Review - Nivea Lip Butters

I've never mentioned this on my blog before but I actually suffer with quite a severe allergy to Lanolin, an oily substance used in products to soften and moisturise the skin, so finding a good lip balm without it can prove very tricky. Popular brands such a Carmex, Blistex and Lanolips all contain it so I am constantly on the look out for something to help quench my dry lips without me resulting in over-inflated, blistered lips (mmmmmm). 

I have been hearing a lot of hype surrounding the Nivea Lip Butters but I always assumed they would contain Lanolin so never really looked into it, but when I spotted them in my local Tesco last night, low and behold they were Lanolin free and off they went, straight into my basket!

The 3 flavours I picked up were Original, Caramel Cream and Raspberry Rose and apparently there is a fourth; Vanilla & Macademia which I can tell you right now, will be mine. To start with, the packaging is simple, sleek and the perfect handbag size and personally think they look a lot more expensive than the £1.49 they cost. They smell delicious, especially the Raspberry Rose which is definitely my favourite and leave the lips feeling soft, moisturised and without that stickiness some balms can give.

The texture of the butters is not what I was expecting but is definitely a pleasant surprise. I think I was envisioning them to be a more soft cream but in actual fact they are a really high quality, thick balm with just the right amount of fragrance to be noticeable but not in any way overpowering. The flavoured ones have a tint when in the pot but this doesn't really translate on the lips which I was pleased about as I will mainly be using these at night, and as a base under lipsticks.

Overall I am so impressed with these Nivea Lip Butters, especially as someone who generally struggles with finding moisturising lip balms due to my Lanolin allergy. They cost an impressively low £1.49 and are available here online. 

Have you tried the Nivea Lip Butters? What's your favourite lip balm?

Becca.

Recipe - Catherine's Choc Chip Cookies

Andrew's sister Catherine makes THE best cookies ever, fact. Andrew loves them so much that for Christmas this year she put him together a little goodie bag with everything he needed to make the cookies himself. She is so incredibly crafty that she actually printed the design on the giftbag and the tag herself and she typed the recipe up beautifully on her typewriter; I am not bitter and jealous at all. Me and Andrew had a rare day off together today so we took the plunge and made the cookies and Catherine has kindly allowed me to share her delicious recipe with you all.

Catherine's Cookies

Ingredients

100g butter

100g Soft light brown sugar

1 Tbsp golden syrup

150g self raising flour

100g chocolate chips (mix of milk and white)

Recipe

1) Preheat oven to 180c/350f/Gas mark 4.

2) Line several baking trays with baking paper. (We didn't have any baking paper so we lightly greased the tray and hoped for the best!)

3) Place the butter and sugar in a bowl together and whisk until pale and creamy, then add the golden syrup into the mixture.

4) Add 75g of the flour and whisk until mixed.

5) Stir in the chocolate chips and the remaining flour.

6) Roll small pieces of the dough in your hands (Or accidentally eat it raw like I did - delicious!) then flatten the balls, place them on the tray and space well apart.

7) Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

8) Leave on the trays for 2-3 minutes to cool, they will fall a little.

9) Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

10) Eat and enjoy!

We displayed our cookies on this beautiful glass cake stand which was actually my Christmas present from Andrew's sister, so thankyou very much if you are reading this Catherine! We are so pleased with how they came out; They were super quick and easy to make and are super yummy and gooey!

Let me know if you have any simple recipes for me to try out, I'd love to get more into baking this year!

Becca.

My First Frisson With Laura Mercier

OKAY. Never before in my life have I ever, ever, ever felt this compelled to write a blog post but the Space NK sale has quite literally changed my life. I have never dipped my toe into the metophorical Laura Mercier water, but today all that has changed. I came home after what can only be described as a shitty day to find a parcel waiting for me, and that parcel contained the most stunning little box of goodies my eyes have ever seen; The Laura Mercier 'La petite patisserie quartet' in Creme de pistache.

This can't really be anything more than a first impressions post at the moment but I can honestly say I have never laid eyes on a more beautiful bath and body set in my life. The box is in a stunning simple snake print, with subtle gold writing and a beautiful red ribbon. It just screams luxury and I was literally itching to get it open.

Inside, encased in elegant red packaging, there are four generous sized minis of some of Laura Mercier's most popular bath and body products in the Creme de pistache range. There is a 90ml body wash, an equal sized souffle body cream, a cute little hand cream and a 15ml bottle of the Eau Gourmande Creme de pistache. They all seem to be extremely generous sizes and I cannot even begin to describe how absolutely insanely amazing these smell. Creme de pistache smells like the most delicious pistachio cakes in a cute little Parisian bakery (In my head anyway) and I cannot believe it has taken me this long to discover it.

Now just when this all sounded too good I feel I must touch on the price. I would in all honesty be quite happy to pay upwards of £30 for this little set, it just oozes elegance, luxury and decadence but I picked this up in the sale for a mere £12.50. Yes you heard me right, 12.50!!! I don't know how Space NK come up with their sale prices but they are literally incredible and I am seriously kicking myself now for not ordering more. I did also order part of my friends birthday present but I'll have to keep that top secret as I know she reads my blog!

So I will leave it there for tonight, I need to have some alone time with my new bessie mate Laura. If you haven't had a look already, then I urge you to go and check out the Space NK sale, there seems to be new bits added all the time and the prices are just unbelievable!

Becca.

Review - Benefit 'She's So Jetset' Makeup Palette

For Christmas this year I was lucky enough to receive one of the Benefit makeup kits they bring out every year around the festive season. Benefit aren't a brand I have a lot of products from, I've tried a few of their items in the past and always ended up feeling they were a bit style over substance but since hearing such amazing things about the infamous 'They're Real' Mascara, I was ecstatic to receive this little box of treats under my Christmas tree.

One thing I cannot fault Benefit on is their packaging; They have such a retro 50's vibe to all their products and is just so very iconic to Benefit as a brand. The 'She's So Jetset' kit comes in a gorgeous little box complete with a mirror in the lid and contains all the bits you'd need to create an everyday subtle smoky eye look.

The gorgeous little set contains:

The POREfessional Face Primer

'Champagne Please' Eyeshadow

'Gold Card' Eyeshadow

'Pretty In Mink' Eyeshadow

'Elegant Espresso' Eyeshadow

'First Class' Face Powder & Brush

'Life on the A-List' Lipgloss

'They're Real!' Mascara

I actually really like everything included in the kit, there's nothing I won't use up but by far the stand out stars for me are definitely the face primer, which creates a silky soft base for your foundation, and the mascara which fans out and separates lashes for a full look. The eye shadows are buttery soft and very rich in pigmentation; They create the perfect soft smoky eye for day to day wear and have just the right amount of shimmer for a subtle glow.

I don't think I'll get as much use out of the face powder as I found it didn't have much colour pay off and I have other blushers I prefer but it is nice to have it in a little kit for if I'm travelling anywhere and don't want to take loads of other products with me. Similarly the lipgloss isn't really very 'me'. It is a very pretty pale pink with pearly shimmer and whilst it isn't ideal for my naturally pigmented lips, I could see it looking beautiful on someone who suits a good nude!

This is the makeup look I created using everything included in the Benefit Palette, please ignore my bedraggled looking hair, it is wet from getting out the shower. Overall I would highly recommend it if you are looking for a compact little kit that will provide you with all the basics for a really simple, natural and girly look. Even better, now it's past Christmas you can pick this little beauty up a lot cheaper! If you are interested, take a look here.

I hope you are all having a nice weekend and have enjoyed the first week of 2013! I am really loving eating healthier and I feel so much better for it already. I have been making loads of fresh fruit juices and smoothies in my liquidiser so I've been finding eating more fruit and veg really easy and enjoyable. How are your new years resolutions going?

Becca.

OOTN - Rebel Rebel

Good evening all! I have spent tonight in a lovely little local restaurant with a couple of my close friends and thought I'd just quickly show you what I wore. It's a fairly casual low-key eatery so I didn't go for anything too dressy or over the top but I couldn't resist throwing on this gorgeous little dress I got in the Urban Outfitters sale.

Dress - Urban Outfitters

Leather Jacket - Zara

Fur Stole - H&M

Studded Bag - Mango

'Upperhand' Boots - Office

Lipstick - Mac 'Rebel'

I love this dress so much! It was actually my friend who picked it out in Urban Outfitters and was like 'This is so you, it's like Taylor Swift going on a date with Harry Styles!' and frankly that sold it to me. It's a smock-style dress and I do feel ever so slightly like a pregnant lady in it but I'm down with that, it is super comfy and will take me right through to Summer.

The lipstick is another new addition, oops. I've loved wearing a dark berry lip shade all through winter but I really wanted something a little brighter but still with that vampy vibe so 'Rebel' seemed like the perfect option. It is a satin finish so not too matte but not too shiny and translates on the lips as a really vivid berry colour.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, I'm working so won't be doing anything too exciting but I won the Christmas incentive at work so I have a £50 Topshop voucher waiting for me yay!

Becca.

OOTN & New Years Resolutions

Happy new year everyone! 2012 has just flown by, there have been ups and downs but overall I cannot believe how much has changed in the space of only a year. There has been babies, new houses, weddings and graduations; Everyone is growing up and it was lovely to spend last night with all of my closest friends. Here is a couple of snaps of what I wore last night, me and Andrew held a NYE party at our house but we still insisted on everyone getting dressed up as we don't really get to do it very often any more and it's nice to see everyone all scrubbed up!

Dress - Topshop

Chain Necklace - Topshop

Shoes - Office

'Sartorial' Lipstick - Topshop

New Years Resolutions

1) Get Healthy - Normally I go for 'Lose 6 stone' or 'Cut out cheese' which are obviously never going to happen so this year I have gone for something a little more realistic. I am going to eat a bit healthier, exercise a bit more but generally not restrict myself.

2) Have Fun - Me and Andrew have agreed this as a sort of mutual resolution; We need to have more fun, go out more, see our friends, not worry about the little things so much. 

3) Be Positive - I am probably the most negative person you will ever meet. I always assume the worst, I look on the downside of every situation and always prepare myself for bad outcomes before they even happen. I am going to try and be more upbeat and hopefully it will encourage a little luck to be sent my way. 

4) Get My Finances In Order - I am absolutely horrendous when it comes to money. I need to control my incomings and outgoings a lot more efficiently and start saving so I can afford to do things I want to do.

5) Get Away - Me and Andrew have been together 6 and a half years now and never been on a proper holiday. This year I want us to go and visit somewhere we've always wanted to visit and be able to enjoy ourselves without worrying about money.

What are YOUR new years resolutions?

Becca.