My 5 Beauty Must Haves

I've never been one to go mad with makeup but sometimes I do wish I could be one of those beauty bloggers who tries new products every week and always looks flawless. That's just not me though and it would be fake of me to try and do that, and to be honest I don't think I have enough courage or confidence to step out of comfort zone just yet! I do love makeup though and when I do wear it I tend stick to the same products that I know I love. I wanted to do a post with my 5 beauty must haves for you just in case you're wanting to try something new or if you're just a bit nosy like me and want to know what other peoples favourite products are!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation 

This has been a favourite of mine for years now. I love Rimmel products and their foundation has always worked best with my skin. This gives me such great coverage, I can put it on early morning and it will still be there at the end of the day. It's not one of those foundations that you can feel on your skin, it is heavy coverage I would say but if you blend it in well enough it won't even feel like it's there. It covers up any spots brilliantly and I just always feel really confident when I've used this. It just brightens my face up.

Real Techniques Brushes

 I don't think you can get better than Real Techniques for makeup brushes. I have the core collection set and my two favourite in that set are the buffing brush for foundation and the contour brush. I also love their miracle complexion sponge for foundation which is only about £5 I'm sure. I also have their powder brush, blusher brush, both are amazing, and I have the kabuki brush which I use for blending in bronzer. All of the Real Techniques brushes are so soft and I love using them. They are so worth the money, I've had mine ages and they're still in great condition.

Rimmel Wonder'full Mascara

 I try to change my mascara every so often but I always come back to the Rimmel Wonder'full one. I have quite long lashes and I feel this particular one just really makes them stand out. The brush has really soft bristles which really separate my lashes and I never get any clumps with this one. I find some mascaras can make your eyelashes feel like they're being weighed down and just so heavy but this one never does that and I always like how it makes my eyes look.

Essie Polishes

 I don't think you can beat Essie for nail polishes. They are a bit more expensive than others but so worth it and I think the quality is brilliant. With most polishes of theirs two coats is fine and I'll go without chipping, literally for weeks. They have a huge variety of shades to choose from, you can see a few of my favourites here and they do have deals on every so often, e.g. buy one get one half price or you can find the sets of two online really cheap.

Seventeen Define & Conquer Contour Kit (not pictured) 

This is one of those products I just can't live without anymore. I've never been that into contouring and I'm not saying this makes a huge difference to my face just because when it's this round nothing can help apart from losing weight! but it does give some definition and I always feel so much better about myself when I use this. The bronzer definitely isn't too dark and it doesn't look like I'm rubbing mud into my face, which with some does happen! It blends in so well and I love the natural look it gives me. I very rarely use the highlighter in the kit but when I do it gives a lovely glow.

Have you tried any of these products? What are your beauty must haves?

Did you see - Essie Nail Polishes You Have To Try!

Follow Me - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Bloglovin!

How To Spend A Weekend In London

I love writing about London. It's one of those places I'll never get bored of talking about so I'm sorry if you're sick of all my random London posts, I'm not yet and probably never will be. Whenever we go to London I always think that we'll never have enough time to get everything done that we want too but actually every time we've managed to fit in so many places and do so much so I wanted to do a post for you with a few things you can get up to there in just a few days. Some of them are proper tourist things and some you'll probably think, I know all of this already but these are my favourite things to do there and things I think everyone should do when they're next in London.

Walk Along The Southbank 

I just love doing this. We always stay in a hotel on the southbank so it's easy for us to get out there once we've checked in. Of course there is the London Eye there which looks amazing in the day and at night. Down from there is the This Morning studios. I had no idea we were so close to this so when we went in March last year I was so shocked to see it. There are lots of benches around there with a lovely view so perfect for a relaxing 10 minutes just taking it all in. There is also a little van there that does little sugar doughnuts so obviously gotta get some of those. Further down the southbank is the Tate Modern which again I had no idea was there. If you're into that sort of thing then it's a great one to visit and if not, especially around that area, I find is really beautiful just for a walk around. You can see the millenium bridge aswell which I just love looking at.

Visit Borough Market 

The southbank leads to Borough Market which I think is a place you have to visit at least once while you're in London. The amount of food available is insane and everything we have tried has been delicious. There you'll find fancy chocolate stalls, Indian food, healthy juices, paella, pies, just everything you could possibly imagine. Last time we were there we tried a few Indian snacks which were huge and so cheap, I literally dream about them. We also tried a Bread Ahead Vanilla Doughnut which was amazing. It's a place you have to go! 

See A Show

 I saw my first West End show in November 2016, it was Wicked and we went back in January to see it again because I just fell in love with it. I love the feeling it gave me, it felt so special going to see a show and it was something we had never done before as a couple so it's something I really recommend if you have a romantic trip planned. Of course I would say go and see Wicked but there are so many other shows, Mamma Mia, The Book Of Mormon, The Lion King, Les Miserables, and loads more, you are spoilt for choice. Tickets can be bought on the day from several places or if you're sure what you want to see, you can book in advance and the earlier you book, the cheaper it will be.

Evening Walk Around Westminster

 If you're around the Southbank and Westminster when the sun is setting then you have to do a walk around all the cathedrals and beautiful buildings. It's just such a relaxing walk and around there you'll see Big Ben and House of Parliament aswell as Westminster Abbey. We got some lovely pictures one night and it was just the most relaxing walk. From the bridge to Big Ben you will also be able to see the London Eye, and at night lit up it looks so special.

Shopping in Piccadilly & Leicester Square 

 If you like to try new food then you have to visit Whole Foods in Piccadilly. They just do so much, a lot of it is healthy and you're bound to find some new things you've never tried before, but they also do loads of fresh food and actually a big bakery section. You can get the best doughnuts from there aswell as brownies, cookies, rocky road, honestly there is all sorts, a bit pricey but so worth the money. Piccadilly leads to both Regent Street which looks so nice at Christmas time and is full of shops, that then leads onto Oxford Street, which I really think is a must see at Christmas time. If you'd prefer to head the other way from Piccadilly you can go to Leicester Square which has the massive M&M store aswell as the Lego store and Nickelodeon store, brilliant if you have kids with you. There is also the big Odeon cinema where premiers are held and there are some really cute little restaurants around that area.

Eat At Shake Shack and Shop At Covent Garden 

 If you head to Covent Garden, I really recommend trying Shake Shack. One of the best burgers and chips I've ever had! Be prepared for it to be busy and to be queuing for a while, so worth the wait though. Covent Garden looks beautiful all year round and just looks really special. You can find some really unique shops there too, one of my favourites been Sass and Belle which has some really lovely home bits and gifts. There are also other little cafes and bars so something for everyone.

You can easily get all of these things done in one weekend. London has so many amazing places within it to visit and so many things to do so the longer you spend there, the more you can do but a weekend is plenty for some shopping, eating good food, seeing a show and taking in the views. It's such a brilliant place.

Have you been to London? What do you like to do there?

My last London Post - The Most Incredible Trip To London!

Follow Me - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Bloglovin!

Slimming World Pizza Chicken Recipe...

I've posted quite a few food posts recently but it's actually been a while since I posted a recipe so I thought it was about time and I had one I really wanted to share. Pizza chicken is something I saw so many people make on my slimming world instagram but I only decided to make it a few months ago, and it was delicious! I make a lot of meals with chicken and sometimes I feel I'm repeating the same things but this was really nice and definitely a new favourite.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

2 tbsp tomato puree

1/2 red onion, chopped finely

1/2 tomato, chopped finally 

Italian herbs

60g grated cheese

You could add other pizza toppings, e.g mushrooms, ham, pepperoni if you like

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees, cut any bad bits of the chicken breasts then put onto a baking tray, I usually spray with frylight first aswell to make sure it doesn't stick

2. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes until cooked through

3. Take out of oven and top each chicken breast with 1 tbsp of tomato puree, you can then add your toppings, I went for 1/2 a red onion, 1/2 a tomato, both chopped up small, 30g of grated cheese each and sprinkle of herbs

4. Put back in the oven for around 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to go crispy

5. I served with tinned potatoes which I had covered in herbs and cooked in the oven for half an hour, salad and cottage cheese 

Other Slimming World recipes - Fanta Chicken // Paella // Meatball Pasta Bake

Follow Me - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Bloglovin!

The Blogger Recognition Award

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be tagged by the lovely Jordanne from The Life Of A Glasgow Girl for the Blogger Recognition Award! Thanks so much Jordanne. If you all haven't already go and check out her blog because it is fab!

Rules

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog
Write a post to show your award
Give a brief story of how your blog started
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers
Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created

How My Blog Started

I started my blog almost 3 years ago just after I decided to leave uni. I had no idea what was next for me and even though I was applying for jobs, that could only fill so much time, so I decided to start a blog, not really knowing what I was doing and what I would talk about! I had seen a few bloggers on twitter and I loved reading their blog posts, and I love to write so I thought I would give it a go and see if it was any good. 

Advice To New Bloggers

Don't feel pressure to do what others are - It can be easy to follow the crowd and blog about things everyone else seems to be but if you're not really interested and are only doing it for that reason, people will see through it. Only blog about what you want too, if you want to talk about a beauty product, go for it, if you love creating recipes, share them! Each blogger has something different and that's what makes us all unique! Don't feel pressured to follow the rest of them, only write about what you really want too.

Be passionate and personal - I find my most personal posts are the most popular, and that's not why I write them, but people do seem to relate to them and therefore they get seen and shared by more people. If you are a bit more personal and talk about your experiences with things like uni, work, bullying, mental health etc, there will be so many people who have been in the same situation and offer their support and it may also help someone. I also think you should be passionate about what your writing about. If you really love something, say it. It comes through in your writing when you really love what you're talking about, people can just tell, and I love that when I'm reading others posts.

I nominate

- Steph

- Eleanor 

- Libby

- Becki

- Devon

- Rebecca

- Meg

- Katie

- Kayley

- Hannah

- Kirsty

- Robyn

- Alice

- Harriet

- Becky

Follow Me - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Bloglovin!