Valentines Special: Vanilla Hearts ♡

♡ Vanilla Heart Cookies ♡

Valentines Day is just around the corner, it's tomorrow! So I thought I might as well celebrate by writing not only my first valentines post but also my first baking one. I love to bake and these biscuits seem to go down so well at my house so I decided to share the recipe with you. These cute festive heart shaped treats are so easy to make and are perfect as a gift to a loved one. You could even switch up the colour to make them red and pink but I like to keep things simple and sweet. 

This recipe will make 10 - 12 cookies.

To make these you will need:

125 grams of caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

   225 grams of plain flour, plus extra for rolling out

  150 grams of unsalted butter cut into small cubes,

plus extra for greasing

     1-2 tsp of vanilla extract, depending on how vanilla

tasting you want them

You will also need some equipment:
           A large mixing bowl
     A wooden spoon
            A heart cookie cutter
A baking tray
A rolling pin

The last two I forgot to include in the photo.

Begin by preheating your oven to 180°c / 350°f / gas mark 4. Then lightly grease your baking tray/s with your extra butter. I used two baking trays for this recipe.

Then sift your flour into your mixing bowl and add the butter. Begin rubbing the mixture with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. This may take a while, just make sure there are no lumps of butter left.

Once you have it looking similar to mine, go ahead and stir in the caster sugar and vanilla extract with your wooden spoon. Only add 1tsp of vanilla at the moment.

Once it is sticking start getting your hands in there to form a firm dough, this make take a while to get going. Now is the time to add more vanilla if you want it, this will help to form the dough a bit better if yours is looking dry. You will be able to smell how good the dough is at this point but try and resist eating it until its baked. You will know the dough is done because the bowl will be clean and it won't be sticking to the sides.

Now is the time to sift some flour onto a work surface and start rolling your dough out with a rolling pin. Roll it until it's the thickness you're happy with. I like mine about 1 - 1.5cm thick. If you want them more chunky then just roll it out thicker, these will take slightly longer to bake.

Once it's all rolled out, dust some flour onto your cutter and start cutting out your hearts. Keep re-rolling the dough until all the dough is used up, or most of it. 

 

Place them on your greased baking tray and pop them into the top shelf of your preheated oven for about 12 minutes. Keep an eye on them because if they are thicker they will take longer, and any thinner then they will need less time. You will know when they are done when they start to go golden. Don't worry if they still feel soft to touch as this will give them a softer, more cookie like texture in the middle.

Once baked, place on a cooling rack and sprinkle on your left over caster sugar. You can either leave them to cool, but I can't resist them when they are still warm.

Enjoy!

Have a Happy Valentines Day!

XOXO

Review: Benefit Roller Lash

Benefit Roller Lash

I was so excited when I found out that Elle's March issue came with a travel size of Benefits new mascara. It is called Roller Lash because it is a 'super-curling & lifting mascara'. It gives you curled lashes like rollers in your hair. The facts are: 

97% said it visibly lifts lashes*

87% said it gives long-lasting curl*

94% said eyes look more wide open*

*Consumer panel survey on 31 women after 4 weeks.

The packaging of the full size is slightly different. The lid isn't like a rose gold like the travel size. I was king of disappointed about that as I think the tube looks sleek and everyone loves a bit of rose gold. However the full size tube is typical benefit, cute and girly. They love doing unique designs with their packaging. They always come up with unique ideas, like a mascara that acts like a roller for you lashes. Genius idea. 

The wand itself is interesting. It is the same material as the They're Real mascara wand, a plastic bristle. However, it's curved and without the ball on the end. I personally found the They're Real wand too much and it always left my eye makeup looking messy with blobs of mascara on my eyelids. That could just be me being clumsy though. I also wasn't a huge fan of the formula. Anyway, enough of that one. I'm hear to talk about Roller Lash. The facts on the wand:

Hook'n'Roll brush patent-bending hook design & position catches, lifts and curls.

Here is a (rather sleepy eyed) photo of my eyes. Please excuse the state of my eyebrows too!

On the left side I have one coat of the Roller Lash mascara, on the right I have nothing. 

As you can see, it really lengthened and lifted my lashes. It definitely opened my eye. I am a huge fan of lengthening mascaras so therefore I am a huge fan of this. It is definitely build able, although there I forgot to do a photo with another coat on.

This final photo shows both of my eyes with mascara again. Still looking sleepy but it was early and I had just woken up.

I love this mascara and it definitely does what it says on the box. I always look forward to new Benefit products so I literally dived on this one. Mascaras are my weakness. 

Another thing to mention. Even though this didn't flake or smudge it was so easy to take off at the end of the day. This is definitely a bonus.

I really enjoyed doing this review.

XOXO

January Favourites ♡

 Well, it's that time of the month and I thought seeming as I have not done a monthly favourites before, what better way to start than at January. The first month of 2015 is now over so i'm reflecting on some of my favourites that began this year. Firstly, how cute is my cup and saucer! Of course it has green tea in, i'm starting the year detoxing from Christmas. 

So lets begin! My first favourite has to be a new found love of mine. They're real push-up liner from Benefit. Of course Benefit is one of my top beauty brands but this is definitely one of my favourites from there. I got this as a gift in the 'Best of Benefit' kit that was sold in boots for Christmas. It is a gel formula that glides delightfully along the lash line to make for a perfect winged liner. The formula lasts all day for me and longer because the only downside I can find is how much of a pain it is to remove. I guess thats why they made a 'They're Real' remover. However with some persistence it does come off! I will most positively be repurchasing this, along with the rest of my favourites, when it runs out. 

I have been wanting to try this next favourite for AGES! You hear a lot of hype about this product. Hoola bronzer by benefit, I also received this in a kit for Christmas. I couldn't wait to try this out as soon as I got it and have loved it ever since. This bronzer is perfect for contouring, giving you a bronzed glow and I even use it as an eyeshadow. I'm not one that plays by the rules. This bronzer is so lovely to blend, I mean are I just love it. I use this with a duo fibre finishing brush to distribute the product evenly and not create harsh lines, I personally think they work great hand in hand.

YSL Touche Eclat, doesn't this product look so inviting and pretty. I mean what girl wouldn't like makeup in gold packaging. I have mine in the original shade, no.1. As many of you may know this isn't known for great coverage but for the amazing highlighting effect. I love the applicator and the consistency is so easy to blend. I apply this under my eyes before concealer to brighten and it works wonders on my dark circles. It is a bit pricey but I couldn't resist it when they had a deal on in Debenhams before Christmas. I managed to get my hands on this for £21 and it came with a travel sized Babydoll mascara. I think it's definitely worth the hype and price.

I managed to get my hands on this in the Boots sale on all the Christmas gifts. I purchased the 'Love My Skin - Facial Cleansing Brush' for £15. At the moment its exclusively only sold at Tesco and Boots for £30 (normal price). It came with doubles of all the brush head and a travel case. I wanted to try this out as it looked similar to the well known Clarisonic but a fraction of the price. It also claimed you would see results after a week using it 60 seconds a day. I definitely noticed a difference, even my mum did. She ended up purchasing one herself online. I use the rubber like brush head the most and I find it removes any dirt and makeup great. My face creams went on so much smoother as well as my foundation. Also my blemishes and scars are really clearing up. So far, so good.

This scent is amazing, it's 'Under my spell Noelle' from Benefit. It's got a warmth to it and smells kind of musky but with a slight fruitiness. You just have to spell for yourself. I can't recommend this for everyone because perfume is personal but if you like a subtle musky scent this could be one for you.

I received an amazing nail kit for Christmas called The Nail Lab and it's from Ciate. Without going into to much of a ramble it's basically a kit to make your own glitter nail polish. It's great for the girly girls that love nail polish, being creative and of course GLITTER. Currently I have made three and I love them. Oh and you get to name them so first is 'Midnight Mayhem'. Its a deep blue with a hint of silver and looks great over deep navy or black, probably white aswell. Then there's 'Might Meteor', it's black and gold. I love this combination in everything so I thought why not make into a glitter nail polish. Last of all, 'Pink Truffle'. I called it this mainly because it looks like an expensive pink and well truffles are expensive. Its gold baby pink, gold and a hint of white. This kit is definitely a winner for me.

I needed new straighteners as my old ones were making weird noises. I picked up these by a brand called Diva. These are from their Rebel Collection in the floral edition. I really like these. They leave my hair looking so silky and shiny with the titanium plates. What's great as well is they have a switch off after ten minutes if they aren't used. I realised this when I heated them up whilst doing my makeup and they were off when I had finished because obviously I took more than ten minutes doing makeup. Obviously you should always remember to turn off your hair tools but if you ever get distracted these won't be an issue. Brilliant!

Last but by no means least, I got a new watch. This is from a brand called Komono and its from their 'Fat Wizard Speckled' Collection. I wanted a colour that went with everything so I chose the Concrete shade. This watch is simple but looks great layered with other arm candy. It also doesn't irritate my wrist which is a bonus for me. I suppose this is a fashion favourite of the month. I would definitely recommend taking a look at all the different colours they do, I think this watch was definitely worth the price.

Hope you liked my first favourites post, be sure to follow for more to come.

XOXO

DIY Ripped Jeans..

As you may or may not have seen, distressed denim is making it's way back! I have loved the distressed look for years and am so glad that it's easy to find at the moment. So ripped jeans may have been in shops for years but it was big last year and I have a feeling this year too . From the Kardashians to Rhianna, celebrities have been seen sporting this trend and it's one I hope will stay in forever. 

Buying ripped jeans can get a bit pricey so todays post is going to show you a few simple steps to distress your denim.

It's time to start cutting up those jeans you have had hiding in your wardrobe for months or years.

Some of the things you will need: 

Jeans of course, my two pairs were some old ones I had found in a bag that I was chucking out that was full of clothes. I hadn't worn them since last year or maybe even the year before that. Yikes! They are both from New Look and are just plain skinnys in a black and a light wash denim.

Next on the list is a good pair of fabric scissors.. or some sharp kitchen scissors will do.  

Then tweezers, every girl owns a pair so they shouldnt be too hard to get hold of. A pen to mark where you will be cutting. And finally a nail file, this is optional but I find it helps rough up the look.

 The first step to do is try on your jeans to mark off the points you want to cut, I wanted to rip up the knees and cut them a bit shorter because you can probably tell they are long on me.

Step two, now this picture looks a bit dangerous so if you are a child I would ask for an adults help. You want to now cut the slits that were marked on the knee but be careful and dont cut through the back of the leg too. Unless thats the look you're going for, of course! The scissors have been photographed like that because once you have cut the slit, according to how big you want it, you take the scissors split apart and rub it along the cut denim. If that makes any sense then congratulations. If not then you can always do the same thing with a nail file, much simpler and safer.

Strep three, this is where the tweezers are used. You want to pul the individual threads so they become loose like the picture above. These are the threads going across you jeans not down.

To finsh off I wanted to shorten my jeans so I cut along the bottom of one leg according to where I had marked it. To make sure both legs were even I flipped one leg on top of the other and cut along the line. All that was left to do was repeat step two and three.

Jeans are complete, told you it was simple!

At this stage you can also rough up certain parts of the jeans with the nail file and add more rips. I added one more on the back pocket. 

To loosen up the threads and make them ready to wear, just throw them in the washing machine, dry them and you're ready to rock your new distressed jeans straight off the catwalk!

Really sorry about this but I completely forgot to take a final photo of them, styling them up however there is plenty of inspiration online.. This is mainly because I seem to have lost them!

XOXO

Checked Nails 💅

Nails Of The Day...

Another bit of nail art.. this one is monochrome checks on a nude base. This design is fresh looking and simple, it can be worn with so many different looks due to the neutral tones. It's perfect if you want your nails to look great and stylish but have to keep it simple for work etc.

I used tools and polishes that came in my WAH Nail Kit. It's a great kit and even comes with design tutorial print outs inside. It was one that was sold in boots over the Christmas period.

Firstly I prepped all my nails by filing and buffing them, cleaning up the cuticles and then wiping off any dust, oils or left over polish with nail polish remover. 

I then applied a coat of the Barry M base coat to all my nails. Once dried I moved on to applying two coats of WAH's I'm Real nail polish, leaving 5 minutes in between each coat to dry. I left this all to dry completely for about 30 minutes then moved onto the design.

I took the white nail art pen and painted vertical lines using the striper brush. I did this on every other nail and did the rest with black. Once that was dried I painted the lines horizontally on matching nails. 

I waited for this to be fully dried, cleaned it up using a brush and remover then applied a Ciate topcoat to seal in my design and make my nails nice and glossy. This would also look great with note pink lines against the nude nail finished with a matte topcoat.

I love this design and it's a nice fresh, clean look to start the new year.

Happy new year!! (Bit late, I know)

XOXO