Oreo brownies, nom.

Hi everyone! so a couple of weeks ago a picture of some Oreo brownies made its way onto my twitter timeline and I was literally drooling. Now im not a huge baker, but I do love baking the odd cake or what not so I saw these brownies and just thought id bake them on a whim. So I googled a recipe and I actually used the bbc good food recipe as this is a great site and here is how they turned out and how you can make them yourself!

 

 

what you'll need:

 

-165g butter

-200g chocolate, finely chopped

-3 eggs

-2 egg yolks

-2 tea spoons vanilla extract

-165g soft light brown sugar

-2 table spoon plain flour

-1 table spoon cocoa powder

-a pinch of salt

-1 pack of Oreos, broken into quarters

-icing sugar, for dusting

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm square baking tin with butter, then line with baking paper with the paper overlapping the sides a little.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Leave to stand for a few minutes, or until the chocolate melts, and then stir together.
3. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla together in a large bowl until the eggs begin to get light and fluffy. Add the sugar in two additions, whisking between each. Pour it around the side of the egg mix so as not to knock out the air that has been whisked in. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes stiffer. Once the egg mixture is ready, pour the chocolate into it - again around the sides so as not to knock the air out.
4. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and a third of the biscuits and stir until fully combined, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Scatter the remaining biscuits over the top, pressing them in slightly. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25–30 minutes. The middle should be very so slightly gooey. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin - the top will sink and crack a little.
5. Pull the brownies out using the overlapping paper and cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar.

hope you enjoyed this type of post it was a bit random haha, you should try these though they are so goooo0ood!

<3

 

 

August Favourites

Hey! okay so somehow august has finished and we are now entering the month of September, its so mental ah. This means that its time for my favourites from the last month, here are some things I have been loving over august!:)

Pecksniff's candle: The first thing I have been loving and using quite a lot is this candle I picked up in tk maxx, ive never heard of 'Pecksniff's' (sounds posh though doesn't it haha). The thing that drew me to it was the smell, it is cherry flower and Tahitian vanilla and holllly crapballs this smells so good! Its coming to my favourite time of the year aka autumn where its the best time to burn candles so I know I'll be using this a lot more!

Avene Eau thermale spring water: this stuff was great in the hot weather ie the few warmish days we had in the uk. This is basically a really refreshing face spray and its a bit like the mac fix+ , but its just such  random thing that you can literally use whenever you want and you feel like you need a spritz of refreshingness (that's totes a word). But yes! this stuff is so so lovely and Im really glad I bought it.:)

Hair expertise argan oil: I think I have mentioned before that I like to try and take care of my hair since I have bleached it (quite a lot oops). So one of the things I love to use are oils, im not talking about olive oil haha. I have used lots of different argan oils etc. in the past but this particular one by hair expertise which I bought in Superdrug for £9.99 is amazing. I use this on wet and dry hair and its such a good way to make my hair have a little bit more liveliness when its dead. I also love to run it through the ends if ive just straightened it as you can imagine it goes pretty dry. I also find it makes my hair look shiner #winner.

By terry ombre blackstar 'frozen quartz': I am so excited to be sharing this as one of my favourites because I have been craving one of these little beauty's for so long. But I purchased this when I had a cheeky little space nk trip and oh my wow. Okay so its basically an eyeshadow stick and im not going to lie, its £28 which is A LOT. But I did make an exception as id heard such amazing things about this! Its so super easy to blend which is one of my favourite things, I chose the shade frozen quartz which is a beautiful shimmery purple kind of colour and I literally have been wearing just this on my lids for the past month! Cheers terry whoever you are!

Elf mineral concealer: This was one of those cheeky little hideaways which I'd had for ages but had completely forgotten about. So I rediscovered this in my makeup draw and really am clueless as to why I didn't use this more. Its a powder concealer which I'd thought wouldn't work for me (dry skin kind of person lol) But I use it on top of a liquid concealer and it is great as it sets the concealer so it doesn't crease under your eyes. I also find it just gives me more coverage and a more flawless look!

Nars sheer glow foundation: This had been on my 'to buy' list for sooooo long and early this month I finally did the deed. I ended up buying a shade called 'Deauville' which is pretty damn pale. but that's one of the things I love. the shade is so accurate! Its hard to find foundations when you're really pale but this is such a good match! The foundation itself is uh-mazing! Its quite a dewy foundation and it gives reasonable coverage, I just find that it makes my skin look nicer than it actually is, if that makes any sense. But yes, definitely one of my best investments.

Grease lightening spot treatment: Ive always been quite drawn to lush skin products as they just seem to be a nice natural alternative etc. But I bought this spot treatment on a bit of a whim, I hadn't really heard much about it but I have really loved this! Its got tea tree and witch hazel in it, which seem to always work. But my skin has been extra 'angry' recently and this has calmed it down a lot. it hasn't really got rid of the spot but it has reduced the redness dramatically so this is a winner!

Skins: im just throwing one last thing in here. But I have recently been obsessed with the TV programme skins. My friends made me watch an episode and we kind of got hooked and watched about 8 episodes in one night. But yeah its a series on Netflix (bye bye social life) that I have started and have been really enjoying. it seems to be a mixture of everything; it addresses teen issues, its funny, its cringey haha. Like literally there are some scenes where I was so glad my parents didn't walk in on! hahah. But it is seriously hilarious and I really recommend it!

so there you have it, the things I have been loving over august! I'd love to here what you've been loving!

Sophie

<3

The best of the body shop

 

Hiiiiiya, sorry for lack of posting I have been very busy but I have so many blog posts to do so yano, there will be a lot more coming your way from me hahah. So The body shop is one of those classic shops which I have always loved, I guess me being one of those sensitive skin types. I just love everything they do and have not yet found a product proving me any different. I would consider it a high-street store although their products are slightly pricier, I am always willing to pay for the amazing quality! I am going to share with you my top 10 products from the body shop including beauty and skincare.

 

1. Baked Blush in 01 : i think I have mentioned this little beauty before but yeah this is definitely one of my favourite body shop makeup products because It is so so natural and great for me because im so pale hah!

 

2. mango lip butter : okay to be honest anything with the word mango in it for me is a winner. its one of my favourite things ever haha! But I especially love these lip butters they have such a lovely consistency and are super moisturising, plus its mango so #winner

 

3. lightening touch : I don't use this as much as I should but I have rediscovered it and have been trying to show it some love recently. But this is a really lovely highlighting concealer and its amazing, it really brightens underneath my eyes which I find sort of contradicts the dark circles and covers them quite well!

4. aloe gentle facial wash : I have used this stuff for so sooooo long its one of my favourite face washes. I don't use this on a daily basis because I read on Caroline Hiron's blog (who is my queen haha) that its bad for your skin layers or something. However when my skin is going through one of those angry spotty phases and is all red and inflamed its just such a great way of calming my skin down and it works wonders!

5. tea tree blemish gel : this has actually run out haha, but I really loved this stuff. as tea tree is really good for blemishes and is a nice natural alternative of fighting them. which is why I love it so much, I don't find that it gets rid of the spot altogether but it does reduce redness drastically so it just feels so much better!

6. almond oil hand and nail cream : so I guess there's not too much you can say about a hand cream but I have to say this is one of my favourites ever! I think the smell in particular is why I love it, I don't even like nuts but this smells sooooo good and obviously is great quality, leaving your hands non sticky which I find a great factor in a hand cream!

7. born lippy in watermelon : yes its another lip balm but I couldn't leave this one out. I love the born lippy range, these ones smell heavenly. I actually have the watermelon one and this is never actually on my lips for more than like 5 minutes because I just constantly lick it off hahah!

8. honey bronzer : I think this is such a highly raved about body shop product, and rightly so! This is amazing for anyone with a fairer complexion, I could use this stuff forever, and will deffo use it a lot as I start college, it just gives such a subtle, glow, I never find I have harsh orange lines at all with this its just so natural!

9. all in one bb cream : this is a really cool product as its a white foamy consistency that when you apply it, it colour matches to your skin tone which I think is pretty cool. I used this a lot this summer but also on those days where you just don't need as much makeup on. it feels so moisturising on the skin while giving you a little bit of coverage.

10. seaweed ionic clay mask : I bought this after watching one of velvetgh0st (gabbys) videos as I am always up for trying new body shop products, so this is my newest body shop 

addition however I really frikking love this already which is why its in my top products list. But yeah this is specifically for oily complexions so I just use it on my t-zone area, but it leaves my skin feeling so lovely and fresh afterwards, definitely worth a try!

 

so there you go, that was a little insight to my love of the body shop and my top 10 products from there, I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know as im always happy to do posts like this for other brands!

 

Sophie

 

<3

My Top five lipglosses

howdy, this is actually pre written as I am currently down in Kent staying with family and I couldn't be bothered lugging my laptop down there haha. So I wanted to do another top 5 post as my top 5 blushes post proved quite popular. I actually think I prefer a good lip gloss than lipstick sometimes, when you find the right one they can be so lovely so I thought id share my top 5 that fit the bill for me, I really shouldn't say that haha:

Rimmel apocalips 'shooting star' (here): I love the rimmel apocalips range and this is definitely my favourite colour from the collection. This is the most gorgeous nude and I love the end result on my lips. These are only about 6 pounds each which is such a great bargain, these are some of the best high street glosses such great value for money!

Dior addict lipgloss ' delice 433' (here): This is such a beautiful lipgloss, definitely one of my most prized because its so damn gorgeous and of course, Dior! This is a coraly-nudey gloss that comes out quite sheer on my lips but still adds a bit of glitter. I love love love wearing this as its so subtle and its on the pricier side at £22 but I think it was worth every penny!

Revlon lipgloss 'peony': holy moly these are amazing, I have a few but I decided that this was a nicer colour. The colour pay off is very similar to the dior lipgloss in that it leaves a sheer coat of gloss that also gives a bit of sparkle. These are amazing, they are non sticky and just have a lovely consistency. Again, on the cheaper side and just another one of my all time faves!

nyx butter gloss 'crème Brule': (here): I went through a period where I wore this literally non stop however it has recently been a bit neglected so I really need to give it the love it deserves hahah! I think I got this as a present but nyx do have a uk site and these are about 6-7 pounds. This is a really thick lipgloss but it isn't sticky at all and its so so lovely, the colour again is perfect and is one of my favouritest nudes. I love wearing this on top of matte lipsticks it looks so pretty:)

bourjois effect 3d gloss rouge democratic (here): I got this free at Christmas because I spent over a certain amount at bourjois. I wasn't really expecting much because it was a freebie but I gave it a go and loveddd it! This shade is a true red gloss shade and comes out on my lips like a sheer red colour. I really really love it and the consistency again is amazing! I think it works with me because Im pale hahah!

<3

Lush Hair Doctor Hair mask Review

bonjour everybody, firstly thank you for 100 followers on bloglovin It makes me happy to know that people read my blog so fankyouuuu!  so as you may or may not know I ombre'd my hair recently and this is incredibly damaging to your hair, so im a huge huge fan of taking good care of my hair so that it is not completely disgusting and dead. I love hair masks in general and moisturising shampoos and conditioners, anything that will benefit my hair really. Whilst in lush, I was eyeing up the hair masks because of this reason exactly and im rubbish at that kind of stuff myself so I asked one of the people in there about which one would be best. I explained my dead dry disgusting hair situation and they recommended this, the hair doctor hair mask:

 

It describes itself on the tub as a hair and scalp mask and says 'if your hair could dial 999 this is who it'd call. Give hair doctor a go- you'll love his bedside manner'.
 

 

So the consistency is a bit odd its kind of like chocolate angel delight haha, but basically I scoop up a small amount and apply it firstly to my tips. This is where I need the most work and I like to lather the stuff on! As the photos show I use my fingers just to run it through. I really really like the consistency of this stuff as it just feels so thick and almost like a face mask for your hair, obviously haha! Also I want to talk about the smell, its hard to describe, it has a sort of camomile smell and smells like the vix stuff you have when you have a blocked nose, but it is soo nice and soothing!

 

 

I also apply the mask to my scalp as it is also a scalp mask, I just sort of massage the product into my scalp as the photo below shows so fabulously, apologies for the awkwardness. I then just use the remainder of the product through the rest of my hair! I leave it in for about 20 minutes, sometimes doing a face mask at the same time, then just wash it out as normal!

 

 

 

To finish off, I really really love this product, I think I payed about £5.99 for it which I think is amazing value. I reckon I will get around 5 uses from it, ive used it twice and I have about 3/4 of the pot left. I have noticed my hair feels so much softer after I wash and dry it! I will keep using this and may repurchase it, hope you enjoyed this post, it was my first review so sorry if it wasn't complied too well haha;)

 

 

<3

My Peruvian Adventure

HOLA! so I have mentioned briefly in my other posts that I recently ventured to the deepest darkest depths of Peru, haha! I wanted to do a post on this but I had no idea how to cram 2 weeks of mentalness into one blog post so I've decided to just basically insert lots of photos and annotate. Almost like a little travel diary overview of my time in south America! This blog post is a little different so I hope you enjoy! I just also wanted to say that this was kind of a big deal for me, we did a hell of a lot  of travelling, we had 8 flights in 2 weeks ( 2 of which were 12+ hours) plus hours and hours of horrendously rocky car and public bus journeys! Flying gets my anxiety going and that was the biggest part that put me off, when my mum planned this trip last year I originally wasn't going to go and was going to stay with family because she knew that It was quite a lot for me. But im so so glad I did go, because even though I hated every single second of the flights, I persevered and its so rewarding ending up somewhere as magical as Machu Picchu and just Peru in general . 'You've got to go through the rain to get to the rainbow'.

very proud of this photo, afterwards the girl on the left wiped her nose on the little goat!

Damn, that view !

This was the amazon, this was amazingly beautiful, we even swam in it although I was later told there were piranha and caimans in the amazon, brilliant;)

and here is Machu Picchu in all its Peruvian spectacularness, it was honestly breathtaking!

me being all dramatic on a rock at Machu Picchu

Me and the famalam, please ignore how gross I look, it really wasn't my finest hour;)

Lake Titicaca was also beautiful, lolling at the name!



Dat lake doe



 

back in the amazon, we were at an animal conservation place and we were holding hands with the monkeys, they were stunning<3

 

this is one of my favourite photos, its freaking smiling! omg

I Looked down

 



So obviously Machu Picchu is typically what you think of when you say Peru and im not going to lie I didn't really know what this was. I'd seen photos and thought 'meh' but I had no idea what it was or why it was there or what the hell an inka was haha! Machu Picchu isn't like in central Peru either its way out of the way, you have to fly from lima and Cusco and then get a freaking train and a bus just to get there. But to be honest the other option was the Inca trail so I couldn't really moan. When we got there I remember thinking 'damn'. IT WAS SO BUSY. I mean obviously, its a wonder of the world, its going to be busy, but ive been to the pyramids, and chichen itza and all that shizzle but none like this. There was just people everywhere haha, we went up at 5:30am to avoid the crowds, lol that didn't really work:) But yeah we got a tour guide, nice fella called Eduardo, who explained it all, and im really not into boring history type things but ive got to say it has some pretty interesting background, and I now know who the Incas were haha. But eventually we got to the top, the classic machu picchu view. and oh my. It was incredible, it was one of those breathtaking places which kind of makes you wobble, like its definitely one of the best places ive ever been. Despite the amount of tourists it felt like I was in a world of solitude. p.s we also climbed that massive mountain in the background and there's 30% less oxygen at machu picchu so those were dark times for me, haha ;)

One of the downsides ,was me getting ill in the amazon, and I don't mean just like a bit of belly ache, it was full on jungle sickness and I wont go into detail but it wasn't pretty. It definitely didn't ruin Peru for me but it wasn't great trying to enjoy yourself while you're feeling so crap! But yeah the whole holiday was like that, we travelled a lot, so travel sickness happened and also altitude sickness which messes with you so much, so im taking a few days to recover haha! I also learnt that my Spanish is absolutely appalling, I have never done Spanish in school so I don't even know the basics, however I did learn a bit while I was out there. Although I did end up speaking German to a few people, whoops. All in all it is one of the most amazing places ive ever visited, like totally different then anything Ive ever seen and im so glad I went, because I think I would've regretted not taking an opportunity like this, sorry if this post was boring but I really wanted to record my experiences!

 

<3

July Favourites

 

 

Somehow July is over and I don't entirely know how, also im back from Peru now (more on that later) and I thought I would do a July favourites post. Im trying to make my blog have more of a schedule so I'll be doing posts on Wednesdays and Sundays, just ya'know, throwing that out there. But here are some beauty, skincare and a few random things I've been loving in July!

 

bourjois colour boost: okay so Im not new to these and have a fair few to say the least but I have found myself reaching for this kind of lip product so so much this month (ie the chubby stick type things). However I have been loving this particular shade 'peach on the beach' which is like the most gorgeous coral colour which comes out so sheer and ugh I just love these in general!

 

 

Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm: oh my god this is definitely my most favouritest thing in my favourites, is that even a thing haha. Okay so I have previously had this stuff and absolutely loved it however when it ran out I didn't repurchase it and used my Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser for ages. But somehow this month I repurchased a sample size of it again, I cant even remember how I got this haha. But erhmagehrd this stuff is the most perfect thing ever. Its crazy how little makeup water cleansers take off so I use this after my other cleanser and seeing how much makeup comes off on the flannel is so satisfying., It just feels like its really getting deep down in my pores and giving them a proper clean, yes, definitely need to buy myself a full size version!

 

Eucerin Dermo Purifyer: I bought this just before I went away as I needed a moisturiser with a decent spf, so after wandering around boots for flipping ages I started talking to a lady (she worked there I promise haha) who was also a dermatologist and I told her that my skin can get quite dry but as I was going away I would be needing something which would protect me from the sun. and she recommended this, the eucerin dermo purifyer, I'd never heard of this brand before but I just yolo'd it and bought the stuff, I think it was around £11, which is a little pricey for a moisturiser but I have been loooooooving it! Its so so important to protect your skin from the sun and especially as I have such pale skin that burns super easy! Its so hydrating and my skin feels so much more moisturised! also its basically the only area of my body that didn't burn so it did its job nicely!:)

 

una brennan superfacialist pore purifying clay mask: this was actually a cheeky June purchase haha but I'd heard very good things about this brand all over the internet so I decided to buy the clay mask and give it a whirl! I love a good face mask and its slightly ridiculous that I want to do one every day now haha! but I try to use this once a week in my skin routine and I haven't necessarily noticed a difference but boy does it feel good haha! Its one of those amazing masks where you just know its working some kind of skin miracle, it leaves my skin feeling so soft and fresh! Definitely worth the money I have been lurvin this!:)

 

 

body shop baked blush '01': This was something I came across recently while sorting through my makeup, and I know this sounds really bad but I had totally forgotten I had this and it was a bit neglected under all my other blushes. However I have been using it a hell of a lot since I rediscovered it and have realised why, this is such an amazing blush! I love how natural it comes out on my skin and the fact that I can use the lighter shade as an almost highlighter kind of thing. P.s ignore the broken packaging that's just typical Sophie breaking it on the day I got it:P

breaking bad (TV show) : So I know this was all the hype last year but my brother got me into this recently and at the start of July I jumped into the hooking world of breaking bad. If you've watched this you will know that it all kick starts very rapidly and the first couple of seasons are very intense. However mid way through I was like 'do I want to carry this on?' I guess I was more busy and I just felt not that into it but my brother said I couldn't just leave it haha. so I carried on watching it and true to his word it all picked up soon enough and I've got to say I have loved it. I don't know what to do with myself now I've finished 5 seasons of breaking bad but I completely didn't think this would be my thing but its just been so addicting and I have reaaaalllyyy loved it and now have a fetish for Aaron Paul haha! If anyone has any really good series to recommend it would be much appreciated. P.s totally didn't realise till about season 2 that Walt is the dad from Malcolm in the middle!

Asos: so I know this is really random but I've recently been obsessed with this shop. Its basically an online clothing store and its been having a 70% off sale this summer. I've just found myself buying so much from it this month, its so amazing, such good prices and I loveeee the stuff they do, I feel like there's something for everyone on Asos because its so big!

X-Ed Sheeran: again this is pretty random but I had to throw this in here, I've been listening to this album non stop this month, I rarely buy albums on iTunes but how could I not, its Ed sheeran. I've always loved his music but this album is beautiful, I really admire singers who write their own stuff and every single song is siiiiiiiiiccck! p.s my favourite's are im a mess and one.

thanks for reading , Sophie:)

<3

What's in my Peru Makeup bag

haiiiiii again so I previously did a blog post about my in flight essentials and I thought I would do a post on my makeup that I'm taking to Peru. (I will've pre-written this and should be there now) .Firstly, We're literally taking backpacks so my mum was quite clear that tonnes of makeup wasn't going to happen. Space is clearly sacred. Secondly, its bloody hot so im not going to need a full face of makeup; nether the less Im still taking bits and bobs and have narrowed it down to what I consider my 'essentials' trust me, this isn't too bad!

Face: obviously its going to be hot and im not the biggest fan of wearing makeup in the heat but I don't like not wearing anything, that's why I love bb creams: my trusty bb cream is the Maybelline dream fresh bb cream which contains spf 30, its moisturising and it feels light on my face whilst giving me coverage, this is pretty much all I will wear on my skin during the days. Despite wearing bb cream during the day I am still taking a fuller coverage foundation just incase of any days where I feel like I need a bit more coverage or whilst going out in the evening! So im taking my Mac studio fix foundation. I am taking two concealers because I always feel like I need a bit more concealer and plus they both have different jobs for me, haha. Obviously my two necessities: rimmel wake me up and the collection lasting perfection. I love the collection one on any blemishes and the wake me up under my eyes. They both are miracle workers. Some days, depending on my skin, I might just wear these concealers. I am also throwing in my mini porefessional, I love this stuff, plus its mini! I am taking my sleek bronzing block. This was pretty hard to chose just one bronzer/blusher aswell, I have been loving this recently plus its basically a blusher and bronzer in one so verrrrryy handy! Lastly for my face I am taking my mac mineralize skinfinish natural because I can imagine im gonna get veeerrry shiny, so this will be needed!

eyes: I am of course taking my mac soft ochre paint pot, I have used this religiously since I got it so of course it will be coming with meee. Also I am throwing in my Maybelline master precise eyeliner because I cant live without liquid eyeliner so I think I would go crazy if I don't wear this at some point in the two weeks! I am also taking that my Maybelline big eyes eyeliner which is a two in one eyeliner with white on one side and black on the other so I have 2 eyeliners in one, brill! Eye shadow wise I am only taking a touch, just incase I want to put a bit more makeup on in the evenings or what not so I am taking my wet n wild eye shadow trios in walking on eggshells and im getting sunburned just because they're so bloody handy! I got these from New York but they are super duper useful for travelling! I am taking my Maybelline falsies mascara , this is obviously a must and I will probably en up wearing this during the day, I was going to take my much loved soap and glory mascara aswell but I convinced myself I can last with one, its a fab one anyway!:) For my eyebrows I am just doing the usual combination of my mac eye shadows in omega and mystery and my rimmel brow pencil!

Lips: Not gonna lie, I probably wont wear anything on my lips during the day, apart from the fact that I will be carrying round a lip balm with an spf. However I do have two lip options if, again I want a little something extra at night. It was so hard to pick just two but I chose my Rimmel Kate moss lipstick '107' just because I've been loving red lipstick at the minute and it would probably make me look more dressy than I actually am. Then im also taking my bourjois colour boost in 'peach on the beach' which is a really pretty coral gloss kind of finish and then my Maybelline colour sensational in pink sand which is a stunning pearly pink colour, and that's all;)

• Brushes: These are what I find take up the most room so I am trying to take as few as possible. I am taking my expert face brush for buffing and blending and will probably use this to apply my concealer too. My powder brush, the biggest, but such a must, gotta have that whole face covered! My Blush brush which again is coming, but is my holy grail bronzer brush! My Bobbi brown angled eyebrow brush . for eye shadow I am bringing my Zoeva brush as a blending brush as it is amazing, and some random other eyeshadow brushes!
   

So there you have it, that's all the makeup I've taken it does seem like a lot but if you think about how much makeup you use daily and how much you take on holiday, I think I crammed it down to the basics quite well. Hope this post was okay and thanks for reading!