Sunday 31 August 2014

Bake With Me | Kit-Kat Chocolate Fairy Cakes


These were the result of a spontaneous baking adventure ( when you want to bake something at that very moment but have no idea what / no ingredients in the house / too lazy to search through cook books )
They turned out great and were super simple to make ( as always ). All you will need is as follows ;

110g Butter 
100g Caster Sugar
2 eggs
75g Self-Raising Flour
25g Cocoa Powder
1tsp Baking Power
Icing Sugar
Cocoa Powder
2-3 Kit Kats


Method

1. Pre-Heat oven to 160 and place cake cases into a muffin tin or tray (I found this recipe makes 16 fairy cakes ) 
2. Mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3. Gradually beat in the eggs
4. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder
5. Place mixture into cake cakes and bake for 15-20 minutes
6. Remove from oven and leave to cool on cooling rack

For the Icing

1. Pour some Icing sugar and cocoa powder into a small bowl 
2. Add a few drops of water and mix keep adding more water until desired texture is achieved
3. Spoon Icing over cakes ( I found with this it looked quite nice messy so don't be too neat )
4. Chop your Kit-Kats into tiny pieces ( again no need to be neat ) the messier the better. 
5. Sprinkle your Kit-Kat pieces onto the cakes
6. If more Icing/Kit-Kats are required just repeat steps!

Voila! Kit-Kat cakes,
 be sure to eat them pretty quick as the Kit-Kat pieces wont stay fresh for too long.

Thanks for reading, Please give them a go! :)


Abbie


xox



Wednesday 23 July 2014

The Summer Base | Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream




Needless to say I'm fairly late on the bandwagon with this phenomenon. I saw Lisa Eldridge use this in a video so I knew it could not and would not be naff. It claims to be Anti-Fatigue, Anti-Redness, and Anti-Dark Spots, I would say that it is in fact all three of these things! I wasn't expecting it to suit my skin as I like a bit more coverage and always assumed BB/CC creams were on the lighter end of the spectrum, anyway since buying this i've used it every single day! I have pale skin with pink undertones and it cancels out any unwanted redness, it covers dark spots all whilst making your skin look luminous. It contains SPF 15 which is always good for those sunny cloudy days in the UK. I apply it with a damp sponge which I find is the most natural looking application method. It feels light as air on your skin and it doesn't budge (much) for the whole day! Iv'e had this on morning till night with the end result still looking A-OK, what more could you want? Oh also its really inexpensive you can buy it here my shade is 31 Ivory (minor side note the shade range isn't spectacular) This is by far my favourite base - like ever

Thanks for reading :) Have you tried it before?


Abbie


xox

Monday 21 July 2014

The Perfect Pair | Tarte Lip Surgence power pigment & Cheek Stain in Tipsy


When I was wandering about in Canada a while ago (Can I live there please?) I came across the one and only SEPHORA! I pretty much spent my whole day in there awing at every single freakin' product. After many hours I came to the decision that I couldn't leave without one of those black & white bags, I HAD to choose an item or two. Clearly I decided to pick up these two honeys and while we're on the subject can we just admire this packaging... I'm pretty sure I'd buy the whole of Tarte just because and to be honest that was half the reason I bought these two matching cutie's, but on to the review type thing...



I'd seen Anna mention this LipSurgence power pigment in Tipsy before I left so I had very high hopes for it, and it partly lived up to them, I think the colour looks incred in the tube but it doesn't look AS incred on my lips which I think is due to my skin tone. It did look better on Anna and for that I'm quite jealous (not the only thing) It is however VERY pigmented hence 'power pigment' I even thought it looked kinda neon on my lips. I didn't find the staying power very spectacular there are much better in that department but the formula well now that is something! Its like a super buttery lipstick with a matte finish ?! Also it tingles and tastes minty which personally I loovvee. 

Onto my No.1, the Tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy. When I first used this a Canadian woman actually said my skin looked amazing and I'm not even joking p.s my skin really isn't amazing, so I knew for sure it was down to this. I like to swipe it onto my cheeks then pat it in around the apples of my cheeks (technical). It has just the right amount of colour so even when your in a rush and you race out of the door you don't look like a clown. perfect! It does have a fair bit of shimmer in it which makes your cheeks look dewy as anything, the colour looks so natural and basically just makes your skin look real nice I now want the whole collection.

So in conclusion, 
The cheek stain: very worth the hefty price tag a big thumbs up
 The LipSurgence power pigment: not SO much but still a good thumbs up

Thanks for reading, let me know if you've tried any Tarte products :)


Abbie


xox


Sunday 25 May 2014

Reviewing | Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser


Ok so I really really really love this stuff, so much so that I bought the bigger bottle after having a sample. Here are a few reasons why everybody should try it. 1. My personal main reason is the smell its divine but that goes for pretty much all clarins products am i right?! 2. I love the two in one effect of a cleanser and an exfoliater as it leaves your face feeling well, cleansed and exfoliated! in one go, hence 'One-Step' which is great if you really are quite lazy like me. 3. You only need the tiniest amount and it lathers up better than my normal cleanser (which is supposed to lather btw) 4. It doesnt dry your face out, well it does a little but not to any extreme ammount. 5. Finally the beads are tiny so you dont feel like your shredding your face so it does live up to its 'Gentle' title. Just a little note to self I wouldnt reccomend using this daily as it does dry your face a little, It is an exfoliater after all. One minor set back is that its not that cheap but personally I think its worth it. I only have a 50ml bottle but the 125ml is £20 from HERE - this would last you flipping ages - so overall it's worth the price.

Have you got any favourite exfoliaters? I'd LOVE to hear :)


Abbie


xox

Sunday 18 May 2014

Day Tripping | Upton House



Not too long ago me and my fam took a trip to Upton House, its a national trust property so naturally its going to be pretty lush, thankfully the weather was in our favour which always helps. It may look like ive gone slightly flower crazy but who doesnt love a good flower snap ? I couldnt resist. 


I would really recommend going to Upton House if your looking for a nice day trip the grounds are stunning and the house itself has that retro vibe. There is also a lovely caff where I may have devoured a few too many treats. It is national trust therefore it does come at a price but nothing bank breaking. 

Prices (for Gardens & House) : Adult, £9.63 Child, £4.81 ( Good or bad that I passed as a child? )


Location: Near Banbury, Warwickshire




If these photos didnt make you feel summery then I dont know what will! 

I will be doing more 'Day Tripping' posts soon so stay tuned folks
+ hopefully going to be more consistent with posts from now on! if you havent noticed I have no organisation skills whatsoever

 

Abbie 

xox

Saturday 3 May 2014

Bake With Me | Spring Flower Cupcakes

  
I saw the idea for these on Glorious Treats ! I couldnt believe how simple it was and how i'd never seen it before, The recipe is the same as my Super Quick Mothers Day / Spring Cupcakes ( which are the best cupcake recipe ive tried FYI ) To create the beautiful bright flowers all you need to have at hand is some jelly beans! Once you have these then you simply cut them in half. Some down the side, and some through the middle then you can arrange them however you like to create different varietys of flower! These will brighten up your day :) Kudos to Glorious Treats for this brillo idea

P.S apologies for the top right disaster I can assure you this wasnt my doing




Abbie


xox

Tuesday 15 April 2014

D.I.Y Time | Spring Paper Flower Garland


 I am really feeling the spring vibes at the moment so wanted to share with you this really easy DIY - trust me its easy or else a certain somebody (me) would of had issues.


You will need:
A pair of scissors
A pencil or prehaps a pen
Some random string/ribbon
Some pretty coloured card 
Some real tough glue (I used craft glue)

YOU'RE SET



First off you will need to draw a spiral using your chosen pencil or pen on your chosen card I actually found making the spiral wider in the centre getting narrower towards the outside created the best flower so i'm very sorry about this misleading photograph. Then you need to cut that big ol' spiral out it really doesnt have to be very neat as I discovered.


After cutting ^ that out you will need to start rolling the spiral up starting from the outer edge I found rolling it up on the opposite side to the pencil/pen drawn side was best as you could'nt see the lines. Once you have rolled the whole spiral up you will be left with a flowery looking creation, put a blob of your glue on the very centre of the sprial and stick your coiled part to it. At this point you can release the spiral a little and let it become abit looser. ( if you are completely lost which I actually am, here is a much more detailed explanation -_- )

 Anyway after letting the glue dry you should be left with some pretty paper flowers awww so cute!
 Now all you need to do it glue them to the string. I placed the flowers facing down on the floor and the string on top on the flower. I left the glue for a good few hours, I also made sure to spread the glue completely over the string to make sure it was extra secure. I then used blu-tac to attach the garland to my wall and VOILA! Spring has made its way into the bedroom. Thanks for reading :)

Abbie


xox