Update and a little ramble

Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful. I know! I haven't posted since like what- last summer which was in 2014!!! I honestly have no genuine excuse other than the fact I've been superrrrr busy with uni, work, friends, family and just living life! BUT I was thinking to myself the other day how cool it would be for me to document all the things that are going on in my life especially because this year is set to be such an exciting one! I already have a journal/diary that I (try to!) write in daily but I'm gonna incorporate all of the things I write in there on here, even if nobody is reading it, it'll be great for me to look back and read on my little ramblings and all my memories!
SO Im gonna be posting more hair products reviews, techniques because I'm armpit length now (yay!) and I've tried out so many awesome products I have to share, makeup reviews, OOTDs and just life journal entries especially about travel since I'm going to Croatia in a week, France in June, Greece in July, and Spain in August which should be AWESOME! But anyway a little update- next week this time I'll be off to Porec in Croatia for a trip with the (amazing)  cheerleading girls at my university- there are about 13 of us and it's basically going consist of practising and performing our cheer routines during the day and PARTYING during the night and every night has a fancy dress theme so ours are sailors, cheerleaders (obvs), lifeguards and cowgirls and you can bet I am gonna make my outfit as RISQUÉ as possible LOL! So I've ordered loads of different outfits off ebay and I can't wait to try them on! I've got so much to do this week for my holiday prep including getting my nails done, eyebrows done, hair done, going for my first ever facial (!), getting my eyelash extensions AND going for my first ever bikini wax! (I'm 22- I have no idea why this has taken me so long.) So HOPEFULLY I continue to write more entries!

Lots of love! xxx

A Sunrise Picnic

So since i'm back in good ol' London I can now have a chance to meet up and spend time with old friends I don't get to normally see and on Wednesday I had popped round to one of my bestest-estest-estest girl's house and she randomly suggested a picnic in the park while the sun was rising,  here's a little preview of our conversation: 

Her: "Do you fancy having a picnic while watching the sunrise?"

Me: "Um....Yeah!"

Spur of the moment plans are ALWAYS my favourite because you have no expectations and totally end up having the best time ever.  So we hopped down to our local supermarket, picked up a few things and bid farewell until a couple of hours. 
Before I knew it, it was 5am and we grabbed our blankets and food and headed over to to our local park to enjoy the natural scenery

and it certainly didn't disappoint!

 

Our little hill was the absolute perfect spot as we nibbled on scones, fruit and croissants and snuggled up with hot chocolate to keep ourselves warm.

Such a great way to get up and start my day plus it works as a great date idea! ;)

xo

Thought Of The Day

Such an inspirational quote that shows however bad/out of control  your life may be right now, it is never to late to start living it the way you want to and make it the best it can possibly be.

Take control of your life today! xo

MY ULTIMATE SUMMER PLAYLIST 2013

We've been having some seriously gorgeous weather recently here in the UK and everyone it seems as if everyone is flocking to their nearest beach/park/BBQ to enjoy it while it lasts so here are some of my favourite tunes that I've been loving currently that'll put you in the perfect summer mood, enjoy! 

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MY SUMMER CHALLENGE 2013!

Exams are over, the sun is out and shining, skirts, shorts, tank tops all make an appearance from the back of your wardrobe, trips to the beach, ice cold drinks, bikinis, bike rides, road trips, kids laughing and playing in parks, summer romances ;), gentle breezes, endless walks, rooftop parties,  everything seems more alive, more beautiful and life just gets so much better . I am talking about SUMMER!! I am so excited for summer this year and I just know it's going to be a good one!! So I decided to ensure I make the most of Summer 2013 I made a summer challenge with a list of random things I have to do by the end of September and I have to take a photo of each thing to put in my scrapbook when summer is finally over. Some are little simple things while others are a bit more daring and some I made up and some I got from inspiration online.

1. Start a blog (1 down, more to go!) 

2. Have a late night picnic 

3. Visit the zoo 

4. Go bowling and win! 

5.Try at least 5 new foods

6. Make homemade ice cream (yumm) 

7. Plant something edible 

8. Have a Disney movie marathon 

9. Fly a kite 

10.Learn 10 words in Japanese 

11.Watch a movie in an outdoor cinema 

12. Donate  blood 

13. DIY a pair of cool summer shorts 

14. Make lemonade!  

15.Learn to do the splits

16.Have a spa day and get a massage

17.Write in my diary EVERY day 

18. Collect 5 different insects (try not to squish them in the process!) and name and love them. 

19. Make toffee apples 

20. Go strawberry picking!

21. Sit in a car wash and roll the windows down just a teeny bit

22. Bake a yummy cake!

23. Host a Come Dine With Me night with family or friends 

24. Visit a theme park and go on EVERY ride 

25. Ride a bike through a park 

26. Go on a plane (to anywhere you like!) 

27. Write a short story 

28. Have a slumber party/sleepover (with movies, face masks, magazines-the lot!) 

29. Write a close friend(s) a list of 5 things that makes them special 

30. Find a summer theme song

31.  Visit a car boot sale 

32. Watch a musical 

33. Lie in a bubble bath with scented candles surrounding you and relax! 

34. Have a water fight 

35. Make homemade strawberry jam 

37. Try out a Zumba class

38. Take a trip to a city farm 

39. Make a jug of Pimms 

40. Go out for afternoon tea

41. Go camping

42. Go on a pedal boat 

43. Have breakfast out in London 

44. Start a tumblr (I am such a grandad, I still haven't made one!) 

45. Write a letter to yourself, KEEP IT SAFE and open it in summer 2023 

46. Buy a fish from your pet store

47. Visit to France, go to Disneyland Paris and see the Eiffel Tower 

48. Wash a car

49. Take a bunch of silly photobooth pictures 

50. Get a henna tattoo

So there's my bucket list of random summer activities that I want crossed off my list and let's have the best summer ever!! 

REVIEW TIME: Keracare Humecto Creme Conditioner!

So I've been on the hunt to find the yummiest, juiciest ultra moisturizing deep conditioner that smells great while containing no mineral oil or petroleum with a lot of slip for detangling. Nothing beats that  clean, juicy, moisturised hair feeling that I just love. My hair felt the softest with the Motions Moisture Plus Conditioner but the fact it had mineral oil put me off from purchasing again especially because with continued use my hair started to feel crunchy (boo!)  So being the little product junkie I am, I recently went to my local BSS store and picked up a bottle of the Keracare Humecto based on the great reviews I've read about it. 

Here's a little bit of info on Keracare Humecto:

INGREDIENTS

Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Cetearyl Alchohol, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Stearalkonium Chloride, Dimethicone PEG-8 Isostearate, Quaternium-80, Dimethicone, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Lamium Album Flower Extract, Pinus Sylvestris Cone Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Extract, Allium Sativum (Garlic) Bulb Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Tilia Cordata Flower Extroct, Centourea Cyanus Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Hypericum Perforatum Extract, Fragronce/ Parfum, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl, Methylpropional, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnomal, Glutaral.

DESCRIPTION 

Treat dry locks to this superior moisturising KeraCare Humecto Crème Conditioner and your hair will be infused with long lasting hydration that soothes and protects hair against breakage.
Enriched with a relaxing and soothing fragrance, this KeraCare Humecto Crème Conditioner helps correct and prevent moisture loss due to exposure to chemical and thermal styling appliances. The unique and ultra conditioning formula of this conditioner improves the surface porosity of hair, resulting in improved manageability and softer hair texture.

As soon as I started applying it, it immediately was absorbed by my hair which I loveddd and I left it on for 1 hour with heat. While rinsing it out, my hair strands  felt moisturised but there was no slip and it didn't feel that soft or silky which was disappointing as I'd read it gave many people lots of slip to detangle.  I always prefer my deep conditioners to have slip as i like to lightly finger detangle after i wash but this was not the case with this product. However when I air dried my hair felt soft and very moisturised. So the next time I used it I decided to use my conditioners with loads of slip, the Taliah Waajid Herbal Conditioner and a bit of the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration and that did the trick. My hair was moisturised whilst feeling soft and detangled with lots and lots of slip. It isn't as moisturising as the Motions Moisture Plus but it still is a great product. 

Freshly washed hair 

(So much new growth!) 

Pros:

Hair felt quite moisturised

Fair price 

Spreads easily and is quickly absorbed by my hair 

Rinses clean

No mineral oil or petroleum 

Cons

No  slip

Contains cones 
Wasn't as moisturizing as other deep conditioners I have tried

Rating

 I would give this product alone a 6.5/10, but an 8/10 when missed with a cheap conditioner with lots of slip

I probably will purchase this product again however I won't use it when I'm so many weeks post as I need a deep Condiioner with a lot of slip to detangle all this new growth! 

Healthy Lifestyle and Healthy Food ideas!

I started uni in September 2012 and during my first year I've had such an amazing time with moments I know I will forget. Endless partying, making new friends, living alone with a newfound freedom were only some of the experiences I had this year were so much fun BUT they contributed to my unhealthy eating habits. The partying meant drinking massive amounts resulting in the worst hangovers but I would be ready for more the next evening (yes I'm talking about you freshers week!), meeting new friends resulted in me eating out almost 2 or 3 times a week and not to places that served salads, pastas etc. Oh no, we would go to places that served pizzas, burgers, Chinese, Indian, massive english breakfasts (yum!) as well as ordering takeaway nearly every week. Along with this, I was out so much I could never be bothered to cook so it was a simple pop my ready made meal into my microwave and cool type affair. It was early March I decided to make a change as I have holidays this summer (BIKINIS HERE I COME) and I realised the only exercise I did was picking up the phone to order a takeaway haha (no seriously). What else spurred me on was the fact that my mum has high blood pressure and has to change her eating habits to control it as well as medication. So I did loads and loads and loads of research and have changed my diet and exercise massively while treating myself occasionally.

So this blog post is just for healthy food ideas to give inspiration to anyone who wants to change their eating plans (especially students like me on a lower budget)

                          

          

                   TIPS TIPS TIPS that have been helping me 

1. The first thing I did was cut out all white foods e.g. white sugar, pasta and rice that have been processed and changed them for wholegrain breads, wholewheat pastas and sweeteners like honey and stevia.

2. I also decided to change my semi-skimmed milk to almond milk or coconut milk occasionally as they are full of nutrients and lower in fat than normal milk.

3 I also started juicing and adding smoothies to my breakfasts in the morning and have a few recipes further in the blog post.

4. Ive had a problem with digestion since about 15 and have been to the doctors and been given fiber supplements which just temporarily got rid of the problem buts adding fruits and vegetables to my meals has really helped with my digestion and PMS pains (cue angels singing hallelujah) Psyllium husk is also really good with those with digestive problems and has helped my dad too.

5. Regular exercising 3-4 times a week and being generally more active

 6. I have also started eating organic fruits and vegetables which may be quite expensive to some people, however take a trip to your local farmers market, some of the organic fruit we buy is cheaper than the supermarket! 

7. Lowering salt intake (mostly due to my mum's blood pressure) including foods packaged with added salt

8. Meal prepping is a really good idea to prevent snacking and also saves the time in the morning when going to work/school/uni

9. Making own food from scratch e.g hummus and pasta sauce just so I know the exact ingredients I'm putting into my foods and avoiding processed foods and cooking is so much fun esp with a friend/ family member/boyfriend/girlfriend.

10. Switching my cooking oils from sunflower oils etc to coconut oil and Extra virgin olive oil.

11.WATER! Drinking water is so so beneficial for your health. I slowly worked my way up from 1.5 litres to 4 litres which is around a gallon and you really see a difference in your hair and skin! I used to have to put on lotion as soon as I got out of the shower because my skin would tend to be dry but I don't get that dryness anymore and can leave the house straight away.(obvs not naked though) If you are finding it hard to drink water try adding slices of cucumber or lemon to it to give it a bit of flavour and make it easier. Also drinking white, green and dandelion teas are a good way to hydrate your body.

12.Sleeping 8 hours a day. This is so hard in uni especially with the nights out, 9am starts and crazy social life but try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a day, it helps loads with your energy levels and helps with your mood.

13.Following healthy eating/fitness blogs, twitters, instagrams, tumbles etc. This gives you so much motivation especially because they post loads of delicious meal ideas as well as progress of different people. I am in love with instagram and there are endless healthy eating accounts it is insane.

14.Stopping eating after 7pm. I'm one of those people that are hardly hungr until about 6pm onwards where I start to want every food possible so at first it was pretty hard not to eat after 7 because I was so used to doing it. I just distracted myself with anything else e.g. Phonecalls with friends, tumblr, twitter, reading, writing in my diary, catching up on a good show (Scandal, Revenge,TVD) and eventually I got out of the habit because my body is now used to not eating at night.

15.Enjoying a healthier lifestyle! I try to make creative food ideas and change my meals just so it doesn't get boring which is when I notice I tend to crave unhealthier foods. And remember its supposed to be fun and don't take it too seriously as life is too short to be constantly worrying about weight/food. And it's okay to treat yourself but just in moderation (this a note ato myself who tends to plan to eat only a square of chocolate but ends up eating the whole bar and my half my friends!)
Now onto the meal ideas nom nom! I am a massive lover of food and I can literally eat everything (no, really) so here are some of my typical breakfasts, lunches and dinners

Morning 

I always start my day with lemon in hot water which helps to detox your body by flushing out nasty toxins, aiding digestion,  boosting your immune system and clears your skin.

Smoothie recipes

Smoothies are a great way to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet as well as protein and any powder supplements you make. Get a tumbler or bottle and just throw the ingredients in he blender, fill tour bottle and be on your way. My typical morning smoothie goes a little like this

Kale

Apples

Lemon

Spinach

Beetroot

Carrots

Pears

Flax seeds

Cacao powder

Spirulina

Chia seeds 

Beetroots

Frozen berries

Coconut milk

Wheatgrass powder

Psyllium husk

But the combinations are endless! I get most of my smoothie ideas from here or here

Breakfast

- Veggie omelet recipe here

Banana pancakes recipe here

- Oats with chopped bananas, blueberries, cinammon, chia seeds and flax seeds
- Avocado and eggs on wholegrain toast
- Poached eggs with wholegrain bread
-Scrambled eggs, wholewheat pita bread, hummus and chopped tomatoes 
- Fruit and yogurt
- Quinoa porridge and fruit
- Blueberry almond pancakes recipe here 
-Wholegrain toast with peanut butter and sliced banana (yumm)

Mid morning snacks
-Carrots and hummus
-Granola and green yogurt
-Almonds
-Apple slices dipped in yogurt and frozen
-Wholewheat tortilla chips 
-Granola bars
- Apple slices dipped in peanut butter 
-Fruit

Lunch 

-Wholewheat wrap with turkey/chicken and veggies 
-Chicken soup  
-Caeser salad
- Salmon and Avocado Salad recipe here
- Spinach Grape and Walnut Salad (delicious!) recipe here
- Avocado spaghetti (use wholewheat spaghetti) recipe here

-Rice and Bean Burrito recipe here 

-Eggs tomato spinach brocolli in wrap

-Tuna and cheese on rye bread 

-Grilled vegetable sandwich

-Chicken Salad wrap 

-Tuna Salad

-Sweet Potato salad

-Prawn and avocado salad

-Scrambled eggs on rye toast with salmon on top

- Salad and 2 boiled eggs 

-  Turkey sandwich with tomato, lettuce, and vegenaise 

- 2 brown rice cakes with tomato, salmon and avocado (with lemon juice)

-Chicken ham and feta cheese wrap

-Sliced avocado and scrambled or boiled egg and an apple 

- Wholewheat Pasta salad 

- Lentil/tomato soup and chicken sandwich

-Falafel and hummus wrap 

-Turkey, salad & avocado sandwich

-Wrap with mashed avocado, pepper, onion, garlic, cheese,chicken/turkey,  

-Tuna toastie using wholegrain/rye bread

-Shrimp curry recipe here  

Snacks 

-Sesame roasted carrots (recipe)  with homemade  hummus (recipe) 

- homemade granola bars recipe here 

- Lentil/ Chicken/Tomato soup

-Egg and slices avocado

- Tuna crackers and cheese

-Nakd bars

Dinner

-Brown Rice Veggie Stir Fry recipe here 
- Egg brown rice and avocado
-Steak and sweet potato fries
-Turkey and sweet potato curry recipe here
-Sweet jacket potato with tuna 
-Brown rice tuna salad 
-Prawn rice salad 
-Dark rye crispbread 2 eggs tuna and veggies 
-Turkey burger in wholegrain bjnand salad
-Baked fish, whole grain rice and avocado and tomato 
- Grilled chicken with avocado, tomato, onion and lemon 
- whole wheat toast with sliced avocado eggs and veggies
-Chicken, 2 boiled eggs cottage cheese, veggies  
-Fancy fish and chips recipe here
-Spicy beef salad recipe here 
-Skinny spaghetti recipe here
-Slow roasted chicken tikka recipe here

-Venison and sweet potato stew recipe here

Desserts
-"Raw Very Berry Tarts recipe here 
-Walnut Pancakes with Macadamia & Raw Cacao Butter recipe here 
-Tarts au Citron recipe here
-Raw banoffee pie recipe here
-Vanilla and Macadamia Nut Cookies recipe here  
-Lemon and walnut cake recipe here


So those are some of the food ideas I have and like to make, if you have any more yummy food ideas to add, just share below and check out Madeleine Shaw she has so many amazing recipes! All this food blogging has made me hungry but it is time for a hot shower and bed, night! x