So, back in 2016 I quit my job and decided to go self employed. I was struggling to find any real-life information that would give me an idea of how many hours I should work per day, how to organise my home office and generally what to do to succeed as a self employment businessperson.

De-cluttered and beautifully arranged home offices exist only in magazines. Here is my very first home office that I set up when I was living by the sea.

Since then I can tell you to be self employed is much harder work than having a nine to five job. There are always challenges, ups and downs but complete freedom and the ability to be your own boss! If somebody tells you that being self employed is working three hours a day - it is not true. Most self employed people I speak to are working twelve hours a day, six days a week, especially during the all-important early stages of your business when you are unlikely to be able to afford staff and will therefore have to do everything yourself.

My vision board from 2017, I would say your Vision Board is your company strategy board. You are one with your business. 

So if you are good at working independently and you think that you are doing too much work for the pay you are receiving - try to go self employed.  The whole decision of going self employed is one of the most scariest decisions to make! One thing's for sure - in the worst case scenario you can always come back to work, jobs are always there waiting for you with their fixed wage.

'From my personal observation, since the 2008 crisis there are fewer highly paid jobs and fewer companies that really do give good promotions in exchange for hard work, there are fewer company benefits and bonus schemes. Constant cuts, job insecurity, redundancies and now even that new word that most of us had never heard of - furlough. Many people can't pay off the mortgage early enough which means you'll have to go to work no matter if you are sick or old. But why is this happening? Many reasons: housing and banking crisis - many people rent and don't have their own home, if you lose a job you can end up on the street literally. Employers are not too keen on increasing salaries or paying bonuses to people who really deserve it. Everything is connected and might be not on purpose.'

One thing to remember - you are the captain of our own fate. You can make everything work if you want to. And to make it work you need to organise your own time and working space.

Real world Tips for Self Employment:

1. Set up a home office. A separate room or a corner in a living room with a dedicated space. Separate desk, hanging board, diary, lamp - going for a cheaper option like IKEA will do, if you can get furniture for free or upcycle - you are the champ!

My first home office came from IKEA and cost me £200 included chair, desk and shelving unit.

2. Keeping a Diary. There will be a lot of things you'll need to follow up or perhaps you'll come up with some idea while you are in the shower - always write it down. Though maybe wait until you're out of the shower.

Ladder shelf is the best thing to have in WFH office - you can put it in any corner of the room and it adds not only storage space but keeps things on hand. This ladder been painted twice and still looks good, cost almost nothing from a cheap interior store.

3. Organise your day. Having a routine is extremely important when you are self employed. What was working for me: Breakfast - Dispatching customers orders - Morning gym -  Urgent Tasks - Work on the website - Accounts filing - Finish work - Organise next day.

Working hours from Tuesday to Saturday, Monday - day off. I couldn't take two days off as there were too many things to do. But it was only an estimated routine, if I have finished a very tiring but important project - I could take the rest of the day off and go on the beach. If I feel a burnout - I take a break, if I need to finish project - I work sixteen hours in a row to finish it.  

4. Business Bank Account.

No matter if you have a business or a side income put money in different baskets. It will help you to understand how your business makes money and how much your business spends. You do not necessarily need to open paid Business accounts - even £6 per month adds up quickly, some banks give one year free business account then you have to pay and the benefits they promise they will never do anyways. Find a free business accounts with banks like Starling. Keeping money separately will help you reduce personal spending and keep finances safe. 

5. Do accounts regularly.

Weekly is the best. Monthly is too much work and you won't remember everything you have done in a month. Keep accounts extremely detailed, if you do accounts by yourself you'll save £600-£1500 a year and might as well treat yourself for a weekend in Paris. 

Going self employed is truly inspiring, you will learn a lot, you'll work hard and it may well be the best decision you make in a lifetime.

"I live in a medium size UK town and  much of the plastic packaging I encounter is not currently recycled. It tears my heart to pieces every time I throw another piece of plastic in the bin. Personally, I can't control food industry plastic - I can only make purchasing choices and support Green Peace by signing a petition. "

As a craftsperson I can control what packaging I'm using and take responsibility. To be honest it wasn't easy to source glass bottles for my Face Toners, only recently I finally found a small UK supplier that sells suitable glass bottles. Plastic is so widely popular as a packaging, plastic has flooded not only our households but all market suppliers.

Perfance Face Creams are poured into glass jars and sealed with an aluminium lid. I use amber glass jars not because they are pretty but in darkened glass all active natural ingredients are stored better than in clear glass. This is done in case you leave your moisturiser on the windowsill or somewhere with direct sun, almost all active botanicals break down in the sun.

Perfance Face Masks are prepared and jarred in amber jars also but a bigger size, 150ml, and filled right up to the top. An aluminium lid is not only better than plastic lids but looks more elegant on your dresser or in the bathroom.

"Glass is a natural material - it is widely recycled, plus even if glass gets into the environment it quickly becomes a part of it. Glass gives the mood of something rustic and artisan, something you would get from an old fashioned pharmacy, a medicine, a cure or treatment."

I use aluminium tins quite widely in my handmade skincare. 200ml of Body Lotion or Moroccan Soap is a big size plus this type of packaging is very robust. A 50ml aluminium tin is always in my gym bag as it is very light and a handy travel size. Try to use it for travel, I can promise you these aluminium tins won't leak.

How beautiful a glass bottle of Castile Soap in your bathroom looks... labelled with Kraft paper, finished with natural twine and an aluminium lid - absolute artisan. A 250ml pourable bottle which you can add to your bath for a milky spa experience!

I have this matching set with pump bottle for the sink where I use Castile soap for washing my hands. I have gotten so used to a nice soap, so much so that commercial hand washes now seem too slimy and skin-drying, doesn't feel real.. There are so many uses for castile soap I have written a separate Story about it which you can read it here.

Same thing with Face Toners - only glass - 250ml amber glass bottle, if you like you can keep it in the fridge for cold pads under puffy or tired eyes in the morning! Toner is completely natural and safe for the under eye area. 

When I was thinking about making my own skincare back in 2017 the first question was if I will bring value to this country and its people. Profit comes and goes the only thing that matters is what's left after.

Commercial clay masks contain Kaolin, better known as that chalk you used to use in school to write things on the blackboard. Kaolin is a powder that turns creamy when mixed with water.

So if you see in the list of ingredients Kaolin - remember it is not a face mask, it is a building material. It won't do much for your skin, might make it dry and if you use it often it might even make your skin super dry. 

"Why would commercial brands add Kaolin to a face mask? The answer is - it is cheap. Kaolin costs almost nothing and is easy to source. And technically you can call it a face clay mask as it is a clay and a mineral."

What about Handmade Natural Clay Face Masks?

Most of the face masks I see made by craftspeople are actual powder clay with mixed flowers or essential oils that comes in a jar and before using it you have to mix it with water, but it is not that simple!

If you try and mix French Green Clay (INCI: Montmorillonite, not Kaolin) it won't mix straight away, you have to whisk it, I would say more difficult than mixing milk and flour for pancakes. The texture gets very lumpy and you have to vigorously whisk or leaving mask for 30 mins at least. 

And if you decide to make detox mask using Bentonite clay - I wish you the best of luck!

When I make Anti Acne Face Mask from Bentonite clay (INCI: Sodium Bentonite) I soak the clay in hydrosol for at least 30 mins as this type of clay is very dense and swollen when mixed with water. I use a stick blender to turn it into a spreadable face mask so you can actually apply it on the face. You don't want to mix it too much with water as the dragging effect will decrease.

"Important thing - mixing any type of mineral clays with standard tap water is not a good idea, as it wont give you much and the chlorine in water mixed with naturally active mineral clay will make it too harsh for skin especially if you leaving mask for 5 to 10 minutes. "

Mixing clay with water and turning it into a face mask will give you an expiry date of 3 days.

Yes, after those short three days bacteria will start breeding in your mask.

Personally I use face masks frequently as they do improve skin, like any facial clay masks give instantly clear and healthy skin improving it overtime.

Making mask every 3 days mixing it, whisking it, waiting until it is ready - you have to be living on furlough all your life to be able to do that!

My Perfance Clay Face Masks I prepare with the finest clays from France - French Green Clay, Yellow Clay. Moroccan Lava Clay or Rhassoul, Ghassoul Clay from Morocco, Atlas Mountains, Bentonite Clay from volcanic ashes from USA.

I use hydrosol - Flower Water of Orange flower, Chamomile Flower, Rose Water.

I use modern preservatives to keep the face mask formula stable and safe because I mix it with liquid it is a good environment for bacteria to live. 

I add active botanicals to it in a very small quantities so it doesn't interact with active minerals that natural clay already has.

Last thing is Sustainable packaging - Perfance Clay Face Masks comes in a glass jar of 150ml with aluminium lid. Glass will keep your masks at a stable temperature - slightly colder than the ambient temperature and 150 ml is the right amount for use up until six months to a year.

"If you order a Perfance Face Mask from me I make it on the day of your order so that you receive the freshest mask possible, plus for me it makes business sense for me as I have a huge assortment and it is impossible to predict the sales sometimes, I like to keep my skincare batch fresh and keep quantities of each product very low."

How to find time for Face Masks?

How do I do it with my busy life style - I apply face mask in the morning and do the washing up while keeping the face mask on, I apply mask in the evening while I'm waiting for my partner to take a shower.

"I do not have SPA days at home as often as I would want. But yes, while I'm soaking in the bathtub I will definitely use the opportunity and apply a face mask, take my phone and do some window clothes shopping on uniqlo.com! Small 'me time', by the way I can only say a good things about this clothes brand: very good quality fabrics, very classy and versatile products. Prices of H&M but with more taste and you get more for your money without nasty polyester.

Anyways, remember beautiful skin is not a gift from nature but the lifestyle you have to work on yourself."

What is the difference between Green Clay, Yellow Clay and Red Clays?

The colour of these clays are different due to a mineral content like Iron Dioxes and even a molecular texture a different amount of dioxides gives different colour and molecular structure of a mineral particle reflects differently in the spectrum of the sun giving each mineral a unique colour.

Say, Bentonite Clay reacts with liquid you see a small bubble forming - it turns into a magnet-like dense paste that drags the toxins from the skin. Bentonite clay has a grey colour due to its origin in volcanic ashes.  

Red clay is a very rich colour and I have tested it to make face masks, but it is too pigmented and quite difficult to wash off that pigment that Iron Dioxides create naturally.

French Green Clay is a green colour due to Iron Dioxides and matured plant matter - sea weed and algae give that mild green colour.

French Yellow Clay is Yellow because of Iron Dioxides but no Aluminium.

Moroccan Lava Clay is brown-yellow colour due to high content of silica, magnesium, potassium, and calcium and it's earthy-like origin as it is derived deep underground.

Masks can be a real savour for many skin problems - dryness, acne, pores, red spots, oily skin, lack of firmness, wrinkles..

Using different Face Clay Masks and see how fast they are improving your skin is the right way to improve your skin! 

"Amber colour, almost no scent Castile Liquid Soap is a natural soap made from high quality, high oleic and virgin cold-pressed vegetable oils using a traditional recipe and requires maturing. 

Castile Soap been used for centuries and now it is back in fashion!

People are more aware of harmful detergents and how it can be dangerous for us and our planet."

Perfance Castile Liquid Soap made from Virgin high oleic Olive Oil and Organic, Raw Coconut Oils and potash (Potassium Hydroxide). Making a small batch of Castile Soap requires 15 hours of non-stop work, protective equipment and skill. After it's made it has to mature for 3 months. As longer Castile Soap matures as better quality it gets. We store our soap only in glass jars as it helps it to mature. Castile soap does not contain preservatives as naturally alkali product (an environment where bacteria do not live).

How you can use Castile Soap?

- Shower gel

Just use it on the sponge or splash onto skin, Castile Soap is a little runnier than a commercial shower. You can add essential oils to Castile soap and use it for a milky bath.

- Hand Wash 

Castile Soap is naturally antibacterial it is the best Hand Soap! Pour it into a pump bottle and place next to your sink!

- Face Wash?

No, Castile Soap is a bit strong for using on your face, I have seen a recipe like adding Glycerine and Water to use it on the face, but Castile Soap has to be diluted quite well.

"I wouldn't recommend using pure Castile Soap direcltly on your face as every day face wash - it is too cleansing! Just to give you an idea: skin on the body is cardboard, skin on the face is a paper and skin under eyes is a thin paper tissue. Be mindful choosing a different products for face, body and eye area!" - Alina Perfance

- Shampoo?

I have tried using Castile soap for hair but it does leave residue on hair and you have to wash it off with vinegar. So it is entirely up to you. I had couple of clients who bought a bottle of my Castile Soap just because it is biodegradable product and does not cause harm to the environment. 

- Laundry Soap for Delicates

Let's be real things like bras, silk scarves, lace lingerie, expensive swimsuits you wouldn't just chuck in the washing machine. It will lose shape, detergent damages delicate fabrics. Soak it overnight and let it dry naturally and good clothes will serve you longer. 

- Baby clothes laundry soap

Soak overnight in hot water and wash in the morning - baby clothes are clean and soft! 

- Wash fruit and vegetable

This is the only one Soap you can use for washing your food! Washing off the wax from Lemons, washing apples and celery sticks, 

- Cleaner for Cafetiere or Kettle

I have this glass Cafetiere and sometimes I like to make Fruit teas, but if it's used for coffee it has a strong coffee scent. Pour a bit of soap and fill it up with boiling water, leave to cool and wash it afterwards - the scent of coffee gone along with dark coffee residue!

"How to clean Kettle: add 5 teaspoons of citric acid, fill it up with water to the top and boil. Rinse! Now your kettle is sparkly clean!"

-  Kitchen cleaner

Wiping kitchen surfaces, fridge, cupboards and not been afraid harsh chemicals. toxins. Plus Castile Soap destroys scents as it is naturally antibacterial.

"Apply Castile Soap of the damp cotton cloth or sponge and wipe dry afterwards. It works better than washing up liquid as you don't need to rinse it as much, Castile soap doesn't produce as much waste foam that you have to keep on rinsing."

- Cleaning white trainers 

Apply a generous amount on the shoe damp brush or a damp sponge, brush the shoe, wash sponge and remove soap with damp sponge or cloth, leave to dry outside on a sunny day. Soak shoe laces overnight and rinse in the morning - cleans better than any expensive detergent and no damage.

- Floor Cleaner 

Adding just a splash of Castile Soap to a basket of water will make a difference how clean your floor will be plus you don't need to rinse, the floor won't be sticky or have any residue - Castile soap is so natural so foams just slightly.

- Bathroom cleaner

Use hot water and a sponge, Castile soap will me your sink and bath shiny clean! 

Considering how much uses Castile soap has you can really save money on the cleaning as you don't need to buy a lot of cleaning products.

Declutter your life by having one product for every room in your house and no plastic bottles scattered under your kitchen sink. 

How much does it cost to maintain an average beauty basket? £300 per month? More?

Talking from my personal wallet experience if you buy cheaper cosmetics - you end up replacing it much often - Mascaras drying out quicker, some say mascara has to be replaced every month.

Let's count average beauty products we need to purchase every 2 to 4 months and these are just the basics:

Shopping List

1. Skincare: 

Daily cream: £30-65 

SPF protection: £15-25

Face Serum: £35-55

Eye cream: £25-45

Lip Balms: £15-20

Make Up Removers:  £15-25

Facial wash: £15-25

Face Toner: £15-25

Face Mask: £15-25

2. Make up:

Foundation: £30-40 

Powder: £15-30

mascara: £15-30

eyeliner: £15-30

lipstick: £15-30

Seasonal eye palette: £35-55

3. Body products:

Shower gels/Bath foams: £10-15

Body creams: £15-25

Hand creams: £15

4. Hair products:

Shampoo: £10-15

Conditioner: £10-15

Hair oil £18

Thermal protection: £10-15

Hair mask - £15-20

5. Fragrances:

Seasonal fragrance: £35-100

Deodorants: £10-30

Total: £453 - £793

Remember these are just basics, I have included things like Night Creams or Beauty Balms, Make Up Primers, etc.

If you buy High-end beauty products you are expected to spend on average £793, or £198.25 every month for just bits and pieces.

Sounds about right, £60 spent in Boots, £80 in Debenhams, adds up very quickly.

"I have realised that a long time ago, and to be fair this is one of the ways to become a salary slave, you'll always want more.

Do you think we need too many things to maintain beauty?" 

There is a solution to how you can save on Beauty products without compromising on your beauty routine. 

1. Handmade soap instead of commercial Shower gels. 

Opt to a good quality handmade soap that made from good quality cold-pressed oils and only natural ingredients. If you have Dry skin try Cold Soaps which are more super fat and you'll see that you won't need to squeeze out that plastic body lotion tub every day!

2. Buy a bigger size.

Even though I'm not buying any skincare products anymore as I use my own I always buy a bigger bottle of shampoo, 1L bottle will last you from 6 to 8 months even if you use it together with your partner.

3. Buy versatile products.

Choosing an eye shadow palette with eye liver in it can reduce space in your handbag and time to get ready.

Shea butter can be used as Lip Balm, Overnight Hand cream, Body Cream and even as an emergency make up remover (as most of make up oil-based, and oil attracts oil).

Most of good quality handmade Body or Facial Oils can be used as make up remover as well.

4. Choose smart shopping. 

Choose independent beauty brands out there, buying a small bottle of shampoo from a supermarket can become quite expensive over time.

Buying things online on special offers or some items on eBay can really make a difference in price. Many things you can buy in TK Maxx, as for myself I always buy my toothpaste, shampoo and all Hair Products from there! And the price is awesome and I always happy with the quality. 

I have noticed how quickly run out even High-end skincare products: you buy a serum and it is so lovely, you use it every day, one month and it's gone! It is all because of "empty ingredients" - texture enhancers, dimethicone, silica. Since I have started using my own Handmade products - my skin and wallet both happy. Plus no matter how much you pay for a face cream there is no guarantee it will do the job.

"As for myself, every face cream made my shiny and I couldn't apply makeup with face cream on, face powder was my daily friend! That's because the main problem of my whole skin routine was face wash that contained surfactants (detergents) and over-washing my face and then applying light face emulsion my skin had no choice but producing more oils to moisturiser itself.

Now I'm using only fat soap bar Facial Bar which has very little to do with the soap that you can buy from the shop. 30% of this bar are Oils and Butters that haven't turned in to soap, the rest 70% is a natural alkali soap, that cleanses skin without disturbing natural skin balance."

Mindful and conscious shopping in a trend right now.

Think big: we do not need to accumulate things to show our status or feel more special.

There are so many beautiful brands out there, online and in retail shops - all you need is an open mind and even a simple, not fancy packaging product might turn up your the most favourite thing in that world.