P.S I am working on my first EVER giveaway!! I am planning to start it when I reach 50 followers. I have 40 right now so only 10 more to go! I know I really do appreciate each and every one of you so this is my way of saying a huge thankyou!!
Friday, 9 March 2012
Veelicious-ness is growing!
Exciting news! Veelicious-ness now has a Facebook page! Please come and check it out, its a little empty as its new but we will get there in time. You can find out about the latest news, competitions or just pop by for a chat. http://www.facebook.com/veelicious1
P.S I am working on my first EVER giveaway!! I am planning to start it when I reach 50 followers. I have 40 right now so only 10 more to go! I know I really do appreciate each and every one of you so this is my way of saying a huge thankyou!!
P.S I am working on my first EVER giveaway!! I am planning to start it when I reach 50 followers. I have 40 right now so only 10 more to go! I know I really do appreciate each and every one of you so this is my way of saying a huge thankyou!!
Another Haul!
I have been spending again! Pictures are worth a thousand words, so on to the good stuff!
Superdrug Colour Effects 8:1 Cool Blonde, £1.29 each. This acts as a toner for my bleach blonde hair, it removes yellow tones. Quick tip: There are loads of products available specifically for blonde hair, but if you want it to remove yellow or brassy tones (making it whiter), it HAS to be a dark purple colour. This applies to toners, shampoo, conditioner, hair mousse, anything you put on your hair basically. I have used blonde shampoo and toners in the past that have been honey coloured and they have made my hair look MORE yellow, so it is important to check.
As you can see, this toner is a very dark purple colour, this is going to counteract the yellow tones in my hair.
Finally! I got some MUA eye palettes! They had a pound knocked off them so they were an amazing £3 each.
These are very popular amongst bloggers so there are already tonnes of reviews and swatches out there.
MUA nail polishes £1 each. Shade 17 (clear) and 9 (blue). There was a black one aswell but sadly it didn't make it home, it got smashed on the floor of the car park while loading the car. *sob sob*
Superdrug 2 in 1 Top Coat & Hardener and Conditioning Cuticle Oil Pen. These were on offer, 2 for £5.
Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Daily Nail Treatment £4.50 from Tesco. My nails are looking rather used and abused and this promises to show results in just 1 week. Hmmm..
Tesco Exfoliating Face Scrub. It was on offer for £1. I have no idea how good it is but for a pound I don't mind taking a gamble.
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner. These were from Tesco and were £1.66 each for 400ml. Never used it before but it was a good price and it smells of yummy coconut.
I bought these sets of 12 glitter in glass bottles off eBay they were under £2 each including postage. I have strands, powder and hearts here and am waiting on some stars and hexagons.
They are really pretty so I thought they deserved a second picture.
Thats everything I got today, hope you liked it!
Superdrug Colour Effects 8:1 Cool Blonde, £1.29 each. This acts as a toner for my bleach blonde hair, it removes yellow tones. Quick tip: There are loads of products available specifically for blonde hair, but if you want it to remove yellow or brassy tones (making it whiter), it HAS to be a dark purple colour. This applies to toners, shampoo, conditioner, hair mousse, anything you put on your hair basically. I have used blonde shampoo and toners in the past that have been honey coloured and they have made my hair look MORE yellow, so it is important to check.
As you can see, this toner is a very dark purple colour, this is going to counteract the yellow tones in my hair.
Finally! I got some MUA eye palettes! They had a pound knocked off them so they were an amazing £3 each.
 |
| MUA Glitter Ball Palette |
 |
| MUA Heaven & Earth Palette |
MUA nail polishes £1 each. Shade 17 (clear) and 9 (blue). There was a black one aswell but sadly it didn't make it home, it got smashed on the floor of the car park while loading the car. *sob sob*
Superdrug 2 in 1 Top Coat & Hardener and Conditioning Cuticle Oil Pen. These were on offer, 2 for £5.
Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Daily Nail Treatment £4.50 from Tesco. My nails are looking rather used and abused and this promises to show results in just 1 week. Hmmm..
Tesco Exfoliating Face Scrub. It was on offer for £1. I have no idea how good it is but for a pound I don't mind taking a gamble.
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner. These were from Tesco and were £1.66 each for 400ml. Never used it before but it was a good price and it smells of yummy coconut.
I bought these sets of 12 glitter in glass bottles off eBay they were under £2 each including postage. I have strands, powder and hearts here and am waiting on some stars and hexagons.
They are really pretty so I thought they deserved a second picture.
Thats everything I got today, hope you liked it!
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
DIY: Soap: House of Crafts Soapmaking Kit Comparison
Hello again! Yesterday, we discovered the 4 ways of making your own soap. The method that suits me best is melt & pour soapmaking. If this is something you want to try, you can either buy all of your ingredients or purchase a kit instead. In the long run, it is cheaper to buy everything separately but this means spending more upfront. I decided to try kits first. I purchased 3 kits from Hobbycraft, all made by House of Crafts.
House of Crafts - Soap Making Craft Kit
This kit cost £8.99 from here and includes a soap mould with room for 6 soaps, a pipette, fragrance oil, 3 coloured pigments and some clear soap base. It also comes with an instruction sheet.
House of Crafts - Handmade Soap Kit
This cost £10.99 from here and includes a soap mould with space for 3 soaps, a pipette, fragrance oil, marigold petals, Irish moss, lemon grass and some clear soap base. It also comes with an instruction sheet.
House of Crafts - Organic Soap Making Kit
This one cost £14.99 from here and includes a soap mould with space for 4 soaps, organic lemon essential oil (the bottle has a dropper in it so a pipette is not needed, aniseed, linseed, poppy seeds, marigold petals and organic soap base. It also comes with an instruction sheet.
The biggest difference between these kits is the amount of soap you get.
With the first kit, you get aprox. 250g of clear soap, the second one is about 750g of the same clear base and the organic one has roughly 1kg which has a creamy colour to it.
The kits are fairly good value for money just for the moulds as these can set you back from £5 - £10 each on average. The fragrance oils with the first 2 kits smell very similar, if not identical and it is a floral scent, not one which I am a fan of to be honest. The lemon essential oil smells divine though. Also, only the first kit contains dyes to colour your soap with. The first two kits can be melted in a microwave or in 2 saucepans over the hob whereas the organic one only mentions the saucepan method in the instructions. If you only buy one kit, you can only make very small batches each time as you need to wait for your soaps to set before you can remove them from the mould.
Personally, I would not really recommend the Soap Making Craft Kit as you don't get anywhere near enough soap. The Organic Soap Making Kit is great if you want natural soap but my favourite has to be the Handmade Soap Kit just because it can be prepared in the microwave so it is easier to prepare.
When I bought these, they were on a 3 for 2 offer so I ended up paying £24.99 for all 3. If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't of got all of them.
In addition to any of the kits, you also need something to cut the soap with before melting, a chopping board, something to melt the soap in (either a microwavable container or 2 saucepans depending on how you choose to heat it) and a spoon. Technically it should be OK to use your equipment for food after making soap with them as long as you have cleaned them thoroughly but I prefer not to take the chance.
I have also purchased ingredients and moulds separately. It cost me a lot more than £24.99 though! Here is what I have:
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| Moulds |
 |
| Soap Base |
 |
| Fragrance Oils (must be cosmetic grade) |
 |
| Pigments & Glitter (cosmetic grade) |
House of Crafts also make a bath bomb kit but I would strongly advise you NOT to buy this one because it is not good value for money. All you need is Sodium Bicarbonate and Citric Acid and you use the same colours / fragrance oils and moulds as you do for soap making. 5kg Sodium Bicarbonate cost me £4.99 and 1kg Citric Acid was £2.99. Thats enough to make LOADS of bath bombs!
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| Bath Bomb Ingredients |
Sorry for such a long post but I hope this info was helpful. I will post more photos when my soaps are done!
Monday, 5 March 2012
DIY: The 4 Ways To Make Your Own Soap
Hi! Today I am writing about something a bit different. I know a lot of you like to experiment with DIY beauty products. I have recently become interested in making soap, and I just wanted to share this with you how to get started if you would like to have soapmaking as a hobby too.
If you want to make homemade soap, there are 4 ways you can go about it. You really need to choose your method first so you can look for information and recipes specific to that method later on. The equipment you need will change depending on your chosen way too.
Melt and Pour aka Glycerine Soap, Soap Casting, MP
I would strongly recommend that you start with this method. It is easier, safer and more forgiving than the others. You can even do it with kids and it teaches you the basics about colours and fragrance. You start with a soap base, melt it in a microwave or on the hob (the same way you melt chocolate), add colour and fragrance then pour into a mould. As soon as it has set, you can remove it from the mould and it is ready to use. You can add other oils and other extras such as petals, oats and seeds, but you are limited to how much you can include. If you make a mistake, or the soap hardens, it can be melted again without a problem.
Cold Process aka CP, Lye Soap
This is how you truly make soap "from scratch" or from raw ingredients. It involves the use of Lye (NaOH, Sodium Hydroxide, Caustic Soda) which gives off harmful fumes and is corrosive. You can't get this on your skin at all so proper safety precautions must be taken. This method requires more equipment and you need to use large quantities of oils to add to the lye. Even though it is called cold process, the chemical reaction causes the liquids to heat up. You have more control over what goes in to soap made this way but you also need to be precise with your measurements. Failure to do this can make your soap unusable. This kind of soap needs to be left to cure for several weeks. This cannot be remelted on its own so if you do make a mistake, you can sometimes rework the soap using the handmilling method, unless it is lye heavy (it will have white crystals on the outside). This would be dangerous to use on the skin and should be disposed of as a caustic material.
Hot Process aka HP
This is the same as cold process except that the soap needs to be cooked to evaporate the excess liquid. Even though this means it takes longer, this additional step means that there is no curing time. Your soap will be ready to use as soon as it has set. Again, this means working with lye so it is not suitable to do around children. Some mistakes can be handmilled unless it is lye heavy.
Handmilling aka Rebatching, French Milled Soap
As mentioned above, this technique is great for putting mistakes right. As you do not have to add extra lye, it means you do not have to work directly with lye. You could also buy readymade lye soap and use that for this technique. The soap is shredded and then mixed with a liquid such as water, milk or even fruit juice, and heated up. Colours & scents are added before it is poured into moulds and left to set. This does need to be left to cure for several weeks so if you are impatient, this method is not for you!
Hopefully, by now you have a good idea of how soapmaking works and if this is something you would like to try. If you now know which technique suits you best, you now need to go and research A LOT. You could just search for your chosen method online for recipe ideas and more information, join a soapmaking forum or buy some books.
Suggested reading:
If you want to make homemade soap, there are 4 ways you can go about it. You really need to choose your method first so you can look for information and recipes specific to that method later on. The equipment you need will change depending on your chosen way too.
- Melt and Pour
- Cold Process
- Hot Process
- Hand milling
Melt and Pour aka Glycerine Soap, Soap Casting, MP
I would strongly recommend that you start with this method. It is easier, safer and more forgiving than the others. You can even do it with kids and it teaches you the basics about colours and fragrance. You start with a soap base, melt it in a microwave or on the hob (the same way you melt chocolate), add colour and fragrance then pour into a mould. As soon as it has set, you can remove it from the mould and it is ready to use. You can add other oils and other extras such as petals, oats and seeds, but you are limited to how much you can include. If you make a mistake, or the soap hardens, it can be melted again without a problem.
Cold Process aka CP, Lye Soap
This is how you truly make soap "from scratch" or from raw ingredients. It involves the use of Lye (NaOH, Sodium Hydroxide, Caustic Soda) which gives off harmful fumes and is corrosive. You can't get this on your skin at all so proper safety precautions must be taken. This method requires more equipment and you need to use large quantities of oils to add to the lye. Even though it is called cold process, the chemical reaction causes the liquids to heat up. You have more control over what goes in to soap made this way but you also need to be precise with your measurements. Failure to do this can make your soap unusable. This kind of soap needs to be left to cure for several weeks. This cannot be remelted on its own so if you do make a mistake, you can sometimes rework the soap using the handmilling method, unless it is lye heavy (it will have white crystals on the outside). This would be dangerous to use on the skin and should be disposed of as a caustic material.
Hot Process aka HP
This is the same as cold process except that the soap needs to be cooked to evaporate the excess liquid. Even though this means it takes longer, this additional step means that there is no curing time. Your soap will be ready to use as soon as it has set. Again, this means working with lye so it is not suitable to do around children. Some mistakes can be handmilled unless it is lye heavy.
Handmilling aka Rebatching, French Milled Soap
As mentioned above, this technique is great for putting mistakes right. As you do not have to add extra lye, it means you do not have to work directly with lye. You could also buy readymade lye soap and use that for this technique. The soap is shredded and then mixed with a liquid such as water, milk or even fruit juice, and heated up. Colours & scents are added before it is poured into moulds and left to set. This does need to be left to cure for several weeks so if you are impatient, this method is not for you!
Hopefully, by now you have a good idea of how soapmaking works and if this is something you would like to try. If you now know which technique suits you best, you now need to go and research A LOT. You could just search for your chosen method online for recipe ideas and more information, join a soapmaking forum or buy some books.
Suggested reading:
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Natural Soaps by Sally W. Trew with Zonella B. Gould
- The Everything Soapmaking Book by Alicia Grosso
- The Soapmaker's Companion by Susan Miller Cavitch
- The Natural Soap Book by Susan Miller Cavitch
- 300 Handcrafted Soaps (melt and pour) by Marie Browning
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Asda Mini Haul
I had to go to Asda today to pick up a copy of The Sun newspaper as the tokens for 2 free Alton Towers tickets started today. I do enjoy Alton Towers but adult tickets are now £42 each! I don't think its worth that much.
While I was there I browsed the beauty section which is rather poor at my local store unfortunately so its not often I buy from there. I did pick up these though:
Rimmel London Soft Kohl Eyeliner in 07 Pure White - £2.48
Rimmel London Lasting Finish Nail Polish in 500 Disco Ball - £2.98 ( I have wanted this one for a while!) It has holographic and silver glitter and then a bit of chunkier blue glitter in too. Very pretty!
And the most interesting of all is this by George (Asda's own brand) False Lash Effect Mascara in Intense Black and Eye Primer. It only cost £3.50 for both and I have never tried any George make-up before so it will be interesting to see what these are like!
I also got myself some Brother's Strawberry Cider, but didn't take a photo of that lol, yum yum!
While I was there I browsed the beauty section which is rather poor at my local store unfortunately so its not often I buy from there. I did pick up these though:
Rimmel London Soft Kohl Eyeliner in 07 Pure White - £2.48
Rimmel London Lasting Finish Nail Polish in 500 Disco Ball - £2.98 ( I have wanted this one for a while!) It has holographic and silver glitter and then a bit of chunkier blue glitter in too. Very pretty!
And the most interesting of all is this by George (Asda's own brand) False Lash Effect Mascara in Intense Black and Eye Primer. It only cost £3.50 for both and I have never tried any George make-up before so it will be interesting to see what these are like!
I also got myself some Brother's Strawberry Cider, but didn't take a photo of that lol, yum yum!
Friday, 2 March 2012
11 Questions Tag
I found the 11 Questions Tag on Cutie Beauty's blog.
The rules:
Clear Lipgloss, Gel Eyeliner, Baby Oil
2. Favorite place to get makeup?
It depends what I am looking for. If its foundation then I prefer going to a physical store where I can try them to get a shade match first. For anything else I prefer online, usually eBay or Amazon as there is just so much choice.
3. Favorite hair product of all time?
Without a doubt this has to be Directions White Toner - I bleach my hair and it gets rid of any unwanted brassy or yellow tones - yellow does not suit my skin tone at all!
4. What is your hobby?
I guess my blog is my hobby! As is shopping, soapmaking and general DIY crafts. Oh and nail art too!
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I am going to be greedy and pick 3 answers, all for different reasons. a) Norway - It looks like a beautiful country and I need to see the Northern Lights. b) USA, probably California to be specific - the shopping is amazing and you can still buy lucky charms cereal there! c) Brazil - They have the best nail polishes around. I would like to have a house in each place so I want a change of scenery I can just go. Maybe one day if I win the lotto haha...
6. Favorite makeup brand?
MUA!! I have only just discovered MUA so I have lots more to do.
7. Favorite Disney character?
Minnie Mouse! Lets face it, she is the queen bee!
8. Favorite eyeshadow pallet?
The generic 120 palette, theres just so many shades, its great for experimenting with colour.
9. Favorite musician?
Babyshambles, Good Charlotte, Greenday , Muse
10. Favorite movie?
The Nightmare Before Christmas and Twilight (I know, I know!)
11. Favorite season?
Spring. Not too hot, not too cold and we appreciate when it is warm more at this time of year. Its a great time for fashion too.
My 11 questions for YOU!
The rules:
- Mention / Link to the person who tagged you
- Post 11 facts about yourself
- Answer the 11 questions
- Create a new set of 11 questions
- Choose 11 people and tag them (make sure you link them below and comment on their blog or something to let them know!)
11 Facts about me
- I will be 25 this year! Eek!
- I am a bit of a gamer, although I don't really get time for it anymore.
- I really want to go swim with dolphins. I did it once already but I loved it so much, I want to do it again.
- I used to have a love for piercings. I had my ears done 3 times, nose, lip. belly button but now I don't wear any of them.
- I have been on TV a couple of times, in the audience for Trisha, the Frank Skinner Show and on Hollyoaks in the background while they were filming in Chester city centre. We went straight from doing this to walking into Burger King and the manager came out, greeted us and gave us free food. He obviously thought we were part of the actual crew. Oops!
- I am scared of needles. REALLY scared. Even though I have had piercings and been through childbirth.
- I have seen Cliff Richard, James Brown, Spice Girls, B*witched, Steps, Boyzone perform live *blushes*
- My first ever nail polish was by Spectacular.
- I went to see Good Charlotte live, my friend had a panic attack, we had to leave the gig early but we ended up meeting the guys after the show. I still have their autographs.
- My baby sister was born just 3 weeks before my son!
- Every Christmas, when my Nan was alive, we used to spend Christmas Day playing pranks on each other all day. I bought scratchcards for the whole family but I gave my Nan a prank winning one. She thought she had won £10,000 until she read the back of it. Luckily she saw the funny side!
My 11 questions answered
1. What's your top 3 beauty items? Clear Lipgloss, Gel Eyeliner, Baby Oil
2. Favorite place to get makeup?
It depends what I am looking for. If its foundation then I prefer going to a physical store where I can try them to get a shade match first. For anything else I prefer online, usually eBay or Amazon as there is just so much choice.
3. Favorite hair product of all time?
Without a doubt this has to be Directions White Toner - I bleach my hair and it gets rid of any unwanted brassy or yellow tones - yellow does not suit my skin tone at all!
4. What is your hobby?
I guess my blog is my hobby! As is shopping, soapmaking and general DIY crafts. Oh and nail art too!
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I am going to be greedy and pick 3 answers, all for different reasons. a) Norway - It looks like a beautiful country and I need to see the Northern Lights. b) USA, probably California to be specific - the shopping is amazing and you can still buy lucky charms cereal there! c) Brazil - They have the best nail polishes around. I would like to have a house in each place so I want a change of scenery I can just go. Maybe one day if I win the lotto haha...
6. Favorite makeup brand?
MUA!! I have only just discovered MUA so I have lots more to do.
7. Favorite Disney character?
Minnie Mouse! Lets face it, she is the queen bee!
8. Favorite eyeshadow pallet?
The generic 120 palette, theres just so many shades, its great for experimenting with colour.
9. Favorite musician?
Babyshambles, Good Charlotte, Greenday , Muse
10. Favorite movie?
The Nightmare Before Christmas and Twilight (I know, I know!)
11. Favorite season?
Spring. Not too hot, not too cold and we appreciate when it is warm more at this time of year. Its a great time for fashion too.
My 11 questions for YOU!
- What made you start blogging?
- If you could only keep one beauty product, what would it be?
- What was your biggest fashion disaster?
- Name you last beauty purchase.
- Do you remember your first make-up purchase? If so what was it?
- Tell us a funny story.
- What's your favourite song at the moment?
- Briefly describe your everyday beauty look
- Name one thing you plan to do this year.
- What's your favourite TV show?
- Who inspires you the most?
Lastly, here are the people I have tagged ( I do apologise if you have been given this tag already):
Tag, you're it!
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Claire's Surprise Bag
A pinch & a punch for the first of the month!
White Hat - £10+
Knitted Headwrap - £5
Flower Headband - £4.50
Black Alice Band - £3.50
6 Bow Clips - £4.50
Stud Earrings - £4.50
Hoop Earrings - £5
Trainer Necklace - £5.50
Long Necklace - £5.50
Peppa Pig Bracelets and Ring - £4
Obviously these prices are the original prices and not the sale prices, also the hat did not have a price tag but hats are usually around £14 - £18, but the total comes to £52+ so not bad for a fiver!
Those are my personal faves. I have had these many times before and I have had better but I've had much worse too. You win some, you lose some.
DISCLAIMER: I bought this myself with my own cash. I have not been paid or otherwise rewarded for this post. Opinions are my own :-)
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