QOTD: Friends

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man follows the religion of his friend; so each one should consider whom he makes his friend."

[Abu Dawud 41:4815]

( P.S I can now reply to comments! Yayy)

How to: Make a henna paste

I have posted a few henna posts before and wanted to show you how you can do it yourself at home!

Use a good quality finely milled henna powder such as Jamila Powder as it will come out of the cone much more smoothly and you wont have to keep stopping to "unblock" the nib - who hates that?! Make sure it is from a recent crop!! Each new crop comes out during the summer, so if you were to buy one right now, it would be a 2012 crop.

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A heaped tablespoon of powder is enough for approximately 1 medium-large cone or 2 smaller cones.

Method
Stage 1

• Add 1 tablespoon of henna powder and enough fresh lemon juice (not water) to make a firm mashed potato consistency. The paste must be very thick, smooth with no dry bits. Seal with cling film for 6 hours in room temperature (perhaps near an oven/cooker).

• Make sure there are no air bubbles and that the clingfilm is resting on top of the paste.

Stage 2

• Add essential oils such as Eucalyptus B.P oil or Gajaput oil. (For every heaped tablespoon of henna powder you need 1 teaspoon of oil).

• Top up the mixture with fresh lemon juice to get the right consistency. The consistency you should be aiming for is a 1-2-3 drop consistency similar to toothpaste consistency. Confused? Get a teaspoon full of the mixture and then drop it into the mixture bowl - it should fall on the third count (after 3 seconds). Don't count tooo fast nor too s  l  o  w!
• Rest for 6 hours to allow the lemon juice to break the chemicals down. Don't put cling film on top of the henna (you may put it over the bowl though).
• This is probably best done the day before you need to apply the henna or if you are at work, do stage 1 overnight and then stage 2 in the morning.

Stage 3

• Fill your cone with 2 tea spoons of henna.
• Seal nib with sellotape to stop henna from pouring out and remove after you have sealed the top if your are going to use it then.
• Fold at top sides in a diamond shape then make small folds at the top and work down. Seal with sellotape.

For more info on how to roll a cone click here.

Mini Haul

Salaam!

Just a few items I picked up this month.

New Look Butterfly ring, Topshop Nail Art pens, New Look Hamsa necklace, Superdrug coral/brown scarf (underneath)

The ring as you can see is over sized and encrusted with diamantes. The nail art pens have a thin brush at one end and then nail gems on the other! Topshop did have ultra fine nail pens but I read that they scratch your base nail polish off :(

Qotd: 7 Secrets of Success

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Jungle Braai Review

If you haven't tried South African style BBQ cooking, Jungle Braai is a good place to start.

We were there during lunch so had the chicken skewers meal. this consisted of 2 skewers of chicken and vegetables marinated in a delicious finger licking braai sauce. It comes with salad and tortilla wrap and you get a choice of side (the steak chips were crispy on the outside and soft inside) and drink too. The food was made fresh and was very tasty. The service was also fantastic.

 Yummy Jungle Braai Chicken Skewers

DIY Beauty Products from Kitchen Ingredients

Brown bread: DIY cleanser

“Remove the crusts from a fresh slice and roll them each into a ball, roll the ball over your cheeks, nose, forehead and chin (avoid the eyes), using a new ball for each area. The bread will pick up dirt, grime and excess oil from your skin.”


Banana: DIY face mask

“If the weather is cold and you spend most of the day in air-conditioned or centrally heated rooms, skin can become dehydrated,” says skin therapist Nataliya Robinson of the Michaeljohn Salon, London. “A mask once a week will help nourish the skin. Make your own by combining one ripe mashed banana, a tsp of honey or maple syrup and 10 drops of lemon juice. Mix and apply to clean skin for 10 minutes. Rinse.”


Soured cream: DIY moisturising mask

“Soured cream makes a great DIY mask, especially for dry skin. Smooth on, leave for 15 minutes, and wash off with a warm flannel. It is beautifully moisturising.”


Raw oats: DIY exfoliating mask scrub

“Take two or three teaspoons of raw oats and crush by hand,” says Nataliya. “Mix with pure honey and a quarter tsp of apple cider vinegar until it forms a smooth paste. Use more honey if it seems too dry. Next, add one drop of tea tree oil to aid healing. Apply in circular movements, leave for 15 minutes and rinse with tepid water.”


Beetroot: DIY lip gloss

“Peel a small beetroot and chop into small cubes, add two tsps of sugar and place in a microwave for a 30-second blast,” says Sally. “Leave to rest for a minute before another 30 second blast or until the sugar has dissolved and the beetroot has softened slightly. Add a tsp of olive oil, stir well and apply using a lip brush. Keep in the fridge, but discard after three days.”


Apple cider vinegar: DIY hair detangler

“Rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar after shampooing and conditioning,” says Sally. “Vinegar closes the hair cuticles and removes unwanted oily residue. Since residue coats the hair causing it to look dull, removing residue gives your hair more shine. By closing the cuticles, the hair will be smoother and have fewer tangles. Any vinegar will do, but using apple cider vinegar will see the best results.”


Cucumber: DIY breath freshener

“Stick a slice of cucumber to the roof of your mouth for about 30 seconds or so and it will eradicate bad breath,” says Dr Mervyn Druian from the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry.


Brown sugar: DIY exfoliator

“Mix a tbsp of brown sugar with one tbsp of olive oil,” says Nataliya. “Next, gently massage the scrub into your skin in a circular movement, but without pressing too hard. Make sure to rinse thoroughly after use.”


Eggs: DIY face pack

“In addition to eating eggs for breakfast, try applying the whites to your face,” says dermatologist Dr Murad, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA, US. “The albumen tightens the appearance of the skin and improves the look of a tired complexion, as well as helping to hydrate.”


Avocado: DIY intense hair treatment

“Mix half a ripe avocado with two whisked eggs, two half eggshells of olive oil or other light vegetable oil and 50ml purified water,” says trichologist Philip Kingsley. “Work the mixture in with your fingertips, leave for 10 minutes and then wash off.”


Camomile tea: DIY cleanser

“Daily cleansing is vital even if you do not wear make-up,” says Nataliya. “During winter and early spring, your cleansing procedure must be gentle. The right cleanser will leave your skin feeling fresh and clean, not tight and dry. If you feel that your skin is irritated, wash it with cool camomile tea, which can provide a real tonic for your skin.”


Coconut milk: DIY body moisturiser

“With so many body moisturisers containing coconut milk, why not use the real thing?” asks Janey Lee. “Mix some high quality coconut milk with the same amount of purified water and add a few drops of sweet almond oil. Warm the liquid gently and top up roughly one quarter of the total amount with coconut oil. Allow to cool and hey presto!”


Milk powder: DIY bath soak

“Sprinkle a handful of milk powder (full-fat, semi-skimmed or skimmed) into a warm bath before a long soak,” says Sally. “Lactic acid found in milk is a skin softener and helps to make skin baby soft!”


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