Its That Time Of Year Again.... My Tips For A Less Stressful Christmas!

Guys, 
It's that time of year again and I honestly could not be more excited! 
Christmas is just around the corner and this year I have been so overly excited about it I'm pretty sure Julian is just about to lock me in a closet until Christmas is over. haha 
There is something about Christmas that I find so wonderful and magical.  The atmosphere just gets filled with good vibes and happiness and it's so hard to feel sad or angry however there is also a lot of stress involved so I thought I might let you in on a few little things that I like to do that can make your days leading up to Christmas a little less stressful..

Number one? Make Lists... Lists are my best friend.  I have a list for absolutely everything, even if I don't complete everything on my list, writing one out just makes me feel so much more calm and in control of the situation.  Whether it's a list of gifts you are still yet to buy or maybe even a list of all the food you need to buy for christmas lunch, I always find it helpful to sit down and put my thoughts on paper just in case I forget something.  Which I tend to do if I don't have a list.  However lists can also be a bit over bearing if you are feeling as though you need to complete everything on said list so make sure you are being practical when writing them otherwise you might just get even more stressed. 

Number two?  More lists... Over the last few years since I have moved out of home I have found it really hard to buy for my parents and sister, purely because I don't know what they don't have anymore and I can't just sneak into my sisters room to see which book she needs to complete her latest series, so I have resorted to asking for a list (again with the lists...). However I ask them to write a list of about ten or more things that they need or want so that I can pick and choose and it will still be a surprise, because there is nothing worse than spoiling a surprise before Christmas.  This has definitely seemed to work although if you use this method make sure to ask for the list well before December just in case you have to buy something online! 

Number three?  You Time... Christmas time might be a time for giving but don't neglect yourself.  Set aside some time each week or maybe even each day when you can have a little me time.  Whether it's a super comfy bath or just some time to watch your fave YouTuber's vlogmas, whatever you want to do make sure to let yourself do it.  Don't let yourself become too stressed! Your mental health is more important than anything, if you aren't in the best frame of mind how can you truly enjoy Christmas? Talking about mental health, your physical health is also very important, if you're known to skip a meal, try your hardest not to, if you're super busy you are going to need all the energy you can get! Most importantly just remember to take care of yourself! 

Lastly, Number four? Pre-planning... Pre-planning is the most amazing thing ever, having everything organised before December is the best feeling in the world.  I feel like in this day and age a lot of gifts can and most probably are bought online and when you are buying online you have to be organised well in advance.  You don't want it coming up to the last week before Christmas and you are still waiting on that one gift for someone you care about.  So pre-planning is the way to go, I have even gone as far as to start planning my gifts in October so I have plenty of time to make sure I have the money and can order them with plenty of time to spare!  

However guys, if all else fails, enjoy the holiday, eat too much, have fun with friends and wait for that present to arrive after christmas, try not to stress. xx
I hope you thoroughly enjoyed this post! I actually enjoyed writing it so much! However it has reminded me of a few things I need to do before the end of November! I hope you are all super excited for Christmas and aren't freaking out too much already! I am super excited and can't wait for my upcoming blog posts and YouTube Videos! Make sure to keep an eye out xx

Until Next Time
BrittanieDe-Anne xoxo

Starting Youtube...

Hello Everybody, 

How are you all? It's been a while since I've sat down and spent time writing and I have honestly missed it.  I have been spending so much time lately working on my new YouTube Channel and the content that I put up that I have completely neglected writing and I'm sorry for that.  On the topic of YouTube I wanted to write a post today about my experience and and why I started YouTube because really I just have some things to say. Also if you haven't seen my channel yet and wanted to check it out, feel free to check it out here!!

So let's start off with why I started shall we? Basically I started this blog about a year ago now and have been loving it, I love being able to share with you guys, let you know my opinions, my experiences and such but I felt like I really couldn't convey my personality across very well.  I really wanted this blog to pick up and I wanted to start a little community of people that I could chat to and have as a sort of friend group.  Unfortunately that didn't happen for me, I thought it was because not many people read blogs, or maybe people just weren't interested in what I had to say but whatever the reason I felt like YouTube would be an easier platform to use as it would be easier for me to show who I really am and chat with you guys and really get to form a community. So I turned to YouTube, I spent some time setting up my room, buying the necessary equipment and started from there.  I had so many videos planned to start with but truly the hardest part was sitting in front of a camera and feeling comfortable.  I honestly talk to myself all the time but I still feel like I'm not really myself on camera which I'm trying to change.  I really want to be me and show you who I really am. 

I've made fourteen videos now and I definitely have found some aspects of it to be hard.  As I said, being myself in front of the camera is difficult for me because I really do want to show you something that i 'think' you will like not necessarily something that is true but I am trying really hard to be honest and open so that is challenging.  I have also had a few 'breakdowns' I guess you could call it? When I posted my first video I had such a good response from friends and family, I had so many nice comments and in a week I had doubled my subscriber count (Not that that is all I care about) but after that it kind of froze, and that was really hard for me.  I went into this thinking it would be easier than blogging to grow a community of people and when I say that I don't mean a mass following, I have no intention of wanting to be famous I just wanted this to be like a little family to me but unfortunately my channel stopped growing, I don't get many comments and sometimes that can be very disappointing because I put so much effort into filming and editing my videos. It kind of feels like if you put lots of effort into a school assignment and you are super proud of it but you only get a C.. It can be very disheartening.  I am just trying to stay positive and I really am realistically doing this for me, I want to become more confident in myself, I really want to further my skills at editing and I do want to create a friendship base with a lot of you guys! I just have to keep reminding myself that Rome wasn't built in a day... 

I appreciate each and every one of you, whether you are reading this now or watch my videos or even if you just silently cheer me on, each of you are so incredible and I love every one of you! I don't want this to come off as complaining as all because don't get me wrong, I love making videos I just wish I could make more friends!

I Love You Guys! 
Until Next Time!
BrittanieDe-Anne xoxo

The Body Shop/Makeup Haul

So, Where have I been? Well, honestly I have just been busy.  

I was doing super well with my blog, I was on track, each post was going up as it should but come last Thursday and it just didn't happen and you know why? Well, firstly I wasn't prepared and secondly, I donated blood and wasn't feeling well at all so I took the night off and basically went to bed early. Then Friday I was super busy and the weekend was just chaotic so here I am writing this blog at 12am Tuesday morning. I hope you forgive me xx

Anyhoo, about two weeks ago now I took a trip to Brisbane to watch Suicide Squad - which I loved by the way - and I decided to duck into The Body Shop and Benefit to grab a few products that I have been eyeing off for a while now and I wanted to chat you through it today so here it goes. Also, I posted a Favourites video on my YouTube Channel today and I hope you all love it! I want to ask you if any of you would like me to post any videos regarding body positivity/ workout routines or just weight loss in general as I feel like I have a lot to say but I don't want to bore you all so let me know in the comments if that is something you might want to see? 

Okay, so I have been having a few issues with my skin lately, mostly stress breakouts so nothing too drastic but I found that the products that I had been using weren't really making a difference.  So I decided to go in store and chat with the ladies and find out what would best suit my skin and considering I had seen that few new products had come out in the Tea Tree range I was super excited. So after doing a little Q&A about my skin and finding out what my skin needs the lady instantly directed me to the Tea Tree range.  Turns out my skin is mostly oily which I was pretty sure of but I just wanted to check with someone who knew more than me. haha 

So after taking a look at the range and deciding how much money I wanted to spend I went for the Blemish Night Lotion, the 3-in-1 Wash,/Scrub/Mask, the Toner and the Daily Moisturiser. All in all this came to around $80AUD which I thought was amazingly reasonable and they even had a sale which was buy four or more products and you get 20% off which is why it was so well priced.  I was so happy.  I have been using these products for a good three weeks now and I can honestly say I have seen a great difference, my problem areas have cleaned up nicely and I even added these products into my August Favourites!

Next we have the Benefit products which I have been wanting since the day they came out but unfortunately the closest Benefit counter to me is in Brisbane.. 2hrs away.  I didn't want to buy them online cause I wasn't sure of the shades so I had to wait until we did a trip to Brisbane and can I just tell you how excited I was to finally own these products.  I eyed off a few of their brow range but decided on only the Ka-Brow and Gimme Brow as they are the ones I'm most likely to use and are also a great travel size.  I have since fallen rather deeply in love with these products and they have become staples in my everyday makeup routine.  I won't lie I do think they are a tad pricey but they are too good for me to pass up so I definitely will be purchasing them again! 

Lastly we have the Nyx Liquid Suede in the shade SandStorm and guys, can I just start by saying, NYX HAS OPENED IN MY TOWN!!! So I no longer have to travel 40mins to get to me nearest Nyx counter and they have the full range of products which I am beyond stoked about.  Unfortunately though I have only had a chance to pick up this one lipstick - I will be getting more - but I saw Zoella talking about this product in one of her vlogs and I loved the colour so as soon as they opened I had to duck in and get it! This lipstick truly is gorgeous! The formula is so lovely, it's not too matte and doesn't dry out my lips at all! I honestly can't wait to go back and pick up some more!! Give me some suggestions? What are your favourite shades? 

Anyway guys, I'm going to leave it there and head to bed.  I hope you enjoyed this post and I'm sorry it is so late, I hope you forgive me! If you haven't already please do think about following this blog as I upload every Thursday (Usually) and head over to my new YouTube Channel and Subscribe to that if you would prefer to follow me on that platform! I upload videos every Monday and you don't want to miss any when Halloween and Christmas come around because I am so excited for those! Hands up if you love those holidays too?? 

Until Next Time

BrittanieDe-Anne xoxo

'What's for Dinner?' - Mushroom Stroganoff

Hey there Guys,

How are you all today? I hope you are all having a fantastic week! I am back on the couch tonight about to write up my 'What's for Dinner' post and I'm super excited to share this one with you because it is super simple and so easy, anyone could do it.  So to start off this blog I am just going to let you in on a little secret, if you don't like mushrooms, this post is not for you at all but assuming you clicked on this post that means you like them enough to eat them in a meal so all will be fine! Today I will be sharing with you a yummy Mushroom Stroganoff Recipe I got out of our Vegetarian Cookbook and I have also put a bit of my own spin on it, so I hope you enjoy.  Also, if you haven't seen yet I have started my own YouTube channel, I post every Monday and would love it if you would check it out and let me know what you think as I am so excited about it and would love to connect with more people.  Anyhoo let's get started on this post shall we.

Ingredients

25g Butter
1 Onion, Finely Chopped (I used Shallots)
450g Mushrooms
1Tsp Tomato Puree
1Tsp Wholegrain Mustard
150ml Creme Fraiche
1Tsp Paprika, plus extra to garnish
Salt and Pepper
Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley to Garnish
Optional - 1Cup Rice

So firstly you will want to heat the butter in a large frying pan.  If you are using rice this is when you will want to start cooking it so that when the meal is finished the rice will be ready to serve also.  Remember to keep stirring the rice while you are making the stroganoff.

Add the onion to the frypan - or in my case I chose shallots because my partner doesn't like onion but will quite happily eat shallots - and cook gently until soft.  Then add the mushrooms into the frying pan and stir-fry for a few minutes until they begin to soften.  

Next stir in the tomato puree and mustard, then add the creme fraiche.  Cook gently, stirring constantly for approximately five minutes.  Lastly, stir in the paprika and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Garnish with the extra paprika and parsley sprigs and serve on a plate with the rice immediately. 

Now as I said, I decided to add rice to this dish and I am so glad I did.  The recipe states that it is for four people but with rice mine ended up just enough for two so if you were trying to make this for four people I would highly, highly recommend that you double the ingredients.  As for the cost of this meal it is really inexpensive, I would say I spent at most $20 buying the ingredients, taking into account that I had the spices, mustard and rice already in the cupboard.  But in all honestly this meal is one of the cheaper options I have found for a great vegetarian dish.  If I were to make it again - which I definitely will be doing - I would add more vegetables to it.  I realise it is a 'Mushroom' Stroganoff but I feel like it can really be made into something more filling by just adding a few more vegetables but that is completely a personal choice. I truly did love this dish, it was so simple and quick and is definitely going to become a staple dish for us.  What do you think? Would you eat it?

Thankyou so much for tuning in again and I hope you all enjoyed this post! Let me know if you try out this dish, be sure to tag me on which ever social media site is best for you! Please if you have time head over and check out my YouTube channel, your support would mean the world to me and I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Once again I hope you are all having a wonderful week and I'll see you all again in my next post.. Which will hopefully be either a Haul post or a How to post, which one would you prefer? 

Until Next Time 

BrittanieDe-Anne xoxo

LustHaveIt/BellaBox - June/July Unboxing

Hello There Everybody!

I just want to start off by saying I am sorry.  I am sorry that I neglected to post my June Unboxing, I was so caught up hunting for Pokemon and room decor that I let it get too late and couldn't post it.  But here I am today to show you what I received in June and July.  Also, just so you know, this post is late because there was trouble with my Lust Have It box and it arrived late so I had to wait for it too.  I'm going to try and keep this post relatively short as I tend to ramble on a lot during these kind of posts, so let me know what you prefer in the comments! Also, exciting update, I have set out a schedule for my blog and YouTube so that you can now know what to expect, I have decided that I will take the blogs back to one a week and post that on a Thursday and I will be posting one video a week on my YouTube channel (You can find that here) and that will go up on a Monday! Don't forget to head on over to my channel and check it out, leave some suggestions in the comments of what videos you might like to see! I would love to interact with you guys more! Anyhoo, lets move onto the actual post shall we! 

First I'll start with BellaBox. The box that I received in June was very skin orientated which I really did appreciate as when winter comes around everyone's skin can get a bit dry and it's nice to get some new products to try.  In this box came a bag of Your Tea's Skin Magic Tea (fullsize), Neutrogena HydroBoost Water Gel (sample size), a Dermal Therapy Lip Balm (fullsize), a Mizone Tone Up Sheet Mask (fullsize), a Cetaphil Skin Cleansing Wipes (fullsize), a Colgate Optic White Toothpaste (samplesize) and a Magnetix Nail Polish (fullsize).  July's box wasn't so heavily focused on skin care but it did have a variety of products.  In this box I received a Klorane Shampoo with Quinine and B Vitamins (sample size), a Klorane Conditioner with Quinine and B Vitamins (sample size), a Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Intensive Cream (fullsize), a Gosh Mono Eye Shadow (fullsize), a Revo Lip Balm (fullsize), a Palmers Facial Cleansing Oil (sample size) and a Baimeni Hydrating eye and Face serum with Hyaluronic Acid.  To be 100% honest with you I haven't tested a lot of these products out but there is one product that I used in June and have been using non stop throughout July and now August and that is the Dermal Therapy Lip Balm.  I tried this one day because my lips were really sore and within 20 mins they felt amazing.  I was a little concerned when I first applied it as it made my lips feel a bit tingly and I was so surprised with the result I haven't stopped using it.  There are a few products from these boxes that I am dying to try and they are the Skin Magic Tea, the Tone Up Sheet Mask and the Eye and Face Serum.  They look so amazing and anything that will help to make my face look flawless is a win for me so I shall let you know when I try those out! I'm going to leave this here and if you want any more information just leave me a comment below and let's get onto the next box! 

As with the BellaBox, LustHaveIt also had a lot of skin care products in their June box which I was quite happy about, unfortunately I don't like to change up my skin care routine often so I haven't had a chance to try any just yet however I do want to test them out.  Firstly, I received an Edgy Tempting Cosmetics Eye Liner Pen (fullsize), a Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub (sample size), a Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Wipes (sample size), a Sasy N Savy Peppermint N Lavender Sea Salt Foaming Cleanser (sample size) and lastly a Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting BHA Liquid.  However July's box was mostly Makeup Orientated which was lovely to see and I can't wait to try the products I received even if it did arrive late.  Those products are a Teeez Cosmetics Desert Metals Mascara (fullsize), a MPrincess Mineral Blush (fullsize), a Gosh Matt Duo Eye shadow (fullsize), an Essenzza Fuss Free Natural Face Masks and a Lipstick.  I do really like Neutrogena products so I am really excited to try the products I received from that brand. I am also super excited to try all the new makeup products as I love finding new and good quality products, so I will have to get back to you and let you know what I think of them? Maybe I could do a first impressions post reacting to all of these products? Do you think you would like that or is this post enough? Let me know in the comment.  

Sorry again that I had to squeeze these two months together but I really did want to show you both months boxes. I hope I didn't ramble too much and you did enjoy the post.  If you would like any more information just let me know in the comments and I will get back to you asap! Thank you again for tuning in guys and I will see you all in my next post next week!

Until Next Time

BrittanieDe-anne xoxo 

LashSensation VS BetterThanSex Mascara

Hello Everybody!! 

How are you all today? Can you believe it is August already? Christmas will be here soon! Also if you haven't seen yet, I started my own YouTube Channel! You can find it here, I would love for you all to go have a look and maybe subscribe! I am so excited for it and hope for it to be an easier way to connect with all of you! 

Anyway, a few weeks ago I posted a blog comparing two high end Foundations so I thought today I might try the same thing but with two different mascaras.  So here I have for you my thoughts and comparison between the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara and the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara.  Just keep in mind that one is a high end mascara and the other a drug store. However to be honest, both of these are real go to mascaras for me and I'm really excited to see how different or similar these two products are, so lets get started! 

Okay, so the Better Than Sex Mascara is on my left eye and the Lash Sensational is on my right.  On first thought I would have to say that it probably wasn't a good idea to compare two mascaras that are so different as one is high end and one is drugstore and also one is waterproof and the other is not.  However I did so lets talk details.  I would have to say when I was wearing them they didn't feel all that different which was very surprising to me, I thought for sure the formular would feel different.  Also the application was very similar.  I would say that the Lash Sensational ended up a bit clumpy and the Better Than Sex gave more length, but looking back at the photos they don't look much different.  I love how both of them wore on my lashes, the Lash Sensational stayed true and was definitely waterproof and as you would assume the Better Than Sex was real easy to remove so in that respect they both did what they claimed.  I would have to say that I preferred the Better Than Sex the tiniest bit more only because it wasn't as clumpy and was easy to get off however if I want to wear a mascara that will last a long time I would 100% reach for the Lash Sensational.  

As you can see in the picture above, both mascaras gave about the same amount of length and both sat beautifully.  I won't lie to you, I absolutely loved both of these Mascaras, I think they are both fantastic and do the job they claim.  For a drugstore Mascara the Lash Sensational really stood out for me and will definitely be a staple of mine in the future.  I'm really excited to try the non waterproof Lash Sensation and see how that one wears.  In the future I might think a bit more carefully about the products I compare haha.  Let me know your opinions on which you think look better?

Also, if you would like to see videos like this on my channel I would absolutely love to do them! Let me know if there are any products you would like me to compare, I love giving my opinion! haha 

Thank you so much to any of you that have already had a look at my YouTube channel, I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy my upcoming videos.  I also just want you to know that i won't be leaving my blog any time soon but I will only be posting once a week for a while until I get used to the work load! I hope you are all having a wonderful week and I hope to see you soon! 

Until Next Time

BrittanieDe-Anne xoxo

Sherlock Review

Oh, Hey There Ladies and Gents! 

Do you know how excited I am? I don't think you do... I am beyond thrilled to be reviewing Sherlock for you today.  I have been absolutely obsessed with this show lately and I can't wait to let you in on all the different reasons why this show is so enthralling! Also, just before I get into the review, if you haven't seen already, today I posted my first ever YouTube video and I am so happy with the response already but if you haven't seen it be sure to pop on over and check it out! I would love to hear your thoughts! Now lets get onto the review shall we. 

My partner and I started watching Sherlock around the beginning of June I believe and unfortunately it didn't take us long to get through the three seasons.  However, because the trailer for the fourth season has just come out I thought it was only fitting that I tell you what I thought of the first three! First of all can I say, I am a Cumberbitch, and I am proud to say it. haha No, but in all seriousness, I am a massive fan of Benedict Cumberbatch.  I think he is an absolutely phenomenal actor and suits the roll of Sherlock so well. Also the chemistry on screen between Sherlock (aka Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (aka Martin Freeman) is beyond perfect. They make the perfect team and I really can't think of better actors to have in the series.  Although they can pull off the serious scenes, they also make the funny scenes important too.  You aren't left sitting there awkwardly watching the TV waiting for the scene to pass, it all ties into the story line.  I'm not going to lie to you, there is one thing that I don't like about this show and that is the fact that there just isn't enough of it.  Honestly, there are only three episodes in a season.  Granted the episodes are hour long episodes but that's not nearly enough. I definitely wasn't happy with the lack of episodes but I am so excited for the next season.  The main thing that I absolutely love about this show is that even though it uses a high level of intelligence as Sherlock is made to be a genius basically, everything is explained so you know what's going on too.  Instead of sitting there having to try and figure out how Sherlock realised that that person had been to three towns in the past two days by just loking at her it actually explains it to you in a really well done way which makes the show a pleasure to watch.    

If I had to choose my favourite character in the show it would easily be Sherlock however Watson is a close second.  I truly can't put it into words how great I think this show is.  I have recommended it to absolutely everyone I know and I'm going to recommend it to you too! The acting is phenomenal, the humour is witty and well done without being cheesy and each story line is fantastic in it's own way.  If I had to choose my favourite episode I think it would have to be Watson and Mary's wedding when Sherlock spends a significant amount of time saying his speech but it leads into them solving a mystery which I won't go into too much depth just in case you haven't seen it.  In all honesty though, if you haven't seen this show you definitely have to watch it because it truly is one of the best I have ever seen. I would put it in the top three TV shows I have ever seen and I have seen a few so that is saying something! 

I really hope you enjoyed this blog.  If you have seen Sherlock and love it as much as I do, let me know in the comments! Let me know what TV show you are watching right now, I'd love to hear from you! I hope you are all having a wonderful day and have an even better week!! Don't forget to head on over and check out my first video, I'd love for you to subscribe and tune in for many more to come!! 

Until Next Time

BrittanieDe-Anne xoxo

Pokemon Go vs PIIT28 - Which Is Better For Your Health?

Hey there champs! 

How are you all? You may have noticed that last week I didn't post a blog and although I am very sorry for that I am so excited to tell you that I am completely set up to film now, I just have to film and edit and I will start rolling out YouTube videos!! So if YouTube is your preferred platform head on over and Subscribe so that you don't miss any! So as you may have guessed, I have spent the last week roaming around hunting for decor to put in my filming room to make it look pretty and I am so happy with the result.  Not also did I hunt for decor though, I also spent a good chunk of my time hunting for Pokemon.. Yes, you heard me. Pokemon.  If you have been living under a rock for the last week or just aren't interested in technology at all, you may have been wondering why there have been so many people - young and old - roaming the streets while being fixated on their phones and that my friends is because of the new Pokemon Go game that was released almost two weeks ago now. I am a little late to the bandwagon to be posting about this but I still wanted to chat to you about it because I have been loving it and I want to tell you why! So bare with me, this will be fun I promise! Also, if you haven't already guessed, the title for this post is a joke, I am not going to try and tell you that a game is better for you than an actual workout plan but this game does have it's benefits so keep reading and lets chat! 

As a child I never really got into Pokemon, it wasn't one of the shows I watched growing up, purely because it first came out in the late 90's and I was still really young but I definitely knew what it was.  So when my partner downloaded this game on the Wednesday after it came out in Australia I thought it would be some silly kids game that he would get bored with in no time flat, but I was so wrong.  We went out for lunch on the Thursday and spent a good hour after eating roaming around the park hunting and I soon got really jealous that I didn't have it.   So as you could imagine, as soon as we were home and in range of the wifi I downloaded it and I haven't looked back since. Because we both work, last week we spent 6 nights after work out and about searching for Pokemon for at least an hour. Last Tuesday we were hunting from 9.30pm to after midnight, now you might think that is insane, and I am inclined to agree considering how cold those nights were but when you rock up to a park at 9 O'clock on a Friday night and there is at least 20 other people - kids and parents - there playing the same game as you all watching their phones intently you get a weird happy feeling.  It truly is amazing to see so many people connecting through one game.  

Now also, can we just talk about the health factor though? For the last few weeks my partner and I have been going for weekly 5km walks every Thursday to get out of the house and get some exercise.  My partner doesn't like exercise very much so when he turned to me on the Friday after the game came out and asked if I wanted to go for a walk you could assume I was a bit shocked but definitely happy.  Since then I don't think we have spent an entire day inside, we are either out before we work or at night after we finish.  In total the games says I have walked over 40km's in two weeks, I would say we have walked at least 30km's in two weeks and that is impressive.  I am not complaining at all, I love night walks and getting out and about and it's been really good for my stress levels! There are a few glitches with the game that unfortunately we all have to put up with until they fix them (hopefully it won't take too long).  So if you get annoyed easily just keep in mind that this game is in the first two weeks of being released and has millions of people trying to play it so don't get too upset when the servers go down or the game freezes halfway through trying to catch a Pokemon you haven't caught before because I can assure you that it has happened to all of us and it truly is devastating.  

For example the Snorlax you see above was the second one I spotted but the first one I caught. Annoying right? You bet ya! 

That late Tuesday night I was talking about earlier, just as we were heading home the Snorlax showed up on our nearby section and you bet we had to hunt him, When we found him I decided it would be a good idea to notify the group I was in on facebook so they could potentially get him too.  Half way through my screenshot my game froze and I had to restart it.. Guess what happened when I logged back in? Yep, he was gone.. I was so angry, I drove home in a huff and declared I wouldn't be playing again but here I sit telling you now just how fun it is.  I guess that could be because a few days after that incident I woke up, checked my game and this handsome Snorlax was at the foot of my bed so I was can't complain.  Truly this little game has actually been a benefit in my life, although my work motivation has decreased my health and fitness is getting better without me really having to try, I am less stressed and am having so much fun going on late night adventures with my partner.  I couldn't be happier (except for when the game glitches). I really do recommend it to everyone, young or old.  I've seen so many parents reconnect with their teenage children because they are driving them around to hit Pokestops and Gyms, I can't praise it enough. 

Anyway, now that I have talked your ear off I think I might leave it there! Let me know in the comments if you have been playing and if you have what is your favourite Pokemon? Also what team are you on? I hope you are all having a wonderful week and stay tuned for my upcoming videos!! If you have any preferred videos let me know so I can add them to my list! Thank you guys so much for being the perfect bunch of people  that you are! Your support means the world to me! 

Until Next Time

BrittanieDe-Anne xoxo

June Favourites!!

Hi Everybody!! 

How are you? I don't know why but I always find myself writing these at night after my partner has gone to bed, it's so relaxing and lovely to just sit down and type away! I'm sorry I've been so slack with my blog lately but I'm up to date with Pretty Little Liars now so hopefully I can get them up in time from now on, or until I get obsessed with another TV show? Any suggestions? haha

Anyhoo, I absolutely love doing favourites posts and am so excited today to be writing this because for once I have a wide selection for you from makeup to YouTubers and even TV shows so stick around if you want to find out what I have been loving through June!! 

As always I'll start with my beauty products and this month I didn't have a lot.  I really just stuck with my staples but a few did stand out for me and they were the Gerard Cosmetics Hydra Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade 1995 which I wrote a review on recently and you can find that here.  The polka dot brush set from BH Cosmetics, the Urban Decay de-slick makeup setting spray and a Dermal lip balm that I received in my Bella Box this month. I have been wearing the Lipstick every chance I get, it is the most perfect nude shade and the formular is to die for.  It isn't drying on the lips but it doesn't smudge at all.  I wore it the other day at work for over 8 hours with no smudging at all, it truly is flawless.  I would recommend these to anyone.  Next is the brush set, I bought this a few months ago now and I'm shocked I haven't put it in a favourites post yet.  I have been using it non stop.  It just has the perfect selection of brushes, from a fan brush to a powder brush, even a flat liner brush.  The only brush missing in my opinion is a Spooley but that's not a big deal.  These brushes are so soft, easy to clean and don't shed at all.  The case is also very compact so it's super easy to travel with! I have also been loving the Urban Decay setting spray, although I haven't really been needing it as it's not hot here in Australia and I haven't been sweating there have been days when I really wanted to make sure my makeup stayed in place and this product really came through for me and did exactly what it promises to do and I couldn't ask any more than that.  Lastly in beauty which I guess it's kinda more skin care is the Dermal Lip Balm which I only received in the last week of June but I thought really deserved a mention because lately I have been having really dry lips because Winter..duh but this product within a few hours fixed them right up and had them feeling supple and refreshed.  I truly couldn't believe the result.  I have been using it for the past two weeks straight and would recommend it to anyone with dry lips, especially in Winter.  Although it isn't a beauty item, I also had to add in the gorgeous retro looking clock that I picked up from Typo a couple weeks ago when I was there, I love how cute it is and the rose gold suits what is going to be my filming room so well! Honestly though, look how freakin' cute it is! 

Next we have my YouTuber of the Month and that is Fabulous Hannah, I have been absolutely in love with her videos lately, and when I found out she was only 17 I was so surprised. I truly thought she was around my age which is the 21 mark, she is so mature and well presented and her channel is super elegant, I have so much respect for her! Please if you haven't already go check her out! She is also very funny and easy to watch, her videos always keep me smiling! 

This next favourite of mine is going to be a shocker.... It's Pretty Little Liars, yep you guessed it.  I am addicted! In the beginning of May I started the first season... please don't hate me, I hadn't watched it at all previously but I soon got hooked, it didn't take long at all.  It took a little to really get into the story line, I found myself getting a little annoyed toward the end of the second season because it was getting really repetitive but by the mid season three I was back into it ten fold.  I would have to say my favourite season would have to be end of season five and season six.  I love the new aspect of them being five years older and all the different challenges they face with A.D and the personal lives.  My favourite female character is by far Spencer, I relate to her so well and fell in love with her character very quickly. Favourite male character would definitely be Caleb, he is literally the perfect boyfriend and have a super great story/personality in general. I am so excited for the next episode tomorrow! If anyone is interested in chatting about PLL please feel free to message me, I would love to chat! Question of the day is, who is your otp from PLL?

 

Through June I have been loving and still am loving these two amazing songs - 7 Years by Lukas Graham and Budapest by George Ezra.  Both of these men have incredible voices in my opinion.  George Ezra has such a mature voice and I could listen to both of these songs day in day out, I find them so relaxing and soothing even.  Let me know what songs you have been loving? 

Lastly I have been absolutely obsessed with the game Future Fight made by Marvel! This is literally the best Marvel game I have ever seen! The graphics are great as far as phone games go.  It is so in depth, there is never a moment that you can't do something, you are forever ranking characters and moving your way through the missions.  Characters get added every so often and different skins for different characters get added occasionally with updates. It is definitely one of my favourite things to do when I have some free time.  You can also team up with some missions, so my partner and I often spend time together playing which is super fun.  He is leveled higher than I am so its super satisfying when I get a higher score than he does haha. Have you played this game? Are you a massive Marvel fan too?

Anyway guys and gals, I think I have wasted enough of your time for now! I hope you enjoyed this post? Let me know in the comments if you enjoy monthly favourites posts because I definitely do and I really want to move onto posting favourites videos on my channel so let me know your opinions please! I hope you guys have a wonderful day and a super lovely week!! 

Until Next Time

BrittanieDe-Ann xoxo

'What's For Dinner' - Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats

Hey Guys and Gals,

How are you all? I hope you are all having a wonderful week and aren't working too hard! Looking forward to the weekend I bet, unless you are like me and unfortunately have to work the weekend. Oh well, it's worth it right? haha 

I'm back again today to bring to you another 'What's For Dinner', and I am so super excited for this one because it was so fun to make! I found this recipe on Pinterest and am bloody in love! I love making really creative things for dinner and you will find that almost everything vegetarian has the most flavour, especially Mexican! So here are the Zucchini Burrito Boats I made for dinner a few nights ago! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients, You Will Need:
4 Large Zucchinis
1 can Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed
1 cup cooked Brown Rice
1 cup Salsa (use you preferred level of spiciness)
1 Red Capsicum, Cored and Diced
1/2 Red Onion, Diced
1/2 cup Corn Kernels
1 Jalapeno, Cored and Diced (optional)
1 tbls + 1 tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1/2 cup fresh Coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 cup Shredded Cheese

This delicious meal is probably the easiest to make. First you will want to grease a casserole dish and set it aside.  Slice each Zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon hollow out the centre of each Zucchini.  Lightly brush the tops with the 1 tsp of Olive Oil then place them skin side down in the casserole dish.

Next place the tbls of Oil in a large pan on medium heat.  Add the onion and peppers and cook for 2-3minutes.  Add the Rice, Corn and Beans along with the Salsa, Chilli Powder and Cumin.  Stir everything together and continue to cook for about 5 minutes then remove the pan from the heat and set aside.  

Preheat your oven to 204 degrees celsius then stir in 1/4 cup Coriander and the salt to taste into the filling.  Spoon the filling into each of the Zucchini halves until they are all full.  Sprinkle each half with cheese then arrange them in the dish and cover with foil and bake in the oven for 25minutes.  When finished remove the foil and set them in the oven to broil, cooking them for a further 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.  Allow them to cool for 5-10minutes then top with fresh Coriander and serve. 

As I have said, these are so fun and so simple to make, anyone can make them without messing up, and they taste fantastic! As for the ingredients, if you are a huge spice fan you will have most of these ingredients in your pantry, however saying that I did have to go and buy most of the ingredients seen here apart from the Zucchinis, Cheese and Capsicums.  I also chose to use white rice instead of brown and decided to cut out the Jalapeno because I don't do hot very well. So if I was going to estimate how much it would cost to buy the entirety of the ingredients I would say easily under $60 although most of you may think that is dear, I made 8 halves and had two left over so depending on how many you eat, these may last you two days.  Also most people have spices and veggies on hand so this could be a very cheap meal for you if you have already purchased most of the spices.  I have also heard lots of good reports on black beans saying they are a wonderful source of protein and fiber which is a massive plus when you are eating vegetarian.  I will say though, I don't like the taste of Coriander, it is a very acquired taste in my opinion so if you are like me, I would recommend you reach for something more like Parsley or Basil. All in all though this is an incredibly delicious meal and is definitely being added into my fortnightly meal plan as a staple meal! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this post as much as I loved cooking it! Also I am so close to starting YouTube it's getting scary and I am so excited to continue my 'What's For' segment over there too! I received a lot of bowls and cute kitchenware today that I am excited to use in my upcoming cooking videos!! They are just so damn cute! Once again guys, Thank you so much for tuning in and if you have any questions don't hesitate to leave them in the comments!! 

Until Next Time 

BrittanieDe-Ann xoxo

PIIT28 Update

Hey PIITSTERS!

Left - After April PIIT       Right - After May No PIIT

Even if you aren't a PIITSTER I still want to think of you as someone from the PIIT or Blogilates community! If you are here you are probably looking for advice, support or just want to hear my story and I'm happy with that.

How are you all? I hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Now I want to start this off very honestly and tell you that I only did PIIT four times during the month of May and have been getting back into a routine through June, and I am okay with that because I took time out to work on my mental and emotional health while still thinking about my physical health.  No, I don't have any mental health issues, but I do get overly stressed and anxious a lot of the time if I feel pressured to do something and that is how I was feeling when I was doing my PIIT, so I decided to take a break. Like I said, I've been back into it now for a few weeks and I couldn't be more excited. Anyway, today's post is going to be about my second month of PIIT and my month of working on me, I hope you stick around til the end!

I just want you to take a second to read the message above.  It took me a long, long time to realise this.  I spent years hating my body, ridiculing myself and telling myself I wasn't worth loving.  Now, I definitely still have bad days and I am no where near where I aim to be but I am undoubtedly on my journey.  

Toward the end of April I found myself getting bored with PIIT, I didn't want to put the effort in and I could feel myself slipping from the workout routine I was in.  The only real workout I looked forward to wad the STRONGER workout and that's because it was something different.  I had a lot of extra stress at the time and as I have said, I don't deal well with stress at all, but since then I have realised that it's okay to not deal all the time and take some time out for you. So when May rolled around and Cassey brought out PIIT 2.0 I wasn't sure it I wanted to buy it.  One, I didn't have the money at the time and two I didn't think I was quite ready to move on to higher intensity workouts, so I took a week off to think about it.  In that week I went to Brisbane and watched an Iron Maiden concert and I also met up with a friend that I hadn't met before.  It was a fun week.  At the end of that week I felt happy, I felt relaxed, so that week off soon turned into a fortnight, which at the time I was a bit bummed about but right now I see it was the right thing to do.  My mind was cluttered, I felt pressured to do the workouts, it wasn't fun anymore and I had turned it into a chore.  So during this week I decided I would take the rest of the month to work on my emotional and mental health and try and learn how to combat stress and my negative thoughts about my body image.  I may have stopped workouts but I never stopped being conscious about what I was putting into my body.  I also found myself wanting to workout a few times, so I did and it felt wonderful, but I didn't get angry at myself when I didn't continue the next day.  I won't lie to you, I had days when I would see other people on Instagram who had started PIIT at the same time as me excelling and I was very jealous that I had fallen off the band wagon but it didn't take long for me to realise that this wasn't a bad thing and it was something that I very much needed.  We all need to understand that falling off isn't the bad thing, not getting back on is.  

So when June rolled around I started again - at the beginning - but this time I talked my partner into starting with me and can I just tell you, it was the best thing I ever did because not only do you have a support system you also have competition.  Healthy competition of course but you also have butt loads of fun when you are working out with someone you care about.  You learn to laugh at yourself and push yourself to that point just before you break.  It's a very uplifting feeling.  This time though, when I began I made a promise to myself that I would never get angry at myself and if I needed a day off for whatever reason I would give it, as long as I got back into it.  So now after a month, my partner and I have been going for weekly 5km walks, doing PIIT 4-5 times a week and we have been making healthy life choices.  Every now and then we will take a day off either because we are sore or we just need a break but we don't push ourselves til we break.  During last month for the first time in my entire life I looked in the mirror and truly thought to myself 'damn girl you look fine!'. I have even been searching for bathing suits online which is a huge step for me.  Of course I still have some of those days where I'm not happy with my body but I am so determined right now to become healthy and comfortable in my own skin.  I am even looking forward to beach weather which is an absolute first for me so that's a plus! We plan to continue with PIIT for another month and see where we are fitness wise and maybe step it up to PIIT 2.0 but we aren't rushing.  I really want to make this a huge lifestyle change and that takes time so I am going to give it. 

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as you enjoyed my last PIIT post, it currently has the most views of all my posts sitting at over 1400 which is absolutely incredible! Thank you all so much! If you have any questions at all, please leave them in the comments, I would love to hear from you! If you have a similar story to mine let me know! If you just need to chat, please feel free to message me on Facebook or Instagram, I'd love to chat to you! And lastly, if you would like to purchase PIIT please just click this link! If you haven't read my first review feel free to read it here, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the program also? Did it work for you?? 

Until Next Time

BrittanieDe-Ann xoxo