Tea for Two

I live in a little town where not much goes on so when my friend told m a cute little tea shop had opened I was like a small child screaming please can we go! I finally got my way and we booked in for afternoon tea.

It was just has I had wanted it to be filled with polka don’t bunting, floral table clothes and woolly tea cosies. Shabby chic at its best! We opted for a pot of green tea; I can drink this just like normal tea now after training myself to like it!

The food came out on a gorgeous little floral cake stand with sandwiches on the bottom and the cakes on the top.

It was all super yummy but you just can’t beat the comfort of a scone with clotted cream and jam, talk about an indulgence!

After we had eaten the last crumb and had drank all the tea we could I was really ready for a nap – how old does that make me sound!

Anyway I had a lovely afternoon and I can’t wait to go with a few more of my friends, I think I will take my mum too.

What did you get up to this weekend?

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Ren Skincare Treats

Mayflower t-Zone Control Cleansing Gel

Clarimatte Clarifying Toner

What a surprise another skincare post, what can I say it is my biggest weakness!

Ren has been on my radar for a while and due to the majority of my products running out at the same time I thought it was the perfect time to invest.

I needed a cleanser for the mornings; I usually find cleansing balms a bit too much for the morning so tend to go for gels as I find them lighter. I decided on the Mayflower t-Zone Control Cleansing Gel as this is aimed at skin prone to an oily T-zone so perfect for me. This cleanser claims to Removes dirt and dissolves excess sebum, unclogs pores and reduces the appearance of pore size. This ticks all of the boxes for me, its simple and controls my oil.

The Ren Clarimatte Clarifying Toner has had a lot of hype in the beauty world so it felt right that I hopped on the bandwagon. I like this, it didn't knock my socks off but as far as toners go it does leave my skin feeling lovely and if Caroline Hirons says its good then its good. Also I have found this on the Marks and Spencer's website for £12 rather than the usual £18! If that isn't a reason to try it then I don’t know what is.

Are you a fan of Ren? 

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Easter Bank Holiday Fun

This weekend was a bit of a crazy one for me; bank holiday mixed with your best friend’s birthday is only going to end one way, messy! Diet went completely out of the window but hey sometimes you have just got to let go and enjoy yourself so I thought I would show you a few snippets of what I got up to.

I couldn't resist these flowers; I love how bright they are.

The Easter Bunny crumpets are the hardest things ever to track down but my boyfriend did find these cute little teddy bear ones!

We were so lucky to have a bit of sunshine, not a cloud in the sky.

And here’s where it got messy. I hate shots and I hate jager but somehow always find myself doing a cheeky jager bomb or 4!

And recover. The next morning a strong Americano was needed...

...and a Goats cheese panini to soak it all up!

The nice weather was a perfect excuse to wear my pretty Primark shoes and new Topshop jeans.

Being back at work has been such a struggle, I know it’s only a four day week but I'm still convinced it’s Thursday! Hope you all had a good Easter!

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Monu Essential Care Cleansing Balm

Monu Essential Care Cleansing Balm*

If you read my blog often then you will know that I am a big fan of cleansing balms. Since discovering beauty blogs my skincare routine is something that has had a huge over haul and if I was to recommend a splurge to anyone then a cleansing balm would be it.

The Monu Essential Care Cleansing Balm is the latest cleanser to be added to my collection. Monu wasn't a brand I was too familiar with but after a browse on their website and reading about their beliefs and using natural ingredients I was impressed.

First of all the balm comes in a hefty 150 gram tub which is 50 grams more than my usual balms. The packaging is simple and plastic but I like the clean white look.

It contains Apricot Kernel Oil Bergamot Essential Oil, Blackcurrant Seed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Jasmine Essential Oil, Rose Essential Oil and Sweet Almond Oil. Needless to say this creates a gorgeous aroma which is quite spa like.

The consistency is a lot more runny than the balms I am used to and also feels a little grainy, but once applied to my skin it melts in, removing all my make up and giving my skin the deep clean that it needs after a hard days work. I have been using this every night for the last month and I love how soft and healthy looking it leaves my skin.

The Monu Essential Care Cleansing Balm retails at £39.95 which may seem pricey but as I said earlier you do get an additional 50 grams worth of product compared to other balms so I think it is complete value for money.

Have you tried any Monu products? What’s your favourite cleanser?

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The Little Things

Falling back in love with an old fave, Mac Hue is perfect for everyday wear.

Cute little vintage shops which make me want to buy everything even though its not essential.

New jewels perfect for spring.

 My Car smelling of lemons while looking bad ass.

Healthy home cooking on a heart shaped plate, this peanut chicken was amazing!

Buying clothes a dress size smaller thanks to the point above :)

What little things have made you happy lately? Oh and Happy Friday!

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Lemon Butterfly Cakes

When it comes to food I’m definitely a savoury over sweet kind of girl but last week at work we had a bake off and I guess my inner Mary Berry came out. Having never baked anything in my life I wanted to make something quite easy but something that would taste great so I decided to go for Lemon Butterfly cakes.

What you will need:

115g self raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

8tbsp soft margarine

115g caster sugar

2 eggs

Rind of 1 lemon

2 tbsp lemon juice

Icing sugar for dusting

Butter cream:

6 tbsp Butter (softened)

175g Icing Sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Sift the flour and baking powder in to a bowl then add the marg, sugar, eggs lemon rind and lemon juice, grab your whisk and beat until smooth.

This definitely the best part and I’m not gonna lie...yes i licked the spoon.

Bake the cupcakes in a pre heated oven on gas mark 5 / 190 degrees  for 15-20 minutes or until golden. While they are baking mix together the butter, icing sugar and lemon juice until its smooth and creamy. Again spoon licking occurred.

When the cakes have cooled slice of the top fill with the butter cream and cut the top of the cake into ‘wings’ as you can see some of mine were better than others, I need to thank my friends for that they had far better skill and more patience than me! Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

Even though I didn't win the bake off (I was robbed), I was surprised how easy this was and would definitely up for baking again, although not too soon baking is not good when you’re trying to avoid sugar!

Will you be trying these? What do you like to bake?

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Revlon Colourburst Lacquer Balm in Whimsical

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm. £7.99

As a big fan of the Revlon Lip Butters I was super excited to get my hands on one of the new Colorburst Lacquer Balm.

After a long swatching session I finally decided to go for the colour Whimsical, which is a deep pinky purple shade. I think I'm starting to learn what colours suit me most, I always lust over nude shades but I find they make me look a bit pale and washed out so for me pinks are definitely the way forward.

I opted for Whimsical as it is perfect for a night out but also not too scary to wear in the day time. The High shine finish is spot on and I find the colour easily buildable if I'm trying to create a bit more of a bold look.

The product applies easily and adds moisture to my lips as it contains shea, mango and cocoa butter; it also has a slight peppermint scent which I wasn't expecting but it does add a nice fresh feeling.

The matte balms are at the top of my list to try next!

Have you tried any of these?  What shade is your favourite?

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A Little No7 Haul

Beautiful Skin Purifying Mask ♥ Soft and Soothed Gentle Toner ♥ Stay Perfect Smoothing Eye Shadow

It’s been a while since I used one of the No7 vouchers, but as pay day came around last week and I have a voucher and it was 3 for 2 it seemed a bit rude not to make a purchase.

♥ First up is the Beautiful Skin Purifying Face Mask. This is a repurchase and I still love it as much as when I first tried it. It’s called a mask but it feels like more of an exfoliator. I love how this product heats up when you apply it to your face and I honestly can’t tell you how baby soft this leaves my skin, I like to use this about twice a week.

♥ For some reason at the moment I keep buying toners. I still love my Origins Make a difference Toner but I wanted something to keep at my boyfriend’s house for ease and so I don’t slip back into forgetting this step. It does what it says on the bottle and leaves my skin soft and soothed.

♥ I had never seen the Stay Perfect Smoothing eye shadows before and this shade ‘Pretty Pink’ really caught my eye. It’s a gorgeous subtle pink which I like to use as a base for my eye shadows. I will be definitely looking at getting this in more colours.

Are you a fan of No7?

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