July Favourites

My first beauty favourite of July would have to be my MAC Face and Body foundation. It's perfect for the summer months as it's really light in texture and doesn't feel heavy or sticky on the skin at all!

I've also been loving this very simple, very cheap clear Lash Care Mascara by Natural Collection. I've been using it to set my brows and it's done a great job of keeping them tidy and in place all day

The fragrance I've been loving this month is the Dolce and Gabbana 3 L'Imperatrice Eau De Toilette. It has a fruity yet sophisticated scent and features watermelon, rhubarb, musk and sandalwood. 

My book choice has to be A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I'd been put off reading it for a while due to the huge size of it but I finally caved in as I like to read the book before I watch the program/film and I have a burning desire to watch this series. I really enjoyed this book and it's not short of action, I highly recommend if you are into action/adventure style books! 

Series wise, a bit late on the bandwagon, I've been hooked on Orange is the New Black. If you haven't seen it, it's about an unlikely convict who is sent to prison and her time whilst there and each episode it features a different story of why a certain inmate is there. I've really enjoyed the plot and characters, possibly too much as I almost finished both series in July! 

Let me know about the things you've been loving in the comments below!

Healthy Eating | Leon Fast Vegetarian 'Pearl Barley Risotto'

This recipe is a bit different as I cannot claim it as my own; I have taken in from the Leon Fast Vegetarian cookbook. This recipe book has the most delicious dishes in it and I absolutely love cooking from it and I just had to blog about one of them. I think my favourite is probably the butternut squash risotto or this one - the Pearl Barley Risotto, I just find that risotto dishes are really easy to make and sooo delicious!

Below are some images of the recipe if you want to try it out, I strongly recommend purchasing the book!!
(you can buy it here)  http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/henry+dimbleby/jane+baxter/leon3a+fast+vegetarian3a+book+5/10060205/

(sorry it's a bit difficult to read, comment below if anythings particularly unclear)

Health Benefits:

Mushrooms - cleansing and anti-inflammatory - feeds good bacteria in the gut - good source of vitamin D - contains anti-cancer substances

Onion and Leek - has a powerful antibiotic action - helps lower cholesterol - feeds good bacteria in the gut

Sugar Snap Peas - promotes a healthy digestive tract - boosts iron stores to combat fatigue - helps fight infection

Barley - helps feed bacteria in the gut - helps lower cholesterol - helps balance blood sugar levels

Lemon - helps prevent kidney stones - helps lower cholesterol - aids healthy digestion - helps remove accumulated toxins

Parsley - supports healthy kidneys and liver 

Let me know in the comments if you have an recipe books you recommend or if you have any risotto recipes!

The Chubby Stick | Revlon Just Bitten Kissable

As ever, I am late to join the trend and this time it's on the chubby stick. This is the first one I have tried and after great success with it, I can't wait to try more.

I purchased the 'Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain' in '005 Crush Begun'

The chubby stick is really easy to use and you can get a good application with minimal effort. You also get quite a lot of product with it as you twist the silver bottom in order to push more of the chubby stick up.

It gives a really even and smooth coverage and the colour is quite solid after just one application. I found it to have a really strong lasting power though as with all lipsticks, I have to check after several hours that I haven't been left with the lip-liner effect!

I really like the colour I bought this in as it's quite different from any of the lipsticks I own. It is quite a deep purple pink colour and I think it would compliment any skin tone. The balm stain costs £7.99 which I would say is average for a lip product in the high street but it's definitely worth every penny! I highly recommend this product and would love to hear about any of the chubby sticks you have been using!

http://www.boots.com/en/Revlon-ColorBurst-%C2%99-Balm-Stain_1208067/ 

link to purchase this product

Healthy Eating | Sweet Potato, Pomegranate and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

-2 medium sweet potatoes

-2 handfuls of spinach leaves

-1/2 yellow pepper

-5 tomatoes

-1/2 tin of chickpeas, drained

-50g pomegranate seeds

-pinch of paprika

-salt and freshly ground pepper

-olive oil

for the dressing (taken from Leon Fast Vegetarian Cookbook)

-1 clove of garlic, crushed

-1/2 tbsp tahini

-60ml natural yoghurt

-juice of 1/4 lemon

-1/2 tbsp honey

-pinch of cayenne pepper

-pinch of ground cumin

-salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a liquidizer and blend together, adding a little water until you have a mixture with the consistency of double cream. Season well.
3. Cook the potatoes in the microwave for 5-10 minutes (until they soften).
4. Once slightly squishy, place on a baking tray and cut each potato into around 4 wedges, drizzle with olive oil and paprika and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes.
5. Place the chickpeas on the baking tray and also sprinkle with paprika and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Arrange the spinach on a plate and pour some of (to your liking) the dressing over it.
7. Cut the tomatoes and pepper up and place on plate with the pomegranate.
8.  Add the potatoes and chickpeas to the plate and then pour more the dressing over the completed salad to finish, enjoy!

Health Benefits:

Sweet potato - helps balance blood sugar levels - fights free-radical damage to skin - protects against infection

Spinach - helps strengthen bones - contains anti-cancer properties - helps fight inflammation - helps prevent atherosclerosis

Pepper - promotes collagen synthesis - helps protect against cataracts - maintains healthy blood vessels - contains anti-cancer substances 

Tomatoes - helps remove toxins from the body - helps keep blood vessels supple - reduces the risk of prostate cancer

Pomegranate - reduces the risk of prostate cancer - helps keep blood vessels supple - blocks enzymes that destroy cartilage - provides antiviral protection 

If you have any healthy recipes or ideas please comment and let me know!

Summer Essentials | The Face Mist

My chosen product for this post is the Vitamin E Face Mist by The Body Shop. I initially purchased this in hindsight of using it as a makeup setting spray to keep my face in place for prom and I found that it did in fact keep it on for over 6 hours which was great.

With it being a 100 ml bottle I obviously had a lot left over and so used it for its primary use as a "refreshing moisture boost" when I was on holiday. I had gone to Portugal where the temperature had been in the 30s leaving me feeling hot and sticky so I whipped out my face mist and felt instantly refreshed! At £8.50 it's definitely worth a buy!

Healthy Eating | Butternut Squash and Halloumi Salad

I have recently joined the gym in best efforts of a healthier lifestyle and I feel it would be wasted time if I came home to eat fatty processed foods filled with artificial flavourings so I have been trying out a few salad recipes of my own. I found this delicious yet it is also really nutritious...

Ingredients
- spinach leaves
- 1 stick of celery
- 1/2 an orange pepper
- 1/2 a courgette
- 1/4 of a butternut squash
- 1/4 tin of sweetcorn
- 30g halloumi cheese
- dried thyme and coriander
- salt
- pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
for the dressing
- 50ml olive oil
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tbsp honey

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Peel the butternut squash and cut into 1cm cubes and place on a baking tray. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil over the squash and roast for 20 minutes.
2. Dice all of the vegetables and slow roast them in a baking tray with the remainder of the oil and season with the herbs, cook for 20 minutes.
3. Layer the spinach leaves and sweetcorn onto a plate.
4. Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients into a bowl and whisking thoroughly together until they have formed an emulsion.
5. Cut the cheese into small pieces and fry the in vegetables remainder oil until browned.
6. Drizzle half of the dressing over the leaves and then place the vegetables and halloumi on top.
7. Pour the rest of the dressing over the salad, enjoy!

Health Benefits:

Courgette - aids water balance - lowers cholesterol and stroke risk - supports efficient metabolism 

Sweetcorn - fights age-related vision loss - promotes a healthy digestive tract  

Spinach - helps strengthen bones - contains anti-cancer properties - helps fight inflammation - helps prevent atherosclerosis

Celery - helps lower blood pressure - has a diuretic action - promotes feeling of fullness - promotes healthy joints and muscles

Pepper - promotes collagen synthesis - helps protect against cataracts - maintains healthy blood vessels - contains anti-cancer substances 

Butternut Squash - helps fight inflammation - lowers risk of heart disease and stroke - promotes bowel regularity - supports a healthy pregnancy 

If you have any salad recipes on your blog please link me!

Summer Essentials | The Bronzer

I have previously found when using a bronzer on my skin (with my skin type being dry) that it seems to go cakey after only an hours wear and it looks too orange toned on my fair skin. So I set out to try and find a liquid bronzer that left me with a summer a glow and could be used to define my cheekbones.

I decided to try a high street product and searched the shelves of Superdrug, Boots and The Body Shop in hope of finding something reasonably priced and good quality. I found just what I was looking for in The Body Shop.

I decided on the "Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel For Face" at £12.00
The product description claims it to be moisturising, light and non greasy and suitable for all skin types and it is true to its word! The tube contains 30ml and little goes a long way making it great value for money. I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush to apply the the bronzer and I apply on my cheek bones for definition and just a tiny amount on my forehead as that is one of the places the face naturally catches the sun.

 

 

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/make-up/bronzing/honey-bronze-bronzing-gel-for-face.aspx (a link to the bronzer)

http://realtechniques.com/shop-collection/your-finish-perfected/stippling-brush (a link to the brush which is also available at Boots and Superdrug)

Any bronzer recommendations?