Swarovski Crystal charm bracelet:
OMG I love the smell of this, a new favourite maybe?! Loving the gift bag it came in, and the bottle is beautiful!!
Ok, no more procrastinating - to the gym!!
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Presents
Before I go off to the gym - first time after a month! I thought I would show you my 2 fave birthday presents :D
Swarovski Crystal charm bracelet:
Gucci Guilty Perfume:
OMG I love the smell of this, a new favourite maybe?! Loving the gift bag it came in, and the bottle is beautiful!!
Swarovski Crystal charm bracelet:
OMG I love the smell of this, a new favourite maybe?! Loving the gift bag it came in, and the bottle is beautiful!!
Review: Lush Herbalism
On the day I got my manicure, we had 2 hours to kill because the manicurist told us we didn't need to book an appointment, however when we went she said she couldn't do it for another 2 hours as she had appointments...Yeah, Nails inc just keeps getting better & better right?! So, we decided to walk around and because we were fasting we didn't want to do much, Lush it was. Does anyone else just love going in and playing with their stuff and the bowls of water!? So much fun! Started with the bath bombs, then the bars, the bath jellies and then finally skin care...As you can imagine, our hands were squeaky clean!
The products that most stood out to me were the cleansers. They looked so weird! Black, green and then a beige looking one (click the links to go to the products). I decided to go for the Herbalism cleanser. Its for oily skin, even though I don't have oily skin anymore, its a habit now, I can't accept that I don't have oily skin anymore. The cleanser includes chlorophyll (From what I can remember from GCSE biology, its the stuff that makes plants green!) nettle, rice vinegar, rosemary and kaolin. It then also includes ground almonds and rice bran to exfoliate. Good stuff, right?!
So, to the cleanser...It smells really vinegary. Not nice!! However, it's tolerable, and doesn't last so don't let it put you off. Once you wash your face with this cleanser, your skin feels soft and moisturised. I really liked it. It's easy to use, you take a little bit of the green stuff, mix it with water in your hands and it turns to a paste, you just have to use it like you would a normal exfoliator. My main issue with this cleanser is that it doesn't take off makeup. No matter how many attempts foundation and eyeliner doesn't budge. So, I tend to use this first thing in the morning, and then another cleanser to wash off makeup in the evening. This is really inconvenient, as it ultimately means if you're a make up user, you need 2 cleansers. If you're ok with this, then go for it as the cleanser leaves your skin feeling soft, and glowy. Also, the 100g tub would last you ages, as you only use a tiny amount every day, and it's about £5 so good value for money in this sense. However, if you're after convenience, and don't want separate cleansers then I wouldn't recommend this.
To the photos....
Has anyone tried the other Lush cleansers? What do you think of them? Should I try them all???
The products that most stood out to me were the cleansers. They looked so weird! Black, green and then a beige looking one (click the links to go to the products). I decided to go for the Herbalism cleanser. Its for oily skin, even though I don't have oily skin anymore, its a habit now, I can't accept that I don't have oily skin anymore. The cleanser includes chlorophyll (From what I can remember from GCSE biology, its the stuff that makes plants green!) nettle, rice vinegar, rosemary and kaolin. It then also includes ground almonds and rice bran to exfoliate. Good stuff, right?!
So, to the cleanser...It smells really vinegary. Not nice!! However, it's tolerable, and doesn't last so don't let it put you off. Once you wash your face with this cleanser, your skin feels soft and moisturised. I really liked it. It's easy to use, you take a little bit of the green stuff, mix it with water in your hands and it turns to a paste, you just have to use it like you would a normal exfoliator. My main issue with this cleanser is that it doesn't take off makeup. No matter how many attempts foundation and eyeliner doesn't budge. So, I tend to use this first thing in the morning, and then another cleanser to wash off makeup in the evening. This is really inconvenient, as it ultimately means if you're a make up user, you need 2 cleansers. If you're ok with this, then go for it as the cleanser leaves your skin feeling soft, and glowy. Also, the 100g tub would last you ages, as you only use a tiny amount every day, and it's about £5 so good value for money in this sense. However, if you're after convenience, and don't want separate cleansers then I wouldn't recommend this.
To the photos....
ShameeraXXX
Friday, 17 September 2010
Cakes & Brownies
I just wanted to give you guys the recipe I use for Cupcakes (& 'big' cakes), frosting and brownies.
Cake:
•6 oz (175 g) self-raising flour.
•1 rounded tsp baking powder
•3 large eggs
•6 oz (175 g) soft butter
•6 oz (175 g) caster sugar
•½ tsp vanilla extract (not the essence!)
•3 tbsp milk
To make it chocolate add:
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
2 tbsp cocoa powder (Or more if you prefer it really chocolately - I just go by eye with this. Taste the mixture and judge!)
Method:
Beat the butter and the sugar until light and creamy. Beat the eggs and add vanilla extract. Gradually add to the butter mixture, putting in a tablespoon of the flour to prevent the mixture curdling.
Fold in the remaining flour (& chocolate & coffee for the chocolate cake). Spread the mixture evenly into prepared tins, or cupcake cups for cupcakes, dont overfill! Eat the remaining mixture...I love cake mixture more than cake! Bake for 20 mins or until the sponge is lightly golden and doesn't wobble. The way I check is that if you touch it, it springs back up. Leave the sponges in the tin for 5 mins before transferring onto a wire rack to cool.
8 oz (250g) icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp hot water
Add cocoa powder if you want to make it chocolate - again, just judge it by taste!
Mix it all up and spread on a cold cake :)
Brownies Recipe:
(This is copied from The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook - AMAZING book if you like sweet things!)
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
175g unsalted butter
325g caster sugar
130g plain flour
3 eggs
icing sugar, to decorate
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170C / 325F / GM3
2. Put the chocolate an butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Leave until melted and smooth.
3. Remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir until well incorporated. Add the flour and stir until well incorporated. Finally, stir in the eggs and mix until thick and smooth.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray (eat the remaining mixture - Seriously, its so good!!) and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until flaky on the top but still soft in the centre. Be careful not to overcook otherwise the edges will become hard and crunchy. Leave to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar, to decorate. I cooked mine for 20mins as the edges were burning, but the inside was still a bit raw - Really nice if you want gooey brownies. I think 25mins would be perfect.
With both the brownie and chocolate cake recipes, if you under cook them by about 10 minutes, they will be amazing desserts to eat with ice-cream...Yum!
Enjoy!! :-)
Love ShameeraXXX
Cake:
•6 oz (175 g) self-raising flour.
•1 rounded tsp baking powder
•3 large eggs
•6 oz (175 g) soft butter
•6 oz (175 g) caster sugar
•½ tsp vanilla extract (not the essence!)
•3 tbsp milk
To make it chocolate add:
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
2 tbsp cocoa powder (Or more if you prefer it really chocolately - I just go by eye with this. Taste the mixture and judge!)
Method:
Beat the butter and the sugar until light and creamy. Beat the eggs and add vanilla extract. Gradually add to the butter mixture, putting in a tablespoon of the flour to prevent the mixture curdling.
Fold in the remaining flour (& chocolate & coffee for the chocolate cake). Spread the mixture evenly into prepared tins, or cupcake cups for cupcakes, dont overfill! Eat the remaining mixture...I love cake mixture more than cake! Bake for 20 mins or until the sponge is lightly golden and doesn't wobble. The way I check is that if you touch it, it springs back up. Leave the sponges in the tin for 5 mins before transferring onto a wire rack to cool.
Frosting...Well icing as we say in Britain(!):
5 oz (150g) Butter - softened 8 oz (250g) icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp hot water
Add cocoa powder if you want to make it chocolate - again, just judge it by taste!
Mix it all up and spread on a cold cake :)
Brownies Recipe:
(This is copied from The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook - AMAZING book if you like sweet things!)
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
175g unsalted butter
325g caster sugar
130g plain flour
3 eggs
icing sugar, to decorate
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170C / 325F / GM3
2. Put the chocolate an butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Leave until melted and smooth.
3. Remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir until well incorporated. Add the flour and stir until well incorporated. Finally, stir in the eggs and mix until thick and smooth.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray (eat the remaining mixture - Seriously, its so good!!) and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until flaky on the top but still soft in the centre. Be careful not to overcook otherwise the edges will become hard and crunchy. Leave to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar, to decorate. I cooked mine for 20mins as the edges were burning, but the inside was still a bit raw - Really nice if you want gooey brownies. I think 25mins would be perfect.
With both the brownie and chocolate cake recipes, if you under cook them by about 10 minutes, they will be amazing desserts to eat with ice-cream...Yum!
Enjoy!! :-)
Love ShameeraXXX
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Happy Birthday to me :D
Hey Guys,
How is everyone? As per the title, it's my birthday today! However, I spent it on a course about the UK Energy Market...It was interesting I guess, and we got a good lunch :-) I'm too tired to do anything today, but will be going out on Saturday.
Anyways, my Naked Palette is here ...Well it came yesterday, but we missed the post so I went and collected it today. I love the colours, its really nice. However, I feel like I already have them all in some form or another. The product itself is great, can't complain, I just feel as though I could've done without it!It's got some great, well pigmented colours and it's convenient having all the colours in one place. If you're a neutral lover like me, chances are you already have the colours and if you want to save money, I would say you could do without it. (OMG, I am really getting older...The 'Me' yesterday would've just thought who cares?!)
So, on to the photos...Of course!
How is everyone? As per the title, it's my birthday today! However, I spent it on a course about the UK Energy Market...It was interesting I guess, and we got a good lunch :-) I'm too tired to do anything today, but will be going out on Saturday.
Anyways, my Naked Palette is here ...Well it came yesterday, but we missed the post so I went and collected it today. I love the colours, its really nice. However, I feel like I already have them all in some form or another. The product itself is great, can't complain, I just feel as though I could've done without it!It's got some great, well pigmented colours and it's convenient having all the colours in one place. If you're a neutral lover like me, chances are you already have the colours and if you want to save money, I would say you could do without it. (OMG, I am really getting older...The 'Me' yesterday would've just thought who cares?!)
So, on to the photos...Of course!
I think I'm most excited about using the brown eyeliner!
In other non-beauty news...Look at what I am going to eat in a bit...
Good Times...Obviously not all three of them!
ALSO....
Look at how cute this card my friend made for me :D
She knows my obsession with koalas (they're sooo cute!) and made me this card. It's so amazing!
Love Shameeraxxx
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Posts to do
Ok, just so that I can keep track of posts I need to do and not get distracted by macaroons I am going to make a list. If anyone wants me to do anything else, then please do let me know :D
If anyone knows how to get one of those things on the side bar where you can scratch things off, then please tell me!!
*Sanotint Hairdye - Although as my hair is shedding again, I don't think I'll be dying it for a while.
*Cakes Recipe.
*Lush Herbalism review.
*Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair review.
*Dove Volume Shampoo & Conditioner review.
ShameeraXXX
If anyone knows how to get one of those things on the side bar where you can scratch things off, then please tell me!!
*Sanotint Hairdye - Although as my hair is shedding again, I don't think I'll be dying it for a while.
*Cakes Recipe.
*Lush Herbalism review.
*Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair review.
*Dove Volume Shampoo & Conditioner review.
ShameeraXXX
Harrods, but no haul?!
Hey Guys,
How is everyone? I got back from London this morning, so am knackered! Had a good journey back up though as I had a friend with me, so we gossiped the whole way here! We also ended up eating 4 pastries from the hotel buffet between us...This is such a bad week for me...!!
So, I popped into Harrods for some shopping but I didn't buy anything! Can you believe it?! No makeup, no clothes...Just a few food bits! Ok, so I bought a few things, but food doesn't really count. Some macaroons and baklava!?! I needed to get some Laduree macaroons though, and OMG they're amaaazzing! If anyone gets the chance to try them, then do it! Just don't try the orange flower flavour, as it tastes like shower gel :-s Vanilla, Rose and Pistachio are my faves, especially pistachio. The actual tea room is so beautiful and decadent, I want to eat there next time. The packaging is so beautiful too...Like I bought something from a designer store. I bought some on Monday, and we finished them on Tuesday for lunch, so I went back on Tuesday for another box...£22 on biscuits in 2 days....No comment, right?!
Poor quality photos:
How is everyone? I got back from London this morning, so am knackered! Had a good journey back up though as I had a friend with me, so we gossiped the whole way here! We also ended up eating 4 pastries from the hotel buffet between us...This is such a bad week for me...!!
So, I popped into Harrods for some shopping but I didn't buy anything! Can you believe it?! No makeup, no clothes...Just a few food bits! Ok, so I bought a few things, but food doesn't really count. Some macaroons and baklava!?! I needed to get some Laduree macaroons though, and OMG they're amaaazzing! If anyone gets the chance to try them, then do it! Just don't try the orange flower flavour, as it tastes like shower gel :-s Vanilla, Rose and Pistachio are my faves, especially pistachio. The actual tea room is so beautiful and decadent, I want to eat there next time. The packaging is so beautiful too...Like I bought something from a designer store. I bought some on Monday, and we finished them on Tuesday for lunch, so I went back on Tuesday for another box...£22 on biscuits in 2 days....No comment, right?!
Poor quality photos:
The caramel melted in my car :-(
First box all gone!
I can't believe I've just done a huge post on macaroons...!! To end it, let me give you a link to the recipe for macaroons in case I've given you cravings....Although it wont be as good as Laduree haha!
Tomorrows my birthday, but I'm going to be stuck in a training course...It's ok though, at least I wont be working.
I will do a proper post sometime this week...
Love Shameeraxxx
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Weight loss & Anaemia
Omg I ate so much yesterday, that I woke up feeling full and sick. I then had a coconut cupcake with my coffee this morning, which did not help! I've decided to take this week off, and then go back to the gym. I only have 5lbs to lose now to get to my goal weight :D I really should've tried to lose it during Ramadhan, but with all the gorgeous desserts, and fried food I couldn't resist! The plus side is I didn't put on any weight. Has anyone got a Weight Watchers scale? Does anyone know why I'm a different weight every time I go on it??? Which is the best scale to get? I like to know my weight, so in case I put on a couple of pounds, I can quickly go back to losing them before it gets too late. Also, since taking roaccutane, I'm always bloated...No matter what, my belly is always full of air. I've started eating an Activia yoghurt a day which seems to be helping. In Asian culture, they say that you have a lot of heat in your body. I'm not 100% sure how to explain this, but this article explains it well. Basically, the medicine creates a lot of heat in your body, and so is reacting by making me bloated.
I'm also having issues going to the loo - too much info, I know! But it's true haha...I hate it!! Although, I think that's primarily due to my iron medicine that I have to take due to my anaemia. I stopped taking it but now my iron levels have depleted so much that it's become dangerous so I'm having to take them. Does anyone else have anaemia? How do you keep yourself regular?? (Sorry!) Anaemia is actually really common amongst females, and most people don't even know that they have it. It's when you don't have enough red blood cells in your body, The red blood cells take up oxygen in the lungs and carry it to all the body's cells. Hence why people with anaemia are usually pale. You know me, I don't like to plagiarise so I found this helpful article. The most common symptoms are:
I have so many other things I need to blog about, including cakes and recipes, Dove volume shampoo and conditioner (good stuff!), Advanced Night Repair review (good stuff again!) and on Monday I'm hoping to go to Harrods and Laduree for my birthday woohoo :D :D LOVE HARRODS!! So, I will be taking pics. I've been looking for 3 outfits for my 3 birthday celebrations, but have so far only found one dress that I wore yesterday as I wanted to change out of my Asian outfit and wanted a new thing to wear for Eid. So, if anyone has seen some nice dresses, please let me know! I want to start doing OOTD's but I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in my style, it's pretty simple :-s
Have a great day everyone, and remember to get your iron levels checked out!
Love Shameeraxxx
I'm also having issues going to the loo - too much info, I know! But it's true haha...I hate it!! Although, I think that's primarily due to my iron medicine that I have to take due to my anaemia. I stopped taking it but now my iron levels have depleted so much that it's become dangerous so I'm having to take them. Does anyone else have anaemia? How do you keep yourself regular?? (Sorry!) Anaemia is actually really common amongst females, and most people don't even know that they have it. It's when you don't have enough red blood cells in your body, The red blood cells take up oxygen in the lungs and carry it to all the body's cells. Hence why people with anaemia are usually pale. You know me, I don't like to plagiarise so I found this helpful article. The most common symptoms are:
- Looking pale.
- Feeling breathless after little exercise.
- Constantly tired, and have no energy,
- A rapid pulse or palpitations (the sensation of feeling your heartbeat thumping in your chest) - I had this one and I thought I was having a heart attack. I had to go to A&E, have an ECG and all sorts. Once I started my iron back up, it went.
I have so many other things I need to blog about, including cakes and recipes, Dove volume shampoo and conditioner (good stuff!), Advanced Night Repair review (good stuff again!) and on Monday I'm hoping to go to Harrods and Laduree for my birthday woohoo :D :D LOVE HARRODS!! So, I will be taking pics. I've been looking for 3 outfits for my 3 birthday celebrations, but have so far only found one dress that I wore yesterday as I wanted to change out of my Asian outfit and wanted a new thing to wear for Eid. So, if anyone has seen some nice dresses, please let me know! I want to start doing OOTD's but I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in my style, it's pretty simple :-s
Have a great day everyone, and remember to get your iron levels checked out!
Love Shameeraxxx
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