PrettyInTheDesert Giveaway

Go enter it now...Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

£££$$$£££ TAG: How Much Is Your Face Worth £££$$$£££

Hello!

Ok, I haven't been tagged, but I'm intrigued to know how much it is worth!

Skincare Routine

Face wash - Decleor Hydra Radiance Smoothing Cleansing Mousse - £25
Day Serum - Estee Lauder Idealist Skin Refiner £37
Day Cream - Decleor Hydra Floral £38.50
Night serum - Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair - £51
Night treatment - Decleor Prolagene Gel - £36 and Retin A (Prescription - £6 or so)

£193.50 for my skin care...Not too bad, I was expecting it to be a lot more!

Makeup

Liquid Foundation Giorgio Armarni Luminous Silk - £30
Powder Foundation - Mac Studio Fix - £19.50
Eyeliner - Sabaya around £11

Only £60.50!!

Extra's (On days I feel like wearing more makeup!)

Highlighter - Mac MSF By CandleLight £18.50 or Sabaya Skin Glow (not online, but around £10)
Mascara - Giorgio Armarni Eyes to Kill £30
Primer - Urban Decay Primer Potion £12
Eyeshadow - MAC £11.50 each

£72...

And the grand total is £325.70...!! I don't think it's too bad! (I'm joking, its far too much!!)

I tag everyone to do this, and let me know once you have so I can feel better about my total!! Lol!

Love ShameeraXxX

Arabian Nights

Hi Everyone!

We're getting one of our lounges done up, and I wanted to go for the Middle Easter/Moroccan look. I love how its so rich and opulent, and still comfortable. Its so beautiful. I'm bored of all these all white/ all cream...lifeless rooms, I love colour and brightness. I hate clutter though, so I like to still keep it minimal.
We chose a colour called Eastern Spice (3) by Dulux, as on the tester page it looked like a mix of that sunset orange/brown. Unfortunately, it's actually more orange! However, it's a really beautiful colour...
Now our lounge has floor to ceiling windows, so it can get very bright so the orange can look a bit much, but I'm thinking once the carpet and curtains etc are all in it'll look much better.

So, the look I wanted to go for was:

 Ok, so this is a bedroom lol...

 I just love this below room...So bright, but gorgeous! Obviously not to everyones taste though...

So far it the paints been done and looks likes:

I didnt want to show the whole room as it's a mess with the old carpet and painters bits and bobs!

That's the colour, with the door, I want to put some material draping over it.

Old carpets....and everything else!!

Once it's all fully done, I will do an updated post with the full look, just wanted to get your ideas on what you think is a Middle Eastern style room??
 Lanterns, candles, cushions and drapes are all obvious, so now to go find them. Where would you recommend?

Love ShameeraXxX

Past posts you may be interested in (Edited with a few more!)

Hello Everyone!

As I've recently gained a few more followers...Which always makes me so happy as it means people are actually reading my blog! I thought I would just do a post of older posts I've done that might be of interest to you...

• Skincare Tips
• Haircare Tips
• Hairloss products that worked for me
• Hair tips here and here
• Bodycare Tips
• Neem Facemask
• Properties of Honey
• Free Radicals
• Help with finding a new job
• Roaccutane (1)
• Roaccutane (2)
• Garlic Shampoo
• Oil Treatment
• Green Tea recipes (1) and (2)
• The Oil Cleansing Method
• Benefits of Raw Coco Butter.
• Weightloss & Anaemia 
• Salt Water Cleanser
• Emu Oil Review
• Healthy Foods & Tips

Love ShameeraXxX

Guest Blogger - A Diary of a Detox

Hi Everyone,

TGIF right?! This week has gone by so slowly! 

Today, I have a treat for you, my friend Verity did a detox last week, and I had asked her to keep a diary to post for you guys and here it is. Its really tempted me to detox, but I dont want to do it alone...! 

Verity's Detox Diary

Me and my partner, Rob, decided that we needed to do a detox - his reasons were that he is trying to lose weight and couldn't seem to shift any so wanted to get the ball rolling and my reasons were that I've felt so lethargic and under the weather over the last few months that I needed to try something to give myself more energy.

We decided to follow the detox guide give in Tony Robbins 'Life Balance' Plan. This detox plan is aimed to cleanse, detoxify and renew your digestive system through following a relatively strict detox regime which involved not eating anything other than a vegetable broth in the evening and the occasional green leaf juice and by taking several supplements which aid the digestive and immune systems. 

Day 1: 

It's really important in a detox to ensure that you drink alot of water.... so throughout day one I drank like a fish and pee'd like a race horse!! This detox required that we take our supplements first thing in the morning, midday and in the evening. It wasn't too bad taking these (enormous) pills at first but eventually I felt so hungry that taking the pills just made me feel sick. We both felt hungry by the end of the day and were actually looking forward to our 'vegetable broth' which is just water with vegetable stock in! All in all, day one wasn't too bad - we felt really hungry and were a little more tired than usual but apart from that it was a piece of cake! (mmmmmmm cake!)

Oh and all day I had a crazy craving for apples and pears... I don't like apples and pears! 

Day 2: 

I wake up at 3am with an overwhelming urge to vomit... which I did! I felt so poorly! I felt sick and could barely move without making the nausea feel worse so at about 8am I gave up trying to sleep and just sat on the sofa and watched Grey's Anatomy and felt quite sorry for myself, my poorly belly and my increasingly sore head. A few hours later Rob finally emerged from bed (so lazy!) and announced that he too had a really bad headache. We decided that we couldn't keep this up for another few days and that we'd make a small adjustment in our detox plan; we were going to have some juice! Rob went and bought us some fresh berries, apples, pears and oranges and we made a mixed berry juice for lunch... at the time I thought it was the nicest thing I'd ever had plus it took the edge off both our headaches. My nausea eventually subsided and we just spent the rest of the day watching films and being quite lazy as we were both too tired to do anything else. That evening I started to get pains up and down my legs... it felt like I'd run a marathon as all my muscles hurt. I had a terrible nights sleep as my legs hurt so much that I couldn't get comfortable and the pain kept waking me up. 

My craving on day 2 was potatoes! 

Day 3: 

I got up quite early again as my legs were still hurting... thankfully they weren't as bad as they were however my back and neck had joined in the party so I was pretty much aching all over. I did a bit of research and discovered that this is quite a common issue with detoxes as whilst toxins are stored all over your body, they particularly like to hang out in the leg region, so when you stop eating, these toxins are released into your blood stream and that's where the pain comes from. Day 3 was probably the worst day for me, it felt like I had the flu... I was aching, I had a headache and I was really snotty.... Rob on the other hand turned into the energiser bunny! He complained that he had a 'fuzzy head' (oh dear!) but apart from that he was jumping around everywhere, and frankly doing my head in! We had another mixed berry juice for lunch and our usual vegetable broth for dinner (I really hated that broth by this point). As the day progressed I did start to feel a little better but I had no where near the Olympic levels of energy that Rob had. 

My crazy craving for the day was lamb and spare ribs - I don't eat meat so this was very very strange!! 

Day 4: 

Today we eat!!! When you do a detox they advice you to ease your way back into eating so as not to shock your body. Rob still felt absolutely fine and whilst I was still a little tired I felt so much better than I had over the weekend! We continued with our supplements and detox throughout the day and that evening we had our first meal in four days - we decided on having a small amount of bruschetta.... yummy!

Throughout the detox we both lost 6lbs - Rob put a pound back on and then lost it again a few days later whilst I've put back on 1.5 pounds and haven't shifted it yet - however we didn't do it to lose weight, we did it to restart our systems and to become healthier. I think the best thing about doing this detox for us is that it's kick started us eating more healthily. We only completed the detox four days ago so I'm sure we'll eat the odd takeaway or chocolate bar in the future but it has made us re-evaluate our lifestyle, both in terms of what we're eating and portion sizes. From an energy perspective, it's definitely increased my energy levels... I'm much more active right now and I'm definitely more aware of what is going on with my body. I found it interesting that I didn't realise how bloated I was every day and by reintroducing food slowly I've been able to identify different foods that my body reacts badly to. 

If anyone else is thinking of doing a detox, I can't stress enough the importance of doing your research, preparing in advance and making sure you have support whilst you're doing it. I wouldn't have gotten through 4 days if Rob wasn't doing it as well. Be aware as well that hydration is the most important part in any detox as well as listening to your body and being conscious of where your limits are! 

Thanks Verity, that was really informative, and very funny!! 

Has anyone else tried a detox? If you have any questions, let me know and I'm sure Verity will be happy to answer them for you!

Love ShameeraXxX

And the winner is...

So, the contest is over and the winner is Sinead with sending 4 followers!!

Well done!!

Email me @ shameera1@live.co.uk with what you want for £30, your address so that I can send it to you!

Love ShameeraXxX

Sunday Random-ness

Hello!

How has everyones week been? Mine has been pretty boring! I just thought I'd do a weeks in pictures/random-ness post!

So, on Monday I received an email from the people at Nakd Bars after they read my post and they sent me some bars to try :-) I haven't had them yet as I eat them during the week, so will update next week I have cocoa mint, cocoa delight and the berry one. I'll give this berry one to my friend to try :-)

This brings me nicely onto my contest - Verity is now winning with 2 new followers :-) 3 days to go if you want to participate!

Yesterday, I went to a wedding. Boring...!! I swear when I get married, I'm going to try and make it at least a little interesting for my guests...Don't know how, but I'll try! Anyways, my friend did my makeup for me, with Arabic liner...It looked amazing! She's so talented, I'm always telling her to create her own YouTube channel or blog.

I don't know why they say that the iPhone 4 camera is so good, I don't think the photos are clear at all....

Also, yesterday I was talking to my friend and we started talking about ourselves as babies/kids, which made me want to look at my old photos...I was obsessed with Barbie!! I had the house, car, dolls, everything...! I made the mistake of telling him my cousin called me pudding, so that is now my new name :O lol!

Me with Barbie...

I also watched Mean Girls 2...Rubbish compared to the brilliant first one! I loved the first one, I can still watch it when I'm bored...So funny! The main actress was rubbish, never seen her before, so don't even know who she is....Whoever she is, she cant act!!

 So, what have you been up to this week?

Love ShameeraXxX

Skin care...Carried on

Hello Everyone!
Did you know today was meant to be the happiest Monday in the year? I can't say I was particularly happy or sad...Haha! How about you?

So in this post, I spoke about my Estee Lauder serums that I have been using and loving. The next part of of my skincare I wanted to talk about was some items from my Decleor QVC TSV.
In the pack, I got a Foaming cleanser, Day Cream, Night Cream, Face oil and my fave Prolagene gel. To be honest, I bought it for the cleanser, day cream and Prolagene gel.

Cleanser: This cleanser says its suitable for all skin types, and it says it promotes radiance. I love love love this cleanser so much. It clears off all makeup, leaves your skin squeaky clean & definitely radiant. However, I wouldn't say it's for all skin types...It's not for sensitive or dry skins. I would say it's best suited to oily skin. Also, if it goes in your eyes OMG...stings!! It's paraben free so doesn't later up, but it foams up nicely on the skin.

Day Cream: This cream is for advanced ageing, for mature skins...So not for me! However, the glow it gives is great, so I carried on using it. I tried to take photos to show the glow, but it wouldn't show up even with a HD camera. I've been using it for a few days, and it seems fine...no breakouts or puffiness which can come from using anti-ageing products. The texture is surprisingly light for an advanced anti-ageing cream. Nothing amazing to report!

Prolagene Gel: This is technically a body product, used to diminish marks, re-generates skin and helps revitalise the skins support structure. I love this product! I've been using this over my Advanced Night Repair, and over the past few days the redness from my skin has totally gone, my skin looks so much clearer, and I need less foundation. I always remember Alison the QVC beauty expert going on about how this product cleared her acne scarring, how amazing it is & I've always been sceptical of anything they say but I thought, let me try it & I have to say I like it. It's a gel texture, but is moisturising enough to not have to use a night cream, however dry skins would need something extra. Another great combination with the Advanced Night Repair, to be honest, better than the Creme De La Mer, and a hell of a lot cheaper!

Overall, I'm happy with this routine I've been using as I can see some good results.

What new skincare have you been using??

Love ShameeraXxX

Get Nakd

Hey Everyone!

Hows your weekend been? I went to watch Swan Lake yesterday, and although the story was really good, I loved the dancing! It was amazing, Natalie Portman did a brilliant job. Really impressed.

So, why get Nakd I hear you say? Well, I've found these great bars which are yummy, and made from dates, nuts, fruits and natural flavours. They're vegan, all natural, no added sugar, gluten, wheat, dairy & GM free, so are actually good for you.
I've spoken about the benefits of dates in my post here, and this article in the Daily Mail has a list of nuts which are good for you. So, in moderation, this bar is great.

Looking at the nutritional info, the carbs content looks high, but one of the girls on the Cosmo forum explained it brilliantly to me, so I had to share:

"Basically there are complex carbs and simple carbs. Simple carbs are sugars. So when you read a label, it says Carbs and then of which are sugars. Sugar hits the bloodstream fast, if too much sugar is in the bloodstream insulin is released.

Before a work out, you want slow release carbs so that you get a steady supply of energy to the blood and muscles. The muscles also store sugar in them and after exercising the muscles stores (glycogen) are low. Whne you eat sugar now, it going into the blood, but before insulin reacts, the muscles are empty so suck up all the sugars quickly. When excess sugars aren't sucked up by the muscles insulin tell it to be turned to bodyfat."

I was eating these before my workout, but have since switched to after if I'm working out during the day, rather than evening.

I bought a mixture box which came with 18 bars for £14.99.

It consisted of cocoa orange, cashew cookie, pecan pie and ginger bread. I didn't want to review till I had tried them all. They're all yummy, except for Pecan Pie...As nice as it sounds, it tastes like plastic...Yuck!! Just don't try this!
My fave is cocoa orange, as it tastes as it should and has a chocolate like texture so curbs any cravings you may get in the afternoons, or is that just me?!
Ginger bread has a nice, delicate ginger/warm flavoured taste, I really enjoyed it with my morning coffee.
Cashew cookie has a nice, light nutty taste that is nice for a post gym snack (great descriptions right?!)
I would next like to try the coco mint, as I can imagine that one being nice!
I got a free berry flavoured one, but I'm not a fan of fruity/berry flavoured bars so I'll add that into my contest prize!

Has anyone else tried these? What do you eat to curb your chocolate cravings??

Love ShameeraXxX

Yesterday I met a really nice makeup counter girl...

Hello!

How is everyone? I've got a few things to update on, first I'll do a few skincare items, and then I'll do one on a new health food bar I've found.

This is going to be a long one...I'll start with Estee Lauder.

So, yesterday I went into Boots to pick up a bottle of Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, and I got such a nice sales assistant. Don't you love it when you get a really nice one, who is really helpful and just wants to keep giving you free things? This one was lovely! I literally spent my whole lunchtime speaking to her lol! So, with my Advanced Night, I've been using the whole pipette worth of product, as when I previously bought it I didn't have a nice sales assistant, it was one of those old ladies plastered in makeup. So, I've been using far too much, as all you need is 3-4 drops worth for the whole face and neck. When I tried this last night, it's so true! Previously, I had to wait for the product to sink in till I could put my face cream on, last night it went in straight away, ready for cream. She explained how the product protects and repairs damage, and how it actually has 20 patents. With this product, I love it because you can actually see the difference in your skin as you continue to use it. You can learn more about it here.

The second product I've read about, but never tried was the Idealist Pore Minimising Skin Refinisher. Now this product I am really impressed with. This is your day serum, so you use it then moisturise. I have used this for 2 days now, and I can see a difference in my pore sizes. I think this is just the product having short term effects, but with time I want to see if it does actually improve them permanently. Apparently, it can improve them by 65%! My makeup goes on smoother, and it has such an amazingly, silky feeling. If you get the chance to try this product, I would really recommend it just for the look and feel it gives your skin. To learn more about this product, go here.

Picture to break up the words!

Then, she gave me a few samples, one being the new Daywear cream. Basically, it's the same as the old formula but with a lot more protection. She got out a piece of card, and put some cream on one blob, and left the other plain and shone a UV light on. The unprotected one got damaged straight away, however the Daywear didn't at all. I'm skeptical about these kinds of things, of course if you put something on a piece of card it wont damage! It comes in Normal/combination, Dry and Oily formulations.
She also gave me the tinted version. This one I was impressed with, it's a normal, white cream but once you rub it in, it turns into a glow. I love it so much! It's great for days you dont want to wear foundation, or under foundation for a more, even look. There isn't any coverage at all, but it'll even out the skin.
You can learn more about these products here.

However, I've got a new moisturiser that I'm trying out....

That leads me nicely onto my Decleor Today's Special Value purchase from QVC. I bought this for the Cleanser and Prolagene Gel. I think this post is getting quite wordy now so I'll go into the benefits of these products in another post...Leave a little suspense!

Have you tried any new skincare lately?

Love ShameeraXxX

Bloated like a Balloon!

I've been bloated since New Years day, and I just cant seem to get rid of it! It's so uncomfortable now as it makes my belly look huge, and no amount of sit up etc seems to be eliminating it.
I researched it, and they said to have a look at what I'm eating, however my diet hasn't really changed. I've not added or taken away any new foods, so I'm really confused :-s

I've tried Activia, drinking more water, I've even taken a laxative (not a nice experience at ALL!)....Nothing seems to be helping!

So this post is a question to everyone....How do I eliminate bloating??! I'd love any suggestions, and who knows other people out there could be suffering too, so it may even help someone else!

Love ShameeraXxX

Quick EOTN Post

In a previous ramble post, I mentioned my new fave eye makeup is navy on the waterline.
Pardon the zombie eyes, the flash blinded me!

Such a poor photo, but I thought I'd put it up...

 Not a very pretty photo and no mascara :-s

Also, I just wanted to remind you guys..Only 2weeks left for my contest! If you want to enter, or have entered don't forget!!

Love ShameeraXxX

How I clean my brushes

Hello Everyone!

How has everyones week been? I'm so tired, as I've not had a proper nights sleep for a few days, as I keep waking up at random times like 2am or 4am then can't go back to sleep :-(

Anyways, before I go onto how I clean my brushes, I just wanted to show you my new hot water bottle...

How cute is he?!

Now, I don't know about you, but I refuse to spend money on brush cleaner...I'm sorry, but no! I know it has alcohol in which disinfects etc...but nah!

I have always found it hard to get my Mac Stippling brushes white clean, no matter how much I would clean them with Dove soap, they wouldn't turn white. Then one night we were staying over at a Marriott, and I was bored as there was nothing on and we had eaten etc...So I decided to wash my makeup brushes. I used the Marriott bath soap, and I have never had brushes this clean before!

Now, if someones staying over at The Marriott  their job is to get me the bath soap! I have quite the collection! As I only use the soap once a week (or there abouts!), they last for ages, and even better it's free!

Before....

Give it a nice clean with....

Et Voila...After...Sparkly white!

So, the conclusion to this post...Hotel soaps are the best brush cleaners!

How do you clean your brushes?

Love ShameeraXxX

Recipe: Tabbouleh

Hey Everyone!

I am in soooo much pain today, from damn squats at the gym on Friday! I was in pain yesterday, when we went out, I literally had to crawl up the stairs lol! I cant bend my legs :-s I'll have another walk/run on the treadmill now to hopefully loosen up my muscles.

Anyways, I can't remember if I ever put up a recipe for Tabbouleh on here! It's a Middle Eastern salad made from Bulgar wheat, so it's filling and yumm. When I'm in Marble Arch, I need to have Tabbouleh! Yumm...! The best one I've had was in Dubai. So a while ago, I decided to find the recipe and make it!

The base of the recipe requires bulgar wheat. This is basically wheat in its whole form, making it high in fibre, and therefore good for the digestive system. It is rich in vitamins B, particularly in thiamine and niacin. Thiamine is very useful in the digestive and nerve system. Niacin helps in the digestion of the proteins. Zinc, iron, riboflavin and trace minerals like magnesium and selenium are also found in bulgur. Also, as it's a complex carb, it will keep you fuller for longer.


The authentic recipe has parsley and olive oil but I've adapted it so I have fresh coriander instead of parsley as I don't like the taste as much when I make it at home (Weird right?!), and I don't add olive oil as I just prefer the strong lemon taste. So you can just adapt it using what you like, add anything you want to it!

Ingredients

Bulgar Wheat (I prefer the coarse kind)

Tomato

Red Onion

Half a Cucumber

Lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh Coriander

Fresh Mint

Method

Bulgar wheat is just like couscous whereby you soak it in water and it swells up. This is why I've not put a quantities, as you can make how much you want.

Boil some water, and in a bowl pour in your bulgar wheat, squeeze half to one lemon, depending on how much you like lemon. I love it, so I squeeze the whole lemon, and cover it with boiling water. Leave it to soak. Stir it every now and then, till it's soaked and cooked. It should take about 30mins. Then squeeze out any remaining water with some tissue.

Till it looks like this:

Chop up all the vegetable in fine dices, and the herbs in really thin strips. Add all this to the bulgar wheat once its cooled down.

Drizzle olive oil if you want, some salt and pepper and you're done.

Final product:

You can then pack up what you don't eat, and keep in the fridge, it stays nice for a few days.

I eat it with grilled chicken pieces, in pitta bread or just on its own, I love it!

Let me know if you try it, and if you adapt it in anyway so that I can try it too.

Enjoy!

Love ShameeraXxX

P.s dont forget to enter my contest here!

Asda Haul haha!

Hello!

Hows everyones Saturday been? I've been to the gym, had my threading and monthly microdermabrasion facial done, and had my car washed. I've also changed my blog...What do you guys think?


So, last night my mum & I decided to pop into Asda as there was nothing on and it would save us from having to go today for the weekly shop. Love Asda so much, I'm sure I'm not the only one!

I picked up a new coat, its a duffle coat (£35) which is quite light-weight so will go nicely into Spring (Sorry for the poor photo!):

Onto the reason for this post, the yoghurt's! These yoghurt's were on offer for 50p each so I thought may as well try them. I'm usually a snob when it comes to yoghurt's, where I'll only buy Rachel's Organic yoghurt's, but as these were so cheap, and a lot less calories I thought why not?!

The coconut one is nice, although not as creamy as the Rachels Organic ones, but still nice. However, the lemon one is absolutely gorgeous! It tastes citrus-y, but not too much. It's such a nice, light tasting yoghurt which could easily be a dessert. Yummm...! If you see them, I suggest trying them out.

Nutritional Values etc...

Coconut:

Lemon:

They also had a toffee flavour, but that didn't sound appealing to me!

Let me know if you try and like them too.

Enjoy your Saturday night!

Love ShameeraXxX

P.s Don't forget to enter my contest here!

Gym Buddies...Good idea or not?!

Hello Everyone!

TGIF right? This weeks been far too long!

So, I went to the gym today after a loong time. I've been working out at home, but just not been feeling up to going to the gym. So, my friend and I made sure we went today.

Ok, so this brings me nicely onto gym buddies...Yes or No?

I've always preferred gym-ing on my own. I like having a friend with me, but doing my own thing. I like to have my own workout plan, and doing what I want to. However, my friend who has recently started coming with me messes up my workout completely. I used to do at least 40-50 mins cardio with weights, since I've started with her, she does 20mins cardio then a few weights. She's so annoying! It's like I don't mind, do what you want but not if you expect me to do the same. I then have to say I'm staying and then do my bit. Then, she talks the whole time so wastes time that I could be working out and going home. Today, she got a phone call and expected me to wait around for her whilst she was speaking to the person on the other end..!! It's ridiculous!! Because I don't want to be rude, I can't tell her to shut up haha! I am now going to just go on my own without telling her...Really bad, I know but whats the point of going to the gym for 20mins of cardio? That  too only because I told her I'm not doing just 10mins! I feel like doing an extra 10 min run on the treadmill right now at home so that I can feel like I've done something!! (Sorry for the moan!)

So, what do you prefer? Working out alone or with company?

I think good, motivational company is great:

However when they just ruin your workout it absolutely fumes me :@!!



Love ShameeraXxX

Ice Cream Diet...What??!

Hi Guys,

How's everyones week been? I'm so tired, so glad it's Friday tomorrow. Looking forward to the weekend, we'll probably go out to for dinner/shisha cafe...Good times haha! What are your plans?

Anyways, omg I was just searching for healthy diet tips on google as I wanted a healthy lunch idea for tomorrow and I came across The Ice cream Diet!!

It says that new research suggests that the nutritional makeup of ice cream when eaten as part of a balanced diet may help burn fat faster than if you had not eaten the ice cream. A serving a day may help in other ways such as keeping bones strong, burning fat more efficiently as it is high in calcium which has been proven to help weight loss in the long term. Now, I don't know about you, but this sounds amazing to me...!! I can eat a Mcflurry a day lol!

So, how does it work?! You must stay within within your calorie allowance of 1500 calories for women or 2000 for men. As long as you do, you are free to eat that ice cream. Women get 1 cup, which is the equivalent of 180 grams of cream ice cream or 240 grams of fruit sorbet, and men get 1 1/2 cups of ice cream every day. You'll still lose weight because the ice cream is factored in to the diet. It's basically just a healthy diet, with a cup of ice cream included...Good Times!

Here are a few meal plans I found on a number of different sites for anyone who wants to try it:

Monday:
Breakfast: Coffee or tea and 3 whole-grain toasts, maybe with light fruit jam.
Morning snack: 1 peach
Lunch: Ice cream
Afternoon: 1 peach.
Dinner: 100 gr. of spaghetti and 100 gr. of grilled steak, 200 gr. of carrot and salad.

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Coffee or tea and 3 whole-grain toasts, maybe with light fruit jam.
Morning snack: 3-4 apricot
Lunch: Ice cream
Afternoon: 3-4 apricot
Dinner: 80 gr. of rice with tomato, 200 gr. of fish.

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Coffee or tea and 3 whole-grain toasts, maybe with light fruit jam.
Morning snack: 2 apples
Lunch: Ice cream
Afternoon: 2 apples
Dinner: 100 gr. of spaghetti with garlic sauce, and 100 gr. of ham without the fat, 200 gr. of salad

Thursday:
Breakfast: Coffee or tea and 3 whole-grain toasts, maybe with light fruit jam.
Morning snack: 1 peach
Lunch: Ice cream
Afternoon: 1 peach
Dinner: 150 gr. of baked chicken and 200 gr. of lettuce and carrot salad.

Friday:
Breakfast: Coffee or tea and 3 whole-grain toasts, maybe with light fruit jam.
Morning snack: 1 banana
Lunch: Ice cream
Afternoon: 1 banana
Dinner: 2 baked potatoes and 200 gr. of roasted chicken, 200 gr. of eggplant and pepper salad.

Saturday:
Breakfast: Coffee or tea and 3 whole-grain toasts, maybe with light fruit jam.
Morning snack: 1 pear
Lunch: Ice cream
Afternoon: 1 pear
Dinner: Pasta salad (80gr. of noddles and 50 gr. of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes) and chicken.
Sunday:
Breakfast: Coffee or tea and 3 whole-grain toasts, maybe with light fruit jam.
Morning snack: 100 gr. of strawberries
Lunch: Ice cream
Afternoon: 100 gr. of strawberries
Dinner: 200 gr. of vegetarian pizza.

 Find 3 more plans here, here and here!
 

Unfortunately, I don't think this kind of ice cream would be allowed...

 

Let me know what you think, and if you decide to try it!

I'm off to bed now!

Goodnight Everyone,

Love ShameeraXxX

P.s...Dont forget to enter my contest here!

Dont forget to...

Enter my contest!!!!
(click the link above)

Sunday Ramble

I'm so bored and sleepy today. Manchester United won today, although not a great win, but a wins a win!

It's been such a random week, as I was expecting to go back to work on Wednesday but it was Tuesday! It was only when I woke up, clicked into the Facebook app and noticed everyone was complaining about work, I text my friend, she called and said Yes! lol! I quickly ran down and logged in haha!

Did everyone hear Victoria Beckham is pregnant again? Not that I know the Beckhams personally, but very happy for them! I hate all the rumours always going around that he's cheating or they're not happy. I would hate to have that kind of stress on any relationship, it would create doubts even if you didn't want them.

I began a contest! I have one contestant at the moment, Sinead and she's winning lol! It's open till 9th February 2010, so if you want to enter just click here. It's a great prize :D

Oh my new fave eyeliner is my purple Sabaya one. My friend just came back from Dubai for the holidays, so I got a new bunch :) I just think that purple is so subtle, and really emphasises the colour of brown eyes. The other day, I used purple liner around my eye, then navy in the waterline, that was really nice even if I do say so myself lol!

I also got into a show called Modern Family. I know it's old and I have seen parts of an episode here and there, but I finally got into it. It's so funny, totally love it. It's got Sofia Vergara in and she is so hot, but so so funny in the show! Love it! Hope theres a Series 3. Does anyone know when Gossip Girl is starting back up?

Ok, I think I've rambled enough! 

What's everyone else been upto this week?

Love ShameeraXxX

Review - Creme De La Mer -

P.s Dont forget to enter my contest!

Hey Guys!

How is everyone? My first pot of Creme De la Mer finally finished last night so I thought, review time!

So, let me start with the method of using the cream. You take a tiny bit, rub in with your fingertips to heat it up and release the ingredients and pat into your skin, not massage it in. When you put it on, even though you've used just a tiny bit, your skin does feel moisturised. The cream smells like Nivea, so its nice, but artificial.

When I first started using it, the first 2 weeks it gave the glow...I was so happy thinking JLO skin, here I come! Then, after 2 weeks of glowy skin, my skin got used to it and I saw no difference. It was like I may as well have been using Nivea on my skin. However, as I had paid a stupid amount on the cream...Well a stupid amount of vouchers...I was going to persist and not just leave a half used jar like I do with everything else.

I then added in Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair into my routine, so I would use the serum, then the Creme De La Mer. Now these as a combination have had a amazing effect on my skin. I tried using the serum on its own to see if it was just that, but it wasn't, it's the combination. The funny thing is, is that Creme De La Mer was recently bought by Estee Lauder to be part of their brand. Doubt its the reason they work so well together though haha!

Would I buy it again? No. It's far to pricey and doesn't really do much as a product alone. I'm sure if I used another night cream with the Advanced Repair I would have the same results, maybe better. So, I am now off to find a new night cream. If anyone has any good recommendations, then please do let me know. Unfortunately, I am now yet again on the quest for the JLO glow.

Hope this review helps, and now you're not in awe of the £100 cream that isn't all that....!!

Love ShameeraXxX

It's contest time!!

Hey Guys,

Hope everyone is well? I had to travel down to London today and for a Friday there was no traffic so good day!
Anyways,  "whats the clever idea?" I hear you say? Well, I was reading a blog post by Primp & Preen, and she mentioned a new blogger who is doing a contest on who can get her the most followers! I've been wanting to do a little contest for a while, so when I read that I just instantly thought "Omg I want to do that"!!

So, the rules:

To enter, do what you need to as long as it's legal & please let me know you are entering in the comments box. Then, ask the people who do join me to comment on this post with your name so that I know you sent them :)Also, you must be a follower too, it's just nicer...!!

I think I'll make the closing date 9th February, a month from today. I'll announce the winners on the 10th/11th February 2010.

The prize - Whatever you want...haha! Joking, if I was a billionaire I would Give away a few Mercedes like here lady have this...  Ok, seriously though the prize will be whatever you want that is worth £30 (again as long as it's legal!), then I'll just add a few bits and pieces in too.

I feel that this could be seen as a way of 'buying' followers, it's not...It's just a bit of fun really! Even if I get just one follower, whoever gets me that follower will get a cool prize! If I get none, and no one enters...Then Oh Well!

Love ShameeraXxX

My Big Fat...Hair!

Review: My Big Fat Texturised Hair Spray (£8.99 – Boots)
 
I first saw this product on Get Gawjus (cant link as I’m at work and uploading this through my iPhone so will amend later) which is a great blog. She’s so pretty, and she put up photos of how her hair looked with this product and I was sold. It’s a hairspray that texturises and volumises hair. It’s meant to be a spray wax, volumiser and salt spray all in one. Do I agree? Hell yeah! I love it! Now that I only have half the hair that I had before, I am all for products that make my hair look thicker and fuller. I dry and style my hair, then just spray this in at the roots, and a general spritz all over and rub it in a bit and I have big hair.
 
 
I love the messy, big volumised hair thing that other people have going on that I just can’t get right. This product gives me that look. Also, usually these waxy based products leave my hair looking greasy, and like its got a bad case of product overload, however this one, surprisingly doesn’t do it. Its quite a thick liquid thing, I say thing as I’m not sure what it is, it’s gloopy looking, you shake it loads and then it sprays out like a liquid. It also has the signature Lee Stafford smell which I absolutely l-o-v-e. He has a body spray out now, I haven’t smelt it, so I wonder if it’s the same scent?!
 
Would I recommend it? In a word, yes! Next thing I want to try (again!) is the hair growth treatment he has. I used it once and it didn’t do anything, however there are so many rave reviews all over the place for it that I want to try it again, just to see…!
 
What hair products are you loving right now???
 
Love ShameeraXxX
 

Healthy Stuff Post

Such an original title right?! I had such a long day that I have no energy left!

How is everyone? It's so hard going back to work after so much time off...:-(

Anyways, so as I've started to be healthy I thought I would do a post on healthy snacks and meals that I have whilst on a diet. If you have any tips, then please do comment as I love knowing other peoples tricks!

1) Dates - These are great at filling you up for longer. In the morning as I'm not a breakfast person I eat 2 dates with my coffee and they keep me full up till lunch. I initially started eating them as they're good for the old toilet issues (aka constipation!) However, they have amazing benefits which can be found on this site. They release energy around half an hour after consuming, so great for morning or even in the evenings when you feel lethargic.

2) Teas - I love drinking herbal teas and Green Teas. I go through phases of Green tea, I either love them or hate them...Right now I'm on a hate phase. When I do have them I have either the lemon or mint flavoured ones as they're a lot nicer. At the moment though, I am LOVING Pukka Detox Teas. These taste yumm, especially if you like aniseed kind of tastes. They're nice in the evening after your meal & caffeine free. I'm not sure if they detox, however they stop me from snacking after.

3) Cooking in Foil - Ok, so when I'm on a diet to ensure I eat as little bad fat as possible I take a piece of foil put in my chicken or fish, add loads of vegetables, some lemon, sea salt, coarse pepper, fresh green chillies (They speed up the metabolism!), coriander and whatever else you wish. I then drizzle some olive oil, and bake in the oven. This way you have tasty food that's cooked healthily.

Just to break up the post, here are some motivational photos!!

My Fave lol!

 I want a cupcake...mmmm!!!

4) Water - Which health post would be complete without drinking lots of water?! It really does help though, seriously! I always add a slice of lemon to increase detox properties. Although don't have too much lemon or it'll dry your skin out. As well as helping you lose weight, your skin and hair will look a lot better too.

5) Motivation - Ok, so to begin with you're all like "Yess, I'm being healthy, I'm so good!" then you see some chocolate cake and want it! How do I stay motivated? I look around me and see how skinny other people are and think I wish I could be like them. I just think about how I'll look and feel when I'll lose the weight. Also, find something you cant fit into anymore and keep trying it on and once it's fits you'll be so :D that you'll feel motivated carry on and lose even more!

6) Packed lunch - Take food and snacks with you wherever you go, be it work or just running errands. This way you wont be tempted by foods around you, as you cant always find something healthy, and hunger always takes over. I usually have a Pink Lady apple in my bag (I only eat Pink Lady's as they're yummiest! If you've never tried them, you have to!) or a pear. As random as it is, I always keep a can of healthy soup in my car for work lunches when I want something warm and filling. Baxters are the best in my opinion, they even have a healthy range however I wouldn't trust that blindly as some of their normal soups are lower in fat/cals!

I hate leaving thing on a random number like 6, I'm weird like that it has to be 5 or 10 so this post is going to annoy me! So please let me know your tips so that I can add them in and at least make it a top 10!!

Hope that helps & hope you're enjoying the New Year so far!

Love ShameeraXxX

FInally decided...

Hey Everyone!

How has everyone been? Hope you all had a great New Years!

I'm sitting at home as I have really bad tummy pains, I think I ate too much yesterday. As I decided I was going to eat loads yesterday and start being healthy from today....Bad mistake as my tummy kills and I am in too much pain to do any exercise haha! I will have a little walk/run on the treadmill later on though.

So, what have I finally decided?! My New Years resolutions!! Haha! I don't really keep them, but this year I want to change/do the following:

1) Run a half marathon at least. My brother and I are going to train to do the Robin Hood half marathon in Nottingham...Should be fun, I think :-s
2) As well a running, I want start eating healthy and just be generally a lot healthier than I am now. The past few months I have been going to the gym very rarely and eating what I want. This has had an effect on my health, constantly being sick and not being able to go to the loo (TMI I know!!) So I want to change all this!
3) Stop being so obsessed with finding a husband...LOL! The less I go into this the better, but I have to stop that!

That's it really...Can't think of anything else!! Let me know what your resolutions are, I might steal some of yours too :D

Love Shameera XxX

Omg...

Usually blogger send me emails when I get comments on my posts, but I haven't been receiving them and have only just seen some comments! How annoying, as I haven't even changed any settings etc...! Is anyone else experiencing this? How do I fix this?

Love ShameeraxXx