I've moved...

Visit youniquechic.com to read all of my latest posts, i'll also have an online shop set up soon so you will be able to browse that too!

Home Made Mask For Soft Hands And Feet

With the summer holidays fast approaching I thought I would share my secret on how to prevent dry, cracked feet and ensure they are sandal ready! This mask will also keep your hands extremely soft and is easy and cheap too!

All you will need is:

• Olive Oil
• A pair of socks (or two if you're planning on doing both your hands and feet with the mask)
• Salt

Here's how to do it:

1) Wash your hands/feet and remove any nail polish if you want to achieve the best results.

2) Pour two tablespoons of olive oil into a small bowl and then add a tablespoon of salt and mix them together.

3) Apply the mixture onto your hands/feet and rub on in circular motions focusing on the driest areas.

4) Rinse off the mixture with warm water.

5) Onto dry hands/feet, apply a thin layer of olive oil and massage it in.

6) Put the socks onto your hands/feet and relax and let the oil sink in. You should leave these on for 15 minutes at least, however I find it works best and is more convenient for me to do it overnight.

7) If you aren't leaving the socks on overnight, remove the socks and rinse off the oil with warm water when you feel it has been on long enough and you'll feel how soft and smooth your skin is straight away. Your nails will also look healthy and glowing.

Doing this once a week or whenever you feel your hands/feet need it will really help you to maintain soft healthy skin. This mask is extremely easy to do and can be done whilst you sleep; so there is no excuse not to try it!

Miracle Olive Oil Hair Mask

Everyone wants soft, shiny hair, however this can be quite difficult to achieve due to horrible weather and using heated appliances on a regular basis. Like most of us, I've tried various home remedies and spent a fortune on products that don't even work attempting to banish frizz and achieve healthy hair. Little did I know that the one ingredient I would need was sitting in my cupboard all along.

Olive oil is a brilliant treatment for dry, unruly hair of any length. It's also really simple to do which is always a plus! 

Here's how you do it:

1) Apply the olive oil to the lengths and ends of dry hair until you feel it is saturated enough.

2) Use the oil left on your hands and massage it into the roots of your hair. This will be enough if you have quite thin hair, however if your hair is thicker you can add slightly more.

3) Put your hair up in a bun or clip it back so it is out of your face and leave for at least 30 minutes, I find it works best after about an hour.

4) Rinse out the olive oil and wash and condition your hair as normal, you will notice how much softer and easier to comb through it is.

5) Style your hair as normal.

Using this mask once a week will help to maintain healthy hair and improve its strength. You could also heat the oil up, apply it as normal and then cover your hair with a shower cap and leave for 30 minutes for extra nourishment if your hair is in really bad shape.

How to wear: Boat Shoes

Boat shoes are a great way to change your look for spring/summer 2012, and they go with almost anything. I recently bought a pair of blue, patent boat style shoes from Primark and I absolutely love them.

Here's some of my favourite ways to wear them.

Outfit 1:

This outfit is extremely easy to pull off whatever your body shape, and is great if you're on a budget. The jeans are £14.99, the vest was £4.99 and the blazer £29.99, all from H&M. The shoes I bought were £4.00 from Primark on sale.

Outfit 2:              

Shorts £32.00 from Topshop, vest £12.99 and cardigan £9.99 both from H&M. This outfit would look great with some accessories and a brown satchel style bag, cute and casual.



Outfit 3:

Jeans £40 Topshop and Jumper £25.60 from Debenhams. This outfit is extremely simple but classic and would look great with a long necklace and some statement bracelets.

I hope I've given you a few ideas how to wear your boat shoes. Just try and incorporate them into your own style, you could even wear them with coloured or striped jeans and a plain t-shirt; comfortable and on trend.

Coloured Jeans

Coloured jeans are a huge trend for spring/summer 2012; everyone seems to be wearing them. They're a great way to add colour to your outfit, however, like anything, they can look awful if not worn with the right things. My personal favourite colour is coral as it is not as overwhelming as red or green, and looks great with my brown leather jacket.

These skinny jeans from Marks and Spencer wash extremely well, fit perfectly and flatter most shapes. So if you are in the market for some, its worth paying a few pounds more for amazing quality! However, if £35 is out of your budget, I'm sure places such as Primark or George at Asda will do a less expensive version.

When wearing bright coloured bottoms, remember to keep things simple on top with a basic t-shirt. With my coral jeans I like to wear a cream top and, as I mentioned before, my leather jacket. I wear brown because black looks quite harsh against the coral colour, however I feel like I can get away with more as they are quite neutral. Another great look with coloured jeans is a blazer. Kate Middleton was recently spotted wearing a navy blazer with her coral pants, however you could just as easy wear a different coloured blazer which will match your jeans better. 

I really recommend that you purchase a pair of coloured jeans to mix up your style a little bit. There is a huge variety of colours so I'm certain you'll find a colour to suit you and your personal style.  If their good enough for Kate, then they're good enough for us!

Sudocrem - Acne cure?

Let me start out by saying I suffer from extremely sensitive skin, so attempting to banish my acne seems to do more harm than good. However, after reading raving review of various people using Sudocrem on their skin I decided to give it a go. The cream is mainly known for being used on nappy rashes, although it has proven to be an extremely effective acne treatment and many people swear by it.

I have been using this cream for a few weeks now, and it really is a miracle! It moisturises my skin whilst soothing redness and making my spots disappear so much faster than they do naturally. I apply a thin coating all over my face before bed each night, avoiding my eye area, and when I wake up my skin is a lot less irritated. After the three weeks I have been using it, around 90% of my spots have vanished, and the ones I do have are somehow a lot less noticeable.

I really recommend this cream to anyone suffering from acne. It's the quick fix everyone wants, and it only costs around £2-3! So why not give it a go? It might be exactly what you've been looking for.

DIY Nail art - Strawberries!

It is so much easier than it looks to create perfect nail designs. I used the Tantrum Nail Candy pen set to do this  strawberry look, it costs around £30.00 and works extremely well.

Here's the steps you need to take to achieve this nail look.

1. First paint your nails with a clear coat to prevent your nails from being stained.

2. When that has dried, coat your nails with a red varnish.

3. After it has dried, apply a second coat if desired.

4. Then use your nail art pen to draw the outline of the green leaves at the tips of your nails.

5. Fill in the tips with varnish in the same colour.

6. When that has dried, use a yellow nail art pen to draw dots all over your nails.

7. Finally, apply a top coat to prevent chipping. 

Now enjoy the compliments!