Lauren Conrad's Style half price!

In Lauren Conrad's latest book, Style, Lauren shares her style and beauty secrets. From the daytime girl next door look to evening glamour, you too can pull off as many looks as she can with this guide.

Plus now Lauren Conrad: Style is half price on Amazon.co.uk!

If you haven't yet gotten yourself a copy, get it now as this is a limited offer. It would also make a great Christmas present for those of you getting your shopping done early.

What I made today

Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing

These didn't come out perfect. They were a bit too moist because I used vanilla syrup instead of vanilla essence and the cheap butter ruined the sponge and the icing (the buttercream icing is supposed to look whipped!) Other than that they were quite nice.

Hopefully they'll turn out better next time.

Friday funnies

Happy weekend!

xoxo

Hotel Chocolat's Vanilla and Butterscotch

(Please excuse the quality of the picture.

I gobbled them all up before managing to take a photo

so this is the best I could find online)

When I read the word ‘butterscotch’ on the front of the packet, I instantly had to have it. Milk chocolate enrobes a hybrid of butterscotch and vanilla in this square shaped creation. Biting into the milk chocolate shell, I instantly tasted a powerful blow of the strong vanilla taste. The butterscotch flavour is quite subtle in comparison. Nonetheless, it contributes to its creamy texture and sweetness.

I’m not a big fan of vanilla in chocolate myself but if you are or happen to be adventurous, give it a go. You might fall in love.

xoxo

Hotel Chocolat's Sticky Toffee

 I normally don't like dark chocolate but Hotel Chocolat’s dark chocolate is something else. It is full of cocoa flavour, which takes away some of the bitterness. Furthermore, the sweet toffee sauce filling in this creation added some sugary sweetness to the intense cocoa flavour.

I didn’t know what to expect of the toffee sauce in the beginning. Is it gooey caramel? Is it chewy toffee (which I detest)? Biting into the chocolate, I reached the smooth centre of the most perfectly textured caramel I have come across. The taste was beautiful but lacked enough caramel flavour found in cheaper chocolates such as Galaxy Caramel. Maybe the chocolate is too overpowering to focus on the flavour, which is a shame.

Nonetheless, it is definitely a nice after dinner treat full of cocoa flavour with caramel sweetness. If you need a quick cocoa and caramel fix, one piece is enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. But that doesn’t mean you can’t finish the whole packet of course! ;)

Cargo PlantLove haul!

My package from Puresha.com arrived yesterday full of natural goodies lovingly wrapped in Furoshiki. Here are all the things I bought...

I actually bought 2 other items (a hot pink lipstick and a nude eyeshadow) which I was later told are out of stock :'(

I'll be reviewing all these products as well as putting up some FOTD's soon so look out for them on Love From Eden.

Should people be forced to smell your perfume?

As you may know from my previous post, I am trying my very best to stay away from synthetic products. So this includes perfume. It has been over a month since I last put on any perfume. Since then, I have begun noticing scents a lot better. My nose has, for some reason, become extra sensitive to perfume worn by others and it's suffocating!

It is mostly the floral scents that smell too sickly sweet to me these days, which is surprising since I used to love sweet smelling perfumes in my perfume wearing days. I actually put on a little perfume today and I felt physically sick. That serves me right for spraying toxic chemicals onto myself! Never again!

Though while I stay away from spraying any perfume, I can't help what other people are polluting my fresh air with. These days, I am either breathing in people's toxic perfumes, people's toxic car fumes or people's toxic cigarette smoke. It is a shame that everyone else gets the smell of freedom while they pollute the very air that I'm breathing! What happened to the freedom to smell some fresh air for once!

I'm not saying people shouldn't have their freedom to do as they wish, but they should really be considerate of others by spraying less perfume. I mean if you wanna smell your own perfume, go ahead! But there's no need to spray so much and make everyone else smell it. If I get nauseous smelling certain fragrances, then I hate to imagine the experiences of those who actually suffer from perfume allergy or asthma!

In related news, check this out: Perfume protest: Teens Storm 'Toxic' Abercrombie and Fitch

My opinion? You guessed it! Quit spraying!

x

Making rice pudding - first attempt

I have been craving rice pudding the past few days. It's just that kinda weather. The kind that makes you wanna sit at home and fill your belly with warm food all day long. If you're British then you should know exactly what I'm talkin' about.

Since I don't like buying ready made food, I decided that the only way I could satisfy my rice pudding craving is to make it myself. I didn't realise that it takes too long to cook and when my belly craves something, it wants it now not 45 mins cooking time later! Yes it takes that long! And that is the 'quick' version! Some ask for 2 and a half hours!

So here's the recipe (The only problem I had with this recipe is that the rice wasn't soft enough so I would suggest using pudding rice instead):

1 cup uncooked soft grain rice

3 cups milk

Half cup sugar

2 tbsp butter

Pinch salt (optional)

Pinch cinnamon (optional)

1. Cook the rice according to packet instructions. This should take about 10-15 mins.

2. Once cooked, add the milk, sugar, butter and salt

3. As soon as it starts to boil, turn to low heat and allow to simmer for 25-30 mins whilst stirring occasionally

4. Once the rice pudding is nice and thick, it is ready to serve hot or cold. Add cinnamon for extra flavour.

Please remember that this is only my first attempt so if you have any tips on how to improve it then please share.

Enjoy and keep warm! x

Just a reminder...

... because we all need reminding now and then.



Happy weekend :) x

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink!

You'd think living in the West would have its privileges like say clean water. But then why is it that I cannot drink any water without it being polluted in some way.

I've always thought that our tap water here is disgusting. It tastes really weird especially when left out a few minutes. Then I found out that our tap water, as well as the tap water of many across the globe, is polluted with crap such as drugs and hormones that had been excreted by those who drank that same water before you. Not only that but Fluoride is added to the water. Fluoride is known (by very few) to be a cause of many health problems such as damage to the brain and kidneys to name a few. To most it is known to prevent tooth decay, which isn't true. And even if it did prevent tooth decay, who are the Government to force us to have nice teeth?? What next? The dental patrol forcing us to brush our teeth twice a day?

So after doing a lot of research from various sources the past few months, I decided to stop drinking tap water. It tastes crap and it is very bad for me. It was doing more harm than good to my body, in my opinion. From my research I also found that water filters do not filter out fluoride. So my only option was to buy bottled water. Bottled water can be very cheap when you buy the bigger bottles. So that's what I started to do then I recycle the plastic bottles.

I found bottled water a pleasure to drink. It was very light and it lacked the icky metallic taste of tap water. Though it tasted way better than tap water, it does sometimes have a plastic taste. I ignored it for a while until I found out out some plastic bottles contain bisphenol A! BPA (for short) is a synthetic oestrogen, which may increase your chances of getting breast, ovarian or testicular cancer in later life. In younger children it can cause girls to reach puberty too early or abnormal male organ development in boys. In pregnant women it can have an impact in the foetus's neural and behavioural systems due to their weak immunity as well as increasing the chances of miscarriage. It can also make us overweight and cause diabetes!

BPA tends to be in plastics marked with a 3 or a 7. This plastic type number tends to be at the bottom of the bottle. If the bottle does not have this mark, it would be wise to leave it and look for another.

The plastic bottle of the water I get is marked with a 1, which is safe. Though I can't help but worry about the plastic taste of the water so if anyone has any information on this I would be very grateful.

Do you know what is in your tap water? How do you feel about drinking it?

xx


Disclaimer: This article is based on my own opinions, which were influenced by the external links provided. To verify the ideas expressed in this article, please refer to an expert.

The Soap Deli-cious!

When I went shopping today, I came across The Soap Deli, owned by a lovely lady selling handmade soaps from her stall at 'Handmade Birmingham' Arts and Crafts market on Edgbaston Street (by the markets). What attracted to me to this particular stall is that her products are natural and I have been meaning to buy some natural toilettries, including soap, for some time.

Some of the scents include Vanilla, Honey and Oatmeal, Goat's Milk and Cool Mint, to name a few. It was quite difficult to choose which to take home with me as there was such a wide choice and they all smelled lovely. Because of my love for sweet dessert smells, I bought Pink Bubblegum and Chocolate Cherry. I also love cool smells so I got myself a Sea Breeze one too, which smells very refreshing.

These mini soaps usually cost only £1 each but I made advantage of the 3 for £2.70 deal, which was tied with a ribbon, perfect to give as a gift.

Pink Bubblegum was my first choice at the stall, due to its cute smell. Plus it's pink, which is always a bonus. So this was the one I chose to try out when I got home. The absense of SLS made me assume that the soap won't be easy to use as it won't create a lather but it actually lathered up quite well. As I rinsed away the foam, I could feel the silkiness of my hands as they were gently covered in a layer of the soap's natural oils. Even after I dried them they remained nice and soft. Unfortunately, the fragrance was washed away down the drain instead of lingering on my skin.

Like I said, these soaps are all natural. Or so I thought until I went on their website and found that the soaps all have Sodium Hydroxide, which has a moderate hazard rating of 3 on Cosmeticsdatabase.com.

Overall, I am happy with today's purchase though I would be much happier with a soap that is 100% natural.

If you are interested in The Soap Deli's products, which also includes bath fizzers and bath salts, you can pop along to her stall or purchase from her website.

That post binge feeling

Yes that one. I'm sure you know it. When you eat something that seemed a guilty pleasure at the time only for the pleasure to turn to pain.

No, I didn't eat chips. Or a burger. I ate a kebab. The worst kebabs of them all. A greasy donner kebab! With mayo!

As soon as I had finished I felt dirty. Full of fat and processed meat (or whatever is in that stuff. All the leftover body parts I assume). I felt heavy and I felt tired. I could taste the grease in my mouth.

A nice healthy wrap or soup on the other hand makes me feel energetic and light. It makes me feel proud that I have filled my body with nutritious goodness.

I really want to make smarter choices in my diet. And I would appreciate any advice/ support/ recipes you can give and I will do my best to share my own recipes and report my progress.

So please leave a comment below.

Thanks! x

Strange but smart

I know I don't like Lady Gaga at all but I thought this was quite smart...

I came across a Youtube video of Alejandro that had been reversed and noticed something quite funny. I'm surprised that no one else has discovered this.

If you skip to 4:18 (which is actually the introduction of the music video) you will notice that Lady Gaga is saying "My name is Stefani, I I am Stefani".

Can you hear it?

xoxo

Heartbreaker

"The rom-com of the summer"

Harpers Bazaar

"A real crowd pleaser ★★★★"

Heat Magazine

"Utterly Chic"

Vogue

Are you ready for the romantic comedy of the summer?

Heartbreaker is a French movie starring Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis. Alex (Duris) is a professional heartbreaker. His job is to come between two lovers and split them up using his sole weapon: seduction. His latest mission is to tempt Juliette (Paradis), a rich (and very stylish) socialite, from her lover but this proves very difficult. However, this doesn't stop Alex from doing anything he could possibly do to sweep Juliette off her feet. Filled with comedy and lots of gorgeous dresses, this is the ultimate chick flick.

Now I am usually a harsh critic when it comes to movies as I am not easily pleased. However, on this occasion I absolutely loved the film! I was a bit sceptical at first as the introduction seemed quite serious and dull. (Plus I didn't even know that it was going to be in French. Quite a few people actually left the cinema without giving the movie a chance, which is a shame but it was their loss...) But then the comedy came out of nowhere and left all the viewers laughing. There is a lot more comedy surprises in this movie. I would love to share some of them with you but I don't want to ruin it for you.

There is also a little action in this movie (perfect for a date night!). I love how they made the action moments comical, which is great for me as I hate action.

And I must mention the beautiful scenery of this movie. The bulk of it is set in Monaco. If you don't have the cash to fly to this beautiful country this summer, then you can enjoy its gorgeous landscape for the cost of a cinema ticket.

Overall, I love love love this film and I think every single one of you should watch it! The only thing that ruined it for me was that the seats in front of me were blocking the subtitles so I'd advise you to find a seat that allows you to see the whole screen. But that issue aside, the movie truly deserves a 10/10!

Heartbreaker will be in cinemas on July 2nd so make a note in your diaries! I hope you all enjoy the movie as much as I did.

xoxo

Make money from your blog

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather (while it lasts).

With all the summer outfits we'll all be needing to buy, I thought I'd let all you blogging buddies know about a website that allows you to make from your blog.

LinkShare allows you to post adverts on your blog and earn revenue from every reader who clicks on the ad and makes a purchase. There are many advertisers you can choose from many different categories such as beauty, fashion and entertainment to name a few.

I'm sure, just like me, many of you blog because you enjoy writing and engaging with your readers. But if you want to make some money at the same time then that's fab! You'll have more money for your lovely reviews and tutorials!

Applying takes only a few seconds. Join LinkShare UK Today! If you're from the US, just Click here to become a LinkShare Affiliate!

I hope this helps!

xoxo

Alejandro music video. What the...?

Who has seen Lady Gaga's Alejandro?

There are a million things just plain WRONG with that video. Not just with what is going on in the video but what it is trying to imply.

I'm not going to waste my time on this issue as it's not worth my time. I would like to know what you think of it and what you think the meaning of the video is though. So please leave a comment and let me know!

xoxo

Getaway - Michelle Branch and Timbaland

I love Michelle and I love her new song! I've been waiting so long to finally hear it.

What do you think of her new song?

I never imagined Michelle and Timbaland to collaborate but what they created together is perfect!

xoxo

iPhone 4

You've probably seen the leaked photos of the iphone 4 but yesterday Steve Jobs officially unveiled it at the WWDC.

The latest iPhone has:

• 5 megapixel camera with flash
• Double camera for taking photographs AND for video calls
• It takes hd video. You can also use the iMovie app to edit your videos
• Intead of having all your apps scattered on all over the homescreen, you can now keep them neatly organised in folders
• Bigger battery - longer battery life

and many many more new features!

Watch this video for more information on the latest iPhone

The iPhone will be out on June 24th but it is available to pre-order from the 15th.

If you already have an iPhone or even an iPod touch, the iOS4 will be released later this month and you can get a free upgrade! This includes the choice to put have your applications in folders, multitasking (the ability to have more than one app open at a time) and the iBooks app as well as many other features!

What do you think of iPhone 4?

I don't know about you but I know I want one!

xoxo

Got that Friday Feeling?

Crunchie rocks are clusters of crunchy cornflakes and sweet and crunchy honeycomb pieces in Cadbury milk chocolate.

I tried these today and they taste amazing. I have almost finished the whole packet which is really bad considering I'm supposed to be on a diet :S Oh well, it was strictly for research purposes (Yeah that's my lame excuse)

At the moment they're only £1 at Morrisons (I'm not sure about anywhere else) so they make a cheap and cheerful Friday treat (or any day of the week really)

I hope your Friday is just as sweet as this yummy treat!

xoxo

70% off Betty Barclay!

Just to let you know that for a limited time only, Amazon have a craaaazay sale on Betty Barclay watches with up to 70% off!!

Would madam like to try this on for size?

So chic and under £24!

There are lots more to choose from so click here to get them before they're gone!

xoxo

Forever 21 finally to arrive in the UK!

It's official! It has been confirmed that Forever 21, the LA based fashion store, will be opening its first UK store in the heart of England - Birmingham! The 53,000 sq foot store will be in the Bull Ring shopping centre, one of Europe's largest shopping centres.

It is believed that Westfield Stratford city will be the location of the second store though this has not yet been confirmed.

If you live too far from any of these, don't worry as executive vice president, Larry Meyer, has stated that they are hoping to expand all over the UK. Fingers crossed for online ordering too!

Are you looking forward to Forever 21 coming to the UK?

xoxo

Source

Got any spare clicks?

Everyclick.com is a website with a built in Yahoo powered search engine. Whenever you search on their website, they will kindly pop a penny into the charity pot of your choice.

If you search on eBay or Shop.com on Everyclick.com a percentage of the sales will go to charity!

Every click counts! (How old school is that mouse, right?)

Did you know that 1.5p can feed a child in Gambia?* That's only one and half clicks!

Why not set this website as your homepage to remind you to use it. You'll be surprised how much difference switching search engines makes! (A couple of meals difference!)

You don't need an account to start this but it will help you keep track of how well you're doing.

So get clicking! :)

*Fresh Start Foundation The Gambia. Registered Charity no 1118109

Friday Funnies

Cute AND funny!

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo

All together now... Awwwwww

I found this through a friend. It's so adorable, don't you think?

Here is the story behind this cute pic if you wish to read it: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-481601/The-abandoned-monkey-love-pigeon.html#ixzz0oyOsDQMj

xoxo

Love Lauren?

Then you'll be happy to know that Lauren will be sharing her style secrets in her new book: Style.

With her literary success (she has so far written three novels) as well as having her own fashion line, Lauren is the perfect person to be writing about style.

The book will be out this October (I know it's too long to wait!) but you can preorder so that you won't be disappointed this October when the book is sold out!

If you're in the uk, click here to preorder now (or regret it later!)

In the US? Then click here to preorder.
(Remember, if the price goes down, you will only be charged the lowest price when Amazon send it to you. Amazon also do international shipping)

Now here are some LC outfits to inspire you until then...

xoxo

Super Simple Sun Safety

Why am I seeing so many lobsters this weekend? With so many sunscreen products out there (Pssst... you can get some good ones from Poundland. Only £1 to be protected from wrinkles, burns and skin cancer!)  there is no excuse to be barbecuing yourself in the sun! It takes only a couple of seconds to apply sunscreen. If you're not sure what spf you need, get the highest! It's that simple!

Speaking of simple, Simple have a lovely product called Sun Sensitive Protecting Facial Hydrolotion, which is a sunscreen and moisturiser combo with sunflower extract. This is particularly useful as a lot of sunscreens are unsuitable to be used on the face whereas this can be used on your face even if you have sensitive skin!

Apply this to your face and not only will you be protected from the sun's harmful rays but you'll have nice soft skin. If you wish, mix some of this with a little foundation to make a light tinted moisturiser that is perfect for the summer.

Right now there is bogof on selected Simple suncare at Boots but for a limited time only!!

Stay safe and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

xoxo

Are you beach ready?

If you head down to Lush (if you don't know where your local Lush is (tsk tsk!) just follow the heavenly scent that leads to it or alternatively click here) you can get all you need for beach ready skin for only £10!

The all-inclusive package includes six products:

Buffy - An exfoliating bar with cocoa and shea butter to moisturise your skin

Glorious mud - A rhassoul mud bar to keep your skin nice and soft

Stepping stone - A foot scrub bar that exfoliates and moisturises your feet whilst leaving them smelling of yummy mango

Fairtrade foot lotion (sample) - a minty foot cream with essential oils to take away weariness and cool them down

Ultralight lotion (sample) - a 2-in-1 moisturiser and sun protection (spf 10) which is essential to shield away nasty rays (sun rays not stingrays) whilst the St Johns wort and Myrhh provide free radicals to prevent premature ageing which can be caused by the sun

A token to the forest gods toner tab - The citrus oils in this tab will leave your skin refreshed after a day in the sun

They all come in a little box that you can pack in your holiday luggage so you can keep your skin super soft while you're away... because beauty never takes a holiday!

xoxo