Confessions of a coffee freak

There are three things that I've learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.

Red Winter: snowball fights, decorating the Christmas tree aesthetically, classic Christmas songs playing in coffeeshops, knitted mittens, photographs in the snow, rosy cheeks, mulled wine, walking your dog during winter, snowstorms, the last day of February.

Yellow Winter: frosty but sunny days, watching Christmas movies, fireworks, winter birds, the snow crunching under your boots, baking ginger cookies, making snow angels, glistening eyes and a cold nose, snowflakes in your hair, warm cosy hats, Christmas hymns and nativity.

Blue Winter: ice skating on real lakes, heavy but silent night snowfalls, the forest all covered in ice and snow, your fingers aching after warming up, mindlessly melting snow in your palm, giving and receiving Christmas presents.

White Winter: waking up late on a snowy morning, snow sliding with your siblings, hot cocoa with marshmallows, winter nights not being quite dark because of the snow reflecting light, cloudy winter skies, wearing warm socks, Christmas dinners.

Green Winter: the smell of pine trees and cinnamon, fur coats and boots, snowflake designs, reading a book on a snowy day, skiing in the mountains, kissing somebody’s very cold cheek, the anticipation of the new year, fireworks.

Dealing with chapped lips that won’t go away with all these new kinds of lip balms in the market ? Well don’t worry this recipe DIY tinted lip balm recipe can help stop that.

Things you will need 1. 1 tbsp - Vaseline petroleum jelly 2. 1 tbsp - Pure Coconut oil 3. ¼ tbsp - Honey 5. A pinch( if powder) or a few drops ( if liquid) of red food colouring ( only if you want your lip balm to be tinted) 6. A few drops of Pure Vanilla Extract ( For the smell of vanilla) 7. 6-7 drops of peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil ( if you want your lip balm to have that cooling sensation) 8. A little container

- Mix the Vaseline petroleum jelly, honey and the coconut oil together. - Heat them up in the microwave for 20 seconds - Mix well till you can’t tell apart the ingredients - Put a few drops of vanilla extract and mix well - Put the food colouring as desired ( I would say don’t add too much unless you want your lip balm too pigmented) - Mix well till the colour dissolves - Add 6-7 drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil to your mixture and mix well - Heat the mixture for 20 seconds - Transfer the mixture into the little container and refrigerate it for about 3 hours.