A gorgeous KK gift for health nuts and DIY beauty fans
Feature image credit: Simon & Schuster Australia
Okay, so there’s nothing you love more than winding down with a good face mask before bed, you’re obsessed with BeautyTok, and at any given moment, you can be found browsing the aisles at Mecca. Sound familiar? If this is you, but you’re also increasingly worried about the hidden chemicals found in some of your favourite products, DIY beauty is a great alternative. Now, you could spend hours scouring the internet in search of natural skincare and haircare recipes to test out, or you could simply grab Janet Hayward’s new beauty food guide, which doubles as a superfood bible.
Lemons Are a Girl’s Best Friend delves into 30 of the best superfoods, including but not limited to chia seeds, avocados, tomatoes, cinnamon, and of course, lemons. Within each section, we get digestible (pun intended) information about the superfood in question, with specific details about its benefits for the human body. Then there’s a recipe for eating, and a recipe for skincare or haircare — although after reading about the pineapple foot scrub (page 79), the lines are truly blurred.
With its bright hard cover and cute graphics, this would make a beautiful Christmas gift for anyone who’s looking to add more of these superfoods to their diet or beauty routine. It’s a great buy for the health-conscious, or those with certain dietary requirements, since the recipes are clean (many of them being dairy/gluten-free or vegan). Or course, it’s also the perfect present for beauty fans who are sick of products with ingredients lists that are longer than War and Peace.
Olive Oil Hair Treatment (page 123)
I normally shudder at DIY hair treatments that contain harsh ingredients like apple cider vinegar, so I was a little nervous about this one that is made with olive oil, lemon, and egg yolk. But surprisingly, the smell was mild and didn’t linger, as is often the case with treatments that involve raw milk (RIP to my bathroom following last month’s Cleopatra-inspired hair mask). This treatment was quick and easy to whip up and promised to leave me with shiny, soft hair. The verdict? I didn’t notice much shine but it was definitely softer. Hair products are notoriously specific to each person since all hair types are so different, so it’s possible another hair type may have ended up with a much glossier result. But brownie points for not offending my senses!
Chia Skin and Lip Oil (page 115)
This was a simple recipe consisting of chia seeds, water, and coconut oil. Though I followed the instructions exactly, I couldn’t get the right consistency, and ended up having to take some of the water out. This may have messed with the final result, so I would start with less water next time, or perhaps leave the chia seeds to absorb that water for longer than the recipe says. But once it was made, the concoction did make my lips feel super soft — much more so than the thousands of lip balms that I’ve tried that somehow make my lips drier in the end. The instructions require you to leave this oil on the face for 30 minutes, but there was no way I could with the consistency that I ended up with; even lying down still to try and counteract gravity, it slid right off (and there were chia seeds everywhere for days). Again, I would use much less water next time.
Tomato and Basil Bruschetta (page 30)
There’s nothing better than recipes that look fancy despite being a breeze to pull together. This bruschetta looks bougie thanks to the chilli-spiked avocado spread and shreds of basil leaf, but it was as easy to make as a regular bruschetta and took only a few minutes more. Taste-wise, the chilli added a kick, the basil brought sweetness, and the truffle oil gave it a little more depth. This is a great summery recipe and so easily adaptable to what you’ve got in the kitchen/garden and your personal taste.
Reviewed by Vanessa Elle
Instagram: @vanessaellewrites
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Simon & Schuster Australia
Released: October 2024
RRP: $24.99
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