The concept of sugar addictions has been around for years. I was raised very well, living in warm places where fresh fruit and vegetables were easily accessible. A mother who is a diamond in the kitchen got my brother and I cooking from the moment we could walk and she shipped me off to University feeling absolutely confident with the ability to take care of myself. Even when I've travelled by myself and cooked in hostels and things, I never have a problem knowing what to shop for and eat to keep myself going throughout the day.
As my first year of University turned into the second year and the second to third, studying became much more intense than I could have imagined and I found myself taking on a part-time job to help pay the bills. The result was that 'me' time had to take a place on the backburner. My mindset changed, without me realising it, from 'what looks fresh and delicious' when I strolled through the market to 'what can I eat the quickest?' Mealtimes suddenly became a time of multi-tasking:
Breakfast: eat cereal whilst responding to emails
Lunch: eat something quick whilst proof-reading work
Dinner: again, something really fast whilst studying and checking emails once again
There are many quick, healthy options, don't get me wrong. And I am still eating them most of the time, but gradually the unhealthy ones crept in a while back. When I wasn't getting all the nutrients and energy I needed from these quick meals, my body started craving sugar constantly, so chocolate, cookies and crisps became the staple.
A few weeks ago whilst I was home visiting family for Easter I had my first panic attack. I didn't understand what was going on and if you've ever had one before you'll know what I mean when I say I felt like the entire world was falling down on me. The next day I woke up and suddenly felt back to my normal, optimistic self, but again later in the day the familiar negative, anxious thoughts crept back in...
I only realised recently that all of my worries, negative thoughts, anxiety and fatigue have been caused by this sugar addiction. The usual response when I've told friends is, 'you're ridiculous, you're tiny!', them expecting sugar addicts to have severe weight problems, but this is simply not the case. I've never been addicted to anything before, not smoking or drinking or hell, even my phone! But I plan on documenting the changes I notice in my mind and body over the next few months to see what I find as I cut the crap out! Lord knows it is a good thing to crack whilst I'm still young, so here I go!
There is an interesting video below documenting the effects of sugar on the body. Just for some scientific evidence...Davis et al. (2011) found sugar addictions in humans linked with obesity, depression and ADD/ADHD. A study by Pan et al. (2011) found a link between increased soft drink and sweet food consumption and suicidal behaviour in adolescents! Clearly there is a real problem emerging in terms of mental and physical health when sugar consumption enters the picture and I believe more attention should be brought to it. Please let me know any thoughts or experiences you have!
The Infamous Issue: Animal Testing
Every girl has got to have her mascara or lipstick or foundation, but I think many of us forget that there is an ugly side to all that appears to be 'beautiful'. LUSH fans will likely know about their latest campaign for fighting animal testing. They decided to go all out with a brutal display of what it is like for animal subjects by creating a reenactment on a young woman in their Regent St shop window that has passers-by stunned! I think there is still a lot of dispute over animal testing for medical purposes and my honest opinion is that I remain undecided on that note, but as for cosmetics (a luxury that very many men and women on the planet cannot afford to enjoy), animal testing is obscene and should absolutely be brought to an end.
Head over to www.fightinganimaltesting.com and sign the petition if you would like to have your voice heard to let legislators know that you disagree with it and believe it must be brought to an end. Supporting LUSH is also great; they are a fantastic cosmetics company for raising awareness of many important environmental and humanitarian issues around the world.
I pledge to take special care to absolutely ensure no future cosmetic purchases have been tested on animals, and I hope you can join me! Check this out to snoop on the good and bad companies.
Head over to www.fightinganimaltesting.com and sign the petition if you would like to have your voice heard to let legislators know that you disagree with it and believe it must be brought to an end. Supporting LUSH is also great; they are a fantastic cosmetics company for raising awareness of many important environmental and humanitarian issues around the world.
I pledge to take special care to absolutely ensure no future cosmetic purchases have been tested on animals, and I hope you can join me! Check this out to snoop on the good and bad companies.
Mascara Rave!
I have been an avid lover of the No7 Exceptional Definition mascara for years and continue to use it at least 4 out of the 7 days of the week. But lately another little beauty has crept up and really surprised me! Maxfactor's 2000 Calorie Mascara is a big-wand, volumising mascara that I originally hated, actually. I am so fond of small, rubberised wands that allows me easy access to the tiniest of lashes, so at first I was totally frustrated with constantly blobbing the 2000 Calorie all over my eyes. It just took a little practice, but now I love it for creating voluminous lashes. I own the shade 'Black/Brown' so I wear it on natural-eye days. Check out how it transforms my pin straight lashes in these photos! (First - natural lashes, second - curled, third - curled and with Maxfactor 2000 Calorie mascara)
It is definitely on the cheaper end of the spectrum as far as mascaras go and I would definitely recommend! What is your favourite mascara? Mega Love xx
It is definitely on the cheaper end of the spectrum as far as mascaras go and I would definitely recommend! What is your favourite mascara? Mega Love xx
Stirrup it up
Jumper - H&M, Skirt - Topshop, Bag - Next, Boots - ASOS
LUSH review: Soak and Float
I have suffered from psoriasis on the scalp since I was a little kid. This hereditary skin condition leads to skin cells multiplying at a super-rapid rate, so the tell-tale flaking is your skin trying to shed itself as fast as it can, but not being able to do so quick enough! The result is itching..which can lead to tender exposed skin and sometimes even bleeding (if you do what I used to do and scratch in your sleep!). For an informative video, check this out.
Doctors will recommend shampoos containing coal tar, but often these little concoctions contain a plethora of nasty chemical additives. It was my mission to find something that would do the trick without exposing my sensitive and exposed scalp to lots of nasties!
I have been a LUSH junkie for years and use everything from their soaps to skincare. I was moaning to one of the sales assistants in my local store about my problem scalp (especially in the Winter.. for those of you who don't know, the sun works WONDERS for psoriasis. Oh how I long to live in a hot place again!) and she recommended me this shampoo. Now, I must warn you, the scent is rather overwhelming. It smells exactly like a bonfire, which i personally love. However, I am sure many wont like the idea of their hair smelling like a burning pile of wood! Hahaha :). I will say, once I've rinsed it out and used my conditioner, there is no lingering smell.
TO USE: wet hair thoroughly then rub this bar around your head to create a good lather. I let some of the shampoo drip into and behind my ears where I also suffer from psoriasis. Leave it on while I get on with washing my body etc then rinse it off after a few minutes. Voila!
I hope this helps! Happy scalps for everyone :)x
Jungle City
Happy sunny Sunday!
Tasty Treats
GOSHHH I know it is totally a bit late for the old Easter posts, but I have been so busy visiting family this week that I haven't had a chance to share perhaps my greatest cakey accomplishment of all time :)!
The vanilla muffin recipe can be found here and the buttercream icing here. This made 10 muffins and ample buttercream to ice them all. I topped them off with chocolate sprinkles and mini Cadbury's Cream Eggs (apart from the odd chocolate chip one that my boyfriend insisted he could make himself :P haha!).
I highly recommend this recipe - the buttercream is VERY rich, so you really have to be in the mood, but the cake is rather basic, so really compliments the icing. I feel like this is one of those recipes that I'll be using for many occasions, just altering the toppings accordingly!
The bf, myself and a couple friends had a really fun day of egg hunting (are these not the cutest homemade, origami, egg-filled boxes you have ever seen?! One of the friends is an art student hehe). We went slacklining in the park (check out this crazy video if you aren't aware of what it is!) and finished off the day with a delicious English roast dinner. Yum :)
I hope you all had a great Easter holiday (if you celebrate it, that is!) and have a fantastic weekend!
Mega Love xx
I highly recommend this recipe - the buttercream is VERY rich, so you really have to be in the mood, but the cake is rather basic, so really compliments the icing. I feel like this is one of those recipes that I'll be using for many occasions, just altering the toppings accordingly!
The bf, myself and a couple friends had a really fun day of egg hunting (are these not the cutest homemade, origami, egg-filled boxes you have ever seen?! One of the friends is an art student hehe). We went slacklining in the park (check out this crazy video if you aren't aware of what it is!) and finished off the day with a delicious English roast dinner. Yum :)
Mega Love xx
Candy Apple
Save The Hands!
If you suffer from dry hands and cuticles, I may just have the solution for you :)!
A while ago I was perusing the Burt's Bees range in my local Boots and noticed their Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream in a cute little 15g tin. This stuff smells super fresh and lemony and works wonders at moisurising my cuticles. I massage it into my nail beds most nights and also after I have removed nail polish. It is enriched with sweet almond oil, beeswax and lemon oil amongst many other nourishing ingredients, 100% of which are natural - works a treat!
Next up is my nightime moisturiser. This Beeswax & Banana rich hand cream is super thick and creamy and does wonders at providing moisture to my poor, dry hands. It is very thick and greasy, so I tend to reserve this for night, but if I do use it in the day I try to avoid getting it onto my palms. The scent is really bizarre...there is definitely lots of banana in there, but this is combined with a tad of rosemary and something that smells a bit like rye bread haha! I am used to it now and it makes me feel sleepy whenever I smell it. Pavlov's dog or what?!
A while ago I was perusing the Burt's Bees range in my local Boots and noticed their Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream in a cute little 15g tin. This stuff smells super fresh and lemony and works wonders at moisurising my cuticles. I massage it into my nail beds most nights and also after I have removed nail polish. It is enriched with sweet almond oil, beeswax and lemon oil amongst many other nourishing ingredients, 100% of which are natural - works a treat!
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