Lemon Drizzle Butterfly Cakes

Today's post is going to share with you, one of my favourite things to do to pass the time; baking! I love cooking , baking and thinking of new recipes. This recipe was taken from a cooking book, but I altered it slightly. It's a recipe to make lemon butterfly cakes, but as I'm not the biggest fan of lemon, I decided to make the cakes plain, but add lemon juice to the butter cream, making them more lemon drizzled, thank lemon flavoured. Butterfly cakes were my favourite when I was younger; at cake sales, I would always go for the cutest looking cupcake and loved the little butterfly wings that stuck out the top of the cake. This love for how cute, yet easy butterfly cakes are stuck with me.

To make these cakes you will need:

• 115g self-raising white flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 115g soft margarine
• 115g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 100g chocolate chips/ grated rind of 1/2 lemon
• 85g butter, softened
• 175g icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Step 1;

preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Put 12 paper/silicon baking cases in a bun tray.

Step 2:

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. If you are using a mixer, food processor or any kind of electrical mixing equipment, sift the two ingredients straight into the bowl of the mixer.

Step 3:

Add the margarine, sugar, eggs and milk. Beat together using your mixer, or if you prefer this, beat together with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is smooth.

This is where I decided to add 100g of chocolate chips, rather than the grated rind of half a lemon. It is up to you which you add, but I wouldn't advise adding both.

Step 4: Spoon the mixture into the paper cases

Step 5: Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until risen and golden brown. I found 15 minutes was perfect. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool.

Step 6: To make the filling, put the butter into the mixer or bowl you previously used and beat until light and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar, a bit at a time, add the lemon juice and beat until smooth and creamy.

Step 7: When the cupcakes are cold, use a knife to cute a circle from the top of each cupcake and then cut the circle in half. This will make the butterfly wings. Spread or pipe as much as you want, of the lemon filling into the center and over the top of the cake. Then press the two semi-circular halves into it at an angle to resemble butterfly wings. I chose to add sprinkles, but you can leave them like this.

So those are your finished cupcakes! I hope you enjoyed this post, as it was a little different, but shares my love for baking and cooking with you guys! Let me know if there are any recipes you think I should try :) 

Make Up and Skincare Haul

It's been over a week since I post, so when I had free time today, I used my new camera to take some blog photos, and as I have been doing a lot of shopping recently, I thought I'd do a make up and skincare haul! My new camera is the Fujifilm Finepix S1660. It's a slightly older model than I thought I would buy, but for £35 I'm very pleased with it!

The first three things I brought are from the Simple, Kind to Skin skincare range. I love a bit of Simple and their products are so cheap and do wonders to my skin. I've been in need of a new moisturizer for a long time so picked up the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturizer. I have really dry skin, so moisturizer everyday and like to use a strong, rich moisturizer. The packaging of Simple products is simple, but pretty and their products are great. I wouldn't recommend this moisturizer to people with oily or normal skin. It is too thick, but very good for dry skin. It dries quickly once applied and you only need a small pea sized squirt to cover your entire face. I brought this product from Boots, which is having a massive Simple sale at the moment. It cost me £2.00, but is normal £4.00.

The second Simple product I brought was the Simple deep cleansing face mask. At half price, this cost me £2.19. It is the kind of face mask that comes out white, but looks like moisturizer when you put it on; it leaves your face looking shiny. But, it works like a face mask. You leave it on for 3 minutes then wash it off using a flannel and water. When on your face feels tight. As soon as you wash it off, your face feels refreshed, clean and so soft. It is recommended you use this face mask once a week on dry skin and 2-3 times a week on oily/combination skin.

The final product I brought was the kind to skin Micellar Cleansing Water. Micellar water for those of you that don't know, takes your make up off and clears your pores of dirt. It looks and feels like water on your skin. This cost me £2.55 and is a new product to the Simple range. I usually use Garnier or Loreal Micellar water, but they have risen in price recently, so I thought I would try this one. So far, it seems good, but just the same as the other two I have tried. It is gentle and has no smell. It's basically the perfect way to take make up off, from your eyes, face and lips.

I also brought the Sugar crush body wash from the Soap and Glory range. I love S&G products, they all smell so good and are so kind to my skin. I mainly brought this product because of the scent. OH MY GOD, it is heaven in a bottle! It smells like a mixture of sugar, lemon and citrus fruits. It's definitely a Summer scent, but it is so good, I will probably use it in the Winter too! It cost £6.50, and is a huge bottle, so worth the price. S&G are very popular, their packaging is cute and their products are good, yet affordable.

My final two purchases are lipsticks. The Rimmel Kate collection is one of my favourites and at the moment, her lipsticks are my all time favourites! The two lipsticks are brought are at opposite ends of the spectrum; one being a dark purple and the other being a pinky nude. They were buy one get one half price, so I picked up two. I went into Superdrug, planning to buy the 45 nude lipstick from the new release of the Kate lipsticks. She released five nude lipsticks, and i was very excited for them! However, I only liked the 45 shade, the others were too nude or too pale in colouring. The other lipstick is the Starry-Eyed, 128 shade. It is a deep, plum shade. Together the lipsticks cost £8, which is so good for two lipsticks. Rimmel lipsticks are moisturising, long lasting and come in such beautiful shades.

Stay tuned, I also have a home ware haul coming soon, in preparation for my new room!

Music Monday // A New Artist

I watch a lot of YouTube and two of the Youtubers I watch, LucyAndLydia mentioned an artist on twitter. I was curious and when I googled him, I realised I had seen him before. His name is Max Schneider, and he was on the Nickelodeon show How To Rock. I used to be obsessed with him and his character on the show! He's also very good looking which probably moved my obsession along! When the show stopped making new episodes, and I got too old to watch it, I gradually forgot about him. I knew he could sing, as the show is about singing. But it wasn't often he actually sang solo on the show. When I rediscovered him through Twitter, I was in awe. His voice is so raw and harsh, yet so beautiful and soft. He now produces music and is on tour with a band in America. I'm hoping he eventually comes to the UK because I would love to see him sing live!

The first song I listened to of his, was his cover of Lean On. I fell in love with his voice in it, and although I have listened to it a million times by now, I am still obsessed! It is my favourite cover/song that he has done so far. I also really like his single Gibberish. It's fast, yet beautifully sung and I like the lyrics. It's very original too. My third favourite song of his, is his cover of Ariana Grande's Problem. As you know from a previous post, I love Ariana and saw her live. His cover is almost as good as the original and his voice sounds very similar to hers, because of how high pitch it is. I think my favourite thing about Max's voice is the way he can hit the high notes and the low notes so well.

Be sure to check him out! I know you will like him, even though my love for him seems to have spurred because I once used to watch him on the TV. It's like seeing an old friend or a familiar face become successful and do what they love!
Max's Website: http://maxschneider.com/
Max's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MaxSchneider1

Washing Make Up Brushes

Beauty bloggers and proffesionals around the world have said it for years; washing your make up brushes is an essential part of every make up routine. Some say you should wash them once a month and others say once a week. I'm guilty of forgetting to wash mine and it has definitely been over three months since I last washed mine! I know, it's terrible, so when I finally got round to washing them today, I was pleased with myself. You should wash your brushes, to get rid of the make up and dirt. Dirt and germs from your face and hands, plus dust, can get caught in the brush hairs, then be transferred on to you face. The dirt gets into your pores and can make you break out. To keep your skin clean and fresh, you should wash your brushes often. I personally say once a month is enough; washing them every week is a chore and too much, especially as most people only put make up on once a day.



You will need;
A tub/bowl
Baby shampoo/gentle shampoo - baby shampoo is best to use because it is the softest shampoo and won't damage the hairs. Unfortunately, I had ran out of this, so used a Dove shampoo. Any shampoo will work really, but go with a branded one that you trust, maybe the one you use on your own hair. Using one that is a shops own or is new can be risky
Your brushes
A fresh towel - This is what you will put your brushes on to dry, so make sure it is clean

To clean your brushes, fill a tub about half way with lukewarm water. Using lukewarm water is best, because it is warm enough to kill bacteria, but not so hot that it could damage the brushes. Put one-two dollops of shampoo into the water and let that settle, whilst you choose the first brush you are going to wash. There is no need to mix the shampoo into the water first; this will happen as you start to wash the brushes. Gently swirl the first brush into the shampoo/water mix. Keep doing this until you think/can see all the make up has been removed from the brush and it is completely wet. Try not to dip the handle of the brush into the water. Over time, the water can looses the glue inside the handle and make the handle become loose. Run the brush under the tap to double check all the make up is removed, then repeat with all your other brushes.
I found I had to change the water and add shampoo after every three brushes, to make sure the dirt wasn't transferring onto my other brushes.
After each brush has been washed, place them flat to lie and dry on the towel. Leave your brushes to dry overnight if possible. It is best to wash them after you have put your make up for the day on, as they can take a few hours to dry.

You now have freshly washed, clean brushes! I love washing my brushes, as I find it weirdly therapeutic and I love when the brushes look and feel like new!
If you use this post to wash your brushes, let me know!
Ps - I find the best baby shampoo to use is Johnson's!

Clothes and Accessories Mini Haul!

I've been doing a lot of shopping recently, having got paid at work. I went to town and Fosse park with my chummy Megan this past week and brought myself a few things. I thought I'd make a blog post out of my mini haul of clothes and accessories.
I will link the items I can find, but I definitely cannot link the Primark items as they don't have a proper, searchable website (to my annoyance!)

Everything I brought in town was brought from Primark. I love Primark because of the cheap prices and value for money. The only thing I won't usually buy from Primark is their handbags. I've had problems with them before, buying them and them breaking after one use. But I think their clothes and especially their accessories are great value for money. The first item I picked up was in the sale, down to £3 from £6. Both good prices! It's a deep purple, loose top, that has shoulder cut-outs, three-quarter length sleeves and lace detail. It is very boohoo and I keep seeing these kind of tops everywhere at the moment, so was very pleased when I saw this one. I am typically a size 8 in tops, but this was size 10. It was the last one they had and isn't too loose, so I brought it.

The cut out shoulders

Three-quarter length sleeves that are
elasticated at the bottom

The front of the top has a small keyhole you can
tie together with the rope attached

This lace detail goes on your shoulder
and is just before the shoulder cut-out

The second thing I brought from primark was £6 and this plain, loose grey jumper/sweatshirt. It is very thin, so could be worn in Summer, which is great for me. I get cold easily and I do love a good jumper! I think this jumper would look really cute with a statement necklace and skinny jeans. It wouldn't work with a tube skirt (unless you tuck the jumper in) because of how loose fitting it is. Down the front of the jumper is a barely noticeable line, where the jumper is sewn together. This was done on purpose, I didn't buy it broken! It looks really cute and is a fun bit of detail. The sleeves reach my wrists and look better slightly rolled up in my opinion. You could wear it on its own, but I also think this jumper would look really cute under a winter jacket (when winter is here of course!) or over a crop top. This way you can take it off if you get warm. It is very thin, so easy to slip into your handbag if you were staying out all day and needed something to transfer into night time.

The barely noticeable line down the front

The final thing I brought from primark was a gold necklace. The chain is relatively short and gold coloured with a clasp. The cutest part of the necklace is so small and such a simple idea, yet it looks incredible! It is a round gold disc, with the engraved outline of a heart. Megan spotted this and for £1.50 each, we both brought one. Me and my chummy have matching necklaces which is very cute! So as well as loving the design of this necklace, it has a sentimental value! I brought it Saturday and have worn it everyday since! It goes with every outfit because of it's simplicity. I love Primark jewellery is such good quality, cheap and cute. This necklace looks like it should be from a more up street store, like Topshop or New Look.

From Fosse  park yesterday, I brought 3 items from New Look and 1 from Topshop.
The top I brought from Topshop, was in the sale for £6. I tried a lot on in Topshop, as they were having a huge sale. Unfortunately some stuff didn't fit and others just didn't suit me. The only thing I liked was the crop top I brought. It is gingham print, black, grey and white. It is slightly V-Necked, which I love, as V-Neck tops are my favourite to wear. The crop top has thin straps and is a size 12. I'm not a size 12, but I like crop tops to be slightly longer than they should be. Plus, this was one of the last ones! It was originally £12.
Gingham Crop Top

The first item I brought from New Look were these sunglasses. They have baby pink sides, and leopard print detail across the top at the front. The glass is UV protected and more of an orangey/green than purple. They are so cute and suit me. I struggle to find sunglasses that suit me and recently broke my round pair. I brought the round pair on a recommendation from someone else and wasn't sure if they totally suited my face. I saw these in New Look and loved them as soon as I put them on! Me and Meg have decided that only sunglasses that show my eyebrows suit me. So round ones and aviator style tend to look weird on me. These were £2.50 down from £5. A right bargain! Especially for something I know I will use often. I have such sensitive eyes and as soon as I start to squint in the sun, I put my sunnies on. I hate looking stupid as I'm blinded by the sun and some of the faces I pull are not attractive! Better to be safe than sorry ;)

The second item I picked up in New Look is a dress. It has a halter neck that you tie yourself and you should wear a strapless bra with it, because the halter neck pulls in towards your neck and leaves your shoulders exposed, which would show your bra straps. It comes round the back and has no straps at the back. The dress comes just above my knees and was £8 down from £16.99. It is has a black, grey and white tile print pattern and comes in at the waist. Its is a size 8 and I'm thinking of teaming it with black tights and Chelsea boots or slip on shoes. The bottom of the dress is loose, not bodycon. I can't wait to wear it and feel it is a perfect summer dress!

Diamond Print dress

The final thing I brought is my favourite! I'm totally in love with it. Its a plunging neck peplum top that is a dark green with a pink flower pattern. The peplum on the bottom of the top shapes my figure well and I've always liked peplums. I'm going to wear this top day and night. It would look quite casual with black skinnies and more dressy with a bodycon skirt or cigarette trousers. I'm not entirely sure what I love about this top, I think it's the pattern. I would never have usually picked up the style and pattern of the top, because I thought it would clash with my hair. However, it didn't and I was very pleased! This was originally £14.99, but reduced to £6.

How cute is this! Although it doesn't look it,
the top is a dark green colour, not grey/black

The back is more simple and has thin straps, that
aren't adjustable

That's all for this post, if you buy any of these items or find anything you think I would like, let me know!