Give something back this Christmas

Tags

addiction problems, appreciate, bed, big difference, books, cancer, carol singing, cause, charity shop, Christmas, Christmas cards, Christmas food, clean clothes, CLIC Sargent, CLIC Sargent nurse, clothes, coopers, Crisis at Christmas, delicious Christmas dinner, donating, expert advice, festive treats, Food banks, give back, health checks, homeless, hot shower, hot soup, https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk, hungry, in need, income, less, mental health, money, nutritious, pans, Salvation Army, shoes, streets., supermarket, thick coat, treatment, volunteer

Trainers for Steve, a new phone for Rosie and that much wanted laptop for Alice, Christmas is full of presents but how about giving something back to those less fortunate than you?

We have had a look at some of the good causes you can contribute to this Christmas, as well as looking at a few ideas that come from the heart, direct to someone who will really appreciate it.

Crisis at Christmas
For less than £30, you can ensure someone in need gets a place at the Crisis Christmas table this year. That cost will include a nutritious, delicious Christmas dinner, the offer of a hot shower and clean clothes to change into. There will also be a bed for the night if needed, health checks if people want them as well as expert advice on mental health and addiction problems.

Food banks
As you order your Christmas food, or stock up in the supermarket, why not add a few extras for those who can’t afford the cost of living. There are food banks up and down the country and by donating everyday items, as well as some festive treats, you could be making a big difference to someone in need.

Clic Sargent
Did you know that £10 could buy two story books that will help children understand cancer and treatment. £30 pays for a family to stay at a Homes from Home for one night, so they can be close to hospital and £50 (the cost of a computer game) could pay for a CLIC Sargent nurse to talk to a child about their cancer diagnosis and what treatment will be like. This could make a huge difference to an entire family for less than the cost of one meal out for you.

Charity shop drop
Don’t throw away the books, clothes and shoes you no longer need, give them to a local charity shop. You might not want that thick coat or set of pans, but a charity shop gives someone else the chance to buy something they can’t afford new, and the charity gets to generate an income for their cause too. Oh, and while you are there, you could buy your Christmas cards or odd present and give even more back.

Eating on the streets
No one knows the story behind people who are homeless, but we do know that everyone gets hungry. Yes, you can give someone money, but why not buy them a sandwich, some hot soup, plus a bottle of water, and you will know that they will have eaten something that day.

The Salvation Army
Did you know that the Salvation Army helps people across the UK and there are many ways you can be a part of their work? From cake sales with family and friends to trekking in Cambodia, as well as making donations rather than sending cards, there are endless ways you can help them to make life easier for someone in need.

Volunteer you time
Time is something we can all give, and volunteers at soup kitchens over Christmas are always needed. Many organisations offer a hot meal inside in the warm to people sleeping rough, so why not do some research and see what is happening in your area and how you could get involved.

Go carol singing
Maybe this is a little old-fashioned, but why not get together some friends, put on your hats and gloves and go out and sing carols to raise coppers (and more) for a cause that is close to your heart and your home.

Have a wonderful Christmas, but if you can, do something to make someone else’s just that little bit easier too.

Team Pure Beauty

Advertisements

Get the party started at Pure Beauty

Tags

awake, bag, bar, beautifully natural golden glow, bounce, Clary Sage, conditioned, conditioning cleanser, dance, dead skin cells, Decleor Body Firming Oil-In-Cream, Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk, delicate fragrance, Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash, Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo, Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse, Devils Apron Seaweed, diary, drinks, dullness, elasticity, Elemis Devils Mint Body Scrub, Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Cream and, essential oils of Tea Tree, eucalyptus, events, exfoliation, Extracts of Vanilla, firming oil-in-cream, floral scent, foaming lather, fresh, gentle massaging movements, glows, gorgeous moisturiser, gorgeous products, Grapefruit Essential Oi, healthy and sun kissed, infuse softness, January, lavender, lemon, light, little black dress, look your best, Magnolia Essential Oil, manageability, natural moisturisers, New Year celebrations, nourishing, occasions, office Christmas lunch, orange, parties, party season, Peppermint Essential Oil, perfect dress, purify, quick shower, rich, robust, rosemary, Sandalwood, shiny hair, shoes, showering, silicon-rich sea plant particles, skin firmness, smell, smooth, soap free, soft and silky, sulfate-free shampoo, sunbeds, Tahiti, travel sizes, wash bag, wash your hands

Have a look in your diary and we are pretty sure that from now until January you will have a whole host of festive parties and events to attend. From the office Christmas lunch and drinks with the neighbours, to nights out with the girls and New Year celebrations, this is a busy time of year and it is only natural that you want to look your best.

As well as choosing the perfect dress, finding shoes you can actually walk in and a bag that works for all occasions, you want your skin to look great too. At Pure Beauty, we sell a range of gorgeous products which can help do exactly this.

If you only have time for a quick shower before heading out to a party, may we suggest you use the Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash. This rich, conditioning cleanser is soap free which means it leaves your body feeling soft and silky every time you step out of the shower. Essential Oils of Tea Tree, Lemon, Eucalyptus and Rosemary purify without stripping natural moisturisers, while Sandalwood, Lavender, Orange and Clary Sage leave your skin conditioned, smooth and smelling great. With travel sizes on sale too, you can pop it in your wash bag, get ready after your last meeting and still look fresh and awake when you arrive at the bar.

If it is smooth skin you want, look no further than the Elemis Devils Mint Body Scrub . Packed with silicon-rich sea plant particles, Devils Apron seaweed and Peppermint essential oil, using this scrub will not only clean your skin, but take away the dead skin cells that cause dullness too. Use in the shower and follow with the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Cream and your limbs will feel satin soft, look silky smooth and you will smell amazing and you dance the night away.

For fresh, shiny hair, look no further than the Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo. Suitable for everyone, this nourishing, sulfate-free shampoo has a robust, foaming lather that is packed with moisturising oils which infuse softness, and manageability. Follow with the moisture rich Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse for an added bounce, shine and delicate fragrance.

If you want skin that glows, without the damage caused by sunbeds, why not try the Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk? This gorgeous moisturiser not only offers socks into the sink and offers intense nourishment but it builds a beautifully natural golden glow that is perfect for the party season. Extracts of Vanilla from Tahiti have been blended with Magnolia Essential Oil to create a rich, softening lotion which sinks into your limbs and helps them look healthy and sun-kissed. This body milk is best applied to dry skin after exfoliation and showering, using gentle massaging movements evenly over the body and do remember to wash your hands after use.

If you want to firm up your skin before slipping into that little black dress, you might want to consider trying the Decleor Body Firming Oil-In-Cream. This light, firming oil-in-cream helps improve skin firmness and elasticity. It has a fresh, floral scent with hints of Grapefruit Essential Oil, and when used morning and night skin appears smoothed, soft, supple and toned which is just what you want when you are out with friends celebrating Christmas.

If you have any questions, or would like to try out a sample or two, get in touch and we would love to help you find something that works perfectly for you.

Team Pure Beauty

Good Health for the New Term

Tags

adults, advice, anxiety, back pain, backs, bedtimes, books, boost, bugs, chemical, children’s health, clean hair, clear sign, colds, combing conditioner, conversations, depression, dirty hair, emotional health, family, family life, fine-toothed comb, fruit and vegetables, gaps, good health, GP, hair, happy, head lice, healthy diet, heavy bags, help, homework, immune system, itching, kid’s multi-vitamin supplement, kit, laptops, long, mobile devices, natural, new school term, nits, open line of communication, pencil case, physical well-being, poor posture, rucksack, school children, self harm, shoes, short, shoulders, sleep, spines, sports kits, stress, stretching, suffer, sunglight, support, Tea Tree, top tips, under the duvet texting, uniform, Vitamin D, wet hair, withdrawal

The uniforms have been bought and labels have been stuck on, the shoes have been shined and the new pencil cases are the cleanest they will ever be. While we know it is important to get their kit ready when it comes to the new school term, it is also worth looking at your children’s health too.

While you can’t stop them catching colds and picking up bugs, you can give them the best start to good health and we have got some top tips so you can help them feel their best.

Immune System Boost
School children are constantly picking up colds and viruses, so it is really important to keep their immune systems strong. As well as a healthy diet, packed with fruit and vegetables, it might be worth giving them a kid’s multi-vitamin supplement to plug the gaps and keep them healthy. Do speak to your GP or pharmacist about which product is best for your child and remember that as well as those key vitamins we all know about, as the nights draw in and there is less sunlight, added Vitamin D could be a smart move too.

Treat Head Lice
Head lice are quickly spread by head-to-head contact and with children playing close together, it is no wonder they can become rife, fast when the new term starts. Clean hair, dirty hair, long or short – it really doesn’t matter, these little bugs simply want to get onto your child’s scalp so the best thing you can do is check hair on a regular basis and if there is a lot of itching going on, it might be a clear sign something is up. If you find your child does have head lice, you can start to combat the problem by combing conditioner through their wet hair using a special fine-toothed comb. This method can help to remove the head lice and nits (empty shells) but if this doesn’t work you can use a natural (often tea tree based) or chemical lotion instead to blast the bugs away.

Keep Backs Healthy
It isn’t just adults who suffer from back pain, thanks to heavy bags and poor posture, children are increasingly being plagued too. Yes, they need to take in books, laptops and sports kits, but using a rucksack and carrying their load on both shoulders is a back healthy way to go. Sitting up in class and stretching at the end of the day can also help even things out and keep spines happy.

Communicate
It isn’t just physical well-being that is important for children, but emotional health too. With almost a quarter of 14-year-old girls found to have used self-harm as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, and depression, it is really important to try to keep an open line of communication with your children. We know this isn’t always easy and that when there are problems opening up can be hard, but try to have those conversations and see where help is needed. Keep an eye on much time is being spent on screens, whether there is withdrawal from family life and if you are worried, speak to a teacher or your GP about getting more support and advice.

Bedtime
Every family has different rules when it comes to bedtime and screens. The reality is that mobile devices are often found in the bedroom late at night and these can impact sleep and overall health. Find a plan that works for you and your children, decide on a bedtime, ensure homework is done so there are no last-minute panics that impact stress and sleep, and ensure mobiles are turned off and there is no under the duvet texting which means getting up the next day is tough.

Good luck!

Team Pure Beauty

Wedding Tips for a Perfect Day

Tags

aunts, blisters, blogs, brothers, chemistry, congregation, deep foundations, dress, drink plenty of water, fake it, family frictions, feet, find your tribe, first dance, forecast, friend fallouts, friends, glowing, gym, healthy, hen party, I do, ideas, inspiration, Instagram brides, instincts, kind, love, magazines, Marbella, meals, Megan Markle, memorable, Mother Nature, mums, natural and simple, neighbours, obsession, orange stripes, perfect, photographers, photos, planners, planning, portfolios, Prince Harry, professional, rain, realistic goals, relaxed, Royal couple, semi-permanent eyebrows, shine, shoes, sisters, skip meals, social media sites, stylists, suncream, tan, thank you cards, top tips, towels, umbrellas, unique, websites, Windsor

With Prince Harry and Megan Markle set to sparkle as the say ‘I do’ in Windsor on 19 May, love is in the air.

While the Royal couple no doubt have an eye watering budget and a team of planners, stylists and photographers on hand to ensure this is an occasion the world will want to watch, not everyone has such an entourage to help plan their big day.

Fear not, we love a good wedding and have put together our top tips on planning the perfect day for you.

It’s all about the shoes
We know how important shoes are on your big day, but don’t make that the time to try them out for the first time. Once you have found the perfect pair, wear them in the house quite a bit so your feet are used to them and you don’t end up with blisters even before your first dance.

Find your tribe
Mums, aunts, sisters, brothers, friends, neighbours and work mates will all have special skills and if you ask them to give you a hand you will, in no time, have your very own wedding tribe. Not only will they help keep you grounded and relaxed, they will also want you to have a great day and be only too happy to do jobs to make things perfect.

Be kind to yourself
Shedding extra pounds is often front of mind with many brides, and grooms, but don’t make this an obsession because it could ruin your day. Make realistic goals but don’t hit the gym everyday or skip meals or you’ll be hungry and tired rather than glowing and healthy. Plan your meals, drink plenty of water and check your dress is altered before you wear it for real.

Watch that tan
If you didn’t have a hen party in Marbella to top up the tan, you might be tempted to fake it, but be careful with this one. Heavy spray tans, semi-permanent eyebrows and deep foundations might look good on Instagram brides, but if keep things natural and simple, your love with shine through, not the orange stripes on your shoulders.

Budget for everything
No one likes last-minute surprises so from the moment you get that sparkler on your finger, set your budget and stick to it. With social media sites, blogs and magazines offering inspiration and ideas, you can create something truly unique and memorable without remortgaging your home.

Remember the weather
You can plan most things, but there is no way to control Mother Nature. Keep an eye on the forecast in the lead up to the big day and prepare accordingly. If it is going to rain, organise extra umbrellas and towels for guests, and if you are looking at a heat wave, water and sun cream will be welcomed by the congregation.

Say cheese
When it comes to capturing the magic of your big day, the photos are so important so go for a professional. They don’t need to be the most expensive but check out their websites and portfolios, do a trial session and at the end of the day, it comes down to chemistry so follow your instincts at your first meeting.

Keep people happy
We know there can be family frictions and friend fallouts but this is your big day so manage those situations accordingly. Look at how best to put people together, who to keep apart and have someone keeping an eye on how much booze is being consumed, especially if it is a warm day.

Say thank you
Weddings are expensive for the guests as well as the bride and groom, so be sure to send out thank you cards so everyone knows how much they were appreciated.

Most of all, have fun, make memories and enjoy it because it will be over in a flash.

Team Beauty

Go vegan your way

Tags

100%, Accessories, almond and oat milks, animal sanctuaries, aquariums, beans, beliefs, brown rice, charities, cheese lover, chickpeas, choice, clothing, cows’ milk, cupboards, dairy, diet, eat, farmers market, flavour, fresh fruit, fridge, gelatin, healthy, home products, immune system, independent delis, leather, lentils, local health food shop, lunch, meat, nuts, oats, petting farms, plant based diet, prizes, protein-rich foods, rescued animals, seeds, shoes, silk, social media groups, societies, Sunday, swap, sweet potatoes, tofu, Toiletries, Vegan, vegan pantry, Veganary, vegetables, websites, wholemeal bread, wool, Zoos

Veganary might be a distant memory, but the number of people opting for a plant-based diet, and lifestyle, is on the rise.

Just to clarify, veganism is essentially eating a diet from all animal foods including meat, fish, shellfish plus dairy, eggs, honey and anything containing by-products like gelatin. Vegans also avoid leather, wool, silk and anything tested on animals.

If becoming a vegan is on your mind, we have put together some ideas that might help you make the change.

Go your own way
Some people go 100% vegan from day one, and others take their time. This isn’t a race and there are no prizes for getting there fast, so take your time and do what works for you. Take dairy or meat out of your diet one day a week, have a vegan roast on Sunday and take your own lunch into work. Testing the waters and seeing how you feel and what you like can be a more practical approach than throwing everything out of the cupboards and fridge, then regretting it.

Look around your house
If you are serious about being a vegan, you will need to look at your belongs and decide if they fit with your new lifestyle choice and beliefs. From accessories, shoes and clothing to toiletries, animal products and products tested on animals are found in more places than you might expect, so take your time and make the swaps needed.

Find what you like
There’s a plant-based alternative for many foods and home products and this is very much a growing market. Try going to your local health food shop, farmers market, independent delis and supermarkets and begin creating a vegan pantry. Think about those foods you enjoy, but contain animal products, and what you can swap them for. There are some great tofu products out there, almond and oat milks are a great alternative to cow’s milk and if you’re cheese lover, there are options out there for vegans so you won’t miss out.

Be aware of your needs
Being vegan doesn’t instantly make you healthy. You need to take a look at your new diet and ensure you are still getting a balanced intake of food groups and vitamins because if you aren’t this to tiredness and a lower immune system. As well as a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables it is important to add protein-rich foods such as beans, chickpeas, nuts, lentils and seeds into the mix. High fibre starchy foods like oats, sweet potatoes, wholemeal bread and pasta plus brown rice are great for a vegan diet and using herbs and unsaturated fats, such as vegetable and olive oils, in your cooking will add flavour and richness.

Going out
Zoos, petting farms, aquariums and taking part in dog or horse racing aren’t on the agenda for vegans but you can visit, and support, animal sanctuaries and charities as they offer safe and loving homes for rescued animals.

Get some support
From the societies, social media groups and vegan magazines, you won’t be alone or stuck for support on your journey and you will probably find some friends along the way too. Have a look at what’s on offer and you will be surprised at just how many other people are choosing a vegan way of life.

Team Pure Beauty