Eyeshadow Experimenting!

Hi everyone!
 So yesterday evening I suddenly got the urge to brush up on my eyeshadow skills. I only recently started using it, so I'm not brilliant, but I really enjoyed trying some new things!

They're both very different looks, perhaps one for the day time and one for the evening? The photo quality isn't so great, which I apologise for!

On the right eye, I started off with a goldy-bronze shimmery colour and brushed it all over my lid. I then packed on a gold shadow close to the inner corner area and blended the two together. In the crease I put a bit of bronzer, just to define the lid a little.

For the left eye, I started off with quote a dark purpley colour all over my eyelid, blending it out a little. I put a lighter purple shimmer (slightly silver) into the inner third of the eyelid, just to brighten it a little. Again, just to add a bit more depth I brushed some black eyeshadow into the outer corner and crease and blended!

The products I used are as follows:
- Right Eye:
Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 2 - £4
Rimmel London Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paint (Shade 005 Golden Bronze) - £4.79
SEVENTEEN Define & Conquer Contour Kit - £5.99
- Left Eye:
Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 2 - £4
- Mascara
Rimmel Scandaleyes Volume Flash Mascara - £6.99

I'm just an eyeshadow beginner, so if you have any good recommendations, please let me know!
Yasmin x

Review | Seventeen Lip Crayon

Hi everyone!
I'm a complete sucker for a good lip crayon. I find them generally easier to apply than a lipstick, and they're usually pretty moisturising. This one is from Seventeen. I'd never tried any of their products before, so I kind of bought it on impulse. Not good for my diminishing bank balance, although it was a great price!

I love a classic red lip look, and this is a pretty solid choice. It has a very moisturising formula, and there's a hint of glitter in there, which is always a good thing! It isn't an especially bold red colour, slightly coral in fact, but it's quite buildable, so it can create a variety of looks. Dab a tiny bit on for just a hint of colour if you prefer a very natural look, or layer it up to create a powerful, bright red. I think this product would look amazing with a very minimal eye look, maybe a winged eyeliner and a few layers of mascara.

Overall, I think this is a great product. It's a gorgeous colour and I love the formula. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a shinier red lip. It's also an insane bargain! Nice one Seventeen!

SEVENTEEN Lip Crayon: The Coral of the Story - £2.00 

What is your favourite lip product?

Yasmin x

Review | Bourjois So Laque & 2True Nail Care

I don't know if anyone knows, but I am a HUGE nail polish enthusiast. I absolutely love them. I've only recently discovered this, so I have a rather minuscule collection. However, I do have a favourite.

 These two are a killer combination. 2True Base coat and Ridgefiller underneath, and then Bourjois So Laque over the top. Beautiful.

 I always make sure to use a base coat, as this evens out the surface of the nail and improves the wear of the polish. If you're using this particular one, make sure to allow it to dry completely before applying nail polish because if its still a bit wet, you'll have a big mess all over your nails! (trust me, this happened the other day)
  2True Nail Care: Base coat & Ridgefiller - £2.29
 Bourjois So Laque is brilliant. It's pretty fast drying and has quite a high shine on it. One the bottle it says it can last up to 7 days, but I find it usually lasts around 10-12, which is a bonus! The one I have is a gorgeous nudey-pink colour that pretty much goes with everything. Thumbs up from me! Its quite pricey, but definitely worth it!
  Bourjois So Laque Ultra Shine in Beige Glamour - £5.99

What nail polishes do you like? I want to know!
Yasmin x

Food | Snickerdoodles

Hello everyone! Here's a recipe for some tasty biscuits!

Ingredients:
For the biscuits
300g/1½ caster/granulated sugar
225g/15 tbsp salted butter, softened
2 eggs
345g/ 2⅔  plain/all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking powder
For the cinnamon coating
50g/¼  cup caster/granulated sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon

4 baking sheets, lined with baking paper (or you could just reuse the same two)

makes around 60 biscuits

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Cream the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the eggs and sift in the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the mixture starts to come together, then use your hands to form a dough. Put the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, or the freezer for 15 if you are in a hurry (or just impatient!), to firm up.
 While you are waiting, make the cinnamon coating. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl until they are well combined.
 Dust your hands with flour and roll the dough between your hands into hazelnut sized pieces (I actually made them quite a bit bigger than hazelnuts because who has the willpower to make a million little balls? Not me!). Roll each ball in the coating and place onto the baking sheets and flatten slightly with a palette knife. Make sure they are around 5cm apart as they spread quite a bit.
 Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

These biscuits are so moreish, and are perfect for people who are about the plain biscuit life. I think they're quite the crowd-pleaser! I did think that there were quite a large amount of biscuits made, so if you'd like a small batch then just half the measurements (or alternatively just give some to your neighbours!). Enjoy!
Yasmin x

OOTD | Eid Monochrome

Hi everyone!
So as you might have known, it was Eid over this weekend, which means new clothes! I absolutely adore shopping, but I had to stop myself from buying everything I saw. I wanted clothes that looked quite stylish, but you can dress them down. Plus comfort was a necessity! Without further ado, here's where I got each piece, starting from the top!

Sunglasses: New Look - £5.99
Scarf: The Islamic Establishment - £2.50
Striped Crop Top: Topshop - £10 (on sale)
Vest Cardigan: Primark - £8
Bag: New Look - £15
Jeans: New Look - £22.99
Ankle Boots: New Look - £22 (on sale)
Nails: Primark - £1

You might be able to see that New Look is one of my favourite shops! I find it has a brilliant variety of styles, and a good amount of clothing sizes. Do leave a comment!
Yasmin x

Favourites | Jewellery

I'm not really a person for wearing a lot of jewellery, so when I do wear any its usually stuff that I really love. I have a few pieces here that are definitely my favourites at the moment.
The bracelet at the top was given to me by my eldest sister when she came to visit a few years back. Its vintage and such a lovely piece. The detailing on it is incredible and I find it really works with more simple outfits.
The adorable owl ring to the left was also a gift, from one of my other sisters. I'm not sure where its from, but it has definitely been well worn! It's quite a big ring, so it doesn't really need other chunky jewellery to go with it.
The paper airplane necklace is definitely my favourite necklace. I saw it in Taylor Swift's Style music video and thought it was such a cool piece, so I decided I had to buy it! Obviously it's just a cheap knock-off version, but it works! I bought it off eBay for £0.99.
The ear cuff is, for me, quite a different choice. Normally I wouldn't have bought it, as I'm much more of a stud person myself, but I thought why not? Looking at it now, I would prefer it if the backing was silver rather than gold, but the leaf shaped gems are really beautiful! I bought this from New Look for £2.99.
What are your jewellery staples?
Yasmin x

Gelato Village Issimo Launch!

Hi everyone!
So last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of Gelato Village's new ice cream flavour range. Its called the Issimo range and it's absolutely glorious. The flavours are so incredibly delicious, I honestly love them so much.

 The first sorbetto we tried was Kiwi, Coconut and Lime. I haven't eaten kiwi in a long because it always makes my mouth swell up, so it was quite nostalgic to taste it again! The combination of kiwi and coconut ice cream is amazing, and I would never have thought they would go together, but oit really works! It's all natural, and you can really tell. There was a lime sauce rippled through it which really cut through the sweetness of the ice cream. SO good!

 The second ice cream we tried was called Cremina.This one had a slightly citrusy flavour, and the texture was really smooth and creamy as it was made with eggs. It had a chocolate hazelnut sauce running through it, and, coming from someone who doesn't like hazelnuts, it was absolutely divine. It was a favourite among the people at my table, which is understandable because it's rather amazing!

 Now this beauty here is the Yin and Yang sorbettos. The pink one is a raspberry sorbet with grated chocolate in it. It's so sharp and.. Well, raspberry-ish? It's made with fresh raspberries, and as it's only available while they're in season, you'd better get your hands on it before it goes forever! The brown one, as you might have guessed, is chocolate. A dark chocolate sorbetto that is. This one was my favourite out of all the flavours. Normally I can be a bit funny about chocolate ice cream, but as this was a sorbet it was nothing like an ice cream. It was much less sickly and sweet. It had a very intense flavour, but it wasn't cloying or anything which was nice for a change. Honestly I can't praise this one enough. We were told that they were meant to be eaten together. Now think how highly I praised them as individuals. Together they were like a party in my mouth. Honestly, the two contrasting flavours married so well it was ridiculous. The sharp raspberry with intense chocolate hit was just a match made in heaven.
After trying all the ice creams on their own, we got to have a sneaky look in the kitchen to see how the most basic ice cream was made. The Stracciatella.

 It was really interesting to see how the machines worked, and how the ice cream was put into the tub (for me anyway. I find it so amazing how precise it all is). The machine that churned and froze the mixture was insane, it had all these different options on it, and the ice cream was finished in around five minutes! It was a bit of a tight fit in the kitchen as it was quite small, and we created an accidental obstacle course for the poor trainee who was making everything!

 These three masterpieces are the new sundaes, or coppas. Looking back on them now makes me want to eat them all over again. To the left is the Coppa Massimo. It was the Cremino ice cream with whipped cream, chocolate hazelnut sauce and chopped nuts sprinkled over the top. Of course it was delicious, I mean how can you go wrong? In the middle is the beauty that is the Yin and Yang Coppa. Pure deliciousness (the Yin and Yang sorbets) with whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Obviously it was my favourite sundae. To the right is the Kiwi, Coconut and Lime sorbet, with a scoop of Fruits of the Forest (Frutti De Bosco I think? Correct me if I'm wrong..), served with whipped cream, fresh kiwi and fresh strawberries. I was so happy when I saw the strawberries as they're my favourite fruit, and they worked so well with the kiwi ice cream!

 The last thing we had from the new menu was this insane Yin and Yang waffle. Now if you know me, you'll know I love waffles. I could eat them all day, every day. So when I found out that waffles were on the menu I was overjoyed. I can 100% say I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. The waffles were freshly made and smelt amazing. The ice creams, as I'm sure you know by now, were delicious. I was unsure about the balsamic vinegar drizzled over the top, but I was pleasantly surprised, as it added a tanginess I didnt know it needed. All together it really became the ideal dessert. Mana from heaven indeed! We did get given the option to try the other waffles, which looked insanely good, but by this time I was in an ice cream coma so I had to decline. I kind of wish I hadn't...
 At the end we were offered hot drinks. I was interested to see if the drinks were as up to standard as the ice cream, so I opted for a Latte, which is my general option when I drink coffee (other than sugary frappes...). The coffee was really good, so I finished the night on a high! My sister tried the hot chocolate which was divine (I reccomend it!). Just before we left, we tried that stracciatelli ice cream from earlier in the evening, and yes, it was brilliant. Very creamy. If you prefer plainer ice creams, then I'd definitely suggest that!
 I am honestly so grateful that I was invited by the people of Gelato Village to this event. The service was on point, and everyone was so lovely, always checking if we were happy and enjoying ourselves. Thank you for having us, and for being awesome! I had a great time and I'll definitely be coming back to raid your kitchen! Gelato Village is in St. Martin's Square, Leicester. If you get the chance, check it out! You wont be disappointed!
Yasmin x