Make Up- How to Make Lip Balm

A couple of years ago I experimented with making my own lip balm and although I still buy the occasional lipstick I have to say that I haven't bought a new lip balm since learning to make my own. There really is no comparison, I found shop bought lip balm had to be applied between 3 to 5 times a day, and when I stopped using it I had a maximum of 2 days before my lips started cracking and splitting in cold weather. However with my homemade stuff I never have to apply it more than twice a day and if I stop using it I have 3 or 4 days before my lips start to crack.

Having made my own lip balm I'll never buy it from a shop again, this stuff is amazing!

Before we start please note- My body is not your body. I do not know what allergies or reactions you may have to the ingredients I have used. Please be sensible and always test them first.

Things you will need-

• Beeswax
• Linseed Oil (also known as Flaxseed Oil)
• Vanilla Extract (optional)
• Small sized pot
• Medium sized pot
• Cosmetic lip balm pots
• Scales
• Small spoon

First you need to weigh out your ingredients. If you like solid lip balms I suggest a ratio of 40:60 beeswax to linseed oil. If however you prefer softer lip balms try a 30:70 mix instead. To fill up five small cosmetic pots I used 12g of wax and 18g of oil.

When melting wax it's important to always heat it indirectly otherwise it will burn. Fill the medium sized pot with water and heat it up to a gentle simmer. Place the smaller pot inside the medium sized pot and add the beeswax. 

Once the beeswax has fully melted add the linseed oil and stir it thoroughly. Add a few drops of vanilla extract for flavour (if you wish) and thoroughly stir again. You don't have to add any flavouring but linseed oil has an unusual flavour so you may prefer something more familiar. It's not bad but it is strange. The best way I can think it put it is there's nothing wrong with the flavour of potato but no one sells potato flavours lip balm!

Remove the mixture from the heat and while it is still hot carefully spoon it into your cosmetic pots and allow it to cool completely.

My one small pot of lip balm has lasted me almost two years now without going bad or losing its effectiveness. And in case you're wondering these also cost less to make from scratch than they do buying ready made from a shop. 

Lifestyle- Meet the Snails

My various pets are an important part of my life and I wanted to do a small feature on some of them every so often. I have some quite unusual animals including Giant African Land Snails or GALS for short. I wanted to feature these guys first as it's almost October and they'll be slowing down and going into hibernation soon.

I have owned GALS for around 4-5 years now and I think they are wonderful. I realise giant snails are not everybody's cup of tea but I find them to be a very therapeutic creature. Back when I used to work in an office I would often come home tired, stressed and more often than not wishing I could just throw in the towel. A few minutes watching these guys and I would feel a lot of that stress melt away. There is something very calming about watching such a slow paced creature just mosey long, moving slowly, eating slowing, looking at you slowly. They would really help me relax.

This particular snail I'm holding is Eywa. She was the first snail I got and the biggest of the bunch. All my snails are either adopted from the animal shelter or are the babies of said adopted snails. The sub-species I have live for about 9 years so despite being really easy to care for they are a commitment as unlike more common pets such as hamsters they keep on going and going if looked after properly. 

And here's one of her out of her shell and expecting dinner. I think these guys are adorable!

Crafts- Dragon Cake

I threw a surprise birthday party for my partner at the weekend, in fact it was actually several surprises one after the other. (A surprise visit from friends who live out of town, followed by a surprise trip out for bowling and laser tag, followed by a traditional surprise party at home.) One final surprise was to make him a crazy awesome dragon cake.

I'm fairly proud of how it turned out. I've never tried making a cake like this before and I did encounter a few problems with the materials, (icing is not my friend!), but it all turned out more or less ok in the end. 

Sadly I forgot to take any photos of the inside of the cake but I filled the central body area with jelly beans and strawberry shoelaces so that when the cake got cut open the dragons guts spilled out. I also made the geodes from scratch out of melted chocolate and hard boiled sweets. 

And here's one with my arm so you can get an idea of the scale of the cake. 

Clothing- Red Shoes

Yesterday I bought my first new pair of shoes in almost 10 years. I'm not joking, since I got my New Rock boots back at university I haven't spent any money on new shoes or new boots until now. New Rock is built to last! (And they look awesome.)

I happened to spot these while helping my partner find a bow-tie and I had to stop and try them on. Most high heels have stilettos and I cannot for the life of me walk in those things. I fall over. Repeatedly. So I was rather pleased to finally spot a shoe with a nice chunky heel that I could walk in without toppling over.

My bad photography skills make these shoes look brown but they are actually a lovely deep burgundy red colour. I've never had shiny patent shoes before either so it's going to be interesting seeing how they match up (or hideously clash with) my usual wardrobe. 

A final thing that I love about these shoes is that on top of being able to walk in them they also don't make my ankles look super chunky. Don't get me wrong, I quite like my big ankles, they're sturdy, but they do look a bit strange sometimes in dainty little shoes. 

Make Up- Natural Collection

A simple and subtle goth look for when you don't want heavy make up.

Eye shadows- Duo Eyeshadow in Starlight/Midnight

Eye liner- Eye Lines Pencil in Black

Mascara- Water Guard Mascara in Black

Lip Gloss- Juicy Lips Gloss in Toffee Cream

Halloween Special!

Hello everyone!

I know that I promised to get back to a regular update schedule and then almost immediately went completely silent. Sorry about that, I wasn't as recovered from my various illnesses and stresses as I thought I was and have needed a lot more rest than I thought I would. On top of that I've also been planning a surprise birthday party for my partner and have also realised that I need to start planning a wedding as I'm getting married in less then 8 months. So my blog accidentally fell off my radar for a few weeks.

But to make it up to you I am happy to announce that I will be running a Halloween Special! From the 1st October right the way through to the 31st October there will be updates on a daily basis. That's right, every single day! In the meantime updates will resume on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays as before.

Hope you are all well. :-)