FAVOURITES: November 2015

favorites
It's the end of November! It's all happened so fast. We've had my brother graduating school, getting his licence, and his schoolies week long celebration. I have got this blog up and running, it was my birthday (last week), I celebrated my 4th Anniversary with Joseph (last week also) and I have been having lots of work shifts lately because it is coming up to the busy holiday period. So I have had a busy month and here is a quick favourites post.

November Favourites

I'm keeping this post short and sweet, simply because I have a lot of posts planned for the next 25 days of December for Blogmas! If you wish to join my Blogmas journey and want a copy of my daily post prompts you can leave a comment below with your email or email me at clairejordansempf@gmail.com.

Lets get to the post!

Beauty:

November Favourites
Lips:
  • MAC - Matte Velvet Teddy Lipstick
I have been wanting this lipstick forever but nowhere where I live sells MAC Cosmetics. One weekend at the end of October I went to Townsville for the weekend and had the chance to pick myself up this fabulous lipstick. I love the colour of this lipstick, It is the same one worn by Kylie Jenner and Brittney Lee Saunders. It was the most I have ever spent on lipstick but gee it was worth it. The actual lipstick itself is so moisturizing especially for a matte lipstick. I also feel that it is very long lasting and I can wear it all day with my lips drying out and it wearing off. 

  • Revlon - Colorburst Demure Reservee Lacquer Balm
Personally I didn't mean to but this lipstick, my mum picked it up for me for Kieran's Formal. I like to use it on top of my nude lipstick and it gives it a really nice light pink colour with a glossy feel. When I first put this balm on I was a little confused, it was really minty. I have never experienced this in a lip balm, it did take a little to get used to but I like it now. 

November Favourites
Eyes:
  • Revlon - Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liner
I love a good eyeliner. For the past year I have been using Maybelline's Master Precise Liner in Blackest Black and it has been amazing but I wanted to try something different. I picked this bad boy up from Myer and I am loving it. The brush is much thinner than the Master Precise Pen which makes it easier if i want a simple line. However, I still do use my Maybelline for a cat eye. 

November Favourites
Hair:
  • ProVoke - Touch of Silver (Brightening Shampoo)
I dyed my hair a pure blonde about a month ago and have been trying to find a good purple shampoo. I have been using matrix which is a higher end hair brand but I used ProVokes at a friends house one night and I really liked how my hair looked and felt the next day. It would really well for a cheaper shampoo, although the only down side to it is that it smells of chemicals a bit, and I don't know how I feel about that.

Other:

November Favourites
Earrings:
  • Prouds - Snowflake Earrings 
I picked up these earrings from Prouds in a $10 sale, I was amazed. I think these earrings are super cute and perfect for Christmas, although I live in Australia and have never seen snow in my life ahaha. Dreaming for a white Christmas.
November Favourites
Candle:
  • Pure EcoSoya Homemade Candle - Fruity Tingle/Lolly Smell
My mum actually grabbed this one for me. I never really choose fruity/sweet scents, I usually stick to my vanilla/creamy scents. This one is pretty nice actually but I can't leave it open for too long because it does get quite sickening. This candle actually reminds me of the smell of Killer Pythons (the lolly) but my mum says it smells like the drink Fruity Tingle. If you are into sweet scents you would love this candle. It was handmade in the Whitsundays, Australia and I believe mum picked it up at the Airlie Beach Markets.

So thats the things I have been loving this month, now for December. Follow me on Bloglovin' Here to keep up to date with all my Blogmas posts!
- Claire x

LIFESTYLE: 4 YEARS TOGETHER

lifestyle
2015
This story is kind of cute, so I’m going to tell it.

Mackay Show 2010
Mackay Relay for Life 2010
So back in 2009 I started high school down at Whitsunday Anglican School. I was a 5 day border and I noticed this boy, Josesph. He was a really nice funny guy. He had brown hair, hazel eyes (like mine) and lived up north where I lived. 

 I spent all of my high school years up to 2011 (3 years) crushing on him watching most of my friends date him, but I was determined to have him one-day!! So it was a night before my 15th birthday and he finally decided to ask me out. Casually me replying “Took you long enough!”.

 So 3 long years, haha, we are finally dating and we made it through both year 11 and 12 together, through his 1st year of his apprenticeship and this year me moving 10 hours away for ½ a year. I feel that we have been through quite a lot and now we couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Formal 2013
Formal 2013
Valedictory 2013
 He has bought himself a beach front block of land and we have put a little cabin on it for us and are currently part way through getting it connected to water, electricity etc. services. We are also currently painting and decorating it too. Very exciting! We have also began saving for our 5 year anniversary trip away to Thailand next October!

Joseph's Cabin 2015
Joseph's Cabin 2015
Our relationship is stronger than ever and we often talk about future plans and life and see each other in it. #highschoolcouple.

- Claire x

FOOD: Roast Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad

food

I have been on a bit of a health kick (obviously), and I have found that this roasted pumpkin and quinoa salad has been a bit of a go to meal lately. A friend told me about this recipe and I love and wanted to share it with you! This salad is great because you can cook up one batch and it lasts for days. It goes perfectly with most meats like chicken, lamb etc.

So let's get to it shall we?

What you will need:
  • 500g of pumpkin, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil 
  • 2 teaspoons of Moroccan seasoning
  • 3/4 a cup of quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon of grated lemon rind 
  • 1/2 a cup of fresh coriander leaves
First you want to preheat your oven at 200C fan-forced. Place the pumpkin, oil and Moroccan seasoning  in a bowl and toss to coat. Transfer into a baking tray, lined with baking paper, and roast for 20 to 25 minutes turning once, or until soft and golden.

Whilst the pumpkin is in the oven, place your quinoa and 1 1/2 cup of cold water into a saucepan on high heat. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low. Allow the quinoa to simmer for 10-12 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Transfer the quinoa into a heat proof bowl and add the pumpkin, lemon juice, lemon rind and coriander. Season with some salt and pepper and gently toss to combine all the ingredients.

This amount is for 4 people. It is very low in fat and good for the heart. I find it really easy to make and a good idea for lunch on the go and even dinner.

Let me know if you use this recipe on Instagram! #everdaygirlcreative.
- Claire xx

LINKS I'M LOVING: My Top 5 Favourite Lifestyle/Beauty Youtubers

favorites
Happy Monday Everybody! So over the weekend I literally spent my days watching youtube videos, sad like right? ANyways I was thinking that I should make a post sharing with you all my favourite accounts! I strong suggest you go and check out all of these accounts and give their videos a try. Who knows, I might change your life? haha!



1. Brittney Lee Saunders (Beauty/Lifestyle)



Brittney is currently my all time favourite Youtuber! I have watched basically all of her videos and follower her day-to-day life on Snapchat. She is from Australia and has the best personality. Most of her videos are about makeup, to vlogs to Q&A's and hilarious comedy skits.

2. Ellko (Beauty/Lifestyle)


I have only recently discovered this channel and I love1. Brittney Lee Saunders (Beauty/Lifestyle) it! Her real name is Ellie and she is from NYC. She has a series Fail or Holy Grail where she tests out Pinterest Beauty Hacks.

3. Zoella (Beauty/Lifestyle)



I feel like this a fairly obvious choice. Now for those who don't know Zoella I strongly suggest you go and check out her videos. Most of her videos are about beauty and she seems like the nicest person you could ever meet. She is a very popular youtuber from the UK and is my long time favourite

4. AyyDubs (Lifestyle)


Now this girl is hilarious! She posts a lot of videos about dating, tinder and boys! Her latest series is an online dating series where she meets boys on dating apps and film their first date. I also follow her day-to-day life and love all of her videos!

5. Good Mythical Morning (Lifestyle/Comedy)



This is a channel that I watch daily. It is a daily morning talk show ran by to funny guys Rhett and Link. The film a bunch of funny things and have a couple good series like Will it smoothy, deep fry, burner etc? Where they take random foods/things and try to do weird things to them. Weird, I know, But you just have to go and check their channel out.

Who are some of your favourite youtubers?
- Claire x

LIFESTYLE: My Brothers Formal 2015

lifestyle
Hello, been awhile since I have posted just a normal post not about fitness. So today I thought I would share my photos from my brothers formal. Enjoy!


I did my own hair and makeup for the formal and I felt like I did a pretty good job with it too. 

This was my outfit for the night. Very simple yet elegant with vicious black heels. I loved my hair with this dress and I felt like I looked pretty cute haha, I got a lot of compliments over my hair. 


My boyfriend also decided to come which was nice :) He was looking pretty spunky, if I must say so myself. 


Just a little family picture. <3


My brother and his partner, me and my partner, and mum and dad.


Overall it was a great night and everybody looked gorgeous. I miss not being in school anymore and would give anything to go back and redo my formal. Oh well, I will be able to get dressed up and wear a long dress again soon enough. 

Happy Graduation to all those leaving school this year!
I wish you all the best... and happy SCHOOLIES! #partyhard.
-Claire xx

FITNESS: Update Weight and Measurements (Day 11)

fitness
Hello! I hope you all had a great weekend. Just a quick update. So I have been sticking to my diet and have begun calling it my Christmas Diet. A couple of days ago Protein World was have a 15% off one day deal and I decided that I would buy the 2.5kg bag, so keen for that to arrive! I have been having an average of 2 shakes a day and 1 on the weekends.

Results


So I wasn't sure if I wanted to post photos of my weightloss online but I want to be as real on this blog as possible. I guess once I get to my desired weight I will be so much more confident with posting these kinds of images. So I can see a major difference in these photos above. Obviously the images on the left are now and the ones on the right are from the beginning. I can see a major difference in my hips and bloated I used to be. These photos make me feel really happy and make me want to keep pushing on and get to my desired weight.

Below I have listed all my measurements in a table :)

My Measurements and Weight 

Day 1 Day 11 Difference
Weight 71kg 69.5kg -1.5kg
Core
Neck 34cm 33cm -1cm
Chest 94cm 92.5cm -1.5cm
Diaphragm  82cm 81cm -1cm
Abdomen  83.5cm 83cm -0.5cm
Buttocks 104cm 103cm -1cm
Arms
Left Upper Arm 34cm 33.5cm -0.5cm
Right Upper Arm 33cm 31cm -2cm
Legs
Left Upper Thigh63cm63cm -
Right Upper Thigh 63cm62cm-1cm
Left Upper Knee 41cm39.5cm -0.5cm
Right Upper Knee 40cm 39.5cm -0.5cm
Left Calf 35cm 35cm -
Right Calf 36cm 35.5cm -0.5cm
Total

-10.5cm
So, I barely exercise. I might go for a walk for 30-45mins about twice a week and I pack shelves at work 3 times a week. I don't go to gym or anything, just eat well and I have still managed to lose 1.5kg in about a week! I am so happy with that and I am finally under the 70kg mark!! 

Slender Blend Protein Pancakes Review

I tried the protein pancakes from protein worlds menu book they send out with the purchase of the Slender Blend. They tested really bad. Mine were rock hard, it was basically like eating cardboard. However I didn't follow the recipe to a T. I forgot the Baking Soda. I feel like this is the answer to all my problems hahaha! The batter tasted great so I'm definitely going to go a try these pancakes again one day, stay tuned for the results. 

FITNESS: The Slender Blend (Day 7)

fitness

The final day of continuous posting! :) Go read all my other days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5 and Day 6.

Today's Food

Breakfast: 
1 Slender Blend Shake

Snack: Tuna Cruskits
2 Crustits w/Springwater Tuna

Lunch: Skinny Jeans Cubanos from Orange Quote Cafe
A traditional Cuban Toasty with Roast Chicken, Avocado, Red Onion, Traditional Mayonnaise, Pickle and Swiss Cheese on a Stone Baked Bread. (It was amazing! and probably really bad for me oops)

Snack: Garlic Prawns
5 Fresh caught prawns pan fried coated in a little bit of coconut butter and garlic.

Dinner: Salmon and Vegetables
1 Strip of pan fried Salmon (Skin-On)
3 Strips of Zucchini
A few pieces of Red Casicum

Life

On Monday it will be day 11 of my diet and I am going to update you on my measurments. I can't wait! I can feel and see my improvements already. I am also maybe thinking of posting a comparison photo, if I'm confident enough. Also, today Protein World was having a 15% off until midnight sale so I decided that I liked the product enough to by a 2.5kg Bag which will last 62 serves which is 31 days :) 

Hope you all have a good weekend.
- Claire x

FITNESS: The Slender Blend (Day 6)

fitness

Today's Food

Breakfast: 
1 Slender Blend Shake

Snack: 
A Medium Sized Banana 

Lunch:
1 Slender Blend Shake

Snack: Rice Paper Wrap
1 Small sheet of Rice Paper
1/2 Cup of Lettuce
3 Slices of Avocado
4 Small Slices of Roast Beef

Dinner: Scrambled Eggs w/Bacon
2 Large Eggs Scrambled
4 Small pieces of Bacon Pan Fried

FITNESS: The Slender Blend (Day 5)

fitness
And It's Monday again today! I can't believe we are already in week two of November! Not long now until Christmas!



I feel my blog has been taken over by posts like these this week. Next week I am thinking of just doing a weekly update, so I have time to post about other content that I want to talk about. So after Day 7 you won't see another post like this until Day 14.

Today's Food

Breakfast: 
1 Slender Blend Shake

Snack: Caramel Latte
1 Medium Caramel Latte from Michel's 

Lunch:
1 Slender Blend Shake

Snack: Rice Paper Wrap
1 Small sheet of Rice Paper
1/2 Cup of Lettuce
3 Slices of Tomato
3 Slices of Avocado
3 Small Slices of Roast Beef

Dinner: Chicken Breast and Roast Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad
1 Chicken Breast (oven baked)
1 Cup of Roast Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad 

FITNESS: The Slender Blend (Day 4)

fitness

Weight

Today I had a sneaky peek at my weight... 70.5kg!
That's a loss of 0.5kg in three days? I'm pretty impressed, not long until I hit the 60's.

Today's Food

Breakfast:
1 Slender Blend Shake

Snack:
N/A

Lunch: Seafood Basket
1 Battered Fish
2 Crumbed Calamari Rings
3 Crumbed Prawns
2 Crumbed Scallops
1 Serving of Battered Chips

Snack:
N/A

Dinner: Scrambled Eggs w/Avocado
2 Eggs scrambled
2 Slithers of Avocado 

Life

Today is my brothers birthday! We went out to lunch hence why I have eaten no snacks and had a lot to eat for lunch. My Seafood basket was amazing and definitely filled my cravings. Today has been a good day in the way of having no cravings and losing 0.5kg is gives me motivation to keep pushing on.

Happy Sunday!
-Claire x

FITNESS: The Slender Blend (Day 3)

fitness

Today's Food

Breakfast:
N/A - I slept in until 11:30am today oops.

Snack: Tuna Lettuce Wraps
1 Medium Banana

Lunch: Chicken Breast with Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad
1/2 a Chick Breast (leftovers)
A cup of Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad (leftovers) 

Snack:
1  Slender Blend Shake

Dinner: Roast Beef and Salad
4 or 5 Slices of Roast Beef
1 Cup of Lettuce
5 Slices of Tomato
5 Slices of  Cucumber

 Naughties:
1 Can of Pasito Soft Drink
3 Marie Biscuits 

Life

Today I had major craving for a pie. Like, I don't even know. I just really want a fluffy pastry, chunky homemade meat pie. I think I might have to find a healthy-ish recipe for this or some alternative. Also, there is still a box of shapes eyeing me off in the pantry, someone else better eat them! It's killing me hahaha. #staystrongclaire.

Did you know that a box of shapes has 1200+ calories in it. That's more than a day's worth of food! How bad is that?
- Claire x

FITNESS: The Slender Blend (Day 2)

fitness

Just a quick post today...


I am only weighing myself once a week and doing my measurements every 3rd day, so not a big post today. I'm just going to be telling you how I feel. 
*Dinner*

Today's Food

Breakfast:
Slender Blend Shake 400ml

Snack: Tuna Lettuce Wraps
3 Pieces of Cos Lettuce 
1/2 of a Medium Tomato 
1/2 Tin of Tuna in Springwater 

Lunch: 
Slender Blend Shake 400ml

Snack:
2 Cups of Diced Watermelon

Dinner: Chicken with a Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad (w/ Asparagus) 
___ Chicken Breast (baked)
1 Serving of Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad (recipe here)
3 stalks of Asparagus (fried in Coconut Oil)
1/4 of a Red Capcicum (fried in Coconut Oil)

Life

Last night when I got home from work at 12AM I was having major cravings. I was tempted to eat a box of Cheese and Bacon Shapes but I stayed strong and ignored the cravings reminding myself how much better I will feel tomorrow if I don't eat them. Today I have actually felt really good, just a little light headed, but that probably because I'm not drinking enough water and it has been a pretty hot day. I am feeling very excited to measure myself on Sunday!

Anybody else in the same boat as me? (losing weight) It would be awesome to connect and chat :) Just leave me a comment below or email me on clairejordansempf@gmail.com.
- Claire x

FITNESS: The Slender Blend (Day 1)

fitness

First things, first... the scales!

Day One: 71 kg on the dot. And the only way from here is down!

Next... Measurements!


I feel that these mean a lot more that my weight.

Core:
Neck: 34 cm
Chest: 94 cm
Diaphragm: 82 cm
Waist: 83.5 cm
Abdomen: 89.5 cm
Buttocks: 104 cm

Arms:
Left Upper Arm: 34 cm
Right Upper Arm: 33 cm

Legs:
Left Upper Thigh: 63 cm
Right Upper Thigh: 63 cm
Left Upper Knee: 41 cm
Right Upper Knee: 40 cm
Left Calf: 35 cm
Right Calf: 36 cm

Today's Food:


Breakfast:
Slender Blend Shake 

Snack: Tuna on Cruskits
Two Light Cruskits 
1/2 Tin of Tuna in Springwater 

Lunch:
Slender Blend Shake 

Snack: Lettuce, Tomato, Tuna Wraps (minus the wraps)
3 Pieces of Cos Lettuce 
1/2 of a Medium Tomato 
1/2 Tin of Tuna in Springwater 

Dinner: Salmon and Salad
250 grams of Cooked Salmon
Salad consisting of: 
1 Cup of Cos Lettuce
1/2 of a Medium Tomato 
Approx. 7 Slices of Cucumber

Life 

Today I have been feeling pretty full all day actually, I haven't had any headaches and the shakes havn't made me feel sick. I haven't even told you about the tastes of the shake, it is at first like drinking water with really sweet milk (kinda gross!) but after adding ice cubes and getting used to the taste, they actually aren't that bad, I really like them. The after taste is weird tho, kinda confusing, but not too bad. 

I have a job currently too, night shift, stacking shelves at our food supermarket. I find it really good exercise and I work up a really good sweat. I have 3 - 4, 3.5 hours shifts weekly I kind of use it as a gym replacement, I also walk my dog down the road as well about 3 times a week. 

FITNESS: The Slender Blend (Day 0)

fitness

Just in time for Christmas.

I have always been a more weighter girl. Especially when I moved away to boarding school for high school I gained like 10 kg or something close to that. I was on the unhealthy end of my BMI weighing 76 kg, being 170 cm tall when I was 16 years old. I was one of the bigger girls and was wearing clothes size 12 - 14 AUD. 

Last year, through my gap year, I went on a protein diet and went to the gym almost twice a day I had major successes with that losing almost 5 kg. This year I have maintained my weight at 71 kg. The healthy BMI range for my height is 16-25 I am currently at 24, which I feel is too close to the edge and why I want to start losing weight again.  

I couple months ago I heard Brittney Lee Saunders raving about this Slender Blend and decided to read more reviews and blog posts about the product. About two weeks ago, I decided that I really wanted to try this meal plan and see how it works for me I have heard people losing 2-3 kg a week which is a perfect amount that I can maintain, I think. 

I ordered it from proteinworld.com, it is a protein shop over in the UK. The shipping took 7 business days to ship, I thought that was pretty decent and there was only a $8 shipping fee (From the UK to Australia). The actual tub has 1.2 kg of powder which lasts for 30 serves. You can replace 1 or 2 meals a day with this powder, with healthy snacks in between. I am thinking that I am going to replace my Breakfast and Lunch with it for 7 days and see how it goes then maybe drop down to 1 shake a day. 

My goal is to drop 5-10 kg before Christmas (in two months!). I want to use this space kinda like a fitness journal, documenting my food, drinks, exercise and weight/measurements. I am thinking of doing daily posts for these 7 days so you can see how I'm incorporating this supplement into my life then maybe weekly updates.

So I'll keep you posted.

Claire 

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