Something for the Weekend
Posted: May 24, 2013 Filed under: Food, Life | Tags: colourful, desserts, flavours, friday, ice-cream, kiosk, plans, sweet, treat, weekend Leave a comment »Next week will be a busy one for us so we’re using this weekend as an opportunity to relax and recharge. We’re going to go see The Great Gatsby, have a few drinks, catch up with friends and if the weather holds up, we might even have a picnic 
.
To brighten up our Friday, we stopped off at an ice-cream kiosk on the way home. So as not to totally ruin my healthy eating plan, I limited myself to a single scoop and it was a small but perfect treat to satisfy my sweet tooth. Sometimes you just need a little bit of the real thing, right?
Have a great weekend!
Yes to Carrots Cleanser
Posted: May 23, 2013 Filed under: Beauty | Tags: aloe vera, cleanser, face, facial, nourishing, product, sensitive skin, yes to carrots 2 Comments »My skin is currently in desperate need of some TLC and I’ve been looking for a good everyday solution. Even though it’s been around for a while now, I’ve only just tried a Yes to Carrots product. I chose a cleanser that is paraben free and made with 96% natural ingredients. The organic carrots help protect and nourish and keep your skin soft and glowing. The aloe vera refreshes, soothes and moisturises; and the shea butter restores and improves appearance.
This cleanser has a thick and creamy consistency. It’s easy to apply and a little goes a long way. It smells lovely and refreshing and leaves a subtle scent on your skin. After application, my skin was left feeling smooth, moisturised and super clean.
The Yes to Carrots range is available in many good pharmacies. This 170g bottle of cleanser cost around €8.50 which is a little more expensive than other similar products on the shelves. However I do feel that the price is justified because it’s very good quality and, since you only need a small bit with each application, it will last you that bit longer. Overall, I’m very happy with my latest find — it’s a definite yes from me for Yes to Carrots.
The Cutest Keepsake
Posted: May 22, 2013 Filed under: Life, Thoughts | Tags: five year diary, gift idea, journal, keepsake, line a day, memory book, present, review, stationery 8 Comments »Isn’t it great when you order something online, kind of forget about it and then have that lovely little surprise when it comes through your letterbox?! My most recent arrival was a five year memory book. This is a journal that features the space to note your thoughts and experiences of every day over the course of five years.
It’s a small, thick book that’s both portable and durable. The cover is a beautiful cerulean colour with elegant gold font on the cover and gold-edged pages inside. Every date in the year has its own individual page and you get 6 lines for each entry. The lines are on the narrow side so you will have to keep your writing small and neat. The limited space means that you have to keep every entry short and sweet. There are, however, three additional pages at the back of the book which are blank to give you a little extra space to expand on any important details.
These journals are available on the likes of Amazon and eBay. I bought this for myself but I think it would also make such a lovely gift for pretty much any person in your life. It’s such a fun, interesting and efficient way of keeping track of things. How great would it be to have this book to look back through years from now? I’m really going to make the effort to record an entry every day and hopefully I can fill this book with lots of great memories over the next five years .
Innocent Noodle Pots
Posted: May 21, 2013 Filed under: Food | Tags: dinner, healthy, innocent, lunch, malaysian rendang, meals, microwaveable, noodle pots, veg, vegetarian 2 Comments »As someone who’s been trying so hard to eat healthy, I was immediately intrigued when I learned that Innocent recently added noodle pots to their range of products. I already love their smoothies and veg pots so I didn’t hesitate in giving this a go. I chose the Malaysian Rendang option and it didn’t disappoint.
Consisting of rice noodles with red peppers in a creamy, spicy coconut sauce, this is really delicious. Even though you can cook this in the microwave, it tastes nothing like those notoriously salty and processed ready meals. Instead, it’s got a lovely fresh flavour and feel to it. It’s absolutely packed with all sorts of veg (peppers, carrots, cabbage, edamame beans and more). Each pot counts as two of your five-a-day and it’s totally suitable for vegetarians.
I think it would taste fantastic with some grilled chicken but it’s an entirely substantial meal on its own. It’s a handy one to have in the fridge for when you’re short on time and want something quick and filling. With only 266 calories per pot, all that veg and no colourings and preservatives, it’s a healthy option too. I’m already looking forward to trying the other choices in this range — Thai Tom Yum, Vietnamese Curry and Japanese Ramen. That’s dinner sorted for the rest of the week then… 
Max Factor Glossfinity
Posted: May 20, 2013 Filed under: Beauty | Tags: angel nails, glossfinity, glossy, max factor, metallic, nail polish, nail varnish, shine 3 Comments »Boots are currently running a promotion where if you spend over €20 on Max Factor products, you get a free gift. Now, if you’ve read any of my previous beauty posts, you’ll know I can never refuse an offer like that! Especially when the gift is more make-up (I’ll do a separate post on that later in the week).
So I got some CC Cream (meh) and a bottle of Glossfinity nail polish. In fairness to them, Max Factor have a lovely selection of colours for your nails. I chose number fifty-five Angel Nails which is a silvery-bronze metallic kind of colour. I found the application a bit tricky because – although it’s thin - the brush holds quite a lot of product. If you don’t wipe off the excess beforehand, you could end up with just a big blob on your nail. Take your time and a bit of care and you’ll be fine. With 2 coats on each nail, I had a smooth opaque finish.
Maybe it’s because I have so many of Rimmel’s 60 Seconds nail polishes but this one seemed to take forever to dry! After nearly ten minutes, it was still tacky to the touch. I (carefully) flipped through a magazine and my nails were just about set by the time I reached the last page. I think it was worth the wait though. It’s quite a pretty and unique colour which I like. It has subtle glittery flecks and I think it would probably suit all skin tones. It’s as glossy as it promises to be and has great shine (which made it almost impossible to photograph!). Overall, I’m fairly happy with it and I can see myself wearing this again throughout the year.
Rustic Strawberry and Rhubarb Pie
Posted: May 19, 2013 Filed under: Food | Tags: desserts, pastry, pie, rhubarb, strawberry, world baking day 10 Comments »
Since I’ve been making a serious effort to eat healthier recently, it’s been ages since I did any baking. However, seeing as today is World Baking Day and also because this is my 200th post (!), I thought I’d make an exception.
With World Baking Day, everyone is encouraged to ‘bake brave’ and try something they’ve never done before. Up until today, I had never made any kind of pastry from scratch. We have a ton of rhubarb growing in our garden so I decided to combine that with some lovely, ripe strawberries to make a classic pie.
I really enjoyed the experience. The recipe I followed was for 2 pies so I halved it but then I ended up running out of dough (hence the bizarre looking lattice!) Also I think I added a little too much water which made the dough incredibly soft and a lot harder to work with. It’s definitely rustic looking but it still tastes surprisingly delicious. The pastry has a sweet, crisp, biscuit-y taste and texture; and the slightly sharp rhubarb and sweet strawberries contrast beautifully.
Considering the fact that it’s my first pie, I’m really happy with it. It was nice to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. Since they say practice makes perfect, I’ll definitely have to try this again in the future. For now, however, I have to get back to healthy eating…as soon as I have just one more slice…
Savouring Sunday
Posted: May 19, 2013 Filed under: Life, Thoughts | Tags: end of week, relaxation, rest, sunday, things to do, weekend, winding down 2 Comments »It’s nearly over so I hope everyone had a great weekend! For me, Sunday evenings are all about relaxation. Whenever I’ve been rushing around and doing a lot (or if I’m just in the mood for some pampering!), there’s nothing I like better than coming home to a long luxurious bubble bath and a stack of the latest magazines. It’s the perfect way to unwind, clear your mind and – in this case - prepare for the week ahead. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday x
