The Planet Mercury & Some Cherry Liqueurs

Starting on the 14th of January and ending on the 3rd of Feb, it’s another Mercury retrograde and this time it’s in Aquarius.

I decided to clear my schedule this week, which has freed up some time to get creative. I decided to make some face masks and avoid as much stress as possible.

Was I going to let this mercury retrograde throw obstacles in my path? No, I was not, or so I thought…

So that’s why I found myself contemplating on my life last night and wondering why I’ve cracked my dry January, by opening a box of cherry liqueurs that were leftover from Christmas. Oh of course, the retrograde is here!

In all honesty, I’ve been feeling stressed since the start of January and it thrown me off my game a little. I don’t often crave chocolate, but boozy chocolate seemed like a happy medium. Somewhere in between a cocktail and a bar of dark chocolate.

In terms of my business though, things have been going okay. I seem to be gaining recognition, my social media platforms are growing, I’ve gained some gorgeous jewellery from Daisy London (read my post here) and I’ve even made money, yay! So the retrograde just seems to be hitting my personal life, for now anyway.

I think that’s why I’ve been breaking out so much recently, I’m trying to detox too and I think my breakout is caused by a combination of hormones and the detox. Obviously, my body needed one, but come on, dry January is difficult enough body!

I’ve also been drinking a lot of herbal teas recently, Pukka Tea’s are so pretty. My mum got me a lovely set for Christmas so I’ve been really enjoying those when I get a chance to put my feet up. The evening ones with camomile, in particular, are really calming.

On top of my skin breaking out, I’ve also had heaps of stress, so I know it’s just a recipe for disaster. I had to do something with my skin.

I use lots of Face masks and CBD oils to combat breakouts, I love pink clay especially, but recently I have been really considering what chemicals are in the products I put onto my skin. Your skin is the biggest organ after all.

I decided to look for some natural home remedies and masks I could make at home. Plus the idea of going out in public seemed off-putting and left me feeling less than enthusiastic at the prospect.

I found a couple of recipes online and tweaked them a little, so I thought I’d share them. I’ve already got a post on spiritual baths which are awesome for cleansing, healing and detoxing the mind, but none on face masks and they’re probably my most used product. I can’t be the only one breaking out right now, can I?

Egg white and Lemon Juice

1 Egg white

2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon of Good Honey

I was a little sceptical about this one but thought I’d give it a go. I split the egg, placing the yoke into one bowl (which I made scrambled eggs for my breakfast with) and the egg white to another bowl. I then added 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the egg white and whisked until frothy.

I then grated the lemon zest into it and added a teaspoon of honey. You don’t have to add these but do you know something? I like to make things complicated.

I used a cotton wool pad to apply it and added a few layers as it goes on really thinly so I wanted to make sure my face was covered. I left it on for 15 minutes and then washed it off. This mask gets tight but the honey helps moisturise a little.

My skin definitely felt tighter after and thanks to the protein in the egg, hydrated. Next time I’m in need of an emergency face mask I’m going for this.

Honey helps with spots and lemon juice is also supposed to help with scarring so if you’re looking for a natural face remedy, I’d recommend it.

Yogurt, honey, turmeric, sea salt

1 tablespoon of natural plain yoghurt

1 tablespoon of turmeric

1 tablespoon (reluctantly) of good honey

1/2 teaspoon dead sea salt

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

The yoghurt contains lactic acid, which is good for buffing away dead skin, honey moisturises and combats spots and the turmeric helps with pigmentation.

It also kind of stains, so it took a while to wash this off but it really helped with the pigmentation and reduced redness. Sea salt helps to fight inflammation and infection.

It was a little messy but I’d try it again.

Avocado, cucumber, spring water and Honey

Small half of avocado

1/4 Cucumber

1 teaspoon spring water ( or olive oil)

1 tablespoon of honey

This one looks gorgeous on. I kind of preferred having a green face to my natural one (at the moment anyway), and then I chased my daughter around the house. She found it funny, but I hope the neighbours didn’t see.

Blend 1/4 of a cucumber in a blender with a tablespoon of spring water and pulse it. Add half an avocado and a tablespoon of honey. Add some salt.

Cooling, hydrating and really green. It also contains a lot of vitamin C. The avocado helps with fine lines and moisturises. You could also add olive oil instead of spring water for a super moisturising mask.

Of course, I had to put a slice of cucumber on each eye. Cooling and refreshing…

Some thoughts on homemade face masks…

I wouldn’t recommend keeping these masks for longer than 12 hours or getting them in your mouth. Although the avocado was one that wasn’t bad. They’re the type you make and use straight away.

All of these recipes are enough to make two face masks, they are generous helpings. I used the egg white one first, followed by the avocado mask in the morning and put them in the fridge. In the evening I used the egg white then the turmeric one. I still had some left so my daughter tried one, although she ate the cucumbers. I disposed of the rest and wouldn’t recommend keeping them any longer.

Be careful with the egg white mask in case of any allergic reactions. Wash off straight away if you experience burning or swelling. It might sting a little from the lemon juice if you don’t add honey.

I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with natural face masks so I thought I’d share them. My daughter also loved making these. I might even post something on Instagram tomorrow, so I’d recommend them if you’re having hormonal acne breakouts.

As I slow down during this retrograde I’ve been thinking a lot about feeling grateful for what I have. Sometimes, there is an abundance right in front of us. It’s so easy to want something we don’t have, but it’s also so easy to create.

As for my skin, it’s looking much better today and I am taking this Mercury retrograde in my stride, finding time for creativity and leaving material longing behind, although a holiday would be nice.

Thanks for reading, please share if you found it helpful <3

Soph.

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