Simple Kind To Skin Rich Moisturiser

11.04 in bites, butter, date, delicious, healthy, kind, moisturiser, Paid, peanut, rich, simple, skin, snack, to

As we are now transitioning into the colder months and harsher weather, our skin usually changes too. For me I tend to get dry flaky patches, mostly between my eyebrows and on and around my nose. But of course its not just as simple as that, as I also continue to get oily throughout the day - luckily not as much as in summer. 

I have the annoying combination type skin, I have an oily t-zone, which also gets very dry but then to top it off I have normal cheeks. Finding skincare products that work well for me is difficult! I cant really buy products that sway for oily skin, otherwise my skin dries out and begins to flake and on the other hand I cant go for products aimed at dry skin or Im like a grease ball. Products aimed at combination and normal skin are usually my best bet, but they dont always work. So it means that when I find a product that truly works I just dont budge from it! 

Simples rich moisturiser is by far one of the best products Ive come across that caters for my skin perfectly. Although it states its a rich moisturiser and youd expect that to mean that those who suffer with oily skin are going to look greasy pretty fast, Ive never experienced that - which is great! It definitely does what it claims Like a desert needs the rain and a digestive needs to be dunked,this gives drier skin the moisture it craves, with none of the slippery after effects.

I actually discovered this product towards the end of 2012 when I picked up a travel size for going skiing, as the conditions on the mountains would dry most peoples skin up like crazy. Since then Ive never bought or even tried another moisturiser! Seeing as Ive just picked up another bottle I decided its probably a good time to write a review on it. 

I use it both morning and night right after cleansing my face. Its really easy to apply, its smooth and soaks into the skin pretty fast - which is great in the morning when youre wanting to apply make-up straight after. 

Usually, if I have flaky patches arising Ill just apply a little more in that area and that does the trick. This moisturiser does not feel heavy or greasy at all! At only £3.99 a bottle from Superdrug whats not to love.Also, as an added bonus, the bottle lasts me ages!

Id definitely recommend you try this product out if you have similar skin to me, or even if you just want to try something new - its a keeper.

In a nutshell

+ Inexpensive

+ Does what it claims

+ Not greasy

+ Great for both day and night

+ Great all year round

I have no faults with it!

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DIY Wallpaper Folders

00.17 in bites, diy, dust, first, folders, one, Paid, the, wallpaper

So it seems its already the start of back to school season, when all the shops are stocked up with uniforms and stationary. Though Ive got a good 4 or 5 weeks before I head back to college, I decided to get all my stuff ready way before so nothing is forgotten and also so its cleared from my mind.

Folders is one thing I hate buying because I want nice unique, quirky patterns and I dont always find ones I like in shops. When I do however, they usually are quite expensive and the plain ones just dont do it for me. So Ive resorted once again this year to covering plain, boring folders with wallpaper. Yes, once again the trusty free wallpaper samples are of use. 

This DIY is cheap, simple and because you made it yourself - unique, so you wont have t worry about matching with someone else. Also, I found that by doing this last year as well, the folders where more durable and didnt get them annoying, flappy, split corners.

You will need :

• Folder(s)
• Wallpaper sample(s)
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Something to protect your work surface - newspaper, art mat etc

1. Whilst your hot glue gun is heating up, start off by drawing around your folder. Make sure to leave enough excess room around the folder. Doing this will make it easier to place when gluing - so you arent short of paper.

2. If your wallpaper is on the thicker side, lightly score it being careful not to cut through the paper. This will make an easier, cleaner fold around the folder.

3. Now, working side by side, you can begin gluing the folder to your paper. Make sure to firmly press the folder down allowing time for the glue to set (only a few seconds).

4. Once the folder is fully stuck down, begin drawing lines on the folders creases.

5. Cut the line and cut the tab smaller. I found without doing this the paper began to crease up of peel off when in use.

6. Stick the tabs down.

7. Again draw a line and snip up it - on the edge of the folder.

8. Then proceed to stick each of them tabs down, not forgetting to firmly press them down. You should be left with something like this.

9. Oh look the ruler and pencil and returned once again. I decided to cut this part on an angle to make it look a bit neater.

10. Voilá, its complete! If you arent happy with how the inside looks here are some ideas you could glue down to cover it:

• A thin whiteboard (or make your own by laminating some paper)
• Left over wallpaper or other decorative paper
• Paper Folder (to store loose sheets)

We are all creative. Creativity is the hallmark human capacity that has allowed us to survive thus far. Our brains are wired to be creative, and the only thing stopping you from expressing the creativity that is your birthright is your belief that there are creative people and uncreative people and that you fall in that second category. - Shelley Carson

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The First One Bites The Dust

04.45 in bites, dust, first, kind, one, Paid, the, words

Its a loving evening so I thought Id write a blog post, sat outside in the shade of my garden. Seeing as my room feels the same temperature as a greenhouse during this part of the day. But now instead Im being attacked by flies, why can you never escape them during summer!

So Im currently one week into my summer holidays. I feel so lost. Its not that I never had free time while at college, I just dont know how to fill my time! During term time when I get bored of procrastinating on the internet I can turn to doing work or something else that should be my main priority. Because of this Ive actually made a start on completing my summer bucket list and already managed to cross one thing off. Ive actually surprised myself as I thought Id be cramming and crossing within the last week!

Let me tell you that not going swimming in 7 years really takes its toll on your swimming abilities. Not to mention the fact I through my goggles away a fair bit ago. At least I only went in the shallow side of the pool, right? Nope. I was wrong. I decided to start off with breast stroke, as I thought it would be easier to do without goggles than front crawl, not even half a length in and I had to stop. Panting, gasping for air, water in my eyes and up my nose - I looked like an idiot! And of course people noticed. Great.

There was one man who stopped next to me and started to make the okay hand signal, after saying I was fine, he then pointed to his ears and stated he was deaf. Now, I know some deaf people dont speak either and instead just mime. It was just my luck this guy was one of them. I honestly wouldnt have minded if I was wearing my glasses. But because I dont own contact lenses, not being able to clearly see 30cm in front of you really sucks, and I couldnt read his lips. I had no clue what he was saying to me and I felt so rude. Besides, I couldnt exactly go face to face with this stranger. So I just kind of signalled okay and swam off (well attempted too).

What happened next? Well I felt like the lifeguards where maybe concerned about me as one came and sat around the shallow side of the pool. But, of course, I couldnt see if they where watching me look like a drowning dog or not because every time I glanced at them they where just a blurry peachy blob (short-sighted problems). Any fellow glasses wearers out there, is it just me who feels naked when Im not wearing them?

I have managed to go for a second time today - with goggles. Let me tell you they make a huge difference. Wow. However, my stamina, yeah thats still rock bottom.

Have any of you managed to cross things off your summer bucket lists?

Practice doesnt make perfect. Practice reduces imperfection. - Toba Beta

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Peanut Butter Date Bites Healthy Delicious Snack

20.33 in autumn, bites, butter, date, delicious, healthy, Paid, peanut, snack, wishlist

Ive been super busy recently, with not only returning to college (and forgetting the amount of work I constantly have) but attending university open days practically every weekend - Ill hopefully write a blog post on this topic in the near future. 

With all the rushing around and trying to work hard from the beginning of the year, I have found myself hungrier than usual and snacking more frequently. So I needed something I could turn to that would satisfy me in-between meals. This is definitely the thing!

I cannot even begin to express how amazing these taste! Now, I can sometimes find dates a bit sickly sweet, but paired with the peanut butter, it balances out the sweetness perfectly. Surprisingly, just 1 or 2 of these bites is enough to fill you up! The best thing about them, as they are baked, is that you can pop them in a food bag and take them on the go with you. 

However, you can pop them in the fridge and enjoy them as a fudge like snack, so maybe split your batch when you first make them and see what your preference is. 

Soft, chewy cake like goodness with the added extra crunch from the walnuts and seeds, these bites are by far my new favourite snack (and hopefully yours too).

Ingredients

Yields around 19 small bites

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of pitted dates
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/4 cup walnuts (crushed)
• 1/8 cup of pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds etc
• 1-2 tbsp of non-dairy milk (to help loosen the dates if needed)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Place your dates in a bowl and cover with hot water, leave to soften for 20-30 minutes.

3. Drain the water and place the dates into a blender or food processor and blitz until they become a smooth consistency, if needed add a drop of milk to help loosen and soften the dates.

4. Next, transfer the date mixture into a bowl and mix in the peanut butter.

5. Then fold in your walnuts and seed(s) of choice.

6. Gradually pour in your oats and combine thoroughly.

7. With your hands, roll the mixture into balls of your preferred size (I make mine around the size of a tsp) and place them onto the baking tray. If you are deciding to split the batch and refrigerate some, follow the same steps and place the bites onto a separate baking tray, also lined with greaseproof paper and pop them in the fridge. They are best when left for over 4 hours. 

8. Finally, pop the bites for baking in the oven for around 7-10 minutes or until firm to touch (leave them for another few minutes if you make them slightly bigger). Once baked, leave to cool then enjoy!

Printable recipe card

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