No Carbs before Marbs ♥

Hey lovelies,

I'm sure many of you know about all of the bikini body faddy diets and some of you may have even tried some before, but as someone who rarely sticks to any diets and really just eats what I want, I didn't want to go for something that meant I couldn't have proper food or proper meals. I'm not overweight but I have noticed the pounds creeping on lately, as I've finished Uni and come home to a permanently full fridge and cupboards and I've been on holiday to Turkey, where I obviously didn't begrudge myself any treats. So I thought, to feel a bit better about myself in time for my second holiday to Spain, I'd give up carbs for four weeks and exercise more often (I rarely exercise, the gym is not my friend) and see if it made a difference.

As someone who never weighs herself, I'm not going to bother with the scales as I'll be able to notice and feel if I've lost any weight and I can normally just tell in the mirror. I'm also going to try and eat 'little and often' as it's apparently the best way to lose weight, although I already find this hard as I normally consider weight loss to mean cutting back on what you're eating, so eating like this really does seem like cheating, but we'll see.

I'll update weekly to report on how I feel I'm progressing, if at all (I hope it does help a bit otherwise I'll get to my holiday with no change except a waste of 4 weeks! Ahhh) and tell you how easy/difficult - probably difficult - I'm finding it!

Wish me luck!

P.S. If anyone has done this successfully before and has any tips to share, please let me know, as anything to make it a bit easier is welcome! 

x

*Picture taken from http://indian-teenage.in/balanced-diet/

Holiday Outfits ♥

Hey lovelies,

Thought I'd do a cheeky little post about a few of the outfits I wore in Turkey, as I haven't done an OOTD post for a while. I got a few things before I went away - actually,  pretty much all the things I'm wearing on the pictures are new. Ooops. But that does mean they may still be hanging around in the shops, especially in the 'Buy now or regret it later' sections.

Left: Dress Topshop, Belt: Primark, Sandals (Last Year): Primark, Necklace: Topshop

Right: Bandeau: Primark, Skirt: Topshop, Feather Sandals: Primark

Left: Dress: Topshop: Belt: Primark 

Middle: Dress: Topshop, Vans: Sister's Boyfriend :P

Right: Sunglasses: Primark, Bralet: Topshop, Sheer Maxi Skirt (Looks like trousers because of the wind): Topshop, Bag: Primark

These are a few of my favourite outfits that I wore out in the evenings. Obviously the bottom middle picture is a bit of a joke, I didn't actually wear huge size 10 vans with my dress, I actually teamed it with my feather sandals. All the outfits had to be floaty and cool enough to bear the hot Turkish nights so I opted for more skirts and dresses than shorts or playsuits this time. My fave outfit was the bottom right as I adore the straps on the top and my new skirt which is sheer from half way down the thigh. Oh, and it even has slits up the sides - perfect for the infamous Angelina Jolie leg pose ;)

What do you think of my holiday outfits?

x

How to: Giant Birthday Cupcake ♥

Hey lovelies,

So yesterday was my lovely mamas birthday and next week is my twin sisters birthday too, so as a little joint/early for my sisters treat I thought I'd make a giant cupcake birthday cake. I've seen them in lots of bakeries yet have never actually tried one but I found a mould in a catering shop so I thought I'd give it a try with my boyfriend. Finding recipes for a cupcake that big turned out to be quite difficult as each one seemed to say different amounts and the mould didn't have any instructions on it, so we ended up making it up a bit as we went along and working it out as best we could for ourselves, but luckily it worked and was deeeelish!

Unfortunately I haven't got pictures of every stage because some we got a bit ahead of ourselves and just carried on, but there are a few for you to check your progress :)

What you will need to make the cake we made:

A Giant Cupcake Mould 

250 grams of Self Raising Flour

250 grams of Unsalted Butter

250 grams of Caster Sugar

5 Eggs

4 tablespoons of Milk

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Buttercream fondant icing 

Pink (any colour of your choice) food colouring.

Cake decorations

Piping bag

Preheat oven to 200'c

Step 1: Cream the butter and caster sugar together until a smooth paste is formed

Step 2: Add one egg at a time with a little bit of flour and beat

Step 3: Add 1 tspn of Vanilla Extract and fold in the rest of the flour

Step 4: Add milk and continue to fold until the mixture is more smooth and liquid-y and easy to pour into moulds.

Step 5: Equally distribute the mixture into the top and bottom parts of the mould and place the bottom mould into the preheated oven first for 10 minutes, as this is slightly thicker and needs more time.

Step 6: After 10 minutes, place the top mould into the oven for 35 minutes.

Step 7: Icing - If you're cheating a little with the icing, like us, then pour the buttercream icing into a mixing bowl and add a few drops of food colouring, adding more when required in order to get the colour you desire.

Step 8: When the cake is ready, leave to cool before taking out of the moulds.

Step 9: Using a serrated knife, slice the bottom mould where it has risen, to make a flat surface for the top mould to sit on. Do this for the top mould as well, so that the top sits comfortably on the bottom.

Step 10: If you wish, you can add some of the buttercream icing to 'glue' the parts together like we did.

Step 11: Using a spatula, evenly coat the base of the cupcake in the buttercream icing so that all of it is covered.

Step 12: For the top, using icing in a different colour (or the same if you prefer), pour the icing into a piping bag and ice the top layer in whatever pattern you wish.

Step 13: Decorate the cake using flowers, hearts, sprinkles or whatever takes your fancy and carefully take off the messy icing plate to make it look neater(or just wipe the edges). Now share with the world and enjoy :)

         

Such a simple recipe for something that looks really complicated. I'd say the whole thing takes about two hours though with the decorating being so precise so quite a lot of time and effort is required. :) Happy Baking.

Have you ever made this before? Do you think you'll be attempting this yourself at home? 

x

Wednesday Wishlist #2 ♥

Hey beauties

I haven't done one of these for a while because I've been shopping a fair bit recently but I have my eye on a few things for my next holiday and just general wear at the moment I thought I'd display them all in a little post :).

Left to right: Necklace- Topshop, Dress - Sugarhill Boutique, Skirt - Missguided.co.uk, Playsuit - Missguided.co.uk, Shorts- Missguided.co.uk, Hand chain - Topshop, Blouse - Topshop,  Colour change nail polish - Barry M,  Stacked ring - Topshop, Playsuit - Topshop, Shard ring - Topshop, Peplum top - Topshop, Shoes - Topshop, Skirt - Missguided.co.uk, Shorts - Topshop

Unfortunately I don't think the tiny amount I have in my bank account will stretch to all of these straight away so I think I'll have to pick out some favourites, although I think they're all perfect for my upcoming holiday to Spain at the end of August.

What do you think of my wishlist?

x

Instagram Snooping #2 and Life Update ♥

Hello lovely followers,

I hope you're all good, I've been on a little blog break recently, as I've just been so busy, so thanks for hanging in there! I thought I'd ease myself back into blogging and just give a little update on a couple of the things that have happened in the past month or so and my recent Instagram pictures, because everyone loves to be nosey don't they?

So a few updates:

1) My lovely boyfriend is back from his year studying abroad, happy days! I even went to the effort of making a huuuge banner to say welcome home and held it up at the airport with my sisters and cousin just to see his little cheeks go red. Gotta love embarrassing the other half every now again ;)

2) I took the plunge and treated myself to HD brows. I wasn't sure about them at first because I thought they were really dark and I'd just had my hair dyed lighter but since having them done I can't bear my eyebrows looking so light or being out of shape. Definitely worth it, and I only paid £20 as it was my first time there - winner!

3) I went to Kusadasi in Turkey for two weeks with my family, we had such a lovely time chilling out and it was amazingly hot which was obviously great but it means I've been desperately trying to save my tan since being home.

4) I got a First Class Honours degree and I found out on holiday, cue lots of celebrations and biiiiiig smiles, just need to wait to graduate in November! NOVEMBER! I'm sitting here looking at everyone else's gorgeous graduation photos getting desperate for mine. Mainly just excited for the hat and gown to be honest.

And here's a few pictures of my life since June :)

1) Packing for Turkey 2) New gel nails 3) Yummy cupcakes 4) New Revlon Lip Butter 5) Playing with fake eyebrows and moustaches 6) New Mac lipstick in 'Snob' 7) Me and the Boy 8) Very rainy driving 9) Cheeky duty free purchase 10) View of the pool in Turkey 11) Degree results 12) Balloons from the boy 13) OOTD last night in Turkey 14) Blue mondays 15) Caviar Manicure 16) Marie Claire freebie 17) Shoe shopping 18) 50 shades of Grey 19) Cosy night in 20) BBQ 21) Cringe message sent to the boy's Nan 22) New Revlon Lip Stain 23) Inpromptu Olympics shindig 24) Thinspiration 25) New lipstick holder


Instagram name: zoenaylor1 - feel free to follow me for lots of daily photo updates

Will be back to usual beauty blogging from tomorrow. What have you all been doing since I've been away? 

x

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation: Review ♥

Hello lovelies,

I bought the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation a few months ago as an alternative to my Estée Lauder Double Wear Light, as I wanted something that was a little bit more lightweight (as well as being cheaper) for the good skin days when I didn't need too much coverage or when I was only going to lectures or other day to day things that didn't require a full face of make up.

After it being recommended to me by my housemate and around 40 minutes in Superdrug swatching about a million other foundations I took the plunge and bought it. I was sceptical at first as I didn't think anything would  be comparable to the coverage or finish my Estée Lauder gives, but I was surprised at how natural and blend-able the make up was, whilst still offering a good medium coverage. I chose the shade 103, True Ivory as the closest match to my skin and I found that it applied really easily to my skin and didn't make me look caked in make up at all. I really like the dewy finish as it does make you look more awake and fresh-faced, it's also perfect for my skin which is sometimes prone to dryness and gives it a glow, so maybe those with oily skin wouldn't find it as good because of the dewy and anti-fatigue properties.

The smell is also lovely as it's quite fruity and refreshing for applying in the morning, and I find that it's pretty long lasting as well, which is a massive bonus for me, as I hate when I get half way through the day to find my make up has rubbed off. I sometimes set it with my MAC mineralize skin finish if I know that I need my make up to stay in place longer or I don't want the dewy effect as much and it stays put for the day. Overall a great high street alternative to my Double Wear Light :) and considering I wear it most days and I bought it a few months back, I've still got quite a lot left which is great because a little goes a long way.

This foundation retails at £8.99, and here's some pictures of how it looks on the skin with no powders or blushers on top :) *these pictures had to be taken inside because of the weather, but it will probably feature in most OOTD's which are taken outside*

Have you ever tried this foundation? What is your go-to high street foundation? 

Estée Lauder Day Wear: Review

Hellooo,

I recently gave in to temptation and bought the Estée Lauder Idealist Pore minimizing Skin Refinisher, I bought it online and chose the set, so that I could get a pot of the Day Wear moisturiser as well. I've been using my Liz Earle skin repair religiously since I took the leap and started using the Cleanse and Polish in April as I find it works amazingly on my skin. I have normal/combination skin and sometimes feel that the areas around my chin and nose get a bit dry so I like a product which is deeply nourishing and moisturising but not oily.

I've loved Estée Lauder since I bought my Double Wear Light and the mega-hyped-about Advanced Night Repair is amazing, so I thought I'd expand my collection and add a couple more beauties to the box. The Day Wear cream is just as lovely as I expected! It claims to diminish and prevent against early signs of ageing, which is always a bonus, even though I am only 21 it's never too early to protect against fine lines and dullness. It also contains SPF 15 which is perfect for the summer months and means I don't have to smother my skin in oily sun creams before applying my make up.

The moisturiser, although being super moisturising and hydrating, is really light, which again, is perfect for the summer months where my skin benefits from something a bit more lightweight rather than being slathered in a thick moisturiser which takes a while to soak in. It instantly hydrates the skin and leaves the skin looking fresh and glowing without it feeling oily on the surface, so make up can be applied pretty much straight after. It also has a refreshing cucumber scent so is lovely as a wake up in the morning, which is when I tend to use this cream. It can also be used in the evening, however, I still stick to my Liz Earle cleanse and polish routine at the moment because it really works for me.

I would recommend this moisturiser to anyone who wants a lightweight moisturiser which is still deeply nourishing and hydrating, and I think it's perfect for the summer months.

This retails at £37.00 for 50ml, but I got mine in a set with the Idealist Serum and also the ANR eye serum for £38.00 - well worth it!

Have you ever tried this moisturiser? What's your favourite?

x