A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

It’s been a while since I’ve pulled MAC Speed Dial out from the lipstick drawer but there’s something so damn irresistible about pink lipsticks and Spring-time.  Looking back through my archives, I notice that I always start wearing the pinks at this time of year, and I tend to go more “nude” (har har) in the Summer-time.  I’m such a sheep for trends.

One of my favourite things about MAC Speed Dial is that it’s a beautifully clean-looking pink.  Bright without being in your face… a little cool-toned without being blue.  As is typical of most MAC lipsticks, I don’t find this to be the best formula in the world.  The cremesheen finish is slightly claggy on the lips if you build it up, feeling quite thick and heavy from the first application… staying power is good for around 2hrs, without eating.  I’m just not a massive MAC lipstick fan I guess.

Grumbles aside, the colour just makes me happy.  It brightens up an otherwise boring FOTD and goes nicely with a simple eyeliner flick and tidy brows.

What’s your favourite spring-time pink lipstick?

MAC Speed Dial is priced at £14.00 and available to buy on counter or online at www.maccosmetics.co.uk

Hi, this is Marina here from Makeup4all guest blogging today, and I would like to tell you about five makeup products that I enjoy using right now.

First of all, you need a good canvas to start with, so Rouge Bunny Rouge Tinted Moisturizer is my current choice. I have a dry skin type and it’s not that easy to find a foundation/BB Cream/Tinted Moisturizer/ you name it that doesn’t enhance any dry patches and looks natural on me. And this “foundation” does wonders! It gives a beautiful radiant finish which looks like a second skin. As it is a tinted moisturizer, you get a light coverage which is, luckily, enough for me. I use the shade Adansonia.

Blush is probably my favourite makeup product and I can never have too many. My current favourite is BECCA’s Creme Blush in Amaryllis. It gives a very natural looking flush, blends into the skin beautifully and stays on for the whole day. I just can’t get enough of it. I have recently hit the pan on this baby which, considering how many blushers I have, says a lot!

I love wearing red lipstick from time to time and my current favourite has to be Lancome’s L’Absolu Rouge 160 Rouge Hypnose (It was a part of the brand’s Autumn collection but you can still get it, from Feel Unique for e.g). It goes on smoothly, gives an opaque coverage with one layer and doesn’t dry the lips out. The colour is to die for, plus I am very fond of the design, so chic!

As for the eye products, I’ve been very impressed with New CID cream eye shadows, i-colour. I have a shade called Chocolate Opal and it is a cool chocolate tone with silver shimmer. Light mousse texture allows you to get a very thin layer (or you can build it up if you wish), which doesn’t crease, smudge or fade for hours.

The last thing that I have to mention is Anastasia’s Lash Genius. For me this is a must-have, I actually got a second tube already! It is basically a top coat which makes your mascara waterproof. I have sensitive eyes that often water and this product is my saviour! The bonus is that it’s not hard to remove, as some waterproof mascaras.

And what about your current top five makeup products?

I first realised that I could make my own biscotti after reading Meg’s recipe for her Christmas DIY series, it simply hadn’t dawned on me that it would be anything other than horrendously complicated to make.  Moments before making it, I even tweeted again… just to double check that I wasn’t about to embark upon a biscuity (biscotti, gettit?) nightmare.  The responses were positive, biscotti is indeed, easy to make.

Which is why I’m sharing this diet-friendly version as part of this week’s Weight Watcher’s challenge.  The brief was simple: “Eggscellent Easter Treats – Rather than succumb to high ProPoint sweet treats that could derail your weight loss, why not use your knowledge of the Weight Watchers plan to whip up something plan-friendly instead?”

That’s fine.  I’m still going to eat my body weight in hot cross buns… no-one can stop me, I’m sorry.  Hot cross buns are my favouritest things in the whole world.  You can keep your easter eggs, your Cadbury’s Creme Eggs, your roast legs of lamb, and even your simnel cake… I’m not interested.  It’s all about the Hot Cross Buns.  Served at room temperature with cold, cold butter.  Oh god.

QUICK!  BUNS OUT, BISCOTTI IN…

the cast of characters

My second favourite thing (after hot cross buns), is lemon cake.  Lemon anything really… the clean flavour really tickles my taste-buds.  Considering I’m going for an Easter-themed treat, my health(ier) alternative needed to pay hommage to the life-giving force otherwise known as chocolate.  So here we are, White Chocolate & Lemon Biscotti courtesy of www.cookinglight.com (but somewhat modified by yours truly).

You’ll need (makes approximately 32 biscotti at 2PP-a-piece):

3/4 (150g) cup sugar
3tsp grated lemon rind
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp lemon extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 (200g) cups all-purpose flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4tsp salt
1 1/4 cups (170g) white chocolate, chopped
Cooking spray or a Silpat mat

1.  Preheat oven to 150° celsius and prepare your baking sheet by covering it with a silpat mat / spraying it with non-stick cooking spray (or grease and lightly dust with flour).

2.  Add the first five ingredients to a large bowl and mix until well blended.  Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt and gradually add them to the sugar mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in the chocolate.

3.  Turn the (wet) dough out onto the baking sheet and shape it into two (12-inch-long) rolls; pat to 2-inch width.  You may need to flour your hands, it’s quite messy… just keep working the mixture into shape.  These will spread quite a lot as they cook, so beware that you’ll need to allow space on the sheet for this OR use two baking sheets on different shelves.

4.  Bake at 150° for 30/35 minutes. Remove the rolls from the baking sheet(s) and let them cool for 10-minutes on a wire rack.

5.  Cut the rolls diagonally into 1/2″ slices. Place them, cut sides down, back onto the baking sheet and bake at 150° for 10-minutes.  Turn the biscotti over and bake an additional 10-minutes on the other side.  Remove them from baking sheet and allow them to cool completely on wire rack.  The biscotti will harden as they cool.

a hint of lemon with chunks of white chocolate

I don’t like black coffee, this was purely for the photo. Someone needs to fix their nails.

about 1/8th of the finished quantity. We’re gonna beeescotti sick of biscotti!

What’s your favourite Easter indulgence? Will you be attempting to side-step the chocolate treats for healthier alternatives this year?

* I am a Weight Watchers blog ambassador and my links to their website are affiliated.  I have received no payment for this post.

Hi! I’m Anna and I write a blog called On the Dressing Table (found at www.onthedressingtable.blogspot.co.uk) which is primarily about all things beauty. I am so excited to be writing this post for one of my favourite blogs and I hope you will enjoy reading it. If you do, I’d love it if you’d come and say hi on Twitter @OTDTblog or head over to my blog and leave me a comment.

I met some fellow bloggers the other day at an event and one of them was kind enough to comment that I don’t look my age and asked what my secret was!

I wasn’t blessed with the skinny gene or the long legs gene but one thing I have been lucky with is my skin, I am often complemented on it and I have been lucky in that it’s always been pretty clear and I only get the odd blemish around that time of the month. A lot of this is down to genetics but I do think my passion for skincare has helped and as I approach 30 (despite a couple of very bad habits), I am relieved that my fine lines are at a minimum and my biggest skin complaints are a slightly oily t-zone and some redness along my jaw (also inherited as both of my brothers have the same).

So, for anyone who is interested, here are my top tips for improving and maintaining your skin.

Stay Hydrated

I try to drink 2 litres of water every day, not including any cups of tea or fruit juice. At first when you start doing this you can end up running to the toilet every 5 minutes but if you persevere this passes and you really notice the difference in how hydrated and plump your skin is. This is even more important if you like the odd glass of wine, cup of coffee or salt on your chips as they all have a diuretic effect which can leave you and your skin feeling dehydrated.

Cleanse, cleanse and cleanse again!

I can’t emphasise enough the importance of regularly cleansing your skin, especially if you wear make-up. We’ve all had those nights when you are so tired you want to just fall into bed and the thought of washing your face seems like too much effort. But trust me – if you clean your face morning and night and follow up with a good quality moisturiser you will start noticing a real difference after 3-4 weeks.

Invest in a High Quality Moisturiser

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream is my number one skincare product and I will never be without it. It isn’t the cheapest moisturiser in the world but I think that you pay for quality, and when it comes to skincare I am happy to invest in products with those ingredients that will really make a difference long term. The Pro Collagen Marine Cream contains Padina pavonica – a clinically proven, collagen-boosting marine algae. If you’re interested to know the science behind it: it stimulates the synthesis of hydrophilic (water loving) molecules in the skin that retain moisture and therefore improve the texture and elasticity of the skin. I also love to use a hydrating mask regularly; my favourite is Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask which has a lovely fruity smell and really intensely hydrates my skin.

Exfoliate

As our skins cells are constantly renewing it doesn’t take long for dead skin cells to build up on the surface of the skin. This not only leaves the skin looking dull and lifeless but also prevents the products that we put onto the skin from penetrating down to the layers in which they work, so you might be using some great products and really not seeing the full benefits.
My favourite chemical exfoliant is Alpha H Liquid Gold which contains Glycolic acid to dissolve away dead skin cells, and my favourite manual exfoliant is the Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains which you can add in to your favourite cleanser to give it a rough texture which loosens and removes any dead skin cell as you massage your cleanser into the skin.

Rainbow Diet

A healthy diet really does make the difference to your skin. Whatever you put into your body shows on the outside. Now I’m not going to pretend that I don’t indulge in all those things that are bad for us (alcohol, processed foods etc.) but I try to make sure I always eat a variety of fresh (organic where possible) fruit and vegetables and have at least 5 a day. I love to make fruit smoothies for breakfast or fresh vegetable soup for lunch. The trick is to eat a variety of colours of food to ensure you are getting the range of different nutrients that you need.

Exercise & Rest

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and as with other organs a good blood supply is essential in order for your skin cells to renew. You need to keep the blood pumping and regular exercise, especially if it’s outside in the fresh air, really does wonders for your skin and your general health and well-being. Rest is also really important as our skin cells renew while we are asleep so the more sleep we get the better our skin will look!

Sun Protection

It’s so easy to think that sun cream is only needed for that week abroad in the summer but the harmful UV rays are hitting your skin every time you are outside, even if it’s overcast. At the time you don’t notice the damage that exposure to these UV rays is doing but they are prematurely aging your skin so if you want to hold on to your youthful looks, in the words of Baz Lurhman, wear sunscreen every day! If you try and incorporate it into your skin care regime you will soon be doing it without even thinking about it. I would recommend investing in a product designed specifically for your face as those for the body can be too rich and result in break outs.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have managed to pick up a trick or two!

Question of the Week – Describe your everyday, go-to makeup look.

Answer: – Anything that gives my face some definition and removes some of the redness from my skin.  If I’m in a hurry, I’m generally happy with: foundation, eyeliner, brow powder, and a lipstick.

Phyrra – shares the Jesse’s Girl Julie G Frosted Gum Drops Textured Nail Polishes!

Vampy Varnish – loves the new Deborah Lippmann Staccato Nail Collection for spring but it is a bit pricey compared to some other brands with similar shades…

we heart this – check out post 1 of 2 about Stef’s Makeup Show haul; featuring Cult Nails, Kevyn Aucoin, Ellis Faas and more. That’s right, 2 posts! She may have a problem…

Beauty Junkies Unite – Amber brings us 5 facial exfoliators that absolutely rock!

Clumps of Mascara – finally does an update on Baby Clumps. She is practically a big girl as the tender age of 2 months.

EauMG – Happy spring! Victoria reviews a perfume that reminds her of blue skies and fluffy clouds.

Gouldylox Reviews – Wondering if Aveeno’s BB Cream is anything more than a re-hashed tinted moisturizer? I’ve read (and re-read) all of the ingredients. The results aren’t what I expected!

My Beauty Bunny – is giving away a Derma Evenly Radiant Gift Basket!

Nouveau Cheap – puts the new Lumene BB cream to the test. Could this possibly be her new favorite drugstore BB cream? Come find out…

Pink Sith – believes that if red lipstick was currency she would be a billionaire. Check out her latest red lipstick acquisition, the Givenchy Le Rouge in # 307 Grenat Initlé.

Prime Beauty – wanted to spy on her favorite bloggers to see what they use to pamper themselves and found out she’s not as low maintenance as she thought! See what products and rituals 13 other bloggers indulge in on Makeup Wars, At Home Pampering!

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Phyrra – I adore Mandy from PrettyMaking and her post about tarte maracuja’s creaseless fair concealer made me want not only that concealer, but the Paula’s Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint, too!

Whilst in Brighton on Tuesday, I went along to check out the BIBA and Beyond exhibition at the wonderfully-quirky Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, situated just behind the Royal Pavillion building. The museum is hosting a fascinating retrospective on the designs of Barbara Hulanicki whose iconic work span the last 50-years. She’ll forever be known as the woman who brought affordable fashion to the high-street back in the 60s with the launch and opening of her first shop in West London.

The exhibition centres around an impressive display of vintage BIBA clothing, donated largely by one Angie Smith, better known as “Biba Angie” for her obvious passion for the designer’s creations. From graphic dresses to flared trouser-suits, sharply-tailored coats to cute swimsuits, the display captures the essence of the polish-born designer’s imaginations and brings them back to life with a narrative that tells the story of the brand from conception to current-day.

Barbara’s work, first as a freelance fashion illustrator is documented via a series of drawings and sketches, most notably the one below of Audrey Hepburn.

The accompanying quote sets the tone for the exhibition that pitches the designer (quite rightly) as someone who was acutely aware of how the “real world” worked, she comes across as someone who has never lost touch with what it means to be a dedicated follower of fashion minus the limitless budget of the modern celebrity.

Her feistiness and determination to provide real-world glamour for the archetypal Biba Girl – feminine to the max but with a tough, untouchable edge – reached its peak in the early 70s when Big Biba, a seven-storey department store opened under the moniker “‘the most beautiful store in the world”.

The hallowed Art Deco building on Kensington High Street housed everything the BIBA fan desired, from trendy clothes to designer furniture, from makeup to paints and wallpaper, you could even buy Biba-branded soup and baked beans!

The collection of BIBA cosmetics on display at the exhibition has been loaned to the museum by none other than the wonderful Lisa Eldridge who has a great demonstration on You Tube dedicated to creating the Biba Dolly look as worn by the girls in the shop. BIBA was the first store that let customers try makeup before buying it, leading the way and creating the blueprint that other stores would follow.

The colours are vibrant and richly-pigmented, vampy Clara Bow-esque lips were the order of the day and smokey eyes with plenty of lashes contributed to the finished look.

The packaging featured the dinstinctive black-and-gold logo and delivered practical performance, something that was almost as important as the contents to the modern BIBA shopper.

I’m going to leave you with the rest of my photos from the exhibition, I’m not great at talking about or thinking about fashion and design… but if you have any interest in learning more about a true pioneer and forebearer to the modern high-street, do check out the BIBA and Beyond exhibition at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery before it closes on the 14th April. Adult tickets are £6, student tickets (with an NUS card) are £4.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wanna see some pretty swatches?  OF COURSE YOU DO.

The Body Shop have updated their colour collection with an impressively inclusive range of eyeshadows.  Their new Colour Crush Eyeshadow promises intensely pigmented, pearlescent or matt eyeshadow (dependant on colour) with a silky-soft texture .

I’m a huge fan of the “old” Body Shop eyeshadow range but have always disliked their “baked” (domed) eyeshadow releases.  The brand used to do some amazing taupes in the old silver-potted range and I was rather disappointed to see that this new incarnation of colour is rather lacking in that department.  I was pretty confident that the texture would still be as tasty as it always was (and it is) but I’m gonna need to see MOAR shades before I get super-excited over this new range I’m afraid!

Anyway, let’s get on with some swatches shall we?

All of the above shadows fall into their “pearlescent” finish, and each one is pretty well-pigmented, you wouldn’t need more instant payoff from an eyeshadow.  I can’t comment on the matte range as I haven’t tried.

Golden Girl is a must-have, not only because it makes a great lid-brightener for a neutral eye regardless of your colouring, but it’s also a pretty awesome NARS Albatross dupe for those on a budget.  Multi-functional eyeshadow FTW no?

I’ve worn a few of these over the past couple of weeks and my only caveat is that you do need to wear them with a primer.  The silky-texture is very forgiving on dry/mature eyelids but without primer, they migrate into the crease quite quickly.  The flipside to this is that you’d be hard-pressed to find easier blending from a high-street eyeshadow.

The Body Shop Colour Crush Eyeshadows are priced at £7.00 each and available instore and online at www.thebodyshop.co.uk

* press sample

I received a press release yesterday announcing the upcoming launch of a new BB cream to the UK market from The Body Shop.  Vitamin E Cool BB Cream is set to hit the stands next Tuesday (26th March) and promises to deliver light coverage in a moisture-rich formula.

The BB Cream will expand upon the bestselling Vitamin E range (a range of which, I’m personally a big fan – toner anyone?) and is enriched with wheatgerm oil, one of nature’s richest sources of Vitamin E.  It can’t actually find any other skincare benefits from this one, and with no sun-protection or other anti-aging technology included… it’s not really a BB Cream is it now?  HAI TINTED MOISTURISER!

Launching 26th March – £10.00

Perhaps most interestingly, The Body Shop have dared to release this new BB Cream in only one shade, classing it as a one-shade-fits-all product.  In reality, this can only mean one thing, coverage will be extremely, extremely light.

From a personal point of view (screw you guys), I’m particularly interested in this release because, if you’re a long-term follower, you may remember that my favourite Summer foundation trick is to use a light, moisturising liquid/cream base with just a hint of colour before applying mineral powder foundation ontop to adjust my coverage level until I’m happy with the finish.

Could this be my new favourite thing?  I AM EXCITE!

Will you be trying it?

The Body Shop Vitamin E Cool BB Cream launches next week, priced at a purse-cheering £10.00, available in-store or online at www.thebodyshop.co.uk

As I’m writing this, it’s just gone 1am and I’ve not long got home from Brighton after spending a day enjoying the shops, doughnuts, sights, cocktails, and most importantly, the BIBA and Beyond Exhibition that’s currently being held at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.  I’m completely done-in!

Although it was bitterly cold today, the sunshine was generous and we spent the afternoon darting between the shadows in an attempt to defrost ourselves in its cautious rays.

I like Brighton but in all my years of living less than 65 miles away, I visited the city for the first time only two years ago.  I could lose myself in the Lanes forever looking at all the antique jewellery, and it often feels as though I have when the higgledy-piggledy back streets play their dastardliest tricks on my memory.

The North Laine area is a bit like Camden used to be, except I grew up paying rural-town charity shop prices for shabbies and can’t bring myself to spend ££££ on an old handkerchief vase or shirt-dress.  Bloody “vintage” ruining it for everyone 😉

Shopping in The North Laine

Typical Brighton tat

The impressive Brighton Pavillion

Doing my annoying shooting-from-the-hip thing at Brighton Pavillion

Brighton Pier

Pier Doughnuts! (om nom nom)

Like the birds were gonna get a look in with the doughnuts, ha!

A trip to Brighton is never complete without…

…a Black Forest Martini…

…or perhaps a Best of British? Gin, rhubarb, elderflower, apple, honey and lemon

Choccywoccydoodah never fails to impress

…amazing cakes!

A lovely, albeit slightly moody seafront

A long but brilliant day!

I’ll do another quick post tomorrow or Friday on the actual BIBA exhibition, I wasn’t sure what I’d make of it but it was so incredibly well executed and I hope you don’t mind me going a little off-topic and sharing my thoughts.

I’m a simple girl. I don’t want much from life: flawless skin, lashes that touch my eyebrows, a bigger bum/smaller belly, and hair that doesn’t look like it’s been backcombed, when it hasn’t.

When I was growing up, I didn’t associate “frizzy hair” with my hair-type.  I thought that “the frizzies” was something only women with thick, curly hair were afflicted with.  You remember the old adverts on the telly where some super-serum would turn a mass of unruly curls into poker-straight silken locks yes? Well, that’s not me.

My hair is pretty straight to begin with but full of flyaways and random sticky-out bits that won’t lie flat?  And let’s not forget the flat-at-the-roots, major poofy stuff going on at the ends which results in my number-one nemesis, triangle hair.

It took me far too long to realise that half my problem was being caused by my hair dryer.  I can emerge from the salon with the hair of my dreams and most of the time, there’s very little “product” in it because the stylist always tells me that… “your hair is fine, you don’t want to weigh it down.”  OK.  Then what VOODOO are they doing to my hair that I can’t do at home?

“It’s all in the blow dry!” they say (as smug as you like), wriggling their fingers at me like they’ve been possessed with the powers of the late, great Alexandre de Paris himself.

“Shut up.”  says me.  OK, I don’t… but I bloody want to.

The Nicky Clarke Hair Therapy 2000-watt Hair Dryer* is a supposed solution for taming the frizz on a daily basis.  It’s far bulkier than my current hair dryer and boasts three heat and two speed settings with a cool-shot button which is great for “setting” curls if you’re using rollers.  Despite its bulk, it’s really lightweight… infact, it feels pretty “cheap” to be blunt.

I guess there’s always a payoff between designing something like this so that your arms don’t ache after 30-seconds of use, and wanting the product to actually “feel” good in the hand.  This doesn’t feel good in the hand… but then, it doesn’t make my arms drop off either.

The 2000-watt motor delivers enough power to dry my hair within around four-minutes.  This is particularly interesting because my old hair-dryer (also rated at 2000-watts) takes around seven-minutes to get my hair dry enough so I can leave the house.  That’s a pretty good time-saver, and I’m assuming that I have the ionic and tourmaline technology to thank for this difference.

Or maybe it’s VOODOO!  Either way, it gives me more time to enjoy my cup of tea that I usually have to leave half-finished… and for that, I’m thankful.

The Nicky Clarke Hair Therapy Hair Dryer is also pretty quiet.  I live in a flat and have washed and dried my hair later than 9pm with ALL OF THE GUILT.  I try to do it as quickly as I can… with all the doors shut and sometimes, if I’ll just do my fringe (absolute essential!) because I’m a considerate neighbour… but this hairdryer is pretty quiet.

I must admit, I didn’t notice it at first and it was my husband who pointed out the difference.  You can imagine the fun I had annoying him by comparing the two hairdryers for noise levels.  Don’t worry, I made sure I did it during daylight hours!

This dryer comes with some freebies, they’re pretty lame.  An unbranded, generic comb and a couple of sectioning clips.  I kinda wish it came with one of those BIG HAIR diffusers as well as the nozzle style for when I’m rocking the curly-haired look but I guess we’re not in the 80s anymore Toto.  Perhaps more impressively, it comes with a loop so you can hang it up if you want.  Ok, it’s only me that’s impressed by that addition.

There’s one final thing that I don’t like about this hair dryer, the cord isn’t quite long enough for me.  I mean, cords have been getting longer and longer haven’t they?  I need a longggggg cord to stretch into the hall so I can use the big mirror sometimes, and this doesn’t reach.

It’s not shamefully short (don’t make me go and measure it) but if you need a hair-dryer with a “long” cord, don’t get this one.

And finally, what about the frizz?  Am I now sporting super-sleek locks?  Well, I sort-of am actually.

Ok, it’s no salon blow-dry, it’s not a miracle but, BUT… there is definite improvement.  No longer am I sporting an equilateral triangle on my head, it’s now more…. Isoceles.  And that’s a good thing people.

The Nicky Clarke Hair Therapy 2000-watt Hair Dryer is priced from (a ridiculously reasonable) £18.00 and available to buy online from very.co.uk

* press sample

See this here…

…that’s my workplace.   Just on the left there near the printer.  The door in the bottom left?  That’s the kitchen.

You can see my problem.  I only have to lean back and I can be in both places at once.  Sort of.

It’s fine… really.  But it does have impact on how I have to plan for weight loss because I can’t use my “workplace” as any kind of sanctuary from food.

In real terms, what this means for me is that I simply won’t let myself have unhealthy “convenience” food in the house.  Sure, I’m greedy… but I’m also kinda lazy and if it takes any effort to prepare, I’m not incentivised enough to go out to the kitchen and create an unhealthy snack.  Heaven help me if there’s a Pepperami in the fridge though.

Having a 3-year old, and a husband who grew up on treats (skinny git) means that I have to find a balance.  Crisps?  I buy Quavers or Skips (2PP a pack), something that won’t break the bank when I do indulge in a packet.  Chocolate?  Sure… but instead of multipacks of Boost and Twix, I buy Tesco’s or Asda’s own-brand Caramel Wafers (2PP each) or Curly Wurlys (3PP each).  This means that when my husband deems it time for a cup of tea in the middle of the afternoon, I can join him with a side of “naughtiness” without feeling any guilt.

There are of course, some immense benefits to working from home.  I don’t have to run the gauntlet of the office “feeder”.  There’s no-one plying me with cakes and biscuits and I don’t have to navigate a thousand pastries on my way to the kettle for a cup of tea.  This ain’t no Starbucks.

The above photo is an example of my lunchtime arsenal.  Err, I don’t eat all of it.  I mean, these are the foods I have in my cupboard to ensure that I can create quick lunches that don’t fill me with dread at the thought of eating them.

I’m just going to list some of the lunches that I’ve had over the past week or so to give you a better idea, sorry I don’t have photos – I only bother instagramming my dinners!

~ Tuna/mayo pitta (I use my sandwich press to heat it) with crisps and fruit (we always have bananas, apples, grapes & satsumas in the fruit bowl).

~ Smoked Salmon/Cream Cheese bagel with cherry tomatoes and a Curly Wurly

~ Egg white omelette (with onion, parmesan, cherry tomatoes, and garlic) plus side salad.  I always try and buy those “living salads” that I can snip a few leaves off when I need them.

~ Pitta pizza, which is a split pitta bread spread with tomato puree and dotted with raw onion, wafer ham/salami and grilled for a few minutes

~ When I’ve made a batch of banana bread, I’ll have a generous slice of that and pare back on the savoury side by filling a plate with a few breadsticks (1PP for 2), some low-fat cream cheese, spicy salsa, carrot sticks and hummous.  But I was getting a bit addicted to hummous so didn’t buy any this week!

I love soups but at the moment, I’m not organised enough to be making batches.  I’m not hugely keen on salad as anything other than a “side”… which is why I’m not talking about putting together chicken/tuna salad pots and munching my way through them in front of the computer.  I would die of unhappiness.

There’s an interesting article up on the Weight Watchers website this week from their research department which discusses the correlation between weight-gain and the workplace environment.

How do you deal with food and weight loss in the workplace?  Do you have an office feeder?  Maybe it’s YOU?!

* I am a Weight Watchers blog ambassador and my links to their website are affiliated.  I have received no payment for this post.

Question of the Week – What’s your current favorite face powder and why?

Answer – It’s this one from Clarins Autumn collection the year before last!  I’ve already secured a backup of it on eBay.  It’s so finely textured for a pressed powder and brightens my complexion without adding any sparkle.  Simply perfect.  In my opinion, Clarins make the best pressed face-powders on the market.

Prime Beauty – dishes on the new Laura Mercier Smooth Creme Lip Colours–there are 14 of them, see two of her favs!

Phyrra – shares several brands from The Makeup Show LA. Check it out!

Vampy Varnish – shows you several options for bright lips in the hotter Spring and Summer months!

we heart this – Stef shares one of her favorite bright eye shadow palettes, AND you can get it for under 5 bucks!

Beauty Junkies Unite – Curious if the new Miracle Blur Instant Line Smoother from L’Oréal Paris really works or not? Check out this review with before & after photos, then decide for yourself!

Clumps of Mascara – tested a makeup remover that just wasn’t up to par. In fact, it just, well…it sucked.

EauMG – The 1920’s are going to be a big trend this year thanks to The Great Gatsby movie coming out this spring. Instead of trying a perfume inspired by flappers, try one actually worn by flappers! Victoria reviews her favorite carnation perfume.

Gouldylox Reviews – Love the YSL Rouge Pur Couture lip stains? Don’t miss these at the drugstore – some of the colors are an amazing dupe!

Lipglossiping – deploys her taste buds as she gets to grips with Jo Malone’s limited edition Sugar & Spice fragrance collection.

Nouveau Cheap – has been testing the new CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation for a while, and finally has her verdict.

Pink Sith – has three of the new NARS Satin Lip Pencils to share with you and a question about lip swatches

My Beauty Bunny – shares her cruelty-freee dupe for Covergirl Mascara.

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Prime Beauty – I don’t have a discerning nose but love perfume so I go to Cute and Mundane to read fragrance reviews. Dovey doesn’t only review fragrances though, she’s all about the makeup too.