My Go To Breakfast Smoothie

This is something quite different for me. I am by no means a health expert or qualified nutritionist, but I am starting to care more about what I eat these days and learning about the benefits of doing so. Basically, I've been heavily influenced by The Body Coach. As have most people in the UK at the moment.

I've recently written in a previous post that I decided to purchase a NutriBullet and that it was the best decision I have ever made. That wasn't the post Christmas/New Years blues talking. This claim still stands!

Breakfast has never been my thing. I find it really difficult to stomach anything in the mornings. I'm even more rubbish at waking up at an hour that gives me enough time to consume anything before I have to run out of the door for university. There's also nothing worse than being stuck in a 2 hour morning lecture on an empty stomach. Not to mention bloody embarrassing when your stomach constantly lets off loud roars of hunger.

My Boyfriend, Ed, has been trying to get me into breakfast shakes for ages. I wouldn't say that I'm a  fussy eater, but I initially had zero interest. It was the same scenario with Sushi. But over time they have both gradually grown on me. I can be a very stubborn individual and can get 'stuck in my ways'. (Ha). 

I finally gave in and I'm so pleased that these shakes have been introduced into my morning routine. It's an easy and quick way to get something healthy and nutritious down in the mornings. They're light, refreshing and delicious. And as an added bonus, they don't blend into a vile green colour!

Here are my very unprofessional measurements:

1. 1/2 Handful of Black Forest Frozen Fruits.

2. 1/2 Handful of Frozen Blueberries and Strawberries.

3. Half a Banana, chopped.

4. 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter. (I use the MyProtein UK Smooth Peanut Butter)

5. 2 Tbsp Greek Yoghurt

6. 1 Scoop of Whey Vanilla Protein Powder 

7. 150ml Almond Milk

8. 150ml Water

And Bob's your uncle! I wouldn't say that the protein stage is obligatory. I use it as I know that I don't have enough protein throughout the day. The Vanilla does add a difference to the flavour though.

Any blender will work for this but the NutriBullet is super quick and easy to clean.

Although I have found something that I really enjoy, I'm determined to 'unstick' my ways and try out more recipes.

What's in your favourite morning smoothie?

The Ultimate Make-Up Melter

If there is one thing that my Mum has drilled into my head over the past 21 years of my existence, It's to always take your make-up off at the end of the day. A task (yes, task) that I generally do in my day to day life, as yesterday's foundation smothered all over your pillow is not a pleasant sight to wake up to! Unless you've had a heavy night with the girls, there is no excuse.

A couple of years ago I used the same cleanser, toner and moisturiser for a very long time. I wasn't buying it, my Mum was. Therefore I wasn't in a position to properly experiment with different products. The Body Shop Vitamin E range was my ride or die skincare. However, since being at university I've started to read more about skincare and a new obsession for cleansers has been sparked!

Over the Christmas period, I introduced myself to The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. I call this the first step cleanser. The make-up melter. As with most cleansers, you massage it onto dry skin and remove it with either a warm soaked muslin cloth or a flannel.

As this product comes from the same family as the Camomile Gentle Eye Make Up Remover, It's damn good at breaking down your make-up and leaving you with a fresh canvas to carry out your night time skincare regime. I tend to follow up with a cream cleanser afterwards. But that all depends on the level of make-up layers that I have going on.

The oily side of things is a tad scary. When I first tried the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil, I was wary of how oily and greasy the product felt on my finger tips. But It's pleasantly gentle and leaves the skin feeling clean and refreshed. And most importantly, the skin doesn't feel more oily than it should do. So please do not be alarmed! 

The only real disadvantage Is that I really don't like the smell. But hey, sometimes skincare isn't supposed to smell the best!

Find the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil here for £13.00. 

What are your thoughts? :)

The Japanese Camellia Cream By The Body Shop

Before I commence with this post, I have to say that I hardly ever moisturise after a shower. Not all the time, but most of the time I can never be bothered. I live in Manchester. It's between 2-4 degrees right now and getting out of the shower can be painful! I feel slightly shameful for admitting that but I can't be the only one. 

The only part of my body that I have the time to moisturise in the Winter is my face because that is an impossible body part to hide.

Thankfully, I'm still quite soft and the elephant skin has yet to invade. I blame the genes. But of course by the Summer I will be moisturising religiously, because lets be real nobody wants to see crusty knees or elbows.

The Body Shop recently launched their premium Spa Of The World range which sparks joy in every aspect of the phrase. I received the Japanese Camellia Cream (£23.00) as a Christmas gift this year. Before I tore the paper off I assumed that it was a Bath and Body Works candle. However I was pleasantly surprised to unveil this beauty. And it has given me all the more reason to moisturise!

As the name would suggest, the product contains Camellia oil which The Body Shop claim has been used since the 8th Century in Japan in order to gently soften and moisturise the skin. 

Everyone loves a Body Shop body butter. I sometimes find them a little too thick and hard to work with. But they are undoubtedly the peoples choice when it comes down to high-street body creams. This on the other hand is still rich but has a smooth and weightless texture that is a dream to rub into the skin. The Body Shop describe it to have a light and velvety texture and I have to agree.

I am terrible at describing scents. So I'm going to go with 'It's bloody gorgeous'. I've recently tweeted about this product making me feel and smell irresistible. And It's true! I'm never usually a fan of floral scents but this is anything but empowering and It's beautifully subtle. Spa like if you will. The whole range have the same (but different) calming and tranquil scents that you would want your nose to inhale if you were in a spa environment. 

I also have the Polynesian Monoi Radiance oil which has rapidly become my go to holiday MUST have product. But that's a whole different blog post. 

The Dead Sea Salt Scrub is next on my list.

You can find the Spa Of The World range here.

What are your thoughts on the range? :)

  

Let's talk #HMBEAUTY

It's a New Year. But not a 'New Me'. I still love make-up and will continue to buy it no matter what my boyfriend says! 

I won't bore you with my life goals as I don't think anybody cares! Apart from declare that I have purchased a NutriBullet and it was the best decision I have ever made. Fact.

Welcome to a very image heavy post all about the recent re-launch of H&M Beauty.

The brand have recently changed from having very little (and unimpressive) make-up on offer to having the full lot! And It's good. The H&M concept of supplying affordable and quality products is definitely portrayed through their beauty department.

On my outing to Dubai Mall, I came across the large fittings filled with testers in store and was amazed at the selection of both Beauty and Haircare products.

I obviously picked up a few make-up goodies. However, I didn't bother with the haircare as I have thick, curly, frizzy and pain in the a*** hair. I doubt the selection of quirky packaged hair products would have been entirely fit for purpose.

Instead, an eyeshadow in every form came home with me.

1. An Eye Colour Palette - £9.99
2. A Single - Ginger Snap £4.99
3. And a Cream - Colour Essence Eye Cream in Gentlewoman -£4.99

I like the simplicity of the packaging. The black, white and gold theme exceeds expectations that you have for a high-street/drugstore beauty range.

The eyeshadow palette comes with nine eyeshadows and a large mirror. Perfect for throwing into your on the go make-up bag. I gravitated towards the deep greens in this palette. The shadows are relatively sheer but you can build them to your desired density. With patience you can create a lovely sultry smokey eye with this.

Interestingly enough I found the pigment of the single shadows to be a lot more intense than those in the palettes. Hence the name 'High Impact Eye Colour'. These shadows are amazing quality for a price point of £4.99. I love a shadow that can only be described as buttery. I want more! I want more!

Cream eyeshadows are my thing. They're a lazy bitch eye product that every lady, make-up lover or not, needs in their life.

As with most shadows that come in cream form, this H&M eye cream works and builds best when applied with your ring finger and blended out with a fluffy brush. One eye at a time though, these cream to powder shadows don't have too much play time!

Browse H&M Beauty here.

An order of more singles may be on the cards after rounding this post up.

What are your thoughts on H&M Beauty? :)

An Autumn/Winter Kiss and Glow with NYX

'Tis the season not to be selfish! Until you walk into your local Boots store and notice that something has changed. Like a huge brand spanking new NYX counter located in the middle of the shop. 

NYX has never been a brand that I have paid much attention to. This is purely down to the fact that it has never been entirely accessible to us Brits. However, on my adventure to kick off the Christmas shopping last week, I set my eyes upon the new counter in Boots Manchester Market Street. And let me tell you, a lot of joy was sparked!

This chic and not to mention affordable make-up brand have everything you could ever want as a beauty lover. Ranges and ranges of lipsticks, eyeshadow pencils, palettes, singles, contour kits, highlighters, foundations, concealers and more. I knew I couldn't be massively greedy, so I picked up the Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator in Gleam (£7.00) and three of the Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks (£6.50) in 03 Cherry Skies, 07 Sandstorm and 12 Vintage. Because I'm weak for any lipstick that comes in liquid form.

Born To Glow is a liquid illuminator that can be used either underneath your foundation or over the top of it.

I've been applying it to the high points of my cheeks with a BeautyBlender, resulting in a slightly dewy and subtle highlight. It's pretty and cheap, but I'm still on the hunt for the perfect highlighter for my skin tone. Suggestions?

NYX Liquid Suede, welcome to Ella's liquid lipstick family. 07 Sandstorm is a mocha shade, 03 Cherry Skies is a deep red that is similar to MAC's Diva and 12 Vintage is a beautiful dark plum. If lipstick's could talk, they would scream Autumn/Winter. The formula is extremely opaque and the large doe foot applicator makes the product really nice to apply. The Liquid Suede's have a demi-matte finish that is neither hydrating nor drying. They're a comfortable wear. But one thing to be noted is that the staying power isn't great, even when you use a lip liner to boost their durability. If you're going out for dinner or for drinks put the shade in your purse for touch ups! Especially if you're wearing one of the bolder colours of the bunch.

I now have my eye on the single eyeshadows, the contour kit (Obvs!) and yet another Liquid Suede in a rather daring purple.

If you're in the Manchester area then definitely go to the Market Street Boots for a gander. Prepare yourself for your mind to be blown!

Have you tried NYX? What are your favourite products?

The Cocoa Blend

Top L-R - Bitter Start, Sweeter End, Warm Tones. Bottom L-R - Pure Ganache, Substitute For Love, Freshly Toasted

Top L-R - Warm Tones, Subtle Blend, Beans Are White. Bottom L-R - Freshly Toasted, Infusion, Delicate Acidity

It turns out that Zoeva are not only awesome at providing amazeballs make-up brushes, but also gorgeous eyeshadow palettes!

Is 24 hours enough time for you to make up your mind about a beauty product? Because that is how long it took me to fall for this one.

I didn't think that I would love an eyeshadow palette so much after the buzz wore off following the delivery of my Lorac Pro. But this arrived the other day and I photographed, experimented and started drooling as soon as I bolted up the stairs and into my room like a mad woman. What can I say? New in make up excites me!

The Zoeva Cocoa Blend retails for €17.50 here.

For an affordable palette, it has a luxurious weight to it and beautiful gold asymmetric detailing on the packaging. And I don't mean tacky gold. It also contains a rather lovely message on the inside as you open the flap. 'Selected with love', to which I thought was quite a nice touch. This product screams Christmas stocking filler.

The Cocoa Blend contains 10 beautifully pigmented and buttery eyeshadows, with a mixture of shimmers and mattes that blend like a dream. The shimmers, such as Pure Ganache, Warm Tones and Subtle Blend, have a foiled appearance when they are applied onto the eyelid which I love. Additionally, Substitute For Love and Freshly Toasted are warm matte shades that are perfect for the crease of the eye.

Palettes are extremely expensive products to buy, so finding an affordable one that consists of high quality eyeshadows is a great feeling.

The verdict is in. I really, really love this.

Have you tried the Zoeva Cocoa Blend?

Cranberry Festive Face Mask by Lush

Even though each individual has a very different skin type, one thing that most of us have in common is the struggle to keep our skin moisturised and nourished throughout the cold and frosty months of Winter. An oily t-zone is something I battle with daily, but the Winter annoyingly welcomes flakey and dry cheeks which are quite frankly a pain in the bum!

In order to combat this, I've been using the new Cranberry Festive Face Mask by Lush. £6.75.

I'll begin by pointing out the least most important aspect of this product. It is pink! There is something great about layering a baby pink product all over the face. It smells lovely too!

Moving away from pretty colours and scents, this face mask has a bitty and cool consistency that soothes the skin and gently exfoliates. The product description highlights that the mask contains a mixture of argan oil and rose clay, which creates an almost matte finish upon removal, and I have to agree. It looks as though you have applied a mattifying primer but the skin feels like silk.

The face mask also has brightening, nourishing and moisturising capabilities. The product has the ability to brighten your complexion and brings the skin to life. 

As a student, I spend a lot of time on public transport on my way to university and walking along busy roads. The antioxidant cranberries and argan oil protects your skin from the environment and puts the moisture back into the skin that tends to be taken away throughout the season.

Have you tried the Lush Cranberry mask? I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!