Weetabix Cake

Welcome back everyone, over the weekend I decided to try out Weetabix Cake. I know what your thinking, "weetabix in a cake" that was my initial thought too but its actually tastes very nice. It turned out lovely and went down a treat with the family, so today I am going to share the recipe with you!

Weetabix Cake

Ingredients:

300g self-raising flour

225g sugar/2 tbsp honey

2 Weetabix(crushed)

200g raisins(or any other dried fruit you want)

1 tsp mixed spice

275ml semi-skimmed milk

1 medium egg(beaten)

Method:

1.Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a loaf tin

2.Add all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine

3.Pour in the milk and egg and mix well until you have a thick batter

4.Pour the mixture into a greased and lined loaf tin

5.Bake at 130 degrees for around 1 hour 15 mins(checking regularly), until the cake is firm to touch, golden brown and a knife comes out clean.

6. Once the cake is cooked, take out of oven and take the cake out of tin and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Cut into slices when cool. If you find the cake too dry you can add a spread of butter and enjoy with a cuppa.

Thats how simple it is, definitely give it a go. Its not your typical cake but its a nice change and a bit healthier too! I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you all in my next post(which will be more beauty related for a change).

Until next time,
Sophie x

My Everyday Makeup Routine

Welcome back everyone,

Today I'm going to share my everyday makeup routine with you. The products that I use differ some days if I want to try out a new product, but generally these are the products I find myself reaching for.

Primer: I don't wear primer everyday but when I do I have two I alternate between. I use the Nivea Men Post Shave Balm when I'm going somewhere and need my makeup to last the whole day. I use the Catrice Prime and Fine anti-red base primer when I need to cover up any redness on my face. I apply both primers using my fingers.

                         

Foundation: The foundation that I can always rely on everyday is Revlon Colourstay. I love the medium to build-able coverage it gives yet it doesn't feel too heavy on the skin. I apply it with the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge which gives my skin a smooth, flawless finish.

Concealer: The concealer I'm loving at the moment is the Catrice Liquid Camouflage concealer. I use it to highlight under my eyes, middle of my forehead, and a bit on my chin. I apply it with the applicator and use my beloved Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge to blend it out. The concealer blends seamlessly and leaves the key areas nice and highlighted.

  

Powder: To set my foundation and concealer in place I use the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in translucent. I use a kabuki style brush from Penneys to apply it. For the price its a very good powder and doesn't look cakey at all when applied on the skin, so is a winner overall!

Bronzer/Contour: I don't use a bronzer everyday as most mornings I don't have the time for it but when I do I tend to use the NYC Colour Wheel Mosaic Powder. It has a very good range of colours so is suited to most skin tones. When I just want a bronzed look I use the Real Techniques Powder brush. When I want to use this product to contour I use either one of the Penneys bronzer/contour brushes.

Eyebrows: To fill in my brows I use the Catrice Eyebrow set. It has two shades of brown but I just use the lighter colour. I use the Real Techniques eyebrow brush to apply the product through my brows. I used to use eyebrow pencils but ever since I found this gem I'll never go back. For the price its very good.

Eyeshadow: I like to keep my eyeshadow simple on a day to day basis. The palette I've been using for a while now is the Essence all about Nudes eyeshadow palette. As you can see the lighter colours are well loved! For everday I tend to just apply one of the lighter colours all over the lid up to the brow bone. Then I apply either the second colour on the top line or the shade beside that through my crease and sometimes under my lash line for some definition. I like to use Real Techniques eye brushes to apply the eye shadows. Below are some of the finished looks on my eyes that I go for.

Eyeliner: I don't wear eyeliner everyday but when I do I use the Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner. I just apply a thin enough line close to my lash line. Sometimes I try and attempt a wing but it generally goes horribly wrong so most of the time I avoid it! I also like to use the Catrice Made to Stay inside eye pen on my lower lash line to brighten up my eyes.

Mascara: This one does change from time to time but at the moment I'm using the Catrice All Round Mascara. For the price its a grand mascara for everyday. I use an eyelash curlers from Penneys and then apply this mascara.

Highlighter: To be honest I haven't found a highlighter that I love just yet, at the moment I'm using an Essence eye shadow in the shade 08 apricotta. Its an ok highlighter it gives more of a subtle highlight. I've heard great things about the MUA highlighters so I'll definitely have to try them and let you know what I think!

Lips: I don't wear lipstick everyday most days I just put on some Carmex lipbalm. When I do apply lipstick I tend to use the Essence lipstick in 05 Cool Nude or the NYX butter gloss in 15 eclair.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      


So there you have it my everyday makeup routine. It might be too much for some people but I consider it to be quite natural (for me anyway) and its generally the way I like to wear it everyday. I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you use any of the products mentioned or try any of them out. My next post will probably be a food related one so keep an eye out for it!

Until next time,

Sophie x

Healthy Banana Bread/ Granola Bars

Hi everyone, so today I am going to share with you a healthier version of the beloved Banana Bread. It doesn't contain any flour, butter or sugar so its a great treat to have if you want to be that bit healthier but still feel like your indulging!

Healthy Banana Bread/Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 360g oats
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp honey
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• dash of ginger 
• handful of raisins, walnuts or any nuts of your choice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf tin with baking paper
2. Mix the oats, cinnamon, ginger and baking powder together in a mixing bowl
3. Mash the two bananas and mix into dry ingredients
4. Add in the eggs and honey and mix well
5. Add in the raisins and mix everything together well
6. Place the mixture in a lined loaf tin and bake in the oven for 20-30 mins
7. Let it cool completely before serving
8. You can leave it as a bread but sometimes I like to cut them into granola bars and wrap them in tinfoil and they last in an airtight container for a few days or you can freeze the bars and take them out whenever you want them. There a great snack when on the go to perk your energy levels up!

I hope you all enjoyed this recipe. Let me know if you try it out and how you get on :)

Until next time,

Sophie x

My current favourites

Hi everyone, so today I decided I would share some of the things that I am currently loving right now. I have included both beauty and random favorites to add a bit of variety!

1. Revlon Colourstay Foundation

The first product that I have been loving for a while now is the Revlon Colourstay Foundation. I have mine in the oily/combination formula and in the colour 150 buff. What I love about this foundation is the coverage it gives yet it doesn't feel heavy on the skin. Revlon have recently put a pump on the packaging of the bottle, which makes it so much easier to use and control how much product you want to use. I like to apply this foundation by dotting it on my face with my fingers and buffing the foundation in with the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, which blends the foundation like a dream and leaves you with a flawless finish. I use this foundation on an every day basis and would highly recommend it if you like a medium/full coverage finish to your foundation.

2. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I use this sponge with the foundation I mentioned above. It applys the foundation so easily and leaves your foundation with a flawless finish. I like to put mine under running water to dampen the sponge, and squeeze it out well, removing any excess water with a paper towel. The water makes the sponge double in its size and makes it easier to blend the foundation into the skin. 

3. Catrice Liquid Camouflage Concealer

I love this concealer for brightening up the under eye area and other areas on my face. I just apply it in an upside down triangle shape under my eye, between my eyebrows, chin and the arch of my brows. This leaves these areas nice and brightened up. I found it very long lasting on the skin. For only 3.99 euros you can't go wrong!

4. Carmex

I have very dry lips and have always used Vaseline. However I would constantly have to reapply Vaseline throughout the day and found it just drying out my lips more. Then I decided I would give Carmex a go after hearing good things about it and now I wouldn't be without it. Its very moisturizing on the lips, and I find I only need to reapply a few times throughout the day. I find myself always picking up Carmex when I am in Penney's so that I won't run out of it. Its a must for my lips!

5. Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion

I unfortunately suffer with psoriasis on my arms and thighs and I have tried many moisturisers but found most of them just worsen the psoriasis. I decided to try out the Aveeno Daily Moisturisng Lotion. While it doesn't cure the psoriasis, I find it really helps to calm down the redness and bumps on my skin and it leaves your skin feeling moisturised for hours after. It does contain naturally active colloidal oatmeal, which may be the reason its helps to calm down the redness and irritation on my skin from the psoriasis. If you suffer with psoriasis or dry skin I would highly recommend you give this moisturiser a go.

6. Twinnings Green Tea

I know the taste might not be for everyone but I don't mind the taste(or maybe I've just gotten used to it!). I like to drink a cup of this in between meals and I find it fills me up and helps me stop craving sweet things. Green tea also has many benefits including speeding up your metabolism and detoxifying the body, to name but a few. Twinnings also do a variety of other flavours including lemon green tea, jasmine green tea and cranberry green tea. I have tried the lemon green tea and its quite nice for a change from just green tea.

7. Nairns dark chocolate oat biscuits

Lately I've been obsessed with these biscuits. They are wheat free, contain 40% less sugar than the average biscuit and have only 45 calories per biscuit! The best bit about them is they taste the exact same as your average chocolate chip biscuit( but are a lot healthier for you). I like to have these in the evenings with a cup of tea to kill the sweet cravings! If you like chocolate chip cookies but want to be a bit healthier try these!

8. Pretty Little Liars

Last but certainly not least is my latest Netflix obsession, Pretty Little Liars. After hearing so much good things about this series I decided to give in to the hype and give it a watch. I'm only half way through season 1 but I was hooked after the first episode!. I love the suspense it it,'whos A' (I'll have to resist looking it up!) and how every episode leaves you wanting to watch more.

So that was my current favourites right now. I hope you all enjoyed and I will see yous in my next post.

Until next time,

Sophie x