12 days of Christmas: Day 12, The Healthy Recipe

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's day one of sticking to New Years Resolutions so here is a healthy juice recipe to keep up with my goal: 'Be More Healthy'. This one is full of antioxidants which boost your immune system... no I'm not lying, Google it. I'll keep this one brief as I'm sure you're all tired and/or hungover. And also I don't think I need to tell you how to slice fruit.

You can also substitute the water with milk (skimmed for a healthy option) or fresh orange juice - but in case you missed the post on Day 10, I can't have milk any-more - and we didn't have any fresh orange juice in the house - so I'm using water. Ingredient measurements will vary depending on the size of your cup. I used a small Nutri-bullet container and this is what I used:

Ingredients:
1 banana
1/2 reed grapefruit
1 satsuma
100ml water/milk/juice
Ice (optional)

Method:
1. Cut it up, throw it in, blend and drink.

I hope you've enjoyed 12 days of Christmas 2015. Should I do it again next year?

Merry Blogmas and a Happy New Year!

12 days of Christmas: Day 10, What I'm Most Excited for 2016

THE PAST IS IN THE PAAAAAAAST, LET IT GO, LET IT GO...

Yep that's right, no more reflecting on 2015. It's time to look forward to the future and I'm starting with a list of things that I'm most excited for in 2016.

1. New job
I start my new job as a Marketing Intern on the 11th January. I'm so excited to be able to put all the theory I have learnt at University into practice. The internship may only be 12 weeks long but it puts my foot in the marketing door for when I graduate next year. This is like REAL life.

2. Return to University
Once the internship is over I get a loooong summer before I return to University in September for my final year. We just signed for our house for the year and it's SO nice! I'll also be taking my new car with me which will make the chore of food shopping a lot more bearable. I said this before and I can't believe I'm about to say it AGAIN but I actually can't wait to go back. Despite the stress and losing my head a few times, I'm very very excited to go back - because what's University if you don't have a few (a lot) of Hades moments? For those of you who don't know Hades:

photo source: disney.wikia.com

3. Adam and I have booked our first trip abroad (AHHHHHH!)
ERMAAAHGHERRRD. We literally only did it last night but Adam and I have booked our first trip abroad! We'll be visiting Deutschland in March to celebrate our one year anniversary. We have a bunch of stuff to look forward to before, including going to London to watch the fireworks for New Year but going AWAY AWAY together is  definitely what I am looking forward to the most.

4. Baking baking baking.
I GOT AN ELECTRIC MIXER FOR CHRISTMAS!!! The problem is... we did so much baking for the big day we still haven't eaten it all! Because of this, I haven't used it yet but I can't wait to get started, eeeeek. As well as the addition of the electric mixer, I have also recently developed an intolerance for dairy products (goodbye chocolate) which means my baking will have to adapt! It's kind of frustrating but it's made me SUPER excited to get experimental with some healthy bakes for 2016. I can't wait to share my recipes!

5. The Unknown.
Of course there will be so much more going on than the above but these are the main events so far. As the year goes on and new plans are made I'll be just as excited for those plans too! Life is what you make it.

I hope the more recent posts have let you know a little more about me. What are you most excited for in 2016? Tomorrow's post contains my New Years Resolutions, I wonder if I'll stick to them...

Ciao for now xo

12 days of Christmas: Day 8, My Year in Pictures

          


                 

         

       

               

12 days of Christmas: Day 7, Best Blog Posts of 2015

2015 isn't quite over yet but as the holiday season continues, posts appear to be slowing down in the blogging community, so I'm posting this earlier than expected! Here's a round up of my favourite blog posts from this year. Extremely varied in theme, the posts demonstrate my eclectic personality so this should hopefully enable you to get to know me better. I think I'm going off on a tangent now, distracted by 'Now that's What I Call Disney' (a Christmas gift) playing in the background so I'll get started.

*Phillip Schofield impression* In no particular order:

1. Miss Rosie Bea - Make-up collection and Storage.
Find Rosie's blog-post here: http://msrosiebea.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/my-makeup-collection-and-storage.html
Or subscribe to her YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/MsRosieBea/featured

I have a LOT of make-up. I'm no make-up artist, I'm just a hoarder. Although this was posted towards the end of 2014, Rosie's post affected my New Year's Resolutions for 2015 in that her extreme OCD make-up storage inspired me to be more organised myself. Starting with my make-up, I threw away those old foundations that had been opened for years - and would probably turn my skin green if I used them again. I got my own make-up storage units that were a little more 'me' and I haven't lost a lipstick since!

2. Psyco Puff - Just do It.
Find Psyco Puff's blog-post here: https://psycopuff.wordpress.com/

The author of Psyco Puff is one of my oldest and bestest friends, Levi. After hearing Levi talk about how he dreams of a successful blog and YouTube channel for as long as I can remember, it was quite emotional to see him 'put pen to paper' and JUST DO IT. The Psyco Puff blog has unfortunately been a little dormant since the first post back in August but I know Levi has a bunch of fabulous ideas and I can't wait to watch this blog expand in 2016.

3. Rum & Raisin - University Blues.
Find Rum & Raisin's blog post here:  http://rumandraisinpages.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/university-blues.html

This woman inspires me more than she will ever know. I could put every single one of her blog-posts on here, they are ALL my favourite... damn I could write a WHOLE POST about this gal. In this particular post, the author, Sian Hodkin, gives her advice for University. Ranging from 'Speak Out' to 'Don't Sweat' she embodies my every thought about University life but makes me view this period in a much more positive manner. I never thought I would say this but she made me: I'm actually EXCITED to return to University in September when my sandwich year finally comes to an end. Sian, you are UH-MAZING.

4. The Little Plum - Stop Comparing Yourself.
Find The Little Plum's blog-post here: http://www.thelittleplum.co.uk/2015/08/sunday-talks-stop-comparing-yourself.html

It was nice to see something different to The Little Plum's usual OOTD. Part of her 'Sunday Talks' series, Chloe spoke eloquently about something I think we can all relate to - comparing yourself to others. Before you stop comparing yourself to others for academic performance, you find yourself comparing your post-christmas dinner food baby to their hot bikini pics on Instagram. This can sometimes turn quite bitter and encourage self-hatred. In this post, The Little Plum begins to celebrate our differences and encourages you to do the same, spreading positivity across the blogging community.

5. Samantha Leal for Marie Claire - 5 Career Myths you Need to Stop Believing. 
Find Samantha's post here: http://www.marieclaire.com/career-advice/news/a15921/career-myths/

In this column, Samantha discourages any negative thoughts regarding chosen career paths with these 5 myths. A believer of every single one of these 5 myths, I felt a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders at the end of the post. The most significant one for me this year: '3. Dressing for the job means blazers and trousers and neutrals.' WRONG. On search for a placement for my sandwich year, I attended several interviews early this year with huge corporate companies. I woke up hours earlier than I should have done to make sure every single hair was neatly in place and that my outfit was on point. I even took a change of shoes, true Londoner style. When I got to the interviews, everyone in the office was wearing jeans! I was SO overdressed it was embarrassing. Like Samantha mentions, the CV was created in 1482 and oh how times have changed!

6. British Vogue - How to be a Healthonist.
Find British Vogue's post here: http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2015/12/14/how-to-be-a-healthonist-staying-healthy-during-party-season

I know what you're thinking... WHAT THE F@** is a healthonist??? Yep, me too. But Vogue focuses on remaining healthy during the holiday season - something we can all struggle with. Determined to stick to my New Years Resolution of becoming more healthy in 2016 (I WILL do it this year) British Vogue will motivate me when it gets tough at parties. I'd prefer a cold-pressed cocktail to red wine anyway... 

Hope you're enjoying the holiday season! What are your favourite blog posts of 2015?

Ciao for now xo

photo source: bitrebels.com

12 days of Christmas: Day 6, Charity of the Year

Hello! Hope you all had a fabulous day yesterday. Now that Christmas is over, the focus is all on the New Year celebrations: reflecting on the year that is almost over and looking forward for what's to come. While I reflect on my 2015 and think of my New Years resolutions, I'd like to tell you about my 'Charity of the Year.

While I was on my family holiday in Lanzarote this year, a cat followed us back to the villa almost every night. During the first few days, there were several debates over whether she (we assumed she was a girl) was a stray: she was extremely affectionate and even followed us inside and sat on our laps! One morning, as my dad was giving her a cuddle on the garden, a van pulled up. A man jumped out and passed my dad a pouch of wet cat food over the garden wall. That was all. 

After that night, we began to see small shelters - the perfect size for a cat - dotted around the island. The man-made shelters contained cushions and blankets for comfort and a bowl of dry cat food. Next to every one of these small homes, written on a rock was 'Freddy's Cat House'. To begin with we thought Freddy was one hell of a lucky cat! After some research, we discovered there was a stray cat crisis on the island and a gentleman named Freddy had built these homes himself to help the animals. Not only did he build the shelters, he took the sick cats home and nursed them back to health. He also took the young ones to be neutered to improve the stray cat crisis and to avoid young pregnancy. We assume that the gentleman that gave us the pouch of wet food over the wall was helping Freddy. 

Without a car, or a driver's license, Freddy walks all over the island to build these homes and feed the stray cats across a variety of resorts. On his website, Freddy asks for help as he could not carry large amounts of cat food round the island. Because the crisis is so big, he can not recover the issue alone. He asks that people fill the shelters he built with dry cat food - and explained that wet cat food can go off quickly if it is not eaten and make the cats sick. There is the option for holiday makers to foster a cat during your stay and even the possibility to give one of the cats a new home and Freddy's Cat House will pay for the flight!

Towards the end of the holiday, almost every night we saw an elderly gentleman 'taking his cats for a walk'. The cats had no leash but stayed almost glued to the man's feet and every so often he would stop, pull out a handful of cat treats and fuss them. We recognised the him - It was Freddy!

photo source: freddyscathouse.weebly.com

Read more about Freddy's Cat House here: http://freddyscathouse.weebly.com/
Like his page on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/freddyelgatolanzarote/videos?fref=photo

12 days of Christmas: Day 5, What's Really Important

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Today's blog is a little different from my other posts. One of opinion, I attempt to share with you why the commercialism of Christmas should be taken advantage of and what it really means (besides the birth of Jesus, obvi). As mentioned yesterday, Christmas marketing focuses on giving and receiving gifts and Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas. The biggest holiday of the year, celebrated around the world with billions of Pounds, Dollars and Euros spent year upon year - Christmas also appears to expand each year with new 'sub-holidays' being introduced in an attempt to encourage you to spend more money. Yes, I'm talking about Black Friday and Cyber Monday (who even invented those?). 

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have wiggled their way over from the United States in recent years with some companies even giving time off as paid leave. This is exactly why Christmas is a time to be taken advantage of. With paid holiday increasing around Christmas time each year, you're ultimately given more free time - not to spend money but to spend time with your loved ones. Because "it's not what is under the tree that matters the most, but who is around it". With the John Lewis advert highlighting how isolated Christmas can be, use this Christmas to show your loved ones how much you truly care with the gift of time.

With bank accounts suffering and stress levels increasing around the holiday period, it's easy to become a little selfish. While I'm not saying that you are not the most important person in your life, it is important to consider those less fortunate at Christmas time. While in some ways the commercialism of Christmas can benefit one, it can also emphasise what others don't have. Did you miss the deadline for this years Operation Christmas Child? Never mind. Fill your own shoe box with snacks, goodies and toiletries and take it to your local homeless shelter - or take it with you on your Christmas shop, you are bound to pass someone less fortunate on the street. It doesn't have to be for children. Not meaning to be crude but think of the ladies living on the street - what happens when mother nature comes to visit? These women would be grateful to receive a pack of tampons for Christmas while others are demanding a glorified skateboard for £500. 

Our generation can influence the selflessness of the holiday season for years to come.These are just a few ways you can improve Christmas for those around you. Will you change the way you perceive Christmas next year?

One last thought: 
photo source: christmasquotesrest.esy.es

Happy Holidays! xo

12 days of Christmas: Day 3, Favourite Christmas Products

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE! Confession: I'm awful at Christmas shopping. Don't get me wrong, I love to spoil all my friends and family on Christmas Day... but I like spoiling myself too. Every-time I go to purchase a Christmas gift, I come out with presents for me (oops). But with all the amazing Christmas products I'm about to show you, who can blame me? It may only be 16 hours before Santa's sleigh leaves the cockpit but I'm sure you still have a few last bits to get... and while you're there, why not pick up some of these Christmas treats - go on, you deserve it.

For the lips:

photo source: www.vita.no

www.pinkpeonies.co.za

                        

I simply couldn't pick one item for my favourite Christmas Lips product so there are two slightly different products. The first is from Maybelline - In 2013, L'Oreal, the owner of Maybelline stopped ALL animal testing so you can purchase this product with the knowledge no animals were harmed in the production process (I'll put a link with the Company's Animal Testing Statement at the bottom).

This is the first year I have tried Maybelline's Christmas Baby Lips - I guess you could say it was fate as the store had sold out of my usual 'flavour' (the Mint One). This one is called Sweet Apple and smells like hot apple cider but BETTER. It has a slight reddy tint to it which makes you look like Snow White which I love. As it's a Christmas product, the packaging is slightly different to the others with cute mittens wrapped around the tube and draped towards the front which adds to the Christmassy feel of the product. 

The second Christmas lip product which I love just as much is Santa's Lip Scrub from Lush. If you haven't used lip scrubs before then you should! It's a great way to eliminate dry lips caused by the bitter cold weather. This one smells like Cola which takes me back to the Coca-Cola Lorry tours at Christmas time and it has edible hearts in the centre. LUSH. I leave this product next to my bed and apply a layer just before I go to sleep each night so it can work it's magic for a long period of time. Another cruelty-free product!  

For Bath-time:

photo source: www.crazyblondegal.com

www.bodyshop.co.uk

Again this is the first year I have used Dashing Santa (I think it's new for Christmas 2015) but another that I will be stocking up on! Dashing Santa looks a little more vintage compared to his fellow Santa bath bomb friends and I love that! He turns your bath a coral colour and actually smells more like Summer than Winter with his citrussy highlights -  but when you're freezing cold it's nice to have a hot bath and think of Summer.

For a post-bath wind down and keeping up with the fruity theme, this Glazed Apple Body Butter from the Body Shop is a great way to end bath-time. I always feel like a total goddess after applying body butter after a long hot bath and this Christmassy moisturiser is no exception. It smells like a juicy apple that's just been sliced but it's very strong... which makes the scent last for hours! Similar to the Maybelline Lip Moisturiser, the packaging has a more festive feel compared to other Body Shop butters with sparkles decorating the Body Shop logo around the image. The texture of this product is one of a softer feel compared to other scents and the colour is a pale green - just like an Apple. I've purchased this product every year since it was introduced in 2013 and I won't be stopping any time                                                     soon!

For the comfort drinks:

photo source: www.whittard.co.uk 

This is the one product on the list that I haven't purchased this year ...but more about that in tomorrow's post! This is Whittard of Chelsea's White Hot Chocolate - in other words, it is heaven. Although it isn't entirely a Christmas product, as a luxury brand and at the rate I drink it at, I can't afford this all year round so I save it for the festivities. I don't think I have to tell you how it tastes or what it looks like but I will tell you it's totally worth the money! On the other hand, for a cheaper alternative - or just to sample it before you splurge, Costa Coffee have introduced White Hot Chocolate to their Christmas menu this year and it taste very similar so you can try before you buy. 

Hope you've enjoyed reading about my favourite festive products. What are yours?

See you tomorrow for the 4th day of Christmas - it's all about my Christmas traditions.

Ciao for now xo

NOTE: I didn't take my own pictures of the product as they have been used and look a little gross compared to other pictures on the Internet.

Aside from a number of other brands, L'Oreal' own Maybelline and Body Shop which are featured in this post - for their stance on animal testing click here:

http://www.lorealusa.com/corporate-social-responsibility/loreal-answers/the-question-of-animal-testing.aspx

12 days of Christmas: Day 2, The Christmas Bake

Love Christmas but not a fan of the Christmas pud? No problem. These no-bake Oreo cake pops are just the thing you need to tingle those taste-buds! Because Christmas is a time where we all have the lowest bank balance, with just two ingredients, these scrummy cake pops won't break the bank either. AND because Christmas is also a busy time for all of us, these cake pops are one of my quickest 'bakes' yet - ruling out the chill time, they take less than 30 minutes.

ALTERNATIVES:
If you don't have the cake pop moulds, sticks, or holders, don't worry, you can leave them as they are for the perfect Christmas party finger food. There are other alternatives for this recipe too - I usually make them with cream cheese but as these were for dessert for my boyfriend and I - and as Adam doesn't like cheese (who doesn't like cheese?) - I substituted the cream cheese with double cream. Another alternative is that I separated the Oreo biscuit from the cream in an attempt to make it a little less messy - it's not totally necessary if you don't have the time. Finally - you can put the Oreos in a food processor or blender - but for me 'it was my moms in the eighties' and the noise it makes terrifies me.

Here are the photos from this weeks bake:

Separate the cookies from the cream (optional)

Bash the cookies into crumbs

Add the crumbs to the Oreo cream before adding the double cream or cream cheese

 Mix into a paste

WARNING: It gets MESSY

Tah-dah!

RECIPE:
Ingredients:
24 Oreos 
100ml of double cream (or about half a pack of cream cheese)

Icing sugar
Water

Method:
1. Separate the Oreo biscuit from the cream. Place the biscuit in a strong clear bag - like a freezer bag - and seal (or in the blender). Put the cream into a mixing bowl for later.
2. Using something solid - I used a rolling pin - bash the biscuits up into fine crumbs (or blend into fine crumbs).
3. Pour the crumbs into the mixing bowl with the Oreo cream and add the double cream or cream cheese.
4. Roll the mixture into small balls and place in the fridge to chill - if your balls are too big they will fall off the cake pop!. They should chill for a minimum of two hours but probably best to do this overnight.
5. Once they have cooled, use the icing to replicate a Christmas pudding - for the holly leaves I cheated and used Regal Icing - you can make your own or similar to my blood-filled Halloween cakes - use an inedible decoration.

12 days of Christmas: Day 1, The Pintertest

WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? I am currently covered in hot wax... and so is my phone... and my jeans... and my carpet (sorry mum!) Why? Because I decided to 'customise' a candle - something that I'd seen on Pinterest.

After deciding to blog '12 days of Christmas' and seeing a number of DIY Christmas Crafts pinned all over the internet, I thought I would try one for myself and share my (non-existent) success. The first craft I clicked on - a snowman 'countdown to Christmas' decoration was apparently NOT A CRAFT but thrown in the crafts section to advertise someone's Etsy page (rolling eyes emoji). Moving on, the second craft I thought I'd try my hand at was a rustic-looking hanging Christmas-tree decoration and it was beauuuutiful. "How pretty is this Christmas tree?" It said in the description. "Very" I said to my iPad as I began to sing "oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree..." receiving bemused looks from my dog. "Get the instructions here" *clicks* WHAT? The instructions to make this lovely lovely decoration were GERMAN. Although I studied a little German at school, my proficiency is somewhat elementary - definitely not good enough to follow a set of instructions. Disappointed and ready to give up, I trudged on with the thought "third time lucky" running circles round my head...

Indeed, the third click was a lucky one and I found a set of instructions to create a 'personalised' candle - something I had a lot of! The post originated from hometalk.com and my final craft was promised to look something like this:

I think you already know it didn't quite turn out as planned...

The instructions seemed pretty easy:

You first have to print your pattern onto some tissue paper (I chose a Christmas tree - in loving memory of click number two). To do this you need to Sellotape the tissue paper to a sheet of regular paper to carry it through the printer... so far so good!

Once it has printed you cut out your pattern and position it onto the candle. Then over the top of the tissue paper, wrap some greaseproof paper round the candle before heating. Still so far so good!

I chose to heat mine with a hair-dryer and put it on the highest heat... It burnt my fingers, ouch ouch ouch! So I put it on my knee - protected by a pair of jeans - and held the paper in place between my legs. Before long the wax started to melt... and it got EVERYWHERE. Persevering, despite the state of my room, I continued to burn myself (and the image onto the candle). 

The final outcome looked like this: 

basically it looked like a picture that a child has Pritt-Stick-ed onto the candle...

If I wasn't so frustrated I would have maybe attempted to heat it further - I also think it would look better on a candle that is pure white but I'm going to rule today's Pintertest as a FAIL.

Think you could do better? Try it for yourself:

http://www.hometalk.com/5992638/how-to-add-images-to-candles?utm_source=editor&utm_source=editor&utm_medium=pinterest&utm_medium=pinterest&utm_campaign=featured&utm_campaign=featured&crlt.pid=camp.wxR0oW6UvNOp

Hoping tomorrow's blog is one of success - a Christmas bake!

Ciao for now xo