What I'm taking on holiday: Shower and Body stuff

You may have seen my previous post on all the skincare that I have brought to Florida. If you didn't know I'm here in Sunny (stormy) Florida with my family and boyfriend and we're all set to play in the theme parks and water parks and swim with dolphins and play on the beach etc but I thought I'd show what beauty and toiletries I brought.

My toiletry/wash bag is from Primark, it's quite similar to the Cath Kidston wrap bags and I bought it after seeing Hannah Vickers'  Primark Haul. It's got three sections which are all clear so you can see what's inside and the middle section detaches like you may have seen in my skincare post and it folds up nicely, I really like it and it's waterproof!

In the top section, I have my Body Shop Body Butter in Pink Grapefruit, this smells so good and is really thick but absorbs really easily so I brought the 50ml size as that should work out the right amount- if I use i sparingly! I also have my FCUK body scrub which I got in a Christmas gift set so it's not online anymore and also the Nip&Fab Body Glow which I got free with this month's Cosmo.

In the bottom section, I have my Sure Roll on Deodrant and the Creightons Sunshine Blonde Extra Moisturising Shampoo and the Creightons Sunshine Blonde Intensive Conditioner both of which I picked up from a £1 shop.

Other stuff I brought is some Colgate toothpaste, Alberto Basam Juicy Green Shampoo as it's what my boyfriend uses, some heel balm from Lloyd's Pharmacy, Radox Eastern Spirit Shower Gel, Lynx Africa Shower Gel (for Alex again), and some Venus disposable razors.

So that's everything I've brought with me to Florida, except for hair stuff, might do a post on that at some point.

Hope you're having a good day!

What I'm taking on holiday: Skincare

This is the next installment of my Florida posts. This is stuff that I packed in my case due to liquid restrictions on hand luggage for the flight, not sure how I managed without them but I've arrived in Florida so hi! A lot of the things I bought in France (see my haul here) and haven't used yet because I was saving them for this trip.

In order of use, I have brought my mini Bioderma to remove make up, my Simple Oil Balancing Exfoliating Facial Wash- this exfoliates and cleanses at the same time which is perfect if you're lazy like me, my Simple Soothing Facial Toner which I put into a small bottle- there's a post featuring this here, my Nivea Radiance Boosting Moisturiser which doesn't seem to be online anymore but it is nice and it has a slight shimmer in it to give your skin a bit of illumination- perfect for a Summer holiday! 

I also brought my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo to use a make up base and all over spot treatment and the Effaclar A.I. to use as an on-spot treatment. For SPF I have the Solait Face Sun Fluid in factor 50- I've not tried this yet but it says it is mattifying so no greasy skin and hopefully no breakouts! I also have the Caudalie Beauty Elixir with me to set my make up and to use as a skin refresher throughout the day. The final thing I've brought is the Borghese Fango Active Mud Mask which I depotted into 2 smaller pot as I don't think I will use this a lot on holiday but felt I might want it with me to use at some point.

That's all my skincare, there will be another post soon on all the other beauty stuff I brought with me, hope you're all having a good day!

What's in my Hand Luggage?

I'm going to Florida tomorrow (!!) and have got a couple of posts going up on what I'm taking with me! Here's what I'm taking in my hand luggage.

My backpack is tan faux leather from New Look although it doesn't appear to be on the website anymore and it has a drawstring top with a flap that clips on over the opening and two big pockets which both clip down.

The first thing I'm taking for plane entertainment is my iPad, literally can't go anywhere without it and I'll watch films (Les Mis) and play Candy Crush for 8 hours yeah! Also, I'm taking The Great Gatsby and Mockingjay from The Hunger Games Trilogy, both of which I've read before and I'd be happy to do like a mini book review if you're interested? But love love love both of these books, The Hunger Games is my favourite series at the minute- well since last year, but if you have any other book recommendations, let me know! I also have this months Cosmo, which I've had to hide away so I don't read it before I even get to the airport!

I'm also taking a compact mirror, my sunglasses, my watch, some fluffy socks for when I get too cold with the air con, a big tub of Wrigley's Extra chewing gum, a bottle of water, Werther's Originals (traditional plane sweets!), paracetamol, travel sickess tablets and travel wipes.

I'm also taking hand sanitizer and some hand cream and my Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Spot Wand and Night Gel (not pictured) post here.

I think that's everything, is there anything I've missed?

Are you going away anywhere this Summer?

Let's Bake: White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Another recipe! Yesterday, I met up with some friends and we had a picnic in the park so I thought I'd make something to take that isn't too heavy for this heat wave we're having!

These turned out much better than expected so here's how I made them.

This makes about 19 large cookies.

6oz (150g) margarine

4.5oz (130g)soft light brown sugar (but I used dark brown because I couldn't find light)

3 tbsp golden syrup

8oz (230g) self raising flour

6oz (150g) white chocolate (or any type of chocolate)

2 tbsp milk

Heat the oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 4.

Beat the margarine until soft then add the sugar and cream together until light and fluffy.

Chop the chocolate into small-ish pieces, these don't have to be perfect in any way!

Stir in the syrup, flour, chocolate and milk and mix well.

Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto greased baking trays, and press down a bit so they squidge into the tray and lay flatter.

These are monstrous in size but so good!

Bake for 15 minutes until golden on the outside and soft on the inside.

The cookies tend to rise up a lot in the oven but once cooled they deflate and look like proper cookies!

The syrup makes these cookies extra chewy but still soft with a crunch on the outside and they went down a treat at the picnic!

Hope you like my recipe posts and if you ever recreate any, please let me know on my twitter @emilaaarblog, I'd love to know how you get on!

Hope you're enjoying all the sun we're getting!

This recipe is adapted from a Be-Ro recipe book that I use a lot but has lost its cover so I'm not sure what it's called, sorry!

Review: The Body Shop Hair Butter

Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter - The Body Shop £3

As you may have seen in my previous post, I picked up this hair butter back in June and have used it religiously ever since. I have seriously dry/damaged hair from heat and colouring but I think this has actually made a difference.

I must admit when I bought this I wasn't sure how I would use it. After reading some reviews I decided not to use as an everyday conditioner or hair mask but as a leave-in conditioner in damp hair once it has been brushed through.

It is a really thick consistency but it melts so easily into your palms after you rub it through the ends and once I've dried my hair it feels stronger, more nourished and can last longer between washes! Plus, I actually really like the smell - kind of almondy mmm.

Complete thumbs up from me and at a mere £3 I will definitely repurchase this, if you have quite dry ends I recommend you try this out although I'm not sure it would work as well with oily hair. They do have a radiance version of the hair butter for duller locks which I reckon would work just as well.

Yet another rave review. Have you tried any of The Body Shop's hair products?

Haul #2

As I've already mentioned, I went away on a music tour to France last week and while we were busy performing a lot of the time, the one thing I was desperate to do while I was there was go to a French pharmacy and stock up on their world famous skincare. Another thing I've been wanting to do for ages is go to  a car boot sale. I've never been before (that I can remember) so the day before I went away, my boyfriend and I went to the biggest one in our area and I managed to find a couple of make up stalls- one being my beloved Mac.

So I bought 2 lipsticks at the car boot sale, one from Avon in Noble Nude which retails for £8.50 and I got it for £2- yay! It's a really nice orange-toned nude with pink shimmer and good colour pay off. I also got Mac Milan Mode for £5 which I was super pleased with since they've now gone up to £15 at Mac counters and it is a nice true pink, not too bright, not too shimmery. It's quite sheer but can be built up I really like this one.

In France, I went to every pharmacy I saw, a lot of them were closed but I did manage to get some Bioderma- must be the only person who hasn't tried it yet!

I got 2 big bottles and one smaller one which I'll probably take to Florida when I go. I just thought it was really cute and I know I'll use it.

I also got a couple of things from La Roche-Posay.

I know you can get this in some of the larger Boots and I've had my eye on these two products for a while now and decided to wait until I was in France because I thought they might be cheaper. I can't remember how much it ended up being but I don't think it was much different to the prices here. I got the Effaclar Duo to use as a spot treatment all over my skin and to use as a make up base and I also picked up the Effaclar A.I. to use as a targeted spot treatment as I've read such good reviews on both of these.

The last thing I bought (aside from lots of pain au chocolats) was the Caudalie Beauty Elixir.

I wanted this to set my make up before using powder, particularly for when it's really hot and also to use when my skin feels in need of refreshing. I only got a 30ml since that's all I could find but  I'm still keen to try it out along with everything else I bought.

I'm planning on reviewing some of these products separately once I've tried them out properly, have you used any of these yet? How did you get on?

Hope you're all having a lovely summer.

Review: Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel range

Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel range - Boots from £2.99

I've just got back from a week away in France and was in need of some skincare to take with me so I took a trip to Boots last weekend. I have been using this stuff since I bought it and I'm pretty impressed!

The Cleansing and Toning Lotion has the tea tree scent which I love, however I don't like the feel of this on my skin, I think purely because I prefer face washes and I'm so used to them. They just make my skin feel cleaner, but this is an okay cleanser- I'm not keen on seeing all the muck from my face on the cotton pad though!

The spot wand is actually really good though, I'm am pleasantly surprised because it wasn't expensive at all. There is one end that you put on the spots during the day as it is clear and one end you use overnight which is a greeny colour. I find that the night end works a lot better than the day end, it almost completely heals my spots overnight which I wasn't expecting at all. I would repurchase this just for the night end so if you're in need of a good spot treatment pick this up right now!

Finally, the night treatment gel completely soothes my skin, it isn't sticky, it dries almost instantly and I think because I've been using it with the spot wand they have become my skincare dream team! So impressed that these can work so quickly. My skin hasn't completely cleared up as these products do not prevent spots but they work so well I'm completely happy that I bought these, especially as I wasn't expecting much from this brand.

I'm pretty sure Boots do 3 for 2 on this range all the time, or they have done every time I've been there so check out this range if you're looking for some new skincare (or even if you're not).

Have you tried any new skincare products?

June Favourites

Simple Soothing Facial Toner | L'oreal Nutrisummer Gradual Tan | The Body Shop Lip Butter

MAC Lipstick | Tea Tree Oil | Rimmel Apocalips | Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer | Converse

I wanted to do a proper beauty post this week since I did a recipe one the other day so, I'm going to do my first favourites post and I'm really excited!  My first favourite this month is the Simple Soothing Facial Toner and at £2.99 this is a really inexpensive but good toner. I've really got into using a toner recently, I use it after cleansing my face at night and although I haven't seen much difference in my problematic skin, it makes my skin feel super clean and nice. 

I've also really enjoyed using L'oreal's Nutrisummer Moisturising Lotion since the sun has been making a couple of appearances recently. Although I have struggled to find it online, I have seen it in a few Boots recently and when you're super pasty like me, it's great to whack this on to give a bit of colour. Using this after shaving gives super silky skin for the whole day and although it isn't instant colour, it does develop throughout the day and it isn't streaky- so big yes from me!

The main thing I can say about The Body Shop's Sweet Lemon Lip Butter is that it tastes and smells amazing! It is very moisturising and lasts for a long time, I like to use this last thing at night and again in the morning to smooth my lips before I put on a lipstick.

For  lipstick, I have been loving my new MAC lipstick. The colour is an amazing pinky orange but not too bright so perfect for everyday and the formula goes onto the lips so easily it feels like a balm. It doesn't have great colour pay off but it is buildable to it can become more intense, I thin it's perfect for summer!

Another lip product (so many lip products) I've been loving (along with everyone else in the world) is the Rimmel Apocalips. These are amazing. Such a great selection of colours, I have Nova which is an intense pink which is quite bright but has a slight blue undertone. The formulation is quite thick so the colour comes out amazingly and you don't need much as a little goes a long way. I like how it has a doe foot applicator so application is more precise than a lipstick and it lasts much longer than a standard lipstick- go Rimmel!

Tea Tree Oil has been the one thing in my skincare I keep going back to. It's natural so I'm not putting anything bad on my skin, I actually like the smell and it really helps to dry up any spots I get really quickly, however I haven't found anything which prevents them from coming back, so suggestions please!

The last beauty thing I've been loving is the Collection (2000) Lasting Perfection concealer to cover those pesky spots. This is so high coverage its perfect for hiding my "imperfections" however since I use the Tea Tree Oil to dry up my spots, I have to use quite a rich moisturiser to prevent this concealer from being cakey or accenuating the spot by sticking to the dry patches- do you know what I mean?

Lastly, I have been obsessed with my white converse. I got these quite recently for my upcoming trip to Florida to wear around the theme parks but obviously I have needed to wear them out to break them in... They go with everything and I have wanted them for so long, so comfy and such a shoe staple!

So there are my favourites for June, so glad that month is over, no more A levels! What were your favourite products in June? Feel free to leave your blog addresses below and I'll check them all out.

Let's get trying out stuff for my July favourites!

Let's Bake: Apple and Currant Crumble Bars

Bit of a different post today. Since finishing A levels, I've found myself searching for things to do so I baked! And they're really good!

I don't take credit for this recipe, I found it in my Cake Days cookbook by the hummingbird bakery- £11 Amazon, but I made a few adjustments.

These are almost like flapjacks, there is a layer of oaty goodness, then a layer of sliced apple and currants and then another layer of oats.

RECIPE:

Makes 24

200g self raising flour (I used more as I was mixing so be prepared to have extra)

200g unsalted butter

250g soft light brown sugar

120g rolled oats

300g apples (I used golden delicious)

4 tbsp cornflour

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp groud ginger

175g currants

Pre-heat oven to 170C (Gas Mark 3) and line a 22x31cm tray.

Sift flour and rub in butter then stir in the sugar and oats.

Press half of this mixture into the tray.

Slice and peel the apples and mix them with the spices and cornflour then layer them on top of the oat layer.

Next, sprinkle the currants and put the rest of the oat mixture on top and gently press down. Then into the oven for 30-40 minutes!

Mine took 35 minutes until it was golden and didn't feel soft in the middle anymore. Then leave to cool before slicing and serving!

Cappuccino, optional. Can anyone guess which FleurDeForce video I'm watching?

Hope you liked this different post, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me in the comments or on my twitter.

Do you like trying out new recipes or do you have your own signature bake? I'd love to know!