Could your garage be your home office?

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air conditioning unit, bin, blinds, book shelves, bright space, bumper to bumper traffic, central heating, chair, chargers, chic workspace, clean, coffee cups, computers, creative, curtains, desk, desk lamp, door, eBay, electrician t, essential oils of mint, extension cables, fans, files, filing cabinets, floors, garage, good working order, Gumtree, home office, investment, lavender, lemongrass, mugs, natural burst, paddling pools, papers, pens, phone, photos, potential, power, printers, pulled together, repair, rubbish, safety conscious, second hand, sockets, Sunday night blues, temperature, TLC, tools, transform, walls, welcoming environment, working environment

With train ticket prices on the rise and meetings eating into the day, for many the idea of working from home is very appealing. While spare rooms and lofts are often the first spaces to be converted for this purpose, garages can be full of potential and can work really well.

You might not see it right now, but with a little creative consideration and TLC, we think you will be able to transform a sad shell into a chic workspace that will put an end to Sunday night blues and bumper to bumper traffic on Monday morning.

Clean it up
The first step towards creating a usable working environment is making the space clean and clear. Sort out what is rubbish, find a home for tools, paddling pools and hoses and then get to work cleaning the floors and walls, tackle the cobwebs and repair any cracks.

Make it light
Garages tends to be dark by nature, but you can transform it with a lick of fresh white paint. If you have windows in your garage this will give you a natural burst of light so give them a clean and add curtains or blinds to create a welcoming environment. If there is no natural light, invest in a decent desk lamp, look at LED lights and create a bright space that you want to work in.

Get the temperature right
It is unlikely you will have central heating in your garage so fans or air conditioning units will be needed in the summer and radiator-style oil heaters work in the winter. Always be safety conscious and ensure they are working correctly and turn them off when you aren’t in the working space.

Power
If you are going to work from your garage you need to ensure it has the correct power needs. You are making an investment in your home, so get an electrician to check things are safe and in good working order.

If you are going to be running computers, printers, phone and tablet chargers as well as heating solutions, it is vital to ensure you have enough sockets. Do not overload extension cables as this could end in disaster.

The basics
Source a proper desk, a decent chair, filing cabinets and book shelves but be sure to measure up before buying to prevent layout issues. If you don’t want to spend a fortune, eBay and Gumtree are great sources for second hand items and you can also try your local recycle centre.

Get the look
As well as being warm and safe, you want your office to be comfortable and inviting. Coordinate your files with your coffee cups and pens for that pulled together looking. Adding photos to the walls and having canvas paintings can really bring your office alive and add a contemporary edge. Plants make the space green and a diffuser means you can keep your mind alert thanks to essential oils of mint, lemongrass or lavender when you want to relax.

Clean up
It might be tempting to leave mugs on the desk and papers in the bin, but if you want to keep things professional and not slip into bad habits, tidy up at the end of each day and lock the door behind you.

Good luck and if you have already made the change, drop us a line and let us see the results.

Team Pure-Beauty

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The university checklist

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a student flat, antiseptic cream, baking tray, Bank account details, bathroom, bedroom, Blue Tac, boots, bowls, bread, bubble bath, card, cereal, charger, checklist, cheque book, clean, clothes, cloths, coat hangers, Congratulations, creature comforts, cutlery set, documents, Driving license, duvet covers, eat out, en-suite, ethernet cable, exam, fresh, frying pan, glasses, halls, headphones, home, ink, insurance, jam, ketchup, kitchen, kitchen roll, laptop, letter, milk, mineral water, mirror, mixing bowl, mobile phone, mugs, National Insurance card, NHS number, pack, Paracetamol, parents, partying, pasta, pillow cases, plasters, plates, printer, sanctuary, scissors, shampoo, shared house, sharp knife, sheets, shower gel, student loan, stuff, surge protection, Tea towels

Well, you have only gone and done it and got a place at university.

Congratulations.

Now the partying is over, it’s time to get down to business, book your accommodation, buy those books and pack your stuff.

Whether you a moving into halls, a student flat or shared house, you will want to take your creature comforts as well as essentials with you, so we have put together a checklist to get you started.

Documents
Before you leave home, have these documents with you, as well as getting copies and emailing it to yourself and your parents:
University and course acceptance letter plus exam certificates
Accommodation contract and insurance documents
Student loan documents
Bank account details, card and cheque book
Driving license and passport as well as up NHS number and National Insurance card

Gadgets
You will be so used to having everything under one roof, you might forget that you won’t be just a gadget away when you aren’t at home. This might seem like a big list, but it is worth having:
Laptop plus charger, USB stick and an ethernet cable
Mobile phone and charger
Headphones
Power extension cable with surge protection
Printer with ink

Kitchen
Yes, you could eat out all the time, but it makes more sense to do cook for yourself and to do this you will need:
A frying pan or a wok and a sauce pan
A cutlery set, sharp knife, scissors and spare teaspoons
Two glasses, mugs, plates and bowls
A baking tray and mixing bowl
A water bottle – buying endless bottles of mineral water on campus soon adds up
Tea towels, cloths, kitchen roll, soap and washing up liquid
A box of basic groceries with cereal, bread, milk, jam, tea, coffee, pasta, ketchup and an emergency bottle of vodka to break the ice with your neighbours

Your bedroom
Your bedroom will be your sanctuary so make it as comfortable as you can and take:
Two sheets, two duvet covers and pillow cases as well as a decent duvet and pillows
Mattress protector – take our word for it on this one
Clothes and coat hangers
Photos of friends & family as well as posters and Blue Tac
A lamp and lampshade
A mirror
Contraception

Bathroom
We can’t promise you will get an en-suite at uni so be prepared to share a bathroom and take this little lot with you so you, and your surroundings, are clean and fresh.
Several towels
Medication and a basic first aid kit with plasters, paracetamol, antiseptic cream and wipes
Febreeze and washing powder
A toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, shop, shower gel, bubble bath and any other home comforts
Toilet roll

Of course, you won’t be far from a Tesco or Boots, so you can shop when you arrive but this little should help to get you started and can probably be paid for by the bank of mum and dad before you leave.

Good luck!

Team Pure-Beauty

The Beauty of a Good Education

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abrasions, acne, anti ageing, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, bacteria, base, breakout, brighter, Calming, clean, clear, college, complexion, cuts, dermalogica, Dermalogica All Over Toner, Dermalogica Breakout Control, Dermalogica UltraCalming Redness Relief Primer SPF20, Elemis, Elemis Tea Tree S.O.S. Spray, Elemis White Brightening Even Tone Cleanser, formulation, foundation, illuminated, impurities, mattified, mattify, oil, over-sensitised, primer, redness, school, sebum, sensitised, sensitive, September, skin, smoother, SPF, spot, spots, student, study, sun, teenager, Toner, university

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It’s the end of August which means that Autumn is on it’s way, school will be restarting again soon and the lazy summer days will be replaced with routine and structure, especially for those in education. Whether you’re starting a new school, college or university, you’ll want to be doing so with the best skin possible, so we’re going to show you five products which can help:

Dermalogica UltraCalming Redness Relief Primer SPF20

Sensitised skin can be difficult to control, and many products will add to the problem. This primer from Dermalogica is designed to minimise redness, mattify the skin by controlling sebum production and provide a good base on which to put make-up, giving you the confidence of knowing that your foundation will stay in place all day. It contains a green tint which counteracts redness and an SPF which protects the skin from the sun’s harmful rays.

Elemis Tea Tree S.O.S. Spray

This S.O.S. Spray from Elemis might not be a lifesaver, as such, but it’s definitely a SKIN saver – the cooling teat tree will help to soothe over-sensitised skin while the anti-bacterial properties will kill spot-causing bacteria, helping you to cut the cause of breakouts before they even occur. It can be sprayed directly onto the face to help speed up the healing process if you’ve already had a breakout, and can even be used on other cuts and abrasions for an antibacterial and antiviral barrier.

Dermalogica Breakout Control

If your skin is prone to acne or hormonal breakouts, it can be tricky to know when breakouts are going to happen and treat them before the fact. This lotion from Dermalogica is a fast-but-gentle formulation which is designed to target the bacteria which causes breakouts to halt them in their tracks, and contains natural sponges to absorb sebum which can make the skin oily. It contains soothing ingredients which help to calm the skin and reduce sebum production and is gentle enough to be used daily, under your normal moisturiser.

Elemis White Brightening Even Tone Cleanser

Keeping your skin super clean is the first step to staying breakout-free but that can be tricky as some cleansers irritate the skin and make spots worse. This cleanser from Elemis has been designed for daily use and gently removes impurities, reduces the appearance of excess oil and reveals a super-clean and mattified complexion. Skin is left smoother, brighter and naturally illuminated, as well as being clean and clear.

Dermalogica All Over Toner

This toner is the perfect product for keeping in your school bag as it provides a much-needed spritz of cooling toner, right when your skin needs it the most. It calms redness, kills spot-causing bacteria and helps to keep spot and acne prone skin under control. It’s perfect for teenage skin and can either be sprayed directly onto the face, or wiped onto problematic area with a cotton pad.

Perfect Your Beard with Pure Beauty

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barber, beard, beard line, clean, clippers, coarse, comb, conditioner, Elemis, facial hair, frizz, grooming, hair, haircare, matt, men, moustache, oil, razor, scrub, shampoo, shaping, shave, smooth, tangle, texture, trim, trimming

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Whether your facial hair is just a few millimeters long or a full-grown bush, there’s no ignoring the fact that beards have well and truly made a comeback for men. Just a few years back, beards were the fodder of old, pipe-smoking dudes, but now just about anyone who CAN grow a beard has one. However, having a nice beard is so much more than just letting the hair grow, so we thought we’d take a look at some of the basic steps for maintaining a decent face-warmer.

Keep it Clean

Just like the hair on your hair, your beard will produce oils which need to be washed away on a regular basis, however unlike your head, your beard hair could also harbour traces of food! Keeping your beard clean is really important because otherwise it will start to smell and become unhygienic. You can use a facial scrub to try to care for the skin beneath but using a mild shampoo will also do the trick.

Keep it Trimmed

Unless you’re incredibly lucky, it’s really unlikely that your beard will all grow at exactly the same rate, which means that it could end up uneven and looking ratty. A tidy beard will need to be trimmed and shaped, using either a clipper with a guard or a pair of scissors, depending how dexterous you are. As soon as you start shaping your beard, you’ll notice how much better it looks and wonder how you ever survived without it!

Keep it Soft

Facial hair can have a tendency to he coarser and more bushy than head-hair, which means that it needs a product to soften and tame it. Elemis Smooth Result Shave and Beard Oil will not only help to smooth out wild beard hair, it will also make your beard smell more fragrant and can also be used as a shave oil if the beard gets too much and you decide you want to go bare-faced again.

Keep it Combed

This one may sound bonkers but as soon as your hair gets beyond a certain length you will need to start combing it, unless you want a dreadlock hanging from your face! Because of its texture, facial hair tangles really easily and if you don’t deal with these tangles on a daily basis, you could easily end up with a matted mess in a really short amount of time. Use a wide-toothed comb after you’ve treated with beard oil for a matt-free beard.

Keep it Neat

Keeping your beard trimmed and tidy is all well and good, but if you have stray hairs above your beard line, the whole effect will be ruined. Use a magnifying mirror and get up close and personal with your beard line. Try not to pluck any hairs which are too close to your natural beard line as you could end up ruining the shape, but anything which is growing more than a couple of millimeters above needs to be annihilated!

Laundry hacks you’ll love

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bacon, bedding, bicarbonate of soda, bright whites, bring to the boil, chalk, change your bed, cheaper, chemical stain removers, chores, clean, colour, colour coded baskets, colours, cupboard, dry outside, drying, effort, extra spin, fabric conditioner, faster, feeling, flash, fluffy towels, glowing results, grass, heat, jeans, laundry, lavender, lemons, lipstick, looking, low temperature wash, money, musty smells, nasty smells, new, pristine condition, quick wash setting, ready to use, refresh, savvy shortcuts, shape, slice, soak, soft, soft and absorbent, spin, Stain free, sunlight, tennis balls, time, tin foil, Towel fresh, trick, tricky, utility bills, white vinegar, whites

We are always looking for ways to do chores better, faster, smarter and cheaper and when it comes to laundry, every little trick helps.

We have some savvy shortcuts to share that we hope will keep nasty smells away and save you time, money and effort.

Colour coded baskets
Yes, we know this sounds a bit OTT but it works. Buy three laundry baskets and colour-code them as whites, colours and darks. On wash-day, simply empty one basket into the machine and press go leaving you free of stinky sorting.

Stain free
Go easy on chemical stain removers, and trying rubbing a little chalk into stains before you put your clothes in the wash and everything from lipstick, grass and bacon will be gone.

Bright whites
To get your whites bright once again, slice several lemons, put them into a pot of water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat off, add your clothes and let them soak for an hour before washing as usual. To get glowing results, let them dry outside in the sunlight.

Make it quick
If your laundry is pretty much stain free, go for a quick wash setting which will clean and refresh but won’t take forever or add to your utility bills.

Inside out jeans
Washing and drying is tough on denim and washing can see colour and shape being lost. To keep your jeans looking and feeling new, turn them inside out before they go into the machine and leave them like this as they dry.

Towel fresh
We all love soft, fluffy towels but keeping them in pristine condition can be tricky. Forget
fabric conditioner and instead add a cup of white vinegar to your wash load and as well as bringing towels back to life and keeping them soft and absorbent, the vinegar will also help keep musty smells away.

Go for a spin
If you want to aid the drying time of your washing, go for an extra spin during the washing cycle. Adding just ten minutes to a wash will actually cut down drying time later.

Keep your machine clean
From time to time it is worth cleaning your washing machine if you want to keep it in good working order. To do this, simply add half a cup of bicarbonate of soda to the machine drawer with half a cup of white vinegar and put it on a quick, low temperature wash.

Tumble faster
If you want to speed up drying time, and bring down costs, add a couple of clean tennis balls, dry towel or scrunched up balls of foil in with your clothes and the job will be done in flash.

Bed bundles
Once your bedding has been laundered, rather than simply stuffing back in the cupboard, why not make life easy and pack it into ready to use bundles? Put a clean folded fitted sheet, duvet cover and pillowcase in a pile, then carefully place this into one of the pillowcases and next time you change your bed, everything will be there ready and waiting for you. Add a little lavender and it will smell good too.

Got a tip that works for you? Get in touch, we would love to know what it is.

Team Pure Beauty