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!

So a few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to receive another product. This time from Doll White. For those of you who haven't heard of them, they make teeth whitening strips.

Now I've always been into oral care and I'd love to have a really white smile. I drink a lot of tea and coffee which probably doesn't help, but we probably all have teeth that aren't as perfect as we'd like.

And so I was thrilled to receive this product to try and review.

• First of all the packaging is sweet and simple.

• The instructions are simple and clear and there isn't a massive leaflet that you have to unfold to read, just a simple little card with how to use them on it.

• The strips are all in separate little plastic pockets to ensure that they are all fresh and ready to use.

• Each strip is placed on a see through plastic back.

• All you do is place the strips on your teeth and then wait for about half an hour.

•  I was sent the 14 day trial versions and so I believe the idea is that you use the strips once a day for whiter teeth that assuming will come in 14 days.

Review

• This product was easy to use and didn't take up much room in my wash bag.

• After use my teeth were noticeably whiter, however the whiteness seemed a bit patchy- it obviously took better to some parts of my teeth.

• I did find however that the whiteness then disappeared and my normal tooth colour made an appearance again soon after drinking or eating or even neither.

• This is not to say that it doesn't gradually whiten your teeth.

• I believe these whitening strips are a good easy way to quickly whiten your teeth and would perhaps be best for a dazzling smile for a evening out or event where you want to quickly and inexpensively give your teeth a quick boost.

• It did make my smile look better and I could definitely tell the difference.

It is unfortunate that for me, the results did not seem to last- however others may have experienced different results? I'd like to hear them!

1. Stretch
2. 30 Squats
3. 20 Lunges - 10 each side
4. 20 Crunches
5. 20 Push Ups
6. 20 Weight lifts
7. 40 Single hand weight lifts - 20 each arm
8. 30 Wall sit 

And it's as simple as that. I myself have looked all over the interent for a simple easy method of staying fit and working out in the comfort of my own home. So I just had the idea of creating my own workout based on the exercises I enjoy. So I hopt these exercises work for you. Please let me know how you get on and I'll be updating you all throughout the summer.

So this week has been amazing, and because didn't do an update/reflections last Sunday, i'll connect last week too. Now it's been amazing mainly due to this weekend however the rest of the fortnight has had some good moments too. So I thought I'd reflect on the week by stating as many good things that have happened that I am thankful for! Reflection is a good thing to do as it makes you put things into perspection and realise how lucky you are.

• Took an evening walk down to the seafront and walked down a different path and came around the most beautiful rose garden and a little Japanese garden.
•  Had one last BBQ in our 2nd year student house with my housemates before moving out.
• Myself and my housemate got the house all clean and tidy.
• I got everything packed up and ready for my family to pick me up, AND we managed to fit it all in the car!
•  I hit 400 followers on Twitter
• I hit 300 followers on Google+
• I hit 85 followers on Bloglovin
• I redesigned parts of my blog and I'm pretty happy with how it looks for now.
• I got to see my beautiful golden retriever again.
• I got to see my family and get to spend the summer with them.
• I played COD Zombie on the Xbox with my brother which is always fun.
• I resisted snacking.
• I created my own workout (going on the blog soon).
• I went for an early morning run.
• I got ahead of myself with my blog posts and feel much more prepared.
• Sorted through clothes and given some to charity shops.
• Discovered a new love for green tea.
• Got a Minion hat from McDonalds.
• I went to see Madness at Silverstone!
• I went to the Formula One British Grand Prix with my dad for the third year running and it was AMAZING!!! 
• Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix!!!

Okay, so I'm not going to a festival as such, but I am going to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix- which by the way is the most amazing experience ever! And it is very much like a festival in that there is live music on the stage, loads of people, yummy food and beverage stands, and just amazing things to do! And so I thought I'd blog about Festival/Sporting event essentials. Now whether I'll be taking all these things I'm not sure yet but as you can see there are several pictures with certain options as clothes wise I'll probably be wearing F1 Mercahndise, which of course doesn't concern festival folk. But hey ho! I am actually going to a Madness concert at Silverstone tonight, so I will mostly likely take the more festival options with me! Exciting!!

Essentials list down below...





Festival/Weekend Break Essentials List

• Sunglasses- Primark £1
• Rucksack- Debenhams
• Satchel- Primark
• Playsuit- New Look £9.99
• Notebook
• Suncream
• Camera
• St Moriz- apply before
• Floral Crowns 
• Hat
• Tickets
• Tent
• Lots of tissues- they will come in handy!
• Baby Wipes- may be the only wash you get.
• Paint/Coloured Hair Spray etc - whatever it is you want to decorate yourself with.
• Raincoat
• Money
• Water
• Ideal clothing for different weather types

Grand Prix Essentials List

• Rucksack
• Flask
• Suncream
• F1 Hat
• F1 Shirt
• Ear plugs
• Food- food is very expensive inside the circuit
• Notebook
• High quality camera
• Plenty of water
• Tickets
• Money
• Tissues
• Raincoat
• Sunglasses
• Paracetamol- in case of headache from noise
• Wellies
• Trainers
• Comfortable trousers or shorts- lots of walking and lots of sitting down.
• Tent- if camping
• Wash things-if camping- I think they have nicer facilities than at a festival.

There are probably a lot that i've missed off, but these are all the items I could think of at the time. Definitely going to be using this as my check list!