The Body Shop, Pillow Mist

Today I thought i'd share another lovely product from The Body Shop which my sister introduced me to a few years ago. It's called Dreamy Pillow & Body Mist from the Deep Sleep range. You can either spray it on your bedding or straight onto your body. Personally I prefer spraying it onto my pillow, I don't use this every night, not because I don't want to... simply because I either forget to or I'm so tired that I just fall straight to sleep. If i'm ever having trouble getting to sleep, I spray my pillow, and it has an almost immediate effect, which makes you feel naturally relaxed and calmer, it also has a lovely scent to it. If you are a troubled sleeper or just like to pamper yourself i'd recommend giving it a go, just to see how much it relaxes you and lets you drift into a lovely calm sleep. This is one magical formula, It's £10 for a 100ml bottle which some may say is expensive, but it's a good quality product, helps you to get a more restful sleep and you only need a few spritz of it at a time so it lasts for ages! 

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Tea for one

I love my tea, and over the past few months I have come to love my tea from a cup and saucer. Some people may think I'm completely crazy, but then some will know exactly what I'm talking about... Tea simply tastes better from a cup and saucer. Another thing is that it has to be Yorkshire Tea, I always used to think that tea was tea, until I tried Yorkshire Tea and I haven't been back since. We have the one for hard water but i'm sure all of them are lovely. The tea is amazing, you have to try it for yourself... you will not be disappointed.

Yesterday my mum came home and surprised me with this lovely little tea set. The set is £15 from the Kirstie Allsopp range at M&S, it contains the cup, saucer and a side plate for the biscuits or a yummy piece of cake. I've had a look on the M&S website at the rest of the Kirstie Allsopp range and they have a really good selection of cute vintage style gifts.

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Olympics Opening Ceremony

And they're off...

After years of waiting the London Olympics are finally upon us, and what a fantastic start we had last night at the opening ceremony. Before last I am ashamed to say I didn't have much hope for us, I didn't expect us to put on a very good show for the rest of the world. Boy was I wrong. Danny Boyle has done us proud, and has left me and I'm sure much of the nation feeling very patriotic and excited for the sporting events and the closing ceremony.

Boyle made it a truly British spectacular, celebrating our nation whilst moving through time and giving a somewhat history lesson. Firstly Bradley Wiggins who last week became the first Brit to win the Tour de France, he started the night by ringing the giant bell. It then moved from our "green and pleasant land" which was filled with loads of animals from horses to ducks. It went through the industrial revolution to a sudden silence to remember those killed in the war.

Then onto the NHS, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Harry Potter and one of my favourite moments from Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean causes his usual chaos. The highlight of the night for me was Daniel Craig, AKA James Bond and his royal sidekick, The Queen! I thought it was fantastic that she not only formally opened the games but she was involved within the fun and showy side of the night. It went on to a man who played The Queen jumping out of a helicopter over the Olympic stadium just before The Queen makes her entrance.

Greece then led the way into the stadium for the 205 teams that are involved in the games, with our team at the back lead but Sir Chris Hoy. Once The Queen had officially declared the games open the cauldron was lit in a spectacular way. There was much speculation about who was going to bring the torch into the stadium, but after David Beckham who was seen to bring it down the thames on a speedboat, he handed it to Sir Steve Redgrave who proudly brought it into the stadium.

There was music from the Arctic Monkeys who were absolutley fantastic live! Also Sir Paul McCartney played Hey Jude, which is always a crowd pleaser. He may be losing it slightly but the crowds sang along and made it a great finale. To finish off the stadium was lit up by an array of fireworks.

One thing I must mention is the thousands of volunteers that took part in the ceremony, what an incredible job they did. They deserve much recognition and praise for all they done.

After such an amazing night I'm really looking forward to watching a lot of the games and especially the closing ceremony.

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Frozen Delights

This week whilst I was shopping in M&S I was craving some ice cream, so off I go to the frozen aisle. They have some great offers on at the moment, I bought the strawberry frozen yogurt and the lemon sorbet.

The lemon sorbet was lovely, very refreshing and perfect for a hot summers day. The strawberry frozen yogurt was amazing, it tastes as good as if not better than normal ice cream. The bonus being that it's nowhere near as many calories, so you don't have to feel guilty about tucking into a yummy treat! I added some strawberries and pomegranate to mine, just to make it even more delicious. I actually went back there today to buy some more of the frozen yogurt only to find out it's all sold out. Although I'm not surprised, it's so yummy and on offer, no wonder its so popular. My only recommendation M&S, get making some more and fill up those shelves!

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Fabulous Flowers

Just a quick post about some lovely flowers which have been bought for me recently. I thought I would share the pictures I took of them. I've always loved taking pictures of anything and everything and once I was given these bright and cheery flowers I just had to take a few snaps!

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Soap and Glory - Body Smoothing Butter

A few days a go whilst sorting out one of my drawers I was very pleased to find this body butter after it had fell down the back of the drawer. After probably almost a year of thinking I had lost it somewhere I was reunited with this deluxe body butter. It's a really nice butter with a lovely scent, there is nothing bad i can say about it. The only problem with this product is that I don't think they make it anymore! I can deal with that as long as they never stop making the righteous butter, I love that body butter so much! My addiction to Soap & Glory continues...

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Ultimate Chocolate Cake

After my tweet about the chocolate cake I made today I thought I would share the recipe for it.
It's a simple chocolate cake, with a vanilla buttercream and chocolate topping.

For the cake:
Cream together 200g of butter and 200g of caster sugar. You need 2 eggs and 200g of self raising flour. Alternate between adding small amounts of the beaten eggs and self raising flour at a time. Add a little vanilla extract, a dash of milk and 3 heaped tbsp of cocoa powder. Mix together, seperate into 2 greased cake tins. Cook at 180 on a fan assisted oven for about 30 minutes or until springy to touch.

For the buttercream:
Mix butter and icing sugar together along with some vanilla extract. Mix until you have a smooth and creamy buttercream.

For the chocolate topping:
Cream equal amounts of butter and icing sugar together, then mix melted chocolate until you have the right consistency, add a little water if needed. You need to work quick and get it onto the cake as soon as possible before the mixture cools down too much.

To decorate add your favourite chocolate pieces and sprinkles. I added choco crunchies from Asda and some yummy Hersheys Kisses.

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21 Jump Street

I thought this film was really good, Hill and Tatum are quite a good duo. The movie contains some quite comical moments and there is even an uncredited cameo from Johnny Depp, much to my surprise. The film is about a pair of cops who are trying to crack their first big case, they are sent undercover and back to high school where they are trying to bring down a drugs ring. It's a funny film, well worth watching and a film I'm glad I've now got in my DVD collection.

Jonah Hill is looking really fantastic in this movie, I watched Superbad the day after this and the transformation is fantastic! Of course he is no competition to the gorgeous Channing Tatum. After his weight loss Jonah was looking good but I hear he's gained a lot of his weight back again. Channing Tatum has really come back into the spotlight lately with The Vow and 21 Jump Street on DVD and his latest film in the cinema Magic Mike which I cannot wait to see!

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Gorgeous Guacamole

I thought i'd share a recipe for the guacamole dip I make, it's so simple and quick to make.
This dip goes perfectly with tortillas or inside a baguette/sandwich to give it an extra something. My favourite tortillas which go perfectly with this dip are the fire roasted chilli flavour from M&S, these are the yummiest tortillas i've ever had, much tastier than Doritos.

Traditional guacamoles have chillies in them, but I prefer it without them for a cooler dip. I also add cucumber for extra flavour and texture.

2 Ripe Avocados
1 Red Onion
2 Tomatoes
1/5 of a Cucumber
Juice of 1 Lime
Sea Salt & Black pepper to taste.

Simply mash the avocado, dice the red onion, tomato and cucumber into small chunks.
Add the lime juice and season to suit taste.
Mix them all together and it's ready to go.

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Matalan Sale Purchase

There are some really great sales around at the moment, Next, Matalan, Evans, Dorothy Perkins and New Look all have some fabulous pieces in their sales.

Today I purchased a top in the Matalan sale which I just had to have, everything in the Matalan sale is half price which is really good. It's just a simple peach top but it's a lovely material and an absolute bargain at only £6 down from £12!

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A Yummy Piece Of Cake

Yesterday afternoon, after a tasty roast dinner cooked by my lovely mum I was craving something sweet. Nothing quite grabbed me so I decided to make a cake, as you do. I've got so used to this cake recipe because I've baked it so many times, but it is really simple.

Cake mix:

200g of Caster sugar

200g of Butter
200g of Self raising flour

2 eggs

Splash of vanilla extract

Splash of milk

1. Cream together the sugar, butter, milk and vanilla extract.
2. Then alternating between the beaten eggs and flour, adding small amounts of each at a time and then mixing in until you have a smooth cake mixture.
3. Then bake at 180 on a fan assisted oven for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to touch.

For the filling of the cake I used a strawberry jam and a vanilla buttercream, I don't usually measure my ingredients for the buttercream. I simply mix icing sugar with butter and vanilla extract until it's the right consistency and the right taste (not too buttery).

As you can see from this cake it's not the prettiest of cakes but my my it did taste lovely, even if I do say so myself. I didn't have much patience when making this cake as I didn't allow it to cool properly, hence why there is a big crack down the cake. I have therefore settled that it's a broken hearted cake with a make shift plaster to patch it back together.

 

Next time i'll be sure to let it cool before trying to decorate!

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Tutti Frutti Lip Balm

Just a quick post about a really nice lip balm which is from the brand Agatha Ruiz De La Prada. It's a tutti frutti flavour and is absolutley lovely. It's starting to run out now and i'm wishing I knew where I could find them in the UK as I brought this one abroad. If anyone can help...I can't find it anywhere!

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BBQ Baked Beans

Yesterday I watched "The Fabulous Baker Brothers" on channel 4. In which a long side some other very tasty looking recipes they made homemade baked beans. This set my mind wandering and tempted me into making my own. I didn't have some of the ingredients on their recipe so I adapted it to what I had in the cupboards and to my personal taste. I wasn't expecting them to be too good for a first attempt but I was pleasantly surprised, they were so yummy!

If you'd like to see their recipe then you'll find it on the channel 4 website.

My adapted recipe...

Ingredients
1 x tbsp olive oil
1 x diced red onion
1 x can of butter beans
1 x can of chopped tomatoes
1 x tsp of chopped garlic
1 x tsp of honey
1 x tsp of brown sugar
1 x tbsp of paprika
4 x tbsp of BBQ sauce
*Half tsp of chilli powder (optional)

1. In a tbsp of olive oil, cook the onion until softened then add the garlic, paprika and chilli powder along with salt and pepper.
2. After mixing in the seasonings add the chopped tomatoes, honey, sugar and BBQ sauce.
3. Then simply add the beans, stir in and simmer on a med-high heat for 5 minutes.
4. Once simmered pour into an oven proof dish and bake for 30-40 minutes on about 180 in a Fan assisted oven.
5. Serve up and enjoy.

They are so easy to make, and much tastier than your average can of baked beans! If you don't like spice then just leave out the chilli. You can adapt the recipe to suit your tastes or what you have in the cupboards.



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Moisturiser Overload...

This week I thought it was time to give my room a spring clean and to sort out my drawers and wardrobes. I haven't even started on my wardrobe yet, it took long enough just going through the drawers.  I was shocked at how many unused or only half used products I have gathered over time, which I had completely forgot about. The two bags below are just full of moisturisers, nothing else. So I am making it my mission now to go through them and try to use every single one up, if I don't have the softest skin after using all of these then something is seriously wrong! It may take me a while but as I use each one I'll blog to tell you what I think of them. 

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The Body Shop, Vitamin E Products

Here's my post as promised on the other three items from my recent purchase at The Body Shop. All three of these items are from the Vitamin E range. When I ordered mine they were offering 3 products free, but they always have some fantastic deals on so many different items, both in-store and online. I first discovered this range when someone bought me the Vitamin E Skincare Kit as a gift, and a fantastic gift it is! The kit contains the cream cleanser, hydrating toner, moisture cream and nourishing night cream. It's the perfect size to take on holiday or for a weekend getaway as it's not too bulky! Having ran out of the cleanser I decided to buy the full size bottle of it as well as trying two different products from the Vitamin E range.

Cream Cleanser, £7
Well I already loved this product from when I had the skincare kit, it's a nice and light product which leaves your face feeling smooth and pampered.
Body Lotion, £8
I do usually prefer a body butter to lotion but this is really nice, if i'm being honest not my favourite of the Vitamin E range but it was lovely and light and sunk into the skin really well. I think from personal preference, next time i'll try the Vitamin E body butter instead.

Gentle Facial Wash, £7
I was really impressed with this product, I've used it every morning since i've had it. It's really gentle on the skin and makes it feel clearer, softer and refreshed for the day ahead.

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Movies...

This week I watched 3 new movies on Sky Movies,

Friends With Benefits
I really enjoyed this film, it was a little predictable but quite a few films are these days. Mila Kunis starts a no strings attached relationship with Justin Timberlake who is still gorgeous and isn't actually too bad of an actor. The only thing that annoyed me was Mila Kunis' voice, I always watch Family Guy so it was weird to hear 'Meg' in this film. About the last 30 minutes of the movie contains the best scenes (my personal opinion) but all in all a good movie, well worth watching.

Cupid, Inc
I had strong doubts about this movie, mainly because I had never even heard of it before. Surely a movie you've never even heard about isn't going to be that good? Well I was right, it wasn't a great film. It focuses on a chat show host who is told if she could help one couple to find love that her love will be revealed. It had an actor who played "cupid", one who could fade in and out whenever he likes. The storyline was quite sweet and had some nice moments but it doesn't remotely compete with some of the better rom-coms out there, I'm not even sure you could call it a rom-com...more of a romance for kids? If thats even possible!

Green Lantern
This film definitely isn't one of Ryan Reynolds best movies. I doesn't quite compete with the other superhero movies which are about such as Spiderman and Batman yet there is something about it that makes you want to keep watching. It may be that i'm a little biased because I find Ryan Reynolds absolutley gorgeous. He plays his part well but I think if there ever was a sequel to this it would be a definite flop. When you turn it on you expect it to be this ultimate superhero movie which leaves you wanting to see the next one and if like me even makes you hope that you could be rescued by the strong,hunky superhero, but I can only dream. This film however has ended up a sci-fi movie, flitting in and out of space which personally I don't like very much.

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Supercat Eyeliner

This week I have a new addition to my makeup kit. It comes from a brand of products I love, Soap & Glory at Boots. It's called Supercat, a carbon black extreme eyeliner pen.In the past i've tried pencil eyeliners and other liquid ones but have never got the effect I was hoping for.  I don't usually wear eyeliner on a daily basis, but now I've found one I really like I will probably wear it more often! Being from Soap & Glory I was expecting a good product and I got it, there isn't one of their products which i've tried and haven't liked, they're flawless! It's only £6 from Boots and is included on the 3 for 2 offer.

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Green and Black's

This week I thought I deserved a little treat so I bought two flavours of Green & Black's which I've never tried before. I'm not over keen on dark chocolate but Green & Black's do quite a wide range of milk chocolate flavours as well as white chocolate which suits me perfectly. In the past I've tried the normal milk, the creamy milk and the white chocolate. The proof is in the eating and you can tell that every single bar is of such a good quality.This week I decided to try the caramel and crispy milk. The crispy milk was nice, nothing I could really say is bad about it but it didn't become my favourite from the range. The caramel was lovely, but only managed to get a couple of squares of this as everyone wanted a piece of the yummyness! The caramel is definitely a contender for the top spot, but so far personally I think the creamy milk is my favourite. Next time I need a chocolate fix i'll have to try a different flavour!
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The Body Shop Purchases

These three items were half of my recent order from The Body Shop, I got a fantastic offer in which I got three items free. The three other products were all from the vitamin e range, i'll be doing a post about those soon!

Peppermint, Reviving Leg Gel. £7
I've only used this product a couple of times but i'm already loving it. I often get tired and aching legs but this product does exactly what is says on the tin. It's so cooling, it really does revive tired legs. The peppermint scent is lovely too. Very happy with this purchase!

Cocoa Butter, Hand & Body Lotion. £8
This product was nice and light, and didn't have an overly sickly smell. Next time however I think I would be more likely to buy one of the body butters instead, this lotion is perfect as a hand lotion but I prefer more of a body butter for the body.

Seaweed, Deep Cleansing Facial Wash. £7
I was really pleased with this facial wash, after just a few uses my skin did feel really refreshed and cleansed. On my next trip to The Body Shop I think i'll definitely have a look at the rest of the seaweed range as I was very impressed with this product.

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Sainsbury's Cajun Rub

This is a bit of a random post, but it's something I have to share! I discovered this yummy cajun rub earlier in the year and it now makes an apperance at every BBQ we have and also is used a couple of times in the week too. I've tried branded cajun rubs but I this one is beats those, I always buy several packs of this as I don't want to run out! It's not too spicy and gives some extra flavour to what would be a boring piece of meat. For an even better flavour I add some BBQ sauce to the mix. So yummy, give it a go!

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FCUK Whipped Body Cream

This body cream is lovely,it has a nice scent and sinks in to the skin really well leaving it lovely and smooth. It doesn't quite beat The Righteous Butter from Soap & Glory but at almost half the price it's well worth it's money and comes a very close second. If I hadn't of found the body butter from Soap & Glory this would have definitely been my favourite. It's really reasonably priced at only £5.87 from Boots,  and you can often get it on a 3 for 2 offer which makes it even cheaper! An affordable luxury which leaves your skin silky smooth, give it a go... you won't be disappointed. 

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Batiste Dry Shampoo

For a long time i've been using TRESemmé dry shampoo, a product which has become a necessity for me to have just incase of bad hair days or if my hairs a tad greasy. This week whilst shopping in Sainsbury's I noticed that the Batiste dry shampoo was on offer.  I've always known about the Batiste products but never purchased them before now, boy have I been missing out! The first thing you notice is the lovely tropical smell, it reminds me of being on holiday, "the caribbean in a can". Now for it's actual use, it completely took the greasy look away from my hair and gave it plenty of volume. I have been officially converted, sorry TRESemmé but Batiste has taken over as my favourite dry shampoo!

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Movies...

Fright Night,
This film wasn't one of the best films i've ever watched but it's one of those you have to keep watching to find out what happens at the end. Colin Farrell does play his part pretty well as the vampire and David Tennant has his moments. The film was smart and funny but didn't really scare me very much! Which from a title of fright night, you would sort of expect to be scared at least a little bit. It's not a film I would rush to watch again any time soon, but i'd be quite interested in watching the original from 1985 just to see how it compares.

You May Not Kiss The Bride,
It's a film about a fake wedding in which pet photographer Bryan (Justin from Brothers and Sisters) is forced into to marrying the daughter of a crime boss so that she'll get a green card. The film is a bit too over the top, trying to be dramatic but in a way that it's hard to take it seriously. I do like films when they're are unrealistic, but only when they're done well. Tonya, played by Mena Suvari plays such an annoying part. I loved Dave Annable when he played Justin in Brothers and Sisters, in this movie he did play the part pretty well, he's probably the only reason I managed to watch the whole movie through, otherwise would have be switched off a lot earlier. I think he'll do well in the future in some more rom-coms. As for this film, not one I'll be adding to my DVD collection any time soon.

The Vow,
This movie was definitely my favourite watch of the week. It features Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum. After getting married, a car accident leaves her in a coma. As she lost her memory, her husband is determined to win her heart again. It didn't quite have the end I was expecting but I was glad of that as it wasn't too predictable. It did have it's moments where it follows the "guidelines" of most romantic movies but did manage to branch out slightly. Either way I loved it! Tatum and McAdams both played their parts brilliantly, more so Tatum but that may be because I find him absolutely gorgeous. I'm glad I purchased this on DVD and it's a film I would definitely watch again. All in all a good story that does tug on your heart strings slightly! If you like films like Dear John and The notebook I think you'll like this one.

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