Simple Eyeliner

 Hi guys,

This look is one of my favourites, it's really easy, quick and fuss free. I used to only ever wear eyeliner and mascara and recently I've gone back to keeping things simple and not doing too much to my eyes. 

Face:

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light 2

NARS Blush in Douceur & NARS Blush in Amour

Eyes & Eyebrows:

Soap & Glory Archery in Brownie Points

NARS Primer

NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via Veneto on the top and bottom lashline 

Sleek Palette: Black Shadow smudged out on the top and bottom lashline

Maybelline The Colossal Volum'Express Smokey Eyes Mascara

Lips: 

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Cream in Cotton Candy

Lush Haul

 

Snow Fairy Shower Gel 

Sandy Santa Sugar Scrub

Bubble Beard Bubble Bar

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb

Santa's Sack Bubble Bar

Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub

Hi everyone!

I decided to go to Lush after hearing so much about all the Christmas stuff they have in now. I'd seen a few blogposts and videos and they inspired me to make a list of the products I wanted to try. I bought a few things to try out because I hardly ever go to Lush and I love taking baths when the weather starts to get colder too.

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

This is probably the most popular Christmas Lush product. It's the first time I've ever bought it and I can definitely see why, it smells so nice (if you like the smell of bubblegum and candy floss!) I bought the medium size to try it out and it cost 13.95€.

Sandy Santa Sugar Scrub

I bought this purely because it looked cute. It's a body scrub (obviously) and it's ingredients include rosewood and sandalwood oils. I love anything that has sandalwood in it so decided to give it a try. I don't usually buy any kind of body scrub so this is a first. It cost 5.95€, which is a lot considering it's only £2.95 in England but I suppose you could try and use it a few times.

Bubble Beard Bubble Bar

This is the product I was most excited about. It's a moustache! You swish it around in your bath to create bubbles and you can reuse it, which I think is great considering it cost 8.95€. It has quite a musky scent and contains sandalwood oil as well (yay!). I really liked using it and will probably buy it again.

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb

I'd heard a lot about this and really wanted to try it out. It's shaped like a little golden present with white ribbon and once put in the bath it turns the water yellow, green and blue. Then all these little stars start to appear, which is such a cute surprise! They dissolve after a while, so don't worry that they'll stick to you! It smells really fruity and christmassy. The only problem with this product is that it has slightly stained my bath gold and it cost 5.95€ for only one use. The stain did go away after a bit of scrubbing though so don't be put off!

Santa's Sack Bubble Bar

The final thing I bought was this bubble bar. It smells quite spicy and christmassy, which I really like. You can also use it multiple times, by breaking off pieces instead of using the whole thing. I only used a little bit at a time to save it as it cost 7.95€. It made the bath slightly red and produced a few bubbles (it would probably make more if you used the whole thing) and made for a really relaxing bath. This is probably one of my favourites of the bunch, along with the bubble beard.

Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub

I also got a little sample of a shower scrub. It contains salt and lemon juice and it smells really fruity. I used a bit of it on my arm as I'm quite wary of scrubs, but it left it feeling nice and soft afterwards and it wasn't too gritty. I'd probably buy it in the summer though as it smells really fresh and not so wintery.

DIY: Necklace Storage

storage for short necklaces

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd share a quick and easy DIY tip on storing long necklaces. It's so simple and I'm sure loads of people have thought of it before, but I decided to blog about it just in case. 

Something that has always annoyed me with my necklaces is the no matter how I store them, they always get tangled. You can buy pretty little trees (or other designs) to hang them on but that only worked for my shorter necklaces, the longer ones would still get tangled at the bottom. I thought about how else I could store them to avoid the tangled mess and ended up putting a long nail in my wall, which quite frankly looked ugly and didn't quite solve the tangle problem. So after racking my brains (and everyone elses) I eventually found a decent solution. I went to a hardware store and bought a few packs of Tesa Powerstrips that came with four clear hooks, which my mum recommended (thanks mum!) They're usually used for hanging up decorations or fairy lights, so I knew they'd be able to hold some necklaces.

They're easy to use, stick really well and will definitely not fall down. I'm quite impressed because I tend to forget they're there and wrench the wardrobe door open and they still don't fall down. It also doesn't look messy because the hooks and the sticky strips are both clear. You can find other places to hang them too, just make sure to read the packaging to find out if it sticks to the particular surface that you need it to.

I actually bought a new wardrobe recently and had to take the hooks off the old one, which was harder than I thought it would be. Eventually, I used a hairdryer to make warm them up so that I'd be able to peel them off. It worked well and they didn't leave any marks but the strips weren't as sticky as before so I had to buy new ones to stick on the hooks for the new wardrobe.

How do you store your necklaces?

Wishlist #2: Winter Clothes

Top: £19.99 New Look, Leggings: £16 Next, Wellies: £25 Next

Top: £24.99 New Look, Jeggings: £35 River Island, Shoes: 17.99€ Pimkie

Top: £22 Next, Bottoms: £12.99 H&M, Slippers: £13 River Island, Bed Socks: £6 Next

My current Winter Clothes Wishlist!

I'm actually less likely to buy clothes recently and a lot more likely to spend all my money on pyjamas and lounge wear. There's nothing I love more for Winter than being warm and cosy, snuggled up in bed with a nice cup of tea and a good book. Having said that, I have included my fashion picks after the daily going through clothes websites routine. There's a bit of an animal theme going on, I adore the dogs on the wellies and the cute dog print on the pyjama bottoms. And I can never turn down anything that has penguins on it! I'll probably be doing a makeup wishlist for next week too, since there are so many things I want and also a few things I want to buy people for Christmas, so it might give you a few ideas without actually spoiling the surprise if my family or anyone I know read my blog.

What's been on your wishlist recently?

Kérastase Resistance Ciment Thermique

Hi everyone,

The first product from last weeks hair care haul I'm going to review is the Kérastase Resistance Ciment Thermique which is a leave in, heat-activated, reconstructing milk for brittle and damaged hair. This was one of the first products I bought along with the Masquintense, so I've had a few weeks to try it out.

I've used it every time I washed my hair the past few weeks and although I wouldn't be able to tell you whether or not it has protected my hair brilliantly from heat, the one thing I noticed straightaway is that it's made my hair a lot more manageable and reduced the frizz. My hair usually goes very frizzy if I leave it to dry naturally and even if I do blow dry it, it's still slightly frizzy. I know this product is meant to be used with heat as it is heat-activated, but one day I just ran out of time and left my hair to air dry. Usually this means my hair will go disastrous but this time it was as if I had blow dried it; a little frizz but nothing serious. So when I did use my hairdryer it turned out shiny, smooth and and a lot softer. 

After using it more and more, I have noticed my hair does have less split ends (I am paranoid and am always looking for them!) and my hair seems in better condition already. However it did cost quite a bit (£16.07 for 125ml but I got it for £15.12 as it was on offer) so I'm going to try to not use it every time I wash my hair in order to save it.

I usually use a hazelnut sized amount and run it through the ends of my towel dried hair (starting just below the ear) and the directions also say to massage it through the ends. I then leave it to air dry a bit before blow drying. Another thing I have to say is that it smells like grapefruit and celery, which sounds like a weird mix but it's a nice scent and reminds me of products that hairdressers use.

I recommend this if you're looking for a product that will reduce frizz and protect your hair and if you don't mind spending a bit extra on it too. 

Have you tried this product? Let me know if you liked it.

Easy Thai Green Curry

Hi everyone,

I really wanted to try and make a quick and easy Thai Green Curry and found a recipe on the BBC website, which will be linked here. We tweaked it a bit because either we didn't have some of the ingredients (vegetable oil) or just chose to use something different.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil/sunflower oil works too

3 tbsp Thai green curry paste

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp minced lemongrass 

(the recipe says to use a lemongrass stalk to stir the curry with but we decided to  use it as a flavour) 

750g/1 1/2lb skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into chunks

lime zest

400ml coconut milk

Light soy sauce 

small handful of coriander, roughly chopped

1/2 - 1 lime juice

Rice

Heat the oil in a wok or a large frying pan then add the green curry paste, minced lemongrass and the sugar. Cook over a for about a minute and mix it all together.

Reduce the heat slightly and add the chicken pieces and lime zest. Make sure everything if coated with the paste.

Add the coconut milk and soy sauce and bring to simmer. Cook it for 25-30 minutes until thickened slightly.

Meanwhile, cook your rice.

Stir in the coriander and lime juice to the chicken mix and season with soy sauce if needed.

Once the sauce is creamier than before, you can serve it with the rice.

We added green beans and carrots too, but you can use whichever vegetable you want.

Simple going out look

Hi everyone,

Last week my boyfriend and I went out to dinner and since I always take forever to do my hair, I wanted my makeup to be easy and quick to do. I decided on a slightly smoked out look but didn't want to make too much effort with it. It turned out quite nice and didn't take long to do at all so I thought I'd recreate it and take pictures this time.

Face & Brows:  

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light 2

NARS Blush in Amour

Soap & Glory Archery in Brownie Points

Eyes:

NARS Primer 

NARS Eyeshadow in Abyssinia in the Douceurs de Paris Palette

Sleek Storm Palette: dark matte brown in the crease

                       matte black mixed with matte brown on the lower lashline

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

Maybelline The Colossal Volum'Express Smokey Eyes Mascara

Lips:

ELF Lipstick in Cheerful Cherry

Brushes:

EcoTools Brow Brush

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Brush

Hema Blending Brush

ELF Crease Brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Real Techniques Detailer Brush

Hair Care Haul

I recently decided to invest in some hair care products and thought it would be a good reason for a blogpost and I'll probably be reviewing them on here too. I bought them from a website called Lookfantastic which is a luxury hair and beauty product website and they always have really great offers going on. They ship internationally and it's free so it's definitely worth checking out. I didn't buy these all at once though, I waited for the best offers and bought them over the last  few months.

I won't go into too much detail on the products as I will be reviewing them, but I'll go through them and tell you what they're for and how much they cost.

Kérastase Resistance Ciment Thermique is a leave in, heat-activated, reconstructing milk for brittle and damaged hair. It costs £16.07 for 125ml but I got it for £15.12 as it was on offer.

Kérastase Resistance Bain de Force is a reinforcing and resurfacing shampoo for weakened and damaged hair. It costs £13.52 and you get 250ml in a bottle.

Kérastase Nutritive Masquintense for Thick Hair is a highly concentrated nourishing treatment for dry and sensitive hair which you leave in for a few minutes and then rinse out. It costs £21.16 and you get 200ml.

Kérastase Nutritive Bain Satin 2 is a nourishing and hydrating shampoo for dry and sensitive hair. It costs £13.52 and there's 250ml in a bottle.

I also got a free sample of Kérastase Age Premium Bain Substantif which is a shampoo for mature hair and contains an anti-oxidant ingredient. I'll probably give this to my mum (no mum, I'm not saying you're old) as it is for mature hair and I probably wouldn't use it anyway. The full sized version (250ml) costs £13.52.

The last two products, Redken All Soft Shampoo & Conditioner, basically tell you what they do in their names. This is the third time I've bought them and I absolutely love them! The shampoo (300ml) costs £9.45 and the conditioner (250ml) costs £10.70.

Have you tried any of these products?

Sugar Cookies

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone,

A few days before Halloween I found a recipe for sugar cookies on Nigella Lawson's website, which you can find here. I really wanted to try it out but ran out of time to do them for Halloween, so I made them the next day. Since Halloween was over, I decided to turn them into Christmas biscuits instead (it's no longer too early to be excited for Christmas, right?)

Ingredients: 

90 grams soft, unsalted butter

100 grams caster sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

200 grams plain flour plus more for rolling

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

150 grams icing sugar (sieved)

food colouring

Cream the butter and sugar together until it's pale and light, then beat in the egg and add the vanilla extract. (It's best to cream it with your hands rather than with a spoon because the heat from your hands will help it combine a lot quicker)

In a different bowl, combine your dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder and salt. Add them to the butter mixture and mix it all gently together. If it's too sticky add a bit more flour.

Take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a fat disc, then wrap it up in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for an hour.

Once an hour has passed, preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4, then take the dough out of the fridge and put in on a floured surface. Roll it out so that it's half a centimeter in thickness, then cut into shapes. Put the biscuits on a baking sheet and make sure there's enough space between them.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they are lightly golden around the edges, then leave to cool on a rack.

Once they're all cooled, make the icing. We mixed 25ml of water into 150g of icing, then used three smaller bowls to put three different food colourings in each of them. We divided the icing equally between the three colours and used home made piping bags (made out of paper) to decorate the biscuits.

It was a lot of fun to do and the biscuits turned out so yummy. 

Let me know your favourite biscuit recipe!

Pink & Taupe

Hi everyone,

I decided today's FOTD would feature taupe eyeshadow. I've recently been teaming NARS Ashes to Ashes with Maybelline's 24HR Colour Tattoo in the shade 40-Permanent Taupe and they work so well together. I also added a pink lip to brighten the look up a bit. I apologise for the rubbish lighting, it's been so dark  and rainy the last few days so it's been hard to get any natural lighting.

Face & Brows:

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light 2

Chanel Powder Blush in 99 Rose Pétale

Elf Blush Brush

EcoTools Brow Brush

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint & Precision Pencil in Brownie Points

ELF Lash & Brow Clear Mascara

Eyes:

Maybelline 24HR Colour Tattoo in 40 Permanent Taupe

NARS Ashes to Ashes

BaByliss Eyeshadow Brush

Hema Blending Brush

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

Maybelline The Colossal Volum'Express Smokey Eyes Mascara

Lips:

MAC Matte Lipstick in Pink Plaid

ELF Mineral Moisturising Lip Tint SPF 8 in Pink