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Lou Loves

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I am a huge lover of face masks and I talk about them all the time, so when a new brand, Cadden and Lee offered to send me their new masks I jumped at the chance and today I'm going to be doing a review of them for you all!


They've released 2 masks: one for normal/dry skin and one for normal/oily skin. So far I've only tried the dry skin one because I haven't wanted to use the normal/oily one yet because my skin has been very dry recently! But, when I've given it a go I'll be sure to let you know what I think.


This mask is so good I can't even tell you!! The first thing I noticed when I opened the packet was how delicate the mask was - in scent and the material of it. I kept the mask on for 15 minutes (it recommended 10-15 minutes) as my skin is really dry because it's getting a lot colder. Something that really impressed me about this mask was how it clung to the skin and didn't slide about like I found the Garnier one did. After I'd taken the mask off, my skin was quite red but my skin tends to do that whenever I've put any sort of product on it. However, my skin was so soft I was so shocked and I didn't quite believe it to be honest! The next morning my skin was still super soft and it look a lot healthier and glowy.

I've only ever tried this mask and the Garnier moisture bomb one but this one is by far my favourite because it worked so much better for me, personally. Although it may be a little more expensive I'd definitely give this a go if you're looking for a hydrating mask!

As Cadden and Lee are a new brand I thought I'd talk a bit about them and their ethos. They promise to: use no artificial colours or fragrances, use no chemical/artificial preservatives, never test on animals, be 100% vegan, make and source ingredients for the mask in the UK, include no parabens and use all natural and organic ingredients. Pretty impressive, huh?

"Our philosophy here at Cadden and Lee is simple. As out skin can only absorb so many ingredients, we believe that using fewer ingredients, but of exceptional quality, it is the most effective to deliver healthy and luxuriant skin. Many companies manufacture their sheet masks overseas but we believe in sourcing top quality natural and vegetarian ingredients from local UK suppliers, using our own special recipe to create the perfect facial sheet masks for you. We hope you love them and enjoy them as much as we do!"

Their masks are also 100% cotton which is suitable for all skin types and it allows your skin to absorb all of the ingredients quickly! The concept came from Asian/Korean beauty and skincare regimen and as the creators spent some time living in South Korea they managed to create a special recipe that works perfectly!
 
 
I also thought I'd let you know that if you use the code "FIRSTORDER15" at the checkout you get 15% off your first order! Visit www.caddenandlee.com to buy them! It's £5 per face mask or a set of 4 for £16.
 
I hope you all enjoyed this post, thank you so much for reading and I will see you very soon,
 
Love Lou
xxxx
 

Blogmas Countdown - 4 days!

*This post contains sponsored/gifted content but all opinions are my own*

November 27, 2017 2 comments

As it's nearing December, I thought I'd making things a bit more festive and share with you Tanya Burr's recipe for a gingerbread loaf!



Ingredients (serves 6-8):
22cm loaf tin

100g unsalted butter
100g golden syrup
150g self-raising flour
3 teaspoons ground ginger
150g caster sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
150ml milk
1 large egg

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

Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a pan and set aside.

Mix together the flour, ground ginger, sugar and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the milk and egg, followed by the syrup mixture, to form a smooth batter.

Pour in the loaf tin and back for 30-35 minutes, until golden and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely.

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

Love Lou
xxxx

Blogmas Countdown - 1 Week

November 24, 2017 3 comments
So, if you follow me on Instagram (@louloves01) you'll know that I recently changed my theme to a more flatlay based style. So I thought I'd share with you how I take my Instagram photos because I know how helpful this kind of post was when I was thinking about changing my theme!

I'll start off with the camera I use. Since the beginning of this year I've been using the Cannon 1300D . Up until recently I have used the pre-set settings but I now use the "M" setting and the settings I use are:

Shutter Speed - 1/125
Aperture - F7.1
ISO Speed- 6400
Exposure comp./AEB Setting - Centre (0)
Flash Exposure comp. - +2/3
Picture Style - Standard
White Balance - Daylight
Auto Lighting Optimiser - Standard
AF Operation - One shot
Drive/Self-timer Mode - Single shoot
Metering Mode - Evaluative meter
Image Quality - First setting (18m 5184x3456 [1320])

I take my photos in either a flatlay style or just a standard product photo style.

Flatlay Style:

So I just use this white blanket from Primark to create the plain white background but I know a lot of people use card and then use accent colours which I always love the look of put I don't think I would be able to pull it off! I usually take about 10 minutes styling the photo and then 5 minutes shooting so I can get 4 lots of photos done in an hour which doesn't seem a lot but an hours worth of photos can last me up to 3 week which means I don't have to spend too much time taking photos. I then either kneel on a stool or stand to take photos depending on the angle I want. As you can see in the photo I usually have a pile of magazines waiting (although I never actually use them) in case I want one in the shot.

Product Style:


So when I take photos of individual products, I try to keep it as minimalistic as possible because as much as I love scrolling through instagram looking at all of the gorgeous flatlays, I tend to fine that sometimes the product gets lost within everything else and I really wanted the focus to be purely on the product. So, I get the white Primark blanket and drape it over the stool to get the white base and backdrop. I then just make a flat space at the bottom to put the product on and just take photos of it!

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

Love Lou
xxxxx

Blogmas Countdown - 11 Days

November 20, 2017 No comments

I mentioned this Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm in my London Haul (click here to have a read) and I've been using it for the past few weeks so I thought it was about time that I did a review on it!


 
So this balm is by Botanics which is sold at Boots and is sutiable for all skin types. It's 97% organic and contains rosehip which is absolutely essential for healthy skin. When developing this product, Botanics worked with the Royal Botanics Gardens scientists to create "plant-powered skincare that really works". It also comes with it's own muslin cloth which I thought was a really nice edition and one that I wasn't expecting.

 
The balm itself is quite thick and creamy but still melts really easily on your skin. It gets make up off really quickly and you don't have to scrub at your face to get the product and make up off! I have very dry skin but this product didn't dry my skin out like some heavy duty cleansers do. I use this every other day or so and I've noticed a big difference in how less dry my skin is!


The only thing that I don't really like about this product is that it's quite hard to get out of the pot as the product is quite solid and you have to really scoop it out. I know a lot of people have said that this is a really good dupe for the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm. Although I've never actually tried the Emma Hardie balm, I can get why it's compared to a product of that price tag!

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

Love Lou
xxxx

Click here to go to the product on the Boots website

Blogmas Countdown - 2 Weeks

November 17, 2017 2 comments

You all know how much of a big fan I am of Tanya Bakes so today I'm back with a recipe that I've been dying to try!


Ingredients (makes 10):
200g unsalted butter, softened
300g caster sugar
1 large egg
325g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
200g Nutella

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas mark 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg until combined, then gradually add the flour and salt until a dough forms. Add the Nutella and gently marble the chocolate spread through the dough using a wooden spoon or palette knife.

Divide the dough into 10 balls, the squash them down gently onto the baking trays. Make sure to leave plenty of space between each cookie, as they will definitely spread in the oven.

Sprinkle with sea salt, then bake for 12 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool and let set for 20 minutes before eating.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you all enjoyed this post and I will see you very soon,
Love Lou
xxxx
November 13, 2017 No comments
It feels like forever since I let you guys know what I've been loving so that's exactly what I'm going to do! I can't remember if I've included any of these products before so if I have I'm really sorry but they were too good not to include!

 
 
This body lotion was originally released in the 2016 Christmas range but everyone loved it so much that it was brought back in the end of summer! I didn't want to use mine until I knew I would be able to get another one so I was beyond excited when it was announced! It has a really relaxing scent of lavender and gingerbread which is perfect for this time of year as it's getting closer and closer to Christmas! I'd never really tried any of Lush's body lotions before this one and it absolutely smashed by expectations. It's really creamy and moisturising but it isn't sticky or greasy and sinks in almost immediately! This comes in the standard 95g (£7.95) and 215g (£13.95) - I have the 95g and it's lasted me ages!

 
 
 
Next up we have the Garnier Micellar oil-infused cleansing water, I have been absolutely loving using this when I need to take my make up off quickly, or to be completely honest can't be bothered to take my make up off! I usually use my Botanics hot cloth cleanser but this is a super quick alternative for me but it's still not bad for your skin! I have very dry skin so I find that sometimes the regular micellar waters can dry my face out if I use them too much but because this has the layer of oil that you shake in, it's really moisturising. It leaves a layer of moisture on your skin so sometimes I don't use my moisturiser alongside it because it can feel like my skin is blocked which I really don't like!


I did a review of this foundation so you'll know how much I love it but I really want to get into the nitty gritty of this product. I have the shade 1.5N and it's absolutely perfect for me - it's a complete "true match". I do find that I have to do 2 layers of my hydra genius moisturiser under this because it settles into pores and dry skin pretty quickly and I find that that really helps prevent it! I also love how nicely it blends in. I use my beauty blender and it's super easy - it literally only takes a few minutes. The only few complaints I have is that if you don't focus most of the blending under the eyes, the product does pull away a bit when you try and apply concealer but it just means a few more minutes blending!

An Instagram account I have been loving recently is Leah from @devotedtopink and I have been absolutely obsessed with Hannah's blog (www.hannahgale.com) so make sure you go and check them both out!

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

Love Lou
xxx

LINKS
Sleepy Body Lotion
Micellar oil infused cleansing water
True match foundation
Leah's instagram
Hannah Gale
November 10, 2017 2 comments
I didn't actually do an empties post last month because it was while I was on my blogging break... so I've combined September and October's empties into one post!



 
I first saw this shampoo on Liv Grace's blog and she was saying how good it was so I thought I'd pick it up and I absolutely love it! This is a about my 3rd bottle because I just can't get enough of the stuff; it makes your hair look really naturally healthy and shiny without being greasy. It has no silicones in and has 3 essential oils (tea tree, lavender and bergamot) as well as octolamine which all work together to make your hair look really healthy and feel healthy too!


 
Another product that I've used up is the I Love...strawberries and cream bath and shower crème. I got a few of you asking me where it was from when I included it in my August favourites so I thought I'd let you that I picked mine up from Primark but I know that quite a few of other places do sell their range. Anyway, onto the actual product. I absolutely love the scent of this but I know it's a very "marmite" scent - some people love it and some people hate it. That's because it is a very sweet and sickly scent but that is my kinda scent down to a tee. This was a travel size but it lasted a pretty long time because little definitely goes a long way with this lil' guy.


 


The final product I've used up is the Soap & Glory clean on me travel size. I seemed to have collected a lot of these recently so you may see quite a few pop up in future empties posts so I apologise in advance for that! You'll all know by now how much of a big fan I am of the scent of this product and I grab anything in this scent when I can! The shower gel itself is really creamy so feels nice and moisturising on the skin which I really like.
 

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

Love Lou
xxxx

Links:
L'Oreal Elvive Shampoo
I Love... Strawberries and Cream
Soap&Glory Clean on Me
November 06, 2017 No comments

So, as you all know, a couple of weeks ago I went down to Windsor for the weekend and took quite a lot of photos so I thought I'd share them all with you!

















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

Love Lou
xxxx
November 03, 2017 4 comments
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Hey! I'm Lou and welcome to my cosy little corner of the internet! I cover everything from the trends of the season to my favourite recipes! Have a look around and don't forget to follow me via the social media links below!

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      • *Cadden and Lee Face Mask Review!
      • Gingerbread Loaf!
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