Stocking Up On Bath Bombs

Top - Down: Butterball, Blackberry, Think Pink, Honey Bee, Fizzbanger 

Good morning my lovelies and a Happy Sunday to you all! Yesterday I had a lovely shopping day with my Mother although it was also a little cheeky with lot's and lot's of spontaneous purchases - slaps wrist. I love going shopping with my Mum and spending some quality mother and daughter time together. We always make it into a fun day by spoiling ourselves and treating ourselves to coffee and lunch out. Clothes, shoes, lingerie, chocolates, beauty products and candles were all purchased including a gorgeous summer pineapple phone case. I can well and truly say that the Summer wardrobe is now at the ready and I am now waiting for the Summer weather. Knowing my luck that amazing week that we had last week was probably a one off but thats sods law for you there.

Whilst going crazy in town the amazing and very distinctive hint of Lush hit us and neither of us could say no to that. I looked at my bath bomb box (yes I am sad and have a box, no actually two boxes dedicated to Lush bath booms) and noticed that there was only one bomb remaining. It was the fluffy egg from the Easter collection that I highly enjoyed last night. Although I think of bath bombs as a more Autumnal and Winter pamper treat I still like to treat myself to an indulgent pamper night once a week; including a face pack, nail TLC and a Lush bath bomb. I would do this more often if I had the time during the week but work always seems to get in the way.

I have recently been working my way through limited edition Lush products such as from the Christmas, Mothers Day and Easter collections. I haven't actually used many products from the original core collection recently. Shock horror but there are actually some bombs from the originally collection that I haven't ever tried. As much as I was tempted to stock up on all the favourites such as Twilight I resisted and restrained myself. Feeling spontaneous I picked up bath bombs that aren't new to the collection yet I have never tested these before. I thought I would write a mini haul post for all of you fellow Lush fanatics.

Butterball
If you're a lover of all things sweet then you will love this little acorn. It has a gorgeous vanilla and cocoa scent to it which I personally love. I am a sucker for sweet scents at the moment and this bomb is right up my street. If you're a fan of bright colours, glitter and fizzing then this isn't the bomb for you. For me it is a very comforting, soothing and some what indulgent bomb. It is packed full of cocoa butter that will melt and dissolve into your bath water which leaves your skin super soft afterwards. Honestly it will feel softer then a baby's bot. Pre-warning you will want to give your bath a little wipe down afterwards as when that butter dries it is a nightmare to clean. I don't think of this as your typical Summer bath treat. For summer I tend to think of more fresh fruity and floral scents however if you are in need for a bit of TLC then I would recommend that you give this one a try. It will nourish and repair your skin as well as your mind, mood and body. I love the Butterbear bath bomb from the Christmas range which is based on the original butterball. Basically same bomb, different shape. It isn't the biggest bomb in the whole wide world and it will only cost you £2.65 however it is an essential to have in your collection for times of need.

Blackberry
My logic here was I love blackberries so I'm sure a blackberry bath bomb will be amazing. I believe this bomb will go a gorgeous and rich deep purple shade whilst releasing bergamot oils that are calming and uplifting and essential for releasing any stress. I personally wouldn't smell this bomb and say 'wow blackberries' however I find it quite musky and relaxing. Scent wise it reminds me of the scent you get when you walk into a spa that has lit incense and essential oils. This is a larger bomb and will cost you £3.35 however I think it will be perfect after a stressful day.

Think Pink
This is an obvious one for me. As you all know I am an absolute sucker for sweet scents so there are no surprises here that I was instantly drawn to this little gem. I also love the gorgeous vibrant pink and candy flowers which screams summer in a bath bomb to me. Yet again this bath bomb is packed with sweet vanilla alongside calming and relaxing lavender which also provides a slight floral scent making it a bit less sweet then the well known stable Snow Fairy Lush scent. I also quite like the fact that this bath bomb isn't the generic bath bomb shape, theres Lush pushing the boundaries for you all there. This bomb will cost you £2.65 and I could easily see myself returning and buying another three or four of these as I think it will be up there as a new favourite. High hopes for you.

Honey Bee
I would describe this bath bomb as another more summery treat. I adore honey. In fact I pretty much have honey every single day with my breakfast and I also love to bake with it. I haven't tried this bomb before but it has been screaming out to me for a few weeks now every time I have walked past Lush and seen the gorgeous bee display in the window. I believe this will turn your bath water a gorgeous pastel yellow shade which is perfect for summer. The bath bomb contains honey and aloe vera which are both cleansing and soothing whilst the rhassoul mud helps to moisturise your skin. This sounds like the ultimate summer bath treat to me. It is a giant bath bomb costing you £3.50 but I cannot wait to try it.

Fizzbanger
I think this is going to be a spectacular bath bomb. I love how vibrant it is; you cannot miss it. I think this will be a statement bath bomb that will change colour and release popping candy. For some reason I think this one will be perfect for Autumn around fireworks night. It has a gorgeous sweet apple and cinnamon scent towards it which I think to be a classic Autumn scent. However, I'm never going to say no to that scent as yet again it is another sweet and sickly scent that is right up my street. I love the combination of the sweet crisp apple (which reminds me of Snow White from the Christmas range) alongside the spicy cinnamon. Apple pie anyone? This is another big bath bomb and very satisfying to hold. This one will also cost you £3.50 but I think it will be well worth your money and another personal favourite in the making.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post my lovelies. No new releases I'm afraid but I am an ultimate Lush fanatic and I love reading blog posts on Lush products. I can't help myself I think I'm addicted to Lush. As soon as I visit a store that's it and money is spent, spent spent. I would love to know what your personal favourites from Lush are. I can't wait to give these a try and add them to my repertoire. Have a gorgeous Sunday my lovelies.

XXX

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (GF)

Hello my lovelies and a Happy Summers Sunday to you all. Summer seems to be officially here which makes me so happy and what a way to celebrate with a spot o baking. For me personally, baking is a way to relax and de-stress; it is very therapeutic. I have recently increased my work hours and finding my self with spare time is a rarity at the moment. However, I find myself with a free Sunday morning so the obvious solution is to bake. When I glanced over at the fruit bowl this morning and caught sight of a couple of over ripe bananas the obvious solution for me is banana bread. I personally love banana bread and I haven't made any this year and it is very quick and easy to make. My excitement further grew by finding a pack of un-opened chocolate chips in the cupboard. I can officially say that the jigsaw puzzle is now complete. I have already posted a blog post with a recipe for a Banana, Fudge and White Chocolate Loaf Cake which you can see by clicking here.  That was a personal favourite of mine; banana, fudge and white chocolate are my favourite flavour combinations at the moment and who could resist the amazing and ultimate flavour combination in cake form? I thought I would try something a bit different this time by making the banana bread gluten free. I find that gluten free cakes are a lot lighter and are also more moist myself.

I love banana bread and it can be enjoyed in so many different ways. You can really make it your own whether you add chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, spices or the whole cherbang. Next time I have left over bananas I might add some pecan nuts. I love experimenting with new flavour combinations. Once you have a basic banana bread recipe the world is your oyster.

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter
120g caster sugar
3 eggs
2 ripe bananas peeled and mashed
225g Gluten Free plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g milk chocolate chips

Method

1) Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin and preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°Fan/ Gas mark 4

2) Beat your butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy. You could do this with an electric whisk but I find the old fashioned method of a wooden spoon more satisfying and a great way to release any tension

3) Whisk your eggs together and add half of the eggs to your cake batter followed by half of the flour which you should sift into the bowl. Fold the ingredients together followed by the remaining eggs and flour once fully incorporated

4) Add your mashed banana, baking powder, xanthan gum, vanilla extract and cinnamon and fold into the cake batter

5) Finally stir in your chocolate chips, it is essential to test a couple first

6) Pour your cake batter into the loaf tin and bake for 50 - 60 minutes until golden brown and a skewer is clean after being inserted into the centre of the cake. If you think the top of the cake is cooking too quick and looking a dark brown before the cake is cooked you could cover the cake with foil to stop it from burning

7) Once cooked leave your cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely. Once the cake has cooled you can slice the loaf and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post my lovelies. I won't lie to you but banana bread is a personal favourite of mine. I love the beautiful banana flavour which goes so amazingly with the melted milk chocolate. The cake is so moist and it also keeps for a really long time. Perfect for the cake tin to crack out in times of need of comfort or a pick-me-up. I would love to know in the comments if you tried this recipe or what your favourite flavour combinations are to add to your banana bread. I hope you all enjoy the rest of this amazing Summer's Sunday.

XXX

April Favourites 2016

Good morning my lovelies and a Happy Sunday and May Day to you all. This month has totally flown by for me I honestly don't know where it has gone. I feel I have failed slightly on the blogging side of life but I have been a little busy bee at work. It wouldn't be the first of the month without a classic favourites post.

Cocoa Body Butter By The Body Shop
As you all know I love The Body Shop. Not a day goes by where I don't use at least one of their products. Skincare, bath and body, home and makeup they have it covered with an amazing range of products to chose from. Over April I have been enjoying using the Cocoa body butter. I used to love the scent when I was younger but I don't know if I overdosed or my choice of scents changed but I kind of went off the scent and only just used it again recently. I am now a huge fan of sickly sweet and sugary scents which I used to avoid. The butter itself is so moisturising and perfect for anyone that suffers from dry skin. I love the scent and my skin is always left feeling silky smooth afterwards and smelling of chocolate and vanilla - yum!

Gradual Tan Body Lotion By Garnier
Moisturising my skin is something that I am ashamed to admit that I am guilty of not doing regularly enough. When I'm busy during the week and getting back late I find my self slipping into naughty habits. However, I have found myself getting into a good routine of moisturising my legs using the gradual tan lotion everyday. Spring is the awkward transition stage when more flesh is exposed that has been hibernating under cosy jumpers and pyjama bottoms for months and hasn't seen sunlight for nearly half a year. To make the transition a little less painful I find a little helping hand for the pale legs is required. I have been alternating between using this and a gradual tan lotion by Dove which is my holy grail. Feeling spontaneous I have been trying the new Garnier gradual tan lotion of which I have been pleasantly surprised. What I love about both lotions is that they don't have the horrible fake tan smell. Instead this one has a fresh and fruity apricot smell which I love. The lotion absorbs instantly which is perfect for if you're pushed for time as you're not left standing in your bedroom naked for half an hour waiting for your body to finish absorbing the moisturiser. I have also noticed a quick change with my legs looking a little more golden. It's perfect as they don't look obviously tanned yet they've just got that base before they're exposed to sunlight again. A 2 in 1 product for me as a really efficient and smooth moisturiser along with a gradual tan that is instant to use, perfect.

Colour Rush Lip Crayon In Give Me A Cuddle By Rimmel
This isn't a new product for me, instead it's a classic that I have rediscovered again recently. Throughout Spring I have been enjoying wearing a peachy pink lip colour. It's brighter, very Spring like, fun and colourful. Perviously I had been sticking to my darker berry shades throughout Autumn and Winter so as soon as the sun is out, any excuse for some pastel colours. I have been really into pastels in general this past month, not just in terms of lipstick. Whether it's lip colour, nails or clothes I have been obsessed with pale pastels. It just makes me think of Spring and Easter. What can I say pastel colours make me smile. I have been particularly enjoying pairing this colour with an Essie nail polish that I mentioned in my last favourites post called Lovie Dovie which is a gorgeous pastel barbie doll pink shade. The two pair very nicely together, I can highly recommend the combination. They're like two little peas in a pod. The formulation of the lip crayon is lovely and soft whilst being very moisturising yet it also has really good colour pay off. I would describe it as a lip balm, lipstick and a lipgloss all in one. I won't lie but I also love the vanilla sweet scent that it has which makes it even better in my eyes as I am a sucker for vanilla.

High Beam Crayon Highlighter By Benefit 
I personally love a spontaneous treat splurge, I mean who doesn't? I don't tend to ever treat myself to high end make-up very often as I normally see it as a treat to request these beautiful little creations as a gift for my Birthday or Christmas when you're being poked for gift ideas by relatives. I've had my eye on the Benefit High Beam highlighter crayon for quite some time now and I had also read many a positive review on beauty blogs. So on one day off I had a wave of spontaneity consume me and I took the splurge and picked one up; and I haven't looked back since. I am planning on writing a full review of the crayon on a separate and dedicated blog post so I'll treat you all to a quick summary. The crayon is really smooth and creamy and really easy to blend. It is a gorgeous iridescent oyster cream pink shade which I find really suits my skin tone for highlighting. The crayon is almost matte with a beautiful silver shimmer yet it appears matte on the skin so you don't appear glittery. I have been using the crayon specifically under my eyebrow to highlight my brow bone which I find helps to widen and brighten any tired looking eyeballs. I don't know why by I find the word eyeball a really cringy word. It's nice to have a specific eye-highlighter-product-thingy as supposed to using eyeshadows. I may also start experimenting and using the crayon around my eyes as a highlighter in the inner corner to help combat those resistant dark circles that I seem to be prone to. What a successful spontaneous splurge; maybe I should have these more often who knows.

What's Nude Eyeshadow Quad By Soap And Glory 
Similar to the lip crayon this isn't a new purchase in my make-up collection, instead it is the return of a golden oldy, a classic if you like. It has featured in many a favourites post before. I am a sucker for nude and pink eyeshadows as I find that they compliment my green eyes by emphasising and opposing the colour. I just adore this beautiful little quad. A- it is small and compact and takes up very little space in your make-up bag. B- it is from Soap an Glory which is one of my favourite highstreet make-up brands which I find to be of tip top quality. C- the eyeshadow quad contains four beautiful, creamy and blendable shades that are all really wearable for everyday use. I have got into a little routine recently of using this beautiful quad almost everyday in my working weekday make-up routine. The quad contains a gorgeous matte highlighter, a creamy pink matte nude, a matte dark brown and a dark brown with a hint of shimmer. The perfect eyeshadow cocktail combination. The shades blend together really easily producing the perfect nude eye. Perfect for quick, easy and effortless eye make-up that using your contouring skills can make you appear to have spend hours creating when really it was a little two minute job. D- the quirky pack even comments on how they haven't bothered providing a cheap sponge brush which I find painful to use. I wouldn't recommend these for contouring with. It is just the perfect eyeshadow quad that is cheap and affordable yet of tip top quality.

Thank you for reading this blog post my lovelies. I would love to know what products you have all been enjoying to use over April. I hope you enjoy your bank holiday three day weekend you lucky sausages.

XXX

Peanut Butter And White Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF)

Hello my lovelies and a Happy, Happy Wednesday to you all - otherwise known as a day off for me, nice. There is nothing more that I love to do on a day off other then bake. I find it very comforting and therapeutic listening to the radio or my music. The sun was shinning and it was sheer perfection on this gorgeous Spring morning.

Recently I have been craving white chocolate and peanut butter. I say recently but to be honest these are both foods that I always love to eat. On this rare occasion that I actually had both ingredients fully stocked I thought the obvious solution was to create a beautiful creation in a giant cookie form.

This is an American recipe that I found on a baking blog, hence why the measurements are in cup form. I was originally nervous to bake using cup measurements however I think my confidence has increased and I am enjoying experimenting with new recipes and using the most adorable pastel cup measurers.

The recipe itself is so simple and quick; probably one of the easiest cookie recipes that I have ever baked. There are also very few ingredients which makes life a lot easier. I made 12 giant cookies but you could chose to make more smaller ones but when there's white chocolate and peanut butter involved, the only answer is a giant cookie for me.

Ingredients - makes 12

1 cup of crunchy organic peanut butter
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips or chunks

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°Fan

2) Grease and line two baking trays

3) Whisk the peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract and baking powder using an electric hand whisk to form a dough like texture and consistency

4) Mix in your white chocolate chips or chunks

5) Flatten golf ball sizes of cookie dough onto your baking sheet evenly spaced, be careful as these do spread and rise

6) Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until golden brown, half way through the bake I rotated the trays in the oven to aim to get an even bake

7) Allow the cookies to fully cool on the baking tray before transferring to a wire wrack to cool

I hope you enjoyed this recipe my lovelies. I would love to know in the comments if you attempt the recipe and what you thought of the cookies. All I know is that the house smells incredible right now and very welcoming and comforting. Warm peanut butter and white chocolate cookies, what more could you ask for? These cookies are amazingly gooey I cannot actually express the gooeyness of these cookies enough right now. The perfect morning snack with a lovely coffee. What more can I say then Happy Wednesday my lovelies and Happy Baking.

XXX

Benefit They're Real

Hello my lovelies and let me introduce you to the Holy Grail of all Mascara products. Let us all pray thanks to the beauty God's for allowing the creation of the best mascara in the whole wide world. The They're Real Mascara by Benefit isn't a new edition or release but I will hold my hands up and admit it has been one that I have been slow to trying.

Christmas 2014 saw me being lucky enough to receive my first They're Real from my Mum. Ever since using it I have been hooked. I have been so taken by it, it has totally slipped my mind to write a blog post on it.

Like I have mentioned previously I have never been one to get excited by mascaras. I have tried many a different mascaras and yes I will admit there are noticeable differences and some are of a greater quality then others. Yet I have never been one to rush out and buy the latest release. I naturally have quite long eye lashes and that's not me blowing my own trumpet it's just something people have told me even when I was a little girl I remember my swimming teacher saying "gosh you do have amazingly long eye lashes". However, after the first time of trying the They're Real my mascara views were instantly transformed and I understood the hype.

I love the gorgeous sleek packaging of the mascara. The silver metal effect is right up my street it looks like a high end product which I would say it definitely is and should be described in that way. The brush size is the perfect size for my eyes and I love the brushes on the brush as they don't get clumped and are all uniform.

The mascara is an all in one - it lengthens, thickens, curls, separates and increases the volume of your lashes; all you could wish for in a mascara. I find that when applying this mascara I only need one application and my lashes are instantly transformed yet they are still left looking natural without appearing false or caked in mascara. The best way to use the mascara is to place the brush at the base of your eyelashes and wiggle the brush horizontally whilst moving the brush vertically to provide you with one coat rather then just applying lot's of coats vertically as this will help you to coat the entire eye lash. You can then layer the mascara to build up coverage for your desired look. I love the rich dark colour which compliments my dark hair and eyebrows. I have never had issues with this mascara smudging or drying out. I cannot rave about it enough.

Now that I have tried this mascara I don't think I would be able to use any other mascara unless it was ever discontinued. I would advice Benefit not to do this or I'm pretty sure they would have a riot and uprising on their hands.

Christmas 2015 also saw me lucky enough to receive another They're Real mascara from my Mum. This time it features the limited edition Swarovski packaging - gorgeous. The mascara is the same amazing formula which I totally agree with. As the old saying goes 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. Instead this little gem is covered in a gorgeous matte jet black shell with gorgeous silver studs on the applicator handle. Very swish and very posh I love it. I think it's a shame that it is only limited edition as it looks perfect in my make-up collection. I have defiantly been spoilt this Christmas that is for sure.

XXX