Tuesday 12 July 2016

A Fresh Start | Moving Over


Hello My Lovelies,

As you may be able to tell from the title - Krystal Spring is moving!
Not only that, its changing.

Let me explain...

I've only been blogging regularly for a little under 6 months now and I've really enjoyed it. Its been great speaking about things that excite and interest me BUT in some ways I feel like I haven't been myself with some of the content I post, I feel like I've spent too much time trying to keep up with other bloggers and worrying too much about numbers and readers.

For these reasons I've decided to have a fresh start and have created a new blog over on Wordpress with a new name - Little Nook.






I created it as a platform for sharing my thoughts, travels, recipes and photography with the determination that I will be more authentically me.

I really hope those of you who love hearing from me will follow me over there and continue to enjoy reading what I share, encouraging me and commenting on what I post.

See you over there,







Monday 4 July 2016

In The Kitchen | Veggie Tortilla Pizza






If you've been reading Krystal Spring recently you'd know that for the month
of July I've decided to give Meat Free a Try.
So far I've really been enjoying trying new recipes so today I thought I'd
share one of my favourites so far, its a pizza dish with a twist in that its a tortilla base and isn't drowning in cheese. Give it a go, its delicious!



(2 person serving)


Ingredients

2 Garlic Tortilla Wraps
250g Pasta Sauce
60g Quorn Mince
2 handfuls of Baby Spinach
2 Handful of grated Cheese
2 Medium Eggs
1 Garlic Clove
Chilli Powder
Parsley Seasoning


Method

1 ) Preheat the oven, 200 degrees or gas mark 8

2) Put 250g or half a jar of Pasta sauce in a frying pan. Add 1 chopped garlic clove, a sprinkle of chilli powder and some parsley seasoning.

3) Add about 2 handfuls of frozen quorn mince and cook on a medium heat for
10 -12 mins

4) Get a Tortilla Wrap and spread your mince and sauce over the Tortilla thinly like on a pizza then
add spinach leaves and as much cheese as you prefer.

5) Crack and Egg into the centre of the tortilla and sprinkle a little salt over it.

6) Bake in a hot oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until the egg is cooked.

Bare in mind the egg will be runnier that  normal because of being baked and because of the juices from the spinach and mince.

Cut up into slices or roll and eat..



Let me know in the comments if you've tried this recipe,

Until Next Time,



|      Instagram       |        Twitter          |       Google +      |

Wednesday 29 June 2016

Going Meat Free

Starting July 1st I will be going Meat Free.


I am going to attempt to cut out meat for the entire month and if after that month I feel Its sustainable I will try and continue as a Vegetarian. Changing your diet isn't an overnight thing so honestly I don't have high hopes for my success but I want to at least take a step in the right direction.

My Reasons


Animals

If I'm completely honest I've always eaten a lot of meat, I grew up with a family of meat eaters who enjoyed having it in their diet. I enjoy eating meat, and at the moment many of my meals are pretty meat heavy, I love a good BBQ, Sunday Roasts are a lifelong tradition and Steak and Chips is a firm favourite, so why am I trying to go meat free?

Lately I've become more aware of what I'm eating. I've never mentally connected the animal on the farm to the meat I buy at the super market. I always just saw it as food, I never really thought of it as an animal that was alive before hand. Until now. Now its starting to bother me that I'm eating a creature, its starting to bother me that some animals are bred for our plates and some are pets for us to love and cuddle. Doesn't seem fair..

Health

Another reason I have is the way I feel physically. At the beginning of this month I gave up meat for a week. I know it isn't very long but I honestly felt better for it. I didn't feel bloated for once and I felt like I have more energy.

Cooking

Lastly, I feel like it will give me a challenge with my cooking. I cook for me and my husband most nights a week and when you cook regularly you find yourself cooking the same things all the time. I'm excited to see what new recipes I can learn and hoping this new change will help me more adventurous with my cooking.




Let me know in the comments,

Have you ever gone meat free?

Are you vegetarian? What convinced you to change?

Any good recipes I should try?

Until Next Time,



|      Instagram       |        Twitter          |       Google +      |





Tuesday 28 June 2016

Scottish Adventure Part II - A Visit to Calander and Loch Katrin





On our second day exploring Scotland I was keen to go to one of the local towns. Whenever I travel to a new place I love to explore the little towns and villages and have a wander, discovering cute little shops on the hunt for a trinket or two to take home.


 Our first stop was in small town called Callander. We had a stroll through the town and discovered the most amazing old fashion sweet shop called Waltons.


Shops like this make me kinda nostalgic because they make you feel like a child again. Although it doesn’t remind me of my childhood, I grew up getting a bag full of penny sweets from the news agents with my pocket money, way back when Freddos where still 10p.
 



Another cute little place we visited was an ice cream and sweet shop called Sweeties, they had these amazing wafer ice cream cones dipped in chocolate and popping candy… soo good!



After we’d had our wander we went and sat by the river. And wow was it stunning, the day was so bright and sunny so of course that lit up the water a gorgeous blue. It was so beautiful there, you could see the mountains and fields off in the distance, and there were sheep grazing on the other side of the water and swans and little ducks splashing about, bliss!









We then headed off to Loch Katrin,
If  you ever visit Scotland you need to go here, it honestly looks so beautiful its surreal. It’s just so vast and the view of the huge hills around the water is breath taking.

This definitely won’t be my last visit.













Comment below if you’ve visited this part of Scotland,





Until next time,






|      Instagram       |        Twitter          |       Google +      |



Emergency Makeup Haul




 Written 15th June 2016  



This morning it was raining cats and dogs!




I've been meaning to buy an umbrella since winter 
but just never got around to it. Ohh did I regret that today!
By the time I got to work this morning my hair was dripping wet,
my coat was soaked through and my make up had run leaving me
with streaky foundation and one eyebrow!



Thank goodness I didn't bother with eye makeup this morning
or I think I would have give my colleagues a fright this morning
when I turned up.


As soon as Superdrug was open I ran over to get some much
needed makeup as I hadn't bothered bringing my makeup
bag with me to work and I couldn't very well walk
around all day with one eyebrow!




Soo here's a little Makeup Haul and Mini Review of the
things I got to sort my face out.


Skin Products:





| Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser |


Yeah okay I guess I didn't really need a this product
in an emergency situation but I wanted to try it.
It goes on really smooth and creates a
really nice, smooth base for your foundation.


Rating:
3/5




| Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft-Matte Foundation|


I really like this foundation, it has a similar texture to the
Dream Matte Mousse Foundation but is a lot more
spreadable and builds a little better. Although I would say
after long wear it goes start to cake slightly.


Rating:
4 /5




Eye Products:






| Max Factor Eyebrow pencil |

I was really pleased with the shade of this one,
I'd gotten the lighter shade in a Beauty box and it
didn't really suit me. However, I
 was disappointed by the staying power
so I will be sticking to my current routine.

Rating:
3/5


| L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Hippie Mascara |

I was a little sceptical when I first opened the product
because the brush didn't look as if it would do much
but I was really impressed and really liked this mascara,
it gives my eye lashes plenty of volume and length.


Rating:
4/5


| L'Oreal Ultra Precision Liquid Liner |

To be honest I kind of love / hate this product.
The liner itself is pretty good, glides on beautifully
and has great staying power but I didn't get on with the applicator,
it looks a little like a cone shaped sponge / long felt tip, it was
just a little too long and it moved around too much and made it
hard to be precise with your application, which is a bit frustrating
when your trying to be on fleek. LOL!

Rating:
4/5


Have you tried any of these products?



Let me know in the comments


Until Next Time,







|      Instagram       |        Twitter          |       Google +      |


























Tuesday 21 June 2016

June Birch Box Review





I was actually pretty excited when I unboxed this months Birch Box, the 'Paradise Found' theme really added some sunshine to my day with its bright colours and palm tree & pineapple pattern, I also really loved this months new box design with its little draw instead of the usual pull-string bag, really kinda hope they stick with this design because I definitely prefer it.




This month products


Jelly Pong Pong
Paradise Pigments in Cake Pop | RRP £17.95


What Birch box says:
"This more-subtle-than-it-looks pigment pot is the perfect way to inject some colour into your makeup routine. It blends out beautifully to add a pop of colour to the lips and cheeks and can be built up for bolder colour"

My Opinion:
To be honest I was a little reluctant to try another product from Jelly Pong Pong as I had tried a mascara from that brand previously that caused my eyelashes to turn all short and stumpy ( great look I know) but I thought I'd give it a go as it is a different product and I felt pretty sure it wouldn't have that effect on my lips. The product smells gorgeous and goes on really smooth when applied to the lips, however I didn't really like it on my cheeks, the shade was okay but I guess I just prefer a powder blush.


Rating:
3/5



Percy & Reed
Reassuringly Firm Session Hold Hairspray | RRP £12







What Birch box says:

"Trying to perfect those Pinterest-inspired braids? This ultra fine, humidity- resistant spray is free of that crunchy feeling - so restyle away if your heart desires".

My Opinion:
Its a bit of an unnecessarily long name for a hairspray if you ask me, and all that about it being non-crunchy is a load of poo coz it was crunchy, but it helped my hair stay nicely in place and didn't have a strong nasty smell so it was pretty alright.

Rating:
3/5


James Read
Overnight Tan - Sleep Mask Face Tan | RRP £25




What Birch box says:
"If faking a tan can feel like a chore then think of this as your fuss-free alternative. Created to do its work while you snooze, the fast- drying formula goes on colourless (to avoid the risk of it staining your pillow) and develops into a golden glow overnight"

My Opinion:
I was pretty impressed with this product, it smelt lovely and did indeed dry pretty fast and when I checked it later ( I must confess I didn't sleep in it) I had a subtle golden glow to my face.


Rating:
4/5


Benefit Cosmetics
Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid primer | RRP £21.50



What Birch box says:
"Between battling sunlight and pollution, plus your routine, your eyes go through a lot in a day. This formula will show them some TLC - It protects, primes, and colour corrects lids, while keeping the delicate eye area nourished "

My Opinion:
This primer was pretty nice to apply but to be honest it does what a lot of eye primers do, keeps more makeup in place, creates a nice base to apply eye shadow but I don't feel like it did much more than that.


Rating:
3/5




Whish
Coconut Milk CC Body Cream | £21.50



What Birch box says:
"Summer's arrival means it's time for your skin to take centre stage and you cant go wrong with this all-natural lotion! The fast-absorbing formula will hydrate and bronze you from tip to toe while treating your skin to nourishment too."

My Opinion:
This was my favourite item in this months box, it smells amazing, It smells like summer! It goes on really smooth and spreads really well. The formula has a very subtle sparkle to it which is perfect for sunny days because your skin will light up giving you a gorgeous glow.



Rating:
4/5


What did you think of this month Birch box?

Are there any products you're curious to try?

Let me know in the comments,

until next time,





|      Instagram       |        Twitter          |       Google +      |