Whats In My Bag | Weekend Edition

 Yay! My laptop is fixed which means I am back on the blogging scene finally. Over the bank holiday weekend I visited my boyfriend and whilst I was packing I thought it would be a good idea to do my first little Whats In My Bag post. 

Base

Foundation: Nars Sheer Glow in Mont Blanc.

I actually am having a bit of a love hate relationship with this at the moment. I find it has a good lasting power but its starting to look 'cakey' on my skin, especially my forehead and I feel the colour is making me look so washed out. I think I'll re-go to SpaceNK to see what a different lady would match me up with. 

Concealer: Collection in Light 2.  

I have learnt a little goes a long way with this and it easily works for both my blemishes and under eye. 

Powder: Vichy Dermablend Translucent Powder

I for one am not a powder person, my skin is dry enough and I feel that my face looks quite flat with it on. I do use some just under my eyes though to keep the concealer for budging! 

Contour/Blush/Highlight: Nars Crimes of Passion palette and High Beam

This has both Laguna and Deep Throat which is so handy as it saves me from taking both separately! I then top with High Beam for a quick glow. 

Eyes

Brows: Brow Zing and Gimme Brow.

God knows what I used before I had these two ha. I am starting to love the wax in the Brow Zing more than the powder at the moment but it just so small and perfect to carry around. In addition I took my Gimme Brow (thank god because I accidentally forgot my spollie) to neaten them that little bit more.

Mascara: Extreme Dimension Mac

 Hm, I received Mac's Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash mascara so thought I would take it along to test a little bit more. It's not the best but it comes off easily unlike my Benefit They're Real.

Eye Shadow: Nars Crimes of Passion palette

This has 3 great shades that work wonders together. I use the Jezebel (cream shade) all over then Naiade (brown) in the crease.  

Finishing Touches

Perfume: Laugh with me Lee Lee by Benefit

Sometimes I really dislike taking my expensive perfumes away so usually end up taking this. It is the only scent I like from their range and seems to last for ages on my clothes! 

Lipstick: L'Oreal Color Riche Tender Rose

I loveee this lipstick. I take it everywhere and its so easily to apply on the go! Its a very girly pink for sure but it just adds something to my look and makes me feel confident when I wear it. Well done L'Oreal!! 

P.s I use a Ted Baker makeup bag which seems to fit everything I need perfectly, including all my brushes

Still no laptop.. iPhone Weekly Update

I sure hope everyone from the UK had a lovely Monday Bank holiday despite the horrid weather! I certainly did although I have had a rotten cold which being nominate by several people now for the ice bucket challenge will 100% not help fix that. Having a current 9-5 part time job has really taken its toll on me and I still haven't had time to sort out my laptop... can't quite believe I have gone a week without it now, although I suppose I use the majority of my work time on Bloglovin anyways.



Here is a quick little update of life through my iPhone, seeing as I can't publish any of my posts without the good quality photographs :( 

 

Rocky Road Cupcakes - Recipe to follow!



My ca-uteee new iPhone case



Best new slippers!



Bringing back the beach look using Texture Spray





First time using rollers in ageesss

Follow me on instagram for more updates @kathryns_cupcakes :) I reallyyyy do hope I will have a laptop fixed by next week! 

Living with a Broken Laptop | Top Reads from Kathryns Cupcakes

:(

 

The day my parents went on holiday, along with the iPad happened to be the day my laptop gives in. So unfortunate and annoying as I had so many upcoming posts!

 

I will get this fixed soon as but in the mean time why not have a look at some older posts :)

1. New Instagram Account : Keep Updated
2. Thailand Holiday Video : For some Sun, Sea & Sand
3. Interview Makeup #FOTD : Job Hunting Season
4. Mac Girl About Town Review : Favourite Mac Lipstick
5. Michael Kors Selma Bag : Favourite Bag
6. Clinique Cheek Pop Blush Plum Pop : Favourite Blusher
7. Fizzy Pink Lemonade Cupcakes : Summer Cupcakes
8. Perfumes : My Top 5
9. Haul : Zara & Topshop
10. Nails of the Day: Shellacs

Sorry, will be back ASAP. Oh and if you are wondering how I have posted this.. I am at work.. oopsie haha!

 

xxx

 

21st Birthday Haul!

So it was indeed my 21st on Thursday and I have had the best week celebrating it! I feel as if I have been absolutely spoilt and thought it would be nice to share with you some of the lovely gifts I received from my friends and family. By no means is this a way to brag, I just know I enjoy looking at peoples hauls and I know I will love to look back on this to in the future :) 

From my Nan I was bought this b.e.a.utiful (that was necessary right?) Royal Albert 1960's Golden Roses tea cup set from their 100 years collection. I am a massive tea fan and after bringing back some gorgeous tea's from Thailand I just can't wait to drink out of this.

She then went on and bought me some Mac products. Bless her, she had no idea what to get but I love it all.  I haven't yet tried them properly so will follow with some reviews I'm sure but in the mean time the products were: 

Sheer Tone Blush in Peaches

In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash

Plus Gloss in Posh It Up

  <3 

Aw my friends! Along with this stunning Whistles clutch bag, they bought me YSL Rouge Volupte in the shade 33 Rose Neillia, Benefit Dandelion Ultra Plush Lipgloss and a SpaceNK voucher for £15 (already spent). Later in the day I had a parcel through the door and my best friend from university and who I went to Thailand with bought me the cutest Elephant Pandora charm.. not the whole bracelet haha! So adorable :) 

And then the boyfriend... spoilt just a tad! Along with the beautiful flowers I recieved on my birthday, he bought me a Tiffany & Co. beaded bracelet, which I must of hinted for about 4 years to various people ha. We took a trip to Victoria Secret and he treated me to some products (not to be shared on here haha) and then a box set from Lush. His parents then bought me a Thai Cooking Book that has excited me more than it should have had haha. 

A big big thank you to all of them esepically my parents who bought tickets for me to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, dinner out in London and a spa day in Champneys! I got a luxury pair of pj's from them also and some little homely accessories! 

Ahh they all deserve some wonderful Christmas presents haha :) 

Kathryn xx

Happy 21st to Me! Day at Champneys Spa Henlow

21?! How on earth did that happen ha. Feels like only yesterday that I finished primary school and was moving up to the big scary old secondary school yet now I have 3 A-levels under my name along with a 2:1 honors degree in Environmental Science! Couldn't be more proud of myself!

Beautiful flowers from my mum & dad!

Anyway, yesterday was the big day and I was lucky enough to be treated to a spa day with my mum. We arrived at Champneys in Henlow at 9 am and received some fruit and herbal tea mmm! After getting into our robes we headed down to the pool for a swim then went for a boy treatment in the Thalassotherapy pool. This was a mineral rich pool with jets that stimulate and tone tired aching muscles, a bit like a jacuzzi only nicer! 

Following from this we stayed in the pool for some aqua-aerobics which was enjoyable and painful at the same time, lunch was booked in for 12 so we headed straight there after the class.

If only I could of taken some photos! The food was lovely, my ideal lunch with cold meats, salad, beans, humus without any of that fattening dressing. And now for the spa treatments. We chose a body radiance treatment followed by a facial. 

The body radiance treatment was an hour long body scrub and oil massage which was so relaxing. I wouldn't call it a massage but after a body scrub they massage back the oils into your skin rather than targetting specific back muscles that you would usually imagine. My skin felt so soft and smooth for the rest of the day (and today) and was a lovely treatment overall. 

Heading back into the waiting room I was called in for my facial. My skin has seen better days so I was a bit unsure as I didn't want them to scrub at it too much however it was perfect and also had a hand massage whilst the face mask was drying. 

After our treatments we switched into our gym gear and we headed for a walk around the grounds, it did unfortunately rain so we went to the gym instead ha. To finish with the spa we had a stretch and relax class!

An absolutely perfect 21st in my opinion with a lovely dinner and free prosecco at Pizza Express with the family to end the day. 

Then to make the day even more perfect, there were some beautiful flowers from my boyfriend waiting at the door step <3 

Life Through My Phone #1

Evening all :) 

I've been a busy bee lately and with my birthday coming up tomorrow I've had some pretty exciting days to the lead up as well as birthday celebrations at the end of this week. 

I have changed my instagram account since (you can now find me @kathryns_cupcakes) but in the mean time here is some highlights from the last few weeks, taken from my personal account :)! 

1/ New Purchase from Topshop 2/ Afternoon Tea 3/ Cupcake Baking 4/ Green Tea, Mint & Lime Costa 5/ Selfridges (excited for Great British Bake Off) 6/ Some early birthday presents 7/ Charlie & the Chocolate Factory 8/ Beautiful flowers from parents 9/ My friends cutest kitten

Tomorrow I am off to Champneys for a spa day with my mum, ekk.

Xxx

New Instagram Account

Just a quick post to say I have created a new instagram account for my blog. I didn't feel it was necessary for everyone to see casual day to day posts of my friends & family therefore: 

You can now find me here / @kathryns_cupcakes 

Please follow to keep updated with posts and little extras. 

:)

Oh and I've also had a play about with my layout so hope you like it!

Ecotools Deluxe Fan Brush | TK Max Bargain

Yes I am supposed to be on a spending ban but I happened to walk into TK Max and back out with a new makeup brush in my bag. To be fair though, I have been wanting a brush to apply my new Mac Mineralize Skin highlighter so after this Deluxe Fan Brush by Ecotools for only £4.99 how could I resist.

I have tested this out today and am extremely happy with the purchase. It is a dense brush like most of the range with extremely soft bristles and I love how I am able to apply a subtle glow to the skin rather than looking like I've sheered a block of glitter to my cheekbones.

Because it is so soft and large I think it will be a multipurpose brush that I can use to sweep excess eye shadow from my face and maybe try a little blush or contour with it? But for the time being this is perfect for a highlighting brush without hurting your bank!

Kathryns Bakes: Peanut Butter & Jam Cookie Sandwiches

Today I share with you the recipe for Dairy Free Peanut Butter and Jam Cookie Sandwiches (or just peanut butter cookies if you prefer). I used a recipe for once from The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town by Ms Cupcakes which was the simplest recipe I have ever used then used my own peanut butter butter cream recipe :) 

For the cookies you will need:

• 275 g smooth peanut butter
• 125 g pure/dairy free margarine 
• 140 g maple syrup
• 85 g caster sugar 
• 70 g brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 240 g plain flour 

Pre-heat the oven at 160 degrees C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper 

In a bowl mix together all the ingredients except the flour, then once fully mixed slowly add and stir in the flour. Leaving a couple of inches in between, use a spoonful for each cookie and place on the baking tray ( I had 4 balls on each baking tray). Flatten down and use a fork to criss-cross the dough.

Bake for 15 minutes. Leave to cool in the tray for a few minutes after taken out of the oven then use a spatula to remove and leave to cool completely.  

You will need: Organic Smooth Peanut Butter with No Added SugarStork Butter BlockIcing Sugar

Using 1/2 of the blocked butter, cream until smooth then add a couple of tablespoons of Peanut Butter (or to taste). Once creamed together add the icing sugar and carefully mix together. I have never measured icing sugar before as it just goes everywhere so add quite a bit and mix until you get a nice texture that isn't too soft or too lumpy. 

Peanut Butter and Jam Cookie Sandwich

Pipe a layer of the Butter Cream onto the flat side of 1 cookie. Spread a thinner layer of butter cream on the second cookie and layer with strawberry jam. Sandwich together lightly and voila!

Currently loving | Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Peel Off Mask

Do you have any products that you used to love years ago but could never find again? Well... for the past few months I remembered how much I used to love peel off face masks, especially a tea tree one from The Body Shop!

Luckily I stumbled across Boots own brand Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Peel Off Mask and have been absolutely loving it! For £2.99 you can't exactly go wrong so thought I would give it a go. It tightens and dries within a few minutes and peels off nearly in one piece.. there really is no better feeling than peeling a mask off your face is there haha? 

The application is so simple and goes on smoothly making my skin  feel refreshed afterwards. The only down side is it doesn't exactly clean the pores like it says (not for me anyway) but quite frankly I'm not too bothered as mine aren't too bad and I usually exfoliate anyway. Overall I really recommend this mask as it adds a little bit of fun to a weekly skin care routine, just don't expect it to work like a nose strip for cleaning your pores and I'm sure you would love it just as much as I do! 

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish | Soft & Gentle

Ever since I got my hands on the Sleek contour palette I have really been into my highlighters. After having some left over money at the airport and being unable to find it whenever I went into MAC I decided to treat myself to the Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle.

This is by far my favourite highlighting product. I was previously using Benefit High Beam but the liquid solution just didn't work well for me. 

I adore it! I apply it to the cheekbones, the cupids bow and brow bone and if I am feeling a little bit more adventurous then to the corners of my eyes. It really is, as MAC describe it, a luxurious velvet soft powder that adds such a gorgeous champagne glow to the skin. 

What are your favourite highlighters?

Ko Phi Phi | Youtube Thailand Holiday Video!

10th July

Today we took an odd minibus journey from Khao Sok to Krabi. On the way to the pier we picked up some Canadians and Americans who we keep bumping into! Boat was good although I got a tad burnt. We arrived at 5 pm and walked to our hotel 'The White'. Average but good enough. Then took a walk to the viewpoint. A little cloudy today but the views were still stunning. Ate at a hut place which had no name but the beef curry and mango sticky rice was glorious! At around 9 o'clock there was a huge fire show on the beach so sat with some pina coladas and mojito's and watched fire skipping ropes. 

11th July

As for today... We walked to Phi Phi bakery and I ordered a English Muffin with peanut butter mmm. Then we booked a half day trip aaround the island. Chilled on the beach until then. So we got on the longtail boat and headed to monkey island. They were everywhere, attacking everyone including me. They stole peoples beers, oreos, water, you name it they stole it.

Would not recommend this place.

Got back onto our longtail boat & sat for 20 minutes or so in storm-like waves. We were all drenched and thought we were going to die. Pulled up at a cove where they told us to swim to these cliffs with spider string ropes everywhere. We crawled out and Alice somehow fell back into the boat which was so funny. 

Struggled but made our way to the rocks and climbed through the cave. Walked through some beautiful greenery to end up at Maya Beach AKA The Beach. It was stunning, white sand, clear water, pure heaven. We then went snorkelling which was awesome. Saw some huge parrot fish, yellow fish and some beautiful coral. Swam in a cave then made our way past a viking cave. 

Went back to our favourite dinner place and had big noodles (miss these soo much) along with mango sticky rice then sat and chatted with the Americans.

All in all a pretty eventful day.

Thailand 2014 Holiday Video: 

This is where my Thailand journey comes to an end! We headed to Krabi then back to Bangkok... however I ended up needed to get the Rabies jabs hence why I would not suggest visiting them monkeys. Hope you have enjoyed my little diary and please give a thumbs up if you like my holiday video!