July Glossybox 2015

Bonjour My lovelies. We have a very special limited edition French Glossybox this month. This is very fitting as I'm pretty sure I have mentioned this in a previous blog post this month but I am planning on spending a long weekend in Paris with my Mum at the end of September which we are starting to plan so what could be more perfect? I love the design of this months box; you can tell that a lot of time and effort has gone into designing the box with all the details such as the Metro and the Eiffel Tower - not forgetting all of the cute surroundings you see around France such as the French cafes. Even when you open the box you have the French colours which makes the box appear so inviting. I will be honest, it did take me a couple of days to pluck up the courage to open the box as it looked so pretty and dainty I didn't want to ruin it - how sad does that sound? I love it when Glossybox create a theme for they boxes as it just adds more excitement to awaiting each months box. All the products in this months box continue around the French theme. it also puts me in a really feel good mood as seeing the French box makes me think of summer which I ramble on about far too much but it;s just my favourite time of year, simple as.

Travel Bag By Glossybox
Can you ever own too many make-up bags? I am a strong believer that the answer is no. Over the years I am pretty sure that I have collected around 20 which somehow seem to accumulate by themselves for some strange reason. Yet although this may sound excessive to some I can still find a use for each and everyone of them depending on where I'm going and what I'm doing. I will be very glad to welcome this little gem to my edition. One of the main reasons this appeals to me is that it is see through. This may sound strange yet I find large see through bags particularly useful as when you have loads of items crammed into a bag you can spend hours scrambling through it whilst getting tense looking for this one particular item. We've all done it - you start off calm and then you can feel the tension building as you continue to rummage which goes on and on before you convince yourself it's not in there and you just tip everything out in a rage to find it was in there the entire time. So by having a clear bag you can see exactly what is in the bag and equally importantly where it is. Another good thing about this is that it is a large bag of a pretty decent size so I know I will manage to cram a load of rubbish in there I won't need but will still take with me just in case as you never know. I will be 100% taking this to Paris with me seeing as it's practical and very fitting for a French trip. I've been talking about this as if it is a make-up bag but it's a general bag you could use for anything but I had already come to the conclusion it will be a make-up travel bag for me as like I said before you can never have too many. This would normally cost you £3.99 to buy which isn't bad to be honest.

Perfect Skin Refiner By Teoxanne Cosmeceuticals
A main theme for this edition is enhancing and almost improving the condition of your skin. This is a skin renewal night cream which aims to plump and hydrate your skin. Perfect to use after damage to your skin has occurred for example from the sun and after years of being smeared in make-up and beauty products. This is carried out by Hyaluronic acid and I believe that the Glycolic acid helps to resurface the skin and reduce irritation. You apply the product at night after removing any products and cleansing your face whilst avoiding the eye and lip area. Glossybox recommends that you start off by applying this every other night at first for the start of the treatment whilst applying a high SPF factor during the day. This makes me a little on the cautious side as I have sensitive skin and I don't want to wake up the next day looking like a beached tomato. It may take me a little while to pluck up the courage to try this but seeing as this product would normally cost you a massive £70 I have high hopes in the quality of this product which also restores a little faith and trust into using it. When I have been nervous about trying previous skin care products from Glossybox in the past I have so far (touch wood) been pleasantly surprised so fingers crossed for this one.

Comme Une Evidence Perfume By Yves Rocher
If I had to create a French perfume it would be light and floral which is exactly how I would describe this one. Why that would be the case I have no idea but just go with me on this one. I think it's because it has a feminine and sophisticated feel to it. I could imagine wearing this in the Spring/Summer and just casually strolling past the Eiffel Tower about to polish off a box of dainty yet perfectly formed macaroons after downing a bowl of strong French coffee. The perfume contains scents varying of violets, rose and that classic French scent of Lily of the Valley which instantly takes me back to a previous summer holiday in Provence. The only thing I don't like about this perfume is that it's a 'dabber' and not a 'sprayer' but thats just me being fussy. I'm sure theres probably a more technical way of describing the application but I suppose a 'dabber' is more of a sophisticated way then just spraying it on. I'm just impatient and will end up somehow spilling this. A full-size product will cost you £24.50 so you know it's a high end perfume and not a cheaper one that will fade after 20/30 minutes.

Enhancing Serum Base By Noxidoxi
This is a skin care product that instantly appeals to me and in fact I will be trying this once I've finished this post and plucked up the energy to move from my duvet and get dressed. Is it bad I don't use a serum base? I don't know but this claims to be moisturising on the skin and deeper layers. It also claims to contain high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflamamtories which help to protect the skin. Seeing as I suffer from redness and blotchiness occasionally this instantly appeals to me. Anything is worth ago to make my skin look less tired and provide a radiance glow. Another feature is that it also claims to tighten pores which will help your foundation application appear smoother. Is there anything this serum can't do? That's what I want to know as it is making some pretty bold statements here. You would apply this serum under your moisturiser, think of it as a base. I'm slightly embarrassed by the fact I have never tried using a serum base before as I feel as if it should be part of my every day skin care routine. I can't wait to try this later today but a small part of me almost hopes I don't like it as a full size product is very much so on the expensive size that will cost you £33.46 (random price) which my bank account really wouldn't appreciate. But I suppose it's six and two three's really weighing up what is more important.

Lip Balm By Lollipops 
The last item in this months box is a lip balm which always come in handy. I love the scent of this one it just smells of cake and who doesn't love a bit of cake? It has a really nice and slightly addictive sweet scent and taste to it. It's a clear lip balm and so it could be applied under a lipstick to soften and smooth your lips. It feels really moisturising on the lips as if it is seeping in goodness and vitamins. It's perfect for using on the go as it's not in a pot that you have to dap your finger into which never seems the most hygienic way of applying lip balm especially if you are out and about for example on a train or shopping. This will be handy to take with me to work as my hands always tend to look grubby from working in a garden centre. One of these will cost you £4.15 but I recon it will last you a long time as you get a decent amount of product in there. A must have for travelling.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post my lovelies, like I said before the special edition Glossyboxes are always my favourite to receive and write about. All of these products will be accompanying me on my adventure to Paris in the Autumn. Let me know in the comments what you thought of these products if you received this gift box. Au Revoir my lovelies and vive la France!

OOTD - A Spontaneous London Visit 18/07/15

Hello my lovelies, I have another OOTD post for you all today; I very rarely write these so two consecutive posts is quite rare for me. If you read my last blog post you will know that I had an amazing trip to London with my Mum nearly two weeks ago. We loved it so much we decided to have another spontaneous trip to London. Well we thought why not as the weather was gorgeous and we very rarely have time off work at the same time so it would be rude not to make the most of it. I love blogging about London, it is my favourite city to visit as there is so much to see and take in no visit is ever the same. I love exploring new areas that I haven't seen before. As we went to the theatre last time to see Les Mis we stayed around Green Park, Hyde Park, Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly so this time we thought we would focus around the South Bank. Again I thought I would combine this post as an outfit of the day and what we got up to kinda thing for those of you who are interested. 

What I wore:

Jacket - New Look

Dress - Boohoo

Sandals - New Look 

Bag - Accessorize 

Belt - Boohoo

Sunglasses - Topshop

Nail Polish - Accessorize Orchid 

We went up to London last Saturday and arrived late morning. I still can't get over how lucky we were with the weather as recently it has just been grey, drizzle all day yet we still managed to have warm bright sunshine all day. I had been constantly checking my phone at least 4/5 times a day over the past week to make sure that the weather forecast was still saying sun for Saturday as I was determined it would be a nice day. I'm someone whose mood is affected by the weather so I get weirdly obsessed over it. I think it's because you get vitamin D from the sun which can have a real positive effect on peoples moods. 

We had planned to got to the Bluebird Cafe in Chelsea for coffee but Victoria was absolutely packed and seeing as it was a Saturday we abandoned that idea in case there was no where to sit. I love walking around Chelsea, it's really pretty and I love imagining what it would be like to live there. Also, I am not ashamed to admit this but I am a massive Made In Chelsea Fan and currently missing my weekly fix. It is also my Mum's new guilty pleasure that I have introduced her to. So we thought we'd save it for another time maybe when it's quieter in the winter and we can act like a couple of giggly school girls if we happen to 'stalk' I mean 'bump into' some of the cast. The decision to abandon Chelsea was also strongly influenced by the fact there were delays on the Circle and District lines and everything we had planned to visit that day involved the Circle line so we thought sod it, we'll walk it. To be honest sometimes it's quicker to walk it anyway by the time you have found your ticket, got on the tube, changed and worked your way back up it's a lot less hassle to walk. Also seeing as the weather was so nice we thought we'd make the most of it. You also discover more things by walking for example, from Victoria we decided to go to St. James park as I had never been there before and we stumbled across Scotland Yard as you do so that was definitely worth a tourist shot. 

A late morning coffee was definitely needed so we stopped off at Cafe Nero for a well needed caffeine fix with my new obsession of a Vanilla Latte and a cheeky sweet treat to keep us going. We found a nice route to St. James Park which may now be my new favourite park that I've discovered in London - bold statement I know. It's really pretty with the lake running through it and you can find some nice sheltered spots. It's a really 'green' park for London if that makes any sense. You also get some good views there with Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye. How I hadn't been there before I don't know. We brought some sandwiches and had a picnic in the park - I don't know why it sounds simple I know and most people will have done this thousands of times and wouldn't think anything to it but I have always wanted to have a picnic in one of the London parks - it's the little things in life.

Whilst sitting in the park we saw that there was the changing of the Guards - again something I hadn't seen before. Although this time there was a strange twist on it with there being children instead of the usual guards. They were really good and had some very enthusiastic marching going on. 

After a little de-tour we walked on down towards the Thames, passing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as you do. Seeing as we were having a spontaneous outing we thought we would carry on being spontaneous and go on the London Eye. I had been on the Eye previously twice before but I was quite young at the time and I couldn't really remember it. I recon it's just one of those things that everyone has to do at least once in their lifetime. Pictures can't demonstrate the amazing views you get on the Eye it's something you have to see in person. Just looking out over London is incredible as sometimes I forget how big London really is. 

Seeing as we were avoiding the tube we carried on walking East towards St. Paul's Cathedral as again that's another place I had never been before. Whilst walking we stumbled across the ITV studios, the Savoy and Victoria Gardens which were really pretty. 

After a quick pit stop in Cafe Rouge we explored St.Paul's which was breathtaking. I wish we could have taken pictures of it inside as the design and scale of it is incredible and practically impossible to put into words. It's so weird to think that, that is where Prince Charles got married. I'm not usually one for visiting museums and cathedrals but this is still a must to see. Whilst there we walked up to the whispering gallery which was over 250 steps which didn't sound like loads of steps to me at the time but it felt like it towards the end. You could have gone higher but I'm not a massive fan of heights and confined spaces so we abandoned that idea but the scenery is honestly incredible and it makes people look like ants who are lower down. 

After St. Paul's we walked across the Millennium Bridge as you do where we walked passed the Tate Modern and Shakespeare Globe - again all things I had never seen before, I felt like the day should have been called 'Educating Ellie'. We wanted to look around the Globe but I think they were getting ready for a performance. 

We carried on walking along the Embankment passing London Bridge. Previously I had seen the East side of Tower Bridge around HMS Belfast but not to the West of it. There is a really nice 'food area' with lots of nice restaurants to discover around the back of London Bridge and the Embankment where we plumped for Jamie's Italian - somewhere neither of us had been before but both really wanted to try. I love Italian food I could quite happily live off it, in fact I do to be honest, any Mediterranean food from France, Spain, Italy or Greece is right up my street. The restaurant looked so pretty the way there were vines growing up the building it looked really inviting. After a cheeky glass of wine Mum plumped for a truffle risotto which looked incredible and I had the gnocchi which was amazing, 100% recommend both of those options. I couldn't not include pictures of the deserts as Oh My they were to die for, we didn't care we were full we just couldn't say no. I had the warm chocolate brownie with caramel popcorn, vanilla ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce whilst Mum went for the lemon meringue cheesecake. Both were gorgeous and the only downside is now we both want to go back to keep trying more and more dishes - sorry bank accounts. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post seeing what we got up to in London. By avoiding the tube we ended up walking over eight and a half miles which sounds quite impressive but it's so easily done in London as it's so big. We only got the tube from London Bridge back to Victoria as after our day walking and a big meal theres no way we were going to walk that one so I was happy as I got my little tube fix - I'm honestly like a kid I don't know why I love the tube so much. I hope you all have good days my lovelies and your Monday mornings are at least bearable. 

OOTD - Mother And Daughter Treat Day In London 07/07/15

Good Morning my lovelies how are we all today? I have an outfit of the day  and lifestyle post for you all today which is something that I haven't written in a long, long time now so I'm actually quite excited to write this. I'm also excited as I had such a nice time on my little outing that I'm still buzzing from it. For my 19th back in January as part of my birthday present my Mum said that she would treat me to a day out in London. I personally love London; I get a real buzz from it. I don't think I would want to live there as it would seem less of a special treat to go there compared to that feeling I get when I visit London. I turn into a proper tourist, I love just walking around, seeing as much as possible and taking pictures everywhere. I took a lot of pictures when we went and I mean a lot so I found it quite difficult to narrow it down for this post. I'm combining this post on our day out with an OOTD post as there is the odd vague picture of me that pops up now and again during this post. 

What I'm wearing:

Jacket - New Look

Cami Top - River Island 

Jeans - Miss Selfridge 

Trainers - Converse

Bag - Accessorize 

Nail Polish - Barry M Coconut 

Like I said above this day out was a birthday treat from my Mum so we both had a really nice girly day out together. We went up on the Tuesday and got into Victoria at about 11 isn where both of us were definitely feeling a coffee was needed. We hopped on the tube and went to Covent Garden. We didn't plan it, it was pure chance that everything that we wanted to do that day all happened to be really close so we were able to walk around for most of the day or we just used the Piccadilly line but it was nice as we weren't spending the whole day travelling on the tube. Now don't get me wrong - I personally love going on the underground - except at rush hour when you're all crammed into what feels like the smallest carriage and you have your head wedged under someones armpit - but sometimes I feel you see more just by walking. We were so lucky with the weather as it was meant to rain all day yet in the end it was really sunny and warm so how we got away with that one I have no idea. I love walking around Covent Garden as you have a combination of all the designer shops and all of the cute quirky ones as well with plenty of stalls to look at. We went for coffee at a cute cafe called Andronica's where we were able to sit outside in the sun and do the odd bit of people watching. It was so relaxing we probably could of just sat there all day but it does defeat the point of going to London a little. 

After a mooch around Covent Garden we decided to go there for lunch where by pure coincidence we stumbled across the cutest French Cafe which was tucked away downstairs called Chez Antoinette. They were so lovely in there and the owner was saying how her Grandmother taught her to cook so she designed the cafe to look like her Grandmothers kitchen which I thought sounded adorable and it also looked adorable. We both ordered a berry smoothie along with goats cheese on toasted bread with salad which had blueberries and toasted seeds. It was amazing I had never tried goats cheese with blueberries before but they went together really well. The toasted seeds were just heaven I am so obsessed with them at the moment. Since it has been what I like to think of as summer weather, recently I have been eating a lot of salads for lunch and I always top mine with toasted seeds to finish off so I thoroughly approved of this. I would definitely recommend you check out this cafe - they have designed it so nicely, the food is amazing, there is a relaxed atmosphere and they are lovely people. I thought it was quite fitting we went to a French Cafe as for my Mum's birthday we are planning to spend a long weekend in Paris around September time which we are both getting just a teeny tiny bit ecstatic about. 

After lunch we planned to go and walk around Green Park. We found that they had shut the Covent Garden tube station so seeing as the weather was so nice we thought we would be spontaneous and walk it through Piccadilly and Leister Square. I always say that things happen for a reason as if the station hadn't of been shut we wouldn't of stumbled across M&M World and Oh My that is something . I knew it existed but I had never visited it before I just hadn't really seen a reason to go there. My Mum hadn't heard of it before so we had a nosy around and it is incredible. That chocolate smell that hits you as you walk in is just incredible. If I lived in London I may have to walk in everyday just to smell that sugary heaven like smell. I didn't realise how big the store was I think it was five story packed full of chocolate, clothing and different merchandise. Feeling spontaneous we thought sod it let's just buy some M&M pyjamas so we brought matching sexy M&M pj's as you do. Mine are pink and Mum's are green and to say I'm totally in love with them is an understatement right now. We didn't really do any other shopping as don't get me wrong I love shopping in London but I was in a sight seeing mood and there was nothing I really needed so I thought we could save that for another day. We'll save the shopping for a rainy day or around Christmas time, all day we kept saying and when we next visit we'll do this, and this and this.

We carried on plodding along towards Green Park where we stumbled across a chocolate delicatessens and saw these bad boys in the window. Sticking with the French theme we thought we would buy a couple each to sit and enjoy in Green Park. The only trouble was choosing which ones as I could of quite happily tried one of each. Obviously I went for caramel to go with my caramel obsession and I also plumped for lemon as I thought that sounded refreshing. Mum went for coffee and pistachio which I also thought was a good shout. They were heaven and we are definitely buying some when we go to Paris as it would be rude not to.

After eating our heaven like macaroons we mooched around Green Park and Buckingham Palace and yes the Queen was there as the flag was up, I don't think she's ever been there when I've visited before. We then hopped on the tube for Hyde Park where we wondered around the Gardens and the Serpentine. We didn't stay there too long as it was the 10 year anniversary of the 7/7 bombings and it was quite busy as there were press interviews going on there. 

We decided to walk back towards Piccadilly for some dinner as to top off my birthday treat, my Mum had treated us to tickets to watch Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. For years my Mum and I would get tickets to go to the theatre for my birthday but for some reason we hadn't been for a few years I think you just get tied up with things for college and work but now I've finished college we can be more flexible. The last time we went was to see Wicked which was just over three years ago and it was incredible - personally my all time favourite musical. We went to Fortnum and Mason just to have a nosy around as it is what I would describe as just a little on the pricy side but there is no harm in looking and all of their displays look beautiful. 

We went for dinner at Pizza Express as that is a little family tradition for us as we always go there before going to the theatre. You cannot beat a Pizza Express, we both plumped for pizza's and shared a tiramisu after enjoying a cheeky glass of wine which was needed after my Mum's stressful shoe drama - long story. We headed to the theatre which was about a 30 second walk from the restaurant so ideal really. The performance was incredible I would sum it up as powerful in terms of the singing, emotion and plot. It is definitely a must to watch and there is something special about watching live performances. 

There you go my lovelies a bit of a random burbling blog post for you all which I hope you enjoyed reading and having a nosy at what I got up to in London. Visiting London is such a treat for me it terns me into a little kid again. Let me know in the comments if you have seen Les Miserables and what you thought of it. If you enjoyed this post you could click here to read one of my first blog posts that I ever wrote on my last day trip to London. Thank you for reading my lovelies.

Cappuccino Cake

 I have another baking blog post for you all today. Yesterday it was my Gran's 75th birthday so as part of her birthday treat I baked her a cappuccino birthday cake. This was to go along with the theme of the presents we gave her which included her very own coffee machine and coffee chocolates. If you hadn't guessed already she loves coffee so my Mum and I went a little OTT which was really fun to do. Being a fellow coffee lover myself I was very pleased with this theme. I'm not normally one to bother making a coffee for myself at home but I would if others were at work - strange I know. I'm more one for going out to coffee shops and ordering all these fancy coffees. I'm a sucker for a latte, cappuccino, mocha or a macchiato and when it gets to summer i.e now I can't resist a frappuccino. I love going to coffee shops as there are always naughty little treats that you can't say no to as that would plain simply be rude. I find them really relaxing and I could happily go to one everyday. When ever I'm out I'm always looking for an excuse to go to one but I definitely think it tends to be, not always having said that, but mainly a female thing to do as my Dad and Granddad never seem to want to go. When I stayed with my Dad last week and suggested we went for coffee he simply replied 'what for?'. This is a recipe I have made several times now and it's turned into a favourite amongst my family so I thought I would share it with you all today.

Ingredients

225g unsalted butter
225g light muscovado sugar
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
4 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp hot water

Icing:
300ml double pouring cream
2 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp hot water
cocoa powder for dusting

Method

1) Preheat the over to 180°C/ 160°Fan and line two baking tins with grease proof paper and use a little vegetable/sunflower oil to secure this to the base of the tins

2) Whisk all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl except the coffee. Now this is the reason I love this recipe as it is so quick and easy to do. It's a simple shove it all in together and mix kinda thing which is fine by me. You want to do this until all the mixture is combined and it fells light and airy, there shouldn't be any butter or sugar lumps.

3) Make the dissolved coffee mixture. I find the easiest way to do this boil the kettle and add the tiny pathetic amount to a little bowl and allow to cool for a few seconds otherwise you will burn the coffee and you'll be left with solid coffee lumps. Add 1 tsp of the coffee at a time and beat. Once a smooth paste is formed continue to do this until you have added all of the coffee.

4) Whisk in the coffee paste to the cake mixture, by now the mixture should feel incredibly light

5) Add the mixture evenly distributed amongst the baking tins. To make sure I do this I just add 1 tbsp of mixture at a time and alternate between the tins and hope for the best. A good way to make the cakes level is to shake the tins side to side once all the mixture has been added to level the cakes off

6) Bake for 20 mins and allow to cool for 5 mins before removing the cakes from the tins and leaving to cool on a wire rack. A skewer placed into the centre of the cakes should be clean once removed, if there is any cake mixture on the skewer simply place the tins back into the oven and check after 3 - 5 mins.

7) Once completely cool you can ice your cakes, if you ice the cakes whilst still warm the icing will melt and make a mess of the cake; although it would still taste nice in a bowl with a spoon. For the icing whip the double cream until stiff peaks are formed

8) Make another joyous coffee paste using the same method as above but using only 2 tsp of coffee this time.

9) Stir the coffee paste into the cream

10) Use 1/3 of the icing to sandwich the two cakes together in the middle and the remaining cream mixture for the topping.

11) To finish, dust the cake with cocoa powder for that cappuccino effect. You could be artistic and use a stencil for a special design but I'm just lazy so sprinkled it all over the cake.

I would recommend you serve this cake with a cup of coffee - shut your eyes and you're in a coffee shop, what more could you want for a 11 o'clock sugar pick me up.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and let me know in the comments if you give this one ago, thank you for reading my lovelies and enjoy the rest of your sunny Sunday.

Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Hello my lovelies, I have a slightly different blog post for you all today. I have two main interests: baking and beauty. I have practically kept my blog entirely beauty related apart from a couple of blog posts over Christmas which were baking related and part of my 'blogmas' posts. Having said that they were both some of my most popular posts over December so I thought seeing as I bake quite often and have a real passion for it, why not include a few baking posts. Those of you who are interested can feel free to read them but no worries if you aren't as my blog will remain mainly beauty/fashion/make-up related. Just throwing this out there that I am by no means a baking expert I just love baking and it is one of my hobbies. I am by no means Great British Bake Off level, far from it but if I ever find a successful recipe I thought I would share it with you all to try. 

I have recently been working my way through a muffin recipe book and so far these have been my favourite. I have a very, very strong love for caramel/fudge/banana going on at the moment which I never really used to have so the fact these muffins are chocolate and banana is like heaven for me. The good thing about muffins is they tend not to be iced like cupcakes so they are a lot quicker to make if you have time restrictions. They also have a different 'batter' mixture to cupcakes which is slightly on the healthier side and the fact these have banana in them means you could attempt to justify one of these as part of your five a day - maybe. 

Ingredients (makes 12 - just to warn you these are large, not that, that is a bad thing)

280g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 large ripe bananas

110g caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

60 ml milk

90 ml vegetable/sunflower oil

100g milk chocolate chips - The larger the better! I used large chunks that i found in the baking section in Waitrose but I would also recommend Cadbury Dairy milk as they are they perfect size

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°Fan/375°F and line your muffin baking tray with muffin cases

2) In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda

3) Add the chocolate chunks

4) In another bowl mash the bananas, you could use a fork for this but I would recommend using a potato masher for this

5) Stir the sugar, beaten egg, vanilla extract, milk and oil to the mashed bananas

6) Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir lightly to combine the mixture but don't over mix

7) Pour into the muffin cases and bake for 20 - 25 mins until the tops are golden and have risen. You can use a skewer to check that they are cooked by inserting it into the middle and if it comes out clean when you remove it you know that they are ready

Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoyed this different blog post my lovelies, these muffins are so quick and easy to make. They were really moist and delicious to eat if I don't say so myself, definitely a new family favourite. They are really light and perfect for this hot summer weather we are currently expereincing. Let me know in the comments if you choose to give these ago and let me know how they went you can always send me a picture. 

June Favourites 2015

Good morning my lovelies and a big hello to July and summer. This week has certainly brought the summer weather with it, I can't believe how warm and sunny it has been - if slightly humid. The first of July means another monthly favourites blog post which seems to have a summer theme going on. This probably isn't the most exciting monthly favourites post but it does feature products that tend to be essential for summer.

Tangerine Shower Gel By Radox
I normally stick to shower gel from The Body Shop I don't know why really I guess they have a huge range of scents and 'flavours' to choose from you can get so much variation. There always seems to be an offer on which makes buying 3 or 4 shower gels justifiable even though you have a stash of ones that you need to use up first. I was in Boots a few weeks ago when I picked this up, arms full of goodies that I didn't really need and I was caught out by the offers they have whilst you're queuing for the tills along with the reduced chocolates. The Radox shower gels were on offer for £1 each which seemed pretty good value to me that I thought it would be rude not to. Seeing as I had already spent way too much already I thought another £2 won't hurt so I picked up this satsuma one and a pink grapefruit one, damn you Boots. Both scents smelt of summer to me and this past month I have loved using this one. I also find that it is lasting a really long time and I promise you I wash daily and I am hygienic so this is used on a daily basis an it's not that I have barely used it before you all think that. The slogan on the satsuma one is feel revived and you definitely do after using this as it is so refreshing and it just smells of summer. It has opened up my eyes to all new brands of shower gel which unfortunately for my bank account I am going to now have to try. I can't wait to try the pink grapefruit and basil one next which I slightly prefer to the satsuma one, so much excitement.

Vanilla Brullee Body Butter By The Body Shop
I realise that I have just rambled on about summer and this is a product that I picked up at Christmas, the total opposite to summer but I have only just got round to using it, shocking I know. Although this was part of the limited edition Christmas range I wouldn't say that it was a staple Christmas scent that you would only use at Christmas as I also find vanilla can also be a refreshing summer scent. Now that I am slowly starting to develop a tan I am finding myself moisturising my skin more often to try and prolong my skin from peeling for as long as possible as no one wants to look scaly. The body butters are extremely moisturising from The Body Shop and this one smells incredible. It is a sweet vanilla scent with honey extracts. This isn't much use to you all now as it was limited edition and now sold out but it's just what I have loved using this past month, simple as.

Honeymania Perfume By The Body Shop
Continuing with the honey theme if you read my last blog post then it will be of no surprise to you that this is featured in my favourites post. This is a signature perfume for me to wear over Spring/Summer and it was this last month that I reintroduced it back into my life again. I picked this up as a freebie last year in the summer and it turned into my everyday perfume of last summer. When ever I smell this it brings back happy memories from last summer that when ever I wear this it has a feel good effect on me. It's a really gentle honey scent which isn't sickly sweet, more refreshing. The Body Shop perfumes are much more affordable then designer brands so you can easily justify this for everyday use. I have been a little obsessed with honey this past month: honey products, honey scent and one of my favourite things at the moment is Greek yoghurt with honey, that with fresh berries is just heaven. I just know that I will continue to wear this over the upcoming summer months. Does anyone else associate different perfumes with different occasions and memories?

The Daily Smooth Body Butter By Soap And Glory 
I have experienced dry hands this past month I guess due to the warmer weather so I have found it to be essential to have a hand cream in my handbag with me constantly. This is a rich body butter which is a sweet floral scent with rose hip seed oil and cocoa butter. I have found this to be really moisturising and although it does feel thick it still absorbs into your skin really quickly so you're not left with sticky hands and then sticky marks on everything that you later touch. It has also helped to save my hands this past month which are now looking a lot less dry and less cracked. They definitely look more youthful which is reassuring for a 19 year old. This is just a really useful hand cream for on the go use.

Dove Summer Glow Body Lotion 
Now we are moving into summer it is the tanning season and I find that my legs tan so much slower then the rest of my body such as my arms in fact sometimes I wonder if my legs ever tan at all. The only part of legs which tan quickly are my knees which just leaves you with pale legs and brown knees which to be honest with you all looks slightly ridiculous. I have been using this gradual tan once a day, everyday on my legs. It is a body lotion which is less viscous then a body butter so it instantly absorbs into your skin. I have been using this for two purposes really - to moisturise my skin and help a gradual tan develop on my legs so that once it's warm enough for summer dresses I won't feel self conscious of people seeing my legs. It's like baby steps really, I think of it as a similar purpose to a foundation. I have used this over the summer months for years now I have lost count how many I remember first using this for my year 11 prom and I have lost count how many bottles I have worked my way through since. I love this because as the bottle suggests it is a gradual tan that slowly builds up so you can use it as often as you like to develop the tone that you desire. It isn't orange at all which is something I hate about fake tan. It comes in different shades but I use the one for fair to medium as I want a natural looking tan. I wouldn't say that I'm really pale I just tend to tan slowly and gradually. This will carry on to be an essential over summer even when my legs to develop their own natural tan as the rest of my body always tans faster. I would honestly swear by this product.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post my lovelies, I'm sorry it wasn't the most exciting of ones to read as it was mainly about dry skin which isn't the nicest of things to talk about but still a summer issue to be dealt with. I would love to know in the comments which products you have loved using this past month and if you have tried any of these products and what you thought of them. Thank you for reading and I hope you all have good days.