Art Rookie

If posting a blog about my depop wasn't shameless enough I am imposing my ArtRookie page on you all!
                                                  http://artrookie.co.uk/LauzOfArabia

I've designed a few tshirts, phone cases and prints! I would love it if you could check them out and if you get something please let me see! It would be amazing to see someone wearing one of my designs!

Or let me know what you think of the designs, I am looking to start painting something similar to the distorted photographs.... but it would be nice to see what everyone makes of them all!

ArtRookie itself is incredibly easy to use if you are an artist yourself, you just upload your picture then reupload to the right specs onto each item you want to produce I found with the tshirts,bags and prints I didn't need to bother trying to adjust the settings of my picture!It doesn't cost anything to join or upload and you get 20% of everything you sell plus more if you sell any prints.

Have any of you got a Artrookie page? Let me see!!

Not very beauty related Sorry guys! I have a few beauty posts lined up! :)

ciao x

Beauty: The importance of cuticle oil

I get really bad hang nail and dry skin around my nails, grim as it is,  no matter how much hand cream I put ...it happens.
When I was back home at Easter I went to get my nails done at the nail spa in Wahda Mall and the lady told me I needed to start using cuticle oil twice a day. Now I'm pretty bad for remembering to do something once a day so twice a day would have been a miracle. I bought some oil from them for 35dhs and tried to remember to use it at least once a day and oh my gosh. The difference was insane I could start to notice it after a few days even!
For someone who hates the feeling of oil I wasn't sure hwo I was going to take to this but I just put a small amount on every other finger and rub it over the 5. It's not too much that way. I really recommend you try it!
Essie, Sally Hansen and the Body shop all do their own cuticle oils. I do actually own the body shop one, I didn't rate it at first because I got it more for the pushy bit it had but I am going to retrial it and see if the almond oil is actually as good as my cuticle oil!

Ciao x

Ps check outretroandthrift who does the most enviable eyeliner ever! 

Recipe: Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake

Not exactly....healthy....
A girl at work made this cake today and I had to try making it! It's really easy to make( NO BAKING REQUIRED) and tastes delicious! She didn't have exact measurements but its that easy you can do it all from guessing :)

Cheesecake base:
- 1 pack of digestives
- butter

-> blend the digestives with the butter don't add a lot at first and slowly add till you have the consistency you want.  spread into the dish your making it in.

Topping
- 1/4 pack of icing sugar
- one and a half tubs of philadelphia
- Baileys ( I used a cheap tesco alternate! £4 instead of £17 bargain!)
- Dark chocolate.

mix together the icing sugar, philly and baileys ( I'm not sure how much you need to add I just kept pouring till I could smell it...it did feel like a lot :) oh well! ) put some aside and then melt a bar of darkchocolate and mix into the rest of the mix ( Okay so after people ate it apparently it was quite strong so maaybe don't pour till you can smell it... )

I did a sprinkle of the non chocolate mix then poured the chocolate mix on top then did a nice little splatter with the rest of the non chocolate mix,
Fridge it
thats it! :)

Let me know if you make it!

ciao x

Depop.

A slightly shameful self promotion post today.
Sorry.
But I am selling some goodies on my Depop. - @Lauzofarabia.

got some topshop, UO, Zara, ark....all sorts - some with tags!
I also have some cheap tank tops I have made myself ( which may not be the most amazing things ever but see below... )

I'm promoting this as I need to raise some money to start my clothing line as its getting quite difficult to get the start up! I also really need some money for oil paints as there is a open call for artists I really want to enter and I have literaaly zero oil paint things! Please have a gander and figners crossed you see something you like :)

Thanks
 Laura xx

100 post!

I wasn't sure how to celebrate my 100th post! I feel like it is quite a milestone!
So I just wanted to say a thank you to anyone who visits this little blog of mine!
{EDIT} - just stumbled upon this little questionnaie by twothirdshazel so thought it would be cute to complete if you do this as well please let me know! - excuse my bad handwriting!

 I know I have been a little absent this month I have had to face quite a lot of challenges and I have felt quite emotionally drained and it wasn't something I wanted to bring into my blog. As always I am powering through and with the added bonus of a new job ( in my same company) some grasses are slightly greener on my side.

I am thinking about doing more daily lifestyle posts? Maybe cafe reviews things like that? I am still undecided what do you think? in terms of style posts I did want to get a lot more done but I feel I am in a really in-between phase with my body and the time just isn't right now.  I am also selling half my wardrobe on depop ( @lauzofarabia) as I really want to progress my style and I don't think my current wardrobe expresses me very well it's such a mash up of  old clothes.

I am working on a lot of different things I have so many idea's I can't wait for the day I get to start them all and share them with you!

Here's to the next 100 posts and all the ones after :)


Ciao x

Recipe: Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes

It's no secret I am trying to be healthy, there have been a few slips but one bad meal isn't the end of the world and I am slowly starting to not enjoy fast food. I recently got some protein from the good whey company. so that I could try out this recipe as I wanted a change from scrambled or fried eggs in the morning. I got this recipe on instagram either from @thebodycoach or @eatcleanalice I'm really sad I can't find the source to give the full credit. the only downside to these pancakes is that I have to get up earlier to make them so less sleeping time, I am also getting used to what heat to have my hob on. 

The pancake recipe itself is so easy I use: 

- 1 Banana

- 1 Egg

- Teaspoon vanilla extract

- 2 tablespoons of chocolate protein

you can add some crushed berries into the mix aswell but I prefer to sprinkle them with strawberrys after DELISH!

When cooking these bad boys they are a pretty different consistency to your normal pancake so today I found its easiest to flip with by using your spatula and a table spoon, so as it sticks to the pan ease it up with the spatula then stick the spoon under to hold it up and keep doing this to halfway and then you should be able to flip easy! 

What's your favourite thing to eat with pancakes? or even use chocolate protein I am on the hunt for more healthy recipes!

Ciao x

Beauty: Brush Cleansing - MAC

It's something we all need to do and all have our own ways of doing... being a pretty lazy person I like to keep this as quick and easy as my facial cleansing routine. I clean my brushes once a week, mostly on sundays, although sometimes midway in the week if I have been using a thicker foundation as these brushes are harder to get clean.

The MAC brush cleanser is a tenner and this bottle has lasted me quite a few months now. Another bonus is  you can save your empties to swap for a new lipstick! ( craving is calling my name!) All I do is get a towel lie all my brushes on it then - use a cotton pad covered with the cleanser and rub my brushes on the cotton pad till whatever make up comes off. nice and easy! This cleanser tends to get everything off the brushes it just takes 2-3 more cotton pads to clean the foundation brush.

It's important to make sure you regularly clean your brushes otherwise bacteria can build up and this can lead to more spots. For a while I never really cleaned my brushes and I don't get as many spots now!

What are your methods of brush cleansing?

Ciao x

PS. Check out my depop - LauzofArabia. I'm selling some topshop, zara and other branded items as well as some crop tops I have made to make some money to start my clothing line! :) - Help a blogger out! x

review: Lush Tree Tea Oil toner

I didn't fully understand the purpose of a toner, apart from that its an extra you can do after cleansing to get rid of any last minute dirt on your face. I've read a few bloggers say they use this to refresh their make up which to be honest I don't fully get if you spritz this on your face it'll run down - with a full face of make up that's not something I want to do.... I use this twice a day - as explained in the previous post, before moisturiser but after cleanser. At night I tend to just spritz this on my face as I have longer to let it dry.

I read that toners are supposed to handy if you have oily skin so this has come at a good time as lately my hair and skin have been sooooo oily it's untrue. I'm putting this down to the temperature change as I have been eating quite healthily, Manchester is getting crazy humid. Has it made a huge difference to my skin? My skin doesn't feel as oily if I use this so it may be the moisturiser adding on some extra oils.... I think it has managed to keep any oncoming spots at bay. Like I said my skin has become supppeeeer oily so it should be spot central but I am only getting one or two tiny spots at a time so it's gotta be doing something!

I got this bottle for £3.75...something like that so fair play it's a really good price, you can get the bigger bottle for around 7 quid, It's nice easy and quick to use so its not like adding this to your routine is going to become a ball ache. The toner has quite a strong scent to it which I think is the case with most tea tree products anyway. I'm happy with this and will definitely keep buying!!

What's your opinions on this?

Ciao x

P.s Check out http://emilycocklin.com/ so much style envy!!

Beauty: Quick morning Cleanse.

I can't be the only one who tries to get every minute of sleep possible in the morning? Even when Bruce ( Le Chat) has woken me up and making sure I wake up to feed him, I am still trying to stay in bed till the last possible minute before I know I'm going to be late for work. Because of this I needed a quick and easy morning routine here comes these bad boys:

1) I start by cleansing with the good things cleanser, I might do a full review of this because it really is a good product and I feel it deserves more then a few quick lines. Basically any left over muck I didn't get off the night before or anything that's got on my face in the night. Since its gotten hotter I find my skin is more oily in the morning...anyone else?

2) Then I use the Lush tea tree toner, again this will get a full review but at the moment I feel its to recent a purchase to make a good review. In the mornings I spritz this onto a cotton circular thing...( technical!) and then wipe my face. You can spray it straight on your face - I do this at night but it's a bit much in the morning!

3) Add on the korres moisturiser and let that sink in while I make breakfast and before any make up goes on. I reviewed this moisturiser here. I wasn't sure at first but now I know why everyone is raving on about this. It has completely balanced out my skin and it is no way near as red - to the point I could actually go out happily with no foundation, which is a pretty big deal!

Sweet and simple! What are your  morning staples?

Just a quick update on the blog: I am super broke so there may not be many reviews or much going on this month, I've had a lot going on but will do a brainstorm this weekend on what I can do :)

Ciao x

Ps. check out this blog:  thelovecatsinc it's got a bit of everything and I have some serious fringe envy!

Beauty: 15.07.2014

Fitness - Back to the Yoga Lounge.

June last year I wrote a blog post about a 30 day trial at the yoga lounge you can read this here. I promised myself to go back as soon as possible but due to money/bike problems I wasn't able to. Then in April - June I got real bad back pain and pins and needles so I went to see a physio who told me I needed to do pilates to strengthen my core. Not to be bigheaded in anyway but I can manage a fair few more sit ups then other people and I thought my core was doing alright.... but apparently not.

I bought a month of hot yoga and 4 pilates reformer which I have never tried before and it was HARD. I was shaking from the start of the pilates classes and I felt such a difference afterward. Even in the yoga classes after a month I am still struggling with core moves. I won't go into the yoga too much as I reviewed it last year, or how lovely the place is but I really recommend the pilates reformer! on those crazy machines that are extremely daunting but once you get used to them they aren't so scary! The different classes varied with how hard you pushed yourself but I really felt it in my inner thighs and with the yoga combo I am convinced they have shrunk! I know with yoga loosing weight isn't the aim of the game but its certainly a plus!

I'm not saying everyone needs to do hot yoga ( though if you are in the Manchester area please check this place out) but I think everyone should try yoga or pilates at one stage in their life. Its such a positive thing to introduce to yourself which you spend lets say 60 minutes forgetting all your worries, listening to a guide and focusing on yourself, sometimes its just really nice to let go of the world and do that. If you are looking to tone and get strong then this is where you need to be looking!

This month they were focusing on Yoga philosophy and the teachers read out some beautiful quotes I wish I could remember them, basically: everything has happened for a reason to get you where you are today. ( if you know the quote please post it!! )

Ciao x

PS check out daintydresses who has had an incredible and inspirational fitness journey! 

Recipes: Chocolate cheesecake Oreo brownies.

So, I haven't full been with it the past few weeks with beauty things but something I have been doing a lot of is baking!! At work I organised a bake off over the month of june and each week had a different theme. My favourite thing I baked was these oreo cheesecake brownies!! Which were super easy to make and tasted delicious!!

I found the recipe on pinterest from the baker upstairs who has tones of amazing recipes!! the only thing I did slightly different was that I put the brownie mix in then pressed in oreos and did the same for the top layer instead of mixing them in. If you try this don't worry if your mix comes out really thick and pasty - it's supposed to!!

What are your favourite recipes to bake? I just saw this chocolate loaf from Suzie that I am desparate to try!

Ciao x

Glasto/ Personal

Hey guys!
It's been like what...nearly two weeks? Craazzy.
Glastonbury was INSAAAAANE. I still feel like I didn't see heaps but i'll just have to save that for next year! I saw nearly all the acts I wanted to see so I am pretty chuffed with that! I can't possibly pick a favourite - everyone keeps asking! Since being at the festival my immune system was down and I have caught something/ been real busy hence this post being a few days late! I've had a few things going on and I feel I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon slightly, I'm going to spend this weekend brainstorming this months posts! I promise to be productive!
Sorry this is a short one
Ciao x