Baking Festive Cupcakes

Chocolate, Cherry, Almond and Sherry Cupcakes

I have been in the festive mood for the longest time! I just love Christmas so so much and I thought that it was now appropriate to bake some festive goodies. I love to bake on my days off work as I find it relaxing and it's just great fun. I always look through my cookbooks or on the internet to see if I can find any easy recipes that I can adapt to suit me. I found a recipe that involved chocolate, cherries and almonds... so I used that one. Not going to lie, but these are probably my favourite cupcakes that I have ever baked and they were so delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

 

For the cupcakes

 

3 tbsps cocoa powder

150g butter

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

150g self-raising flour

glace cherries, chopped (as many as you wish)

50g milk chocolate, melted

1 tbsp. sherry (or any alcohol alternative or milk)

2 tsps almond flavouring

 

For the frosting

 

Icing sugar

Butter

Almond flavouring

(as much as you need for a smooth icing)

Holly decorations

 

Start by pre-heating your oven to 180 degrees celsius and put festive cupcakes cases, if you have them, into a tin. Next mix together your butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. You can crack the eggs into a separate bowl and add them slowly with the cocoa powder and flour an mix with an electric whisk. Now you can add the remaining flour and fold it into the mixture. Add the melted chocolate, sherry, almond flavouring and chopped cherries and mix together. Now you can spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and pop them into the oven for around 15-20 minutes. A good way to check if they are cooked is, after the 15 minutes take them out of the oven and use a knife to put in the cake. If there is any mixture on the knife, pop them back in the oven for a few minutes.

 

Now for the icing...I usually wait for an hour after the cakes are out of the oven, to make the icing, as this will allow the cakes to cool. I never use any specific measurement for my icing, I just get a scoop of butter and mix in some of the icing sugar and keep adding the sugar until it tastes sweet enough. You can then add the almond flavouring and mix it all together until you have a smooth icing. I just used a spatula to smooth on my icing to the cupcakes. I tried to make it look like snow. Then you can add the decorations to your cakes and place them on a Christmas plate. I got mine from b&m for like £3.

 

And there you have it, festive cupcakes. Give it a go and see what you think.

 

Lots more Christmas posts to come!!

Book Haul

I love to read. To get carried away with a story and a character It's relaxing and fascinating. I have gone and bought more books, when I didn't need to, but I got carried away...so on with the haul.
I was in Morrisons and saw 'Gone Girl' for £4 and I had heard so many good reviews on the film that I'd thought id pick up the book. I read the blurb ad I was captured. I am yet to read tis, but I cannot wait to get stuck into it. Gillian Flynn
My favourite colour is green, but that is not why I bought 'Fangirl'. I love the cover of this book as it is so vibrant and stands out, but I bought it because I felt like I could relate to the characters in the book. I love to write and read and this book is all about that. I have also heard many great reviews about this book and the author. Rainbow Rowell
'Boys Don't Cry' was a book I just stumbled across on amazon and read the description and put it in my basket. I loved the storyline as one simple thing can change your whole life forever, without any warning. It's a story about 'growing up the hard way'. Malorie Blackman
'The Shock of the Fall' is a book I saw being discussed on Twitter. I went onto amazon and read the description and the lines that captured me to buy this book were, 'But in a couple of pages he'll be dead. And he was never the same after that.' This was engaging and terrifying and strange, hence why I bought it. Nathan Filer
I love a good love story and 'Soulmates' caught my eye. It is an 'epic, electrifying and extraordinary debut about falling in love' and I thought it would be a great book to curl up with and get lost in. Holly Bourne
When I was younger, we had a T.V. show called 'Pig Heart Boy' and I saw that there was actually a book, so I thought I'd buy it. Books like this always capture my attention and I really wanted to read it, especially to see what the style is like and it's a shorter story, so should be an easy read. Malorie Blackman
Now, this last book is one I got way too excited about. I LOVE Disney world and I find it fascinating and enchanting, so what better way to express this than to buy, 'The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World'. I am so excited to read this as I have been to Disney World many times. It is definitely a book that I will enjoy reading and I will learn so much more about a place that I love.  I haven't read it yet, but if anyone loves Disney, then buy this book!! Susan Veness

I am also now on the look out for some great Christmas books, so if I find any I will be sure to do a post on those as well!

Autumn/Winter Make-Up Haul

Names from top left: Avon Luxe - 'Glamorous Rose', Avon - 'Deep Wine', Rimmel - 'Smokey Quartz', L'Oreal - Tresors Caches, Colour Riches, Les Ombres'

Names from Left to Right: Maybelline 'Pleasure Me Red' 547, Avon - 'Vixen', Collection - 'Cappuccino 2'

Autumn and Winter are my favourite seasons of the year. I realised that I didn't have a lot of autumnal makeup in my collection, so I decided to shop for some. I love purples and plums and greens and smokey colours as I think this looks gorgeous for the colder months.
Avon has some gorgeous eye shadow palettes and lip colours. I did have to restrain myself from buying all of it as I can get carried away. I bought a duo, which is called 'Deep Wine' and it has a gorgeous deep purple and I light ivory shade. I have been wearing this duo a lot and I am in love with it.
Another Avon purchase was the Luxe palette. his includes five beautiful shades and its called 'Glamorous Rose', which describes this palette wonderfully. The gold casing makes the palate look glamour and expensive but it was only about £7, which is a bargain.
L'Oreal have some amazing eye shadows and I saw this quad and I loved it and couldn't leave it behind. As this is a French brand I haven't got a clue what this quad is called, but the name on the casing is  'Tresors Caches, Colour Riche, Les Ombres'. I love green and this quad has a stunning  green running through the middle of it. The purple is actually darker on than it look in the palette, so I would suggest that you put this colour on sparingly and blending is key.
I bought a single eye shadow from Rimmel called 'Smokey Quartz' and its a really pretty, purple, grey, silver colour. It has a really nice texture and it so easy to wear, either on its own or with a purple in the crease.

Next onto lips. I love a good lipstick and I mostly wear them in the colder months. I brought a gorgeous red from Maybelline called 'Pleasure Me Red' , number 547 and it is so rich and beautiful and I think it would look great at Christmas time with a green smokey eye or a natural smoky eye.
From Avon I saw loads of gorgeous plum colours and deep purples, but the one that stood out to me most was the shade 'Vixen' and it is so deep and dark and I love it. it looks great with a purple smokey eye and would probably look beautiful with a natural smokey eye.
I think that everyone needs a good nude colour for any season and I picked up 'Cappuccino 2' from Collection and it was only like £3, which is great. It is a lip crayon and is like a 'your lips, but better colour'. I think it looks really natural, especially when you have gone bold on your eyes and want just a neutral lip.

I really wanted to try out a new foundation for the colder months and the 'Rimmel, Wake me Up' foundation is too glittery and glowy for the Autumn/Winter months. I chose 'Rimmel Match Perfection' in the shade '100 Ivory'. I don't know much about this foundation, except that it is less glowy. which suits me.

I have no explanation for buying an eyeliner, but I just really wanted to try out the Soap and Glory 'Supercat, Carbon Black Extreme Eyeliner Pen'. I think it will make eyeliner application so much easier.

What are your top make up picks for this Autumn/Winter?

The Vamps Tour

It's no secret that The Vamps are my favourite people ever, and last night I went to see them at the NIA in Birmingham!! They were insane as per usual and put on an incredible show!! I went with my younger sister and we sat pretty close to the front.
As I was taking pictures, they looked okay, but they are not the best, so I will pick the best ones to you as I think they will speak louder than words. We didn't manage to get many of James as he was on the opposite side to us... but other than that we got loads of the others!! Hope you enjoy.

My Favourite Magazine

 

 

 I have recently loved reading magazines. I mainly buy them for fashion and make up inspiration. The one that I have been loving is Company magazine as it is so easy to read and it looks fun and inviting! Each magazine is released a month before the actual month that it is relating to, which is great because then you can be on trend the whole year round. I started buying this magazine in April and I should probably get a subscription really, as I think that I will always buy it. It is definitely a magazine which is aimed at younger women with a passion for make up, fashion and possibly even blogging/vlogging. I absolutely love it as it is an easy read with great advice and interesting interviews. It doesn't exploit women or make you feel worse about yourself, its an actual magazine that is enjoyable to read and gets you involved with the latest trends, which I think is awesome. As long as it doesn't change its image, I am sure that this is definitely something I will always look forward to reading every month.  Thanks for reading!! :) 
 

Baking Chocolate Cupcakes

Baking is a hobby of mine, especially when I get the free time. I buy so many baking books and have nowhere to put them, so I am putting them to good use and actually using the recipes. I never really follow the recipes though (what a rebel *gasp face*), I just alter them slightly.

For this recipe, you will need:
125g butter
125g light muscovado sugar
2 eggs, beaten
15g cocoa powder
100g self-raising flour
100g plain chocolate, melted
Chocolate chips (if you really want them to be super chocolaty)
And you can't forget all the equipment!

First, I whisked the butter to make it soft then added the sugar and whisked it together.
I then beat the eggs and added them slowly into the mixture, adding a little flour, so it didn't curdle.
Next I added the rest of the flour, in which I mixed the cocoa powder as well. Whilst I was doing this, the chocolate was on the stove, slowly melting...
I then added white chocolate chips for awesomeness!
I set the oven to 190 degrees C on the muffin setting. Whilst my oven was heating up I poured the mixture into the cupcake cases. I managed to get 12 cupcakes from this mixture. However, I did use muffin cases instead of cupcake ones.
I then popped then in the oven for 20 minutes and Boom! Cupcakes had been baked!

I am absolutely useless at decorating and icing cakes, so I was going to leave them alone, but Zoe made me!!
I guessed the butter and icing sugar amounts and just whisked it until it tasted alright. I then added red food colouring, which I am pretty sure mine has gone of, yum! I then spilt the food colouring everywhere (I would not advise that you do this). Disaster then struck again when I was using the piping bag and it broke half way and then the icing went everywhere. The kitchen surfaces were not in a pretty state (Sorry Mum).
I did clean up, obviously, and I displayed the cakes on a stand that I got from somewhere, but it was pretty and pink, so I thought it fitted with my cupcakes.

Thanks for reading,

Niamh x

Another Book Haul

I love to read before bed or on a really lazy day and recently I have been collecting a lot of books, so it should keep me feeling less bored. I tend to buy my books from Amazon as they are always so much cheaper, or if I do buy books from a book store, I will buy them when they are on offer... I do love to save my money, not just spend it.

The first book I saw was 'Bridget Jones-Mad about The Boy'. This book was half price, so was around £4. I have realised that this is probably the third book in the series and I do not own the other two, so I will have to leave this book until I buy the others. Helen Fielding
The second book I picked up was 'The Book Thief' and the first thing I did was read the blurb  and I read 'Here is a small fact, you are going to die' and I was hooked. I am so excited to read this, well actually I might read it next. The Sunday Telegraph says it's 'Extraordinary, resonant, beautiful and angry' ...How can a book be angry? This book is definitely intriguing which is why I can't wait to read it. I do believe this has been made into a film as well. Markus Zusak
'The Night Circus' is a book I have seen all over YouTube and when I saw it in Waterstones I just picked it up and bought it. I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but it's so simple and beautiful and I always read reviews on books before I purchase them and everyone seems to adore this book. Erin Morgenstern 
I managed to buy 'The Lord of The Rings' trilogy and I will not lie, 'The Hobbit' is one of the hardest books I have ever read, but saying that. I really did enjoy it and I want to finish the series. I think I paid around £15 for the three books which is pretty good. I am debating on whether to read it next to carry on the series, or have a break from it. One thing I did notice in 'The Hobbit' is that it is actually really different from the film. The film has definitely included scenes that are not even in the book and I did get really confused, but I'm always confused so...  J.R.R. Tolkien
I was strolling about in TK Maxx looking for good deals on things and I stumbled across the 'Divergent' trilogy and it was only £10 for all three books ad they were all in excellent condition. It was the only set there so I had to buy it really, didn't I? I haven't seen the film yet, so that gives me time to read them before I do. I know this series has been adored by most people, so I hope that I will enjoy it just as much. Veronica Roth

As I seem to have bought so many more books since this book, I had to buy myself a proper book shelf and I love how I can see all my books on display now, instead of them being squished in my wardrobe.

 I have previously bought more books (oops!), so another haul is coming soon, yay!

Thanks for reading,

Niamh xxx

 

My Holiday Travel Essentials

Yesterday I told you all about my holiday to Malta and today I thought I would tell you what my holiday travel essentials were for this holiday. It was extremely hot when we went and I think it reached up to 40 degrees C.
Sun cream is an absolute necessity for any hot weather and exposure to the sun. I took the Nivea invisible spray one which was factor 50 and it did the job perfectly. However, I did mention that I burnt my feet on the first day, because I didn't really think about protecting my feet from the sun, but now I know. This leads me on to my next product, which is the Body Shop's Pink Grapefruit body butter. This was pretty much a life saver for me. Not only does it smell amazing and summery, it was a great after sun moisturiser. I used this every single day and night on all the areas that were exposed to the sun. It made my burns on my back and feet go down super quickly and everywhere else was tanned and it really helped to keep my tan. I would totally recommend this one especially.
An SPF for my face was also an essential and I took the Simple one, which was SPF 30. However, this was really harsh on my skin and one morning I woke up and my face was all red, my eyes puffed up and I had a horrendous, itchy rash and I  don't want to blame this product, but after I stopped using it, my face was fine again. I would still recommend that you use a face SPF though.
A good cleanser, face wash and moistures is essential for me as it did get really hot and I just wanted to feel refreshed every morning and evening and these products really helped. I used the Simple cleanser and light moisturiser and the Body Shop Tea Tree facial wash.
A toothbrush and deodorant and any toiletries are essential for everyone really and a good, moisturising lip balm.
For make up, I took everything, but I needed a really good waterproof mascara (for swimming) and a good powder that would set my make up for the whole day. Like I said it got really hot, so I didn't want to be all shiny or have mascara running down my face.
A tangle teezer is just a must for any girl with longer hair, especially for when you are in the sea as the salt water makes it super knotty. I never take hairspray with me when I'm travelling abroad, so a back comb brush is what I replace it with, but because this is more damaging, I used Moroccan oil to save it  little bit. Hair bands, scrunchies and hair grips are also essential.
My travel toiletry bag us from Primark and it was only £4 and I managed to fit so much in it, so it was perfect for my holiday.

Thanks for reading,

Niamh xxx

Malta 2014

 I went on holiday last week to Malta. It's a small island near Italy and it was super hot, but extremely beautiful as well. We stayed in the Mellieha Bay hotel, which I believe is a 5 star hotel and it was amazing! Our room had a balcony with a gorgeous view of the island and of the hotel pool. Pus the hotel had its own beach which was great because we spent most of our days there, just reading and relaxing in the sun, trying to get a tan. Obviously with the occasional paddling of my feet, because lets face it, I can't actually swim! The sea was really clear and was such a gorgeous blue.
I have to admit that on the first day, because I didn't realise how hot it actually was, I managed to burn my feet. They are still burnt now, but not so sore...but come on, who thinks to put sun cream on their feet?? And then on the last day, I managed to burn my back, but thanks to my moisturiser it went down in a couple of days (I will talk more about that in tomorrows post).
On the second day we took a boat ride around the whole of Malta. Now I would not recommend that you do this as you are on a boat all day looking at sea and rocks and more sea...I just fell asleep, oops! However, you do get dropped off at the Blue Lagoon  for a couple hours which is a gorgeous part of the island with incredibly blue sea, except for the fact that there was no beach and there is like an inch of rock where hundreds of people try to all squeeze onto (slight exaggeration, but still). It is a very rocky place and is all up hill, with no flat ground, but apart from that, it is gorgeous to look at from above on the higher ground.
We also went to the island next door to Malta, again on a boat, and this was Gozo. Malta and Gozo are really religious islands and they take great pride in that. We got to visit one of the churches in Gozo and it was stunning, we did have to cover up though, but the only picture I have of that is a blurry one. We got to stop off at little markets and a lace making cottage, which was incredibly cute. At one of the stops we went on a little boat rides to see all the caves, but the sea was really choppy, so that was scary.
On our last day in Malta we got a bus that took us into the town and there were so many jewellery shops. But the main reason we went there was to see the church. We could see this church from our room in the Hotel, but it wasn't open to people during the day, only in the evening...so we looked around the outside of it instead. Next to this church was a World War 1 or 2 (I can't remember) shelter  and it was a cave with information about the war and was just quite historical.
On our relaxing days, we mainly just sat by the beach, relaxing, sun bathing, reading...eating (a lot). Or going for a swim in the pool, but not me because I hate the idea of being in a bikini. It's okay, because my sister got her own back as I was sat on the edge of the pool and she pulled me in, whilst I was till fully clothed... Thanks Nat!
As we paid for All Inclusive, we could literally eat food all day, so I did (don't judge). Water was also included in this, which was great because I get super dehydrated in hot weather...Stay hydrated people!! Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were the best, especially dessert at dinner because if we couldn't decide between the millions of choices, we just took all of them #noregrets.
I had such a great time on my holiday and you can check out my Instagram and Twitter for more photos.

I will leave you with possibly one of my favourite photos and it just makes me laugh so much.. I was trying to get my balance and not fall over and Nat, well she was just being Nat!

Thanks for reading,

Niamh xxx

My go-to Skincare Products

My skincare routine is super quick, easy and inexpensive. I don't bother with toners or serums because my skin is quite sensitive and I don't want to use anything harsh on my skin.
In the morning I always wash my face and at the moment I am loving The Body Shop's Tea Tree Cool and Creamy Wash. his stuff is aaamazing!! It leaves my skin feeling super clean and I use it in the morning and before I go to bed, to make sure that there is no make up left on my face. Because it is Tea Tree, it leaves a tingly sensation on your face and it feels like its a product that actually works. I have nearly finished that tube and I have bought another one for when it runs out, so it is a product that I would definitely recommend.
To moisturise my skin, I like to use the Simple Light Moisturiser as it is really gentle on my skin and doesn't break me out at all. It laves my skin feeling super soft and really hydrated. Again, I use this in the morning after I have washed my face and then at night as well. Simple products are great value for money, they actually work and they last for ages, if you use it sparingly.
I have really dark circles under my eyes and I wanted to try out the Body Shop's Vitamin C eye reviver. I don't know if this actually woks, because I don't think that there is any type of cream that can get rid of dark circles, but I like to use it because it does feel refreshing first thing in the morning. I have got anther one as this one has nearly run out. I wouldn't say it does anything for my dark circles, but it does feel refreshing under my eyes.
I wear make up almost every day, so when it comes to taking it all off at the end of the day, I want it to be quick and simple. I will always use a face wipe to take off my eye make up and then I will go in with my Simple Cleansing Lotion. I squirt some into my hands and then rub it all over my face and the make up dissolves in like seconds. I will then just use a cotton pad to remove it all. I then like to use the Simple Foaming Cleanser to make sure that I haven't left any make up on my skin and just to make sure that skin is super clean.
I am still looking for a good SPF for my face, and I would love to have more no make up days so I can use face masks. I really want to try a LUSH one as my sister bought some of their skincare and it looks awesome!!
Everything I have mentioned is super affordable and you can buy Simple form any drugstore or supermarket and it is a brand that I would really recommend, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Thanks for reading! :)

An Afternnon with my Grandad

So this is a spontaneous post! Seeing as I can drive now and my Grandad lives like a 10 minute drive away, I thought I'd pop in and see him. Plus, he loves the company. We chatted about life and he fed Barney waaaay too many treats. I swear, he's going to make my dog fat. *insert gasp face*.
We then went and sat in the garden and he fed his fish and I screamed like a pathetic girl every time a bug came near me. He obviously found this entertaining! I just don't understand bugs, why can't they just leave me alone?!
My Grandad is 91 years old, so we just sat on the bench and watched the fish swim around the pond, whilst wasps and other flies flew at me ... so peaceful.  Although we did just chill and listen to the birds tweeting away.

Barney barks at absolutely everything, and he chased birds away and ran after bees and rolled around in the grass and dirt...why, just why??!

He's so nosey, the cheeky little pooch!

My older sister and her boyfriend then turned up and we all just had a chat and ate some cake, as you do and then me being me, I nosed around some of my Grandads' drawers and found Uno, but we couldn't remember how to play. I then found some normal playing cards and we goggled card games. Zoe remembered that we used to play a game called 'go fish' when we were younger, so we played that. We kept this game going for about 2 hours-ish. My Grandad is old, so obviously his memory isn't the best... I won't lie to you, he cheated, but we all just found it funny!
It was such a lovely afternoon and a great way to spend my day off!! I am now super hungry and really want pizza! Hope you have an awesome rest of the week!! xx

Naked 3 Palette Review

 

(Sorry that you can't see the shade Strange, it is on the far left, but it is a very white, matte colour)

I realise probably everyone has reviewed and fallen in love with this palette, but I only bought mine a couple months ago. This was my very first higher end purchase and I am so glad I did because I have been reaching for this palette ever since I bought it. It has matte and pearly/metallic shades so is very versatile. I bought mine from feelunique.com and at the time there was 15% off any purchase. This palette retails for £37.00, but I managed to get mine for under £32, which I thought was pretty reasonable.
There are 12 shades in this palette, which are all so luxurious, and if I am being honest, I never thought I would love this palette as much as I do because all of the colours are really neutral and pinky. Before I had this palette, I always used to go for a smokey eye, which wasn't always appropriate. What's great about this palette is that there are a few darker colours which can take a daytime make up into a night time make up look.
The colours that I find myself using most are:

• Strange - I use this to highlight the inner corners of my eyes as I have panda eyes (dark circles)
• Dust - This is such a pretty, dusty pink colour which I use if I want a really light make up look. I use this mainly on the inner part of me eye to make myself look more awake.
• Burnout - I have only really started to use this over the lid of my eye, especially for work and I will pair that with Dust or Trick.
• Trick -This is such a gorgeous bronze/orange toned colour and I love wearing this one and it is by far my favourite shadow from the palette. I will pair this with Liar and use it on the inner part of my eye. It is a great colour for Summer and because it is a pearly shadow it will sparkle in the sunlight.
• Liar - I tend to use this all over my eye lid on days where I feel like I want more of a smokier look. It isn't too intense, but is literally my perfect eyeshadow colour.

My eyes are a green/hazel colour, so pinks and oranges are really going to make my eye colour pop and that is what I love so much about this palette.

I am really intrigued by Blackheart because when I first saw it I thought it was just a really dark brown, but there are actually red sparkles in the shadow which is probably going to look gorgeous. (The camera didn't really pick that up at all though).
I don't use the mirror on this palette and I don't really know why because it is huge.
I tend to use just a regular shadow brush to put the eyeshadow over my lid and then to blend I use the Zoeva 224 and 227. To then highlight the inner corner of my eye I use the Zoeva 237.

I love this palette so much and it is what I reach for the most. There are dupes out there for a lot less money, but if it is quality you want then the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette is what I recommend to you. xx