Superfoods!

It is that time of the year again where there seems to be a few diet posts floating around.

Now the diet I am going to post about today is not really a 'diet' in the same sense. It is not about a bikini blitz or a six pack. Instead, it is all about the Superfoods!

I think I'm a bit late on this bandwagon (the book was first published in 2004) but I have been immersed in this book for the last couple of weeks. It is fascinating and yes, I am now convinced that these fourteen foods could change my life!

Basically Superfoods suggests that every time we eat, we are making a choice which added to our other earlier and later choices could make a very big difference in how we look, feel and actually are now and in the future.

The authors suggest that by incorporating superfoods in to our diet we may reach old age and remain very active while someone else less superfoody (dang, superfoody is not a word) could potentially struggle getting to the chemist to pick up their numerous pills and tablets each week.

When we eat something, there is a chain of reactions in our body and these over time can add up to something more. Superfoods suggests that by changing our eating habits and choosing one food over another, even one fruit over another, we could fight the onset of disease including diabetes, alzheimers and some cancers.

Fourteen superfoods are identified . . .

Now this diet is a lot easier (and tastier) then some of those slimming diets out there as it is not so regimented. Basically you just need to add the superfoods in and make sure you are eating them so many times a week.

And yay, for some items such as yogurt, I'm already easily fulfilling the quota. I eat so much yogurt!

However, there are other foods such as Salmon that I barely want to touch and that is where my work begins.

I aim to add all of the superfoods in to my diet but I will do it gradually. First of all, I will start with the three super duper Superfoods. Apparently, even, if all you do is add these three goodies to your diet then your current and future wellbeing will dramatically improve. The magical foods in question are Blueberries, Spinach and Wild Salmon.

- Blueberries have five times as many antioxidants as apples or carrots. These berries have both amazing health and antiaging benefits. Oh yes, they could help the undereye bags and get this, they may even help in reversing the effects of degenerative diseases.

I have been trying to have half a cup of blueberries each morning with yogurt and then throughout the day I have been picking at the berries.

- Spinach was easy to add in to my diet, I just started on the Green Monsters again which I often have after my main meal.

Unlike some of the superfoods with one particular nutrient or nutritional combination that pushes it forward, there are so many nutrients in spinach and this is what makes it a super (duper) food. One of these is vitamin K, a vitamin which can not be stored in your body and therefore needs replenishing as it helps the blood to clot properly. Spinach is also thought to help fight some cancers and to be of benefit to your eyes. Then of course, don't forget the iron!

Popeye anyone?!

Image from Google Image Search.

- Finally, there is Wild Salmon which contains good fats. It read a bit complicated but it seems one reason we need Salmon is because it is not necesarily the fats and things you consume but also the ratio in which they are consumed. For example ideally you should comsume omega 6 and omega 3, in a ratio between 1-1 and 4-1 but many people have a ratio between 14-1 and 25-1. This means our bodies will be reacting and causing less then optimal biochemical changes.
The authors suggest eating Salmon two to four times a week. At the moment, I am going for once a week and will hopefully go from there. The one good thing about this book is it identifies not only the Superfood but also some sidekicks who can do some of the good work instead. So maybe I will try to add a little bit of tuna in to my diet too.

I love this Superfood idea and while some benefits may be questioned. I can not see what harm it can do (although Blueberries quickly drain the pennies) and see it as an ideal basis to start from when planning my meals. As I said, I am going to concentrate on adding the super duper foods in and then hopefully I will follow with one or two of the other superfoods each week.

What do you think about Superfoods? Are you on a "diet"?

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The ok and the lashtastic!

I do like a good mascara and this is something I now expect from Max Factor even though (until recently), I've only tried two of their mascaras, the Lash Extension Effect (my review here) and the False Lash Effect (review here). However, both of these worked so well that in my head Max Factor now equals mighty fine mascaras!

Therefore, I was very excited when the False Lash Effect Fusion mascara came out. Max Factor boasted of its volumising brush and lengthening formula which together would create incredible lash glamour.

Yay, it was all quite remniscent of Bambi!

However, I landed with a bit of a bump when I tried the Fusion. It is ok (and indeed, my sister has been looking lashtastic of late, this being her mascara of choice. Side thought, does it work better for blondes?!) but for me,  Fusion does not fall in the premier league with its predecessors.

Fusion gave me some extra length and some extra volume but on both counts, not to a degree, that I would consider incredible. I felt as if I really needed to work with it to catch all of my lashes including the little tiny ones and then once, I'd caught them all. It was hard to resist putting on just another layer. No number of layers really seemed enough for me. I currently (I go through phases with how I want my lashes to look) like very dark, glossy lashes all the way to the roots. However, I found this formula quite dry (granted, I think I have a waterproof version), occasionally flaky and not particularly, black.

This mascara did something for me but not as much as either Lash Extension effect or False Lash Effect and this was disappointing as Max Factor's suggestion that I could create my most impactful look yet led me to expect something more.

On the other side of the coin, we have My Blackest Lashes from Prestige (purchased after reading this rave from Sandra ) which indeed I likey.

A lot!

And maybe you can see why in the pics below. We have the Max Factor Fusion on the left eye and the Prestige on the right.

After one layer:

After two layers:

After building the layers as much as I can for wearable made up lashes:

Hmm, quite a difference. The Prestige makes a great impact but is also quite high maintanance, it smudged and clumped easily but once combed through, the lashes had a fantastic very glossy finish with some lift. However, the Fusion look was not particularly inky and it didn't matter how many layers I added, the ends of my lashes looked whispy.
My Blackest Lashes reminds me of Volume Million Lashes from L'Oreal (see my review here). Blackest Lashes is also very inky and can even be quite messy to apply and once on, it does seem to smudge easily. Although, those with a bit more grace then me will probably get a neater finish. However, MBL does deliver more smudges then most other mascaras with my clumsy mitts. Think ten instead of two or three!

Yet, all this I can forgive as My Blackest Lashes gives me lashes with a capital L.  This mascara delivers lashes that can not be missed which is why you either have to try and ignore the smudges it can create around the eyes or find a way around that mess.

I opt for the latter and have found one way to keep the eye area smudge free is to use the Prestige carefully to lengthen, volumise and Bambise. This takes maybe two coats at the most and then I use the Fusion over the top to waterproof and dry out the inky Prestige. This is what I did in the picture above and it seems to move me closer to my most impactful look yet (I think Volume Million  still posesses that crown but this combo, a notch or two down, is more wearable every day). You know, the one that the Fusion promo suggests!

At the moment, I would say without a doubt that I would happily buy My Blackest Lashes again. It is better value for money then the similar L'Oreal Volume Million which I think lingers around the the £11 something mark compared to a £6/7 mark for Prestige. Both tubes, I believe showed signs of drying out in about a month to six weeks.

In the day, I'd still want another safety blanket mascara layered on top of My Blackest Lashes. However at night, I'll throw my lashanoia to the wind and whack another layer of MBL on instead and then smoke it out. I think this Prestige mascara is a winner for such a look. Smudges and all!

I don't think I would buy Fusion (especially at the £11+ mark) again unless of course, my sister is going to share her secret! I think instead I would opt for Lash Extension or False Lash Effect depending on the look that I'm going for. Then again, there are a few Max Factor and L'Oreal mascaras that I haven't tried yet.

Hmm, could this be a 'To be continued. . .'?! ;)

Have you tried any of these mascaras? Any thoughts or other lashtastic recipes?

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