L'oreal's Bioderma Sensibio H2O?

Hey everyone! Yesterday I got the new L'oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Micellar Solution from Superdrug (purely as it was reduced from £4.99 to £2.48 and I needed some make-up remover ^^). I've never tried Bioderma Sensibio H2O but the concept of this product is identical, plus the packaging has a pink theme like Bioderma's does. Bioderma is famous for being a solid favourite amongst beauty lovers for its amazing cleansing, toning, and make up removing abilities, but how does this match up?

What they say-

L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution, high performance cleansing for sensitive skin.

Used by make-up artists, the 'micellar' solution swiftly removes all traces of make-up and acts like a purifying magnet on skin's surface to capture and draw out excess oil and impurities. So gentle, skin feels soothed and toned. Hypo-allergenic. No Alcohol. Dermatologically tested.

For daily use, apply using cotton wool and sweep over face.

The front

Instructions and ingredients ^^

What I love about it-

• It really does remove make up brilliantly! I've read some reviews about how Bioderma has trouble removing waterproof make up but I've had no problems with this whatsoever!
• It has no scent and feels so gentle that it doesn't sting like most toners do and doesn't irriate your eyes when removing eye make up- it literally feels like water (they could be conning us all by just selling magical bottled water xD).
• It's a 3 in 1 marvel which is essential for someone as lazy with skincare as I am ^^ It soothes the skin, tones, and removes make up in one simple, quick, step! Marvellous!! :3

Don't believe how brilliant it is at removing make up?

Observe- 

This is my hand covered in cream eyeshadow, gel and pencil eyeliner, concealer, and three deep and vibrant lipsticks

The cotton pad I used and how much product is needed.

And viola!!! I had to rub the eyeliner a bit after soaking it for a few seconds but the other products came off so easily! AMAZING!

This product is amazing and I will definitely be repurchasing!

It's avaliable from Superdrug here.

Have you tried this or Bioderma? What do you think?

Lots of love, Laura xx

Ready...steady...BAKE! #3 Gluten-free Coffee Cake

Hey everyone! So the other day was my dad's birthday and I really wanted to make him and cake that he could eat (he has coeliac disease- which means he can't have gluten). I was looking through my trusted Lorraine Pascale "Baking Made Easy" recipe book and found a recipe for a gluten-free (perfect!) irish cream coffee cake (even better :3). For this recipe you need two sandwich tins to make a cake that serves around 8-10 people- depending on how greedy you are.

Dat cake :3

Ingredients- 

• 200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 200g (7oz) cold butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
• 200g (7oz) gluten-free self-raising flour, plus 1 tbsp baking powder
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• Seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod or 2 drops of vanilla extract
• 80ml very strong black coffee or 4-5 tbsp of coffee essence
• Small handful of coffee granules, to decorate.

Irish cream buttercream

• 125g (4 1/2oz) butter, softened
• 250g (9oz) icing sugar
• Seeds of 1/2 a vanilla pod or 2 drops of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp of irish cream liquer, or to taste (I used Baileys in my cake filling ^^)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree's celsuis. Grease the cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.

2. Put the brown sugar, salt, butter, flour, and baking powder into a bowl and mix with an electric whisk until the mixture resemebles breadcrumbs- you could also just use your fingers to rub the ingredients together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Don't overmix, or it will go into a sticky lump.

3. Gradually add the eggs in three lots, beating well with each addition, then add the vanilla & coffee and beat hard for 2-3 minutes.

If you forget to line the tins properly the edges of the cake are all weird so don't do that (what an idiot xD)

4. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins & bake for around 30 minutes, but check after 25. Once cooked leave to cool in the tins.

Yeah, I kind of didn't mix the mixture enough but it still tasted ok ^^

Heehee :3

5. To make the buttercream put the butter, icing sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and beat until it's light and fluffy. Stir in the irish cream liquer and mix to combine. 

6. Once the cakes are cooled, remove them from the tins and peel off the paper. Spread half the buttercream over one sponge and put the other sponge on top.

7. Spread the top layer with the rest of the buttercream then sprinkle over some coffee granules. These will dissolve in half an hour or so. Serve with tea and coffee ^^

See what I mean about the sides? xD Oh well it tasted LUSH.

This cake is a real winner! The sponge is not very sweet (it reminds me of a scone mix) which goes amazingly with the very sweet buttercream. The Baileys comes through quite strongly and reakky tops off this gorgeous cake.

Any questions?

Lots of love, Laura xx

Hayley William's "Still into you" make-up :3

Any other Paramore fans? I got their new album yesterday...IT'S AMAZING!!!!! My favourite song has to be "Still into you" so I was really excited to see they've released a video for the song and it's gorgeous ^^ you can see it below.

Hayley's make up/outfit is so cute! I just had to recreate her fun pastel make up look ^^ Even if you aren't a Paramore fan, I hope you are now :3

The key features of this look are the blue to pink gradient eyes, the extended cat eye look, the bubblegum pink (slightly purple toned in the video) lips, pink highlighted cheeks. Think VERY girly for this look.

A comparison ^^

For this look I used the following products-

Face- 

NYC primer

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Porcelain

Rimmel Stay Matte powder in translucent

Collection Lasting Finish concealer in shade 1

To highlight my cheeks I used W7 Candy Floss face brightening powder (a famous dupe for benefit Dandelion)- as this is pink tinted I didn't use a blush.

Eyes-

MUA pearl eyeshadow in shade 22 on the outer corner of the lid extended to a point out to the tip of the eyeliner

Barry M eye crayon (baby blue colour- don't know what it's called) I put this in the inner third corner then smudged with a brush- I then lined my inner corner (around the tear duct) and smudged it so it extended up to inner tip of my eyebrow and down under my eye- If that made any sense xD

MUA Gel Eyeliner in Fairground- Along the whole upper lash line and out to create that "winged" effect. I used this grey colour as I thought black may be too harsh.

I then added a bit of sparkle to my eyelids with some Collection Dazzle me! in Hazydaze.

I filled my brows with MUA matte eyeshadow shade 19

NYC Showtime Mascara

Lips-

MUA Lipstick shade 4- Review

Aww Hayley, you're so cute :3

And viola!! I love this look so much! It was great fun to do and made my girl crush on Hayley Williams grow even more ^^ 

Lots of love, Laura xx

A little (rather large :L) wish list!

Hey everyone! This is my first "wish list" post on my blog. I was inspired by the posts that Sophie does on her blog, it's such a cute idea and it always looks really funky when she does it ^^.

The things on my list are-

1. Smashbox Halo Blush in shade "In Bloom"- The idea of these blushes/powders are so nifty (with the whole grinder function). The shade "In Bloom" is a gorgeous peachy pink that would be perfect for spring. They retail at around £23, which is WAY out of my price range...but I can dream right?

2. MAC Creme in your Coffee Lipstick- I have wanted this shade for SO LONGGGGGGG. It's the perfect pink/brown shade lippie which is a colour I adore! I want it so much D':

3. Benefit Watts Up Soft Focus Highlighter- I love me a nice cream highlighter. This seems so lovely, I love the packaging and the golden colour would look great on my yellow toned skin ^^ It's £24.50 so again, WAY out of my price range...but OH WELL (Anyone love me enough to buy me one? I'll pay you with love and cookies :3)

4. Real Techniques Core Collection- Another one of the products I've wanted for ages. The brushes look so perfect! I'll probably ask for these for my birthday xD Everyone and their mother's cat seems to love them

5. Paramore's new album, "Paramore"- I have been a fan of this band since their "All we know is falling" days and this album seems incredible (what I've heard so far). It's quite different to their usual stuff, which a lot of fans are annoyed about, but I always love to see bands evolve ^^ Plus, hopefully, this means a new tour! :D

6. Lush Big shampoo- I have really limp and flat hair and have heard a lot about how samazing this is at volumising hair. I keep looking at it when I go into Lush but I can never quite bring myself to get it. £11.25 seems like a lot, but apparently it lasts ages.

7. Sleek Blush in 3 in Lace- I saw this in Nikki Phillippi's beauty favourites on Fleur's latest video on youtube (here). The colours look absolutely stunning! Sleek is such good quality and for £10 it's a steal!

8. L'oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Excess mascara- This is DEFINITELY going to be my next mascara purchase. It gives amazing length and definition which is what I always look for in a mascara ^^

That's it! I hope you enjoyed this post.

What are you lusting over?

Lots of love, Laura

P.S. I'm visiting my mum in Cardiff for a few days so I may not be able to post much in that time. See you soon ^^ x

March Favourites ^^

Hey everyone! So today I'm going to be posting my favourite beauty/skincare/general items of this past month. Enjoy :)

1. Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Daily Nail Treatment- £4.75

2. Lush "No Drought" Dry Shampoo- £6.50

3. Maybelline Expression Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in "Permanent Taupe"- £4.99 

4. "She's so...Jetset!" Set by Benefit- I think around £23.50- It was a limited edition set by can probably be found on amazon or ebay.

5. Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub- £5.25

6. Natural Collection Lipstick in Raspberry- £1.99

7. The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Tint in Rose Pink- £10

8. NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer- £3.49

9. Natural Collection Liquid Eyeliner- £1.99

10. Nivea Creme- £3.39- So great for moisturising my dry post-winter hands

11. Lush Jungle Conditioner- £2.95

The Make-Up ^^

From left to right-

• "She's so...Jetset!" Set by Benefit- I got this set for Christmas last year and I have been using it A LOT lately. The set contains a mix of products for eyes, cheeks, lips and face, which makes it a really nifty set to have. This is my first Benefit set and I hadn't used any of the products inside before- it includes a mini POREfessional, 4 eyeshadows, mini They're Real...Mascara, a pink lipgloss, and a pink/peach blush/highlight duo with a square fluffy applicator- therefore this is great for those who want to experience a variety of Benefit products. I LOVE the eyeshadows, the blush, the mascara, and the POREfessional primer- I've been using the eyeshadows everyday. They all feel so glamorous ^^.
• Maybelline Expression Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in "Permanent Taupe"- Such a gorgeous taupe cream eyeshadow. This is my eyeshadow staple, a lovely nature base that I'll wear alone or as a base. If you don't know already...I LOVE TAUPES.
• Natural Collection Lipstick in "Raspberry"- This is such a lovely pink raspberry (funny that xD) lipstick. I got this last summer and wore it all the time. It's so cheap but so smooth and creamy, as well as a really flattering, bright collection. Perfect for spring/summer!
• The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Tint in "Rose Pink"- I use this mostly on my cheeks which gives a stunning pink flush of colour, so pretty! It is also lovely on the lips as a stain.
• Natural Collection Liquid Eyeliner- Another winner from the Boots Natural Collection make-up range! The colour is actually jet black (and actually stays put!) with an applicator that is really thin and easy to apply. I will definitely be re-purchasing this when it runs out. 
• NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer- It's taken a while for me to fall in love with this, but I've finally got there. I've been using this as an all-over primer under foundation which gives a nice glowing (almost dewy) finish, but I also use it sometimes as a liquid highlighter. It's gorgeous used either way and so affordable! Plus it makes my make up last ages, even on my oily skin ^^

Swatches

1. Permanent Taupe cream eyeshadow 2. Raspberry Lipstick 3. Natural Collection eyeliner 4. Body Shop Lip and cheeck stain 5. NYC primer

"She's so...Jetset!" Set by Benefit

From left to right-

•  Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub- This has been a favourite of mine for ages! My lips love it and it tastes divine. Plus it lasts a very long time- definitely a great purchase :)
• Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Daily Nail Treatment- An absolute SAVIOUR for my terribly weak nails. They feel strong and healthy and I can really see that they are growing.
• Lush "No Drought" Dry Shampoo- You know those days when you wake up to have a shower before school/work and just feel like getting an extra 15 minutes in bed? Yeah, this is great for those days. The citrus scent leaves my hair smelling fresh, non-greasy, and doesn't leave that dreaded white tint to your hair.
•  Lush Jungle Conditioner- I got this for my birthday last year and I've only just rediscovered it. And THANK GOD. I'd forgotten how amazing it leaves my hair! They've redesigned the look of this and it's under £3! For how many washes you get out of it, it's an absolute bargain!!

I hope you liked my first EVER favourites post!

If you have done one this month please put a link for it in the comments- I love reading them ^^

Also please follow me if you want more :)

Lots of love, Laura xx

"Because it's only concrete and cars, it's only sirens and missing stars"- My trip to London

Hey everyone! Yesterday my friends (Katy x3- yes I am friends with 3 Katys- and Siobhan) took a day trip into Central London and I thought I'd share some pics with you. We went EVERWHERE, I took some many pictures but managed to narrow it down to 25 of my favourites ^^. Enjoy!

Waterloo Station :)

OMGIUSENVIGEWNSVIEOHWSNOA...

"Elementary. my dear Watson"

221B BAKER STREET!!! AHHHHHH!!!! :D

Some pictures from inside the house of Detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson ^^

My nan has those elephants xD

King's Cross Station ^^

Fan's of "Sherlock" should recognise this! D':

THE FEELS D': (These messages were written across the windows on the WHOLE SIDE of the building)

My message- written on a McDonald's napkin (classy ^^)

These message have come from places as far away as Germany and Sweden etc.!

IT'S SO HIGH D':

The Old Bailey :)

The embankment ^^

I had such a great day with my friends. We went practically everywhere in central London- I was exhausted xD. I didn't buy much as we were there to sightsee (not shop), however I did drag my friends to Covent Garden where I had cheeky look in the (HUGE) Lush store. I purchased some of their Hair Henna in Caca Marron. I've wanted to try this for SO LONG and saw it, got talking to the assistant about it, and was finally tempted into getting it. I'll be posting on here about the process and the result (before/after) and my thoughts on it during the holidays. I'm so excited! 

I hope you liked these pictures and that you had a great easter! (Someone got 4 easter eggs xD I've already eaten 2...I need to pace myself O.O)

Lots of love, Laura xx