Healthified Peanut Butter Cups

If you are a lover of Peanut Butter then this is a recipe for you.

This is also a recipe perfect for when you are craving a sweet treat but also kinda want to be healthy too, as all the ingredients are natural and free from any refined sugars and additives. They are easy to make with only 4 ingredients, taste great and are a fab alternative to the original Reese's cups.
Just try not to eat them all in one go...

Recipe

2-3tbsp Peanut Butter (or any other nut butter)

3/4 Cup of Cacao Powder

3/4 Cup melted Coconut Oil

3-4 Tbsp honey or maple syrup.

Method

1. To make the raw chocolate: Mix the Cacao powder, Coconut oil and sweetener.

2. Pour half the mix into cupcake cases in a tray. Place in the freezer for 5/10 mins,

3. Add 1tsp Peanut Butter to each of the cases and spread into a thin layer.

4. Pour the remaining chocolate over each case and shake the tray to ensure an even top,

5. Return to the freezer for 15 mins or so to harden.

Is this something you would enjoy?

Mary xo

Top 5 Lip products | January

L-R: Wet n Wild-Bare it All, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine- Boy, Maybelline Colour Stay- Tantalizing Taupe, Mac-Shy Girl, Clarins Instant light Natural Lip Perfector- Rose Shimmer

L-R: Wet n Wild-Bare it All, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine- Boy, Maybelline Colour Stay- Tantalizing Taupe, Mac-Shy Girl, Clarins Instant light Natural Lip Perfector- Rose Shimmer

You may be thinking these lip products look like the same colour, and yes they are all of the pinky/nude variety, but because of the slightly differing shades and finish, they are all very much needed in my life. Well, this is what I keep telling myself.

I am just obsessed with nudes and mauves and have been throughout the whole of Jan. They suit me much more than a bold lip ever has and therefore I tend to stay safe and stick to more neutral lips and more adventurous eyes and this is my kinda go-to look for night outs.

My favourite lip look has to be 'Tantalizing Taupe' by Maybelline paired with Mac 'Shy Girl' in the centre of my lip. This creates an ombre lip effect, that makes my lips have more dimension and look fuller.

Another Lip product that deserves a mention is the Wet n Wild Matte Lipstick in 'Bare it all', I got this from Amazon for only £2.50, as I heard it was a fab dupe of the incredibly popular 'Velvet Teddy' lipstick by Mac. Although I don't own Velvet Teddy, it does look like a very good match when compared to other photos and swatches I have seen and I am very very impressed, especially for the price! It's a lovely brown nude and has an amazing formula that is very pigmented with only one stroke. It has a creamy texture and is not as drying as other matte lipsticks I have tried.

Both the Chanel and Clarins Lip products are definitely more on the sheer side in terms of finish which I think makes them perfect for every day wear. They are however a lot more pigmented on the lips than on my hand, plus they feel super moisturizing on the lips, which is always a winner.

Are you a nude lip kinda gal? Has anyone else tried these shades?

Mary xo

Bierkeller Leeds

Last Weekend it was my friends 22nd Birthday and to celebrate she invited everyone to Leeds for a night at the Bierkeller and I had a fab evening! I had such a blast that I thought I would share it with you guys because if drinking and dancing on tables sounds like your kind of fun, then you might just love this place too. It's a little bit different to your average night out and I like that.

The Bierkeller, if you haven't already heard of it, is a unique drinking venue where you can enjoy the authentic German experience with German beers in steins, live bands, long bench style seating and of course lots of lederhosen.

What if you don't like beer? Don't worry I hate the taste of beer and I was unsure if this would be the place for me, however the steins can be deceiving and my two litre stein was actually filled with a yummy amaretto style cocktail. Of course if you love beer there is endless amounts of choice and all different flavours, strawberry beer actually sounded very appealing.

So with a stein in hand, a group of 20 of us took over one of the benches and danced all night and literally sang our hearts out to all the classics, because who doesn't love a good sing-a-long! The bar had such a lively atmosphere and was packed out with people of all ages, I don't see how anyone could have a bad night here.

 I think you can find 'Bierkellers' in most cities now, so if you are looking for a fun night out with your friends I would definitely check out this place.

Has anyone else been to the Bierkeller, did you enjoy it as much as me?

Mary xo

Easy Overnight Oats

Who doesn't want a super simple yet incredibly satisfying breakfast on a cold winter morning?
I certainly do, which is why I am very happy with my discovery of overnight oats. A great thing about these is that you prepare the oats the night before, refrigerate and then all you have to do in the morning is add your preferred toppings, my favourites being banana and nut butter. Also this breakfast is the perfect healthy start to your day as oatmeal burns fat and is full of fibre to keep you full and satisfied until lunchtime.


Easy Overnight Oats Recipe:
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup of almond milk (extra creamy texture) or water if you prefer
1tbsp Cacao powder( optional if you want a chocolatey version)

Method:
In a mason Jar or small bowl mix the oats and almond milk.
Refrigerate overnight
In the morning give the oats a good stir and either eat them cold or warm them in the microwave if you prefer.
Add a drizzle of honey
Add some nut butter
Top with fruit

Enjoy!!

Mary xo

2 new reads of 2016

Alongside Makeup and Beauty another love of mine is reading , however during University life this hobby was very much neglected and I don't think I ever managed to read a book purely for pleasure. Now I have graduated and have more time and less of a social life (sob) reading is something I want to start doing again. My 2016 has kicked off well with the following two new reads that I received for Christmas.

'A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly, she could of prevented it. Could she?'

The first book I received was 'I Let you Go' by Claire Macintosh and just Wow. This was a book I had heard many good things about and oh my this book did not disappoint!! I would describe it as a psychological thriller and I can’t talk too much about this novel without giving too much away. The plot is cleverly written and the best part has to be the huge twist that comes right in the middle, that I didn't see coming at all! The second half is amazing reading with more twists and turns and I flew through the book in two days as I just had to find out what was going to happen. It is an utterly gripping novel and I would recommend this to everyone!

The next book I received was the JoJo Moyes 'After You' which is the sequel to the best selling and incredible 'Me Before You'. When I heard Moyes was writing a sequel I was beyond excited as 'Me Before You' is probably one of my favourite books and  I was dying to find out what would happen to Louisa Clark. This novel centres around Louisa's journey as she begins to come to terms with Wills death, however I think it was sad how she seemed to loose a lot of her personality and was no way near as likable or funny in this book compared to the first, Whereas 'Me Before You' made me laugh and cry and feel all the feelings, the same cannot be said for 'After You' and I found it to be a little disappointing. Having said that 'After You' is still an enjoyable read and JoJo Moyes is a fantastic writer, maybe I expected too much after my love for the first book...

Have you guys read any of these books? What are your thoughts?

Also I am always looking for new books to read, so let me know if you have suggestions?

Mary xo

Liquid Lipsticks and Glitter | Born Pretty Store Review

I was contacted recently by the lovely Joy from Born Pretty Store, who asked me if I would like to try out some products from their website. I was a bit sceptical at first as I wasn't sure how good the quality of the products would be, however upon receiving the items I was really impressed!

Born Pretty Store, if you haven't already heard of them, are an online retailer and after browsing their site they stock many different products, not just limited to makeup but makeup tools, jewellery and accessories. The first thing I noticed was the price of everything, it is so affordable and the perfect place to treat yourself but not break the bank.They also offer free worldwide shipping! However do expect to wait 2-4 weeks to receive your products as they are being shipped from Hong Kong.

 The first products I chose were two liquid lipsticks by Me now Generation. as I am a bit obsessed with these at the moment, I just can't get enough of the the matte finish. My favourite out of the two is the shade 18, in a lilac grey/beige and I have been after a colour like this for ages and although I don't own Limecrimes 'Cashmere', it looks to me like a great dupe at a fraction of the price, only £1.37- such a bargain!! The formula smells really fruity, it glides on smoothly and you only need a thin layer to create a very pigmented beautiful colour. Also when they say these are long-lasting, believe me they are ridiculous even to to the point where they are quite difficult to remove, but with a oil based makeup remover they do come off.

Left- Shade 18, Right- Shade 26

The other product I picked was the Colour Diamond Shimmer Eyeshadow in shade 1 which is a gorgeous white gold colour. While this isn't a product I would wear everyday it is perfect to add that extra sparkle to your eyes for nights out. The glitter is a gel like formula which I love as it means it goes onto the eyes super easily, without any fall out.  I wore it on a night out in leeds recently and below was the look I achieved (the glitter is a lot more shimmery and pigmented in real life). All my friends wanted to borrow it and I can see myself using this a lot in the future.

Born Pretty Store have also been very kind and given me 10% coupon code to use and share with you guys. You can use the code MBWH10 at the checkout to get the 10% off. Shop Born Pretty here.I am already eyeing up some of their makeup brushes..

Let me know if you decide to buy anything from the store or if you have also done a review on some of their items?

Mary xo

Best of 2015

So I am a bit late to the party but Happy New Year guys!! I hope you all enjoyed the celebrations!
2015 has been a pretty good year for me, so I wanted to do a little round up and document all my favourite bits.

Lake Bled Slovenia

Last Term at Uni
Although it was emotional saying goodbye and I still miss Newcastle all the time, the last 6 months at University were by far the best. Living with 3 of your best friends is so much fun and we shared a lot of fab times together. I celebrated my 21st in March, but I think my friends 21st at the end of term was a highlight. We organised a surprise bouncy castle to take over our back garden for the day and had one final farewell party with all our close friends, before heading into Newcastle at night. The weather was gorgeous, so the following day we spent sunbathing and eating fish and chips on Tynemouth beach, the best hangover cure.

Graduation

In July I graduated with a First Class Honors Degree and I was over the moon!! I couldn't quite believe it but what made it even more special was that I got to share the day with all my close Uni girls as we were on holiday together in Portugal when we found out the news. We were all very happy as you can imagine so there was lots of girls screaming around a pool followed by lots of cocktails to celebrate!

Graduation day itself was filled with more celebrations back in Newcastle with friends and family and was just the perfect end to the best three years. Cliche I know, but it's true.

Inter-railing

After Graduation I went inter-railing around Europe with 3 fab girls and had the most incredible time! From Rome to Amsterdam, we visited 10 countries in total and somehow always managed to find ourselves in hilarious situations and made some pretty cool friends along the way. We already plan to go back to Croatia this summer and I really hope that this happens!

So  cheers to 2016 and lets hope it will be filled with lots more happiness, fun and adventures!

Mary xo