Holiday dreaming... deliciousness

I am already missing all the deliciousness that we ate. I ate way too much but it was all well worth it :)

I always overindulge on holiday but I think thats what its all about, forgetting everything, not worrying and just enjoying everything that comes your way! Food is no exception, I don't care if I eat starter main and dessert I know I will work it off when I get back. Now I can only droll over all the yumminess!

Crostini of vine tomato, parmesan, chive pesto and goats cheese

Tempura of lemon sole with wok fried greens, teriyaki and sweet ginger sauce

Filet of angus beef with chive mash and pepper sauce

Pavlova with fresh strawberries, cream and vanilla ice cream

Fresh fruit, muesli, yogurt and honey

Chocolate brownie (hiding underneath the ice cream and chocolate!)

Chocolate coulant: chocolate sponge with a warm chocolate centre

Chocolate fondant/coulant is one of our favourites, Andrew and I are always wanting to find the best! If we are in a restaurant and its on the menu it will be ordered! I am always on a mission to find the best chocolate fondant ever!

Holiday dreaming... blue floral

I am always dreaming of a holiday - even when I have just got back from one!

Usually its where the weather is warm, I really love how the sun brings warmth and happiness :)  On this occasion the weather was a bit hit and miss but at least we didn't see any rain!

(Sorry for the poor photos in advance, not the best camera)

Straight to the maxi dress, my sunshine wardrobe staple. I love how flowy, elegant and feminine they can be.

This one is blue and white with flower prints. You can see a tiny hint of blue bikini underneath, which also has a white flower print.

On this day we kept running in and out because as soon as the cloud covered the sun it got so cold with the wind! In this photo I know I am about to freeze, whereas in the one below its absolute bliss!

At the moment there is a lot of print about and I am loving the detail and colour. If it has pretty colours and they are vibrant I am like a moth to a flame. Print brings back a happy memory of years ago when my sister had a beautiful pair of bright coloured red cropped pants with big black flowers prints on them. When we were on a cruise at NYE she wore them and when she needed to go to the bathroom she couldn't get the side zip undone, somehow stuck in the fabric or something. A while later she was still having trouble and she was so desperate by this point she asked my dad to rip them! At the time a security man was near by and without them knowing approached them saying, in a truly concerned voice "Ma'am, is this man bothering you?"... my sister had to explain as my dad looked very embarrassed - it was too funny, I will never forget it ;)

Maxi print dress, H&M (last season)

Let spring begin!

Aromatherapy Associates free with Red magazine, May 2013 issue

(choose from: renewing rose cleanser, triple rose renewing moisturiser, rose face mask)

How eye-catching are these candy coloured Dior bags for Spring ♥

Necklace, Banana Republic on sale.

Give yourself a boost!

Feeling sick and down last week I continued with my usual morning pick me up, which I enjoy so much I now struggle to go without.

Thought I would share this quick, easy and delicious recipe of the green smoothie I usually (if not always) turn to;

Almond milk / coconut milk

Blueberries

Spinach

Kale

Banana

First I add the almond/coconut milk (whichever I have available - I generally prefer the almond, it tastes better and makes it much thicker and creamier) I pour in until it just reaches the top of the blades

And in go the blueberries (I use half or a full pack)

On top of that goes the spinach and the kale (use 2/3 handfuls of each)

Then a ripe banana...

This is optional but for a little extra boost I add wheatgrass powder, miracle matcha, baobab and/or some maca powder (I only use half or whole teaspoon of each and find it doesn't affect the taste)

et voila!

Not often do you get something that tastes this good and is also so good for you! :)

When in bed for a few days and completely lost my appetite, this was one of the very few things I wanted, and it keeps you full for a good few hours. 

Funny enough as sick as I felt during those few days one good thing that did come out of it is that I felt so much better body wise because I hadn't really been eating anything else. This was almost a juice cleanse for me. I am sure any weight I may have lost during that time I would have got back as I am back to normal now and eating as usual but it makes me more curious about a juice cleanse, not something I have ever done but I am sure your body thanks you for it. 

One thing A and I have been doing for the past week is avoiding bread. I have to say I really enjoy bread and I am not sure it has been worth it, I don't actually feel any difference with my body. I guess I expected to feel slightly lighter around the stomach and have more energy but really its not been noticeable.

I did aim to do a short juice cleanse for the weekend just to try it out and also we are going away next week so it seemed like a good idea but we ended up eating out yesterday and tonight Andrew fancies a good burger while we watch some UFC... maybe next time! ;) If I do I will definitely share results!

Ole Henriksen: Discovery kit

Ole Henriksen is a brand I have been wanting to try for a while so I jumped straight in when I saw this offer on whatsinmyhandbag.com

WIMH is a great beauty site for testing exclusive brands at discounted prices as well as giving you a peep into people's handbags.

The Exclusive Discovery kit is worth £54.50 and the offer was for an amazing £19.50!

The kit includes:
Truth to go wipes
African red tea foaming cleanser
Truth serum collagen booster
Sheer transformation
Ultimate life eye gel

Ole Henriksen gets quite a lot of good reviews for his products so I was pleased to try out this little discovery kit.
I am really enjoying using these products so far and will do a more detailed review when finished.

The best of Ole Henriksen discovery kit: whatsinmyhandbag.com

Sebastian Professional: Shaper Zero Gravity

I have been horribly sick of late so I have been MIA for longer than I would like. One thing that did keep me going was my morning smoothie boost which I will post about this week.

Today I want to talk about hairspray. Its not something I resort to often (all the alcohol is very drying to the hair) but if I do want something to hold my style it would be the Sebastian Professional Shaper Zero Gravity.

One of the other reasons I don't use hairspray that much is that the majority seem to leave hair in a sticky mess! I hate it when you have your hair done at the salon and when they finish styling it, it looks great, fresh, soft and bouncy and then they whack a load of spray in it and it feels awful!
I like my hair feeling soft and easy to run my hands through (who doesn't right?) so this for me works and keeps my hair moveable yet doesn't lose its style.

Loose curls morning till night, no stickiness or stiffness and gives hair volume, thats what Sebastian Shaper Zero delivers!

Not only does this last but the smell doesn't bother me at all and disappears within seconds (Personally I can't stand the smell of Elnett, its awful! I think they do a fragrance-free one now but I haven't seen it in a small size bottle which I generally prefer)

Pros:
Keeps hair style until you brush out
Light, fine spray
Not sticky
HUGE can (400ml) lasts and lasts

Cons:
Only available in 400ml (I did track down a travel size but it was £4.95 for a tiny 50ml +shipping!!)

Sebastian Professional Shaper Zero Gravity, available at Amazon and lookfantastic.com