For me, July has been a month of finishing off a few odds and ends that I've had floating around for a while now.


First off, I finished the comforter shower cream. I have spoken  about this multiple times and this is probably a really bad time to finish my last bottle as Lush have just announced the discontinuation of it! I'm gutted because it's one of my favourite Lush products and I don't know what I'm going to do when it's gone! Back to the product itself, I've really loved the creaminess of it because it felt really moisturising and kind of luxurious. The scent is incredible as well. I'm sure you all know full well by now that the scent of the comforter is my absolute favourite so it's no surprise that I'm obsessed with this. I often find with a few lush shower gels/creams that the scent goes pretty quickly but this sticks around for a while which is really nice.


Next up is my skincare holy grail - the Garnier Micellar cleansing water. You lot have seen me go through countless numbers of these so it's no surprise that it's back in my empties again. I absolutely love this stuff, it makes your skin feel really clean but without all the hassle of having to use a gel wash or cleansing milk. I removes make up really quickly and easily but it's not harsh on my skin at all (I have the one for sensitive skin). This a cult beauty favourite here on the internet and I can definitely see why!


Finally, we have the Jack Wills hope cove body butter. This had lasted me such a long time I can hardly believe I've finally finished it. I started using this about 10 months ago every single day and it's only just gone. This stuff is super thick and creamy so little goes a long way with this. I find that if you put too much on it can be a little sticky but if you put on the right amount it soaks in really quickly and makes your skin feel really nice and moisturised.

So, thank you so much for reading, and let me know what you've finished off this month in the comments,

Love Lou
xxxxx

The Comforter Shower Cream - £9.95 (250ml size)
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - £4.49 (400ml size)
Jack Wills Hope Cover Body Lotion - £6.95 - the butter wasn't listed on the site

I don't know about you, but when I was younger I loved iced gems. So, I thought I'd share with you how to make your very own iced gems!

Ingredients (Makes 40-50):

35g unsalted butter, softened
15g caster sugar
50g plain flour
150g royal icing sugar
25-30ml water
Your choice of food colouring gels

First, line a baking tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper and place to one side.

Place the softened butter and caster sugar into s medium-sized mixing bowl. You can either use an electric hand whisk or a wooden spoon to cream the two ingredients together. If you're using a wooden spoon, make sure the butter is super soft to make it easier to mix.

Weigh the flour into the creamed butter and sugar and stir to combine. The mixture may look dry and crumbly at first. Use your hands to bring the mixture together and form it into a ball.

To avoid a mess, roll out the dough between two pieces of cling film. This means that you will not need to flour the worktop or add unnecessary flour to the dough as you roll it out.

Roll the dough to around the thickness of a pound coin. Use either a cake corer or the round end of a piping bag to cut out the small circles. A cake corer is easier to use though as the plunger makes it easy to push out the dough. If you use a piping bag, you may need to use a cocktail stick to carefully push the dough from the nozzle.

Place the circles of dough onto the lined baking tray and place into the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes. This will help to stop the dough spreading or using it's shape in the oven later on.

Preheat the oven to 180 C/Gas 4. Take the tray of dough from the fridge and place the tray straight into the preheated oven. Cook the biscuits for 8-10 minutes. They should stay a pale colour, so keep an eye on them! Once the tiny biscuits are cooked, place onto a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, make the royal icing to add a pretty finishing touch. Place the royal icing sugar into a mixing bowl; there isn't really any need to sieve. Carefully measure out the water and pour it into the bowl.

Start to whisk the royal icing sugar and water together with an electric whisk, on a low speed. Slowly increase the speed once the water has been incorporated into the icing sugar. Keep whisking for around 2 minutes, until the mixture starts to from stiff peaks. It will need to hold it's shape when piped.

Separate the royal icing between a few bowls. How many bowl depends on how many colours you're wanting to use. Stir the gel food colouring into the icing - you only need a little to make a bold colour.

As you will only have a small amount of icing for each colour, you can use small piping bags or sandwich bags, fitted with a small flower nozzle.

Simply squeeze a little icing onto each biscuit in a mixture of colours, otherwise keep things simple and use just one colour. Leave the royal icing to set for a few hours before giving them a try! The biscuits will keep in an airtight container for 2 days.

So, I hope you enjoyed this little blast from the past, thank you so much for reading and I'll see you soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

*Disclaimer - The recipe nor photos are mine and were found on www.goodtoknow.co.uk *

I have seen posts discussing the new instagram algorithm a few times in the blogosphere so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you my point of view.

For those of you who haven't come across the new Instagram Algorithm, a few months or so ago, Instagram released a new update that meant, like facebook, posts were no longer in chronological order. For smaller bloggers like myself, and bloggers in general to be fair, it's caused massive reductions in engagement and followers on both instagram and their blog.

So, the new algorithm meant that posts were mixed up which meant that a lot of posts now wouldn't be seen. It also appears to me that Instagram is more actively promoting (and therefore moving to the top of feeds) posts from accounts with more followers. This is a big set back for small bloggers like me (currently having a few followers over 300) as it means that often our posts are lower down feeds, if on them at all. Obviously, this is just what I've seen and it may not be the same to everyone, but I thought I share with you what I have personally found.

As a small blogger, the new algorithm massively affected my blog. Before the update, I was posting pretty regularly on my instagram, and I still am, however, likes and comments have now become practically inexistent, which has also resulted in a big drop in blog views - dropping from the 200's to the 50's-  due to the lack of engagement on that particular promoting platform (if you didn't already know, Instagram is my main promoting platform so this was a pretty big knock for me).

Like several other bloggers, I am really struggling with Instagram and it's really making me question how long I am going to be actively posting on there. To overcome this, I've come up with some tips for you guys who may be experiencing the same problems as me:

1. Use hastags wisely

Hashtags can make or break a post, use the right ones and likes will flood in but if you don't get it quite right, even if it's the best content you have ever posted, you will get very few likes.

2. Try and produce the best quality content

If you haven't really got anything to post, don't find a picture you took about 5 years ago on your iPhone 3 because chances are you're going to get more unfollows than if you didn't post anything at all.

3. Interact with similar bloggers/accounts

This has been key in my instagram survival so far. Finding accounts similar to yours that you actually enjoy can be pretty difficult but once you find them, you'll often get a follow back and they'll also enjoy your content. (I'll link some of my favourite accounts in each niche at the end of this post)

4. Post as regularly as you possibly can

This is quite a controversial one, I've found. When I post 1 or 2 times a day I definitely get more engagement and I feel as though my posts sit higher on instagram feeds, whereas other 'gramers feel that they get less engagement. This is totally dependant on your audience so give it a go and see how you get on.

So, I hope you enjoyed this post, and let me know any tips you have in the comments if you've been having similar problems. Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you all again soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

My favourite:

Beauty Accounts:

@lifeastillyrose
@dasiyjosephineblog
@justlucyslife

Lifestyle Accounts:

@chloeplumstead
@susiejverrill
@ellenextdoor

Fashion Accounts:

@eleanorclaudie
@rachyblogs
@stylelobster


Other:

@livv.gracee (She's an all rounder to be honest)
@hannahfgale
@devotedtopink (Another lovely all rounder)

Right now, there is a really big hype around this product (as well as the now blogger famous lip lingerie) so I thought I'd pick one up to see what the hype's all about.

I got the shade 01 Sweet Cloud and it's a really shimmery bronze/gold with a coppery shimmer to it and also quite chunky silver glitter running through it. This shade is nothing like any other shade I have ever tried - in fact all of the shades in the range are super unique - there's literally nothing I can compare it to, to give you all an idea of what it looks like.


The product itself obviously isn't as pigmented as a cream or powder product may be as it is just a tint but I was really happy with the colour pay off from it. I was also pretty surprised by the formula of it - I thought it would be quite a liquid product but I'd say it's definitely more of a cream than a liquid product.


I've found from this, that you can get 2 looks out of it. You could get a subtle wash of colour that has a really pretty shimmery sheen to it (which I prefer) or you can go all out glitter. This really depends on how much you apply - it took me a few uses to work out how much product worked well for me.


I have tried this product both with and without a primer and I would definitely recommend giving it a go with primer. When I wore it without primer it lasted for about 3/4 hours before creasing whereas the primer locked it on all day.


I've used this a few times so I thought that I would share with you my favourite looks that I've conjured up using this product as a base. My favourite is, applying this a little heavier and adding winged eyeliner which is super quick to do and looks really nice. Another favourite, is adding a wash of colour with the tint then using the 'Bookworm' from Tanya's hollywood palette into the crease toad some definition to the eye.

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

Love Lou
xxxxx

Buy this beauty here - £6

As you guys will know all too well, I was a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off when it was on so when winner Candice released her new cook book "Comfort" I couldn't not share a recipe with you!

Ingredients (Serves 8):
Pastry:

Filling:


Original Recipe Found on the Daily Mail website.
*Disclaimer - The recipe and photos are not my own*

It was my birthday last week, so I thought that today I'd share with you the look I did on my birthday!


First off, I primed my eyes with the Smashbox 24hr Photo Op Eyeshadow Primer. You lot here me going on about this all the time but it's just so good because it literally stick your make up to your lids but it's till really easy to take off.





I have been really loving using the Hollywood palette from Tanya Burr. To create a base, I used the shade "Nude Delight" on my Urban Decay Naked palette brush to create a really pretty slightly shimmery cream nude base. I then took the shade "Gold Coin" on the Real Techniques base shadow brush and blended it all over my lid. To add some really sparkle to the look I used "Enchantment" on the outer half with the EcoTools shadow brush before taking "Bookworm" on my NYX 17 brush and blending it into the crease. To add some definition to the lashline I took the shade "Creep" from the Urban Decay Naked palette on a flat eyeliner brush and smudging across the lashline. (You could use a liquid liner here if you want a wing)





Next, I moisturised my skin using the Nivea Daily Essentials rich moisturising day cream. To conceal under my eyes, I used the Rimmel Match Perfection 2-in-1 concealer and blended it with my beauty blender. Then, to cover any blemishes I used the last bits of my 17 Stay Time concealer and blended it with my EcoTools Deluxe Concealer brush before using my beauty blender to remove any excess product.



I then set my make up using the Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 001 transparent. This powder is an absolute staple for me as it makes your make up stay on all day without looking thick or cakey. To highlight, I used the NYX illuminator in 04 ritualistic and applied with my finger to the top of my cheekbones as well as the tip of my nose and cupid's bow.



To finish my eyes, I used the L'Oreal miss Baby Roll mascara on both my top and bottom lashes.



For lips, I have been obsessed with using the Tanya Burr matte lip in Martha Moo as it's such a gorgeous pinky nude but it isn't too vibrant - it's basically my perfect shade!

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

Love Lou
xxxx

Links and Prices:

Smashbox shadow primer - £20
Tanya Burr hollywood palette - £6 (currently on offer to £4.20)
Urban Decay naked palette - £39.50
Real Techniques base shadow - £21.99 (for the set)
EcoTools shadow brush - £11.99 (for the set)
NYX 17 brush - £9
Nivea moisturiser - £4.09
Rimmel match perfection concealer - £5.99
17 stay time concealer - £4.49
Rimmel stay matte powder - £3.99
NYX illuminator - £9.50
L'Oreal miss baby roll -£7.99
Tanya Burr matte lip - £5.99

I did my first cooking post not long ago, and you guys seemed to really enjoy it so I thought I'd share with you a recipe from Tanya Bakes!


Ingredients - makes 4 small pizzas:

500g spelt flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 jar tomato sauce
pizza toppings of your choice - e.g. mozzarella, olives, salami, ham, pineapple, roasted vegetables, rocket, etc.

Mix the flour, 300ml cold water and salt in s food processor to form a dough.

Switch on the grill to a high setting. Put a non-stick frying pan over a high heat on the hob.

Divide the dough into four pieces and roll out each piece on a floured surface to form a circle.

Transfer one base to the frying pan. Fry on one side for 3 minutes, then flip it over and fry for another 3 minutes. While it's frying on it's second side, spread a few tablespoons of tomato sauce over the top and add toppings.

To finish, grill the pizza for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and your toppings have warmed through.

Repeat with the remaining dough, or refrigerate to use later. If serving the pizzas together, keep the cooked ones warm in the bottom of the oven, covered loosely in tin foil, until all are prepared.

I hope you all enjoyed this post, and thank you so much for reading,

Love Lou
xxxx

Hey guys, it's @mua_lilygrace on instagram and today I'm doing a guest post on my top 5 beauty products! I hope you enjoy this post and don't forget to hop on over to my instagram and have a little look!


1- I heart Chocolate and Peaches Palette

I love this palette because it's such an amazing dupe for the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette.


2- Kylie Cosmetics lip kit in Koko K

Kylie's lip kits have such a big hype around them but I think it's totally justified because they are super long-lasting and don't dry out your lips at all


3- Makeup Obsession highlighter in the shade Moon.

This highlighter is incredible as it's super pigmented and super affordable.


4- MAC lipstick in Taupe

MAC lipsticks are a beauty staple for most people including myself because they are super long lasting and this shade is such a gorgeous colour.


5- NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams

I love the formula of these and they're one of the most long lasting products available in the drugstore, not to mention the incredible colour range!

Thank you so much Lily for doing this post, I hope you lovely lot enjoyed it, and don't forget to check out Lily's instagram,

Love Lou
xxxxx

*DISCLAIMER - None of these above photos are my own, all were supplied by Lily but all were found on www.google.com*

A couple of months ago, my favourite concealer was discontinued so I did a bit of research and discovered this lil' bad boy.


I found the Rimmel Match Perfection 2-in-1 skintone adapting concealer and highlighter and I've been giving it a little go .It has vitmains C and E so it's really good for you skin and it also lasts a long, long time (it says up to 13 hours, I haven't tested it to that length but it does last a long time)! It adapts to your skin tone so it is meant to be a perfect match for any skintone. However, I still find it's a little to dark for my skin! I have it in the lightest shade (ivory) but it's too orange for me.. It might be because I have yellow/pink toned skin but I'm not sure.


The quality of this concealer is amazing! I don't tend to find light/medium coverage concealers that great, but this one is really nice! I think it might be because it's quite lightweight on the skin which is really nice in summer when you want to let your skin breathe a bit. Another bonus is that it's really buildable, so if you did want to have a bit more coverage, you could build it up.


 I completely love this product and cannot get enough of it! It was just £5.99 which is pretty good value (even for a high street concealer!)

Thank you so much for reading, and let me know if you've ever tried this in the comments,

Love Lou
xxxxx