Healthy Living - My Top 3 Fruit Smoothies

After posting up on my instagram some of the smoothies I've been having lately - all to do with my healthy living regime and I've had people asking me what my favourite ones to make are!

I'm also still setting up  my new Nutri Ninja Pro blender but for now I'm using my old blender that doesn't cut as finely at the moment! This post is about fruit smoothies, I will do another post on my top 3 green smoothies at a later date. I will also be doing a post on the other things I put in the smoothie and why I put them in.

1. Apple, Banana & Orange Smoothie

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• 1 Green Apple
• 60ml Semi-Skimmed Milk (or whatever milk you prefer - I sometimes use Almond Milk)
• 120ml of Orange Juice - freshley squeezed from an Orange, not out of a carton!!

Method

• I put all the ingredients, finely chopped into the blender. When squeezing the juice out of the orange you may wish to sieve if you don't want the extra bits (optional).
• Pulse all the ingredients 3-4 times until items are more broken down.
• Blend the ingredients for 45-60 seconds for a smooth consistency, less if you want a lumpy/chewy consistency and don't chop up so finely. 

2. Pineapple Non-Alcoholic Piñ

a Colada

(I forgot to take a picture of this one, sorry!!)

Ingredients

• 1 medium banana
• 60ml of Coconut Milk (Light!!)
• 1 cup of fresh chopped pineapple 
• 1/4 cup of freshly juiced pineapple juice (from the pineapple not a carton!) 
• 1/2 cup of Ice!

Method

• I crush the ice up into chunks, not cubes, it helps to just blend up easier! 
• I pop all the ingredients in the blender.
• Pulse 4-5 times
• Blend for 60 seconds, pour into a glass and enjoy!

2. Berry-Tastic Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 Cup of Raspberries
• 1 cup of Blueberries
• 1 cup of Strawberries 
• 1 cup of Blackberries 
• 2 Green Apples (Or red if you prefer)

Method

• I chucked in all the berries into the blender, I finely chopped the apples and added them in also.
• Pulse for 4-5 times 
• Blend all the ingredients for 60 - 70 seconds.
• If you don't want all the seeds in the smoothie then you can sieve them out, although this is optional and depends on the individual.
• Pour into a glass, get a nice big straw and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy my favourite three fruit smoothies, let me know if you try them! 
I will be doing my top 3 green smoothies in another post!

Lots of Love

Emma Victoria

xoxoxox

What's Going On In Life?

I always ask myself, "what's really going on?" - so much has happened in these past 2-3 month's with my relationships, work, college, friend's and pretty much everything! I thought I'd do a little life post again, as I feel it's been a while since we've had one. I know I usually do OOTW's on a Wednesday  but today I'm just really not feeling inspired, plus I'm in pain, so I came to the conclusion I'd just do this instead! I don't want to mope and groan, but sometimes its better to just get it all out your system in one go... right?

So where do I start? Okay lets start with probably the most horrendous and hardest part to just get it out of the way... WARNING - here comes the emotional bit.
Relationships and me just aren't really mean't to be. Who remember's the whole relationship/friendship (read these posts to kind of get the hang of it all: one, two & three). Well it's all this pa lava that's getting to me - I mean don't get me wrong, I'm completely over him and how he treated me with the lying and going behind my back the whole time but I just feel so lonely at the moment, like I don't have anyone to just give me a cuddle when I just need it. I wish that my little heart could be fixed, and that I didn't have trust issues now. My friends are being absolute stars and helping me through it all, but I just don't think I can get over these issues of trusting someone with my heart again. Have any of you got any suggestions on what to do? 
Health well lets say I've not been a lucky bunny with health this past year, no matter what I seem to do, it is always jeopardised by my sporadic health. Lets start with September last year, I had a major chest infection, which me being me, decided I'd be fine, until the point I started coughing so much and then I threw up. Only to go to the doctors and find out I had pneumonia - good one Emma. It took me around 9 weeks to recover, in and out of hospital alongside several medications and an inhaler I'm still on now. After leaving college I felt fine, until I then got another cold, which went straight to my chest, again on medication for 5 weeks, I got better. I had a fair amount of time being perfectly well and feeling healthy, until I broke 2 toes, not even a week after my 18th Birthday. I don't even have

the excuse of being drunk - I was messing around with my friend, he pushed me a little too hard and I whacked my foot against the solid corner part of the sofa. Smooth. And on the 5th August I fell down the stairs, and now it's come back to bite me. 3 weeks ago, I started having majorly painful problems with my spine/back. So after 4 appointments at the doctors, I finally had a spinal x-ray at the hospital last Thursday, and have to wait a week for the results. 

College is driving me mad. Don't get me wrong, I love studying, but because of all the problems with my spine I'm missing lessons, and it's annoying me cause I just want things to get back to normal. I've had the day off yesterday because of the amount of pain I was in and having several spasms in my back in the morning alone.

So what's happening in your lives that you just wish would get better so you can live your life like normal?

However, I've bought lots of little bits for Halloween this year, and I've started my Christmas shopping! This weekend I'm getting the Halloween decorations down and the Christmas decorations - SO EXCITED! Which brings me to - Christmas posts!! Is there anything you would like to see in my Christmas posts?! 

Lots of Love

Emma Victoria

xoxo

P.S Friday I will be posting a little Pumpkin carving post - even though I won't be carving my pumpkins till next Wednesday (which I will also blog about too!)

Lee Stafford Hair Update!

Before...

On the 23rd of August 2012, I made the drastic move of cutting my hair from below my shoulders, into a pixie cut - the image on the right. And since November I have been growing my hair back out, with the help of my Lee Stafford Hair Treatment products. I use the Shampoo, Conditioner and the actual treatment product 'for hair that never grows past a certain length' (you can see my review of these products here). I am now into my third month with using these products and I have noticed some huge changes!
Below you can see an image of my hair taken today. (Warning, no make-up - Sunday's are make-up free days!) 

February 2013

The general health of myhair is probably the most obvious change! Before using the Lee Stafford products my hair felt brittle and very broken, but now my hair feels soft everyday, and I have next to know split ends in my hair. My aim is to get my hair back to the length I used to have before I trimmed my hair in January 2012 which was about boob length! Right now, I am super pleased with how much my hair has grown and the improvement of my general hair health! I will definitely be continuing to use LS products in the future!

Emma
xoxo

The 'Must Haves' and The 'Never Again's' - January 2013

Hello Again! Its been a while hasn't it?! 

Well I know I'm 8 days late (my bad!) but I am now going to do my monthly products which I have bought this month and either love or hate! (Bare in mind my spelling may be terrible as I have just got home from doing a night shift at work!) Now I hate being a negative nelly but sometimes there is a product we have, and lets face it we all have at least one, that we would never buy or use again! Now as a side note, I would like to add that January for me as a beauty month has mainly been about hair styling so just be warned! 

Must Haves!

1.  BaByliss Pro-Curl Curling Tongs.

Now I have become very bored with my straight hair with the ends deciding they want to flick out making me look like Miss Hoolie from Balamory, so I decided I would finally purchase some curling tongs after I had been using my mum's old curling tongs she had from the 1980's! (Which were just a cheap pair, but have lasted so long until the ceramic finally started to wear!) Now these arrived on the 26th January and I've only just got round to using them as I have been so super busy at work!  And the results made me so happy; I acheived the big bouncy flawless curls I had desired and much more! I bought these from a friend who decided she didn't need them after cutting her hair very short and sold me them for £5.00 but you lovely lot can buy these for £18.49 in Boots. In the images below is my hair after I curled it this morning!

The curls have a good bounce and last for ages without becoming flat. Now I usually add the Tresemmé Professional Firm Hold Hairspray but I decided for once I wouldn't and see how long my curls would last. Right now they are still bouncy and full of curly life! (Shown in the image on the left!). 




2. Peacocks Hair Bun 'Donut'


Now I know I am seriously late with this craze but hey, I like doing things late! But I saw this in the sale section in the clothing shop Peacock's. Now I have a lovely friend who works in Peacocks and actually went into the store room to see if there was any blonde ones left... and to my luck THERE WAS! Now I got this for the super cheap price of 99p but you can buy these from Boots or Superdrug from around £1.99-£3.99 in either Blonde, Black or Brown, depending on your hair colour! I got a small blonde donut because my hair is still only shoulder length (sigh...) but I will purchase a new one once my hair has grown to a sufficient length! 

3. No.7 Day and Night Moisturising Creams (test pots)

I bought these as tester pots as part of my huge Boots Haul from the No.7 Stand. Now when it comes to Moisturisers I am very fussy! My skin is very sensitive so I can easily come up in a rash when using these products! I started using these about 3 weeks ago now and I adore them, I will definitely be purchasing these again in the future! These make your skin feel very silk like and I usually put these on after I have done my spot treatments on, which usually tend to make your skin feel taut and dry, but these make your skin silky and refreshed... No.7 you've done it again! You can purchase these from Boots; The Day Cream costs £9.00 and The Night Cream costs just a tad more at £9.95! Seriously Girls, these are fantastic on your skin, definitely worth it!

4. Mavala Nail Polish

Now I am a huge fan of the Mavala Nail Polishes. You can buy these in Lloyds Pharmacy for about £3-£4... Even though they are dearer then some other nail polishes, the finish and feel of these are just fabulous! I currently have these in 71 La Paz (Hot Pink), 153 Lagoon (a greeny-blue colour) and in Touch of Provence (Lilac). The consistency of the nail polish appears very thick, but once applied onto your nails becomes very thin, I usually apply about 3-4 layers depending if I am putting anything on top of my nails, then I usually only apply 3 coats. I currently use my Lagoon polish with my Barry M Aqua Glitter Polish as they work so perfectly together! I can usually wear these nail polishes for around 2 weeks without even chipping them! You get a high gloss finish to make your nails just perfect! 

5. Victoria Jackson Make-Up Set

I bought this absolutely amazing make-up set when I went up to Westfield in London back in January! They had a small little stand in the train station and I just had to have a little nosey, and I am so glad I did! This make-up is high quality and just feels so light on your skin! In my set which I got for £50.00 was a VJ Mascara, VJ Terra Glow Bronzing Powder, VJ 24/7 Makeover Portfolio Sunrise & Sunset Colour Kit, a VJ Blush Brush and a little Beauty Tips booklet! I use the mascara every single day and I need to purchase some more very very soon! The mascara doesn't cause your eyelashes to clump if you put more mascara on! The eyelashes are equally feathered out and also make your eye lashes actually look longer! The booklet taught me so many tips that I never even knew myself! If you need any tips, even on how to apply your blusher then this booklet has it all; it has 5 little sections which include the eyes, foundation eyebrows blush and lips. The bronzing powder is a warm golden colour, nothing to make me look orange either! Sometimes when I buy bronzing products, they make me look like an oompa loompa, and that's even when I buy the lightest colour! 
In the colour kit pods you get a tri-colour of eyeshadows, 2 blush's (one which is your skintone which is the day perfecting blush - in the day kit; the other is for adding colour to your cheeks) and 2 lip gloss swatches. Happy is an understatement! These are the perfect size to fit in your handbag too! If you want to find out more products then please have a look at the Victoria Jackson website; www.vmakeup.com/ 

6. Simple Cleansing Make-Up Wipes

Every person should own some of these amazing wipes! Now, I am probably over-hyping a very simple and typical product, but, I adore Simple cosmetics! I have never had a bad experience with any of their products! They make your skin feel lovely even after you have had make-up on all day! Your skin feels refreshed and vibrant! You get 25 wipes in a pack, but I always buy these in a bulk! You can buy them at any drug store or even supermarkets in the health and beauty section! I buy mine in Morrisons for £1.99, join me in some Simple lovelyness!!

Not Sure Yet!

BaByliss Thermo-Ceramic Rollers

Okay, so as you may know I have begun to get very bored of my straight blonde locks and decided I want to add some waves and curls in without permanently damaging my hair by getting is permed! So I went into Boots (again during my haul!) and found these bad boys! I bought these for £29.99 and got a 'Stay Set' lotion free with it! I used these rollers, as advised on damp hair, (not wet!) now bare in mind I have never used rollers before let alone heated rollers, my mum said it was easy as she used them a lot when she was younger, so I thought the hell of it I'll have a go! Now, I have only used this once, and I did exactly what the little booklet said I should do, the results for me, were personally very disappointing. I used all the rollers in my hair, not putting too much into one roller either and throughout my whole hair only got 2 full curls. These just made my hair flick out at the end with a small twists, no 'bouncy and flawless curls' here. I adore BaByliss products, and I definitely wont give up on these until I'm happy or know I will never achieve anything from these (please comment below if you have these and your experiences with any rollers/heated rollers and your tips for little old me!). The battle has not been won yet heated rollers!

Never Agains!

1. Stay Set Setting Lotion

Okay, so I got this product for free when I bought my BaByliss Rollers from Boots, and I'm sad to say this product has caused me absolute hell! I will never ever purchase this again! Okay, I put this in my hair the other week when plating my hair; I followed the directions and putting this on after I had washed my hair, my hair being damp then to wet the hair with this product... When I first put the product on, all I could smell was chemicals dripping out of my hair, and yes I know this is a chemically based product, however most companies try to hide that and give it a nice perfumed smell. After around 5 minutes and I had towel dried my hair, my head began to feel very itchy and my skin on my scalp, around the back of my neck, and on the hair line on my forehead. Now, I have taken photos, however I will not show them to you as they were honestly ghastly! However, I have now returned this product to Boots, and not too much of a loss to myself. Maybe I just had a bad experience, I'm not sure but I will definitely not buy this product again! If you wish to buy this you can buy this from Boots for around £2.29.

2. Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume

I love Batiste's Dry Shampoo range, I think they are fantastic when you have to rush out the house and don't have time to wash your hair. However, I purchased the Batiste 'Big &Bouncy XXL Volume' shampoo and how I was disappointed. Batiste products I have used in the past, (and I hvae used about at least 4 different types of the range) have been amazing, they have made my hair feel refreshed, just like it had been washed and that it was full of life, it made my hair feel smooth and easy to brush through, no knots what-so-ever! But, with the XXL Volume, all my amazing experiences in the past were shadowed by this. I used a quick spray of this dry shampoo before dashing off to work. My hair was knotty, I couldn't easily brush my hair either. 'Big & Bouncy'? No, for me more like  'Knotty as Hell'. I was hugely upset with this product. Batiste is a hair product I use a lot of, especially with my crazy work life, and I have so much faith in their products and they usually make me very happy with the finished outcome. Another thing that annoyed me about this product is that it should give your hair 'volume' if anything my hair felt less volumized once I had used the product. My hair become flat, and as said before knotted. I will definitely be purchasing my blonde Batiste Dry Shampoo again, but the XXL Volume I shall not! Sorry Batiste! 

Product of the Month
Dove Body Wash

I love Dove as a company, and I love their advertising techniques for real beauty and real women (Dove Beauty Evolution Video and Dove Real Beauty) however I sadly regret and hate to say it but I had an allergic reaction to several Dove products I have used... facial creams, body wash, deodorants and many more. I love Dove and think they are outstanding, but for me I can't use their products, HOWEVER, I think you should all use a Dove product (only if you aren't allergic like me!) Dove are a company who think every and any women no matter what you look like is beautiful and honestly Dove have hit it on the nail! They send out the right message to every one across the world. Well Done Dove!!



And now we have come to the end! I am sorry that this is late, I have been super busy, but I will definitely get back on track with my blogging from now on! 

Much Love You Beauties

Emma Victoria
xoxo

Attack Those Spots!

Okay so honestly, we can all say we have had an attack from spots, no matter what age! And I myself know how frustrating these horrible vicious outbreaks can be! No matter how bad they may be, even if its just the one, trying to get rid of them seems like mission impossible, doesn't it? Well here are the products I use to try and at least ease the spots on my face! 

    

The first product that I use is the Simple 'Spotless Skin Rapid Action Spot Zapper' sometimes I find that if a spot is quite fresh then sometimes this may sting putting it on, but don't let that phase you from using this product! It has a roller at the end of the tube so applying this product is very easy. You can buy this product from any shop such as Boots, Superdrug, however I buy mine from Morrisons and this costs me usually about £4.99.

 
The second product that I use is the Freederm 'Fast Track' Gel. Again if you have a fresh spot (or you have a tendency to pick them and they become sore, yes even I am guilty of this!) applying the product may make it sore, but no pain is no gain! I have been using this product from Freederm for about a year or so, and I find that this product really works for me! I buy this product from Boots at the retail price of £6.39. This product may seem a lot of money for what you get, but I honestly recommend this product. I used to have very severe outbreaks of spots, and they wouldn't go for months, sometimes even get worse in that time, but now I have maybe 3 or 4 spots come every 1 or 2 months! Even when I don't have spots, I won't use the product every day but I will use it as something to try and prevent more spots appearing! 

For my third and final product that I haven't been using for that long is the Witch 'Blemish Stick' I bought this product as I was browsing on the Boots website looking for lipsticks and buying more of the Lee Stafford hair products. I have used this product a couple of times and use this after using my other 2 products. I'm not sure really if this product has had any benefit for me yet, but the application is easy. You can either use your finger to transfer the product onto your skin or just run the stick over the area you want to put the product on. I bought this product from Boots for £2.89, brilliant bargain for this product so excellent if you are on a tight budget and need a little help with your spots!


Emma
xoxo