Daisy Covets: March 2016

, by DaisyCovets

March Favourites 2016

March was a good month; I had a lovely date night with my boyfriend, eating delicious food (shoutout to that chocolate fudge cake, still thinking about ya boo) and drinking delicious cocktails (Sex on the Beach- hate the name, but wow it tastes good). My idea of heaven. Other highlights include seeing one of my all time favourite musical for the fifth time, Chicago. It's currently on tour and if you get the chance to see it, do it. The songs, the choreography, it's just an amazing musical!

My first favourite has to be Gossip Girl, one of my all time favourite TV shows. I've just started watching it for the third time and it's so damn addictive! The cast, the clothes, the locations, it's pure glamour and scandal. It also makes me want to book atrip to New York SO badly. Damn you adult responsibilities. For anyone without the boxset, you can find the complete series on Netflix.

For Christmas, I got a new bottle of Marc Jacobs Daisy. I'm s excited to start wearing this now we're into spring, it's feminine and floral with a beautiful bottle, so pretty for the dressing table!

For my lips, when I want something to pair with a heavier eye, I love my Bobbi Brown Luxe Lipstick in Pale Mauve, it's a light pink with a lovely creamy formula and such beautiful packaging that it does indeed feel very luxe! I love how smooth this feels, moisturising yet still with great pigmentation.

Another fragrance that I adore, possibly my all time favourite, is Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede. No, it's not cheap, but I totally think Jo Malone colognes are worth the price. They last so much longer on the skin than any perfume I have ever tried and the scent is so unique. It's floral but definitely not sickly thanks to the top note of red apple. This scent is so perfect for Spring!

As shown in my Spring Pinks post, I'm really enjoying lighter, more sheer and moisturising lipsticks, so step in the Revlon Lip Butter in 080 Strawberry Shortcake. This is a lovely and fresh pink that leaves a light glossy sheen and tint of colour. My lips have been a little dry recently and so I've been religiously applying the Lush Bubblegum lip scrub to get rid of any dry skin before I apply my lip products. This is a sugar scrub and so it tastes so good, it's the best lip scrub I've tried and makes lipsticks go on so much smoother.

Also, shoutout to Stylist , definitely the best free magazine around, pick it up if you see one!

I've switched up my foundation for the first time in months, my skin has been quite dry recently and so my usual matte options just aren't working for me. I've shopped my stash and rediscovered Bourjois Healthy Mix, a foundation I used to find far too dewy, but now it's perfect for covering any dry patches and leaves my skin with the perfect amount of moisture. The coverage is medium and the best part is it's under a tenner! My go to setting powder has been the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder in Fair. espite what I just said about the recent state of my skin, overall I am still definitely on the oily side and so I do love a powder to set things. This powder is so light weight and fine, it never looks thick and cakey on the skin no matter how much you apply. I've had this powder for ages and use it daily and I've only just hit pan in the middle so although it's pricey, I definitely think it's worth it. It also helps that it's housed in a dreamy rose gold compact!

Now it's getting warmer, I want to start using a good body moisturiser for when I eventually get my pins out. I love the BodyShop Body Butters and this month I've been using the strawberry one, it's super sweet in scent, which I know some people don't like but I LOVE. It smells like delicious strawberry starburst (such a child, I know). The BodyShop Body Butters are so thick and buttery, leaving a long lasting softness to the skin and the scent lingers for ages. If strawberry isn't your thing, they'll definitely have a scent for you!

Of course, there was also Easter this weekend and I may have eaten more creme eggs and packets of mini eggs than I care to admit over the course of the month! I think I'm currently in some sort of chocolate coma. My favourite egg has to be the beautiful Arendelle Castle from Frozen. You're never to old for Disney right? I hope you all had a wonderful and Easter if you celebrate it. Now I'm off to eat that family of Lindt bunnies... mwahaha.

No comments

, by DaisyCovets

Lifestyle

Easter Nest Cupcakes

Easter weekend is in full swing and I spent today whipping up these devilish cupcakes for tomorrow's festivities! I thought I'd put my mini egg addiction to good use and also, I couldn't resist these adorable cases I found in TK Maxx! That place is full of so many treasures, I love it.

The cupcake and frosting recipe is another from the Hummingbird bakery as I find them to be the best and most reliable. These chocolate cupcakes are made extra special with crumbled up Cadbury's flakes and Cadbury's Mini Eggs to create an adorable Easter nest!

For the cupcakes, you will need:

100g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
A pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting, you will need:

300g icing sugar
100g unsalted butter at room temperature
40g cocoa powder
40ml whole milk

For the decoration, you will need:

2 Cadbury's flakes (maybe 3 if you're a serious chocolate lover)
1 bag of Cadbury's Mini Eggs

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a12 hole cupcake tray with your cases of choice.

Put the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a bowl and mix until everything is combined.

In a jug, whisk the egg, milk and vanilla extract together and slowly add half into the flour mixture. Make sure there are no lumps and everything is incorporated before adding the other half. Keep mixing until it is smooth.

Spoon the mixture into the cases until they are 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes. The sponge should bounce back when touched and a skewer inserted should come out clean.

For the frosting, ad the icing sugar, butter and cocoa powder into a bowl and mix until combined. Add the milk bit by bit until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Once the cakes have completely cooled, spoon or pipe the buttercream onto each cake in a rough circle, making sure the middle is quite flat. Using a sharp knife, cut up the flake roughly so there are different sized pieces. Place as much as desired on top of the cake, leaving out the middle. Then, press two mini eggs into the centre of the frosting, pushing them down slightly to give the illusion of a nest.

These cupcakes are a seriously delicious treat and perfect for an Easter afternoon tea!

No comments

, by DaisyCovets

Beauty

Spring Pinks

Happy first official day of spring! I'm so excited for the warmer weather and to finally stop wearing my huge parka coat! Pink is my favourite colour all year round but especially in spring, it's just the perfect colour for make up to look fresh, healthy and glowing.

I've always had a thing for pink blush and I've got a couple of fairly recent discoveries to share with you, for something subtle and glowing, I adore the Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in 05 Lovely Pink, which acts as a hghlighter and blush. Then there's the Too Faced Love Flush Blush in Justfy My Love, a beautiful brightening pink that has a tiny amount of shimmer. This blush is the prettiest one I've ever seen (I'm going to try and keep that beautiful pattern intact for as long as possible! Also, notice the bunnies- ideal for spring!) and has good lasting power on the skin.

For lips, I've been enjoying something a little more sheer and glossy, moving away from the heavier matte lips of winter. I love the Revlon Lip Butter in 080 Strawberry Shortcake, an old favourite of mine. Lip butters are perfect when you want a sheer wash of colour and moisture, but nothing too heavy and pigmented. For something with more of a glossy texture, I absolutely adore the Clarins Instant Light natural Lip Perfector in 01. This feels so comfortable on my lips and gives such a lovely glossy finish without feeling sticky. This is by far my favourite lip gloss formula of all time!

On the eyes, I've rediscovered my Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, a dreamy selection of rosy tones. My favourite shades are Dust and Burnout, beautiful shimmery pinks that look seriously pretty all over the lid. For something in a cream formula, another old discovery is the Bourjois Colourband Eyeshadow Stick in Rose Fauviste, a stunning rose gold. The pencil formula makes it so easy to swipe and go.

I know I've already done a post on my spring nail picks but I couldn't resist adding another Essie beauty to the mix. Lovie Dovie is described as a "perfect flamingo pink" that is bright but not too Barbie bright. Then there is Fiji, a cult classic for a reason, a stunning pale pink that is so delicate and perfect for Spring.

No comments

, by DaisyCovets

Beauty

Spring Nails

No comments

, by DaisyCovets

Beauty

How To Stop Buying So Much Make Up By a Self Confessed Beauty Addict

Confession: I haven't bought any new make up since before Christmas. For me, that is a ground breaking achievement. 2016 is the year I decided to really evaluate my spending habits and start being more responsible with my money. I'm putting a decent chunk into my savings every month, as well as putting some aside for my holiday and a whole host of other boring adult things. YAAAAAWN. So, that doesn't leave lots of spare cash for pretty pink lipsticks. The thing is, I have so many lipsticks, if I keep buying them, I'll never even get the chance to use them all and actually appreciate what I have. It's made me realise that I should be spending my money on things I need, or experiences and memories, things that will give me that happy, elated feeling for a bit longer.

Now, don't get me wrong, I will ALWAYS be a beauty addict and there have been several moments when I have been so close to caving and buying make up, but I've somehow miraculously managed to resist (it's definitely been made easier by my lovely mother who bought me the UD Gwen Stefani palette and some bits from the Rosie for Autograph collection- what a doll). That being said, I've actually found it easier than I thought, I'm not going to ban myself from buying make up ever again because guuuurl I love a cat flick and flawless base way too much, but I'm definitely going to be buying less make up, making sure every purchase is well thought out and something that's missing in my make up collection. So, for any fellow make up addicts out there, here are I've learnt a few tips along the way:

Shop your Stash. When you have the urge to try something new, check out your existing collection. If you're anything like me, you'll definitely have some products you've forgotten about and in rediscovering them, it will feel like you've got something brand new!
Research your Purchases. Long gone are the days when I'd go crazy in boots, buying all the new launches and taking advantage of the special offers. Now, before I buy anything, I make sure I've read several reviews and really assessed whether the product will work for me. This means, when I do buy something, 99% of the time I love it and it's money well spent.
Can you Dupe it? Recently, when I was considering buying a new eye shadow palette, I realised I had dupes for almost all of the shades in other palettes. Think about it, there are only so many different types of bronze eye shadow and even then, they all look pretty similar.
Will you use it? Don't be suckered in by pretty packaging and special offers, how often are you really gonna wear that navy eye shadow? Be real, you do a smoky eye like twice a year and even then, you use the same 3 shades. It's ok to have a make up comfort zone, if you know what suits you, don't be afraid to stick to it.

So, hopefully now I'm moving towards a new, more streamlined make up collection with products that I really appreciate and use regularly. I mean, I still have a make up wish list in the notes of my phone that's as long as my arm, but I'm going through every product, reviewing it carefully to make sure I really want it and when I do make my purchases, I'll be sure to blog about them.