Vegan Challenge Day 4.

Ok... So the vegan challenge didn't work out. Well it did for three days. We are switching to vegetarianism for the remainder of the challenge. And believe me, it will be a challenge. I absolutely adore red meat and chicken and fish... I have decided that while eating loads of fruit and veg is great and nuts and seeds and beans..... I believe that eating only those things is just too restrictive. On top of that I think there is substantial evidence to suggest that meat should be part of a human's diet. For example although dark leafy green vegetables are a great source of iron, meat sources of iron are more readily absorbed by the body I'm not saying we should eat meat by the truck load in fact quite the opposite. I've never thought it healthy that a lot of people have meat as the main focus of the meal but I do think it should play a role in our diets once a day, a few times a week. Why still keep up the challenge if I think meat is so great? Because you can have too much of a good thing. We were eating too much of it, especially red meat, not to mention we nearly always choose organic meat. That IS expensive. So it will give our bodies and our wallets a welcome break. Hopefully after the challenge, we'll be able to have a few vegetarian days a week and not see meat as the main part of the meal.

Vegan Challenge- Day 1

For two weeks my fiancé and I are going to follow a vegan diet. To reduce the chances of me breaking the challenge I am going to post my food intake and thoughts here. We are mainly doing this for health reasons as a sort of cleanse. We both eat rather too much meat and want to give our systems a rest as well as see if we feel any better. I also would like to see if we lose weight. My stats for Day 1 are 54.85kg, I'm 5ft 5. I will post his later. Today's diet will be: BREAKFAST Banana with peanut butter. Fruit smoothie. LUNCH Houmous with vegetables Gluten free oatcake with marmite. DINNER Chickpea curry made with lentils spinach cashews and coconut milk. Drinks: Herbals teas, such as Yogi and Pukka. Won't be drinking much black tea as the tannins hinder the absorption of iron

Essentials: Nude Nail Polish

I love dark vampy nail colours like Rouge Noir, they look sexy and classic however the maintenance is a nightmare. I'm not blessed with the most steadiest of hands which means I don't really follow nail colour fashions and I make a lot of messy mistakes when I paint my nails,

except when I use nude colours... For me, they really are the best. Nude colours are not as much maintenance and since I'm normally quite busy and like to be lazy, this suits me fine. Nude nails go with any outfit and they are quick way to look chique and groomed! My personal favourites are pictured here. OPI in Passion and Revlon in Sheer Blush

Denim Hot-pants with Black Opaque Tights: Just NO!

I'm from a rather cold country, Scotland, to be precise. If you are not from Scotland, you may imagine that the opportunities to wear hot-pants are few and far between. Yet it seems the more north one might go, the less the girls seem to wear, but that's another story... So anyway it is now Spring in Scotland and we have been blessed with a few sunny days. Some girls made the most of this and ventured out bare-legged BUT some chose and are still choosing to wear black opaque tights with their hot-pants. It drives me crazy,I work in a shop, so all day I have seen girls in denims and thin black tights teamed more often than not with plimsolls (white). To me, at least, it looks terrible, either wear hot-pants bare-legged or not at all! Is it only me that it bothers?!

♥ Perfume: from winter to spring

I don't wear much make-up, in fact most days I never wear it. However the one thing I must wear every day is perfume! Without it, I simply don't feel dressed. My favourite perfume Dior Hypnotic Poison has already run out despite having bought myself a 50ml bottle in October! Luckily I have a back up bottle ;) I was addicted to the vanilla notes and it was a perfect sexy warm winter perfume. I wore so much I couldn't even smell the scent on myself, which is what happens when your nose gets used to a smell. You're not aware you're asphyxiating everybody but they are!
Realising I might be a little heavy handed with the perfume application and that perhaps I might be in need of a lighter fragrance, I asked my fiancé for Chanel Chance Eau Fraîche for my birthday. This a lovely fresh spring/summer fragrance which I try not to drown myself in! It has fairly good staying power and the dry-down is lovely. It's very floral and perfect for those who want something a bit lighter for the hotter months!

♥ New Shoes

The other day, I made the brave decision to buy shoes which were not navy or black. I momentarily bought the navy version of the same shoe with tan trimmings, I say momentarily because as soon I walked out the shop I saw the tan pair and seeing as tan goes with black more than navy and I already had a pair of navy shoes I decided to exchange them right away. While the assistant was exchanging them, we decided that navy and black is a truly horrible combination and tan shoes would look quite nice with black skinny jeans. They are lovely boat-style shoes which I suspect will go with my very nautical-inspired wardrobe. They also make me feel very summery!
For the likes of my student self, the price tag of over £50 seemed pretty hefty but was somewhat lessened with my 10% student discount ;)
Besides I was sick of feeling every stone in the ground from my Primark fill-in shoes (emergency shoes until I get a more expensive pair), not only are the soles paper-thin but they rip off after a week!

♥ Multi-purpose Balms

Spent a little too much on skin-care products recently...oops. However this is after months of being disciplined! I currently love multi-purpose balms/products and bought myself three different ones, last week. They take up much less space in your cosmetic bag if you like to be minimal. The three beauties I chose are totally organic as I prefer my skin-care products to be without parabens, sodium laureth sulphate and mineral oils.
Number 1: Liz Earle Superbalm

This balm smells wonderful, although I've read some people hate the Neroli fragrance. It contains naturally sourced Vitamin E which is much better than the synthetic form and is apparently good at reducing scarring. I use it on my lips, those horrible dry bits around my nose and on my cuticles. It worked a treat on my toe cuticles and I thought nothing would soften them! I think around £16.25 for 30 grams is not too bad considering it will last you a while. I bought mine from John Lewis though you can buy from the Liz Earle website too. If you just want to try it without spending a lot of money, you can also buy a 5 gram tester for about £5
http://uk.lizearle.com/superbalm.html

Number 2: Badger Balm in Tangerine Breeze

This is sort of like a much cheaper version of Superbalm. The tangerine smell is absolutely gorgeous. I keep it in my coat pocket and use it on my lips, my face when it gets a bit dry during the day and my cuticles; I'm really obsessed with having perfect cuticles! The Badger Balm brand is famous for its adorable packaging and it's probably the reason I bought my first tin when I was 16. I bought mine from Boots for £4.99 but you can also buy it from LoveLula, http://lovelula.com
Number 3: Lanolips Lip 101 Ointment.

What could be cuter than a lipstick-wearing sheep?! Nothing! This cult Australian lip treatment only contains ultra medical grade Lanolin so has no fragrance. It's meant for the lips, but you can use it on any problem dry areas. It's really thick and very moisturising and leaves a lovely sheen on your lips. In my opinion, it is a million times better than Vaseline, which I hate as it does not treat sore and chapped lips but only provides a barrier between your lips and the elements. The price tag is a little hefty, you get 15g for around £10.99 at Boots but a little goes a long way and it is miles better than most lip treatments I've tried! This is the cute Lanolips website: http://www.lanolips.com/uk/range-lips
Unfortunately I must stop waxing lyrical about beauty products and go and study! Thanks for reading!