Weekly Roundup...

Hey lovely people,

So tomorrow is my weigh in day and I am feeling optimistic. I have seriously tried sooooo hard this week and I  have thought about and planned everything I've eaten. As well as this I have made a real effort to go out a walk every day... Something that I must admit I'm guilty of doing far too little of. My job as a photographer is 30% standing and moving and 70% sitting and editing so I find that most of my day is spent in front of the computer. But I have pushed myself to move around a lot more on an hourly basis as well as having my little evening walks.

So let me just share with you some of the meals I have eaten this week:

Don't they look delish... Here are their pro-points values (remember my points allowance may be bigger than yours so you can have more or less dependent on your allowance):

Porridge (45g) with semi-skimmed milk (213ml) & raspberries (handful) = 8 Pro Points

Spicy Vegetable Cous Cous (150g) with spinach & sliced cucumber = 5 Pro Points

Spinach (plateful - I really love spinach... lol) with salt & pepper = 0 Pro Points

Fresh Tortiglioni (250g) with a spicy tomato sauce (75g) with spinach = 14 Pro Points

Banana (1 med) & Raspberry (handful) Smoothie (Juice 150ml) & ice = 3 Pro Points (330ml glass)

Chicken (165g) & rice noodle (200g) & sweetcorn (100g) stir-fry (soy sauce added) = 14 Pro Points

These are just some of the meals I ate this week and they were all super filling and tasty, which just proves you don't have to eat food that tastes like cardboard when you're on a diet.

I hope that any of you who are on this same journey have had a really good week and you are feeling positive and healthy and I will report back with the outcome of my weigh in tomorrow morning,

Wish me luck...

Take care lovelies. 

xxx

It's been a good start to the week!

Hey lovely people! 

So it's Monday morning and instead of the usual Monday blues I normally suffer from, I made a conscientious effort to get into the proper frame of mind and get some exercise done. 

Before I done that though, I drank a little pro-biotic yoghurt drink. Now I know there's a lot of people who don't see the benefits in these drinks, but I suffer from Immune Deficiency and I often take antibiotics which strip my body of any good bacteria already there. Therefore these little drinks are great for keeping my good bacteria all topped up. 

So after that my cousin and I headed to our local leisure centre and went for a swim. It is my absolute favourite exercise, not only because it's low impact but also because I am (for some weird reason) a really strong swimmer. It's something I done a lot as a child and I think it's really been beneficial to me as an adult. Anyway, my cousin and I had lots to chat about and before I knew it we had swam up and down the pool for a solid hour without stopping. 

I'm telling you... The minute I stepped out that pool my legs felt like jelly! It's amazing how you don't really feel the effects of the exercise you're actually putting your body through when you're in the pool. That's why I love it. It is such a low impact sport, which is kinda perfect for people like me with sore joints that often prohibit me from doing regular workouts or even walking long distances. 

When I came home I logged my activity on my weight watchers tracker and couldn't believe that my exercise had amounted to 25 pro points! Now, I don't intend on using these extra points... but how amazing is that? For a 1 hour swim! AMAZING! 

Now is it just me, or does anybody else ever feel absolutely famished after swimming? My stomach is always growling when I come out the pool and this is where you have to be careful. Any other time I would quite happily go home and have a cheese and ham sandwich with mayo, a wee coffee and chocolate cake to congratulate myself on my swim... LOL! Not this time!!! I came home and had a banana and raspberry smoothie with a bowl of porridge. It was delish! :)

So it's now half past 1 in the afternoon and I'm feeling a little bit peckish so I am going to have some cous cous with spinach... and my mouth is literally watering at the thought of it. :)

I hope you all have a fabulous day lovelies. And remember... If you are undertaking a new diet or fitness plan in your own lives YOU CAN DO IT!!! :) Always think positive and PLAN PLAN PLAN your meals. It is the best advice I have ever been given!

Take care lovelies. 

xxx

It's Wedding Season!!!

Hey there lovely people, 

So today I thought I would share some of my favourite wedding shots with you all. I am first and foremost a photographer, before I am a blogger and this was after all the reason I started my blog in the 1st place so I think it's only right that from time to time, I bore you all with some random mumbo jumbo about my photography style. 

On that note, here we go:

  

  

 

 

So I know it's definitely not everybody's style but I am much more of a natural, candid shooter. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy admiring a posed romantic shot just as much as anybody else, but as far as feeling comfortable myself with taking those shots... well that's another matter. 

I was very adamant that for our own wedding photographs, my husband and I were represented in the same light as we are on a daily basis. I didn't want any aspect of it to be fake or pre-meditated. This is of course just my style... and I am certainly not knocking anybody else's opinion on the matter... but due to the fact that I feel that way in front of the camera, it appears that those thoughts and feelings have transferred over to my role behind the camera. This is not to say that if my clients request those specific shots then I will be happy to oblige as best I can, but it just doesn't feel that natural to me.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. If you feel the same as me then let me know. I love photographs. I love how you can tell a story through them. They are proof of our existence, and contain the evidence of our love and happiness. I can't think of any other job I would rather have in the whole world!!! 

Take care lovelies. x

Healthy Recipes

Hey lovely people, 

So in keeping with my new healthy approach to eating... and well... life... I have decided to share a couple of my favourite healthy recipes along with the cost of the ingredients. I feel that we are all encouraged to live healthier lives and eat more fruit and vegetables. However, I find that it is often overlooked that eating better often costs us double the price of a standard weekly shop, so sometimes it's not that people don't want to, it's just that they can't afford to eat better.

On that note, these recipes will not only be healthy, but cost effective. 

Warm Quinoa Salad with Grilled Halloumi

(serves 3)

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, sliced

1 large roasted pepper from a jar, thickly sliced, or a handful of ready-roasted sliced peppers

200g quinoa

500ml vegetable stock

small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

zest and juice 1 lemon

large pinch sugar

250g pack halloumi cheese, cut into 6 sliced

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a medium saucepan. Cook the onion and pepper for a few mins, then add the quinoa and cook for a further 3 mins. Add the stock, cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 mins or until soft, then stir through half the parsley. Heat the grill.

2. Meanwhile, mix the lemon zest and juice with the remaining parsley and oil, and a large pinch of sugar and salt. Grill the halloumi until both sides are golden and crisp. Serve the salad with the grilled halloumi and the dressing poured over everything.

Asda

Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil - £1.50 (250ml)

Sliced Red Onions - £0.50 - 225g

Roasted Red Peppers - £1.40 - 480g

Great Scot Scot Quinoa - £2.18 - 300g

Vegetable Stock Cubes - £0.40 - 120g

Parsley - £0.70 - 31g

Lemons - £0.30 - each

La Doria Fine Sea Salt - £0.50 - 500g

Halloumi - £2.00 - 250g

Total Cost - £9.48

Cost per person - £3.16

I think you'll agree that £3.16 for a delicious, healthy meal isn't asking too much. I've used Asda for purchasing the ingredients, but by all means check your own local supermarket. 

So you've wolfed down that delicious meal, now you want to wash it down with a delicious and super healthy smoothie.

Mango & Banana Smoothie

(makes 1 litre)

Ingredients

1 medium mango

1 banana

500ml orange juice

4 ice cubes

1. Cut the mango down either side of the flat stone, then peel and cut the flesh into chunks.

2. Peel and chop the banana.

3. Put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender, then process until smooth and thick. Keep in the fridge and use the day you make it.

Asda

Large Mango - £0.75

Banana - £0.68

Orange Juice Smooth - £1.00

The Ice Co Ice Crush - £1.00

Total Cost - £3.43

Cost Per 250ml serving - £0.85

So there you are my lovely readers. Two delicious and cost effective recipes to help you become a healthier and happier person. I hope you enjoy these as much as I have!

Take care lovelies. x

Snap Happy Tuesday - Family Candids

Hey lovely people!

I wanted to share some of my more candid shots with you all today. Ordinarily, in my job, most of the scenarios in my photo-shoots are posed and carefully thought out. However, now and again, when I take my camera out and randomly shoot my friends and family, an amazing thing happens. Memories are caught on camera. Moments are recorded forever, without the situation being staged and pre-meditated. 

These are just some of those moments:

My cousin Carrie and her nephew Deri at his recent christening.

My cousin Yvette (left) and sister Joanne (right) on our last Ladies Night in Newcastle.

My niece Lily-Rose on my nephew Olly's 1st Birthday last year.

My nephew Olly on his first birthday.

My sister Aimee, having a "selfie" moment during a photo-shoot.

My husband looking all serious during a recent game of pool with friends.

All very different images, all taken under different circumstances, but all equally as fun and interesting as you would like a photo to be. Remember, it doesn't always have to be all smiles and poses to make a photo a good one. I love these images more than the majority of my posed ones. 

Take care lovelies. x

Pinspiration... For The Sake Of A Laugh!!!

Hey lovely people!

So it's Wednesday and the long weekend is well and truly behind us, and if you're anything like me then that is a very depressing thought. So, in a bid to not only cheer myself up, but you lovely people too... I thought I would post some funny things I found on Pinterest recently. 

So I hope you managed to squeeze out a laugh or 2 reading those... I certainly did... And I feel miles better for it...

Take care lovelies. x

Liebster Award

Hey lovely people!

So yes I know I said that I wouldn't be back until tomorrow, but then I noticed that the truly lovely Vicki from Not The Pretty Girl had nominated me for the following award. 

To say I'm cheesied is an absolute understatement. It has quite literally made my day so much lovelier... so thank you so much lovely lady. 

So here are the technical details: (and the bit to copy onto your own post)

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A Liebster Award is an online award for those bloggers who have less than 200 followers (I used Bloglovin). It's passed on from blogger to blogger to show their appreciation and interest in your blog. 

The rules for the award are:

1. Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you and display the award logo.
2. Answer the 11 questions that the blogger gives you.
3. Give 11 random facts about yourself. 
4. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you think deserve the award and have less than 200 followers. 
5. Let the blogger know you are nominating them.
6. Give them 11 questions to answers.

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So here are the 11 questions that the lovely Vicki asked me:

1. What made you start your blog?

I initially started my blog as a Photography blog, where I could share the technical details and stories surrounding my photographs - but after reading so many other Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle blogs, as well as getting really into Youtube, I decided that I would incorporate my whole life into it, as opposed to just my work... and I love it!!!

2. If you could choose a part of the world to live in, where would it be?

This is an easy one - NEW YORK!!! I've never been, but it has always been a dream of mine.

3. Do you still own any of your childhood toys? If yes, what is it?

I don't still own any of my childhood toys, but I do still have a lot of my childhood books. I just can't seem to let them go, and being a bit OCD with stuff like books, CD's and DVD's I don't really like ever throwing them out. 

4. What would your dream job be?

I'd love to be a majorly successful photographer, like Annie Leibovitz or Patrick Demarchelier - working in the fashion industry, and in major fashion magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair!

5. What's your worst nightmare?

This is going to sound sick and morbid, but my biggest nightmare is that my husband dies before me. Selfish... probably... but I just know that If I ever lost him, my life wouldn't be worth living and I wouldn't be able to cope... So I hope I never have to. 

6. Favourite animal and why?

Dogs. And specifically my dogs. I have 2 Labrador's, Oscar and Bonnie and they are quite literally my babies. 

7. Favourite musical?

This is also easy... Hello Dolly!!! :) Who doesn't love Barbara Streisand and it's directed by Gene Kelly... I mean what isn't there to love about that movie?!?!

8. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes. I am a big believer in love itself... and I genuinely believe that you can know instantly if a person is worthy of your love from the instant you meet them. That's exactly how I met my husband... and 13 years later, I love him even more than I could ever imagine was possible. 

9. Famous person you would love to meet?

This is going to sound really sad to a lot of people... but I would love to meet and pick the brain of Aaron Sorkin. He is the brains behind the TV programme "The West Wing", and "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip". These are my 2 favourite TV shows of alllllllllll time... and I have watched them over and over again to the point where I could quite literally play a part in them. He is a genius and I would love to be able to sit down with him. 

10. Favourite song right now?

I love "Imagine Dragons" new song "Demons" right now. I could listen to it all day. It's one of those songs that makes the hairs on your arm stand tall. 

11. What's your summer must have?

A good pair of sunnies (ray bans aviators are my current choice) along with some pastel and neon (yes I love both) nail colours. 

Here are the 11 random facts about me:

1. I am married to my high-school sweetheart!
2. I love... and collect fashion magazines!
3. I always have to have the volume on the TV or Radio at an even number!
4. I overuse exclamation marks in my texts and blog posts!!!
5. My favourite flower is a carnation!
6. I believe that the only way to listen to music is very LOUDLY!
7. I cannot watch horror movies... Or I will never sleep again for the rest of my life!
8. I am an insomniac. 
9. I cry... maybe... 5 or 6 times every day!
10. I have a very addictive personality - i.e shopping, gambling & internet is all done in excess!!!
11. I chose to be a photographer for the joy of taking photographs... NOT the earning potential!

So here are my Liebster award nominations: (which I have based on Bloglovin followers)

Deanna over at Tesori Belle

Harriet over at Makeup and Meringues

Scarlet over at Anxiously Bold

Clare over at Bee Happy & Healthy

Karen over at A Stitch To Wear

All of these ladies, have the most beautiful and inspirational blogs, with gorgeous photographs and loads of helpful hints and tips about makeup, fashion and life! 

Here are the questions I put to you, the award nominees:

1. What is your favourite part of blogging?
2. Who inspires you? 
3. What is the most exciting thing you have ever experienced?
4. What was the last book you read?
5. Are you an optimist or a pessimist... or somewhere in between?
6. What is the best life lesson you have ever learned/ been taught?
7. What piece of advice would you give to a newbie blogger?
8. Do you have any regrets?
9. Which 5 people would you invite to your celebrity dinner party and why? (Dead or alive)
10. What's your ultimate summer anthem?
11. Name each of your fave Hair, skin, makeup, nails & fashion items?

There you have it then lovely people. Thank you, thank you, thank you lovely Vicki for my nomination... you are a sweetheart and I love this award. :)

Take care lovelies. x

April Photo Challenge - Day 2 - "Arm Candy"

Hey lovely people!

So today's submission theme is "Arm Candy" and initially I thought about taking a photograph of my super handsome husband (any excuse to show him off), but then I thought I would be more literal and actually take a photo of his arm - his tattooed arm to be exact!

So this might seem like a rather strange thing to want to show off - but I have a thing with arms. You know how some women like muscles, or eyes or a tight little toosh??? Well I am into arms!!! Lol... And believe me, I understand how that sounds. But I'm really not being bias (maybe a little) when I say that my husband has the most amazing arms I've ever seen. 

Ok, so I'm going to leave it there, because I have a feeling I have shared far too much already! Look out for tomorrows submission which is "Brushes"...  So you can rest assured it shouldn't be too creepy like this one! 

Take care lovelies. x

The Blogger Tag

Hey there lovely people,

Happy weekend to you all. Hope you are having a fabilicious Saturday.

It's that time of the week for another little Tag. They are one of my favourite things to read on other peoples blogs because it's nice to get to know the lovely person behind the posts. 

So here is this weeks choice... The Blogger Tag! 

The Blogger Tag

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

It's naturally straight with a bit of a kink in it.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

Both. If I'm feeling in a particularly "pamper myself" type of mood, I will get a hair cut & colour at the Hairdressers, but most of the time, because my hair is so short I am happy just to dye it myself at home. 

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

So as I was saying, I have super short hair, so coming up with different styles is often difficult - but I try my best to change it up as much as I can.

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I do my own. I have always had long nails and so have never wanted acrylics or anything. As well as that on the one and only occasion where I did have a manicure, the lady doing it absolutely destroyed my cuticles with her buffer and they were all bleeding and sore - BAD EXPERIENCE!!! Plus I like to change my nail colour a lot, so it would end up costing me a small fortune if I went to a manicurist every time. 

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

Like I said above, I change my colour a lot. Maybe 2 or 3 times a week. :) I love a fresh set of nails.

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

Both - I stick to darker shades like 1.Chick Flick Cherry from O.P.I. or 2.Desire from Rimmel which is what I'm wearing just now. In the summer I like bright & pastel colours like 3.Hip Hop from Rimmel and 4.Brompton Place from Nails Inc.

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

So if I'm just having a normal day - food shopping, out a walk etc then 10 minutes. If I have a night out or somewhere fancy to go then it's a kind of whole day process where my makeup can take 2-3 hours. I like to take my time. :)

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face. I always put my primer and foundation on first.

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I have a relatively big collection of products that I often forget I have, particularly eye-shadows. So definitely a collector.

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Once in my whole life. I have really sensitive eyes so putting fake lashes and glue on them is a little daunting. However, my sister once put them on me and I loved them... pity I couldn't really see properly the whole night. 

11. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

Nope. There are maybe 3 days out of the week where I let my skin breathe... and on days like today, where I'm feeling under the weather, makeup is the furthest thing from my mind.

12. Do you wear makeup when you're home alone or with family?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. 

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Yes and often too.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

Not a lot... and I'm not entirely sure they are too high end. I have some Smashbox lip products, Bareminerals powders and concealers, as well as Clinique and Liz Earle skincare products.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?

I always tend to plan what I'm wearing and leave it sitting out and ready.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

Often. I have a handbag addiction, and like to showcase all of my different ones as much as possible. I do, however, have some favourites that I use more often than others.

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

So I go to bed through the week at around 10.30pm, but don't generally fall asleep till about 2am. I wake up anywhere between 8 and 10am in the morning. My nights are slightly longer at the weekend.

18. How often or when do you workout?

Not as often as I should... at all!!!

19. Left handed or right handed?

Right - my hubby is left handed.

20. How tall are you?

5ft 7inches.

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

I speak a bit of French & Spanish.

22. How many pets do you have?

2 dogs - Oscar & Bonnie.

23. How often are you on Blogger?

Too often - haha! All day, everyday!!! Addicted is an understatement.

  

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

Yes - It's nice to read peoples nice words. Reminds me that there are still lovely people out there.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yes - this has become a bit of a problem for my poor hubby. My spending has increased exponentially since I got more and more into blogging and watching YouTube.

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

It was initially an idea I had for my Photography, that I was telling stories through my pictures - hence "Once Upon A Picture" and when I decided to blog I wanted there to be a consistency with my pictures and my words.

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

I have a Canon 600D DSLR, but I also have a few point and shoot cameras too.

28. How often do you clean your house?

I try to clean a bit everyday, but have a good clean of the entire house once a week.

29. What's your favorite color?

RED!

30. What is your favorite drugstore/high end makeup brand?

I love Rimmel for their nail polishes, Bodyshop for their foundation and M.U.A lipsticks (they are super cheap and super pigmented). For skincare my absolute faves are Clinique, Liz Earle and I really like Simple.


So there is my Blogger Tag answers. Hope you all enjoyed reading them, and feel free to leave your tags in the comments for me to read.

Take care lovelies. x

Friday Faves - Budget Beauty

Hey there lovely people!

Instead of doing my usual Friday Faves, I thought I would share my current budget beauty faves with you. I've recently bought a few new products and wanted to share them with you, as well as showcasing some of the products I've been using lately.

So here goes... I must warn you, it's a bit of a photo heavy post. :)

I couldn't resist the new MUA Matte lipsticks. I got the shades Totally Nude, Peachy Keen, Scarlet Siren & Pouty Pink.

This is the colours in all their glory. How gorgeous are they??? The colours are lovely and provide a lovely pigment on your lips, but because they're matte, they are quite drying on the lips. To combat this, I suggest moisturising your lips and perhaps adding some lip balm or Vaseline on top of your lipstick. Seriously though, at £1 each, you just can't go wrong with these little beauties.

These are just the standard MUA Lipsticks, in shade 1 (which is the darker of the 2) and shade 13. I already have these lipsticks but use them sooooo much that I needed to stock up on them.  Again they are just £1!!!

I just love them!!! Again, like the Matte ones above, these just feel lovely and luxurious on your lips. Pretty amazing for such a cheaply priced product.

Now because I wear a lot of lipsticks, I need to keep my lips moisturised and nourished, and these little products do that job for me. The Vaseline is a giant tub that I keep beside my bed and use every night. The EOS is a little treat I carry in my bag and the Carmex is a new purchase. I had never tried it before, but my sister-in-law whipped hers out of her bag the other day and the smell was intoxicating, so I had to get myself one. I love it because not only does it smell amazing, but it makes my lips tingle ever so slightly that I feel as though it's improving my pout. Only downside is the taste.

This is a new purchase as I really struggle to take off my eye makeup without my eyes stinging (they are super sensitive). I love Rimmel products and read a few good reviews about this one so I will be sure to report back as soon as I've given it a try.

This is a new product for me too. I currently use the BodyShop Moisturising foundation and I love it, but I wanted to give this a go because of all the fantastic reviews it's gotten from all the blogs and Youtubers I follow. I got it in the shade Light Porcelain because I am super pale, and I must admit, I didn't like it as much as my BodyShop one. It does feel nice on the skin and there is good coverage, but it's not as moisturising as I would have liked it to be.

So I saw somebody recently review this palette and they likened to to the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. This was the only palette of the 3 Naked collections that I really liked as it's all of my favourite eyeshadow colours, so for £4 I thought why not! I've taken a few swatches, and despite the price they are really nice and quite pigmented. I really look forward to giving them a try & will let you know how I get on.

This is nothing new to my faves, in fact as I've mentioned in previous posts, this is my absolute all time favourite perfume. I know it's probably nothing special to a lot of people, but I just love it! The bigger bottle is actually my miniature version which I use on a daily basis, and despite never really having to top up, I carry my little tester size in my handbag for an extra little hit throughout the day. This is just £12 for the full size and totally worth the money in my opinion!

Finally, this is a current fave of mine from the Soap & Glory collection. It's a moisturising body spray that not only leaves your skin feeling so soft and supple, but smells AMAZING! I just love spraying this over my arms and décolletage after coming out of the shower. It is simply divine! 

So that's my current beauty faves, in all of their glory! I didn't include my Clinique skin care as I spoke a bit about that in a recent post and didn't want to bore you all. Also, they aren't really budget products are they??? 

I'll be giving all of my newly bought products a good and thorough test over the weekend and will definitely be getting back to you with my thoughts and experience with them.

I hope you have a brilliant weekend, and will be back to you tomorrow with my Saturday Tag post!

Take care lovelies. x