Do a Masters Degree they said, it will be fun they said!

Wow, okay, so i had myself so excited for all the blog posts i’d be able to write because i would only be in lectures 3 days a week, and now im so dissappointed with the lack of them!

One thing i now know very well about a Masters Degree is that although you arent in university as many days of the week as you are during an undergraduate degree, you have 10x the amount of reading and work to do. It’s killeeeeeerrrrrr. It’s very much a case of, here’s a taster of a topic, now go and read on the subject, we wont spoon feed you!

This for me has been a massive challenge as i struggle with reading, or at least understanding what i read, so having to read multiple scientific papers a week (and understanding them) is pretty tough!

After this Friday i will luckily have some time to relax and breath before assignments start to pile up again, and what a perfect time it would be to work on a blog post about a wonderful box of treats i was lucky enough to win recently! (time is escaping me… recently means just under two months ago – oopsie)

This box  was filled with goodies from Nutri2Go, LianMask & KohlKreatives! Please please please go check out their social media!

Instagram & Facebook: nutri2gouk
Website: http://www.nutri2go.co.uk

Instagram & Facebook: kohlkreatives
Website: http://www.kohlkreatives.co.uk

Instagram & Facebook: lianmask
Website: http://www.lianmask.co.uk

I can’t wait to share all the health and beauty bits and bobs with you, but until then, here’s a preview of what i was lucky enough to open up!

Now let’s keep out fingers crossed that i dont get bogged down with work for this long again!

p.s. i really want the mug in the header photo/feature image

Lana xoxo

Plantastic IKEA Haul

Aloe there!

After recently moving into our furnished apartment, George and I felt like there were a few things missing that we didn’t have, such as side plates, a bookcase, and wine glasses among others, so we decided to take a trip to IKEA! You’re probably expecting me to go on about these items, however the majority of what we came home with were PLANTS!

Having previously lived in shared student housing, purchasing decorative items for any room other than my bedroom, nice kitchen appliances or plants were just a massive no no! Everything would get lost, broken whilst drunk or die. So for the FIRST time, I was able to enjoy shopping for home items, for my own home.

Currently (and im honestly not sure how long they’ve had these or how long they will still have these) IKEA has been offering a set of three different potted baby cacti. They come in green, lime green, baby pink and white. I personally didnt select them on the pot colour but the specific cacti within the set. Some gave me goosebumps and were all hairy, others looked cobwebby, and the ones i seleced were perfect.

CACTACEAE £4.50 for 3

CACTACEAE £4.50 for 3

CACTACEAE £4.50 for 3

CACTACEAE £4.50 for 3 different cacti. Pot colours can beseen in the image above.

My colllection!

They just seem to make such a difference to the room, and i think they’re to blame for the the rest of the haul. It’s an addiction.

After walking around IKEA and collecting all the other items we needed we continued to the tills. Right before the store room was the plant section… 3 steps in and I had my sights set onto a shelf of baby aloe vera plants! You may or may not know that aloe vera plants are relatively expensive and have many usages, from beauty to lifestyle.

 

ALOE VERA £2.50

ALOE VERA £2.50

SOCKER 12cm £1.25

ALOE VERA £2.50, SOCKER 12cm £1.25. I placed my ALOE VERA into the SOCKER  tin to give it a nicer finish for the house. The SOCKER tin is also galvanised to protect against erosion.

Aloe Vera has many benefits, i know it has soothed me through a few burns!
Ive done a little bit of research so you don’t have to and have listed some of these benefits below.

So, according to Marie Claire, aloe vera juice is:

1. Detoxifying
2. Supportive of the immune system
3. Able to lower cholesterol & blood sugar levels
4. Excellent for digestion (and constipation)
5. And easy way to boost your vitamin and mineral intake
6. Good for burns, acne and hydrating your skin!

Read the article HERE

According to Prevention.com it can be used as:

1. A make up remover when used in the form of pure aloe vera gel
2. A shaving cream
3. A soothing ice cube
4. A face wash
5. and many more!

Read more from Prevention.com HERE

And finally, according to Healthline.com, aloe vera can be useful for:

1. Heartburn – Consume 1-3 ounces of pure aloe gel. As aloe vera has a very low toxicity level, it is very safe.
2. Keeping ruit nd vegetables for longer – by cating them in aloe gel, it keeps bacteria away making your fruit and veg freshers for longer!
3. Use as an alternative mouthwash – I will block plaque and also provide pain relief for sore gums. It also contains vitamin C.

And to read more interesting facts about aloe vera, just click HERE

There are so many websites that will advise you on the uses of aloe vera, as well as suppliers of aloe vera houseplants and gels, so go have a look and make use of its wonderful properties! I know i will!

Lana xxx

Bootea Teatox – My Results!

Many of you may have heard of a detox (or a TEAtox) called Bootea. Its a detox which uses green tea to cleanse and shed a bit of weight off you! i also found that it made me feel a lot more energised and healthy!

I first heard about it online, and advertised in Holland & Barratt! Then saw a few satisfied customers on instagram and a few friends trying it out, although with mixed outcomes. The only way i was going to know how it worked with my body was to try it, and even if there wasn’t a significantly visible result, at least i would feel great (hopefully).

I am now currently on my third set as the results from my first was just so promising and motivating. And ill even show you how well it worked!

The first time i tried it, i was completely dedicated, i ate healthy (obviously with the occasional snacks.. old habits die hard) and even attempted to hit the gym – Shocker. I found the day time tea quite nice, as i personally love green teas! (If you don’t like the taste yourself, you can add natural sweeteners such as honey to improve the taste).

There’s two different teas, the daytime tea which you have once a day every day for the two week time period, and a night time tea which you take every other day starting on the first day of the teatox. The nighttime tea tastes quite different to the daytime one and you can definitely taste the fennel in it! For those who don’t like green teas, this one will definitely need a natural sweetener in it unless you’re willing to neck it in one!

I took a few photos here and there to see if there were any visible results, apart from what i thought i saw, and how i felt. And here are two photos 11 days apart:

Please excuse the sweatiness and the unattractiveness! the ‘after gym session’ look isn’t one of the prettiest!

The photo above was halfway into the teatox, and the photo below was nearing the end! (I will also now let you know that those abs have completely vanished under a cosy blanket of chub for the winter season… or until i get back into the gym…)I lost a lot of the chub layer across my tummy, resulting in toning up! I felt fabulous and it was such a motivating result that it almost became addictive! This was when i then purchased the next two sets which i was ready to pick up and start immediately.

I will give you a warning, if you are wanting to give it a go, to make sure you’ve mentally prepared you for the amount of time you will be spending on the toilet, as with all detoxes, comes pooping (graphic, i know, but don’t say i didn’t warn you!!)

The second time i did it, i failed to remember to have the right teas at the right times due to the busyness of my summer days, and this resulted in only feeling energised and cleansed instead of seeing visual results as i did the first time. Not a bad thing, but there i was hoping my beach bod would be back – wrong. I also failed to eat as healthily as i did the first time! whoops, i guess i set myself up to fail, the tea’s not magic!

Im now on my third run, and i’ve managed to stick to it as I’m constantly in the house revising for my exams, and revision is always perfectly matched with a cup of tea! Although i have less time to work out, i have had a few Cheerleading sessions and these will be becoming more frequent as my examination period ends. This time, i feel like I’ve lost more weight than the first time but i haven’t built up the muscle definition that i did the first time, but i still feel fab with the results! I’ve even introduced non high waisted jeans/trousers (hipsters) back into my wardrobe as my previous muffin top has reduced in size! 

I hope this helps anyone willing to give it a go an inside of what its like and how its not just down to the tea itself, but also the lifestyle surrounding it. Give it a go! Heres a link to their website, order and get started! You can only try, and see how it works with your body!

They’ve also recently introduced a shake which will help reduce snacking, satisfy hunger, keep you fuller for longer and help you lose weight! Have a read! Experiment.

I’ve recently ordered the Slimming shake powder off of Protein World, so once I’ve given it a go, I’ll let you know my results!

– Lana xxx

Healthy Replacements for Those Tempting Treats

If you’re anything like me, all you do is complain about how you want to get fitter, lose weight and eat healthy! But all you really do is google ‘ab exercises’ or look for the next dieting pill or weight loss remedies, but don’t actually get anything useful done!

Some people, especially George, were born incredibly lucky with the power to maintain a toned figure and eat all the junk they want without the side effects of putting on weight, or losing muscle definition (then again the boy does get spotty after a week of takeaways!). But others like myself can feel every tiny bit of fat layer itself up on every inch of my body – Gross. I just HAD to find something i could eat without feeling yucky, and that he would enjoy and not think was ‘too healthy’ (if thats even a thing…)

The amount of times I’ve said to myself “oh just one bite won’t hurt” and it leads to me devouring a whole tub of ice cream is shocking, and i want to be able to do this without the following guilt! Luckily i stumbled across the perfect solution – Homemade banana ice cream! Unfortunate if you don’t like bananas, but you’d be surprised how much the flavour can change with just the addition of extra ingredients.

Have a look for yourself!

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Homemade Banana Ice Cream

The best bit about this recipe? ONE MAIN INGREDIENT. – BANANAS

1. Peel a bunch of healthy looking bananas (Yellow with maybe a few brown spots) and place them into a deep bowl. The amount of bananas you peel is dependant of the amount of ice cream you want!

2. Once peeled, cut them however you want, slices, halves, quarters, your choice, and stick them in the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until frozen.

3. Take your frozen banana pieces out of the freezer and place them into a food processor or blender (make sure your blender is powerful enough to handle frozen bananas!) and blend till smooth in texture. You can add a touch of milk if you want to help the blending process as well. It should look something along the lines of this!

4. Scoop it out and Voila! Deliciously smooth banana ice cream!

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If you’re not a keen banana fan, test out the addition of different ingredients!
– Mint Choc Chip? Chocolate chips and a few drops of peppermint oil.
– Cherry and Vanilla? Add frozen cherries and few drops of vanilla flavouring.
– Peanutbutter? Well.. you can probably guess!

As usual, GET EXPERIMENTING. Guilt free ice cream, ready to be devoured!

– Lana xxx

The Wonderful World of Face Masks

Oh face masks, how wonderful you are.

Face masks are those types of things that relax you, but also excite you as you’re desperate to find out the result! They’re perfect for lazy nights in or before big nights out. Even if the people around you tell you that they can’t see a difference after one or give you that ‘suuuuuureee‘ look when you ask them to feel how soft your skin is, YOU can feel and see the difference yourself and its great.

Personally, my favourite ones are those which you can peel off your face or that dry hard. My house mate and i’s obsession for peeling them off in one go is endless, its just sooooooooooo satisfying!! After realising how many packeted face masks we went through a week, we began to look online and experiment with a mixture of ingredients to make ones that suited us best.

Below are two of the best ingredients and their properties for you to have a look at!

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HONEY

– Hydration. Honey is wonderful for those with dry skin, or even to maintain glowing skin. It absorbs moisture form the air and locks it into the areas of your skin that need it most, to give you long-lasting hydration!

– Acne. Oh acne, we’ve all been there, we all disliked it. Luckily though, honey has antibacterial properties which can help ease and prevent acne. It even reduces the appearance of scarring thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties! BONUS!

– Complexion. Honey is said to give your skin a radiating glow due to it being so moisturising and soothing, but it is also full of antioxidants. These prevent ageing but also cleanse and open up pores, making them easier to unclog – Phew.

Want to find out more beauty uses for honey? Woman’s Health Mag has a great article to have a look at! Here you go!

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COFFEE

– Inflammation and Redness Reduction. Caffeine has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce these factors.

– Dark Circles. Dehydration, lack of sleep, genetics or even allergies can be the cause of dark circles below your eyes, but luckily, if you’re one of those people, caffeine’s got your back. Although it can’t ‘cure’ dark circles if due to genetics, it can reduce puffiness and other unflattering aspects that come along with dark circles. It can also reduce the accumulation of blood under your eyes which is sometimes the reason these dark circles appear.

– Reduces Cellulite. The dehydration of fat cells results in the minimisation of cellulite appearance, and caffeine does exactly this. Although this doesn’t necessarily apply to your face, it does smooth out impurities and tightens out fine lines, leaving you with tight, firm skin.

Coffee is incredible when it comes to internal and external beauty, and although i would love to cover it completely, i simply don’t have the space, so have a look at this article from stylecraze, and you’ll be fully in the know!

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Eggs and chocolate are two others that i absolutely love but these will have to wait for another time! Eggs add that ‘peel off’ effect which i absolutely adore and this website explains it all! It also has a never ending list of different home made face masks which you just have to try out!

Have fun and get creative, find which works with your skin best!

– Lana xxx