Get your skin in tip top shape in time for Summer 2015
This is my very 1st Beauty piece with Inspire Limerick so I though lets start at the start, when it comes to beauty, it is all about getting the foundation (your skin) right first, so today I bring you my top tips (only four) to have your skin feeling and looking incredible and the best part of all is that you will see real differences from week one but if you keep going for 6-8 weeks you will reveal a more glowing, softer and silky skin.
#1 / Drink Water , drink water every day, 6-8 glasses at the least, water is not just super to hydrate your skin but it is super for you, Water flushes out toxins from the body, it aids digestion, promotes weight loss and is can even cur a headache (next time the heads pounding re hydrate with a few glasses of water before reaching for the pain killers).
#2/ Dry Body Brush, Do this daily, is should take you no more than 3-4 minutes but will see fantastic results in how you skin looks and feels. Work in gentle circular, upward motions, then longer, smoother strokes. Always begin at the ankles in upwards movements towards the heart, Increasing the circulation to the skin can reduce the appearance of cellulite, body brushing helps shed dead skin cells (and encourages new cell renewal) and is great to stop ingowing hairs. Buy a natural bristle long handles brush and this will last you 12+ months, wash after each use.
#3/ Shower / Bath , Most of us shower or bath in water that is a little warmer than we should, try alternating the temperature in the shower from hot to cold as this will further invigorate the skin and stimulate blood circulation, bring more blood to the outer layers of the skin.
#4/ Moisturise , It is a step I know a lot skip due to time being an issue or not seeing it as a step needed but if you want exceptionally soft, glowing skin this summer, then do not skip this step, I apply body lotion or a body oil daily after my shower, I apply before I dry off because once dry, I find I use too much and this takes time to sink in, time I do not have early in the morning.
Last week we shared the 30 day squat challenge and for some this was too much, and for some it was not enough 🙂 So today we share the 30 Day Plank Challenge. You can do this in addition to the Squat Challenge or if you found the squat challenge too hard then try this one!
There are many Challenges to try and today we share with you this 30 Day Squat Challenge,
This is pretty full on for beginners and a walk in the park for serious squatters, but if you are somewhere in the middle then this is spot on for you. If however you are a beginner why now half the numbers each day, and if you are a pro double them, this can be adapted to anyone’s level.
Imagine how proud you will be in 30 days from now.
Go on begin the challenge with me today and let me know how you are getting on along the way x
1/ Write about what you love and not what you think others will love
A big mistake a lot of new bloggers make is, they look at a popular blog, and they think they can just re-create this and bam! You have a popular blog too!!! Wrong, this will create boring content that you have not really created, you have not put your heart into and you will probably get bored with long before your readers do, 1,000’s of people create blogs but very few actually stick at it, posting once a month about nothing does not make for a great blog and this is what happens when you try to just re-create and not be you and write about your loves , you get bored with bothering and readers find you by shear accident and not actively seeking your blog.
If you love a subject, then you can be sure that 1,000’s of others do to, I write about food , I cover other area’s but there is a big focus on food, if you love to read about planes then maybe write about them, car’s , life as a student, charity’s you assist, whatever you love , you create a blog on.
2/ Be Different
Now I have listed this but it is not the typical advise, we can have 100’s of people writing on the same topic, that is ok, the typical advise here would be to find something different to write about but really what I would say here, is write what you like about what you love and don’t get bogged down with trying to be different. You are you and that is what makes your content different to the next person’s.
Sounds a little odd but this is where your personality can shine. I often get told by friends, that when they read an email from me, they can almost hear me speaking it while they read it, sounds mad but this is so important, don’t stress over how is ‘should’ be written, write how you would say it.
4/ Good Content is Key
If you are going to the trouble of creating a blog and writing content, then make it content that is worth reading, create content that people will go out of their way to read, sometimes 100 words gets the message across and sometime you will need pages, I see a lot of blogs where the writer tries to have all posts similar in size, this is nuts! Sometimes pages describing the colour of a lipstick is just too much but equally make sure you get the message you are trying to say across, it is like watching a movie that ends way before you were ready for it too or a 30 min tv show being dragged out to 60 minutes , the content was really only made for 30 minutes and dragging it out to 60 minutes just bores you, a blog post has a similar issues if you try to drag it out
5/ Look at your Photography skills
This is not an area you initially need to invest money in but you do need to invest time, time to learn to take the best possible picture on the device you currently have, people love images and they are super to make your blog look great even is you have a very basic layout and style, for example my blog is food based, it is the pictures that makes some read on and it is the pictures that makes them click from twitter, face book etc. Take good clear crisp pictures, may well written blogs have rubbish pictures and suffer with readers numbers because of it.
I like my posts aligned to the left with pictures in the centre, whatever format you like keep this for all posts, if readers like your lay out, they will get confused if you change this, Also use headings and put real thought into these, it is what will make someone click to read, they are also great for breaking up a long post and to separate key information, for example my food posts begin with time/numbers they serve etc, onto ingredient, then directions , without heading this could look a mess and very hard to read.
7/ Research
If you want your blog to grow, you will need a blog you love and the more your research other blogs, the more you will see things you can adopt and from seeing other idea’s your idea’s will grow and a great blog will develop. They may have a layout that you like or widgets that would work for you, this is not about copying however, it is about expanding your idea’s on blogs and what makes a good blog great.
8/ Fake it until you make it
What do I mean here? I mean put your best foot forward, and be so confidant about your blog and what you do, your blog maybe tiny so make it look as big as the best. Initially you might begin with a free template and work towards a paid for one, put time into content, pictures, research and your free template will be great.
Also if your goal is to sell space to advertisers then begin with placing free ad’s , advertise your family business, a local charity, local community radio, advertisers like to see others already advertising and your free ad’s will make your blog look very popular, do not offer free ad’s to large companies, they will never pay of people begin placing ad’s for free.
9/ Do Good
Promote what you love instead of bashing what you dislike. Blogging is a fantastic platform so use it for good.
I am a big believer in goodness brings goodness, be it luck, karma, blessings, I am a super positive person and I believe this is why good things happen for me, I think they can so they do!
Also Engage with your readers, if someone read’s your post and then takes the time to get in touch with you, be nice to them, be complementary, be humble, these people will be your walking talking marketers as they will share your blog and speak about your blog to their friends and family.
10/ Connect with Blogging Groups
There are 1,000’s of groups you can connect with, be it Blog Network IRL on Facebook of Twitter, myself Clare with the Hair . com on FB, Twitter or my blog, I will post a list of groups and events locally in the next few days as well as all today’s tips if anyone would like them.
I find blogging a very social thing to do, I make many on line connections but I have made many real life one’s too from the blog meet up’s, and what is great about theses is that even though we are all different ages, backgrounds, we blog on many different subjects, we all have that common love of blogging and we all share the things that work and don’t work for us, blog events are a great space to meet lots of super creative people, it gets you out of the house for a real life chat , a few drinks, a coffer, a natter, a lot of people think bloggers live behind a screen and never have real life conversations, but this is not the case, I meet with more people today than I ever have through my life of blog.
Everyone has their own take on what is the best Beef stew and today I bring you mine, it is Warm, a hint of spice , meaty, packed with good wholesome winter vegetables and I always make a big pot so we can have left overs the next day and I like it even more the next day , This is my perfect Family Favourite Beef Stew.
Makes: 8 servings (for dinner on day 1 and left overs on day 2)
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 1/2 hours
Ingredients
800g shin beef, cut into large chunks
400g carrots peeled and cut into chunks
400g potatoes baked
350g shallots or pearl onions, peeled, half the larger ones
250g chestnut mushrooms (about 20)
2 garlic clove, grated
2tbs grated ginger
1tbs Chilli Flakes
1tbs mustard
1tbs each of finely chopped Parsley and Thyme
2 broken Bay leaves
1 tbsp tomato purée
250ml bottle red wine, any you like
750ml of good reduced sodium beef stock
1tbs cracked black pepper
1tbs coconut oil
Clare’s Family Favourite Beef Stew
PREPARATION
1/ Heat a large casserole pan , sprinkle the pepper onto the beef and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 mins, then turn over and fry the other side until the meat is browned all over, if you have to add fat, use 1tbs of coconut oil. Do this in 2-3 batches, transferring the meat to a colander set over a bowl when browned.
2/ In the same pan, fry the shallots, carrots , mushrooms for 6-7 minutes, add the garlic, ginger and herbs until lightly browned. Mix in the tomato purée and cook for a few mins, stirring into the mixture. Then return the beef and any drained juices to the pan and stir through.
3/ Pour over the wine, stock and top with a little water if you need to almost cover the meat, but isn’t completely covered. Bring to the boil and use a spoon to scrape the caramelised cooking juices from the bottom of the pan – this will give the stew more flavour.
4/ you can leave this on the hob on a low heat for 3 + hours or place in the oven, if after 3 hours you find the sauce is not thick enough, you can remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon and boil the juices on high to reduce them down a little.
5/ Add your un peeled potatoes into a hot over for 45 minutes, removed , slice in half and scoop out the hot floury centres , place in a large bowl and top with your stew, enjoy!
Clare’s Family Favourite Beef Stew
Top Tip: You can replace all the wine for stock if your diet or taste requires. I added a few steamed green beans at the end, you can add any vegetables you wish.
Irish TV are super supports of all things local and this week was the turn of Boudoir Darlings , the photography company I am the official face of and LCCR , the radio station I work with on the ‘What’s going on’ show.
This was their Limerick County Matter show, broadcast weekly at 7pm each Wednesday and again on Saturday at 5.30pm, the presenter is the lovely Ciara Revins, she is just perfect to work with and puts the most nervous at ease in front of the camera, a real professional, I have no doubt we will see a lot more of Ciara on out screens.
ClareWithTheHair.Com 