CHRISTMAS COOKIES

First of all, can I just apologise for the lateness of this post. I knew exactly what I wanted to write, i just couldn't type it out right. Secondly moving onto the post, Emma and I felt the need for a day to really get into the Christmas spirit, so we made these wonderful creatures! They're so easy to make and very fun 'n' funky for Christmas. Here's what you need to do to make them:

To make the Melting Snowmen you will need:

- Digestive biscuits

- 225g of sifted Icing sugar

- Marshmallows

- Chocolate Writing Icing 

1. First of you'll need to make the powered sugar icing which is super simple as all you need to do is add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the icing sugar and stir it around until the mixture is smooth.

2. Pick your marshmallows (sadly I was left with the pink tinted ones as Emma's chose all the white ones! Honestly (; ). Once you have chosen them, I decided to ice a little smiley face onto all of them and personally I think they all look adorable!

3. Ice the biscuits and pop a marshmallow on each of the biscuits slightly to the side, which will be helpful for later on when decorating.

4. Add a few 'buttons' in a row just in front of the marshmallow. I used tiny golden stars which I found in my cupboard, but you can use whatever you fancy.

5. Then using your writing icing, ice little stick arms to the side and SHAZZAM! There you have your own melting snowmen which look simply adorable and taste fab!

I then decided to have my own take on these snowmen guys and made reindeer versions instead. The recipe is very simple and pretty much the same as the snow men, so if you want to have a go, here it is:

To make the Chocolate Reindeer's you will need:

- Digestive biscuits

- 225g of Milk or Dark Chocolate

- Marshmallows

- Pretzels

1. For the chocolate, put all the chocolate into a bowl. Put the bowl over a saucepan half filled with water and heat on a low temperature until the chocolate melts.

2. Cover the biscuits in chocolate and then dip a marshmallow into the chocolate and place it onto the middle of the biscuit. 

3. After this you'll need to break up the pretzels into antler like shapes and push them into the marshmallow, then quickly pop them into the fridge until the chocolate hardens.

4. After 10-15 minutes take them out and Ta-Dah! You've got these beautiful edible nibbles which you can make and eat with your family and friends. They're so easy and look very impressive.

A GINGERBREAD VILLAGE

My mum bought my sister and I a Gingerbread House Making Kit, which came with four separate possible houses that you could create. Whilst fangirling over the smell of a cinnamon Christmas, my sister and her friends were already building three different houses, leaving me with one of the smallest ones, of course!

Anyway, I started creating my little house and I have to say I'm so proud of it! All I'm saying is that it is actually still standing as I type this compared to the others, but then again I haven't had the heart to knock down my baby of a creation!

PLAYLIST: DANCING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE

I have been fully dunked into the pool of Christmas and there's no way of me getting out now.

So whilst I was swimming in my festiveness I put together a small Christmas playlist for all the festive elves out there. I hope you like it!

- Ha, well obviously the whole Michael Buble Christmas (Deluxe Special Edition) album because it just wouldn't be Christmas without the arrival of the Bube's!

- Do They Know It's Christmas? 2014 Band Aid 30, my favourite cover by a mile.

- Merry Christmas Everyone, Shakin' Stevena

- Mistletoe, Justin Bieber which I definitely don't listen to all year round...pfft...

- Baby It's Cold Outside, Colbie Caillat

- Santa Tell Me, Ariana Grande. On a side note, is anyone else loving her new perfume at the moment? if you haven't already smelt it, it is gorgeous!

- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, The Jackson 5

- All I Want For Christmas, Mariah Carey of course.

- And my favourite, Last Christmas, Wham! and Taylor Swift (happy 26th to Miss Swift as well!)

PEPPERMINT TEA OBSESSED?

Considering it's now basically Christmas *insert inhuman noise of excitement* it's reaching the temperature of possible snow *insert even louder inhuman noise of excitement*! So of course the warm drinks and sitting next to the fire, whilst my parents endure the endless marathons of Harry Potter, and I absorb it all in and wait for my letter to finally arrive has come around again and I needed a healthier option to constant hot chocolates so in the summer I went on a mission. 

My mission in the summer holidays was to basically find a healthier hot drink and considering the smell of coffee reminds me of nausea from long car journey I opted to steer away from that slightly, and try out the tea range instead. This is when I discovered my true Brit and my love for Peppermint tea. All I can say is that I.AM.OBSESSED. and that is no word of a lie. Please enjoy the photos of me going crazy because I'm a little bit freaky, almost as freaky as my dancing!

CLEANING MAKE UP BRUSHES

It needs to be done I'm afraid.

We all put it off for months and months because of our ground bottom level of effort. For me though, it got to the point where my brushes were just plain manky and I couldn't do my foundation without obvious brush strokes, so it was decided that it was finally the time to wash my brushes *cries*.

When I was washing them though, I was absolutely petrified that my make up brushes were just going to get worse and that what I was doing to them would only ruin the tip of the brush (as this had happened to a friend because she didn't wash her own properly), but actually the way I did it made them super clean and fluffy and it was as if they were brand new. This is how I did it...

Instructions:

1. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and add a little bit of shampoo to the water and mix it round. This shampoo can be any kind, I used TRESemmé Deep Cleansing shampoo as this was the one I had. Most recommend a baby shampoo.

2. Dip the bristle part of brush in the bowl (avoiding the handle) and then swirl the brush in the palm of your hand to lather the liquid. 

3. Rinse the liquid under running water and then repeat steps 1 and 2 until the water that leaves the brush is clear.

4. Finally use a cloth to dry the brush gently and reshape the brush as you do so. Leave it then to dry, this may take a few hours.

And ta-dah! Your brushes look and feel brand new. It's very easy and doesn't take that much time at all depending on how often you wash your brushes.

A GLITTER EYED AUTUMN

It is officially Autumn and verging on Christmas, (which I am very excited about and have already made the best Christmas playlist!) and I have been recently doing a little golden brown eye to match the autumnal season. As I had set up a little still life for my photography for art, I took the chance to take photos for the blog as the lighting that day was amazing.

So here is my Autumn go to eye make up for y'all, enjoy!

Eyeshadow, the best part of make up!

On my lids I apply the colour Twister which is a glittered gold shade from the IN THE BUFF: LIGHTLY TOASTED NATURAL NUDES EYE COLOUR PALETTE and in the crease to give a smoky effect, the colour Lady Luck which is a dark-ish matte brown. I also add this colour under my waterline lashes. In addition, because I'm a fairy and love to sparkle, I love to add a little bit more of Twister in the corner of my eye to highlight the area.

Finally, I apply a layer of the RIMMEL VOLUME FLASH SCANDAL EYES MASCARA in Extreme Black, which in all honesty is quite scary to use so you do have to be a bit careful. To top it all off I use the RIMMEL SOFT KOHL KAJAL EYE LINER PENCIL in 06 Jet Black on my waterline. You'd never be able to tell I like Rimmel's stock! 

Just as a little side note, I am not a professional make up artist and have never actually been taught so I understand if you don't like my way of doing this, but it works for me (:

THE WATER FRONT

This half term my family and I headed down to Devon for the week, and one Sunday we went down to a new restaurant which we discovered online and decided to have a try. The place was utterly gorgeous and there was bunting and pots of little red flowers and I kinda sat there rocking back and forth in excitement. 

This restaurant was called 'Water Front' and is quite literally, right on the water front of the Exmouth Bay. I had the 'Scallop Caesar Salad' along with a few of my sisters chips and 'Raspberry Crush Drink' which was lovely and I really recommend as I am sure you can purchase this elsewhere. If you're looking at the website, it's not really that great, but don't be fooled, trust me when you get there it's such a beautiful place with a great view of the sea.

W7 LIGHTLY TOASTED

Okay, can we just have a moments silence for the beauty of this product. Thank you.

It was love at first sight when I was trying to find a new selection of eyeshadow colours, and when it came to choosing between a Two Faced Romantic Eye palette and W7 Lightly Toasted palette. W7 Lightly Toasted was a definite winner.

First of all, the shades are so very very fab and pretty much exactly the same as the Urban Decay Naked palette, but a lot cheaper and a very similar amazing quality as well as flawless pigmenting. The colour variety is beautiful and is an assortment of lights and darks on a more of a brown, autumnal level. This obviously means there are so many different 'looks' that you can choose from, for example a heavy smokey eye to a light brown one and eeee, it's just perfection and makes me so happy! Ahaha...I don't know how I have friends.

The eyeshadow being quite pigmented also means that it is long lasting, and when I say long lasting, I mean forgetting to take your make off from the previous night and it staying pretty much in place. (I'm also not suggesting to keep your make up on overnight as your skin needs to breathe and keeping make up on when you're sleeping clogs up the pores, so I would suggest to remove all your make up before hand going to bed.) I would, however suggest to prime your eyes before applying to avoid any awkward crinkles, if you get what I mean? No? Ah, okay.

COORDINATION APPRECIATION

I'm a big huge crazy super stalker kind of fan of T-Swizzle (Taylor Swift for those not in the fandom) and of course being a fan I tend to 'examine' her clothing choices and may I just say it is pretty damn perfect.

So mid girl crush I went shopping in Kingston and I got a tad excited when I found the shop, Glamorous. It's stock is crazy amazing and ugh, just you could eat it.

Okay wow that's not normal.

 Anyway, tracking back, Taylor Swift wears a lot of coordinated stuff which some would say is just a little bit too much, but I think it's just extremely brave. So when I got into this shop, I picked up a few things including the top for this outfit, but later I found myself walking back to the rack to pick up the shorts. Snaps for Katie for continuing the trend of spending all her money in one shop. How have I not learnt yet?!

 The pattern and colour scheme is very brave even for just the t-shirt, as you can see, but with the shorts it A, worked, B, was even more brave. So skipping along to the counter I bought the whole co-ord outfit and felt very proud of myself.

You can also see that I am wearing a Tommy Hilfiger shirt, which I found whilst scavenging through my mums closet. This overthrow goes with pretty much everything and is perfect for that awkward Summer/Autumn stage because when you're cold you can just throw it over the top of whatever you're wearing. And of course I am also wearing my Frieda Black Suede shoes, which these is a post about here.

WHAT IS LUXURY? V&A

This weekend, instead of catching up with all the unfinished homework and ridiculous amounts of art, my mum and I headed up to London to go see the What Is Luxury? and Design Takes London exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert museum.

  

When we got there we got a bit lost considering all the exhibitions were scattered around and not in one place like the Alexander McQueen gallery, which left us wondering around aimlessly trying to find particular displays. Then when we finally did find them (after my mum took the map and turned it the right way up) we were both a little bit disappointed and almost expected a bit more design and fashion instead of the odd jacket found amongst slightly random displays.

In all honesty though, the previous time we had come to the V&A, we experienced the Alexander McQueen fabulousness which was to say the least AMAZING! So to be fair it would be impossible to beat that kind of standard of an exhibition. Even so, if you find yourself walking around Kensington, I recommend just having a look in, even if it is only for an hour or more.

HELLO AUTUMN

Everyone enjoys different things about Autumn and all the other seasons. Here a few of my favourite things about Autumn. Enjoy (:

Autumnal colours

Painting on the rainy days

Peppermint tea (which is now an out of control dilemma. Send help)

Sunny, but cold crisp days

Bonfire night with friends

Fluffy blankets and  oversized hoodies

Butternut squash soup (if you make a good soup, you're basically in)

Dark coloured make up, especially the berry lipsticks

Boots, every type and finally,

PUMPKINS (they just overall make me happy)

FRIEDA BLACK SUEDE SHOES

On a recent trip to Portsmouth with my family, we popped into Clarks on the hunt for a pair of new school shoes for my sister. Honestly, I was so surprised at the shoes that they had in stock and they weren't the type at what I was expecting to find.

Whilst looking round, I found these Frieda Black Suede shoes and I fell in love.

I thought they would be perfect for the autumn and winter season, with the black suede look and slight heel, also meaning they go with pretty much everything. To be honest, they weren't even that pricey in for shoes going at a £40.00 price. Don't mind me, I'm gonna leave y'all to it and continue to cry dramatically in Spanish because of my lack of ability to spend money well.

BODY SHOP LIPSTICK 05

I was lucky enough to wonder into The Body Shop when they were selling pretty much everything for £2 (what a steal!) and so of course bought a selection of things.

One of my favourites from the mass buy was The Body Shop Lipstick in 05.

Okay, when I bought it I thought it was an entirely different shade of lipstick, in fact a completely different hue, so when I realised that the lipsticks had been swapped by a previous looker, I was the tiniest bit upset because I didn't think I'd pull of the colour at all, it being a purple and all. However, when I put it on it actually didn't look too bad. The purple matched my skin tone, a cool beige and there was a slight sparkle to it as well which lightened up the lip.

Overall, the lipstick is moisturising and lasting to an extent, so needs applying every so often. It's great for the autumn matching the autumnal colours and could look great with a nude/light brown eye.

CUCUMBER & MINT BODY SCRUB

In the summer, some types of skin tend to go quite dry, meaning excessive amount of moisturising. However, when you're legs are not accepting the moisturiser like you would hope them to, exfoliating I find is the way forward.

If I'm honest, I don't have the needed effort, when it's hot and sunny, to go out and buy a fancy looking body scrub, soo instead I decided to make my own. So after a look on Pinterest (find mine at @TeenJournalBlog) I finally found an easy, fresh smelling recipe and here it is.

What you will need:

- 1/2 a cucumber

- 2 teaspoons of fresh mint leaves

- 2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin oil

Like I said, it's really simple. All you have to do is blend the cucumber and mint into purée, add the sugar and oil and ta-dah! You have your own cheap body scrub which can then be left in the fridge.

To use, apply the scrub to your wherever needed and then moisturise afterwards to get the perfect, smooth skin you want.

HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY FAVOURITES

On a recent trip to London, Zoe, Zoe I and popped along to the HummingBird Bakery for a treat.

So hand in hand, we walked skipped in and chose a little something. Of course, we picked out our favourites which we think you should try to because honestly, these particular ones are on another level of cake.

 

Red Velvet Cupcake

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Whoopie Pie

(If you ever decide on this one, beware. I suggest sharing with a friend)

Cookies & Cream Oreo Cupcake

I have the recipe book for the cupcakes in the bakery, and if you're into the Hummingbird cakes and into cooking, I really suggest having a go. They don't always go well, but they still taste divine. I am still yet to master the ultimate skill which is a raised whoopie pie!

OUR SUMMER CHECKLIST

I thought it was a good idea to make a summer checklist, as I saw it on Pinterest and thought it was such an amazing idea that's so easy to so.

1) Make a summer playlist

2) Take photos to remember everything you do

3) Finish a TV programme

4) Spend as much time as possible with family

5) Make memories with your friends

6) Have an all-nighter watching films

7) Read as much as possible

8) Try a new food

9) Drink more water

10) Eat healthy 

11) Go shopping

12) Do something you've never done before

13) Try a new look

Some of these things are really easy, but it's the little things that bring everyone together. This is just my list, maybe make your own and add more things. Comment things you want to do this summer.

CHECKS AND T-BARS

DRESS : H&M

Recently, I bought these cute little shoes from somewhere on the high street, unfortunately I actually don't know where they were from due to short memory span problems. Anyway, I know these shoes are kinda like 5 year old shoes, but I actually adore them, even though there have been multiple comments about them like, 'I had shoes like them...when I was 2'.

As you can tell this outfit is pretty simple and easy to put together, but I have more outfit posts planned and which will hopefully make their way to the blog.

For this outfit, I have put together a black and white checkered dress, which is quite simple and literally goes with everything and anything, so for me, a necessity item in my wardrobe. The shoes as well are a petrol blue with wide t-bars with a dark purple sole giving the outfit a bit of colour. Finally, a beautiful addition to the shoes are little gold buckles. 

5 years old? Always.