Garnier Moisture Match Shine Be Gone

I didn't mean to but I've really fallen for this little moisturiser. It retails for £5.99 but it's always on offer currently £3.99 at Boots. I picked it up as I love something that mattify's my increasingly oily face. What I love about this product is it does exactly what it says in the box. It mattify's oily skin, absorbs super fast and gives great hydration at the same time. I only use this is in the morning as I like a lot more moisture over night but for the day it's great at holding my make-up in place and keeping oil at bay. 

There's 5 moisturisers in Garniers range for different skin types Goodbye Dry for dry to very dry, Start Afresh for normal to dry, Shine be Gone for combination to oily, Wake me Up for dull, and Protect & Glow for normal skin. I would definitely recommend this range if you are on a budget and looking for a day moisture that is designed specific to your skin type. 

W7 Double Act Bronzer/ Blusher

I picked up the double act bronzer and blusher from fragrance direct - it's no longer available there but it is on Amazon for £4.99. The W7 blushers and bronzers are noted as major benefit dupes. The packaging is identical and the shade range also matches up. Double Act is a dupe of Benefit 10 which retails for £23.50 so the W7 is an amazing bargain. I bought Benefit 10 a few years ago and I did love it and remember using it until there was literally nothing left in the small cardboard container. I can't say the W7 version is anywhere near as high quality as the benefit product. The colour in the W7 double act is much more brassy and full on than the softer tones of benefits. The blush and bronzer in this are very pigmented so you have to be careful when putting them on and ensure you blend thoroughly to avoid streaky cheeks. It's a brilliant product to play with however I'd never use it everyday as it takes a lot of effort to buff and blend out. The colours are nice a bright pink and a medium bronze with shimmer running throughout. For £5 you can't really complain but it's not something I'd pick up everyday.

Statement Metallic Lighting

Jonas Table Lamp £39.98 B&Q // Hammered Pendant Lamp £35 B&Q // Zaira Plastic Pendant £15 B&Q // Agra Table Lamp £60 Next // Agra Floor Lamp £130 Next // Ball Pendant Shade £29.99 Dunelm Mill // Curved Table Lamp £69 MnS

As we rent I can't really make our little house completely our own or decorate it as much as I would like - this weekend I've been lusting over some gorgeous metallic statements to give a little more 'us' to our home. I thought I'd share a few of my most favorite lighting pieces that I found. There's so many gorgeous bits out at the moment and I thought lighting would be a strong statement that takes little to no work. I adore rose gold and copper tones at the moment for my jewellery so thought why not bring the prettiness inside?!

Korres Ginger & Vitamins Foundation - Review

I'm a big fan of everything I've tried by Korres (lipbutter and showergel) so I couldn't resist throwing a few bargainous make-up items in my recent fragrance direct haul. I picked up shade LF1 for only £3.99 and didn't really have any expectations as I haven't read much at all about this foundation. 

I normally pick up medium to high coverage foundations so this is very different for me. Firstly I love the packaging of this foundation nothing better than a light plastic tube in my opinion. I apply this with either my real techniques buffing brush or just my fingers. This is super light coverage and really just evens out skintone. I find it gives a gorgeous glow to my skin and makes my complexion look really healthy. As I continue to perfect my skincare routine in time for a much lighter make-up look in the summer I know this will definitely be my foundation of choice. Highly recommend giving this a go if you like light coverage foundation especially as it's currently so cheap on Fragrance Direct. 

Home Obsessions: Vintage Jars

I've had my eye on this vintage look glass jar for ages - it came in at only £8 from B&Q  and looks so pretty on my dresser full of cotton wall pads. It's also meant that one of my ikea drawers is now free for my ever growing hair product collection. 

I can't stop buying pretty glass jars at the moment they're so handy for storage and just an extra bit of glamour on a dressing table or shelf.  These are my favorites at the moment.  

Glass Jar £6.99 H&M --- Glass Vase £6.99 H&M --- Vintage Collection Coloured Glass Vase £9.09 Dunelm Mill --- Korken Jar £0.80 Ikea --- White Lace Vase £11.99 The Range --- Glass Tealight Holder £1.50 H&M

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

I'm a little bit obsessed with butternut squash soup at the moment - I can't get enough of the stuff so after a few weeks perfecting my own take on it I thought I'd share. The best thing about this soup is you'll have most of the ingredients in your cupboard or fridge already the only addition to my shopping list has been the butternut squash itself and some light creme fraiche for the top.

Ingredients: 

1 butternut squash

1/2 cauliflower 

2 onions

Vegetable stock cube

Chilli Flakes 

Creme Fraiche

Fry Light Spray 

Method: 

• Deseed the butternut squash and cut into small cubes. Lay out on a baking tray, cover in a teaspoon of chilli flakes and fry light and roast for 45mins (until the cubes are soft and starting to go golden) 
• Whilst the butternut squash is roasting fry 2 finely chopped onions in some fry light
• Cover the onions with 1 pint of stock and season then let it simmer
•  After about 20 minutes add the cauliflower or other vegtables of your choice
• Once the butternut squash is cooked take out of the oven and add to the pan
• Let all the ingredients simmer for another 10 minutes or so 
• Take off of the heat and let the soup mixture cool down
• Blitz the lot up with a hand blender 
• Serve with a tablespoon of creme fraiche and an extra sprinkle of cracked pepper

It's really the easiest recipe and there's something so wholesome and warming about a homemade hearty soup. I make a batch up on a Sunday afternoon which can be frozen and used throughout the week. This recipe makes 4 portions and is so handy to have tucked away. What I love about it is that you can swop the cauliflower for other root vegtables that you might have to hand. Grated carrot is brilliant and sweet potato makes the whole thing much more filling. 

I'm going to try and perfect a more summertime soup recipe as the weather gets a bit warmer but for now this is my go to dish to cook up on a Sunday afternoon.