How to add citrus to your beauty routine

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100% natural, a natural source of vitamin C, accelerates cell renewal, anti-cellulite and body cleansing programme, appearance of ageing, bacteria, balance, Balm Mint, beauty routine, beeswax, bergamot, beta-carotene, blended, breakfast, breakout prone skin, bright, calm inflammation, Camphor, citrus fresh, citrus fruit, citrus fruits, citrus orange, clean, clear, cool, day cream, dazzle, Decleor Green Mandarin Glow Night Balm, Decleor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream, Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash, Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, detoxify stimulate, drink, eat, educe inflammation, Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil, Elemis Exotic Cream Moisturising Mask, energise, energy boost, enrich, essentail oils, eucalyptus, excess oils, fine lines, fresh fragrance, fruit, Ginkgo, goodness, gorgeous blend, Grapefruit, green mandarin, green tea, honey, immune system, key ingredients, lemon, lemon peel extract, lush, massaging, menthol, mimosa, mix, moisturises, natural, natural hyaluronic acid, nourish, powerful, protect, reduce, rejuvenate, rice enzyme powder, sad, Sea Buckthorn, Sea Fennel, sea-rocket, senses, seven days a week, sink in, skin, sleep, smooths, sun-kissed glow, Sweet Orange, tangy taste, Tea Tree, treat, uneven skin pigmentation, universal, vibrant appearance, vitamin-packed food, wrinkles, zest, zing

Citrus fruits have a tangy taste, fresh fragrance and vibrant appearance and this winning combo makes them a universal favourite. As well as being great to eat and drink, the goodness of citrus fruits are often used in beauty products.

We have had a look at how adding a little citrus to your beauty routine could add zest and zing to your skin.

The Decleor Green Mandarin Glow Night Balm is 100% natural and can really help to energise your skin and reduce the appearance of ageing. This really is a citrus packed dream as green mandarin, grapefruit, lemon and sweet orange essential oils have been blended with beeswax to offer an energy boost to your skin as you sleep.

It’s the lemon peel extract, a natural source of vitamin C, that helps to protect skin and reduce inflammation in the popular Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash. This fabulous foaming cleanser clears the problem causing excess oils and bacteria on breakout-prone skin. Balm mint, eucalyptus and tea tree oils, plus menthol and camphor all come together with the lemon to clean and cool skin so it can settle and breathe.

Did you know that citrus can be part of an anti-cellulite and body cleansing programme? Well, it can with the gorgeous Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil. A powerful mix of sea buckthorn and sea fennel extracts have been added to lemon and juniper essential oils to create a beauty routine staple you won’t want to be without. Massaging just a little of the oil into the skin will nourish, detoxify and stimulate. Regular use can help smooth cellulite, boost a sluggish system, lift lethargy and even help ease constipation when rubbed into the tummy and lower back.

We know that eating vitamin-packed food is good for our immune system but using those same ingredients on our skin can be positive too. This is where the Decleor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream comes into play. This lush day cream moisturises the skin, helps ease fine lines and wrinkles gives you an even sun-kissed glow. This is thanks to a gorgeous blend of citrus essential oils, natural hyaluronic acid and beta-carotene which together re-energise tired-looking skin. Not only does simply sink into your skin and leave it looking great but with green mandarin, grapefruit, lemon and orange oils being part of the mix, it makes you smell amazing too.

Grapefruit is often eaten for breakfast, but it is one of the key ingredients in the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. This unique rice enzyme powder smooths the skin, accelerates cell renewal and is gentle enough to be used seven days a week. Grapefruit is part of the skin brightening complex together with aspergillus, liquorice and bearberry which come together to balance uneven skin pigmentation. We love that green tea, ginkgo and oatmeal have been added to help to calm inflammation so that skin is clear, bright and citrus fresh.

If your skin is feeling sad, why not treat it to a session with the Elemis Exotic Cream Moisturising Mask? Mimosa and honey have been expertly blended with extracts of sea rocket, bergamot and citrus orange which together moisturise and enrich the skin. Using for ten minutes twice a week or leaving on overnight will rejuvenate your skin and dazzle your senses.

If you need a little citrus in your life, get in touch and let’s see what would work for you.

Team Pure-Beauty

Smoothies That Will Make You Smile

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almonds, apple juice, banana, blanched, blender, blitz, blueberries, bowl, breakfast, carrot, cashew nuts, chocolate bar, cold water, cored, creamy, cucumber, drink, five a day, fresh, Frozen, fruity blend of passion fruit, ginger, goji berries, green apple, green grapes, gym, home, hunger, kiwi, lemon, mango, mid-morning, mid-morning snack, minerals, office, on the go, orange, orange juice, peeled, pick me up, post workout boost, preparation, raspberries, recipe, seeds, sliced, smooth, smoothie, spinach, strawberries, sugary energy drink, Vitamin C, vitamins, warmth, worth it, zing

Whether they are part of your breakfast, a mid-morning snack or post workout boost, smoothies are a brilliant way to get vital vitamins and minerals into your body, and reach that five a day. They can be eaten at home, in the office, at the gym or even on the go, and are way better than grabbing a sugary energy drink or bar of chocolate when hunger strikes.

You don’t need fancy equipment or special powders to make a great smooth, and we have put together some recipes that prove this point.

The Tropical Treat
If you kick your day off with this fruity blend of passion fruit, mango, orange and banana, not only will you be on top of your five a day, but you’ll get a blast of vitamin C, too.

You will need:
3 passion fruits
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 small mango, peeled, stoned and chopped (you can use frozen pieces too)
1 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
300ml of orange juice
Ice cubes

Scoop the passion fruit pulp into your blender, then add the chopped banana, mango and orange juice, blend with the ice cubes until smooth and drink immediately.

Go Green
This gorgeous green smoothie is great for breakfast on the go and also makes a great mid-morning pick me up.

You will need
1 banana, peeled and sliced
200g of fresh or frozen spinach, washed if fresh
1 handful of green grapes
1 green apple, cored but with skin left on
10 cm of cucumber, sliced with skin left on
250ml of apple juice
1 lime
Ice cubes

To make:
Put the banana and spinach in a blender and pour in the apple juice together with the spinach, grapes and apple, then blitz.
Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the blender, then add the ice cubes and blitz all the mixture until smooth.

The Seed Smoothie
This is a great smoothie if you are hungry and while it takes a little preparation, it is so worth it.

You will need:
20g of cashew nuts
20g of blanched almonds
45g of mixed seeds
2 teaspoons of goji berries
1 banana, peeled and sliced
100g of raspberries and the same of strawberries
100g of blueberries
Water
A lemon
Ice cubes

To make:
The night before, put the cashews in a small bowl and pour over 100ml of cold water, then cover and leave to soak overnight.

In the morning, put the seeds and goji berries into the blender and blitz until you have a fine powder, then add the soaked cashews and almonds, then blitz again.

Next put in the raspberries, blueberries, strawberries as well as the banana in the blender, squeeze in half the juice of the lemon, plus the ice and blitz until smooth.

You can either drink straight away, or put in a flask and enjoy later.

Ginger and Orange Blitz
This is a really lovely smoothie with zing and warmth.

You will need:
A 2cm piece of fresh ginger
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 small mango, peeled, stoned and chopped (you can use frozen pieces too)
200ml of fresh orange juice
1 lime

To make:
Scrape the skin off the ginger, then finely grate into your blender and add in the carrot, mango and orange juice. Blitz, add the juice of the lime and the ice cubes, then blend until smooth and enjoy.

The Big Purple Smoothie
If you love your berries, you will love this smoothie which is perfect if you are peckish and don’t want to eat cake!

You will need:
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of purple grapes
1 banana, peeled and sliced
8 strawberries, chop off the stalk
1 large banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup of almond or oat milk
2 teaspoons of honey
Ice cubes

To make:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth and creamy. Pour into tall glasses and serve, or take with you to work in a vacuum cup.

Got a recipe you think we will like?

Send it over, we would love to try.

Team Pure Beauty

How to avoid the afternoon slump

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almond butter, busy schedules, cappuccino, carrot sticks with hummus, chicken, cottage cheese, desk, diet, fish, fizzy drinks, fresh air, healthy protein, iced water, lifestyle changes, lunch, pastry, peanut butter, plain popcorn, posture, rice, rice cakes, scrambled egg and avocado, spring, step, toast, tofu, turkey breast, unsalted nuts, water, whole-grain bread or a baked sweet potato, zing

Far from being an urban myth, the 3pm slump is alive and kicking and something many people experience everyday.

You leave the house full of energy, get through your to do list by lunch but come mid-afternoon lethargy kicks in and you start to count the hours until bedtime.

The ‘afternoon slump’ has tradiontally been connected with big meals, as often seen in the TV hit, the Royale Family, but you can’t just blame food. Bad habits, lack of sleep, too little exercise and the wrong diet can all add to that feeling of mid-afternoon tiredness.

Whilst there isn’t a magic wand to kick the blues out of the way, there are easy lifestyle changes you can make to keep afternoon fatigue away and put the spring back in your step.

What you eat for breakfast will have an impact on how you feel for the rest of the day. A pastry and cappuccino from the station might be quick and easy, but it won’t do you, or your wallet, any favours in the long run. Toast with peanut butter, a vitamin packed smoothie or a wholemeal muffin with a scrambled egg and avocado will give you the fuel you need for the day ahead.

At lunchtime, enjoy a balanced meal and get up and go for a walk and get some fresh air. Both are often lost due to busy schedules but they can make the world of difference. Healthy lunch choices include brown rice, whole-grain bread or a baked sweet potato with lean proteins such as turkey breast, fish, chicken, tofu or cottage cheese. These filling combinations will top up your energy levels and stop your blood sugar dropping.

Sweet snacks packed with sugar are often used as a pick me up, but this is where people go wrong. Yes, have them as a treat from time to time, but they will actually contribute to a dip in blood sugar levels and leave you feeling sluggish. Stay away from vending machines and fizzy drinks and opt for a handful of unsalted nuts, carrot sticks with hummus, plain popcorn or rice cakes and almond butter.

Caffeine is another well used energy booster, but again, the initial buzz can lead to headaches and poor sleep. You don’t have to avoid tea and coffee altogether but aim to limit your caffeine consumption to no more than 400 milligrams a day; a regular cup of coffee contains 90 to 120mg. Not only can this help prevent afternoon dips but can also help you feel calmer and aid better sleep.

If you want to ensure optimum brain and body power, drinking at least eight glasses of water a day will help keep you hydrated and awake. Keep a bottle of mineral water with you when you are out and about and add lemon and cucumber to iced water at home to liven up the taste and add a little extra zing.

We all tend to be creatures of habit but making small, active changes to your routine can keep you feel more alert. Cycle to work, go to a dance class at lunchtime, take the stairs rather than the lift and walk across the office to talk to colleagues rather than sending an email.

If you work in at a desk, it is really important to pay attention to your posture and how you are sitting. Sitting up straight, having your computer screen at the right level, placing your feet flat on the floor and taking small breaks to walk and stretch, can all make difference to how you feel and how tired you are. Give it a go, we bet it makes a difference.

Keep a diary of the changes you make and how you feel and we are sure that in a week or two, you will be feeling happier and more energised all day long.

Team Pure Beauty