I have recently overhauled my skincare regime; I decided that I need to start taking care of my skin properly again, spend some quality time each morning and evening cleansing and hydrating my face. I have even started using a toner! I have added Yes to Blueberries Smoothing Daily Cleanser (£9.99), Natio Gentle Skin Toner (£6.80) and Bluemandarines Aquaporin Plus 24 Hour Facial Cream (£19.00) to my daily routine. I use the cleanser as part of my evening routine whilst the toner and facial cream are used both morning and evening, with the addition of a serum or oil in the evening.
I treated myself to some new make-up. I needed a concealer, I used to swear by YSL Touche Eclat for under my eyes but since giving up work I’ve tried to find a high street alternative and have discovered that Collection concealers are pretty damn good! I had been using their Illuminating Touch concealer but Superdrug were sold out so I picked up Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19) instead. Superdrug had their 3 for 2 offer running so I also picked up GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liner in Fashionista (£4.99), which is a gorgeous deep dark blue shade, and Maybelline Brow Drama (£4.99). Back in August I received a LAQA & Co Lip Pencil from Birchbox and absolutely loved it, so ordered the LAQA & Co Lil Lip Duo containing two travel-sized lip pencils in Wolfman and Fairyblood.
New Things #2
I have recently overhauled my skincare regime; I decided that I need to start taking care of my skin properly again, spend some quality time each morning and evening cleansing and hydrating my face. I have even started using a toner! I have added Yes to Blueberries Smoothing Daily Cleanser (£9.99), Natio Gentle Skin Toner (£6.80) and Bluemandarines Aquaporin Plus 24 Hour Facial Cream (£19.00) to my daily routine. I use the cleanser as part of my evening routine whilst the toner and facial cream are used both morning and evening, with the addition of a serum or oil in the evening.
I treated myself to some new make-up. I needed a concealer, I used to swear by YSL Touche Eclat for under my eyes but since giving up work I’ve tried to find a high street alternative and have discovered that Collection concealers are pretty damn good! I had been using their Illuminating Touch concealer but Superdrug were sold out so I picked up Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19) instead. Superdrug had their 3 for 2 offer running so I also picked up GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liner in Fashionista (£4.99), which is a gorgeous deep dark blue shade, and Maybelline Brow Drama (£4.99). Back in August I received a LAQA & Co Lip Pencil from Birchbox and absolutely loved it, so ordered the LAQA & Co Lil Lip Duo containing two travel-sized lip pencils in Wolfman and Fairyblood.
Picture the scene: you’re having immense cake cravings and have a packet of cake mix just pleading to be baked but you’re out of eggs and oil / your best friend is allergic to eggs / you just can’t be bothered with all the faff. Oh well, no cake for you…
…Wait a minute, do you have a can of Sprite in your fridge? Or maybe Coke or even Dr Pepper? Then you can make a Sprite cake like this!
I don’t usually use packet mixes when baking as I prefer to make cakes from scratch, but when someone from one my my “mummy” groups mentioned Sprite cake, I was so intrigued that I just had to try it out.
All you need is your choice of cake mix (I chose Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake), a can of Sprite (or 330ml if your corner shop only sells bottles like mine!), and some icing if you so desire. The instructions on the cake mix will say that you need some eggs, oil and water but you don’t; the Sprite replaces ALL of these ingredients!
Tip the cake mix into a mixing bowl and pour in your Sprite. At first it looks pretty grim, but once you start stirring it looks just like normal cake batter. So far, it looks like cake!
Pour the batter into your baking tins – I like to use three so that my cake has more layers, but you can just use two like the cake mix packet suggests. Then bake according to the packet instructions. Yep, it’s looking very much like cake!
Once the cake has cooled, assemble the layers with your choice of filling and absolutely smother your cake in icing. I used Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Icing for both the filling and topping. Ta-dah! You have made yourself a cake!
“So it looks like cake but does it taste like cake, Sian?” I hear you cry. Oh my goodness, YES! It is the yummiest, moistest cake I have had in a long time but is also so light and fluffy. It’s divine. And that’s why I had to tell you about it. You NEED to give this a go!
I’ve been told that this works with Coke and Dr Pepper but I have only tried with Sprite!
Sprite Cake
Picture the scene: you’re having immense cake cravings and have a packet of cake mix just pleading to be baked but you’re out of eggs and oil / your best friend is allergic to eggs / you just can’t be bothered with all the faff. Oh well, no cake for you…
…Wait a minute, do you have a can of Sprite in your fridge? Or maybe Coke or even Dr Pepper? Then you can make a Sprite cake like this!
I don’t usually use packet mixes when baking as I prefer to make cakes from scratch, but when someone from one my my “mummy” groups mentioned Sprite cake, I was so intrigued that I just had to try it out.
All you need is your choice of cake mix (I chose Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake), a can of Sprite (or 330ml if your corner shop only sells bottles like mine!), and some icing if you so desire. The instructions on the cake mix will say that you need some eggs, oil and water but you don’t; the Sprite replaces ALL of these ingredients!
Tip the cake mix into a mixing bowl and pour in your Sprite. At first it looks pretty grim, but once you start stirring it looks just like normal cake batter. So far, it looks like cake!
Pour the batter into your baking tins – I like to use three so that my cake has more layers, but you can just use two like the cake mix packet suggests. Then bake according to the packet instructions. Yep, it’s looking very much like cake!
Once the cake has cooled, assemble the layers with your choice of filling and absolutely smother your cake in icing. I used Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Icing for both the filling and topping. Ta-dah! You have made yourself a cake!
“So it looks like cake but does it taste like cake, Sian?” I hear you cry. Oh my goodness, YES! It is the yummiest, moistest cake I have had in a long time but is also so light and fluffy. It’s divine. And that’s why I had to tell you about it. You NEED to give this a go!
I’ve been told that this works with Coke and Dr Pepper but I have only tried with Sprite!
Some of you might know that I recently completed the Artistic Colour Gloss - The Art of Perfect Polish course and since then I have been gradually building up a collection of different colours from the Artistic Colour Gloss range of gel polishes. I couldn’t resist buying the Holiday Collection which includes the gorgeous rose gold shade currently being sported on my nails.
My friend Jo, who owns Vanity in Hitchin – the salon and training academy where I undertook my training – is amazingly talented when it comes to nail art and when I saw some cute little reindeer designs she had done I decided to have a go myself. Sadly, I’m not ambidextrous so I settled for snow on my other hand!
The colours used are Goddess, Purity, Vogue, Swag, Hotzy and Gold Digger, and are all from Artistic Colour Gloss. And yes, I do need to moisturise my hands. Cold weather and central heating are not a great combo for the skin!
Are you rocking any festive nail art this Christmas?
NOTD: Christmas Gel Nails
Some of you might know that I recently completed the Artistic Colour Gloss - The Art of Perfect Polish course and since then I have been gradually building up a collection of different colours from the Artistic Colour Gloss range of gel polishes. I couldn’t resist buying the Holiday Collection which includes the gorgeous rose gold shade currently being sported on my nails.
My friend Jo, who owns Vanity in Hitchin – the salon and training academy where I undertook my training – is amazingly talented when it comes to nail art and when I saw some cute little reindeer designs she had done I decided to have a go myself. Sadly, I’m not ambidextrous so I settled for snow on my other hand!
The colours used are Goddess, Purity, Vogue, Swag, Hotzy and Gold Digger, and are all from Artistic Colour Gloss. And yes, I do need to moisturise my hands. Cold weather and central heating are not a great combo for the skin!
Are you rocking any festive nail art this Christmas?
If I had to choose only one beauty box this month, then it would have to be the Betrousse Absolutely Fabulous beauty box. This box is one of five currently available from Betrousse; it contains six luxurious products worth a total of £119 and is available for only £19 plus shipping! This is the third box I’ve received from Betrousse and it is by far my favourite.
The Absolutely Fabulous box contains six gorgeous luxury products to pamper you during the party season:
Organic Surge Pure & Clean Face Wash: I often see Organic Surge products mentioned on other blogs but I’ve never tried them myself. This gentle, foaming face wash is perfect for my AM cleanse especially with its invigorating lemony scent. (200ml/£5.49)
LEOR Facial Exfoliate Creme: I’d never heard of LEOR before, they seem to be a relatively new British skincare brand. This creme contains smooth pumice to exfoliate and smells of heavenly lavender. (100g/£11)
Duck Island Mandarin & Bergamot Shampoo: The packaging of this reminds me so much of Molton Brown products, it has a real luxury feel and smells beautiful. I can’t wait to try it! (250ml/£14.98)
Helenere Hedelweiss Intensive Serum: Helenere is a Swiss brand and was totally new to me before receiving this beauty box. Containing edelweiss extracts, this serum is intensively repairing and hydrating. Just what I need during this cold weather. (15ml/£32)
Helenere Heidelweiss 24H Cream: Like the serum, this cream contains extracts of edelweiss and stimulates cellular respiration, prevents loss of moisture and fights against harmful exterior agents and UV rays. (30ml/£30)
Spa Find Sculpted Silhouette Inchwrap Firming Gel: I’m a bit of a sceptic when it comes to gels and creams that claim to burn fat and tighten skin – I think you can only change your body with diet and exercise (or surgery!) - but I do think products like this can help the skin’s appearance which in turn helps those lumpy bits look better. Maybe I should do a trial and take a before and after photo, what do you think? (250ml/£25.30)
I really think Betrousse have nailed it with this box, it is unbelievably good value for money and the brands are a great mix of well-known and new ones. I love that you get full-sized products and, whilst I love the surprise element of other beauty boxes, I think it’s great that you can see what’s going to be in your box before ordering.
If you like the look of this beauty box then simply head over to the Betrousse website for more information: http://www.betrousse.com
Disclosure: I received the Betrousse Absolutely Fabulous beauty box for free for review, however all thoughts and opinion remain my own. With thanks to Betrousse for the sample.
REVIEW: Betrousse Absolutely Fabulous Beauty Box
If I had to choose only one beauty box this month, then it would have to be the Betrousse Absolutely Fabulous beauty box. This box is one of five currently available from Betrousse; it contains six luxurious products worth a total of £119 and is available for only £19 plus shipping! This is the third box I’ve received from Betrousse and it is by far my favourite.
The Absolutely Fabulous box contains six gorgeous luxury products to pamper you during the party season:
Organic Surge Pure & Clean Face Wash: I often see Organic Surge products mentioned on other blogs but I’ve never tried them myself. This gentle, foaming face wash is perfect for my AM cleanse especially with its invigorating lemony scent. (200ml/£5.49)
LEOR Facial Exfoliate Creme: I’d never heard of LEOR before, they seem to be a relatively new British skincare brand. This creme contains smooth pumice to exfoliate and smells of heavenly lavender. (100g/£11)
Duck Island Mandarin & Bergamot Shampoo: The packaging of this reminds me so much of Molton Brown products, it has a real luxury feel and smells beautiful. I can’t wait to try it! (250ml/£14.98)
Helenere Hedelweiss Intensive Serum: Helenere is a Swiss brand and was totally new to me before receiving this beauty box. Containing edelweiss extracts, this serum is intensively repairing and hydrating. Just what I need during this cold weather. (15ml/£32)
Helenere Heidelweiss 24H Cream: Like the serum, this cream contains extracts of edelweiss and stimulates cellular respiration, prevents loss of moisture and fights against harmful exterior agents and UV rays. (30ml/£30)
Spa Find Sculpted Silhouette Inchwrap Firming Gel: I’m a bit of a sceptic when it comes to gels and creams that claim to burn fat and tighten skin – I think you can only change your body with diet and exercise (or surgery!) - but I do think products like this can help the skin’s appearance which in turn helps those lumpy bits look better. Maybe I should do a trial and take a before and after photo, what do you think? (250ml/£25.30)
I really think Betrousse have nailed it with this box, it is unbelievably good value for money and the brands are a great mix of well-known and new ones. I love that you get full-sized products and, whilst I love the surprise element of other beauty boxes, I think it’s great that you can see what’s going to be in your box before ordering.
If you like the look of this beauty box then simply head over to the Betrousse website for more information: http://www.betrousse.com
Disclosure: I received the Betrousse Absolutely Fabulous beauty box for free for review, however all thoughts and opinion remain my own. With thanks to Betrousse for the sample.
I’m officially useless. It’s only when I receive my next Hello Fresh delivery that I remember that I haven’t yet shared my last box with you! So here’s what I made with the week 40 box, which had the all ingredients to make Pork Chops with Cinnamon and Apple Chutney and Rosemary New Potatoes, Walnut and Rosemary Crumbed Chicken Breast with Crispy Potatoes and Salad, and Patum Peperium Pasta Puttanesca (tongue-twister or what!)
Impressed? :) I’m not usually a fan of pork chops, but with this chutney I have changed my mind! I get the 3 meals for 2 people box which costs £39.00. It arrives with all the ingredients in the required quantities and full instructions on how to cook each meal.
You can get £20 off your first box with my referral code. Simply go to Hello Fresh and enter discount code C4MJSY.
♥ Bloglovin’ ♥ Twitter ♥ Instagram ♥ Facebook ♥
Hello Fresh
I’m officially useless. It’s only when I receive my next Hello Fresh delivery that I remember that I haven’t yet shared my last box with you! So here’s what I made with the week 40 box, which had the all ingredients to make Pork Chops with Cinnamon and Apple Chutney and Rosemary New Potatoes, Walnut and Rosemary Crumbed Chicken Breast with Crispy Potatoes and Salad, and Patum Peperium Pasta Puttanesca (tongue-twister or what!)
Impressed? :) I’m not usually a fan of pork chops, but with this chutney I have changed my mind! I get the 3 meals for 2 people box which costs £39.00. It arrives with all the ingredients in the required quantities and full instructions on how to cook each meal.
You can get £20 off your first box with my referral code. Simply go to Hello Fresh and enter discount code C4MJSY.
♥ Bloglovin’ ♥ Twitter ♥ Instagram ♥ Facebook ♥
Just a quick post from me today. I thought I’d show you this lovely deep pinky red offering from GOSH. It applies like a dream and I love the chunky bottle. It took 3 coats to get this intensity of colour and it actually chipped pretty quickly, within days, but I think it’s so gorgeous and perfect for winter! You can buy GOSH Berry Me from Superdrug for £3.99.
What colour are you sporting on your nails?
♥ Bloglovin’ ♥ Twitter ♥ Instagram ♥ Facebook ♥
NOTD: GOSH Berry Me
Just a quick post from me today. I thought I’d show you this lovely deep pinky red offering from GOSH. It applies like a dream and I love the chunky bottle. It took 3 coats to get this intensity of colour and it actually chipped pretty quickly, within days, but I think it’s so gorgeous and perfect for winter! You can buy GOSH Berry Me from Superdrug for £3.99.
What colour are you sporting on your nails?
♥ Bloglovin’ ♥ Twitter ♥ Instagram ♥ Facebook ♥
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
