Toxic free makeup??

With work has come the need to wear makeup again. Which is fine in itself but I have terribly sensitive skin and have not been able to find something eco, toxic free that suits my skin. So I've been following a sort of no poo method for skin (ie just washing my skin with water and not using moisturiser). It's worked reasonably well but could not remove my Inika mineral foundation powder.

So my favourite cleanser at the moment is oats. Just good old fashioned oats, soaked in water and then mooshed together and gently pressed against my skin. I got this tip from the last Peppermint Magazine and it works amazingly well. I suffer mildy from rosacea and this reduces and calms the redness. It also takes off my makeup...yay!!

But its been a while since I've worn full on makeup (other than going out at night for special occasions - again not high on my to do list). So after reading Sarah Wilson's post on toxin free makeup, I started using Ere Perez Chamomile eye shadow. These are really gentle on your eyes and easy to wash off. I then top it all off with Dr Bronner Naked lip balm.

I also use Coconut Oil as a hand moisturiser and in a pinch a lip balm. Especially with the weather so cold and drying at the moment, I find coconut oil especially great at keeping my skin soft and hydrated.

The only thing I'm still on the hunt for is a good daily moisturiser. I've tried so many different things (Moogoo, jojoba oil, coconut oil to name a few) and I just havent found anything natural, toxin free that I dont react to. I'd love to find something natural to use and have found some books with natural face care recipes to keep trying until I hit the right one :-)

this saturday i'm grateful for lovely bosses

Do you ever just have weeks that are topsy turvy?? That's been my week LOL. I started my new job this week and as luck would have it, it fell on a week Mr B was away for work. But Little B and I muddled through working out a new rhythm for preschool drop off (I only work when he is at kindy).

So this Saturday I'm grateful for...

* lovely bosses - what can I say, my boss is ace!! She's nice, family friendly, supportive and has given me the best training this week.

* going to bed with Little B - I was so tired my first day of work that I just climbed into bed and slept with Little B when he went to bed on Tuesday night *giggle*. No hubby to worry about, and hey those chores could wait.

* winter solstice - Little B has been preparing his lantern all week and tonight we are off to the winter solstice lantern parade. I get to watch my lovely belly dance teacher and fellow students perform tonight at the same event and I cant wait!!

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So whats a girl to do...

when she is finally allowed out of bed?? Plant fruit trees of course. With my bed rest over and only a few aches and pains left over from my hospital test, I simply couldnt resist the sunshine :-) Mr B and his trusty post hole digger dug me my required holes and so I planted away.

We now have a dwarf black cherry, an almond tree and a Mariposa plum tree added to our mini orchard. I just need to move our ballerina apples when they finally drop all their leaves.

I'm also waiting on some more half wine barrels to come. Then I can plant some more blueberry plants and our first raspberry canes. I've been inspired by all the luck people seem to have with growing their own raspberries - so hope they will do well here.

this saturday i'm grateful for coffee & chips

I spent most of yesterday in hospital having amongst other things a lumbar puncture. I have to say if you ever need a lumbar puncture, dont be scared or frightened by all the bad press. Does it hurt? Yes and mine took 4 goes BUT I think having a baby hurt more LOL. With another 24 hours of bed rest ahead of me, this Saturday I'm grateful for:

* coffee & red rock chips - caffeine? check. sodium? check. Both to fight off the potential post lumbar puncture migraine (and yes it does work).

 * my comfy bed - replete with flannalette sheets, a pile of books and my resident cat and 4.5 year old

* my loving family - I'm being thoroughly spoilt by my gorgeous husband, my loving mum and my darling little boy. Who can resist being "read" stories to in bed or the whole family squishing in for a gabfest to keep me company.

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Hilarious but true..

 Picture courtesy of www.saidonline.com

I had my first cup of coffee today at the ripe old age of 33 :-) And....it was actually quite nice!!

I've never felt the urge to drink tea or coffee, though prior to going dairy free, I have always been partial to a nice cup of hot chocolate.

But I have to drink coffee prior to a procedure in hospital tomorrow, after it and the day after it. I cant stand soft drink like Diet Coke or Coke anymore, so it was coffee or hiking in to the hospital for a caffeine injection. I dont know about you but I'll take coffee over an injection anyday!!

Plus since it's supposed to stop the bad side effects of said procedure, I'm happy to drink coffee for 3 days, rather than being bed ridden and unable to stand up for 3 days. Viva coffee!!!

Breaking Free

You know there is something quite cathartic and freeing about getting rid of all your possessions. Reading blogs like Miss Minimalist, you can see that living minimally can be really positive.

The hardest things I’ve had to let go (in no particular order): my wedding dress, some flamenco dance shoes made for me in Spain, a couple of paintings which had sentimental value. I will admit to having shed a tear or two for my books – not a huge collection but a well read lovely jumble of novels (fiction and non fiction). Funnily enough, I only intend to replace a few of these books and will continue my practice of borrowing books from the library.

Initially the thought of throwing out or recycling our entire house was really depressing. Probably because it was a shock not a choice and also because it feels overwhelming. But you can look at as a form of reinvention. So often we work with what we have accumulated over the years. Now we have a choice about how we wish to represent ourselves.

I personally have found the positives outweigh the negatives. My wardrobe is miniscule and I don’t have a huge urge to increase it. Other than the odd “need” like a winter jacket, I am happy with my small repertoire. Not having belongings means that we are thinking hard about what we do or don’t want at our next house.

We have managed to get some groovy secondhand furniture from family – currently we stand at a brilliant old wooden dining table, an antique meat safe (I think this would look great in a sewing room LOL), and a side table which is made from an old singer sewing table.

We have a handful of precious items that will be sucked down in plastic, double taped into a plastic box and stored at my MIL’s. These include Mr B and my first teddies, Little B’s first t-shirt and socks, and some important personal docs that we cant get rid of (like our degrees).

But overall, this process now feels liberating, refreshing and like a renewal of life after such a slightly challenging period in our lives.

this saturday i'm grateful for great music

It's been a long week away from home. Not far enough to be a holiday or mini break, but too far to make it easy getting back and forth to local stuff like kindy (took us 1.5 hours each way on public transport last Wed). So this Saturday I'm grateful for...

* great music – I am so in love with this CD right now. And the good news is Seeker Lover Keeper are coming to play near me soon – I hope to get across and see them live.

 * enclosed balconies – this balcony was great with louvres for airflow and shade. If only it hadn’t been such a cold snap, breakfast would have been great. So we settled for afternoon tea instead :-)

* coming home – sure it’s Granny B’s house but it’s always nice to come home. And as our substitute house we have loved coming home to our beds, the garden and the lack of road noise.

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