GRWM: Valentine's Day

 

There's only three days until Valentine's and I know a lot of you are thinking about what you have planned, what you're going to wear, how you're going to wear your hair and what make up you're going to go with. Today, I'm sharing with you a look that I think will be perfect for any Valentine's plans you have and won't take you ages to do.

Prime
Primer is one of the key elements for this look. It'll help prep skin for any base product you apply over top as well help with the longevity of your make up. I like to use a trio of products which yes is overkill but for me works wonders. I use a combination of the Maybelline SuperStay Primer, Maybelline Master Prime Anti-Redness Primer and the Loreal Infallible Magic Essence Primer Drops. The combination of the three help to hydrate, smooth and reduce any appearence of redness as well as improve the longevity of my make up. I really like the fact that they're all lightweight so they don't feel like they're weighing my skin down or are going to cause my base products to pill on the skin when applied.

Base 
When it comes to my base, I want it to be flawless but not mask like, light weight and long wearing. Enter the Revolution Conceal and Define Foundation. It's full coverage, lightweight, long wear formula answers every one of my base needs and lives up to it's claims. I currently have to mix the shades F1 and F2 to get the right shade but once it's blended out, it's gorgeous. A damp beauty blender is my weapon of choice, the finish so much nicer and natural looking than if applied with a brush. I always advise taking it down your neck though so you don't end up with that dreaded line.

Concealer
For concealer, I always use the same combination. The Maybelline The Eraser Eye and the Revolution Conceal And Define Concealer. The duo work wonders on covering any darkness surronding my under eye area as well as brightening and making that area look more awake. Again I take a damp beauty blender to blend it outwards, paying special attention to the inner corners where it tends to crease ever so slightly.

Brows
For brows I went in with my trusty E.L.F Brow Pencil. It's not an ultra soft crayon but it's still soft enough to create enough realistic looking definition without scratching the skin. Whenever I fill in my brows, I constantly brush them through with a spoolie to remove any excess product sitting in them or any foundation that may cause the product to ball and pill as the day goes on.

Lashes
I like my lashes to be as big and voluminous as possible but without being clumped or weighed down with product. So once I've curled them, I apply a generous layer of the Benefit They're Real Tinted Lash Primer. It helps to prolong a curl as well as seperate and give depth to my occasionally sparse looking lashes. Then to give them even more volume and length, I applied a generous coat of the Loreal Volume Million Lashes Couture. It's micro bristle brush catches every lashes and gives it a fanned out defined look that lasts all day long.

 Lips 
As Valentine's is coming up, I thought about trying a pink lip instead of the classic red. However I couldn't resist the pull of a red and I've found my new holy grail red thanks to the UK release of Flower Beauty. Their Miracle Matte Liquid Lipstick in Scarlett Letter is the perfect blue toned classic red that will suit a multitude of skin tones. It's lightweight formula makes it feel like your wearing nothing and it doesn't feel uncomfortable or drying after a few hours either. I could resist wearing this and I may even wear this again on Valentine's Day itself. However if red isn't your kind of colour, a nice pink shade will give the look that romantic yet girly vibe.

 Setting 
And to set everything into place so it didn't move or disappear, I spritzed my face generously with the Revolution Hyaluronic Acid Setting Spray. This doesn't only keep make up locked in place throughout the day but it also helps to keep skin hydrated so it doesn't start to look dry or cakey after a few hours wear. I swear by this stuff and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a new setting spray.

GRWM: Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day or just Happy Wednesday depending on how you're spending today. I for one will be at work and then indulging myself in a good old pamper and a not so romantic new episode of Strike Back. And even though I'm going to be at work, I'm going to make myself look and feel as if I'm spending the day with the man of my dreams instead of asking if people would like to buy a 5p carrier bag.

I may not have an impressive, groundbreaking plans for the day but it doesn't mean I don't want to look good. So I started the day with a little pep, starting with the Rodial Dragon's Blood Under Eye Patches. These work wonders at reducing any signs of puffiness and darkness as well as hydrating and plumping the under eye area. Plus after waking up, these are ultra cooling and really wake you up, something I'm extremely grateful for.

Then I popped on a bit of the GlamGlow ThirstyMud Treatment. This is one of my all time favourite leave on masks and it's one I always break out when I want to look good and feel good about my skin and myself in general. A thin layer of this is all my skin needs to look hydrated and feel soft to the touch. I left this one whilst I enjoyed a cuppa and some breakfast before carrying on with my normal morning routine.

Then it's time for make up. I'd like to say that I'm using a different primer combination today but unfortunately I'm not. And it's not because there isn't other primers I like because there is but I know that this combination keeps my make up locked in place for as long as I want it to be. I go in first with the Barry M Hydro Fix Primer Water. Not only does this help keep my make up in place but it also locks in hydration so my skin doesn't start to feel tight or dry as the day wears on. And then it's the Maybelline SuperStay Primer over top. This is lightweight and skintone in colour but it works really well to even out skintone and blur away any imperfections without that slippy silicone feel that doesn't agree with all skintypes, mine included.

Then because I've been having a couple of skin issues, I'm going in with some colour correctors. I love the Collection Colour Correctors as they're pigmented enough to actually cover and correct what I want but they don't weigh skin down or leave skin looking cakey. The Green corrector is my go to for correcting any redness on my cheeks or redness left behind from blemishes. And whilst the Rodial eye patches reduce the appearance of my dark circles, the Lemon corrector just brightens the area even more and makes concealer apply more evenly and opaquely over top.

For foundation I went in with the Rosie For Autograph Amazing Skin Secret Foundation and my trusty beauty blender. This has a stunning medium coverage that gives skin a beautiful healthy glow but doesn't look to over the top or sweaty. A couple of pumps is enough to o my entire face in a skin like and non cakey way. Once bopped in with a damp beauty blender, this gives skin a flawless, perfected yet natural and skin friendly finish.

After using the Rosie For Autograph foundation, there isn't a lot of need for concealer but I'm still going to go in with a little to perfect a couple of imperfections that the foundation didn't quite cover. The first concealer I went in with is the Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer. It's got enough coverage to cover my dark circles but it isn't too heavy or cakey under the eye. I take the edge of my damp beauty blender and bop it into the my under eye area, making sure that it blends in seamlessly with my foundation. Then for a couple of blemishes and along my forehead I went in with the newest shade of the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. They now do it in Extra Fair which matches my skintone perfectly and blends seamlessly into my foundation of choice.

I'm always quick to set everything into place and today is no different. I've run out of pressed powder so today I'm going in with the Barry M Ready Set Smooth Setting Powder. I forgot how good this powder is and how flawlessly it sets my make up. A bit of this dusted under my eyes with the Real Techniques Setting Brush sets everything is place without looking powdery or creasy. Then with my trusted B Powder Brush, I dust a small amount around the edges of my face and down my t-zone, making sure to keep the healthy glow the foundation has given me along my cheekbones.

Then it's lash time and there is only one combination I was going to be reaching for. The Maybelline Total Temptation alone creates the must defined luxurious looking lash look but paired with the Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Primer it goes out of this world. The pair together give me fanned out, defined, lengthened and volumised lashes that don't droop, fall, flake or crumble. And because there is a primer underneath, if my lashes do droop slightly, it's not hard to get them back into place with a gentle upward push.

I was going to go down the traditional route and go with a red lip like I normally do on Valentine's Day but this year I've found myself reaching and enjoying more pink toned shades so that's what I chose. I started off with the Kiko Intensly Lavish (sadly discontiuned) Lip Liner in 01. It's been my go to lip liner when I've worn a pink a lip recently. Then over the top I used the Milani Amour Matte Lip Cream in Precious. It's not the usual pink tone I'd go for but once it's on the lips and dried down, I really like how it looks. And because it's more of a velvet finish, it means it's going to feel comfortable on the lips for a lot longer than your standard liquid lipstick. I love how it compliments my skin tone even though it's not the usual pink tone I'd go for.

. Now I've gotten my look complete, all that's left to do is give myself a spritz of setting spray. And the best one for keeping my make up in place is the Collection Primed and Ready Fixing Spray. It's lightweight so it doesn't disrupt my make up and sets everything in place with a semi-matte finish that still allows skin to look and feel like skin.

Then the final thing I do is spritz myself with perfume. And the one that's most fitting Valentine's Day/Galentine's Day for me is the Rosie For Autograph Rose Gold. It's got a warmth to it that never fails to make me feel ultra feminine and good about myself. It's centered around the original Rose Centifolia scent that emcompasses all of Rosie's fragrances but this has added notes of musk, sandalwood and vanilla that gives it more depth and warmth that lasts throughout the day. Now I'm ready it's time to go and enjoy my Valentine's, even if it's just a day of work then a pamper.

Recipe: Strawberries And Cream Cupcakes

Valentine's Day is only a couple of days away and I'm back with my second Valentine's inspired recipe. Today I'm playing with a bit more colour and flavour to try and recreate as closely as possible the taste of the Lindt Strawberries and Cream chocolates that are always released around this time of the year.

Ingredients
- 110g Butter/Stork, softened
- 110g Caster Sugar
- 110g Plain Flour
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Medium Eggs
- 3 Tsp Strawberry Extract
- 1 Tube Of Dr Oetker Pink Gel Food Colouring
- 1 Tub of Berry Crocker Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Method 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. 
2. Place the softened butter into a bowl alongside the caster sugar and blend with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer until pale and fluffy. You can also do this by hand with a wooden spoon or a spatula. It'll just take a little longer. 
3. In a seperate bowl, sift together the plain flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add to the mixture making sure to not do a me and spill flour everywhere.
4. Beat the eggs together and add to the mixture. 
5. Then it's time for your flavouring of choice. As I'm trying to recreate the taste of the Lindt Chocolates, I'm going in with Strawberry flavouring. I normally only use two teaspoons of flavouring but because I wanted this to be quite strong, I added a third. 
6. Now all of that's in the bowl, mix it all together until well combined. Always take a silicone spatula and scrape along the sides of the bowl when you do this to make sure everything is fully incorporated. 
7. Then it's time to add the food colouring. With the tubes of Dr Oetker Gel Colouring, it's always best to add it in gradually, mixing it in between each addition. You don't have to use the whole tube but because I wanted them to be bright pink, I used the whole tube. Maybe overkill but it looked pretty. 
8. Once you've achieved the colour you want and everything is completely combined, it's time to spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Then it's time to pop them in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. 
9. Once cooked, leave to cool for five minutes in the tray and then transfer them over to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 
10. And like with my Red Velvet Cupcakes, I cheated with the icing. I'm no good at Buttercream or piping gorgeous designs so I went in with what was left of my Betty Crocker Ready To Use Buttercream. A spoonful is enough to cover the top of each cake and I just went in with a pallet knife to smooth it out and create a somewhat decent design. 
11. Then it's just a case of leaving the icing to set. Then once it's set, it's time to enjoy them with friends, family or your one and only.

Recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Valentine's Day will soon be upon us and I felt like baking some Valentine's inspired recipes that could be baked for your one and only or a treat for you and your girls if you're doing Galentine's Day. And what a better sweet treat than Red Velvet Cupcakes. They're something I've wanted to bake for a while and now I have my Sugarflair Extra Red Colouring, I can bake them whenever I want. I don't believe this is a conventional recipe for Red Velvet but they taste good and have gone down well with family and friends.

Ingredients
- 110g Butter/Stork, softened
- 110g Caster Sugar
- 110g Plain Flour
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Tsp Cocoa Powder
- 2 Medium Eggs
- 1/4 Tsp Sugarflair Extra Red Food Colouring
- 1 Tub Betty Crocker Ready To Use Vanilla Buttercream

Method 

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Place the softened butter and sugar into the bowl and beat until pale and creamy. I used my stand mixer for this and can't get over how quick and easy it was to cream them together.
3. Sift together the baking powder, flour and cocoa powder then add to the mixture. I find sieving them into a separate bowl first works better than trying to get the sieve around my mixer. Plus you're less likely to make a mess that way. 
4. Beat the eggs and add to the mixture. 
5. Combine everything together, making sure to scrape around the sides of the bowl so that everything is fully incorporated. 
6. Add the food colouring. The Sugarflair colouring is so highly pigmented that you only need the tiniest amount to make a bright red shade that is custom to Red Velvet cupcakes. 
7. Once everything is combined, spoon evenly into the paper cases and pop into the oven for 20-25 minutes. 
8. When they're cooked, leave to cool for five minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 
9. Once completely cooled, I did cheat and use ready made icing. Sadly buttercream and icings of any kind aren't really my forte even though I am working on them. So for these I cheated and used a tub of Betty Crocker's Ready To Use Vanilla Buttercream icing. I took a small teaspoon and placed a dollop of icing on each cupcake before using a pallet knife to smooth it over the top, adding more icing if necessary.  
10. Leave the icing to set, then once it's set enjoy.