team lem october 2021 favourites

Hi everyone! Welcome to this month’s takeover introducing our monthly round up of things that have impressed Team LEM this month. This is a switch up month as the wonderful Dee has welcomed the newest Team Member in to her family life! Baby Charlie arrived safe and sound and they’re all doing well and we can’t WAIT to meet him. That can only mean we are introducing the very lovely (and also Carrie’s sister!) Fi to this months’ team edit. Erika has been super busy moving house this month so she will be back in November with her round up for you all, ready for Christmas- eek! How is it November already!? Anyway, enough of my rambling, here’s our round up for October!

The Basics

SKIN TYPE – Normal to dry, prone to sensitivity with weather changes or hormonal fluctuations.

HAIR TYPE – Half wavy, half curly, fine but lots and lots of it.

MAINTENANCE LEVEL – Minimal effort always!

INTERESTS – Food and wine, cooking, my little Bolly Moo, hiking, travelling, date days with my friends, staycations.

BEAUTY – I can’t say I’ve tried anything new this month to report, but one consistent that I really notice when I stop taking is the Revive Active Beauty Complex. An Orange and Pineapple flavoured liquid supplement that I can really tell changes my skin’s appearance for the better. Pricey compared to others (although I haven’t tried others if I’m being honest) but to me, it’s worth it if you’re a regular no-make up girl like me.

BOOK – Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane – this is such a wonderful book about long-standing friendship. It took a little while to get going but I thoroughly enjoyed its narrative and, despite a saddening undertone within the core story, the book was so wonderful for feeling warm and happy. A lovely Sunday afternoon read for sure. I do feel as though I’ve read a lot of books of this nature recently though so have started back on something more thriller based which I’ll update you on next month!

RESTAURANT – I had one of those days this month with one of my best friends, George, in London. We went to a wine tasting event and then food and drink ‘crawled’ our way across London throughout the afternoon, until we reached Sadler’s Wells to watch the new Matthew Bourne ballet, The Midnight Bell that evening. We had some pretty amazing food and drink that day (some not so good too!) but we stumbled into Caravan at Exmouth Market just before the ballet and didn’t have too long so just ordered lots of their small plates… I BEG you to find your nearest Caravan and try the spiced cauliflower, harissa, tahini, pomegranate, and curry leaves dish. Holy Moly. That sauce mopped up with chips was a winner too. Plus we turned their ice cream and salted caramel dessert in to an adffogato which again was blooming memorable! 

FOOD OR DRINK ITEM – You know after a roast dinner on a Sunday, by the fire with a glass of red… your belly was filled a couple of hours ago but you just want that something extra to nibble on? Well… this particular Sunday morning, at the farm shop where my boyfriend and I collected our roast joint, they were out of our usual favourite post roast snack (Savoursmiths Truffle and Rosemary if you were wondering) and so we picked up the Brown Bag Rosemary and Sea Salt Crisps. Instant new favourite right there! It’s like continuing with your roast dinner and it’s safe to say I may now be mildly addicted.

NEW PURCHASE – It may only be October but I watched my first Christmas movie of the year and started my shopping. I love places like Etsy and Not on the High Street for more personalised touches in cards and wrapping, but finding that the brand I used to feed my Bolly-Moo have released an advent calendar for dogs that’s not full of c**p was an instant purchase!

GAME CHANGING FIND – Not so much a product but a website. I was introduced to Brand Alley about a year ago and have used it SO much since. It’s basically like a designer outlet online but with time limited sales on the brand. Sometimes you have to wait weeks for delivery but for Christmas gifts, I’ve already managed to score some absolute winners at a fraction of their normal price.  

PODCAST EPISODE – ‘Happy Place’ with Mel Robbins. I can’t say that I’d ever heard of Mel Robbins but this episode of Fearne Cotton’s brilliant podcast really resonated with me. I’m now on a mission to high five myself and high five my heart on a daily basis. Sounds nuts but what better way to start your day than to actually cheer yourself on no matter how you feel or what the day has in store for you?! One of those episodes that just puts a spring in your step and reminds you to be nicer to yourself.

MONTHLY MANTRA – We pin negative emotions on past or future situations rather than dealing and accepting happiness in the here and now. Profound wisdom from Mo Gawdat on Diary of a CEO this month. The episode really made me appreciate how much anxiety is pinned on future uncertainty outside our control, and regret and disappointment is pinned on historical events we can’t change. The lesson therefore is to not let these dictate and over ride the here and now.

RECIPE – Gluten Free Malt Loaf. I have to say, when you’re a diagnosed celiac but remember JUST how good Soreen is, you never quite forget… but every single malt loaf out there contains natural gluten from the malt extract. This recipe mimics the taste using other ingredients and let’s just say the whole loaf was made at 6AM and all gone by 6PM….. Chewy, fruity deliciousness! I should also give a shout out to the upside down Pear and Gingerbread cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I made the necessary substitutions for GF but I served this warm with custard as a post roast pudding and it was divine, but equally scrummy served cold the following few days.

The Basics

SKIN TYPE – Normal/Fair – leave me for 10 minutes in the sun and I’ll fry like a tomato!

HAIR TYPE – As my hairdresser always says, “you don’t have thick hair Fi, you just have a ton of it..!”

MAINTENANCE LEVEL – Minimal effort/the basics unless I’m going out out, in which case I might go wild and curl my hair!

INTERESTS – Cooking, exercise (I rotate between HIIT, yoga, pilates, running and horse riding), discovering new coffee shops, supporting indie businesses and spending time with family/ friends/fur babies.

BEAUTY – I’ve been using this sleep balm from Health & Her for the past month and feel instantly calmer once it’s on. Whilst I’m aware that sleep support is subjective, this has provided a much-needed pocket of calm before I switch off every night.

BOOK – I have a very bad habit of asking for a few books at Christmas (usually political memoirs from former leaders), reading them over the Christmas holidays and then not picking up a book for the rest of the year so I’m afraid I’m not the best to ask on this one..!

FOOD OR DRINK ITEM – The local bakery on our high street stocks Union coffee beans so my partner and I often nip in to stock up. They’ve recently switched from stocking ‘House Roast’ to ‘Revelation‘ – a more chocolatey bean – and I can safely say that I’m VERY happy with the move!

RESTAURANT – My parents recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary (#babes) so we went for Sunday lunch at The White Hart in Preston Bissett. Not only was the food INCREDIBLE – I had roast beef followed by the scummiest pistachio sponge desert – but the service was so special. Carrie and I used to work in hospitality in our late teens/early twenties and like to think that we were half decent at it (!) so when we receive amazing service, we’re always impressed. The staff are so good at what they do. I couldn’t recommend it more.

NEW PURCHASE – It’s that time of year where I can’t help but start to think about Christmas and when I think about Christmas, I think about candles. Specifically, The White Company’s ‘Winter Candle’ – my go-to every year for that instant ‘Santa’s on his way’ feeling! With that in mind, when I smelt this ‘Winter Orange’ candle by The Compton Candle Company in Dorset a few weeks ago (and instantly felt Christmassy I must add) I had to give it a try. Not only does it give TWC’s ‘Winter’ candle a run for its money but it’s also a fraction of the price, burns well and supports a small, indie business. ’Tis a win win! 

Though I haven’t yet purchased, I am so excited to see that Oh Wonder Calligraphy have just released their personalised Christmas bauble range too! I know that these always sell out quickly so writing this blog post has made me realise it’s time to put an order in!

GAME CHANGING FIND – The girls all said that I shouldn’t include this in my first blog post because you’d all think I was gross but I stand by my decision – it really is a game changing find! If you, like me, happen to get crusty feet (yes I did just say crusty!), this foot file removes dry skin in an instant. Just don’t use it in front of anyone that you’re trying to impress. Beyond satisfying? Yes. Sexy? Absolutely not. 

PODCAST EPISODE –  If you happened to be obsessed with One Tree Hill back in the day like me, I highly recommend Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Joy Lenz’s ‘Drama Queens.’ Not only do they revisit each episode and share behind the scenes gossip but twenty years on, they cast a 2021 lens on noughties TV and articulately and graciously, well and truly put the world to rights! Enjoy!

MONTHLY MANTRA – ‘When they go low, go high.’ Always.

RECIPE – I found myself in Tesco on a Friday evening last fortnight and panic googled ‘Friday night fakeaways’ in one of the aisles. After a few scrolls, I stumbled upon this Turkish chicken recipe (and then found this Aubergine and chickpea side so that I could get some veg in) and oh my gosh, both were so. damn. good. My partner works for Shark Ninja so thankfully I could grill the chicken and get the perfect griddle lines using our Ninja Foodie Health Grill and Air Fryer (genuine life saver for midweek cooking FYI!), we mustered up some homemade flatbreads and were good to go. 

If you’re veggie, I also made this Jamie Oliver mushroom curry recipe the other day (it was one of those ‘the fridge is looking very sorry for itself’ kind of nights) and again, was pretty chuffed with the result. I added spinach and some sad looking asparagus too but I imagine it’s just as yummy without.

What products do you swear by that you think the LEM girls need to try? Let me know in the comments! And come back next month for more team favourites.