How-To: Peppermint & Eucalyptus Lavender Salt Scrub

When it comes to making your own homemade beauty products, I’m all for it. I strongly believe that we are not just what we put in our bodies, but also what we put on our bodies. Using fresh, natural, and organic ingredients, I love being able to recreate a spa item at home for a fraction of the cost, and that is customized exactly the way I want it to be. I’ve been making homemade soaps since I was in the single digit age range, but as I get older, I have learned how important a good salt or sugar scrub can be for exfoliating your skin. Since salt scrub is one of those things I use in the morning {to be energized} and at night {to relax}, I decided to combine a salt scrub made with epsom salts, olive oil, fresh lavender and lavender water {lavender blossoms and water boiled down}, and two essential oils – peppermint {refresh} and eucalyptus {relax}. In the jar I used six layers, starting first with the epsom salts with an 1/8 cup olive oil, one drop each of the peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils, one spritz lavender water, and one lavender blossom, repeated. The end result is something that not only looks pretty to display on my bathroom counter, but smells amazing as well.

x Paris

Cardamom Orange Gin Cocktail

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With our orange tree in full bloom, I’ve been struggling to come up with the perfect way to use the fruit. A classic mimosa felt too boring for our weekend brunch, while a spiced orange cake felt like far too much work to bake on a lazy night in. I finally settled for a cocktail, blending in the fruit with a cardamom {fun fact: cardamom is known as the queen of spices} simple syrup and an {optional} splash of gin. The sweet oranges juxtaposed the spicy cardamom perfectly, and for those who wanted to make their drink a little more adult, I added in a splash of gin to finish off the flavors perfectly. And to further elevate the drink, I rimmed the glasses with cardamom sugar to add to the sweet and spiced flavors.

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Ingredients
1 Orange, juiced
6 Cardamom Pods, crushed, or to taste
1 Tablespoon Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Cardamom Sugar, to taste
Crushed Ice, to taste
1 Ounce Gin {or to taste}, optional

Recipe
1. Heat the tablespoon of sugar, water, and the crushed cardamom over a low flame to make the simple syrup.
2. Using the orange, rim the glass with the fruit juice, then dip it into the cardamom sugar.
3. Add the cardamom simple syrup, orange juice, and gin to the glass. Top with crushed ice
4. Enjoy!

x Paris