February Degustabox Review + £7 off Discount Code

Hi beaut's...

I have a subscription box review for you all today but it's a subscription box with a difference.... it contains yummy food and drink, so say hello to Degustabox*. Degustabox works very much like how beauty subscription boxes work, for £12.99 a month (postage included within the £12.99 price) you will receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products, many that are completely new to the market! So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! 
This month we have a whopping 17 yummy food and drink items to sink our teeth into, and I'm going to kick things off with some of the sweet treats within the box as theres quite a few this month starting with the Degustabox product of the month by Bebeto, their are a bag of Cheese Cake Jelly Gums and a bag of Candy Crush Gummy Mix (both £1.69), these are perfect for the kiddies or as a sharing bag whilst having a movie night. We also have some Maui and Sons Banana Chips (£1.00) to give a whirl, personally these look right up my street, I love banana and the fact these are dipped in Belgium dark chocolate just makes my mouth water. Then theres a Diablo No Added Sugar Cream Filled Chocolate Wafer (0.95), this is the perfect snack when your craving something chocolaty but you don't want to be too naughty. Theres also some New York Delhi's Americanos Coffee Beans (£1.00) to snack on, these are ready roasted coffee beans that are covered in dark chocolate, they make a great pick me up in the office or the gym! Finally theres a pack of Peppersmith Chewing Gum and Dental Mints (both £1.50), I don't leave my house without gum or mints in my handbag so these certainly wont last long with me.
Next up theres a few savoury things within the box this month starting with a pot of the Kabuto Rice Noodles (£1.99) these noodles are basically like pot noodles on steroids he he, they are healthier, tastier and very convenient. Then theres 2 mini cans of Heinz No Added Sugar Beans (0.65 each) perfect for a single portions of yummy beans on toast. We also received a big bag of Willy Chases's FITCORN in Salted Honey flavour (£1.99-£2.19), I imagine these are going to taste incredible seeing as their sweet and salty and will be perfect for a movie night! Finally we have a free sample size of Willy's Apple Cider Vinegar!
Lastly this month theres quite a few drinks... Starting off with a bottle of Blossom Hill Summer Fruits Wine (£4.99), this came at the perfect time really as its been my boyfriends birthday so this really made the celebrations come along nicely. Next up I have a carton of KoKo Dairy Free Original (£1.50), this is a great alternative to milk made from freshly pressed coconut milk, it's perfect on your cereal, in your tee and coffee and makes a great base for milkshakes. Up next I have a bottle of Coldpress Juice (£2.79), now this might look gross but it actually tastes lovely, it's a fruity greens juice full of apple, lime, kiwi, banana, kale, celery and spinach so it's totally good for you and full of vitamins. Then theres a Double Dutch Pomegranate and Basil Mixer, this is different to your standard mixer as it can be drunk either by itself or you can enjoy it with a spirit too. Lastly for drinks this month is a carton of Just Bee Honey Water in Blueberry, this is a spring water drink enriched with a single drop of honey, with no refined sugar and less than 50 calories per carton, lovely.

Degustabox have kindly given me a discount code for all of my beautiful readers, all you have to do is pop 039DB into the promotional code box and you'll receive a whopping £7.00 discount when registering making your first box just £5.99. And don't worry beaut's, theres no commitments with Degustabox meaning you can cancel your subscription free of charge before the 10th of any month, but I mean why would you cancel monthly surprise food treats ha ha!

What do you think of the Degustabox concept beaut's? I'd love to know your thoughts!

nopin

February Beauty Favourites

Hi beaut's!

It's monthly favourites time again....I cant quite believe another month has whizzed past already, it's crazy how quick the time goes! This month I've mostly been loving some old makeup favourites but theres a couple of new ones in the mix too he he.

Firstly things are getting a bit peachy around here, yup the Too Faced Sweet Peach line is dominating my favourites this month. Firstly it's no surprise how much I love the Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Palette because I've raved about it A LOT since I got it last Spring, however it's recently made it's way back into my makeup bag and I've been using it every day. Secondly is the new Sweet Peach Glow Palette, now if your read my first impressions post on this you'll know I'm actually not a huge fan of it, so you may be wondering why it's made it's way into my favourites post but I actually LOVE the blusher within it - yes it doesn't pick up on the brush well but when I build it up it looks stunning and I wear it everyday so I had to feature it.
There was no thinking about what lip products I've loved this past month because it's simple - Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk Lipstick and Lip Cheat Liner! These two products basically haven't left my lips, this duo create the most gorgeous nude-y pink lip perfect for anywhere at any time, I love them so much!
Recently my pores around my nose have become quite visible so Benefit's POREfessional has been saving the day, I only use this around my nose as generally I don't really need to use primers and it's been filling those pores in a treat. Another face product I've been using everyday is the NYX Sculpt & Highlight Face Duo! Cream contouring is definitely the way forward because it's just so easy to use and blend and because the Sculpt & Highlight Face Duo has a concealer like formula it honestly takes seconds to apply and lasts all day! 
A couple of weeks back I decided to put all my dark nail polishes away and bring out some of the pretty pinks that I loved last year and my favourite at the moment is Barry M's Festival Fever. Festival Fever is a gorgeous pink with gold shimmers running through it, even though this shade was a limited edition Superdrug exclusive you can still get it online if you don't want to miss out. My final favourite this month is the Jimmy Choo Blossom Perfume, again I've put away some of my darker, more musky fragrances and brought some of my spring/summer scents and Blossom is a firm favourite for me, it's floral and fruity, whats not to love!

What have you been loving this month beaut's?? I'd love to know

nopin

L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.Art Collection Reviewed

Hey beaut's!

Being graced with quite long hair means I get to play around with styles a lot, I mean I'm not the most creative person out there when it comes to my hair but I do love to curl and wave my hair and then go on to styling it afterwards and I've been loving some of L'Oréal's Professionnel Tecni.Art Collection to help me do so.
One of my favourite products from the L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni Art Collection is the Full Volume Extra Mousse* (RRP £11.79), this is where it all starts for me in terms of building and great platform for my styles, I just pop some of the mousse into the palms of my hands and spread it through my hair with my fingers, this not only gives my hair such a volumised look once it's blow-dried in but adds texture and grip for when I'm curling and styling. What I love about this mousse is that it's not hard, crispy or flaky like other mousses I've tried in the past, it literally keeps everything in place but with a real soft finish which I love, and it smells incredible - just like the hairdressers.
Something else that is a life saver for me when curling my hair is the Tecni Art Pli Thermo-Fixing Spray* (RRP £13.99), this is a heat activated setting spray that gives instant volume, adds shape, fix, grip and hold whilst you style your hair with a heated tool, so as you can imagine having this spritzed into my hair before curling makes things a lot easier for me afterwards and keeps my waves in place for days without weighing my hair down.

The only downside to curling and waving my hair is often I'll get those annoying fly aways or frizzy bits that just wont tame - I'm sure I'm not the only person that really gets the hump by this, but the Tecni Art Liss Control Gel-Cream* (£14.50) has really been helping me out in that department, I can now see why this is a best-seller for L'Oréal. This gorgeous stuff controls and smooths those pesky frizzy bits and fly aways for up to 24 hours and I kid you not it really does do the trick, I use this gel-cream every single time I blow dry my hair now because even if I wear my hair straight it still controls the fly aways and frizz, I love this stuff so much. I'd also recommend this if your going on holiday or dealing with humidity, I bet it would cope with that amazingly!

Finally if your a lover of dry shampoo then you NEED to give the Tecni.Art Morning After Dust Invisible Dry Shampoo* (£13.36) a whirl. I use this just like any other dry shampoo but theres no residue or 'talc scalp' look what so ever and it gives mega root lift too, again the smell is absolutely divine and you could easily trick people into thinking your hairs been freshly washed, this stuff has probably impressed me the most out of everything! 

You can find the complete  L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.Art Collection HERE.

Whats your favourite things from the L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.Art Collection beaut's? I'd love to know!

nopin

So...? Fragrance Mists Review

Hey beaut's!

So...? fragrances bring back a lot of memories for me, back in the day I used to wear their body sprays to school everyday and my Mum would buy me bottles of the stuff because I was that obsessed, but now So...? have only gone and upped their game and have bought out a range of gorgeous new fragrance mists - their was originally six in the collection but they've just released another six, so theres sure to be a scent to suit everyone!

The  So...? Fragrance Mists* are basically perfumes but in body mist form, their super long lasting but never overpowering. Within each bottle is 100ml's of product which produces over a whopping 600 sprays, each spritz creates a super fine mist which doesn't soak the skin or clothing and each bottle is relatively small in size, super lightweight and great for any on the go freshen-ups whether it be in your handbag, school bag or gym bag! 
Out of the twelve within the collection I've been giving three a whirl, lets start with my favourite Vanilla this one is sweet, girlie and smells just like vanilla cupcakes of vanilla frosting, it honestly smells good enough to eat but please don't he he. Then theres Musk - this is more of a sophisticated scent that contains notes of bergamot, sandalwood and powdery musk which all create a pretty musky scent which you'd expect, I think this one a great for either nights out or Autumn/Winter time wear. And finally we have Rose Petals -  this one if great for any floral scented lover and is super feminine, it opens up with a bouquet of pink and white roses, before settling on a bed of lily of the valley, so perfect for Spring!

Overall I'm so impressed with these little beauties, they all smell incredible and you honestly would think these are actually perfumes and not body sprays, the lasting power is so good, I'd say a good 4-5 hours+ and I'm always getting whiffs of it throughout a working day, and as I said before these are really recognisable scents without being over powering! For £3.99 you seriously cant go wrong with these, so if your where a lover of So...? back in the day then I'd definitely recommend giving their mists a whirl!


The So...? Fragrance Mists retail for £3.99 each and are available online at Superdrug HERE and Boots HERE.

nopin

My 'Small' Charlotte Tilbury Collection So Far!

Hey beaut's!

If your anything like me then you'll love reading makeup collection posts, arhhh I'm just obsessed with them, it's literally a beauty lover/nosey persons dream post to read isn't it he he. So today I thought I would share with you all my 'very small' Charlotte Tilbury collection so far, I only started collecting Charlotte Tilbury makeup last August so my collection really isn't that impressive yet although I cherish and love everything I have so far.
My very first Charlotte Tilbury product was the Dolce Vita Eyeshadow Palette (£39.00), I had been eyeing up this palette online for around a year prior to actually getting it, and then the Jarrolds in Norwich got a massive Charlotte Tilbury section, and finally I could see what it actually looked like instead of looking at it through a computer screen and it was love at first site. The palette itself may only come complete with four shades but oh my those four shades are gorgeous and work so well either used all together or used separately, the shades are all warm-toned neutrals that lean more towards red and copper tones and are stunning in quality, I would really recommend the palettes as your first Charlotte Tilbury purchase!
It was at Christmas when I got my next Charlotte Tilbury fix, my boyfriend kindly bought me the Legendary Party Eyes Bauble that included a deluxe mini Legendary Lashes Mascara and a Rock 'N' Kohl Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Bedroom Black. After road testing both of  these out over the last couple of months I really have been impressed, I only have one downside which I'll come onto in a second. The Legendary Lashes Mascara is one of the best mascaras I've come across in terms of how it makes my lashes look, their so long, thick, black, volumised and theres not a clump in sight however... the down side is that it smudges on my brow bone quite badly and if I wear it on my lower lashes it smudges again giving me panda eyes, if Charlotte made a waterproof version of this mascara I'd buy it in a flash as it makes my lashes look the best they've ever looked it's just such a shame it smudges. The Rock 'N' Kohl Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Bedroom Black on the other hand is waterproof and bloody incredible, whether you want a smudged out smokey eye, eyeliner on the waterline or that feline flick the Rock 'N' Kohl Liner does the trick, it's intensely black, doesn't budge and is so easy to use, I'd definitely repurchase!
The final two products I have are for my pout, these are actually my most recent Charlotte Tilbury makeup purchases, one I treated myself too and the other was a Valentines gift from my boyfriend, isn't he a cutie! I knew it was only a matter of time before I bought one of Charlotte's lippies, and when she recently launched the shade Pillow Talk into her Matte Revolution collection I couldn't resist any longer. Pillow Talk is the most beautiful nude-y pink shade and I've worn it pretty much every single day since I got it. To match the lippie, my boyfriend bought me the best selling Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Pencil for Valentines Day, I love this just as much as the lipstick, their the perfect pair!

And there you have it beaut's, all the Charlotte Tilbury makeup I currently own. I have tried samples of her Magic Cream, Magic Foundation, Wonder Glow Primer, Magic Eye Cream and The Retoucher Concealer and loved ALL of them so much, you tend to get so many samples to try when you order from the Charlotte Tilbury website which is nice!

What's your favourite Charlotte Tilbury makeup product beaut's? I'd love to know!

nopin

L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Nutrifier Collection Review


Hey beaut's!

When it comes to my hair I'm quite naughty and do neglect it slightly, I'm always using heat on it whether it be when I curl it, straighten it or blow dry it and as you can imagine this leaves me with very dry, frazzled hair especially on the lower lengths, infact last year I had to have loads of my hair chopped off because it was so dry and damaged, so I'm always on the hunt for good haircare products now that will really repair and nourish my hair. 
The first step to take when you really want to repair your hair is finding the correct products to wash and condition it with, this can seem so simple but can make such a difference in the overall look and feel to your hair, and stupidly I didn't realise this until recently, I'm the sort of person who would usually pick up any shampoo on offer whether it be for my hair type or not and then wonder why there was no improvement in my hair at all - silly Hayley. Sooo.... I've been using the L’Oréal Nutrifier Shampoo and Condition on my hair recently which are both specially designed for dry, undernourished hair - perfect for me and my barnet! The Série Expert Nutrifier Shampoo* (RRP £11.50) and the Série Expert Nutrifier Conditioner* (RRP £12.50) are both silicone-free and made with glycerol and coconut oil. As we all know coconut oil has amazing benefits for the hair, not only does it nourish the hair but it nourishes the scalp too and brings shine to the hair and the added glycerol helps to hydrate and retain moisture, so these two are a match made in heaven for my hair. Since using this shampoo and conditioner I've noticed a HUGE improvement in my hair, it's softer, appears shiny and glossy, the ends don't feel dry or frazzled anymore and the overall appearance is just so much healthier!
Another step I like to take is using the Série Expert Nutrifier Masque* (RRP £14.75), this is an intense, deep conditioning treatment for the hair. I love using this once or twice and week, all I do is wash and condition my hair as normal than slather on the masque from root to tip and leave for around 5 minutes or so then rinse off. I have to say the results of this masque are instant and if your suffering with dry hair then one use of this will knock your socks off, my hair feels incredible when I've used the masque, it's so silky soft with even more added shine and nourishment, I can see myself buying this over and over as I cant live without it in my haircare routine now.

Overall I'm so happy I've come across the Série Expert Nutrifier range because it suits my hair down to a T, my hair feels super soft at all times, shiny, nourished and never weighed down or greasy, not to mention the scent of these products is incredible - really luxurious and just like you walked out of the salon.

You can find the complete L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Nutrifier Collection HERE and HERE.

nopin

Look Good Feel Better Flawless Foundation Duo Set Review

Hey beaut's!

I've heard such good things about the Look Good Feel Better brand and charity recently, I mean whats not to love - they make makeup tools and brushes and help raise money for charity all at the same time, I think all of us beauty lovers would be down for that. 
If you haven't heard of Look Good Feel Better before, they are the only worldwide cancer  charity providing practical support for women and teenagers struggling with the side effects from cancer treatment. Their free masterclasses and workshops in venues across the UK help woman and teens to regain their confidence, and a donation of 8-12% from each sale of their brushes goes directly to the charity!
Look Good Feel Better have lots of brushes to choose from but I've been giving their Flawless Foundation Duo Set* a whirl recently and have been super impressed, I mean I am a sucker for a good foundation brush or two after all he he. The LGFB Duo Set contains two brushes (obvs), theres a Duo Fibre Foundation Brush and an Angled Foundation Brush, theres also a handy little pouch you can store your brushes in too, this is great if you take your brushes out and about with you for touch ups as it will keep the bristles clean and safe. Each LGFB brush is hand-made using super soft taklon bristles; making them allergy free, environmentally friendly and suitable for sensitive skin.
The Duo Fibre Foundation Brush is my favourite out of the two brushes within the set, it has the softest bristles that blend in my foundation beautifully in a light non cakey way without leaving any streaky marks or patches, it's also great at applying cream bronzer and blusher too. The Angled Foundation Brush is more of your typical foundation brush however the shape of these sort of foundation brushes isn't usually my favourite, LGFB's offering is still good though, I find it just takes a little longer to work and blend my foundation however it's great for getting into those hard to reach area's around the nose and eyes because of it's angle. This brush is also great for mapping out cream contour and highlight, blending in concealer and it can even be used to add some powder to those hard to reach areas too.

Overall if your on the hunt for some new makeup brushes I 'd highly recommend Look Good Feel Better, the quality of the brushes is so so good and it's for such a good cause too.

You can find the full range of Look Good Feel Better's brushes at Marks and Spencer, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic and Beauty Expert.

nopin

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lipstick Review

Hey beaut's!

On my birthday last August I got my very first piece of Charlotte Tilbury makeup - the Dolce Vita Palette, and ever since then I've been pretty much obsessed with Charlotte Tilbury, her rock and kohl eyeliner in one of my faves, her Legendary Lashes Mascara is incredible and now I'm at that point where I just NEED everything she has he he. Being the lipstick lover than I am I knew my next purchase would have to be a lippie, and seeing as shes just made her best-selling lip liner 'Pillow Talk' into a matte revolution lipstick it just HAD to be mine!
Charlotte Tilburys Pillow Talk Lipstick is a gorgeous nude-y pink which mimics and enhances the natural hue of your lips, so you can cheat a perfect pillow-y pout in seconds. This sort of shade is right up my street, it goes with any makeup look - day or night and is perfect for any occasion - even work, now I can see why the lip liner is a best seller for Charlotte!
The lipstick itself is enriched with soothing orchid and Lipstick Tree extracts which makes the lips appear fuller and wider, with a softer, more youthful feel and is finished off with that gorgeous matte revolution finish. If your slightly weary of a matte lipstick because of that awful dry feeling then you have to try Charlotte's Pillow Talk, despite being matte it's actually still quite creamy in texture and isn't the slightest bit drying! The application process of Pillow Talk is super quick and easy too, the lipstick actually has an angled square tip which mimics Charlotte's lip brush so it goes on great from the bullet and really sculpts the lips as you go. Lasting power is great too, when I wear this to work it lasts my entire shift without any touch ups needed unless I have something to eat, then I might need to reapply in the centre of my lips but I get that with any lipstick I wear to be honest.
Finally can we all just take a moment to appreciate how stunning the packaging is, it's the most beautiful looking lipstick I own for sure and I think we will all agree that anything Rose Gold gets a huge thumbs up! I actually ordered my Pillow Talk lipstick from the Charlotte Tilbury website and I just wanted to add how fantastic the service was, I chose standard delivery and my parcel arrived within two days and everything was wrapped beautifully like it had been gift wrapped which was lovely, there was also six samples to try in a Charlotte Tilbury envelope which was much appreciated too.
Overall I am so happy that I bought this shade and that it was my very first Charlotte Tilbury lipstick, I definitely chose a great one to start with and I can certainly see this becoming one of Charlotte’s top sellers because it's a stunner. 

The Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lipstick is £24 and available HERE.

nopin

How I Upped My Photography Game On My Blog and Instagram?

Hey beaut's!

Photography is something I absolutely love and the one new years resolution I had this year was to play around more with my photography skills, but without spending a fortune on a fancy pants camera with a million pricey lenses. I feel like recently (without blowing my own trumpet) my photography is improving and this makes me happy, I feel like I'm understanding more about how I want my pictures to look before I take them and making the best out of what I've got and I'm pretty chuffed with the results at the moment, so I thought I would share all about what I use to achieve the pictures that I'm super happy with. 

Camera
As I just mentioned it isn't all about spending an absolute fortune on a fancy camera, of course you want your pictures to be clear and great in quality but you can find a lot cheaper camera options out there and even use your phone. Most (90%) of my Instagram photo's are taken on my iPhone 6s, yup that right beaut's my iPhone, the pictures are clear and if you have a room with a big window that lets lots of natural light in like I do in my lounge then your laughing, good natural lighting is the key. I do have a Canon IXUS 155 Camera that I got a few years ago when it was in the Curry's sale for £70.00 and I take all my blog photo's on it, this teamed with natural lighting creates the perfect pictures for my blog. Sometimes with a cheaper camera it's all about playing with the settings, trust me some settings in your camera can really make all the difference, I tried all the settings out in full on mine until I was completely happy, so don't be afraid to press buttons and try new things on your camera because you might come up with something quite genius. The setting that I love to use the most is brightness, whacking the brightness up on my Instagram photos and on my camera makes a huge improvement, so if you'd don't already I'd highly suggest giving that a whirl. When I'm actually taking my photo's whether it be on my camera or iPhone I always stand directly above my flat lay, this way you can fit so much in and your photos stay looking the same and in formation at all times.

Photography Space
As I'm a blogger most of my photography is taken in my house and consists of flat lay after flat lay, to do this I have a small white table that we already had in our house anyway, again you don't need to spend a fortune, you can use your dressing table, dining table, kitchen work top or even the floor. You may have noticed that recently the background of my photo's aren't white yet I have a white table, well.... the secret is to go to your local DIY shop and stock up on wallpaper samples (which are totally free by the way), this is what I did and now I lay my wallpaper down on my table and hey presto you have a pretty background. What I love about the wallpaper is you can literally lay it anywhere, the floor can literally become your table and no one would ever know, well unless your reading this of course he he. You can even buy tile samples for a couple of pounds if your looking for a marble background, my local DIY store doesn't do this but I know a lot of other shops do so this is another way of getting a 'blogger esk' background for a couple of pounds. I've also found that the pound shop is great for seasonal back rounds, my latest Valentines posts literally have valentines wrapping paper and tissue paper in them, I got a whole packet for £1.00, so it's definitely worth checking out your local pound shops too. 

Props
Filling empty spaces or gaps around your flat lays can make such a difference, this is something I only started doing around September last year and I noticed that not only did it look so much better but my feedback and engagement grew dramatically. I generally use things around my house like candles, magazines, flowers and cute notebooks. During autumn I used leaves, pine cones, scarves, fairy lights and cinnamon sticks, and then at Christmas I just used my Christmas decorations and baubles that I had. Other things I like doing are when I'm taking beauty photographs I might use other makeup products to fill spaces, such as if I'm taking a photo of an eyeshadow palette I might place down a few eyeshadow brushes to fill some space, or if I'm taking a photo of a foundation I could use a foundation brush or two and a beauty blender, these added extras make all the difference and really do complete your photo's. 

And there you have it beaut's, its all about working with what you've got and making the best out of it. I really hope this helped some of you out and if you have any tips of tricks that can help me improve further I'd love to know!

nopin

Valentines 'Jammie Dodger' Biscuit Recipe

Hey beaut's!

I've been slightly obsessed with Jammie Dodgers recently, you might have seen that I recently made some Jammie Dodger cupcakes (recipe here) which where pretty epic even if I do say so myself, but today I thought I'd give the actual biscuits a go. These biccys are so cute for valentines and where so quick and easy to make, the longest part of making these is the dough having to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, they actually bake in just 7 minutes he he.
What You Will Need For The Biscuits
100g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
A jar of strawberry or raspberry jam
A circle cookie cutter
A love heart cookie cutter
Baking sheets

How To
1. To make the biscuits, cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until well combined, then add in the egg and vanilla, and continue to beat until fully incorporated. 
2. Tip the flour into the mixture and fold together until fully combined, then shape the dough into a ball and wrap in cling film and pop into the fridge to firm up for around half an hour.
3. Once you dough has chilled completely preheat your oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line a couple of large baking trays with baking paper. 
4. On a lightly dusted surface, roll out the dough as thick or as thin as you like and use your round cookie cutter to cut out lots of biscuit rounds, once you have all of your biscuit rounds your going to want to separate half of them and use a small heart shape cookie cutter to stamp out heart shapes from the middle of your rounds. 
5. Pop the biscuits in the oven until golden, I made my cookies quite thin so they only took around 7 minutes but the thicker you go the longer they will take. If you like a nice crunch to your biscuits take them out half way through baking and sprinkle a small amount of caster sugar on them all, I did this and it makes such a nice snappy/crunchy biscuit.
6. Once the biscuits are cool, spread jam on the bottom biscuit and top with one of the heart cut out biscuits, sandwiching them together and voila. These biscuits will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container, that's if they last for 2-3 days because in our house they wont he he.
How yummy do these looks beaut's, they taste so nice and are so quick and easy to make and the ingredients are so minimal too which I love, and adding a sprinkling of caster sugar mid bake really does add such a nice crunch to the biscuits too, yum!

Will you be baking anything this valentines beaut's? I'd love to know!

nopin

Valentines Makeup Picks - Pink Edition!

Hey beaut's!

With Valentines Day only a few days away I thought it was the perfect time to dust off some of my favourite pretty pink makeup products and switch things around in my makeup bag. I love delicate pink and rose gold hues in makeup, theres something so sweet and feminine about them and all of my current pinky picks can easily be carried through into Spring time too.

My favourite combo for eyeshadow looks over the Valentines period is my Naked 3 Palette by Urban Decay with Maybellines Color Tattoo in Pink Gold as my base, these work so well together and the amount of looks I can create is endless, whether I want something subtle for daytime or more dramatic for a date night the Naked 3 Palette has me covered. I've also been super impressed by Maybellines Blushed Nudes Palette, it's so similar to the Naked 3 Palette and the quality is great too considering its a drugstore palette, so if your looking for an alternative I'd highly recommend the Blushed Nudes Palette.

I've always been a fan of pinks and mauve's on my lips and MAC's Brave lippie teamed with their Soar lip liner is a match made in Valentines/Spring heaven. For nails... I've finally put my darker shades away this week and pulled out some of my pretty pastels and to be honest I couldn't wait to put Barry M's Surfboard back on my nails, it was a firm favourite of mine last year. To add a pink flush to my cheeks I've been obsessed with my super affordable Miss Sporty Insta Glow Blusher in Glowing Mauve, this has a subtle sheen running through it (no glitter) and just looks so dewy, healthy and glowing!

And lastly for fragrance I'm all about Jimmy Choo's Blossom, this is such a lovely perfume that opens up with sweet, juicy notes and then surprisingly it turns into a somewhat floral, fruity mash up which is so nice and very spring /summer, I love it for this time of the year.

What are your favourite 'pinks' to wear around Valentines? I'd love to know?

nopin

The Body Shop 100% Cruelty-Free Vegan Makeup Brushes Review

Hey beaut's!

Not that long ago The Body Shop launched 10 brand new 100% Cruelty-Free Vegan Makeup Brushes with a range of face brushes and eye brushes to choose from, so all bases are covered. Each brush has been made with charcoal-coated, super-soft synthetic bristles and have sustainably sourced wooden handles too, making these brushes 100% friendly in every way, yay!
I've been giving four of the new brushes a whirl and my goodness I love them all so much, I had never tried any makeup brushes from the body shop before so I had no idea what to expect but I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality, they all apply the products beautifully, I've not experienced any shedding at all even when washing them, the bristles are honestly the softest bristles I've ever felt - I'm talking super super soft and the overall quality of the brushes is really good and they feel super expensive too. 
Lets kick things off with the Buffing Brush* (£14.00). I have been using this brush more or less everyday to apply my liquid foundation because the finish is just completely flawless, theres never any horrid brush stroke lines and it always blends my foundation into my skin perfectly in a matter or minutes, which is great if your in a rush but still want perfect skin. The bristles are densely packed together and hold their shape well, just like all the brushes you can use the buffing brush with creams, liquids and powders and it's a super versatile brush too and can blend in cream blush, bronzer and highlighter in a jiffy! It's most definitely a staple brush for me!
Next up is the Fan Brush* (£11.00), I only got into fan brushes last year and Ive been obsessed with them ever since, I tell ya beaut's if you haven't used a fan brush for highlighting your seriously missing out. The Body Shops Fan Brush is super soft and blends my highlighter in like a dream which I pretty much thought it would, you can also use this brush for subtly adding blush to your cheeks too, which I must admit I had never tried until now and I actually really liked it, I definitely recommend using a blush with a slight sheen to it to get the best 'glowy' effect.
Moving onto the eye brushes... Firstly I have the Flat Shader Brush* (£8.00), this little beauty has quite short, densely packed bristles perfect for creating more dramatic eyeshadow looks such as a killer smokey eye, it's shape is great for winging out and extending eyeshadow work and it can also be used to pack colour onto the lid or to smoke out eyeshadows underneath the eye too. 
Lastly I have the Double-Ended Eye Shadow Brush* (£10.00), this dual ended brush has a  slanted brush at one end, perfect for creating precise lines when doing gel liner or defined strokes when filling in my brows. The other end is a blender brush, this is such a staple brush, it blends out eyeshadow work really well and I've even used it under my eyes with concealers and really liked it too, it's such a versatile brush that takes less room up in my makeup bag because of it's dual purpose.

I'm super happy I finally go to try out some of the Body Shops makeup brushes, it's definitely given me the bug to try more from the collection that's for sure. Have you tried any of the Body Shop's makeup brushes beaut's? Which brush is your favourite? I'd love to know!

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