Baking | Halloween Gingerbread Biscuits

I thought I would do something a little different for my blog today, and post a baking recipe. I have always loved baking, as I find it so relaxing and calming on a Sunday afternoon, whipping up a delicious weekend treat. One of my favourite things to bake at this time of year is gingerbread, as it tastes like Autumn in a biscuit-what could be better? Making it more seasonally appropriate, here's how I make Halloween gingerbread biscuits...

Ingredients

115g butter

450g plain flour

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground mixed spice

2 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

100g golden syrup

115g light muscovado sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

Icing and decorations of your choice

To start with, you will need to preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius/325 degrees Fahrenheit/Gas mark 3, and then grease 3 large baking sheets.

Next, sift the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.

 Then, place the butter, golden syrup and muscovado sugar in a saucepan over a low heat and stir together until melted. Pour this melted mixture onto the dry ingredients in the bowl and add in the egg.

 

 Mix this together to form a dough, which will be sticky to start with, but will become firmer as it cools. 

 Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 3mm thickness, and use any cutters to cut out whichever shapes you like. I have gone for typical Halloween shapes, such as a bat, pumpkin, and ghost. 

 Once cut out, place the shapes on the baking sheets, and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until firm and lightly brown. Leave to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, before transferring the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely. 

 Once cool, decorate the biscuits however you like. I have gone for white, orange and black icing as these are typical Halloween colours. 

 After they are decorated they can finally be eaten (the best part in my opinion!)



I hope you have as much fun making these as I did, as I think these are the perfect treats for Halloween.

What is your favourite thing to eat at Halloween?

Megan x

Review | Revlon Colorstay Foundation

I am always trying out new foundations in the hope of finding one that ticks all the boxes- great coverage and lasting power at the top of my list for good foundations. I love to swap my foundation up on a regular basis anyway, so when I recently received £2 of this particular offering at Boots, I thought I would give it a little whirl.

 

I will start on a slightly negative note and say that the packaging is not ideal, as it doesn't have a pump. Now this doesn't have any effect on the product itself, yet it can make the process of getting the foundation out of the bottle messy, as well as wasteful. However, negatives aside, I absolutely love this foundation. I went for the shade 'Buff', which is the second palest shade I believe, and it suits my skin tone perfectly.

 

It is intended for those with oily/combination skin(there is a normal/dry version too), so doesn't add any extra shine or oil to the face. The coverage of this is also amazing, definitely medium-full coverage, that can easily be built up depending on how much coverage you need. I apply this with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush on clean moisturised skin and I am good to go. The only slight downside is that it does require a bit of time and effort to buff it into the skin, but once applied it gives a beautiful, flawless finish.

I've also found that the staying power of this foundation is pretty good, lasting for most of the day with just one or two touch ups of powder throughout the day.

 

Overall, this is one of the best foundations I have tried for a long time as it just seems to suit my skin type and tone perfectly. I will definitely repurchase this foundation again as for a drugstore product, it really does an amazing job on giving a flawless finish to the skin.

 

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think of it?

 

Megan x



OOTD- Autumn Florals

 

 

Khaki Shirt- River Island

Fur Gilet- New Look

Necklace- Topshop

Floral Trousers- New Look

Ankle Boots- New Look

 

I love wearing patterned trousers, and so was on the hunt for some Autumn appropriate floral trousers. I loved these immediately as they seem so versatile, and would look great dressed up or down during the autumn/winter months. I paired this with a khaki shirt and gold statement necklace, and made it more seasonally apt with black boots and a fur gilet.

 

Megan x

 



Current Beauty Wishlist

Like most beauty bloggers I am sure, I have always got my eye on a few beauty products that I would really like to add to my current stash. Some of these products have actually been on my wish list for a very long time, yet I just haven't got around to buying them, whilst some of them are very new on my wish list.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick- "Glaston-berry"
I must admit it was quite a difficult decision trying to pick which of these lipsticks I was lusting after most, yet staying true to my love of autumn and berry colours, Glaston-berry eventually ended up being the one for the wish list. I love a matte finish lipstick, especially in the Autumn/Winter months, whilst the colour is perfect for this time of the year too. Paired with a gold smoky eye, this would be perfect for a Christmas makeup look.

Lush Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar
There is just something about Autumn and Winter that screams long, hot bubble baths, and this one from Lush seems made exactly for that purpose. Inspired by scents typical of Halloween and Christmas, this bubble bar is perfect for this time of year, due to the gold glitter contained within the pumpkin. I can't wait to get around to buying this and popping it into an evening bath.

Zoella Beauty Fizz Bar
As soon as I saw that Zoella was releasing a range of bath and body products, I immediately added them to my wish list, as she is one of my favourite youtubers, and all the products seemed lovely. The one that stood out to me most however was the fizz bar, as I loved the concept of a bath bomb/fizzer in a breakable bar. This bath product would actually be perfect for when you just want a nice, relaxing bath without the craziness of some lush products, and I can't wait to try it out.


Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Palette
I love my urban decay naked palette and have gotten so much use out of it, yet the only downside is the lack of matte shades. This 6 shadow palette is the perfect little product for those who prefer matte eye shadows, and I love the range of cool-toned shades that could be mixed and matched to create many looks perfect for day or night. This may be one to add to my birthday or Christmas list.


 Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation
I have been desperate to try something from Tarte, yet as it is quite difficult to get hold of in the UK, I haven't had the chance to buy something yet. I love the idea of this foundation, either using it to set a foundation, or to build up a full coverage look using just this. This is definitely a product I am adding to my New York wish list when I visit at the end of the year, as I am desperate to try it out.

By Terry Ombre Blackstar- "Misty Rock"
I have heard this mentioned quite a lot recently on various YouTube channels and blogs, and as soon as I saw it I fell in love with it. I love eye shadow sticks as they are so easy to apply, just one sweep, a bit of blending and you are good to go.  I love the purple/taupe colour of this as well as the metallic, shimmery finish it would give and feel that it would be a product that I would get a lot of use out of.

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser
I think every blogger under the sun has either heard about this or used it , and I fall into the former category. I have been dying to try this for about a year now, but have just stuck with the same cleanser every time I have needed a new one, rather than branching out and trying this one. Everyone that has talked about this cleanser has loved it and I am desperate to own it.

So that is my current beauty wish list,  I am sure that some of these products will end up on my birthday or Christmas lists as I am desperate to try them all out. Have you tried any of these? What is on your current wish list?

Megan x
 

September Favourites

It's that time of the month again when I collect all of the beauty bits and pieces that I have been loving throughout the month and share them with everyone. As we have changed seasons, I have been reaching for more Autumnal products, and they would obviously make it into my favourites purely for my love of Autumn. There are also some rediscoveries here, so let's get started shall we..?

 Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick-"Backstage"

I received this last year as one of my birthday gifts, yet have only just discovered my love for it. The berry/plum shade is perfect for Autumn, and whilst it can be built up to be more pigmented, I like wearing it as a sheer stain of colour on the lips, making it more subtle for daytime wear. The velvety and moisturising finish of this also makes it a firm favourite, as it is just so comfortable to wear.

 

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer- 15

For me, finding a good concealer is just as important as finding a good foundation, as concealer creates a flawless complexion much more that foundation in my opinion. After previously using the Collection Lasting Perfection offering, I found that I wasn't getting the look I was after and so decided to give this one a whirl. The formula of this one is perfect for me, as it is really creamy and therefore easy to blend. The coverage is also fairly good, but it can be easily built up to give a higher coverage if needed. This will definitely be staying in my makeup bag for the next few months.

 Seche Vite Dry Fast Topcoat

I admit that topcoats aren't the most interesting topic to talk about, but I don't think I am alone when I say that this one has completely changed home manicures. I find painting my nails quite the chore, and get incredibly frustrated when they chip just a couple of days after painting. With this topcoat however, I had the same nail polish on for TWO WEEKS without chipping or needing to redo them. Since discovering this, there is no way I could be without it now.

Essie Nail Polish- "Sole Mate"
Red, berry shades are my favourite to wear, and as soon as September rolls around, I start sporting red and purple hues immediately.  Despite having a slight on/off relationship with Essie nail polishes, I have been loving wearing this one recently, and thanks to the top coat mentioned above, managed to keep it on for about two weeks. This is one of my favourite all time colours anyway, so i can't wait to get some more wear out of it in Autumn/Winter.

 Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow- "On and on Bronze"

These are also a rediscovery for me as I think I bought couple of them last year but just never got around to wearing them. However, recently I have been really enjoying just sweeping a little bit of this across my lids and blending it into the crease, as I think it gives really nice natural look, but adding a little something with the metallic effect it has. They are really simple to apply and so are perfect for quick, but put together makeup looks, without spending ages in the morning.

 

Tanya Burr Lip Gloss- "Picnic in the Park"

I already own one of Tanya's lip glosses in Afternoon Tea, but after seeing her wear this particular shade in so many of her videos, I thought it was time to add it to my makeup collection. It is such a pretty shade of pink that complements any eye makeup, as well as feeling super comfortable to wear, with no stickiness to be found. It is also fairly pigmented for a lip gloss, but can be applied liberally for a more sheer effect.

Remington Keratin Therapy Pro Curl Tong
I seem to go through phases where I seem to wear my hair in the same style everyday, so I have been making more of an effort to style my hair in a different way. I have been using this curling tong to create quite loose, tousled curls, that look quite effortless, yet make you appear a bit more put together. It is also very easy to use, and takes literally 15-20 minutes for long hair to be curly, so is ideal if you don't have a lot of time in the mornings. 

So that is it for another month- where is the year going? Have you used any of these products? What have you been loving in September?

Megan x

My Sick day Essentials

So I am currently battling a rather horrible cold/throat infection, and whilst the best treatment is resting and relaxing, there are certain products that are essentials for me if resting is not an option and I need to look half decent. So, if you are  feeling a little under the weather at the moment, grab a cuppa and read on for my essentials to make me look and feel slightly normal...

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

My complexion always suffers whenever I am slightly ill, becoming dull and in need of some serious radiance. This foundation adds an instant glow to my skin, through the use of radiance pearls, which makes my complexion look more alive and reawakened. A must have product that actually manages to disguise the fact that you are not feeling your best.

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Concealer  
I find it quite difficult to sleep whenever I have a cold, which means that I end up with some rather unsightly under eye circles. This concealer comes in quite handy to cover these dark circles, as it has a slightly orange undertone that counteracts the blue toned circles.  It also helps to brighten the under eye area, making me look less tired and more refreshed and well rested.

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

I tend to keep makeup to a minimum when I am ill, yet mascara is a necessity in order to look more awake and put together, when all you want to do is stay in bed all day. I have really enjoyed using this mascara recently as it really volumises your lashes without clumping, as well as giving a wide eyed look.

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip balm
My lips always seem to suffer whenever I have a cold, becoming dry and chapped. Therefore, a moisturising lip balm is an essential, and this one from Burt's Bees has been my favourite for ages now. The slightly peppermint tingle provides a soothing feel to the lips, which is just what my lips need when I am under the weather. I seriously couldn't be without this stuff!

Miscellaneous
As well as the beauty products to make me look better, there are certain essentials to make me feel better as well. The obvious Kleenex and Strepsils are a necessity, soothing my sore throat and clearing my blocked nose. A hot beverage of your choice is also very comforting, whilst Disney films for me are the best part of being ill and having to rest, as they make me feel all relaxed.

So there are my sick day essentials, I hope if you are not feeling very well you recover soon. Have you used any of these? What are your sick day essentials?

Megan x



Current Non-Beauty Favourites

I thought I would do a slightly different post today, as I always talk about my current beauty favourites, but never mention my non-beauty favourites. So without further ado, here's what I have currently been loving, avoiding all beauty products...

The Lovely Bones

I decided to read this book for one of my English Literature coursework pieces for school and I am completely hooked. Although not the nicest book in terms of what it's about- it is extremely violent at certain points- it is utterly gripping and one of those books that is so easy to read, yet it also has a slightly chilling atmosphere.  I can't wait to finish it and find out what happens next!

Hans Sloane Drinking Chocolate

Quite a random favourite, but I am not exaggerating when I say it is the best hot chocolate ever. It comes in the form of chocolate beads, which you melt into hot milk, to create a luxurious, smooth, milky, chocolatey beverage. It is perfect for those chilly evenings, as it just seems to warm you up completely.

Yankee Candle "Pink Sands"

I have really got into burning candles recently, as I feel so much more relaxed when I have one burning. This one is quite a summery scent as it has a mix of citrus, florals and vanilla, and I have burnt about half of it now, but I will continue to light when I just need to relax and chill out.

Relax Melodies App

Speaking of relaxing, I have really been enjoying using this app recently to help with my anxiety and ensure I feel calm. Relaxing music always makes me feel better, no matter how anxious I feel, and I really like this app as you can create your own melodies by selecting the sounds you like the most. With sounds ranging from Campfire, Slow Waves and Cat Purring, there is something to make everyone feel relaxed.

Moleskine City Notebook- New York

With exactly three months until me and my family cross the pond for a trip to New York to celebrate my 18th birthday, I am getting completely into planning mode, researching restaurants, shops and tourist attractions, and making a note of recommendations and things to do at that time of year, as it will be Christmas. I am getting very excited whenever I jot something down in there.

The Great British Bake Off

I look forward to this being on the TV every year, as it is just such a homely and cosy programme, that makes you crave cakes, biscuits and puddings. I also like the fact that it is not a boring show about baking, there is humour provided by the brilliant Mel and Sue, as well as the impeccably dressed Mary Berry being a judge. Perfect Wednesday Evening!

September

I love this time of year as for me it symbolises a fresh start, with the new term at school, as well as the fact that Autumn is just around the corner, which is my favourite season. A lot of exciting things start happening at this time of year as well, with the run up to Halloween, my birthday and Christmas. You also can't beat a cosy night in when the weather starts turning colder.

So that's all of my non-beauty favourites, I hope you enjoyed reading through them. I enjoyed writing about something other than beauty for a change, as I think it is quite nice to do more of a lifestyle post from time to time. Maybe I will do this type of post more often.

Megan x