Maybelline Baby Lips - Amazing

Maybelline Baby Lips Pink Punch and Hydrate

Let me talk to you about my best beauty find in a while.  I am sure that quite a few of you have tried these by now.  I've been meaning to since a colleague mentioned how good they are, but just have not got around to it.  Until now!

I was going on (again) about my lips at work and the same colleague asked if I had tried these yet.  I made it my mission to try them as she was saying how good they are!  So off the Asda I trotted yesterday and headed straight for the Maybelline stand.  Could not believe they were only £2.99 so I got one of the coloured ones too (pink punch).  It's super pretty and subtle.  Think it will suit most girlies!

My lips have been a mess recently - you might have even seen my tweet about lip scrubs earlier this week because they are literally dropping off.  Or should I say were.  Past tense.  They are now super soft and back to being nice and soft.  Rather than old lady lips haha!

I am super impressed - it's only taken a day!! And I've been to the gym and out for a walk today which usually results in them getting all chopped.

All I can say is if you haven't tried these you must.  They are a steal and better than any of my expensive lip balms or lip glosses!

Get purchasing now for super soft non winter feeling lippies!!!

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Peachy Porridge - getting me through the morning

Hello lovelies. Hope your week is going well so far!

At the moment I'm in that transitional stage between eating whatever whenever during the party season to being super strict and health conscious.

I blame the week and a half cold I managed to start the new year with and struggle to shift. So annoying.

My aim this week is to get back to the gym (done so far) and to eat breakfast every day (done so far).

I've also got many more goals but I won't bore with them all today!

One of my problems is when I stop eating breakfast - I hate the thought of it, which is ridiculous because when I get back in the habit I love it. WEIRD OR WHAT.

So I have to concentrate in making breakfasts I enjoy visually and taste wise.

Here's a present favourite...

 

Delish!

Ingredients:-

- Rolled oats

- Almond Milk

- Peaches (tinned, drained and rinsed)!

- Raisins

- Nutmeg

- Cinnamon

 

I love this because it is filling without being too calorific or fatty!!

This sees me through until lunch time - at which point I head to the gym. I need to incorporate a mid morning snack into the mix but I'm too unorganised this week!

What are you eating for breakfast??

 

Dani xx

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Wedding Wishes!

Absolutely loving looking at wedding dresses! There are soooooo many stunning ones!
I'm presently working on getting the xmas lbs off before trying any on... Plus, the wedding isn't until 2015 so I don't want to fall in love with a dress too early because I know I'd be bored of it before the wedding!
So for now I'm creating a wedding dress wish list of the possibles!
This is number 1!!

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Recipe - Love Heart Mini Cupcakes (only 62 calories!)

I love the idea of cupcakes, but I find that normal sized ones, with all the frosting can be a bit too much.  So I've been wanting to try baking some minis for a while.  I finally gave it a go an the results were yummy!!   

I slightly adapted a Hummingbird Cupcake Recipe I had to make these - I warn you - it was also slightly messy with all the flour and electric whisking.  However, they are delish and a lot less guilt ridden than a large one and therefore totally worth it in my book!!

Here's the process and what you need...

Ingredients

For Cupcakes (makes 12 mini's):-

- 30g plain flour

- 35g caster sugar

- 0.4 tsp baking powder

- 10g unsalted butter

- pinch of salt

- 30ml unsweetened almond milk

- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 egg

For Frosting:-

- 62.5g Icing Sugar

- 20g unsalted butter

- 0.5 tbs of unsweetened almond milk

- 1 drop vanilla extract 

- hundreds and thousands

-  love heart sweets

Instructions

1) Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees.

2) With an electric mixer or electric hand whisk, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter until a sand like texture. 

3) Then add half of the milk and mix again until incorporated.  Note, this will still be a bit 'bitty' at this stage.

4) In a separate bowl, mix the remaining milk, egg and vanilla extract.  Add this to the mixture in the first bowl until incorporated and a thick liquid texture. 

5) With a teaspoon, spoon the ingredients into the mini cupcake cases until 2/3 full.  Do not go any higher as the cakes will increase in size in the oven. 

6) Place in oven for 20 - 25 minutes until you can place a skewer into the cakes and they come out clean. 

7) In the meantime, mix the icing sugar, almond milk and butter in a separate bowl with electric hand whisk to form thick frosting.  DO NOT add more milk as I did - doing so will result in runny icing!  Ooops. 

8) Then pipe the icing onto the cakes when cooled and add hundreds and thousands and love hearts!  

Nutritional info (each mini cupcake) - cals 62, carbs 10g, fat 2g, sodium 1g, sugar 8g and protein 0g

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Pie Minister - Northern Quarter (My new obsession)

Ok, so I am not lying when I say I am obsessed with this place.  It is amazing.

So it's actually a running joke with some of my friends and family that whenever we go for a pub lunch or dinner I choose whatever Pie dish is on the menu.  Since moving to Manchester City Centre I've not been able to do the pub lunch thing as much - more dinner and drinks.

So imagine my delight when I realised there is a place dedicated to pies!  And not just pies - amazing ones at that.

Pie Minister in Northern Quarter is actually a shop with seating (there is a pub in Chorlton which I am yet to go to).  It's situated on Church Street and I have to be honest, I walked passed it LOADS of times.

Anyway, one Sunday I finally entered and loved it.  The decor is simple and cute.  One thing I would say is be prepared to sit very closely to others, it's ones of those places - not a lot of seating and popular.  Totally worth it though.

http://www.pieminister.co.uk

Sadly, I was unable to get good quality photographs on this occasion as it was my first visit and I had to whip the old phone out.  I promise I will take some better ones on my proper camera another time!

I had the Free Ranger Pie which is free range British Chicken and outdoor reared ham hock with leek and west country cheddar, with mash and gravy.  

I've been back since and had the same, less the mash - for me it's too much!  I can't eat it all. 

On top of the pie belonging to my boyf opposite mine are crispy shallots.  Nom alert!  Definitely worth a try lovelies - in London, Amsterdam, Bristol and Manchester.  And they do Weddings - definitely keeping that in mind!

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NYC Sephora Beauty Haul

Ah Sephora.  You offer so much promise with your beautifully lined stores full of my favourite things.  I am soooo glad these are not in the UK.  I'd never be able to save any money!

Needless to say I spent ages in there (I meant 2 hours at least) and I also spent a small fortune!  Loved it though.  And the boyf dutifully stayed with me the entire time.  Well, no, actually he stayed in the mens fragrance section and located 3 amazing aftershaves!

Here's what I got…

As you can see I went a bit crazy over lip products!  No idea why.  

So far, I've only tried the L'Occitane Hand Cream (amazing but I already knew this), the Clinique Chubby Sticks (great colour but not so long wearing), both NARS lippies (swatches coming soon), the big pink lip balm (review coming soon) and the perfumes (both of which I'd say it took me an hour to choose because I was being so fussy and only wanted perfumes I was crazy about - these fit the bill).

I am pretty excited to FINALLY get on the OCC train around 3 years late!

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I'm Back! Having lost some weight, got engaged and returned from an amazing holiday!

Ok, so it's been a while to say the least.

I've been wondering whether or not to carry on with this blog - mainly because I feel that I don't want to just blog about beauty any more.  In fact, I would rather blog about anything and everything and therefore it felt like my blog was slightly restrictive given it was titled a beauty blog.

Also, I don't quite feel like the name of my url really works for me anymore.  I mean, everyone grows up a bit right?  Having said that, I am sticking with it for now but I have changed the title and I am going to blog about things that interest me in the hope that the content may interest you too.

Before I get started, here's a little update of what's been going on with me…

Most excitingly, after 9.5 years together me and the boyf are engaged!

The boyf (or should I say fiancé) proposed to me on an amazing trip to NYC for my boyfriend's 30th within the past month - I am VERY excited!

Also, NYC was amazing - I was there for 10 nights and ate loads, shopped lots and walked for miles and miles!

I've also lost quite a lot of weight over the summer (although in NYC I ate and drank what I wanted), as like a lot of girlies out there I tend to gain the lbs in winter.  I'm am now a regular at the gym - which is something I have been trying to achieve for 10 years!

I've also got into baking - which is not so good for the diet/healthy eating lifestyle!  That said, it is more so that I can take sweet goods home to the family when I see them rather than so that I can gorge myself to death on baked goods haha!

Other than that there is not much more to report.  Obviously I do still have an addiction to beauty products so there are lots of beauty reviews to come.

I also love food though and clothes so expect to see a lot more on that front also!

Bye for now!

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