The Triple T: Introducing the Turmeric Tamarind Tonic

WHAT IS A TONIC?

Anything that enlivens or strengthens. An invigorating, refreshing, or restorative agent or influence. A classification of herbs proven to target a multitude of systems aimed at increasing overall vitality and longevity.

TURMERIC TAMARIND TONIC

The tonic is a herbal healing drink from Indonesia, known locally as jamu. Jamu is the Indonesian system of traditional medicine. A daily glass of jamu is used by Indonesians of all ages for its purifying, healing and beautifying powers. It's made in small batches for maximum freshness and taste, using native south-east Asian herbs and spices that are freshly ground and brewed to fully activate their nourishing properties, producing a vibrant gold liquid.

NATIVE INGREDIENTS 

We use herbs and spices because there’s more to healthy than just fruit and veg. Not only do they add flavour and depth to our food, but they also contain many medicinal properties to help maintain whole body health and happy digestion. All our spices and ingredients are fresh - never dried. 

HOW TO USE

Drink it neat first thing in the morning. A shot or more. Or on the rocks with a squeeze of lemon to restore your natural energy throughout the day. There are 4 50ml servings in each bottle. 

Taken from http://www.jamukitchen.co.uk/turmeric-tamarind-tonic/

When I first heard about the Turmeric tamarind on the content-beauty instagram page it immediately caught my attention, I'm a huge fan of turmeric and it's fantastic benefits. When I also read that the maker of this tonic was was holding a tasting session that weekend, I knew I had to be there. I was quite apprehensive about what the tonic was going to taste like when I arrived at the content beauty store. Lets be honest the benefits of this drink are amazing so surely it couldn't taste great as well, right? The lovely maker did exactly as it says on their website and gave me a shot of the tonic and to my surprise it was actually pleasant, my first thought was oh my gosh this tastes like Asian food (it really took me back to my trip to south-east asia *dreams*). It was a pleasure to talk to the maker as well who was inspired by her trip to Indonesia and spending time with the locals. I loved her passion for the drink, which really showed! 

I managed to get myself a free bottle being one of the first customers to come in to try the tonic, although the price of the tonic on that day was £5. So my tonic and I went home ready to start a new week together. The tonic is made in small batches so the quality is preserved and a bottle lasts for up to seven days (if stored in the fridge) so you can get the potency of all the ingredients. I did as instructed and took a shot in the morning and the evening (except on the occasions when I forgot!). It was a great light shot to start my mornings with although the taste was quite strong first thing in the morning! Like I said early it tasted like a good meal and connotations of yummy Asian food flowed through my thoughts. Not great in the AM when you're about to eat your not-so-exotic porridge! But yes, I had a great week with my Turmeric Tamarind but as with anything you need to be taking it in consistently in order to see the full effect! I would definitely repurchase and incorporate it in my diet! As of now the tonic is available at Daylesford Notting Hill, Daylesford Pimlico, 26 Grains, Counter Albion, Tiosk, Druid St Market oooh and also "As nature intended" in Marble Arch!

Go and give it a try!

XO Verified Beauty

Oh yes and here is a recipe for you lovely people...

Chai spiced turmeric tamarind milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of Turmeric Tamarind Tonic
• ½ Cinnamon Pod
• 1 Green Cardamom
• 2 Cloves
• 1 Star Anise
• 100ml Coconut Milk (or other milk of choice)

Method:

1. Empty our tonic into a saucepan, add the cinnamon pod, cardamom, star anise and cloves and warm gently.
2. Once warm, add the milk, and pour into a large mug.
3. Enjoy it warm!

Tuesday Ten: My top Carrier Oils and essential oils

Welcome to another Tuesday Ten: Today we are looking at carrier and essential oils. These are staples in any woman's (and man) beauty regimen! Oils have amazing properties and are so beneficial for the skin. When you put an oil onto your skin it creates a natural barrier on your skin which keeps you hydrated for much longer. It stops moisture from leaving your skin keeping your skin hydrated for longer which equals healthy and better looking skin. It also stops any damage from getting in.

Note: Remember oils are for all skin types, it is just a case of trial and error to find which one works best for your individual skin type! Using oil if you have oily skin will not make your skin greasy. Oil combats oil. When you have naturally oily skin, the natural oils in your skin are being stripped which causes your skin to go into oil creation overproduction, maybe because of harsh products that are being used on the skin. Overproduction of oil can also be caused by hormones so it is important to identify what is causing it. adding essential oils to your skin, which our skin loves causes it to balance the oil in your skin by tricking your skin not to go into oil overproduction. This gets rid of that excess oil.

If you have acne prone skin it is usually caused by bacteria, lots of oils such as tea tree, peppermint and lavender have anti- bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties which are a great natural alternative to treating acne.

Remember to patch test all oils on your skin and jawline before putting it all over your face, we all have different skin types and may have allergies to certain things. This does not mean that the oil is bad but it just doesn't sit well with your skin personally. Also remember that the skin on your face is more sensitive to the skin on your body, so it your facial skin doesn't like the oil you can try it on your body. Especially those of you who are allergic to nut be sure to research into each oil to make sure they have no nut origins.

Carrier oils are oils that carry essential oils to the skin. They are base oils that are used to dilute essential oils before adding them to the skin as essential oils are more potent.

My top 5 Carrier Oils 

1. Coconut Oil

2. Olive oil

3.  Tamanu Oil

4. Almond Oil

5. Jojoba Oil


My top Essential Oils

1. Tea tree

2. Peppermint

3. Lavender

4. Camomile

5. Frankincense



As always make sure all your oils are organic, cold pressed and do not have any additives or fillers!



XO Verified Beauty



Image source: Pinterest

Friday Favourites

Today I bring you Friday favourites on a Friday (Last week it was on a Saturday) Yay! My five favourites for the week! Here goes...

Fitness Fave: Loving the gym and exercising atm, when I do home workouts I use 'fitness blender' on YouTube

Make up Fave: Loving 90's inspired make up this week and look how well it suits Tash Oakley, loving that 90's supermodel look.

Wedding Deco Faves: Absolutely loving!

Fave Scripture: Psalm 91- Stick with God, he has your back. The greatest experience of peace you can ever experience

Fave Beverage: The turmeric tamarind tonic- Review coming tomorrow...

Fave Quote: I dare you to give without expecting anything back...

Hope your week has been amazing, have a blessed weekend!

XO Verified Beauty

Photo Credits: www.toneitup.com, instagram and my own

Tuesday Ten: Winter beauty secrets

So winter is creeping up on us here in London! so I think it's time to share 10 beauty secrets that I'm fiercely facing winter with. Winter for me is a season of dry skin although I have combination skin when it come to winter my skin get very dry and dull. So to get the glow in winter here goes..

1. Facial steamers! I absolutely love steaming my face, it is great for opening up your pores for deep cleaning and retaining moisture in the skin!

2. Adding a dime size of coconut oil to my facial and body moisturiser leaves my skin feeling loveable.

3. Beauty Oils! So beauty oils are on a rise and what better season to use them than winter #getthatglow. I use Tamanu oil which my skin is loving at the moment, rosehip oil is also great if you don't have acne prone skin. You will wake up glowing with added skin and health benefits too!

4. Lip Scrubs. The skin on the lip is very sensitive which means it is prone to drying to keep it clean, moisturised and to get rid of that dead skin use a simple lip scrub consisting of honey, sugar, lemon and almond oil.

5. Body scrubbing and body brushing! Again get that dead skin off your body and leave it feeling silky smooth

6. Facial masks! Give your face that extra TLC by adding a face mask to your regimen at least once a week. My favourite one to use all year round is: gram flour, turmeric, almond oil and milk!

7. Avoiding very drying base primers unless your skin is super oily as it can end up making your make-up look very cakey.

8. Look after you hands and feet. Winter can be really harsh on your hands and feet so don't forget them. Make sure you have time in your beauty regimen especially dedicated to your hands and feet.

9. Always carry around hand cream! I hate the dry hand feeling and I'm sure you do too!

10. Last but not least, your nails! I use a nail strengthening varnish, in order to get that double strength I rub a little coconut oil on my nail before adding a full coat of nail strengthener!


XO Verified Beauty




Photo credits: Tumblr, Jan Bainar

Saturday? Favourites

Hello Lovelies, so i'm starting a new blog series called Friday Favourites which will be a compilation of my favourite things for that week! All lifestyle and beauty related. However, since this is the first of the series and since Friday was yesterday this one is going to be Saturday favourites (for this week only!) So here goes...

Favourite Scripture: Ephesians 6:10, God has all the strength we need, he must be at the centre of our lives...

Favourite Skincare: My Tamanu Oil and its amazing benefits which I add to my moisturiser at night!

Favourite Make up look: That "minimalistic" but bold glam which focuses on the skin, eyebrows and eyes with neutral lips. Will be creating this look with non-toxic products.

Favourite Style: Loving the "minimalistic bold" look. Loved the oversized coat, the colour and the simple outfit on KJ

Favourite Hair: Loving the wavy Bob

Favourite Interiors: Loving the Black and White Minimalistic looks  (I'm such a minimalist):

Hope you've had a great week

XO Verified Beauty


All pictures from instragram, pinterest or my own

Sowing into brands. #KnowYourBrands

Where is your money going?

A lot of the time when we get paid most of us have a budget for certain things and usually we fling our money into brands and products without necessarily thinking too deeply about it (I am guilty of this!). These are brands that have worked for us in the past that we are loyal to.  Let’s put it this way if something works for you, looks great and has proved its efficacy why should you change it? This is the same mentality that I had for a while and I'm still getting over for certain brands!

Investments:

“Investment is time, energy, money or matter spent in the hope of future benefits actualised”

Money is a blessing from God, you need to be accountable for where you're sowing into and what brands you're sowing into. I do believe that you reap what you sow and we need to identify what exactly we are sowing into. When you buy a product from a brand you are investing into the company and their business, as a consumer you should be given good reason for such an act.

When going into investments such as houses and cars people invest a lot of time to see whether it will be worthwhile and there is no investment bigger than your own body. Are the products you're putting on your skin really adding or are they taking away?

Meanings and Values:

Since starting this natural beauty journey my perspective has really changed! Now meanings and values are the driving force of everything I do. 

What do you mean by meanings?

In everything in life you need to know your ‘why’ to identify the reason behind what you're doing in all actions, as all actions have consequences. There is meaning in every verb therefore you need to stop and really have a think about that, it will help a lot of things come to light! Also identify your motives; this will stop you doing the status quo, robot, monumental things over and over again! Break the cycle!

It is important to identify them otherwise other people/brands will do it for you!  If you don’t know your meanings and values you need to find them as they make up who you are.

This was my old way of thinking:

•  I was driven by senses (sight and smell) with certain products. So let’s imagine I am looking to try a new face wash. If the packaging looked pretty I would buy it and if it smelled great then even better! Bonus points!

•  I was driven by popularity- Well this celebrity uses it and this blogger uses it and she looks good so I’ll give it a try.

New ways of thinking:

•  Driven by meaning: What is this product intended to do?

•  What is in the product that will achieve this?

•  What ingredients are in these products, what are these ingredients and what do they do?

•  Driven by values: Who is this brand? What do they stand for? What are their brand values? How do they source their ingredients?

So before you buy and invest into that cosmetic (or anything in life really) first identify your whys:

Why are you buying this face wash?

•   Do you need it?
•  What do you want to get from it?
•  Are you really getting that from this brand?
•  Do you know the values and promises of this brand you are giving your money to?

 What to do?

•         Research into companies and their brand values
•         What does the brand stand for?
•         Do they have the consumer’s best interests at heart?
•         How do they show their values?
•        Do they list their ingredients/toxic ingredients that they do not use?

These are all they types of questions you should be asking when you are buying products and you may ask whether it is really that deep? Yes! It is! If everyone has this mentality then imagine the millions that are being sown into brands with no true values and with profit being their only focus.  Some might say that business is business but true businesses that make it to the end are grounded in universal and timeless principles such as integrity!

Brands will sell what people buy into so let us as consumers take control of our destiny!

Product junkies- what this actually means and actually is this good idea?

This is when you try out and invest in lots of different brands and products in order to find the ‘right one’ or just have lots of products to choose from. I am definitely guilty of this but I am learning, praise God. People throw around this term like it is nothing! Guys we can’t keep doing this (lol).  Okay SO there is nothing wrong in trying out new things to find out which actually works for you but make sure you do your research first so you can avoid unnecessary spending and again identify your meaning, values and your whys!

How to AVOID being a product junkie (from a recovering PJ):

•  Be aware- brands will sell you what is there and with brands selling through bloggers as well you need to identify those who have the same values and meanings as you do. Remember that a lot of bloggers are being sent these items so if they seem like they are product junkies the chances are they can afford to be because a lot of it is free!

• Make use of bloggers, YouTubers and their reviews but again know their brand values? (because they are basically brands too! #believethat) Do they match up with yours?

• Even though we try and hide from it in this day and age it is still true Quality>Quantity. Don’t be a hoarder!! Simplify your life (lol I love that! Blog post coming soon with that title #yas)

Let's take control and powerfully influence the brands we sow into!

Lots of Love xx

Photo credit: Google

Cacao Nibs: The secret ingredient?

I first heard about cacao nibs when I was on Tia Ward's YouTube channel watching a video on her latest skincare smoothie which is absolutely yummy btw! I will come back to this in due time.

What are cacao nibs?

So first of all cacao and cocoa, what's the difference? I was very much confused by the spellings BUT now I know and it was a pretty cool find (well for a natural ingredient nerd like me). Cacao nibs are cacao beans that have been roasted and separated from their husks to produce the small pieces. Due to much less processing cacao nibs have a dark chocolatey but more bitter in taste. Cocoa is the word used to describe the powder form of the cacao bean that has endured higher temperatures to get it to the powder form and therefore not as nutritious as cacao nibs but great for you non the less. (cocoa powder is the base ingredient used to make chocolate- but you all knew that right?) 

Health Benefits?

Raw and organic: Cacao nibs are the best kind of chocolate you could consume and due to the minimal processing all the benefits and goodness is maintained.

A powerful natural antioxidant: a high level of dietary antioxidants can prevent many diseases and future age related diseases. It is also good for general health maintenance by cleaning out unhealthy electrically charged oxygen molecules called 'free radicals'  from our bloodstream.

High source of minerals: Cacao nibs are high in magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc and copper which means those multivitamins can go out the window (lol, well not quite but it's a start) 

How to add it to your diet?

Due to cacao nibs being in it's purest form, it's best to keep them in that way and not to apply heat to them. I purchased mine from my local Sainsbury for £3.00, a 100g packet and the brand was natural days. You can also buy them from Holland and Barrett which is a 300g packet for £7.99. The packets are quite small but a little really goes a long way with this product, due to the strong taste- think dark chocolate but much bitter so yes you really do not need that much!

I have been using them in my skincare and general well-being smoothie- first seen on Tia Ward's YouTube channel as mentioned before:

The ingredients useD in the smoothie- check out all that goodness:

NOTE: Be sure to check that your ingredients are raw, cold-pressed and organic where necessary

A hand full of Strawberries
A hand full of Raspberries
A hand full of Blueberries
Spoon full of avacodo oil
Spoonful of Flaxseed oil
A sprinkling of cinnamon powder
A sprinkling of nutmeg
A tiny tiny section of ginger (Ginger has a very strong taste, therefore a little really goes a long way. Don't make the mistake I did when I first started and use a huge chunk of ginger- much to my horror the ginger over powered the whole smoothie and it was just too much)
A sprinkling of cacao nibs
A sprinkling of cocoa powder 
A sprinkling of chia seeds
Almond milk
Coconut water 
A dollop of peanut butter
A dollop of honey

Same smoothie but with mango added to the mixture.

Finished product of the smoothie with my mackerel omelette

I have also seen cacao nibs been sprinkled on breakfast meals such as oats, cereals, it can be used as a substitute for chocolate chips in yoghurt, granola, pancakes, cookies and muffins- healthy ones off course!

Check out the instagram: naturalbeautejourney where I will be posting images of the different ways cacao nibs can be used.


Lots of Love xxx