Pre-Holiday Overhaul

It smells a bit like the Lush Factory in the MarmaladeKiss household this evening - well at least how I IMAGINE it would smell, since i've never actually been there... i wonder if it really smells like the shops? I am always slightly suspicious that they have some sort of Potted Lush Scent which they blow through a specially designed "smell blower" (like an air conditioner) into the shop and the street outside.

The reason for all this smelliness, is that I have been in the midst of a clear out, starting in the bathroom and possessed by one of those ruthless moods which arrives upon a certain build-up of clutter that has been hanging around for too long. In and around the bathroom cupboard i found:

3 bags of sea salt
2 lumps of cocoa butter
Countless bottles of essential oils
A few tablespoons of red clay
3 half used bottles of almond oil
Several empty "mixing bottles" for essential oils

Remember my post about Salt Scrubs? What better time to salt scrub myself, pre-tan? I did so this morning, but unfortunately forgot to pound the salt to a fine powder and therefore ended up looking as if i'd had a fight with next door's cats. Doh!

So this evening, I made a fresh batch. This salt is very coarse:

I whizzed it in the food processor until it looked like sand (as opposed to uncut diamonds):

Then I grated the coco butter ..

and added it to the salt - looks good enough to eat .. so fluffy. Soft hands by this time too!

Added the red clay:


And some essential oils of lavender and peppermint ...


Hmmm .... Not sure about the colour ...

Next, 3 half bottles of Almond oil and lots of nearly empty essential oils. I made some scented bath oils in larger bottles:

1: patchouli, sandlewood, ylang ylang

2: lavender, juniper, geranium

3: patchouli (i have lots!), sandlewood, pine, lemongrass, lavendin - this last in an attempt to copy "Karma" perfume by lush which is my all time favourite scent.

This is my recycling pile:


And this is some of what's left in the cupboard!

Then it was time to tidy up the shelves and windowsill after looking at some ridiculously inspiring housey blogs which I found over at All Things Lovely.

I'm still not sure about those colours though ...