August Favourites

Sadly, it is coming towards the end of Summer, which means an August Favourites Post is here! All the items bellow are a combination of beauty, fashion and lifestyle related that I have been LOVING this past month. 

YSL Lip Shimmer| Rimmel London Apocalips

I having been really into using lip sticks and lip stains to complete my summer make up look, the lipstick from YSL is perfect for a natural look as it's a very pale pink with lots of shimmer. The Rimmel London Lipstick, I mainly use if I am going out to a party or for a meal as it stays on throughout the night and it a dark pink stain. 

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation& Concealer

When I needed a new foundation, my usual, Lasting Finish Foundation by Rimmel was not in the shops so I picked up this little gem instead. Usually I do not go for medium/ light coverage as I do have blemishes and dark under eyes, however I wanted something that felt lighter on my skin, as it's summer. This foundation adds shimmer to my face in a very natural/ glowy way with a build able coverage. Paired with the concealer it works as a dream team to cover any imperfections whilst making you look healthy and awake. 

Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume| L'occitane Mint Body Spray

As it is Summer, it is important that we stay extra fresh and I have been obsessed with these two perfumes. The Daisy Dream perfume is an all- year winner, as it is a very subtle floral scent, perfect for every day to day. A body spray more 'summer- like' is defiantly the Mint spray by L'occitane which smells heavenly! I love minty scents and this is just perfect for a quick freshen up after a long hot day.

Flowers

The other week I brought this little cute plant in a tea pot from a local garden centre. I really like having flowers in my bedroom as I feel it brightens up my room and makes it so girly and cute. This plant was adorable I couldn't resist...best thing, it was only £3!! 

Ted Baker Mint Green Shopper Bag (Medium)

As it is summer I have been going out and about a lot, whether shopping, dinner too a quick catch up in starbucks. This bag form Ted Baker has been the perfect size/ shape for these occasions as I can fit my phone, purse, sun glasses and any other essentials I'll need. 

Soap&Glory Body Mist

Body Mists are my summer essential as it doesn't leave you feeling sticky and shiny once applied. This one from Soap&Glory smells amazing and floral, perfect for hot weather and your summer holiday!

Dream a little Dream| Just One Day

As it is summer, my favourite hobby to do is read, whether on the beach or just in my garden, I love a good chick lit. Firstly, Just One Day by Gayle Forman, who wrote, If I Stay, is one of my favourite books as it's a love story set in Paris with many twists and turns. In addition the Dream a little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher is another great chick lit with a beautiful and interesting love story. 

A Weekend Away| Sunflower Maze

For the weekend, I have been staying at my Grandma's near Leicestershire for an action packed few days! On Friday night, we headed to the theatre to watch 'Sweet Charity'. For someone who rarely ever goes to the Theatre I was amazed at how much I actually enjoyed the play alongside the incredible atmosphere.

The following day was an early start, the sun flower maze! I first visited this popular attraction back when I was around 8/9 years old and fell in love with the place! Sunflowers are my favourite flower so being trapped in a sunflower maze in lovely weather was my ideal day out! The maze took us nearly 2 hours to complete and was actually set out to look like a Rugby Player which you could see when you finished the Maze by climbing a small hill. Afterwards, we went to the local Cafe at the Maze sight and demolished sandwiches and many cups of tea. Later that night, we got all dolled up and ventured for a meal at a local pub where I had Goats Cheese and Onion Tart followed by Blackberry and Blueberry Ice Cream!

Hope you enjoyed this blog post!

Adventure in Lymm

Today, my parents and I went on a little adventure to a cute and quiet village called Lymm in Cheshire. The Village is enclosed by many streams and canals, alongside old fashioned buildings dating back to the 1800's. For me, the local cottages, with colourful window and door frames, decorated in a combination of flowers and ornaments, was truly beautiful. The weather was fairly warm, which made the trip even more pleasant as we walked along the streams into the village centre where tiny cafes, bakery's and independent shops were perched on the stoned pathways. For lunch, we stopped off at the local pub in Lymm, right next to the canal, as it was nice weather we sat outside and ate! I had a Pasta Salad, to be honest the pasta looked more like rice, along with many vegetables, cherry tomatoes, avocado and a chilli dressing. I also purchased a little pink plant in a floral tea cup which was a bargain as just £3.99!

Rhubarb and Raspberry Crumble

Ingredients

200g Plain Flour

150g Softened Butter

150g Caster Sugar

300g Washed Rhubarb (roughly)

100g Raspberries 

75g additional Caster Sugar

Method

• Pre Heat your oven to 180 degrees and get out your individual ramekins or oven proof dish.
• Put the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl before sieving in the flour. 
• Using your hands, rub the mixture until it resembles bread crumbs. 
• Once the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs, wash and slice up your rhubarb around 2 cm thick. The thinner the slices, the less time it will take to cook. 
• Put the rhubarb and raspberries evenly in the dish(s) before adding a sprinkle of sugar over the top to balance out the sharpness from the Rhubarb. 
• Evenly distribute the crumble mixture over the top, covering all the fruit and sprinkle some sugar on top again.
• Place in the oven and bake for 10- 15 minutes until the crumble is golden brown.
• Once cooked, leave to cool for 10 minutes before dishing up with frozen raspberries and ice cream!

Rainbow Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients

200g Self Raising Flour

200g Caster Sugar

200g Soft Butter

2 Egg Whites

Splash of Milk

2tsp Blue Food Colouring

2tsp Red Food Colouring

1tsp Green Food Colouring

Decoration

200g Icing Sugar

75g Soft Butter

Handful of Sprinkles

Method

• Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees and line 12 cupcake tray with 12 cupcake cases
• cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is smooth
• Separate the egg whites to the egg yolks before adding in the egg whites into the butter and sugar. Use egg whites only for this recipe to make the batter look lighter which will hold the colours more.
• Sift in the flour and a dash of milk, folding it gently.
• Separate the mixture evenly into 4 bowls
• Add one food colouring in each bowl, to make purple simply add blue and red together and mix well.
• Once all the colours are bright and mixed in, place a tsp of purple mixture at the bottom of each cupcake case, then green, red and finally blue. 
• Put in the oven for 15- 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, cream together the icing sugar and butter for the butter cream, you can add food colouring if you want to. When the mixture is smooth, transfer it to a piping bag with a medium sized nossel. 
• Once the cakes have risen and are cooked, place on a cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes.
• When the cakes are cool, swirl on the butter cream going from the inside in. Add sprinkles.
• Enjoy!

Photo Diary| Chester Zoo

Hello everyone! The past few days my cousin came to stay, we of course watched dozens of films and got through so many bags of chocolate but we also went on day trips out. For instance, on Monday we travelled to Chester Zoo which is a large Zoo, home to many animals including the typical Elephants, Monkeys and Lions to more unusual species such as different types of butterflies, flamingoes and spotted dogs. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!