BERRY BERRY NICE!

Cosy jumper, log burning fire, hot chocolate, pumpkin pie and berry stained lips! Autumn is here and what better way to celebrate than with a berry stained lip! The trend of stained lips is back this Autumn and it’s my fav way to rock a dark lipstick. It’s an effortless and beautiful way to update your look.

Try MAC Lip Liner in Burgundy with a touch of lip balm. Just fill in your lips starting from the centre out, leaving the edges soft and then adding a touch of lip balm

Or

Try MAC ‘Dark Side’ for a richer colour (as worn by my beautiful model below!). Apply lightly all over the lips (ideally with a lip brush if you have one), but keep the edges soft, then blot the colour down to a light stain. Apply a little more colour the center of the lips for that ‘I've just eaten loads of tasty berries’ look. Dark Side is quite moisturizing, so you shouldn't need to use a lip balm, but that doesn't mean you can’t use one.

Finish with a light dusting of a rosy blush and you are good to go!

SMOOTHIE 4 - MIXED BERRY AND GINGER

This smoothie was absolutely delicious! I'm loving the fruit smoothies with ginger.

Ingredients:

Cup of cold water

Juice of 1 lemon

Inch cube of fresh ginger

Vanilla protein powder

Frozen mixed berries

Frozen strawberries

Hand full of spinach

I added a banana to Jon's smoothie, but mine was filling enough without it.

This has been one of the quickest and easiest smoothies due to the minimal amount of chopping/peeling required. I did need to use quite a bit of water as the frozen fruits make the smoothie too thick for me. It’s a real quick way to make a berry sorbet for a quick and healthy desert! I'm going to try to remember that for the future!

One thing I have learnt is that no matter how much you try to get all of the seeds out of the lemon before squeezing into your smoothie mix, there will always be at least one or two extra’s that come out! Once they have fallen in, they are such a pain to fish out! I think I will juice the lemon in a small cup before adding to the smoothie from now on.

SMOOTHIE 3 - PINEAPPLE, KIWI & GINGER

Ingredients:

1 small tin of pineapple in juice (not syrup)

1 kiwi

Juice of 1 lemon

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

1 teaspoon of flaxseed

1 cup of water

YUUUUUUUUM!! This smoothie has been my favourite by far! I was so energized and refreshed after drinking it. I had so much to do on Sat, including house work, shopping, socials, makeup bookings, gym etc (normal Sat for me!), but having this smoothie in the morning gave me the energy to get going and I didn’t have any kind of horrible sugar come down. Usually, I’m on the coffee early and by 14:00 I’m ruined and struggle to keep going. I think this has been the most rewarding effect of having a smoothie in the morning. I’ve noticed that I have a sustainable amount of energy throughout the day and when I get home, I still feel pretty good. Obviously, there are other elements that are contributing like not eating bread, reducing coffee intake, avoiding sugary snacks etc, but I honestly think that the smoothies are playing a big part. My skin is looking better and I feel a lot less bloated. This is only my first week and I can’t really tell if it’s effecting my weight yet (I hate scales and I’m not prepared to let myself get obsessed by the number on that dial), but I’m feeling pretty good and I think that’s what matters most.

BATH UNIVERSITY COMMERCIAL 2013

Back last year I was involved in a commercial shoot for Bath Uni (Hair & Makeup). Some of you might remember my ‘14 HOURS ON SET, A TAPED UP MANNEQUIN AND TOO MANY CUPS OF COFFEE!’ post? Well, below you will see the outcome of that day!

The students were awesome to work with, as were the rest of the team!

SMOOTHIE 2 – GREEN GOODNESS

Ingredients:

A few stems of broccoli (I only used about a third of what is shown in the image)

Hand full of baby spinach

Juice from 1 lime

Juice from half a lemon

1 peeled kiwi

Half a peeled apple

1 inch cube of fresh grated ginger

Chunk of peeled cucumber

Half a cup of cold water

I had this glowing glass of green goodness for breakfast and it was amazing! It was so fresh and really filling. I wanted to try using broccoli as I know how much goodness is in there but the thought of raw mushed broccoli for breakfast kinda made my stomach turn. However, the kiwi, lemon, lime and apple totally masked the taste of it. I didn't mind that it was a little on the thick side because it was so refreshing. The ginger wasn't as strong as I thought it would be either, you just get a nice warm after taste. 

I made a bit of a mess with this one! The amount of liquid combined with all the fruit/veg resulted in lots of spitting and splashing! The whole counter got covered! Next time I will build up gradually and use a lower speed. It was also quite a full glass and I still had a lot left in the jug! I couldn't finish it all as I was so full. I thought that I would be really hungry by 10:00, but I lasted until 12:00 without any need for a morning snack. Happy days.

I even managed to get the boyfriend in on some smoothie making action this morning! He didn't actually make the smoothie, but he was intrigued and I agreed to make one for him.

I pretty much used the same ingredients as The Breakfast Power Smoothie. Jon likes a good hearty breakfast and wasn't sure if the smoothie would be enough, so I replaced the protein powder with oats, used a whole banana, more peanut butter and a small amount of cocoa powder. He wasn't a fan of the green colour, but once he started drinking, he loved it! RESULT!

Making a smoothie on the morning isn't too much hassle and I love that you can put it in a bottle and go. However, I would love to find ways to make it easier and quicker. I guess I could wash, peel and chop my fruit and veg the night before? Or someone has even suggested chopping, then freezing the fruit and veg! If anyone has any handy tips, please share!

TESTIMONIAL: LOVELY WORDS FROM A LOVELY BRIDE

I always love hearing from my brides after their wedding. Their feedback is so important to me and it means so much to know that I have done a good job! 

I have to share this stunning picture of Kelly and her lovely comments :)

"Ami was my AMAZING make-up artist for my wedding at the end of December 2012! She made all of my bridesmaids and my mum look really beautiful and I was absolutely delighted with my make-up too! I wanted a glamorous look that Ami confidently achieved and she was very flexible and accommodating to all of the bridesmaids wishes. Ami is so calming and patient and she slotted perfectly into our day :-) Thank you so much and I have recommended you to all of my friends and I know one of them has already booked you for later this year!"

SMOOTHIE NO.1 – BREAKFAST ON THE GO!

Let the smoothie experimenting begin!

I purchased a lovely little hand blender for my smoothie making. It’s nothing fancy or expensive, but it does the job and is easy to clean.

This was my first attempt and I’m going to call it ‘The Breakfast Power Smoothie’!

Ingredients:

Half a cup of skimmed milk

1 scoop Vanilla Soy Protein Powder

Large handful of spinach

1 shot of espresso

Half a banana

1 small teaspoon of peanut butter

Small handful of ice

I forgot to take a picture, but it looked as disgusting as it sounds!

I have seen loads of recipes that include spinach and have been advised that it has a mild flavour. I was a bit unsure about adding it, but I can honestly say that the smoothie was really tasty and I didn’t even notice the spinach! Once you get over the fact that the smoothie you are about to drink is green, you’re all good!

As a breakfast smoothie, I was pretty impressed, very awake and quite full! I had it at about 8:00 am and wasn’t hungry until at least 12:30! That, my friends, is a long time to go without wanting a snack!  

Smoothie No.1 = SUCCESS!