Make yours a healthy breakfast

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almond, bake, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, black pepper, blueberries, blueberry, bus, butter, cereal, chia seeds, cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fats, classic, creamy avocado on toast, eggs, extra hungry, fibre, food processor, free range eggs, hearty dinner, home, lemon juice, light brown sugar, margarine, Monday meetings, nut butter, oat milk, olive oil, orange zest, organic oats, packed with protein, PB, peanut butter on toast, plain Greek yogurt, Poached Eggs, popular, pure orange juice, sahre, salt, scrambled eggs, slices of banana, smoked salmon, smoothie, strawberry, sugar, team, toasted rye bread, vinegar, white toast, wholewheat flour, work, yogurt

We all know breakfast is an important meal of the day, so getting it right is important.

Rather than opting for white toast loaded with margarine or a bowl of sugar-coated cereal that will have your mood drop before you get the bus, instead choose a meal packed with protein, vitamins and minerals that will keep you full until lunchtime, or at least your 11am banana break.

Poached Eggs With Mushrooms and Tomatoes
Beef tomatoes and golden brown mushrooms served with a perfect poached eggs is a breakfast winner. To help the egg whites set, add a splash of vinegar to your water and add a little olive oil to the toast. If you want to make this into a hearty dinner, add extra mushrooms, smoked salmon and a serving of iron rich spinach.

Avocado & Strawberry Smoothie
This creamy breakfast blend is high in calcium and low in calories and a great way to start your day, especially if you are on the run. You will need:

• ½ a ripe avocado stoned, peeled and cut into chunks
• 150g of strawberries
• 150g of blueberries
• 4 tbsp. of natural yogurt
• 200ml of almond or oat milk
• Lemon or lime juice, to taste
• Honey if needed
• Ice cubes

Put all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. If the consistency is too thick, add a little water then either enjoy at home, or put in a bottle and take to work.

Nut Butter, Banana & Chia Seed Toast

This is a superfood twist on classic peanut butter on toast. It is packed with vitamins and minerals and for one tasty serving you will need:

• Half a large banana (sliced)
• A teaspoon of chia seeds (soaked for 15 minutes)
• 1 slice of dark rye break, toasted
• 1 tablespoon of nut butter (we like almond)
• 4 strawberries

Toast the bread then spread the nut butter on top. Place slices of banana on the nut butter and top with chia seeds and serve with the strawberries for an extra vitamin boost and enjoy before making a second round!

Avocado on Toast
There’s a real benefit to starting your day with creamy avocado on toast, a dish that is popular with our team. The fruit is loaded with fibre and fab cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fats. Plus, the whole meal is ready in just three simple steps so you have to time to make it every day of the week. Mash the avocado onto toasted rye bread, drizzle with a little olive oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle with black pepper and enjoy. If you are extra hungry, added a serving of hot scrambled eggs.

Blueberry Muffins
Made with plump blueberries, whole-wheat flour, oats and Greek yogurt, these healthy muffins keep you full during those long Monday morning meetings. For 12 muffins you will need:

• ¼ of a cup of wholewheat flour
• 1 cup of large organic oats
• 2 cups of fresh blueberries
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
• ½ a cup of light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, plus two tablespoons of pure orange juice
• 2 medium free range eggs
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

To start with heat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and line a muffin tin with muffin size paper liners.

Place the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a food processor and blitz until you have a fine powder. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, butter, orange zest and juice, egg, and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and mix together before adding in the blueberries. Make sure all ingredients are folded together well. Divide the mix into the muffin cases then bake for 20 minutes until they have raised and golden. Eat them at home or take to work and share.

Happy breakfast eating.

Team Pure Beauty

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Hair Removal – What Are Your Options?

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age spots, ageing, ALA, alpha lipoic acid, anchovies, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, apricots, arms, berries, bikini line, blackberries, blemishes, blueberries, body hair, Brazillian, broad spectrum, Broccoli, chia seeds, damage, dark spots, decleor, Decleor Post-Wax Double Action Gel, Decleor Rose D’Orient Soothing Oil Serum, dermalogica, Dermalogica Antioxidant HydraMist, Dermalogica C-12 Pure Bright Serum, Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier, Dermalogica Post Shave Balm, Elemis, Elemis Body Detox Skin Brush, Elemis Energising Skin Scrub, Elemis Liquid Layer SPF30, Elemis Pro-Collagen Super Serum Elixir, epilate, epilator, epliation, exfoliate, eyebrows, fatty acids, fish, free radicals, fullness, hair, high factor, Hollywood, hyperpigmentation, ingrown hair, laser hair removal, liver spots, mackerel, nuts, oils, oily fish, omega-3, orange, plump, plumper, polyphenols, pomegranate, protection, raspberries, salmon, Shaving, SPF, spinach, spots, strawberries, sun, sunscreen, sweet potato, threading, UVA, UVB, vitamin A, walnuts, waxing, wrinkles

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Hair removal – it’s one of those things that most of us do but few of us ever talk about it, but it’s a fact of life and needn’t be taboo. There are various different methods that you can use for hair removal, some more permanent than others and varying in price and effectiveness. Here’s a rundown of a few of them:

Shaving

Probably the most common type of hair removal on the planet, shaving is also one of the cheapest ways to remove hair, with some disposable razors costing a matter of pennies. It’s not a very long-lasting method because it only trims the part of the hair which sits above the skin, but it’s definitely convenient and can be done on any part of the body that you care to use it. If you plan to shave, use Elemis Energising Skin Scrub beforehand to prevent ingrown hairs and soothe the skin, post-shave, with Dermalogica Post Shave Balm.

Waxing

Waxing lasts longer than shaving and gives a smooth finish, but does have it’s downsides. You need to leave time between waxes to allow the hair to be long enough for the wax to adhere to, and there’s obviously the pain-factor. Also, unless you wax at home, you’ll need regular appointments which can be pricey. If you do wax, treat your skin with Decleor Post-Wax Double Action Gel to soothe and repair.

Laser

Laser is probably the most expensive way to remove hair but it’s also the only way to remove hair permanently. Most people require between 6 and 10 sessions for complete removal and occasional touch-ups if you get a rogue hair or two growing back, but most people have great levels of success with it. Your skin will feel sensitive after a laser session, so treat your skin to some Decleor Rose D’Orient Soothing Oil Serum.

Threading

Threading is an ancient form of hair removal from Asia which involves using pieces of twisted thread to pull the hairs out. Many Asian women use threading to remove facial hair and arm hairs and the method is actually incredibly accurate, allowing you to get a really nice shape when threading eyebrows. There are many tutorials online to allow you to learn how to thread yourself, but we’d recommend going to a professional at least for a while!

Epilating

Epilating is the Marmite of hair removal – most people either love it or really hate it! It’s usually done with a handheld machine which pulls the roots out and it actually lasts quite a long time – if you can deal with the pain! Ingrown hairs are a real issue with epilation, so regularly scrubbing the areas you epilate with Elemis Body Detox Skin Brush will help minimise this.

Healthy Breakfast Swaps

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breakfast, chia seeds, healthy, Manuka honey, maple syrup

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and can be a major influence for how we feel in the hours ahead. Starting the day with a healthy meal can kick-start your metabolism, but loading up with unhealthy things at breakfast time can make you feel sluggish until lunchtime and beyond, so we thought we’d take a look at some healthy alternatives to your breakfast naughties. Once you’ve got your morning cleanse, tone and moisturise out of the way, consider one of these breakfast swaps.

Swap Coffee for a Power Smoothie

Many of us are guilty of skipping breakfast altogether and simply hitting the coffee pot for a morning pick-me-up, however there are far healthier ways to give yourself a boost. Smoothies are a great way to get some of your 5-a-day and if you add ingredients like a spoonful of chia seeds and Manuka honey, you’ll be upping you energy and antioxidant levels, as well as all of your vitamins and minerals, in just a few motuhfuls.

Swap Pastries for a Muffin

Croissants, Pain au Chocolate and Brioche are all oh so tempting when you see them on the pastry counter and are brilliant in moderation, but are mostly made of sugar and fat! If you have a sweet tooth first thing in the morning, there are some super healthy muffin recipes around, such as this breakfast muffin made with apple sauce, rolled oats and blueberries which will sate your urge for something sweet but massively reduce your intake of bad stuff.

Swap a Fry-Up for a Grill-Up

Okay, so there are some days when only a sausage for brekkie will do, but there are ways to minimise the unhealthy impact of a fry-up. Opt for Quorn sausages, or even try chicken sausages from a good butcher, grill everything instead of frying it, choose a toasted seedy bread instead of a fried white slice, and opt for scrambled eggs instead of fried. Making a few small changes can make a huge difference to the caloric and fat intake of a fry-up and will leave you feeling lighter on your feet instead of weighed-down by stodge!

Swap a Shop-Bought Cereal Bar for a Home-Made One

Cereal bars might seem like a really great idea for a quick breakfast when you just don’t have time to stop, but a quick look at the labels will reveal that some of the worst offenders contain over 40% sugar! This may give you an early morning boost but it’s likely to sent you crashing back down to earth before you’ve even made it to lunch time. Consider making your own cereal bars, using unsweetened granola and a little maple syrup, which is low-GI and will release its energy much slower, giving you a more sustained vivacity throughout the morning.