As a beauty blogger, saying I love make up is pretty much a given. I've tried so many brands and so many products, all of which either have already been featured on this blog or will in the future.

However there is one product that I have gone back to time and time again and it has never let me down.

I have combined skin like a lot of people, often its dry and often it's oily and that can become difficult. I love using liquid foundations however if you are going somewhere, carrying a bottle of creamy make-up is probably not the best idea. And that's where this comes in, Maybelline Matte Mousse- my best friend foundation.

First of it, it's very compact and can easily fit inside a handbag. Its screw on lid means that all the product is safely kept inside without the worry of spillage.

Secondly it's a mousse which means again that it's less likely to leak and also is less sticky on the skin.

It's matte which is brilliant as it acts as a powder as well. Because it isn't a liquid, it applies really easily to the skin but feels already dry and, for me, it acts as a good powder substitute.

I don't wear this foundation all the time. It is my safety net, I know it looks good and is so easy and quick to apply, that I keep it in my bag for emergencies and quick cover ups!

It's perfect for taking to the bathroom to speedily top up your make up without the faff of having to reapply a liquid and then powder as well!

I've used this foundation for about 6 years now and I don't plan to stop buying it. It lasts me ages as well because you only need a little bit and if you aren't using it all the time, then it lasts ages!

I take it with me for day trips and days out as it means I can reapply and feel good without having to take my whole make-up bag. If my skin is having a bad day, I know I can rely on Maybelline Matte Mousse Foundation to make me feel more comfortable when out and about AND feel less stressed about my skin!

Okay, so I admit it, I cheated... I used a packet mix. But what is a student on a budget to do? In all seriousness I was planning on baking bread from scratch as I'd like to think of myself as quite the baker! However I thought it'd make a good blog post if I tried out a cheaper, easier alternative for people who have less time and money or for people who perhaps aren't quite confident yet to bake from scratch. And thus we are here...

And guess what? The bread mix only cost me 70p!

Ingredients:

500g Sainsbury's Crusty White Bread Mix
25g Butter/Margarine
310g Luke warm water


 Method as written on packet.

1. Put the mix in a large bowl.
2. Add the butter and rub in with the fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Gradually mix in water to make soft dough.
4. Knead well on lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
5. Place back in bowl and cover with lightly oiled cling film.
6. Leave the dough in a warm place for about an hour.
7. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
8. Knead well, place in a greased 2lb loaf tin, or as I did, roll into balls to make rolls.
9. Cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film.
10. Leave in a warm place for a further 30 mins.
11. Remove cling film and bake in a preheated oven 230Degrees (450F, Gas Mark 8) for 30 minutes, or 15 minutes for rolls, or until golden brown.

Now, I'm going to say it... I love fake tan. You probably already know this if you follow me on twitter, Instagram or YouTube (check out my video on fake tan here). I'm naturally rather pale and fair and so when I discovered fake tan several years ago, it was a new chapter for me.

Now, I want to say, I in no way wear it to hide away from my natural skin or to try to be someone else. I wear it because it gives me a confidence boost, and that's not to say I don't feel confident when I'm not wearing it, but the feeling I got when I first wore it always comes back to me and gives me a nice feeling. It's a bit like a comfort blanket for me.

There will always be people who don't understand it or think it looks fake, but to be quite honest I'd rather wear fake tan than sit out in the sun getting leathery and at risk.


Anyway enough rambling. I found out about this tan when I saw Kylie Jenner wearing it on Instagram, so I did my research and was really tempted to buy it. So I did.

First thing that a lot of people mentioned was the smell. And that was that it doesn't smell as bad as most tans, and to be honest I thought 'Yeah right!'. But I honestly have to say that it does actually smell really nice and there is only a very faint fake tan smell, but you have to seek it out by smelling yourself. It is no where near as noticeable as most tans.

The little bottle is super cute and has a little message written on the tape around the nozzle! I'll let you discover this. I love the pink and the nozzle allows an easy application with little mess.

The application was great, the mousse comes out generously and is really smooth to apply. It does dry quite quickly though so it's important to keep up so to avoid streaks.

Here is one before and after application:
 


Once I applied I waited for about 3 hours before showing. I patted myself dry so to not lose any colour. I then slept and had another quick shower in the morning to be rid of any product that didn't come off before.

The colour I was left with was even and gorgeous. It didn't seem orange or streaky in anyway and I was thrilled with the overall look.

Tea tea tea. What a wonderful invention/discovery. Hats off to the first person who decided to combine hot water with tea leaves. I bow down to you oh mighty one.

I love tea, if I hadn't already made that clear, it is my go to hot drink because, and I think a lot of people will agree with me, it makes everything better. And I mean physically it may not be able to heal a wound, it may not be able to regrow a limb, however emotionally, it helps.

I drink a lot of tea, and so recently I thought it'd be good to try some different teas. So I'll discuss one today and if you're one of those wonderful people who keep coming back, then you'll get to see my other tea posts too.

Today I decided to delve back into my box of Clipper Green Tea. I've had green tea before and i'm unsure of what the make was, but I wasn't overly impressed. However I thought I'd give it another go!

This brand of tea tastes delicious, as far as water and leaves can taste.

It almost tastes like normal tea without the milk. I feel really awake and refreshed and energised after drinking this tea, and my mood feels much more positive. Does this tea have powers? Most likely no more than any other tea, however I was really impressed with this tea and how it made me feel.

So go ahead and get you're tea fix. But don't stick to just drinking one kind of tea!! Try them all!

Which teas have you tried? Can you reccommend any?

Speak soon

I'm not Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood (although I could perhaps do a good impression, well an impression perhaps not a good one), but I do know a little about baking. I've done my fair share in my lifetime, usually the recipes are really simple and so when I decided to bake the other day I had the idea of sharing it with all of you beauties and bakers out there who love a quick, easy recipe.

This recipe is perfect for doing with kids because it uses hardly any ingredients and takes under half an hour. Not only this but children will love these yummy treats. And of course, they're perfect for us adults too!

So without further ado:

Ingredients:
100g Butter or Margarine
150g Plain Flour
50g Caster Sugar
2tbsp of Cocoa powder
Water/milk


Method:

There are several ways of doing this, however I have found that you can just put all the ingredients together and mix into a dough and get pretty similar results. However to do it properly, follow these instructions...

1.) Set oven to 170 degrees.
Measure out the flour and cocoa powder and sieve into a bowl.

2.) Measure out the butter and sugar and stir them in a different bowl until they are completely blended or mixed.


3.) Pour the flour and cocoa powder into the butter and sugar mixture.
4.) Using clean hands- preferably with no nail vanish just in case this comes off- rub the ingredients together until it resembles bread crumbs.

5.) You may then need to slowly add tiny amounts of water, just to get the mixture to become more of a dough.

6.) Knead into a ball.

7.) Now this bit is up to you, you may wish to roll it out and create shapes. I rolled it out straight into a baking tray to create a messy/rocky tray bake kind of shortbread.

8.) Put in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked. It should feel solid on the top. It may feel soft in the middle when hot, but once cooled should harden.

9.) Lightly sprinkle icing sugar over the tops once cooled for a cool snowy effect.


And there you have it, how easy was that? They taste super yummy and only take a small amount of time out of your day to make. So why not try these out?

Comment below if you try them and let me know how they turn out!

For my 21st Birthday I was really pleased to receive a MoYou London nails set from a friend as a gift. I'd seen how lovely her nails looked and so it'd given her the idea of getting me a set.

The set I have is Mother Nature:

This set includes 3 nail vanishes, 2 metal designs, 1 stamp and 1 scraper.


This set is so sweet and, with practise, creates sweet and pretty nail art that is really easy to do! As you can see, my attempt here is not perfect, but thats because I'm still learning! But the patterns I've used is the butterfly stencil!

Note: You have to make sure you clean the stencils well using nail polish remover so that next time you use it, the stencil pattern comes out much better!! As you can see, I have not yet cleaned these stencils in the picture to show you what they look like without cleaning.

This set is perfect for a gift but also for a cheeky treat to yourself. It's great to use when you have a bit more time to spare for your nails- so go ahead- glam yourself up with MoYou London!

I always think that a tidy room means a tidy mind, and this seems to be true. Whenever I'm working and I can't concentrate, I look around to see if my room is messy and it often is. I truly believe that in order to think straight and clear your mind, you need to be in a tidy and clean environment, I'm not sure why but to me it makes sense. This brings in the idea of Feng Shui which is a chinese philosophical system of harmonizing everyone with the surrounding environment. The term Feng Shui literally translates as "wind-water" in English.
And so often people use this idea when decorating and arranging the room. By having furniture in the right places it creates good Feng Shui- or so I've heard/learnt. So this very much backs up my theory! Feng Shui is all about balancing the energies in a given space to provide better health and fortune. 

So next time you're feeling stressed, think about the Feng Shui of your room and ask yourself if it is creating a positive atmosphere or a negative one. Some people may not believe in it and that is fine. Whether Feng Shui is real or not, the idea of having a clean/tidy environment can definitely have a positive impact on you mood.

1. Andrew Barton S.O.S Help Me- Daily Repair Conditioner

This product was lovely. I got it because it was on offer when I did my Asda shop as I wanted to try something new. It really does make you hair feel soft and the smell reminds me of coconut biscuits and lasts actually several days, you can still smell it even if you wash your hair using different products!! 
7.) Lush products
I had a bunch of lush products, from bath bombs to massage bars. Lush will always be a favourite of mine because not only are all of their products brilliant, they are against animal testing which is fab!