News

Windows To Your Soul!

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Melanie Brown

I am sitting in an eye hospital and, I begin to wonder what special care routines we have for our eyes. We always talk about skin care and ensuring that it is properly moisturised, hydrated and nourished but what do we do about our eye care? Our eyes are so important. Are you taking good care of them?
Here are six eye care tips:-

1.If you use computers on a regular basis, be sure to take breaks. Sitting close to the computer can put strain on the eyes and cause the eyes to become tired. Therefore always remember to take a much needed break.

2.Sleep is crucial and as adults we should be getting between 7-8 hours per night of it. Lack of sleep can lead to eye fatigue and dark circles under the eyes. If you do get dark circles, gently massage coconut oil under the eyes using circular movements to nourish and cool the skin around the eyes. Massage from the outside to the inside of your eyes, along with both sides of the nasal bridge and back over the eyebrows.

3.If you get puffiness under the eyes, use cucumber slices to reduce the swelling approximately 10-15 minutes before bedtime.

4.Never to go to bed wearing eye makeup. Remove mascara and eyeliner as it can get in the eye and cause irritation. It can also lead to the pores around the eyes becoming blocked and resulting in a horrible sty which might have to be removed.

5.Protect your eyes from the rays of the sun by wearing UV protective sunglasses. Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause damage to the eyes. Remember to shield children’s eyes with big hats to keep the bright light out of their eyes and make them wear protective glasses.

6.Exercise regularly as this can combat diabetes and reduces the risk of eye diseases such as glaucoma.

Remember, your eyes are the windows to your soul so be sure to look after them.

Posted in Eye Care

Is It Really Vegan?

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Melanie Brown

A friend of mine asked me a question about vegan skin care products. They wanted to know where the best place to get them was. She was struggling to find vegan friendly products and quite often found that sales assistants didn't fully understand what vegan products were and were quite happy to say something was vegan when in fact it wasn't.  Sorry for my simplistic definition and for those of you who already know, but if someone is a vegan, they do not eat animal products and they do not use products which are bi-products from animals. So for example if they were considering buying a lip balm, they would not use it if it contained beeswax as this is a bi-product of a bee.

Out of curiosity, I went along to a well know company which sells skin care products and asked if they sold vegan products. The shop assistant looked at me as if I had personally insulted her and replied that all their products were suitable for both vegetarian and vegan customers.

I asked her to confirm which products were vegan friendly as I wanted to buy a gift for a friend who was vegan.  The assistant looked quite upset, (haven’t got a clue why), and went to the back of the shop and returned with several sheets of A4 which had been stapled together.  She protected the list by shielding it from my eyes. She scanned down the list and looked puzzled. Then she repeated the scan. The assistant then said, “Oh.” I asked if there was a problem and she said that according to her confidential ingredients list, there were only 3 products she could recommend which were actually vegan friendly. She really looked quite humbled and embarrassed after going through the list. I wondered just how many people have previously visited the shop and accepted at face value that the products were vegan friendly.

My lessons learnt from this experience were, you really have to do your research to ensure that you are buying what you have asked for. It doesn't matter what hostility you face, but if it is truly a reputable company, they will be friendly and willing to answer questions about their products. If they are truly transparent then the company with have nothing to hide!

Posted in Vegan

Why Can't We Accept Who We are?

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Melanie Brown

Why can’t we accept ourselves for who we are?

I ask this question because recently a friend of mine noticed a tiny growth just under her nose. It was so small I hadn't noticed it. She had had it for at least a year. I had met up with her at least five times which just shows you how unnoticeable it was. My friend attended a family gathering and people picked up on the fact that she had this growth and actually started to ridicule her about it. Of course, this made her paranoid and she began seeing things that weren't actually there. The result of all of this was that she visited her GP who advised on a course of action to remove it. She has been using medication which has left it looking unsightly with a bit of an open wound. However, I only really noticed it when she pointed it out and was dabbing at it with a tissue.

This has made me a little bit cross because if she had been left alone, she would not have had to go through this whole painful experience.

I don’t even understand why these so called close relatives were looking at her nose in the first place. They seemed to have missed out on the fact that they had this gorgeous ‘inside and out’ member of the family, who would put herself out to help just each and everyone of them!  

It made me think what gives people the right to judge and criticize. Nothing is ever perfect. We really have to celebrate our uniqueness. How boring a world would it be if we were all perfect? We really have to be supportive and loving of each other and show that we will always be there. When we are not these things, it can be damaging with consequences. I've given up on wondering how I look or what people think of me. If you don’t like what you see, that’s your problem!

Posted in Beauty

Do You Need to Use Eye Serum?

Posted on May 07, 2015 by Melanie Brown

Have you noticed just how many eye serum products there are on the skin care/beauty market? Why do we need them?It apparently addresses a number of problems:-

  1. It helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and crow’s feet
  2. The skin around the eyes is 80% thinner than the skin around the rest of the body and so it protects the skin by restoring its elasticity
  3. Allays the damage caused by pollution
  4. It helps with issues of tired and dark puffy eyes
  5. Enhances the firmness and tone of the skin
  6. Promotes a healthier and younger appearance

A good eye serum is therefore your best friend.

I personally use the Aluminé® Overnight Age-Defying Eye Serum which firms and lifts. This has been created by the world renowned beauty expert, Peter Lamas. He has helped many famous people, such as Sharon Stone, Elizabeth Taylor and Cyndi Crawford, with their beauty regimes.   Why is this serum great?

  1. It is suitable for all skins
  2. It can be used by vegans and vegetarians
  3. The ingredients are 100% natural
  4. It firms and tones the tissue around the eye therefore reducing puffiness and fine lines

Eye serum is simple to apply. You just take your ring finger to treat the eye as it is more delicate than your index finger. Start at the inner corner of each eye and press the serum along the eye socket with a little pressure. This will stimulate the area. Continue in the direction of the temple. If the skin quickly absorbs the serum repeat the action again to assure that the eye area is hydrated. Repeat the same step with the second eye.

Include an eye serum to your skin care regime and you will hopefully see a positive change.

(For more details on the Aluminé range go to the following link to see the skincare range https://www.benevita.eu/en-gb/naturals-skin-care/)

Posted in Aluminé, Eye Serum, Skin Care Basics

The Beauty of Water and Lemon

Posted on May 06, 2015 by Melanie Brown

How do you start your day? I’m trying to break my bad habit of starting it with a cup of coffee. Well several cups actually.  I love coffee for its delicious smell and the fact it wakes me up. However, I have discovered something quite simple and natural. Hot water and lemon. This simple drink quenches your thirst and has many benefits for your body.

Here are 10 benefits of drinking water and lemon:-

1. It nourishes your body with vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

2. It is a great energy booster.

3. Lemon and water flushes out the toxins in your body and rejuvenates the cells. This is particularly good after you have woken up and are dehydrated.

4. The lemon helps to reduce the pain in your joints and muscles.

5. Helps with digestion. Lemon contains citric acid which interacts with other enzymes and acids.

6. Cleanses the liver through detoxification.

7. Fights infections which means that it is fantastic for sore throats.

8. Lemon strengthens the immune system.

9. It’s great for the skincare. It can lighten the appearance of blemishes and get rid of oily skin just by applying it with cotton wool. However, be careful as it should not be used on open wounds.

10. Helps with weight loss. Lemon has pectin fibre which acts as an appetite suppressant. Studies have shown that people with an alkaline diet lose wait faster.

 

If you want to sample this drink, simply squeeze some fresh lemon juice into a cup of warm water and enjoy!

Posted in benefits of drinking lemon and water, lemon and water tea

How Do you Deal with Travel Sickness?

Posted on May 05, 2015 by Melanie Brown

My 11 year old daughter just returned from a school trip to France. She told me about a choppy boat ride her class made and showed me the photographs. I have to say when I saw the photos I thought I was going to be sick. I honestly don’t know how she wasn't ill. The boat appeared to rock up and down and there was no sight of the horizon.

I remember when I was a child I used to suffer terribly with travel sickness otherwise known as motion sickness. I used to dread every single car journey knowing what the outcome would be. I also hated train journeys especially if I had to sit in the opposite direction to the actual direction the train was travelling in. It was a total nightmare.

Now I see my children starting to suffer and I begin to wonder is there a natural way of dealing with the problem without the use of medication?

Motion sickness occurs when there is a disturbance to the inner ear caused by repeated motion and this results in nausea, vomiting and dizziness. When I've researched this topic it seems that motion sickness is common with children between the ages of 2-12 years old and pregnant women (yes, I remember that too!).

Here are a few tips on how to avoid motion sickness:-

  1. Watch your food intake before and during the course of your travel.
  2. Avoid spicy foods, alcohol and liquids that leave you feeling full.
  3. Don’t read. My eldest daughter is forever doing this and complains about how awful she feels.
  4. Fix your gaze on the horizon. This is because your eyes send messages to your brain that you are not in motion and therefore you won’t be affected by motion sickness.
  5. Do not sit facing backwards from the direction of your travel.
  6. If possible sit in the front seat of vehicles.
  7. As for natural cures, there is a homeopathic wristband which can be worn and apparently has contact with the pressure point that controls the feeling of nausea. This can be purchased on websites and any good practising homeopath should be able to make recommendations.
  8. Ginger root or even ginger chews have been said to be a cure. I know from personal experience that this is great. This helped me a lot when I was pregnant and had to drive. 

Now armed with this knowledge, I hope that you all have a pleasant journey.

Always seek your doctor's guidance if you suffer with this complaint.

Posted in Motion Sickness, Travel Sickness, Uses of Ginger

What’s So Special About Phoenix Cards?

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Melanie Brown

You're probably wondering why I am talking about cards on a site that sells handmade cosmetics. Well, I also sell these unique Phoenix products (see the following link:- https://www.phoenix-trading.co.uk/web/melaniebrown).

When customers buy from me, they want exceptional gift wrap or cards to compliment their gifts. They are usually looking for something that is different and that will also express their sentiments to the person who they are giving the gift to.

Yes, there are plenty of bargain card shops out there which sell cards at super discounted prices.  However, they do not sometimes get the exact message across to friends or loved ones. Customers are therefore going for The Phoenix Range and let me explain why:-

1. When you buy a Phoenix card, you are paying for a unique quality product.

2. There is a card for every occasion.

3. It is environmentally friendly in the way that it is produced. Plant based inks are used in designs to minimize the impact on the environment.

4. Each card is blank which allows you to write your personal sentiment to your family, friend and loved one.  This demonstrates the versatility of the range.

I find that if children receive a present wrapped in Phoenix paper they may well keep it and turn it into a poster or put cards into photo frames. With a little imagination, you can do so much with Phoenix products.

If you would like to learn more about Phoenix or see the fabulous range of cards, gift wrap or stationery, please go to the following link:-

https://www.phoenix-trading.co.uk/web/melaniebrown

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Buy Phoenix Cards, Gift Wrap, Phoenix Cards, Phoenix Stationery

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