Lifestyle | Naughty But Nice Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Yesterday I posted a picture of my chocolate chip cookies  on Facebook, and it became so popular I decided to share with you how I made them!

To be honest, it's not much of a secret, I just adapted a recipe from Tanya Burr's - Tanya Bakes! And replaced the cocoa powder, with my chocolate protein powder... I told you, it's not really a secret!

All you need is

100grams of Unsalted butter

50grams of stevia sweetener (originally golden caster sugar)

150grams of self raising flower

50grams of Chocolate protein powder (originally 25grams of cocoa powder)

A splash of Almond milk (originally just milk)

All you do, is whack it all in a bowl, mix it all together until it looks relatively dough-like, then you roll them in your hands into a bowl, put them on a baking tray, and press it down with a fork.

For the full recipe you can look for Tanya Bakes on Amazon UK! I've had so much fun over the past few weeks baking all kinds of things from her book! (All of which were boyfriend approved taste-wise, so we're definitely onto a winner!).

The original cooking time in the recipe says 15 minutes, but because of my substitutions they took about 25, but just keep checking on them, and make sure they're not doughy in the centre, and you'll be good to go!

They need to cool on a baking tray once they're out of the oven. If you don't, you'll eat one too soon and it'll burn your tongue... twice maybe if you don't learn...

The recipe also said you'd get about 15 from the mix, but I always find that you get more than that with Tanya's recipes. With this mix alone i got 24!

There's only about 5 left since baking them last night but that's clearly because the neighbours smelt them while they were baking and broke into the house while we were sleeping and stole them... obviously...

Happy Baking!

Lifestyle | 30 Days To Healthy Living!

For those of you that couldn't make it to my Pamper Party last night, you missed out on the amazing opportunity to hear about the 30 Days to Healthy Living!

This is a special ASVP offer available to all Consultants and Preferred Clients in Arbonne!

Beauty and health starts from within, so if you're putting rubbish into your body, such as sugars, chemicals, and additives, that will reflect in your skin and your general wellbeing.

In the protein made by Arbonne, it's just full of absolute goodness. This includes Cranberry protein; which is a powerful detoxifier, it can help treat bladder, kidney and urinary problems, boosts your immune system, and can help with skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, and psoriasis, (and it is considered one of the best remedies for cellulite!), rice protein, and pea protein (which doesn't taste as bad as it sounds!).

Within this pack you get;

• Chocolate protein pack
• Vanilla protein pack
• Daily fibre boost
• 2 boxes of fizz sticks
• Omega 3+ capsules
• 2 boxes of Herbal infusion blend tea
• Digestion plus pack
• 30 Days to Healthy Living Guidebook

Working with the daily costing prices, these prices work out to be as little as £6.50 per day, to substitute two of your meals, and provide you with the nutrition information to change your habits into healthy ones! That's changing as little as not buying your lunch out when you're at work, or skipping that morning coffee from Costa, just once per day! 

Now I know making these changes can be very tricky, but that's where everyone else comes in. Together with my team, we will be starting the 30 Days to Healthy Living program on July 4th 2017. Together we will keep each other accountable through the use of a Facebook group, so we can all be there to support each other, there will be plenty of post with new recipes for your meal time, and even recipes that work with your protein, such as protein brownies, pancakes, there really are so many options!

This whole program can make you feel more energetic, help shred unneeded body fat, help you feel better from the inside out, and give you better looking skin.

All it takes from you is a little bit of dedication and determination, and you could completely change your life in 30 days.

For more information on this, you can message me on my Facebook page (Emily Stansfield Arbonne Independent Consultant), or you can email me on emilystansfieldmua@gmail.com . 

In the meantime, why not have a look on our shop and see if anything else takes your fancy? emilystansfield.arbonne.com

Arbonne | Business Launch!

What an exciting week it's been!

For those of you that don't know, on Thursday I had my launch for my Arbonne business!

I've just started my business as an Independent Consultant for Arbonne, and this involves using my make up products (which i have purchased through Arbonne) to do my job and make people look beautiful, but with this, I can earn a few pennies when the beautiful people decide to buy the products too!

Let me tell you a little about Arbonne's products. The whole entire range of cosmetics, skin care, bath and body, and nutrition, is Vegan certified. Do you know how hard it is to become Vegan certified? What this means, is that in no way, shape or form, are animals used to create these products.

No animal testing, no animal by-products, nothing! Which means that little Thumper from Bambi didn't have to be pinned down, and have cosmetics rubbed in his eyes, so that you can wear your favourite red lipstick.

It's all dermatologically tested, which means it's been tested on actual human skin, so you know that something that may not have caused a reaction on a tiny baby bunny, may not cause a reaction on you.

Everything down to their packaging has been thought through. The boxes can be recycled, the bubble wrap your products are wrapped in can be dissolved in water, and the ink used on the catalogues is soy ink. It's good right?

So I had my business launch on Thursday this week, and at this event, my guests were talked through both the business side of Arbonne and they had the opportunity to test some products and take them home with them.

I had the support of both Jen, my sponsor (the woman you can just see on the laptop screen), even though she's all the way over in the Cayman Islands, and Charlotte, who is in my up line, to go through the business presentation, and to advise people on which products they may find useful.

There was a table full of products at the back of the room that people could test out, and take home for a few days to try. With the amount of products we had between the three of us there was something for everyone!

And of course there was me, trying to pretend I wasn't peeing myself with nerves every time someone asked me a question!

I personally believe that Arbonne is a fantastic business opportunity, and I had two main reasons for why I said yes to becoming a consultant.

Firstly, the products actually work. 

From the age of 12 I have had severe acne. I've tried every product from the shelves you can think of, and i've had creams, and 8 week courses of antibiotics from doctors, and nothing has made a difference. Until I found Arbonne.

For me, my face and the way it looked was my biggest cause of anxiety. Even as a fully qualified Make Up Artist, who knew how to disguise acne, I still felt that people were looking at me and judging me, which in turn, caused me to be very anxious, and I wouldn't leave the house without a face full of make up to hide it (which would worsen the situation because of of the chemicals in my make up would add to the issue!).

I used Argonne's FC5 range twice per day, for a week. Just a week! And tis happened;

98% of my spots had gone. Completely gone. Not a trace left behind!

These's products actually work!

The second reason, and I love this one, is that what you earn is based on how much effort you are willing to put in.

I'm definitely not the only one that goes into my full time job, thinking that I definitely work harder than the person that plonks themselves at a desk, watching videos on YouTube, doing the bare minimum to keep there job.

I'm that person that goes in, goes above and beyond to get not only my job done, but other people's jobs too, works later than i should, and makes sure i'm available should anyone at work need me when i'm not on shift, yet i'm still getting paid as much as the previous person?

That doesn't sit right with me. And with Arbonne, if you're putting in all that effort, and enthusiasm to get your job done, you're going to get exactly what you want out of it, and it'll make you feel amazing!

There's a tonne of amazing different products, and there really is something for everyone in this business.

If any of you would like more information, either about the business, or about the product, please please please do not hesitate to contact me, or just have a look yourself on;

 emilystansfield.arbonne.com

Lifestyle | The Perfect Weekend Away!

As you know, last weekend was Valentines weekend, the perfect weekend for couples to get extra smushy, and lovey dovey. Now there's a lot of people who get on their high horse, saying that they don't need a specific day to show their love for their significant other etc, etc. But why not? Take the opportunity to go that extra mile, not because you have to, but because you want to.

This year, was actually in a proper, 'adult-grown-up' relationship (scary right?!), so we decided to get away from the work and life stresses and spend the weekend in the middle of a forrest. Trust me, it's more exciting than it sounds....

We went to Center Parcs!

As a youngster I used to go here all the time with my family, so it was full of nostalgia, and happy memories, and this year I got to share it with someone really special to me.

From scenic walks around the forrest (it snowed for half the weekend, so the forrest turned into Narnia and it was the best feeling ever!), to painting mugs, spa experiences, and pancake stacks for breakfast, it truly was a magical weekend!

Throughout the village there was a running valentines theme. After every meal you had a valentines chocolate attached to your receipt.

With every coffee/hot chocolate order there was a 'chocolate treat' for you and your beloved.

There's so many activities you can do as a couple, (you don't even need to be a couple, because everything here can be orientated around families, groups of friends, couples etc). Unfortunately just before the weekend, Pete hurt his back, so the amount of activities we could take part in were limited in an attempt to not injure him further, however there was still so much to do!

My favourite part of the weekend was our spa treatment. The minute you walk through the door, you were created by people who seemed so relaxed and at peace, and everyone was so peaceful!

We had a 'dual treatment', which is specifically tailored for couples. This consisted of a back and neck massage, and a facial. It was so relaxing. You changed into fluffy dressing gowns (one size does not fit all, as a 5 foot 1 lady, the sleeves got rolled and the hem was hiked up!), and the floor was warm! I hate walking around in bare feet because the floor is always so cold, but this place must have had some underfloor heating, because my feet were in heaven! The ladies were so good with Pete with his injury, and he said he felt so much better after!

You absolutely can't go to Center Parcs without feeding the ducks. We picked a villa which was lake facing, so when you step out onto the balcony you are treated by a whole gaggle of them who just know you'll be providing them with bread! Side note, don't do what Pete did and try to lure them into the villa, the ducks know their boundaries, and will just look at you like you're an idiot...

It was the most perfect weekend away, and we've already made plans to go back next year!

Lifestyle | Fight that Fatigue!

Hello hello hello!

So while my blog's having a revamp, I thought i'd take this opportunity to introduce you to a product i've found that has genuinely saved my behind on more than one occasion now!

This product is from a cosmetic/skincare company called Arbonne (discover more about it at Arbonne.com).

And they're called Fizz Sticks!

Source

I was introduced to these by my friend Jen, and I was a bit sceptical at first, but I read up on them and decided to give them a go!

As I have fibromyalgia, during longer shifts I usually start to flag. I get really tired, and i just need to sit down and do nothing for a while, while my body resets itself and gives me a boost.

That's where these come in! They are packed full of natural goodness, B vitamins, natural caffiene, fruity-flavours, green tea extract, and only 5 calories!

So I was at work on a mad long shift, something like 14 hours... And it got to around 4pm, and the fatigue set in.... I was very close to getting in the staff bed and thinking of how I could possibly explain to my manager why I was in bed in the middle of the afternoon, when I remembered I had a fizz stick in my bag!

I mixed it in with a bit of water (note; let it rest for a while once you've mixed, or you'll get a mouthful of powder, like the cinnamon challenge, but slightly more fragrant!)

This tiny little packet gave me enough energy to work all the way through to 10pm! 

I've used these whilst i had a horrid cold/cough, and am usining them at the moment while battling a kidney infection, and i'm quite convinced that these are helping me recover much faster than usual!

I also use then while at the gym. I split the packet, and put half in my bottle while working out and half in the one i drink after, and I feel like my performance has improved so much! (So far i've been able to complete all exercises with my personal trainer without havung to stop in between, but shh lets not jinx it!)

So what do you say? Do you fancy giving your fatigue a kick up the bum?

Have a look on EmilyStansfield.arbonne.com and search for Fizz Sticks! They come in Pomegranite of Citrus flavor!

Beauty | Halloween Master Class with Peaches and Cream

I'm back... again!

So the thing is I was quite poorly/recovering from surgery throughout most of October, and therefore, I decided to mostly concentrate on my 30 Days of Halloween hoohar to make that amazeballs, instead of keeping up with my blog and doing the halloween things, which would have made them both a bit half arsed...

But yes, i'm back! And i've got a whole month of shenanigans to catch up on, starting with my visit to Peaches and Cream in Liverpool on the 14th October!

Source

This place was my fortress of happiness. It was pink, there's glitter everywhere. I have honestly never been to a place which made me so happy just by how pink it looked! If I could have moved in, I would have.

The reason I was here was for a Halloween Make Up masterclass, and for those of you that know Peaches, you know it's about to get epic!

It was Kate who took the class that day, and immediately upon walking through the door you were greeted with the biggest smile (and the best accent). She explained to us how the outfit she'd created was made from rolls of bondage tape (not just a pretty face!), and how today we'd be learning how to create the look of Maleficent. 

She took us through the look step by step, mentioning how you should start on the eyes so that any excess product that fell onto the face can be wiped off without ruining your base make up... which seems obvious, but this never actually occurred to me until she mentioned it...

She was more than happy to stop and answer any questions we had, and she even made time to show us a few little techniques for creating a 'spider web' look using eyeliner!

To say that I travelled all the way from Leeds to Liverpool to attend this workshop, it was definitely worth it!

The techniques I learnt at the workshop have already been put into practise, and i've got to say, my halloween clients this year were 10 times better than last year thanks to Peaches and Cream!

2015 | September Favourites!

September's nearly over, which means? It's almost my birthday month! (and also, there's another favourites post coming for you!).

Beauty

My first beauty favourite is one from Benefit, and it's their 'Gimmie Brow' gel!

This is in the lighter shade of the two available, and what it does is add fibres to your eyebrow to give them the Cara Delasagne effect... Okay it's not actually described as that, but it makes them fuller and thicker, and just all out brow-tastic.

I've never quite worked out how to properly give my eyebrows that bit of oomph. Other people's are easy, but it's always worse when it's your own! This stuff is so easy to use, and you can see the tutorial on the Benefit website here.

It's more at the high end scale price wise, coming in at £18.50, but it's the perfect thing to treat your brows to!

Next up, we have a late addition to my favourites. I only bought this yesterday, (and immediately bought another on online after trying it), but it's amazing! It goes on so smoothly, and from past lip gloss experience I expected to need a few applications before the colour I wanted showed through, but one was all I needed! The colours are so bold and pigmented, and the wearability is amazing! I put this on, and 10 minutes later  I consumed a pizza... and the colour was still there! Barely any loss at all! It's not sticky, it just feels smooth, and gives your lips the perfect colour, and with the uniquely shaped want, if you're only using it on yourself, you don't  even need to worry about getting it right to the line of your lips, it does it all by itself!

This colour is called Aphrodite, and it priced at £5.99... I've got 'Lunch Date' on it's way to me in the post!

Skincare

I don't know what has happened, but recently my face has been a nightmare! Usually my normal Liz Earle products have done the trick to keep acne at bay, but this time, it hasn't even touched it! My face has been a plethora of acne, blackheads, and red patches, so it was time to take some drastic action.

I've been to my doctors before, but whatever they gave me just hasn't worked for longer than two weeks...

I decided to splurge and pick up some products from Perricone MD. I won't talk too much about them, because there's another blog post coming with a full review, but one week in and i'm very impressed, so keep your eye's peeled! 

They do come in at the higher end of the price tag, and yes my purse did suffer! But when it comes to my face, I will spend as much as it takes to give me that extra confidence boost when needed!

Experiences

September has been a month of spontaneity and awesome opportunities! As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I had the chance to be on set as a make up artist with SKEW magazine, and this weekend, I was asked to take part in a Hair Show with Toni And Guy! 

8 Models, in 3 hours... it was knackering, but so worth it!

Also this month, I decided to get some more tattoos! (Which you may have seen already on my Instagram).

I chose to get this one because the last time I had a tattoo, Donna my tattooist, insisted that I get something with some colour! So obviously, I went all out! Donna loved the artist that was the original inspiration for this image, so she loved doing it. Could this be the start of a full sleeve?

And for those of you that know me, know that I am completely and utterly obsessed with Harry Potter. So much so that I thought what better way to always have it in my life than to have him tattooed on my arm? (Judge me all you want, I don't even care!).

So that's it for another month! And just a word of warning, as next month is my birthday month, it's going to be jam packed full of favourites!

Happy reading!