Three smoothie ideas.

Who isn't making smoothies right now? 

If you answered no, then you truly need to start. It's a great way to add fruit and vegetables to your diet, in a fun and tasty way. My favourite part about it.. The experimenting! 

I have made some truly divine creations and some that were akin to drinking sludge.. Mmm.

Here's a few of my tastier experiments:

(All served over ice!).

2x Bananas,

a handful of dates,

2x tbsp of Chia seeds,

1x tbsp of cacao powder,

1x tbsp of almond butter,

1x tbsp of cinnamon powder,

1x tbsp of maca powder,

and

Almond milk.

1x banana,

1x clementine,

a few sprigs of mint,

a handful of frozen summer fruits,

coconut water,

juice of half a lemon, 

1x tbsp of chia seeds,

and

1x tbsp of acai powder.

1x banana,

a handful of spinach,

a few springs of mint,

juice of half a lemon,

1x tbsp of wheatgrass powder,

1x tbsp of chia seeds,

a handful of dates,

coconut water,

and 

a splash of lime cordial.

Bradgate Park.

Bradgate Park

Sorry about the incredible amount of pictures here, but I get a little snap happy sometimes.. And when there's wild life, well there's no stopping me!

 I took these on a recent dog walk around Bradgate Park, which is one of the most stunning locations in Leicester.

As you can probably see, the park is rugged and natural. Acres upon acres, upon acres of gorgeous landscape to explore, complete with ruins, river, bridle paths and deer!

With the movement into spring and the warmer weather coming (and going!), it's safe to say i'll be spending many a warm day here.

Any one else from Leicester? If not, let me know where you're from!

Bloglovin'

Current skincare routine.

Clinique Sonic System Cleansing Brush

Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Foam

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Solution

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturiser

All About Eyes Cream

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Gel

So, let's talk skin care shall we?

I won't lie to you, it took a good long time for me to get any sort of skin care routine together. But when I did, I can't express how much of a difference it made to my skin.

For a little bit of background, I'll tell you that my skin has always been blemish and acne prone. As a teenager my skin was bad, and I mean baaaaaad. A complete knock to my confidence and something I  struggled to get on top of. The amount of different products/medicines/treatments I have tried are endless.

However, I was introduced to the 'Anti-Blemish' solutions range by Clinique and the difference is incredible. Truly.

Buying all of the products together, including the cleansing brush in one fell swoop, was quite expensive, but seeing the results.. I can't put a price on that.

Although this is my current routine, I feel like my skin is now pretty much blemish free and I will be moving onto a new routine and it'll probably be Clinique products.

I would like to stress, that not only do I believe these products have played there part in changing my skin, but focusing on what I put into my body is key. More on that later!

Strawberry chocolate cake.

CAKE.

There is one thing that I love, along the same lines as fashion.. It's food! I found a brilliant recipe in a 'Hello Kitty' book for a soft glazed cake, the recipe incorporated two of my favourite things... Chocolate and strawberries!

This cake is decadent to say the least. It just oozes delight from the inside out.

The gooey glaze is a chocolate, honey and cream mixture which is divine! I may or may not have dipped my finger in to taste.. had to make sure it was safe for everyone else to try! 

I get just a little bit excited when it comes to decorating. For this creation, I decided to add sugar pearls and yellow glitter for a bit of glamour (of course!). 

The cake doesn't look quite like the picture from the recipe book.. However, it is artistic licence as to how you decide to decorate your cake. Not going to lie.. I am of the opinion that my creation looks better than the original! It is a touch more messier and less professional - but this works fine. The cake was sliced and served not long after. 

Served with a dash of cream and a glass wine.. All this hard work can make a girl thirsty!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

-150g Plain Flour

- 300g Dark Chocolate

- 150g Sugar

- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

- 4 Eggs

- 45g Butter

- 1 tsp Honey

- 3 tbsp Cream

- Strawberries

- Salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Whisk the yolks with the sugar in a bowl until you have a thick and creamy mixture.

In another bowl, add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk them until they are stiff.

Mix 2 tbsp of whisked egg whites with the creamy mixture, and then slowly add the rest of the egg whites. Slowly add 150g of melted and lukewarm chocolate, the flour and the baking powder. Pour the mixture in a cake tin that has been lined with grease proof paper. Put it in the oven for 30-35minutes. When removed from the oven, leave it to cool.

Melt the rest of the dark chocolate with butter. Remove it from heat and then add the honey and cream. Stir and let it cool. Spread the glaze on the cake an decorate it with strawberries dipped in the glaze.

Sit back, serve and enjoy! 

Hey girl hey.

Well hello there, my name is Vanessa Sarah Dione James (mouthful, I know!) and here is my little corner of the inter webs. This is a fashion and lifestyle blog littered with my ramblings.

Bit about me you ask? Well..

I am a fashion obsessive with a slight (liar) BIG spending addiction. I'm also a foodie (mmm.. What's for dinner?!), music lover and partial to a bit of trashy television (Admit it, so are you!). The love of my life is my chocolate and tan chihuahua.. Ralph Oakley Emerson James (I have four names, so it was only fair he did to) and i'm sure he'll crop up in a few posts. I will try to limit my endless rants about how amazing he is though, don't worry.

I look forward to embracing the blogging community wholeheartedly and hopefully (for once) sticking with something!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Oh, and this is me..