Author: ramblingmads

I am a thirtysomething from London, with a cat, a husband, bookshelves which keep threatening to crush me under their load and chronic health conditions. Basically your average over stressed millennial. Welcome.
beauty, beauty boxes, instagram, lifestyle boxes, make up, perfume, skincare

Advent Calendar Opening

ramblingmads

Hello lovely blog readers,

Today is December 1st, aka the first day of Advent. You may now put up your tree and hang your stockings.

This year I bought a beauty advent calendar as opposed to the chocolate ones I seem to have every year!

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I went with L’Occitane’s rather sweet one as I love their products and thought a mini treat from them every day would brighten up a cold, damp December.

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So, let’s see what’s behind door number one!

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Ultra rich face cream!

I will most likely be posting these on Instagram so come follow me there, as well as all sorts of Christmas fun and games as we head further into the festive season.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, nail polish, reviews

Nailbox – Christmas is coming…

ramblingmads

November’s Nailbox has arrived, bringing with it a hint of Christmas in its red, green and glitter.

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Also in the box, Elegant Touch stick on tips, a file, and a great little booklet of festive patterns for your nails.

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And the colour coordinated candy cane is a nice touch. I’ve got a few Christmas dos to attend and now festive nail designs!

ramblingmads

life

Off topic

ramblingmads

I know this isn’t the usual content but I am fed up of the government’s war on women. The Budget was announced on White Ribbon Day – a day to commemorate and demand an end to violence against women and girls.

The Tampon Tax has made headlines already this year, a tax on being a woman and having a uterus (these two things are not the same BTW).

Now George Osbourne announces that instead of scrapping a gendered tax, instead the money will go towards funding women’s health care and domestic violence charities.

Women are already unfairly punished by cuts to services and instead of remedying it, the men in charge decide, women can pay for services.

Services that in many cases wouldn’t be needed if it wasn’t for men. Domestic abuse is society’s issue and the need for refuges for women is overwhelmingly because of men.

1 in 4 women will experience some form of domestic abuse in their lifetimes, and women are most likely to be murdered by an intimate partner or family member.

Now I’m all for funding women’s health services and domestic abuse services but not like this. Essentially women are paying for themselves. Because they have uteruses that once a month bleed.

Both David Cameron and George Osbourne have daughters. I hope they’re prepared to defend this when those girls reach puberty – and can see how sexist and misogynist this decision is.

For more on this, The Debrief had some great articles today and I’m sure more will be forthcoming.

ramblingmads

baking, food, healthy, recipes

Fudgey Chocolate Brownie

ramblingmads

This time of year is so miserable, there’s almost nothing better than a warm, fudgey brownie to cheer up the day. Here’s my personal favourite recipe.

Set oven to 200°c, grease and line a brownie tin/square cake tin. I used an electric mixer but you can do it by hand just as easily. I’ve replaced some of the ingredients with substitutes, but you don’t have to.

Ingredients

3 medium eggs
70g ground almonds
5g banana powder (or 75g almond)
275g sugar substitute (stevia, coconut sugar)
175g dark chocolate (at least 70%)
175g coconut oil/butter
40g cocoa
Chopped nuts, dried fruit, choc chips (optional)

Method

Melt the coconut oil and chocolate in a microwave.

Mix all the dry ingredients together, add the eggs, mix, add the chocolate oil, mix.

Add the chopped nuts, dried fruit etc if using. Mix together by hand.

Pour into prepared tin, smooth out with a spatula. Pop into a hot oven, cook for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes, cut into squares. These will last a few days in an airtight container, if you can resist them!

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ramblingmads

books, reviews

The Hog’s Back Mystery – Freeman Wills Croft

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The British Library has released a collection of crime novels from the Golden Age, when writers like Agatha Christie were at their peak. Freeman Wills Croft, who knew Christie, wrote more than 30 novels during this time.

Dr James Earle disappears from his house one Sunday, Inspector French is called in to locate him. Soon other people are disappearing and French is embroiled in a web of romantic entanglements and intrigue.

I really enjoyed this book, I’m a big fan of Christie and other writers of the period, like Raymond Chandler, so I was really pleased when a kind friend sent me this book.

Sometimes I can guess whodunnit, but I prefer it, when like this one, I can’t guess at all how it will unravel.

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giveaway, jewellery

A little giveaway

ramblingmads

I am a total magpie, I love shiny things and have a crazy amount of jewellery.

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Pretty much

So as I can’t stand this cold and gloomy weather and shiny things cheer me up, I thought I’d give you lovely people a chance to win this very cute Punky Pins necklace.

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To enter, all you have to do is post a comment telling me what cheers you up when it’s cold and grey outside. Simple as that. You have till next Wednesday (25th November) and then I will put all the names in a hat and pick a winner.

Good luck.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, make up, reviews, skincare, vegan kind

TVK Beauty Box Five

ramblingmads

I love beauty products, make up, skincare, you name it, but I also love animals, I’m mum to five rats, and animal testing horrifies me. The comestic industry really doesn’t need to test shampoo on rabbits or mascara on mice.

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The Vegan Kind‘s three monthly beauty boxes contain products that demonstrate this fact wholeheartedly. None of these items have been tested on animals and all are suitable for use by humans.

The box contains six items for £18.95, is delivered every three months and this box has donated 20p for every box sold to The Dr Hadwen Trust – the UK’s leading non-animal medical research lab.

Inside the box;

Human+Kind Hand Elbow and Foot Cream 500ml (RRP £6) this rich and pleasant scented multi use cream contains cocoa butter and avocado oil to deliver lasting hydration.

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Spectrum Collections Concealer and Eyeshadow Brush (RRP £4.99) I am a sucker for a nice brush and love the soft electric blue bristles on this baby. Shaped for applying colour to your lids or concealer to that pesky dark shadow. I might have to use my exclusive discount code to treat myself to a few more.

Cocoyou Coconut Oil 200ml (RRP £5.99) coconut oil is everywhere this year, in baking, stir fries, slathered on skin and hair, used in teeth cleaning (oil pulling). This tub is perfect for your beauty routine, coat your face at night, smooth through the ends of your hair and use it to sort out your cuticles.

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Emani Vegan Cosmetics Soulmate Lipshine 7ml (RRP £11) this pink gloss goes on clear with a slight sheen of shine.

Vegan Button Mirror – soon to be available from the TVK website, this little pocket mirror is rather sweet with it’s bunny logo.

Green People’s Vegan & Organic Intensive Repair Shampoo 30ml trial size. Strengthens and repairs dry, damaged or weak hair. Excellent for the upcoming party season when too much hairspray and too many late nights stress your hair out. There’s also 20% off for subscribers.

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ramblingmads

life, mental health, mindfulness

Why I’m taking a Facebook break

ramblingmads

Let’s be honest, the world is full of heartbreakingly sad things, and people arguing about them.

My anxiety levels are through the roof in general at the moment and all the carrying on online is only making it worse. So I removed the app from my home screen, I didn’t delete it because I genuinely don’t know my password and should I ever go back, I’d like to be able to get into my account.

I haven’t used Twitter much recently, and having deleted dozens of random accounts I was following, I’m going to try to use it more, bite sized info that I can handle. I’m also on Instagram. Imaginatively my handle on both is ramblingmads, so do come say hi.

Facebook was overwhelming, too many voices screaming for attention. If I do decide I want back in, I think scaling back groups and “friends” will be a must. I’m starting to think my friend Jack, who does not use any social media, may have a point.

If you need me I’ll be reading a book and painting my nails.

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