Late April Glossybox

Hello beauties! This month's Glossybox arrived a bit later than usual, I thought it got lost in the post or it got sent to the wrong address. It does happen you know because I received someone else's one time and so ended up with two Glossybox that month lol.

Anyways this month the box design had a vintage and floral design that was designed by Pearl Lowe.

Modelco Cheek + Lip Tint in Rosy Red

Got a cheek and lip tint by Model Co. I've never used a cheek or lip tint before and after trying it on my lips I quite like it. It's extremely light, I couldn't feel it on my lips. Unlike lip gloss or lipstick, sticky and sometimes   feels heavy on the lips. You know that feeling. They've given me a full size of this product; 10ml at the price of £15. Pricey or what?

Essie Nail Lacquer

I got a nice summery peach colour nail polish. I tried it on my toe nails and looked quite nice. But the brush wasn't too good, it left lines on my nails or maybe its the quality of the polish. I don't know.

Sunsense Daily Face SPF

People still use tinted moisturisers? I thought it has taken over by BB Cream or even CC Cream now. But anyways the SPF 50+ is what I really like about it. This is a brand from Australia. 

Nip + Fab Coconut Latte Body Butter

I find body butter the best for skin, other regular body cream doesn't work as good, for me anyways. I opened this and only 2/3 of the container was filled. Despite that it smells good, I love the smell of coconut. Makes me want to eat this up!

Yves Rocher France- So Elixir Purple Parfum

For the first time I'm actually happy to have received a perfume sample because of its packaging. Its in small cute purple bottle, normally the samples they send are in those regular tube. Smells ok but I think its more for my mum so I gave it to her.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading! 

Food Discovery week

Hiya! This week has been a discovery week for me regarding food and myself which I will tell you in a bit. I haven't had time to go to the gym this week as I have been revising hard core for my exams and writing a 3000 word essay that was due on Friday. However, my living room have been my gym during my breaks (not every break), I did 50 squats and lunges once a day. Just so I won't feel guilty lol. Having said that I still made time for food. The longest break I've taken is when I cook.

Anyways. It was a beautiful warm day on Sunday and so I decided to make some summery lunch.

Pepper stuffed with quinoa and halloumi cheese, with Ryvita crackers on the side topped with slices of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. 

For drink, I made 'Pine-apple-nana' (I made that name up of course lol):

- 2 small Gala apples

-1 cup of chopped pineapples (fresh not tinned),

- 1-2 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice. 

Blend all ingredients until smooth and frothy

Pine-apple-nana

Regarding my discoveries. First I have discovered that baked sweet potatoes served with halloumi cheese = HEAVEN! Eating the skin as well is even better. Its like sweet and then savoury, just awesome. I also made quinoa with yellow peppers and cherry tomatoes; I seasoned the quinoa with a bit too much salt ^.^". I added some effects to the photo hence why its kind of yellowy.

As you can see the sweet potato is huge so I couldn't finish it all at once, I had the rest later in the evening. I had goji and chrysanthyum water. I've been having this quite a lot this week because according to Chinese medical theory, those two ingredients are good for your eye sights- since I've been reading a lot this week this is meant to be good. You just put the two ingredient into a cup and pour boiling water into the cup and cover for about 15 minutes to get the flavour out of them. 

Second discovery. I made sirloin steak this week and I discovered that covering the raw meat with corn flour/ potato flour will lock the moist in and so when you grill or pan fry it, it will still be very juicy. No need to have sauce to go with it. Vegetables are bit dry though I know lol.

Third discovery. I had kiwi a few times this week and think I'm allergic to them. Either my gum feels funny, like something is pricking them or I get stomach aches.

Apart from discovering new things, I've been quite experimental with pancakes. I love my pancakes but its so fatty. I wanted to make pancakes that is less fatty and still good for you. So I added hemp protein powder into the batter so it will be high in protein lol.

Its green because the hemp protein is green. The bottom left is my first attempt and the outcome wasn't very nice. The bottom right is my second attempt on Friday night and it turned out really good.

Banana Hemp Protein Pancakes (makes approx 5 pancakes)

-  1 cup plain flour

-1 tablespoon baking powder

- 1 scoop of hemp protein 

- 1/2 cup of almond milk

- 1 banana

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon almond powder.

Not entirely healthy I know. Next time I'm going to try with different flour, something healthier like chick pea flour. Basically that's socca pancakes, some healthy French street food.

One last discovery I forgot to mention is regarding my cooking skills. It so have improved! Lol. And I have mastered cauliflower and broccoli cheese, maybe I should say I have mastered the white sauce. I also made chicken and roast vegetables. I seasoned the chicken so well and again I dusted it with cornflour which made it really moist. Excuse the presentation, I started eating it before taking a picture lol.

Cauliflower, Broccoli & cheese, chicken with roast veg

I made some summery/ refreshing smoothies this week, "Dragon berries smoothie". That's;

- 1 dragon fruit

- 5 strawberries

- 1/2 cup of blueberries

- 1/4 cup of almond milk

- 1 tbsp of Honey to taste

All blended together until smooth.

I've never had dragon fruit before and it tastes like.....grass? Lol I can't explain but I wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be sweet.
Below is a smoothie my brother made for me during the week, and I'm not quite sure what's in it but definitely tomatoes and carrots.

Smoothie by my brother

Snack of the week: Berries with Greek yoghurt. I love my berries especially with yoghurt. Apart from having it with yoghurt I also added walnuts, mixed seeds (the top photo), oat flakes and manuka honey (bottom). There's actually strawberries too but they were at the bottom.

That's it for now, as you can see I've been making lots of "summery" food, the sunshine has got me in the mood. Next post I will show you my socca pancakes. Thanks for reading.

Recovery week

Hi people, my last post mentioned me being ill. And this week has been a recovery week however I have been out of energy so haven't worked out at all this week. My appetite wasn't too good either but its coming along. Although I was still a bit ill that didn't stop me from revising. I managed to write 1k words for one of the assignment, still got 2k to go though lol. I also managed to revise for finance and read a chapter of this boring Strategy Safari book by Henry Mintzberg. The Strategy exam is based on that book so I have no choice but read it.

Anyways, I didn't take many pictures of the food this week as I didn't actually eat much. Despite not having the appetite I still ate out a few times lol.

On Monday, I went to China town with my mum to get her hair done. We had lunch in Wan Chai Corner, a restaurant in China town we always go to. I just had a bowl of won ton soup noodle, it was quite bland. Not sure whether the won ton wasn't seasoned properly or I was still ill so my taste bud wasn't working properly. In the evening, my boyfriend ordered some Jamaican takeaway; oxtail (my favourite Jamaican dish) with rice and peas and macaroni cheese - only had a small plate of it. On Thursday, I went out for dinner with my best friend Hollie and had Italian. Had mussels and scallops for starter (we shared that), I had pumpkin risotto for main. It was nice but was quite heavy so couldn't finish it. Dessert was disappointing, dessert is the main part of the meal for me lol.

Dessert at Zero

I tried to make some Jamaican coconut rice and peas this week and it turned out nice. Its actually really easy to make. I think I can do it better than my boyfriend lol.  On the side is some roast courgette and swede. The swede was really nice, it tasted like sweet potatoes.

Coconut rice & peas with roast veggies

Smoothies of the week

I didn't make smoothies every day this week. But here are a few.

The top one is made from grapefruit, orange, apple, carrot, a bit of ginger and mixed seeds (from Holland & Barratt). The grapefruit made it taste quite bitter.

Middle one is a protein shake that I made for breakfast. I put a kiwi, an apple, 1/4 cup of blueberries, mixed seed and a scoop of hemp protein. 

My dad made the bottom one, he put carrots, apple, cherry tomatoes, grapes, a bit of ginger, mixed seeds and water. 

I think my appetite is fully back now because I felt like making a big breakfast this morning. So made a cheese and tomato panini and a protein banamond (I made that word up) shake, the shake tasted so nice that I scrapped everything off that cup lol. 

Sunday Breakfast

Here's the recipe for my protein 'banamond' shake:

- 1 small banana

- 1 scoop of hemp protein (Strawberry flavour)

- 1 tbsp mixed seeds

- 1-2 cup of almond milk. 

Blend together until smooth.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading!

Do you make smoothies at home? What's your favourite recipe?

What do you eat/ cook when you don't have the appetite?

Healthy and beauty goodies- mini haul

Hey everyone, spring is finally here in the UK. I have my window opened my room and its so refreshing! lol. Anyways I was suppose to do this blog last week but because I was ill I didn't get round to it. It's just a quick talk about the health and beauty goodies I bought from Holland & Barratt over the Easter holidays when they were doing the Buy 1 get 2nd half price deal.

Good Hemp Protein Fit Shake

I bought 2 of these because it was 2 for £24. The original price for one is £16,  that's actually £3 cheaper than Planet Organic and Good' website.

I've always wanted to get protein shakes but wanted ones that are natural. Ones you get from fitness shops tend have a lot of artificial ingredients in them. This Fit Shake is suppose to make you feel fuller for longer, aids weight loss, body sculpting, and well being. The green tea helps detox the body. The list of ingredients is very simple just hemp. Green Tea, Stevia (Natural sweetener), Natural flavouring (Strawberry) and Xantham Gum. It's also free from;

• gluten diary,
• lactose,
• whey
• soya, 
• sugar,
• GMO, 
• Hexane, 
• pesticides,
• herbicides, 
• additives or preservatives.

Linwoods Flax, Sunflower, Pumpkin & Sesame seeds & Goji berries.

I bought a bag of mixed seeds for £5.49, original price was almost £8. This contains sources of fibre, protein, Omega-3, zinc and iron. You can add them to whatever you like, I've been adding them to my porridge and smoothies.

Holland & Barratt Vitamin E Oil

I bought a bottle of vitamin E oil at its original price, £7. Bought this because I've been thinking of making my own beauty products, so that is one of the ingredients I will need. It's very thick like castor oil, in fact I find this thicker. There's only one ingredient dl- Tocopheryl Acetate-this long name is basically natural vitamin E.

That's my mini Easter haul. I will do another shopping haul at H&B soon, I love them! Thanks for reading

Guest Post- How to Grow Long Eyelashes, Get Extensions and Care For Your Eyelashes

Hi lovelies, this is a guest post by Danielle McAnn. She works for Lash Design (Click on the link Lash Design to find out more) and has given some very useful tips in getting long eye lashes. Enjoy!

Long eyelashes are desired by people all over the world. But to get those long, luscious lashes, you are are going to have to treat them right. There are various natural and cosmetic ways to promote eyelash health and growth. To get those long lashes that you dream of, you can try applying them with oils and leave them to sit overnight to absorb.

Castor Oil has been shown to be very effective for natural eyelash growth for many women. You can use any castor oil for this approach, just apply a little to a cotton bud (q-tip) or clean mascara brush and dab lightly with a tissue to remove excess oil. Leave to sit over night and before long you will be impressing people with your new healthy lashes.

Vitamin E oil is another option, it often results in either thicker strands, new lashes, or both. You can purchase the oil or gels and capsules to squeeze the oil out. Apply the same way at the castor oil, or ingest the supplement. Emu oil is the oil made from the fat of the Emu bird from Australia. While it promotes hair growth, it may not be the most ethical option if that is a concern.

I find that making sure I clean my make up off my face before bed can do wonders for the health of my eyes. Making sure you don't have any gunk on there before you go to sleep allows your lashes to grow without being hindered by mascara. I also use a mascara with a lightweight liquid and a good quality brush that doesn't weigh down my eyelids.

If you don't want to wait for your lashes to grow, you can try the cosmetic approach which means eyelash extensions. Salons such as LashDesign Studios offer a variety of options. Acrylic and silk are the preferred extensions, providing a soft result with different finishes to suit your needs. You can have long and thick lashes, voluptuous lashes, or even natural looking lashes when you just need a little lift. They come in permanent and semi permanent varieties There are also some aftercare considerations such as not getting them wet of exposing them to steam for 24 hrs to let the glue set. There is also mascara that is made specifically for eyelash extensions, although it is likely that you won't even need them!

A week of pain and flu

Hi everyone. The sun seems to be shining more often but its still so cold! I finally started my revision and one of my assignments. I'm going to do this quickly as I feel absolutely unwell.

This week I my workout regime is quite different. The gym I go to was shut because of some construction work but the rest of the leisure center was open so I went to the exercise classes instead. I still went spinning on Monday, I'm still struggling with that and its a beginners' class. lol.

On Tuesday, I participated in the Tone Zone class which is basically aerobics but with dumbbells in your hands. It was a killer, I think its harder than spinning because when you get tired during spinning you can at least reduce resistant and you're only using your legs but with Tone Zone you're using everything. You have to keep moving. I could feel the result instantly, the muscles in my thighs were hurting later in the day. The next day was worse, when I woke up I struggled to get up. lol. Muscles all round my thighs, lower back, stomach, shoulders, arms, and glutes were hurting. The worst thing was, I was going out for lunch in Covent Garden (going lunch isn't the worst thing lol) that day which meant I had to take the train and a lot of walking up and down the stairs. I was in pain, I had to hold on to the hand rails lol! Despite the pain, I loved it. On Thursday, I was supposed to go to Sculpt class but my muscles were still in a lot of pain so I didn't go.

Moules et Frites, & Onion soup

As for food, I ate out again this week as mentioned earlier. I went for lunch with some old university friends at a French restaurant, Palm Court Brasserie, in Covent Garden. It was another deal I found on Top Table; 50% off A la Carte menu, 2 courses only per person. For starter, I had French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese and for main I had the traditional French dish, Moules et Frites (Mussel and chips). Quick review: It was average, I don't think I would go back again. The onion soup was nice but the portion was quite big. As for main course, it was very nice, I loved the sauce. However, I don't know if it was sand or undissolved salt (?), I kept eating sand or small crunchy particles. When the waiter came over and asked if everything was ok, I told him. And he was like 'are you sure?' So I said, 'Well, something is very crunchy'. Then he just walked off. I wasn't expecting anything from him anyways, its because he asked.

Back to Monday. For breakfast I had a cheese and ham roll and a banana oat smoothie. I normally try to avoid bread because of the yeast, but the roll was gluten and wheat free so wanted to try. My dad bought it because it was on sale for 10p. Lol! People said gluten free products aren't nice, but it wasn't that bad. 

Monday brekkie

Monday Dinner

My dad also made some smoothies so I had some of it. I'm not quite sure what he put in it but there were definitely some oat and carrots lol. It was nice though.

For dinner my dad cooked some stir fried aubergine with some mixed green leaves. He bought those leaves from Tesco, ones that are pre-packed for you. It was on sale for 10p and he bought like 5 bags of them lol. It was a mixture of water cress, rocket and spinach. The dish wasn't so nice. The nutty taste of rocket doesn't go so well. My mum made stir fried turkey breast with broccoli. (My parents always cook together which is why they cooked a dish each lol)


On Tuesday morning, I had some congee that my dad made the previous night. I don't know if it counts as being congee because my dad didn't put any rice, there were a variety of grains, including; red and green beans, goji berry, mung beans and different types of barley.  My dad also made some smoothies that had pineapple, tomatoes, beetroot and ginger. Not sure if he put anything else in, was good though. Sorry didn't take pictures of those.

After the Tone Zone class, I didn't have the energy to cook lunch so I just made something quick. Rice crackers and Ryvitas topped with cheese, turkey ham and cherry tomatoes. There were some pineapples left over from the smoothie, so I had that and a pear.

Tuesday's Quick lunch

Tuesday's Dinner

Later in the day, I went to see my boyfriend and I cooked for him. I made stuffed peppers, some beef in sauce and boiled potatoes. It was my first time making stuffed peppers, and it turned out quite nice. I know people usually put feta cheese inside but I wasn't sure if I would like the cheese as I don't like the smell of sheep and goat's milk so I used mozzarella cheese instead. I stuffed it with rice, mushrooms, onions and cherry tomatoes. Excuse the presentation of the dish, I started eating and remembered to take a photo of the food lol.

For dessert I made American banana flavoured pancakes. It was also my first time making American pancakes, my boyfriend wanted banana flavour so I blended half a banana into the batter. And oh my days, the pancakes were good and so fluffy! So proud of myself. lol.



Wednesday morning, the breakfast was boring just a whole meal bap with cheese, egg and ham. I made a smoothie, similar to the one I made last week but instead of celery I put cucumber. Still tasted good.

my new invention

On Thursday my body was still in so much pain so I thought I need something high in protein. So for breakfast I had Chocolate Soy Porridge:
-1 small carton of Alpro chocolate soya milk
-1 egg
-1 cup of oat
-1/2 teaspoon of maca powder sprinkled on top when porridge is cooked.

First heat the oat and some of the soya milk together. Gradually add the rest of the soya milk. When it starts to thicken or gets hot add the egg. Cook for another 2 minutes or until egg is cooked.

I know it doesn't look very appealing lol but it was nice and chocolatey.

Chocolate porridge

I started feeling ill on Friday. I was feeling tired, my lower back, arms and joints were aching. I didn't have the appetite so I just made a small breakfast. Gooseberry yoghurt wit chopped up apples and sprinkled with mixed seeds (Flax, sunflower, pumkpin, sesame seed & goji berries)

I didn't stay in to rest though because I had a meeting in the evening with one of the founders (Thais) of Glow (a beauty business). I am working with them for my dissertation. So I ate out at Le Pain Quotidien to meet with her, I never knew they serve organic food. Always been past it and always thought they did fatty bakeries. lol. I had Organic Quinoa & roast vegetables with artichokes, courgettes and aubergine & tomatoes. I didn't take a picture because Thais might think I'm weird, it was our first time meeting each other.  

Saturday and today I was just been in bed the whole day and had plain congee both days for lunch and dinner. Below is my Sunday breakfast that I still managed to make; porridge with chopped up bananas, sprinkled with mix seeds and manuka honey.  

Sunday Breakfast

I said I would do this post quickly but ended up writing a lengthy post lol. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it and  stayed tune for more.  Thanks for reading. 

My Easter week

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you all had a great Easter weekend, did any of you stuff your face with chocolate eggs? I didn't as I've never really been a fan of chocolate. Ok, don't freak out now. I know it's weird for a girl to not like chocolate. lol. Don't get me wrong, I would eat it if it was there but it just wouldn't be part of my shopping list.  I was suppose to have started revising but I just couldn't be bothered and so gave myself an excuse that it is Easter holidays so I need to chill. lol

Anyways, this week I've changed my workout routine a bit. Normally, I would do a full body workout 3 times a week but instead I did upper body workout on Wednesday, lower body workout on Thursday and abs only on Saturday. Not to forget, spinning on Monday. I try to do an intense cardio session at least once a week as that makes me feel I've done enough cardio for the week. I just hate cardio. On the days I do strength training, I will go on the treadmill for 10  minutes only as a warm up.

Monday breakfast and date night

Before the spin class (an hour before*), I had a big breakfast to ensure that I have the energy to keep up with everyone else in the class. I made cheese omelette with baked beans (protein protein and whey protein from the cheese), a bowl of organic bio-live gooseberry yoghurt with chopped pears, a bit of maca root powder (for energy boost) and sprinkled with some oat, and a mug of semi-skimmed milk. I love my yoghurt sprinkled with oats, it gives it more texture and its just not the same without it.

In the evening, I went out on a date with my boyfriend (it's been a while since we've gone on a date. We usually cook for each other). We went to Reform social and grill, a restaurant in Mandeville Hotel. We had lobster burger with fat chips, roast pumpkins (this was sooo nice) and a bottle of red wine. It was a deal I found from Top Table; £14 per person, great deal right?




My workout on Wednesday started with a 10 minutes warm up on the treadmill then 10-15 minutes of ab workout and 40 minutes of strength training on my upper body- arm,back,shoulders and waist. Before going to the gym, I had porridge with some maca and almond powder and topped with 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries for breakfast. Lunch aka post workout meal I made a protein meal; quinoa (high in protein), grilled red and orange sweet mini peppers and cherry tomatoes and grilled halloumi cheese. It was lovely!

My dad made me some vegetable smoothies made with; beetroot, tomatoes, red peppers, carrots and cucumber. My younger brother and I cooked dinner together, we made stir fried turkey breast with tofu and carrots, steamed salmon and boiled long lettuce leaf. It's like a bit of English, a bit of Mediterranean and a bit of Chinese food through out the day lol.

Wednesday's food and drink

On Thursday my work out was like this;

• 10 minutes on the treadmill
• 15 minutes of ab and oblique workout
• 30-40 minutes (approx) of lower body workout;
• 10 minutes of lunges; walking, side, front and back
• 15 reps of squats- 2 sets
• 15 reps of hip abductor (inside and outside of thighs)- 2 sets
• 20 reps of bridges- 2 sets

For breakfast, I had a slice of rye bread with peanut butter spread and an oatmeal smoothie made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberry yoghurt, maca root powder and soya milk. I don't usually eat rye bread but saw them when I went Sainsbury's and thought I'll give them a try. They are organic too. Does anyone know what goes well with rye bread? 

 After workout, I had Ryvita crackers topped with grilled halloumi cheese, sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes. For drink I made banana chocolate milkshake made with soya milk (this is my recovery drink). Sounds like a lunch you would have in the summer doesn't it? As for dinner, my dad made (bottom right) stir fried tomatoes with tofu and halloumi cheese (he was being creative with the cheese there lol). Monk fish with some sauce that he invented and some stir fried iceberg lettuce. I must say my dad is quite good at making sauces. He doesn't follow any recipes, he just makes it on the spot and put whatever he thinks is right and most of the time turns out really good. I only took a photo of one dish as that is the only interesting one lol.

Thursday's food and drinks

Friday, I took a day off from the gym and I went out for lunch with my family. I didn't take pictures of the food as I was too hungry lol. I'll just tell you. I had mixed seafood congee, with fried dough stick and stir fried noodles in supreme soy sauce. Yes, the traditional Hong Kong breakfast but that wasn't my breakfast. For breakfast I had porridge made with almond milk and I thought I'll be a bit creative so instead of adding honey for taste I added gooseberry yoghurt and some maca root powder. WARNING! Do NOT ever...I repeat EVER... mix yoghurt with hot food. The heat of the porridge made the yoghurt taste like vomit. It was disgusting! But I forced myself to finish it lol! As for the smoothie of the day, my dad made something with tomato, red pepper, carrot, cucumber and something else. Sounds weird but tasted good though.

Friday's breakfast- gone- wrong

On Saturday, I went gym and did 30 minutes of ab workout and 20 minutes of cardio. On Friday night, I actually researched for some new ab and oblique workout. I'm bored of doing the same workout over and over again.

Got home and made some quinoa, cheese and tomato omelette. It was pretty good, but it would have been nicer with spinach.

Saturdays's post workout meal

For drinks aka my smoothie of the day, I made something that I had from Planet Organic (planetorganic.com) before. I think they called it Energy booster.

- 1 carrot

- 1/2 celery (be careful not to put too much celery!!)

- 1 apple

- 1 cup of orange juice

- a bit of fresh ginger (size of your thumb? depends if how much you like ginger)

- 1 tablespoon of Manuka honey. 

This combination works really well, the ginger gives it a kick. Planet Organic made it as a juice so eliminated all the bits (fibre), I kept all my bits (except for the orange). I used a blender to make it, .and used the juicer for the oranges only.

Home made Energy Booster drink/smoothie 

That's it for this week. Hope you enjoyed my lengthy post and found it interesting. lol. Btw, did anyone realise this post is a little different; the photos are in pretty collages. ^.^ I used those pic stitch apps to put them together. Does it make my blog look more sophisticated? lol Thanks for reading!


*Note: If you do an intense workout within an hour of eating, you may vomit it all back out so best to eat at least an hour before. But if you do intend to workout within the hour of eating, have a light breakfast.