My Mini Lush Haul

I love Lush. What self respecting bath taker doesn't? Bubbles, melts, ballistics shower gels, face masks, moisturisers and even shampoos, though I've yet to venture to the corner of my local store...

Today I was in a bath frame of mind and doing a wee bit of a stock up of my favourites.

First up we have a Blue Skies bubble bar. I love this for when I'm feeling a bit stressed and only major bubbles will help. There's a gorgeous scent of patchouli in there and a hint of cinnamon which I think is why I love it so much. And you get a good 3-4 baths from it. Perfect

My second bubble bar choice was Amandopondo. This wee beauty is rose scented with a hint of orange and lemon to perk you up. It's eh...lush! Plus half a bar gives you this level of bubbles...so it's a good buy at £2.75

That fizzy wee number bottom right is another of my true loves- the butterball. This bath bomb is true perfection. I have quite dry skin, particularly if I've shaved my legs in the last year, and this wee guy is loaded with cocoa butter and leaves me feeling all smooth a moisturised. Plus it has ylang ylang which is super relaxing 

My last bath offering is a Dragon's Egg bath bomb. It makes your water gold and smells like lemon sherbet. It's gorgeous.

Lastly, no bath is complete without a face mask. I've had a cold the past week (violins) so my skin feels a bit sluggish and tired and blah. So I picked up my old friend Brazened Honey. It's a gentle exfoliator and still leaves my slightly sensitive skin feeling refreshed and quite plumped up which is something of a feat of engineering.

I love going a bit daft in Lush. So satisfying.

What are your favourites from Lush? Or just bathtime favourites generally? 

Bake Off Week 4- Desserts

I love a good pudding! This week I'm back in my comfort zone with one of my favourite recipes of all time- Lemon Pudding. It's an old family favourite and genuinely requested at like every party. Where it originally came from is beyond me so I'm going to cite my Gran as the source! It's a cheesecake type affair but not really since there's no cheese! Minimal ingredients and it took me all of 40 minutes to assemble- which included time out to take the top quality photos you've come to know and love! 

Ingredients 

Topping

200ml tub of whipping cream (this volume may be wrong...not a teeny one!) 

Tin of condensed milk

2 large lemons

Few drops of yellow food colouring (optional!)

Base (estimations!)

15(ish) digestive biscuits 

2 tablespoons golden syrup

50g butter

Greased round tin- preferably one with a loose bottom.

Optional: device to watch Extra Slice whilst you bake

1. Crush the biscuits. I use a rolling pin, you can use a food processor if you want extra washing up and a ridiculously smooth base. I've said 15 but I used 18 for this one and no one died...you can determine your own base thickness!

2. Melt the butter and golden syrup over a medium heat. Then stir it into the crushed biscuits. If it's still crumbly, melt more butter and syrup until it'll hold a shape. Transfer into the tin and flatten to make your base. Pop in the fridge to set whilst you make your topping.

3. Whip the cream until it's really quite firm- like past the soft peaks stage and into damn I've over whipped this. You'll be adding a lot of liquid later!

4. Zest and juice the two lemons. Add the juice, the condensed milk and a wee drop food colouring to the cream. And whip again.

5. Stir in the lemon zest until it's evenly distributed. If you whip it it'll all get stuck to the beaters so just use a spoon! 

6. Spread the topping evenly over the base and put back into the fridge to set. Lick all spoons and bowls and marvel in the speediness of this pudding! 

What's your favourite pudding? Are you enjoying the bake off this year?

Bake Off Week 3- Bread

I know I declared my love for cake early on but my other favourite food group is bread. Rolls, loaves, brown, white or granary; I'm there. How I'm not yet the subject of a Channel 4 documentary called The Half Tonne Woman is beyond me. But anyway bread. Yum. I cracked open that fabulous Bake Off- How to Bake (by Linda Collister) book again and discovered the tempting treat- Monkey Bread. It also said it was good to make with kids and as someone who is useless with bread, this seemed like a good idea.

How hilariously wrong I was.

Ingredients (Makes 1 large loaf)

500g strong white bread flour

1 and a half tspns sea salt

1x7g sachet fast action dried yeast

50g unsalted butter, melted

200ml lukewarm milk (I zapped it in the microwave for about 25 seconds)

1 large free-range egg

For Coating

100g unsalted butter

75g light muscovado sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

100g pecan or walnut pieces, chopped a little smaller. (I missed these out but you fire on in there nut lovers!)

1 Large loaf tin, greased with butter or oil. For reasons you will see later on, I'd suggest using a liner. Lakeland do good ones here.

1. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a large free-standing electric mixer. If you're using dry yeast, mix it into the flour and make a well in the middle. 

1b. In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, milk and egg.

2. This is where I like to pretend I'm Paul Hollywood and use my hand for the mixing, but you can be boring and use a mixer if you like. Pour the liquid into the well you created in the flour mixture and mix to make a soft smooth dough. If there are still dry crumbs then add a more milk, a little at a time. If it's the dough is really sticky, then add more flour, a little at a time.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worktop and knead thoroughly by hand for a good 10 minutes. Hold one end of the dough with one hand, and with the heel of the other hand stretch the dough away form you. Fold the dough back in and give it a quarter turn, then repeat. Your arms should be sore by the time you're finished and the dough should feel elastic and smooth. Form it into a ball

4. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. My house is currently like the ice planet of Hoth so it took about 2 and a half hours. Joyful

5. Punch down the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into about 60 tiny pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

Hi I'm Lauren and I have OCD

6. Melt the 100g of butter in a small bowl. In another, combine the sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Dip each dough ball into the butter and then roll in the sugar mixture, before placing in the tin. They don't have to be arranged particularly neatly, there CAN be gaps, but fill the tin evenly.

7. Cover the filled tin with cling film and leave for ANOTHER hour in a warm place, until the balls have doubled in size. Near the end of this hour, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.

8. Uncover the tin and bake for about 35 minutes or until a good golden brown. Run a round bladed knife around the inside of the tin to loosen the loaf, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

NOW. this is where you should be looking at a beautiful loaf of bread, salivating at the heavenly cinnamony aroma and trying to cut it before it's even cool enough. My results did not allow for this…

This is genuinely my favourite baking disaster ever- I considered sending it into An Extra Slice to have Jo Brand mock me. I genuinely believe a tin liner and my house being about 10C warmer would have helped avoid this…but I just had to deal with eating some genuinely tasty cinnamon dough balls…silver linings and all that!

Whats your most disastrous bake recently? Have you any tips for making monkey bread?

Building my MAC Palette #1

Aren't I the greatest photographer in the world?! Unfortunately the new lid on these palettes makes photographing them closed a challenge…my David Bailey-esque prowess (or lack thereof) aside, we're talking MAC eyeshadows! Pretty much every beauty addicts favourite topic- am I right?! The pigment, the range of colours, the general wonder. They're glorious. I'm physically incapable of leaving a MAC counter without a multicoloured hand and a new lust list. 

Luckily my lovely friend Nikki over at Nikki and Things shares this compulsion and got me started with my very own palette for my birthday last year. She started me with 8 great shades that she loved and I too have grown to cherish them.

Top Row: Cranberry, Satin Taupe, Shroom
Middle: Sable, Patina, Woodwinked
Bottom: Copperplate, Wedge

L-R: Cranberry, Sable, Copperplate, Satin Taupe,
Patina, Wedge, Shroom, Woodwinked

Now I'll admit, I'm not the most adventurous with my own eye make-up. I love a bit of Patina or Sable and Satin Taupe. Or Copperplate and Wedge for more day to day eyes. And Bobbi Brown gel liner (and ode to that wee beauty coming soon).

But if I'm at college (I'm doing a HND in make-up artistry) or doing freelance-y stuff, I'm all about that Cranberry. It's gorgeous. Especially mixed with a bit of Satin Taupe *swoons*. It's just the right balance between pink and a kind of burnt terracotta. It's basically the love of my life.

Shroom is a beautiful highlight shade, with just enough shimmer - no disco ball brow bones here thank you - to accentuate that arch. However, I do find myself longing for a matte option for daytime…Apologies again for my poor camera skills- DSLR is on the horizon! 

I neglect Woodwinked terribly. I love it but I seem to finish my eye make-up every time and then remember it. I'm endeavouring to show it some love in the near future...

So I have made it my mission to finally finish this palette…and then start another one. I'm aiming to have one all matte palette and one all shimmer. With a range of shades in each to cover any eventuality… #makeupartistprobs…

So are there any shades you would recommend? Or any way you love to use the shades above? I'm so excited about finally filling this bad boy!

Bake Off Week 2 - Biscuits

Ah the dreaded biscuit. This and pastry week always leave me the hungriest and the most impressed. Any biscuits I make (as you will soon see) tend to turn out a bit hap hazard in size and colour…no one seems to care because it's still a cookie. But Paul and Mary see differently. Bit picky really. But ANYWAY! Biscuit week. I pulled out my Great British Bake Off: How to Bake book (by Linda Collister) and decided to attempt some Chocolate Crackles. 

Now fair warning before we start, the mixture needs an hour in the fridge so just bear that in mind!

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids is best- milk chocolate makes them too sweet.

100g unsalted butter, softened by softened I assumed they meant a few seconds from melting.

150g light brown muscovado sugar

1 large, free range egg

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

175g self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2-3 tablespoon icing sugar

Prep a couple of baking sheets- either grease them or line them. This recipe apparently makes 30 cookies. I got 12 but I like a large biscuit…

1. Gently melt the chocolate- best way is in a bowl over a pan of boiling water but carefully watched in the microwave is fine too. When it's melted, add the soft butter. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth and then add the muscovado sugar. Leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.

2. Beat the egg with the vanilla until just combined, then add that to the bowl. Then sift in the flour and bicarb and mix like your life depends upon it. It's quite a sticky mix. Cover it with cling film and pop it in the fridge for about an hour.

3. This is your opportunity for bowl and spoon licking. Take it. It's a tasty raw mixture.

4. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Divide the dough into even sized portions and roll them into balls. Apprently 30 but we're not making toddler sized cakes, in the words of Joey what are you afraid you'll run out?! Cut me a real piece!! … anyway! I made 12 but I think 18 would be reasonable. Put your icing sugar into a shallow dish and roll each ball in it to coat thickly. Place them on the baking sheet spaced well apart. Now these things spread for miles. And I cannot stress this enough; DO NOT flatten these down. I did this and I ended up with extremely flat, albeit tasty, biscuits. I'd suggest the lightest of touches to flatten the base. then walk away!!

5. Bake for 10 minutes (watch them after 8) for a softer biscuit. 12 minutes for something crunchy. I went soft and they were yummy if i say so myself. Leave on the sheets to cool for a minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and they'll firm up as they cool. 

Now apparently these will keep for 5 days - they'll be lucky to last 2 in this house. Next time though, I need more icing sugar, smaller pieces and less flattening. Lessons learned!

Next week is bread week so I shall be flexing my muscles for that! 

Are you enjoying the bake off? Who are you rooting for?

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies

It's Bake Off Day! So I have decided that I will try and post a weekly recipe. This week is the ultimate chocolate brownie. I have been making these for years and get asked for the recipe all the time. So I'm sharing it with you! It's originally from You magazine about a million years ago and is the work of Gary Rhodes :)


Ingredients

280g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g unsalted butter
75g cocoa
75g plain flour
225g plain chocolate
115g white chocolate- cut into chunks
115g hazelnuts or pecans, chopped (I always miss these out but y'all go ahead and add them if you like!)





1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and line a 20cm/8in shallow square brownie tin. Or an Edge Brownie Pan if you're one of those people (read:weirdos) who prefers the edges of a brownie to the middle squidgy bits!

2. Beat together the sugar and eggs until the sugar has completely dissolved. Melt the butter and then whisk it into the sugar and eggs.

3. Sieve together the cocoa and flour and add it to the butter and eggs mix.

4. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water (or in the microwave if you want to save some washing up) and then add to the mixture. Add the nuts and chunks of white chocolate and stir until they're well dispersed. Turn the mix into the tin and bake for 25 minutes (closer to 20 if you like them squidgy in the middle). Leave to cool a little and then cut into squares (a word of caution: these are deadly. Go for small squares).

I personally like to have these slightly warm with some vanilla ice cream.

Hope you enjoy! Is there anything you do differently? Any recipes you'd like me to post?

What I've Been Reading #1

1. The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
2. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
3. The Body Book by Cameron Diaz

I was recommended the Outlander books by a friend in America and I have literally not been able to put them down. They follow the adventures of Claire Randall; a nurse in WWII who, whilst on a second honeymoon in Scotland, travels back to the 18th century and right into the midst of the Jacobite rebellion. She meets Jamie Fraser; a brave Scottish warrior and wanted man. And general adventure ensues. Being a self confessed fantasy fan (Terry Pratchett is my home boy) I wasn't too sure about these to start with but they are a brilliant read. Great mix of romance, history, drama and a bit of fantasy. I read the first two - a total of almost 1900 pages - in just over a week. I'm speeding through book three and already itching to start number four. So good. Go buy one and I dare you not to buy the rest.

I've wanted to read The Princess Bride for a while but seemed to forget this fact every time I wandered into my local Waterstones. Well at the beginning of the summer it was in the staff recommendations section so I picked it up. Now for anyone thinking "hang on! Didn't Morgenstern write that?!" He did. The version I have is the "good parts", abridged version, by the screenwriter of the cult classic film. It awesome. You get Goldman's little notes on the original version and why he chose to change it. It's like the flashbacks to the Grandfather in the film. It's still the classic story that everyone loves, it's just the bits you actually want to read. I love the film and the book didn't disappoint. 

Finally this summer, I picked up Cameron Diaz's Body Book. I'm not a major fitness, healthy person. I try to be…but then I see cake. But I was really intrigued by this book - obviously having a healthy day. What I've read of it so far, I've enjoyed. And I'm definitely drinking more water…mostly in the hope that I'll suddenly look like Cameron Diaz. Maybe not the best recommendation. However, I'm quite enjoying having it on the shelf to go back to when I suddenly feel the need to wear lycra and do energetic things.



I've just purchased Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. 
Is there anything you'd recommend? What have you been reading this summer?

New Double Mask Duo

I know I'm not alone in my love of face masks. My Sunday night routine is a bubble bath and a double mask session, so I'm always on the lookout for a winning combo. I decided to take advantage of my lovely staff discount (thank you Lauder group) and try some of Origins' offerings.
My skin is very extreme combination. Really oily T-zone but REALLY dry cheeks. So I like to double mask to take care of everything I've got going on - generally a purifying or exfoliating mask, followed by a moisture mask.
I've been looking at Origins masks for a while but I finally settled on  Clear Improvements to clear and Drink Up to moisturise. Girlish glee took over when my order arrived- don't think I've ever been so keen to wash my face.

Starting with Clear Improvements- it's described as an active charcoal mask to clear pores. The texture was surprisingly light - I was expecting the thick, clay type texture of most cleaning masks so I was pleasantly surprised by the light, very smooth texture. I started with a thin layer for my first try and must say a little went a long way. It only took around ten minutes to dry, didn't feel at all tight or uncomfortable which is not the norm for me. Easy rinse off as well, leaving lovely, clean feeling skin underneath. The next day I really do feel my skin looked brighter and healthier. I'm super impressed with this!

I then moved on to Drink Up. Now first off the smell of this is DELICIOUS. The mask has lovely Apricot Kernel Oil in it and you can tell: yum. This one was a nice consistency as well- not too thick to feel as though as it's just sitting on the skin. It's recommended you leave the mask for 10 minutes to soak in. Call me crazy, but I like to leave a moisture mask on until I feel like it's soaked in. I know. Rebel without a cause. An episode of Sex and the City was all it took to get to just having a slightly shiny face, so a quick rinse (followed by a dab of Advanced Night Repair out of habit) and that was it. Must say that my skin felt very nourished and plumped up. Basically everything you could want form a moisture mask.

I'm loving this new combo- could become a regular Sunday night treat!

Do you double mask? What are your favourite combos?

Weekend Nails

So I decided to freshen up my nails for the weekend and I definitely wanted something fresh and summery! One of my lovely friends gave me a bottle of Rimmel Lasting finish in shade 501- Fancy a Dip for my birthday last week so I thought I'd give it a try!

This isn't a shade I'd normally pick up for myself but I'm glad Kirsty did because it's just the perfect pastel blue for summer. I started with my Rimmel 5 in 1 nail treat. I've tried premium brand base and top coats before but I always come back to this as it gives a high shine finish and keeps my nails chip free for ages! Fancy a Dip went on very nicely and it was opaque in 2 coats which I was quite impressed with for such a pastel colour.

Loving the finish on this polish and perfect for a summer weekend!

What's your go to polish colour for summer? Have you tried any more of the Lasting finish range? 

Remember we talked about cake?

In my first, introductory post, I may have mentioned cake. And my undying love for it. I have newly discovered a wonderful new place in Bathgate called Artisan Cheesecakes. Now believe me when I say, this is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. In. My. Life.

Lovely shop front

Firstly, lets talk about the shop. It’s right on the main street in Bathgate and the simplicity of the white shopfront, hung with cute bunting catches your eye as you drive past…particularly because the word cheesecake is over the door. Maybe that’s just me? Inside it’s cosy with all the available flavours for the day on display and a few cute tables to enjoy your cheesecake at. The place is also filled with the heavenly scent of fresh baking; I don’t mind telling you that I almost wept when I walked in and smelt the chocolate brownies that were cooking last week.

Secondly, the cheesecake itself. Good grief it’s good. I got myself a (suitably generous) slice of the Peanutrageous (one of the specials that day) under encouragement from the lovely lady serving me – peanut butter cheesecake top with bits of Reese’s Peanutrageous bar through it and a heavenly thick base. Basically heaven on a plate. For what I felt was a reasonable price of £2.50. It did not disappoint I must say.

The Peanut Butter Goodness

I took my second visit today and can’t wait to try the raspberry ripple sitting in my fridge! Plus they do milkshakes the same flavour as the cheesecake…I’m going to be rolling to work in a few weeks basically.  I love supporting delicious local businesses!

Local to Bathgate? definitely check them out! Not local? Make the trip!! Absolutely worth it!

My Visit to the Lush Spa

It was my birthday yesterday – yay! And being that everyone had work and an early bedtime, an evening out was not on the cards. Hence a day of pampering ensued. I’d been desperate to go to Edinburgh’s Lush Spa since it opened in 2010 but had never been abel to justify the spend. However, birthday treat seemed appropriate so off I went!

Dreaming of the Ribena goodness of the bubble bar, I booked myself a Comforter treatment. Lush describe it as “A relaxing full body treatment to help you dive into a world of pure imagination” which sounded just the ticket for turning 23 (an incredibly dull age to turn don’t you think?). 

The Spa

So the spa itself is fairly inconspicuous and actually tucked away beneath the normal store on Princes Street, meaning you get a chat with the lovely staff there before you’re taken into the Spa itself. The lovely therapist- who’s name now escapes me completely but I am old now so I shall forgive myself- came to meet me and took me downstairs for my pre-treatment consultation. Downstairs is like the comfiest place ever; there are no stark white walls, no bright lights, no weird oil smells…it’s a giant kitchen. There’s a kettle and some comfy armchairs and a big long kitchen table with mismatched chairs to sit at for your consultation. Now I don’t know about you, but i’m not great with the traditional spa feel of things- I tend to feel like I’ve snuck in without anyone noticing. However, in true Lush form, this was the most welcoming place ever. Lovely Therapist (LT from now on) took me through a standard disclaimer and made sure I had no special circumstances, before taking me through my treatment. I LOVED this. I got to smell and feel everything she was going to be using and she told me everything that would happen during the treatment. Again, this might just be me, but I’m not great at relaxing in these situations. I become hyper aware that I’m basically naked and being rubbed by a stranger…BUT! Because LT told me everything she was going to do, there was no chance of surprises or WOAH! What is she doing?! moments. Basically, we were off to a cracking start.

The Treatment

So the treatment rooms are just as lovely as the outer kitchen, and for the Comforter, it’s set up with twinkly stars on the ceiling and a big comfy bed. Now when I say bed I’m not kidding; there was a warmed ‘mattress’, a big duvet and an honest to God pillow. I did begin to reconsider my 9.30am appointment slot with fear that I was just going to fall asleep again. So ensconced in my little cocoon of joy, it began.

You may or may not know, all Lush Spa treatments are accompanied by specific music. I was a bit skeptical about this. I am not a fan of whale sounds. But. There was not a whale sound in sight, for this treatment it was all uplifting, slightly whimsical tunes and I have to say, this totally made it- anything that begins with the Harry Potter theme playing is alright by me- as it was nice to have music that you knew playing in the background. The familiar tunes were strangely – wait for it – Comforting!

Now, the treatment itself is nothing like its bubble bar namesake; there’s a hot chocolate body scrub to start that will make you want to eat yourself. This was smoothed over each limb in turn, then a rolling massage and then the scrub removed with mits. Really loved that I didn’t have to shower the product off and break the spell. Once LT had done the same to my back, she started with the rose oil for the massage. It was apparently a Lomilomi style massage (Hawaiin so they say), which meant nothing to me but I can say it was wonderful. I really wasn’t in the mood to have my muscles pounded and this did anything but- very very relaxing but still worked out a lot of tension in my back- basically just what I needed.

The Aftermath

Post treatment, I felt amazing. I never ever feel relaxed like that after a massage. Ever. Loved it. Lush continued the whimsy with their candy floss cocktail, to remind us not to take life too seriously, which was just a lovely touch for the end of the visit. I was also lucky that LT has spotted it was my birthday when I filled out my details and appeared with a comforter bubble bar and some sort of in shower scrubby body butter…thing, as a Happy Birthday! from Lush Edinburgh which was just really nice. I mean, have you ever been to a spa and they’ve just given you free product just since it was your birthday? I think not.

Basically, stuff Disneyland THIS is the happiest place on Earth (not really Mickey I love you) and completely worth the hype and the price tag. So swooshy. So relaxing. So Lush. 

Now where’s that treatment menu…

Let's start at the very beginning

I feel quoting the Sound of Music sets the right tone straight away.

I’m Lauren! I’m a make-up artistry student, a beauty counter girl and a self confessed cosmetics addict. This blog will be a space for my random musings on all things make-up and beauty related, as well as many other important issues. Like cake.

Expect recommendations, reviews and the odd ‘look at the pretty thing i did with the make-up’ post. Ramblings basically.

Oh and cake. A lot of cake.