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!

x

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!

x

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!

x

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.



x

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. 

x

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.

x

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.

x