I'm back again with another baking post! This time, sticky toffee pudding!

I have spoken about this mask from Good Things a little bit on here so I thought I would do a proper in depth review of it for you all!


First off, I'll give a little bit of info about the product before I tell you what I think of it. This is a charcoal face mask which says if purifies and adds a glow to the skin. The active charcoal is mixed with caffeine to draw out impurities for deeply cleansed, clearer looking skin. I got mine
in Boots but this product isn't on the website, but keep an eye out for it in your local store.


I'll start off with the things I love about this mask. First of all, it makes your skin look really healthy and glowy. I also found that it helped reduce redness which I wasn't expecting at all but I was really pleasantly surprised. Another thing that I love about it is that it wasn't harsh or irritating on my skin! I have really dry and sensitive skin so I was a bit apprehensive as to how harsh it would but it wasn't remotely as bad as I thought it would be. This mask is also free from : animal ingredients, parabens, mineral oils and sulphates ; it literally is just Good Things. The final thing I love about this mask is the scent. Not really something you look for in a mask but I thought this one smelt really nice and fresh and not at all chemically which some skincare products can and it really outs me off them!


Now onto the things I don't love about it as much... Although this makes your skin look really healthy it doesn't necessarily reduce blocked pores like it claims to. I find that it reduces them for about a day and then it's back to how they were! This may be because it doesn't contain any animal ingredients that other masks do but I've never tried any other vegan or vegetarian masks so I haven't really got anything to compare this to. (If you have tried a vegan mask, let me know in the comments if you found the same things that I did)

If you're looking for a mask that gets rid of blocked pores, I wouldn't recommend this but if you're just looking for a mask that makes your skin look really healthy I would 100% give this a shot!

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that it helps you in some way, thank you all so much for reading, and I will see you all again very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

I saw this recipe for mini chocolate cookies whilst flicking through Tanya Bakes and I couldn't not share it with you all!

300g caster sugar
1 large egg
325g self-raising flour
100g milk choc chips
1 jar of chocolate spread, chilled

When I found out that Garnier were releasing a wash version of their Micellar water I knew I had to try it. I have been using this on and off for a few weeks now, so I thought I'd share with you my thoughts about it!


In my experience with this, I have found that little goes a long, long way. I always think it's better to pump too little out than it is to pump too much out as, especially with this, the product will just sort of run down your face and doesn't really do that good of a job. However, when you get the right amount out, I find that the product is really nice and makes your skin look overall more healthy.

Now onto the aspects of this product that I'm not particularly keen on. The first thing I don't like about it is a pretty weird one. I don't like the smell of it. I know what you're all thinking ; does smell really matter that much? But, it smells really chemically and it just feels a bit wrong putting something on your face that smells like chemicals, because it makes me think that I'm putting a cleanser on my face that's going to harm my skin - even though it doesn't. The other thing about this that I'm not a big fan of is that it's quite harsh. This is part of the pink range which is "Even for Sensitive Skin" but I have pretty sensitive skin and I found that this just feels a little too harsh on my face. I feel as though I'd love this product so much more and I'd use it more often if it was as gentle as the original cleansing water. Most people probably won't find a problem with this but I always find myself having to put a lot of moisturiser on afterwards to compensate for it.

Currently, Garnier have only released these gel washes in the pink range (this one) and the green range which is "Oily to Combination Skin". I really hope they release them in other collections as well as I think it would be really nice to have something to compare this one to. This retails at just £3.99 and is currently on offer to £2.66 which is a complete bargain as I know this is going to last me a very long time!

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this little review! I will see you all again very soon!

Love Lou
xxxxx

It's been a while since I last did a Q and A, so today I teamed up with the lovely Emsi Rose to show you our answers to the same questions as we thought it would be really nice to see both sides of the questions. Click here to hop on over and see Emsi's answers. (Image is not mine own and was found on www.google.com)

@daisyjaneblog - What is your favourite high end palette?

For me, the Urban Decay Naked palette will always be my all time favourite palette!

@theaveragegurlx - What skincare product could you not love without?

I absolutely love the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - I couldn't manage without it!

@whisperingviolets - What song instantly reminds you of summer?

100% Cheerleader by Omi. This probably seems a really weird choice but 2 years ago in Portugal we were on the beach and there was an MTV beach party and they were playing it on repeat!

@theaveragegurlx - Do you have a book you can read over and over again, If yes, why?

Not really, I'm not the sort of person that can read something knowing what happens so I like to switch up books every time.

@prettypolitical_ What is one of your goals for the future?

I don't necessarily have any "goals" but I'd love to just keep on blogging and doing what I love!

@asprinkleofoliviaa - What do you think you would be doing now if you had never started your blog?

This one is really hard! I don't really know to be completely honest, but I would have a LOT more free time ! Haha

@daisy_petals - What was the last thing you bought and why?

It was the Garnier Moisture Bomb Sheet Mask. I'd heard so many good things about it so I couldn't not pick it up - keep your eyes peeled for a review VERY soon!

@everythingxerin - What songs are you loving at the moment?

I'm still loving the La La Land songs but click here for a post I did on my top 10 favourite songs right now!

@itsmee.x - Do you ever have writers block? / Are you ever stuck for post ideas?

I struggle with writer's block all the time!! It can be really difficult to think of ideas but I try not to worry about it to much as when you don't stress about it, the best ideas come!

@whisperingviolets - Where would you go during a gap year and why?

I think I'd travel around America as it's always been my #1 place I wanted to visit!

@somethingaboutrosie - Go-to outfit format? E.g. Jeans, T-shirt

Most of the time it's jeans, then a jumper or t shirt but I do love a good playsuit or dress!

@blossomandaisyy  and @urghitsarah - Who inspire you and why?

For me, it's all the other bloggers, seeing how well they are doing and the content they're creating just really spurs me on to write good posts!

@blossomandaisyy - What do you want to achieve in the next 5 years

To be completely honest, I don't really know. My main thing is to keep on blogging and creating good content for you all!

@prettypolitical_ - Where would you like to travel to?

100% New York! I am so excited to be going next year so expect a LOT of posts about it next year! haha

@alicejlorna - How do you stay motivated to blog?

The thing that motivates me is you guys to be honest! Knowing that you all enjoy and read my posts gives me all the motivation I need!

@JoelBearn_ - If you were a fruit, what would you be and why?

I don't know! Lets' just say I'm a fruit salad because I don't know!!

Thank you all so much for reading, and make sure you follow me on instagram (@louloves01) for when I next need questions! I hope you enjoed this post and I will see you all again very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

Easter nests are my favourite every year so this year, I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite recipes for them!

As today is Good Friday, I thought I'd share with you a very Easter-y recipe - Hot Cross Buns!!


Ingredients (Makes 12):

For the dough:

50g of butter
150ml of full fat milk
50g of caster sugar
Zest of 1 orange
400g of strong white bread flour
1x7g sachet of fast action yeast
100g of raisins or mixed dried fruit
2 tsp. of mixed spice
2 eggs (1 for the dough - 1 for the egg wash)

For the cross:

6 tbsp. of plain flour
2 tbsp. of water

For the sugar glaze:

25g of caster sugar
20ml of boiling water


Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

In a pan, melt together the butter, milk, caster sugar and orange zest until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, raisins and mixed spice. Pour in the milky mixture you previously made, followed by one of the eggs and combine to form a sticky dough.

On a floured surface, knead by hand for 10 minutes until you have an elastic dough. Form into a ball and place in a lightly-oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for one hour, or until doubles in size.

Knock the dough back and split into 12 balls, shaping into round buns.

Put on the baking tray and don't worry if they touch - it'll create a nice tearing effect. Cover with clingfilm and allow to prove again for another until the buns have risen again.

Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas Mark 6.

Make an egg wash by whisking one egg with one 1 tsp. of water. Brush the risen but with the egg wash. Then for the cross, combine the flour and water. If it looks too runny, add a little more flour. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe a cross onto each bun.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. While the buns are in the oven, prepare the sugar glaze by dissolving the sugar in the water.

Brush the laze on as soon as the buns are out of the oven!

Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post (if you recreate it make sure to send me a picture!) and I will see you all again very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

I'm sure that by now you will all know my love for NYX - they are absolutely incredible! Today I thought I'd focus on my favourite product from them which is the hot singles solo shadows.

 This shades is Innocent which I bought in the packaged version as you can see above. This shade is the most shimmery pinky copper I have ever tried in my life. It's so lovely on it own as well as Bokkowrm from the Tanya Burr Hollywood Palette or Buck from the original Urban Decay Naked Platte in the crease.


Finally, I have the shade Velvet which is a shade that is mainly matte with just a little bit of sparkle running through it. I generally use this on it's own as it's such a gorgeous shade. This also a major dupe for the shade Naked from the Naked Palettes but this has a little shimmer where as Naked is completely matte. Some of you eagle eyed viewers may remember that this shade used to be in my palette but, I really loved the shade Chandelier and they only had that in the pan form so I put that one in the palette and put this shade in an old Natural Collection solo packaging I had. (Finally my saving of old packaging came to good use!)

Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you all enjoyed this post, and I will see you again very soon,

Love Lou
xxx

By now, you will probably already now the extent of my obsession with drugstore eye shadow palettes so today I thought I share with you my top 3!





My number 1 palette is 100 percent the Tanya Burr Cosmetics Hollywood Eye Palette. This palette has 4 shades in all with such cute names! There is : Nude Delight which is a warm toned, cream shade with a slight shimmer running through it - a perfect inner corner highlight - , Gold Coin which is a shimmery pale gold which looks gorgeous on it's own as well as in a bronze smokey eye with the other shades in the palette, Enchantment which is a very, very glittery bronze/gold which I like to apply to the outer half of my lid and finally there is Bookworm which is a warm deep brown that is perfect to put in the crease. This palette is very warm toned so if you prefer cooler tones I definitely don't recommend this palette for you. But besides that fact, I love this palette. The formula is very soft and creamy which makes the shadows really easy to apply as well as blend. Also the pigmentation of all the shades is amazing, and they last for ages as well which makes them perfect - especially as the palette is regularly only £6 but right now its on sale for £4!



My second favourite is the L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Nude in 02 Beige - £14.99. I don't talk about this palette very much on here but I really love it! There is 10 shades in the palette ranging from highlight shades to warm browns to silvers to a dark blue/grey. I love all of the shades in here but the formulation of them makes them feel a little chalky and quite dry. A good thing about them being a little chalky is that you can either build up the pigmentation or keep it quite pale. I love that you can do this with this palette as sometimes I feel as though eyeshadows can be a little too pigmented and you wanted quite a pale shimmery look. Another bonus of this palette is that you get a pretty big mirror which makes it perfect for travelling as the outer packaging is also pretty small.





My final favourite is the NYX create your own palette. This palette was bound to be in here as I picked the shades! I have a four pan palette which was £3.50 for the empty palette - it also comes in a 9 pan palette  which is £4.50. Each individual shade is £2.50 and I have the shades : Naked Truth (matte cream shade), Sin (shimmery pale pink), Chandelier (Cool toned pale brown/silver shimmer) and Over the Taupe (a dark taupe shade). I love the formula of these shadow as they are really blendable, really easy to apply and they last all day! The pigmentation of these is amazing! In a few swipes across the lid you have a really opaque, pigmented colour. I would 100% recommend creating a palette with NYX as they have such a range of colours - there's every colour you could've ever imagined.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope this helped some of you and I will see you again very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

You guys always love when I share with you the songs I've been loving so I'm back again with my top 10 favourites right now!


No More Sad Songs by Little Mix from Glory Days

"No matter what I do, I will only hurt myself tryna hurt you"



Welcome to the 60's by the cast of Hairspray Live

"The future's got a million roads for you to choose, but you'll walk a little taller in some high heeled shoes"



Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran from Divide

"I walked her home then she took me inside, finish some Doritos and another bottle of wine"



A Lovely Night by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling from La La Land

"And there's not a spark in sight, what a waste of a lovely night"


New Man by Ed Sheeran from Divide

"Now you're eating kale, hitting the gym, keeping up with Kylie and Kim"



Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

"She said where'd you wanna go? How much you wanna risk?"



Nancy Mulligan by Ed Sheeran from Divide

"Nancy was my yellow rose and we got married wearing borrowed clothes"



You Gotta Not by Little Mix from Glory Days

"So hear me now, I don't get paid to babysit no one"



Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran from Divide

"You were an angel in the shape of my mum, when I fell down you'd be there holding me up, spread your wings as you go"


F.U. by Little Mix from Glory Days

"All my friends say I'm a sucker, can't explain, it's complicated"

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this little insight into my current favourite songs and if you want to know more make sure you follow me on Spotify (@louloves01). See you all again very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

The end of another month means another empties post! This month I have only finished off 1 product, so instead of just rolling it over to next month's post I thought I'd do an in depth review of it!


The product I have finished this month is the Soap and Gory Sugar Crush Body Wash. I have a smaller one (250ml compared to the regular 500ml which is £6.50) as it came in a set which I picked up at some point last year ; I can't really remember which set or when I got it!


I have been using this for a few months on and off - sometimes as a body wash and sometimes as a bubble bath! As a shower gel, I think it's a really nice product that lathers very well but I feel as though the scent can be a little over powering when it's so concentrated ; that's why I thought I'd test to see how it faired as a bubble bath and I was very pleasantly surprised! It made a lot of bubbles, nearly as many as the Lush bubble bars and I've never tried anything else that even starts to compare to them. The bubbles lasted a really long time and as the scent was less concentrated it smelt incredible!



The scent itself is very citrus based. The main scent is lime and it is really, really strong so you can identify it immediately. But, when I used it as a bubble bath and the scent was so strong and overpowering I feel as though it also had a sweeter side to it! That might just be me as I've never seen/heard anyone associate a sweet scent with Sugar Crush as it's mainly very fruity and cirtrusy.



Overall, I have really enjoyed using this product and I have used it many, many times before and I'm sure I will use it many, many times more. The Sugar Crush scent family has a lot of other products ; body butter (£10), body scrub (£8), hand gel (£2.50), body lotion (£10), body mist (£4), hand food (£2.50) and shower jelly (£).

I hope you all enjoyed this post, thank you so much for reading, and I will see you again very soon,

Love Lou
xxxxx