Strawberry and Banana, Dairy Free Smoothie

 Smoothies are great! I have recently been obsessed with them after I perfected my recipie.

 I am going to share with you my way to make smoothies which includes absolutely no dairy. I am not intolerant to dairy products but after realising the negative impact on health that dairy can have I decided to avoid it. One of the main issues with dairy, especially full fat milk is all the fat! This obviously isn't a good thing. Secondly is the hormones present, again especially in milk.  None of this sounds very appealing and I know that when I trialled a month of drinking goats milk my face was breakout mad. This is possibly due to increased hormone levels in my body causing spots from having the milk (although this hasn't been proven scientifically).

 

You will need a banana, a handful of strawberries, Alpro yoghurt (its dairy free) and Alpro almond milk (its dairy free) and honey or sugar as optional. Also its crucial you have a blender although it doesn't matter what type.

 

 1.) Anyway here it goes! To start with chop up fresh Strawberries or you can use frozen. You could also use a selection of other fresh or frozen berries to your taste.

2.) Then chop up a banana, one should be ample. Put both the strawberries and banana pieces into the blender.

 

3.) Spoon in four or five spoons of Alpro yogurt. Here I used Plain but I prefer to use Vanilla for a better taste. All of the Alpro range are made without dairy and come straight from almonds or plant based products. It tastes just as good as dairy, looks like dairy and works just as good. Do be aware that it is made out of nuts (the almond version anyway!) and so if you are allergic to nuts it may not be suitable (check the labels!).

4.) Next pour in some Alpro almond milk, mines unsweetened. Use about enough to cover the ingredients in the blender. It is all approximate measures so if you want a large cup, fill it up more!

5.) Lastly put in either a spoonful of honey or a spoonful of sugar if you like yours sweet, or you can just leave it like it is. I personally don't add any as the banana gives it a nice, natural, healthy sweetness.

6.) And that's it, mix it in the blender and its good to go. Simple!
Its such an easy recipe it hardly needed instructions but I wanted to share possibly my favourite drink with you so you can make it too!
You can put it in a fancy cup with a strawberry garnish as seen above or put it into
 a sweet vintage dairy bottle and take it with you. Then no-one at all will tell its not dairy!
The only bad part is when your bottles empty!


Jasmine X
(All images are mine and I am in no way associated with brands mentioned. You should check all ingredients before making the recipe to make sure it is suitable for you)

The Suede/Suedette Skirt

 The suede skirt (or suedette skirt) is everywhere at the moment. It is just a great piece to write a post on because of its ability to be worn over practically any season! It looks great for summer but can work just as well in winter. The colour also helps to make it a transitional piece, as it can easily be worn with or without black tights!

 

I decided to pair mine with a seventies style patterned 'top'. The 'top' I am wearing is actually a dress which was very cheap from Primark. Its just short enough to be covered by my skirt which I got from New Look. Having the dress underneath the skirt actually 'poofs' out the skirt a little more which is quite good for an A-line skirt. Its also such a great way to wear a dress in more than one way.

 

I have seen a lot of people pair their skirt with black or muted plain colours. I think that it looks great however with a pattern. I don't believe a pattern takes away attention from the skirt and I think it actually adds to the seventies look.

 

 I wore a long beaded necklace tied up with this outfit. Its in matching colours of orange, blue and purple and looks slightly retro to me. I also wore one of my new Seekers of the Sun metallic tattoos from my Glamour Summer Edit Box. It says 'Follow your dreams' that's a nice motto to live by!

My little bag finishes it off, which I just love. Its so ladylike with its little handle and the patent crocodile finish looks really classy as well.

 

 My boots are brown platforms which are so comfy! With being really tall I don't have many occasions where I wear heels so I'm not that used to walking long distances in them! However when I wore this pair walking around in Los Angeles earlier this year, I found them really comfortable and totally ok.

 

I hope this gives you some inspiration to pair your suede skirt with a pattern as well as plain colours.

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine and of me)

The British Seaside...

 

So recently I spent a couple of days at the seaside. It was possibly the best weekend of the year we could of hoped for with regards to the weather. It was so hot and the sun was shining the whole time, which is very unusual! It was really nice to get away and just enjoy the sun and the cobbled streets of quaint little village streets and seaside towns. The little gift shops there are great too. We are lucky in Britain that no one is ever too far away from the seaside. Even in the middle of the country it doesn't take too long to drive to the edge to reach the sea. I think that the seaside is just a great place for photos too, everywhere there are great photo opportunities. I have to mention though that the photos don't do the day justice, the sky was bright blue in real life!

The outfit I choose to wear had to include a seaside theme too, I wore my H&M crab top which I love! It is actually a crop top but I thought the weather was going to be cold so I chose to wear a white top underneath (and a denim jacket over the top) which wasn't really necessary! 

 

 

I also wore sea themed accessories including a peal tipped necklace and a shell bracelet. I decided to go all out on the seaside look. It possibly made me look very 'tourist'y' but who cares!

 

 

Sometimes it is just so nice to get away to somewhere not to far away without the stress of going on a plane etc (Although saying that I cant wait until I go to spain!) and just to enjoy the simple things in life like watching the rolling waves.

I hope you get to enjoy some sunshine this weekend too!

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine)

Garden Party Outfit Idea

Its the time of year of hot afternoons and parties outside including the very popular garden party. I have to say I have never been to one but if I were to (and for all of you who are) I would possibly wear an outfit similar to this one! Often women choose which dress to wear and don't consider wearing cropped trousers, its a shame because there are some really nice options that can look as good - if not better, than a dress! The outfit I have put together here is a smart-casual outfit. It isn't at all dressy which makes it wearable for many occasions which are that 'inbetween' stage (not quite smart but not casual).

The best part about this outfit is that two of the items were very cheap!

 

 

 

My nail varnish is the Nails Inc Gel varnish which I received in my Glamour Summer Edit box which I posted about in a previous post. I think it looks really summery, its a shame my nails aren't very long at the moment though.

 

 

 The shoes were very cheap from Primark (as were the crop trousers) and are one of those statement trended pieces that just adds so much for so little.

My Clutch bag was from River Island and is faux fur dyed with black and lime which just coordinates with my printed crop trousers so well.

Finally my sunglasses are by Michael Kors and my bracelet is by Tiffany & Co. 

 

 

 So there you have it my outfit idea for a warm summer evening on the lawn!

 

Jasmine X

 

(All images are mine)

Glamour Summer Edit

 

So the past two weeks I have been impatiently waiting for a parcel which was the latest Glamour Summer Edit box. I couldn't wait for it to come as ive never bought one of these boxes before. I saw it in the Glamour magazine and thought it looked amazing. So

unfortunately the original parcel which was despatched got lost in the post so I had to wait again for a second one, but its here! Its as good as I'd hoped it would be. I just love that I can try all the items which I had never tried before in the little sizes. The box is really pretty also.

There are two cards in the box, one explains each item and how to use it/what it is for and the other has some further offers for if you decide to buy any of the products in future.

I am not going to detail every item that is in the box as I am not a selling you the item obviously but you can see all the items I received in mine below in the images.

 

I think the two products I anticipated the most were the Boujois Colourboost Lip Crayon and the Nails Inc Gel Nail Varnish. I had never tried either of the products but since using the lip crayon I have fallen in love with it, it stays on so well! Im really glad of the colours too which I got (they are a random selection in each box) especially as both of the products match!

I think that the Seekers of the Sun metallic tattoos are also really fun, I love temporary tattoos so I cannot wait to try them. I think that the small ones would look great above the belly button.

The final piece which I anticipate using in future is the Vita Liberata powder self tanner. I think it will be interesting to see how well it works being a powder. The brush supplied for applying it feels so soft and is the full size which is a great bonus.

I would recommend this product for sure, especially as it is only £17.99. I gave one away as a present also, so I believe it would be a great present idea for anyone who really likes to try new things and is into their beauty products.

 

Jasmine X

 

(All images are mine)

  

 

Sixties styling

So my post today is about my Sixties-esque shift dress which I have fallen in love with. It isn't the most 'summer-ry' piece obviously but I cant help but wear it anyway! So with the dress I paired pieces of different textures. I was especially inspired by late sixties interior which sounds odd but there are some great textures to this interior style, wicker and wool being some of them. This is why I paired my wicker 'look' bag with the woollen dress. I also kept the colours minimal to really show off the textures.

So I love collars, the collar on this dress was really tight and so it was great for pairing with multiple necklaces (they could fit around the collar). They also really stand out against the grey and white background. I wore one gold (a River Island coin piece) and one silver (a vintage Tiffany & Co heart) to make them stand out even more. The only coloured piece I wore was a MASSIVE pink block ring which adds just enough colour, its also one of my favourite!

 

 

The shoes I paired with it are my clear glittery jelly shoes, I think they add a really fun element to any outfit and the shape is quite retro. Plus I had a pair as a child and so it is great to have an adult version! Lots of places sell these now on the highstreet in many colours.

 

 

So there you have it my lovelies a textured inspired Sixties look, I hope you like it! Next time you get dressed think about mixing textures as well as colours for an interesting look!

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine and of me)

Applying Metallic Tattoos!

So Metallic Tattoos are everywhere at the moment! They are temporary tattoos which you apply with water to the skin. The current trend is to wear them anywhere and everywhere basically! They are especially great for festivals and the Boho vibe which is so big at the moment (and has always been my favourite!). So I have been wearing the Lottie London tattoos (From Superdrug) over the summer months and instead of showing you just how I wear them (P.S. the camera did not pick them up very well in the photos - sorry for that) I am going to tell you some pointers I have learnt from my experience with them,

1.)    So firstly do not (I'll repeat DO NOT) apply them and then apply Sun Cream/Screen over the top! It does not work well, mine turned grey and faded miserably! You would think that this point would be obvious but I totally forgot about them - and as its summer, well you should wear Sun Cream all the time!

 

2.)    Staying on the Sun Cream theme I wouldn't suggest wearing Sun Cream even underneath the tattoos. I also tried this and they came off within a day! Yours may be different but I would just avoid putting Sun Cream around them to be on the safe side!

 

3.)    If like me you become lazy after appling the first one and decide to saturate the next tattoo because you believe it will transfer quicker, just don't! Water can get underneath the paper and then they won't transfer properly! I would suggest using a damp but not dripping sponge.

 

4.)    Don't forget to remove the clear plastic! Temporary tattoos have a clear plastic over the top which you MUST remove before applying. Even though I know this I still sometimes forget its on there (Don't laugh at me!). If you don't remove and then apply water its ruined!

 

5.)    Lastly if you are taking your tattoo sheets to a festival or on holiday to apply, do not forget to take scissors otherwise you can't cut them out. Again this might seem obvious but its so easy to forget!

So there you have it, my five simple rules for summer Metallic Tattoos with regards to applying them.
P.S. The top I am wearing in the photos is my all-time favourite right now so expect to see it a lot on the blog at the moment!

Jasmine X
(All images are mine)