Tips to help your skin breathe

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add hydration, apply, balm, bath, beauty, body, boost your circulation, breakouts, cap, cleanse, cleanse twice a day, congestion, dead skin cells, deep breaths, dirty and oily, enhance, essential, exercise, facial, feels, flawless complexion, gentle, heavy duty products, imperfections, layers, lips, looks, love, make-up bag, make-up free, massaging facial oil, natural complexion, natural exfoliation product, natural glow, natural look, oil, pores, powder, pretty, principle, process, rejuvenates, Relax, relaxing at home, repairs, residue, sculptured, silky-smooth, skin tone, sleep, smooth, soft, sunglasses, TLC, tone and moisturise, toxins, tutorials, wake up

While foundation is helpful when it comes to hiding blemishes and creating a flawless complexion, wearing layers of make-up and powder everyday doesn’t always help your skin breath and won’t leave it in the best condition.

We all know we need to take deep breaths when life seems out of control, and you can apply the same principle to your skin.

Here are our top tips on how to give your skin a break so it feels and looks great.

Cleanse every morning and night
We have said it before and will say it again but it is essential to cleanse twice a day with a face wash or cleanser designed for your skin type. This is especially important if you do wear make-up as the process will remove left over products and residue which has built up over time.

Remove make-up before you sleep
When we sleep, our skin rejuvenates and repairs itself, however if you have make-up on when you fall asleep, this won’t happen as well as it could. The dirt will sit on your face as you sleep so your pores may well get clogged up, leaving you with unhappy skin when you wake up.

Exfoliate
A gentle, natural exfoliation product is a must have for most of us as they gently remove dead skin cells and product-build leaving you with a silky-smooth, natural glow. Check the details of the product before you use it, and always follow instructions.

Take a make up detox
For many people this is scary, but how about going make-up free one day a week to give your skin a break? Maybe on a Sunday, cleanse, tone and moisturise, leave your make-up bag zipped up and if you have to go out, wear sunglasses and a cap to make it less painful. Go on, we dare you.

Love your lips
Go easy with lipstick as they can be drying. Simply apply a little balm to your lips and this will keep them soft and moisturised.

Go for lighter coverage
Swapping heavy-duty products for lighter alternatives will let your skin breath and they are less likely to block pores and cause congestion. There are some great tutorials and guides online that show you how to create a pretty, natural look that you might even prefer to the more sculptured approach you usually take to make-up. You may find that using the right moisture followed by a foundation that matches your skin tone will actually enhance your natural complexion and erase any imperfections without having to add layers of product that hides your beauty.

Don’t exercise with make-up on
It might leave you feeling exposed, but try not to exercise with your make-up on. The reason for this is because as you exercise you sweat and this gets rid of the toxins in your body. If you’re pores are clogged up with make-up, your skin can’t sweat productively so your face remains dirty and oily leaving it prone to breakouts, something you don’t want and can avoid.

TLC
We all need a little TLC and so does out skin. Once a month try to have a facial which will not only relax you but also boost your circulation, add hydration and leave your skin soft and smooth. If you don’t have the time, or budget, to go to a pro, apply a face mask or massaging facial oil into your skin as you relax in the bath can also give you the time out you need to let go off stress and give your skin some love too.

Team Pure Beauty

Soup, the winter smoothie

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10 minutes, basic, basil, big hit of flavour, boil, bowl, bread and cheese, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chicken, cold, favroute, freezer, fresh parsley, friends, garlic, hot, leek, lunch, melt, olive oil, olives, plain flour, powder, recipe, red onions, salt and pepper, saucepan, smoothie, sock cubes, soft, soup, stock, supper, tablespoon of chopped, vegetables, water, white onions, work

Whilst there is nothing better in the summer than a chilled smoothie packed with berry goodness, in the cooler months you might want something that will warm you up as well as fill you with vitamins.

Maybe now is the time swap your blender for pots and pans and your smoothie for soup.

Soups are an age-old staple that nourishes body and soul and helps you use up the vegetables in the fridge that may have seen better days.

Whether you are a liquid lover of soups, stews or chowders, we have put together some super-ideas that are packed with nutritious goodness and fantastic flavour.

Lets start with the classic chicken soup. This feel good favourite can be enjoyed with friends for lunch, as an early supper with chunks of bread and you can keep some in the freezer for when colds strike.

To make one wholesome pan you will need:

5g of organic, salted butter
2 white onions, sliced and diced
2 sticks of finely sliced celery
2 large carrots, sliced and diced
1 yellow pepper, free of seeds and sliced
1.5 litres of chicken stock
450g of cooked chicken (ideally cubed or shredded)
25g of organic plain flour
1 tablespoon of chopped, fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

With your ingredients ready, gently melt the butter in a large saucepan and once hot, fry the onions, celery and carrots until they start to soften. Stir in the flour and cook for around two more minutes.

Slowly add the stock to the pot and gently bring the mixture to the boil, stirring all the time.

Season the liquid with salt and pepper, then simmer for around 15 minutes so that the vegetables are soft, but not mushy.

Finally add the chicken and parsley and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Serve with bread and cheese and feel that goodness get to work.

Homemade vegetable soups are one of the tastiest, healthiest options out there and can be part of any family meal.

Whilst we love this easy to make soup, it is just a base and you can add in pretty much anything else you want to get a bowl that is right for you.

For a big pot you will need:

3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 chopped carrots chopped
2 chopped red onions
½ cabbage that has had the core and outer leaves taken off
1 chopped, trimmed leek
1 chopped courgette
One handful of chopped mushrooms
1 red pepper, sliced and free of seeds
1.5 litres of water
Vegetable stock cubes or powder
A handful of chopped basil leaves (ideally fresh)
A handful of chopped parsley, again fresh is best
1 crushed clove of garlic

Now, let’s get to work:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and when hot, add the carrots, and onion and gently fry to remove the water content and create flavour.

Add the cauliflower, cabbage and then stir in the leeks and courgette.

Allow the vegetables to cook for 10 minutes and then add the water and stock before bringing to the boil

Simmer for 15 minutes then add the lovely basil and parsley and finally for the big hit of flavour, add the garlic.

If you can let the soup sit for at least half an hour before serving with bread, cheese and olives.

Got a favourite soup recipe, drop us a line and let us know what is is.

Team Pure-Beauty

There’s more to turkey than sandwiches

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almonds, carrots, Christmas, curry, drink, eat, eating, food, garlic, healthy, meals, noodles, olive oil, powder, seasonal, sesame, soy sauce, stir-fry, stock, tangine, turkey, wok

Once the roast dinner is done with, most people are left with mounds of turkey waiting to be made into sandwiches thick with mayo and mustard.

The thing is, if you only do this with your leftovers you are missing out on a healthy trick and some tasty treats. Turkey is a delicious, lean meat that is low in fat and an excellent source of protein, so don’t let it go to waste.

We have some easy recipes to help you make the most of that left over turkey you can enjoy with friends during the festive season.

Turkey Tangine

This is a delicious meal that is perfect for enjoying with family and friends between Christmas and New Year.

You will need
300g leftover turkey cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 sliced onion
3 carrots
2 crushed cloves of garlic
500 ml of turkey stock
150ml of water
1 can of tomatoes (400g)
1 can of chickpeas (400g)
140g of dried apricots and prunes, roughly chopped
Clear honey
½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon flaked almonds

What to do:

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion under a gentle heat for about eight minutes or until they are soft.
Add the carrots and parsnips and then cook until they start to soften and go brown.
Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add the stock, tomatoes, chickpeas, dried fruit and 150ml water.
Season, bring to a simmer and cook for 25-30 mins until the vegetables are tender.
Add the turkey and simmer for at least minutes to warm through.
Stir in the honey then add the coriander and almonds just before serving with couscous and a little Greek yogurt.

Turkey Noodles
Whilst curry is the traditional meal to make with leftover turkey, this fresh stir fry is a super-healthy alternative that the whole family will enjoy. Packed with low-fat, high protein meat and tasty vegetables this stir-fry brings the dish bang up to date.

You will need:

200g rice noodles
2 teaspoons sesame oil
250g of turkey cut into strips
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
A thumb sized piece of ginger
1 red chilli that will need to be chopped
2 red peppers that are deseeded and sliced thinly
Left over Christmas vegetables such as peas, shredded carrots and cabbage (maybe leave the sprouts out)
200g beansprouts
1 bunch of spring onions
3 tablespoons of curry powder or paste
1 teaspoon of turmeric
2 large tablespoons of soy sauce plus extra for serving

What to do:

Soak the noodles in boiling water until soft, then drain and toss in a teaspoon of sesame oil in a warm wok for an authentic, delicious flavour.
Place the wok back on the heat with the rest of the oil and gently but quickly fry the garlic, ginger and chilli together.
Add all the vegetables to the wok and fry for a minute before adding the turkey.
Put the noodles plus curry powder, turmeric and soy sauce and cook everything together for a couple of minutes, being careful not to burn, and then stir through the noodles.
Serve with coriander, sliced chilli and extra soy sauce and maybe have a glass of water handy.

Of course you can make salads and soups, curries and hot pots but whatever you do, enjoy your turkey and remember it isn’t just for Christmas.