Handmade Cosmetics: Carrot Mask

Handmade Cosmetics: Carrot Mask

Cucumber, honey and lemon are very popular for mask.

But today I found an article suggesting carrot mask!

Carrot facial mask

The article introduces how to make carrot facial mask. I will try and then tell you how good/bad!

My Cooking: Tuna & Vegetable Dish

Tuna & Vegetable Dish with Oriental Sauce

I really wanted to have tuna today.

But I could not choose how.

Then I opened the fridge.

...some vegetables in there...oh, I found spring onions...

Tuna + vegetables...ok, I was going to fry them.

Then I cut the tuna and the vegetables which were in the fridge.

(From left)
Tuna, spring onion, red pepper, mushroom, potato

I fried together and then add soy sauce and dried small sardines.

It took about 15minutes to cook.

Then....

Tada---!

(from left)

Rice, sliced melons, corns, asparagus, the tuna & vegetable dish

Tuna is very healthy containing much Fe.

My children loved this dish and of course me, too!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!



Christmas is a magic--- it is a special day on which I can feel peoples' joys and kindness.

Hope you have a lovely Christmas with your loved ones.

P.S My children's handmade Christmas cards (so lovely *^^*)

Lazy Town CD & DVD Karaoke

Lazy Town CD & DVD Karaoke

Shopping at Sainsbury's

My daughter suddenly shouted, 'Lazy Town, Lazy Town!!!'

What?

When I looked down at the CD showcase, I found...

A Lazy Town CD!!!

I had been looking for this for my daughter's Christmas present. Although it could not be her Christmas present(because she already found it herself), we were so happy to buy it.

As soon as we came home, my daughter asked me to play the CD.

I felt that the CD disk was thicker than normal ones (it might be stronger!).

There were 40 tracks (20 songs and 20 Karaoke songs) in the CD.

My daughter were dancing through the 20 songs.


Like this...^^

We later watched the DVD in which 10 songs.

My daughter was absolutely satisfied with Lazy Town CD & DVD and fell asleep (must be tired of dancing!).

I am also satisfied with it. There are favourite songs, videos and a singing card.

The price is £4.97! Very reasonable!

I found (maybe) the same one at eBay.
Lazy Town CD & DVD Karaoke Special Edition

But it is more expensive than mine.

Also I found a new Lazy Town CD & DVD

This one might be newer than my one (because it says that the CD contains 45tracks- 25songs and 20 karaoke songs, and the DVD contains 12videos!).

If I knew this before, I would have bought this one rather than that one.

Anyway, the special edition which I bought is quite enjoyable.

Because my daughter is so happy, I am happy.

So Happy!

So-----Happy*^o^*

There was a bag of Japanese crackers in a parcel from Japan.

Japanese crackers...It is called Senbei in Japan and I am more familiar with this sound than 'Japanese cracker'.

Anyway, I have been missing salty snack for ages. Most of English snacks are sweet and it sometimes makes me tired.

There were many kinds of 'senbeis' in the senbei bag - flavor of salt, soy sauce, sugar, brown sugar etc.

They made me absolutely happy.

I am not sure when I can get senbei again, so I will not have many in one time.

Boots.com

Shopping at Boots Online

Boots online! I did not know it!

Free delivery over £45.

You can collect your order either at Boots store or at home.

It came quicker than I expected.

I ordered some Burt's Bees products. I chose Boots because of Boots point! It quite useful.

Do you see Burt's Bees?

They are post cards with samples of fragrance.

Also there are vouchers. I will be able to get 500-1000point if I use Boots.com before Christmas (But I will not (No money!)).

There is no trouble, so I am quite satisfied.

I will use Boots.com again.

The Christmas Concert

At the Christmas Concert

This is the second time I have seen my son's Christmas concert at his school.

While I was waiting for the start, I found children's letters to 'Farther' on the wall. One of them said that 'Jesus is the light of the world.' This phrase was so impressive and brought tears to my eyes.

I almost cried when I listened to children's singing vice and saw the growth of my son.

I feel that their innocence comfort me for pain of living.

This feeling is the same as last year.

So I am so glad to have children and always give them my love.

My Sandwich!

My Sandwich!

My son was so starving so that he could not wait for tea.

'I'll make a sandwich myself, mum!'

He took the stuffs out of the fridge and started making.

His favourite sandwich is jam & margarine.


Wow! I think he put too much jam and margarine on bread.

Tada-! Fini----sh. It took about 15seconds!

This is the first time he has made a sandwich himself. Although it did not look tasty, he was so satisfied with it.

Happy Birthday, My Daughter!

Happy Birthday, My Dear Daughter!!

My daughter's 3rd birdthday.

Time pasts so quickly.

Her smiley face, naughty face, tearful eyes, dancing, singing...

I love her everything.

Thank you for choosing me as your mum!

I am the happiest mum in the world.

Skin Care in Winter 2

Skin Care in Winter 2

An article of a dermatologist's view of tips for skin care in winter:
'how to save your skin from winter damage'

As a dermatologist, most of them is for rough, dry or atop skin types.

Dr Hurley in the article suggests that to keep your skin moist, have eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.

Drinking water for the skin, as a beauty tip, is not unique. I have heard of that drinking water is good for blood circulation.

If you drink plenty of cold water, it may internally cool your body temperature down, causing of slow blood circulation.
Also if you drink too much water as your kidney cannot effectively turn it into urine, it may lead to swellings on your body and face.

Seramide is the key ingredient for a velvety skin. It exists in epidermis and works as skin's natural barrier.

So if you want to internally moisturise, have hot drink such as herb tea when you are thirsty.

And externally, give cosmetics such as a lotion and a moisturiser containing seramide to your skin to protect it from dryness.

And one more thing is that avoid using cosmetics containing much chemical or petrochemical ingredients/agents causing irritancy or rash.

My Son's Art 2

Christmas Stocking



My son's art: Original mini Christmas stocking!

He used: a Christmas stocking and stickers.

He hanged it on the wall himself after he had done.

It makes me feel Christmas.

Have you started doing something for Christmas?

My Son's Art 1

My Son's Art 1

He used: door; chair; rope skipping; hangers.

Curry & Pickles

My most Favourite Dish

Today's tea is chicken curry & cheese coleslaw. My most favourite dish *^o^*

Curry - Japanese curry - is very popular in Japan. It does not choose materials: you can use your favourite meat, prawn, tuna, vegetables! It is very different from Indian, but 10 out of 10 my English friends love the curry!

My children love sweet curry. Normally people add apple to make curry sweet. But I add red pepper or banana.

Today I made very simple curry - used potatoes, carrot, onion, green pepper, chicken.

What made me so excited was Japanese pickles!






Do you see the white ones and the brown ones on the picture? They are very popular pickles for curry. The former is pickled shallots and the latter is fukujinzuke.











This is pickled shallots. Shallot is very healthy food, enhancing blood circulation, and is good for people having high blood pressure.

This is fukujinzuke pickled a Japanese radish, an eggplant, a white muskmelon, a lotus root, ginger, a perilla and a sword bean. It is originated in a recipe of old pickles in 1672 and was sold for the first time about 120years ago.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the tea today!



Fukijinzuke (wiki)

Remedies for Indigestion

Tips to Aid Digestion

In the magazine, 'Health & Organic Living' Beth Wicks introduces some food for digestion:

Fennel
Ginger
Slippery elm
Peppermint
Food rich in fiber
Camomile tea

I have hardly ever been suffered from indigestion. But my English friends often do.

The all stuffs are easy to try, but I particularly note ginger.

Ginger is perfect food for this season. It protects people from cold, calms stomachache down and enhances your body sweat.

Ginger tea is a common recipe of nutrition.

The key ingredients of ginger are zingerone, shogaols, and gingerols. They are known as medical ingredients.

Links:
Ginger (wiki)
Digestion (wiki)

I did not know that ginger alleviates nausea and morning sickness and protects against ulcers and cancers.

I'll search for a recipe of ginger dish and will try them!

Hello LUSH!

Hello, LUSH!

LUSH is a popular organic cosmetic brand and I have been wanting to try it when I have a chance.

Fresh vegetables and fruits as ingredients, colourful looking, good reputations, unique products and proper prices inspire me to buy!

This time I ordered some for my family and friends. I received the parcel above in a few days.

I smelled nice before I opened the parcel. My expectation was so high!

LUSH Japan uses popcorns as cushions, but LUSH UK uses...

Tada----! shredded newspapers! Yes, both LUSH think about eco!

What I found from the heaping papers at first was...

LUSH TIMES! with a nice scent.

Then I slashed the papers and found...

Ye--s! my ordered products*o*

I received all products in safe.

I am looking forward to wrapping them!

1 Dec. 2008

1st December 2008!

December has started. Nothing changes to me... The title above is because of my children!

They have been looking forward to seeing today.

Why?

Because they can start having chocolate calenders till the New Year Day.

They have already enjoyed a piece of chocolate.

Kids...

So lovely!

Aleppo Soap Extra

Mini Review: Aleppo Soap Extra







Aleppo is very popular soap brand and the Extra is good for washing hair.



I smelled a kind of wax and olive.



The soap bar was too big to use, so I cut into three pieces. Although the outside was brown, the inside was green - yes, absolutely olive green colour!



I fell in love with this soap...



It worked very well for the first couple of weeks.

The brown bit was really good at washing hair.

I was so impressed by this leaving the hair smooth and soft.

But as I used the green bit, the hair was getting greasy.

As for face and body, its moisturising action was not so bad: it did not leave the skin dry.

But I more like the Coal Soap.

My Little Princess

The Essence of Laugh

The picture above is my daughter. She dressed herself, but it looked something strange...

A-ha! She put all her cloths back to front! Because it was lovely, I did not change it.












This is about another day.

She asked me for the butterfly wings and I bought them.

As soon as we got home, she wore them.

It looked so lovely. My son was never interested in this kind of thing, so I felt boys are different girls.

Anyway, my daughter's behaviour is so lovely (not always, though). Although it is normal and sometimes serious for her, for me it look funny and lovely.

She is the essence of laugh!

Citronella

Essential Oil & A Little Happening

I am trying to find what is a cause of my son's rash.

I use non-bio washing powder (ecover).
I hoover his bed room everyday.
I open the window everyday.
I put anti-inflammatory creams on his skin.
I wash his body with gentle soaps with my hands.

But none of them directory has worked.

The scent of citronella is well-known as a repellent so I drooped citronella essential oils on the bedding just in case my son's rash is caused by ticks.

The scent of citronella is like a blend of orange and medical herb. I like it.

After I used the oil I came downstairs to put it back. When I came upstairs again, I heard of voice saying: '... six, seven, eight, nine, ten!'

My daughter had been counting the numbers of spots of the essential oil on the sheet.

She was so lovely!

Although citronella did not work to my son's rash, we had a good sleep with the scent.

It is said that essential oils heal people's mind and body and I really realise that is true!

Handmade Soap

Handmade Soap

I and my kids tried to make soaps together.

It was very simple - just mixed MP soap(a kind of soap ground) with essential oils.

The soaps really looked 'handmade', but we really enjoyed to make.

Need a few days to dry out.

I am looking forwards to completing the soaps!

Winter Dish 3

Winter Dish (cheese-on warm vegetables)

Today's main is sausages, but this dish is for winter because of the cheese-on warm vegetables.

Boil vegetables (I used cauliflower, carrot and leeks) and then put cheese on the top of the vegetables.

Bake in the grill till the surface becomes brown.

The cheese was so tasty and the vegetables became the source of beautiful skin (I guess so*^^*).

Bittern

Bittern may work to eczema

I am worried about my son's rash and have tried a lot of tips to him.

Some of them worked, but they did not last for long time. His skin condition is up and down.

I found a tip on a website yesterday, saying that magnesium reduces secretion of histamine causing an itch and atopic dermatitis.

Magnesium...

Beans, fish, shellfish, seaweed, nuts contain much magnesium.

But I notice bittern which chief ingredient is magnesium.

Bittern is used in tofu, so it is very popular in Japan.

I remembered that a lady of tofu shop saying that Bittern was good for rough skin.

I rang to my mum to send it to me.

Hope it works!

Winter Dish

Winter Dish - Chicken & Vegetable Pie

Today's tea is inspired by Morrison's recipe book. The original uses some Morrison's products, but my chicken & vegetable pie is made from boiled/fried vegetables, handmade white source and pastry.

My son rolled the pastry to help (or to play?) me.

When I dipped a spoon into the pie, the white source came out with tasty steam. I thought that this dish was suitable to a cold day.

My son prised about taste of the pie and we really enjoyed tea today!

Natural Cleanser

Handmade Carpet Cleanser

There was a recipe of handmade carpet cleanser in my favourite book about aromatherapy.

It looked very easy to make, so I decided to try.

I needed:

A mixing bowl

Essential oils (tea tree, lavender, lemon)

Bicarbonate

A container

Just mixed with the bicarbonate and the essential oils and then put them into the container.

Bicarbonate has cleansing and deodorising actions. The essential oils have disinfectant and antibacterial effects.

The cleanser had very fresh scent.

I sprinkled it over the carpet and hoovered after an hour.

I made about 100g of cleanser and it was enough for 3 bedrooms.

It left the herbal scent for long time.

I am quite happy.

I defiantly make it again!

Dried Lavender

Dried Lavender

When I popped into my friend's house, I smelled something.

'I smell something. What is it?' I asked.

'Maybe it fragrant with lavender. I cut the flowers today and put them into a basket.'

She showed the basket with a lot of dried lavenders.

I told her the smell was very nice and then she gave me some.

I left them in my car unawares and realised this morning.

When I got in my car, it was fragrance with the lavender. Very nice. The natural scent makes me tender and happy.

I'll keep the dried lavenders in the car. I'll try to plant lavenders in my garden one day.

Phototoxicity

Phototoxic Ingredient - Psoralen

The article Skin care during winter said: 'Drink a hot glass of water with lemon juice at morning to assist your body in removing toxins.'

In the book I read before psoralen, being in skins of citrus fruits, is a phototoxic ingredient and causes the appearance of brown spots if I have it in the morning.

But another website said that psoralen might affect the appearance of brown spots only if people have UV after they use sliced lemons or cucumbers for face mask. It means that we can have citrus fruits in the morning.

My opinion: avoid to have citrus fruits in the morning just in case psoralen reacts UV.

I suggest that have a herbal tea in the morning. As the article said, cold drink and caffeinated drink are not so good for beautiful skin. Rose hip tea is ideal because it is high in vitamin C. Also it contains vitamin A,B,E, iron, dietary fiber and beta carotene.

The taste is a bit sour, but I do not mind.

Rose hip contains vitamin C about 7-10 times as much as lemon does & it is not sour than lemon.

So drinking rose hip tea in the morning is my tip for making beautiful and healthy skin.

Essential Oils

Essential Oils

I am interested in essential oils for these days. Pure oils relax mind and remedy troubled skin.

I bought some essential oils on the website of Base Formula.

I chose this shop because I heard that the shop is for aromatherapists, students and specialists; sorts of essential oils so many; and very cheap.

I was looking for essential oils for my son's rash, a good sleep, handmade soap, so I bought rosemary, chamomile Roman, citronella, tea tree, lavender, lemon, geranium, neroli and rose petals.

it costs about £30(inc. vat and postage). Not so bad, isn't it?

I received my order in a few days in safe.

I am satisfied with the service of Base Formula.

This is the first time I have tried essential oils and I am not sure the quality of essential oils, but I like the scents of the oils (very natural^^).

Essential oils are quite useful. Drop a few into cosmetics, cleaners, soaps etc.

I am so excited natural beauty life with them!!

Dish for a cold day

Have This in a Cold Day!

What a cold day!

So I decided to make Chicken Soup for tea today!

I used chicken drums and vegetables which were all in the fridge.

A savor of a soup cube, the chcken and the vegetables melted into the soup and it was so tasty!

Today's tea was the chicken soup and cheese on toast.

The chicken soup made my body and mind warm. So happy.

Soup is the best dish for a cold day.

Organic Biscuit

Organic Biscuits (Handmade)

It suddenly came to me that I wanted to make biscuits for my children's friends.

I always felt thanks to them and their mums being very friendly to my children and me.

I carefully chose ingredients - as organic as possible just in case they have allergies.

They were the ingredients for biscuits below:



(from the left top to clockwise) Unsalted butter; unrefined cane sugar; granulated sugar(organic); sultanas(organic)&chocolate buttons; free range egg; wholemeal plain flour (organic)

While making the biscuits, I came across happy faces of the children & mums. Hope they enjoyed my biscuits!!

It took about an hour.

Yes, they are my handmade biscuits!!!

I put them into bags after they were cooled down.

I gave them to my children, their friends and their mums in the next day. Their (except my son!) 'thanks' and 'tasty' made me happy. I was so pleased.

Phew

Phew...-_-

I am searching & reading for natural beauty.

Lots of things than I expected: about natural and organic skin care brands, skin tissue, skin care tips, ingredients, food, house keeping etc. etc.

Although it is quite hard work, I am interested in finding out knowledge and tips.

I have started to put information what I collected on my website, Tara Magic.

I am not sure when it is completed, but I will try my best.

Also I will introduce useful information about natural beauty to you on this blog.

Hope you look forward to seeing it!

A Lovely Present

A Lovely Present

This happening is about a month ago.

I found the pieces of fallen leaves from my son's trouser pocket.

Just as I tried to chuck them into the bin, my son said, 'No!'

I thought that he just put them into his trouser pocket without intention, while playing at school.

Then I asked: 'Why?'

He said: 'They were a present for you!'

He put the fallen leaves into his trouser pocket to give me; but because he kept them so long, they were broken into pieces!

I felt so sorry to him and said:'thank you so much. I'll keep them.'

He was so sweet. I was so happy.

I felt 'autumn' through these leaves.

Halloween

Hallowee--n!!




Halloween dish for today.

Vegetable curry;

Boiled broccolies;

A (pretty) Jack-o'-lantern hamburger wrapped with smoked salmon (normally people wrap sushi or rice with the smoked salmon. Because my son does like sushi, I did like that. I ate the smoked salmon with the rice, so my idea was not so bad^^);

Boiled corns;

Boiled rice with bat-shaped seaweeds.

My children were so excited and ate them all!

Then our dessert is...


Ta-da--- !!

Halloween cakes??

I could not find proper Halloween cakes, so I drew pictures of Halloween characters such as Pumpkin, Ghost, Witch hat etc. Not so bad, isn't it?

I did not realised that Halloween is originated in the ancient Celtic festival.

None of my friends knows it, so I believed in that Halloween was just a scary festival.

Lastly...

This picture is drawn by my son (He said that this house is Halloween monster's!)

So lovely.

Skin Types

4 Basic Skin Types

Knowing one's own skin type is the crucial to be natural beauty.

If we do not know, we will not be able to find out the best skin care products nor ways of doing skin care.

Skin types can be divided into 4 types:

1. Normal skin: A skin condition balancing the sebum and the water.
2. Dry skin: A skin condition lacking the sebum and the water.
3. Combination skin: A skin condition secreting the sebum too much and letting the water evading from a horny layer.
4. Oily skin: A skin condition secreting the sebum too much.

How to know which skin type:
See your skin condition about one minute after washing your face.

If you do not feel dry on your skin, you may be normal skin. If you feel that your skin is partly greasy and partly dry, it may be the combination.

Snow, Snow, Snow!!

Snow, Snow, Snow!!

It snowed yesterday!

It is still October, though. Amazing!

There is much snow in winter in my Japanese home town, so I love snow.

The snowy trees and greens were just like made up with the white powders: so beautiful.

My son was so excited and went outside to play (He also rode his bike to imprint the tires on the snow).

On the other hand, I could not stay away from the radiator...

(But later, we made a little snowman together*^^*)

Eco Consciousness

Eco Consciousness

This is a quite interesting article about organic skin care products: Skincare and fashion for the eco-conscious consumer

Some organic brands are introduced in this article as brands using fresh and pure ingredients for their products.

Some brands insist that their skin care product is pure and fresh enough to eat. But I think this is unlikely to be true: even though the ingredients are good enough to eat, they are not meant for internal consumption. Also ('safety') chemical ingredients must be combined in the skin care products. So we would better not to try.

I love organic skin care products because it stimulates my 'eco consciousness'. They are made by the cosmetic makers for people and our planet. When I use them, I feel that I do the best to my skin and the environment.

Skin Care in Winter

Skin Care in Winter

I found an article about tips of skin care in winter: Winter care you just can't resist

The article also suggests how to make up in this season.

It is quite useful and interesting.

In this season, the skin is tended to be dry so do not forget plenty of water and a proper moisturiser!

To Be A Natural Beauty

To Be A Natural Beauty

1. Simple is the best
The best skin care is the best for my skin: skin care should be to support the skin's natural ability to be a healthy and beautiful skin condition.

2. Smile
'Laughing' is the most effective essence for healthy mind and body.

3. 'Thanks'
Say the word 'thanks' as many time as possible. It makes both me and the people happy.

4. A person having rich heart
Achieve a person who is internally rich rather than materially.

An Autumn taste

An Autumn Taste *^_^*!!


There were chestnuts and persimmons in a parcel which my mum sent from Japan.

Then I cooked a dish as the picture above.

Rice with chestnuts, a boiled corn, peaces of persimmons (my son's favourite!), a fried fish and seaweed soup.

Although they are not seasonal materials, it is a seasonal dish for me.

Autumn is the best season for chestnuts and persimmons in Japan.

Thank you, Mum.

Thank you, nature.

A Coal Soap

A Coal Soap




This coal soap what the first time I have tried as a natural skin care product.

I chose this soap because it contains very simple ingredients - charcoal, water and vegetable oil.

Also it said that charcoal is good at exfoliating and moisturising; also this soap is very friendly to rough skin. I had wanted to get rid of my dry skin and my son's rashes, so I decided to try!

This black coal soap had mild and white bubbles. I faintly smelled coal.

In the first day I used this, I felt that my skin was so supple and smooth. My heels were so firm and dry with keratin, but they were softened by the soap! As for my face, it was clear and my pores were clean.

Wow! its a magic. I realised that how a cheap + chemical body wash was not good to the skin.

I used the soap to my son and it did not irritate his rashes. But it kept his skin moist.

I also used it to my and my children's hair. Although it did not my hair smooth (it left my hair greasy and I needed conditioner), it left my children's hair smooth with no rinses and conditioners.

So Coal Soap met my expectations!

I truly feel thanks to the soap, the soap maker and the natural ingredients.

Because my skin is happy, I am so happy.

Because I found the good soap for my children, I am so happy.

I have tried some soaps, but this soap is the best so far.

Although I am interested in trying natural and organic soaps, I keep Coal Soap about.

Hello!

Hello


Thank you for visiting my blog, Mum is A Cosmetics Hunter.
I started looking for natural and organic skin care items when I realised that my skin condition was terrible (wrinkles, dark tone and the dry lips!) and my son could not stop scratching himself.

This was no good...

As I was looking for the new products, I found that chemical ingredients might seriously affect people's skin and health.

This was no good...

Although it is difficult a skin care item made of 100% pure non-chemical ingredients, the natural and organic skin care products, inparticular officially certified ones, are more friendly to people and environment.

My first try was a Japanese coal soap.
I did not expect a lot, but it left my skin moist, smooth and clear!
Also it did not make my son's rash areas sore.

I was so impressed.

My skin was happy.

My family was happy.

Now I believe in the natural and organic power.
As well as the skin care products, I have changed waching powder, washing liquid, cleaning stuffs with eco friendly products and am enjoying a kind of natural life.

Especially, I am so interested in exploring the world of natural and organic skin care products: we can enjoy them with our five senses (might be the six sense as well???).
I have started this blog to keep my failor/successful experiences of natural and organic skin care products.

Because there are a lot of popular natural and organic skin care products, it puzzules you which to choose.

It would be very happy if my experiences are helpful.

Also it would be very happy if you enjoy my blog.

I always welcome to your comments, questions, opinions, and notice of grammartical mistakes.

See you soon!