The Body Shop Sale Purchases

I couldn't resist The Body Shop's sale and a further 40% off code! When I first had a look, some of the items I wanted were out of stock, but I checked back the following day and they were all available again. I initially added the entire Vineyard Peach and Brazil Nut ranges to my basket, but then decided that I didn't need any more body butters or shower gels! 

The first product in the photo was the only item that wasn't in the sale, and that's the Mango Body Mist. I love this, and am nearly out of my current bottle, so thought I'd buy another. It's normally £7.50, but with the 40% off code, I paid £4.50. Still not the cheapest, though, so think I may find a cheaper alternative soon! NSPA have a mango body mist which is quite nice (my sister has it), and their products are usually 2 for £4. 

Next is the Cranberry Joy Linen, Room & Body Spritz. The sale and 40% off code made this just £2.10! Again, it's another repurchase because my current bottle is nearly gone. I use it as a room spray, mostly, and it smells incredible. 

The Brazil Nut Body Mist is new to me, and cost just £2.25. It smells so much better than I thought it would - It's very sweet, and smells like nutty chocolate/caramel/vanilla. 

Lastly, I added a couple of the Coconut Butter Duo Baubles to my basket for £2.40 each (usually £7). They come with a small body butter and lip butter, and will make great little gifts.

The sale is still currently on, and they've just made products available again - Including all the products above! For an additional 40% off, use code 14673. Happy shopping! 

Raspberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wasn't going to blog about these, so the better looking ones have all been eaten! These are the ones left over. 

I ended up making around 30 cookies with this recipe.

What you'll need:

• 125g butter, softened
• 125g light brown sugar
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 tsp vanilla paste)
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1/2tsp salt
• 100g white chocolate chips
• 50-100g raspberries

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC.

2. Line your baking trays with baking paper.

3. Cream together the butter and sugars.

4. Combine the egg and vanilla.

5. Sift in the flour and salt, and then fold.

6. Add the chocolate chips and a handful or two of raspberries. It depends on how many you personally want. 

7. When the raspberries break as you mix them in, the juice will make your dough wetter, so add some more flour.

8. I found that my second batch rose more because I left the dough to sit for about 20 minutes, so if you want them fluffier, leave the mixture like I did.

9. Spoon walnut sized balls onto your baking trays, making sure you leave a good couple inches between each one.

10. If you want, you can then add a raspberry to the middle of each one. This can be quite sour when you get to the middle, and the juice from it makes the cookie softer, so you don't have to do this.

11. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, but make sure you check them every few minutes or so. I remember the original recipe I used said to bake for 7 minutes, but mine are never near done at this time.

12. Finally, take out the oven, leave to harden for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

The raspberries do make these cookies more moist than others (I hate the word 'moist', but that's the only way I can describe them!), but they taste delicious. I'm going to adapt this recipe and make cranberry and raisin oatmeal cookies next!

Decluttering my Makeup Basket

I have this basket on top of my beauty chest of drawers, and it's supposed to hold my most used makeup (with the rest going in the top drawer). This just makes things easier to find and saves time in the morning. However, over time, more and more products are added to it, making it a cluttered mess! If I buy a new product, it'll end up in the basket. If I take something out of the top drawer, it'll end up in the basket. And yes, even hair ties end up in the basket.  So, after being strict with myself and having a good sort out, what has made the cut? 

No lip products have because they live in a lipstick container next to the basket. 

My MUA Cover & Conceal Concealer has, as well as a tube of Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer for blemishes. On a side note, how rubbish is the packaging of this? It's a new tube, and yet the black writing has already rubbed off! 

My chosen powder is The Body Shop's All-in-One Face Base in 02 because it gives a little coverage and a silky, matte finish. 

Moving on to cheek products (I'm going through this in the order I do my makeup!). I've decided to have NYX's Cream Blush in Natural in there, as well as two Dainty Doll Powder Blushes in You Are My Sunshine and Money Talks. You Are My Sunshine is a pinky peach with golden shimmer (it looks nothing like it does in the photo), and Money Talks is a cool toned brown. It's shimmery, so I don't use it as a bronzer, but it's a nice alternative shade for blush. 

ELF's Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light has also made the cut, which is no surprise! It's all I use on my brows. 

For lining my lower lash line, I've chosen a few products. NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha is very well loved, as you can see! And I've also chosen Maybelline's Colour Tattoos in On & On Bronze and Permanent Taupe. Permanent Taupe is matte, so I use this when I'm not in the mood for shimmer. 

I've chosen Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude for when I wish to line my waterline. I don't do this every day because it hasn't lasted well the last few times I've used it, but it's supposed to make your eyes appear bigger and brighter, and I'm all for that! 

Then, when I have the patience, I'll use L'Oreal's Perfect Slim Super Liner. I'm too lazy to use it on a day to day basis, though! 

Lastly, Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara is my current everyday mascara. I think I ended up with 6 in my basket! And although I used them all, I've decided to use one up at a time.

Do you keep your everyday makeup separate from the rest? If so, do you slowly add other products to the mix so it gradually becomes cluttered like mine?

Models Own Utopia

Models Own Utopia is the first bottle of Models Own nail polish that I've actually paid full price for! My others have come from sales, be it ones of the blog or ASOS variety. As I said in my previous post, I'm going through a phase at the moment, and am really loving these muted, off white, lilac toned shades. I'm still getting used to how they look on my nails, though! It's weird not seeing them painted with a bright coral or turquoise. Utopia is difficult to describe... if a lilac, grey, white, and a touch of nude all came together, this is what it'd look like. It took two coats to become opaque and I had no problems with the formula, so it gets high marks from me. I'm tempted to add some nail art to it because it's the perfect base for doing so, but don't want to ruin it!

What do you think of Utopia? Do you like shades like this?

Current Nail Polish Phase

Essie Go Ginza, Models Own Utopia, Barry M Matte Vanilla

These are the last three polishes I've purchased, and I can't help but notice a theme! Light, muted, muddy tones of lilac (especially the last two). I just think they're understated, feminine, chic, and make great bases for nail art or glitter. These opinions are relatively new, though. I would have stayed far away from the likes of Utopia and Vanilla before this month. I actually remember thinking Utopia looked a little like cement a year or two ago. You see, I normally prefer shades that fit nicely into a colour category, instead of in between, can't-quite-describe shades like the above. I liked lilacs, and I liked nudes, but would never have bought these shades. I've already swatched Go Ginza here, and will be painting my nails with either Utopia or Vanilla this weekend. 

Do you go through nail polish phases? I was all about different shades of red not long back, be it corals or berries. I'm really liking the feminine, off white shades at the moment, though, and am desperate to get my hands on Sinful Colours' Easy Going!

Stocking Up on Essentials

My essentials were running low, so thought I'd stock up while some of them were on offer! I either use TRESemme or Alberto Balsam Shampoo & Conditioner, with my favourite being the Strawberries and Cream scent. I couldn't find it on the shelves anywhere, though, so when I found it online at Chemist Direct, I bought 4 bottles (98p-£1.04). I did want to buy 8, but restrained myself. To make up for the postage cost, I also bought the Pomegranate, and Mandarin & Papaya, shampoos and conditioners, which are also difficult to find in stores. From Superdrug, I bought another tube of the Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser because it was just £3.32! With this, I bought two more packs of Simple's 80 Baby Moisturising Wipes for 99p each (they're normally £1.99) and MUA's Cover & Conceal Concealer for £1.50. A few days later, I noticed that Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara was £3 off and buy one get one half price, so I bought two for just £3.74 each! It's one of my favourite mascaras, so I was pretty chuffed with that. Lastly, from eBay, I bought ELF's Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light for £5.99. It's normally £3.75 on ELF's website, but the postage makes it more expensive, and I didn't want to buy anything else, so bought it from eBay to save a little bit of money. I've been using the Medium shade of this kit for years because I thought Light would be too... light! But it actually suits my eyebrows more.

Do you stock up on your essentials? Or wait until you've finished them before repurchasing?

Essie Go Ginza

(Instagram photo)

I'm not happy with my application of this, but I just had to show you the shade because I have nothing like it in my collection! As you can see, it's so much lighter than my other lilacs. I found myself looking at swatches of Go Ginza on Thursday, and then found it in the ASOS sale for £5, so it was meant to be. I was a little apprehensive about paying that, though, because I'm used to Fragrance Direct's £1.99 price tag, but once I found a student discount code (making the polish £4.50) and realised they were giving me free next day delivery (worth £5.95), I couldn't resist. The formula was good, taking just two coats. The first coat was streaky, but a second evened everything out. For such a light shade, I was expecting to have more issues. I really like it, and think it would look even better paired with a light coloured glitter!

What do you think? Are you a fan of lilacs? I personally love them, and deep berry shades, but tend to stay away from the purples in between.