation patches. I came up with a very simple recipe to help treat this problem, with ingredients that are mostly easily found in most kitchens. This recipe would probably work for whitening the face as well, but I have not tried that yet, to be honest. Here it is.

Ingredients:
2 large tablespoons Aloe Vera gel (I used Jorubi, but any good brand should work as well)
green tea from one green tea bag(Pour hot water and let steep for a minute, remove, then extract the green tea from the teabag. Careful, its hot!)
2-3 teaspoons honey

-mix well all ingredients,with a clean spoon or spatula in a clean plastic container
-leave covered, in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to allow ingredients to 'fuse' together.
-spread on (cleansed) desired areas thinly. Leave till slightly sticky and almost fully absorbed.
-rub in circular motions like you would a scrub. Rinse off thoroughly.
-voila! softer brighter skin! Remember to moisturize!

This mixture would last up to a week or so in the fridge.Enjoy!