May Favourites

Here are a few things that I have been loving this month

Avocado & Mint soya candle (Anthropology)

           Slogan Jumper (New Look)

            Mac lipstick in plumful

Lucy B Royal Egyptian Amber & Honeysuckle eau de parfum

Liz Earle limited edition cleanse & polish in grapefruit & patchouli 

What have you been loving this month?

Aesop Skincare Wishlist

Aesop has been on my radar for a while now, they are Melbourne based skincare and body brand that specialise in plant based and laboratory based ingredients.They have a wide range of products on offer, here are a few I will be picking up in the near future. 

Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque 60ml £27

I do love a good face mask to incorporate into my usual Sunday evening pamper routine. This is a clay based masque designed to deep clean sensitive or dry skin, it helps unclog pores and smooth out and refresh skin. It is so gentle that you can use it twice weekly, unlike other deep cleaning face masks. Also, I am a sucker for the packaging, how lovely does is it look? Swoon! 

Oil-Free Hydrating Face Serum 100ml £43

Next up is the oil-free hydrating face serum, this is targeted towards oily, combination or troubled skin and claims to be a great alternate to using a cream based moisteriser. It's packed full of antioxidants (vitamin B & C) and calming aloe vera. Apply straight after cleansing to boost skins hydration and help mattify your face before applying makeup. Can't wait too give this a go!

Parsley Seed Antioxidant Eye Cream 10ml £59

Lastly is an antioxidant eye cream, I have been on the hunt now for a good hydrating yet firming eye cream and may give this one a go. It's a potent cream packed full of vitamin C and E and offers extreme hydration to your delicate under eye area. It claims to sink in quickly and can be even applied to the whole face. 

Have you tried any Aesop products?

Carly x

Favourite Books: Part One

I am an avid reader and love books- I have far too many if you ask me, I just can't bear to part with any of them! In today's blog post I will be discussing five of my favourite books in my collection. Hope you enjoy!

The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Written in 1928 by Russian author, Mikhail Bulgakov, it is one of my all time favourite reads. If you enjoy a great novel with dark themes such as good vs evil this could be one for you. It is heavily influenced by Goethe's 'Faust', part of the brilliance of this novel is that it can be read as hilarious slapstick, deep philosophical allegory, a biting socio-political satire critical of the soviet system at the time but also deals with the superficiality and vanity of modern life.  It includes appearances from a vodka drinking black cat, a promiscuous witch and the devil, quite the mixture!

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

I'm sure you have heard of this novel before, if not, where have you been? It's one of the most popular sci-fi novels of all time. Written in 1949, Orwell writes of a dystopian future- 1984, the world is under a constant state of war, the government has become an omnipresent oppressive force that has made independent thinking a 'thought crime.' This is a great book if you enjoy sci-fi novels with an politically charged edge.

Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski

As an avid fan of Bukowski's poetry work I also enjoy his novels, this one in particular stands out among-st the rest. It's a semi-autobiographical novel featuring Bukowski's alter ego ' Henry Chinaski.' It follows him through his childhood into his teenage years, growing up in Los Angeles, dealing with his abusive father, his trouble with sports, high school and girls. It is a novel about the coming of age and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. A must read for any Bukowski fans.

Notes From The Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Written in 1864 by Russian novelist Dostoyevsky, this novella is considered by many to be the first existentialist novels. It presents itself as an excerpt from the rambling memoirs of a bitter, isolated, unnamed narrator (generally referred to by critics as the Underground Man) who is a retired civil servant living in St. Petersburg. The first part of the story is told in monologue form, or the underground man's diary, and attacks emerging Western philosophy. The second part of the book is called "Àpropos of the Wet Snow", and describes certain events that, it seems, are destroying and sometimes renewing the underground man, who acts as a first person unreliable narriator.  A great book to start with if you are interested in existentialist literature.

Last but not least!

Ways of Seeing by John Berger

Having studied fine and applied art in university this book became by bible. This wonderful little book is based on a 1972 BBC television series criticizing western cultural aesthetics by raising questions about hidden ideologies in visual images. John Berger's scripts from the series was then adapted into this book. Ways of seeing is divided into seven essays each dealing with different topics from the female nude to has photography become the new painting. This book has contributed to feminist readings of popular culture as Berger discusses depictions of women in advertising vs those in oil paintings. A really interesting read in our perception or lack of perception in day to day life.

I hope you enjoyed reading about a few of my favourite books, keep your eye out for part two! What are your favourite books? 

Carly x

Quick & Easy Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, but when you are rushing out to work in the morning it can get a bit tricky deciding what too make and eat. Here are some of my favourite quick and easy breakfast ideas that I hope will inspire you to try out! 

Avocado & Egg on toast

This is my favourite meal to start the day and it's so quick and easy to make! All you need is a ripe avocado, 1 egg and a

slice of wholegrain bread too toast. You can serve the egg a number of different ways; fried, scrambled or my favourite poached, mash up the desired amount of avocado on freshly toasted bread, place egg on top, add a bit of salt & pepper and you are good to go!

Fruit & Yoghurt

This is really a quick and simple breakfast recipe and is great for warmer summer weather. All you need is a handful of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and a dollop or two of low fat natural yoghurt. Mix together in a mug or a small bowl and it's ready to eat! It you fancy a bit more flavour you could try sprinkling some cinnamon over the top. 

Cinnamon porridge with bananas and berries

Porridge for breakfast is a great way to give yourself a good boost of energy that will keep you going until lunch time. All you need for this delicious breakfast idea is porridge oats, cinnamon, sugar (if you'd prefer it a bit sweeter) 1 banana, a handful of strawberries and 1 pot of fat- free natural yoghurt. 

First things first! In a medium-sized saucepan, mix the oats, cinnamon, sugar, milk and the sliced banana. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Turn down the heat and cook for 4-5 mins, stirring all the time. Once placed into bowl serve with strawberries, a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

What are your favourite quick and easy breakfast recipes?

x

Rosehip Oil

I've been wanting to try out rosehip oil for the past few months but couldn't settle on which to buy (there is alot of rosehip oils on offer out there!) 

I came across this little beauty while browsing the skin & body section in TK Maxx, the packaging is what attracted me the most- bright & simple, I like! The price is what made me buy it though £9.99 for the 30ml bottle, which ain't too bad. 

First impressions: Glass bottle with pipette dispenser, easy to get the desired amount (they recommend 3-4 drops)  the only downside to this is, the smell, it smells like cold tea. If your a tea lover you may love the scent, but as an avid coffee drinker, it didn't do much for me. 

Claims: 

Anti-aging: Anti-oxidant properties of rosehip oil enables it to penetrate deeper into the skin, while the vitamin C content helps stimulate collagen production. It helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

Moister boost: This oil is packed with vitamin A. Vitamin A has small enough molecules which allows it to penetrate deeper into the skin which helps improve skins overall moister. It also has a high content of essential fatty acids which locks in skins moister.

Fades acne scars: can be used all over your body, not just on face to reduce hyper pigmention, burns, scars and age spots; it's astringent and skin nourishing properties will help speed up the healing process.

I've been using this oil in my morning and evening routine, I mix a 2-3 drops into my moisteriser and massage throughly into my skin, focusing mainly on my chin, cheeks and forehead. I have already noticed scarring along my jaw (from a bad bout of acne about a year ago) has been reduced significantly, pretty impressive results so far! 

Overall, a nice little addition to your skin routine if you need an extra boost of hydration or want to reduce the appearance of scarring.

Rosehip Oil is available on most beauty sites (feelunique, beautybay and even amazon!)

Lush delivery!

I am a bit of a Lush addict at the minute, I love trying out products of theirs that i've never tried before. I put in a little order last week and it arrived this morning so I thought i'd thought i'd share my purchases and maybe inspire some of you to check them out!

Creamy Candy Bubble Bar £2.75 each

I've tried a few of Lushs bubble bars before and have always been impressed with them. Bath bombs are great but sometimes I fancy a nice bubbly soak in the bath and these are perfect for just that. You crumble a bit of the bar under the tap whilst running you bath, leave to dissolve and it creates the softest bubbles ever (not too mention they smell great!) The creamy candy bar smells like candy floss and all things yum! It also offers extra moisturisation than the average bubble bar as it has a blend of almond and cocoa butter which melt nicely into your bath water, leaving your skin velvety soft.

American Cream Body Lotion £11.95

I am a big fan of the American Cream hair conditioner so when I seen that they were realising a limited run of it in a body lotion I had to try it out. It smells like an absolute dream, strawberries and cream

scented but not too sweet. This is a light moisteriser for the body, it sinks in quickly and leaves your skin perfectly hydrated with the wonderful scent that lasts all day long. 

Avobath Bath Bomb £3.35 each

I'm having a bit of a moment with avocado at the minute, I love it on my toast in the morning and recently discovered an avocado scented hand cream that I have been loving, so when I stumbled across this online I thought i'd give it a go. Don't let the simplistic design of this bath bomb put you of, it packs a zingy citrus punch with it's lemongrass and bergamot oils. Perfect for a morning bath to wake up your senses. It also has avocado and olive oil which helps keep your skin hydrated, moisterising any dry patches on your skin. A perfect choice if you suffer from dry skin and perfect if you just love a good citrus scent! 

H&M Home Budget Buys

Scented Candle 'Pine Forest' £6.99

This neat little candle is an absolute steal for less than £10.
The packaging instantly woo'd me, marble and gold, what's not to love?
This would be a nice little addition to any living space, not too mention it would make a pretty makeup brush holder after!

Glass dome with metal plate £19.99

These have so many different uses- store candles in them, encapsulate your beauty products, admire your jewels or even make a terrarium!

Metal photo frame £7.99

Copper details seem to be everywhere at the minute, including this beautifully simplistic frame.
This photo frame won't draw attention away from any prints you wish to put in them!

Plate with a cactus £4.99

How cute is this? Ideal for storing jewelry or other bits & bobs. Plain white and simple design so will fit in with any interior!

Cotton cushion cover £6.99

A nice little addition to your bedding, plain white with grey lettering and trim, this pillowcase will go well with any bedding styles. Also, it's a good reminder to enjoy the simple things in life.

All mentioned above are available from H&M online now.

Celestial Facial Moisturiser from Lush

I've been on the hunt for a while now for a light yet super hydrating face cream to use in my morning routine. After a recent visit to Lush I spotted their 'Celestial' facial moisturiser and decided to give it a whirl. 

I have been using it for about a month now and my skin is loving it! No dry patches in sight, hooray! 

It is a light, creamy consistancy with no fragrance (which I love!) sinks into the skin quickly, which is good for my morning routine as I don't have time to wait around before I put my makeup on.

If you have sensitive skin, this is a dream! It feels soothing and refreshing and I actually look forward to slathering this on when I wake up. (We all need a little incentive to get out of bed, right?) 

If you are looking for a non fussy day cream, look no further! At a mere £12.50 for a sizeable 45g this product won't break the bank. 

Ingredients: 

• Fair Trade Vanilla Water
• Almond Oil
• Almond Milk
• Glycerine
• Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter
• Fresh Dove Orchid Extract
• Cetearyl Alcohol
• Stearic Acid
• Triethanolamine
• Methylparaben
• Propylparaben

Weekend Recipe #1 Nutella Stuffed Churro Pancake Recipe

I eat pretty healthily throughout the week, but when it comes to the weekend I like to treat myself to something sweet for breakfast (treat yo' self!)
This quick and easy recipe for Nutella stuffed churro pancakes hits the spot and ticks all the boxes for me.


What you'll need
2 cups of self raising flour (or plain)
2 tsps baking power
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbsps canola oil (or melted light/reduced fat spread)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups low fat milk (or almond milk)
1 tbsps Nutella
40 grams chocolate
4 tbsps sugar (choice)
1 ground cinnamon
4 tbsps cinnamon sugar (store bought)

Directions

1. Combine together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large-sized bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil (or spread), egg, vanilla and milk. Slowly, whisk well until smooth. Set aside.

2. Place Nutella into the microwave for 30 seconds until warm and slightly thinner. 

3. Heat a non stick pan or griddle over low-medium heat and wipe over with a little butter or oil on a paper towel to lightly grease pan. Pour less than 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and spread out gently with the back of your ladle, shaping into a round pancake shape.

4. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of Nutella onto the center of the batter, and then gently pour a little pancake batter evenly over the top to cover the Nutella completely.

5. When the underside is golden, gently flip with a spatula and cook until golden. Repeat with the remaining batter and Nutella.

Enjoy! x

(recipe from Cafe Delites)