Obsessed With Olive Oil.

Recently I have found a new beauty/skincare obsession... in the kitchen cupboard of all places! I'm sure most of you will have tried olive oil drizzled over fish or potatoes or even mixed up in a salad dressing, but, have you ever thought of using it for non-food related purposes? Like on your skin?

Extra virgin olive oil has been used as a beauty product for centuries as it is known to be full of anti oxidants which have been proven to slow ageing, shrink pores ad even help reduce acne.
You can mix it up with sugar for a home made facial or lip scrip. You can massage it in to the ends of dry hair for beautiful soft and silky ends. You can even dab some on a cotton pad to easily remove even the trickiest of waterproof mascaras! Just be sure it is extra virgin olive oil!

I suffer from pretty oily skin which means an abundance of blackheads and spots. As of the past few weeks my skin has been exceptionally difficult which has left me scouring the internet for remedies and products which might help get my skin back under control.
That's how I came across the idea of using olive oil to treat blackheads. At first I was sceptical, why would I want to rub oil on my already greasy face? Wouldn't that just further clog my pores?! However, the more I read into it, I realised that using a lot of oil-free or harsh products can actually strip the skin leaving it having to produce excess natural oils to compensate! So, in hindsight, giving oil back to the skin will, in time, control the amount of oil the skin naturally produces!
Not only that but olive oil is great for breaking down make up and dirt make it easier to remove and, thus, thoroughly cleaning out your pores. It's also cheaper than most cleansers and most people already have a bottle lying around the kitchen somewhere!


Here is how I have been using it:

Once a week (usual a Sunday night), after I have removed all my make up, I take a little olive oil and (with clean hands) I massage it on to my face and neck. I then leave it on my face for about 10-15 minutes to allow the oil to really sink into my skin and break down any make-up residue, dirt, etc. Next, I steam my face for as long as I can (usually I only manage a few minutes though) and take a few cotton wool pads to dry it off. TMI - the colour of the cotton pad will be disgusting!
I then apply my favourite face mask (Arbonne Sea Mud Face & Body Mask) and voila! I don't even need to moisturise afterwards as the olive oil has already done so. Just some eye cream, lip balm and thats it. My face looks and feels so clean afterwards, my skin is less oily and I have noticed a reduction in the amount of blackheads inhabiting my face!

Another type of of Olive Oil...

These are just some of the benefits and uses for extra virgin olive oil but a quick search on Google and you will probably find loads more! If any of you give it a try, or have any other natural/homemade beauty treatments, let me know in the comments below :).

New Week, New Month.

I don't know about you but there is just something so pleasing to me when the first day of a new month is a Monday. It all feels very fresh and it motivates me to be very productive and organised. This mood/feeling is only amplified by the fact that September, to me, also represents the beginning of Autumn, a new season.

To mark all these new beginnings I have had a very productive day: I have ate healthy, drank plenty of water, met up with a good friend, attended a meeting, ran some much-needed errands and planned out a few upcoming blog posts. I feel like today has been a day of looking forward, a day of planning. I am left with the belief that this will be a good month.
Autumn and Winter are definitely my favourite seasons. I love the food, the colours, the fashion and (most of the time) the weather. Everything just feels so cosy.

I thought, for today's post, I would share some of my goals for the month of September...

• Be happy. I know it's not realistic to plan to be bursting with happiness every single moment of every single day. But I genuinely feel like too much of the time I let stress take over and let silly things get to me too much. It's not that I'm not happy just now, just that I want to focus more on doing things and being around people that make me happy. 
• Live more in the moment. Similar to my previous goal but, again, I feel like I am letting my life go by and not seizing the moment enough. I feel I need to get up and do more. Be a bit spontaneous. Get out of my comfort zone; wear that bold lipstick, send that risky text, take that trip and seize the day.
• Get more exercise. I know this is on most people's goals and is one of those things that people say they need to do but always end up putting it off until tomorrow... I know that I don't get anywhere near enough exercise and I'm not saying that I 'm going to do anything crazy or join a gym. But I do feel like I should start doing small things a few times a week to take better care of my body and health. I'll start small by fixing up my bike and encouraging myself to walk to the shop instead of jumping in the car with my mum. I know it will be beneficial to my mood as well.
• Learn to drive. I have been taking driving lessons sporadically for a few months now but don't really seem to be getting anywhere. This month I want to start knuckling down and making some serious progress. Maybe even get my test booked?
• Get a weekend job or an internship. 
• Cook more meals. Although I don't eat super unhealthy, I also rely very heavily on convenience food (popping things in the microwave, etc.). That's okay sometimes but I really want to learn to cook a bit better (especially from scratch) and use more fresh ingredients.
• Take better care of my skin (and nails). Lately my skin and I haven't exactly been on the best of terms. I've been breaking out like crazy and, despite it being very annoying, haven't exactly been taking much initiative to fix this problem. This month I want to try out some new products and remedies to help improve my skin.
• Be a bit bolder with my make up. When it comes to make up I usually play it pretty safe. Recently though I have started experimenting a bit with new looks and products which I would like to continue with, and expand on, throughout September.
• Get started on my A/W wardrobe! This isn't exactly a goal, more something I'm just really excited about doing! As I've mentioned before, I love Autumn and Winter fashion and have already spotted a few things which I will definitely be getting my hands on! Plus I just completely cleared out my wardrobe in the process of our move so... what better excuse to go shopping? 

I'd love to hear if you have any goals for the month of September?