Fascination Friday - Party night outfit

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

A few weeks ago was my mum's 40th birthday, and I organised a party for her, and I wanted to share the outfit I wore for it, because I felt amazing in it.

I am absolutely in love with this dress. It is a long sleeved, white lace tip, with a navy skirt. It has an open back, with a bow where the top and skirt connect. It is really short, but I just wore shorts underneath to keep my dignity. What I love most about this dress is that the top is so soft; normally I find lace to be scratchy, but this feels cotton soft, and it is so nice to wear.

I bought it from my favourite site, Everything5pounds, so unfortunately it is no longer available.

The shoes I wore were a simple faux suede platform heel from New Look, which I bought last year, so may no longer be available. Over all I felt the best I had ever felt in this dress. I felt like a model, and had amazing confidence, and that was the reason I had to share this outfit with you, even though none of it is available any longer. I want to share what makes me feel great, and I hope you all have that one outfit, or maybe more than one outfit, that makes you feel like a million bucks.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

Mouth-watering Wednesday - Hosting your first barbecue? Here's what you need

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

So it is barbecue season, and I thought that it would be fun to talk about my favourite barbecue foods. Because I am vegetarian, this is going to be vegetarian friendly food, because I don't remember what meat is good barbecue food any more. This will also be aimed at people who are hosting their first barbecue, because it can be slightly overwhelming, especially if your family wasn't one who had many barbecues, like mine was. 

So onto my favourite foods.

First of all you have to have burgers, right? And there are so many vegetarian burgers available, but my all time favourite one has to be the Tesco ones. I'm not actually a huge fan of Tesco in general, but I do love their vegetarian stuff. I think the Tesco veggie burgers are the best for barbecues because they are juicy, like a beef burger, and grill amazingly.

Another burger I would suggest is a home-made quinoa burger. This is made with quinoa, egg, courgette, and breadcrumbs, and is incredibly tasty. Now I've never actually cooked this on a barbecue, so I don't know exactly how it would turn out, but I still recommend it.

Next we need hot dogs, and I've only ever found hot dogs in Tesco, so I have to tell you to get those ones. These are delicious, and they taste like real hot dogs. I think it's nice that some vegetarian substitutes taste like the real stuff because it might be something you miss about meat, and you really don't want to, or can't have any more. I personally became vegetarian because I don't like the taste of meat, but I do really enjoy hot dogs, so I really love these ones.

Those are the only hot foods that I have at a barbecue, but if you have other suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. So now I'm going to move onto the side dishes.

Potato salad is my favourite thing ever. And last summer I made a sweet potato one which was delicious, and a healthier alternative to regular potato salad. Not only is it yummy and healthy, I also think it looks prettier because it is so colourful. And what's more important in the summer than colour, right? You could also make your own coleslaw, but I've never done that, so I would just get store bought., and there is nothing wrong with that occasionally.

Recipe link

You always need to have a salad at your barbecue, and I would stick to a basic one, just filled with roman lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, and some grated carrot. If you wanted to make it more interesting you could add some nuts on top, and some fruit, like apples or strawberries, just to mix it up a bit. But personally for a barbecue I like to leave the salad simple because most of the attention will be on the burgers and hot dogs, and not many people will be all that interested in the side dishes.

You're, of course, going to need buns, now I would go for wholemeal, but some people don't like those so always make sure to get a mixture. Or to save money try and get a half and half pack of buns, like Hovis 50/50, that way both health concious and not so health concious people are happy.

The final food thing you will need is condiments, now this can be whatever you want, but I like to have tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, salad cream, and brown sauce. This is a variety, and there will be at least one thing there for everyone. 

Don't forget drinks, I like to have a variety of soft drinks, like cola, lemonade, orange juice, and squash, as well as some alcohol, like cider, wine, and alcopops. I also like to suggest to people to bring their own drinks, and I've been to a few that rely on that, and that works great too because then everybody is happy.

To me that is all of the essentials you need at a barbecue, other than a barbecue obviously. The rest of the entertainment is completely up to you, personally I would have music on in the background, and let people socialise, because, to me, that is what a barbecue is for.

I think I might to a similar post to this and talk about picnics, with the difference being, I will be making the picnic healthier than a regular picnic, so stay tuned for that, which should be posted in a few weeks :)

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

Fascination Friday - haul time!

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Today I am here with a fun haul for you all. This is things that I've bought over a couple of weeks, and thought that I would share them with you.


First stop, Forever 21 where my friend persuaded me to get this gorgeous maxi dress. I love this so much and I feel amazing when I wear it. It has an open back with a bow, and is striped, and I seriously feel a million bucks in this dress.

 Now for the reason I went into Forever 21, and that was for 2 pairs of their leggings. Believe it or not, this was the best picture I could get of my leggings, my camera was not behaving when I took these pictures. The quality of these leggings are amazing! The aren't see-through at all, and are super comfy and fit like a glove, even on the leg where normally I have to roll or bunch bottoms up. All for £3, which is the same price as Primark leggings, and those are really crap quality.

 Speaking of Primark, I also went in there, because I always do, because it's cheap, and cheerful clothes. I was hesitant to show you this first item, but thought, what the heck, I like it, it's gorgeous, and I have a mostly female audience anyway. So here it is, my gorgeous pink and lace bra, with wide straps. It also had matching underwear, which I did buy, but didn't think it would be appropriate to show on here. I love this bra set though, it's comfy, not only on the straps because of the wideness of them, but also the cups. I don't know about you, but bras tend to get uncomfortable for me throughout the day, but with this one, that didn't happen. So I highly recommend this bra.

The next thing I bought from Primark was this grey, long sleeved, fleeced panda pyjama top. Oh my word, this is so comfy and cosy. I get really cold at night, particularly my arms, and I saw this on sale for £3 and was sold. I like putting it on after I've been swimming at night, and then I'm basically ready for bed. I really love this. The last time I was in Primark there was some left, so if you can find it, I highly recommend you buying it. I had to buy it in a size bigger so bear that in mind.

Next stop? H 'n' M, and I only got one thing from here and it is this black bowler style hat. My friend has one in red for her cosplay costume, and I fell in love with it and wanted one for myself. However the red was sold out, but I love the black just as much, and I know I'm going to get a lot of wear out of it. It looks great with dresses and skirts as well as jeans and shorts.

And the final place I went to was Superdrug. My friend wanted some make-up advice, and whilst we were there I couldn't resist getting a couple of things for myself. The first thing is the Collection eyebrow pencil. I bought this because I am running out of my one, and I completely forgot that I had already bought a back up one from Avon, so now I have 2 for when I run out.

We also both got a Maybeline Baby lips, I got it in this pink colour, which is like my lips but better, and my friend got it in a coral colour, which is also a very neutral colour. These were on offer, and since we both wanted to try them we got one each. I have worn this a couple of times and I love it. It is silky soft, and gives a gorgeous hint of colour, perfect for those no make-up make-up days.

And finally I picked up a new tube of Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. I have used this concealer for years, and I love it. I don't think I will ever switch. It matches my skin perfectly, which is difficult because I am extremely pale, and gives great coverage.

So that is everything I bought. I am currently on a spending ban, but that is only for a couple more weeks, and I already have a few things in mind that I want to buy, so no doubt there will be another haul coming soon so check back for that.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

Mouth Watering Wednesday - What I ate on a high protein day

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

This is a new series I'm hoping to start, where I share with you all my favourite healthy foods. Whether it's a recipe I've tried from my favourite health food magazine, The Healthy Food Guide, or what I've eaten on a particular day, i.e a high protein day, I plan on sharing it here every Wednesday. Or at least every other Wednesday, because we all know how unpredictable I am with blogging these days.

So as you can tell from the title this is what I ate when I needed lots of protein. The morning I did this I had slept on my arm and it was in a lot of pain. I tried to workout out, and I stretched, but it was really hard to move. Protein helps to heal you which is why I decided to have a high protein day, even though I wasn't working out, and the next day my arm was back to normal.

Breakfast:

 For my breakfast on this day I had porridge oats with vanilla protein powder, almond milk and a banana. And, obviously, a cup of tea because I love tea. I love making my porridge with protein powder because it is good for you, and it's sweet so you don't have to add a sweetener on top. I just mix it in with the oats and milk in the pan, and cook it like you normally do with porridge.

Lunch:

Lunch was a cheese omelette. I used 2 eggs, cows milk, and low low grated cheese. This was so yummy, and because I used 2 eggs it was more filling. Maybe it's just me, but one egg is never enough for me. Then my tea was strawberry and mango from Twinnings. The cheese and milk gave me calcium and healthy fats. Did you know that low fat dairy products contain higher calcium levels? I tend to avoid products that say low fat on them, because it tends to be high in chemicals, making it bad for you, but that is not the case with dairy, it is much healthier than the full fat version.

Dinner:

This was originally supposed to be a pizza, made using BreeLovesBeauty's recipe, however I decided to wrap them instead. So what is in this you ask? Well it's is full of tomato purée, cherry tomatoes, spinach, and low low cheese, sprinkled with a tiny bit more cheese, and put on the microwave for 1.30. And boy was it yummy. It was extremely filling too, so one tortilla wrap would have been enough, but oh well.

Snacks:

Ok so I know this isn't high protein, or even healthy, but I'm honest and wanted to share everything I ate that day. I became obsessed with the Dairy Milk Oreo bar for a while, so ate half of that and a twix in that day. It's not a lot, and it's perfectly ok to indulge sometimes. I think that's why I wanted to share my snacks with you, just to show that I do eat chocolate and I also eat healthy for the majority of the time. Chocolate is good for your soul. Remember that the next time you feel guilty for eating that Dairy Milk. Also try really hard no to feel guilty about food, food is good!

So that's all I ate. If you have any requests for anything, i.e. a high carb day, or a recipe, let me know, and I'll happily do it for you all. 

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

How to beat the Monday blues

Hey girls, long time no speak. Sorry it's been so long, I've been lacking inspiration, so I've been really thinking about what I want to write about and thought I would start again on a fresh month.

So you know how everyone seems to hate Mondays? Yeah well I've never been one of them, to me Monday is like New Years, it's a fresh start, a chance to wipe the slate clean and make small changes to your life. However I know lots of people hate Mondays, and I do have bad days, so I thought I would share with you all how I combat those bad days, and it would be perfect for those of you who suffer from the Monday blues.

The first thing I do when I get home, whether it's after a bad day, or a good one, is light a candle. Candles are relaxing, they soothe and calm you, so if you've had a bad day, pick your favourite scent, mine is Cinnamon sticks from Yankee Candles, light it and breathe it in. I love candle light, I sometimes even only use candle light, via lanterns and candle sticks, which is perfect at soothing me. So switch off those harsh lights and light a few candles instead.

Go and have a soak in the bath, and if you don't have a bath have a long shower. Being clean really makes me feel better about everything, and baths are extremely tranquil, especially with a candle and a good book. Whilst you're in there you might as well pamper yourself a bit, exfoliate, put on a face and hair mask, and just close your eyes. When I have a bath and I don't feel like reading, I like to put on a comforting playlist from Spotify and just lie there until I'm all wrinkly.

Treat yourself. Most people tend to start their diets on a Monday, and let's be honest, Monday's are hard enough as it is, without cutting out all of your favourite foods (which I don't agree with by the way, but that's another post). So instead of not having that bar of chocolate because you want to lose 10lbs, eat it. Not only is chocolate really yummy, it makes you feel good, I mean hello you have to eat it after an encounter with Dementors! It doesn't have to be food if you don't want to, maybe you want to buy a pair of shoes, or have a glass of wine, and that's fine too. Maybe don't go shopping every week, but when you're feeling down or just really want that dress go for it.

Put on some super comfy pyjamas, and snuggle on the sofa with a movie or a book. I know this seems like a really winter thing to do, but it is cold here and it's becoming winter in Australia :P But seriously wearing pyjamas is the best thing ever! Put on your favourite movie, whether it is a chick flick like Dirty Dancing, or a comedy like Mean Girls, it doesn't matter, just whatever you love. And if you don't feel like watching something then read a book, or even a trashy magazine. Whatever you feel like doing, do it.

And the final thing is go for a walk. Now that it is, slowly, warming up it is perfect weather for walking. Go during the sunset and take it all in. Don't think about it as exercise, instead think of it as taking in some scenery and appreciate where you live. I typically like to put on my headphones and walk around my neighbourhood, but sometimes I just go without music and it helps me take in everything and it is fabulous!

Then after all of that just climb into your bed and snuggle up and sleep. I honestly feel like doing these things makes me feel so much better after a bad day, so I hope it helps you too.
What do you do when you've had a bad day? Let me know, I love trying new things to combat a bad mood.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

Xx