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DIY Beauty Essentials

• DIY Moisturizers
• DIY Everyday Lotions
• Night time foot cream
• Natural Cleansers and Exfoliation
• DIY Foot Peel
• DIY Face Peels and Exfoliation

About me

DIY "almost" Chemical-free Moisturizers

The PROBLEM: Severely dry and sensitive peeling skin (also prone to break outs)

The SOLUTION: Almost chemical free, plant base ingredients for homemade moisturizer 

Main Ingredients: 

• Thickening base for easy application: 

1. Aloe Vera Gel (abbreviated as ALVG)
2. Store bought - Natural plant base/Organic face moisturizer for sensitive skin

• Sunscreen: Sunblock for babies SPF 50 and above (abbreviated as BB SPF 50^)

Although Aloe Vera was known to pull moisture away from skin which could potentially cause dryness if used alone, however after some trial and errors, I find that the initially clear gel combines really well with oils normally forming a white creamy yet light opaque lotion. Vigorous shaking is often necessary though, but the outcome is well worth it. 

• Essential oils of my choice to-date:

1. Jojoba Oil
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (abbreviated as EVOO, Rachael Ray anyone? LOL)

Different types of moisturizer:

• Day Creams: I normally maintain a 1 part oils to 2 part thickening base for my daytime moisturizing.

1. 0.5 oz Jojoba Oil + 0.5 oz EVOO + 2 oz ALVG (or until cream like consistency is achieved) + 1 oz BBSS SPF 50^ 
2. 0.5 oz Jojoba Oil + 0.5 oz EVOO + 1 oz Store bought face moisturizer + 1 oz BBSS SPF 50^(optional)
3. Makeup base moisturizer - 0.5 Jojoba Oil + 1 oz ALVG + 1 oz Baby Sunscreen SPF 50^

• Night Creams: Same combination as No.1 or No.2, skipping the sunscreen lotion and increasing one variety of essential oils to 1 oz for extra moisturizing throughout the night. 

1. 1oz JJBO + 0.5 EVOO + 2 oz ALVG
2. 0.5 JJBO + 1 oz EVOO + 1oz Store Bought face Moisturizer

• Variations: Use other varieties of essential oils in place of Jojoba Oil and EVOO. 

Oils for treatment purposes:

Tea Tree Oil* 

Use really sparingly* as it's antiseptic components really stings the skin and might be too irritable for most people, definitely avoid close contact to the eye areas. No matter where you plan to apply it, make sure it is substantially diluted with other oils or water. 

In my case, I make a small container of spot treatment cream for pimples and acne with 2 oz ALVG and about 15 drops of tea tree oil. 

For another whole face option, I added about 5 drops of tea tree oil to 2 ounces of my regular DIY face moisturizer and use that for the whole face if I'm having a lot of breakouts during a certain period of time for extra treatment. 

I normally use tea tree oil only on skin where breakouts is prone to occur. Work exceptionally well for spot treating pimples. 

Oils I would love to explore within the year:

1. Coconut Oil
2. Sunflower Oil
3. Grape Seed Oil
4. Rosehip Oil
5. Flax Seed Oil
6. Argan Oil

Breast Cancer Tumor

Carcinomatous tissue

Pictures courtesy of a good friend

To sell or not to sell... what was the question again?

It must have been at least 20 websites that I've opened and closed, in my quest to seek information on selling an ebook online. Either I'm terribly uninformed or I'm really dumb, it was unusually frustrating; reading articles after articles only to realized I've learnt nothing. 

The websites that I clicked on starts off by talking about how super easy it is to sell ebooks online, I tried following the instructions (or so I thought I was) and half way through, it became so tedious I started wondering why I ended up here in the first place. Why do people use the word "easy" for something obviously not easy? It probably attracts attention at first but then they'll end up with other people like me who understands nothing more than easy, at the verge of giving up half way through instructions. Maybe I should just be grateful that I'm slightly smarter than I was yesterday. Geesh...

12 steps to success ...

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other." - Abraham Lincoln

So open the new chapter in front of you and appreciate it’s clean white space. This chapter is called Opportunity and it starts today…

1. Begin.

Remember the feeling you get from taking the first step is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around thinking about it. So get up and get moving. Take the first step this year – just one small step forward towards your goals.

The greatest miracle of your success will not be that you finished, it will be that you had the courage to begin. 

Henry David Thoreau wrote, "What you get by achieving your goals is not nearly as important as who you become by achieving your goals".

2. Work hard on the essential.

Don’t be busy, be productive. Don’t track your time, track your results. Put first things first and get them done.

And don’t expect your goal to be easy; it’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard you would already have it completed, and so would everyone else. The hard part is what makes it worthwhile. In life there are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

3. Stay true to your path.

A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one’s own path, not chasing after the dreams of others.

You have to do what’s right for you; no one else walks in your shoes. Keep moving forward, beyond the negative rhetoric echoing from the peanut gallery. Do what you have to do, for you. Live a life you are proud of. And the moment you realize you’re not, find the strength to start over again on a new path.

4. Nurture your self-confidence.

You have everything you need within you to become the best possible version of YOU.

Believe that you CAN. Believe that you’re capable of pushing harder and farther than you have before. Believe that you’re young enough, old enough, smart enough and strong enough to achieve your goals. Don’t let false beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself. And certainly don’t get sidetracked by the people around you who are not on track. 

5. Focus on solutions.

Life gets better when you choose to make it so. Negative people make lots of noise about how bad things are, while positive people quietly and steadily improve things.

There are always problems, there are always challenges, and there are always people willing to transform those problems and challenges into great opportunities. Those who have the courage, commitment and discipline to do so, create a better life for everyone. Be one of these people. Focus on solutions and work your way eagerly toward a brighter future.

6. Accept the things you can’t change.

What you resist, persists. If you are resisting something, you are feeding it. Any energy you actively fight, you are feeding. If you are using negative energy to push something away, you are inviting it to stay.

Choose to accept what is, be positive and proactive, let go of the need to control every tiny detail, and embrace peace in the process.

7. Leave the past where it belongs.

Don’t stumble over something behind you. Don’t use the past as an excuse to miss out on today. You do not heal the wounds of the past by digging deeper into them.

Acceptance truly is the bitter pill you have to bravely swallow to move beyond yesterday’s sorrows. It’s a choice you must make. Because the truth of the matter is that history only dictates the future if you allow it. In other words, you only have to relive it if you choose to. 

8. Balance work with necessary rest.

Sometimes it’s best to rest so you can put a fresh set of eyes on your work. When you’re overworked or burnt out on a project, you become accident prone, and when that happens you’re increasing the chances of turning out suboptimal work.

Novelist Zadie Smith once said, “When you finish your novel, if money is not a desperate priority, if you do not need to sell it at once or be published that very second, put it in a drawer for as long as you can manage. Step away from it all. The secret to editing your work is simple: you need to become its reader instead of its writer.” Even though Smith talks about doing this with a novel, it’s a piece of advice we can all use for just about anything we work on.

9. Set a good example.

It’s not about what you say; it’s about how you live your life every day. The people who look up to you are watching you all the time. These people are like sponges – what they see or feel you do, they will imitate. So remember that your words mean a lot less than what you’re doing. Choose to believe that you can and will change lives with what you do each day, and you will.

Let your actions speak for themselves.

10. Be sincerely kind to everyone around you.

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates positivity. Kindness in giving creates love.

Through kindness you have the ability to make a profound difference in every life you touch, including your own. When you guide someone who is lost and confused, when you hold someone who is sad and grieving, when you hug someone who has lost all their hope, you too will feel yourself healing and growing stronger.

11. Show your love.

You don’t need to be perfect to be a perfect friend or lover, but the commitment to your relationship is a precious responsibility. Relationships last a lifetime only when two people make a choice to keep it, fight for it, and work for it. These acts of love don’t need to be extravagant either; they just need to be true. And true love is always shown in deeds, not words. 

12. Help change one life.

No matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, or how small you feel at times, YOU can make a difference in the world. What you do truly matters. In fact, the vast majority of positive changes come about in someone’s life simply because one other person cares for them, believes in them, and motivates them.

So be that one person, even if it’s to only one other person

Dutch Baby

Dutch Baby Pancake With Berry Preserves

Light and fluffy, browned to a perfect oatmeal golden. Slightly sweet with a hint of saltiness. Along side the creamy slickness of whip topping, each bite bursts into a sensational symphony.