Have A Sweet Soak With Treacle Moon At Tesco

You can't escape it - the run in to Christmas has well and truly started. All of the shops and shopping centres have their decorations up and I even saw my first decorated house yesterday - argh!

One thing I've noticed in a lot of the gift selections is the resurgence of the retro sweet. Every shop seems to have jars of fruit salads, bonbons, and various boiled sweet all waiting to be popped under a Christmas tree. What if your on a diet though? well obviously over Christmas the majority of diets get forgotten but that said you do often reach a point of no return when it comes to food over the festive period and if your anything like me at some point you have to say no more food ! 

The brains behind the Treacle Moon line at Tesco though have came up with a solution. Known for their food and fruit inspired bath and shower products they've came up with The Candy Shop collection a range of scented bath and shower gels designed to evoke memories of the traditional sweet shop. There are 4 fragrances to choose from Ice Cream Soda, Marshmallow Hearts, Lime Sherbet and Original Toffee Bonbon.

The gorgeous people from Tesco Beauty kindly sent me the Original Toffee Bonbon variety to try out.

The first thing you notice is the bottle size, you get a huge 500ml worth, which is more than enough for a couple of dozen baths and showers.It has a creamy gel like texture, and it's appearance reminds me a bit of caramel sauce.

From the name you would expect this to have a full on sticky toffee, and whilst it does have a lovely almost burnt toffee aroma, it is in fact a tiny bit softer than you would imagine. Think of a toffee bon bon, yes you get the creamy toffee centre, but there also covered in powdered sugar, and I think that's what you get here just an gentle hint of fresh sugar,sweetness alongside the toffee. These products can be used in the bath or the shower and a little goes a long way. (I'm using way more than I needed above - what can I say? I'm a decadent soul!) and you only need a little bit for lots of foaming, creamy bubbles.

I like this one but I have to say I would have preferred it to smell a bit stronger. I love sickly sweet though so that's probably why I'm sure the subtle warm, sugar and toffee aroma would be fine for most people though.

A lovely, huge Tesco Extra has just opened a couple of miles away from me, and whilst stocking up on gluten free goodies, I add a couple bottles of Treacle Moon's finest to my mum's trolley ;) Sneaky I know but it was worth it. I picked up something more festive which I'll be reviewing in a week or so and I also got another bottle from The Candy Jar range.

Sweet Lime Sherbet - I'm really loving citrus smells at the moment and this one definitely appealed.

Again you get a huge 500ml bottle but whilst this one has the same texture, it's the most gorgeous lurid, lime green in colour.

When you hear the word lime, you probably thing zingy, fresh and zesty but this is a little bit different. Think chocolate limes and you probably about right. You get a little bit of the zesty lime but you also get a almost vanilla, chocolate sweetness and warmth. This one was definitely my favourite of the two, the smell was mouthwatering. Like Original Toffee Bon Bon I think that you get the best fragrance hit when you use it the shower but it works equally well as a foam bath.

The downside? well these products contain SLS so if your skin is sensitive or your allergic than this range might not suit but if your not then definitely snap some of these up whilst your doing your weekly shop. Oh I almost forgot - the price - these retail for the huge sum of just £2.99 each, but if you can get yourself into Tesco before the 9th December, there is 1/3 off all the bath and shower gels in the Treacle Moon range so you can pick one up for just £1.99. I these are great as a little treat for yourself and I also think that they would make great stocking fillers for the big and little people in your life. Have you tried any products from Treacle Moon? Leave me a comment and let me know xx

(Treacle Moon The Candy Jar Original Toffee Bon Bon Bath And Shower Gel 500ml Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes And Treacle Moon The Candy Jar Sweet Lime Sherbet Bath And Shower Gel 500ml Was Bought For Me By Mummy Lou :)

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 26 - Part 2

I've had another one of those weeks here in LouLouLand, where life and rubbish events take priority over everything including blogging and weight loss. Coupled with insane hormones again it's not a surprise that I haven't lost any weight.

Yes I've maintained again and I have to say I'm pretty happy with that. It always better to maintain rather than gain, especially when your heart just hasn't been in it.

My motivation seems to have got up and walked off into the setting sun at the moment - so this weeks task is to try and regain my mojo in all areas of my life. I'm going to try and put the bad things to the back of my mind and try to get on with things and get things done.

I've been listening to my Slim Pods religiously and I'm hoping that in the near future my motivation and determination will kick back in soon.

As per usual I'll keep you posted x Don't forget to check out the Thinking Slimmer web page to find out more about the system and if your on twitter follow @ThinkingSlimmer for a chance to win a Slim Pod of your own x

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Drop 2 Dress Sizes (Or More)" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

A Nail Polish Blast From The Past - Chanel - Gold Fiction

I just under 3 weeks into my Dr Lewinns Renunail challenge and I have to say I'm really missing wearing nail polish. I'm sticking to the challenge though so instead I thought I'd show you a nails of the day that I had in draft. I make no apologies that this colour is long gone from your local Chanel counter but it's probably the most expensive polish that I've ever bought so I think it needs to be shown off a bit.

Released as a limited edition way back in 2008 Chanel's Gold Fiction is different to every other nail polish in my collection, in that the bottle isn't made of clear glass. Instead it has an almost yellow gold finish, which perfectly represents the shade inside - a beautiful yellow, gold foil. All of these pictures are taken with the flash but in normal, natural light, it has a softer less metallic, more yellow finish.

I have a love / hate relationship with Chanel polishes and this one alas is no different, Application was pretty good as was the finish. It was a little bit streaky and you could see the brush strokes on some nails, understandable I guess for a foil finish polish. Like the majority of Chanel shades that I own though the wear time wasn't great. I always try to test colours without top coat and my first chip came after less than 24 hours and by day 3 there was simply nothing left.

Don't get me wrong I'm really pleased to have this polish in my collection, it's always nice to own limited editions if your a real beauty junkie but for me this polish just isn't that amazing. The colour is gorgeous a real liquid gold just dripping from your nails but the wear time the price ( around £18 - 19 in duty free if I remember rightly) makes this hard to love. I love the look of Chanel polishes and some of their colours and finishes are beyond amazing but every time I use one I feel cheated? Am I the only one? let me know your experiences with Chanel polishes x I'd love to know your thoughts x 

Foodie Friday - My Souped Up Spicy Version Of Nigella's Red Pepper Hummus

Despite recent not so saintly allegations I still worship the goddess that is Nigella Lawson. At the moment Food Network UK is showing a Nigella double bill every week night and despite seeing every episode at least half a dozen times I still tune in and watch. I have quite a few of her books and it's hard to pick a favourite but at a push it would probably be Nigella Express.

The book basically features recipes that can made in a hurry with a minimum of fuss and effort. I've tried quite a few recipes from the book but if you had my book in your hand in an instant you could probably tell which one I've made the most. Unusually for me it's not a sweet one, it is in fact her Red Pepper Hummus, most of which seems to be smeared over my book - whoops! Due to the amount of time I've spent in Greece and Cyprus I'm a huge Hummus fan, and I can happily devour a tub in one sitting. This recipe though is different to pretty much any one I've ever seen in the supermarket. Yes you have your basic ingredients chickpeas, olive and garlic but this one also contains roasted red peppers and cream cheese - what's not to love? Alas the original recipe isn't available on the Nigella's fabulous website but it is as I say in Nigella Express which I would thoroughly recommend. She uses less lime, and less cream cheese than I do, and she uses garlic oil and paprika instead but this is my souped up spicier version.

Spicy Red Pepper Hummus

1 Can Chick Peas (400 - 410g )

1 Jar Roasted Peppers (Drained Weight - 350 - 380g

125g Cream Cheese (About 1/2 Tub)

2-4 Cloves Garlic

2 Tablespoons Of Olive Oil

Juice Of Half A Lime 

A Couple Of Pickled Jalapenos 

Or

A Pinch Of Chilli Flakes

Or 

A Pinch Of Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper To Taste

1. First thing you need to do is drain your chick peas, I doesn't matter if they're a bit wet but you need to drain as much liquid off as you can.

Then drain your peppers

Mine quite frankly were huge, so I quartered them but if yours in smaller pieces, you can leave them as they are

Next your jalapenos if your using them - mine were sliced ones so I put them in whole

and your garlic - I just used two cloves here but they were quite large - I gave mine a really rough chop.

2. Pop all of these ingredients into a blender or a food processor

and zap, you don't want it to be too smooth here, you just want to start breaking down the vegetables and chick peas.

3.Then add the cream cheese, the olive oil and the cayenne or chilli flakes if your using them.

4. Then squeeze your lime

and add that to the mix.

5. Zap again until you reach the consistency you want. Some people like the hummus quite thick and chunky but I like it quite smooth with just a little bit of texture. Check the seasoning and add salt, pepper or more lime juice to taste :)

6. Then you can either serve it straight away or if you care bear it, chill it for an hour or so to allow it to firm up a little bit and for all the flavours to develop. 

I'm serving it as a dip here with tortilla chips, but you can also use it as a sandwich filling or in a wrap or even as a salad dressing. This makes a large bowl. There aren't many preservatives in this so it's best eaten within 48 hours or less x 

Hints And Tips

* I love chick peas, and I don't see any reason why you could make this with defrosted frozen ones or with cooked dried ones but tins are by far the quickest way to go. Just a quick tip if your in a larger supermarket don't buy your chick peas from the canned beans and vegetable aisle - if your supermarket has a world foods aisle look there instead there was over a 30p difference in tinned chick peas in my local Tesco just by looking down the world foods aisle and buying a different brand.

* Peppers - Of course you can roast your own peppers but again why would you? Jarred peppers aren't cheap but it's so much easier than roasting and peeling your own. There pretty expensive in some of the big supermarkets but Lidl do huge jars of really good peppers, and the jar I'm using came from Home Bargains.

* I love the taste of lime juice but limes are a bugger to juice best thing to do is microwave them for 20 - 30 seconds and roll them a bit and you should get a bit more juice from them. Nigella uses plastic lime juice but to be honest I've never seen it ? Anyone know where I can get some?

* As with any recipe you can alter the flavours to suit your own palette. Nigella's recipe doesn't include the chilli but I'm a chilli fiend so I add it, and of course you can alter the garlic, salt and pepper, and lime juice to suit. You could even alter the cream cheese too I'm using supermarket own brand original full fat but I'm sure you could try some of the flavours and variants too - I imagine sweet chilli would work particularly well with this recipe.

Are you a Nigella fan? and Do you like hummus? leave me a comment and let me know x Oh and if you have any great hummus recipes please let me know - I'm still looking for a HG basic hummus recipe x 

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 25 - Part 2

Another late post x Sorry guys x I've been a bit all over the place for a number of reasons over the last week and a bit x I don't really want to go into too much detail but it very much seems as though it's just one thing after another at the moment. I'm going to try and get my blogging and You Tube head back on this week so please bear with me x

Surprisingly enough this week I've maintained x I haven't ate particularly badly but I'm feeling really bloated and PMT ridden so I really thought I would have gained. I'm therefore this week as a positive, I haven't gained when I thought I would so that has to be good.

This week I'm going keep my focus and try and eat well (bar a Costa Christmas drink),and  keep listening to my Slim Pod and try to keep thinking positive x If you want to find out more about the Thinking Slimmer system please check out their website here x Are you trying to lose weight at the moment? leave me a comment and let me know your best weight loss tips x

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Drop 2 Dress Sizes (Or More)" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Foodie Friday On Saturday - In Praise Of The Squeaky Cheese - Halloumi

Greetings LouLou fans x This post is a day later than I'd planned but I hope you'll forgive me- life and its many trials and tribulations had most definitely got in the way this week. hence Foodie Friday On A Saturday :) I've got a couple of recipes coming up over the next few weeks but I thought that today - I'd rave item that I love.

Source

Cheese! I am probably the worlds biggest cheese fiend I love the stuff with a passion - in fact the only one that I've tried so far that I don't like is Camembert which to me smells like cat wee - baarf! The post though isn't just about my general cheese love it is in fact about one specific fromage - Halloumi!

As you know I'm a huge fan of Cyprus and it just so happens that one of it's national cheeses is the wonder that it Halloumi. Whilst it's available in pretty much every supermarket, they make the best in my opinion and I normally come back with a few packets in my suitcase, it freezes really well so I currently have about 4 packs in my freezer.

It is a semi soft layered cheese, and it's usually made from sheeps, goat, or cows milk or a combination of the three. Traditionally it contains animal rennet but now its pretty easy to buy vegetarian versions both here and abroad. Normally packaged in a sort of brine it often contains bits of mint leaves which you can just about see in my pictures.

It's famous for its salty flavour and it's squeaky non melting texture. You can obviously eat it as it is, I love it in sandwiches with chilli and tomato pickle but the fact that it doesn't melt means its fab for cooking with. I often use it when I make Nigellas Double Potato And Halloumi Bake and it's also great for kebabs and you can also use it as a replacement for paneer in curries.

Perhaps my favourite way to eat Halloumi though is to fry it. Fry it? I hear you say, well because of it's great texture and salty taste it makes a really nice vegetarian alternative to meat and in particular bacon. All you do is slice, pat it dry and put it in a dry hot pan or on a hot griddle.

After a couple of minutes the cheese will start to soften slightly so just keep turning it and eventually it will turn a lovely golden brown. A little bit of liquid will come out but don't worry it will cook off pretty quickly.

I'm serving mine with a nice mixed leaf salad here, but it would also work equally will with tinned tomatoes and a fried or scrambled egg for a nice English breakfast.

I think Halloumi is amazing, yes the salt content probably isn't that great but it's really versatile and it's texture means that it's a great meat alternative. There are lots of Halloumi recipes out there that I still need to try - I know Nigella has a few more, and my Cyprus purchases came with a recipe card so I'm definitely going to have no problem using my stash up. Are you a Halloumi fan? leave me your mutterings x I love reading what you have to say x

OPI Nails - Nicki Minaj - Did It On 'Em

Today I thought do a nail post for you. As I said I'm currently having a colour less month whilst I try out the Dr Lewinns Renunail, but I have a few photos ready just waiting to be turned into blog posts.

This baby is one of the colours that you will either love or hate. Did It On 'Em by OPI is from their 2012 collaboration with Nicki Minaj. It's one of those lime, fresh green, yellow colours. I only own this colour in the mini bottles and that's fine by me, the mini bottles are great for trying new colours, and of course for holidays. I took this one on holiday with me as it matched the Matalan dress that I took perfectly.

This is two coats which is pretty impressive for such a tiny, teeny bottle. The one thing I would say with this polish and with colours like it make sure you wear a good base coat otherwise you'll end up with yellow tinged fingernails x 

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 24 - Part 2

Yeah a loss! Yes it's only a pound but it's my first loss since my holidays so I'm pretty pleased. I've managed to get back into a regular routine listening to my Slim Pod so I'm feeling more confident and back in the swing of things. Again I'm going to try and up my physical activity this week by starting to attack my clutter and by maybe having a little trip outdoors. If you would like to find out more about my Thinking Slimmer experience please type Thinking Slimmer into the search bar in the left sidebar..

and currently you'll get 8 pages of links to all of my Thinking Slimmer posts x

                          

You can also click the tab above which says Weight Tracker 

to see my progress since May x

Thanks again for all your support x and if your interested in finding out more about the Thinking Slimmer system please check out their website x

Just a heads up to let you know that my online presence may be limited tomorrow. As regular readers know I lost my dad on the 5th November 2002, so on the anniversary me and my mum spend as much time together as we can. It's so hard to think that it's been 11 years now. I hope you understand and normal service will resume on Wednesday x

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Drop 2 Dress Sizes (Or More)" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

A Holy Grail Product Revisited And Updated- Batiste Oriental

There are some things that I will always have in my bathroom, and one of them is dry shampoo. I must admit that I use it more in the summer than the winter to combat sweaty roots but I always have some there if I need it. Lately though I've been using it probably more than ever. Due to illness and medication I'm losing strand upon strand of hair every time I brush my hair and more so when I wash it. I'm being good and trying to ease off on the heat tools and I'm trying to leave longer between washes which means I'm using more and more dry shampoo to add volume and to promote freshness.

Batiste as you know is my dry shampoo brand of choice, so I've been using a few of my favourite fragrances Cherry Blossom, Blush and Lace to keep my hair fresh and clean. All good things come to an end though and this week I found out that one of my favourite Batiste variants Lace has been discontinued - sob! There are still cans out there to be had but don't despair Batiste, there a lots of brand spanking new varieties to try, and over the next few weeks I'll be review them all for you. The first one that I had the chance to try out was Batiste Oriental.

Packaged in floral designed can with an oriental feel, it is described as pretty and opulent, this is described as a floriental fragrance, but I would go one step further and describe it as a fruityfloriental.

The fragrance contains fruity top notes of Apple, Wild Berry, and Grape, with floral middle notes of Jasmine and Iris, and rich base notes of Coconut, Cedar and Sandalwood. For me it has quite a heady fragrance with quite a bit of sweetness, and a definite fruity hit, Given the inclusion of heady sensual ingredients such as Jasmine and Sandalwood you would expect this to be quite overpowering but it's not the fruity notes definitely give it a more gentle, fresher feel.

Fragrance is such a personal thing but I really like this one, in fact it's something that I would wear as a perfume. I like the fragrance and as a dry shampoo it does the business so it's another winner from Batiste. Batiste Oriental retails at around £2.99 for a 200ml can from most major retailers. For more information and Batiste and stockist information please check out their website here x 

As well as my lovely can of Batiste Oriental, I was also lucky enough to received a little parcel with it courtesy of Amber Marie Jewellery And Gifts and Bastiste

My parcel was beautifully packaged with sprinkles and sparkles, and it was all wrapped up like a little present. When I'd removed the wrapping paper I was greeted with the most gorgeous brocade fabric covered box, complete with a little white satin bow.

Inside the box was a lovely piece of handmade jewellery, a super cute porcelain oriental, Kimmi doll, kokeshi doll style charm on a silver tone necklace.

I am so pleased with this, it is so cute and exactly my style, and the observant amongst you may have noticed me wearing it in yesterday's videos :). This necklace isn't currently available on the Amber Marie website but it is available on their Not On The High Street page here. Both of these sites contains some gorgeous and really cute things and I'm currently lusting after the Fortune Cat necklace.  Thanks to both Batiste and Amber Marie for a lovely surprise x

(Both Items In The Post Were Provided By PR For Review / Promotional Purposes )