Getting party ready

Winter is finally here and the Christmas carols are beginning to play as you browse around your favourite shops. That means the ultimate party season is finally upon us! But, what are you going to wear and how are you going to glam up? You better start your beauty regime soon and book in some last minute appointments.  Here’s a handy Christmas party beauty treatment checklist to help you out:

Two Weeks Before

Smile bright thanks to teeth whitening 

Give yourself a confidence boost this Christmas with an early gift to yourself of teeth whitening. A brighter and whiter smile is sure to get you beaming, looking your best and attracting all the right kind of attention. Opt for a deep teeth bleaching for pearly whites with long lasting effects. But make sure to have this treatment at least 2 weeks before your Christmas party as you’ll be required to wear whitening trays at night for the fortnight prior to your appointment. You must also avoid dark coloured foods and drinks for up to 48 hours after the treatment to prevent staining. I can't say I've ever tried teeth whitening, but it's something I've often thought about doing - not to go cray cray white, but a nice natural white :)

Prepare to kiss your crush with a plumper lip

Had your eye on a guy at work for the longest time? Then the Christmas party is probably your perfect chance to pucker up and go in for the kiss, especially if there's any mistletoe lingering about!. Failing that, you can blame it on the free booze if it doesn’t work out. Make your lips irresistible by giving yourself the perfect pout with a little help. Personally I like to opt for a lip plumping lip gloss like the Soap & Glory one :) 

The Week Before

Get flawless skin with a facial 

Whether you’re looking to cleanse and tone, steam or exfoliate, a facial is an excellent way to clear your pores and give your skin a flawless blemish free appearance, so you look amazing in those Facebook photos. Make sure to have a facial a few days before your Christmas party as, depending on the type of facial you have, you may suffer from some slight redness or puffy areas straight after; however, this should go down within a few hours. 

Make sure your eyebrows are on fleek with a tint

Great brows are more important than ever, as they have quickly become the hottest make-up trend of 2015. Not only do your eyebrows help frame your face, they can make you look younger if they’re full or even age you if they are too thin. Give your eyebrows a tint (dye them) so they blend in better with your hair, especially if this is dyed too. Plus, a tint will cover any pesky grey hairs you may have poking through (welcome to my life!) and give your face definition. Or, if you’re looking for a further treatment, why not invest in some HD brows?

On the Day 

Flutter away thanks to eyelash extensions 

Last but not least, put the finishing touches on your look by getting a spray tan, doing your hair and don’t forget, eyelash extensions! There’s something extremely feminine about long and luscious eyelashes, but store-bought strips can look fake and heavy. Instead, visit your local beautician and have individual or small clusters of lashes glued into place, one at a time. This will give you a more natural, enhanced look. Make sure to have this treatment the day of your Christmas party, as eyelash extensions rarely last more than a few days before falling out. 

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The day I visited Tŷ Hafan

On Friday I was invited down as a blog ambassador to visit the Tŷ Hafan childrens hospice.  Saying yes seemed automatic, but it wasn't something I took lightly.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep my emotions in check and lets face it, very poorly children don't need to see me balling my eyes out there, quite the opposite.

The hubby and I made a special day of it, he booked the day off work so he could look after Squidge while I was there, and be able to drop me off etc.  After Squidge not napping in the morning, we left a little earlier and he napped on the way there.  We stopped off at one of my favourite places to eat in that neck of the woods, The Captains Wife.  Both food and service were brilliant, but I couldn't help feel woozy at the thought of where I was about to go.

At 1:30 I landed at reception of Tŷ Hafan and was greeted by lovely friendly staff.  So far 5 mins in and I hadn't cried yet, I'd chocked up, but hadn't cried - always a good sign.  What I did notice were lots of paintings around of an older lady, so when we sat down to meet our 'tour guide', I asked who she was.

This kind looking lady is Suzanne Goodall.  In 1988 after retiring, she decided to start and try to raise money to build Wales' first childrens hospice.  Just 11 years later, after raising £3 million, the doors to the hospice opened it's arms to very poorly children and their families.

What they provide is an utterly amazing service to children who are as they describe, life limited (not expected to live past the age of 18), and they are almost wholly funded by donations from people like you and me (only 4% comes from the government).

One of the members of the marketing team gave us a bit of a talk, letting us know what to expect while walking around, and that some of the facility we wouldn't be able to see as there were a couple of very poorly babies that had arrived (cue being choked up again!).  With that, the tour commenced! 

When Tŷ Hafan started up, they only offered short break care - this is where a whole family (often including uncles and aunties) come to stay.  Here they create precious moments and provide palliative care.  Now they also have outreach services (music therapy at the childrens homes, bereavement councelling to parents as well as family support - helping families work out what financial support they're entitled to, and taking them through the application process).

They currently look after 260 children across south, west and mid Wales, and 200 bereaved families.

It felt like almost every wall there was covered in hand and foot prints, of children and their families. It was so colourful and happy, but I also couldn't help wonder how many of those little prints were of children who'd died :(

They have complimentary therapy rooms (here the families can get massages etc).  There's a newly opened hydrotherapy pool which helps children in pain.  A teenage room - the boys end has xbox, playstation, lots of TV's and a hi-fi with comfy sofas, the girls end is literally a massive bright pink wall with a pretty dresser.  There's also a sound proofed music room fully equipped with guitars, a piano, drum set & more.  An arts & crafts room, a great room to get messy in as it's all wipe downable - it's super colourful too.  Kids who are there can get creative - while we were there we saw a little one getting their hand-print done.  There's also a sensory room that opened up very recently - from what we understand it's pretty amazing.

About 18 months ago they also had a play area installed - it's so fantastic! All wheelchair friendly - there's even a wheelchair trampolene and a wheelchair race track - how fab is that!  So important that the kids have somewhere like that outdoors to play.

They also have a memorial garden, thankfully we didn't see that, there's no way I'd have been able to keep my composure then... they basically have a fountain, and lots of pebbles.  Each pebble has the name of a child who's passed away on it.  Then twice a year Tŷ Hafan hold a memorial service and invite all the parents to it.

What Tŷ Hafan offer is the ultimate in care, in every sense, to children and their families - it's a place that you hope you never ever have to take your child to, but one you are so glad is there, should that time ever come.

If you want to make a difference this Christmas, why not donate to such an amazing cause, I know I will be.  Also please don't forget to share your precious moments on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #preciousmoments and tagging Tŷ Hafan in the messages - this week's word is 'Inspiring' - honestly, the whole of Tŷ Hafan is inspiring.

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RECIPE | Quorn biryani

When I decided to move away from beauty to lifestyle, one of the things I really wanted to do was more recipe posts - I really enjoyed doing them on my mummy blog. Today I bring you my recipe for my own quorn biryani.  Back before I became vegetarian I used to make this with chicken instead, the recipe and process was exactly the same, I just swapped chicken out for quorn.

For this recipe I use 'chefs measures', so basically I haven't measured anything, I just chuck it all in and hope for the best, it pretty much always turns out well :)  So, for this recipe you will need:

Basmati rice (enough for however many people you're making the meal for)

Fresh coriander

Sultanas (a couple handfuls)

Small packed flaked almonds

Jar of curry sauce (I use korma sauce)

Coconut milk (I've been using the Alpro* one recently)

A packed of quorn chicken pieces (or actual chicken, whatever you like)

Salt

It'll take about 10-15 mins to cook :)

Method

1. Boil the kettle and get the rice cooking

2. Chuck the quorn in the frying pan with a little oil, once it's starting to cook, add 1 or 2 dessert spoons of the curry paste and a splash of boiling water.  Give it a good stir.

3. Add about a third-half of the flaked almonds and a good handful of the sultanas

4. Roughly chop the coriander

5. Stir in your coconut milk - or in my case, the Alpro coconut cuisine (I actually prefer this to normal coconut milk, it doesn't separate, it tastes really coconutty and has much less fat)

6. Give it all a good stir and let it simmer while the rice finishes cooking

7. Next up, strain off the rice, chuck it in a big mixing bowl and add the quorn coconut mixture, the coriander, the rest of the flaked almonds and another good handful (or two) of the sultanas and a good sprinkle of salt.  Give it a good stir, serve it up in your favourite bowls with a knob of butter.

Et voila, it's ready for demolishing :)  This is one of our favourite meals - it's also really nice reheated the next day.  Just make sure you don't keep it for long or reheat it more than once, rice can be nasty with that and goes off pretty quickly.  I certainly wouldn't keep it in the fridge for more than 1 day before eating :)

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