Review: homemade toner

Last month I wrote about running out of my usual toner and trying a homemade version. Now, my hormones have been all over the place since HAM came into this world so my skin has been a bit spotty. The toner has helped a bit but I don't think there is much that can be done at the moment. I'm just a bit spotty for now and that's ok.

This recipe works pretty well; I give it a 7 out of 10. It's effective for removing dead, flaky skin but it doesn't leave my face feeling all that clean. If you want to try it I would recommend using the toner and then washing your face with a cleanser to get a nice, healthy, clean glow.

So it's not quite as good as the store bought brand I usually get but I will be sticking with this stuff and adjusting my routine slightly to maximize the effects on my skin.

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Homemade toner

I've run out of my toner and I wanted to try to make my own and see how it works. I really like knowing what is going into my beauty products. This recipe is easy enough, only 3 ingredients. Somehow I managed to find the time and motivation to make it in my new busy schedule of napping at odd hours and being a Guernsey.

2 parts distilled witch hazel
2 parts rose water
1 part water
1 part lemon juice

I'll let you know how it goes for me. First impressions are good. Although my skin doesn't feel as clean as it does with my precious toner, it also doesn't feel as dry and tight as it did.

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Paper chain countdown calendar

My friend made me a paper chain as a baby shower gift. If you're looking for a unique, clever, DIY gift for a pregnant lady I highly recommend this. It is really charming, informative, and fun. Unfortunately I couldn't take the chain with me in my suitcase when I traveled back to the UK, so my mother has been keeping track of it for me. She emailed me today to show me the state of it. The chain is so short!!! When I got it the thing seemed really long but it's not long now. Wow, looking at the amount of links really makes it sink in that little Ham will arrive sooner than I think!

She didn't write something every day, but about once a week she would give me a little drawing update on the size of the baby. It's a really cute idea.

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34 weeks

Today Ham is the size of a cantalope.

I'm trying to look presentable for my husband's English family Christmas in this +Gap maternity dress. You can't really see here, but I am wearing flesh colored fishnet tights, which are my favorite. The fishnet accommodates my bump just fine and they are subtly sexy. Fishnets are also surprisingly warm, might I add. I also got to use my DIY headbands so I enjoyed the entire day messy hair and headache free.

My mother in law brought me in the kitchen and explained "now we lite the Christmas pudding on fire...and nobody knows why." I like it. Alcohol abstention is so much harder during the holidays than I thought. Mulled wine, ales, baileys, southern comfort. I love and crave red wine, but I don't want to have a glass even though they say you can. If I have one glass I will want one bottle; you know how it goes.

My days have been wonderful but I have been in a terrible mood the last few evenings, which is a pleasure enjoyed solely by my husband. Poor guy.

I hope y'all had a fantastic holiday!

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Kelly Clarkson rocks maternity and Christmas wear

Kelly Clarkson looks so adorable in the Christmas sweater that The Ellen Show made for her with real popcorn and sweets sewn on. I love this. They took a Christmas sweater that was pretty regular and made it spectacular by attaching everything but the tree.

Her baby bump looks really sweet too. I think Kelly Clarkson is really admirable in how honest she has been about her morning sickness. Nice to see a celebrity openly admit to being human; it makes you feel less alone in your pregnancy troubles. Now if only I could look as fabulous while nauseous I would be sorted.

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33 weeks

Today Ham is the size of a pineapple.

I've really needed my back brace this week. Everything aches, especially my hips in the morning. A lot of what I want to do is complain. For example: I pretty much peed my pants because my husband made me laugh too hard. Wee. In pants. Bleh, my body has been hijacked.
However, I think it's important to remember how amazing being pregnant really is if you can see the forest for the trees. You are growing a tiny person who is genetically half you. Totally mind blowingly bogus. Also, I try to remember there are women who cannot conceive; I don't want to take this for granted. So I try not to complain about the hurts, the bladder, tiredness, hunger, or the kicks in the rib. OK, maybe I whinge the tiniest bit to my husband, but only so he will do the washing up.
The hounds tooth cardigan is by +J.Crew, the shirt by +H&M, and the jeans by A Pea in the Pod.
My earrings were made by another one of my crafty friends. Last Christmas she was giving these out as creative little gifts. They are the tips of deer antlers, cut off, and dipped in black dye for an ombre look. I don't know if you could make these in the UK; there aren't as many deer horns laying around.

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The perfect headband

You know how you buy new headbands and they give you a headache because they are way to tight? I do.

These headbands are perfect. They are exactly as tight as they need to be and incredibly comfortable. And I made them myself out of old tights I was going to throw away. Just tie the stocking around your head and tie a knot. Take it off and tighten the knot as much as possible. Then snip off the ends leaving a bit of material so the knot doesn't slip undone. That's it.

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My themed shirts

You would think that a grump like me wouldn't be into kitschy themed shirts but, boy, would you be wrong. There are ways you can be clever about it. If you do it right you can be stylish whilst indulging yourself in cheese. I have three themed shirts that were all lovely gifts. My mother bought me this darling Christmas themed shirt from +Zazzle that I mentioned last week:

The shoes were a homage to Christmas parties past. I really just wore them for the picture and promptly switched to some flats. Look how unstable I was:

lol. 

 And a sigh of relief:

 The other two themed shirts were gifts that my friends made. I have some creative amigos. My BFF made me this with just a maternity shirt from +Target and a sharpie.

This shirt was made by taking a vintage iron on and applying it to a maternity shirt from +ASOS. Apparently she had to iron it for about a million years but it was so worth it.

I don't mean to brag but my friends clearly rock pretty hard.

Just a tip: if you want to try making something like this for one of your friends then whatever size she is in regular clothes, that is the size she will wear in maternity clothes.

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Homemade fabric softener

I stopped using fabric softener after I read an article on what chemicals are in it, such as alpha-terpineol, and cloroform to name a few. Then I found I couldn't live without it so I looked into products that were green. Expensive. Finally, I stumbled upon Claire Gay's blog with a recipe and had to try it. Perfect. It's cheap, easy, and void of nasty chemicals.

The ratio is:

3 parts water

2 parts vinegar

1 part conditioner

a few drops tea tree oil

a few drops essential oil of your choice

I store it in the old bottle of the expensive stuff, that way it has the measuring cap right on top. Give it a good shake every time before you use it.

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Belly itch

After having a good scratch I like to look at my belly in the mirror and imagine Ham is trying to claw his way out alien style. These are the things that amuse me.

But belly itch is not really amusing; it's annoying. All pregnant women get it to varying degrees. Even Michelle Heaton asked for tips on twitter. Celebrities: they're just like us.

As I said in my post about stretch marks: I've tried several different products: Palmers, Bio Oil, Burt's Bee's. They all work just fine. However. What has worked best for me to soothe the itch is either putting coconut oil straight on my belly or using some homemade whipped body butter. Here's my recipe:

1 cup coconut oil (solid)

1 teaspoon vitamin E

A few drops eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil

Put it all in a bowl and whip for 7-10 minutes. I add the essential oil to make it smell nice and the eucalyptus/mint has a lovely cooling effect. If you have very sensitive skin it might be better to go fragrance free. Coconut oil smells good on its own anyways.

Remaginedbydara

***If you get belly itch so bad that it keeps you up at night then talk to your midwife or GP to be safe***

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Practical hippie: Homemade deoderant

People always think I am, well, a bit strange when they find out that I make my own deodorant. My sisters in law definitely think I'm slightly mental.
To me, it just makes sense. I was unhappy with the results of the products I was buying at the pharmacy, so I tried making my own. I won't say it works better than the brand names, but it works just as well and with so many added perks. I get to decided what it smells like, the consistency, and what goes into it. I'm not a health nut but I don't want to put aluminum chloride on the skin right next to my breasts when I am breast feeding.
I got the recipe I use from Keeper of the Home. She's clever, and has worked it out so you can put it in an old deodorant container for easy application. I didn't have any of those so I just put it on like a lotion every day. I ordered most of the ingredients off Amazon and have included links.

1/8 cup arrowroot powder
1/8 cup baking soda

2 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 heaped Tbsp beeswax pellets

8 drops tea tree essential oil

8 drops of whatever essential oil you like

Heat all ingredients in a pot on low until melted. Stir and pour into whatever container you are using and let set. Then end.

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