Recipe - Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookies

As it's the festive season i wanted to put together a bag of treats for my group of friends. I scrolled and scrolled through tons of pinterest recipes and eventually landed on a cookie recipe which i adapted and changed to make these delicious salted caramel chocolate chunk cookies!

 

Recipe 

• 150g unsalted butter, softened 
• 80g light brown muscovado sugar 
• 80g granulated sugar 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg 
• 225g plain flour 
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g lindt chocolate - caramel with a hint of sea salt chocolate 

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190C or 170C for fan & line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper
2. Soften the butter and then beat slowly adding both sugars and beat together until creamy. Once this is creamy add the vanilla extract and then the egg
3. Sieve the flour and bicarbonate of soda over the mixture and then mix together with a wooden spoon!
4. I decided to use lindt chocolate instead of plain and mine was caramel with a hint of sea salt, you could use any of the lindt chocolates (they have some awesome flavours!) I then cut these into chunks.. i left my chunks quite large as thats how i like them but you can cut these too any size you wish! Once your chunks are ready add these to your mixture and continue to mix using a wooden spoon
5. Using your hands place small mounds of the mixture well apart on baking trays. To ensure they didn't turn into one giant cookie i actually did 6 on a baking tray at once
6. Bake these in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes until light brown on the edges and still soft in the centre.. then leave these on the tray to firm for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack! 

As these where a little gift to some of my closest friends i popped them into bags, did them up with ribbon and put a tag on them to finish them off!

The tags and ribbon where from Asda and where £1.00 for 10 tags and £1.00 for 5m of ribbon! I think there so cute and the perfect little treat bag to give out to loved ones during the festive holiday!

Let me know if you bake these and if you enjoyed them as much as  i did!

Happy Christmas! 

Jess 

♥

PHILOSOPHY | Candy Cane Shower, Shampoo & Bubble Bath

Hey Everyone! 

Just a quick post today about this gorgeous shower gel i received as a very generous gift from one of my best friend's whilst she was visiting New York! I have only ever used Philosophy products once before, this being the Purity Made Simple cleanser - I received a sample size in a glossy box and loved the way it made my skin feel so clean and fresh.

I used this product both as a bubble bath and shower gel however, on further inspection of the bottle this very versatile product can also be used as a shampoo. I probably wouldn't use it as a shampoo and didn't at the time due to personal preference and having bleached and coloured hair - i fear anything that isn't shampoo as i don't want my ends to get dry and damaged. The peppermint scent is incredible, but not overpowering - it is a mixture of candy canes and sweets, the perfect minty festive scent! It leaves my skin feeling soft and nourished without that squeaky dry feeling. 

They no longer stock this on the website, but have a huge range of other deliciously scented products you can check out here. I reaaally love the sound of vanilla birthday cake and coconut frosting. 480ml will cost you £14.50 and would make a lovely gift!

What's your favourite philosophy product and have you tried this festive product?

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The Body Shop Mango Body Sorbet

I'm probably going to sound like a bit of an idiot saying this, but i hadn't actually heard of body sorbets until this one landed in my hands! When i first received this product i had no idea what to do with it, it really did look like a body wash but obviously i was wrong! After some further investigation clever cloggs over here realized that it was in fact similar to a body moisturiser! This product has a gel like texture and instantly dried into my skin leaving no residue or sticky feeling behind, it was also accompanied by a gorgeous mango smell which wasn't overpowering but just the right scent! It really is like no other product I've used before and I've really enjoyed using it for the last week or so, i also read that this product is amazing in the summer and can be popped into the fridge before applying to act as an after sun.. I will be giving that a try in the summer for sure!! These body sorbets retail at £8.00 for a 200ml bottle, which i think is a pretty generous size! Overall i loved this product and would highly recommend it.

Have you tried any of these body sorbets - which was your favourite? 

Jess 

♥

Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb

So unless you've been living under a rock for the last month then you would of seen many bloggers raving and loving Lush's Christmas range and i would say the most talked about and reviewed being the luxury lush pud bath bomb. I would say this is probably Lush's brightest and most intriguing bath bomb, it's caught my eye on more than 1 occasion when visiting different Lush shops over the Christmas period and i finally gave in.. it was too beautiful to resist & the smell is well and truly gorgeous!

The main colour of this bath bomb is pink, but it also has a few tiny bath bombs inside the large one which includes greens, blues, yellows and oranges. As the bath bomb starts to fizz away they will separate from the large bath bomb creating pops of colour amongst the pink.. I'm also gonna mention here that somewhere within this bath bomb is glitter.. and quite a lot of it! I came out the bath looking like a disco ball.. not that i don't enjoy that look, but maybe give it a miss if your going out and don't want to be super glittery!

The bath bomb shares its fragrance with the twilight bath bomb which includes tonka absolute, ylang ylang & relaxing lavender oil. These are the perfect ingredients to make you feel relaxed and sleepy after a long day being a busy bee! I think it's great it shares it's fragrance with another bath bomb as this is limited addition and they are always the best ones! I love the smell and it left my skin super moisturised! This bath bomb is pretty big for a bath bomb and is a real luxury! It retails at £3.50 and can be bought from the lush online shop here.

Is this one of your Lush faves? 

Jess 

♥

My Nextmas Wishlist!

As soon as i saw that Next are asking bloggers to put together their #NextmasWishlist i literally jumped at the chance! I love going in every Christmas and looking around at all the fantastic products they have come out with.. they are always so cute and Christmassy and you can always find the perfect gift for anyone!

1. Novelty Snuggle Cardigan - £28.00

I literally headed for the dressing gown section straight away, i really need a new one and saw this in store last week when i was Christmas shopping! The fabric looks so warm and snuggly really living up to it's name! I love dressing gowns that have hoods as when it's chilly and I've just got out the bath/shower i like to pop up the hood and snuggle up! I love the bear ears and face so much, makes it more fun from a boring plain dressing gown!

2. Tea For Two Set - £14.00

This is a great little set for any tea lover and i think it's a really reasonable price and size! You can unstack the cups and the lid on top of the top cup then goes on your teapot! It's such a lovely idea and i love the writing on the front! I think it's such a great price and real value for money!

3. Tea House - £12.00

If you hadn't already guessed it... i love tea! This adorable 'tea house' has now been popped on my Christmas list. I'm a massive fan of loose tea but it can be a bit of a faff securing bags and not having them flying around the cupboards with the contents falling out! This is the perfect solution, it has two draws which are then divided in two. I love love LOVE the detailing metal spoons as handles... It's just SO cute!! The dimensions are H27.7 x W17.2 x D10 cm which in my eyes is a great size to pop onto your kitchen work tops!

4. Slogan Tee and Leggings Pyjamas - £26.00 

The first thing i do when i get home from work, a night out or just a day shopping is put my pyjamas on! I hate being uncomfortable in jeans etc. These caught my eye, firstly i love the Christmas slogan on the front (I'm always a fan of a christmas jumper or pjama!) but i also really enjoy the pink and grey colour together! They look super soft and comfy and i love the leggings with cuffs around the bottom instead of massive baggy pyjamas that turn into ankle swingers!

5. Set of 2 Bird Tealight Holders - £10.00

This pair of cute little bird tea light holders are the perfect accessory for any home or even to give as a gift! They have a delightful shabby chic / rustic feel to them! I feel £10.00 for both of them is a great deal after reading the reviews on the website they went straight on my wishlist!

6. Heart Knife Block - £34.00

I know this may seem like a bit of a boring or odd thing to be putting on a wish list, but me and my boyfriend will be looking to move out in the near year and this knife set really caught my eye! I love the heart block which the knifes go into and i love the detailing on the knives with the cream handles.

7. Penguin Slipper Socks - £14.00

Do i even have to explain why these are here? They are ADORABLE and they look so warm and cosy.. i enjot the heart on his belly almost too much! I need these on my feet ASAP!!!

8. Sequin Gingerbread Christmas Sweater Top - £26.00

This is another item that I've actually seen in store and loved. This isn't as thick as a normal knitted Christmas jumper, so would be the ideal jumper to wear on Christmas day when your running around in a hot kitchen! I'm also really obssesed with finding a jumper with a gingerbread man on it after seeing Zoellas last year!

9.  Decorative Bird Cake Stand - £14.00  

I really like the whole range from where this cake stand came from, this is my style and taste 100%! I love the vintage / shabby chic bird on the top and the wire details is so sweet and delicate!

I hope you enjoyed my (slightly long) #NextmasWishlist! What's on your wishlist? 

Jess 

♥

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

December is honestly one of my favourite months of the year & today me and my lovely mum decided to go down and get our Christmas tree! When we got there we got distracted by all the gorgeous decorations which i couldn't help but take photos off! And i just wanted to share a few of my Christmassy snaps with you!

Have you decorated your tree yet? 

Jess 

♥

FAVOURITES | November

 Hey!

I literally can't believe how quickly November has been and gone and how close to bloomin' Christmas we are! Seeing as its bloggers favourite time of the month to share their monthly favourites.. i have put together a few bits i have been using religiously over November..

First up i have decided to pick two hair products! So i have to admit that I'm one of those annoying people that washes their hair daily and i don't even care who knows about it! I love the feeling of freshly dried hair and sometimes it just wakes you up and makes you feel better! However, this month i have started to get super lazy.. not sure what's going on but this Co Lab dry shampoo I'd seen a couple of youtubers rave about it including the lovely Zoella and also Tanya Burr has saved my life! I bought this in the scent Paris! They have 5 different scents, but i preferred this one the most.. it's lovely and floral leaving your hair refreshed.. not only did this dry shampoo freshen up my hair it didn't leave that horrendous powdery feeling like the Baptiste one does! These retail at around £3.50 for 200ml and i picked mine up in Superdrug!

The second product i picked up from superdrug was the fudge ice raspberry and vanilla hair spray! I normally go for a Tresemme extreme hold but they didn't have this in stock, i also find this is a little harsh for my bleached locks sometimes causing it to go dry and matted! I can't explain how amazing this smells it is GORGEOUS! I also tend to curl my hair and this has been holding my curls in place perfectly.. it retails at £4.99 and they also have another scent which i had no idea about called iced coconut which i would love to try!

My third product and one that i've been loving for months now is the Estee Lauder double wear light in shade 0.5. I used to wear just double wear but found it clogged my pores and looked a little cakey, when my mum informed me she had switched to double wear light i thought there was no reason i shouldn't. I'm also really pale and have never found a foundation which matches my skin tone as amazingly as this does. It stays in place all day, doesn't clog my pores and also doesn't feel cakey like i'm wearing too much make up. This retails as £29.50, so it is quite a pricey foundation but this tube lasts me ages! I like to apply my foundation with this real techniques expert face brush which retails at £9.99, this blends the foundation and doesn't leave horrible streaks.

My fourth product is the collection lasting perfection concealer, i always go for the fair shade as like i said above I'm super pale! This blends in to my foundation and really does cover any marks and redness i may have, it stays on all day and doesn't feel too heavy on my skin! I even sometimes just wear this on days i can't be bothered to do my whole face! This has been a massive staple in my daily make up routine for about a year now but particularly this month as i had a nasty out break of spots.. this literally was a life saver! This product retails at £4.19.

And last but not least is this beautiful love at first blush soap and glory blusher! You can either use each segment separately or you can swirl your brush around and use them all together. When swirled around they turn into a beautiful rose shade with a hint of glow! One of the best purchases I've made in a while and i really like to use this in my everyday make up routine! This product retails at £11.00 and can be bought at Boots.

What have your November favourites been? 

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Lovely Deer Christmas Decorations...

As Christmas is approaching faster and faster i thought i would share these Lovely Deer Christmas tree decorations with all my followers..  I was lucky enough to have these sent to me by the lovely Gemma at Lovely Deer Homeware. 

These homemade decorations are made from two separate materials. The top being laser cut from perspex with a beautiful frosted finish.. they glisten, sparkle and catch the lights from your Christmas tree fairy lights perfectly! They are the ideal size for any tree and can even be made to special measurements if required. They retail at £3.50 and will instantly liven up your tree with Christmas magic! The bottom are similar decorations but hand cut and made from beautifully polished copper! These also catch the light perfectly and give your tree a more rustic feel. These retail at £7.50 and can also be made to special measurements if required all you have to do is drop Gemma an email and she will be more than happy to help you out!

Lovely Deer Homeware offer a range of charming homemade products which are finished gorgeously and would make the perfect Christmas presents. Gemma can make anything to order including all of her uniquely designed jewellery and ceramics! Make sure you check out her Etsy shop to see what other goodies she's selling this Christmas!

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/lovelydeerhomeware

Jess 

♥

Revolution Mini Haul..

After i had been sent and also reviewed the ultra blush palette back in September, which you can see here. I decided it was about time i made my first order directly through their own site and here are the few bits i picked up..!

The first thing that went straight into my shopping basket & what i had been lusting after for a couple of weeks was the blushing hearts triple baked blusher! I had seen a few blogs flying around about this gorgeous 3 tone blusher and i wanted one for myself!

This baked blush is called 'Candy Queen of Hearts' & retailed at £4.99. If it's anything like the ultra blush palette i will be seriously impressed, i am really loving the baked blushers at the moment, they are so pigmented & i find they sit better on my skin & stay put all day! These come in a few different shades & can also be purchased as just bronzers or highlighters!

I then really wanted to try out the range of lipsticks they have. I don't have many lipsticks myself so thought it would be the perfect time to expand my lipstick collection! These are both part of the Amazing Lipstick collection retailing at just £1.00 each! The left lipstick is shade 'Cheer' and the right is shade 'Divine'. For £1.00 the quality and the pigmentation is amazing, i can honestly see why beauty bloggers have been raving about these! I will be sure to expand my collection further as i really like the look of the limited addition Vamp collection, they have some really pretty dark plums for autumn!

I then picked up these two stunning palettes, the top if the iconic palette 1 & the second is the iconic palette 2. They may look similar but i can assure you the colours are different, the reason i picked both of these up was not only had i heard and seen (on more than a few youtube reviews) that these are once again super pigmented like all other makeup revolution products but they are supposed to be one of the best dupes for the naked palettes. I myself don't have the naked palettes so can't compare, however i think the colours are pretty spot on from what I've seen! I actually used the bottom palette when i went up to London for an event this week & the colour was stunning, it stayed on all evening and didn't budge or crease!  I can't wait to have a play around with the other colours! They each contain 12 shades & retail at £4.00 per palette!

All of the above make up can be found in either Superdrug or here - www.makeuprevolutionstore.com

Which are your favourite Revolution products? 

Jess 

♥

Disney Adventure - Day 3 & 4

And I'm back... I have been SO poorly the last week or so with a chest infection! So i haven't concentrated on writing any blog posts recently! I am aware its nearly been a month since i have been to Disneyland but i wanted to share my 3rd and 4th days with you!

On our 3rd day in France we decided to go back to Disneyland and hit Walt Disney Studios which is a separate park conjoined to the main park. You need to purchase a park hopper for both parks if you want to visit both of them.. and i really would!! I would say that Hollywood studios is definitely for older children / younger adults!

 

We started off by queueing for the Studio Tram Tour, which is supposed to be like going behind the scenes of a movie.. except not a lot happened and we got stuck behind a chavy family which where possible the most annoying people ever. The only two bits which where pretty cool where when they show you how they blow things up ... After that we decided to be brave.. and i literally have NO idea why we did this seeing as we both aren't a massive fan of rollercoatsers. We headed for the Hollywood Tower of Terror.. which all in all was the most terrifying experience of my LIFE!

One of the main reasons we wanted to do this is because in Florida the Que was massive and well over a 1 hour wait, we wanted to see what all the fuss was about.. and with a 10 minute Que we couldn't really say no.. but for someone with a massive fear of lifts i really have no idea why we went on this! It basically drops you from the top to the bottom.. for a while! I felt so sick when i came out!! After this we to go on a few of the roller coasters including the rock and roller coaster.. we then went back the main Disneyland park and decided to do the Indiana Jones ride AND space mountain 2! We literally did all the roller coasters in both parks in the space of about 6 hours. To say we felt sick was an understatement.. i think space mountain topped us over the edge and we went in search for steak and red wine!

We wandered out and into the Disney village and decided to go for the 'steakhouse' they also had a set menu like the other restuarant 'blue lagoon' we had prevsiously visited inside the pirates of the caribbean ride.. once again we both went for steak and creme brulee and it was deeeeeelicious!

After we where full to the brim of yummy steak we headed back over to the park and watched the fire works one more time! This time we waited for about an hour and was right at the front!

The next day we woke up and wandered back in to the shopping centre which i mentioned on my first blog, we were hoping for the shops to be open however they weren't instead we mooched around, drunk Starbucks, had lunch and i bought a beaaaautiful Michael Kors bag (because obviously the expensive shops where still open)! It was then time to come home after an amazing trip!

Jess 

♥

CUPCAKES | Vanilla & White Chocolate Engagement

 Hey Everyone!

Seeing as everybody loved my Oero cupcake recipe so much (thank you!) I decided to share another simple cupcake recipe with you all. This time are simple vanilla cupcakes with a white chocolate icing. I have also in the past made the same cupcake with champagne buttercream icing so have shared that below also! 

I hope you enjoy!

Receipe makes 12 cupcakes.

Sponge Ingredient's

100g Unsalted Butter - Softened 

150g Self - Raising Flour

3 Tablespoons Milk 

2 Large Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

To make sponge

1) Preheat your oven to 180c / 160c (if using fan) Pick out your muffin cases, i went for silver for the engagement theme.. these cases are actually from sainsbury's and really good sturdy quality! I also use a muffin tin as these are deep enough to keep the shape of your cupcakes!

2) Measure all your ingredients into a large bowl and beat until it forms a smooth blended mixture, then spoon evenly between the cases 

3) Bake in a preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until they have risen and are golden brown then take the cupcakes out of the muffin tin and place on a cooling rack...

White Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredient's

500g Icing Sugar 

160g Unsalted Butter - Softened

50ml Milk

White Chocolate (I never measure this & just add it in slowly as this can curdle your butter cream) 

Prosecco Buttercream Ingredient's
200g unsalted butter
640g icing sugar 
5 - 6 tbsp of prosecco 

To make the buttercream

1) Beat the butter until it has formed a pale and creamy mixture 

2) Slowly add the Icing sugar into the butter mixture and beat together, i then leave a little icing sugar in a bowl to use for later. 

3) Then add half the milk into the mixture just to soften it up a little 

4) Then melt your White Chocolate in the microwave or over the stove (which you prefer) & add to your butter cream, 

5) I then add the rest of the milk & icing sugar to the mixture and beat together one last time, until the mixture is soft and creamy. If it is a little soft, just add some extra icing sugar to thicken up the butter cream. 

6) I then put this into a disposable pipping back with my 1M Wilton tip and pipe away! 

I then decorated the cakes with silver glitter, pearl balls & last but not least top with engagement ring toppers! (which you can buy here!)

Have you tried this cupcake recipe?! What's your favourite cake flavour?

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October In Pictures..

Because i haven't had a chance to do my October favourites and to be completely honest with you, i have been so busy at work i haven't even had time to appreciate beauty products and pick any faves for this month! So.. i decided to switch it up and do my October in pictures! I will double up on my November favourites.. promise!

1. - Family Wedding Snap, 2. Pretty Muddy 5k Run, 3. Photo booth Fun, 4. Disneyland Paris, 5. Photo booth Fun, 6. Michael Kors LOVE 7. IKEA - Meatballs, 8. Disney Parade! 9. BRIDESMAID!

A dam good month!

Jess

♥

LUSH | Mini Haul

Hey Everyone!

What beauty blogger doesn't love Lush products? This is just a small selection of some Christmas products available at my local Lush Crawley store. The shop was rammed so i grabbed a few bits and made a bolt for it! 

Snow Fairy | 250g £7.95

My first purchase and the main reason i battle people during the festive period is to pick up my absolute favourite shower gel. This bright pink product smells like pear drops, candy floss and bubble gum and is every sweet lovers dream! This is a limited addition product and it is quite expensive for a shower gel, so keep your eyes peeled on the boxing day sale!

Wizard Bubble Bar | £3.95 (discontinued)

The next thing i picked up was a bubble bar, bubble bars are my absolute product lush have made. They are great value for money and can be re-used. You crumble a little within your hands and run under the water, they make tons of bubbles! What i didn't realise when i picked this up, was that it's actually a discontinued 2014 Halloween product. The main ingredients to this product are fennel oil, juniper berry oil, tangerine oil and ylang ylang - the combination of these provides a sweet yet spicy smell! It made me feel lovely & relaxed and made my bath a beautiful lavender colour. 

Cinder Bath Bomb | £2.50 (discontinued) 

I have to admit at first i wasn't a huge fan of the smell of this, however i purchased and gave it a whirl. The main ingredients used to make this sweet and spicy festive sent are almond essential oil, cinnamon leaf oil and sweet orange oil. Such a great festive treat after a long day at work! The product itself had popping candy encased into the bath bomb which was so exciting to listen too as the bath was running! The only down side and i have never experienced this with a bath bomb from lush before is that it stained my white bath a delightful.. or not so delightful shade of yellow! I had to get the bleach out and scrub the sides, which is a massive shame as i would of repurchased it! 

I really want to try the northern lights bath bomb, the melting snowman and the candy mountain bubble bar! Can't wait too get back to Lush when hopefully it's a little less busy.. or maybe I'll order online!

What's your favourite Lush festive product? 

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