Beauty Products Haul

There is a huge chance I may not have needed any of these wondrous items, but what can I say? I’m a sucker for beauty products and it was pay day, sooooo I really couldn't help myself.

Plus, there is a 3 for 2 offer on at Superdrug at the moment, which only persuaded me more.

Makeup Revolution Golden Sugar Blush Palette - £6

I have zero idea what to say about this besides look at it. Honestly. Just look at it. How absolutely gorgeous are those shades? I felt like a giddy school girl picking this up and I have not been disappointed. I think this is a perfect blusher palette to use throughout the spring and summer months and for only £6, what more could you want?

Makeup Revolution Ultra Cover and Conceal Palette - £6

Ok, confession time. I picked up the wrong palette.

I intended to use this palette for contouring and what not, but when I got home I realized I had picked up the lightest possible colour palette, where all the shades are similar to my own skin tone. Ok, no problem, just go back to Superdrug and swap it right? Wrong. I went back to do a quick swapsies but low and behold they don’t do exchanges or refunds on makeup items even if they haven’t been used. Brilliant. It could be worse I suppose. I’m sure I’ll find some use for these colours but what a right royal shame.

Barry M Sunset Daylight Curing nail varnish in Fuschia Generation (along with top coat) - £4.99 each

Hands up who needs more nail varnishes? Because I sure don’t. I easily have around 70 and I do not need to be adding to this collection any time soon, but once I read that these polishes could last up to 10 days, I had to give them a go. A review will be up soon and trust me, it’s a gooden.

Garnier Pure Active Wasabi Power Face Scrub – £4.49* (*BOGOF)

Phew, that’s a name and a half right?

Anyway, I absolutely LOVE this scrub but let me tell you something, it’s a tough one to track down. I ran out of this stuff over a month ago but could I find it anywhere? NOPE! Luckily for me once I did track down this heaven sent face scrub in Superdrug, it was on a BOGOF offer! Result!

Revlon Colourburst Balm Stain – Demure (105) - £5.99

I own a few of these Revlon crayons and I love them all; they're matte and glossy lip pencils are great additions to any makeup collection and I can't praise them enough. I was specifically on the hunt for a light pink spring/summer lip colour that I could wear daily throughout the warmer months, so I instantly knew which brand I could trust. However, this colour is just too fair for my naturally plummy lips and it looks rather transparent on me. It’s quite glossy and hydrating which is always a plus, but note there is a slight shimmer to the formula, so expect glittery lips!

L’Oréal Paris Infallible Matte Foundation – Porcelain – £7.99

As I have super, ridiculously oily skin, I’m always eager to try out new matte products and put them to the test. I've heard wonderful things about this foundation, so I have high hopes. Don't let me down L’Oréal, don't let me down.

Zara Perfumes – Each £7.49 (50% off)

If you haven't tried Zara perfumes yet, where have you been hiding? Not only do they do amazing dupes of high end perfumes, they're so bloody cheap! The dark blue perfume is called 'Intense' whilst the paler blue is called 'L'eau'. Both smell lovely and are perfect summer scents. I cannot describe these perfumes that well...just go down to your local Zara and take a whiff yourself!

Have you tried any of these products before? If so, what are your thoughts on them? Leave me a comment below and thanks for sneaking by! <3

Dusty Girls Tinted Earth Cream

Back in January I attended my first ever bloggers meetup (#nyLDNmeet) and it was here I was first introduced to the brands Moogoo and Dusty Girls.

Dusty Girls is a makeup range for people with spot prone or sensitive skin, but this doesn’t mean that people with other skin complexions shouldn't try their products. Their range uses clay's and minerals to help improve and even out skin tone without the need for chemicals. Some of their products even contain natural SPF, like their Dusty Girls Tinted Earth Cream, how good is that?
Before I start I would like to mention two things:

One: I never review products straight away; I like to use them for a good while to see how they react to my skin and to gauge if they are something I would really like to recommend to others.

Two: Tinted moisturizers are usually not my friend. After many years of searching I have only been able to find one tinted moisturizer that isn’t too dark for my skin and helps my even out my skin tone, however, that product is by Bareminerals and it costs a whopping £27! 

However, I have fallen head over heels for Dusty Girls Tinted Earth Cream. It’s a fabulous little number that is light enough for the palest of gals and only retails at £11. Don't be fooled by this moisturizer; it packs a punch. The coverage is amazing and a little really does go a long way. It also includes ingredients that helps not to block pores and it's full of beneficial ingredients for spot prone skin...could this get any better? Oh yeah it can because it has a pump for hygienic application. Score.

As the days are getting longer and the sun is finally starting to shine, I tend to steer clear of covering my face in foundation during the hotter months. I've been blessed with oily skin, so foundation tends to slides around my face like a kid at a water park during the warmer months so instead, I like to use tinted moisturizers to give the illusion of flawless, natural looking skin, with the added benefit of a skin kissed glow.

See how gosh darn pale I am, however, look at that coverage! Phowar!

Dusty Girls Tinted Earth Cream comes in two shades, Light and Medium. Their entire range can be found here: www.dustygirls.co.uk 

Have you tried any of their products before, let me know in the comments below? If not, what would you love to try from their range?

Versatile Blogger Award

Last week, the wonderful Gemma from A Million Gingerisms nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award! This is a really lovely honor and I truly, whole-heartedly appreciate that she thought of me for this award! Now, I know this is just an online nomination/awards and it’s not exactly a red carpet event (puts down fake Oscar made out of a Barbie Doll and plant pot) but it’s so nice to finally feel like I’m part of this big, vibrant blogging community.

(Totally nailed my acceptance speech)

So, the rules are to write down 7 unknown facts about me and then nominate other bloggers who I think fall into the Versatile category. I'm not a particularly interesting person so lets see how this goes.

1. I was diagnosed with dyslexic and dyspraxic at college. This means I has all the smarts, along with the grace and co-ordination of a Giraffe running the 100m dash on Ecstasy.

2. I was vegan for 4 years and vegetarian for 6 years. Now? I just eat everything. Oops. (I'm totally going to hell).

3. My biggest dream is to travel the world - I know many people would love to do this but I have yearned to travel since I was a child. Having one holiday abroad every couple years to Greece or Spain grew tiresome very quickly and though I appreciated the taste of different cultures and climates, I dreamed off bigger and better adventures; Road tripping across America, seeing the great barrier reef, witnessing the aurora borealis or going to hang out with some Orangutans in Borneo.

Nowadays, I have no excuse not to go. I'm a freelancer, so taking time off work isn't an issue. I have no mortgage, no partner and no kids so I well and truly could bugger off at given moment. However, I'm scared. I'm scared of stepping into the great unknown, I'm scared of being alone and I'm scared of going to places where I don't speak the language. But even thought I'm scared of so much, my fear has never diminished my desire to travel the world.

Recently, I have quietly said to myself that if my current job contract is not renewed, this would be my perfect opportunity to go. I've just got to get the balls to do so.

4. I haven’t got a driving license – But I have booked my driving test for next month, so you never know, I may be tearing up the roads like the road hog I truly am in a few weeks time (The sad reality is I still drive at 15mph with my nose against the steering wheel).

5. I believe in ghosts – I know, I know, judge away! But I truly believe I’ve had a few ‘encounters’ with Casper and his bunch of ghoulish friends over the years and I always remember the first time it happened when I was at home alone, during the day.

Whilst sitting downstairs watching TV, doors upstairs started being opened and closed. Thinking it was the wind blowing them or my cats f'ing about, I decided to go investigate.

But as I walked up the stairs something caught my eye. I looked back into my living room where I had just come from and there, in the entrance, was a tall, dark, almost transparent figure.

It had no face, no features, nothing. But it was as plain as day, that someone or something was standing there. Completely freaked out, I ran upstairs and locked myself in my room to call my mum who was at work. I told her what I had seen and where the thing was standing and tried to joke how crazy she must think I am, but she just responded ‘No, you’re not crazy, I’ve seen him too…’

*queue high pitched organ playing and thunder and lightening*

6. I'm a firm believer in Karma. I have no religion, no deity, no bible but I believe that what goes around comes around, so you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Got to love a Bible quote…)

I believe if you do good you will receive good. If you’re always positive and trying your hardest to be good but are hit with a bad patch in your life, I believe those times are sent to test you and see how you handle them.

I know this sounds very hippiesh, brain-washed, didyoudrinkthecoolaid? type of thing, but the power of a positive mind is incredible. I spent a long time of my life being negative and living in regret and it’s a shame I wasted so much effort and emotion on so many unhappy thoughts and time when instead, I could have just moved on and risen above it all. It’s not always easy, sometimes I want to kick people in the shin and scream ‘WHY ME?!’ but hey, you only live once and do you want it to be full of hate and regret? (Ooooo, getting all deep on this post today).

7. I hate bananas – Please do not eat them around me unless you want them swatted from your hand. Eurgh.

I would like to nominate the following blogs to join in on this award. I know some may have been nominated before and completed the challenge but I wanted to compliment them as Gemma has complimented me (even if it wasn't intentional haha).

Also, I won't feel offended if you don't actually want to partake in this post, but as I said, take it as a compliment ;)

@jasiminne - http://www.jasiminne.com

@KatyGilroyBlog - http://www.thelilacscrapbook.com

@BeckyBedbug - http://www.beckybedbug.com

@hellothmushroom - http://www.hellothemushroom.com

@ellenextdoor - http://theellenextdoor.blogspot.co.uk

@Emma_Inks - http://www.emmainks.com

@Blonde_Vision - http://blonde--vision.blogspot.co.uk

Superfood Super Smoothie

As my last smoothie recipe received so much positive feedback, I thought I would share another one. I won’t lie, the end result of this smoothie doesn't look as appetizing as the one before (Because lets face it, who wants to drink a brownish/purplish smoothie? Anyone? No? Thought not...) but I promise this is one tasty little concoction that will tantalize anyone's taste buds.

You will need:

A handful of porridge oats – Great to keep you full until lunch

Half an avocado – Full of good fats and potassium (not to mention it tastes amazing)!

A handful of frozen blueberries (You can use fresh blueberries but using frozen ones means you don't have to add ice and waste valuable space!) – Low on the GI scale and the God Father of Superfoods!

A tea spoon of Chia seeds - Great for fibre and Protein!

50ml of Orange juice – High in Vitamin C

The juice of half a lemon – Helps flush out toxins!

A tea spoon of honey - Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal…anti - you name it!

A handful of Kale – High in Iron and Vitamin K

Seeds of your choice (I used pumpkin and sunflower seeds along with pine nuts)

2 tea spoons of Goji Berries – Booster for your immune system and full of antioxidants

A handful of Spinach - High in Vitamin K and Iron



To ensure your smoothie is as smooooooooooth as possible, put the oats, seeds/nuts (including the chia seeds) and Goji berries in your blender first and blend them together to create a powder.



Add your orange juice and a dash of water and mix together with the powder to create a smooth base for your other ingredients.

Once that step is done, chuck the rest of your ingredients in and blend away!

I know, I know, it doesn't look that appetizing, but it will do you the world of good! You’ll be left with a wonderfully tasty, creamy Superfood Super Smoothie that is filling and packed full of goodness!

I personally love this recipe as the avocado is a great alternative to Banana, which adds that creaminess! It’s a lovely fresh drink and a great way to get more vegetables and other goodness in your diet!

What is your favorite smoothie recipe? Let me know in the comments below!

Food for Thought - Vegetarian Fritata

Are you always buying your lunch out? Not getting enough vegetables in your diet? Trying to watch what you eat but also trying to keep the costs down?

Well look no further, because I have a dish here that you can cook in less than 20 minutes, which will also make you a whopping 3 meals in 1! That’s right, 3 meals in 20 minutes (or less!)

This is one of my most favorite dishes to make at home and it's easy to see why! It’s quick, tasty and really versatile. It’s packed full of vegetable goodness, high in protein and honestly, it’s so cheap to make! The entire batch costs around £3.90, meaning each meal costs around £1.30! Not only is this a bargain but you know where all the ingredients were sourced from and they’re good for you!

(If you’re interested, the cost break down is at the bottom of the page) 

So for this vegetarian frittata, you will need:

6 medium eggs
3 medium sized tomatoes
1 pepper
200g of frozen peas
½ a floret of fresh broccoli
6-7 medium sized mushrooms
60g of cheese (of your choice – I personally went for mature cheddar)
1 clove of garlic

Feel free to add any herbs you have as well. I used Rosemary with this dish as it adds a real depth and a lot of flavor.

Firstly, I chop up all my ingredients so they’re all ready to go



Put boiling water into a saucepan and place a sieve on top so you can steam your peas and broccoli together
Add the peas and broccoli to the sieve, cover with a saucepan lid and leave for 3-5 minutes
Take a large nonstick frying pan, place on a medium heat and use a small amount of sunflower oil to coat your pan
Cut the garlic up into small, thin slices and add to the pan
I like to sweat my garlic rather than brown it, so once you start to smell a faint smell of garlic, add the mushrooms to the pan
Keep the mushrooms and garlic moving so they don’t burn
Once the mushrooms are soft, add the pepper to the pan (I like to have a bit of crunch and different textures to my dish, but you can steam the pepper with the broccoli and peas if you prefer)
Leave the pepper to cook for around 2-3 minutes
After 2 – 3 minutes, drain your peas and broccoli and add to the pan with the peppers, mushrooms and garlic
Add the tomatoes to the mix as well
Mix together well and leave for a further 2 minutes so all ingredients are cooked and hot


Whilst you’re waiting, crack 6 eggs into a bowl and mix together (you can add a splash of milk to this mix if you like)
Season with salt and pepper
You’re going to have a lot of veg in the pan and it’s going to be very hot, so the eggs will start to cook straight away. Instead of moving the veg around to mix with the eggs like you would with an omelet, just pour the egg mixture all over the vegetables as evenly as possible
Leave in the pan for around 4-5 minutes or until you can carefully lift up the frittata and see that the underside is cooked
Once the underside is cook, place the entire pan under a grill to cook the top side and leave until golden brown



Add cheese and melt under the grill for a few more seconds

And you’re done - cut into thirds and there you have three meals in one!

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but chopping the vegetables in probably the longest thing to do and it is really worth a go, it tastes wonderful (or maybe I'm just biased?)
I'm aware it's a really simple recipe but it's great for meal prepping and if you're watching your weight, it's always good to plan and think ahead. It's also great to keep in the fridge for when you're feeling hungry but don't watch to snack, you can cut a slice off and BAM! Healthy and nutritious snack/meal in a jiffy (Did I just say jiffy?!?)

Anyway, I hope this was helpful to at least one person and if you do try it out, please let me know how it goes!

<3 

Break down of costs:

£1 for 6 eggs – All six eggs were used for this dish
£1 for 6 tomatoes – 3 tomatoes cost around = 51p
£1 for 3 peppers – I used 1 pepper for this dish which costs = 33p
£1 for a bag of frozen peas – I used a ¼ of the bag of peas which costs = 25p
60p for a floret of broccoli – I used ½ of the broccoli floret which costs = 30p
90p for a palette of mushrooms – I used ½ a palette of mushroom which costs = 45p
£2.50 for 250g of cheese – I used around ¼ of the block which costs around = 63p
£1 for 3 garlic blubs – Each clove costs around = 4p

Treats, Sickness and the Bank Holiday

As most of you are recovering from your fun-filled Bank Holiday weekend, spare a moment to think of those who 1. Had to work through it or 2. Like me, spent the entire weekend, sick in bed.

I have decided that someone, somewhere did NOT want me to have a splendid Bank holiday weekend like the rest of you, but instead, decided that I should spend all of last week wrapped up in bed nursing a chest infection.

I feel as if I've been ripped off and deserve a Bank Holiday do over. Can that be done?

Anyway, excuse me and my pity party, lets get on with the blog!

Tuesday 24th March



After work, I headed to Kings Cross to watch the almighty Rag 'n' Bone Man play at the Scala. This guy is basically the male equivalent of Adele and boy, can he sing. He has a bluesy-gospel like sound, with a hint of old r 'n' b. Not many singers impress me but this guy really has the X-Factor. He even got the entire Scala to fall into a hushed silence as he performed a wonderful a cappella that gave me chills (they're multiplying). Search for him on Youtube, this guy is going to be huge very soon.

Wednesday 25th March



Well isn't this a lovely surprise to come back to after work! I found out on the Monday I had won a superfood hamper from the SuperfoodMarket twitter page and by the Wednesday it was with me! As sad as it may seem, I've been aching to get my hands on some Pink Salt and Cacao Powder for a while now so I am one chuffed lil mare I won this.

Throughout the last two weeks

I may have painted my nails a few times through sheer boredom. These are the results.



Friday 27th March

My work had a Hawaiian themed party. Why? No idea. However, this was the most lethal cocktail I've ever had. So I obviously had to have two...obviously.



After getting home from the Hawaiian party and feeling a little sloshed, I popped out to see a friend but ended up bumping into this handsome devil instead...



I then may have bought these treats as well...eep.



Saturday 28th March

I went to Primark during the day (haul to come) and then came home and made these beasty dinners for a few lovely people. 

Phowarrrrrr.



Sunday 29th March

Queue the start of the chest infection. I ended up bailing on all my plans and spending the entire day in bed as I felt so terrible. However, I did have a beautiful little creature keeping me company the whole day. The only problem is he likes to sleep on my hand...

Can't...move...mate...



Monday 30th March - Friday 3rd April



This is what the rest of my week consisted off.

Off work, feeling sick and sorry for myself whilst doing the following:

Sitting in bed with the cat, drinking a green tea and watching Pretty Little Liars. 
Sitting in the bath, drinking honey & lemon and watching Pretty Little Liars. 
Eating copious amounts of drugs and chocolate.
Andddd of course
Sitting in bed with the cat, painting my nails, whilst watching some Modern Family.

It's a hard life.

Saturday 4th April - Monday 6th April - The Bank Holiday 



For the majority of the Bank Holiday I stayed in doors and in bed. Lame.

But I still had a wonderful time, honest.

On Saturday, my family and I had an early Easter dinner together and with the leftovers from said meal, I created cheesy garlic potato cakes and garlic & rosemary potato skins on the Sunday. 

Yum is an understatement. 

Also on the Sunday, I ventured out for the first time in what seemed like a squillion years and went to a friends Easter party and tried my first ever peep! Yum.

I then went home and proceeded to eat chocolate eggs, drink red wine and have wonderful conversations with my cat at the dinner table (as you do).


I did end up venturing out on Sunday evening as I was so unbelievably sick and tired of my house and I decided to go and see a few mates.

My best mate decided to do this to me...please excuse my massive backside...

On the Monday, some family friends popped round and I got to spend time with my favorite little human. I've been around since she was born and I just adore this monster to pieces. GOOD LAWD.

So that was a roundup of my last two weeks (plus a Bank holiday) which basically just consisted of food, friends and bed.

That wouldn't be such a bad combination if it wasn't for the poxy chest infection.

How was your Bank Holiday? Did you get up to anything exciting? I bet it was a bit more eventful than mine!

Thanks for stopping by!

<3

Totally Tropical Tonic - Smoothie Recipe

As I’ve been bed ridden all week with a blasted chest infection, I’ve been trying my hardest to get my daily smoothie intake to help fight this bloody illness.

So whether you’re feeling under the weather like me, in need of a tropical pick me up or would just like to try a new smoothie recipe, here is my Totally Tropical Tonic, packed full of Vitamin C, for when you’re feeling really icky, just like me! (I’m such a poet)

You will need:

A handful of chopped Pineapple – High in Vitamin C

A handful of chopped Mango - High in Vitamin C and Vitamin A

A handful of Spinach – High in Vitamin K and Iron

A selection of nuts and seeds (I went with pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds)

50 ml of Orange juice

The juice of half a lemon

A teaspoon of honey

A tea spoon of Chia seeds – Great for fibre and Protein!

Oh and a blender (I use a Nutribullet).

I start with putting the pine nuts, pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds in the Nutribullet and blending them together to make a light fluffy paste consistency. I then add a splash of water and the honey to the paste, then mix together.

The next is step is very easy, just add the remaining ingredients to the Nutribullet and then fill with water up to the max line (if you are using another blender, add as much water as you see fit. The more water you add, the more of a juice consistency will be achieved, rather than a smoothie).

Then blend away.

And there you go! You will be left with a beautiful tangy, flavourfull, juicey smoothie, packed full of goodness to help rid you of all your woes! 

I hope you enjoyed this little smoothie receipe! If you try it, please tweet me the outcome! I'd love to see them! (Add me on Twitter here: Kirsty_LDN)

<3