Vegan (Dairy & Egg Free) Nanaimo Bars

I have come to the conclusion that Ms Cupcake's cookbook is not for the faint hearted (click here for my review). Second recipe in and I am in need of a dentist :-)

I am not sure I really enjoyed these Nanaimo bars. They are one of those no cooking, fridge based recipes. A biscuit base with coconut, walnuts and cocoa powder, followed by a layer of buttercream and topped off with melted chocolate. I made one change, which is suggested in the book, I substituted custard powder in the buttercream for peanut butter.

Ms Cupcake loves her buttercream but I am slowly going off it, in my opinion the quantity is a bit OTT so I will be cutting back in future. I would not make these again. I think I will go back to making plain cupcakes my sweet tooth officially died after eating that one slice pictured above.

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Miss Polly Natural Skincare - Relaunch

I discovered Miss Polly Natural Skincare back in 2011 and reviewed the Frangipani Body Butter at the start of 2012 (click here). Polly took a break from her business but I am pleased to say she is back making products and the website is up and running again.

From first hand experience I can tell you the products are delightful and made with natural ingredients. The range consists of soaps, lip balms, hand and foot balms, cleanser and facial serum. The Intensive Hand Treatment won Best hand cream 2012 in the Green Parents Natural Beauty Awards. It repairs dry skin and is one of Miss Polly's most popular products. Later on in the year Polly hopes to add body scrubs to the product line. 

If you are familiar with the soaps you may notice some changes. They are bigger with a small amount of colouring to give them visual impact. The colour is less than 1% of the ingredients and the soaps still conform to Miss Polly's No Paraben, SLS, SLES ethos. They can be made without colour upon request.

If you love handmade, natural skincare then you need to visit the Miss Polly website (click here) and order for yourself, you will not be disappointed.

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NOT a sponsored post simply wish to share with readers

Green Lifestyle - How To Use One Paper Towel

Thanks to Natural Beauty Junkie (@shookadnuca) this video popped up in my Twitter timeline and caught my attention. 

 

The video teaches you how to use one paper towel so we can help limit wastage. The statistics are for America but I guess there is significant paper towel wastage in the UK. My office (as in my day job/employer) provides paper towels rather than hand dryers and I am sure we are not alone.

"The problems with paper towels are many-fold: they don’t contain significant amounts of fibre for recycling and when they’re dirty or wet, they degrade even further and become non-recyclable. And paper towels soaked in oils, pet or baby waste or other harmful substances should be steered clear of the compost pile." (source - earth911.com)

Sticking with the theme of helping to save paper another novel idea I know about (via Kim @sunymothrnature) are People Towels.

"People Towels are the newest concept in sustainability. An on-the-go, sustainable alternative to paper towels in public facilities, these reusable personal hand towels are made of a patent-pending fabric that is 100% certified organic Fair Trade cotton. The light-weight fabric is absorbent, yet dries quickly."

I imagine People Towels come in handy if you travel regularly and perhaps I need to invest in one for work. If you need a UK stockist I found them at Onya Bags and click here for the Company's main website.

Does this make you stop and think about paper wastage? Will you now shake and fold?

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Big Green Tree Women's Facial Serum

When Big Green Tree asked if I would like to sample a product from their new women's natural skincare line, I studied the website in order to make the perfect choice for my skin. I have mention before that ingredients are the important element to my product choices and it was the Women's Facial Serum (£22 - 15ml) which caught my attention. It contains jojoba and avocado and I have mentioned numerous times that lavender, chamomile and calendula are great ingredients for my dry, sensitive, eczema prone skin. 

Ingredients Squalene (olive), Helianthus annuus & Calendula officinalis (Calendula oil), Persea Gratissima (avocado oil), Rubus idaeus (raspberry seed oil), Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba oil), Lavandula augustifolia (lavender), Anthemis nobilis (chamomile), Linalool, Coumarin*, Geraniol*, Limonene*, Citronellol*. *Naturally occurring component of essential oils 

Raspberry Seed oil is an ingredient which I have been reading about. It is an anti-oxidant which is high in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and Vitamin E. It can be beneficial for eczema and may act as a broad-spectrum UVA and UVB shield.

If you are unsure about why you should use a facial serum/oil then let me explain. Facial serums offer moisture but they also add nutrients to the deeper layers of your skin which moisturiser does not reach, as the molecules are larger. If you want to incorporate serum into your routine you can apply after toner and before moisturiser. If you have dry skin apply the serum whilst your skin is still damp from the toner, this will help seal in moisture. I am happy with my current day moisturiser so I apply this in the evening after cleansing (I skip the moisturiser stage) and let it work its magic whilst I sleep. 

I think this is a lovely serum with a pleasant aroma. I find it light, non greasy and my skin easily absorbs. The bottle has a pump which dispenses a nice amount. My only criticism is the white font on the label is difficult to read. Also oil is better stored in dark glass bottles because sunlight can deteriorated them quicker. The label does cover up most of the bottle so I guess that adds some protection and you are advised to keep out of direct sunlight. 

I have been testing this serum for three weeks but I have rotated it with another similar product. My complexion was good before I started using this and it remains that way. By adding this to my routine I can switch to a lighter day cream because I get the extra boost from serum overnight. 

I highly recommend you browse the website (click here) and have a look at the products available from Big Green Tree.

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Disclaimer - PR Sample, links are not affiliated, 100% my own opinions