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● Laura Thornberry ● Lifestyle Blogger ● London Based ●

Here's a quick look at my monthly favourites!

October favourites

 A new addition to my perfume collection over the last couple of months has been the Thierry Mugler Alien. It's been the only perfume I have been wearing. It has such a fresh, and deep scent, it's quite mysterious as I can't fully pinpoint what combination of smells it has combined within the fragrance. To me, it has bursting floral and woody aromas, that really work together to make a great feminine fragrance.

Carmex Lip Balm has been my lifesaver over the last month. Now that we are heading into the colder months of the year, this product is something I can't be without! I have 2 or 3 in my bag at all times. It's been one of the only lip balm products to fully moisturise and relieves my lips from the cold weather.

The Lee Stafford Nourishing Argan Oil Hair Dryer has been a recent purchase of mine, and I can't believe I didn't buy it sooner. My hair has definitely had a huge appearance and texture boost since using this and I know it will be perfect to keep my hair in good condition for the colder months ahead. Infused with Moroccan Argan oil helps to add a radiant shine, improved condition and protects against the use of heat. The hair dryer also comes with 2 speed and 3 temperature settings. I've also noticed that it takes very little time nowadays to dry my hair, which is great as I don't know anyone who actually likes do dry their hair! A definite must have!

Something new that I've tried this month has been the Lee Stafford Coco Loco Heat Protection Spray. As a huge haircare lover, I never usually use the same heat protection spray as I like to try out as many as I can, but this one from Lee Stafford has been amazing to use. Enriched with Coconut Oil, one of the best natural ingredients to help nourish and condition the hair, this lightweight spray has made detangling my hair the easiest thing in the world. With towel-dried hair, I like to spritz this spray all over my hair and gently brush through. This leaves my hair looking shiny and feeling super soft, as well as leaving a hint of coconut scent!

I recently post about my Netflix recommendations, and I featured the series Making A Murderer. Since this post went live, Making A Murdered has now launched part 2 of the documentary and I'm obsessed. This series is very gripping and I've been non-stop watching. It's definitely something you need to watch if you haven't already!

Lately, I've been obsessed with buying Primark Pyjamas, especially the £10 Disney sets. I've picked up a couple of Lilo & Stitch pyjamas, but my favourites have definitely been The Lion King. The pyjamas are so soft and super comfortable, you forget you even have anything on! I also love the fact the pyjama bottoms are usually cuffed, as these are my preferred style of trouser. Very affordable and very cute!

What are you favourites this month?
10:00 No comments
AD - GIFTED | When it comes to sweet treats, Macarons are one of the most delicious and luxurious treats out there. There's so much creativity, time and skill that are involved in making them, it's incredible and these marvellous macarons from The English Rose Bakery are no exception!

"The bakery was founded in June 2010 but the idea came a year or so before that when Emma Brown fell in love with the French ‘Macaron’ one weekend on a visit to Laduree in Zurich. After living and working in Switzerland for 4 years Emma gave up her steady day job with the dream to open a macaron shop back in Manchester."

The English Rose Bakery Macarons

"The French ‘Macaron’ or English ‘Macaroon’ comes from the Italian word ‘Maccarone’ which is derived from ‘ammaccare’ meaning to crush or beat, in this case used in reference to the almonds which are the principal ingredient in our delicious English Rose Bakery macarons."

I was kindly gifted a box of fourteen delicious macarons* which included the following amazing flavours; Vanilla, Pistachio, Raspberry, Strawberries & Cream, Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel, Rose, Chocolate, Matcha Tea, Praline, Banana, Hazelnut & Nutella and Chestnut. As you can see below, the flavours you get are marked out, so you know exactly what each macaron is which is such a helpful little extra.

The English Rose Bakery Macarons
The English Rose Bakery Macarons

- Vanilla - This had such a super sweet vanilla taste that was simply perfect.

- Pistachio - For me, pistachios have such a distinctive flavour, such a rich, nutty taste, that you either love it or hate it. 

- Raspberry - This was so super fresh and fruity. You got both the sweet and sour taste of the raspberry that really brought the flavours together to make one delicious macaron.

- Strawberries & Cream - Strawberries & Cream macaron was absolutely delicious. There was such a fresh and fruity strawberry flavour, topped off with a rich creamy taste. Would definitely get more of these!

- Peanut Butter - Until recently, I hated Peanut Butter. But this macaron wasn't too strong and overpowering with flavour which was perfect for me.

- Salted Caramel - Salted Caramel anything is one of my favourite flavours. Coffees, chocolates, you name it, I love it! So this macaron was always going to be a winner with me. Rich caramel with a hint of sea salt is just a perfect combination

- Rose - This flavour of macaron was quite heavily perfumed and overpowering for my liking. It definitely tasted how you would expect roses to taste like, but it wouldn't be something I would choose for myself again.

The English Rose Bakery Macarons

- Chocolate - If you're a chocolate lover, the chocolate macaron would definitely be a winner with you. It had such a rich and luxurious chocolate taste, with a thick ganache inside. Simply delicious!

- Matcha Tea - Matcha Tea was a very unusual taste and flavour for a macaron I thought. It had a slightly bitter flavour but a very fragrant smell to it.

- Praline - To me, this macaron wasn't anything too special. It has a creamy, nutty flavour, but I found it a little too sugary and sickly.

- Banana - The banana macaron was definitely one of my favourites. The banana flavouring was so strong, it tasted incredible! It really reminded me of those foamy banana sweets or the Nesquik powder milkshakes.

- Hazelnut & Nutella - This macaron was 10/10 delicious. Who doesn't love Nutella?!?!

- Chestnut - Again, another weird flavour for a sweet treat. Similarly to the rose macaron, chestnut wasn't one of my favourites simply as I didn't find the taste to be quite right.

- Espresso Mocha - A macaron with a hint of coffee is definitely a winner with me. This has such a nice coffee flavour, with a hint of chocolate. Yum!

The English Rose Bakery Macarons

As you can see from my mini reviews of each flavour, I was definitely impressed with the majority of the macarons I was kindly sent. My favourite flavours were definitely the Banana and Hazelnut & Nutella. I could eat them all day long!

The English Rose Bakery macarons come beautifully packaged in such a sleek box, with a simple company logo. The addition of the gold ribbon is a great little touch, especially if you are purchasing them for a gift for someone special or a friend, it just adds that luxurious, high end feel.

Have you heard of The English Rose Bakery before? What are your favourite flavours of macarons?
10:00 No comments
When it comes to skincare, I'm pretty much 99.9% sure all my products come from the drugstore. I've tried and tested so many products, which has allowed me to see what works and what doesn't for my skin type. This has also let me see if I want to repurchase the product, or try and find something similar that would be more suitable for my skincare needs. 

One product that I have been repurchasing time and time again has been the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser. A cleanser infused with plant extracts, formulated to help give your skin a natural glow, as well as gently cleansing and exfoliating. It's very similar to the ever so popular Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. I've used this before, and yes it's very good, but when you can get a similar product from the drugstore, at an affordable price, I know what I'm going for! 

Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser

Infused with plant extracts with some great skin benefits;

- Kiwi Fruit Extract; a source of Vitamin C, which has great ability to help brighten and even out skin tone, as well as being an antioxidant protection against free radicals.

- Mulberry Fruit Extract; has strong brightening properties which can help to reduce discolouration and even out skin tone.

- Cocoa Butter; a rich emollient that is great for skin softening and conditioning.

Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser

 This cleanser has such a thick and creamy texture, which feels so soothing and luxurious upon the skin. The beautiful moisturising Cocoa Butter creates a rich and creamy formulation for the product that simply melts into the skin and cleanses away make-up and impurities. It leaves your skin looking more radiant and plump, as well as feeling silky and smooth. 

The scent of the Hot Cloth Cleanser is very spa-like. It smells so fresh and clean, that I look forward to using every single night. A little bit goes a long way! You only need a 10p amount of product for your whole face. It's a dream to use.


Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser
 
To apply, I squeeze a small amount of product into my hands, add a small drop of water and gently massage the creamy cleanser into my face. The cleanser is so gentle, it's perfect to use of the eye area to remove any mascara, and especially good for those with sensitive skin, like myself. After a couple minutes of massaging the cleanser into my skin, I would then rinse the muslin cloth or just a face cloth in hand-hot water and wring out before wiping off the cleanser, taking care around the eye area as the skin there is very delicate. Finishing off with splash of cold water to refresh the skin.

RRP £5.99

Have you tried the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser? What are your favourite cleansers?
10:00 No comments
Recently I shared my thoughts on the Garnier Moisture Bomb Tissue Face Masks, which if you didn't know, they are GREAT! Garnier have since then released some new tissue eye masks with the same product concept as the face masks. I picked up the Garnier Eye Sheet Mask Hyaluronic Acid & Coconut Water and the Garnier Eye Sheet Mask Hyaluronic Acid & Orange Juice to see if they are just as good as the face masks.

Garnier Moisture Bomb Eye Tissue Masks

The masks are so quick and easy to use, you can use them pretty much anytime and anywhere.
1. To apply, simply open the packet, take it out and unfold the mask. 
2. Apply to cleansed skin and smooth the mask gently over skin. 
3. Adjust the mask to cover the full eye area. 
4. Leave for 15 minutes and then remove. Gently massage the excess formula into the skin. 

Garnier Eye Sheet Mask Hyaluronic Acid And Coconut Water

Firstly I tried the Garnier Eye Sheet Mask Hyaluronic Acid And Coconut Water. This was the more tricky mask to apply, but once you placed it correctly, this mask worked like a treat. My eye area felt so refreshed. The skin cooling effect from the mask really worked, and I could already feel my skin becoming more hydrated and revitalised. After I removed the mask and patted in the remaining serum, it did definitely left my skin looking plumper and firmer. 

Garnier Eye Sheet Mask Hyaluronic Acid And Orange Juice

Secondly, the Garnier Eye Sheet Mask Hyaluronic Acid And Orange Juice. This was the mask I was definitely more excited for as I love products that make your skin look glowy and brightened. These under eye tissue masks were definitely easier to apply, and they were the perfect size. Again, the skin cooling effect really worked and you could feel the hydration right after application. These eye mask helped to leave my eye area look brighter, more refreshed and more awake. 10/10 It's a thumbs up from me!

Have you tried the Garnier Moisture Bomb Eye Tissue Masks?
10:00 No comments
AD - GIFTED | When it comes to cooking, I love to try out new recipes and explore new flavours and cuisines. I've recently teamed up with Gousto; a food subscription box service that brings you quality, simplicity and variety, with 30+ recipes a week to choose from to create your very own recipe box. Gousto deliver to you perfectly measured ingredients as shown on your recipes cards, which saves so much time when cooking. If you missed my introductory post, and what I picked for my first recipe box, you can view that here.

The first dish I selected to make from my recipe box was the Indian-Spiced Chicken Tray Bake With Spinach*. A super simple recipe that anyone can create, plus it's a one tray dish, so less washing up!

Gousto Indian-Spiced Chicken Tray Bake with Spinach

For this Gousto Indian-Spiced Chicken Tray Bake with Spinach, you will need the following ingredients for 2 people;

                              -  320g Chicken Thighs              
           - 400g of Potatoes
            - 120g Spinach      
     - 1 Red Onion
                          - 3 Garlic Cloves                 
           - 15g Root Ginger
          - 1 Red Chilli      
- 1 Lemon
                                      - 1 tbsp Curry Powder                     
                           - 1 tsp Yellow Mustard Seeds
                            - 1 tsp Nigella Seeds             
         - 1 tsp Turmeric
                   - 120g Natural Yoghurt

The recipe card as shown below are super easy and quick to follow. The recipe is broken down into 8 steps, that show you what you need to do and what ingredients you will need for that particular part of the recipe. So here's how I made my Gousto Tray Bake.

Gousto Recipe Card
Gousto Recipe Card

 Overall, I was extremely satisfied with how my Indian-Spiced Chicken Tray Bake with Spinach turned out. The recipe was so simple to follow, and it was a really easy one tray dish! The spices used for the chicken marinade were so flavoursome, it really helped to give such an authentic, complementary taste. The potatoes had such a fresh and zingy taste from the fresh lemon, and the garnishes of fresh red chilli brought the heat to the dish. Plus, you can vary the amount of fiery chilli you used, depending on your preferences. Or if you can't stand the heat, slather on the natural yoghurt for that creamy and cool finish. It's a 10/10 from me!

Gousto Indian-Spiced Chicken Tray Bake with Spinach

Have you used Gousto before? What recipes would you love to try from the site? 
10:00 No comments
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