Getting back on track, cakes, life updates and sorts

Hello everyone!

So I definitely haven't blogged for about a month. Which is quite unforgivable really. The only excuse I have is that I had such a busy July! I've also been quite down and not felt up to writing some days, but I feel a bit better now. 

Apologies if you're not in the UK, I'm sure you've been reading it everywhere, but WOW has it been hot! I am a sun LOVER, so have definitely been in my element in this heat! I blogged about our first BBQ of the year a few weeks ago, before the sunny weather had really picked up, and since then, I've lost count of how many BBQ's I've eaten. I just love sitting out on the swing chair, cider in hand, with the food flaming away nicely! That was until the bbq caught fire. We haven't had one since. You can imagine my devastation I'm sure. Haha.

I've attended a friends leaving party (off to work at Universal Singapore for 13 months!) my best friends 21st birthday, getting my cakes back on track, work work work, gym gym gym, and sorting out somewhere to live for when I move away for work in October! I just don't know where July went. 

I've taken a ton of photos this month but as they'd be highly out of context now, I don't feel like posting a backlog of pictures, but I thought I'd share with you some examples of the cake pops I've been baking. They are too yummy, (if I do say so myself!) I need to update my cake page on fb, which you can find at the link above if you're interested. 

So, I'm back, and I'm setting myself a challenge to post a picture of something every day. I am yet to decide on the theme....I've got a few hours yet...hmmm....any ideas would be good! 

Ooh, and check back in a few minutes because I HAVE to share with you the amazing sandals I treated myself to! 

Over and out for now, 

Sammy xo

Sunny Sunday! Time to relax.

Hello again lovely readers!

It was a hot and sunny sunday yesterday which could mean only one thing - BBQ!

Nobody can be unhappy when its warm. Even the dogs were smiling - look at Bailey. :) It was just such a laidback day; my family and Rob just relaxing in the sun, drinks in hand, music playing, the bbq...bbq-ing...everything you want a summer afternoon to be. We also made a start on Robs best man speech for his friends wedding in October. They are really hard to write! Especially to make them funny. But I think we're off to a good start. 

I'm going to post a link to the recipe for the Mars Bar dip we had last night in place of a standard chocolate fondue. I have to say that it's not looking as good as it tastes in that photo! There are still chunks of un-melted Mars bar, but seriously, the taste is lushhhh. Strawberries were definitely the favourite to dip, too.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Did anyone else waste away their sunday in the garden like me?

Sammy xo

London Adventures // Photossss

Hello everyone <3
The weather must have been listening to me; it's finally sunny and warm, and I can wear summer clothes! Hooray! We are preparing for an epic bbq this afternoon. There is so much food in my house right now, I'm so excited, I love bbq food, especially when the weather is this perfect. It's funny, because you can just imagine the amount of bbq's happening today; everyone running out to get food, burger buns, cider. Any of you having one today too? I can't believe that I'm the only one. :) I'm also happy, because I'm wearing a new shirt I got in the H&M sale the other day, it's mint green and really light; perfect for a warm day. Photos later!

So back to this post. Yesterday, me and Rob decided to have a tourist day out in London. We do this every now and then. I'm in London every week for work and stuff, but I never venture round being a tourist, so I like to do it once in a while! I wore my new white woven vest, H&M sale, (£5, winning) black trainer wedges and black leggings, both Primark, and my vintage gold chain necklace that I match with everything. :)

Our first stop was to Covent Garden for lunch at Bar and Grill 'Maxwells'. American burgers and grill with my favourite - cocktails! Rob of course found Purple Rain on the menu again and ordered that, and I went for a Baileys Banana Colada. It was basically an alcoholic milkshake, and it was goooood. Once we'd done the rounds here, we headed towards Picadilly, for Hollister and Gilly Hicks. I was overwhelmed by the amount of underwear and bikinis. I can't not buy underwear, I just love it, so I had to exercise some real self-restraint not to buy everything I laid eyes on. I'm glad I did though, because there's a 70% sale online right now.... yay!
When we arrived in Picadilly, we noticed that it was really busy, busier than normal. What we didn't realise was that we had arrived slap bang in the middle of the London Pride parade! There were so many people, and it was a great atmosphere, but it was too crowded for that sort of heat, so we decided it was best to move on.
Now, I discovered the other day that Rob had never been to Harrods. I found this quite unreal. I've only been there like 3 times in my life, but I've still been and experienced it, so I decided it was my moral duty for Rob go and actually see Harrods! As expected, it was also crazily busy, but we went on the Egyptian Escalator, up to the pet spa, (where we saw baby Billy and Baileys, eeek!) and around the Food Halls. They had these incredible meringues, I think I got a photo of the raspberry and dark chocolate meringue. I really regret not buying one now. Oh well, we'll just have to go back... ;)
As we were in the area, we also went to the Natural History Museum (I did warn you about it being a seriously touristy day) and went round the Dinosaur bit, because we are just that cool. Haha.
Once we'd finished checking out the dino's, we went to Kings Cross and went to the Harry Potter shop! (I'm not sure if I've mentioned that I have a teeny tiny obsession with HP? I don't think obsessions a strong enough word, if that gives you a hint.) Anyway...we went and had a look at what was on offer in there. It was okay, had a few good things in it, but wasn't a patch on Harry Potter land in Florida, or the Warner Bros tour. I'm not making myself sound too cool here am I. I've revealed too much. Let's just get off of this topic now before you all leave me!
We then headed to a pub and enjoyed a cider over ice, which was just what the doctor ordered. Normally I'd go for Brothers Strawberry Cider, but if that's not available, Rekorderlig Strawberry & Lime is just as good. They've recently brought out a limited edition Passion fruit one, which could actually be my new favourite. Anyone else a cider drinker? Let me know what your favourite is, I love trying new ones! Like, what's that Toffee Apple one about?!

My feet are aching today, but it was totally worth it. So good to wander around with Rob and discover new places to go!

I have to go and make a start on this BBQ now. I'm hungry! Let me know what you're doing with your sunny sunday! It's too nice to stay indoors. :)

I'll be back later on, to seriously get on with posting my haul from in the week, and todays bbq food, for example, a Mars Bar dip for strawberrys, marshmallows etc. (Yes, it's as good as it sounds!)

Sammy xo

Skin and Make up tips for battling HAYFEVER!

Hello lovely readers, 

Again, I must apologise for the infrequency of my posts this week - there's been a lot going on, but I'm nearly  back on track now! 

Well, it's definitely hayfever season. I feel sorry for anyone who is suffering like I am. There isn't enough piriteze in the world to get rid of this! I find that not only do I get the funny throat, and watery eyes and nose that is standard with hayfever; it also wreaks havoc with my skin. I'm sure I'm not the only one? I thought I'd post some of my best tips for advice if your skin is messed up by season changes/hayfever, too. 

- Allergy Tablets. 

Okay, so while this isn't a beauty tip or quick fix, an allergy tablet before you go to sleep, and when you wake up is definitely the first step to tackling watery or puffy eyes. If you can get these under control, you're onto a winner. It's bad enough when you're out, and the wind causes your eyes to stream, and your mascara ends up in strange places. So try to control it from first thing in the morning! Piriton are my savior, they really are. (Obviously, I understand if you don't take tablets, that's fine, don't feel compelled to do this!)

- Washing!

So, pollen gets around. Once you've woken, and allergy-tableted up (if you take tablets :]) make sure you thoroughly cleanse your face, especially round your eyes, and nose. Do whatever you normally do in the morning, shower, or face planting into the sink, warm water, cold water, face wash, just make sure you do so in hayfever season! I would then normally cleanse and tone with my No7 cleanser and toner, which I will post about soon. And then I follow with Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, which you can read about briefly here. Pollen gets around and will have clung to your skin over night, so it's best to decrease what you can at the start of your day. 

- Make up

If your skin goes as strange as mine, you'll know how it feels and looks slightly blotchy, mine changes texture and is nothing like its normal smoothness! You'll also know that it's not going to be happy with a lot of make up on it. Obviously, sometimes it's inescapable - you ARE going to have to wear make up, because you have places to be! (Luckily for me today, the only place I went to was the gym, so I got away with being make up free, giving my face and well-received break.) 

The best advice I have, is to not over-clog your skin with too many products, in order to make it appear more natural. Less is more! This can be said for many situations, but it really is applicable here. 

(---BASE)

No7 Colour calming primer is BRILLIANT, if your skin is red or patchy. Its a green, creamy primer, which is formulated to be non pore blocking, revitalise skin, and creates the perfect foundation base by neutralising redness on the skin. I LOVE this product - and save it for when I really need it - days like today are a perfect example! Perfect for anyone who suffers with patchy skin, or redness throughout the year, like I do. 

Okay so back to make up!

If you're going to wear foundation, try not to use heavily oil based one, as it may sink into your already upset skin, and will not provide a matt, even-coverage, when you need it the most. I would recommend a mineral based foundation, Bare Minerals, L'oreal true match. If you don't buy into powder based foundations, I do quite like the Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid. It's quite light on your skin, and is air whipped, for top pore coverage. Or, just use your favourite tinted moisturiser for the day! 

Go ahead with what you would normally do, but gently! Bronze and blush as normal.

(---EYES)

My eyes show off that I am affected by hayfever, so I avoid using too much on them. They'll look and feel heavier and smaller than normal, showing that something's up! Personally, I wouldn't use eyeshadow on a day like today and normally -I can't live without my eyeliner, but if it's bad enough, I will. So I'd either not use it, or do the smallest line, and just use a good WATERPROOF mascara for the day. (If you'd like to hear about my opinions on waterproof mascaras, I'll do a post. Just let me know!) 

I'm just trying to express that rather than caking on loads of make-up to compensate for angry skin, use less, and aim for a fresher, dewier look, you'll more natural and your skin will really thank you for it!

Do you any of you experience upset skin with hayfever, or does it play up when the weather changes? Mine always does, but some of my friends are lucky and never do! 

I hope my advice may be of use to someone. I'd be happy to go into more detail if you'd like. Just let me know! :)

Guess what - It's Friday again tomorrow! Fabulous Friday, at last!

I've just remembered that I still need to post some of great finds in the H&M sale the other day...I'll get on that soon!

Over and out for now!

Sammy xo

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