Easy ways to create a family friendly kitchen

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appliances, art, baby gate, boiling water, carpets, chilblains, clean, clear area, clear surfaces, cold, colder, cook, cooker, cosy space, cry, cute, danger, diffuser, dinner, draft, draft excluder, easy to clean, eat dinner, family, focal, free of clutter, fridge, fry, gaps, heat, home, home hub, homework, hot, hot chocolate, hot food, insulating, kids, kitchen, laugh, locks on cupboards, love, magazines, make dinner, memories, mid-morning coffee, pets, pictures, playpen, precious paintings, rubbish, rugs, sandwiches, school run, sharp knives, slip proof, smell, smells, table, table manners, talk, teach, temperature, Tiled and wooden floors, toasty feeling, toddler, toes, underfloor heating, windows, worktops

If you have a family, it is highly likely that you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, and that it is very much a focal part of your home. The kitchen is where we laugh, cry and talk, it’s where we eat dinner together, where we teach kids table manners and how to cook, and where we gather at the end of the day to catch up and tell stories. It is place that’s all about love and memories.

Given just how important this room is to so many people, we have put together some ideas about how you can create a kitchen, and a home hub, you love.

Safety is key
It really goes without saying, but safety has to be a kitchen priority. Boiling water, sharp knives, hot food and rubbish are all possible danger points, so care needs to be taken. A baby gate, locks on cupboards and drawers, slip proof rugs and mats as well as putting medicines and cleaning products out of reach of children and pets, are all starting points. You want to enjoy your kitchen, but you can do this more easily if things are safe.

What space do you want to have?
We all want something different from a kitchen, and this changes over time, so think about what you need right now, not in five years. Maybe you need somewhere for a playpen for your toddler while you cook, you might want a table or island bar where the kids can do their homework, or if you have pets, thinking about where to keep their food and water bowls could be a consideration. Think about what would make your kitchen work, and then make the steps towards creating the space you want.

Clear the worktops
Of course, one thing you need is a clear area where you can prepare food that isn’t too crowded and where you have space to keep your appliances too. Even if you have a small kitchen, create an area that is free of clutter, that is easy to clean and that way you know you’ll have the room to make dinner and get sandwiches ready for the next day.

Think about the temperature
You might want your kitchen to be a cosy space, and in the evening when the cooker is on and people are moving around this is fine, but by day it could be a colder matter. To make sure you still get that toasty feeling on Sunday mornings when the children are having their cereal, or when you have your mid-morning coffee, you need to look at the space and how hot or cold it gets. Insulating your home is the best way of keeping the heat in, so check for gaps under doors and window frames, you will be amazed at what a draft excluder can do. Tiled and wooden floors might look great, but come November your toes won’t be happy, so look at underfloor heating, carpets or rugs and that way you can sip your hot chocolate before the school run without getting chilblains.

Make it your own
Yes, clean, clear surfaces and spotless walls are the images we see in magazines, but this doesn’t always create the kitchen you want. Art on the walls can add an extra feeling of love and family, pictures with magnets on the fridge are cute and of course, those precious paintings your little ones bring home from nursery will look lovely in your kitchen!

All about the smell
Kitchens are full of smells and let’s face it, some are better than others! Make sure you keep on top of your rubbish and recycling, if you fry food then keep the windows open and think about having a diffuser to help neutralise nasty odours, and these easy steps can help make your kitchen a pleasant place to hang out!

If you follow these tips, your kitchen should be the best room in your home.

Team Pure Beauty

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Simple changes you can make to help save the planet

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air, apples, bag for life, bamboo brushes, breath your teeth, Cancel paper statements, car, car share, chairs, clean, clothes, cycling to work, desks, Don’t run the water when you brush, drive your car, environment, flowerpots, food, for sale, fruit tree, future, garden, garden waste, green bins, greener, Greta Thunberg, healthy, home, hope pipe, hot topic, Kids bikes, kinder, land, landfill sites, making waves, massive waste, money, newspapers and magazines, packaging materials, pastic bags, planet, plant a tree, Plastic, plastic carrier bags, power, public transport, rainwater butt, run, save, save the planet, save trees, school uniform, second hand, shade, shops, significant impact, sleep, something special, spoon, stop shopping, straws and stirrers, tap, teeth, today, tree, turn off, Turn off your computer at night, turning the tap off, two minutes, water, watering, watering can, wellies, Work from home

With Greta Thunberg making waves around the world, the environment is more of a hot topic than ever. While some people might think they can’t do anything to make a significant impact, if we all make small changes, it could lead to something special and significant.

We have some suggestions of really simple things you can do today that could help make for a better future for the planet.

Turn off your computer at night
It’s easy to leave your computer on as you sleep, but if you turn it off you will not only save power but also money.

Don’t run the water when you brush
They say to brush your teeth for at least two minutes morning and night – if you leave the water running at the same time that is a massive waste. Turning the tap off while brushing can save masses of water and your teeth will still be clean and healthy. Oh, and why not try using bamboo brushes rather than plastic ones???

Snap up second hand
Yes, you can stop shopping altogether, or you could start sourcing the things you really need second hand. Kids bikes, desks, chairs, flowerpots, school uniform and wellies are often for sale in good, used condition and doing this saves you money and helps reduce packaging materials and eases landfill sites.

Plant a tree, or two plant
Planting trees in your garden is great for the land and the air, it can shade your home, and can even increase the value of your property. If you plant a fruit tree, you are being even kinder to the environment as you won’t need to get your apples from the shops, which means not having to drive your car, and when you pick them fresh, no plastic bags are needed. Now, when those trees, or any other plants need watering, don’t use a hose pipe, instead go for a watering can and getting a rainwater butt is another great green idea.

Work from home
This isn’t an excuse to sit in your PJs and watch TV all day, but working at home will save you time, money and ease up on the use of your car or public transport. If your boss won’t agree, how about cycling to work or looking at a car share with colleagues – it all helps!

Get a bag for life
We know you know, but plastic carrier bags are not biodegradable or recyclable so they are no good to anyone or anything. Stop buying bags each time you shop and instead take stronger, reusables bags to the supermarket and if you can ditch them altogether, good for you!

Step away from straws
Millions of straws and stirrers are thrown away every year, so use a spoon to stir your coffee and drink from a glass – simple.

Cancel paper statements
With email, there is no need to have paper bills and statements – NO REASON AT ALL. Asking to receive online statements and bills will save trees and with the postman not delivering them to your home, it saves on petrol and diesel fumes too.

Recycle, recycle, recycle
Did you know that if you don’t recycle glass it can take years and years for it to decompose? Always recycle your glass and the same goes for plastics, newspapers and magazines, clothes, garden waste and food – you have recycling bins, use them and save the planet.

Got an idea that helps make you greener, let us know, we are all ears.

Team Pure Beauty

Easy ways to create a clutter free home

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30 minutes, bedroom floor, bit sized, bite size, BOGOF, bowl, broken toys, bulk buy, buy less, cans, card, Cardboard boxes, clean, cleaning, clearing out, cloths, clutter, clutter free, cluttering, comics, constant mess, control, couple of hours, cupboard, cupboards, declutter, designated space, dirty dishes, dirty shoes, dishwasher tablets, donation bags, drawer, dust, dusters, environment, essentials, front door, game changer, garden, home, hooks, hoses, junk, keys, kitchen, kitchen table, lawn mowers, lost, mess, messy, need, old clothes, outside spaces, pairs of jeans, phone, pile of clothes, plastic slides, purse, recycle, recycling, Relax, right reason, room, rubbish, shelf, shot, simple, sit back, slu, slung, stored, stuff, tidying up, toilet rolls, tripping, true, unused phones, washing powder, wooden benches

Whether it’s a pile of clothes on your bedroom floor, or a stack of dirty dishes in your sink, keeping top of cleaning at home can be hard and clutter can soon take over.

If you feel you’re living in a state of constant mess, we have some ideas to help you take back control and get a home that is clean, clear and clutter-free which means you can sit back and relax.

A place for everything
If you get home and put your phone, keys and purse straight on the kitchen table, this needs to stop. Have a designated space or bowl for essential items and this clutter free game-changer will keep things tidy and save you constantly looking for lost belongings.

Have hooks by the front door
Having a simple set of hooks by the front door means you’ll always know where they are – simple but true. Get in the door, shut the door, put the keys on a hook and you’ll never look back.

Keep shoes out of the house
Leaving dirty shoes at the front door won’t only keep dirt out but it will save them being left all over the house, making a mess, tripping you over and generally cluttering things up.

Have a clear out
We aren’t saying you need to declutter your house in a day because you’ll be exhausted, instead clear the clutter in bite-size chunks of time – think 30 minutes to a couple of hours. Go room by room, drawer by drawer, cupboard by cupboard or shelf by shelf – whatever works for you. Ensure you have rubbish, recycling and donation bags as well as a duster and cloths so you can clean as you go.

Buy less
We know that those BOGOF offers are tempting, but if you bulk buy toilet rolls, washing powder and dishwasher tablets or having too many pairs of jeans, where are you going to put them? Each time you are about to buy something, ask yourself, do I really need it, is there somewhere for it to go in my home and am I buying it for the right reason? If you answer no to even one of these, put your card away and keep clutter at bay.

Check out the garden
It’s not just our houses that can get full of clutter, but outside spaces too. From lawn mowers and plastic slides, to old wooden benches and hoses, it is amazing how much ‘stuff’ gets slung in the garden which leaves it looking cluttered and messy. Set aside an afternoon and get to work clearing out, tidying up and straightening out your outside spaces so they are places you want to spend time, rather than somewhere all the junk is stored.

Recycle
Not only does recycling help keep the environment safe, it keeps clutter out of your house too. Cardboard boxes, cans, old clothes, broken toys, unused phones, comics and books are often found in corners, cupboards and under tables where they gather dust and clutter things up, so sort them out, recycle them and free up your space.

Keep it up
Once you have made steps to sort out the clutter, do your best to keep it that way. Not only will having less clutter mean you won’t have to tidy up as much, but you’ll also be able to find things because they won’t be under a pile of dusty papers, they’ll be where you left them.

Team Pure Beauty

Fake it at Pure Beauty

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50ml, Abyssinian and elderberry seed oils, ageing, amino acids, Anti-oxidant green tea, argan shell, away, broad-spectrum sunscreen, burning, cancer, citrus scent, clog, complexion, condition, dead skin cells, Decleor 1000 Grains Body Exfoliator, Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk, Dermalogica Sheer Tint, Dermalogica Sheer Tint with SPF20, DHA, dryness, Elemis Total Glow Bronzing Body Lotion, fake it, fantastic products, glow, gradual tan body lotion, grains, grapefruit essential oil, healthy, home, hydrating hyaluronic acid, impurities, light moisturiser, Light-diffusing Iron Oxides, lightly-tinted hydrating make up, long lasting hydration, looking healthy, luscious, luxurious, Magnolia Essential Oil, massaged, mino acids, narcissus bulb, natural tan, nourish, orange peel, patches, pearl sugar, prolong, protect, protects, Pure Beauty, rays, relaxed, risk, samples, showering, skin tone, smoother, softer, SPF20, streaks, sun, sun exposure, sun-kissed look, super smooth limbs, tan, tanning products, UV rays, vanilla extract, Vegetan™, Walnut Seed extract, wheat

For many of us, having a tan makes us feel good as well as looking healthy and relaxed. However, getting that bronzed body often means exposing our skin to the sun, and this isn’t great as the rays can lead to burning, ageing, dryness and even put us at risk of cancer.

We recommend using a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, but if you would rather not run the risks of getting a full-on natural tan, at Pure Beauty we sell some fantastic products that will give you a glow but without putting in the sun hours.

Before you use any tanning products, make sure your body is free from dead skin cells as this can make products clog and cause streaks and patches, which you do not want. You can get super smooth limbs with the Decleor 1000 Grains Body Exfoliator and the 50ml option means you can do this at home, or away. Three sizes of grains have been mixed to create a product that helps take away not only dead cells but other impurities, so skin is left feeling like velvet. Grapefruit essential oil gives it a citrus scent, while pearl sugar, Argan shell and orange peel come together in a gel that gives you noticeably softer, smoother and more refined skin that is ready for tanning products to be absorbed.

The Elemis Total Glow Bronzing Body Lotion is a luxurious, gradual tan body lotion that moisturises your skin. It contains Vegetan™ which is naturally derived from wheat and this builds colour on the upper layers of your skin, so you have a healthy, sun-kissed look without sun exposure. Anti-oxidant green tea evens skin tone, and red algae extract aids long-lasting hydration, making this a popular product with our clients. Abyssinian and elderberry seed oils have also been added into the mix to condition the skin, which is left soft, smooth and glowing.

When you go out in the sun your skin gets dry but using the Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk can prevent this from happening. This a light moisturiser that not only gives your body a gradual tan but helps nourish it at the same time. Magnolia essential oil has been added to protect and soothe skin, narcissus bulb helps prolong your tan, and vanilla extract protects against external irritants. It’s the DHA, a sugar obtained by biotechnology, in this product that reacts naturally with amino acids in the skin that leaves you with a gentle top-to-toe golden glow. This is best applied after showering and exfoliating, and when you have massaged into your skin, let the formula soak in before dressing.

If you want to add a little daytime colour to your complexion, we would suggest going for the Dermalogica Sheer Tint with SPF20. This lightly-tinted hydrating make up product comes in light, medium and dark options and each one offers a healthy wash of colour, but the sun doesn’t need to get involved. The colour comes from light-diffusing iron oxides, and broad-spectrum sunscreens have been added to protect against UV rays. Nurturing amino acids, hydrating hyaluronic acid and luscious walnut seed extract are present and help improve the appearance of fine lines and add hydration.

If you have any questions, would like to try some samples or simply need more details to make the right choice for you, get in touch today and we would love to help.

Team Pure Beauty

Buy your holiday essentials at Pure Beauty Online

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50ml option, all skin type, Aloe, Arnica, Australian tea tree oil, away, Camphor, ccelerate cell renewal, cleanses, cuts, Davos, Decleor Smoothing and Cleansing Mousse, deeply relaxing scent, Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner, Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel, Elemis LIFE ELIXIRS Sleep Perfume Oil, Elemis Tea Tree S.O.S. Spray, feel, fungal feet infections, Ginkgo and Oatmeal, green tea, hand luggage, holiday, holiday essentials, home, hydration, lavender, look, menthol, mid-flight, mind and body, mint, moisturises, muscle tension, natural, neck, Papain, plumps, pure beauty online, pure essential oils, refreshed skin, rice-based powder, rich concentrated triple-action cleanser, Salicylic Acid, shoulders, sleep, Spain, spots, spray, struggle, tired legs

A week in Wales, sightseeing in Spain or dancing the night away in Davos, all mean one thing – travel beauty essentials are needed.

At Pure Beauty Online, we sell a range of fantastic products that you can pack up and take away with you to ensure you look and feel great all holiday long.

Let’s start this holiday party off with the Decleor Smoothing and Cleansing Mousse. This 3-in-1 mousse cleanses, plumps and moisturises all skin types. This popular product now comes in a 50ml option that is perfect for taking on a weekend away and easily fits in your travel bag. The rich concentrated triple-action cleanser comes with a mix of powerful, but gentle active ingredients that leave your skin feeling beautifully clean and smooth.

If you like to keep things natural, even when it comes to medical matters, we have a feeling you will like the Elemis Tea Tree S.O.S. Spray. This clever spray contains Australian tea tree oil which is full of anti-bacterial and antiviral properties. You can use it to treat fungal feet infections, spray onto cuts and nasty insect bites, it is good for dealing with spots and is pretty much the ultimate beauty travel companion.

Whether you want to keep things cool morning and night, or need a skin refresh mid-flight, the Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner does the job and does it well. Packed with aloe, lavender, mint, and arnica this toner can be used on all skins types and gives an added level of hydration that we often need when we are away.

While you can’t carry this one in your hand luggage, the Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel is a total travel winner. This gel is perfect for tired legs as well as muscle tension around the shoulders and neck – something you can get on even the shortest flights. Arnica, birch, and witch hazel have been mixed with cooling camphor and menthol and together they make a magical mix that you will want to use at home, and away.

We are currently stocking the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Travel, but don’t leave it in your basket for too long as it is a limited-edition option that’s only available for a short time. This unique comes in the form of a rice-based powder that activates when mixed with water, at which point papain and salicylic acid come together to smooth the skin and accelerate cell renewal. This can be used every day and thanks to a blend of green tea, ginkgo and oatmeal, complexions are calmed, inflammation is eased and you’re left with clear, refreshed skin which is exactly what you want.

If you struggle to sleep when you are away, then why not take the Elemis LIFE ELIXIRS Sleep Perfume Oil on holiday with you. Made from a mix of 13 pure essential oils, including elemi, patchouli, and palmarosa, this gorgeous oil helps restore your mind and body. Things don’t stop there as the deeply relaxing scent will help you drift off to sleep so you wake the next day feeling refreshed, restored and ready for fun.

If you are not sure what products would best suit you this summer, get in touch and we would love to help find something that is perfect for you and your trip.

Team Pure Beauty