Welcome To Foodie Friday - Get Your 5 Day and More With The Philips Avance Collection Juicer

After all the hype, the cheers and the tears London 2012 is over, we've still got the Paralympics to come, and yet more reasons to be proud of our amazing country but the summer of sport is nearly over, the premier league football season kicks off this weekend, and then we're heading into autumn and winter - boo.

I have to admit that I watched a lot more of the Olympics than I intended too, it was really hard not to get sucked in to the enthusiasm of the nation, and of course it was harder still not to drool over Jessica Ennis' amazing abs! The closest I got to the Olympics this year though was eating a chocolate Wenlock, as yum as it was, I really don't think it helped me on my quest for that amazing physique.

Whilst Jessica's abs are far beyond mere mortals like me who can't train for hours a day, I have been making a conscious effort to eat more healthily, well on most days anyways. I'm fed up of diets and beating myself up for eating naughty things, so I've just decided to watch what I eat a bit and try and eat more fruit and veg. Yes I'm a vegetarian but I admit that there are days when I don't eat my 5 a day. I'll happily eat veg with my dinner, or the odd banana or nectarine as a snack, and I love all types of berries and I also love fresh orange and apple juice, but I'm not one of those people who would sit down and religiously eat an apple or an orange everyday.

The lovely people at Philips must have heard the inner workings of my mind, "how can I integrate more fruit and veg into my diet?" - juice them of course :)

Just over a fortnight  ago I received a fabulous parcel on behalf of electronic giants Philips, containing 3 fabulous gadgets to help me get set for summer. One of the items I received was the Philips  Avance White HR1869 Juicer.

I have to say I've wanted a juice extractor for ever - some relatives got one a while ago and I loved the idea of being able to have fresh fruit juice on tap so I was delighted to receive this one to try out.

The Avance Collection  is Philips premier range of juice extractors. The model I received the HR1869 features a 700 watt motor, 2 speed settings and an extra large feeding tube meaning you can juice whole fruits and vegetables. The juicer comes with an instruction manual and a quick start guide printed on the box, making it pretty easy to set up. You also get a plastic jug and a lid meaning your can store your fresh juices in the fridge.

I also received 3 special recipes written by juicing expert Jason Vale to get me started on my juicing adventure. The lovely people on behalf of Philips also sent a bagful of yummy fresh fruit, herbs, spice and vegetables to make them with, they were so yummy I thought I'd share them with you - each recipe roughly makes enough for 1 glass x

Summer Slimmer

1 Pink Lady Apple

1/4 Medium Cucumber

1 Stick Celery

3cm Piece Raw Ginger Root

1 Small Handful Ice Cubes

Put all the ingredients bar the ice in the juicer and turn it on - simples - serve over lots of ice :)

This recipe was definitely was one of my favourites - it was really refreshing, and the ginger gave it a lovely warming kick :) - the ice isn't essential but I do think it would make it even more refreshing. As you can see from my pics all the ingredients went in the feed tube of the juicer, whole and skin on - fabulously quick and easy - obviously if you already have a juicer you'll know whether it can take whole fruit and veg, but this one definitely can even on the slowest speed it had no problem with the ingredients. It's fascinating to see what's left over in the pulp collector, and how dry it is, which really shows you how much juice has been removed

I have to say Avance Juicer is pretty easy to clean out and take apart the only bit that takes a bit of effort is the actually blade area, but I found that soaking it all the washable parts as soon as I'd finished juicing made a real difference.

Summer Lovin

1 Pink Lady Apple

1 Medium Pear 

1 Small Parsnip

1 Handful Of Fresh Mint Leaves

1 Small Handful Of Ice Cubes

Put the pear and the parsnip in the feeder tube followed by the mint, then the apple, juice and again pour over ice

This was another yummy refreshing juice the mint and the fruit dominated, and you couldn't really taste the parsnip till afterwards if you know what I mean ;) The good thing about these juices is that you can alter the ingredients and amounts for personal taste, I preferred this with slightly less mint, Mummy Lou liked it with a bit more.

Olympic Strength

2 Golden Delicious Apples

1/2 Bulb Raw Beetroot

1 Large Handful Spinach

1/3 Lemon Peeled

1 Small Handful Of Ice Cubes

Put one apple followed by the beetroot, the washed spinach and then the lemon followed by the second apple in to the feeding tube, then juice, and pour over ice.

Now eagle eyed readers will notice that the beetroot in my photograph isn't raw, no well I was accidentally sent fresh pickled beetroot. Still I gave it ago and be all accounts it wasn't bad, pretty tangy but refreshing all the same. Unfortunately I couldn't find any raw beetroot in the supermarket so I got a packet of boiled beetroot with no vinegar and I have to say the juice was much nicer there was a lot more sweetness in it compared to the attempt with pickled beetroot. Mummy Lou actually liked both versions and this was definitely her favourite of the 3.

Although you won't get these recipes with yours, if you buy the Philips Avance Juicer  you get a free recipe book in the box "The Funky Fresh Juice Book, by "Juicemaster" Jason Vale, the book is really brilliant for juicing newbies, it tells you all about juicing for health, all about the best products to juice, and it contains loads of recipes for fresh fruit and vegetable juices and even for smoothies. I've tried quite a few recipes from the book already and my favourites are Orange, Carrot, Mint and Ginger, A Taste Of Florida, Juice Master's World Famous Lemon....Aid, and OJ With A Kick.

I have to say I love this machine with a passion, it's one of those things I really wish that I'd had in my life sooner. My fruit and veg consumption has improved a 100% and I've really enjoyed trying out new juice combinations. It may seem odd to juice fruit and vegetables together but I can honestly say it works. The juices are really refreshing, thirst quenching, and dare I say it filling. It's not like drinking a normal drink these juices honestly leave you feeling a bit fuller. I've even managed to lose weight for the past 3 weeks without even trying. The one downside, increased expenditure on fruit and veg - why on earth is healthy stuff more expensive than junk food? Strange times indeed but it's not going to stop me I'm now a juicing convert, yes this is an invest piece but in my opinion it's well worth it.

The Philips Avance HR1869 White Juicer retails at around £149 from Juicemaster, the silver version is also available from various retailers including Argos for around £199. Have you ever tried juicing? How do you make sure you get your five a day? Let me know in the comments. Oh and just a heads up, after reading the lovely Shannon's blog and Lipglossiping's recent food post I've decided to do a regular post every Friday on something like this - a food related post entitled Foodie Friday :) It could be a recipe, a review or even just on what I've eaten that day. If there is any type of post that you'd like to see on Foodie Friday let me know, I'd love to hear your suggestions x

(The Philips Avance HR1869 White Juicer And All The Fruit And Vegetables Featured In This Post Bar The Parsnip Were Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Wild At Heart - Nails Of The Day

Hi Guys - today has been the first really good day I've had in a while so I though I'd stick a post up on a nail polish that makes me happy :) I mentioned in my July haul post this was a nail polish I'd wanted for ever, okay not forever but ever since I first set eyes on it

Color Club 871 Wild At Heart is another one of their fabulous holographic polishes - it's a fabulous deep purple crammed full of multi coloured, multi dimensional holographic sparkle. This is two coats but with careful application you could probably get away with one x..

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Amazingly pretty isn't it ? it looks even better in natural light, the flash has only managed to capture a minuscule amount of the sparkle it has in it. Some products that you lust after don't live up to the hype but this one certainly does. What do you think of Wild At Heart? let me know in the comments and I'll see you soon with the start of a new series and a review post x

Purple Sherbet - Nails Of The Day

I have to be honest and say that I'm not the biggest fan of Ciate nail polishes. I've bought a couple and acquired a few as magazine freebies, and I have to say by and large they've never wowed me consistency or lasting wise. Last month though one of the monthly magazine featured a free full sized Ciate polish so I thought I'd give the brand another go.

The shade I picked up was Purple Sherbet. It's not really a purple it's more of a creamy pale, lilac shade. I have to be honest and say that I find the Ciate bottles and  brushes a little bit unwieldy, and this one was no different. The polish was a little bit streaky but this nothing new with this type of colour.

I love the colour but again the formulation and the application doesn't wow me. What do you think of this colour? and what do you thing of Ciate polishes in general? leave me a comment and let me know.

Going Balmy Over Balmi

There are many things that I love in my life and two of them are lip balms and quirky packaging. A new release from the people behind the I Love...Cosmetics range puts both of these loves into one little quirky little package - meet Balmi :)

These cute lip balms come in similar packaging to the famous EOS balms. The spherical container comes with a twist off lid and an attached mobile charm / key chain. The balms inside are domed in shape making them super easy to apply.

These balms don't just look pretty, they are also jam packed full of good things including Vitamin E, Shea Butter, and Jojoba to keep lips soft and hydrated, and SPF 15 to protect your lips from the elements.

At the moment Balmi comes in 5 flavours, Mint (with added tingle), Coconut, Strawberry, Raspberry and the one that I was kindly sent Blackcurrant :) but I'm lead to believe that they will be introducing some more limited edition flavours as time goes on.

I love the Blackcurrant flavour, it's zingy but sweet at the same time. I also love the effectiveness of this balm., it feels nice and moisturising but not sticky or greasy, and it's really kept my lips smooth.

I also love the easy of application, the domes shape makes it super easy to cover your lips in just one swipe. Because of the chunky design it also covers the outside of the lips, which is great from anti-ageing aspect. My one worry with this balm is about what to do when the dome wears down, I'll have to use my finger or a lip brush I guess, but I can't see that happening for a long time I've used this balm solidly for nearly 2 weeks and it looks no different to what it did when I first got it.

Yes I'm a bit of a lip balm whore but I have to say I'm really enjoying using this one, it feels lovely on the lips and it tastes and smells yummy and I think I'll definitely be trying some of the other flavours in the future. Balmi Lip Balms retail at £4.99 each and will be available from this month in Boots stores. You can also find out more about Balmi Lip Balms on their official website. What do you think of Balmi? and what's your favourite lip balm? let me know in the comments x

(Balmi Lip Balm 10.5g - Blackcurrant Flavour Was Provided By PR For Review Purposes)

Intergalactic Nails With Avon - Nails Of The Day

Try as I might I couldn't think of a space / cosmic sounding name for this post so instead I went with the rather random Beastie Boys - Intergalactic -(RIP Adam Yauch x)




The slightly space themed polish in this case is  Avon Nailwear Pro +  Cosmic Blue.

I own about a zillion colour like this, it's an amazing bright blue, with almost a violet shimmer. The Nailwear Pro + polishes are a bit thicker in texture than the original Nailwear Pro polishes in my opinion which can make application a little bit difficult, never the less you get a good strong colour in just 2 coats, 1 if you apply it really thickly.

It's not very original as far as blue nail polishes go, but I like it, What do you think of Cosmic Blue?

(P.S. See if you can spot the mistakes in this post - let me know in the comments if you spot them ;)

Project 10 Pan - Round 2 - 3 Down 7 To Go

We're only a couple of days into a new month and already I've equalled last months Project 10 Pan total. Yesterday I finished the last little bit of one of the oldest products in my make up collection.

I purchased Boots No7 Skin Defence Loose Powder 40g in 01 Translucent about 6 years ago! This used to be a staple in my make up collection alongside several other No7 products but over the last few years I've moved onto other things and other brands. I quite liked this powder it wasn't too chalky and the shade and texture worked pretty well on my skin leaving a matte but not flat finish.

I probably wouldn't repurchase this powder not that it exists in the same name and format now anyway but I actually prefer using pressed powders now and I have quite a few to use up. That said I do have a Smashbox Halo powder and a MAC Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder to use up so maybe my relationship with loose powders isn't quite over yet. So that's 3 products down only 7 more to go and I'm pretty hopeful that I'll finish at least one more product this month and am hoping that it's going to be another never ending product -finger crossed x What face powder do you use? let me know in the comments xx

Wax On, Wax Off - A Review For My Pure

Well it's supposedly that time of year again, when the sun comes out and we have to get our pasty and hairy pins out. OK the weather in the UK hasn't been amazing so far this year has it but I'm living in hope that it will get better. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be doing quite a few posts on getting ourselves in tip top shape for summer. From healthy eating (or drinking) to supplements, tanning and hair removal, you name it and I'll probably be doing a post on it. First up is one of three posts that I'm going to be doing on hair removal.

I have to be honest and say that hair removal is one of my most hated beauty tasks - It's dull, it's not pretty and it's so time consuming. My preferred method for hair removal for the past 15 years has been waxing.. Over the years I've alternated between hot wax and cold strip wax depending on what was on offer at the time. I've never felt the need to get it done professionally I think I do a good enough job on my own, after all being naturally dark haired I've had plenty of practise. So as part of July's reviews for My Pure I decided to try out some cold strip wax.

I've already reviewed the Acorelle Oriental Wax with Ylang Flower and Cane Sugar for My Pure last year (click here to see my review) and I have to say I was pretty impressed so this time round I decided to try out the Acorelle Aloe Vera and Beeswax 20 Body Hair Removal Strips.

In the box you get 10 double sided cold wax strips which are 100% organic, hypoallergenic and paraben free.The wax contains beeswax and aloe vera to soothe and moisturise.

Alongside the strips you also get a teeny tiny 4.8ml bottle of sweet almond oil  to remove the wax residue and to help soften the skin after waxing.

The best test for wax strips with me is always on my legs.. I've waxed my legs for a longtime now, and it's definitely true what they - over the years the hair on my legs has grown in finer and finer, and I even have a few bald patches.That said my hair is still pretty dark and noticeable, as Mummy Lou says you can't have it on your head and not expect it elsewhere ;) So here are my befores just a couple of pics of my left leg x

Yeah there's definitely hair there isn't there, this is probably about a months growth for me, now how about the afters

and just for kicks here's a picture of a used strips, as you can see lots of hair and even some roots :)

My legs do look a little blotchy and red here but that's pretty normal for me and waxing - after I'd taken the picture I applied the sweet almond oil and it really helped to get the excess wax off my legs and it really helped with the redness.. It also had a nice citrus smell and because of the oil texture it left the skin feeling really.

So what can I say, these babies did the job, they removed the hair really well with no long lasting redness of irritation, but I still wouldn't repurchase - why? well maybe you can tell from this picture

Well you get ten wax strips which you pull apart to get your full 20 strips This is nothing new most cold strip waxes have the same delivery system, however when you separated these strips you were left with hardly any wax on one of the strips. Don't get me wrong this does occasionally happen with other strips on the market but this happened with every single strip in the box, I only ended up with 10 strips completely coated in wax and about 1/4 of a strip on the remaining 10, so in the end I didn't have enough wax to do both my legs. I don't whether this is because the wax was too sticky, or whether it wasn't sticky enough, or whether the strips weren't made of strong enough material (a couple did actually tear!) but I'll definitely be sticking to my usual brand - sorry Acorelle. The Acorelle Aloe Vera and Beeswax Body Hair Removal Strips come in a pack of 20 and retail at £7.99 from My Pure. What's you preferred method of hair removal and do you find it as much of a chore as I do? Let me know in the comments x

(Acorelle Aloe Vera and Beeswax 20 Body Hair Removal Strips Were Provided By My Pure For Review Purposes)

Bye To July - A Bit Of A Personal Monthly Summary

I have to say I'm not sorry to say goodbye to July it's been one of the worst months for things going wrong for sometime now. You have may have noticed that I haven't been as prolific as usual on my blog over the last few weeks and for that I make no apologies - if your not interested in some personal stuff then please click or scroll down to for the rest of my monthly summary.

If you follow me on twitter or facebook you'll know that my beloved Godmother was diagnosed with throat cancer last week. The eventual diagnosis was no surprise if I'm being honest, she had all the symptoms and given her age (81) it was unlikely it was anything else. Thankfully though the cancer hasn't spread any further than the initial tumour, and today she will be starting her treatment and she's expected to remain in hospital for at least 2 weeks. My godmother is actually my dad's cousin, she was there on the day he was born and she pretty much grew up with my dads family and my great grandma, so the bond it strong, next to my mum she is the person in my family I'm closest too, she shares my enthusiasm for clothes, make up, and new things, and like me nothing gives her greater pleasure than a shopping trip or a new handbag. Cancer is such a cruel disease striking people when they least expect it, and changing so many lives along the way. I know a lot of you aren't keen on my personal posts, but I thought you deserved an explanation as to why I wasn't updating my blog as often as usual. I thought about taking some time out but no I've decided to keep at and post as and when I feel like it, my Godmother is a huge supporter of my blog and the fact it gives me something to take my mind off my illness, despite the fact that she doesn't really get computers ;)

So onwards and upwards, we all have our fingers crossed that the treatment she's having at the moment does the trick, and that she will be back stalking the malls in the Metro Centre before we not. That's not to say we're not been realistic we are we know the risks especially when you consider her age but were trying to stay positive.

As I say I've been a bit of a mess over that last 4 or so weeks so I've done the usual LouLou trick and I've been spending like wildfire. That's a bit of an exaggeration to be honest I haven't gone that crazy but I have gone a little way over my monthly limit

• Next Sale - £36.00
• Goldtone Triangle Necklace - ebay - £1.91
• Silvertone Flower Cluster Stretch Ring - £2.98
• Silvertone Stretch Star Charm Ring - ebay - £2.20
• Color Club Nail Lacquer - 871 Wild At Heart - £5.00
• Star Patterned Scarf - ebay - £1.39
• Magazines - £7.80
• Coral Blouse - Dorothy Perkins - £15.00
• Color Club Nail Lacquer - 914 Masquerading - £4.57
• Goldtone 4 Leaf Clover Necklace - ebay- £2.35
• Rabbit Print Scarf - ebay - £2.49
• Total So Far - £81.69

£41.69 Over 


Actually it does look pretty scary when it's all written down doesn't it, again though lots of these bits came from ebay and were purchased using paypal funds gained from ebaying and blog saling. The Next sale took a pretty impressive chunk out of this months spends but would you believe I actually sent triple that back - I definitely think I getting a bit more discerning when it comes to buying online before I used to just keep something if I thought it was OK, now I'm only keeping things that I really love. I still have a few more Next and ebay bits to comes so if I keep them they will go down as part of my August haul. Apart from that I really am going to try harder in August - I look through my drawers, cupboards, and wardrobes and I know that I really don't need anything new so I'm going to try and put this into practise in the rest of August and only buy things that I actually need.

I suppose this kind of links in though to this months trimming my stash, This month I've made a firm pledge not to buy any more skincare or body care till I use up what I've got - I have so much stuff still and yes I still keep buying more - This months trimming my stash was actually much more successful than previous months - I finished 13 items

• Unknown Brand Facial Cleansing Water Unknown Size
• Body America Southern Belle Peach Mango Body Butter 196g
• Rescue Oil 40ml
• The Body Shop Fuzzy Peach Bath and Shower Gel 250ml
• n-spa Indulgent Hot Butter Fudge Sugar Body Polish 350ml
• The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter 200ml
• Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation SPF 15 - 100 Ivory - 30ml
• The Body Shop Chocomania Shower Cream 250ml
• Boots Essentials Cucumber Cleansing Wipes x 25
• Zhuzh Tan Accelerator 100ml
• Origins Never A Dull Moment Skin Brightening Face Polisher 125ml
• Philosophy Creme Brulee Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath 480ml
• Acorelle 20 Hair Removal Strips With Aloe Vera and Beeswax
• Total - 13 Items
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    I'm pretty pleased with this months total I finished quite a few bath and shower products, a couple of skincare bits, and one make up item :) so I've now finished two product on my Project 10 Pan quest :) I'm hoping to keep the good work up in August and I'm really hoping I can finish a few more make up products, in fact I've got one that will hopefully be finished by the end of this week :)

   So that was my July not the best month I'm sure you'll appreciate but as I say I'm remaining positive and trying to keep myself busy and occupied. I have a few interesting posts and reviews planned for August including a few things to get you ready for summer, some fabulous skincare, a new lip product, and some more updates in my budget beauty series and my MAC collection series. I just want to thank you all for sticking with me both here and on twitter I know I've been a bit of a moaning Minnie lately and I'm sorry for that x Hope you've all had a better July than I have and I hope August is amazing for all of us x