Glowing Skin Smoothie | The Acne Diaries

As you can read here, I've been enjoying making a smoothie every day because they are very delicious and very good for you.

This smoothie recipe is one specifically tailored to be great for the skin as it contains lots of vitamin C rich fruits. The recipe is...

1 apple

1 small satsuma

1 large handful of spinach

1 large handful of frozen mango

1/4 cup of water (or squeezed lemon juice)

1 kiwi 

The reason vitamin C is important for the skin is because its an antioxidant that slows down the rate of free radical damage which cause dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. It is also key to the production of collagen, a protein the aids in the growth of cells and blood vessels which gives skin its firmness and strength. Vitamin C also helps the skin repair itself. *science lesson over*

This smoothie also has lots of other vitamins and minerals that are you good for your skin such as iron, vitamin K and copper.

I have noticed a big difference in my skin since drinking one these smoothies every day. So go drink your way to healthy skin!

p.s. I forgot to mention that this smoothie also tastes delicious (the main reason I like making it every day)

♥

A Week Away..

I recently took a week off and went away with my family to South Devon, one of my favourite places to go. (The pictures above are taken from Salcombe (left) a lovely little town with lovely harbour and the other two are from a reservoir in Dartmoor with some amazing views. Both a must if your in the area).

We've been visiting Devon since I was a tiny baby so its become and sort of second home for us, we try and go at least once a year. So for me Devon is a place full of happy memories. When I'm down there my stress and anxiety levels go down to almost 0, its somewhere I can go and feel content and happy. Maybe this is because I'm surrounded by beautiful countryside and beaches, maybe its because of all the happy memories that me and my family have created there but I know that when I'm down there I can relax and appreciate life without anxiety.

It was a lovely week away, filled with country/beach walks, pub lunches and cosy nights in in-front of an open fire. Sounds bliss huh?

I think its so important to have a place where you can go and feel you stress and worries blow away in the wind as I mentioned in my previous post 5 simple ways to instantly improve your life. Somewhere that makes you happy, where you can be yourself, whether its 200 miles away (as Devon is for me) or a field down the road from your house. Every so often its good to get away from normal life and take a breather.

Do you have a place that's special to you? 

♥

Smoothies

I have been pretty obsessed with making smoothies recently. They taste SO good but more importantly are really good for you. Packing 3-5 different fruits/vegetables into one glass means your getting a yummy snack that provides you with at least one of your 5 a day and lots of vitamins and other good stuff! 

I like to buy a load of fresh/frozen fruit, chop it all up and put it into a big tub which I put in the freezer (as it keeps it fresher for longer) then whenever I want a smoothie just grab a hand full of whatever I've got in my tub and blitz it up (you will need to use the ice setting on your blender if your using frozen fruit).

You can use whatever fruit you have in your fruit bowl but my favourite combination at the moment is:

• 1 apple

• a handful of pineapple

• 2 handfuls of mango

• a handful of spinach 

• a few blueberries 

• a big glug of coconut water

Both spinach and coconut water are great to have in smoothies as they don't taste much so don't spoil the taste but have lots of vitamins and minerals in. Spinach is in it's best form when blitzed in a smoothie (apparently?).

Try having one smoothie a day and your skin and energy levels will thank you for it, mine certainly have. 

What's your favourite fruit smoothie combo? 

♥

5 Simple Ways To Instantly Improve Your Life

Lets face it, we all have days where we just want to give up. The days look grey and dreary and you question what your missing in your life? Here are 5 things I like to do when I hit that wall...

De-clutter

De clutter somewhere that you spend a lot of time. Be it your desk and work, your make-up table, your bedroom even the apps on your phone. Throw away everything that you don't use anymore/can't remember why you bought it. De cluttering physically helps you de-clutter mentally.

Take days out

No I don't mean phone into work sick and spend all day watching movies, eating junk food and feeling guilty at the fact that you have phoned into work and spent the day watching movies and eating junk food. I mean every so often when you've got a day off take yourself somewhere where you feel happy. Whenever I feel over stressed or anxious I know that means GET ME TO A BEACH and whether rain or shine, that weekend I will drive to my favourite and spend some time walking around in the fresh air whilst listening to the waves and reboot so I'm ready to go back to every day life.

Change something about yourself

This could be as simple as the colour of nail varnish your wearing. Changing something in your daily routine that usually is the same no matter how simple adds a burst of excitement into your life. I recently had my hair chopped short and it really does make you feel different.

Drink more water

The cheapest, easiest beauty/feel good treatment there is. Drinking more water makes you feel less lethargic, wakens you up and does wonders for your skin. I like to take a water bottle with me where ever I go so that I'm never dehydrated.

Surround yourself with good company

Whether it be your best friend, family or even your pet, spending time with people you love really does improve your mood. Distract yourself with conversation and create memories that make you smile.

♥

10 Places I'd Love To Visit

Travelling is a BIG to do on my bucket list and something that I've not yet done a lot off. The world we live in is an amazing place with some stunning landmarks. Here are my top 10 places that I'd like to travel too...

1. Ireland

Ever since I saw P.S. I Love You I've always wanted to visit Ireland. It's a beautiful country with breathtaking country side views a gorgeous little beach coves. Plus the Irish accent is b-e-a-utiful!

2. Thailand

Thailand's an amazing country so full of culture and so different to England. My main reason for wanting to go to Thailand is my love of Elephants, I'd love to go to an elephant sanctuary and see Asian Elephants!

3. Canada

The landscape in Canada looks breathtaking. I'd love to see a mountain range and the Rocky Mountains would be a pretty cool one to see.

4. Paris

Paris is a beautiful city with so many famous landmarks. I have actually been to Paris before on a school trip but it was years ago and I didn't get to see all I wanted to see. I'd love to see the Eiffel Tower at night, the love lock bridge but more importantly Disneyland Paris!!

5. Australia

My main reason for wanting to visit Australia is because I have family living out there that I hardly ever get too see. But it would also be an amazing place to visit because of the beaches and the wildlife. I'd love to go to The Great Barrier Reef and see all the little fishies! 

6. Greece

I don't have a lot of reasoning as to why I want to visit Greece except that it looks like a beautiful country, would be a lovely place to visit with my family as a summer holiday.

7. Scotland

Scotland for me is only a train ride away and is home to rolling hills of country side, ancient castle ruins and running streams. I love the country side so for me Scotland is a must.

8. The Maldives

For obvious reasons? Imagine lying on a sun lounger, a cocktail in hand with this as your view? Yes please!

9.  Alaska

Similarly to Canada Alaska has some breathtaking views and somewhere where not a lot of people think to visit, I'd love to stand on the edge of that reservoir breathing in the fresh air looking at the incredible view.

10. America

Road trip anyone? Me and my sister have always dreamed about road-triping around America, there's so many amazing cities to visit, its hard to choose just one to mention!

Where would you most like to visit?

♥

A Healthy Little Treat

I'm trying to be a lot healthier, but am missing the sweet treats that I used to love. So I have been trying to make unhealthy snacks into healthy treats! After having a very green salad for lunch I fancied something sweet so decided to make some yummy pancakes using plain flour, 1 egg and almond milk (when making pancakes I tend to guess with measurements until it looks like pancake mix). Once cooked I topped it with Nutella (which is still a tiny bit naughty but is a lot healthier than melted chocolate as its mainly just hazelnuts) and blueberries, yum!

Eating healthy is important but it shouldn't be a chore! Making simple little changes like using almond milk instead of cows milk and Nutella instead of milk chocolate. Accompanied with some green tea in my favourite mug and this was the perfect afternoon treat!

What healthy snacks do you enjoy?

♥

8 Reasons To Still Love Disney In Your 20's

Growing up, Disney was a massive part of my childhood. I loved all of the films and had all of them on video tape (remember those bad boys!) and all the dressing up outfits! My favourite, although hard to pick, I always said was The Little Mermaid I don't have any reasons as to why it just was! Being in my 20's I'm not embarrassed to admit that Disney is still a big part of my life. I love putting a Disney classic on whilst snuggled in my PJ's and I'm no stranger to a stroll around the Disney store. So here are 8 reasons as to why I still love Disney...

1. Who doesn't love a good sing-a-long?

My personal favourite thing about disney...the songs are soo good! Whenever I'm feeling a bit down I know that a sing song will make me feel better. No one can deny that they can't resist singing the next line to The Circle Of Life - it makes you feel good. Everyone loves Disney songs and they're lying if they say they don't, do I have to mention that Let It Go is STILL in the charts?

2. They teach us the importance of love.

No Disney film is complete without a love story right? No matter how un-realistic their representation of love is, Disney taught us not only to love other people but also to love yourself. Even if it makes you feel sad about your single status Disney taught us that love can happen to anyone at any time.

3. It can bring back fond memories.

Because we relate Disney so much with our childhood, watching the same Disney films can bring back happy memories. When I'm sad I like to watch Alice In Wonderland because in high school we did a performance of Alice in Wonderland so watching the film takes me back to a very happy time of my live. Sometimes it's nice to slow down and remember happy times from the past, it helps clear your mind to deal with the present.

4. They help us understand the importance of family.

"A man should never neglect his family for business" - Walt Disney. One thing that I love about Disney is that they are family films and you can sit and watch them with anyone in your family, no matter what their age.

5. They can make you feel every emotion possible.

You want to laugh? You watch Robin Williams as the genie in Aladdin. You feeling angry? Let's talk about when Gaston sent Belle's dad of to the  asylum. You want to cry? Remember when Simba's dad died.

6. They give us a sense of adventure.

What's a Disney film without an adventure? If watching Up doesn't tickle your travelling taste buds then not much else will.

7. They remind us to believe in magic.

The world can be a pretty stressful place sometimes and its easy to get lost. Sometimes it's nice to think that there is magic and happiness in the world.

8. They inspire us to follow our dreams.

Disney teaches us to follow our dreams, whether it be love or adventure. Did Hercules give up on his dream to become a God? Did Rapunzel give up her on her dream to see the lights? Did Ariel give up on her dream of marrying prince Eric? No, and neither should you.

 ♥