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Top 5 Skiing Skincare Saviours

Hi guys!

I wanted to share my top 5 skincare saviours for skiing/snowboarding/other cold weather activities and show the products I've been using during my lovely ski holiday in the French Alps. Being 2000 metres above sea level and in minus 7 degrees is not skin-friendly. Instead it's dry, flaky skin, chapped lips, sunburn, and the odd mascara panda-eye from a wet, snowy faceplant - eek! These are therefore my top suggestions for fighting the freeze!


1. Firstly, a high SPF factor sun cream for your face for the strong sun and UV rays that reflect off the snow. I used Garnier Ambre Solaire Sheer Protect SPF30 and like the fact that it's not greasy, rubs in well and doesn't leave that nasty white layer of grime that a lot of the so-called 'winter sun' creams do.

2. Next up is the best lip balm in the world. Kiehl's #1 is a bit pricier than average at £9.50 a tube (much cheaper in the US so I stocked up in New York!) but easily outplays Vaseline, Nivea etc on the moisturising front. You only need a tiny amount and it spreads far. It also has SPF4 to protect your lips on the slopes. Only downside is you do have to remove the cosy skiing gloves to apply it...!

3. For my hands and body, I have absolutely loved the Laura Mercier Body Soufflé sample that I received in my BirchBox in December. It's so smooth, rich and smells amazing - my dream moisturiser (just a shame about the price tag!)

4. Skiing is not a glamorous sport, but I still tend to want to put just a layer of mascara on to hit the slopes. However, whether it's from tumbling down in powder or sweating it out on a challenging black run, skiing carries a high risk of causing the grossly unattractive panda-eyes. To combat this, ALWAYS use a waterproof mascara! I grabbed a drugstore bargain before coming which was the Collection 2000 Longer Lash Waterproof mascara and truth be told, I wouldn't recommend it (didn't love the wand, it was claggy and clumped my eyelashes together), but this is a crucial beauty item to pack nonetheless!

5. Last but by no means least, you need a super-rich face cream. I used L'Oreal Triple Active Day cream and strongly recommend it for its amazing moisturising properties. Not 100% on the fragrance (a little talc/old lady scent!) but felt so so rich on my face which was suffering hugely from the dry air and altitude. Not my usual moisturiser but think I'm a convert, especially for the winter months. 

At Aiguille Rouge, 3226m above sea level and with stunning views of Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe. Pretty special little spot.
So that's my list - top 5 skincare saviours for skiing and or cold weather. Hope you enjoyed it and it helps anyone else who is hitting the mountains, let me know what your top tips and products are!

xx

Roasted Vegetable & Halloumi Wraps - Quick & Healthy Meal Ideas

Hi guys!

Today's post is a really quick, easy and healthy meal idea which is perfect for mid-week mealtimes or as a lighter (and vegetarian) alternative to a Sunday roast - Roasted Vegetable & Halloumi Wraps.

DROOL
They'll only take you about 40 minutes to make (including prep time) and this recipe will make four (very full) wraps or six more conservatively portioned ones!

You'll need:
1 sweet potato
1 red pepper
3 large carrots
1 large red onion
1 Little Gem lettuce
1 block of halloumi
Cumin
Paprika
Olive oil
Wraps
Mayo/sour cream

Pre-heat oven to around 200 degrees (fan).

Chop all of your vegetables into roughly evenly-sized chunks and put them in a roasting tray. Drizzle (generously) with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Add about 1 heaped teaspoon of cumin and roughly the same of paprika and then toss the vegetables a few times to get a good distribution of oil and spices.


Pop in the oven for around 25 minutes then give them a shake and return to the oven for 10 minutes. During this last 10 minutes of roasting, slice and gently fry your halloumi in a shallow frying pan until golden brown on both sides.

Halloumi is up there with my all time favourite cheeses. Squeaky, salty, chewy goodness.

Heat up your wraps for 30 seconds on a plate in the microwave then get wrapping! Layer little gem lettuce, the roasted vegetables, mayonnaise/sour cream and the halloumi and then scoop it into a burrito-shaped deliciousness and tuck in!


Totally hassle-free, tasty and a few of your 5 a day to boot!. For an extra kick of flavour, I'd put some lime juice or fresh salsa in next time too.

Let me know if you give these a go, and what other after-work/school meals you enjoy making. Tonight I'm on a mission to cook up a big batch of vegetable soup for a week's worth of lunches - broccoli, leek, carrot, celery, potato and onion and whizzed up with some winter-warming spices, YUM!

JAM x

2014 To Do List - That Stereotypical New Year's Resolutions Post

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm late to this party, but going back to work etc etc got in the way. Still, I wanted to write a post about my plans for this new year and share them with you. Disclaimer: I will not be doing anything drastic. Don't get your hopes up for world-changing, lose 5 stone, drink a juice every single day type proclamations. But these are things I want to do, and 2014 seems a pretty good year to give them a go.
1. Run a 10k race. Nothing spectacular, but an incentive to run, properly, despite my not-entirely-natural ability.

2. Make a Battenberg cake.

3. Improve, develop and grow this here blog (this one may need support from you guys - please please send any suggestions for improvement/preferences on post topics/and comment and share if you enjoy reading, thank you!)

4. Make good use of my new camera - take up opportunities and practice editing them nicely too.

5. This year will also be an exciting one for me and J - we will, after 5 and a half years of courtship (!), finally MOVE IN TOGETHER! I can't wait to create our first little home, and this year I hope to get some DIY and crafty activities under my belt to decorate Pinterest-style on a budget.

That pretty much sums it up - like I said, nothing crazy but just a few things which I look forward to completing.

Bring it on!

Would love to hear what your resolutions for this year are, and happy to cheer on in times of need throughout 2014!

JAM x