Life of Jana

This year I thought I'd practice my photography skills, so I am taking part in a Photo Blogging Challenge by PJ from A'lil Hoohaa.   The idea is to take photos that match a theme throughout the month and post your five favourite pictures on the last day of the month. There is no rule on equipment - you can use a mobile phone, film, point-and-shoot or DSLR if you wanted to. This months theme was 'Games'. It was actually quite hard for me to be creative with this word so I took it literally. 1. Pikachu Tristan and I own a Wii U and we play games every now and then. I am learning to play Super Smash Bros. There are so many different characters but I find Pikachu super, super cute so I always pick him. So here we are, beating the red team. 2. Sims 4 Yep, I am playing Sims! My secret is exposed. If I'm having a lazy weekend I like to stay in my pyjamas, relax, eat chocolate and play Sims. For hours. Sims 4 came out in September last year, close to m...

This month's box is fitness-related and has been renamed the My Little Energy Box . Many people, including myself, chose to start 2015 with a resolution to get more fit and healthy. My Little Box definitely helps to kick start the year! The box includes several lifestyle and beauty items: A Kanako 'Happy 2015' illustrated card A 2015 My Little Box Calendar A My Little World Magazine A My Little Gym/Sport Bag 3 Beauty Products   As always, I'm a big fan of Kanako's illustrations and January brings one of my favourites so far. The card is so positive and will definitely be a big inspiration for this year. I'm planning to frame it and keep it in my bedroom so I can start my day with optimism!   I love calendars - they keep me super organised. It is a bit of an awkward size and thickness to carry around in my bag so it would be great if I could find space for it on my dressing table or on the wall.     My Little Sports Bag sounds ...

The New Year starts big with Glossybox - five full size products and a £25 gift card from HelloFresh. I am not overly excited about the gift card as I have received it several times already in other subscription boxes and magazines, I'm still not convinced enough to order food from their website. Has anyone used HelloFresh? What was your experience? I was very excited when I opened the box as I only knew of and had tried one of the brands before (MeMeMe) so the other 4 were completely unknown to me. Nicka K New York Colorluxe Powder Blush - €8.95 for 5g, shade Romantic The card says that this loose powder blush makes no mess, keeps the bottom of your handbag clean and won't cause a powder explosion. I am not so sure I like it very much. I am not a big fan of loose powder blushes, so immediately I was prepared for the worst. This powder puff applicator is super soft but so hard to work with. You have to push the sponge onto your cheeks which ends in some parts bei...

Tristan and I took a trip to Estonia last year in December. Our plane arrived in the evening and as we wanted to see a bit more of Tallinn the next day, we decided to spend the night there in a hotel. We were looking for something quite central and close to the Old Town but also luxurious and romantic, so we picked a five star hotel called The Three Sisters.  We booked a Deluxe room through Expedia, as the reservation link on their own website didn't work. It did put me off for a minute, as I'd tried to book the room two days in a row and finally had to find an alternative way of making my reservation. Expedia was very easy to use though - we chose our dates, booked and pre-paid for the room. When we arrived at the hotel I was stunned; the building had a medieval feel to it (inside and outside), the staff were friendly as well as extremely helpful and our room was just amazing! The price (£96 for one night) included complimentary welcome drinks, buffet breakfast and high-sp...

At the beginning of December last year I received a little package from an Estonian skincare company called Looduse Pärl . I had never tried their products before so I was quite excited to get my hands on them. Looduse Pärl is a 100% natural brand, free from synthetic colours and artificial fragrances. Since its launch in 2010, the company has focused on their organic skin care products and natural handmade soaps made by the traditional cold process method. I am going to start with my favourite Pink Grapefruit Soap With Pink Clay - 90g for 3.95 € Pink Grapefruit Soap contains pink clay which is most suitable for people with dry and flaky skin. Pink Clay has cleansing, exfoliating, smoothing and softening effects on the skin. Essential oils like olive, avocado, grapefruit and canola oil support the effects of the clay . The soap is packed full of natural glycerin (cocoa oil, African palm oil, coconut oil) and also contains beeswax for its anti-allergic, antioxida...

If you ever visit Estonia make sure you try the chocolate - Kalev is the biggest and oldest confectionery company in Estonia.  On our holiday in Tallinn, Tristan and I visited The Cafe Maiasmokk which is located in the Old Town and is very easy to find. The building was opened in 1806 by Lorenz Caviezel who started the confectionery business. The cafe is beautifully designed and is unique due to its interior - it has remained unchanged for almost a century.     They offer fresh pastries, pies and cakes - all made at the cafe. You are also able to buy delicious handmade candies and chocolate.  As the Cafe is known for its exclusive handmade marzipan figurines and chocolate, these were the two main things I wanted to try. It didn't disappoint - the cafe is elegant, cosy and you will have the best sweet experience of your life!

Here is a quick and mouth watering banana cupcake recipe . It is good to use ripe bananas - I had some leftover bananas on my kitchen bench I thought I would use before they go totally black. I searched for a cupcake recipe and found so many yummy ones on this website - www.taste.com.au As I try to follow my clean-eating lifestyle, I usually substitute some ingredients in the original recipes with a healthier alternative and make them more 'mine'. I also made my own icing without butter.   INGREDIENTS: 2/3 cup self-raising flour (it's about 11 tablespoons of flour) 1/3 cup plain flour 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup desiccated coconut 100g butter, melted and cooled 2 small ripe bananas, mashed 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/3 cup syrup or natural juice of any fruit (pineapple, apple, orange - I used lemon) For icing:  175g Greek yogurt 100g dark chocolate 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 1/3 cup icing...