Stocking fillers... part 1...

It's coming.. 5-ish weeks... and for most of us it's time to get the stocking fillers, Secrets Santas and Kris Kindle gifts...  so there'll be a couple of Stocking filler posts over the next few weeks for things that I spot out there on my travels that might hit the mark for someone you love ...  here's a few bits I spotted in 'HomeStore and More' the other day... 


So we're not all Paul Hottywood in the kitchen, and personally I use the 'freestyle' kind of butter icing because I just get mad trying to smooth it out and YES I buy my fondant Mary Berry! (clearly she reads my blog!) But for the Christmas Season, you can make your bakes VERY festive with a bit of "cheating"... HomeStore & More have got some very cute cupcake cases and sugar craft decorations for the bakers in your life...

Santa and his elves cupcake cases... This box has Santas leg stuck out of the chimney! Bake your cupcakes in plain cases and then place them in these once they've cooled down of just use a plain one inside the fancy case when your baking! I find you lose they lose their colour if you don't... €5.00

These Rudolph cases are super cute! Again €5.00, great if you know someone who is really into baking or just to jazz up your Christmas Cupcakes for Santa!

Ready made little gingerbread men with teeny tiny jellies... 

And festive cookie cutters which double up as fancy and useful Christmas labels/tags, 

when you're wrapping pressies for the chefs in your life... 

Three styles available, Christmas Trees, Snow and Gingerbread Men for €1.99! 

So good they'll look like you did them yourself... I'll tell no one! €3.99

Poinsettias ... €3.99

Candy Canes and mittens... €3.99

Christmas trees for €3.99...

they came out very dark in my pic for some reason, they're actually much more green...

Yes... yes it is a Santa toilet seat cover... I know... 

show this bad boy to the OCD Cleaners on Channel 4! eek! €3.99

And every girl should have one "Ring for a Xmas kiss" bell... €1.99 

I can see a lot of these being abused in town over the next few weeks!

I couldn't resist.. and at least someone thinks I'm gorgeous in the morning... 

and believe me most mornings it's not pretty, plus they're MASSIVE mugs for €4.99

So cute and SO FLUFFY and so festive! Comes in saucy black too!  €8.99

last up... the cutest mini flasks I've seen for a long time, 

and perfect for bringing your soup to work!  €4.99

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Let the festivities begin...

Yup... I thought I'd make it a little be festive around here... The first decoration is officially up and I had to share it... HOW cute though, seriously!?! 

'Make Your Own Christmas Banners' out of felt and ribbon... 

so easy and fun for kids to make without needing a degree in crafting ...

You can get them in Dealz for €1.49 so a bargain too... great little stocking filler for the 'crafty types' in your family or feck it give your desk a mini makeover! 

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She's asking AGAIN!?!? ... sake...

I know, I know you all thought the begging was over... but it's just a quickie, and I'll only ask* once ... I'm in up in two categories for the UK Blog awards and am looking for your vote... I feel like a politician! But you know... don't ask... etc...                 *beg


Life style... 
http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/candidates/the-skinny-doll-journey-this-girl-is-losing-it/


Health... 
http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/candidates/the-skinny-doll-journey-this-girl-is-losing-it-2/


*Curtsies-in-advance*

Fank you.... x 

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Beauty time... iS facial

You know that moment when you think to yourself... 'no more messing... I've got to start looking after my skin properly!' Well a while ago I had THAT moment... I've always been very good at the old  'cleanse, tone and moisturise' and I could open a shop with all the face packs I have... and whilst it's lovely to sit in the bath and wallow in a chocolate flavoured mud mask like a hippo... you need to invest in some skincare that will actually WORK in your favour... 

Months ago, I went for a Dermalogica Facial, and it was one of the best investments I've made in a long time... I have very sensitive skin, rosy cheeks and the ridiculous 'T-zone' that's suppose to be reserved for teenagers, so I get spots and dry patches too, so its ALL fun and games... After a series of 5 of these and knowing what products I should be using, the dry patches are gone and my skin is in much better condition... 

When my fav beauty-therapist-guru Amy suggested I should try the 'iS Fire & Ice medi-facial' by iS Clinical, I was all over it... This is the one that Halle Berry has all the time! 

iS stands for Innovative Skincare and it really is... this stuff works on your skin.. you can feel it working even days after... and it isn't a long luxurious facial, where you get a shoulder rub and you're left to have a lil nap with soothing music... these products are at the clinical end of skincare products so they're working for their money and you can see the results pretty much instantly ... The 'Fire & Ice Facial' is a re-surfacing peel, as close as you'll get to a chemical peel without sitting in the dark, scaring small children and we all remember this...

But fear not ... this does the same job and you only look a little flushed after it! 

So, it goes like this... 

Cleanse - The cleansing complex has a gentle exfoliant in it to get rid of all the make up and residues on your face... it's also got salicylic acid in it too, so it starts off the 'anti ageing' buzz on your skin... 

Then... the 'FIRE' part... The Intensive Resurfacing Masque (on the left) ... This is like a warm tingly cinnamon bun on your face... you can feel it working instantly and it smells like a Christmas candle! Depending on your skin type and sensitivity, your therapist will know how long to leave it for... I had it on for 3 minutes exactly, being in the 'rosy cheeked sensitive' club... it was actually very pleasant... but what I really liked was I could feel it working...  

This is followed by the 'ICE' part, in the form of the Rejuvenating Masque (on the right) which is AWESOME... it's got aloe vera, green tea, grape seed extract and again it's all natural ingredients... it's SO cooling and refreshing... again it was only on my skin for a few minutes before the after care products, which will again depend on your skin type... 

As it's tailored to each individual, the Pro-Heal Serum was the one for me... this product has been the game changer if I'm honest, over the following 4/5 days a few drops of this absorbed into my skin has made a huge difference especially to the rosacea... It has never been exceptionally bad but after my two weeks in the sun even with my SPF 50 on my face it was rearing it rosy head again with the autumn winds kicking in... After a couple of days this had calmed it right down... 

and finally the Extreme Protect SPF 30 and you all know how I rant on about SPFs! 

Now, there are other products in the range for different skin types, there's Hydra-cool serum for dehydrated skin and acne, Super serum which is more anti ageing and focused on fine lines and wrinkles... and loads more... but your therapist will be know what your skin needs best... 

The best part of these for me, having sensitive skin, is they are made with all natural ingredients, so you're not going to have a mad reaction to anything! The main ingredient in the Resurfacing Masque (the fire one) is sugar cane, which is a natural source of glycolic acid! Who knew?! I'm all about reading ingredients and now its on face creams! 

There's loads of products in the range, the 'Fire & Ice facial' is one of the more popular ones with celebs and, get this, it's the best selling treatment in the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills! I KNOW!! Move over Halle Berry! 

I know I'm not a beauty blogger but sometimes you come across something that's not weight related and just makes you feel good and a week on, my skin is STILL looking better every day! People are saying the holiday did me the world of good but they'll never know! 

Vanity Rooms have also put together a little mini 'after care' bag of products after the first facial for a reduced cost...  the full size products are expensive... it's a fab way to try them out without spending lots of money on something that might not be for you... 

The iS range of treatments isn't available everywhere so you'll need to have a google, I'm lucky enough be close enough to Vanity Rooms in Stepaside where it is available... All the products are on sale there and they'll only give you the best advice for you and your skins needs... 

Check their facials >>> HERE <<<

There's no better feeling when you feel good about yourself... and if your skin is something you constantly struggle with then it's worth investing the time and energy to get it sorted... it really can be something very small thats irritating it and it can be sorted out so easily with the right products ... 

With the Christmas Challenge kicking off this week, people will start asking over the coming weeks what presents you want, this will be on my list for Santa! If it's not your kinda thing, I would highly recommend the Dermalogia facials, which just leave your skin feeling SO good... (AND you do get a lil nap and soothing music) so pens out ... Dear Santa...  

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A little of what you fancy...

You all thought I was going to talk about Mr. Clooney or Mr. Farrell again didn't you... *swoony*

Weight Watchers recently asked me to take part in their latest blogging challenge called the 'Feel Good Food Challenge'... It's being done by a variety of bloggers everywhere, food/fashion/beauty bloggers... some who are trying Weight Watchers products for the first time to others who do it religiously... The basis of this challenge is 'No food is good or bad' and you don't have to give up anything you love... it's all about balance and moderation... you know the old adage... 'a little of what you fancy does you good...' So we were sent some of their products to try out...

Over the last few weeks I've been documenting the Weight Watchers products I use regularly and I like.. I've also tried some new ones... my biggest surprise the Weight Watchers cheese! It's fab! I made some mini pizzas with their pita breads and wasn't expecting the melty yumminess I got... I pretty much gave up cheese when I started this properly, I avoid the cheese counter in the deli ... and the laughing cow cheese is my 'treat'... and I could find any excuse to straighten the block of cheese in the fridge before going to bed... So it was nice to try something new... 

I tried their Tikka Sauce, 6PP for the jar... Indian spices are something I always get wrong with recipes... curry is about as close to success as I can get.. so I tried the sauce, served with the creamy korma poppadoms and it was a hit with my taste testing team! 

  

and if you're a regular on here, you know about my eternal quest to get breakfast on the go... these breakfast biscuits tasted lovely... the honey taste was nice and a sugar buzz was needed in the car after a swim on the way to work, as you'll see I had them with a banana and an apple and my usual bottle of water ... 4PP per pack

The other product that I loved was their dairy spread... 0PP per 10g ... I use soya butter but this was a treat when I had a crumpet last week and I MISS real butter.. sigh...  

The new breakfast cereals filled me with dread to be honest... In my mind FIBRE = CARDBOARD... but again I was surprised by this, a dash of milk and piles of berries it was a fab and filling breakfast... 3PP per 30g...  

We live in stressful times, money is tight... jobs are to be cherished... and at the end it, we're all spinning about on this planet just trying to get along and enjoy it while we're here... our family time, our social lives, just getting up on a sunny day can make life that little be nicer... I don't work for Weight Watchers... I don't sell their products... I love their yoghurts, but won't touch their Ocean pie (it's a LONG story for another post!)... The new greek style yoghurts are really creamy, 2PP per pot ...  and the Steam & Serve pouches are great for an emergency! Dinner in 8 minutes... My fav is the Sweet Mango Chicken, 7PP per pack... I added some sweet chilli sauce and some soy sauce .. *drool* 

The ProPoints plan works for me... I need structure, I need portion control, and accountability! PLUS I can have whatever I want as long as I work it into my day... Either earn the activity points or use my weeklies... Don't ask me what 'filling and healthy breads' there are... I couldn't tell you but I will guide you to other bloggers who will sort you out... there are loads of people I know who are doing that version of the plan... they're losing weight and loving it! Good on 'em! 

My Weight Watchers heros! 

I'm not a big fan of WW ready meals, only because I LOVE they cookbooks and the recipes online and in the Weight Watchers magazine..  but I do have one or two in the freezer for late nights, starvation and for when the 'big snow' arrives again! *drama much* .. Their sauces are so handy and low in Pro Points that I keep a couple for for emergencies...  I've had their breakfast bars after swimming because I when I get out of the pool I'm ravenous and you can munch them in the car ... I SWEAR by their cookbooks ... FYI my leader is AWESOME at emailing us recipes every week which are just delicious... she should have her own cook book!P

For the 'bake off' watching... I tried out the Mini Jaffa Rolls 2PP each and the Double Choc Chip Cookies, 2PP for a pack of two... both delish and the non weight watchers were none the wiser when they were out of the packets! Result!

So here's a selection of my breakfasts, lunches and dinners 
over the last couple of weeks trying out the new stuff... 
I eat lots of fruit and drink loads of water.. some days I'm a human fish bowl!  
... and I included the amazing PIZZA for treat night! a gazillion pro points! eek! ... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqEY-3b9E7I&feature=youtu.be

and fear not, I'm not venturing into vlogging... this face is for radio people!! 

If you want to see other bloggers (there's some lovely recipes up already!) then check out the hashtag #WWFEELGOODFOOD and big thank you to Weight Watchers for including me! 

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