My Most Loved Nail Polishes

(From Left to Right - Maybelline - 06 Deep Red, Essie - , Champneys -  Base & Top Coat, Essie - In Stitches , OPI - Tickle My Francey)

Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay - 06 Deep Red - Okay so I went through a phase of being obsessed with red nail polish and I am still parshall to a red nail, don't get me wrong! I do tend to gravitate toward the more neutral colours now, but this red will always be a love of mine. It is such a lovely colour, ideal for Christmas time!!

Essie - In Stitches - This is the perfect pinky red shade. I usually wear this on my toe nails, I just find it to be a really flattering colour, as I prefer brighter colours on my toes but nothing too in your face.

CHAMPNEYS - Base & Top Coat- This is by far the best base & top coat I have tried! If I use this on top of my nail polish I can usually go around 5-7 days before the polish starts to chip away (which is crazy). Definitely a product I will be purchasing for years to come.

Essie - Take Me To Thread -  This is the newest addition to my collection and it is fair to say that I am in love with it. I have been wearing it none stop for the past couple of weeks. These Essie polishes are a newer release (you can probably tell from the packaging). I am already planning which shades to buy next.

O.P.I Nail Lacquer - Tickle My Francey - Oh how I adore this colour! I have to admit that this might just be my all time favourite polish. The colour is unreal, as is the lasting power. It has an amazing formula!

Let me know what your favrioute nail polish is in the comments section? Have you tried any of the one's I have mentioned?

Lots of love,
Grace x

My Top 3 Cookbooks

 

Charlotte Crosby - Live Fast Lose Weight
£14.99
Now this definitely isn't your typical cookbook, it has Charlotte's cheeky twist along with pages and pages of helpful tips and tricks to get healthy and stay motivated. This is so much more than another cookbook, I can't say that I have ever come across anything else like it! It is full of simple recipes and plenty of honest tips. Inside are some of my all time favourites recipes, they are so simplistic which makes them perfect to whip up from day to day.

My Favourite Recipe - Definitely the sweet potato and salmon fishcakes.

Deliciously Ella
£20.00
I feel like I have owned this book forever! I am not sure what I would do without it in my life, it was Ella and the help of this book that first inspired me to stop consuming so much processed and refined foods. This is what first opened my eyes to what I was eating and where it came from. Ella's story is so inspiring. I am constantly reaching for this book and will be for years to come.

My Favourite Recipe- has to be the black and kidney bean chilli, perfect to pop into your freezer and enjoy through out the week.

Niomi Smart - Eat Smart
£20
Now this is a more recent purchase but I am currently obsessed. I have barely had it a week and so far I have loved every recipe I've tried! I have made a mental list, longer than my arm of recipes I must try out (the squash pizza's being at the top of my list). I am super excited to try out more of these recipes!

My Favourite  Recipe - So far the shepherd's pie is definitely my favourite, perfect now the whether is getting a little colder!

Let me know what you favourite cookbooks are?! I would love to know.

Lots of love,
Grace xx

Brand Focus - Barry M

In the past when thinking of Barry M my mind always goes to their nail polishes. For me I feel like their makeup products get lost in the mix amongst other drugstore brands, though recently I have started to experiment more with their makeup and have discovered a love for their products. I discovered that they are a cruelty free vegan company which is a massive plus!! Today I am going to share with you some of the items I have found myself reaching for regularly.

(The Super Natural Palette)
 I find myself constantly gravitating towards this palette. It is perfect if like me you are not the best at eye-shadow, all of the colours blend well together and are easy to wear from day to night. The quality of the eye shadows are amazing considering how inexpensive this palette is retailing at £6.49. This is the perfect palette to create a more natural look. They are not the most pigmented shadows, but they are very build-able. (This palette is exclusive to Superdrug).

(Shades From Left To Right- 17, 9 and 3)
These have to be some of the best drugstore lip liners I have found! They have a huge range of colours and the best part is that they are only £2.99 each, they are just so affordable. I love how creamy the texture is, they simply glide on to your lips.

 (Illuminating Strobe Cream)
This is the perfect highlighter to wear during the day when you don't want to look like a disco ball, it gives a really lovely glow to your cheekbones. The overall quality is fantastic! For me the only downside is the packaging, but considering the price I think I can get over it.

(Colour- Mushroom)
Barry M have such an amazing variety of nail polish colours. This is defiantly one of my favourites! I have always been a fan of a more neutral colour on my nails. Their nail polishes are defiantly some of my go to, they are long lasting and are super pigmented.

What is your favourite product by Barry M? Have you tried out any of these products before? Be sure to let me know in the comment section down below.

Lots of love,
Grace xxx

Chia seed pudding - Recipe

Ingredients 

1 Banana

2 Tea Spoons of Chia Seeds

2-3 Medjool Dates

1 Table Spoons Raw Cacao Powder

Milk Alternative (I used Oat Milk)

Firstly you will need to chop up the banana and Medjool dates and add them into your blender, then add the cacao powder and the oat milk. You can add as much oat milk as you want depending on the consistency you wish to achieve. You can also use water if you would prefer, the liquid just helps your blender to blitz the ingredients together and make a smooth paste. In a separate bowl you will need to add two teaspoons of chia seeds with a splash of water, you should then pop this in the fridge over night. In the morning you can then combine the chia seeds with the chocolatey mixture. I always like to add some frozen raspberries on top and enjoy!!

This is the perfect recipe if like me you do not have a lot of time in the  morning to prepare breakfast, you can literally just prepare everything the night before and then mix in the chia seeds and head out the door, soo simple and yummy! This recipe contains so much goodness that makes it ideal to have for breakfast! Though it is that delicious, I often find myself making it as a desert. 

I love using cacao powder it is basically chocolate in its most natural form, it allows you to have your chocolate fix without feeling guilty afterwards. Cacoa also has amazing health benefits, it is a true superfood!

If you try out this recipe be sure to let me know what you think!?

Lots of love.

Grace xx

My Top 5 Drugstore Lipsticks

Drugstore lipsticks have always held a very special place in my heart. I love how affordable they are and  I am constantly shocked when brands keep releasing new amazing products! Today I thought I would share with you my top 5 drugstore lipsticks. I found it quite challenging narrowing it down to just 5, so these are the lipsticks I currently find myself reaching for on a daily basis, though this list is forever changing.

From left to right (Collection- Angel delight , L'Oreal- J Lo's Nude, NYX liquid Suede- Sandstorm, Rimmel- 08 and Revlon- Copper Frost Chrome)

Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream - Angel delight: This is one of those products that I just keep on repurchasing every time it runs out. It is an absolute steal at only £2.99. There are 4 other colours in the range but this is by far my favourite.

L'Oreal - J Lo's nude: For me this is the perfect 'your lips but better' lipstick. If I am going for a more natural makeup look this is always my go to.

NYX liquid Suede - Sandstorm: This one is a more recent purchase, but I think it is fair to say I'm obsessed with this lipstick! The colour is not something I would usually go for but recently it's all I have been wearing. I am really loving that brownish nude!

Rimmel - 08: I do not know what I would do with out this particular lipstick in my life. It has been my saviour on days when I am not sure what to wear on my lips or when nothing seems to suit me, I will then remember this lipstick and how it always seems to have my back!!

Revlon - Copper Frost Chrome: This is a different colour for me, it is much more orange toned than anything I would usually wear, most of the time I stay clear of these shades yet for some reason I always find myself gravitating towards this one.

Be sure to let me no you're favourite drugstore lipstick in the comments down below, I am always looking for new products to try!!

Lots of love,
Grace xx

Benefits of coconut oil

Lately I have started exploring the different uses of coconut oil. Not only is it an amazing and healthy food to cook with but it also has some incredible beauty benefits that gives seriously amazing results. I thought that today I would share with you all how you can use coconut oil. The brand I use is 'Lucy Bee Extra Virgin Organic Raw Coconut Oil', which is 100% vegan, gluten free and fair-trade- which is a massive bonus in my book!!! at only £6.99 it is an absolute steal and a lot cheaper than some of the high end beauty products I used to use.

Hair Care
My favourite use for coconut oil, is as a conditioner or hair mask. It makes your hair soft like nothing else can. As it is a natural product it won't cause any damage to your hair and is super moisturising. It is such a lifesaver for dry, damaged and frizzy hair, after reading an article about coconut oil I have since been mixing a small amount in with my conditioner and have started to notice a big difference, in how soft and sleek my hair has been looking. Since using it my hair has been getting a lot less tangled from day to day. You can also use it as an overnight mask- though you do have to be careful when leaving it in your hair for a long period of time, it may take more than one wash to get rid of the greasy feeling - but at the end of the day your hair will look so much better for giving it that deep conditioning.

Make-up Remover
Coconut Oil can also be used to remove your makeup, it's a miracle for removing stubborn mascara and liquid lipstick. The only downside for me personally is that I have dry skin and I do feel that when I use coconut oil it does dry my skin out, so I tend to only reach for it when I am wearing a lot of heavy stubborn makeup - because nothing else removes it better!!

Eye Cream and Cuticle Oil
Coconut Oil is amazing at getting rid of under eye circles, it is prefect to use around your eyes as its such a gentle product. It can also be used on your cuticles!!

There is know denying the many benefit of the famous coconut oil and I am always intrigued to learn what other uses it has. Let me know how you like to use your coconut oil in the comments below.

Hope You enjoyed and found this interesting,
Grace xxx

The Vegan Kind - Review

I love these subscription boxes, they are an amazing way to discover new brands that you never knew existed. The Vegan Kind is a monthly subscription service, you receive between 5-7 products each month the service costs £10 + £3.99 shipping. Included is a sheet describing the items you have received and giving you more information.

Inside the box you find a double sided information sheet, I love that they include this so you know what your getting and how much it retails at. When the box first arrives it comes in a compact recyclable box (as pictured above).

Inside the box:

Candy Kittens - flavour: Sweet Pineapple (RRP £7)- If you have ever watched 'Made in Chelsea' then you probably have a pretty good idea who Jamie Lang is, so I am sure you can imagine my surprise when I opened up the box and found his VEGAN sweets. It turns out that this is their first vegan product!! I love pineapple so these sweets are defiantly something I will be purchasing again.

Squirrel Sisters- Coconut cashew raw energy bar (RRP £2.49) - The award for the cutest packaging has to go to Squirrel Sisters! This is not my favourite item in the box, but I did still enjoy them. They are very similar to the Nakd bars as far as texture goes and they also have a similar taste.

Hippeas- Organic chickpea puffs (RRP £0.99)-  Now these chickpea crisps I did not think I would be a fan of, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, they come in 4 different flavours and are made from chickpeas. I loved the flavour, they're not too over powering and not to bland, they're just right. Something I am sure to be repurchasing.

Landgarten- Organic dark chocolate balls (RRP £0.99) - These are described as,"the closest thing to vegan Maltesers that we have found", I would have to agree with this statement, though they are missing that malted centre.

Native unearthed deodorant (RRP £6.49) - I have never tried a natural deodorant before and I am very impressed with this one. I used it for the first time on a hot day so I was slightly apprehensive, but I loved it!! By the end of the day I was not the smelly, sticky or sweaty mess I thought I would be - so this one is defiantly a winner for me.

Follow your heart VeganEgg (RRP £7) - This product is slightly harder to review as I have never really been a fan of eggs. I imagine that if you are looking for an egg alternative then this is what you need - I have heard nothing but good things surrounding this product!

I love this subscription service, and would defiantly say, The Vegan Kind is one of the best out there for its genre. The overall retail price of this months box was £20.46, the subscription for this box is only £10 a month (+p&p), meaning that you get to try a variety of new products at a fraction of the cost!! These boxes are such a fun way to discover new brands and pushes you out of your comfort zone offering you treats you would normally walk by or turn your nose up at.

Let me know what you think of these subscription services, are there any you think I should try out? Let me know in the comments.

Lots of love,
Grace xxx