The good the bad and the ugly: Dry shampoo

Hey guys!

I'm sorry I've been MIA! I can't guarantee I'm going to keep up with two posts a week  but I sure will try.

I'm coming back with a new series, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This week I'm starting off with dry shampoo.

Most of us are stuck in our ways with dry shampoo, heading straight for batiste. I love batiste but for those of us with dark hair the white caste is just so hard to get rid of, even the ones made for dark hair seem to make me look grey.

I have been searching for so long for a dry shampoo that gives me lasting volume and tames that pesky grease that just seems to come out of nowhere.

Before we get into the the good, the bad and the ugly, here are some of my honourable mentions.

Vo5: Isn't too bad, the white caste is minimal but even the one dedicated to volume weighed my hair down and definitely didn't give me any volume.

Trésemee: Another one that's not bad but not really that good. The white caste is a little bit more prominent compared to VO5 and no volume again.

Girls only: This one is made for those of us with dark hair and there is still an off colour to it. It does give me some volume but it doesn't last.

The Good: Co lab by Ruth Crilley aka A model recommends.

Extreme volume & Sheer Invisible.

I fell in love with this one the first time I used it! So much that I went out and bought the entire range just for this post. There are five scents, New York, London, Tokyo, Paris and Rio. All of them smell like they advertise but Paris is most definitely not floral. I'm torn between New York and Rio they both have that fruity smell I love.

I bought Tokyo in the sheer invisible range just to see the difference ans it definitely is invisible even on my dark hair! There is a slight white caste but as long as you shake it well it's great!!

If you don't really care too much about volume the sheer invisible ones are pretty much the holy grail of dry shampoos.

The Bad: Aussie.

I only have one thing to say about the Aussie dry shampoo. It made my hair more greasy! How does that even work?!

The Ugly: Batiste

Now I know I'm going to get some hate for this but i just can't deal with the white caste that batiste gives me. Even though the tropical one is by far my favourite smell ever! I can't justify it now that so many brands are coming out with dry shampoos. I'm not saying it's bad at all it just doesn't give me what I want from a dry shampoo.



Quick Diet update.

It's pretty much gone out the window since Easter. Daytime is fine but the minute I finish work I get that Sainsbury's feeling and end up going crazy!

Give it a few weeks and ill be back in diet mode. Until then I'm not going to post anything health related just because I feel like a bit of a hypocrite if I'm blogging about things I don't fully believe in.




Until next time.

 R x

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The British tag.

Hey guys! Happy April fools day!!, I'm sorry I missed Sunday's post, Ive been all over the place this week! :(

Since i only remembered it was Wednesday at 6am this morning here's a lovely post that I wrote for a time like this. I love doing tags so I just had to do the British tag!! Enjoy!

1. How many cups of tea do you have a day? How many sugars?

Don't all hate me but I just don't care for tea. I'm sorry I know, I'm British I should love the stuff! 

2. Favourite part of your roast?

Yorkshire puds all the way!! Stuffing is a close second but those Yorkshires they're just my weakness.

3. Favourite dunking biscuit?

Since I don't drink tea, I don't really dunk. I'm not even really a biscuit person either but my biscuit of choice would be a good old chocolate digestive.

4. Favourite quintessentially British pastime?

Afternoon tea... Just without the tea. Give me a beer instead.

5. Favourite word?

Indestructible. Not a clue why it's just a good, 'strong' word. (Pun intended)

6. Cockney rhyme slang?

James blunt- cunt.

It's a naughty one but by far my favourite, probably because that's my favourite swear word.

7. Favourite sweet?

I'm not counting chocolate here because when someone says sweets it's not what I think of. 
Bonbons, they are quite literally made by angels.

8. What would your pub be called?

How is this the toughest question?! I'll have to go with the 'Horse and Groom' or anything horsey.

9. No.1 British person?

Good old queeny! I'm such a royalist.

10. Favourite shop / Restaurant?

H&M for the shop and honestly I couldn't thing of a restaurant, not a chain anyway that's quintessentially British. I do love pub grub though it's just so comforting.

11. What British song pops into your head?

Anything by the spice girls! 

12. Marmite?

Only when I'm hungover, a tad of butter and thin layer of marmite cures me right up.


Sorry it's only a short post this week, hopefully I''l be back into the swing of things by next week!

Until next time.

R x
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The best shoes you will ever buy.

Hey Guys!! Happy Wednesday, we're halfway to the weekend :)

Shoes are one of my biggest weaknesses, I love them. Most of the time we sacrifice comfort for looks, especially with shoes. Who actually enjoys wearing killer heels 24/7?! They're beautiful but boy do most of them hurt like hell! I wish this post was about some killer comfy heels but it's not.

For those of you that want everyday comfy but pretty shoes, I have found the ones for you!

I'm probably a little bit late on the flossy wagon but these beauties have only just found their way into my life.

This picture doesn't really do them justice!!
If you want to grab them while they're on sale click here.

On Saturday, me and J wandered into Office with no intention of buying anything, but hiding on the bottom of the sale rack, I spotted these gems... Luckily they were my size and I honestly just tried them on because they were my size. It was like stepping onto a cloud. I was already sold but when I got to the counter they were reduced to £14! fourteen pound!!

I haven't taken them off since! (apart from bed obvs!) I love them that much I ordered the black ones aswell. It is quite literally like wearing slippers to work, I don't even take them off when I get home. As a matter of fact I'm wearing them right now!

The only down side is that I know I'm going to wear these out sooooo quickly. I never want to wear any other shoes every again!!

Until next time.

R x

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Crest 3D whitening strips: Gentle routine.

Hey guys! Happy Sunday:)

First let me apologise for missing my regular Wednesday post, I'm trying to get used to having an actual job! I need to get my time management in order!!

To make up for my laziness here's my review of the crest whitening strips I picked up in New York before Christmas. I've been using these long enough that I can actually give you guys a proper review. enjoy!

Honestly when I picked the gentle routine it was only because they were the cheapest and I was running out of money quickly. I'm actually glad I picked these ones, unlike the rest of the whitening strips these can be used continuously rather than only twice a year. For someone that has a major coffee addiction and sensitive teeth this is a massive plus!

Basically you use them for 5 minutes a day and a normal box will last about 1 month. I paid about $43 (£30) for mine, only slightly cheaper than if I bought them through eBay in England. 

They're designed so that you can still drink through a straw with them on but I don't dare, they seem to slip around just from talking. This wasn't an issue when I tired the vivid white ones a few years ago but considering these are only on for 5 minutes it's not an issue.

I started using these as soon as I got back from the states along side the Crest 3D White toothpaste in radiant mint. (The only toothpaste I have ever found that I can actually bare the taste).

Within three days my teeth were noticeably whiter, I would love to give you before and after photos but my teeth are not the most photogenic. So you'll just have to take my word for it.

Ignore my horrific teeth but look at them under UV light! 

This is only just over half way through the course and I've had days off!

So its been a good few months since I started using this pack and I still have about five left. After about three weeks my teeth were whiter than they had ever been and I was happy with the results, so I stopped using them every day and kept the last few for top ups.

I've been topping up every two to three weeks and my teeth are still pearly white. I actually love these so much! They need to bring them over to the UK it's rather annoying that I'm going to have to buy them on eBay until I get another chance to go stateside.

The only con I can say about these were that my mum's dentist told her to warn me against them but didn't exactly detail to why... I already had sensitive teeth and these didn't make that any worse! In my eyes they have made one of my biggest flaws that much better. I almost love my teeth now, although don't expect too many toothy smiles. I don't love them that much ;)

I know my usual posts on Sundays are diet orientated but I'm on a bumpy road at the moment. I'm not following it as closely as I would like. Chocolate has weaselled it's way back in! Although, I've still lost 1lbs this week, I know it could be ten times better if I just stuck to my diet days and treated in moderation. Hopefully we can get back on track this week:) 

Until next time.

R x

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Skinny Sundays Lunch and Dinner recipes.

Hey guys! Happy Sunday, hope you've all had an awesome week:) Here's some of my favourite lunch and dinner recipes, I'm not really a big dinner person so there's not many. I like to make enough for lunch the next day, anything to save me cooking again!

Cheesy quinoa.

This is so simple but so yummy! There's so many variations just sway out the broccoli for any vegetable of you choice.. My favourites are broccoli, spinach and...

Ingredients.
130g Quinoa.
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock.
200g broccoli.
60g cheese.

Method.
In a large sauce pan bring the vegetable stock and quinoa to a boil, Once boiling turn down the heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Steam or boil the broccoli for around 10 minutes, and grate the cheese. you'll know the quinoa is ready when the liquid has been absorbed and it looks fluffy. Take everything off the heat and mix in the broccoli and the cheese.

This recipe serves 2-4. I usually have 2 large portions at apx 380 calories each.

Chinese style quinoa.

This is amazing! It reminds me a little of egg fried rice just with more veggies:)

Ingredients.
130g quinoa.
2 large carrots.
one medium onion. (any kind you fancy)
70g frozen peas.
1 teaspoon garlic paste or 1 clove.
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil.
1 tablespoon soy sauce.
2-4 eggs (optional).

Method.
Cook the quinoa like you would any other time (with two cups of water, bring to the boil and then take of the heat and leave for 12-15 minutes.) In a large wok fry off the onion and garlic in oil until browned. Add in the carrots and the peas, once they're tender now it's time to scramble the eggs (optional). Finally, add the cook quinoa and soy sauce and mix until combined.


This recipe serves 2-4. I usually have 2 large portions at apx 260 calories each without eggs.

Honestly I tend to switch between these and meat with vegetables for dinner, as for lunches I tend to just have left overs or a cheese toastie (I'm in love with them at the moment!).

Sorry this was a short one!

Diet update.

This week I lost 1 lbs AGAIN!

I know why this week though! I had three really naughty food days this week, basically every non diet day I ate out and had dessert! naughty Rosey! But hey at least it's not a gain :)

Until next time.

R x

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

What's on my iPhone.

Hey Guys! Happy Wednesday :)

Today I thought I'd do a what's on my iPhone post, I love reading these and nosying in on other people's lives. Everyone knows the basic iPhone apps so I won't go on about them too much.

All of my most used apps will be underlined, enjoy.

Camera. To take all those selfies with!
Clock. Girl needs to know the time.
Calendar. Everybody has plans.
Photos. Gotta check those selfies out.
App store. R.I.P flappy bird<3
Weather. I Like to know if it's hat weather.
Facebook. Let's get our creep on.
Twitter. Got to have somewhere to rant!
Halifax. Let's see how poor I am.
O2. And how much my bill is this month :|
MyFitnessPal. My Life. I need this in my life.
TuGo.  For when your signal's shit.
Ebay. Ugly, Old-School etsy.
Messenger. New-school texting.
MyMail. Way better than apples mail.
Instagram. The love of my life.
IMDB. Settles any argument.

Snapchat. @yourboat23

Reminders.  I don't even use this.

Settings.  Why would you not have it on the home screen.

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Contacts. now we don't have to memorise everyone's numbers!!

Notes.  Meh, does anyone actually use this for anything.

Voice Memos. I swear  I didn't even know this was there.

Stocks.  Because I'm clearly the wolf of wall street.

Compass. Just in case you get lost in the woods.

Calculator. The best way to calculate the  paycheck.

Maps.  I'm that guy that's thinks maps is better than google maps.

Tips.  For all the technophobes.

Heirloom. Takes perfect pictures of other pictures... you always need a digital copy.

BBC News.  You've got to stay in the loop.

Just Eat.  When I need a big fat takeaway, it's right there.

Scannable.  Like heirloom it creates a perfect digital copy of documents. 

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Itunes.  Does anyone actually buy music on their phone?!
Sound hound.  For all the times you can't remember the name of a song.
Facetime. Best way to call the mama.
Odeon. for the yearly trip to the cinema.
Timehop. I love cringing at the past.
Youtube. I can't stop watching Youtubers.
Netflix. Bitch would die without Netflix.
Spotify. Just in case I fancy a change.
Ibooks. Perfect for all those delayed trains and long waits.

XE. I want to know how much money I'm saving!
Rail planner. This is just to help me plan our
trip round Europe... if it ever actually happens.
National Rail. I travel a lot by train and this is by far my favourite app for checking times and prices.
Airbnb.  I'm still yet to book through this but you can rent apartments all over the world for sooooooo cheap.
Translate. The only language app you will ever need.

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I love all of these games equally! 
QuizUp, Cookie Dozer, Stick Hero, Crossy Road, Candy Crush,
Ring of fire (always comes in handy at pre-drinks.) and Jelly Splash.

Blogger.  I love being able to write anywhere, as soon as a post idea pops into my head, boom.
Bloglovin'. One of my favourite things to do is read though random blogs.
Polaroid. Sometimes you just want a shit version of a Polaroid.
Fotor. I uses this to edit any photos I need on the go.
Linkedin. Everyone should be on LinkedIn, employers really do look at it. Some even ask you to provide your url.
PlayMemories. This is the app for my camera, it's a pile of bull but at least you can control it from your phone.
Mail. I use this one for my blog account, which honestly never really sees much mail.
Pintrest. My most recent download, I'm just getting into the swing of Pintrest.

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Tesco. It's just so much easier to do your shopping on your phone, even if it's just so you've got a list.
Amazon. For all of us late night shoppers.
VoucherCloud.  This occasionally has some really good discounts but it's usually only on restaurants.
Natwest. Can we afford rent this month?
Quick Scan. Don't mind me I'm only checking if I can get this cheaper somewhere else.
Etsy. My love, my life.
ShopShop. The weirdest but only shopping list app worth having.

Health. Dear Apple, this was a complete waste of money, what were you thinking?!
MapMyWalk. The best fitness app every, just because it has walk in the name doesn't mean that's all it tracks.
MyPill. Some of us are so forgetful we need an app to remind us to take the most important pill.
Smart Alarm. Honestly, I don't use this anymore but I paid for it so it stays.
UP. I'm saving up for a jawbone so I prepared my phone for that glorious day.


Hope you enjoyed a nosy into my phone, I know it was quite a long post but I didn't just want overview it and miss things out.


Until next time.

R x

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Skinny Sundays Breakfast recipes.

Hey guys!! Happy Sunday... Here's a bunch of my favourite breakfast recipes of the moment to brighten up your week :) You have to try the overnight oats they're amazing and work with whatever ingredients you have!

Lazy Smoothies.

Most smoothies are pretty straightforward, bit of fruit and ice or whatever and shove it in the blender. This smoothie is extra lazy because I use frozen pre-cut fruit bits.

Ingredients.
200g Tesco Frozen Strawberry Pineapple & Banana Smoothie Mix.
50-100ml Water or milk.

Boom, Blender... Smoothie with absolutely no effort.

Overnight oats.

Over night oats is one of my favourite breakfast recipes, it's just so easy and you can have it hot or cold.

Ingredients.

Sachet of oats, I use the Quaker oats sachets but uses whatever you have and the recommended serving size.

180ml milk/Almond milk.

Tbsp Greek yogurt. (Optional)

Handful of any fruit you fancy, I usually use a banana or kiwi, depending on the flavour of the oats. 

Method.
In a mason jar or anything with a lid, add all ingredients starting with the milk -> yogurt -> oats -> fruit and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning shake thoroughly and either heat up or tuck in. If your worried about the oats, because they've been in the fridge overnight they have absorbed some of the milk and are all nice and squishy.

Banana Pancakes.

These are really the most amazing substitute for 'naughty' pancakes. If you don't like the taste of banana then I honestly wouldn't bother, no matter how ripe your bananas are these always have a strong flavour.

Ingredients.
2 large eggs.
1 ripe banana.

Yes that's it!

Method.
Literally just shove everything in a blender, blitz it and your ready to go.
Over a medium heat, fry each pancake like you would a normal one. I use 1cal butter spray just for taste and little lubrication.

This recipe usually makes 4 medium pancakes at approximately 232 in total. I wouldn't double up on the recipe for one person, that many eggs will sky rocket cholesterol.

Almond Toast.

I know this isn't really a recipe but I love having almond butter on toast for breakfast! The protein in the almost butter keeps me full until lunch. I'm not going to bore you as I'm sure the entire world knows how to spread stuff on toast!!
I get my almond butter from Holland and Barrett, they do a 1kg tub for £14 which is totally worth the money, especially at the rate I go through it!


Diet update.

This week I lost- 2lbs.

Even with a few hiccups this week was more successful than the last few! I'm still not making enough effort to exercise, but at least I'm still loosing. I start a new job on Monday, it's a 1.5 mile walk from my house so at least ill be regularly walking!

Until next time.

R x

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Versatile blogger award.

I had never heard of this tag before, but it seems like a fun way for you guys to get to know me and a bunch of other bloggers I love.

Thank you Alexandra Louise for tagging me! Go check out her blog if you don't follow her already, it's pretty awesome.

Basically this is my chance to tell you guys 7 random facts about me and then find out about 15 other bloggers I love.

So here we go...

1. I don't have a clue what I want to with my life. All I know is that I want to to do something I'm good at and love doing.

2. I have a genuine addiction to doughnuts.

3. I'm way too attached to my hair, the colour may change every few months but I only have it cut every couple of years.

4. I can't stop injuring my right hand. First it was a repetitive strain and then I killed my tendons on a mechanical bull. My life is certainly not boring. 

5. I have a burning desire to move to New York City.

6. I would love to cover myself in tattoos.

7. I hate cats. #doglover4lyfie


So now you know 7 random facts about me :)

I tag these 10 beautiful people, I would have done 15 but the majority of the blogs I follow already have 873878423482091 followers and probably wouldn't do this tag.

Lost in glamour.
Kelsey Avenue.
Milly Loves Makeup.
Dexthsi.
Claudlyy.
Adventures and Misadventures.
Juicywoocy.
Charlotte Sophia Roberts.
Weight loss, life and all that jazz!
Rachel Butterworth.

I hope you all have as much fun with this post as I did!!

Until next time.

R x

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Skinny Sundays: Snacks & dessert recipes.

Happy Sunday:)

To kick off skinny Sundays I thought I'd start with my favourite dessert and snack recipes of the moment.

Banana ice cream smoothie.

I have this every night on diet days, it may seem simple and not really that healthy but both ingredients are in the diet plan. Not to mention is pretty amazing!

Ingredients.
Half a banana.
70g-100g vanilla ice cream. (70g on day two).
50-100ml water.

Method.
Shove everything in a blender and blend until smooth. keep adding water until you get your desired consistency.

The calories for this smoothie really depend on the ice cream you use but mine is usually around 200 calories.

Banana raisin oatmeal cookies.

When I made these the first time I made them too fat. make sure you make them into quite thin cookies. I think I was just expecting them to flatten in the oven.

Ingredients.
2 ripe bananas.
130g oats.
60g raisins.

Method.
Pre heat oven to 180C.
Mash bananas until mushy then mix in the oats and raisins until combined. Roll into small balls, flatten and place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
This recipe should make 12 small cookies, at aprox. 71 calories each.

Energy bars.

I randomly found this recipe on youtube when searching for healthy snack that we still quite sweet. The original recipe used dried cherries but I couldn't find them anywhere! So, I substituted them for dried cranberries which still tasted awesome. Honestly, these taste better than chocolate.

Ingredients.
1 cup/ 130g Dates.
1 cup/ 130g Almonds.
1 cup/ 130g Cranberries.

Method.
Put all ingredients in a food processor and bled until you get a dough-like ball consistency. Shape into a square about 2cm high and chill for a few hours/ overnight. Slice and serve.

This recipe should make around 20 bite size bars at just over 100 calories but if you want them larger just double the calories.

If anyone tries these recipes let me know how it goes on Instagram or twitter. God knows my cookies were a hot mess the first time I made them.

Skinny Hot Chocolate.

This is one of my go to snack/ desserts. It took some playing with to get it right but i finally found the right mix of chocolate substitute and milk!

Ingredients.
4-5 teaspoons of Choc shot.
200-300ml sweetened Almond milk.

Method.
In a small saucepan bring the almond milk to a medium heat, slowly adding the Choc shot. Stir and pour into your favourite mug. It's that simple and possibly the best thing ever!



Diet update.

This week I lost: this week I only lost 1lbs again and I know it's because I'm not exercising! It doesn't matter how well I eat, I need to exercise.

This week has been quite successful week compared to the last few weeks, eating wise. I had a night out so I've taken into account the extra alcohol calories but I'm trying to forget the trip to McDonald's at the end of the night. Those cheesy bites though! ♥ 

Until next time.

R x

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

20 obsessions of every girl in her twenties.

Don't lie to me you love them all.

♥ Beards, they make every man beautiful.

♥ Eyebrows, because eyebrows.

♥ The 90's comeback, who didn't love jelly shoes the first time around.

♥ Secret bedroom dancing to our favourite childhood boyband.

♥ Having a mental break down every time we remember we're not eighteen anymore.

♥ Pizza, because pizza won't break my heart.

♥ Quote cushions, they say everything no one wants to admit out loud.

♥ Etsy, every girl needs a £50 handmade tampon holder.

♥ Vodka lime and lemonade, the lime makes it healthy ;)

♥ Bright lipstick.

♥ Smoothies.

♥ The elusive thigh gap.

♥ Travelling.

♥ Wine.

♥ So many bottles of wine just to forget that we're still single.

♥ Unforgiving heels that no one will ever be able to walk in.

♥ Instagram, #nofilter #thereisafilterthough

♥ Sandwiches, because nobody wants to cook.

♥ Pugs. The cutest f*!$ing dogs ever.

♥ Mason jars... because everything looks cute in a mason jar.

Until next time.

R x

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Worth the hype? Seche vite.

Seche Vite has been hyped up by the beauty community for years, after finally finding a bottle I get to see what all the fuss is about.

I was lazy and neglected a base coat. First, I painted my nails with two coats of OPI's 'this gown needs a crown' and finished with a thick coat of seche vite over the wet polish. I have never had a fast drying top coat that actually does what it claims. Seche vite dried my nails in under two minutes! perfect for those of us who don't protect our fresh manicure like it's our only child.

Day one: Unlike most other top coats Seche Vite has kept my manicure looking fresh for 24 hours! usually by now the majority of my nails would either be chipped or completely ruined.

Day two: Today was supposed to be the real test for Seche Vite. When I'm at work my nails get abused, constantly coated in alcohol and harsh cleaning products. Work was depressingly quiet do I can't say yet how Seche Vite holds up against alcohol, however my nails did survive the excessive amount of cleaning I did. By the end of the night there are only two small, vaguely unnoticeable chips.

Day three: So today there are a couple more chips, but they're not really noticeable. Although, I'm putting that down to the distracting sparkly polish. Tonight was a relatively busy night at work and my nails are now chipped like normal. I can see why people love this top coat but for those of us in bar jobs it's not the miracle I was hoping for.

Verdict: If I wasn't working with products that naturally strip nail polish I would agree with everyone else, but it looks like I'm still searching for that miracle top coat that will keep my manicure for more that three days.

Until next time.

R x

Military diet week three & four.

Week three.
I took week three off, only because I was at mum's for the majority of the week and I wasn't going to make her buy a bunch of extra food for me. I'd love to tell you that I made the healthiest choices but I treated myself a tad too much, at least I only gained one pound, which was lost back anyway.

If anyone is interested, you can follow me on myfitnesspal (yourboat23). No matter what I eat, good or bad it gets put in there. Without this app I would be literally be lost, you can set daily reminders to put in your food in and let's you know all the nutritional deets you need to stay successful on your diet.

Week four.
This week my diet days got neglected, life got in the way this week. I still stuck to the food plan, but I drank a lot of alcohol on Monday and then spent most of Tuesday in A&E. Wednesday, was my own fault I forgot to prep my dinner so ended up having to prepare something that didn't need defrosting.
For the most part I did stick to the plane, and even though the meals I ate were not what the diet calls for my calories were in check every day.
This week has made me realise that this diet isn't all about the strictness of what you eat. Over the past few weeks I have learnt to live on a low calorie diet, even on non diet days I just don't find myself craving 'naughty' food. If I do, I have found so many healthy recipes that prove you can still have the naughty foods but still be healthy.

Skinny Sundays.
From now on I'm not going to be giving you guys a run down of diet days, each week I will swap things in and out but the three diet days will always be virtually the same as the last couple of posts. I will check in every Sunday, no matter what the post is about I will just add in my progress for anyone that is interested but for the most part Sunday's will be dieting orientated.

FAB FIND. 
For anyone who's inner chocoholic will not stay at bay... you need ChocShot in your life! I make it with almond milk, it's amazing!! Whenever I need a chocolate fix I will go straight for cup of this rather than a big ass bar of galaxy. To top it all off there's only 14 calories in each teaspoon!

Weigh in, 21st February.

This week I lost: 1lb.

At least it's a loss! This week has made me realise that I can eat as well as I want but without exercise I'm not going anywhere fast. Next week I'm going ease myself in and aim to go for two short runs and just up the amount each week :)

Until next time.

R x

♥♥♥♥♥

20 things I wish I'd known before I moved out.

Even university halls do not prepare you for life.

♦ Remember bin day!!

♦ Bills.

♦ Electricity bills.

♦ Water bills.

♦ Phone bills.

♦ Rent.

♦ Council tax.

♦ You need to pay your bills on time.

♦ All the nights out sacrificed just to pay the bills.

♦ Just face it, bills come first.

♦ God damn bills.

♦ The oven needs cleaning. Regularly.

♦ That goes for the fridge too.

♦ There's no personal chef to cure that hangover.

♦ There's no maid service either.

♦ Mould is not your friend, Bleach is.

♦ Food is more expensive than you think, but doughnuts.

♦ It's hard to wake yourself up in the morning. I need a better alarm.

♦ Decking will be your own personal ice rink in winter.

♦ Boilers are complicated.

Military diet: four days off.

I realised that it's all well and good sharing my meals for diet days, but I haven't been sharing days off so I thought I'd quickly share with you all the meals I've been having on my four days off.

The aim is to stay under 1500 calories for best results, honestly even I haven't been finding it hard. On average I've been eating about 1350 on my days off.

Breakfast.

Porridge (quaker oats 2 minute sachets).
Boiled egg and soldiers.
Smoothies (recipes coming).
Banana pancakes (Recipe coming).
Scrambled egg 'burrito'.

Lunch.

Cheese toasties.
Almond butter on toast.
Eggs in pita.
Bacon wrap.

Dinner.

Skinny Lizzie 'low everything' sausages (only available at morrisons) & mixed vegetables.
Baked Fish & mixed vegetables.
Chicken & mixed vegetables.
I like to stick to meat and vegetables for dinner it's just so much easier. 

Snacks.

On my diet days I don't snack, so I've been trying to keep snacks to minimum. If I do snack I've been having fruit mostly, the occasionally naughty treat just to keep my inner chocoholic at bay.

Cheats.
I have been allowing myself one cheat meal a week, I usually save this for dinner so I can go out for tea or scoff a pizza ;)

Alcohol.
I wouldn't be surprised if you are wondering how my inner alcoholic is handling this. I don't drink at all on diet days and I have cut down a hell of a lot on alcohol, but I will still have Saturday night pint. If we go on a night out I've been trying to stick to gin and slimline mainly because of it's low calorie content.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Until next time.

R x

My top 10 picks on Netflix.

As a Christmas present to the house I signed up to Netflix and I definitely don't regret it. My poor laptop hasn't been turned off since!! Netflix isn't hard to navigate but sometimes I find myself scrolling though the endless lists of tv shows and movies not fancying anything.

So, not in any particular order here are my current top 10 pick for Netflix February 2015.

1: Grimm.
If you like a good supernatural series this has everything apart from vampires (yet). It's so refreshing to find a supernatural show that doesn't focus on the undead these days. This show is sort of a mixture of Buffy and CSI.

2: Orange is the new black.
Everyone will have recommended this Netflix original but it's definitely worth watching! I finished both seasons in less than 2 weeks.

3: All the Disney movies.
I know this is a bit of a cop out but if I listed all the Disney films on Netflix they would fill this entire list. There are so many on there at the moment, Hercules, Mulan, Aladdin, Pocahontas and soooo many more. If your a Disney junkie Netflix is the place to be.

4: Carrie, original and remake.
Netflix doesn't have the best selection of horror films, out of all of them I recommend the recent Carrie revamp. If you haven't seen the original watch it first, but for a remake I really enjoyed this one.

5: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
This is my favourite tv show of all time, even though I own the box set it's always helpful to be able to watch it on the go. I've lost count how many time I've re-watched this series. It's nice to see a classic on there.

6: Greek.
I had seen this before but never really got into, after giving it another go I can't stop watching. It's not really for everyone, following the lives of two college students trying to navigate the bitchy world of the greek system. Pretty much all of the plot lines are a tad far fetched but that's what makes it funny.

7: The sweetest thing.
The chick flick for girls who hate chick flicks! If this is you and you haven't seen it, you need to! Otherwise you will never know the joys of Cameron Diaz's hilarious dancing during the best musical number ever. If you do fancy a proper chick flick Netflix also has the classics like clueless and 10 things I hate about you.

8: Never back down.
This is one for those couples that can never agree on a movie. It has all the testosterone to satisfy the boyf and so many topless men any girl would be happy to sit through this movie.

9: The Hobbit series.
Obviously they don't have the most recent release yet, but if you fancy a Tolkien marathon, it's right there at the click of a button.

10: The Undateables.
Best reality dating show ever.
I love this so much, it's so nice to see that there really is someone for everyone.

Until next time.

R x

Military Diet week two.

So this week I decided to try out the suggested substitutions for just about as many of the foods on the diet plan as I could. Firstly, so I don't have to endure plain tuna and cottage cheese! Secondly, to see if it's the combination of foods or just the low calories which are aiding weight loss. And finally, just to mix it up because even though it's only my second week, I get bored very quickly. That's probably the main reason I never follow diets through, at least with this plan I can switch out different foods every week, but still have a semi-strict list of 'allowed' food.

With all my substitutions I have calculated the amounts I can eat by matching each foods calories to suggested calorie count. I have kept some foods only because, I didn't like any of their substitutes and I've separated the fruit and ice cream substitutes usually included into dinner as snacks, just in case I get hungry in between meals.

Day One, 2nd February.

Breakfast.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia.
Half a grapefruit. (no substitutions for grapefruit)
1 slice of wholewheat toast.
2 tablespoons of Almond butter.

Lunch.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia*. (had before work instead)
100g of chicken.
1 wholemeal wrap.

Dinner.
3 Skinny Lizzie sausages.
100g Broccoli.

Snacks.
1 small apple.
1 kiwi.
1 cup of fruit yogurt.

Day Two, 3rd February. 

Breakfast.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia.
2 slices of bacon. (I GET BACON!!)
1 slice of wholewheat toast.
1 kiwi.

Lunch.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia. (had before work instead)
1 cup of plain greek yogurt.
1 hard boiled egg.
5 Ritz crackers

Dinner.
2 Chicken breasts.
1 cup of broccoli.
1/2 cup of carrots.

Snacks.
1 kiwi.
1/2 cup of fruit yogurt.

Day Three, 26th January. 

Breakfast.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia.
1 slice of cheddar cheese.
1 small apple.
5 Ritz crackers.

Lunch.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia.
2 slices of bacon.
1 slice of wholewheat toast.

Dinner.
1 chicken breast.
1 cup pf carrots.

Snacks.
1 kiwi.
1 cup of fruit yogurt.

Weigh in, 7th February.

I'm weighing in a day early this week. Only because I'm going to a gig tonight, then going to mum's on Sunday and my weight won't be accurate if I use different scales.

After three days I lost: 3 lbs

This week in total I lost: 3lbs

Had a few hiccups this week, i couldn't resist the temptation of popcorn :) but hey, at least I didn't gain.

Until next time.

R x

I've moved.

Hey guys,


I've moved my blog over to adventuresofashopaholic23.blogspot.co.uk just so it makes more sense than shopaholicadventures23.blogspot.co.uk
Hopefully should all be sorted with bloglovin' asap.




♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Until next time.

R x

10 reasons bartending is the best job ever.

One of my first posts was about my biggest pet peeves as a bartender. But it's not all doom and gloom, I wouldn't stay in a job I didn't love. Here are 10 reasons why being a bartender is one of the best jobs. 

1: 'I'll have a double monster redubull'

hahahahhaha do you want to try again?

2: Social life

Many people think that because we work unsociable hours we have no life. But we're are constantly surrounded by people even if they are drunk.

3: Other bartenders

You can't really help but love all other bartenders, they know the struggle. They're what gets us through those particularly bad shifts. Not to mention staff parties are possibly the best parties ever! 

4: Sleep

Working nights means I can totally justify sleeping ALL day.

5: People watching

Watching drunk people make absolute idiots out of themselves is by far my favourite part of working behind a bar. Until I remember that's me when I've had a drink.

6: Getting paid to party

Think about it, we get paid to listen to music and spend the night with our friends. it's just like a sober night out, but behind the bar. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like your working.

7: Staff discount

A perk that comes with most service jobs but it's much more enjoyable when that discount is on alcohol. 

8: Knowledge

Knowing so many cocktail recipes and the percentage of every drink known to man is essential to life.

9: The genuinely nice customers.

A lot of drunk people turn into complete arseholes but we always forget about those that just quietly wait their turn and are actually nice to the people behind the bar. Shout out to the unsung nice drunkards.

10: Games and pranks.
For those quiet nights we need some form of entertainment, here's a few examples we do.
- Sunday funday. The rules vary but someone ends up soaking wet.
-'Can you run downstairs and get me some ice making solution?'
- Hide the lime! (My personal favourite)

Until next time.

R x

Military diet week one.

I know exactly what your going to say... fad diets don't work. But hey, what's the harm in trying?

I'm not quite sure why they call this the military diet, I'm pretty sure that the army don't live off tuna and crackers!

I found this diet just randomly reading through blogs, first through Rocio Laura. After some research I found the 'official' website which unlike the plan Rocio followed doesn't include beetroot, win!
Themilitarydiet.com has all the information you could ever want when trying a new diet, including substitutions a big plus when your a picky eater or have allergies. If you want to see the original diet plan check out the website, I'm just going to tell you what I had over the past three days. Any substitutes or allowed extras will be marked by *.

Right so basically for three days a week you follow this basic diet plan, some say you can't substitute anything, while other provide a rather extensive list of substitutions. For this first week I'm following the diet exactly apart from substituting peanut butter.
The website I'm basing my diet off allows substitutions when they have equal calories and nutritional benefits, for example, one substitute for peanut butter is almond butter similar in calories and both provide a high protein content.

This diet claims that by following the meal plan for 3 days, eating normally for the rest of the week (under 2000 calories) and 30 minutes of gentle exercise a day you can loose up to 10 pounds. For this first week I just followed the meal plan, I did very little exercise but did eat healthier than normal on the four days off. Unlike other bloggers I've seen do this diet I'm going to weigh myself after 3 days but count the whole week, this is more of a long term diet plan for me rather than a 'quick fix'.

Day One, 24th January.

Breakfast.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia*.
Half a grapefruit.
1 slice of wholewheat toast.
2 tablespoons of wowbutter**

Lunch.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia*. (had before work instead)
1/2 cup of tuna.
1 slice of wholewheat toast.

Dinner.
85g of meat, I had a beef burger (no bun).
1 cup of green beans.
1 small apple. (had as a snack)
Half a banana. (had before bed, apparently bananas promote sleep)
1 cup of vanilla ice cream. (had as a dessert about an hour after dinner)

Day Two, 25th January. 

Breakfast.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia*.
1 egg (I had mine boiled with soldiers).
1 slice of wholewheat toast.
Half a banana.

Lunch.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia*. (had before work instead)
1 cup of cottage cheese. Torture!
1 hard boiled egg.
5 Ritz crackers***

Dinner.
2 hotdogs (no buns).
1 cup of broccoli.
1/2 cup of carrots.
Half a banana. (made a smoothie with the ice cream)
1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream.

Day Three, 26th January. 

Breakfast.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia*.
1 slice of cheddar cheese.
1 small apple.
5 Ritz crackers*.

Lunch.
Black coffee, with 2 teaspoons of stevia*.
1 egg. ( I had mine boiled with soldiers)
1 slice of wholewheat toast.

Dinner.
1 cup of tuna. (I'm not going to lie, I put mustard with the tuna so I could cope with it but I ended up making it inedible! The substitution list says that fish is preferable and all I had was frozen battered fish, but at least the calories match up.)
Half a banana. (made a smoothie with the ice cream, these smoothies are amazing by the way!)
1 cup of vanilla ice cream.

* No sugar or sweetness are allowed only stevia, I don't have a clue how people drink coffee without!
** Morrison's didn't have any almond butter so peanut free peanut butter it was.
*** The diet calls for saltine crackers but they're not available in the UK, Ritz are the closest match.

I was a little bit nervous about what to eat on the four days off, they recommend less than 1500 calories but the diet will still be effective if you have less than 2000. I found a post on the military diet blog that provided an extensive list of meal options for the four days off, which I will definitely be trying next week.

Before the three days were up I already felt better in my own skin, more awake and just happier in general. Some of the food was torture but next week I'm going to try out a bunch of substitutions just to mix it up a little.

Now, the part we've all been waiting for.

Weigh In. (31st January)
I know I said that I was going to wait until the end of the week but I want to start the cycle again on Monday just so it fits my routine better.

After three days I lost: 5 lbs
This week in total I lost: 7lbs

Until next time.

R x

Project 10 pan February 2014.

For those of you that haven't heard of project 10 pan, you basically pick 10 items in your beauty collection and pledge to not buy anything new until you have used them up...unless you really need it ;).

I've decided I'm going to try and do this each month, choosing a new category each time. Mainly to justify a massive beauty haul at the end of it. This month I've gone with make-up items, not including eyeshadows, I'd have to use the same one every day to use it up!

THE LINE UP:

1: Clinique Superprimer, Universal Face Primer:
This is only a sample size so should be quite easy to use up. I just don't find myself reaching for it, ever. I love my No7 colour correcting primer far too much.

2: M.A.C Prep&Prime highlighter, Radiant rose:
I do love this for those mornings after the night before when make up just isn't going to happen. But I am more than aware that I've had this one a tad too long and old make up is never good.

3: Revlon Photoready Skinglights Illuminator, Bare light:
I bought this on a whim when there was an offer on in super drug, used it once and then it just got forgotten about. I'm looking forward to actually trying this out!

4: Maybelline FIT me foundation, 115:
Does anyone else have a hole inside that can only be filled by a foundation that doesn't break the bank? I love my high end foundations but I'm on a mission to find the holy grail of drugstore foundations, just for those days where your not doing anything that requires heavy makeup. Sadly, this wasn't it.

5: M.A.C Select Moisturecover concealer, NC15:
I bought this back in the day when I convinced myself that I had unusually dry skin, after coming to my senses this just got neglected. Honestly, this is just one more product I can back to mac.

6: Avon Ideal Flawless concealer, Fair:
The only reason this isn't already in the bin is because I can't bare to waste makeup. Avon has one last chance for face makeup, this concealer definitely lost them points.

7: M.A.C  Lipstick, Hue (glaze):
There are so many better nude lipsticks, this always looks so silly on me. There's only a tiny bit left anyway but it just needs to be gone.

8: Estée Lauder Pure Colour Envy lipstick, Desirable:
Unlike Hue this is my favourite nude lipstick ever. Why am I trying use it up? well some idiot snapped it on a night out and despite multiple attempts to repair it, its just not happening. I can't justify £24 on a new one until I've used it up.

9: Chanel Le Volume De Chanel, 10 (black):
I go through phases with mascara, and never usually buy full sizes. My lashes live off mascara samples. After using a sample I forked out for the full size, but as usual I got bored and moved back to using samples. Its probably dried up now but I'm getting my money's worth!

10: No7 Lash Adapt mascara, Black:
I don't even remember buying this... just like the Chanel mascara I probably got bored and just shoved it in a draw.

Any products that I don't finish in February will carry over to March.

Until next time.

R x

2014 favourites.

I know it's really late but here's my 2014 favourites.

Beauty.

Estée Lauder double wear: 1N1 Ivory nude. 

I've been using this foundation for well over three years now and no matter how many new ones I try, I always find myself coming back to this one. It gives flawless coverage and I haven't found another foundation that can match its staying power. 

TRESemmè keratin smooth haircare range.

I only really started using this in December but I love it that much it needed to be mentioned. Look for a review in the near future.

Clinique Take off the day Makeup remover.
I don't think I could live without this! I must have at least 20 sample sizes and a good few back ups. For someone that swears by waterproof eye makeup this is an essential, it just cuts straight through the toughest eye makeup.

Crest 3D whitening toothpaste: Radiant mint.

Another very recent addition to my favourites, I picked this up in America when I realised I had forgot to pack toothpaste. It was the best decision I've ever made. I have always had a problem with the taste of toothpaste, I have no idea why but this is the first one I like. 

Tangle teezer.

Best hair brush ever.

MAC creamsheen lipstick in Hot Gossip.

I can't even count how many of these I've been through. It's the perfect daytime lipstick, it's sort of muted plum but with pink and nude tones.

Illamasqua eyebrow cake in thunder.

When I had my makeup done at the illamasqua counter in Manchester last winter, I was convinced the MUA was out of his mind using such a dark shade on me. No matter what colour I dye my hair this shade had always worked, I can't use any other brow products anymore it just doesn't feel right. Illamasqua has got it on point with their eyebrow cakes, they're just so easy to use and applies so smoothly. I can't imagine every using a different product for my eyebrows.

Macadamia natural oil deep repair masque.
I love this soooooooooooo much but its really hard to justify the price. I can just about manage to make a small tub last 6 months so I suppose I could justify a huge tub a year (but only when it's on sale).

Origins Drink up overnight mask.
This is by far the nicest smelling, most luxurious moisture mask I've ever used. I use this once a week to fight winter dryness.

Fashion.

Office leather slip ons. 

During three years I've gone through countless pairs of vans for work. I decided to give the office own brand slip ons a go. Nearly a year later and they're still going strong. Only needing a wipe down once a week, and all for only £30.

H&M.

I've found myself navigating to H&M whenever I've needed/ wanted new clothes this year. It honestly has nothing to do with one opening in Lincoln ;) It's become the new Primark to me, the prices are cheap but the quality is amazing. 

Films.

The Maze Runner.

I had been waiting for this film for years! It was just perfect.

The Hobbit: The battle of the five armies.

It's so sad that it's all over. Back in the day me and my parents saw The Lord of the rings multiple times at the cinema, it's the end of an era. Now I want to watch it again... To the cinema!! 

Books.

Divergent.
I haven't really read a lot of books this year, but after putting it off for years I finally read divergent. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't read it before the film came out but the film is actually quite true to the book for a book to film movie.

There are so many more things I loved this year but these are all the things that jumped out at me when I sat down to write this. I might start monthly favourites just so the lists are shorter:)

Until next time.

R x