Fundraising for The Lullaby Trust, 100 followers and my 1st Giveaway

As you may or may not know, last week i started fundraising for The Lullaby Trust. Many people have been asking me why am i doing this.

Here are a few answers:

I was brought up into charity, my parents taught us to help people around us - from an elderly neighbour who might need a hand with their heavy shopping bags to a homeless person who could put to good use the woolly jumpers we had outgrown. 

Of course charity does leave you with a great feeling inside and after what was a hard year for our family, that sort of calm in my heart is rather welcome - don't fool yourself, charity is a "selfish thing"

Mainly, what made me chose The Lullaby Trust, customise and wear a Christmas jumper to work was the horrible thought of families spending Christmas without their babies. It's the most wonderful time of the year, unless you can no longer see your little angel's face light up at the sight of a Christmas Tree. 

The idea of loosing a baby or toddler for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is just too painful and I'm hoping to help The Lullaby Trust saving those precious lives and give support to bereave families. 

The site has been up for a week now and we have raised £106 so far, that isn't a bad start but I have been cracking my brain to try and find an effective way to spread the word and just as we reached 100 followers I felt it was the perfect time to do our first ever Giveaway.

So to put something nice together I teamed up with the lovely Seema - contributor to Beauty Bites Wednesdays - and We've managed to put a nice prize together for people willing to go about telling everyone about this charity appeal.

To enter just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below, You can to tweet about #christmasjumperfridays for 5 entries- please include a link to our JustGiving page http://www.justgiving.com/Aida-Leal and like our Facebook page for another 3 changes to win. For more chances to win you can also follow me on twittter and of course - as that's what this Giveaway is all about - you can make a donation and as a "thank you", you'll get 10 entries to the prize draw - you can do that everyday for more chances to win ;) 

The only mandatory thing is to leave a comment on this blog post.

So now for the all important prize. The lucky winner will get a half an hour Indian Head Massage - courtesy of Seven Stones Massage - and a little pampering kit with a fancy Grace Cole Bath Kit and a Ashleigh & Burwood incense and candle set.

Good luck everyone. Now, please let's get giving!

T&C's:
This prize draw is open for the UK only (sorry anyone outside the UK but I had no sponsors for this and am paying for the Pampering Kit and postage myself.
There is no cash alternative
Prize draw will happen on the 13th of January, Prize must be claimed until 23rd of January 2014 a second winner will be chosen after that.
Half an Hour Indian Head Massage is available in London only - prize must be claimed by the 1st of May 2014 - if you will not be in London until then you can transfer the treatment to a friend, if that happens please contact me by email so that I can arrange a new name for the voucher.
Disclaimer: The Indian Head Massage was generously donated by Seema Amin, the other prizes were bought by myself, this is not a sponsored post.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beauty Bites Wednesdays - Week 3

This week on Beauty Bites he lovely Seema tell us how to prepair our bodies for the festive period, I find hard to even have a glass of wine without thinking of how tires I'll be after so found this week's tips pure gold!

Hello my lovely pamper pigs xxx 

this holiday period can be very stressful with lots of shopping, socialising and planning for xmas festivities ; make sure you find that balance and don't overload or over-commit yourself and if you are burning the candle on both ends I have got some holistic cures for overdoing it:

Tips for Hangover cures over the festive period 

A glass of orange juice with a pinch of cumin powder and a teaspoon of lime juice is a must if you know you are going to over-indulge. Drink a glass of water beforehand containing a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of salt and half- a-teaspoon of baking soda to help balance acidity levels.

*On the day after the night before, sip diluted live yogurt with a pinch of cumin powder throughout the day. It will help to re hydrate you and counter- act nausea.

* Excess alcohol can also cause puffiness around the eyes, the result of trapped toxins. A gentle massage with a cooling moisturizer can help. First close your eyes, then using your ring finger, begin where the bridge of your nose meets the bony eye sockets. Massage gently in a clockwise direction along the socket at least five or six times. Finish off by placing a slice of cucumber ( put in freezer prior for 5 minutes for a better result) on each eye and rest them for 10 minutes. If its too cold for your eyes you have frozen them, then place cotton pads onto eyes to protect them before applying the slices. 

Remember getting a regular massage , especially a hot stone massage over this chilly period will help your well being and relive stress and alleviate anxiety levels , so find a great therapist and treat yourself . Can call me to arrange an appointment too !

Lots of love Seema xxxx

Beauty Bites Wednesday - Week 2

So it seems I've chosen the worse time of the year to start this blog series as our lovely Seema is ultra busy on the build up for Christmas. Still I think we all deserve to be looked after so this week i thought I'd share a little secret I've learnt last week;

Facial juice

to give your skin a lovely glow make a juice with 
1 Carrots
1/2 beetroot
2 oranges (juice only, freshly squeezed)

to blend it all together - add a little water if you feel the need - then pass it through a sieve before drinking. Of course if you have a juicer that makes life much easier.

I had the juice a couple of times last week and this week since Monday but my skin feel great, the sight in the mirror is definitely a lot better already.

This combination makes this juice a great source of antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamins C and B complex, folic acid, calcium, zinc, potassium, iron - important nutrients for beautiful and healthy skin.

This juice also helps to strengthen the immune system and protect the cardiovascular and digestive system.

So drink up and enjoy!

Beauty Bites Wednesday - Week 1

Photo from http://www.wellbeing.com.au 

First guest post for the Beauty Bites series, by Seema Amin

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT BEAUTY BITES

Hi my pamper pigs ;))

Are you feeling stressed and not having any or enough sleep , and your looking tired and skin needs some perking up and rejuvenating? You need to sit and take some pamper pig time and try this ! Xxx

Here's a great tip for a homemade mask which has exfoliating properties too .

Firstly, soak 2 cottons pads with rose water and cut medium depth cucumber slices and place in freezer for 15 to 20 minutes

Meanwhile make the mask

Mix 2 tbsp of gram flour (chickpea) with 1 tbsp of papaya flesh ( eat the rest is also good for your skin :))) ) with a teaspoon of honey( manuka or good organic quality ) and 1 teaspoon of soy milk with 1/2 teaspoon of oats or fine ground almond powder and a pinch of turmeric. Mix to a paste and apply to face avoiding eyes and lips area . Gently place cucumbers over the eyes whilst lying down and then place cotton pads - soaked with rose water - on top and just relax and breath deeply concentrating on your breath for 10-15 minutes or until the mask has set 

If the cucumber doesn't remain cold turn it around . 

Full list of ingredients:
 2 tbsp of gram flour (chickpea)
1 tbsp of papaya flesh
1 tsp of honey
1 tsp of soy milk
1/2 tsp of oats or fine ground almond powder
A pinch of turmeric
Cotton pads
Sliced cucumbers
Rose water

This mask is purifying with the chickpea flour and turmeric , moisturizing with the honey ( preferably organic) and also exfoliating with the oats /ground almonds. The enzyme papain in papaya gently dead skin but gently. The soy milk is also brightening and helps pigmentation or scarring , but generally will help plump the skin up

Enjoy my pamper piggies !! ;)

Lots of love

Seema