Beauty: My Beauty favourites

In a time where we're bombarded with various beauty products, routines and methods, we also have "beauty influencers".
Most "beauty influencers" mean well and give some great tips for natural skin care but there are so many who encourage the use over 10 products at a time to look like carbon copies of ...well, mannequins or pop culture celebrities.
From contouring to highlighting, priming and concealing it's so easy to get lost in the mountains of beauty products we're told we NEED to look and feel beautiful...Is it all necessary?

Almost every day there is a new wonder brush or miracle powder on the market which claims to make you look like a photoshopped model or 10years younger with zero flaws...Beauty is serious business!

 

 

Personally I am not keen on a face full of products and make-up. I try and keep my skin care and beauty regimes as natural and simple as possible by sticking to what I like and what my skin loves.

 

So what beauty concoctions do I love?

 

 

Benzonite Clay face mask (x15mins)...Why? Love this stuff ,it has so many uses and benefits.

As a face mask I love it because it makes my skin soft, smooth and well cleansed.

It also helps to:

• Cleanse and tighten pores
• Control shine
• Draw out toxins from the skin
• Soften
• Glow naturally
• Exfoliate
• Heal scars and even skin tone
• Heal Eczema, Dermatitis & Psoriasis
• Refresh
• Rejuvenate

 Love this Turmeric face mask too (x20mins)!

 

After my 1st use I was hooked, my skin felt like silk and had a gorgeous natural glow.

It also has so many great benefits, including but not limited to: 

 

• Moisturising
• Helps even skin tone
• Helps with acne and pimples
• Glow naturally
• Antibacterial
• Anti-inflammatory
• Helps relieve sunburn
• Helps reduce dark circles

Note: Turmeric does stain

 

 What else is in my beauty box?

 

• Maybeline -The Colossal Volume Cat Eyes Express Mascara
• Barry M -Black Kohl eyeliner
• St Ives -Apricot scrub
• Nivea -Hydro Care Lip Balm
• BodyShop -facial loofah pads
• Blue Heaven -Kohl Kajal Eyeliner
• BodyShop -Tea Tree face wash
• Garnier -Micellar water (sensitive)
• BodyShop -Argan Oil hair and skin solid
• Homemade lip scrub
• Homemade body butter
• Aloe Vera (Fresh)

 

                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My fave is Honey, Lemon and Aloe Vera

 

 

 

 

I mix a variety of skin butters with Shea butter and essential oils.

 

MUST haves for beauty, health and wellbeing!

 

 

Water

 

Aloe Vera

Sleep...

@MsShayDivine

Books: Mindfulness

💜***My top 5 books on mindfulness***💜

Frazzled By Ruby Wax

I am here now By The Mindfulness Project

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down By  Haemin Sunim and Chi-Young Kim

Mindfulness: 25 Ways to Live in the Moment through Art By Christophe Andre

The Mindfulness Colouring Book: Anti-stress art therapy for busy people By Emma Farrarons  

All available on Amazon 

    

Health & Fitness-My Top 3 fitness classes

As a self confessed foodie and lazy girl, I need to stay active and make sure I work out to be fit, sexy and healthy.

That being said I absolutely hate the gym, I am not one of those who can run on a treadmill for 30mins or pump iron till my chest hurts, so I had to find a way to incorporate exercise into my lifestyle. 

I decided to join an gym and try 5classes and choose my favourite 3.
My membership included access to the gym, swimming and wellbeing suites...needless to say 6months on and I haven't set foot in the gym area.

 

After a few weeks I made a decision and now really enjoy my top 3 classes.

 

BoxFit is my cardio class, it's lively, fun and very energetic but what I enjoy most about it is that it doesn't feel like exercise, more like a party!

Pilates is my wind down, relaxation, strength and flexibility class. I feel stronger, leaner, more flexible and so very calm after this class.

 

My last class of the week is Aqua Aerobics. I really underestimated this class. I thought it would be easier than it actually is but I love it!

 

@MsShayDivine

 

 

Food: Fully loaded Veg Spelt Pasta

 

Fully loaded vegetable spelt pasta!

 

If like me, you love pasta but hate the effects of all the added carbohydrates, sugars etc then this dish may be as good to you as it has been to me :-)

I am trying to eat more veggies and fewer carbs, this dish is a great way to get in as many veggies as you can with half the carbs!

Ingredients

• Organic Whole Wheat Spelt Fusilli
• Tomato passata
• Fresh Basil
• Sweet Red Pepper
• Sweet Yellow Pepper
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Courgette
• Meat Free Style Balls (Veggie meatballs-Soya)
• Smoked paprika
• Black Pepper
• Mixed herbs
• Chili
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

First boil two small handfuls (One if you have large hands) of Tesco Organic Whole Wheat Spelt Fusilli

(£0.75 Tesco)

 

According to 'organicfacts.net'...Spelt Pasta has some great health benefits.

Check out this link for more info...

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/cereal/spelt.html

Next pre-heat your oven (Temperature:Fan 170°C, Gas 5, 190°C) & add your Meat free balls (£1.50 Tesco) to a foil wrapped baking tray & cook for 15mins.

The next part is the fully loaded pasta sauce!

Roughly chop all the veggies into bite size pieces and leave to one side.

Fry shallots, garlic & chili in 1tbp of olive oil till soft, then add peppers & courgettes.

Next add all the spices, add the passata and bring to the boil.

When the meat free balls are almost done, add to the sauce and it's ready.

Add & mix the sauce & balls with the pasta and ENJOY!

@MsShayDivine

xXx

 

 

Petite & Curvy: Winter Coats (Follow Up)

Petite & Curvy: Winter Coats.. RESULT!

So...After what seems like months of shopping sprees, trying on shed loads of coats in a variety of styles, I finally found the perfect winter coat..in Jan!

So typical.

I seriously under estimated how hard this mission was going to be.

There weren't a lot of styles and lengths to choose from in most stores petite ranges and, as expected, most of those petite ranges DID NOT FACTOR IN CURVES!

So what happened was, I'd get the coat on but the bust &or hip area was not having any of it. There was no way the coat was going to zip/button up.

Most coats I tried drowned me, made me look naked underneath or aged me!

I spent hours on Oxford St, hours in Bluewater & Westfield's and just when I was about to give up and wear blanket scarves all season, then Marks & Spencer saved the day!

Now, remember I said I didn't want a padded coat as they're not tailored very well or flattering and can make us curvy petite ladies look a bit like Michelin man...?

Well I ate my words! And was happy to do so...

Marks and Spencer had a really great range of petite coats in a range of styles but the one that stood out the most for me was the PETITE Padded & Quilted Coat | M&S RRP £79.99

 

This coat is very well made, super warm and looks great on!

The padding is not all one style which adds a great silhouette and flatters my figure.

It hugs at all the right places, has super warm pockets and a luxurious fur hood!

Absolutely love this coat!

This mission further supports the notion that the fashion industry are still not catering to the curvy petites...

A hugh thank you to (@marksandspencer)

@MsShayDivine