Wednesday 20 September 2017

Superfood Bakery Raw Bliss Balls




Superfood Bakery Raw Bliss Balls* - £6.99

I love baking sweet treats at home but I also like to watch what I'm eating. Places like Pinterest are full of healthy baking recipes where cakes, brownies, bars & balls are made up with all sorts of expensive superfoods. Buying separate bags of things like chia seeds, cacao nibs, lucuma, maca & baobab powders can really add up. I've dabbled in making my own protein bars before & have personally spent loads of money on these kinda things. I didn't even like half of them! FYI cacao nibs are the devil & people who say they taste nice in porridge are liars. Superfood Bakery have made things much simpler with their affordable & easy healthy baking mixes. They have created a range of products that not only taste good but help you to feel good about yourself. I won this bag of their Raw Bliss Balls mix in an Instagram giveaway & I really liked the idea of their company. I'm lazy & often reach for boxes of Betty Crocker instead of making my own cakes from scratch so it's great that I can now do the same with healthier snacks too.




The Raw Bliss Balls are packed full of healthy ingredients to give you lots of energy. They're ideal to eat after a workout or as a mid-afternoon snack. They're also incredibly easy to make. In the bag you get a mix of desiccated coconut, milled flaxseed, organic gluten-free oats, ground almonds, raw cacao powder, chia seeds, organic puffed amaranth, cinnamon, vanilla powder & baobab powder. Then all you have to do is add some kind of syrup, coconut oil & water. I used Vita Coco Coconut Oil* & The Groovy Food Company Agave Nectar. I just wanted to try the basic recipe first but you could add all sorts of stuff to make them extra special or boost the protein content. Things like nut butters or dates would work really well in the mixture. All you have to do is mix everything together & roll it into balls before popping them in the fridge. You can also dust them in cacao powder or roll them in some more desiccated coconut to further enhance the flavours.




Once chilled, the balls are ready to eat! You can keep them in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for 3 months so you can always have healthy snacks in your kitchen. Each mix makes about 15 balls so the cost per ball is actually very reasonable & they're a lot more affordable than picking up similar ready-made offerings from Bounce or Deliciously Ella in the supermarket. The flavour is a blend of chocolate & coconut. You can obviously tell that they're healthy snacks but they still taste delicious & they're a lot of fun to make! Superfood Bakery also make cookie & pancake mixes so I can't wait to try them out. Ocado recently started stocking their products so you can now order a pack along with your weekly shop. Do you prefer baking healthy or indulgent treats?


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Tuesday 19 September 2017

August Favourites



Dermasuri Rice Milk Brightening Face Exfoliator
My mum knows all about my addiction to trying out new exfoliating products & she kindly bought me a couple of Dermasuri products for my birthday. This gommage style gel gently creates rolls when massaged onto damp skin. These rolls lift away dead skin cells, polishing the skin & leaving it feeling baby soft. It's a very similar product to the Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliating Marvel Gel but it uses rice milk as the key ingredient instead of green tea. Rice milk has been used for centuries in Japan. The enzymes in rice milk have brightening properties & it's a beauty secret of the Geisha to keep their skin smooth underneath their heavy makeup. This exfoliator also features hyaluronic acid & vitamin E to keep the skin hydrated & nourished. The gel is so gentle on the skin but it still manages to remove all those dead skin cells. It's fascinating to see & rolling them off your face is incredibly satisfying! If you want to move away from using face scrubs but your skin is too sensitive for acids then this would be a brilliant alternative.

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
After testing out a million different actives from The Ordinary I decided to buy a few more of their hydrating products. I really like Trilogy's Rosehip Oil but the cost has increased quite a bit over the past few years. The Ordinary's Rose Hip Seed Oil is about half the price & yet it manages to do exactly the same thing. Funny that! Rosehip oil is truly wonderful stuff. This lightweight facial oil is rich in linoleic acid, linolenic acid & provitamin A. Like most oils it helps to moisturise the skin but it is especially good for those with acne-prone or oily skin types. I use it underneath my moisturiser at night & it really helps to combat scarring, fine lines & blemishes. It brightens & evens out my complexion whilst keeping it well hydrated. It can also be used to treat stretch marks & wrinkles. I'd definitely recommend picking up a bottle of this oil, it's yet another triumph for The Ordinary.

NYX Total Control Drop Foundation in Pale
Despite being a huge fan of NYX Cosmetics, I'd never actually tried any of their foundations before. I started seeing so many people using this foundation on YouTube & the whole custom coverage thing really intrigued me. The consistency of this foundation is very thin & watery but the coverage can be built up as you continue to add more drops to your face. It's very buildable & blends like a dream, giving my skin a flawless finish. I ordered this online so I didn't get the chance to swatch it first & the shade Pale is actually a bit too light for me! The colour might not be quite right but it has a really nice pale yellow undertone much like NARS Siberia. I was previously using NYX's Pro Foundation Mixer in White to lighten up any foundations that were too dark for me but I now prefer to mix in a bit of the Total Control Drop Foundation. It lightens, adds more coverage & corrects the undertone so it's perfect for creating a custom foundation that I love.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk
I seldom buy traditional lipstick bullets anymore but I will always make an exception for Charlotte Tilbury. Her Lip Cheat lip liner in Pillow Talk is one of my favourite lip products of all time. It goes well with so many lipstick colours & also looks gorgeous worn on it's own. When I heard that she was turning the shade into one of her Matte Revolution lipsticks I knew I had to get my hands on it. This medium nude pink is the ultimate MLBB everyday lip colour. It matches the colour of my lips exactly making it easy to fake a fuller pout. I love the Matte Revolution formula which is matte but not flat; lightweight & hydrating. I don't find the lipstick to be as long lasting as the lip liner but the two products pair together beautifully. They're a must-have duo for anyone who likes nude pinks.

Bluebird Tea Co. Earl Grey Crème Solid Perfume
I am still obsessed with Bluebird Tea Co's delicious tea blends. In fact I have a whole kitchen cupboard filled with their tea bags & loose leaf teas! Earl Grey Crème is one of my absolute favourites & I repurchase it constantly. Their award-winning blend of classic Earl Grey tea with creamy vanilla is truly delightful & I love to indulge in a cup of this to get me through the mid-afternoon slump. When I placed my most recent order I noticed that they had started selling solid perfumes inspired by some of their most popular teas. I simply had to add the Earl Grey Crème one to my shopping cart! Although it doesn't actually smell like tea, the solid perfume is still beautifully fragranced. The scent has been influenced by the tea, rather than being a exact replica of it's aroma. The blend of vanilla & citrusy bergamot is wonderfully fresh & zingy. It's packed full of natural essential oils, balms & butters and was created in collaboration with Flowery Whiff. It feels quite moisturising & lasts a really long time on the skin. Basically if you like zesty citrus scents, you'll love this solid perfume!


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