Happy 2012!



Awesome cootie catcher! PDF Available @ DesignsbyTenisha ready for NY.



Happy New Year to you all! Wishing you sparkles, smiles and a little bit of magic for 2012!

We’ll be back soon

Love,

Layla, Em & L

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New Years Sparkles! Print available @ Rustika Photography

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays, Health and Wealth to you all!

Lots of Love, 

Em, Layla & L

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Gina Yashere makes Raw food on Come Dine With Me

Gina Yashere served up some kickass looking, tummy friendly food (unless you have an allergy to any of the ingredients listed) that isn't likely to make you bloat up or pile on Christmas excess and leave you with more energy!

I've got to admit that up until writing this post I didn't know much about Gina Yashere, other than the fact that she's funny. So I did a bit of digging, turns out the girl was diagnosed with lupus and kicked it's ass by detoxing, going raw and avoiding inflammatory foods like tomatoes and wheat as evidenced here.

One of my closest friends has lupus and it is intense, when we lived together there were days that my other housemate and I would have to help her out of bed and get changed because her joints were so stiff. She finished uni with a first class degree, undertook the most comprehensive study, completed her phd and is now a lecturer. She, like Gina and many people living with chronic illness,  never let it get in her way. There were bad days, but she never let them overshadow her tomorrows.
And that is a lesson none of us should ever forget.

Back to Gina, apparently she's not 100% raw but fully admits that she feels like her diet and eating healthy has helped her a lot.  She even puts her raw recipes and detox experiences up on her vlog (apologies for that link, internet is slow and I couldn't get straight to the original source!). Tonight on Come Dine with Me she made raw marinated mushrooms stuffed with mango and avocado,raw spicy Caribbean balls with a plantain salad, cranberry relish and spinach, ginger and potato layer and raw orange infused mince pies with cashew cream icing. Yum! If you have a dehydrator (alternatively you can use your oven at it's lowest setting) then there's still time to make these yummy dishes!

Happy Healthy Holidays Everyone!
X

P.S. For more information about Lupus, please click here

Christmas tips for the tummy

If, like us, you have any digestive issues this can be a testing (and often painful) time of year. Especially if the rest of your family and/or friends don't really 'get' why you avoid certain foods. So here are some tips to help you maintain a comfy belly.

We've listed a few things that help to fill you up, they are healthier, tummy friendly options. But if they're not suitable for you then just avoid them. Any events that involve the broad spectrum of "normal people" food are kind of like going to a party with a bunch of people you used to like but have got a little too big for their boots; all you can do is maintain polite conversation, don't delve too deep and do not commit to anything - you no longer spend time with these people (for good reason) do not let festive cheer get in the way of your new life! .....Hmm, is it obvious that there are days when we really miss our old daily habit of a  smooth cup of delicimo coffee and a nice piece of cantuccini?.....

These tips have helped us remain ok-ish during the holiday period. Always remember to check with your health practitioner before incorporating any new additions to your health regime. And don't forget to follow your intuition, your head will be telling you to eat one thing but if you listen your body might be pushing you in another direction. The body knows what it's talking about..

# 1.
This is an obvious one but be relentlessly strict with yourself. Of course those lebkuchen, mince pies and stollen cake bites look amazing but unless they are made of ingredients that you can digest with ease then do not touch!

#2. Find some awesome christmas recipe treats @ Elanas Pantry, Nourished Kitchen, The Nourishing Gourmet, and Sunny Raw Kitchen. Almond flour, agave nectar and xylitol are all now available in both supermarkets and health stores, coconut oil is available in holland and barrett (but we've not reviewed that particular brand).

#3. Drink Cinnamon tea to help maintain your blood sugar levels.

This is important for everyone when indulging. Either opt for the easy route and just add a dash of cinnamon to hot water (or black tea) or put 2 sticks of cinnamon in a pan with a squeeze of lemon juice and 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10minutes, then serve.
N.B.  Cassia cinnamon contains coumarin, which in high doses is a blood thinner. So please check that this is suitable for you before use!


# 4. Encourage detoxification by bodybrushing.

We've said it before and we will say it again, not only does bodybrushing help to breakdown cellulite, exfoliate, help remedy dry skin, increase blood flow, and increase energy but it also gives your lymphatic system a bit of help with toxin elimination. For best effects bodybrush twice a day for 3-7 minutes.

# 5. Teas

Fennel tea, chamomile tea or mint tea to help with tummy pains and digestion. For full on distension try a couple of shakes of ground white pepper in hot water, not appetising but it works for us! Another option for tummy pains is freshly sliced ginger left to steep in hot water for 3-5 minutes with a bit of honey. Yum.

# 6. Try and eat fresh fruit and fresh vegetables with your meal.

Firstly, it will fill you up faster and is easier on your guts, secondly they'll be easier to digest than fat-laden roast vegetables. They are delicious, but they're not going to do much for your tummy or your ticker.
# 7.

Try not to get too involved with the idea that christmas eve, christmas day and boxing day are 3 days of excess.

# 8. Jelly.

Gelatine based or otherwise, this is a low calorie, easy to digest (as far as we know), filling way to get around any sugar cravings that might pop up this weekend!

# 9. Flaxseeds.

Full of fibre, omega fats, lignans, vitamin E and protein, these teensy seeds will help the gut lining, fill you up faster and keep you regular.

# 10. Probiotics.

Honestly, I notice no difference when I take probiotics but my doctor and my naturopath tell me that it's one of the best things I can do for my gut. Some people respond really well to probiotics, if you're interested in trying them out  then our favourite brand is bio-kult. But Probiotics are sold everywhere these days.
Admittedly, we're not too keen on the sugar laden probiotics sold in the yogurt aisle. Alternatively, give live yogurt a go.

# 11. Digestive enzymes.

Sure, you could go ahead and buy some digestive enzymes in tablet form. But if you don't have the time to track them down then buy a papaya and/or a pineapple, juice them, put them in smoothies or eat them as they are as part of your dessert. They will help immensely.


The Nourishing Gourmet has this post on homeopathic remedies for indigestion, acid reflux and heartburn (be sure to consult your health practitioner first!)

Most importantly, don't worry too much. Enjoy the festive season, pay attention to your body and you'll be just fine!

If you have any tips or tricks please let us know in the comments!
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Last minute gift bargains @ ASOS

If you are still struggling with your christmas shopping, this might just be what you've been looking for! Jewellery and Bodycare, you say? Fantasmo!

1) Neal's Yard Remedies Rose & Geranium Shower & Body Care Collection reduced to £7 (from £13)

2) Neal's Yard Remedies Aromatic Shower Body Care Collection reduced to £16 (from £28)

3) Neal's Yard Remedies Frankincense Face & Body Care Collection reduced to £22 (from £38)

Now for the reduced friendly sustainable jewellery brand: Made.
In ASOS' words, "Made creates beautifully unique, hand-made product in their African workshop, and teaches new skills and provides sustainable opportunities for all of their Kenyan employees." - that's more like it! We're not the type of gals who like to wear jewellery that has been skillfully put together by underpaid people in uncomfortable working environments, it just doesn't do it for us. When jewellery shopping we go ethical (to the best of our knowledge) or vintage (which we'll do a post on shortly).
Let's get started!
 
 

1) Brass Made Shimo Ring for £15 (reduced from £25)
 
 

2) Brass Made Kononkono Ring for £6 (reduced from £10)
 
 

3) Brass Made Mviringo Bangle for £15 (reduced from £25)

4) Made Pembe Ring for £16 (reduced from £28)

5) Brass resin Made Mlima Necklace for £16 (reduced from £28)
 

 

6) Brass and stone Made Macho Moja Ring for £18 (reduced from £30)
 

7) Made Brass Flower Cuff Bracelet for £18 (reduced from £30)
 

8) Made Moja Bangle for £24 (reduced from £40)
 

9) Made Triple Circle Drop Pendant for £26 (reduced from £38)
 

10) Made Pippa Brass Small Square Necklace for £60 (reduced from £169)
 
This will be one of our last listing posts (promise!)
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10% off at feelunique until midnight sunday!

To get your 10% off at feelunique for a limited time only use code LASTORDERS at the checkout.
Click here to get shopping.

Brands you might want to click straight to are:

1. Bio-Kult probiotics 
2. CherryActive Montmorency cherry juice capsules and juice
3. Comvita products
4. Figs & Rouge organic balms
5. Frownies
6. Fushi Wellbeing
7. Intelligent Nutrients products
8. John Masters Organics
9. Knotty Boy Haircare
10. Lavera
11. Neals Yard Remedies
12. Seagreens
13. Trilogy
14. Udo's Choice

 

Last orders for christmas dates:

• UK free delivery; Midnight Saturday 17th
• UK Next day delivery; Midnight Wednesday 23rd

10% off at the Fresh Network until January!

Enter the code FC1 @ the fresh network to get 10% off your entire order until January. They close from Dec 24 - Jan 3rd but you can still place orders online!

Our favourite products are:

1) Olives et al Sunshine Olives in an 800g clamper jar, £12

2) Carley Raw Organic Pecan Butter in a 170g jar, £5.45. This lasts for ages in our house because we only use 1-2 tsps at a time when making pecan nut milk: 2 tsp pecan butter, pinch of salt, 250ml water, cinnamon and a dash of maple syrup/agave nectar/honey. Yuuuum!!

Hope you've had a good day!
Layla,
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A Note from Em

Hello Everyone!

I don't usually write on here...I'm more of an ideas girl! We're getting rid of various books and have put together our own little bookshop on amazon. For the books of a questionable nature (you'll see when you see the shop) then I must admit that I did a study on the topic at hand.

We have a couple of brand new cookbooks including a TBT favourite; The totally flour free cookbook.
Absolutely awesome!

Check out Treasure Box Books here. We can't offer international shipping at the moment but if you don't live in the UK and are interested in any of the books listed, drop us a comment and we'll see if we can calculate shipping for you.

We send everything out as 2nd class recorded delivery, unless you're buying a large book and that will be sent by 1st class recorded delivery.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Em
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P.S. Because of the timing, we can't guarantee christmas delivery for any orders placed now, sorry!

10% off at Naturisimo

Click here to grab yourself a bargain!
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Suki Sale on at Brandalley

You might not receive them in time for christmas, but if you are a fan of Suki skincare then head on over to brandalley for their up to 80% off beauty sale!
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TBT's 2011 favourites

We're pretty sure that it's fairly obvious by now but here at TBT we love a bit of pampering -
Christmas is drawing nearer and, unless you are a gift buying guru, gift frustration is mounting. So we thought that we would combine our 2011 faves list with our gifting suggestions. In my family, asking people what they want for Christmas is just NOT done. It's one of the worst offences. No-one has said anything about it but it's unspoken. One year I sent all of my uncles and aunts some cute Christmas lists to send back to me...can you guess how many I got back? Nada.

These days, I have an action plan that is based on this list;
1 mini novelty gift to break any Christmas related tension
1 item of clothing
socks (arguably THE most useful, not to mention, universal gift that you could possibly give another human being)
food of some description
A little something special.

OK, looking at that it seems like more of a survival list. If you knew my family then you'd know just how right that is. One Christmas my uncle, who is most certainly not a gift buying guru, gave my sister and I *drum roll please*....salad tongs and a pack of batteries. To share. We were 13 and 11 respectively, clearly puberty alone was not confusing enough.

All jokes aside, I am very grateful that I have people who are willing and able enough to get out there and buy me things. Even if I end up having to serve salad with my sister using my designated half of salad tongs.
You'll notice that I've not yet commented on the "little something special", that is because it is a unique gift based on the person. So, in my Christmas browsing this year I have put together some of our favourite products!

1) Akuaba belly butter From Sheabutter Cottage, currently reduced by 30%! £6.20 for a 70g pot.

You guys know how we feel about this gem. Click here for our spectacular review

Suited to: Pregnant ladies, ladies planning on getting pregnant soon, anyone wanting to reduce the signs of their stretchmarks (from our experience it seems to work best on stretchmarks that are still red).

2) Dr Alkaitis Universal Mask available in 100g jars @ lovelula  for £49.55 ( inc p&p), being content (but it's currently out of stock), and naturisimo for £49.50 (inc p&p).

Click here for our original review.Funnily enough, this one has decreased in price since we published our original review. There is no looking back after this mask!
Suited to: Everyone, other than people with grass allergies.

3) Frownies available from Feelunique for £16.35 (inc p&p), Frownies for £15.95 - currently on offer - (+p&p), and Amazon for £16.95 (inc p&p).

OK, we'll be the first to admit that this isn't the most romantic or flattering of gifts, unless it has been specifically requested by the giftee. Maybe it could work as a novelty gift, at a push, it could make a cute stocking filler. Even so, this is an impressive product, check out our review here
Suited to: anyone who wants to delay or reduce frown lines & forehead lines.

4) Fushi Eczmaid Cream available from Fushi Wellbeing for £15.26 (+p&p), and Feel Unique for £13.75 (inc p&p)

1 word: Amazing. After I developed a bout of eczema on my face back in September I have been using this product twice a day, and you know what? Eczema gone and smooth skin returns!
Click here for our original review - you'll notice that the prices have gone up since that review but we can assure you that, in our opinion, it's well worth the money.
Suited to: Anyone with eczema or dry skin patches.

5) John Masters Citrus and Neroli Detangler available in 236ml bottles @ Feelunique, Lovelula,Naturisimo for £16 (inc p&p).

Check out our review here. We think the red InStyle sticker in the image says it all!
Suited to: Anyone who gets tangled hair.

6) The Yantra Mat available from Detox Your World for £47.99 (+p&p), Amazon for £36.99 (inc p&p) and Holland and Barrett for £40.99 (inc p&p)

Have an eccentric relative who is difficult to please? or just a relative who is incredibly difficult to please? then this might just be the ticket!
Suited to: You decide.

7) Trilogy Everything Balm available in 45ml pots @ Lovelula for £12.50 (inc p&p), Feelunique for £11.25 (inc worldwide p&p), and Naturisimo for £11 (inc UK p&p)

We reviewed this back in January. This multipurpose balm is great for everything and everyone (unless you happen to be allergic to one of the ingredients, but don't worry all of that is listed in our review). It's the perfect size to take out with you and will happily live in your handbag or rucksack without taking up too much room.
Suited to: Busy people.

8) The Kimia Exquisite Rejuvenating Facial System available from Lovelula for £69 (inc p&p), Kimia for £74 (+p&p), and Naturisimo for £69 (inc p&p and Kimia Lip contour serum).

It's still a mouthful but the Kimia glow really does exist - we've seen it and it is glorious! Click here for our original review.
Suited to: People who deserve a very special treat!

9) RMS Beauty Living Luminizer & Lip2Cheek available from Cult Beauty for £30 & £28 respectively (+p&p), and Being Content for £30 & £28 respectively (+p&p).

If I had to choose between these products living luminizer would win, it's multifunctional and imparts a lovely glow. Perfect for anyone who loooves shimmer without looking like you're caked in make-up.
Suited to: Natural beauties.

10) Live Native Essential Earth Exfoliating Cleanser available from Live Native with prices starting from £24.60 (+p&p), and Being content for £24.60 (+p&p)

Our favourite cleanser of 2011 - this stuff is lovely! Click here for our original review.
Suited to: anyone who loves polished skin.

Do you have any favourite products? Let us know in the comments!
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More Gift Packs & Stocking fillers!!

So, Friday's post had to be cut short because the computer got tired and as it turns out there are loads of great eco-friendly and body friendly offers around. We've taken it upon ourselves to get every awesome offer that we find to you. Because of that we can't make the post as picture heavy but we hope that you still find it useful!

 

If you find any great deals let us know in the comments!!

 

For starters, the John Masters Travel set priced at £7.50 yesterday has now gone back up to their pre-25% off price...as have all of the Ren kits. Pah! The John Masters Travel Kit can be found at Being Content for £9.99 (+p&p). We are focusing on Being Content today, purely because of the offer below. If the offer doesn't suit you then you can find some of the same offers with free delivery at feelunique

 

Voucher alert: Being Content are offering all December orders a gift voucher to spend in January! Fantasmo! Their prices are the same as feelunique but p&p is not free, either way a lovely free gift voucher would be a great help in January!

 

1) L'Occitane 100% Pure Shea Butter 8ml @ ASOS for £4.50 including p&p (usually £6)

Don't be fooled by the amount, yes it's small but I bought one back in february and I'm only half way through it. It's great as a lip balm (especially in the cold) but is also fabulous as an eye cream.

 

2)  The Pai Serenity Bath & Body Collection @ Being Content for £15.99 (+p&p)

We've recently been introduced to Pai skincare - it is lovely, organic and affordable. Just like this gift set which contains Comfrey & Calendula Calming Body Cream (100ml) and Himalyan & Dead Sea Therapeutic Bath Salts scented with jasmine.

 

 

 

3) Speaking of Pai, we've found another cute bath set; Pai Tranquility Bath and Body Collection available @ Being Content for £13.99 (+p&p).

This gift set comes in glass bottles, and contains Jasmine & May Chang Creamy Organic Bath Oil (100ml ) and Jasmine & May Chang Luxurious Organic Body Oil 100ml.
 But beware this does contain nut oil and is not suitable for anyone with a nut allergy!
 
4) Intelligent Nutrients In Joy the Shine Lip Care Kit @ Being Content for £44 (+p&p) (also available at feelunique)
 

 
We'll be the first to admit that this is really for the richer people amongst us. It's also for lipcare lovers. If you or the person that you are buying for fall into both of those categories then this is the one for you (or them).
This product is free from gluten, lead and other heavy metals, mined minerals, synthetic colour, synthetic oils, synthetic waxes, mineral oil, petrolatum, artificial fragrances, phthalates, silicones and parabens.

In total the kit is worth £59 so you are getting a good deal.

Presented in it's own tin this set offers you all full size products - which is a bit of a rarity these days, especially when it comes to cosmetics. The products that make up this set are@ 1 x Certified Organic Lip Delivery Nutrition Lip Balm (7 g) & 3 Certified Organic Lip Delivery Antioxidant Gloss (12ml sizes) in; Purple Maize (Berry), Clear Frosting, New Holiday Shade Cranberry (Red).

It also doesn't hurt that these lip glosses are delicious.

5) Intelligent Nutrients In Joy Harmony Gift Set available @ Being content for £30 (+p&p) (also available @ feelunique) - this gives you a saving of £12 when compared to buying each product individually.
 

 
Once more Intelligent Nutrients have created a two thirds full size gift set only this time it is for the hair. I'm loving this one, it's perfect as a gift and is also a good bumper pack if you need some eco- and body-friendly haircare. I have to admit that my early attempts with Intelligent Nutrients left a little to be deserved, but I am hooked now. I use the detangler every other day and am loving the shampoo and conditioner.  I have had so many compliments on the condition of my hair since using intelligent nutrients - and this is coming from a girl who's idea of haircare/styling is taking it out of a bun in the morning.
In this set you receive;
•Harmonic Shampoo (444ml)
•Harmonic Conditioner (444ml)
•Travel Size Volumizing Hair Spray (60ml)

And according to the being content blurb;

Intelligent Nutrients named it volumizing - but the benefits of this Hair Spray don't stop there

•finishing on dry hair
•curl enhancing
•frizz fighting
•style reactivator


The Harmonic Hair Care is anti-ageing, antioxidant rich, volumizing, super smooth, non-frizzy and nourishing to the scalp, hair, body and mind.

ooooooooh!
 

We hope you've had a lovely weekend!

X

Gift pack round-ups & special offers

We're pretty sure that it's fairly obvious by now but here at TBT we love a bit of pampering -  we also love a bargain, so we have trawled the internet in the first of our christmas themed lists to help you with the gift buying process.

Here are a couple of the special offers that we've found:

1) Spend £75 at Lovelula before the 16.12.2011 and you will get a £15 voucher back to spend between 1.1.2012 and 28.2.2012. Just enter XMAS11 at the checkout to get your voucher!

2) Feel Unique is offering £5 off when you spend £40 until midnight sunday. Enter the code CRACKEDIT at the checkout.

3)Naturisimo are offering a Free Intelligent Nutrients 60ml volumising hair spray when you spend £20 or more on the Intelligent Nutrients range (We'll round up some of our favourite Intelligent Nutrient products tomorrow).

4) Asos are offering 25% off selected brands at the moment and this applies to the beauty department, I don't know how long this promotion is going to last for but there are some great savings to be had!


Gift Packs

1) Dr Hauschka Daily Body Care Kit £12.00 + p&p (reduced from £17.95) @ Being Content

This cutesy travel sized set is a great way to introduce yourself...ahem, or whoever you're buying this gift for, to the certified natural Dr Hauschka range. In total the kit contains:
•Hand Cream 10ml

•Rose Body Moisturiser 10ml

•Quince Body Moisturiser 10ml
•Rose Body Oil 10ml
•Blackthorn Body Oil 10ml
•Lemon Bath 10ml
•Rose Body Wash 5ml
•Blackthorn Body Wash 5ml

According to Being Content the Dr hauschka range is formulated to encourage the skin to maintain or restore it's own natural balance.

2)  Dr Hauschka Daily Bath Care Kit £12.00 + p&p (reduced from £17.95) @ Being Content

This is one for the bath lovers in your life, formulated from essential oils Dr Hauschka Daily Bath Care Kit includes 5 x 10ml bath oils:

• Lavender Bath – relaxing and calming
• Lemon Bath – energising and revitalising
• Rosemary Bath – warming and reviving
• Sage Bath – nurturing and rebalancing
• Spruce Bath - soothing and relaxing

 3) John Masters Organics Travel Set available from Asos  for £7.50 (inc p&p)

 

• Citrus and Neroli Detangler: 30ml - check out our review here
• Lavender Rosemary Shampoo: 30ml
• Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Milk: 30ml
• Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Wash: 30ml

Usually priced at £10 this is perfect for travel, gift giving and your bank account - stock up on this one before the offer runs out.

 

4) Pai Sensitive Skincare set available from Naturisimo for £35 (inc p&p)

 

Soothing and regenerating, this skincare set contains Pai's delicately scented Chamomile & Rosehip Sensitive Skin Cream and their BioRegenerate Serum made from concentrated rose hip oil, delivering Trans-Retinoic Acid directly to the skin which converts into Vitamin A boosting the skin's natural healing process.

5) Neal's Yard Remedies Frankincense Face & Body Care Collection (usually £38) available at Asos for £30 (inc p&p) - (usually £38).

Frankincense Hydrating Cream: 40 g Frankincense & Mandarin Shower Cream: 100 ml
Frankincense & Mandarin Body Lotion: 100 ml
This kit is great value for money, working out at £10 per item. It's also perfect for guys and gals!

Whew, this has turned into a loong post, stay tuned for part two!
Hope you've had a great day!
L
XXX