Book Review: Eat Smart by Niomi Smart

I love recipe books and when I saw that Youtuber/Blogger Niomi Smart was bringing out her own offering I had to get my hands on it. Albeit this was a few months ago now I have had the book long enough to really review it. I managed to pre-order a copy early on so actually managed to get a signed one which was pretty cool even if it was unintentional. First off, I love the cover. The foil spoon extends to the back of the book and the photo on the front is simple yet effective. 

The recipes inside are inspired by her every day healthy eating and she even incorporates flavours from her holidays. Whilst these recipes are plant based, this isn’t shoved in your face and shows you that vegan food can also be super flavoursome and varied. There are plenty of healthy dishes in here but there are also plenty of sweet treats and will offer you an alternative perspective on cooking up some of your much loved foods. The ingredients are readily available and although some more obscure and expensive superfoods are mentioned, Niomi outlines the fact that you don’t actually ‘need’ to use these products.

The recipes are split into breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides & snacks, desserts and drinks and range from delicious tarts to jammy dodgers, smoothie bowls and ice cream. There really is something for everyone in this book. The recipes are laid out clearly and the photos are stunning and clear. There is also a ‘what I eat in a week’ double page showing what Niomi eats on a non-work out weekday and workout weekend days so it’s good to see a real life example of how these recipes can be places into a daily meal plan.

Overall I am glad I purchased this book, I am really enjoying using it and feeling less guilty for eating healthy snacks over ones laden with sugar and fats.

Free Business Cards - Moo Review

A while ago now I got some business cards made up that I designed myself and then had printed via Moo. These had my old blogspot link on and I was embarrassed about giving them out so I decided I would invest in some more up to date ones with the upcoming blogger events I have coming up.

I decided to go back to Moo because I love that you can get mixed designs rather than 50 of the same thing. I designed a standard front which includes my blog link, Twitter, Instagram accounts and email address using PicMonkey. I then took some photos specifically to use on the back of the cards. I chose small fun quotes and picked some items that are relevant to my blog to go around them. These came to around £15 in the end including delivery, I managed to find a discount code on Google beforehand for 10% off which helped a bit and if you go via this link you will get 10% off too.

These came in a handy box, thanks Moo! I ordered Matte cards with a square edge but there is the option for a gloss finish. They arrived in the post after around a week which was perfect timing. They are of sturdy quality and I am really impressed with them.

Before I bought these cards, I ordered 10 free ones from Moo to get an idea of what the quality was like and was happy so I went on to purchase some more. To get 10 free business cards from Moo, head over to their website here. No purchase necessary.

If you would like to order some business cards for yourself, head over to Moo. There are plenty of templates and options available if you’re not the creative type and I am sure you will find something. What do you think?

Blogging Tips for Newbies

Quite a few people I know have recently set up their own blogs and some of them have come to me for advice so I thought I would put together this post which contains some of the questions that I have been asked. We all have to start somewhere and asking questions is a great way to help develop your own blog. I have only been blogging for just over a year so there is still a lot that I need to learn myself. This post contains my honest opinions and advice which may not work for everyone, but hopefully it will help someone.

Comment on Other Blog Posts
A great way to increase traffic to your blog is to comment on other people’s blog posts. I like to find new blogs through Bloglovin’ which is a great website to sign up to as a newbie as it will enable other people to follow your blog and keep up to date with your posts. If you like someone’s post, leave a comment with your blog link at the bottom. This will enable them to visit your blog in return and other people will also see your link which could bring new readers your way.

Don’t Assume you Will Receive Freebies
A lot of people think blogging is easy money and that freebies will land at your feet the minute you set your blog up. This is not the case. Sometimes you will be lucky enough to receive items to review or sponsored posts but don’t expect them. Once your blog has been going for a while and you are consistent with your posts, this may lead to companies contacting you to review items. Also – remember that a ‘freebie’ for review can take up a lot of your time. You will need to try the item, review it, write your post, take photos and promote the post so it’s not all ‘easy money’.  If you’re only blogging to get free items then you won’t last very long. I love Blogger's Required, it's a website full of assignments where you can apply to review items.

Be Yourself
If you want to write about what coloured socks you wore, then you write about it! I would much rather read unique content that is fun and interesting rather than a carbon copy of what everyone else is doing. Your blog is for you, so you write about whatever you want and don’t be afraid if it doesn’t get the response you hoped for. Don’t change who you are to fit in with what others are doing, as you will stop enjoying it. Also if you create a blog just for beauty and brand it that way, try not to go off track posting about other things or you’ll lose your audience.

Don’t Worry About the Quality of Your Photos

A lot of new bloggers think they need to rush about and spend hundreds of pounds on the latest DSLR but in reality this is not the case. I follow some excellent blogs that use their mobile phones to take photos and edit them well. It’s all about the composition of the photo, you don’t need flashy gadgets to get a good blog post. Unless you’re earning money from your blog, it’s probably not worth the investment of a really expensive camera. I love PicMonkey for editing photos – it’s fun, fast and free. 

Be Consistent With Your Posts

It can be tempting when you first get a blog to write a post every day and this is absolutely fine, but can you keep up with it? Personally, I would much rather read a blog that spaces its posts out every few days than one who posts 5 days in a row and then nothing for 2 weeks. Put together a schedule in your calendar (I have an excel spreadsheet!) and arrange your posts so that they are consistent. 

Use Social Media

I cannot stress this point enough but social media is the place where you can promote your posts and bring in the views. I promote my blog posts across Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google + and Instagram. Make sure you use hashtags when promoting your post so that relevant people can find them. Use eye-catching photos to draw readers in. Take part in twitter chats too to meet like-minded bloggers and find great new blogging buddies!

I hope these tips come in handy, if I can help at least one person then I’ll be happy! Have you done a bloggers tip post? Let me know and I will link it in this post!

September 2015 Glossybox

Another month has passed and it’s Glossybox time, just what I was looking forward to receiving to brighten my month now that the nights are drawing in and Autumn is in full swing. Once again Glossybox have spoiled us with five full-sized products! I could get used to this treatment. Another great box, really glad I am subscribed right now. Onto the products…

So Susan – Highlighting Pencil – Full Size £15

This pencil has a light peach hue and can be used in a number of ways. You can use this as a highlighting pencil along your brow bone, down your nose, in the waterline of your eyes and even on your cheek bones. When I first swatched this it felt a bit waxy for my liking and didn’t have the greatest of smells. If you can get past that, it’s a really lovely product. My favourite place to use it is in the waterline of my eyes, it really makes them pop and they look bigger and brighter. I can’t wait to experiment further with this.

Talika – Photo Hydra-Day – Full Size £24.85

I didn’t realise how expensive this product was until I was typing this up! This is definitely a luxury item, I don’t think I have ever spent that much on a moisturiser before. I love that this product has very little scent, I hate scented moisturisers. This applies really smooth on the skin and sinks in without making your face feel sticky. The cream is soothing, and also acts as a great primer. I’ve been applying this in the mornings where I need a little skin boost and I have really noticed a difference in how my skin feels to touch.

Lanolips – 101 Ointment – Full Size £7.99

I haven’t heard of this brand before, despite being available in Boots which I visit frequently. This multi-use ointment is made from 100% pure lanolin and guarantees to keep your skin nourished. I’m not a fan of how this feels on my lips, but after using this on dry areas of my skin I have grown to love how fast it hydrates dry areas. I’m interested to see how others have been using this product so if you have any ideas, please let me know.

Jelly Pong Pong – Play Paint – Full Size £8.95

I love this multi-use product. I received the colour damson which looked really bright but this product is so buildable and if you only use a tiny amount then it’s really subtle. I first tried this product on my lips, you literally need the smallest amount so this really is going to last. It tastes really nice, so nice that I was afraid to use it anywhere else in case it gave off a scent. I then popped some on my cheeks and blended it out with the Nicka K blending sponge and this gave me a really nice glow, so nice that when I didn’t wear it, I got told I looked pale! Really enjoy this, would love to try some other colours if they are available.

Nicka K – Airbrush Blending Sponge – Full Size £6.50

I have always wanted to try a blending sponge but it’s just one of those things that I never seem to pick up. The shape is really good, the smaller end is great for getting around the eye and in nooks and crannies, and the larger end is great for buffing foundation over the larger areas of your face. You have to wet the sponge and then squeeze the excess water out before use. I found that I needed to use a little bit more foundation than usual with this, but I got a much nicer coverage compared to using a brush. I feel like this gave me a flawless finish and it was also great for buffing in the Jelly Pong Pong Play Paint!

Next month we have a Glossybox first, we get to choose which colour item we receive, and it’s a Revlon lipstick! I can’t wait for November!