Nom nom nom cookies! ❤

As its the weekend I felt like making something exciting rather than just buying a pack of biscuits from the shop so I found a cookie mix, Betty Crockers Choclate Chip for €2.65 and oh my god! These cookies were HEAVEN! And super easy to make - that's really saying something because I'm an awful cook.

First I got all my supplies ready; cookies mix, egg, oil, tablespoon, mixing spoon and of course, a bowl to throw it all in to! I know this is definitely the lazy person's way to make cookies but hey, it still tastes just as good in the end :) Also, I think my bowl and mixing spoon look very sophisticated indeed. After I put the mixture together in the bowl it actually resembled cookie dough - I was surprised to say the least!

Now it said on the front of the box '10 minutes prep and 10 minutes to bake', I don't know if it was my oven or the size that I made these cookies but they took about 25 minutes in the end. Also Betty claims that this box makes 16 cookies - I got 8.... So I may have made them slightly bigger than necessary!

Twenty five long minutes later, which I spent staring into the oven and poking the cookies  with a spoon every 5 minutes, they were done! Out they went onto a wire tray and I think they lasted about a minute there before I had to have a sneaky taste. Warm cookies are freaking amazing! And unlike some cookie mixes these guys had loads of chocolate chips.

Let them cool down for around 10 or 15 minutes - or as long as you can bear to keep your hands off them - and they're perfect! I tried one with some Ben & Jerry's ice cream on top. NOM does not even come close! They won't last long so I'll definitely be making more soon! Maybe try white chocolate chip....

Have an amazing day lovelies!

x

Review - CB Tan v Sally Hansen - Battle of the tanning products!

I'm really fussy when it comes to fake tan products, but I'm not one to spend an unholy amount on them either. I've tried a lot of them over the years which have had many outcomes including turning me orange and not making the slightest difference at all!

For a long time I stuck to Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs tan which I would say was my favourite, the only downfall is the price and the amount in the bottle, it just never lasts for me! I like the coverage and like it says on the bottle, it is waterproof, but not the sort of stuff that takes hours scrubbing away in the shower to get off.

Sally Hansen costs around €14 from the pharmacy but there are times when it's in Penneys for around €9 which is when I usually get it. I go for the colour 'Tan Glow' which is a medium shade. I like the fact that it's a spray because it goes on easily and doesn't streak! :)

Now this new tan out in shops, CB tan, I'll admit I was a bit wary about buying it because I figured it would be like a knock-off of St. Tropez tanning mousse and could never really deliver. But I was pleasantly surprised! The first thing I noticed about CB tan is the smell, and for once it's not awful - it smells like flowers! Or should I say it has a "beautiful floral Tahitian Gardinia scent" to quote the bottle! So, unlike most tanning products it doesn't instantly give away that you've been using fake tan as there's no giveaway smell! :) Win!

The product claims that if you shower after 1 hour of putting on the tan it looks better and natural, but unfortunately for me I've found that showering an hour afterwards just washes off all of the product! However if you put the tan on in the morning or afternoon and shower in the evening I've found to get better results. It does actually look quite natural and it's not a heavy product even though it is a mousse. You do have to be careful when you're putting it on as it does streak a little if you don't moisturize properly!

This is a before and after with the CB tan, the 'after' picture was taken about 5 minutes after application so it hasn't yet had the chance to develop but it won't get too much darker and I think the colour is nice and natural for this time of the year :)

Overall, I think I'd have to say that I do like both the Sally Hansen and the CB tan products - Sally Hansen wins for the legs and CB tan wins for arms and body! I'm not yet daring enough to try tanning my face!



Have an awesome day lovelies!

x

My Summer Must-Have Clothing! ❤

Although the weather isn't exactly Hawaiian sun here in Dublin I thought I'd share what's in my wardrobe this summer! (or at least the good stuff, because even though it's summer, that onesie with the reindeers and the fluffy slippers are still hiding in there!)

Firstly I have to point out that I do have a slight obsession with leggings! They have to be most comfortable thing in the entire world to wear and can be paired with nearly any kind of shoes. My two most worn pairs would probably be a black pair and a navy pair of disco pants leggings I got from Missguided for around €12. Really cheap and definitely well worth the money. I've worn them so many times already and they're still fitting well; unlike some pairs you might find on the racks in Penneys which are never quite true to size and only go down as far as a size 6 anyway.

With these leggings I usually wear a plain strap top because I must have them in every colour! I get mine from Forever 21 for around €4 which is good for what they are and the quality is good too! I got a bit daring a few weeks ago and bought a white crop top with short sleeves from Penneys €4 and I have to say it was an amazing purchase! I was always a bit nervous to wear crop tops but this one was a good fit and when worn with the high waisted disco pants barely show any tummy! Score! :) I also have one in black!

Print tops like this Jack Daniels print top I bought in a local clothing boutique and this white top I bought in Stradivarius for around €7.

Brightly coloured tops like a bright yellow one I found in River Island are also favourites of mine. I bought the yellow and a light grey one because they were on special :) 2 for €10! They're great for throwing on with leggings and a cardigan and the yellow definitely makes a statement!

Another great thing for summer is shorts :) I'm loving the pastel trend and lucky me found a pair of lemon yellow shorts in my wardrobe that I'd bought last year and completely forgotten about! (I do seem to like the yellow don't I?) Also, I'm really liking leather shorts, mine are from H&M but again I got them last year so I don't think they'll still be around! :(

My legs look fabulous as always! (NOT! haha!)

On the days when it's really hot, which only happens for one or two weeks during the months of summer, I like floral prints dresses occasionally with slouchy jumper over top if it gets chilly in the evenings!

For shoes I'd have to say my go-to ones would be my navy pumps with floral print (I love the cute little pink bows on the front) which I bought from Penneys and also my black pumps with the black studs, also from Penneys! They're surprisingly comfortable and go with alot of my outfits :)

On the days when its raining and cold which happens ALOT during summer (like today for example!) I always find myself throwing on a slouchy jumper with whatever leggings I can find! I love the coral one from Stradivarius because the material isn't at all stuffy and it's able to be worn off the shoulder which I love! The navy and cream one which i got from New Look in a size 16 (it was on sale for €5 I couldn't resist!) is also great for throwing on with leggings or jeans.

And finally, while exercising I nearly always wear a pair of black shorts that I bought from Forever 21. They're sportswear is amaaaazing and really inexpensive! If I'm not wearing the black shorts I usually wear a pair of grey 3/4 length leggings which I got from Penneys for around €5. With these I have to wear a sports top, I have two favourites; a bright blue one I got from Forever 21's sports section and a leopard print sports top with pink lining from Penneys that's a little bit more wild! ;)

Hope you enjoyed!

x

(A massive thank you to my sister Ciara for being photographer today! I'm terrible to work with! "No that's bad lighting!" "Ewww I look huge!" - next time just tell me to shush! :) haha But really, I really owe you one!)

What's my Summer MakeUp Routine? ❤

Now that it's summer time the weather is slightly warmer (emphasis on "slightly") so the products in my makeup bag are changing! Most days I wear little or no makeup, especially if I'm going to exercise but on the days I do wear it I thought I'd show you guys what I like to put on my face :)

For foundation I usually wear Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in the shade 100 Fair (as I'm as pale as a ghost!) using a realTechniques stippling brush and for concealer, when it's needed, I'll put on Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer shade 001 Ivory in places such as my under eye areas and around the nose. To fix it all in place my favourite year-round powder is Rimmel Clear Complexion in the shade 021 Transparent. I've literally repurchased this powder so many times they should give me shares in Rimmel! To contour my all time favourite bronzer Benefits Hoola bronzer is definitely a must-have for me, just to fake that sun kissed look that our dear old Irish sun isn't giving me!

For my eyes I rarely put on eyeshadow in the summer time as I think its just too heavy but when I do go all-out I use the Absolute Nude palette from Catrice Cosmetics, which I find just as good as any other pharmacy eyeshadows for about a quarter of the price! (Review on that to come) To fix my eyebrows I don't really bother with anything fancy, I just use a clean mascara brush and a tiny bit of Vaseline to fix them in place and voilá! For mascara I use two; Rimmel Lash Accelerator in Black and Benefit's they're Real! mascara also in Black.

And finally for lips I have to put on my mint Carmex every single day, it has to be THE best lip balm I have ever had! I got mine in Urban Outfitters at the counter one day and I honeslty didn't think it would be that fantastic but it lasts SO long, I've had mine now for about 6 months and it's still going strong! Like a never-ending tube of lip balm! :) And for lipstick, I have so many similar shades but at the moment my favourite is from the Rimmel Kate Moss Collection and it's shade 03. If I don't feel like wearing a lipstick I'll just put on some tinted lipgloss or balm!

So that is what's in my make up bag this summer! Hope you like it :)






Have an awesome day wherever you are :)

xx

Exercising... am I crazy?

So, because it's the summer I've decided for some strange reason that I want to try and get fit. Originally i had planned to go out on the first day and run ten miles but that was never going to happen! I've always been lazy so when I had the idea of exercising I thought I had literally gone mad - but I thought why not! So anyway, I had tried before to do the running thing but always seemed to end up struggling behind my sister who would fly ahead like a cheetah in her Nikes, which was so not fair! Why was I so unfit?

Then I realised that my only problem was that I was doing too much too soon. Instead of going out for the first few times and walking for a while I was pushing myself to run straight away and then wondered why my poor little legs were so shocked they defensively turned to jelly and my chest and throat felt like I'd just swallowed fire like one of those crazy street performers. (Yes I'm aware that may be a slight over-reaction but it paints a good picture!)

Now its coming to the end of June and I think I'm actually getting the hang of this exercising thing! My runners may still look brand new but they will eventually look like they've been worn :) Really the more you push yourself, the more your body will start to respect you and in turn will let you run freely without the need for ten water breaks in the space of one measly mile!

The longest I've gone so far is around 10km, which for me seems absolutely amazing! (But then when it's converted back to miles it seems quite pathetic...) That will not stop me though! As S Club 7 once said "Don't stop moving...caaaaan you feel the music...". Wonder what they're doing now.....

More tomorrow!

x

oooh hello there!

This is me, by the way. Just thought I'd pop a pic in!

x

It's officially started. x

Hello my little sugarmuffins,

Alright, so this will officially be my first post on this blog. Hopefully the first of many :) I guess I should start off by saying my name is Hayley (hence the blog title) and I'm 21. I'm in university in Dublin studying law, because I'm so incredibly intellectual (haaahaa!) and it's the summer right now. I'm one of many people my age desperately searching for some sort of employment so for now to keep me occupied I'm going to start a blog. 
(I have actually done other productive things so far this summer such as I learned a song on the guitar! Granted it is a Miley Cyrus number with five chords but I'm giving myself a pat on the back for that one!)
My other little blogging site is tumblr; link here. So feel free to toddle on over there for a little look at my pictures and postings ;)

Well I guess that's all for now, I have quite a few ideas for this blog though so I'll be frequently posting!

Muchos Love

H x


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