teapigs Matcha Green Tea Challenge - Review + Giveaway

I've been trying hard to become healthy recently with regards to food, drink, and exercise. So when teapigs invited me to take part in the Matcha Challenge, I knew it would be perfect. I was sent the Modern Matcha Kit* which includes a shot glass, spoon, frother, and a tin of teapigs matcha. 

Most people are aware of the great health benefits that come from drinking green tea such as increased metabolism, more alertness, and more energy. So what makes this different? Well, this organic matcha is a powder or, more specifically, ground tea leaves so you reap the full benefits of them. With tea bags, you end up chucking away the tea leaves once you've brewed them for a few minutes.

One serving of teapigs organic matcha is supposedly equal to 15 cups of normal green tea! That's amazing! Think of all the anti-oxidants!

Onto the science-y stuff which I love, matcha contains an amino acid called L-thanine. This helps to reduce stress, increase focus, and release energy slowly. So put down that coffee which will give you a high before knocking you back down again. Instead, reach for matcha!

There are many ways to take your daily shot of matcha and it's best to mix it up a bit so you don't get bored of the taste. It's not the tastiest thing around but you can make it nicer by consuming it in different ways. Here are the 2 ways that I took my matcha shots most often. 

Matcha with milk - This is how I took my very first teapigs matcha shot! I used semi-skimmed milk for this. It was the first time I'd used an electric frother and I kept it on for a little bit too long. Most of it turned into froth, as you can see from the photo, and I was only left with a tiny bit of milk but it was still easy to consume. It wasn't the nicest drink ever but I didn't feel like I needed a drink to wash the taste away afterwards. I got the hang of the frother the second time around!

Matcha with apple juice - This seems to be a popular choice and I had to give it a go as I do love apple juice. I wouldn't go as far as saying this tasted nice, but I tried my best to just focus on the taste of the apple juice rather than the matcha powder. Mind over matter and all that! I was surprised at how green it went! This is the way I've been consuming my daily matcha most often.

The results? In terms of my energy levels, it wasn't majorly noticeable until I was still wide awake late at night. I think I'm just really sensitive to any form of caffeine so I do tend to avoid it unless it's green.... It got better as the weeks went on though. If you're not a massive caffeine prude like me, you won't have that problem. The big difference for me was I felt that my skin really improved and my complexion looked much brighter than usual. Green tea is known to flush out all the bad stuff in your body so I do think it's had a great effect on my skin. I doubt I'll be taking matcha shots daily every single month as I don't think my body can handle the caffeine, but I'll most likely be doing a month of matcha shots once every 3 months as a bit of a detox.

DISCOUNT CODE
teapigs have kindly offered my readers a discount code. Enter Linda at checkout for 10% off items on the website. (This excludes the modern matcha kit and any offers.)

GIVEAWAY
teapigs have also given me another Modern Matcha Kit to give away to one of my readers, so you can reap the health benefits of this product too. This includes a pot of matcha, an electric frother, a shot glass, and a spoon.

This giveaway is open to people in the UK only.

To enter, you must be follow my blog via bloglovin'. All other entries are optional.
Entries are to be made on the Rafflecopter form below.
This giveaway will run for 2 weeks.

A winner will be picked within 7 days of the giveaway finishing, and their name will be displayed on the widget below. 

If false entries are found, another winner will be chosen. 

The winner will be contacted via email and will have 72 hours to respond. 

Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway prize supplied to me from teapigs.

Mio Destino Lingerie

Lingerie. I think there are two camps when it comes to lingerie. Some females don't really care too much about it as long as it fits, and others will happily spend hours browsing in the high street lingerie stores.

I'm someone who loves to indulge in pretty underwear and I like to make sure it matches too. I love the feeling of going out in a smart outfit, knowing that what's underneath is just as smart. It makes me feel put-together and more confident. Anyone else feel like this?

This beautiful package from Mio Destino did not disappoint. They were kind enough to let me choose a set from their website so I opted for the Swan Lake White & Black Bra* and, of course, the matching Swan Lake White & Black Brief*. I love lace but I hate those all-lace bra and brief sets, I guess I'm just not keen on the look and feel of them. This, however, has just the right amount of lace for my liking.

Comfort comes before style for me, always. The bra is extremely comfortable and the back has a decent amount of stretch in it. The brief is just as comfortable, and it has a mesh back which offers full bottom coverage, something that is so important to me!

Priced at £39.99 for the bra, and £19.75 for the brief, this certainly isn't cheap but the quality is great. Whilst I'm unlikely to fill my entire lingerie drawer with Mio Destino pieces, I will be investing in a few more later in the year because their pieces are so beautiful and different to what I've seen lurking on the high street. 

Ever since La Senza closed down, and then re-opened as a "new" La Senza, things just haven't been the same and I've been struggling to find a new place to splash the cash on lingerie. I think that Mio Destino may have just stolen my heart. 

What are your thoughts?

The Body Shop - Early-Harvest Raspberry

I used to be obsessed with The Body Shop ever since one of the in-store consultants offered me some samples and a discount voucher. I was well and truly drawn in. One of the very first products that I bought was the Raspberry Body Butter and I was gutted when I could no longer find it in store. 

Lately, my obsession with The Body Shop appears to have restored itself and I was so happy to hear that the Raspberry range was back! They seem to be treating it as a new launch rather than a re-launch as they've rebranded it as "Early-Harvest" Raspberry. I'll be honest, it seems like the original Raspberry but I guess a jazzed-up name makes it easier to market. I think they've added some extra products to the range this time round too as I only recall seeing the body butter and body scrub all those years ago.

Once I spotted the products on the website, I realised that I couldn't wait for them to be available in store. So a couple of clicks later, I was awaiting my parcel. 

Body Butter - Of course, I had to pick up the Raspberry Body Butter. This was one of the products that made me fall in love with The Body Shop all those years ago. As soon as I opened up the tub and gave it a sniff, it brought back so many memories. It still smells absolutely divine! It's so fruity and smells just like raspberry yoghurt! It's a 24 hour body butter designed for dry skin so it's super hydrating. The texture is wonderfully soft and smooth and it glides on easily. The Body Shop body butters are a little different in texture from range to range but this is definitely one of the smoother formulas, similar to that of the Mango Body Butter. I prefer to use this at night to let it soak into my skin. It's sometimes a little too thick if it's quite warm in the morning. And that's what the next product is for!

Body Lotion - I think this is a new product as I don't remember there ever being a Raspberry body lotion. I've only recently started using body lotions again as I find that they're more practical when the weather is a little warmer. I love the pump top, it makes after-shower application more efficient and it's perfect if you're in a rush or feeling a bit lazy. This body lotion smells exactly like the body butter (i.e raspberry yoghurt) but it has a lighter texture. It's also much cheaper than the body butter so it's a good choice if you don't want to splash out. I love using this in the mornings.

Eau De Toilette - This is the product that I was most excited about. I don't normally buy EDTs unless they're from actual perfume brands but I couldn't resist the thought of a Raspberry fragrance! I actually quite like this. Probably best not to sniff it unless it's dried off a bit but, once it has, it smells very raspberry like with a hint of sweetness to it. The scent does wear off extremely quickly though but I don't mind. I like my fragrance to be subtle so I'd rather re-apply constantly than have something that's overpowering which I can't control. 

Overall, I love this range and I'm so glad to see the delightful Raspberry products back in my life again! All the Raspberry products seem very consistent in scent so if you like one of them, you'll probably like the rest. They also do a body scrub which is very jam-like which I remember loving but I prefer the Mango Body Scrub. There is also a Raspberry Shower Gel that I might add to my collection at some point.

Does the Early-Harvest Raspberry range take your fancy?

Being Grateful

I'll be the first to admit that there are times when it's easy to complain about things that really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. It's just human nature, and perhaps to do with how society has changed. 

If you've been keeping up with the news, you'll be well aware of some of the tragedies that  have been going on in the world, with Asia being hit quite hard by it. You'll know that there was a Malaysian Airliner that went missing a few weeks ago with over 200 passengers on board and still hasn't been found. More recently, a ferry capsized in South Korea, and hundreds of people lost their lives. Let's not forget to mention what the families of those victims must be going through right now. 

Life can be short. It's time that we all started being more grateful for what we have and stop taking things for granted. Being grateful makes us appreciate the positives in our life and it highlights what's really important.

Focus on what you do have and WHO you have. 

Be thankful. Be thankful for the roof over your head, your health, the people who brought you up, the water you drink, the hand you hold.

SAY "thank you" more often. Those two little words can put a massive smile on someone else's face, which will then make you smile too.

Make sure your loved ones KNOW that you care. Don't be afraid to show how much you care.

Think twice before complaining about something. You may find that things aren't that bad after all.

Stop waiting for tomorrow, or next month, or next year. Every day is a gift that is denied to many. I'm not saying that you shouldn't plan for the future, but you should never dismiss today. 

Every day, remind yourself of what you're grateful for. You can think about it in your head, write it down, or even stick little post-it notes in your bedroom as a constant reminder.

In the hustle and bustle of modern day life, I still try my best to be grateful every day. Whenever I'm feeling down, I focus on all the great things in my life and all the great people in my life. 

I really hope you've enjoyed this post. Do let me know your thoughts. What are you grateful for today?