Birthday Cake

Hello there! I hope you are well:)
Recently my best friend turned 16. To mark the very special occasion of a very special person in my life having a big birthday, I decided to take up the challenge of making her a birthday cake for her party. Now I have to admit that I am not a great baker. But I did it and I live to tell my cooking adventure tale . It's not anything fancy but its sweet and nice and homemade-y.

It should look a little something like this...

First things first (I'm the realistic...yeah people need to stop doing that joke:P) this cake has three layers. Don't worry it's not too complex. What I did was follow a simple victoria sponge recipe twice. The first time I spilt the mixture into two thinner round tins and the second time I put the same amount of mixture in a thicker tin.

Ingredients for cake: (this is for each round of cooking round 1 spilt it into two tins & round 2 in one big tin)

• 100g of margarine
• 100g of caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100g of self raising flour (if you want a chocolate cake: take out a few tablespoons of flour and replace it with a few table spoons of cocoa powder)
• 3-4 drops of vanilla essence (if you are making a chocolate cake don't include this)

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celcious/Gas mark 5 and grease and put greaseproof paper in the tins.
2. Whisk the butter and sugar together
3. Add one egg at a time
4. Fold in the flour
5. Add the vanilla essence and bake for 20-25 minutes one large tin may need long than this
6. Now you need to construct and decorate the cake

Ingredients for icing/filling:

• 50g of butter
• 100g of icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons of milk (if the mixture is too stiff and will not spread easily)
• 3-4 drops of vanilla essence
• Nutella

7. Whisk the butter

8. Gradually add the sugar

9. Put in vanilla essence (and milk if needed)

10. The layering works with a thin cake on the bottom, the bigger one in the middle and the other thinner one on the top. Spread the icing on the top of one of the thin layers. Spread nutella on the bottom of the bigger layer and place it onto the thinner layer.

11. Spread the icing on the top of the middle layer. Spread nutella on the bottom of the second thinner layer and place on top.

12. Cover the top and sides of the cake with icing.

13. Nearly there! All you need to do now is decorate and you are done.

What I used for decoration:

• white chocolate chips
• glitter writing icing - I got mine from HERE
• wafer daisies - I got mine from HERE
• wafer bows - I got mine from HERE

Just remember to have fun with it and it's the thought that counts.

Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Rimmel Apocalips - Nova

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

Recently I went to the theatre to see Matilda. On a little side note, I really liked it and the songs were so catchy! I decided I wanted a really pretty lipstick to wear as going to the theatre is a treat and I opted for (I'm sure you've guessed it!) Rimmel Apocalips in the colour 102 Nova.

First thing I have to say. I like the name ApocaLIPS. It's a good pun. Anyway I really liked the product too.

I'm sure you've heard other bloggers describe this much better but I would say it's a thick, more opaque lipgloss. You apply it like a lipgloss but it has the colour pay off of a lipstick. It has a nice texture and consistency that didn't dry out your lips. But it also lasts really well I would say better than a lipstick so I didn't really have to worry about topping it up that much throughout the evening I could just enjoy the show. 

I like the colour too. It's a medium toned pink. It's something a little special and brighter than what I would wear normally but not too much in my opinion.

That's just a little lip product I've being liking recently. I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading.

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Greatness is within You

I wish life was about who we are, not who we think we are.

We never think we are the person who can succeed, who deserves it or who can handle it.

Paranoia strips us back to someone a fraction of our true selves. That fraction is too small. It never weighs enough to tip the scales in our favour.

We run back and stay in the dark away from the brightness of opportunity and success. Darkness can be a comforting cover where the world is blind to us. 

But you deserve a chance. You owe yourself at least that. You deny your abilities as anxiety has made them invisible to you but they still exist.

Greatness is within you, you just have to have the courage to set it free.

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Panda Jumper

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

Last week I did my first little bit of Autumn shopping. I found a really cute jumper that I just could not resist sharing with you guys.

As you probably would have guessed by the title of this blog post, it has a panda on it! And that isn't even the best bit...the panda has a black, grey, turquoise, purple, white with a little bit of pink, floral pattern on it. Better still, within the floral pattern on the big panda is little pandas. The eyes are filled in with little black sequins and the nose is fury. The jumper itself is really comfortable and baggy.

I bought it from 'H! by Henry Holland' at Debenhams so it is on the pricey side but I actually got it in the sale and I know I'm going to wearing this loads this Autumn and Winter. It is just so easy to throw on with a pair of leggings and some boots then you are good to go.

Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Vintage Notebooks

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

I love stationary and I especially love notebooks. So when I found these I could not resist buying them!

They are three just adorabubble vintage notebooks. I got them from Waterstones for £6.99. But they are actually from a company called Cavallini & Co. You can look at their website HERE.

The one on the left looks like a telephone directory and has blank pages.

The one in the middle is designed as a typewriting guide and has lined pages.

The one of the right has a photography cover and has squared pages.

When I got them home and took off the packaging to have a good look at them, I had to clench my fists with pure joy. Yes I'm a stationary geek!

Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Dragonfly and Butterfly Candles

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

It's September which means Autumn is upon us! Now I am very fickle about which season is my favourite. At the start of each season, I am loving whatever wonders that season may bring but by the end I am anticipating the next one to come, bringing a change in weather, scenery, traditions and trends.

So (for now) I am welcoming Autumn in with open arms. I am eagerly awaiting the crisp Autumn air, the crunchy golden leaves, the marshmallows melting on flames on Bonfire night in the backdrop of the booms of swirling, sparkling fireworks, the cosy woollen jumpers and of course the flickering candles on a cosy Autumn evening.

I have already light up these beauties!

Three tea light candles holders (purple, orange and grey) with lavender fields tea lights in from Wilkinsons. Obviously you can mix up what candles you put in them. I think they just look lovely with the light shinning through the coloured holders and illuminating the insect pictures.

Thank you for reading!
Bysiebye
Beccsie Belle
xx

Summer Lovin' #7: Fashion

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

Summer Lovin' happened so fast...haha sorry bad BAD joke! What I meant was this is the last post in my Summer Lovin' series. To round things up I am talking about fashion. The shop I have definitely bought things in the most is Dorothy Perkins. So these are 3 Summer outfits from Dorothy Perkins.

I hope you enjoyed this series. Thanks for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Summer Lovin' #6: Make-up

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

This has been one of my favourite make-up looks this Summer.

And this is how I did it...

For the base:

I put a light foundation - Revlon Nearly Naked- all over my face and then used a concealer on my spots and under my eyes - Revlon Colour Stay. To stop shine and help my make-up stay put I used a setting powder - Rimmel Stay Matte.

For the cheeks: 

I added colour to my face with the Seventeen Instant Glow Pink Bronze Shimmer Brick.

For the eyes:

I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and on bronze as a base for eye shadow. For eye shadow I brushed the 1 shade in the bottom left corner all over the lid and the shade 3 in the top right corner in the outer corner and a little through the crease.

For the lips:

I just used Sleek Pout Polish in Powder Pink with an SPF of 15.

Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Summer Lovin' #5: Berry Smoothie

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

This Summer I have been loving a drink that I can quickly make at home myself so I thought I would share it with you.

All I did was put 4 strawberries, a few handfuls of mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries...that kind of stuff) and about 5-6 tablespoons of plain natural yoghurt (mine was low fat so it was extra healthy) in a blender. I blended it for a good few minutes until it was all nicely mixed. Obviously you can vary what fruit you use and how much of each ingredient you use to your taste. It's nice and fruity so very good for you but the yoghurt gives it that creamy taste you would usually only get in unhealthy drinks.

If you do try this out, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Summer Lovin' #4: Skincare

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

I'm not sure whether I will get this post up in time. Sorry I've been out in London today and have posted this literally as soon as I could. It's a ridiculous hour at night for me right now.

Anyway these are a few skincare items I think are ideal for Summer and won't cost you a fortune.

First up is Simple Moisture Boast Hydro Mist. It's one of those sprays everyone has been talking about. Yeah, you know the ones with special water that you spray on your face when the sun is blazing down on you on a sweltering hot day in order to refresh yourself. It's cheap and cheerful and does the job. Also as long a you hold it back from your face and don't drench yourself with the stuff it doesn't seem to ruin your make-up.

I'm sure you have heard this many a time before but especially in the Summer (and really only in the Summer if at all for us Brits) you need to protect yourself from the sun. That is what the next two products are for. Simple Protecting light moisturiser with SPF 15 does what it says on the tin (well on the bottle obviously.) The Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm (mine's in the strawberry flavour) also has an SPF of 15.

The last thing is something I would use all year round because I have oily skin that seems to repel make-up so I have to put up a good fight to keep it where I want it. Most people just turn to it in the Summer. It's a primer which I use to attempt to stop the make-up sliding off my face. I think this one The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser does a pretty good job. It kind of mattifies your face and prevents your face becoming too oily and shiny. I think it's a good base for long lasting make-up. 

That's all for today. I really need to go to sleep now I'm exhausted from my busy day! Have you got any good products to keep your skin in check? I'd love to hear all about them. Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Summer Lovin' #3: Accessories

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

It's time to get excited about some Summer accessories.

Statement necklaces are a trend this Summer and this beautiful necklace definitely makes a statement. I absolutely love the colours and the shapes of the gems. To me they look like pretty little flowers. 

This one I feel is the same kind of style as a statement necklace but much more subtle and toned down. This is one to go for if you don't feel like going bold with your jewellery or you don't want something that will clash with your outfit.

Both necklaces are from Dorothy Perkins and were about the £15 mark.

I also really like flower crowns in Summer. I think they are gorgeous! I did a post about one I got HERE.

Just a note to say when shopping in Topshop I found loads of really lovely jewellery branded Orelia. I highly recommend you have a look.

Thank you for reading! See you very soon.

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Summer Lovin' #2: Plated PonyTail HairStyle

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

Summer Lovin' #2 is all about hair. (I am doing a Summer series all this week.) This is the way I like to wear my hair in the heat. All your hair is out of your face. It's not too delicate and dainty so it should be able to stand whatever you are doing this Summer. It's quick and easy because you don't want to be spending ages doing your hair, you want to be out there having fun. But it is still very pleasing to the eye; don't you worry.

All it is a braiding in a French plait from near your temple back into a pony tail.

First I brushed all my hair back and choose a side to start my plait on. I began braiding with my fringe then incorporated the rest of my hair in so my fringe was out of the way.

You plait with three strands normally. I put the front strand over the middle one, then the strand furthest away from my face over the middle strand, then the front strand again. Once you have done that you do the same but just add sections of hair in along the way. Put your back piece of hair and a little bit of hair from above your braid over the middle section. I put the front section and some pieces of hair from below the braid over the middle section - hopefully you get the idea! I continued this along the side of my head until I got the back of my head where I pulled all of my hair into a pony tail.

You can dress this look up by keeping it neat, adding hair accessories like flowers or maybe curling the hair in the pony tail. If you want a more casual look you can pull out little pieces of hair around your face, loosen the plait and the pony tail as well as adding salt spray to the pony tail to mess it up a bit. To finish it off I sprayed the plait with hair spray just to keep everything as I want it throughout the day.

I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Summer Lovin' #1: Nail Varnish

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

This blog post is the start of something new. For the next week I am going to be writing all about Summer beauty and lifestyle things every day. I have named this Summer Lovin'! I hope you enjoy the next 7 days of blogging. Let's get on with the first instalment.

So here are my 5 Summer Nail Varnishes! I really love this selection of colours I think there is something for everyone. There are bright colours, something more neutral and deeper tones.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Mango 328:

This is a very bright and bold colour and something I think I could only really pull off in Summer. It is a gorgeous statement nail varnish. Also I really like the finish and the long lasting effects of the Gelly Nail Paints. Barry M is a good brand for affordable nail varnish.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish in 405 Loafer Love for you!:

The name of this always makes me giggle! This colour is much more drawn back than the last one but still really beautiful. It is for people who don't really like bright colours and prefer darker tones. I think it would also look nice on your toes.

Accessorize Nail Polish in Shade 59 Sunny Days:

Sunny Days is definately a good description of this one. Accessorize aren't known for their nail varnishes but the colour just drew me in. It is a lovely pastel yellow so great for Summer.

Topshop Nails in Air Kisses:

This is a new addition to by collection only a few days ago and I already love it. It is a cutesie medium toned blue (it is a little lighter and brighter than it looks in the bottle) and it has a cutesie name to match.

Avon Nailwear pro in Coral Reef:

This ones looks a little worse for wear as I have had it a while and it is starting to dry up. I still wanted to include it though because it is a lovely coral pinky colour. It is another one I think would look great on your toes.

I hope that was helpful if you are looking to treat yourself to a new nail varnish. Thank you for reading! See you tomorrow.

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Sensational Butterflies

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

As it is the Summer holidays, I have time to go on a few days out. One of the sights I have seen is the Sensational Butterflies at the Natural History Museum. In the urban land of London they have created a little sanctuary of beautiful plants where butterflies flutter. Even though it is hot here in England, when you enter the plastic tunnel kind of thing, you can definitely notice the rise in heat and humidity because the butterflies are not native to Britain. It is wonderful to see them flying around and sometimes they even land on you. Their patterns are beautiful too! Anyway I better stop writing now and show you the pics.

Those are some of the photos I took. I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Bath Time!

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

Today I thought I would share with you a few of the products I use when I have a nice, long bath and are pampering myself a little bit. So here we go...

I love to use Lush products in my bath and this time I went for a product I've never used before. There are so many, every time I go there I always want to pick up a new one. This is the Dragon's Egg Bath Ballistic. 

Once in my lovely Lush bath, I washed with the Soap&Glory 'Sugar Crush body wash' (middle) and then went on to use 'the Scrub of your life' also by Soap&Glory (left). I feel like the wash does the first quick refreshing clean and the scrub does the deep clean. I also gave my face a bit of a deeper clean with a face mask. The one I'm currently using is Clean&Clear 'Blackhead clearing 2-in-1 wash and mask'. (right) I have to say I don't particularly like to use this as a face wash the texture doesn't seem right to me even though it's consistency is thinner than other masks I have used. I do like to use it as a 5 minute mask though. I wash my hair with the John Freida 'Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Enhancing' shampoo (below) which I find works really nicely on my dark blonde hair. Finally a use a hair mask. This is the TreSemme Keratin Smooth one. (right)

The last product I use once I am out of the bath is the Soap&Glory Righteous Butter. This is a really moisturising, thick and creamy body butter.

What are your favourite products to use in the bath? Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

The Waterfall Braid

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

I think waterfall braid looks really intricate and dainty. You can make them very neat and pretty or how I often do it is a little more messy and kind of go for a boho style. I do it this way because they are quicker and easier than they may seem so if I don't have much time to do my hair it's a good option to go for. 

1. For this look all I did was take a section of hair few centimetres wide and spilt it into three. 
2. Cross the front section over the middle section then the back section over the middle section and the front section again-just like a normal braid. 
3. Once you get to this point you need to drop the front section of hair and add a little bit more hair from the top of your head to the back section only before crossing it over the middle section. 
4. Pick up a new bit of hair from underneath the braid to make it into a three strand braid again and cross it over the middle section. 
5. Cross the bottom section over the middle section and repeat.
6. Finally, I like to add salt spray to the rest of my hair to give it more texture and make sure to use hair spray.

I hope this is helpful. Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx

Decorating My Make-up Brush Holder

Hello there! I hope you are well:)

Not long ago I was tidying my desk and I found I lot of clutter and rubbish that I didn't really need. Most of it I threw away but for one empty jelly bean pot I had other ideas! It was the right size and shape to hold my make-up brushes. Before I put it into use, I decided to jazz it up a bit and this is how I did it.

I used:

Glue, scissors, a pencil, a ruler, decorative paper and obviously the empty pot of jelly beans (if you are making this you can use any pot it doesn't have to be an old jelly bean one of course:p)

1. I placed the pot onto the paper to mark the length of it. I added a few centimetres more because you don't want to get the exact same size, you need some room for folding and wrapping the paper round.

2. I then wrapped the paper around the pot, again adding a few extra centimetres I marked the width.

3. I used the pencil markings to draw straight lines, outlining what to cut out.

4. Once you have done that, you can go ahead and cut it out.

5. It's time to get glueing! 

6. Next place the pot onto the paper leaving a bit of space either side length wise and get rolling it up.

7. Now to deal with the ends what I did was put little slits in the paper about every 1 or 2 cm along each edge. Glue that and fold it down.

8. Ta-dah! It's a really nice way to store your brushes and an affordable way to cutesiefy (yeah I just made up a word) your dressing table.

Thank you for reading!

Bysiebye

Beccsie Belle

xx