February You Beauty Discovery Box

The You Beauty Discovery box from You Magazine is slightly different to other beauty boxes on offer in the UK, and also the only one that I currently subscribe to, as I think that it is a much better system.
Rather than creating a box of 5 random sample beauty products that you may have little or no interest in, with the You Beauty Discovery box you pick two products yourself from their Beauty Shortlist that you think you are going to most enjoy and these are then joined by two products picked by the company. All for £6.95 including delivery.
This month's theme was Red Carpet Glamour

The products that everyone received this month were Beyond Dark gluten and dairy free chocolate drops which are delicious and packed full of antioxidants as well as being a lot less bad for you than their dairy filled alternative (fab for a chocolate loving beauty girl like me) and the Charles Worthington Salon at Home Amplifying Volume Treatment which is designed to lift and give volume from all directions to the roots when blow dried. I'm saving this one for a night out to see if it works well combined with my new shorter hairstyle.

The two products that I chose this month were an eye shadow brush from The Vintage Cosmetics Company and an eye liner from Teeez which is a new company to me. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed to see The Vintage Cosmetics Company pop up again because their products are always in beauty boxes but I was in need of a new eye shadow brush so I went with it, and the quality is very good.
The Teeez eye liner, on the other hand, is a total game changer. It is absolutely amazing! I have a full review post of the eye liner going live tomorrow but lets just say it's been my favourite discovery from a beauty box so far. The Rotterdam based company have some fab products and finding companies like this is what I think beauty boxes should be all about!

Annie xx

A Cheeky Shopping Trip ;)

Lately I've been staying fairly well behaved when it comes to spending, what with christmas, then not having a job for a few weeks but when I found out I'd got my new job I went out on a little trip to celebrate and buy myself a few treats. In my defense I also bought most of Daniels valentines gifts on the same trip so I didn't JUST spend money one me :)
Here's what I bought myself, by the way, I apologize for the terrible photos, they were taken on my phone as I was doing some late night tidying.

My first stop was Space NK where I picked up this pretty Rococo nail varnish. It's the first varnish of theirs that I've tried and I must say I am impressed. I have a review coming up for you when I'm back from Tenerife :)

Next up I popped in to The Body Shop to take a look at their mineral foundation £15 because I've heard that it is a good comparison to the Bare Minerals version. I picked one up in the shade Natural Vanilla (not the lightest for a change!) and so far so good, again, review to come next week! Whilst I was there I was drawn in by one of their fab offers; if you spend £18 on makeup and/or skin care at the moment you get a full sized body butter worth £13 free. Don't mind if I do! To round my spend up a bit I picked up a travel sized cleanser and toner to try out since my usual Lush goodies are pretty chunky and wouldn't really fit in my over full suitcase. The lovely sales lady recommended the aloe cleanser to cool me off after a day in the sun and the seaweed toner because it's packed full of vitamins and minerals. When I left she also popped a few face cream samples in to my bag from the aloe and seaweed ranges too for me to pack which I thought was quite sweet even if she just wanted me to come back and buy more!

Next stop was WHS because I like to have a good snoop around the books and they tend to have some good offers on, as you can see from the BIG RED STICKERS on my new Mary Berry cookery book. Such a sweet little old lady. I love baking, I don't write about it often on here, but we do quite a lot of baking in this house (Would you like me to share baking posts more often?) As you can see, I got this book as part of a 2 for £10 deal and since Daniel won't see this before valentines day it won't ruin any surprises for me to say that the other book I bought was a yummy looking mexican cookery book for him to enjoy :)

Finally, being totally hooked on chocolate, I stopped off at the Thorntons outlet that we're lucky enough to have in Bath (sandwiched between Whittard and Ann Summers down near Southgate if you happen to be local) and managed to pick up this huge minty box of fabbyness for £7 down from £20ish. Being a complete old lady, after taking this I popped the mint humbugs in a little bag to keep in my handbag...old before my time I know *face palm*

So thats my little celebration haul. I also spent lots in Lush and Molton Brown on Daniels treats as well as his book and a heart shaped chocolate lollie for him to look cute eating :)
Annie x
*ps, I'm away until 17th and this post is scheduled so if you comment and don't get a reply, I promise it's not that I'm ignoring you! <3*

Adventures in Chocolate Cheesecake

How better to spend a saturday than making chocolate cheesecake? Originally, Daniel and I set out to make *this* yummy looking recipe from River Cottage which uses avocados to make chocolate ganache but it turns out that the avocados need to be VERY ripe, so our bullet like offerings just didn't make the cut when it came to mashing...the less said about it the better really, so chocolate cheesecake was the next best option!

First of all came the biscuit base. We made this by crushing half a packet of digestive biscuits, mixing with a little melted butter and some chopped up pecan nuts. This was left to set in the fridge for around an hour whilst we threw bits of this and that together for the cheese topping :)

I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what quantities of what were in the topping as it was just a case of throwing in what we thought until it tasted good. There was two 200g packets of extra low fat Philadelphia, lots of cocoa powder, icing sugar, vanilla essence, a little drinking chocolate, a shot of Tia Maria and two mini Hershies bars... so a bit of everything :D We also spread a thin layer of dulce de leche over the base before adding the chocolate topping.

After leaving it to set for a couple of hours (miraculously) it was able to be pushed out of the tin AND cut pretty easily...even if the base crumbled a little. It also tasted totally amazing, but trust me, you only need a tiny slice :P

Chocolate cheesecake along with snuggling up in front of the telly and very little other activity has made for a fab day thats made an ill Annie feel a little bit better.

What have you been up to today? Anything as exciting as making cheesecake? Have you had this horrible cold thingy thats going around? I'd love to know how long I'm going to feel so rubbish.
Annie xx

Body Shop Chocomania Beautifying Oil Review

Hello,
I have a nice day planned today. I'm off into town with Daniel to do a spot of shopping and then its on over to a friends house for paella and movies in front of their freakishly large tv so I'm a very happy lady today.

Its no secret that I love the Chocomania range from The Body Shop so when I heard that they were releasing a range of beautifying oils for your body, face and hair I ordered my chocomania scented bottle straight away.

In the bottle you get 100ml of oil for £9 which is a good size that lasts a while as you need very little each time you use it. I have had this oil for at least two months now and I've probably only used around a 5th.
What I love the most about this product is the amazing chocolate smell. There is no other chocolate scented range I have ever found which smells as amazing as this. The smell is a deep and cosy scent and I find it really comforting. After a while of being worn I find that all of the chocomania range start to soften in scent and smell a lot like a soft vanilla which is very wearable and not at all over powering.

My first concern when I bought the oil was that although it is recommended for face, body and hair, that it would cause a slight oil slick effect if I did use it on my face or hair. However, because the oil is very light and quite dry I found that on my face, if you use a light touch and only very little oil it is actually very good for providing fast hydration without leaving a greasy layer.
On hair you need to be the most careful. The first time I tried this I put a little oil on my finger tips and ran it through my fringe for some extra shine and I was just left with a greasy mess. The trick is to rub a little of the oil into your hands and then scrunch it through the tips of wet hair as you would with a mousse. This doesn't make the hair look greasy but it does keep the ends of your hair beautifully soft and gives them a little texture and definition.

I think that the design of the bottle is very good. Where such a little hole has been left in the lid, it is hard to use too much in one go which could be very easily done otherwise. I think for travel purposes I would have preferred a twist on lid so that you can be sure it wouldn't pop open and leak into your bag but thats just personal opinion and the problem could easily be avoided by wrapping the bottle in a small plastic bag before traveling.

Over all, much like the rest of the range, I really really like this Chocomania beautifying oil. Its light on the skinn, does not leave a greasy feel or look and it smells wonderful so I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a beauty oil for their hair and body but doesn't want to spend too much.
Have you tried any of the Body Shop beautifying oils? What do you think of the range?
Annie x

Happy Easter

Hello,

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is having a lovely day and is taking full advantage of being allowed to eat chocolate for breakfast! I have a lovely day planned so I'm off to eat chocolate and be merry before the conejos completely take over.

See you later!

Annie x

Yummy Chocolate Slab

Hello,
I hope you've all had a lovely day with your mummy. We did presents this morning then went into town and bought lots of make-up and have just finished a fabby roast dinner. Its been a special day :)
One of the gifts I gave mum was this yummy homemade chocolate slab. I love making these and they look amazing when they're done so I thought you might like the method :) They make great gifts and are always appreciated!

The ingredients are brilliantly simple.
3 100g bars of dark chocolate (I use basics chocolate because I'm cheap like that and it still tastes great, but you can use any brand)
2 100g bars of white chocolate
yummy things to put on the top. I used sour cherries, dried apricots and mammoth pecan nuts. Other good choices would be smarties, raisins, malteasers or almonds.

1. Prepare your toppings so that they're all ready to go when your chocolate is ready.

2. Melt the dark chocolate. You should really do this in a bain marie but I'm a cook that likes to cut corners so I always melt mine in the microwave. Just make sure to stir every 30 seconds.

3. Spread the chocolate in a tray lined with grease proof paper (DO NOT forget the paper, you will end up chocolate deprived as the slab will stick to the tray in a horrible manner)

4. Melt the white chocolate in the same way and use a spoon to swirl the two colours together in a pretty spiral pattern.

5. Chuck on your toppings in an artistic and visually appealing manner and then if you have any, sprinkle on a little edible glitter and chill in the fridge until set.

Voila! Pretty, no?

These are such great fun to make, and so pretty. This version cost me just over £5 to make. Where as you can buy similar slabs for £12-£15 meaning you not only make a fab, personal gift, you also save yourself money at the same time :)

What did you treat your mother to this mothers day? Have you ever made a chocolate slab?

Annie x

The Body Shop Chocomania Lip Butter Review

Hello,
Its a lovely day here in Canterbury, all hot and sunny and there's rabbits lazing all over the grass which is pretty fab :)
A couple of weeks ago I picked up the Chocomania body butter (reviewed here) and fell in love with it. I still get way over excited about it and use it every day. Its doing wonders for my eczema scars on my legs.
After the huge success I found with the body butter I went back to get some of the lip butter, in hope that it would be just as lovely and effective. So far I haven't been disappointed.

If you read the post where I reviewed the body butter then you will know I had a horrible cold for a few days over the weekend. Thankfully the cold has gone now but it gave me a great chance to test the lip butter on some uber dry lips.
I have been so happy with this product. My lips have been drinking it up and it sinks in nice and quickly and without leaving any feeling of greasiness or stickiness which is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to lip products.
The smell is divine. Not quite as chocolatey as the body butter, and with more of a nutty edge to it, but its a smell that I'm more than happy to have near my nose :) One thing that I like about it, but maybe some people wouldn't, is that although it smells so lovely, it doesn't taste very nice at all. Which is good for me as I tend to   find myself licking it off again in an absent minded manner if lip butter tastes too nice.
Another great thing is that a little goes a long way, so although a small tub costs £4, it lasts a nice long time.

I think every body should have this product in their life.
What about you? Have you tried any of the Chocomania range yet? Which product do you like the look of best?
I think we're off for a wander and an ice cream now, catch you later :)
Annie x
PS. don't forget that today is the last day to enter my giveaway and win some cute little prizes!

Mothers Day Gift Ideas

Hello,
I hope everyone has had a good Monday. As we know, it's mothers day this Sunday (18th March) and it isn't always easy to decide what to treat your mummy with to show her how much she means to you so here are a few ideas to give you a bit of inspiration.

1. Benefit stock some beautiful gift sets. This "confessions of a concealaholic" is my favourite and includes some of their best selling products.

2. Hotel Chocolat offer a brilliant range of luxury chocolate gifts. This gift set comes inside a pretty jewellery box and is exclusive for mothers day.

3. Jewellery is a classic gift choice and this gold bracelet from Fabulous makes the perfect treat for your mum.

4. Since first trying the limited edition Chocomania collection from The Body Shop I haven't been able to stop raving about its brilliance. This wonderful gift set holds each full sized product from the collection and is guaranteed to make your mum feel special this mothers day.

5. A mirror may seem like a strange choice for a gift, but my mum has recently re-decorated her bedroom and pretty accessories like this are a useful gift as well as being really pretty.

6. You can't go wrong with a good chick lit, and Loves me, Loves me not is a selection of short stories from some of the best selling romantic novelists in the UK. A must have for any book loving mum.

7. I was so excited to find this new Calvin Klein fragrance, Sheer Beauty in Debenhams over the weekend. It has a beautiful citrus scent and a dainty pink bottle. The perfect fragrance gift.

So there are my top mothers day picks. What are you thinking of buying your mum this year? Are you going to do anything nice together on sunday? We're either going to go to Wagamama's with my grandmother as well or I'm going to cook my lovely mummy a nice meal :)
Annie x
ps, enter my giveaway *here* to win some pretty little prizes.

Chocolatey Loveliness!

Hi again.
I can happily say that I am finally getting over my tonsillitis and am feeling human again today! Yay!
To celebrate I dug out one of the recipes that I had stored to make on pinterest and I have to say that it is delicious!
I'm a fan of everything sweet and cookie like so I was excited to find this recipe as it fulfills my sweetness requirements but as it also contains two cups of oats, honey instead of sugar and peanut butter to hold it together, it isn't anywhere near as sinful as most recipes out there!
So here it is, a lovely, chocolatey snack bar recipe!

Ingredients:
3tbsp smooth peanut butter (could use crunchy to add extra texture)
3tbsp runny honey
25g butter
2tsp dulce de leche (optional for extra sticky, richness)
1 bag milk chocolate chips
2 cups oats
handful of dried fruit (optional)

Method:
1. Pour the peanut butter, honey, dulce de leche and butter into a microwaveable bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Stir and then heat for a further 30 seconds or until the butter has fully melted.
2. Remove and add the chocolate chips, stirring until mostly melted into the mixture.
3. Add the oats and blend in fully so all are coated in the chocolatey mixture.
4. Stir in the optional dried fruit before tipping into a tray and cooling in the fridge to set for 1 hour.
5. Enjoy :)

I can promise that these treats are definitely worth making, and because they're nice and easy. they are a great, slightly healthier choice to make with children.

Give them a go and let me know what you think :)
Annie x

Let's Get Started!

Hello there,
I was planning on kicking off the new blog by making some delicious peanut butter cups to share, but, rather typically, the OH has polished off all of the peanut butter since I last looked.
SO, instead, I spent the afternoon battling a new chocolate torte recipe I found online.
In theory, it is an easy torte to make, and it is totally delicious...however it just didn't work for me today looks wise.
I would still hugely recommend trying it out, it tastes great!...and yours might turn out actually looking like torte, not just chocolate cake :P

Ingredients:

Method:

1. First of all, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4/180c and grease a 23cm spring form cake tin.
2. Using an electric whisk, beat together the sugar and eggs for about 5 minutes until they are of a similar consistency to an old fashioned custard.
3. Next, gently heat the butter and chocolate together over a pan of water until smooth and glossy in appearance.
4. Using a metal spoon, fold the chocolate mix into the eggs and sugar until well combined.
5. Carefully add the flour and almonds and mix well until totally combined.
6. Pour into your baking tray and cook for 35 minutes until firm and a light crust has formed across the top of the torte.
7. Leave to cool until mildly warm and turn out of tin and dust with cocoa.
8. Eat before the OH does!

I think next time I decide to do some baking I'll stick to a recipe I know! And in a few days time I will be listing the peanut butter cups that I WILL make! 

Happy baking :) Let me know if you attempt to bake the infamous torte :)...And if you have a better torte recipe please please please share.

Annie x