Brownie in a Mug Recipe

I first heard about this recipe on This Morning (TV show) ages ago, it was quick and seemed very simple so I decided to give it a go. It took me a while to find a decent recipe but I eventually found one and it made a fantastic brownie. This recipe is so quick, easy and very unique, it is great if you want a chocolatey snack or cute little desserts for friends, you should definitely give it a go! (This recipe is by Simply Recipes)

Ingredients

• 50g of self-raising flour
• 70g of sugar
• 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder 
• Little pinch of salt
• 60ml of water
• 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil- I wouldn't recommend using any other oils because they may be too strong. 
• 2 drops of vanilla extract

Method

Start off by weighing out the flour, sugar and cocoa powder, place them in your microwaveable mug, add a pinch of salt and give it a good stir with a spoon or a fork (making sure all of the ingredients are mixed together). 

Add the water, oil and vanilla extract and mix it together until it is smooth with no lumps. My mixture was very thick so I added a bit more water and it quickly became a perfect consistency! Once you have done this, place in the microwave on the highest heat for roughly 1 minute, if you think the brownie needs a bit more time cooking once the 1 minute is up then place back in for another 10-15 seconds. Leave it to cool for a minute and serve either on its own or with vanilla ice cream. 

I would definitely recommend this recipe it is fun, quick and extremely easy to make. If there's any recipes you want me to try or review then please leave a comment below!

Travel Wishlist

Travelling has always been a massive part of my life for many years now, I have always loved seeing and experiencing new places and its culture. It started when I travelled to South Africa, I was fortunate enough to go on top of Table Mountain, I went on a safari and I also was able to sit and be in a Cheetah enclosure (which was nerve-racking but amazing!) I never thought I would be fortunate enough to travel to somewhere as amazing as that, but since then I have been all around Europe and it has made me even more obsessed with re-searching and creating lists of where I would love to travel to.

Below I have made a list of the top 4 places that I want to travel to;

Hawaii 

Hawaii is one of my dream destinations, I would love to travel there and experience all of the amazing beaches they have to offer and soak up the amazing sunshine. If I am ever lucky enough to see this beautiful place I would have to go whale and dolphin watching on an ocean cruise, I think it would be so amazing to see them in their natural habitat. 

New York

As well as travelling to South Africa, I have been to the USA many times and seen many different parts of it such as, Orlando, California, Naples and St Petes Beach but the one place that I need to go to is New York. My ideal time to travel there would be in winter and throughout Christmas, I would love to see Central Park in the snow and the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. I would definitely have to go sight-seeing as well and experience the Empire State Building and the 911 Memorial. I think it would be completely different to all of the places already been to in the US because of all the famous landmarks and would be a trip of a lifetime. 

Thailand 

I know so many people who have travelled to Thailand and other parts of Asia this year and seeing all of their pictures all over social media, it just makes me want to go even more. It is such a beautiful and tranquil place, it has amazing beaches and great cities to visit. Another main reason I want to go is because of the food....I absolutely love Thai food, I think it would be great to try all of their yummy dishes in the mother land, it would taste completely different and better. I would also have to go and visit some elephants during my stay. 

Australia

The fourth and final place (on my list) that I would love to travel to is of course....Australia! There are so many reason as to why I would love to go here, one of them being the wildlife. I would love to go on a safari or visit a zoo and see Kangaroo's, it would be so great to be able to feed one and see it in its homeland. I would also have to dive in the Great Barrier reef...that would be a great one to tick off the bucket list! 

I would be so interested to know where you all have travelled to or want to travel to?! Let me know in the comments!

*The images I have used are not mine and I am not taking any credit for them*

Haircare, Skincare & Beauty Haul

Hi everyone,

For a while now I have been meaning to buy some new products to try and I have finally got round to doing it at the weekend. This haul will include products from Clinique, Kérastase and Moroccanoil. I will list how much I paid for each individual item!

Let's start off with my biggest purchase which was the Clinique Sonic System Cleansing Brush. For a while now I have been reading blog posts, reviews and I have also been watching YouTube videos featuring some other electric cleansing brushes. I have come across the Clarisonic cleansing brushes but they are just a little bit out of my budget but the reviews I have read about them are amazing! I kept on researching and I came across the Clinique one and I thought it was perfect. This brush is different from the Clarisonic because instead of having a rotating brush which can (potentially) damage your skin, the Sonic System vibrates which for me is better because it will allow me to move the brush to where I want it and it wont be too harsh on my skin.  I paid £79 for it which I thought it wasn't bad at all considering the Clarisonic is much more.

With my purchase I received a free travel set which included an Anti-Blemish Solutions Deep Cleansing Brush Head (and a cover for it), Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Gel and Anti-Blemish Solutions All-over Clearing Treatment. (This travel set was kindly given to me from one of the ladies that works on the Clinique concession at Fenwicks, therefore this does not come automatically with the product.) I am so glad I was able to get my hands on the Anti-Blemish travel set because my skin tends to breakout every now and again so this will be perfect. When you purchase the Sonic System brush it comes with a charging unit to charge the brush and also a normal (green) brush head. I am so glad I finally bought this and I cant wait to use it.

The other product that I bought from Clinique was the High Lengths Mascara in Black. This mascara has also featured in my Everyday Make-up post and I absolutely love it! As I have mentioned before, the best part of this product is the applicator because it is curved and it shapes itself around your lash line and really reaches all of your lashes. I paid £17.50 for this mascara which can be seen as a lot, but because it works so well for me, I feel its worth it 100%.

Now onto haircare....

For a while now I have been wanting a treatment or mask for my hair because it is feeling a bit unhappy and rough which I think is mostly down to me using my straighteners and curling wand so much (oops). When I went into the shop it was recommended that I should try the Kérastase Nectar Thermique to prevent Anti-roughness/dullness, the lady said that it will restore my hair and will make it really smooth so I thought I would go for it. I paid £20.50 for this and I really hope its worth it, I have tried Kerastase products before but not a treatment so it will be interesting to see if it lives up to its name!

The final product I purchased was the Moroccanoil Heat Styling Protection spray, I have loved Moroccanoil products for about 2 years now and I love their oil you apply onto wet hair, it smells amazing and keeps your hair super soft. I saw this at the shop and I knew I just had to get it, I paid £18.45 for it and I thought that wasn't too bad considering most of their other products are more. The bottle is huge and I know it will last me ages!

So guys these are all the products I bought. I am so glad I was finally able to get my hands on all of these wonderful products and I cant wait to review all of them very soon! If you have any questions please feel free to leave them below!

Everyday Make-up Products

In this post I'm going to be talking about products I use on a daily basis to achieve a simple, natural and pretty look for the daytime. I have not taken the images for this post because I have (stupidly) misplaced my camera charger and I am waiting to get a new one.

Foundation: For over two years now I have been using the Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in the shade NW20 and I absolutely love it! This product has got very mixed reviews across the internet in terms of the smell and thickness of the foundation, but for my skin type (which is sometimes oily) is perfect and I don't think the smell is bad at all?! I use this in the day and when I wear it out at night I just apply a little bit more so it a lasts longer. This is one of the best foundations I have used in terms of coverage, you don't need a lot of the product for it to look flawless and to cover dark blemishes you may have. (I find that one bottle lasts me ages!)

Powder: As a setting powder I use the Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in the shade Medium. I have also been using this powder for over two years now and I have absolutely no complaints about it at all. I find that it goes wonderfully with the Studio Fix Fluid (foundation), helps to set it and gives it an even coverage. It is quite a thick powder so you do not need to use a lot of it, some Mac make -up artists have also suggested that it is a great powder on its own if you didn't want a 'full' coverage during the daytime.

Brushes: The Lottie London Flawless Base Brush/Foundation Brush was given to me as a gift for my birthday and I absolutely love it. This brush gives such a great finish to the foundation and helps you cover all the hard to reach places on your face such as the sides of your nose. As well as performing well, this brush looks amazing and the packaging is so lovely! The handle of the brush is a beautiful teal/light blue pastel colour and the super soft bristles have a splash of colour on the ends.

Another brush that I love is the Mac 187SH Duo Fibre Brush. When I first got this brush (which was about a year and a half ago) I used it for both foundation and powder and it was amazing at applying both. However nowadays I just use this brush mainly for applying my powder. This brush is so soft and gives amazing coverage. The only negative point that I have to say about this product is that when I use it, it sheds whilst I'm applying my powder so I may end up with small black fibres across my face but its not that big a deal for me because it is such an amazing brush.

Lipliner: The lipliner that I use with the Rouge Dior lipstick is the Mac Cremestick Liner in the shade Sublime Culture. I find that this liner is extremely versatile and will blend with a lot of pink and nude lipsticks. I would definitely recommend this product.

Lipstick: To help me achieve a natural and pretty daytime look I (mostly) use the Rouge Dior lipstick in the shade 468 Rose Bonheur. This lipstick is absolutely stunning, it is creamy but also has a glossy hint to it, which in my opinion is nice because some lipsticks can be extremely matte and thick. It comes in a wide variety of shades and I will be buying more very shortly!

Eyeshadow: My favourite eyeshadow to use is the Naked Palette. I received this for Christmas and I absolutely love it. I find that I can use this all of the time because of the amazing and massive variation of colours. For my everyday look I like to use the shade Half Baked because it is a subtle golden colour that is extremely flattering in the sun and is not to bright or to bold, it is just perfect for a daytime look.

Mascara: I found it really hard to find a nice mascara that lengthened my lashes but also didn't look to thick or cakey. Once I tried the Clinique High Lengths Mascara I absolutely fell in love. I use this mascara in the shade Black, it is great for people who have fine lashes but want them to be more noticeable. One amazing point for this product is its applicator brush, it is a curved wand so it shapes itself to the shape of your eye and lash line. I personally prefer curved applicators because I find that they can reach every single lash effortlessly. This product is on the pricey side for mascara but is honestly 100% worth trying if you're struggling to find a mascara that suits you.

Eyeliner: A eyeliner that I have been using for a while is the Seventeen Make Your Mark Liquid Liner in the shade Black. I really like this product because it has a felt tip which makes is very easy to apply and it very rarely smudges. This is a great product and is very inexpensive.

So thats it guys, these are all the products I use regularly and are perfect for creating a daytime look. I really hope you have enjoyed reading this post, these products are honestly amazing. If you have any comments please feel free to leave them below!

Hello...

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my very fist blog post. I have been in two minds about what my first post should be about but I thought it would be best to tell you some things about me. My name is Amelia, Im 18 and from the outskirts of London (Buckinghamshire to be exact). This blog will be a way of sharing my thoughts with all of you about beauty, travel, lifestyle and of course....Disney!! To get to know me a little better, below are some facts about me:

1. My favourite film would have to be either the Notebook or Mean Girls.
2. I have a wonderful dog called Max, he's a Shih Tzu.
3. I am a self-confessed chocoholic, I love anything that is or has chocolate in it.
4. I don't like drinking tea or coffee..... hot chocolate all the way.
5. My favourite Disney character is Rapunzel.

I have never attempted to blog before so I really hope you all enjoy reading my posts!