Make Your Own Bod/Facial Scrub

Hello! 

Today I'm going to show you how I get rid of my dead skin! 

Before I start, let me tell you I LOVE exfoliating, maybe more than a person should. Nothing gives me more pleasure than scrubbing off dead skin cells. If you're having a bit of a gross day, it can be so very satisfying to buff away the old and make way for the new. Exfoliating also makes moisturisers work more effectively, and fake tan looks better on freshly polished skin! 

There are a couple of reasons I began making my own body scrub. One of them being the environment, I'm not a big eco-warrior, but I try to be at least a little bit conscientious with regards to plastic bags and recycling my cereal boxes. You only need to google something along the lines of 'microbeads effect on the enviroment' to be presented with gazillions of articles explaining the damage most scrubs cause to fishys! Click to read some examples here here and here. Using a product with natural ingredients will not only give you glowing skin but also a clear conscience regarding sea creatures! If you're not one for DIY, some fish-friendly scrubs on the market include Ocean Salt from Lush, Bare Minerals Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser (previously reviewed here) and Origins Ginger Body Scrub. 

I love the fact that I can control what goes in! I'm not going to give you a precise recipe, because I never use one myself! I play it by ear depending on what feels right, and with the process of trial & error. I've used both olive oil and coconut oil, and I've discovered a 50/50 mix of each is best. Coconut oil gives that amazing smell but on it's own it's a little too stiff and doesn't rub in as easily! Coconut oil needs to be heated up a little in a jar placed in warm water. Olive oil on it's own works perfectly, coconut oil can be quite pricey so don't feel that it's a necessity. 

The 'scrubby' aspect itself can be created with so many different things! Sugar and salt are so cheap, this massive bag of sea salt was only 99p, and brown or white sugar both do an amazing job. None of these ingredients are things I've purpose-bought either, everything was just in my kitchen cupboards. 

I've also experimented using oats, oats are known to soothe the skin, really good for someone who suffers with eczema, psoriasis or just redness and sensitivity. I've used this ready-brek style stuff as it's already finely ground, I'm not sure how well actual porridge oats would work, I might have to give it a try! I have also split open a (used) tea bag! Because... why the hell not?! Maybe it is a bit weird, but it's scrubby, so who cares! I believe green tea would be a more active ingredient. 

The one ingredient I couldn't go without is coffee. I hate coffee and I've never drank a single cup in my life. But I absolutely adore the smell, I'll happily stick my head in a tub of beans and have a good old sniff. Delicious. Personally, I use the ground remains left at the bottom of my boyfriend's cafetiere (how very thrifty!). However I know instant coffee also does the trick! 

Rubbing coffee into your skin boosts the blood flow to the surface, reducing cellulite! 

Here my stages of exfolating:

1) 10 minutes in the steam room at the gym. 

(This means my pores are open and have began flushing out impurities.)

2) Rub the scrub on my entire self (in a shower cubicle, so no one thinks I'm weird) 

3) Stand around (for as long as I can without anyone sussing out that there's a girl covered in coffee in a shower cubicle.) Allowing all the ingredients to have a little time to do their business. 

4) Rinse.

5) Sit in the sauna smelling of coffee, (usually someone sat in there will ask why, and I end up telling them all about fish and fake tan)

6) Shower again. 

7) Moisturise and/or fake tan!

This is me and my lovely friend Hannah who usually scrubs with me! 

Steam rooming etc isn't compulsory, scrubbing in a nice hot bath or shower will also do the trick!

Let me know if you do anything similar, or feel inspired to make your own!

Comment below or tweet me @ashtonlewsey! 

Thanks for reading

Ashton xxx

Liebster Award!

Thank you to Emma of The Turquoise Door for nominating me for The Liebster Award. Check out her blog, it's about renovating her newly purchased home! It's lush. 

I've heard of The Liebster award before but not really given it much thought 'til now! A bit of Googling and I have learnt it originated in Germany and is basically a chain-mail method of getting little-known blogs out there! The word Liebster means loved, welcome, dearest, valued. 

(I've got a bit of a thing for foreign words with no direct English translation at the moment. Since falling in love with a Danish word which was missing in my vocabulary, but that's another story for another day)

So... there's a couple of different version of the award, Emma has given me 11 questions for me to answer, and then I will give 11 to 11 bloggers...

1- Why did you start your blog?

Since I've been working in the beauty industry I've hosted a few bloggers events, and the girls I've become friendly with were nagging me to start one! It took two attempts the first one fell flat on it's face, but now I love it! It's nice to have a little hobby, and it's satisfying hearing that people have actually enjoyed or learned from what I've said! It's a nice extension of my job, but gives me a chance to enjoy cosmetics without the stress of work. I like that it belongs to me too, and I can write about whatever I fancy. Whether its food or farts or facepaints, I can please myself!

2- When you were young what was your dream job?

Umm, I think I was one of those kids who wanted to be a vet one week and an astronaut the next. I did often say I wanted to be 'an artist' even though I had no concept of what that actually meant!

3- What makes you happy?

The simple things! Pyjamas. Being warm. Wine. Good food. Good films. Good music. Not having any washing in the washing basket. Yoga. Swimming. Not having roots. Pinterest. Being really into a book. Candles. 

4- What are you most proud of?

I hate being proud, it makes me cringe. I should say my degree I suppose. I'm proud that I'm a relatively together person, I have a job and I live in a home and I can afford to feed myself and do fun things. I really don't know, I can't handle this question bye. 

5- What do you hope to accomplish this year?

This one also makes me feel a bit weird. Mostly, I'd love to just see some more corners of the world I've yet to see. Even bits of Great Britain I've not seen!

6- Describe your ideal weekend

Ok let's pretend money and tiredness aren't an issue here, as that's what would usually stop me. I would wake up early on Saturday, eat cereal and go to a yoga class, have a bit of a swim and then sit in the steam room for ages. Then I'd come back home and have a nap, wake up and put some lazy make up on. Have a barbecue in the back garden (because it's summer, obvs) and loads of my friends would be there. The sun would be out for ages and it would stay warm 'til late, we'd be drinking and eating and then they'd bugger off and I'd go to bed. Bed activities occur (wink) then sleeping. Amazingly deep, top quality sleep. Then on Sunday we would sleep 'til about 10.30, wake up and have eggs and bacon. Watch some crappy telly and then mooch about the local shops, go for Sunday lunch in The Urban Standard. Go home. Watch a film, have a cuddle. Have a bath, watch Mr Selfridge. Sleep. Done. Lush. 

7- Favourite quote

I don't really have a favourite which springs to mind. But here is something I like.

"A flower does not think of competing with the next flower to it. It just blooms."

I am slowly learning that my success, attractiveness, happiness and achievements are nothing to do with anyone else's.

8- What is one of your beauty secrets?

Facewipes can go to hell. Maybe when you're drunk and that's about it. They're the worst, they're full of alcohol, dry your skin out, never take everything off. Bleurgh, ban them!

9- A random fact about you

I'm an only child.

10- What is your signature dish?

That's another thing I am still in the process of learning. I love food, but I don't have anything I'd call a signature! Tonight I'm making some fancy lamb business which I saw on Pinterest!

11- Current favourite trend?

It's so boring to say 'pastels' isn't it? Such a cliche spring trend but I love a good pastel. I love when I start seeing all the high street retailers rolling out the pastels, because it means the clocks will go forward soon, the sun will stick around for longer, it will start getting warmer, and it's my birthday soon! Pastels just look happy! I'm not a big one for wearing new season trends, if I buy something this summer I'll want to be able to wear it in 2 or 3 summers time and not look like a pillock.

I nominate: 

Sophie opalwren.blogspot.co.uk

Jamie reaping-beauty.blogspot.co.uk

Beki bekilouisebeauty.blogspot.co.uk

SJ shipshapeandbristolfashion.com

Beky bekylou.com

Mali maliberrymakeup.blogspot.co.uk

Melody asimplemelody22.blogspot.co.uk

Oh dear. I really can't think of anymore. I read a really small collection of blogs, and some of them have millions of followers so there's no point tagging them! It's supposed to be 11 bloggers but never mind. Here's your 11 questions... 

1) How many blogs do you read, and how often?

2) Do you prefer blogs to be about one things, or a range of topics?

3) Which is better... food or sleep?

4) If you could only choose one piece of make up for the rest of your life, what would it be?

5) If you could only shop in one shop for the rest of your life, what shop would it be?

6) What do you do to relax? 

7) If you could give one tip to new bloggers like myself, what would it be? 

8) What is your best feature? 

9) What's your best personality attribute? 

10) Night in or night out? 

11) What did you have for lunch today?

(If you've already done it, or can't be bothered. I wont be offended!)

Ashton xxx