Hey everyone,

At the start of the year, I did a post listing my blogging goals for this year. Today I'm going to share with you all how I'm getting along on those goals and what I'm going to try and do more to reach them by the end of the year! (If you haven't read the first post, click here to check it out).

1- Reach 40,00 page views

Well, I'm getting along incredibly with this one and I think I'll definitely reach this one by the end of the year (fingers crossed!). When I wrote my original goals I was on 22,00 views and when writing this (24th Februaury) I'm on 33,774 views! That  is incredible - beyond my wildest dreams! In just two months that is more than 10,000 views so thank you so, so much for everything!!!

2- 500 Instagram Followers

This is where the progress decreases VERY rapidly. At my original goals, I had over 300 followers and now I only have 280! I don't really know why so many people have unfollowed me, but it hasn't discouraged me at all and I'm going to try and post more and more regularly to try and gain some more followers back!

3- Reply to all of my comments

This is probably the one goal that I have managed to reach and retain! I have replied to every comment on instagram and on my blog within 5 days! I used to be absolutely rubbish at replying to comments anywhere so I'm really happy that I've actually been able to stick to this one!

4- Have every post go up on time

This is another one that I've actually managed to stick to since the start! Every single post has gone up on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday at 6 pm GMT!

Thank you so much for waching, I love you all so very much, and I will see you all again on Wednesday!!!

Love Lou
xxxxx

Hey everyone,

A few days ago I made some really cute little cupcakes so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share my favourite recipe with you!

Ingredients:

2 oz. of Butter
2 oz. of Caster Sugar (or normally sugar if you prefer)
2 oz. of Self Raising Flour
1 Egg
1/2 tsp. of Vanilla Extract
Dash of milk

Icing Sugar
Hot water

First off, put 6 cake cases (you can double the mixture if you want 12) in a cupcake tin and preheat the oven to 200 C.

Next. add the butter and sugar into a bowl and cream them together until you have a light and fluffy consistency.

In a jug, crack in the egg and whisk it with a dash of milk. Then add the vanilla extract, egg mix and flour into the original mixture and combine.



Evenly distribute the mixture between the 6 case and bake for 10-15 minutes. When the cakes have come out of the oven, leave them to cool for at least 30 minutes before decorating.

If you just want water icing, mix together some icing sugar and hot water until you reach an icing like consistency. (If you want buttercream, click the link here for a recipe).


Add a little bit of icing to each cake and then decorate however you choose. I chose 3 Smarties and some little red and pink hearts.

Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you all again on Monday,

Love Lou
xxxx

Hey everyone,

Some of you long-term readers will know that I did this post way back in 2015 when my make up collection was a lot smaller. The way I store my make up has changed a lot since then so I thought I would do a little updated one for you!

The majority of my make up is stored in the acrylic drawers you can see in the photo above. The section on the top is from Tiger which they don't anymore but Primark do one in the exact same size. I was actually really happy when I realised that the top fit in with the new drawers from Primark which were only £4!


Then, my tall palettes which don't fit in are down the side as you can see (There I have my Urban Decay Naked Palette and L'Oreal La Palette Nude as well as my Maybelline colour tattoo in Creamy Beige because I couldn't find anywhere else for it). I then have make up that I'm not currently using, or any spares and back ups of products in the big drawer that's in my dressing table. (I have the HERMES dressing table from IKEA if you're wondering).


I then have my Soap and Glory Glamorama palette at the back as it's too big to put anywhere else! I then have I have my face products and my current favourite lip products in the top section or my acrylic drawers.


So on the left, I have my Soap and Glory Blur and Brighten Concealer and my 17 Stay Time concealer which has now been discontinued so I'm trying to stretch it out for as long as possible! Then on the other side of that compartment I have the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder which is by far THE best powder.


Then I have lip glosses and liquid lipsticks at the back (I currently have in there the NYX ButterGloss in Angel Food Cake, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul, Tanya Burr Cosmetics Matte Lip in Martha Moo and the Barry M lip kit in Pose).

Then in the individual sections I have my favourite lipsticks (and one gloss as there was no room left as the back) which right are (from back left to bottom right): MAC's Lustre lipstick in Plumful, Kiko Velvet Mat lipstick in 613 (was a limited edition product and sadly is no longer available), Soap and Glory's Sexy Mother Pucker gloss in Charm Offensive, MAC's Matte lipstick in Mehr, Collection DeLuxe lipstick in 02 - Tallulah and Tanya Burr Cosmetics lipstick in Pink Cocoa.



In the first drawer I have the Tanya Burr Cosmetics Hollywood palette and my NYX create your own Palette with shades Naked Truth, Sin, Chandelier and Over the Taupe in. Then I have, all of my solo shadows and minis. There is the NYX Hot Singles in Innocent, NYX Hot Singles in Velvet (it's in a Natural Collection pot because they didn't have the solo so I bought it in the pan version), Tanya Burr Cosmetics Eye Shimmer Pot in Champagne Sparkle, Urban Decay Solo in Half Baked and the Smashbox mini Photo Op trio in Screen Shot.


Then in the bottom drawer I have all my longer products like mascaras, eyeliner etc. There is the Maybelline The Colossal Extreme Volum' mascara, Soap and Glory Thick and Fast HD mascara, Soap and Glory Supercat Skinny liquid liner, Soap and Glory Supercat liquid liner, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 625 Sparkle Nude, Tanya Burr Cosmetics Glitter Liner in Treasured and Smashbox 24 hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer as well as the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shade On and On Bronze!

So, I hope you all enjoyed this slightly longer post, and I will see you all again on Friday. I love you all so very much, bye!

Love Lou
xxxx

Hey everyone,

As you will all probably know, I recently got the MAC lipstick in the shade Mehr. I've been using it for a few months now, so it's the perfect opportunity to do a little review on it!


Mehr is matte finish and contrary to what other people think about the matte finishes from MAC, I don't find this drying at all. It feels really velvety and smooth on the lips but as with any matte lipstick always but on a lip balm underneath for better application. This is a true matte, not like some lipsticks that claim to be 100% matte and have a sheen to them.



This a rosey pink nude with blue undertones which I really love. Normally, I don't think blue undertones suit me but I am absolutely in love with this shade. This shade is really long wearing, it stays put all day and doesn't do that really annoying thing where it just leaves a ring of product around the outsides of your lips! This even lasts through eating and drinking which I was really impressed with! Also, the Barry M lip liner from the Matte Me Up lipkit in Pose is the perfect shade for this lipstick so if you're looking for a matching liner, I 100% recommend that one!


You will probably all know this already but I am completely obsessed with MAC's packaging. I just think it makes the product look so much more sleek and high end. Also, the packaging isn't really big and bulky so it makes it really easy to travel with or just throw into your bag!

All MAC lipstick retail at £15.50 and are available in a range of finishes ; from matte to lustre to frost! I have always been a huge fan of MAC lipsticks because the quality is just so good for the price - some people say they are overpriced but I really don't think they are!

So, thank you all so much for reading, and if you have any further questions about this lipstick, please ask below. I love you all so very much, and I will see you all again on Wednesday!

Love Lou
xxxxx

Click here to go straight to the product on MAC's website

Hey everyone,

Anyone who knows me, will know my love for salted caramel so when I stumbled along this recipe in Tanya Burr's baking book Tanya Bakes, I knew I HAD to share it with you all!

Ingredients: (Makes 16-20)

30cm by 20cm baking tin

200g of Unsalted Butter
300g of Dark Chocolate
300g of Golden Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp. of Vanilla Extract
160g of Plain Flour
60g of Cocoa Powder
1 Tin of Carnation Caramel
1 tsp. of Sea Salt Flakes

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas Mark 4. Line the baking tin with greaseproof paper.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.

Remove the bowl from the pan. Whisk the sugar into the melted chocolate and butter, then add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk well until light and bubbly.

Carefully fold in the flour and cocoa powder, trying to knock out as little air as possible.

Pour half of the mixture into the baking tin, then pour the tin of caramel over it, spread evenly and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Pour over the remaining chocolate mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes. Don't worry if it still has a slight wobble when it's taken out - it will continue to cook as it cools and will become nice and fudgy.

Allow to cool completely in the tin, then turn out and cut into squares. Enjoy!!

So, I hope you all enjoyed this post, and I will see you all again on Monday,

Love Lou
xxxx

Hey everyone,

It occurred to me the other day that I've never shared with you lovely lot how I wash my make up brushes! So, here you go...

I wash my brushes every week if possible, but at the most every two weeks. I just find that this keeps them in the best possible condition

Brushes:

First off, I run warm water into the sink and squirt in some of the Johnson's Baby shampoo so it bubbles up a little. I then line up as many brushes as possible around the edge of the sink. (If you can't fit them in, you'll need to repeat this with the ones that won't fit in). I then just leave them to soak in the water for 5-10 minutes. This just starts of the cleansing process and makes them easier to clean later on.

After they have been soaked, I take out all of the brushes and line them up on tissues across the floor. I then drain out the water in the sink and one by one I clean each brush.

I do this by squeezing out some baby shampoo onto my hand and swirl the brush in it. I do this until there is no more product coming out of the brush and it looks nice and clean. I then rinse it under warm water and squeeze out all of the soap suds.

Next, I mould the brush back into it's normal shape. Then I line them all up on tissue along my dressing table so they can dry naturally. However, if you need the brushes pretty soon after you've washed them, you can use a hair dryer on them, just like you would on your hair.

Beauty Blenders:

When I first started using beauty blenders, I didn't really know how to clean them and I couldn't find many posts that told you how to wash them, so I thought I'd pop it on the end of this post.

So, I put the shampoo onto the beauty blender and work it in and keep squeezing it out under warm water. I do this all over the sponge until it's completely clean (well... as clean as possible! haha). Then , I just leave it to dry with the other brushes!

So, I hope you all enjoyed this post, and it was of use to you! I love you all so very much, and I will see you again on Friday,

Love Lou
xxxx

Hey everyone,

As it is Valentine's day tomorrow, I thought I would talk you through the products I love the look of from the Lush Valentine's day collection!

The first product, is one that has been my favourite for many years. It's no other than the Unicorn Horn! I've managed to get my hands on this 2 years in a row which I'm really happy about. This is one of my absolute favourite scents - it's a really calming scent as it has lavender in which I normally don't like but this scent is one of my favourites from Lush! This is one of the more expensive bubble bars as it retails for £4. 25 but I think this is just such a fun product so it's so worth it!

A bath bomb that I have been wanting to get ever since the collection was announced is the Cupid bath bomb. This fruity, floral bath bomb was sure to be a winner from the start. I'm also a sucker for any bath bomb that's pink and this has 2 shades of pink on it so it immediately caught my eye. This is also only £2. 95 so it's one of the cheapest products that Lush do - perfect for anyone on a tight budget!

I have always been a huge fan of Lush's shower gels and creams - and this one is no exception. Prince Charming is a gorgeous sweet scent that also has grapefruit in it so that adds a little fruitiness into the mix! I love shower creams as they feel a bit more thick and luxurious compared to some of the normal shower gels. This one also has cocoa butter in so it should be really nice and moisturising! This comes in 4 sizes : 100g (£5. 50), 250g (£10. 95), 500g (£18. 50) and 1Kg (£32. 95)!

The other bubble bar that is a firm favourite of mine is Ladybird (£3. 95). This is my favourite product from the whole collection! It's a really fresh scent that has a really nice minty side from the peppermint oil. The product itself doesn't look very big, but I get 4-5 baths out of it as it's really thick. Although, as it is big, it can be pretty hard to break which is quite annoying but the product is amazing so I can't really complain!

Another bath bomb I have been lusting after from the collection is the Over and Over bath bomb (£4. 25)! This bath bomb is bright orange and I think it has a similar scent to the cupid bath bomb but some people think it doesn't so I guess that really depends on the person. Anyway, I feel like this one is going to be a Lush classic!

The final product is one that took me a while to get my head around! It's the Kiss Me Quick wash card. When I first saw this product I just thought what?!?! but the concept is actually pretty cool. Basically, you run this under water and it foams up and turns into a body wash and shampoo! These are £2 each and this one has an apple scent which is probably one of my most favourite scents of all time!

So, I hope you all enjoyed this post, and I will see you all very, very soon,

Love Lou
xxxxx

Hey everyone,

I have been loving this eye look at the minute and I have been making little tweaks for a while but now I am really happy with so here you go!!!

The first thing I do is apply the Seventeen Stay Time concealer (this has just been discontinued!!) onto my lids and then set it with the Rimmel Stay Matte powder. I find with the products I use in this look this works better than my eye primer.



I then apply the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the shade Sparkle Nude all over my lid. This is actually the first time I've mentioned this product on my blog as I haven't had it that long but I fell in love with it straight away! It's a gorgeous bronze/gold shade that has pretty chunky silver sparkles running through it which makes the look have a gorgeous extra shimmer to it. The only disappointing thing about this product, is what you see is what you get. This was £5 and you only get the tip that you see (5g)... you can't sharpen it or twist it for more product like other products so I think it's going to run out quite quickly which is really sad!




Anyway, then I take the shade Bookworm from the Tanya Burr Hollywood palette and blend it into my crease. This makes the look take on a smoky copper look which was a really nice surprise when I tried this look for the first time. I then use the shade Nude Delight as my inner corner highlight - it's probably one of my favourites to use as it's soooooo pigmented!The Tanya Burr eyeshadows are some of the best quality I have from the drugstore and I'm definitely going to repurchase this palette when it runs out!

I then use the Soap and Glory Supercat Skinny eyeliner and either just do a thin line across my lash line or sometimes I wing it out. Winging the eyeliner out creates more of an evening look whereas just the line across the lash line just makes your lashes look thicker so it's more of a day time look.


Finally. I apply the Soap and Glory Thick and Fast HD mascara on my top lashes before coating my bottom lashes after I blend Bookworm under my eye.

So, I hope you enjoyed this post, I love you all so very much, and I will see you all again on Monday,

Love Lou
xxxxx

Hey everyone,

Today, I thought I'd share with you three recipes for some face masks you can make with stuff you probably already have lying around!

Dull Skin - Brightening Lemon and Strawberry mask:

6 strawberries
1 tbsp. of Lemon Juice
1 tbsp. of Honey

Wash and dry your strawberries. Place them in a small bowl and mash them with a fork (you're looking for a jam like consistency - not too runny but not too chunky). Now, mix in your lemon juice and honey (you don't need to keep to the exact measurements, feel free to add more or less depending on the consistency). Apply to clean, dry skin. Place a towel on the behind your head to stop on drips getting on the floor. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes, rinse with lukewarm water and gently pat dry.

Acne-Ridden Skin - Cleansing Oatmeal-Honey mask:

1/4 of Old-Fashioned Oats (quick oats don't work very well in this mask)
1 tbsp. of Lemon Juice
2 tbsp. of Honey

Put your oats in a blender, and blend until they reach a powder texture. Place them in a bowl and add in your lemon juice. Heat the honey in the microwave for 5 seconds (this helps the pores absorb the mask better) and mix in. Again, you can mess with the amounts of honey and lemon juice to reach a consistency you like. It should be spreadable and gloopy, but not runny. Rub in the mask and leave it for 10 minutes. Over a sink, wet your hands and massage in the mask into your skin so the oats can exfoliate your face. Do this for about a minute, then rinse with cool water and gently pat dry with a clean towel.

Dry Skin - Soothing Cucumber-Avocado mask:

1/2 a Cucumber
1/2 an Avocado
1 or 2 tbsp. of Aloe Vera Gel

Peel your cucumber and place it in a blender. Cut your avocado in half and scoop out one half into the blender. Add the aloe vera gel, a blitz until you have a smooth consistency. Apply to clean, dry skin and leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water and moisturise immediately after.

So, thank you all so much for reading, and I will see you all very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

Also, if you would like more posts like this, just let me know and I'll be sure to do some more!

Hey everyone,  

It's been a while since I last did a baking post, so today I thought I'd whip one up for you! This is a recipe for Blueberry Scones which I think is such a lovely concept but it never gets done!!

Ingredients:

220g white self-raising flour
50g butter at room temperature
20g white caster sugar
150ml/5fl oz. full-fat milk
A handful of small blueberries (cut the big ones in half)
1 free-range egg, beaten, for glazing

Pre-heat your oven to 210 °C and lightly grease a baking tray/sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and flour using your fingertips until the butter is all mixed in. Add the fruit – coating it in the flour mixture will help the fruit to keep its shape without popping in the oven.

Once all the fruit is combined, add 2/3 of your milk and mix very gently with a wooden spoon. You’re looking to work the dough as little as possible, which will ensure light and fluffy scones.
If the mix looks too dry, add some more milk – you want a mixture that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl but forms a nice floury lump in the middle.

Tip your scone mixture onto a floured worktop/board and very lightly, for the least amount of time possible, knead together for a few seconds until it forms a round. Press down or use a rolling pin gently till you reach a consistent thickness of about 4cm.

Using your favourite round cutter, or the rim of a small teacup or jar, whichever you have, cut as many circles from the dough as you can. Gather up the scraps and bring together into another round that you can cut more scones from – placing the ones you’ve already cut onto your baking tray a good few centimeters apart.

Using the egg wash and either a pastry brush or your fingertips, brush the tops of your scones with the egg – this’ll give a nice rich shiny top to your scones. Try not to let the egg mixture run down the sides of your scones, or it’ll seal the edges and stop them rising all the way round, meaning you’ll get a wonky scone.

Bake for about 12–15 minutes. To test if they’re done, identify the wonkiest/most misshapen scone you have on your tray, remove it from the oven and cut open to check whether its cooked all the way through. If not, pop them all back in the oven for a minute.

So, thank you all so much for reading, and I will see you all very, very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

*This recipe is not my own. It was found on www.jamieoliver.com . All rights go to the author*

Hey everyone,

I can't believe it's been a whole month since I did my 2016 favourites! Nevertheless, these are the products I've been loving throughout January!

Hey everyone,

To me, January is very much a month of finishing off odds and ends of products that you have lying about. So today, I have a lot of gorgeous products that I've finished this month! This one's going to be a long one...

I've got a few a lot of bath/shower products so I think we'll start off with those...


The first product I've finished is the Zoella Beauty Soak Opera Bath and Shower Cream. This is one of my favourite bubble baths ever - it creates so many delicately fragranced bubbles that I just can't get enough of! I think this is about my 5 bottle of this and it definitely won't be the last! Also, unlike some other drugstore bubble baths, the bubbles last for a long time. I feel like with some other bubble baths the bubbles just pop straight away which is really disappointing - good job this one is nothing like that! Also this retails at just £5 which is incredible for how long this product lasts me and the actual quality of it!


The next product is the Hollister Crescent Bay Body Wash. I have had this in my drawer since late 2015 and I have only just got round to using it! It is the most gorgeous floral scent but it has a sweet edge to it as well which I really like because I've never smelt anything quite like it before! I used this as a body wash for the majority of the time but on my last use of it, I thought I'd use it as a bubble bath and see what happened and I was really surprised! It made so many bubbles that carried the scent which others don't do so I was actually really happy! This is a little bit pricier (£11) but it's definitely worth it.


Another Zoella Beauty product I've finished recently is the Sugar Dip Scented Bath Salts. I've loved
using these with the Bath Latte bath milk which is also from the Sweet Inspirations collection. These dissolve in the water and make your whole bathroom smell absolutely divine! This collection is actually my favourite scent and I have been wanting Zoe to release bath salts so I was so happy when they were released in this collection. Also, there is a little sticker to reseal the packet which I thought was so cute! These are probably one of my most favourite products from Zoe and they are so affordable - they are just £6.


A scent that I have finished is the Ted Baker Body Spray from the Pink collection. This is probably one of my most favourite scents ever and I was so upset when this ran out (good I've got a spare 2 still in my drawer)!! I have this in a mini and I have been using it most days for a good 2 moths so I was really impressed with how long it lasted - I'd love to see how long the full size lasts! The minis are only £3 which is pretty good if you think how long it lasts for.


The final product I have run out of (and the only make up product) is the Seventeen Stay Time concealer. For me, this is the best concealer of all time. It matches my skin completely and it is a really buildable quality that looks flawless and not cakey at all. This is just £4.49 and so so affordable because there's some high end concealers that are, double, even triple the price and the quality isn't even that much better!

So, thank you all so much for reading, I love you all so very much, and I will see you all again on Friday,

Love Lou
xxxxxx