Emergency Happy Making List

It's not always easy to keep your spirits up all the time, so I've compiled a list of little and large things that fill me with joy. The list has taken on momentum and I constantly think of more things to be happy and grateful for! I recommend making your own list as well, to help you appreciate the small things in life. It's a good list to come back to when things seem blackest, when it can serve as a little chink of hope to remind you that happiness will find you again.

You can think of this as an emergency go-to list if you're stuck for ideas or inspiration. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it should get you thinking about what makes YOU happy :) x

1. Studio Ghibli movies (Howl's Moving Castle is my fave)
2. Beech trees
3. Creating something (a flower crown, friendship bracelet, pottery, painting, a good makeup look, whatevs)
4. Being barefoot outside
5. Sunlight kissing my skin
6. My tattoo
7. Coffee
8. Foot massage
9. Taking a bath with essential oils (ylang ylang and vanilla, or nutmeg mmmmm)
10. Baking cookies
11. Chatting with my sisters
12. Fluffy socks
13. My crystals
14. Watermelon!!!
15. Clean sheets
16. Clothes fresh from the dryer
17. Coffee shops (and cute baristas)
18. Tree-lined roads
19. Sunset
20. The full moon
21. Sound cancelling headphones and your best tunes (alt-j, bon iver, daughter, ellie goulding, lana del rey, radiohead)
22. Home made massage bars (beeswax, mango butter, cacao butter, shea butter, coconut oil)
23. Winged liner
24. Heart-shaped ice cubes
25. The perfect downward dog or shoulder stand
26. Manicures
27. Dry body brushing (do the bottoms of your feet omg!!!!)
28. Chocolate icecream, crying, Downton Abbey
29. Cats
30. Bach's Rescue Remedy
31. Incense, candles, or oil burners
32. Love bites
33. Twin Peaks
34. Cleaning your room
35. The smell of old books
36. Climbing a tree
37. Donating to charity
38. Face masks (moroccan clay and diluted apple cider vinegar is my fave)
39. French (movies and youtubers)
40. Meditation
41. Tumblr 
42. A fresh page (I love journalling)
43. The tension before a storm
44. Carob, omg
45. Tom Hiddleston in Only Lovers Left Alive
46. Ditto Hugh Jackman in The Fountain
47. Ditto Ethan Hawk in Reality Bites (you get the picture...... :P)
48. The smell of campfire smoke
49. The view fromthe top of a mountain (or anything you've just climbed)
50. Old photos of you and your friends
51. Red lipstick
52. Onesies
53. The school bell at the end of the day (haven't been in school for years, but still...)
54. The feeling when you empty the trash on your computer - release!
55. When 2 characters you ship finally get it on
56. Birthdays
57. Being the small spoon
58. Knowing every single word of a movie because you've watched it hundreds of times (lion king, nemo, the sweetest thing, mulan)
59. Hearing a song from years ago that you forgot you loved
60. Being in love

Please add your faves in the comments! I have loads more but thought I should stop somewhere!! :) x

Pacifica

It has recently come to my attention that the brand Pacifica is spreading its influence all over the world, even coming to Ireland! I noticed a display of their roller ball perfumes in Nourish (a health food chain here in Dublin) and had to give them all a sniff! 

The brand is 100% vegan and cruelty free, and the ingredients in the products I've tried so far are pretty natural! Bonus! (do remember to read ingredient lists of individual products, though)

The one I chose to take home with me was the Tahitian Gardenia, which is still my favourite. It's light and fresh, slightly floral and definitely not overpowering. 

You can also find a slightly wider range of Pacifica products on iHerb with worldwide shipping (I am utterly obsessed with this site if you hadn't guessed.. use my code DCL725 for your first purchase!)

When I spied the Indian Coconut Nectar set on sale for only $18 (!!!!) I had to jump on and order it! The trio came with the full size rollerball perfume and full size lip tint, as well as 2.5fl oz tube of the body butter. 

The coconut scent reminds me of holidays, pina coladas and sunscreen. It is a little sweeter than the Gardenia, so I prefer it for balmy summer nights rather than an every day/ signature scent. 

The ingredients are pretty clean as far as the body butter goes, although it does contain phenoxyethanol. I'm going to use it up on my legs, just because it came with the set although I probably won't repurchase. It's a butter that you would buy more for the scent than any amazing moisturising properties.

The packaging on the perfumes is delightful, they are glass tubes with gold caps. Every scent is colour coded so you can easily find the one you want if you decide to buy them all!

As I had heard rave reviews about the lip tints in the natural community I also picked up the Blood Orange. Unfortunately for me, this lip tint contains shimmer and also SMELLS LIKE ORANGES. I don't know why I was surprised by the strong scent, but I think I presumed the name referred more to the colour than the scent. I am really not a fan of orange scents, but I did try this out once - I lasted about 10 minutes before wiping it off.

Bottom: Coconut, Top: Blood Orange

The formula of these lip tints is lovely, but less is definitely more. All you need is a sheer coat for moisture and some colour (beware the shimmer if that's not your thing).

Ingredients:

Perfume

Alcohol denat. (natural grain), parfum (Pacifica’s own fragrance blend with natural and essential oils), aqua (water).

Body Butter

Aqua (purified), caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut source), helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, glycerin (vegetable source), glyceryl stearate (vegetable source), aloe barbadensis leaf juice, stearic acid (vegetable source), stearyl alcohol (vegetable source), butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, allantoin, theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, hyaluronic acid, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, xanthan gum (vegetable source), algin (algae source), riboflavin (plant source), mangifera indica (mango) butter, rosa rugosa (rose) seed oil, daucus carota (carrot) seed oil, aleuritus moluccana (kukui) nut oil, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, linum usitatissimum (flax) seed oil, mixed tocopherols (vitamin E), panthenol (pro-vitamin B), parfum (Pacifica's own fragrance blend with natural and essential oils), cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, arnica montana flower extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, camellia sinesis (white tea) leaf extract, phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin (plant source)

Lip Tint

Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, glycine soja (soy) wax, persea gratissima (avocado) oil, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, tocopherol, flavor, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract. May contain: mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, silica.

100% Vegan .Cruelty and Paraben-Free.

Honeybee Gardens Mascara

This mascara retails on iHerb for $8.46 (about €6.25) which is pretty reasonable as natural mascaras go!

Upsides

- It's pretty affordable

- It's black (I got the colour Black Magic)

- Super natural and vegan ingredients

-Long-lasting (this stuff is nap-proof, people)

Downsides

-No discernible volume or length added

-Doesn't layer well

-Can take time to build up

After 1 coat

Close-up ;)

It gives a natural lash look, as I've discovered to be the case with most natural mascaras. The formula is more on the wet side, with a spooly-style spiral bristle applicator. I think the packaging looks really cute, not that it makes any difference to the product that's in the tube! 

I have found that this mascara doesn't layer well, so once it has dried, leave it alone rather than going for another coat, which can really clump the lashes. 

This mascara works best when wearing light/no makeup on the lids, as it pops against a light background. It frames the eyes well, gives slightly defined and separated lashes, but isn't going to WOW on the lash front. It's a great every day grab-and-go product. 

Ingredients

Purified water/aqua, serenoa repens (saw palmetto) fruit extract, hydrogenated glyceryl abietate, brassica campestris, aleurites fordi oil copolymer, copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax*, glycerin, persea gratissima (avocado) butter, triisostearyl citrate, stearic acid, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, aloe (barbadensis) leaf extract**, rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) leaf extract**, xanthan gum, d-alpha tocopherol, sodium hyaluronate, methylcellulose, ethylhexylglycerin, phenethyl alcohol. May Contain/Peut Contenir: mica, iron oxides (CI77499, CI77492).

*certified organic ingredient, ** made with certified organic ingredients

My Fave Muffins

These are my favourite almost-paleo, almost-vegan muffins! I'm sure it would be pretty easy to switch out ingredients to make them ENTIRELY either paleo or vegan, if that floats your boat. Either way, the  recipe is versatile, delicious and quick!

I make these all the time!!

This time, I made chocolate-blueberry muffins with cacao powder and blueberries. I have also made spicy carrot muffins with carrot and cinnamon and nutmeg (topped with pumpkin seeds... DELICIOUS), or added shredded coconut.. or topped with pecan nuts.. the possibilities are endless! Play around and have fun :)

Makes 6-10 muffins depending on the size.. feel free to double the recipe!

Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients
1Tbsp honey
1/4 cup water/vegan milk
1Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 mashed banana
1 egg

Optional extras
Blueberries
Cacao powder
Maca powder
Protein powder
Shredded carrot
Desiccated coconut
Spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc

1. Mix dry ingredients (and add any dry extras)
2. In separate bowl, mix wet ingredients
3. Add wet to dry and fold in extras!
4. OPTIONAL: add pumpkin seeds or pecan nuts to the top...
5. Bake for 30 minutes

Enjoy! xx