November Glossybox 2015

Hello my lovelies, and a Happy Sunday to you all! On a sad note I think this may be my last Glossybox post. For Christmas last year my Gran and Grandad subscribed me to a year of gorgeous Glossybox-ness which I have really enjoyed but now the end is near as we are almost at Christmas again, falal la la la, la la la la. And this my friends excites me immensely and yes I have indeedy started my Christmas shopping - boom! What a way to end my year of Glossybox with my favourite box so far. There are lot's of make-up goodies in this months box which is always a treat for me. Highlights from last months box would have to be the highlighter and lip ointment.

A lovely way to start my final box was with a little message from the Glossybox team thanking me for a years worth of subscription. They also included a little gift of the Glossybox notebook which I think is lovely. It's a really pretty pale pink notebook with the Glossybox logo which I know will be very useful whether it's for blogging or general lists as I do love a list. I'm quite fussy with stationary if I'm going to be committed enough to use a notebook it has to look pretty and praise the Lord that this one does and it is very much approved of to join my collection.

Super Lusterous Lipstick By Revlon
Alrighty, the first product that I was drawn to was the lipstick as I do love a new lipstick. Unfortunatly this excitement quickly faded as I realised it was a nude lipstick. I can't wear nude lipsticks they are too pale for my lips and make me look kind of ill against my skin tone. This was really sad for me as I love Revlon lipsticks yet I can't wear this one, bummer. I gave it to my Mum for her to try so hopefully it will go to a good home. Revlon do really good lip products they are one of my favourite highstreet brands for lip products so I was genuinely saddened by this moment. If you want to check out the full range of Revlon lipsticks, the Super Lustrous lipsticks are priced at £7.99 each.

Eyeshadow Palette By MUA
MUA is a highstreet brand yet for some reason it is one that I have never really browsed over before or ever purchased anything from. I don't know why as I am always drawn to their amazing ranges of eyeshadows and ooh what joy a beautiful eyeshadow palette has popped into my Glossybox. The eyeshadow palette is called Undressed and it is composed of 12 beautiful nude shades, what more could you ask for? Nude eyeshadows are my favourite I tend to struggle with colours as I'm slightly nervous of them. Any eyeshadows that are brown, bronze, rosy, rose gold are winners in my eyes. There are a range of matte and shimmery shades and I just know that I will be using this palette on a daily basis. Nude eyeshadows are so easy to wear whatever the occasion, whether it's work or an evening do you can do so many different designs with them. I also love the fact that MUA have named each individual shadow. I don't know why this appeals so much to me but it always pleases me when this happens. The only two shades I'm not sure about are the two blue shades, I fear blue may leave me looking slightly psychotic but the 10 brown shades are all winners. I can't even pick any favourites as they are all so gorgeous. You can purchase a palette with 12 eyeshadows in for £4 so you cannot argue with that. Perfect for if you are just starting your make-up collection.

Natural Eyes False Eyelashes By Eylure
These leave me a little on the cautious side. False eyelashes are something I have never really wanted to try and I have always been quite nervous of. I think it's the glue you use to stick them on with. I just have images of the eyelash slipping and then being left with a half on half off eyelash dangling and flapping from your eyelid for the rest of your life. I know these aren't permanent but I just fear false eyelashes won't be my greatest skill. I also have quite long eye lashes naturally so with a bit of mascara I don't think I need any more lash volume going on or it may look like I have an eyebrow lying across my eyelid. I feel like I'm failing at providing any use with this product. I have no knowledge of how you apply or remove them, how long they last or whether this is a good brand for eyelashes for which I apologise. One day I will pluck up the courage to try these, probably when I don't have to go out that day and have the time to practice these and then hide if it all goes wrong. One good thing that appeals to me about these is that they are reusable so at least you get multiple uses out of them. If you're not pathetic like me and want to give these a try you can pick these up for £5.

Body Lotion By Royal Apothie
A body lotion is always useful in my eyes, especially over Winter when you get dry skin from the chilly and windy days. Apothie is a new brand to me but seeing as this is priced at £14.50 I'm expecting great things from this. The product claims to moisturise skin without leaving it greasy. A bold claim that many lotions make so I will be interested to see if this is the case or not. It comes in beautiful purple packaging, I think my Mum would love this hand cream. Apparently to get the best use out of this you should apply it to slightly damp skin, little tip for you all there.

Emite Diamond Heart Primer By Emite
The final product for you all is a face primer. For those of you who don't know, face primers are applied after moisturising your skin and before foundation. They act as a base to your foundation providing a smoother application by 'filling in' and therefore minimising the effect of pores. They also help your make-up to last longer which is an added bonus. I tend to stick to using my all time favourite primer of the Maybelline Baby Skin primer, once I find a product that I know and love I tend to get stuck into a bit of a routine which I find it challenging to get out of. I'm not one for stepping out of my comfort zone. I find the Maybelline one suits my skin as I have an oily completion so the silicon formula tends to counteract oily skin. Top tip for you all, for those of you with oily skin if you apply an oily product this helps to counteract the natural oil on your face. Sounds crazy I know,  you would think you should avoid oil but trust me I don't know how but it works. I'll still give this one a try though as it sounds really good. It claims to balance skin tone and boost radiance whilst leaving you with a smooth finish to your make-up. This is a very. very pricy Primer so I am expecting great things from this seeing as it is priced at £25.90 - yes you did read that correctly £25.90 for a primer. It appears to have a peachy pink tint with a liquid formula. I am really excited to try this product as I have very high expectations indeed.

Thank you for reading this final Glossybox post my lovelies. I hope you have enjoyed the series on my blog. I have really enjoyed opening up the box with you all each month and discovering what was inside. Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these products and what you thought of them. My favourite products have to be the eyeshadow palette and primer. I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone it only seems like yesterday I started my Glossybox feature with my first box which was the December box. So a big thank you to my Gran and Grandad for a lovely ongoing Christmas present, very much appreciated.

XXX

Banana, Fudge and White Chocolate Loaf Cake

Hello my lovelies and a Happy Bonfire Night to you all! I have the mother of all loaf cakes to share with you all today. When sat doing my uni notes the smell of bananas has been growing stronger and stronger around me when I realised that there were three very sorry looking bananas sitting in the fruit bowl. What can you do with three very over ripe bananas? Well the obvious solution to me every time is banana cake. Yum! I sort of came up with this recipe whilst rummaging through the baking cupboards for flavour combinations so rather then going down the classic spicy, fruity, nutty option; I opted for the indulgent sugary option. This loaf cake reminds me of a twist on the all time classic Banoffee Pie which is one of my favourites. What's not to love about bananas, fudge and white chocolate? All three are up there in my favourite foods. It was actually my Mum who gave me the idea and inspired me to make this creation and I am so glad that she did. It is so light and moist and I love the combination of the banana with the fudge and white chocolate. I have a real weakness for white chocolate it's my favourite type of chocolate. This is a really easy recipe to make and a real crowd pleaser. Even if your not a massive banana fan I'm sure you will still love this creation. I made this on Wednesday evening and let me tell you when it's poring with rain outside and your inside baking with the lights on, candles lit and curtains drawn with the smell of banana, fudge and chocolate drifting through the house it's a real Autumn/Winter comforting moment. Especially as loaf cakes require a long bake this gives you plenty of time to indulge in a Lush bath whilst you're waiting; that's what I did and I would highly recommend it.

Ingredients

125g salted butter
300g plain flour
175g light brown muscovado sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150ml semi-skimmed milk
3 ripe bananas
65g fudge cut into small cubes/chunks
75g white chocolate chips

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°Fan and grease a 2 litre loaf tin and lightly dust with flour. I also lined the tin with a strip of baking paper with handles running along the base and up the two shorter sides to help remove the cake from the tin once cooled

2) Beat your butter and sugar together until smooth, pale and creamy

3) In a separate bowl, beat your eggs together before adding and mixing these into your butter mixture

4) Sift in your flour and bicarbonate of soda and mix

5) Add approximately half of your milk and stir followed by the remaining half which you also need to stir in

6) In a separate bowl, de-skin and mash your bananas with a fork

7) Fold in the bananas, fudge and white chocolate to the remaining ingredients using a metal spoon

8) Pour the cake mixture into your loaf tin and bake for 60 minutes. After 30 minutes cover the cake with foil to stop the top from burning whilst the remainder of the cake cooks. Once golden brown and a skewer comes out clean once inserted into the middle of the cake, remove the cake from the oven and allow to completely cool in the tin

9) Once cooled remove the cake from the tin and indulge yourself

Like I said previously this is a really easy and comforting cake to make. All the family will love this creation and it is perfect for an Autumnal day. I love this cake so I hope you will all give it a try. Let me know in the comments if you do and how you got on with it. I hope you all have a lovely weekend my lovelies. If in doubt of what to do, why not do some baking? I hope you all enjoy fireworks night, this cake would be perfect for a snack to take with you to a display, very festive. Unfortunately it's chucking it down with rain so I have just enjoyed a Lush bath bomb and I'm snuggled in my blanket in front of the TV, just your typical 19 year old.

XXX

October Favourites 2015

Hello my lovelies and a Happy 1st of November to you all. I cannot believe where the time is going it is less then two months until Christmas and I have started my Christmas shopping, I've brought Christmas candles, Christmas cards and Christmas crackers. To say I'm excited is an understatement right now. During October I was loving the build up to Halloween. I have loved, loved, loved doing all of my Halloween baking, I had a Lush Halloween splurge, I've been lighting my Candy Corn Yankee Candle with my ghost and pumpkin tee lights, I have discovered the Pumpkin Spiced Latte from Starbucks which is just out of this world and me and my Mum treated ourselves to the perfect little Pumpkin that we carved together. I have been like a little kid again, so excited for Halloween. I don't know why though I didn't go out partying or trick or treating instead I had a cosy evening in with my Mum wearing Halloween headbands and indulging in our tradition of chilli on jacket potatoes that we eat on every Halloween. Where these traditions come from I have no idea. Of course Halloween wouldn't be complete without a little bit of baking. Halloween biscuits anyone? October also saw the much awaited trip to Paris with my Mum for a long weekend which was definitely a highlight of my year. Paris in the Autumn is simply gorgeous and a must see.

Being the first of a new month I have a monthly favourites post for you all on products that I have loved using last October. Put you're feet up, make your self a nice coffee and cut yourself a slice of cake or grab yourself a biscuit and enjoy.

Lychee Nail Polish By Barry M 
This is the first of two nail polishes that I have loved using this month. I'm going to refer to this one as my holiday nail polish as it is the one that I wore when I went to Paris with my Mum. It is a really pretty pale nude shade with warm brown undertones to it making it more Autumnal. This isn't very descriptive so a better comparison would be to compare it to a white nail polish such as Barry M Coconut. Both appear white yet Lychee is more of a softer brown making it a warmer nude for this time of year compared to a pale pastel. I love the formulation of Barry M nail polishes, particularly the gelly's. They are really glossy, creamy, they have good colour pay off and last a long, long time without chipping. Another good thing about Barry M is that they are really affordable so you definitely get your money's worth yet they are just as good as any expensive high end brand in my opinion. They have an amazing range of colours which are defiantly worth checking out.

Cherry Creme Nail Polish By Orly 
The second nail polish that I have loved using this past month was actually a freebie in a magazine which I'm not ashamed to admit. Long train journeys call for magazines. So we picked up a couple of magazines to take to Paris with us, this being one of them which just so happened to come with a free nail polish. Rude not to really. I haven't heard of the brand Orly before but I think it's meant to be a really good brand and usually a little more on the pricy side. You can definitely tell this when using the nail polish as it has a very pigmented and thin formulation, similar to that of OPI or Nails Inc. Yet it is by no means watery and it is amazingly pigmented. You always have to be careful with red nail polish anyway but particularly cautious with this one. I have been obsessed with this nail polish for the second half of October, I think I have worn it every single day. I'm currently wearing it now so my love for it still burns deep. I also thought it was perfect for Halloween. You can't beat a bright pillar box red sometimes. It's basically Halloween and Autumn in a little pot.

OGX Argan Oil Of Morocco Shampoo And Coconut Milk Conditioner 
Oh I love a mini product. Don't you love a mini product? These were purchased to take with us to Paris. It's always a gamble with hotels, will they or won't they provide mini freebies of shampoo. Yes they did is the answer but it's better to be safe then sorry. I loved using both of these products they left my hair feeling really healthy and nourished after just one use. OGX is a new brand to me I usually tend to stick to Garnier but I feel like I'm branching out. The Argan oil shampoo claims to help nourish and restore dry/damaged hair so my hair could do with a tun of this. It does tend to go a little drier over the colder months and my hair felt renewed after using it. Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I have a major obsession with coconut. I think it tastes delicious but it's also really good for your hair and body. This conditioner therefore instantly appealed to me. It is soft, creamy and nourishing leaving your hair looking and smelling amazing afterwards. I think my hair really enjoyed a change and trying these new products and I have certainly loved the effects.

They're Real Mascara By Benefit 
Oh me oh my this mascara is incredible, literally insane. I have never been one to get excited over mascaras I have never understood the excitement as at the end of the day no matter which one I use I have never noticed a major difference until I discovered this little hidden treasure. I personally love Benefit it is one of my if not my favourite make-up brands so I instantly love any product from Benefit with all the cute and quirky packaging and amazing products it is right up my street. Previously I have been using my Barry M Extra Volume Showgirl Mascara which was a lovely freebie which lasted me a whole year, not bad eh? I thought I would treat myself to a new mascara for Paris so what could be better then this gorgeous present from my Mum last Christmas. Hands up I'll admit it I have been converted and now understand how people can get excited over mascaras. One wipe of this over my eye lashes and they are instantly transformed. I naturally have long eye lashes but one coat of this leaves me looking like I'm wearing false eye lashes. It literally does anything you could want it to; it adds volume, lengthens, separates, emphasises and extends your lashes leaving you with a beautiful fluttery effect. What more could you wish for? It literally does everything. I have been 100% converted and I wouldn't use any other mascara it's Benefit all the way from now on. Sorry bank account. I'm going to write a separate blog post on this mascara it is so good I cannot praise it enough.

Bronzing Duo By Bourjois 
This is an oldie in my collection but ever so much loved. In fact I thought I would include it in this months post as I recently treated myself to a new one and I have pretty much used it everyday since. I find it really suits my skin tone during the Autumn/Winter months. It was this time last year that I first discovered it. It is a beautiful matte bronzer with a hint of shimmer to it yet it appears matte so perfect for contouring. It is accompanied by a gorgeous golden highlighter which looks beautiful above the cheek bones. I love bronzing and highlighting duos as they are perfect to use together for contouring. It is a really nifty little product that is compact so perfect for taking with you for on the go touch ups. The other thing that I love about this product is that it is packaged like a chocolate bar. Who is going to say no to a bit of milk or white chocolate? I just think it's really cute and it has a lovely vanilla scent to it if thats something you go for when you pick up a bronzer. A must have in my make-up collection.

Thank you for reading this blog post my lovelies. I would love to know in the comments which products you have loved using over October. I currently have my feet up, typing away with Come Dine With Me on and my Yankee Candy Corn candle burning, Sunday evening heaven. I hope you are all having a lovely evening. Here we go, count down to Christmas now that's all I'm focussed on *squeels loudly*.

XXX