Soaps Away!

At the beginning of the the week i decided i was going to try my hand at Cold Process Soaping. If you follow me on Face Book you will have seen that i have made soap before but the Cold Process is a totally different method and one I'd been a bit scared of to be honest.

So i have spent quite a few hrs researching different recipes and ingredients and i decided to go with a recipe from a brilliant book i have recently purchased called A Green Guide to Natural Beauty by Karen Gilbert.

To say I'm really pleased with the results is a bit of an understatement, in fact I'm amazed at how well it came out.

I used a combination of Sweet  Orange Oil & May Chang Essential Oils and it smells deliciously fresh and citrusy.

In the mould

I read that Cold Process can really fade colours so i made sure i used a strong Orange and when it was first in the mould i really wasn't sure.

After making it you need to wait until it firms up enough to cut it so i waited over night

I also had a little left over soap so i made a mini loaf which i can give to friends and family.

Before i started making my own products i had no idea there were different types of soaps. This one contains Coconut Oil, Sunflower oil and olive oil but you can use all types of butters and oils to vary the end results.

The only downside of making CP soap is the fact you have to wait about 6 weeks before using it which for an impatient person like me is hell.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely weekend. PS these are not for sale they are all for meeeeee and a few family members xx

Foundation Free!

The sun is shining and my basic skin care routine seems to be working great still :) So today i am foundation free. In fact for the last week or so i have not worn foundation most days and enjoying the fresh faced feel.

My skin has never looked better and i cant believe how fast i have gone from spotty to glowy with just two products. If you missed my skincare post its here .

I have been using just 2 products lately and am thrilled with the results.

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine xxx

Feeling hot with Mavala!

Pretty polishes are everywhere and with so much choice out there it makes it hard to decide which brand to try next. Luckily for me i was sent a few of the Mavala shades to try out for myself in 3 stunning shades

Priced at just £4.30 each the polishes are affordable for everyone and the quality is salon standard at a high street price. I used Mavala years ago when i was training as a nail technician and loved the products back then but had forgotten about them so pleased to have had a reminder.

Waikiki Orange

(A stunning orange/coral that would look amazing with a tan)

Moon Grey

(A cool toned neutral chic)

Daring Pink

(Perfect for the girls who like to get noticed, a bright pink with purple tones)

 I couldn't decide which to wear so i wore them all :)

Which do you like the best? Available from leading department stores and salons

Skincare Rave Review!

I'm really really excited about today's post! It's very rare that a product comes along now days that blows my socks off but in the last 10 days or so i have totally changed my skincare routine and have had amazing results.

For the last few months my skin has been very bad with constant breakouts, blocked pores and those horrible spots that feel like lumps under the skin. A weekly Korres mask did seem to be helping but i was really getting fed up of always trying to cover my skin up and trying so many different products which just didn't seem to be helping.

So i decided it was time to go back to basics. I decided to throw my huge skincare bag of products in a hidden drawer and use just 2 products on my skin and see what happened. I chose

Li Ban Simplicity Facial Bar 5.95 Eur

Korres Wild Rose 24hr  moisturiser & brightening cream £19

I have read up on simplifying skincare and the fact that skin can feel overloaded with different products especially synthetic ingredients, fragrances etc and so i choose particularly gentle, natural products.

Li Ban Simplicity Facial bar is a hand made soap which is made with an oil maceration using organic calendula and essential oils of lavender and tee tree. It also contains green argilez clay for cleansing properties and aloe vera which is known for its soothing and calming effect on the skin.

The bar lathers up to a lovely creamy feeling soap. I have been using this twice a day and really massaging well around the nose and chin (my problem areas) 

It leaves my skin feeling amazingly clean and soft. I don't think id get away without a moisturiser after using this but it works amazingly well on my skin. Its very thorough at deep cleansing and soothing at the same time which is difficult to find in a product.

Within 2 days my skin was looking better and 10 days later my skin is transformed. All my spots have gone, i have no lumps under my skin, i still have some blackheads although they do look smaller. I have some marks where the spots have been but my skin looks 110% better. I cannot rave enough about this soap. 

If you have problem skin then id urge you to give this a try, its less than half the price of my usual cleansers and i can honestly say nothing has been so effective so quickly.

I will write a separate review on the korres wild rose 24hr moisturiser as its again a beautiful product and i want to make sure i cover it in detail.

I wish id taken before and after photographs of my skin to show you the difference but to be honest i didn't want anyone to see my skin before as it looked horrible. What a difference a soap can make!

Li Ban Ireland are known for the stunning soaps with beautiful marbled tops. Take a look at these beauties, available from the online website here

Sleek Mascara Review!

I received the latest Sleek Mascara "Lash Out" a while back and i have been using it ever since. 

The packaging is Bright pink with a type of graffiti look.

Available from Superdrug or online for £7.00 which is a very reasonable price in my opinion

The brush is rather large but it does do a nice job of separating the lashes and the colour is a really good Jet Black. 

 

I was going to show you a photo of 1 and 2 coats but instead i thought I'd show you how it looks with 3 thin coats as that's how Ive been wearing it.

It's a great mascara for people like me who need a nice thick formula for added definition and it can go a bit clumpy at times if I'm not careful but overall the formula works really well and as i said before Ive been reaching for it everyday as its quick to apply and adds a nice amount of definition for my daily look

Have you tried this mascara out yet?

Running out of space!

Since starting Marshmallow Blends i have gradually been taking over the house with products, ingredients and packaging which i decided i needed to get into some kind of order.

So this weekend i have been getting organised and now i have a nice little space all for my Stock which means its so much easier for me to see exactly what i want or need to make up without routing through cupboards and boxes :)

I thought I'd show you a sneaky peak. 

Storage Unit from Ikea

Body Butters!

 Soaps & Cupcakes!

 Lip Butters & Massage Candles!

Sugar Scrub Cubes!

Bathbombs, Mini massage Bars & Gift Sets!

Bath Bombs!

Sugar Scrubs!

Its perfect for me right now. I can pop my new products on as i trial them as there is plenty of room and I've added all my tissue paper, boxes, ribbons, labels in this room too so everything is on hand.

 Plus i think it looks really pretty with it all on show. I'm still working on various new products so hopefully these shelves will be a little more full in a few months time. Hope you are all having a lovely weekend and thanks for reading xx

Brighter than your average Pink!

Just wanted to share my latest Bathbomb with you as i know you ladies appreciate a good bright pink when you see one :)

Marshmallow Blends Bubbling Bubblegum Bathbomb £2.75

These bath bombs turn the water a bright pink colour and add a  nice light layer of creamy bubbles which gives the water a lovely silky feel.

I've been requested by Rocco my 4 year old to make a Blue Bath Bomb so I'm debating on Blueberry Muffins or Blue Raspberry next! What do you think?

I'm also so so excited to have been featured today over at The Makeup Advice Forum with the most amazing write up about some of the products Here

Hope you are all having a lovely day xx