Neutrals tones: SS15

Spring is here ( albeit very windy in London) and Summer can't get here fast enough! I am absolutely loving neutral shades at the moment. These timeless tones are chic and easy to incorporate into your current wardrobe and pull an outfit together, without being drab or boring!

 Here are a few basic neutral  items to carry you into SS15 that will really enhance any outfit and lend an air of sophistication without breaking the bank.

Up your neutral game with these pieces which are all under £20!

Check them out.

Newlook grey ribbed midi dress £6

F&F Boxy top handle satchel £18

eBay Shaggy Faux Fur Coat Jacket £7.98

Newlook White Lace Longline Sleeveless Cardigan £17.99

H & M oatmeal knitted jumper £9.99

eBay embossed Leather Shoulder Tote Satchel £10.99

Warehouse Cream military shirt dress £30

eBay beige oversized cateye sunglasses £1.38

Peacocks Womens Large Structured Satchel £16.00

Peacocks Womens Crepe Funnel Plain Dress £14.00

H & M Small shoulder bag £7.99

  

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

D.I.Y: Home made Shea butter whip ( Skin Care edition)

Hi Lovers,

So in my Shea butter hair edition post,  I showed you 2 of my fav recipes for hair and now I am going to show you my tried and tested, no muss, no fuss Shea butter bodacious body whip.

This has been my main/ consistent go to body moisturiser for the last year and a half and I LOVE it. Before this I had made it sporadically but now it is everything. You really see a difference in your skin!

It's natural, it's affordable, it's effective and it lasts a long time (2-3 months including daily use).

Shea Butter whip

As seen in my hair care edition , all you need to get started is a clean large mixing bowl and a electric whisk. I use a separate one for food but there are no harmful chemicals associated with Shea butter and once the product is cleaned there is no chance of you getting sick.

Instruments you will need:

Clean large mixing bowl/ container

1x 16oz containers ( another recycled container)

Spoon/ spatula

Electric whisk (I bought a cheapy one from Argos specifically for doing this)es)

Once all the ingredients have been added

Classic Shea butter whip (intense moisturising):

Crumblef Shea butter into your mixing bowl.

Add

2 tbsp Castor oil

1 tbsp Coconut oil

2 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp Almond oil

1 tsp Flax oil

1 tbsp Grapeseed oil

3 tbsp of Aloe Vera water

3 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil

1 drop of Lemon Essential Oil

2 drops of Lavender Essential Oil 

2 drops of carrot seed Essential Oil 

2 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil 

3 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil  

2 drops of carrot seed Essential Oil 

Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Depending on you personal taste adjust the amount of oil if it seems too oil heavy or you have been a little heavy handed (guilty lol).

The finished product should be light and fluffy with a silky texture that allows it to sink into the skin while sealing moisture in. This is also great for deep moisture and hair repair. Add a heaped tablespoonful to a deep conditioner for those with finer hair / Caucasian hair who can't take or don't like having a bit of weight to the strand, as this may make their hair appear greasy and lank in moisturiser form.

All products were purchased from Naturally Thinking and are of the highest quality which is handy. Be ready to spend a fair bit of moolah because you will want everything .

Final product

I am dying to know about your  go to Shea butter whips?  
So do let me know.

P.S sneaky tip: If you have dry or chapped lips apply some of this after a sugar scrub. Works wonders

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

D.I.Y: Home made Shea butter whip (Hair edition)

Hey Lovers,

Shea butter has been a part of my life for so long. Everybody in my family uses it and always has in some capacity. 

Last year I really upped my efforts to make more of my own haircare products and even threw in a few beauty products too. Currently I am doing about 85% all natural stuff and wanted to share some of that with you. The healing benefits of Shea butter for the skin and hair are endless. Plus it isn't filled with a myriad of unpronounceable chemicals.

  

Left: Shea butter & Aloe whip      Middle: Shea butter whip        Right: Shea butter & Mango butter

There a plethora of Shea butter mixes online and various ways of combining ingredients, so I am going to show you some of my favourites . Below are 3 variations of unrefined organic Shea butter whip that can be used as a hair moisturiser and a body lotion. I will be showing you how I made the mixes in the yellow containers and make a separate post for the bigger body moisturiser.

The first thing to say is I do NOT  melt my Shea butter as I have been told this reduces the potency and weakens it. Leaving the butter at room temp for about an hour will make it pliable.

Instruments you will need:

Clean large mixing bowl/ container

2 6oz containers (mine are recycled motions hair conditioner containers)

Spoon/ spatula

Electric whisk (I bought a cheapy one from Argos specifically for doing this)

Shea butter and Aloe butter mix (deep moisture):

Crumble 100g of Shea butter and 40g of Aloe butter into your mixing bowl.

Add 

2 tbsp Castor oil

1 tbsp Coconut oil

2 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp Almond oil

1 tsp cherry kernel oil

1 tbsp Grapeseed oil

3 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil

1 drop of Lemon Essential Oil

(if you have sensitivity be very careful with your essential oil usage)

Mix until there are no lumps left or if you are lazy like me until they are small enough to be manageable and will melt once rubbed with your hands.

Shea butter and Aloe butter

Shea butter and Mango butter (Lighter moisturising sealant):

Again crumble 100g of Shea butter and 45g of Mango butter into your mixing bowl.

Add 

1 tbsp Castor oil

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Flax Seed oil

2 tbsp Andiroba Seed Oil

2 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil 

3 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil 

1 drop of  Rosemary Essential Oil 

2 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil 

2 drops of  Ylang Ylang Extra Essential Oil

Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. It is very easy to over whip these mixture so try not to over do it as I have found that makes the mixture heavier and greasier.

These were definitely my hair saviours last year and my hair feels better for it. I really saw a difference in the winter and a little goes such a long way. 15 minutes of work lasts me almost 3 months and it is better economically too.

All products were purchased from Naturally Thinking and are of the highest quality without breaking the bank.

Whats your go to Shea butter whip? What do you use it for?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Maximum Volume Mascara review

Other than Maybelline Great Lash Mascara I am not really faithful to one brand of mascara. I like to experiment and that is exactly how I came across this gorgeous find.

Luckily whilst in TK MAXX  (I fear TK Maxx will feature a lot this year lol)I stumbled across about 10 tubes of Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Maximum Volume Mascara hidden behind some O.P.I gift sets. Usually retailing for £21.00 I decided that I would definitely be purchasing this in black for a delightful £7 as a pre-Christmas pressie for myself! I also picked up 2 more in case of stocking pressie emergencies.

10.25 ML tube

I have been trialling it for 3  months solidly now and I am so happy I bought it. Can I just say- Gale force English winds aren't the only thing making waves up in here! lol. It definitely lengthens dramatically and I have had sooo many compliments. I have even had people thinking I had falsies on - result! I generally use 2-3 applications and wait for the last layer to dry before applying the next, to avoid clumps. Some people have had issues with the brush size but it works perfectly for me . Luckily I bought extras as I am on to my second one now and they have disappeared in store.

Brush thickness

The Elizabeth Arden website claims that " This beauty award-winner dramatically thickens lashes as it separates and defines. Smudge-proof formula lasts all day " and I am in total agreement with their lengthening and separating properties. They really really make my eyes pop and totally frame my eyes. However I was not blown away by the level of thickness provided by this mascara. It wasn't bad just slightly above average in my opinion. Other than that I am super excited about this mascara, it lasted all day, no clumping didn't flake and there was no irritation. It isn't waterproof unfortunately which is a big thing for me but after testing it I didn't encounter any smudging or running but then I haven't cried so hey-ho. I usually use 2 mascaras at once so using this under a waterproof one will combat this issue. I took a long time me to review this by its self as I wanted to see the effects of long term application and I am happy to say  I haven't had any irritation or eyelash shedding.

I would definitely recommend trying out this Mascara. However I am not about to spend £21 every 3 months for this unless I really have to. Lots of people are on budgets or just can't afford to pay full price for what is actually deemed to be a "lower end" priced luxury mascara. I would definitely suggest heading over to TK MAXX or searching around online for the best deal possible from trusted sources. There are some really good fakes with who knows what in, so please be careful. 

All in all this is definitely a keeper!

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Homemade Hibiscus hair mask

Hey guys,

It's March already and I am sad to say I have only done 2 hair masks this year ahhhhh!

I know, not hitting them life goals lol.

I am really into natural, homemade masks so I think I am getting away with it as one of my fav masks incorporates Hibiscus which packs all kinds of goodness into your hair. Hibiscus is a really good natural remedy for so many things. It strengthens weak or damaged hair, promotes hair growth and reduces shedding and nourishes the hair shaft. To find out more click here.

Mixture includes:

6 heaped tablespoons of hair conditioner (whatever you use)

4 heaped tablespoons of plain natural yoghurt or Greek

1 table spoon of fresh ground dried Hibiscus petals

3 drops of tea tree essential oil

2 drops of peppermint essential oil

2 teaspoons of natural honey

2 tablespoons aloe vera water

1 tablespoon of Castor oil

1 tablespoon of Coconut oil

1 teaspoon Jojoba oil

1 teaspoon Grapeseed oil

keep in for 30 mins to 1 hour minimum.

If you have short hair this will make enough for 2 masks for store the remainder in the fridge for a maximum of 2 weeks. With my big fro I can use all of this if I am going for a really deep mask conditioner. This mixture softens, moisturises and strengthens you hair. you will definitely see a difference in shine and the general feel of you hair.

You will need to rinse you hair thoroughly and give it a shake to ensure no bits are left in your hair.

ALERT: those with blonde or lightened hair may experience slight dying of the hair so if lavender isn't your look for SS15 maybe steer clear!

What is your go to hair mask?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays