More posts from Budget Beauty Mommy!

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Some simple gluten free dishes

L-R: beef red stroganoff with red peppers and spinach; sunny side ups, ham roll , homemade potato chips and sourdough bread with coconut butter, sautéed mushrooms with tomatoes and gluten free sausages on gluten free bread; mixed salad with vinaigrette, spinach, caramelised onions and roast beef on sourdough bread. Just experimenting with some simple gluten free dishes.

Bonus: these dishes are so simple to prepare but maximum on taste. Buon apettito!

  #budgetbeautymommy



Most convenient nail polish - Yubiso No. 46

I've recently tried this cute nail polish from Yubiso. They've got a great selection of colours and I just couldn't resist. So I bought one home just for a test drive. After all, it was cheaper than Opi or Sally Hansen. 

So I got Colour 46. It's a very nice nude rose hue. It was super easy to apply and zero streaking. It dries super fast so that's an extra bonus. After about a week wearing it with minor touch ups, I've only just discovered it by chance. While showering, I've noticed the nail polish on my index finger has peeled off partially like a dog's ear on the page of a book. So I just pulled it off and it came off easily intact like a sticker. I then tried it on my other nails and they all came out with ease.

I was ecstatic because I really detest removing nail polish with removers because they wear out my nail and leave them rough. This was perfect for me. It was quick and easy removal in the shower with no mess as it peels off whole. Plus another bonus, the nail polish do not stain your nails yellow.
This nail polish is perfect! Try it out for yourself. It definitely saves time and not forgetting my nails too!








Best Essential Oils to Calm Kids Down

Doterra essential oils plays a huge part in my life, from beauty, health and even cooking; but nothing is more significant than helping to curb tantrums with little darling.

Recently, I've been applying Cedarwood and Forgive from the Emotional Aromatherapy Kit. I'll rub on little darling everyday.

I'll rub cedarwood on the back of the neck and sides of neck where lymph nodes are. Then I'll let little darling inhale some of the cedarwood applied on my hands. I'll just cup it over her face a little. I'll then apply Forgive just under her nose.

Little darling absolutely loves it. She's more calm and less anxious thankfully. Its no wonder I carry it in my handbag everywhere for emergencies. ðŸ˜‰

If you don't have Cedarwood, another good alternative will be Vetiver. They are both very grounding and calming.

For the Emotional Aromatherapy Kit, it comes with 6 oils Peace, Passion, Motivate, Cheer, Forgive and Console. Personally my own scent is Peace. You'll find that we all have our own preference for different scents.

Italian Inspiration Day - Homemade Minestrone and Homemade Beef Lasagna

It's Italian inspiration today. Home cooked beef lasagna for lunch and minestrone for dinner.

To amp up on the taste of the minestrone, I've added one drop of Doterra Oregano Oil. Not only it's delicious, oregano oil helps to boost our natural immune system too.

Buon appetito!

Learn more about Doterra Oregano Oil here.

#budgetbeautymommy





The Best Concealer - Artdeco Perfect Teint Concealer - No. 6

The best concealer that even Lucy Liu approves!

For me, I think concealers are the trickiest part of makeup application. Most times, I would find a concealer that is blendable but the color is just not right. The rule of the thumb is, if you can see your concealer, it's not the right color. The concealer has to blend into your skin completely. Now, that's what I call a perfect concealer.

I was looking high and low for the perfect concealer. I've tried The Body Shop's concealer, it's rather not bad, not much complaints except it still leaves me the need to search for the perfect concealer. Then I've switched to MAC's concealer and it left me with a bad impression. Ok, to be fair to MAC, it may be a good concealer(in fact it was easily blendable and provided a good coverage in concealing my flaws) but I've used it at the wrong time. I was having a major breakout of my life!! The texture was creamy and maybe alittle too oily for my sensitive and blemished skin. My breakouts rebelled and became more out of control! (I'm sorry MAC, but I love your products but I do not have the courage to try out your concealer ever again.) I would like to hear more feedback from you guys who swear by MAC.

So, back to my hunt for the illusive concealer. My answer came in the form of sexy Lucy Liu. You see, Lucy Liu always looks perfect and porcelain in her makeup. She looks flawless in every picture yet her makeup looks natural like she didn't even try. Ok, I agree, so she accentuates her eyes alot, but her skin always looks healthy and naturally beautiful. That is an undeniable fact. So, I was reading a feature in the magazine of what's in Lucy Liu's makeup bag. She has her eye liner, mascara and her all-time must-have: concealer. I've also been reading some makeup tips and the concealer seems to be a choice for many celebrities too. So, I gave it a go and bought myself one.

My answer for the perfect concealer came in the form of Artdeco Perfect Teint Concealer - No.6

It works like a charm!! Arguably it has to be the best concealer in the market. This twist-pen liquid concealer has a light, smooth texture that glides over my skin and offers substantial, but imperceptible coverage. The soft matte finish poses little risk of creasing and creasing is what I hate most when other concealers start to settle into the fine lines around the eye area at the end of the day. This, my dear, works like a dream. The color is so natural and works best for fair to medium toned skin. Of course, its quite similar to YSL's Touché Eclat Highlighter, but I assure you, it really really does deliver and it beats having to try and try every other concealer in the quest for the perfect one. Best part is, it's price is half of YSL's.

I'm the biggest fuss pot when it comes to finding the most blendable and natural makeup look (my mantra), but Artdeco Perfect Teint Concealer - No. 6 gets a two thumbs up from moi!

#budgetbeautymommy



Dinner Ideas from Italy, Mexico and Britain

Some food ideas for dinner inspired by different countries round the world.

Top picture is Italian Roast Beef on sliced fresh bread, salad and baked potatoes.

On the left is Mexican shredded pork fajitas with guacamole, grated carrots, tomato salsa, cheddar cheese, sour cream and salad on tortilla wrap.

On the right is the British Roast chicken with roast potatoes, sweet potatoes, radish roasted with garlic and dried oregano. Blanched carrots and bok choy stir fry with garlic and onions with homemade gravy.

So delicious and colourful. I do like my food colourful like the rainbow.



Best Essential Oil for Restful Sleep - Every Night!

Beauty sleep is sooooooo important. Sleep is such a rare commodity especially if you have a family and little darlings.

I've always been a light sleeper and I can literally wake up to a pin drop. I'm also the most grumpy person imaginable if I don't have enough sleep. So, you can imagine how deliriously happy I am when I found Balance. It's a super grounding blend too.

I sleep through the night and even if I am awoken I sleep off immediately.

Even big daddy requests for it before he sleeps -every night!

I rub about three drops of Balance to the soles of the feet and rub it in.

It works like a charm and I wake up to blissful sleep. Lavender Peace also gives me good restful sleep but I find it works better on little darling.

Share with me how do you get restful sleep every night?


Find out more about Balance here.


#budgetbeautymommy






Beer Marinated Roast Lamb Dinner

If you don't fancy drinking beer like me but have many cans of beer lying around, why not marinade your lamb with it?
I've marinated the lamb chops with salt and pepper, cumin powder, a drop of Doterra Rosemary essential oil and about quarter can of beer. Then roast in oven about 100C so all alcohol has evaporated. Roast till chops are browning lightly.
It's so yummy with no beer aftertaste. Tried this for dinner yesterday and it was truly scrumptious. Every morsel and gravy was polished right off our plates.

You can find out more about the Doterra Rosemary essential oil here.

Are you a perfectionist?

Are you a perfectionist, budget beauty mommies?

Sometimes I tend to try so hard to be perfect. But then again, perfection is subjective too. My perfection may not be your definition of perfection. So what is perfection really?
In pursuit of perfection, the moment where you feel so suffocated because you can't admit you're failing or to reach out for help, is when you feel like your world is collapsing.

Breathe.
It is ok to seek help.
It is ok to admit that nothing is going right.
It is ok to feel lost.
It is ok to not have the answer for everything.
It is ok to take a break.
It is ok to confide your problems to others instead of just hiding behind 'I'm fine'.

Instead of trying to be perfect, celebrate that you have tried your very best today. No matter how bad your day went, as long as you have tried and done your best for the day, you're absolutely perfect!

True beauty lies in our imperfections. Celebrate you today!



Natural Remedies for Dark Eye Circles

Well, you see, most budget beauty mommies are afraid to get the much dreaded dark eye circles. They are not attractive at all and makes one age a few years extra. I know I'm not the only one with this problem, so I have compiled a list of home remedies that you can try out at home.

First, we separate them to three categories, the first category is to conceal them effectively, the second category is to get rid of them permanently and the third category is home remedies easy enough for everyone to do. It takes time but worth the effort when you see a new pair of beautiful fresher eyes.

To Camouflage dark eye circles 
The product you should opt for should contain ingredients like Mica and Bismuth Oxychloride. These ingredients will help to reflect light and thus reduce the look of dark appearance under the skin. Also, the ingredients are very light and they do not appear to look too heavy or cake under your eyes, which make them even more obvious.

Also, look for creams with Vitamin K, Collagen, Elastin and hyaluronic acid to plump up eyes to prevent that dull sunken in under eye skin, which enhances the darkened skin underneath the eyes.

Normally, before you apply this makeup as camouflage, apply some light anti dark eye circle cream to protect the skin under the eyes and to plump up fine lines, then lightly press the powder over the under eye area. The key here is not to drag the brush across the under eye area, but to press the powder onto the skin. This will help to minimise the powder from setting into the fine lines, and thus, making them more obvious.


To get rid of dark eye circles for real
1) Get enough rest - It's true, sleep deprivation will cause the skin under the eyes to darken, looking like a panda, but just not as cute. Besides, take power naps about 10-15 minutes of shut eye will do you lots of good in blood circulation

2) Stress kills - Stress is a killer and a major beauty destroyer. Try to unwind and keep your mind free. Exercising will be a good form of relief and it also helps to improve your blood circulation. If not, try to listen to music, it helps to release stress. Or go out have a nice meal with your family. Don't stress on cooking. Try it today.

3) Get plenty of nutrition - Nutrition helps to pump rich blood all over your body. With a better circulation, it will help to rid off dark eye circles. Get better nutrition by having a balanced diet, diet full of fruits and veggies, grains, nuts and legumes. Treat your diet like a rainbow, try to eat foods with very strong colors like reds, yellows and orange. They are mostly rich with anti-oxidant properties. I suggest to get extra supplement like vitamin B complex and Vitamin C to complement your diet.

4) Drink lots of Water- At least 6-8 glasses of water a day to drain out toxins from the body and to help in circulation. The liver and kidneys sometimes are overworked with too much toxins in the body, thus appearing in the form of bad skin or dark eye circles. Drinking water will help them to flush out the toxins from the body. Drinking water will also hydrate your skin and help to sooth out fine lines from forming -minimizing more dark eye circles.

5) Massage - Massage your eye areas gently to increase blood circulation. Most times, blood circulation is very poor underneath the eyes, especially more so when you have a poor diet. Lightly tap all the areas under the eye with your third finger, as it doesnt exert too much pressure as your index finger

6) Get a good eye cream - Get a good rich eye cream for night use and a lighter eye gel for day time use. Find for ingredients like alpha hydroxy acid in the creams.


Home Remedies 
1) Tea fix - Brew some mint tea or green tea then let the teabags cool. Then, place them over the eyes for about 10 minutes or alittle more as you wish

2) Sourcream's the way to go - Mix two teaspoons of sourcream and 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley. Put the mixture into a straining cloth and apply to eyes for about 10 minutes or more

3) Cool as Cucumber - Cut out two thin slices of chilled cucumbers and place on your eyes. You can place the cucumbers on your eyes for 10 -15 mins or as long as you like till the cucumber turns warm from your heat

4) Strawberries - But with no cream. Slice the chilled strawberries, about 2 strawberries, or more depending on your needs. Then place them on your eyes and becareful not to let them get into your eyes or it will sting. Strawberries are good because they are high in alpha hydroxy acid, which is highly appreciated in most anti wrinkle creams

5) Milk soother - Grab a bowl and pour some chilled milk in them and throw in a few cotton balls to soak up the milk. Then relax and lie down while u place the cotton balls over your eyes. You will feel the skin is smoother and more relaxed and aids in circulation and lessen the dark discoloration under the eyes

6) Potatoes - Cut two slices of potatoes with skin, raw and just simply place them over your eyes like how you will with cucumbers. The enzymes in potatoes help to reduce the dark circles under eyes


I hope I have helped in this post. Please share with me if you have any other remedies.

 #budgetbeautymommy