Tried & Tested Trio : Crop Natural Skincare Oils

I've been PMS-ing this week, suffered extreme backache plus a mother of all migraines and you will get a moody bi-atchy me.

I hate taking so many painkillers because I feel that they make my head cloudy and I can't articulate my thoughts properly.

Luckily, I prepared this post earlier thanks to the "schedule" button.

Some time last year, I received a lovely care package from Crop Natural Skincare.  In amongst the goodies were these trio of oils :-

• Pure Rosehip Oil
• Pure Macadamia Oil
• Pure Argan Oil

I've finally decided whether I like them or not so here are my thoughts...

Crop Pure Rosehip Oil :  I have dry/sensitive skin so you would totally assume that my skin would drink this up right?  WRONG.  My skin didn't take to it at all.  But then again, it was going through a crazy irritated rashy phase when I trialled it.  However, it was great for cuticles and helped strengthen my nails too.

Crop Pure Macadamia Oil :  I used this as a cleansing oil to remove stubborn lipstick and it worked like a dream.

Crop Pure Argan Oil :  This is a multi-purpose oil with "all around care" but seeing as I was already treating my hands and face with the other 2 oils, I used this on my hair tips to see if it would help bring life back to my frazzled ends.  Sadly, no, it didn't repair those darned split ends but it gave my hair a shiny but not oily boost.

Now the best thing about these oils is that they only cost $18 each and they are available at Coles supermarkets { sorry non-Aussie ladies } so pop them into your trolley the next time you're there and report back on whether you liked them or not.

Thanks for reading and I shall hopefully have another blog post up soon once I chase away this damn headache/backache which won't stop plaguing me! xxx
SaveSave

How To Make The Best Chinese Roast Duck Ever

I love me some duck, I do!

{ FUN FACT : "Duck" in Cantonese - pronounced as "ngap" - also means gigolo }

Anyway, my dear Mum taught me how to make the best Chinese roast duck ever!

Crispy skin on the outside and juicy meat on the inside!

It's so DUCKING delicious!!!

And luckily for you, I made a video of the recipe and method of how to make it so you can make this delicious roast duck too!  { SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE HERE }

Maybe you can make this for your special someone for Valentines Day next week...?  Or Chinese New Year is coming up so why not pretend you're Chinese { if you're not already, that is! } and make this.

Just remember, it is NOT one of those recipes which you can make on the same day.  You actually need to prep the duck and wait { patiently } for 3-4 days for it to be ready to be roasted!

If you aren't a fan of videos, I've got the written version right here too :)  Don't say I'm not good to you!

Enjoy!

The Best Chinese Roast Duck Ever!

An original recipe by Ling's Mama

(Serves 2-4 people depending on how you serve it)

Ingredients

1 x duck (around 2kg+, thawed if frozen)

[A]
Half onion (sliced)
Knob of ginger (sliced)
4 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
White bulb of spring onion (chopped)
1 x star anise
1 x cinnamon stick
2 x bay leaf

[B]
2 tbsp hoi sin sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp five spice powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp sesame oil

[C]
3 bowls of water
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp maltose { sticky syrup }

Method


1.  Remove duck innards and rinse duck with cold water

2.  Dry roast [A] in a pan until fragrant.  Allow to cool.

3.  Mix [B] together

4.  Combine [A] and [B] together and stuff everything into the duck cavity

5.  Use a skewer to sew the cavity together by threading in and out

6.  Boil [C] in a large pan or wok.

7.  With the mixture boiling, carefully lift up the duck by it's neck and use a ladle to bathe the duck all over.  Repeat 10 times.  At this stage, the duck's skin will be looking plump and shiny.  If not, repeat till it is.

8.  Allow to cool before placing it in the fridge uncovered to dry out for 3-4 days.  The longer you leave it to dry out, the crispier the skin!

9.  On the day you are going to roast the duck, remove from the fridge and place on top of roasting rack with the back side up, breast side down.  Wait 30 minutes if you have time to allow the duck to come to room temperature.

10.  Preheat oven to 190 degrees fan forced.  Place the tray in the oven on the middle shelf.

11.  Let it roast for 15 minutes back side down and then flip the duck over to breast side up and continue to roast for 45 minutes.  Open the door to have a look.  If the colour is not that roast duck red colour, put it back in for another 5 minutes and check again. 

12.  Remove from oven and let the duck rest for 15 minutes to allow the juices to settle. 

13.  Drain sauce from duck before chopping.  Save the sauce for noodles or make a gravy if you want.

14.  Chop it up and serve.

Personally, I love my roast duck with hoi sin sauce on dry noodles.  YUM!!!

#thebestchineseroastduckever - yep, it's so good that it deserves its own hashtag! :P  If you do happen to make it and you're an Instagram user, tag me @lingoutloud and use the hashtag #lingoutloudrecipes please so I can see and drooooool!!!

Keep Calm & Relax with L'Occitane

It has been quiet on the blog this week because :-

a)  I am extremely tired
b)  I have been super busy
c)  I am enjoying as much freedom* as I can before my in-laws arrive tomorrow to stay with us for God knows how long (kill me now!!)
d)  All of the above

And the answer is... d) All of the above... BUT especially c)

*By "freedom", what I mean is - prancing around in the comfort of my own home with no bra on!!!  Ladies, you all know what I mean, right?

Anywaaaaay, I've been doing a lot of breathing exercises lately to help me relax and wind down.  I am usually an extremely patient, mild-mannered, non-confrontational person but I am preparing myself in case I need to "have it out" with my MIL.

Luckily for me, to help me relax, L'Occitane sent me a lovely package of their soon-to-be released Aromachologie Relaxing range - Perfumed Sachets, Pillow Mist and Massage Body Oil.

Three words - TO. DIE. FOR.

As you already know, I'm a big fan of lavender pillow sprays from This Works so I was SUPER eager to test out L'Occitane's version.

The Relaxing Pillow Mist contains essential oils from lavender, bergamot, mandarin, sweet orange and geranium.  It is BEAUTIFUL!

It comes in a generous 100ml bottle which is a good thing because I spray this liberally all over my 3 pillows, my side of the duvet { Aussies say 'doona' } and even on my wrists because I love the smell that much.  It is definitely not one of those old-lady-overpowering-lavender scents but just to be on the safe side, have a sniff in store before you purchase it.

As for the Relaxing Perfumed Sachets, they give the extra oomph!  Because I am an insomniac, I struggle to fall asleep and I'm always tempted to turn on my phone and go on Facebook or something until it bores me to sleep.  But now, instead of doing that, I take a DEEP SNIFF of the Perfumed Sachet { which I conveniently place under my main pillow } and do a few deep breathing exercises and that gets my sleepy senses going.

There are 2 sachets in a box but the other one is currently sitting in my work locker as I'm saving it for the uber stressful days at work, i.e. every Monday to combat Monday-itis!

I have relaxed so much more since using both of these L'Occitane products.  They are already on my Regular Repurchases List.

The Relaxing Body Massage Oil has sadly not been put to use yet.  My husband is always asleep by the time I jump into bed.  I shall have to test it tonight { Fifty Shades of Grey style! TMI?!! LOL! } before the in-laws get here.  I'm very hopeful since the other products have been awesome.

Anyway, if you're a fan of lavender scents and/or you're looking for some relaxation, do check these out when they hit L'Occitane stores in March.

Disclosure - thanks again to L'Occitane for providing these products to help me relax!

SaveSave

Review : bhave smoothe keratin therapy

Check me out with shiny, straight and frizz-free hair!!!

How did I manage to tame my un-tameable frizzbomb Asian mane?

Allow me to point you in the direction of bhave smoothe keratin therapy.

In a nutshell, this was my experience of bhave smoothe keratin therapy :-
1.  Hair was washed then dried.
2.  Treatment was applied and left for under an hour.
3.  Hair was washed then dried again.
4.  Hair was straightened in sections.  Done!

The photos do not lie.  I arrived at the salon with frizzy poofy hair and I left the hair salon with shiny, glossy, frizz-free locks.  Just wow!

If you need more convincing to get this done, it's formaldehyde-free and Aussie beauty guru, Zoe Foster-Blake got it done just before she popped her sprog!

The downside is that it does not last forever... (apparently, it can last up to 5 months)...

To ensure that bhave smoothe keratin therapy lasts as long as possible, there are 4 things you are instructed to do :-

1.  Avoid washing your hair for 48 hours post-treatment
2.  Use sulphate-free and sodium chloride-free shampoo and conditioner (bhave have a great range - which you have a chance of winning at the end so stay tuned!)
3.  Activate it with heat (i.e. use a hairdryer after washing) to get straighter results
4.  Eat chocolate...!  *winks*

I was extremely delighted with the results of bhave smoothe because I did not have to stress out about my hair going nutso during the wildly humid summer days.  I've been using bhave Scalp and Rescue shampoos and conditioners to keep my hair happy.

It's been over 2 months since I had it done and my hair is still reaping the benefits...but my roots are starting to show through....ugh!

Disclosure : Thank you bhave for the complimentary treatment and for providing bhave products to keep my mane tamed!

Calling All Insomniacs - Check Out This Works!

Every vain person knows the importance of beauty sleep.

But if you're a vain insomniac like me, then getting some shut-eye is almost impossible!!

When I heard fellow insomniac @Legeeque raving about This Works sleep sprays, I knew I had to get my hands on them so I hopped straight over to their website and ordered this trio.

Note : These sleep sprays are NOT CHLOROFORM and won't knock you out immediately but they have fantastic sleep-inducing benefits...

This Works Sleep Plus Pillow Spray is an UH-MAZING lavender fragrance which is super soothing and helps me wind down.  I love spraying it all over my pillow and my end of the duvet (Aussies say doona!) cover.  Not only does it help prepare me to sleep, it masks the stench of my hubby's windy bum.  He is very prone to snarting (snoring AND farting!).

Deep Sleep Pillow Spray is also another lavender scent but it is more potent in terms of lavender.  However, I find that I have a DEEPER sleep with Sleep Plus Pillow Spray compared to Deep Sleep Pillow Spray.

My insomniac sister is arriving in Melbourne next week so I'm going to gift her the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray and see if it works better on her.

As for the Deep Sleep Stress Less, it packs a punch (in rollerball form) with lavender and eucalyptus oil which I LOVE!  I work in an environment where there are occasionally less than pleasant smells (think bad breath, B.O., etc) so I can easily whack this onto my face mask and inhale this instead.  However, instead of making me sleepy, it actually makes me more awake.

I'm still suffering from occasional bouts of insomnia but at least, I feel more relaxed at bedtime and my quality of sleep feels much better with This Works products.  It really works!

Save
You can buy This Works products online and I bought my haul from their website - which offered free international delivery...but it ended last week...oops...sorry for not sharing earlier...I was too busy catching up on zzz's :P