Christmas Presents

Peppermint Treats
Whilst chatting to my mum on the phone I briefly mentioned that I was planning on making some peppermint bark for Christmas. I was just gonna look for recipes on Pinterest but she got me this awesome cookbook filled with all sorts of recipes for making bark & ways to use it in other desserts. The peppermint bark brownies are currently top of my to-do list! She also got me some gourmet treats from Williams Sonoma. The hot chocolate is utterly divine and the pretzels are that perfect combination of salty & sweet, yum!



Tom Ford Black Orchid
I've been wanting a Tom Ford perfume for ages but they're just so expensive! I could never decide whether I preferred Black Orchid or Velvet Orchid either. Luckily my mum made that decision for me & I was delighted to receive this bottle of Black Orchid for Christmas. Black Orchid smells unlike anything else in my collection. I normally go for girly floral fragrances but this is more of a spicy oriental scent. It's luxurious, sophisticated, sensual & I love it! I think I'll probably save this one for special occasions as it's just too good for everyday wear.



Real Techniques Filtered Face Set
You can never have too many makeup brushes & this set from Real Techniques has it all. You get loads of brushes, three sponges & a cute pot to store them all in. When this set went down to £35 in Boots I decided to treat myself & wrapped it up as a present from Chloe haha. Real Techniques brushes are some of my favourites so I think it's always good to have a few backups. I've never tried the pink & purple sponges so I'm looking forward to giving those a go.



Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks
My sister got me these eye masks. I love sheet masks & the hydrogel ones are often the most effective. These ones are just for the eye area & sound really good. My eyes often look puffy & tired so I'm sure they'll be of use to me. I love Elemis products & have heard such great things about their Pro-Collagen range so hopefully they'll work well!



Makeup Geek In The Nude Eyeshadow Palette
She also got me this Makeup Geek eyeshadow palette that I've lusting after for quite a while. Makeup Geek do such brilliant eyeshadows but no one really talks about them anymore. I have a custom palette that I made using their single shadows that I absolutely love & use all the time. The In The Nude palette features a gorgeous array of neutral colours. MUG's matte formula blends like a dream & their foiled shadows are simply stunning. It took me longer than most people to get into the warm brown trend but now I'm fully on board & I can already tell that this is gonna become my new everyday go-to eyeshadow palette.



Kylo Ren Funko Pop
I've had a huge crush on Adam Driver ever since the very first episode of Girls so I was super excited when he joined the cast of the new Star Wars films. Kylo Ren's relationship with Rey was my favourite part of The Last Jedi & I'm a shameless Reylo shipper. The store that Andy manages sells Funko Pops so he got me a little Kylo Ren! I love it so much & he has already earned a permanent place on my desk.



Topshop Goodies
Andy also bought me loads of things from Topshop. I was really surprised because I wasn't expecting him to spoil me at all & I love everything he bought! The only thing I asked for was some gold jewellery & he got me three long layered necklaces. The one with the stars & moons is my fave. He also got me this lovely pink scarf & polka dot wrap dress. I hate to be one of those people but the boy did good!



Rifle Paper Co. Stationery
I always treat myself to a new diary & some stationery at the end of the year. For 2018 I decided not to go with my usual Frankie Diary & ordered some items from Rifle Paper Co. instead. I'm a huge fan of Anna Bond's design style & having pretty stationery to use always makes me feel more productive. I never normally spend so much on calendars but this one is beautiful, absolutely massive & features some great inspirational quotes.



Modalu Pippa Bag
My mum is one of those weird old people who are obsessed with the Royal Family. Even though Pippa Middleton isn't technically a Royal my mum still likes to follow her fashion trends. This bag from Modalu was designed & named in honour of Pippa so my mum went out & bought one for all of us. Personally I couldn't care less about Pippa but I do really like this bag. Anything black patent & gold is right up my street. I like that it has both a shoulder strap & a grab handle. There's tons of space inside but it isn't too big & heavy to carry about every day.



Canon 70D
I've been using my Canon 650D quite happily for the last five years but I'm finally upgrading to something more professional! My mum actually bought this camera for herself as she wanted to get into photography but she was completely overwhelmed by all the controls & couldn't figure out how to use it. She knows that I love photography so she asked me if I wanted to trade my 650D for her 70D & of course I said yes! There isn't a huge difference between the two cameras but it's still an upgrade & a chance to further improve my photographic skills. It's been sitting here for the past month all wrapped up for Christmas & now I'm beyond excited to start using it!

Despite not feeling too festive this year, I actually had a really lovely Christmas. Normally I end up feeling a bit deflated by the end of it but for the first time in a little while I just felt perfectly content all day. I'm sure that has absolutely nothing to do with all the Snowballs I drank! I got such a wonderful collection of presents & I'm so grateful for everything I received. I'm especially fond of my little Kylo Ren! We watched loads of films on Christmas Day & played with some of Chloe's new toys. We always get a couple of new board games and this year we chose Monopoly Gamer & Cluedo. I put together a cracking Christmas dinner as usual but I'm definitely ready to get back to eating healthily now. I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas & got everything you wished for!

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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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Matcha & Ginger Baked Oats

Matcha tea is something that I simply can't get enough of. I tried my first matcha latte about three years ago & I've been hooked ever since. Matcha is basically a powdered version of green tea leaves. It has 137 times the antioxidants of regular green tea & a much smoother flavour. It can also be used in food, not just drinks. So far I've tried matcha oreos, pocky, ice cream, kit kats & swiss roll. The oreos were my favourite, I just picked them up from my local Chinese supermarket. Anyway I've been keen to try out some more baking recipes using matcha instead of just drinking it every morning. EatCleanTea are currently running a #SummerOfMatcha competition & asked me to come up with a recipe using one of their matcha powders. I'm still following the Slimming World diet so I decided to make something SW-friendly in the form of these delicious matcha & ginger baked oats.




EatCleanTea use the highest quality green tea leaves from Japan to make their matcha powders. Something I've never come across before is flavoured matcha so I was eager to try one of theirs out. I chose the Matcha & Ginger tea. They also do plain & mint matcha. The ginger variety tastes incredible & features many health benefits. The matcha increases your energy levels, boosts your metabolism & detoxifies your body. The ginger boosts your immune system, lowers your blood sugar & helps to relieve muscle soreness. It's also great if you suffer from frequent indigestion or nausea. This tea has the same mellow flavour of plain matcha but with a sweet & spicy kick from the ginger. It smells really strong & tastes a bit like fresh gingerbread.





I normally eat a bowl of porridge every day for breakfast as it's the only thing that actually fills me up & it fits into the Slimming World plan. 35g of oats counts as one healthy extra B. My consultant recently posted a recipe for baked oats on our Facebook group & it tasted just like cake! Everyone in my group is totally addicted to eating them. They make a nice change to having porridge every morning but are just as filling & even more scrumptious. As I have already tried mixing matcha into my porridge, I knew that the flavours would go well together. I figured that I could put my own spin on the recipe by using the tea to create matcha & ginger baked oats.

Here is the recipe that I used for my baked oats:
You will need
2 eggs
35g porridge oats (1 hexB or 6 syns)
2 tbsp sweetener
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla Muller Light yoghurt
1 tsp EatCleanTea Matcha & Ginger powder
2 tsp ginger preserve (1 syn)

Method
Put all the ingredients except the ginger preserve in a bowl & whisk together.
Pour the mixture into a small oven-proof dish.
Drizzle the ginger preserve down the middle of the mixture in the dish.
Bake at 180°C/350°F for 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!




I'm really pleased with how the baked oats came out. They don't taste oaty or like a flapjack at all. The texture is like a very dense cake which is always fun to eat at breakfast time. It feels very indulgent yet is still completely on plan. The ginger matcha & ginger perserve both add a really fiery kick to the dish. This amount of matcha powder is sure to get you buzzing all day long. Let me know if you try it out!

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Teami Blends

Tea is something that I have become increasingly passionate about of late. For most of my life I only drank peppermint tea but there's a whole world of different blends to try out there. Over the past few months I've become a fully-fledged tea addict. I can't start my day without some matcha or lady grey & I can't go to bed without a cup of rooibos. Some of my favourite tea brands include Twinings, teapigs & Bluebird Tea Co. They've all created some amazing flavour combinations & I think it's incredible that I can drink tea that tastes exactly like birthday cake or mint choc chip ice cream! As well as being a delicious beverage, tea can also have many health benefits. Teatoxes continue to rise in popularity but you don't have to drink something that will wreak havoc on your bowels in order to improve your wellbeing. Teami Blends recently got in touch & asked if I would like to try out one of their loose leaf teas. They currently offer six unique blends of health-based tea which all have certain effects on the body. These include Teami Alive, Teami Relax, Teami Skinny, Teami Colon Cleanse & Teami Profit. As I could always do with a bit more energy I decided to go for their Teami Energy blend.




The Teami Energy* tea is made from a glorious blend of Oolong, Yerba Mate, Ginseng, Lemon Grass, Peppermint Leaf, Goji Berry & Rhodiola Rosea. The ingredients are all natural & rich in antioxidants. They also contain Vitamin A, B complex, C, D, E, Potassium & Magnesium. As the name suggests, this tea was developed to help you feel more energised & awake. I love drinking it first thing in the morning & just before that afternoon slump. It really helps me to focus on my work & get things done. I've found that it helps to push me a little bit further when I go to the gym too. If you're a coffee addict you might want to check this out as it will give you a natural boost throughout the day without keeping you up all night. Herbals teas aren't addictive like caffeine so you won't become dependant on it. Some of the other health benefits include boosting your immune system, improving mental alertness, aiding digestion, suppressing cravings, increasing concentration, enhancing productivity & raising cardiovascular endurance.

Tea can do so many things to enhance our wellbeing. Even the ritual of making tea is a relaxing process & can be an important part of self-care. But for tea to be truly enjoyable it has to taste good too. Teami Energy has a very strong herbal taste. One of the reasons I chose it was because I love the flavour of oolong & yerba mate. It very much reminds me of the tea you get in Chinese restaurants. The peppermint leaves give it a nice refreshing lift. I think it tastes delicious by itself but if herbal teas aren't your thing you can sweeten it up by adding a bit of honey or lemon.




When I first heard of Teami Blends it wasn't actually because of their teas. A few weeks before they contacted me I had spotted their Teami Tea Tumbler on Facebook & immediately snapped one up. I've recently gotten into brewing loose leaf tea & I've been trying out a few different tea making accessories. I did have two loose leaf teapots but they both smashed so I ended up just placing the infuser baskets from them directly into my cup. I'd say that this is the easiest way to brew tea but I hated cleaning all the tiny leaves out of the mesh baskets as they would always get stuck in them. This bottle seemed like the perfect solution & I'm completely obsessed with it!

The 400ml leakproof tea tumbler allows you to brew your tea & drink it whilst you're on-the-go. You simply remove the lid & mesh insert, place a teaspoon of leaves into the cup & fill it up with boiled water. Then you just pop the mesh insert & lid back on before allowing your tea to steep for a few minutes. It features double layered walls which keeps hot drinks hot without burning your fingers & cold drinks cold without any condensation. It's made from BPA-free plastic so it's completely safe to drink from & there's no danger of me smashing it like my ill-fated teapots! The mesh insert works extremely well & prevents any particles from getting in your mouth. It's also super easy to clean which encourages me to use it even when I'm at home.

The only real downside to it is that you can't remove the tea leaves once you've brewed the tea. Most teas will recommend that you steep them in boiled water for about 4 minutes before removing the leaves. I like to drink pretty strong tea so when I use teabags I often leave them in the cup. But for certain types of tea, green tea in particular, the flavour can become impaired if you steep it for too long. I really dislike the dry, bitter aftertaste you sometimes get from green tea so I always make sure I remove the teabag or leaves promptly. Teami Energy still tastes fantastic but I'd just be careful if you want to brew other teas in this cup with a shorter steeping time.



Teami Blends' loose leaf teas are priced at £19.99 for a 65g pack but they have kindly given all of you a discount code! You can get 10% off by entering SPARKLY at the checkout. They also offer free delivery on all UK orders. Even if you don't particularly like the sound of the teas they have available I would highly recommend getting one of their tea tumblers. It will revolutionise the way you make loose leaf tea forever!

Have you tried Teami Blends before? What is your favourite tea?

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SkinnyMint 28 Day Ultimate Teatox

SkinnyMint 28 Day Ultimate Teatox* - £32.90

I'm sure that for most of us SkinnyMint is a brand that needs no introduction. Their teatoxes are all over social media right now as many people are looking for that quick fix to weight loss. If you've somehow not heard of SkinnyMint before, it is a detox tea programme consisting of two unique blends - Morning Boost & Night Cleanse. Both of the teas are all natural & when used together they can help to kickstart a healthier lifestyle. A little while ago SkinnyMint sent me their 28 day ultimate teatox so that I could reap the benefits of the detox for myself.

Now this isn't the first time that I've tried a teatox. Last year I bought Your Tea's Tiny Tea Teatox as it was one of the few teatoxes I could find without senna. I even took loads of photos ready for a review post but I couldn't finish the programme. The tea tasted disgusting & it was such a faff to fit in with my meals. The teabags were really poor quality too & most of them split during steeping. Although the SkinnyMint Night Cleanse does contain senna I decided to give it a go anyway as you only have to drink one or two teas per day & you can have them straight after finishing meals. I was also very impressed by the quality of their teabags. It sounds like such a weird thing to be picky about but it really does make all the difference! They're basically the same as those lovely pyramid bags that teapigs use.



In the 28 day ultimate teatox kit you receive 28 of the Morning Boost teabags so you're supposed to drink one of these every day. Morning Boost claims to increase energy, burn fat & reduce your appetite. It contains quite a few stimulants including green tea, yerba mate & guarana but it still has less caffeine than a cup of coffee. They've included nettle & dandelion leaves to help detoxify your body. Nettle is a natural diuretic so this really helps to banish bloating & get rid of water weight. Natural grapefruit, strawberry & pineapple flavourings are also added to make it taste even yummier. I absolutely love the flavour of this tea. It just tastes like a really fresh & fruity green tea plus it goes down a treat with my daily bowl of porridge. This tea has definitely helped to reduce my appetite. I'm a huge snacker & this is one of the few things that has helped me stick to a proper meal plan. It gives me tons of energy too so I always look forward to drinking it in the morning.



You also get 14 of the Night Cleanse teabags. You're supposed to drink one of these every other night of the teatox starting from the first day. It is suitable to drink any time after your evening meal. Night Cleanse claims to reduce bloating, improve digestion & help weight loss. The main ingredient in this tea is senna leaves which act as a natural laxative. It's definitely something to be aware of as you might want to stay close to the bathroom when you first start the programme. The tea also features a blend of ginger root, orange leaves, lemongrass, liquorice root, peppermint leaves, hawthorn berry & psyllium husk. Most of these aim to improve digestion and relieve bloating & constipation. To me it just tastes like peppermint tea which is something I love to drink anyway. But here's where I started to have problems with the teatox. I mentioned that I'm not a fan of senna products & the main reason for that is because I have IBS. I definitely do not need any help with going to the toilet. TMI I know but it comes with the territory of teatox reviews. I also don't really agree with promoting laxative abuse as a form of weight loss but this tea only lasts for 14 days & they recommend taking a 4-6 week break between teatoxes.

To reduce the effects of the senna leaves I started steeping the tea for just one minute before removing the bag. Even this didn't improve things & it still made my stomach churn like crazy. Things took a turn for the worse when after a couple of weeks of doing the teatox I got struck down with gastroenteritis. At this point I had to stop drinking both of the SkinnyMint teas because I felt so ill. I took a break of about two weeks before trying the teatox again.



By August I felt much better & decided to drink the rest of the teas. Things went a lot smoother this time as I mainly just drank the Morning Boost tea. During the Summer it was even more enjoyable to drink iced with a dash of pineapple juice. I tried the Night Cleanse once more but I figured it wasn't going to be any good for me. I still have some of the teabags left & I doubt I'll ever finish them off. Despite not doing the programme in full I've definitely noticed a difference from drinking the Morning Boost tea.




I appear to be getting half naked on my blog more times than I would like to lately but I was so impressed with the teatox that I felt the need to post photographic evidence of my results. My stomach looks much less bloated than it used to which is pretty miraculous. I only lost 3lbs during my teatox which was probably just water weight but as I wasn't very well I didn't get much chance to work out. SkinnyMint is best taken alongside a healthy diet & regular exercise. I would imagine that it can contribute to substantial weight loss when used in this manner. I think my figure looks pretty good right now considering I didn't really change anything about my diet!



Overall I would say that the SkinnyMint teatox is well worth trying out. It can help tremendously with bloating, just don't go into it expecting to lose loads of weight. Personally I wouldn't do the full teatox again but I'm definitely going to repurchase the Morning Boost tea separately. It's a great energy booster at the start of the day & has such a delicious flavour. SkinnyMint can also be purchased as a 14 day starter teatox or if you want to try it out with a friend they have a discounted set of two available. Have you ever tried a teatox before?

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Currently Loving #4

Barney Butter Cocoa & Coconut Almond Butter
This stuff is basically like crack to me. Barney Butter make the smoothest, creamiest & most delicious all natural almond butter you will ever find. I'm partial to their Cocoa & Coconut variety but they sell some really interesting flavour combinations such as Vanilla & Espresso and Honey & Flax. My go-to breakfast is porridge made with almond milk, mashed banana, chia seeds & good dollop of this almond butter. It tastes heavenly & I've gone through at least five tubs of it since discovering Barney Butter late last year. I normally order mine from The Protein Pick & Mix but it will soon be available to buy from Amazon. I can't even tell you how good this stuff is. If you love almond butter then Barney Butter will change your life. Not even exaggerating!




Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
I think that Tina Fey is such an incredible woman so I had to check out her new show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It has a similar vibe to 30 Rock but is generally a lot more positive & empowering. The show follows Kimmy who was kidnapped by a radical preacher and kept in an underground bunker for 15 years with three other women. They became part of a doomsday cult who were told that the world had ended but one day they are rescued & the preacher is arrested. Kimmy decides to leave Indiana & start a new life in New York. Despite it's rather odd concept, the show is actually really funny & sweet. Kimmy's roommate Titus is definitely my favourite character. His Pinot Noir video & viral TV interview had me cry laughing for a good few minutes. I'd highly recommend checking it out if you want a new comedy to watch. I'm so glad there's finally something to fill the 30 Rock shaped hole in my life.



The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
I've always been a diehard Zelda fangirl. Ever since the release of Ocarina Of Time 3D I've been praying that Nintendo would also revamp Majora's Mask for the 3DS and last month my prayers were finally answered. In this game Link travels to a place called Termina where he is turned into a Deku Scrub by the Skull Kid who has stolen the evil Majora's Mask from the Happy Mask Salesman. The Skull Kid has interfered with so many other people's lives and it's up to Link to get the mask back & set things right again. Majora's Mask is very sidequest heavy as there are only four dungeons in the game. The thing that worries most people about this game is that you only have three days to complete everything before the moon falls down & kills everyone. However with the Ocarina Of Time in hand Link can speed up, slow down & turn back time in order to get everything done within the three day limit. The main mechanic of this game is the masks and Link can collect & wear a total of 24 masks to turn him into different characters. I never had a N64 so this was my first ever playthrough of the game & I can honestly say it's one of the best in the series. It's fast become one of my favourites along with Twilight Princess & Skyward Sword.



Sia - 1000 Forms Of Fear
Ever since Sia's song Breathe Me was used on the final episode of Six Feet Under I've been obsessed with her amazing voice. I am completely in love with her latest album 1000 Forms Of Fear. The singles Chandelier & Elastic Heart are just so powerful, especially when combined with Maddie Ziegler's erratic yet brilliant dancing in the videos. Sia's struggles with addiction & depression have an obvious impact on her lyrics. I'm so glad she's on the right track now. Whenever I'm feeling a bit down her songs help to inspire me & I really enjoy watching her performances even if we only get to see her from behind. I find Sia's songs really fun to sing along to as well. Who doesn't love belting out Chandelier at the top of their voice?!



Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina Eleganza
Isn't this the cutest little perfume bottle you've ever seen? I adore this scent & will be buying a full size bottle as soon as my bank account allows me to. Signorina Eleganza is a luxurious fragrance that celebrates femininity & seduction. It is designed to be a more sophisticated version of the original Signorina perfume. This is such an elegant fruity fragrance. It's girly yet grown up at the same time. It has fresh top notes of grapefruit & pear for a stimulating introduction, almond powder & golden osmanthus petals for a touch of indulgent luxury with base notes of patchouli & white leather. It's quite a strong scent & it lingers on the skin for hours. Utterly gorgeous.



Death Parade
Along with Tokyo Ghoul √A & Sailor Moon Crystal, the only anime I've been watching this season is Death Parade. The premise is that after death humans need to be judged to decide whether they go heaven or hell. In Death Parade this judgement occurs in a bar called Quindecim where the bartender Decim is really an arbiter. Two people who died at exactly the same time are brought together here to play a game. This varies every time with games like air hockey, darts, billiards & even Twister. Neither player knows that they are already dead so when they are told that their life depends on winning the game, it brings out a rather nasty competitive side to each person. These extreme circumstances reveal the inner darkness of their character and makes it easier for the arbiters to judge each soul. It's a really interesting anime as you want to learn more about these mysterious arbiters as well as seeing who will be reincarnated & who will be sent to the void.

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