What I've Been Up To - March 2016

Hello,

This is a little early I know but it's nice to sit down at the end of the month and see what has been going on.

4th March - My Proactiv+ Skin Kit was delivered, this is one of my most exciting sponsored posts yet, I couldn't wait for it to arrive and give it a go.

6th March - Mothers day. We popped to a local American Diner for lunch and had bought gig tickets for the following week.

12th March -  Lianne La Havas Concert. Absolutely incredible, I wasn't a massive fan before but now I am fully converted. 

22nd March - My hometown is Hastings, East Sussex in the UK. If you didn't know our pier was burnt down a few years a go. Because of my job I had the privileged of going onto the pier to see the last plank being nailed in, by Suggs from Madness. To me this was a pretty big deal, I love supporting anything in my local area and the weather was absolutely perfect, which just put the cherry on the cake,

25th March - I was meant to be working at my 2nd job over the weekend (bank holiday Easter) but I luckily ended up with the majority of it off. The Friday I spent the day have a pub lunch with my parents and then putting up my new bed, these are the little things that make it feel like spring!

What was your favourite moment in March?

Thanks for reading,

PandaVita Organic Baobab Powder - Review & Recipe

A couple of weeks ago I was very kindly been sent a packet of Organic Baobab Powder by the brand PandaVita. I'n not extremely familiar with superfood powders but this gave me the perfect reason to experiment with my smoothie whilst adding nutrients to them.

What is Baobab Powder?

Baobab powder is a 100% natural & organic superfood from the fruit of the magnificent African baobab tree.

Benefits of Baobab Powder

It has an excellent source of Vitamin C (six times more then oranges), is packed with Antioxidants and is full of Fibre. It will give you a natural energy boost (great for those long days) and will also help improve your mood, digestion and immune system.

How to use

You can use the Baobab Powder in a number of ways:

• As a tonic, 2sp of powder with water
• Scatter over cereal or oats (great on porridge)
• Add 1 - 2 tsp in smoothies (see my recipe below)
• Add to salad dressing and marinades

To make this smoothie I used two plums, eight dried peaches, one banana, one teaspoon of chia seeds and one teaspoon of organic baobab powder. I put all of this in my blender and mixed it with one cup of apple juice.

This is a really filling smoothie and adding the Baobab Powder just helps to gain even more nutritional value. The powder only adds sweetness to the taste of my smoothie which is an added bonus!

I'm really enjoying this superfood powder and cannot wait to try it in more recipes, keep your eyes peeled!

Thanks for reading and I hope you give this Baobab Powder a go!

Poppy x

3 Reasons Why You Need a Tangle Teezer

The Tangle Teezer, yes you've probably heard of it, it's a blogger cliche! Yet here I am to tell you 3 reasons why you need one...

1. Tangle Teezers are Easy to use

I have thick long hair. It's great at times but also hard to manage. The Tangle Teezer is the first brush to go through my hair with ease, no bits missed, no pull and no spiky bristles in your scalp. Plus they way it is moulded means its easy to grip.

2. Plenty of designs to choose from

It doesn't matter what kind of style you rock because there will be a design you like! I have an orange one and a purple, with black edges.

3. Different Varieties 

There are different types of Tangle Teezers that do different jobs. For example my orange Tangle Teezer is The Original, but the purple one is a Compact Styler. Meaning it is smaller and has a lid that pops over the bristles so it doesn't get dirty. I'm also looking to buy the Aqua Splash too! This way you can buy something for a specific purpose which I find really handy.

Thanks for reading,

Garnier The Sleek Perfecter Oil Review

Hi there,

I've been using this Garnier ultimate blends The sleek protector oil for about two months now. I've been focusing on keeping my hair in a better condition and this has definitely helped me along the way. 

I use it after I have washed my hair, just applying 3/4 drops all through the ends and whatever is left on my hands onto the roots. I know it sounds like a lot of product but I have seriously thick hair, which is also getting pretty long now! I also use just a couple of drops if I feel my hair has become frizzy and needs a bit of taming. It definitely helps add shine too.

The packaging is just a simple tear shaped brown plastic bottle but I really like it, the pump means you can easily control the amount of product you get, plus it's great for travelling. 

This is just one new step I have added to try and start more of a hair care routine. So far this product has only exceeded my expectations and I am yet to use it for all of it purposes like for protection against heat.

What hair care products do you recommend? 

Thanks for reading, 

Proactiv+ 8 Week Progress | AD

Here is my last update on my 8 week experience with Proactiv+ Deluxe Core Kit.

I was very excited when I first received this and having a routine was really nice and relaxing. It smells really good too.

However I didn't seem to gain anything from this in terms of my skin. I have had a really oily t-zone since using this and like I said in my last post it meant I stopped using all of the steps so frequently. Now my skin is nearly back to it's dry/combination state.

Spots were not a common thing for me, if I ever did get a noticeable one it was rare but it would be big. Once I started using this I would still get the occasional big one but I also got small under the skin and white heads every day around my chin and forehead.

I get that with some skin products it gets worse before it gets better, especially if it is drawing all of the bad bits out. However this product did not agree with me.

I'm still on the search for the right skin care routine.

What skin care products are your favourites?

Thanks for reading,

What's on my iPhone 6s?

I love finding new apps that  I haven't heard of before or ones that could help me out on a day to day basis, so  I hope you find a new app here that you might like.

My first app page is the essentials, and everything else that is already and permanently downloaded on the phone. 

 

On the sticky footer bar I put my most used apps and the ones I need quick access to.

I have a 'Health' folder which contains Water Log so I can keep track on my water intake, and MyFitnessPal which is a food diary. I also have a Music folder which contains the pre-installed music, podcasts and Spotify, which I have been loving. 

I have only recently discovered Podcasts, I've listened to all of Serial and Lore, they are two very different podcasts but both are so intriguing. 

 On the first row I have a photography folder with Layout, Facetune, Squaready, ColourStory and VSCO. VSCO used to be my favourite editing app but recently I have started using ColourStory to edit anything I upload to Instagram or Facebook.

On the second row I have my financial bits so I can do banking on the go and fun things like that. Then I have a couple of games but I don't think they are worth mentioning as I forgot I even had them.

After that I have a shopping folder. My most used apps in here are definitely Depop (online selling like eBay) and Asos. I bought the yearly shipping on Asos this year and now it my go-to online shop.

The only other apps I have that you cannot see very clearly are in my blogging folder including; Blogger, Pages, Followers+, Twitter and TagsForLikes.

My most used apps?

I love the artistic side to both Instagram and Pinterest as you can gain so much inspiration from them as well as finding websites that are helpful on any situation you can think of, I use it a lot for tips on blogging and how to blog to my best advantage.

My most useful apps?

My Budget,  now that I am an apprentice I have a tighter budget every month. This app lets me keep track of what I am spending and how much I have left. It's very similar but online banking is so helpful to keep me on budget.

What is your favourite app?

Thank you for reading,

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick Release - April 2016

Hello,

I don't know if you have ever heard of a Velour Liquid Lipstick, but they are meant to be amazing!

I actually managed to get my hands on 'Androgyny' when it was first released and I was so excited, but the colour did not suit me at all unfortunately.

Anyway a day or two ago Jeffree Star uploaded this sneak peek of his new launch, so yesterday at 6pm GMT I was hooked on my laptop and ready to buy Redrum. I was interested to see the secret colour but I didn't want to make the same mistake I did with Androgyny and not be able to see a swatch and decide if I wanted it or not. I don't always find the one photo on the website helpful so I like to go on Google and look at it on a variety of people.

I was on the website straight away and was able to put Redrum into my basket, I waited a few minutes for the secret colour but I couldn't see it so I just went ahead with the one.

I am so excited to get it through the post and let you know what I think of it!

Thanks for reading,

Nail Polish Collection - Spring Clean 2016

Hello,

I have a rather big nail polish collection, not massive but more than one girl needs, or uses for that matter. I've just started a new job which doesn't include washing up, which means I can now enjoy the luxury of wearing nail polish on a daily basis.

I started by laying them all out in front of me. I knew which ones I love and which ones work all the time, so they went straight back into the basket. The the rest of them I left on my desk, I'd try them on see if I liked the colour and application and then wear them for a few days to see if they lasted.

It took maybe two weeks to get through them all, plus I made my mum get involved with the nail polish testing which sped things up.

These are a few that I have decided to get rid of, I'm going to offer them to friends and family (I don't just want to chuck them in the bin). It's mainly down to the colours, I am really pale so anything to dark or too pale makes me look quite ill, not many neutral colours suit my hands either. A few of them had either gone tacky (which did end up in the bin) and some of them didn't last well.

This is just a few that I am left with, I like having bright colours or sparkly colours that draw attention, nothing to bright but enough that is noticeable. 

 I've kept a few muted pinks like the Barry M Matte nail paint in Vanilla, which is one of my absolute favourite colours. But colours like this can look casual and also so classy.

I'm no expert with nail polish and I am looking to try more colours and brands. I find that with models own (for example) there are some colours I love and some I dislike down to the formula. One brand that I would highly recommend is Kiko, they are so cheap, easy to apply and last a lifetime.

Thanks for reading,

Baked Banana, Raisin and Summer Fruit Oatmeal

I'm back after a rather long unexpected break, but hello again!

For Christmas I received the Deliciously Ella cookbook, as one of my new year resolutions is to eat more of a plant based diet. This cookbook has immediately made me so passionate about eating healthier and cooking/baking for myself.

So here I've interpreted a recipe from the cookbook and made it my own by changing up a few of the ingredients. I took the recipe which serves 2 and halved it, but I think this could still serve 2 as you will see later.

Ingredients;

- 1/2 a cup of oats

- 1/2 a cup of summer fruits (I used frozen ones. Which were a mix of strawberry, blueberry and raspberry)

- 1 ripe banana (1/2 for in the oatmeal 1/2 for the topping)

- 1/4 cup of raisins

- 1/4 cup of almond milk

- 1/2 a handful of pecans

- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon

- 1/2 a tablespoon of honey (optional plus there are so many alternatives)

Preheat the oven to 190C

I put the 1/2 cup of oats in a bowl and covered with boiling water, then let them sit for around 10 minutes. By the end of this time the water should be almost or completely soaked up.

Whilst waiting for the oats to soak I chopped up the bananas and put 1/2 aside. I also chopped up the pecans, I like quite big chunks but this is really down to personal preference. Then I measured out the rest of the ingredients

When the oats are completely soaked add all of the ingredients together and mix.

Then pour into your baking dish and place a few bananas on top for decoration.

Then bake for 20 minutes or until the top has browned.

EAT!

This is honestly the yummiest oatmeal. It is so warming, especially for a typical British winter morning.

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post as it is something a little different.

Thank you for reading,