Easy 3 Ingredient Nutella Brownies Recipe ♥

Ahh Nutella. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I love it so much that I can eat it by the spoon.. bad, I know. And now I'm going to pass on my nutella addiction onto you, dear reader, in the form of these easy peasy Nutella brownies. I know. I'm sorry in advance. :P

Ingredients:

♦ 1 egg 

♦ 5 tbsp plain flour

♦ ½ cup Nutella (approx 140g/5oz)

♦ ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 6 hole muffin pan with cupcake liners

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the Nutella, flour and egg until thoroughly mixed.

3. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin holes, and sprinkle some chocolate chips on each.

4. Bake in the oven for approx 12 minutes. 

5. Take out and leave on rack to cool for a few minutes, before stuffing your face with their deliciousness with a nice hot cuppa ♥

You're quite welcome. :P

P.S. I would have taken pics of the brownies.. but they're always gone before I get a chance to get my camera out. LOL!

Fruity Face Mask: Combination/Oily Skin

From the fridge to your face, home made masks are great fun to make and are an excellent way to deep cleanse your complexion. So I thought why not put together and share some of my recipes with you? (^__^)

Today's face mask is designed specifically for combination/oily skin. Don't worry those who are not of this skin type - I have another two face mask recipes that I intend to post up soon ☺ 

This mask includes the following ingredients:

•  1 egg white - makes your skin tighter, more lifted, and reduces visible pores. It is also very good at reducing the amount of oil on your face. (I suggest using organic eggs, as they do not have any traces of artificial hormones, herbicides, or pesticides)
  
  
•  2 tablespoons natural yoghurt - this contains a lactic acid (a natural, alpha hydroxy acid) that helps to smooth and exfoliate your skin and tighten pores. It is also has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, which help reduce the amount of nasties lurking on your skin that like to cause spots!
  
  
•  3/4 medium sized strawberries - these beauties contain a natural alpha hydroxy acid called salicylic acid that can help slough off dead skin cells. Not only that, but they help tone skin, lighten any pigmentation problems, and keep your skin smooth and supple.

Method:

1. Whisk the egg white until frothy, then add in the yoghurt.

2. In a seperate bowl, mash up the strawberries with a fork, and add to the other mixture and blend well.

3. Wrap a towel or some tissue around your neck - you don't want your clothes getting dirty!
4. Apply to your face and sit back and relax for 10 minutes. If you'd rather not use your hands, I suggest using an old paddle style foundation brush instead.

5. And lastly, wash off with warm water!

Your mask should end up looking like this:

I would have put up a picture of me wearing it but it's kind of hard when you wear a hijaab :P

Let me know what you think if you try it (^__^)

Sugar Face Scrub Recipe ♥

Ever had those days when your skin is just feeling a bit.. well.. dull? I've been having a week full of those lately.. paired with a few pesky dry patches. So I thought I'd bust out my favourite remedy for it - this easy peasy lemon squeezey sugar face scrub!

Ingredients:

♦  Sugar - I use normal, everyday, granulated sugar, as I find that brown sugar is too harsh for my skin because the granules are larger.

♦   Sweet almond oil - This oil is rich in Vitamin E, has a pleasant but not overpowering smell and absorbs into the skin easily. It helps reduce scarring, smoothing the skin and improving your skin tone.

♦   Freshly squeezed lemon juice or from the bottle if you prefer (optional) - Lemon juice is good for lightening acne scars when used on a regular basis.

(Yes I am aware that that is a very odd shaped lemon.. but I couldn't find one that was normal shaped! >.<)

Aaaaanyway.. onto the method!

1. Add five tablespoons of granulated sugar to a little tub or jar. I'm using a plastic tub with a screw top lid because I feel it is more secure :)
2. Add four tablespoons of almond oil.
3. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice (optional).
4. Mix with a teaspoon until it forms a slightly thick, gritty, white paste. Add a teaspoonful more of almond oil if you feel the texture is too rough.

The result should look something along the lines of this:

How do I use it?

- After washing your face with your cleanser, take a little dollop of the scrub and spread it around your palms and fingers, before massaging it on your wet cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead, avoiding the eye and under-eye area.
- Make sure you wash it all off with cool to lukewarm water, and pat dry, before applying a light moisturiser. You won't need much because of how hydrating the sweet almond oil is.

Bonus tips!

- Don't scrub too hard, let the sugar do the work for you. Scrubbing too hard can irritate your skin and make it sore.
- Do not use lemon juice if you have sensitive skin.
- You can use this up to 2/3 times a week.
- If you do not have sweet almond oil on hand, you can substitute it for olive oil. I prefer sweet almond oil because I find it absorbs into the skin better, and I don't feel like I need to wash my face with cleanser again.
- You can use this as a body scrub too, but don't forget to moisturise after!
- I also gently use this on my hands when they're feeling a bit rough, before patting them dry and using moisturiser such as The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector.

Let me know how you get on if you try it! ☺