MUA Make Up Haul

For my latest make up haul I decided to try MUA (Make up Academy). This isn't a brand I've used before and I was interested to see what kind of quality I could get for such a low price.

I purchased:

MUA Pro Base Primer
MUA Blusher in Cupcake
MUA Power Pout Colour Intense Tint and Balm
MUA Pro Base Complexion Kit

MUA Pro Baser Primer - £4.00

I used this primer after I had moisturised. It feels quite oily takes a while to absorb into the skin. It also doesn't have a particularly appealing smell. However once applied it does the trick. My make up stayed looking pretty good all day long. Not the best primer I've ever used but certainly not the worst.

MUA Blusher in Cupcake - £1.00!

This blusher is the perfect colour for my skin tone. It applies nicely and looks very fresh. No points for the packing though, it's so difficult to open that I broke a nail on my first try!

MUA Power Pout Colour Intense Balm - £3.00

This is clearly a dupe of the Clinique Chubby Stick (which I also own, so this product has a lot to live up to). The packaging is very similar as is the range of colours. I went for 'rendezvous'. I'm not impressed with the colour as it's nothing like the packaging would have you believe. I thought this would be a tinted nude colour but it's closer to hot pink and looks terrible with my fair skin. The balm itself is very soft and doesn't feel overly greasy but the colour has really put me off.

MUA Pro Base Complexion Kit - £6.00

This is the product I was looking forward to trying the most. I went with 'Ivory' as I have very pale skin but you can also choose 'Nude' or 'Mocha'. The palette contains a cream to powder foundation, cream concealer and a highlighter. It also has a mirror and a sponge and brush for application so it's perfect for touch ups on the go. The feel of the foundation is quite greasy but once it's applied it feels powdery soft and not heavy on the skin. It provides pretty good coverage too, as does the concealer. To me the highlighter was a bit too dark to highlight properly but it does work nicely as a light blush or even a lip tint.

Not bad for £14.00! I'll definitely be trying more products in this range.

Nivea Daily Essentials Tinted Moisturising Cream

I am not a big fan of foundations as I find them very heavy on my skin. A friend recommended using a tinted moisturiser as they tend to be lighter..

I've used Nivea products before so I thought I give Nivea's Daily Essentials Tinted Moisturising Cream a go.

My first impression of the moisturiser is that it looks a lot more expensive than it really is. It retails at around £3.56 but I got it for £1.78 in Superdrug during an offer period.

The application is really easy as it blends so smoothly. I was surprised as the colour looks a lot darker than I had thought it would be but once it blends in it is very subtle and light. It also has a very nice scent (typical of all Nivea products).

The cream is SPF15 which is great for me as I have very fair skin and like to wear something to protect me even in the winter months and does feel very moisturising when applied.

All in all it's a pretty good product and I'm looking forward to using it more!

Warm and Yummy Sausage Casserole

To serve 2-3 people you will need:

8 Pork sausages. I used some nice pork and herb sausages from Sainsbury's

6 rashers of streaky bacon, roughly chopped.

1 large onion, chopped.

1 shallot, chopped.

2 garlic cloves, crushed.

1 can chopped tomatoes.

2 sticks of celery.

250ml of chicken stock.

1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce.

1 tbsp of brown sugar.

1 tsp of dried mixed herbs.

1 tsp of dried thyme.

1/2 tsp of dried parsley.

1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. If you like things spicy you could use chili powder here instead.

100ml of red wine (use water if you don't have wine).

1 tin of baked beans.

Salt and black pepper to taste.

Firstly add a splash of oil to a frying pan, heat up and add your sausages. Fry them gently for 8-10 minutes and then take them out of the frying pan and add them to a casserole dish.

Whilst your sausages are frying, chop your bacon, onion, shallot and celery and crush the garlic.

Fry the bacon until it goes brown and crispy and then add this to the casserole dish with the sausages.

Next fry the onion and shallot, adding the garlic and celery after a few minutes.

Once this has mix has gone golden brown add the tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and herbs along with the red wine/water. Allow it to simmer for a few minutes and then add the contents of the frying pan to the casserole dish.

Let this simmer gently for around 15 minutes then add the tin of baked beans. I drained most of the sauce away first as I didn't want my casserole to be too watery or tomato-y but you can leave this if  you wish. I also added salt and pepper at this point.

Let this all cook away for around another 15 minutes and then serve with potatoes and Yorkshire puddings for a perfect winters evening meal!

Thai Beef Massaman Curry

Thai food is my favourite and I love a Massaman curry however this was the first time I'd tried to make one at home.

To serve 4 you will need:

80g of unsalted peanuts

500ml of coconut cream

4 tbsp. Massaman curry paste

600g lean beef cut into chunks

1 large potato cut into chunks

1 onion - chopped

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. tamarind paste

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. fish sauce

Jasmine or Coconut rice

You can also add a red chilli to this is you want a bit of a kick but I prefer my curry mild so I didn't bother.

Firstly I roasted my peanuts for a few minutes in the oven and then chopped them once they had cooled.

Next add the beef, onion, curry paste, potato, cinnamon, tamarind paste, sugar and fish sauce to a large pot with about 200ml of coconut cream and keep stirring it until everything has mixed well. Add around 3/4 of the peanuts too.

Finally add the rest of the coconut cream and about 200ml of water to the pot and simmer on a low heat for around 2 hours. This should make the meat really tender.

The sauce should be nice and thick so if it looks a bit thin you can add some corn starch to it to thicken it a little.

Serve up with some lovely jasmine rice (you can add desiccated coconut for extra taste) and sprinkle the rest of the roasted peanuts over the top.

Delicious!

Delicious and Easy Balsamic Herb Salmon Recipe

I'm always looking for new things to cook because I get bored of having the same meal over and over again so I usually spend one day a week trawling the internet for something new and easy to make.

Today I cooked Balsamic and Herb Salmon and it was delicious and so easy.

To serve 4 people, you will need:

4 Salmon Fillets
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp of Honey
1 Tbsp of Water
1/3 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp of Oil (olive, vegetable, sunflower - whatever you have)
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1 Lemon

You can also as many other herbs and spices as you like. I added parsley and some basil.

The recipe itself is very easy.

Preheat the oven 425° Fahrenheit/200 Celsius and whilst this is heating up make the sauce. To make the sauce simply put the garlic, honey, water, balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper and a splash of lemon juice in a bowl and make sure its mixed well. Make sure add any extra herbs and spices here too.

Next use the oil to grease a baking tray and place the salmon on the tray.

Brush the salmon with about half of the sauce and bake uncovered for around 12 minutes.

Take the salmon out of the oven, cover with the rest of the sauce and bake for a further 3-5 minutes.

I served this with some fresh green beans, sautéed herb potatoes and a wedge of lemon (just for decoration).

Easy and delicious!

New Makeup Haul

I usually try to go without any sort of foundation/powder/concealer but unfortunately at this time of year my summer tan has worn off and it becomes easy to look pasty, especially in Edinburgh during Autumn/Winter. So I have decided that the time has come to invest in some makeup to cover the blemishes. I don't really like spending a lot of money on makeup so I decided to take advantage of a good offer with a well priced brand.

I purchased a few products which were:

1) Seventeen Define and Conquer Contour Kit - £4.99 (pictured)
2) Seventeen Blemish Balm - £6.99
3) Seventeen Miracle Matt Pressed Powder - £3.99

The Seventeen Define and Conquer Contour Kit is brilliant! I've never tried contouring before and this kit made it easy and I instantly saw results. It comes with a little card showing you where to use each powder. It's a great product for a great price. 10/10!

The second product I bought, the Blemish Balm, is supposed to moisturise and provide coverage. I'm always sceptical about  these types of products but I have to say this one is pretty good. It feels very soft between the fingertips and application is very smooth and easy. Coverage is also pretty good but not 100%. 7/10.

The Miracle Matt Pressed Powder does exactly as is says. It's simple and effective. The finish is pleasant and coverage is as good as you would expect from a pressed powder.

All in all the Seventeen range is better than I expected it would be for the price. I'm a happy girl!

Day One of a New Me!

I got home from work last night, opened a (large) packet of biscuits and threw myself on the sofa and before I knew it I'd devoured more than half of the pack. Then I dragged myself upstairs to change into something more comfortable and stood in front of the mirror wondering why I was a lot softer round the edges than I used to be.

So this is it! No excuses. No more biscuit binges! This time I'm sticking to it and day one of trying to avoid binge eating has gone pretty well.

Breakfast: Porridge and a cup of peppermint tea.
Lunch: Pasta salad
Dinner: Paprika Chicken Breast, Roasted Veg and Boiled Rice.

Not too bad for my first day.

I know that I'm not going to get the body I want by cutting down on food alone and I hate going to the gym. So I'm going to invest in some (not too expensive) home gym products. Any suggestions?