Body Shop Poducts Tried & Tested

Its NaBloPoMo #22 and I have recently been given a few Body Shop products to try by my local Consultant Trudy McKnight which I am incredibly grateful for and thought I should shout about it especially as Christmas is coming up.  Hopefully this review will give you a few ideas!

1. The first product I have tried is Cranberry Joy Body Butter:

This Body Butter is part of the new Christmas range and has everything you can expect from The Body Shop's notorious Body Butters.  They are thick and creamy and incredibly moisturising.  The Cranberry Joy scent is fruity but not too fruity )if you know what I mean) and I felt incredibly luxurious and Christmassy using this after bathing.  Buy this as a Christmas present for someone else or even for yourself and you won’t regret it!

2. I have also been trying out the Foundation Dragonfruit Lip Butter: 

I suffer from dry lips and have found this lip butter gorgeously scented and really moisturising especially now the cold weather is coming in.  You will find this product moisturising and caring on your lips perfect for this time of year. Another great reason to buy this lip butter is that The Body Shop split 100% of the profits made between their selected charities!

3. The third product I have tried this week is the Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream:

At first I was a little reserved as I was not keen on the smell from the tube.  But I have been using this all week and once applied the smell is much nicer than first impressions led me to believe and leaves your hands with a subtle leafy scent.  The best part about this product is how your hands feel once you have applied it, my hands felt as smooth as velvet and so soft.  It may be pricey but you only need a small amount and I would definitely recommend it!

Click here to go to The Body Shop online catalogue to get you into the festive mood. Also for a limited time they are offering a 40% discount with free delivery using code: 14322!

I will be testing more Body Shop products and will post the results soon! 

Sophie.x

The Easiest & Tastiest Lasagne!

This is my absolute favourite go-to recipe and I make it all the time whether it is just for me, hubby and the kids or whether I am having a bigger get together with friends and family.  

It is perfect served with breads and salad and its' a real winter warmer.  It is also the most easiest meal to make and so tasty too! You should really give it a go!

Ingredients:

500g Minced Beef

1tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion

1 Carrot

1 Pepper

Jar of Italian Tomato Sauce

Tin Condensed Mushroom Soup

1/2pint Milk

Lasagne Sheets (Dried)

Grated Cheese (Mozzarella or Chedder)

Method:

1) Add olive oil to a frying pan and fry chopped onion, carrots and peppers. (You can add other veg too if you like i.e. mushrooms or celery).

2) Once the veg is softened add the minced beef and fry until browned.

3) Add the ready made Italian tomato sauce i.e. Dolmio and stir.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins.

4) Whilst the meat and sauce is cooking prepare the white sauce by adding milk and soup to a jug and stir well to mix. 

5) When the beef is ready add half of the mixture into a casserole/lasagne dish and top with a layer of lasagne sheets.  Pour half the milk/soup mixture over the top of the sheets evenly.

6) Repeat as above adding a layer of beef then a layer of lasagne sheets and top with the remainder of the white sauce.

7) Top the lasagne with the grated cheese of your choice and cook in the oven for 45mins at 200C/Gas 6 until golden.

I hope you like this recipe! For more recipes please visit my Food & Baking page! 

I Heart LFA's

From one email from ASOS to two pairs of LFA boots! Oops!  I must admit I have had a soft spot for LFA's for years and have owned two previous pairs.  Unfortunately both these pairs have been worn to death and I have been looking out for some more at a good price.  

Bearing in mind these boots have a RRP of £150-£250 I was over the moon to find ASOS hosting a flash sale last weekend and found they were reduced to £90-£100 each.  After buying the first pair I was incredibly naughty and indulged in a second pair...well at such a great price how could I resist?  These boots are totally on a par with Ugg boots in my opinion, they are made to a great standard and feel really luxurious on. Although they come at a high price they will last you for years so treat them like an investment! Perfect for cold winter days they really make you feel cosy and warm.

Here are some photos of my legs (and my boots)!

Adult Pizza Express Party

As a surprise for my mums Birthday I planned an Adult Pizza Making Party at Pizza Express and we had a fab time doing so!  You may think this was a slightly odd idea for my mother but after attending my daughter's 6th birthday in July she raved about how much she would enjoy having the same party for herself.  Then low and behold an email hit my inbox a few weeks later telling me about the all new pizza making parties for adults!  Woohoo I thought as I promptly booked our local branch. 

After getting a group of party goers together we arrived at Pizza Express not knowing what to expect.  On arrival we were handed a glass of bubbly and the table was adorned with entrées.  After we got settled the store manager came over and introduced himself and then we were off.  Practising with the dough by stretching and throwing it and taking part in a dough tossing competition between ourselves.  We then made our own pizzas and gave them our own original names, only to be judged again for our pizza making skills.  The food was lovely (of course) and we all had a great time! 

The party ended with a surprise pudding holding the obligatory one candle and the lucky members of our party to have won the mini competitions were handed their very own certificates including, Best Pizza Maker, Don't Give Up Your Day Job and Best Dough Tosser!  We all agreed that we had a fab time and were pleased to be involved in a new, interesting and original birthday celebration! Thank you Pizza Express!

Girls Hairstyles - Waterfall Braid

Waterfall Braid

Good morning everyone and Happy NaBloPoMo#18! I hope you had a great weekend?! 

Today I am featuring a waterfall braid/plait for my hair tutorial.  If you have a fringe this can be used to keep it off your face.  This hairstyle can be a little tricky especially if you have hair like my daughter Brooke which is very shiny and slippery In this photo I have left her fringe on the right hand side to frame her face and have used the hair on the left side where it is longest.

1) Take a small section of hair above the temple and begin a French type braid only taking and adding hair from the top of the head.
2) Once you have one complete crossover, drop a section from the bottom braid section to create a 'waterfall'.
3) Carry on with the braid dropping a small section from every bottom crossover as you go.
4) Go round the head as far as you like and finish off the braid with a normal plait down to the end of the length of the hair.
5) Tie the plait at the end with a hair tie.

Red Sky At Night....

Its NaBloPoMo #17 today and thought I'd share this with you...

As I left work the other day I was greeted by this wonderful sight! It really makes you stop and think doesn't it..how beautiful the world can be.  I must admit sometimes life is so hectic I do not stop to smell the roses but when I saw this sky I couldn't help myself and stopped to take this photo in the middle of the street!  

Happy Sunday Everyone - I Hope You Are Having A Fab Weekend!

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Sophie..x

This Week I Am Loving...

This week I am loving... reading to my 6 year old daughter as she is especially into the Clarice Bean books by Lauren Child.  These books are fab and it's not only my daughter who can't get enough but me and my hubby love them too! 

Check out the amazing interactive official website of Lauren Child who is also the writer of Charlie & Lola too.

Don't forget its NaBloPoMo #16 - Please visit http://nowtspecial.wordpress.com for more Blogs taking part!