White Musk Gift Set | Evening Scent

I love a good ol' bit of Body Shop skin care loving and fragrance, but this probably wouldn't make it onto my favourite everyday wears. The white musk perfume in this little gift set is one of The Body Shop's signature scents, but I would suggest that it is better for an evening out as it is quite a heavy one. My boyfriend, knowing that I love The Body Shop, tried his best to remember what I liked, but kind of got half way there (hey, we all know we need to tell our other halves exactly what we want - I'm a nightmare at buying him stuff too!). 

The shower gel and body lotion have been great if only for their size. These cute little bottles fit perfectly into my gym bag so that I don't have to lug round full size ones with me. Plus, the scent is very potently girly, and after heading to an intense gym session it's always great to be reminded that you can actually smell nice again!

What do you think of this range?

Love and Light

Steph

Clean Tuna Fishcakes

This is an adaptation of a recipe I came across in a magazine a couple of months ago that wasn't so clean-eating friendly. Tuna is probably my favourite fish. Often I find sweet potatoes a little too sweet (hey, I like my carbs savoury!), but the combo of flavours in these softens the sweet taste to make it a little more palatable.

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

3 slices granary bread / gluten free breadcrumbs

100g sweet potato

2 cans of tuna

1 large tablespoon tomato puree

1 egg

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon coconut oil

handful of sweetcorn

Ground black pepper

Sea salt

Chili flakes

1.) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2.) Peel and chop the sweet potato. Put in water to boil. Once it has reached boiling point, allow it to cook for 20 minutes. Mash.

3.) Drain the tuna and place it in a bowl. Add the mashed sweet potato, coconut oil (softened), tomato puree, garlic and seasoning. Mix

4.) Place the breadcrumbs into a bowl and the egg, beaten into a second bowl.

5.) Separate the mixture into four balls, and pat into burger shapes. Dip into the egg and then the breadcrumbs.

6.) Place on a baking tray.

7.) Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Love and Light

Steph 

Getting the Chop | Summer Hair

I've had long hair for a couple of years now, so I thought it was time for a bit of a switch up. Still not entirely sure whether I'm going through some kind of quarter life crisis, I went for something a lot shorter than it was about a week ago. 

I'm a big believer in cutting your hair short and letting it grow out again to keep it healthy. This is how I've been doing it for the last decade, and I've managed to grow it out long at least three times. 

Living off of my student budget means that I only get my hair cut about every six months, but keeping good care of it means that the hairdressers always comment on how few split ends I have for the time I've left it.

Anyway, I'm trying to embrace change at the moment and this seemed like a brill way to go about it.

What are your ideas on your own hair care?

Love and Light

Steph

Strawberry and Basil Summer Smoothie

Smoothies are my go-to breakfast, and unless I've only got five minutes to spare for breakfast this is what I have every day. With the sudden spike in temperature in the UK, I wanted to create a new recipe that would make me think of sunshine before commencing my uni work for the day. So, here we go. Plus it's a completely cruelty-free way to boost your immune system. 

Ingredients:

1 banana

2 apples

1 pear

A handful of spinach

3 strawberries

2 basil leaves

150ml rice/almond/soya milk

1.) Chop all of the fruit up and peel the apples.

2.) Place in a blender with the rest of the ingredients.

3.) Blend and you're done!

Love and Light

Steph

Relax and Unwind | LUSH BB Seaweed Facemask

We all know by now that I'm a big fan of LUSH. Their products are created with so much thought, and they're always so pretty and interesting that most of the time I can't resist popping in when I walk past a store. Plus, with sensitive skin I've never had a bad reaction to their products (which says a lot about some of the nasties other companies put in). If you're interested in animal welfare, I think LUSH is a really good place to shop for a lot of your beauty needs, as the majority of their products and vegan and cruelty free.

So, usually I'm a big fan of LUSH's Love Lettuce facemask, but I decided to branch out a bit and try their BB Seaweed one, which is their most popular. This mask isn't specifically aimed at any skin type, so if you're not really sure what yours is it's a great one to go for. It is designed to soften and relax skin, so is great for when you're feeling a bit stressed out. I always do facemasks with my little sister when I go home and, despite her best efforts, I am a fan of doing crazy faces when I've got one on (I look like a nutter already, so what's the harm?). So, kick back, relax, and recognise that you don't have to be serious and look your best 100% of the time. Take some fun me time and learn to laugh at yourself - it can do wonders.

At just £6.50 a pot, this does go a long way. I usually get about five uses out of one pot, and the quality of the facemask itself is above and beyond any drugstore one you can get for £1. 

What's your favourite LUSH facemask? Have you tried their products before?

Love and Light

Steph