Four Of My Favourite Foundations !

Happy Friday !

The 31st night all has us planning shows and dances and events we all want to look our best for , and that means we want to present a perfect looking face . For that we need a good foundation .  Ever walked into a druggist and looked at the crazy amount of foundations and thought omg what am I going to choose . Here are four of my favourites , which have all the goodness to give you that flawless look . 
I love perfect looking skin and these new foundations are ultra skin perfectors with the promise of an air-brushed flush.

Ever used eye-drops? Well these new foundations are packaged with an eye-drop sort of squeezy tube to press out drops which you can blend into your skin. Always use a foundation brush which gives you a perfect smooth look.

The cheapest one at 12.99 is from GOSH ''Foundation Drops.'' This has the same blendability and satin finish as all of its pricier competitors and is super good value for money and I would recommend that you buy this. There are only five shades available in this super quality foundation.


The second one from No 7 ''Airbrush Away'' Foundation is 16.50. This is another one which has an addictive velvety finish, only it doesn't have any SPF protection, and it contains alcohol.

The third one is from Smashbox and it costs 29 pounds is called ''Camera Ready BB Water SPF 30.'' It strikes a perfect balance between matt & moisturising. This oil free foundation has a silky finish and a very impressive SPF 30 protection too.

The fourth from MAC, ''Waterweight SPF 30'' foundation and costs 25.50. This has a very similar formula to the Smashbox one but this definitely gets the vote because it's cheaper and comes in fifteen extra shades.

Have an awesome day and keep smiling .


Love & Peace

Simple Exercise To Get Moving & Healthy !

Happy Friday !

Get yourself motivated this weekend . A little exercise each day , will keep you healthy . January is just a few days away , a better body gives you confidence and powerful self esteem .
Tone up your body , arms , stomach , legs and bum with exercise  ten minute works outs two times a day . That's all it takes to keep toned and fit .
I've always admired Cameron Diaz and Rihanna for their toned physic and super fit bodies . Of course good eating plays a role as well . just don't pig out on too many chips and fries and cakes and biscuits you should do well !
For perfect arms and biceps , the biggest tip is , don't be afraid to lift weights everyday . It doesn't have to be actual dumbbells , but just a two and a half kg sack of potatoes does for me . Lift it all the way up , over your head , one sack in each hand repeat 20 times , twice a day, everyday ,keeps the muscles toned and exercised  .
The ten minute leg toner is simple . For Calf raises , go from having your feet flat on the floor to standing on tiptoes . Do this 20 times and repeat twice a day .
Lunges : Step forward with one leg lowering until the front knees is bent at 90 degrees. Push back up standing .Repeat this 20 times twice a day for maximum results .
Side squats : Stand with your feet together , then step out sideways with one foot placing your weight on that leg and bending at the knee . Go back up to standing and repeat on the other leg . Repeat this as well 20 times , twice a day .
For a great stomach workout , jumping rope is the best exercise to tone up the tummy . Jump rope while holding in your tummy for at least 15 minutes a day in intervals , is great exercise .
You could work on your abs doing crunches and five minutes set aside a day for planking , which is superb . Where you lay on the floor face down and raise yourself up onto your toes and elbows , holding your body straight by using your tummy muscles .
Great Bum exercise is doing squats , it firms up the bum and gives it a real rounded boost . No need for injecting fat to get the Kim Kardashian look . Squat as much as you can at every spare moment , a good bum workout for a great looking shape . You could do different kind of squats like the jumping squat as well .

All these exercises need not be done all together , but if you do them as much as you can , concentrating on each body part one day in the week . You are exercising and keeping fit . A small slow start is always better than no exercise at all .
Get fit and healthy . Motivate yourself , a fit and healthy person does not get depressed easily and stays more optimistic .

Keep smiling :)

Love & Peace

Salt Meat For Christmas ..My Recipe !

Happy Friday !

It's almost Christmas and the weekend is knocking on the door,  most of us at the weekend think about preparing, something really special for the family ( if you love to cook ! ) I have lovely memories of salt meat ( cooked with a large chunk of beef ) which was a staple around Christmas time amongst the people who lived in my town , where I grew up . My grandma made this delicious dish , but this recipe is not hers , she never got around to telling me how it was done  . I learned to make it over time , checking the net and this is how I now prepare my own . I love it so much .  I don't generally wait for Christmas to prepare it for my children . It takes a while to make , needs to be soaked in brine . But lasts for sometime ,in the refrigerator . Great to be sliced and put in sandwiches . I am crazy about salt meat , it is super delicious and with Christmas around the corner , I know a lot of people want to prepare some special side dishes, for all your lovely relatives who just turn up on your doorstep to share the holiday spirit with you . I hope you enjoy making this and have tons of pleasure eating it !! Enjoy , the recipe is below :)

For the brine 
275 g  soft light-brown sugar
350 g  coarse sea salt
2 tsp black peppercorns
½ tbsp juniper berries
4 cloves
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
55 g  saltpetre (optional)

For the beef 
2.5 kg  piece of beef brisket
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 celery stick, roughly chopped (optional)
1 leek, cut into large chunks
1 bouquet garni
½ head of garlic

Put all the ingredients for the brine into a very large saucepan, pour in 2.5 litres  of water and gradually bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar and salt dissolve. Once it comes to the boil, let it bubble away for two minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool completely.

Pierce the meat all over with a skewer. Put it in a large, sterilised plastic box or bucket (something non-reactive) and cover the meat with the brine; it must be totally immersed. The best thing I've found for weighing it down is two massive bottles of vodka. Put them in on top of the meat and it will stay below the level of the brine. Leave in a very cool place ( a room that is always freezing cold – most houses have one). Leave it for seven days.

Take the beef out of the brine and rinse it. Roll and tie the meat and put it in a pan with the vegetables, bouquet garni and garlic, adding enough cold water to cover. Bring the water to simmering point, then leave to poach gently – I mean gently – for two and a half to three hours. Cook until the meat is completely tender (check with a skewer).

Serve in slices with pickles, horseradish sauce , English mustard or piccalilli. You can serve it hot (reheat it in the broth in which it has cooked) or cold. It will keep for a week in the refrigerator; wrap it well so it stays moist.

Have an awesome day and keep smiling :)

Love & Peace 

December Thoughts .. Good Decisions !

Good morning/ afternoon/evening/night
Wherever you are in your day I hope your smiling . Today's blog is a bit of general advice on relationships and good decisions . As the year almost comes to an end alot of people start making New Year resolutions . One of the key steps to happiness is independence and this comes when we are not reliant on someone else making us happy . Being dependant on another person , can disrupt our own happiness because if their mood or disposition becomes ugly then we get affected .
In other words I'm saying keep relationships light . In this day and age we have no pressing need for marriage . Marriage is a very big step and as much as women give it their 99% in most cases , a man will always be about 50% committed in all areas . Men do not take well to commitment long term , as good as their intentions are in the beginning it seldom lasts over 15 years especially if children are added to the equations . Children bring alot of stress with the growing years and need commitment from fathers and mothers together . If the two are not on the same page it can cause tensions , which are hard to overcome in the long term . My eldest caused alot of tension and it eventually was the root cause of a split . I was a firm parent and had rules to follow and my hubby was relaxed and didn't gave a hoot . So if I said something he did the opposite and obviously the child gravitates towards the parent who allows them to run riot and become a failure . The disagreements were many and love changed to hate and anger on both parts . I don't hold grudges and have tonnes of forgiveness in my heart and as much as I'd like a friendship without hate from him he is an angry unforgiving old man of 62 who still imagines he is handsome and young in his head still seeks the young victim .
By allowing the eldest to run riot she dotes on him and in return he controls her and has her eating out of his hand while I am the Bad mother as she shouts that regularly to me .  He is a controlling person and likes to feel in-charge ofcourse I am a strong independent woman who is not controlled by anyone but am Master to my own destiny.
Vulnerable young women fall prey to these kind of men , who pretend to be very eager to hear and help but all the time they are just helping themselves.
Marriage and children in these times are not to be risked as it is we live in times of great uncertainty . Not much work going around 0 hour contracts . Homelessness , the Gap between the Rich and Poor is enormous . Corporate Businesses  making multi-million pound bonuses to their bosses and lower down staff suffering below the poverty level . Can we even think of bringing children into this world ?? Absolutely not . Unless you happen to be very rich and successful it's always going to be a struggle . People don't have the opportunity to own their own home and more and more people at even 35 are still living with their elderly parents because of sudden circumstance .
Make decisions wisely , imagine you have a job and it's only you responsible for yourself . Your future would be so much better and your happiness would yours to command .
A quote I love on happiness :)

  

Have an awesome day and keep smiling !

Love & Peace

Start That Change & Make It Happen !

Happy Sunday !

We all have busy lives and there is always something that needs to be done but do we take time out of our busy lives to focus on changing things that we do to become more conscious of taking care of ourselves and becoming more healthy mentally and physically .
To help you all , lets start with just five days , in  the week , give yourself the other two days a break .  Focus on this ,something new , and try carrying it over , to the next day and the next . Healthy intentions to get your week going .

Monday : End your day with 15 minutes of meditation before you go to bed . Turn your lights very low , light a candle and some incense and close your eyes . Don't focus on any of the bad things of the day or the boring everyday you face . No try and think about one thing that maybe made you smile , or if somebody did something good for you . If that didn't happen , it can .. because life can be hum drum !! Focus then on a waterfall , the sound of birds a forest setting and you will start to feel peaceful !

Tuesday : Stop binge eating . Try not to snack on any junk food between meals . If you are hungry eat a piece of fruit . Eat well at your main meal , and have 2 lighter meals in the day . Try sticking with it , for at least 3/4 days in the week , and you will feel healthier .

Wednesday : Try to fit in some keep fit exercise . Yeah I know some of my friends have never done any exercise , and would feel awkward starting something now . Will their kids laugh at them ? I remember my Mum never did any exercise , and it's weird to think of her doing some keep fit stuff . But it's never too late for anyone to begin , especially with so much of processed junk food being sold cheaply , and somehow it, never satisfy's your hunger , like a good home cooked meal , does . My kids are so used to seeing me doing my keep fit routine , they don't bat an eyelid . My youngest did ask me Mum  "why do you , do so much exercise , you are not fat ?" I just said well Mama likes to stay fit , and nobody should wait to turn fat to start getting active !

Thursday : Give yourself , a nice facial .. scrub your face use a face mask . Soak in the bath , and then lavish tons of body cream all over your body .Don't miss a spot and remember pamper your feet the most . We use it to walk our whole lifetime , it supports our whole body weight . It needs to look good and feel soft . Should not be rough and unloved .

Friday : One day in the week , we should give up meat . Is that really hard ? It gives the body a good cleanse and has us revved up to eat meat the next day ! There are really good alternatives , Fish is absolutely awesome , eggs can make a great wholesome dish . Vegetables are so healthy and there are some great vegetarian recipes available to make your meal so , so tasty . I shall in the coming weeks put up some great vegetarian dishes for you all to make and try .

Hope you enjoy trying this out . Don't wait for January , begin this month and work on your good intentions. Get it going . Get a journal and note down important things that happen to you . A good deed , a birthday , a memory from the past . Record your moments so when your old & in 20/30 years from now you will have wonderful thoughts memories and moments in your life to bring a smile to your face .
Have an awesome day and keep smiling .

Love & Peace

Three Easy & Quick Lunch Ideas !

Happy December and Happy Wednesday !

Hope you are enjoying the Days leading up to Christmas it's always so much fun for the children and me . We always get so excited planning Christmas decorating the house with all the festive cheer . Today my son said he wants extra Christmas decorations all over lots of fairy lights and a huge Santa . So I'm just very happy to please them . Been extra busy than ever planning an awesome Christmas and New Year . When you just happen to be extra busy you need quick recipes for lunch so you are not spending too much time making something quick yet nutritious for the children and myself . Since my kids are not big meat eaters vegetarian lunches pleases them enormously .

Here are three quick and easy lunch ideas I whip up for the kids all the time . Hope you find them delicious . They are healthy and full of goodness for your body and soul .

Quinoa Salad
Prepare the quinoa as instructed on the packet . Then chop up finely half a red onion . Get a small lime which you will use to squeeze over the salad . A small can of corn warm it up in a pan with a little bit of chilli flakes . A can of red kidney beans use half . A full tomato dice it up .A bunch of coriander chop it up , if you want just add less if it's not your thing or just replace with your favourite herb.  Now your ready to put it together . Add all the ingredients to a bowl with the quinoa , squeeze the lemon over and season with salt and pepper . It's delicious . You could if you wanted have a softly boiled egg on the top which I like to do for myself .

Chopped Salad
For this recipe cut your Broccoli up finely . Chop up some Cabbage . Get a small onion and chop that up . A small can of lentils . Steam your broccoli and keep it ready . Now lightly fry the onions and add the cabbage with a clove of chopped up garlic and some crushed chilli flakes . After a few minuted add the steamed broccoli and lentils stir add a splash of lemon juice and it's ready to eat .

A Wrap
An avocado mash it up with chopped onions a clove of garlic lemon juice salt and pepper . Now spread this deliciousness over the wrap cut up some tomatoes put that on . A pickled gherkin is delicious sliced and added . Lastly some chick peas fried in a pan with chilli flakes lime juice and a clove of garlic is quickly done and ready to put on the wrap . A quick drizzle of  honey mustard dressing is optional , roll up the wrap and your ready with your lunch prep . Eat and enjoy and get healthy as well .

Hope you enjoy these three easy lunch ideas . Have an awesome week and keep smiling .

 
 Keep striving , great heights can always be reached . Never give up !

Love & Peace