Beauty Tuesday: Summer Skin Care Favourites!

As the weather has been so hot lately and felt like it really is the Summer (wonder how long this weather will last) I thought that I would share with you my Summer Skin Care Favourites! 

My moisturiser of choice for the Summer is always the Garnier Intensive 7 Days, this stuff smells like Summer and is really moisturising, especially when skin feels tight after being in the sun! I have the Cocoa Butter version which is for dry, rough skin and this is by far the richest moisturiser I have found! 

In the Summer I also like to use a gradual tanner and my favourites are the Palmers Cocoa Butter and the Dove one as these give a very subtle hint of colour after one application and doesn't look fake. 

After my shower I like to use a body spary to spritz over my body as this is really refreshing! My favourite is the Soap and Glory Mist You Madly body spray. It has the original Soap and Glory pink scent and is really revitalizing in the morning time.

That's it, see you all soon!

xoxo 

Connie 

Style Saturday: Summer Cupcakes #2

I'm back with another Summer cupcake recipe again this Style Saturday as promised. This weeks recipe is the '99' Cupcakes as I think that '99' icecream just sums up the Summer and this sounded like a perfect recipe. These cupcakes are pretty much just plain vanilla sponge with vanilla frosting with a few added extras, so they really quick and simply to make but look really impressive. These cupcakes will be perfect for Summer parties, BBQ's and picnic's. 

There are several ways in which you can decorate these cupcakes as it's up to you and you can base it on how you like your '99' icecream... plain, with a flake, stawberry sauce or sprinkles.  I made a few with a flake and a few with strawberry sauce so there is a little selection.

These cupcakes have a delicious bake there golden brown and crunchy on the outside and the inside is light, fluffy and very moist too. There is a lot of buttercream icing on these cupcakes so there very sweet, and if your not the biggest fan of icing then there probably not for you.

For the cupcakes you will need...

175g of unsalted butter

175g of caster sugar

1tsp of vanilla extract

3 eggs

55g of ground almonds

150g of self raising flour

For the icing you will need...

150g of softend butter

1tbsp of milk

150g of icing sugar

To decorated the cupcakes you will need...

(These are all optional) 

8 mini chocolate flakes

sugar sprinkles 

raspberry or strawberry jam 

To make these cupcakes...

Firstly you need to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy with an electric whisk in a large bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add the flour and whisk for a couple of minutes, then add in the vanilla. After gently fold in the almonds. Line a cupcake baking tray with the cases- this recipe bakes 8-10 cupcakes. Then spoon in the mixture until the cases are about 2/3 full. Bake in the oven until golden brown and are springy to touch, then allow to cool on a wire rack. 

To make the butter cream icing...

Place the butter, milk and icing sugar into a medium sized bowl and whisk until smooth with and electric whisk. 

To decorate the cupcakes...

Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a large star nozzle and pipe the icing over the cakes to a peak like an ice-cream cone. Press a flake into each cake and then if you like you can scatter a few sprinkles on top. If you want to add strawberry sauce you need to warm the jam and then drizzle a little over the cakes. 

I hope you like this recipe -If you bake these cupcakes be sure to send me your pictures on Instagram with the hashtag #connielovesbeauty

xoxo

Connie

What I Ate Wednesday (17.6.14)

Breakfast

I had porridge with semi-skimmed milk as usual for breakfast and I added extra milk and blueberries on top. I had a cup of tea with 1 sugar and milk and a glass of orange juice too.

Lunch

I actually made lunch from scratch today, I made chicken and corn chowder. It was made with onions, potatoes, double cream, chicken stock, sweetcorn, butter and obviously chicken too. It was actually surprisingly easy to make but it took along time, but it was worth is as it was really delicious- if I do say so myself. On the side I had a white bread roll heated up so it was warm and crispy with butter and I also had a glass of water too. 

Dinner 

For dinner I had pasta bake, which was made by my mum. It has leftover chicken from lunch, baby corn, green beans, broccoli, tomatoes and some other vegetables - I'm sure, as my mum likes to cook with a lot of veg. Which I actually don't mind as I have alway enjoyed her homemade meals with fresh vegetables since I was little. I was a weird child, I know.

I also had more glasses of water and cups of tea throughout the day and I may of had a couple of rich tea biscuits too.. That's it, see you all tomorrow. 

xoxo 

Connie 

Beauty Tuesday: My Hygiene Routine!

Hey guys, today I thought I would share with you my hygiene routine as these videos seem pretty popular on youtube and are actually kind of interesting. When you think about it is actually pretty bizarre... I mean why do we want to hear about other women's hygiene routines?  I don't why I find them interesting, its probably because I'm incredibly nosy and quite curious about what everyone else uses to keep themselves clean, sounds weird I know, but I can't be the only one as they are popular videos and your reading this post about my hygiene routine.

In The Shower

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo (every other day)

Aussie Reconstructor Deep Conditioner (every other day)

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash (everyday)

St Ives Apricot Scrub (twice a week)

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Miracle Cleansing Oil (every night- to take my makeup off/ cleanse my face)

Venus Razor (every other day)

After Showering  

Garnier Intensive 7 Days Lotion (every other day)

Colgate Total Advanced Whitening (twice a day)

Oral B Sensitive Mouthwash (after I brush my teeth)

Dove Nourishing Oil Spray (After I wash my hair, when it is still damp)

Macadamia Oil (everyday)

In The Morning

Tangle Teezer (everyday to brush my hair)

Dove Pure Deodorant (everyday)

Perfume (everyday)

Extra Skincare

Clearasil Daily Clear Refreshing Wash (every morning) 

Garnier Moisture Match (morning and night after I wash my face)

Argan Oil Night Repair Serum (once a day at night time after cleansing face, before moisturizer)

Peaches and Clean deep purifying cleanser (I use this as a face mask once a week)

That's it.

xoxo 

Connie 

Makeup Monday: Updated Everyday Makeup

Not much has changed since I last did an everyday makeup post but I have swapped a few things around from my collection to my makeup bag. The items that are the same are normally my favourite products that I couldn't live with out and are always in my makeup bag. 

The foundation that is in my makeup bag at the moment is the MaX Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless, I really like this foundation as it has really good coverage. The concealers are the same as always the Collection Lasting Perfection in Fair and the Garnier Tinted Eye Roll On. I have gone back to using the Seventeen Miracle Matte Pressed Powder and I forgot how amazing it is, it really does keep me matte all day and the combination of this powder and the Face Finity foundation is amazing. As an oily skin girl I always struggle to find a foundation and powder that last all day and keep me from looking shiny but these too are amazing and really affordable too. I have gone back to using the Sleek Face Form palette. I really do love the combination of the blush, highlight and contour powder together as they are just beautiful. It's the same ol' same ol' for my eyebrows the Rimmel eyebrow pencil in hazel. I use nothing else as this is just perfect for me, it has everything I want in a eyebrow pencil and it's so cheap too. For my eyes I use the eyeshadow base as always, 001 by Dainty Doll. I have gone back to using the Naked Basics palette, as I just love it. I've been using Venus as a highlight under my brow bone and in the corner of my eye and then I have been using Naked 2 on my lid. Then in my crease I have been using the MaX Factor Earth Spirits single eyeshadow on 105 Terra Firma. Lastly on my eyes I have been using my regular and favourite mascara and eyeliner which are the L'Oreal Volume million lashes and the Soap and Glory smoulder and kohl. That's pretty much it, apart from my lipsticks which change everyday as it just depends what kind of day it is.

xoxo

Connie 

Surprise Sunday: Lush Brightside Bubble Bar Review

A few weeks ago I picked up a couple of products from Lush that I have been dying to try for ages. One of the products was the Brightside Bubble Bar. I've always loved the bubble bars from Lush and I would choose them over the bath bombs. I picked up this one purely because of the smell, it smells amazing. It smells really strong of oranges and reminds me of orange starbursts and fanta. 

It contains tangerine oil, bergamot oil and garenia extract and altogether it creates a beautiful summer time scent. After my bath the whole bathroom smelt amazing and I could still smell it on my skin and my skin felt really silky soft and smooth and I didn't feel like I need to moisturize after.

I put off buying this bubble bar for ages because of the price as it was quite expensive for what it is. However I figured that I could section it off and get a few baths out of it, so therefor it works out to be quite good value. It says that you can get 2 baths out of it but I think I could maybe get 3 or 4.

I crumbled it under the running taps and almost instantly the water was changing colour. The water turned a amazing bright orange colour. 

Like all Lush bath products it left the water feeling really silky and soft which is what I love about Lush products and I didn't want to get out of the bath after. 

There was lots of bubbles in my bath which I was really impressed about and considering I only used a small amount of the bubble bar too, that's pretty good. 

Overall I really liked this bubble bar and it may be one of my favourites and the best thing is I still have more than half of the bubble bar left so I can enjoy plenty more bubble baths.

xoxo 

Connie 

Style Saturday: Summer Cupcakes #1

Hello my lovelies, welcome to this weeks Style Saturday, today's post is going to be a summer cupcake recipe. This is going to be the first post of hopefully many more summer cupcake recipes. Recently I have been getting into baking cupcakes, and I'm really enjoying it. I think baking and decorating cupcakes is 'style' in it's own way, so hint why I'm uploading this on a Saturday.

This weeks recipe is going to be the Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumble Cupcake. I think this cupake sounds and looks pretty impressive but it's actually very easy to make. If you love berry and rhubarb crumbles then these cupcakes will be right up your street. 

These cupcakes are really lovely and moist on the inside and there is a great contrast of flavours with the strawberry and rhubarb. Also these cupcakes are good if your not the biggest fan of really sweet cakes and icing, as sometimes it can be a bit sickly. But these cupcakes have a refreshing summer difference to normal cupcakes, as they have been decorated with freshly whipped cream, a perfect summer time treat! 

This recipe bakes 24 cupcakes, so you will have plenty to share at summer parties or BBQs as they are perfect for that!

For the crumble you will need:

1/2 cup of plain flour

3 tablespoons of caster or granulated sugar 

1/4 cup of cubed butter

For the cupcake mixture you will need:

15 fresh strawberries

1/4 cup of milk

2 3/4 cup of plain flour

3 teaspoons of baking powder

3/4 cup of butter

1 1/2 cups of caster sugar

5 egg whites

2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla essence 

A few drops of red or pink food colouring 

1 cup of finely chopped rhubarb

To decorate you will need: 

250ml of fresh whipping cream

How to make the Strawberry and Rhubarb Cupcakes: 

1. Firstly in a small bowl you need to make the crumble, this is done by rubbing the butter, sugar and flour together and then when finished leave to one side.

2. Then in a blender you need to blend the milk and strawberries together until you create a sort of juice/ smoothie consistency and leave to one side.

3. In a large bowl you need to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. I used an electric whisk to do this. Then add the egg whites one at a time and whisk together. 

4. Next add the rest of the dry ingredients- the flour and the baking powder and whisk together after. 

5. Now add a few drops of red food colouring until you get a pinky red colour. And then slowly add the strawberry mixture and whisk until it's all combined together and there is no lumps, you should have a lovely pink smooth mixture. 

6. Then you can add the chopped rhubarb to the mixture and just mix with a wooden spoon. You then need to line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases. I chose to use red polka dots cases but you can use any ones you like.

7. Then spoon the mixture into the cases, you need about 2 tablespoons of mixture in each case. After that you need to add the crumble on top, so you need about a heaped teaspoon of the crumble and evenly place on top of the cupcakes and slighty press it into the mixture. 

8. You then need to bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. 

9. After the cupcakes are baked and have cooled down it's time to decorate them. You need to whisk the fresh cream, I used an electric whisk as you need to over whisk it as it is supposed to be the 'frosting' of the cupcake so it needs to be really thick.

10. To decorate the cupakes I put the cream into a piping syringe and piped a small swirl in the middle. I didn't cover the cupcakes in cream as I wanted the crumble layer to still show. 

And that's it! 

 xoxo 

Connie

Beauty Tuesday: May Favourites

Hey guys, this weeks Beauty Tuesday is going to be my May favourites. I know I say this every time but... where is this year going, it is June already. This month I have a fair few products to share with you guys and they are..

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo and Conditioner

Garnier Intensive 7 Days- Cocoa Butter

Garnier Moisture Match For Oily and Combination Skin

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash

Barry M Top and Base Coat

Revlon Matte Balms

Pink Macaroon Body Butter by H&M

I have been using the Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo and conditioner this month. Last year I was obsessed with this stuff and I only recently have started using it again. I forgot how amazing it really is. If you have dry or damaged hair I really recommended them as they are the only shampoo and conditioner that I have tried that makes my hair feel soft and look shiny. 

Next up is a body moisturizer and it is the Garnier Intensive 7 Days. I have mentioned the shea butter one in my favourites last year, but this month I have been using the cocoa butter one and I have found this one to be a lot more moisturizing and richer than the shea butter.  

I tried a new face moisturizer this month and it is the Garnier Moisture Match Mattifying Cream, it is designed for combination and oily skin- which is my skin type. I have really enjoyed using this as its not greasy or too rich. It makes my skin stay matte longer under my makeup and still gives the right amount of moisture that my skin needs. I have also been using it at night and I wake up with really nice soft skin that isn't greasy and oily.

I have also been loving the Barry M base and top coat. I use this every time I paint my nails as it makes my nail polish last and doesn't chip so easily. 

My go-to lip products this month have been the Revlon Matte balms. I only have two of them, but I will be buying more as I love them. They last ages on my lips and for a matte balm they are surprisingly moisturizing and still creamy. They dry on my lips but don't dry out my lips which is good. They also have an amazing minty smell.

 I have been loving the Pink Macaroon Body Butter by H&M. It smells so fruity and summery and its a really nice rich moisturizer. I have been using it on my feet quite a lot this month and my feet have been silky soft. Also I love the packaging as I think it looks really nice and quite expensive on my dressing table. 

Lastly I wanted to mention a shower gel. I know I only hauled this last week but I have actually had it for along time and used it though out the month of May. I love Soap and Glory products and the Sugar Crush Body Wash is no exception. It smells so fresh and fruity and it reminds me of lemonade as it smells almost fizzy. 

That's it for my May beauty favourites.

What did you love last month? 

xoxo

Connie

Makeup Monday: My Revlon Lip Butter Collection!

Hey guys, this weeks Makeup Monday post is going to be my Revlon Lip Butter Collection and a mini review. I brought my first ever Revlon Lip Butter last year and only recently has my collection grown and I'm determined to finish it. 

The Revlon Lip Butter's are my all time favourite lipsticks and I reach for them pretty much everyday. I find that they have a lot more colour pay off then you may expect. I find that they are really moisturizing and buttery on my lips. Although they are not tinted balms some of them are sheer and just give a slight sheen of colour or gloss especially the lighter shades. They aren't the most long lasting lipsticks and you will need to reapply every couple of hours. I find that with the brighter shades they can smudge easily. Apart from that they are still my favourite and are defiantly worth a try if you haven't already. 

Revlon Lip Butters can be purchased from Boots (link) for £7.99

Here are the ones I currently own..

Reds

So far I only own 1 red which is Wild Watermelon. I would describe this colour as more of a summery red and isn't as opague and bold as some reds, however on the lips it is still very bright. 

(Here it is swatched on my hand) 

Pinks

The pinks that I own are:

(from left to right)

Sorbet

Sweet Tart

Cotton Candy

Strawberry Shortcake

(swatches on my hand)

Nudes and Berry Shades

(from left to right)

Berry Smoothie

Macaroon

Peach Parfait

Creme Brulee

(And here they are swatched)

Oranges

I own two orange shades that look similar in the picture, but on the lips they look completely different.

And they are 

(from left to right)

Tutti Frutti 

Juicy Papaya

(Swatches L- Tutti Fruitt R- Juicy Papaya)

As you can see when swatched Tutti Fruitti is alot more of a true, bold orange whereas Juicy Papaya is more of a nude orange as is more sheer. 

That's it!

xoxo

Connie