ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!

I'm sure you will have all heard of, maybe even participated in, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, something that has been floating around the world of social media for a while now and, it was finally time for me to take part after my friend Natalie nominated me!

If you're unaware of what the challenge is, you have 24 hours after being nominated by someone else to fill a bucket with water and ice and pour this over yourself, or have someone help do it to you! It's a fun challenge that many celebrities have taken part in too, but it's all to bring awareness to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS. This affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Due to the fact symptoms of ALS include feeling numb, the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' was created as a way to simulate this effect for the participants to bring awareness to the disease. Each participant must also donate money to the cause!

I think this idea is brilliant and not only fun, but a great way to raise money for such a worth while cause that affects so many people around the world. I was more than happy to do the challenge as well as donate. So, here's the video of my ALS Ice Bucket Challenge! (Thanks go to my Dad for throwing the water on me!)

Have you done the Ice Bucket Challenge yet?

- Becca x 

For more information visit: http://www.alsa.org/ 

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Review: Revlon Lash Potion Waterproof Mascara By Grow Luscious

I naturally have long lashes so generally, when it comes to buying mascara, I tend to opt for cheaper options as I never found that it matters. There are a few negatives with cheaper mascaras though such as it tends to be more clumpy and maybe not look or apply as nicely as a more expensive or better brand of mascara would. When I received a No.7 mascara as a gift, I was immediately aware of the difference from this to my normal cheap mascaras and was encouraged to branch out and try a few different brands including Revlon, one that has now become one of my favourites. 

As the days of summer began, I knew a necessity would be a waterproof mascara, as well as a decent mascara in general that I could use on an everyday as mine was drying up. I picked up the Revlon Lash Potion Waterproof Mascara in an offer and couldn't wait to try it out. 

The first time I used it, I was actually heading off to a BBQ and 'slip and slide' party with my friends - something that would involve water fights, sliding around on a soapy trampoline and just generally getting soaked! What better way to test the 'waterproof' label on this mascara, I thought. After a fun day, I checked to see if the mascara had stayed put and I was very happy. It had worked great considering all what we had been doing that day involving water and hadn't smudged or flaked off onto my face. 

What's more it does a great job of making lashes appear really fluttery and long. I wouldn't say it gives a great deal of volume to the lashes, something it does boast on the label, but for length it is great and I have since used it everyday! The brush itself is a real brush, not a plastic applicator, something I admit to using often through purchasing cheaper mascaras. I really like how easy it applies onto the lashes and the product isn't at all clumpy, in my opinion. 

Overall, I am really happy I picked up this mascara. It has definitely persuaded me that it's sometimes better to go for quality over price and hopefully, I'll branch out and treat myself and discover a few more makeup treasures. Even if you're not looking for a waterproof mascara, the normal Revlon Lash Potion Mascara can still be found for the same price! I would definitley recommend this for the wonders it does with length and for how it doesn't smudge or run, even on a day-to-day basis. (Look how pretty the packaging is too! Maybe not something you keep in mind when purchasing mascara but it had to be said!)

- Becca x 

Revlon Lash Potion Waterproof Mascara By Grow Luscious - RRP £9.99 

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Meatball Subs Recipe!

After seeing a picture in a magazine, I was quick to decide that 'Meatball Subs' was definitely something I needed to make - or at least try to! I don't honestly do a lot of cooking apart from the odd easy meal like pasta. My skills mainly lie in the culinary art of microwaving. Yet, I was won over by how tasty these subs looked and, with the help of my Dad, made this delicious dinner!

INGREDIENTS 

• 750g packet of Minced Beef  [*NOTE* This made us 24 meatballs, so 6 each for a family of four. A 500g packet will make around 12 meatballs if you are serving fewer people or want less meatballs for your subs!]
• Jar of Bolognese Sauce [*NOTE* You will not need a whole jar!] 
• Two Small Tiger Baguettes
• Mixed Herbs Seasoning 
• Salt and Pepper Seasoning
• Olive Oil
• Grated Cheese 

Serves: 4

RECIPE

1. Take your Minced Beef out of the packet and put into a large bowl. Separate it using your fingers.

2. Add your preference of mixed herbs, pepper and salt and mix this in using your fingers again. You could also add other ingredients to your meatballs like onion or chilli but we stuck with just simple seasoning on our first attempt! 

3. Make your meatballs by picking up some of the mince and squeezing and compressing it (so that they don't fall apart) before rolling it into little balls. Make sure your balls aren't too big and thick otherwise they may not cook completely through. 

4. Add olive oil to the pan and heat this up. Make sure there is quite a lot of oil in your pan/s, I recommend about 1tbsp. 

5. Once the oil is hot, begin to place your meatballs in the pan. We didn't have enough room in one pan for all the meatballs so had to use two! WARNING: Be careful, the oil does spit! 

6. Once all the meatballs are in the pan/s, turn them over to the other side and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Keep turning the meatballs in this time to ensure all sides that look pink become brown!

7. After the 10 minutes of cooking, add a little of the bolgonese sauce, enough to coat and flavour them all - not the whole jar otherwise the subs will become too soggy. 

8. Allow the meatballs to simmer gently in this sauce for a few minutes. 

9. While the meatballs cook in the sauce, cut your Tiger Baguettes in half widthways so that you have 4 subs. Cut these in half again although not all the way through this time!

10. Turn the heat off the meatballs and begin to load your sub with the balls. You can do this however you want - I chose to line mine up like in the middle picture above! Sprinkle with some grated cheese and you're ready to eat! 

And that's it! Make sure you have a piece of kitchen towel or napkin handy when eating these subs as it can be messy! That's all part of it though and I am so glad we chose to make these and will definitely be trying them again. Although it's not the healthiest recipe on the internet, you can of course substitute some of the ingredients to make it on the healthy side for example using Quorn or other meat alternatives instead of the beef or even just adding vegetables if you want to. I really hope some of you give this a go, it's definitely something I'll take with me to University as an easy and delicious meal as well as continue making it at home with my family!

Bon Appétit!

- Becca x

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Fave Five: July 2014

Nude Lips

The first of my favourites for this month isn't so much a product but more of a 'look' that I've loved wearing. If you've read my last Fave Five (click here if you haven't!), you'll know that I hav ealways been quite shy of wearing colour on my lips and am always trying reaching to just a boring lip balm over a lip stick. I must say I've made a lot of progress with this and have often sported my new Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter down the town or out with friends. Although I have been wearing colour on my lips a lot more often, it hasn't meant that every outfit or every occasion suits the limited lipsticks in my make-up collection. I recently retrieved a palette that I haven't really used at all yet which included this nude lip gloss above. I instantly feel in love as soon as a put it on. It also sent me back to my mid teens when all my friends and I were obsessed with lip gloss like this one because, of course, we weren't allowed to wear make-up. What I love the most about this is the subtle shine and shimmer it gives to your lips without adding a colour too intense. It's perfect for not only everyday but also much more dressy occasion when you have perhaps much more dark or dramatic eye make-up, something you don't want to lose behind a bright lipstick. Overall, I have been wearing this beautiful nude lip gloss so much over the last month, this specific one from a limited edition palette I received as a gift from Marks & Spencers so I do believe it isn't available any more! There are so many gorgeous nude lip glosses and lip sticks available for a range of prices from Boots or Superdrug however which I will definitely seek to discover once this has run out!

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

Having read both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire last year, I couldn't wait to read the final conclusion to the trilogy - Mockingjay. With the reading I have been doing for my school courses, I had been too busy to start this until now. I'm only about half way through the book so far but I am really enjoying the storyline. I love Suzanne Collins' writing and the depth of description she portrays in each novel. The character of Katniss is also an aspect which encourages me to pick up the book each day and it's so interesting reading how the events unfold from her perspective. I can't wait to read further and discover how the book, and the events built in the previous books, end! 

NYC Nail Varnish in Midtown

Painting my nails is something I have very much missed since becoming so occupied with my studies. I find it so relaxing and love spending time choosing colours and creating cute little designs. I've recently been redesigning my nail varnish storage and sorting through the many nail polishes I own that are way past their expiration date! While my nail polishes were away as I created their new home, I borrowed this shimmery pink from my Mum. I instantly fell in love with the colour and knew this would most definitely be one of my favourite things to wear on my nails over the summer. Clothes wise, I wear alot of monochrome but also a lot of pink, so this colour could compliment nearly any outfit. This nail polish, by New York Color, is a stunning bright pink with shimmer running through it to give it a glossy and glamorous edge. I'm known to go bold with my nail colours so this colour was right up my street and steered away from the plain, block colours I have opted for recently. This exact shade is Midtown and as it was purchased a while ago I'm not sure it is still available. I must say however, that I am rather impressed by the brand NYC, as the quality is rather decent for the really cheap price at which these polishes can be purchased. If this colour isn't still available, I would definitely recommend exploring the NYC collection for similar colours or just others that scream summer like this one does (and for half the price of most other brands)!  

Nivea Moisturising After Sun Lotion

My skin is fair, very fair in fact, so sun burn is always something I seem to struggle with as the summer months begin and the sun starts to make an appearance. Therefore, I often seem to strongly rely on an 'after sun' to apply after I have spent long periods of time outside. I had been using this one by Nivea prior to my holiday and to that point, it has soothed and calmed the little sunburn I had attracted. When it came to my camping trip in mid-July, I was fairly confident that either I wouldn't need 'after sun', what with all the sun cream I would be a applying, or that Hannah would bring it instead. I was soon to find out she didn't bring any either. Yet, on the second day of our holiday, having gone kayaking at midday, our legs exposed by our shorts and soaked from the sea, we soon came to realise how sunburnt we had become on our legs. I must say this was probably the worst sunburn I have ever experienced, it literally felt like our legs were physically burning. We were quick to run to the local store and buy some of this, Nivea's Moisturising After Sun Lotion, to apply. I was so pleased at how quickly it seemed to cool the burning sensation and although we were still experiencing pain, it was a lot more bearable and the next morning, we could already notice how much of a difference the lotion had made at soothing and fading the burn. After the week or so of using the product, the burn had completely faded into a lovely tan without any peeling. This is quite an odd product to feature in my Fave Five but I had to give it a place after having saved us while on holiday and benefited my skin greatly since!

Camping Holiday with Han

Finally, my favourite thing for the month of July was the holiday I spent with my best friend Hannah. We ventured to The New Forest for 4 days, to camp and explore the surroundings all by ourselves. It wasn't exactly the crazy clubbing experience most teenagers dream of when they finish their exams but I wouldn't have changed a single thing! It was the most fun I've had and we spent the whole trip being silly and laughing. I have written a whole blog post on my holiday: CLICK HERE to read it! Above is a collection of photos from the trip which I love! 

That's all for this month! I can't wait to see what things will be in my top 5 next month, so, until then!

- Becca x

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - RRP £7.99 

New York Color Nail Varnish in Midtown - RRP £1.79 (For the NYC Minute Nail Varnish Collection) 

Nivea Moisturising After Sun Lotion - RRP £10.00 (For 400ml)

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