So as you guys may or may not know, I graduated in BSc Human Nutrition almost a decade ago and even though I talk more about beauty, I do feel super passionate about health still too.. and the fact there's a lot more misinformation around now with social media and no real verification of influencers giving dietary advice.
Despite the fact I did graduate in Nutrition, I'm not a registered nutritionist nor have I practiced; which is why I don't openly give advice as I take giving health advice very seriously as it could impact someone's life massively!
It really does concern me that many influencers think it's ok to give unqualified dietary/health advice especially as everyone wants a quick fix and will follow someone on social media thinking it will work for them too, but it's not that simple as each of our bodies are different and therefore we should be careful copying diets and advice, particularly if it tells you to cut out whole food groups/products (unless of course you are intolerant or have specific health issues).
Anyway I wanted to introduce a "Food For Thought Friday" post this week in prep for Ramadan as many of us particularly in South Asian culture tend to go overboard with food in compensation for the fasting hours, so I've asked a registered Nutritionist friend to guest post for us today sharing her advice and tips which I hope will be of value!

Ramadan 2018 - The Body Shop Get Ready For Eid Collection

I can't believe we're already in the last 10 days of Ramadan, it literally just felt like yesterday that we started fasting?!
This year The Body Shop have released this "Get Ready For Eid" 10 day beauty calendar instead of the 30 day one last year (check the blog post here!) and as much as I absolutely adored the packaging of last years one, this year's actual products are better.
Read on to see what's included!

Saturday Skincare: Ramadan 2018 Skincare - Clinique Moisture Surge

Ramadan is once again here and this year I was ever so kindly sent the most thoughtful PR package I've probably ever received from none other than Clinique.
If you guys remember my "Thirsty Skin" blog post last year in Ramadan, you'd remember me writing about a host of ideas for dehydrated skin, which is very common for those of us fasting as we are of course not eating or drinking water for up to 18 hours+ here in the UK.
This year, Clinique sent out care packages of their Moisture Surge skincare range to a couple Muslim bloggers and I was pretty touched, as even to this day, many brands and non-Muslims in general still don't know that we don't drink water in daylight hours!
Most brands have at least one product or skincare ranges for dry/dehydrated skin (as you probably saw in my blog post last year), but the fact Clinique were so thoughtful about sending their hydrating range this year to Muslim bloggers, it really spurred me on to write this post and of course explain the MS range which I was familiar with but didn't realise included this many products.
It's only been about a week and a half of trying these but read on to check out the Moisture Surge products sent and what I think so far!

Halal Nail Polish? Nova Nails

I recently discovered Nova Nails nail polish online after searching for a real "halal" nail polish.. something I've been looking for the last couple years actually, so I thought it would be perfect to try in Ramadan.
I have a couple Inglot O2M "breathable" nail polishes which are supposedly also halal but I've there's always a slight niggle that makes me worry that it's not fully halal so when I stumbled across these Nova washable nail polishes, I was over the moon!
Admittedly it comes with pros and cons, read on to see what these are and a demo video of how it works!

 

Saturday Skincare: Thirsty Skin

Since my last skincare post, my routine has changed considerably; mainly because it was very basic (you'll know if you caught my Instagram Live a couple months ago!) and also because I've received a fair few new skincare products through PR packages, so I've been giving them a whirl and thought I'd share my new routine/suggested products for this month of fasting when our skin is most likely lacking in hydration!
I try to wear even more minimal makeup in Ramadan than I usually do because I like to use it as a detox monthand focus my saved time elsewhere either spiritually or at least focussing more on skincare.
I've followed the Spend/Save theme as before where I could below, suggesting both affordable and high end options for you to check out if you're feeling spendy.
Read on to see what steps I'd recommend for parched skin; some of these are suitable for combination to oily skin types too of course 💗

Ramadan 2017 - The Body Shop Eid Treats Beauty Calendar!

So Ramadan is upon us once again and despite recent incidences in the news I'm hoping this month teaches us the true meaning of peace and patience as well as general reflection on ourselves.
This year will be another hard year as the hours of fasting are 18+ here in the UK and like last year, ironically the weather has decided to finally become hot again in time for Ramadan. If you missed my matcha milkshake recipe last year on the blog, be sure to check it out here if you'd like some extra health benefits when breaking your fast and an alternative refreshing drink with a quick caffeine fix if you're a tea/coffee drinker.
Despite this and the 24 hour job of being a mother to a boisterous 3 year old (and toilet training atm!), I have a couple blog posts planned that I hope to get up this month, including an Eid gift guide and hopefully some more foundation reviews to add to my Foundation Files database! 
Be sure to also check out my Instagram too as I will be opening this calendar every day and plan to do a few giveaways as well as a special Instagram takeover too 👀
I thought I'd start this month by sharing this absolutely stunning and well made "Eid Treats" Beauty Advent Calendar especially made for Ramadan/Eid ever so kindly sent from The Body Shop.
Read on to see more!

Ramadan Recipe: Matcha Chiller Milkshake

As you may or may not know, Ramadan is upon us yet again and this year is yet another hard one in the UK (current fasting time of 18 hours!), the longest in 33 years in fact.
Though I rarely do foodie type posts, I felt this was related to my mummy blogs as all mums (let alone fasting mums) could do with a ~yummy~ healthy recipe that will give them an energy boost.. right? This recipe is perfect for general Summer days too and tbh I buy myself a Matcha Chiller at EAT all year round (or matcha lattes in the winter) so it's a pretty versatile drink/ingredient.

yum!

I knew the weather would heat up when we would start fasting, so I already prepared myself this year with a strategy that I'm hoping will work, read on for my explanation!