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Monday 23 December 2013

Homemade Gingerbread Biscuits

Homemade Gingerbread Biscuits Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Homemade Gingerbread Biscuits Dough Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Homemade Gingerbread Biscuits Squirrel Cookie Cutter Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Homemade Gingerbread Squirrel Bear Biscuits Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Homemade Gingerbread Biscuits Finished Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog

Hello everyone! The other day during one of the Twitter blogger chats I talked about how I wanted to add more lifestyle posts to my blog. I find these quite difficult because I don't really think anything that I do on a day-to-day basis is that interesting. But a couple of days ago, after watching Zoella's latest DIY video, me and my boyfriend decided to make some gingerbread biscuits! We do like to bake cakes on the odd occasion and as it's nearly Chirstmas, we thought we'd make something a bit more festive! The only cookie cutters we could find however were a bear and squirrel, so they're not the most Christmassy looking biscuits out there! I just want to add I'm not copying Zoe's latest video but I was inspired by her to make these yummy biscuits! If you want to watch her video then do click here for the full list of ingredients and recipe!

These were really simple to make, the preparation of the dough does take a good 45 minutes though as you do have to allow it to cool. But they're quick to cook so they can be ready in just over an hour! For decoration we did just want some plain white icing but the only white I could find in my local Sainsbury's was in a set of chocolate icing. It actually didn't taste that bad so I'm really happy with how they turned out! We mainly used Smarties to add colour to our biscuits but you can easily use little jellies, coloured icing and other delicious treats!

I hope you liked this little lifestyle post, if you did then I will definitely consider making some more as this was really fun to do! This if going to be my last post before Christmas so I hope you all have a lovely day and that you eat lots of good food and have fun with your family and friends.

Happy Christmas everyone! I will speak to you all very soon.
Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
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Friday 20 December 2013

Last Minute Stocking Fillers For Her | Under £10

Last Minute Stocking Fillers Under £10 For Her NSpa Maybelline Ted Baker Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog

Hello lovelies, I hope you're all doing well. I can't believe that Christmas is only a matter of days away, I seriously cannot wait! Now that there's only a few days left before Christmas, I thought I would put together a last minute stocking filler gift guide that features some of my top picks of smaller presents from the high street. I think posts like this are great for when you're looking for a small and inexpensive present when you've realised you still need to pick up a couple more things for someone! I also tried to do a guy's version of this, but seriously, boys are so hard to buy for and I had such a tough time finding gifts for under £10 that I actually liked - so I've kept this gift guide to girls only. But of course, the bath products in my list could also work for guys too! So enough rambling about boys being difficult and let's get into the post..

1. NSpa Fruit Extract Lip Butters | £4.00 | LINK
Who doesn't like a good lip balm? I've seen this NSpa lip butter set crop up a few times in the blogosphere and I personally thought it was such a cute and very inexpensive gift! For £4 you receive 3 (however the Asda stock photo showed 4.. strange?) little lip butters in different flavours: shea butter, raspberry and mango - all 3 of which I would happily use! Any kind of lip balms are a perfect stocking filler at this time of the year as many of us will be suffering with chapped and dry lips, so I think this is a great little product. Plus if you have 3 friends you need to buy for, you could always split this set up and give each of them one lip butter plus another gift - thrifty huh?!

2. Flutters Butterfly Compact Mirror | £3.00 | LINK
This little compact mirror is just too pretty not to feature in this post! Every girl needs a compact in their handbag or makeup bag and I think the blue and lilac butterfly design of this one is so sweet. Little makeup tools like mirrors, brushes and eye lash curlers for example are always a great gift at Christmas time, especially for someone who is obsessed with beauty products. For £3 you are getting a sturdy double sided mirror that any girl would love, plus many gifts in Superdrug are 3 for 2 so there's even more money to be saved!

3. Maybelline Colour Show Nail Polish Trio Kit | £7.99 | LINK
I wanted to include some form of nail polish set in this post and luckily I stumbled across this really lovely Maybelline set on the Superdrug website. In this set you get a trio of Christmassy shades that would be perfect for the festive season: a nude, a bold red and a sparkly red. I haven't tried any of these Maybelline nail polishes before but I have asked for a few for Christmas so I personally would love to receive this as a gift in my stocking, so I'm sure many girls would do too! Again like the lip butters, you could also split them up and give each of the shades to different friends. Each of these polishes on their own cost £2.99 so you are saving about £1 when you buy this cute little set!

4. I Love Mango & Papaya Mini Box Of Love | £3.50 | LINK
Now when I first saw this little gift box set it really reminded me of the sets you can get in the Body Shop for £6 - so this one is nearly half the price! I absolutely love mango scents so I think this would be a great little stocking stuffer for anyone who has an addiction to buying and trying bath products (I can definitely hold my hand up there!). In this set you get a little bubble bath/ shower gel, a body butter and a mini body puff. This is such great value for money and I love the way it's packaged with the ribbon loop on top, just like a Christmas tree decoration!

5. NSpa Fruit Extract Shower & Bath Gels | £3.00 each | LINK
Again, more bath products (I did say I have an addiction haha!) but I think NSpa is such a lovely yet inexpensive brand. I've had their shower/ bath gels on my "to try" list for quite some time so I thought they would be a great little idea to add into this gift guide. They have some amazing scents to choose from and my particular favourites are: mango, grapefruit and raspberry - I always give them a sniff when I'm in my local Asda! Plus NSpa shower gels are usually on offer for 2 for £4 which is amazing considering a huge 500ml bottle is £3 anyway! Of course you don't have to buy NSpa shower gels, Soap & Glory also sell some amazing ones for around £6.50 and are usually found in a 3 for 2 deal.

6. Ted Baker Lovely Lindy Hop Nail Varnish & Lip Gloss Set | £8.00 | LINK
 My final product in this gift guide is a little makeup set from Ted Baker. I absolutely loved the colour of the nail polish and lip gloss in this set, it's so festive looking and I do love a good deep red shade at this time of the year! The Ted Baker sets from Boots are always packaged so beautifully as well so I think these would make perfect little gifts to pop into someone's stocking. Again you don't have to go with Ted Baker, you could always pick up a selection of makeup from Boots or Superdrug and pop it into a pretty gift bag with some tissue paper and create your own personalised set!

So these are a few products that I think would be perfect as stocking fillers for any girl that you know. I've tried to keep them pretty cheap so that they can be perfect if you need to buy presents for lots of girl friends! I hope you liked this post, I'm not sure if I'll be able to blog before Christmas but I will try really hard to make one before then. Thank you for reading!

What's at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
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*All prices correct on date of publishing*

Saturday 14 December 2013

Mini Haul | Lush, Beauty & Accessories

Mini Haul Lush Beauty Accessories Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Mini Haul Lush Beauty Accessories Cinders Candy Mountain Butterball Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Mini Haul Lush Beauty Accessories Soap And Glory Supercat Eye Liner Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Mini Haul Lush Beauty Accessories Oasis Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Mini Haul Lush Beauty Accessories Oasis Stack Rings Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog 2
Mini Haul Lush Beauty Accessories Oasis Bird Charm Necklace Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Mini Haul Lush Beauty Accessories Oasis Jewel Flower Hair Clips Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog

Hey everyone! Now I know at this time of the year it's all about buying gifts for other people, but sometimes you do need to treat yourself as well! Now that I've pretty much finished all of my Christmas shopping, I thought I would let myself pick up a few things that I've wanted to try - plus a couple of impulse buys! So over the past couple weeks I have seemed to have acquired a mini haul that I thought I would share with you all.

Lush Cinders Bath Ballistic | £2.45 | LINK
I've been meaning to pick up some of the Christmas edition products from Lush for quite a while, but as I've been quite busy I just hadn't got round to doing so. The other weekend I feeling feeling a bit down so I decided to treat myself to a few bath bombs from Lush so that I could have a nice relaxing bath when I got home. The first one I picked up was the infamous Cinders bath bomb which is the perfect bath treat to have at Christmas time. I actually tried this last year and I really loved the warm cinnamon scent so it would have been rude not to pick up another one this year! It has bits of popping candy on the top which is meant to represent a crackling fire, but when I last tried this I couldn't hear anything - hopefully this time round it will work a lot better!

Lush Candy Mountain Bubble Bar | £2.65 | LINK
Next up is something I've been eyeing up for ages and it is the Candy Mountain bubble bar. I thought it looked so cute with the pink and white swirl design, plus the scent of vanilla is really lovely! The idea behind these bubble bars is to break off a little piece every time you have a bath, pop them into running hot water and then watch as big, beautiful smelling bubbles appear! I really can't wait to try this bubble bar - I'm saving it for when I really need to have a relaxing bath.

Lush Butterball Bath Ballistic | £2.50 | LINK
 The last Lush product I picked up was quite a random purchase. Butterball isn't a bath bomb I've heard much about but when I read the little card next to it, it sounded too nice to leave behind! It contains cocoa butter and is designed to help restore moisture back into your skin. As my skin has always been on the drier side to me this sounded like a perfect bath product! Plus with the gorgeous scent of vanilla, it seems like the perfect bath bomb to pop into any bath! I used this in my bath last night (a must have treat after a late night shift!) and I found that it made my skin incredibly soft, literally to the point where I didn't want to apply any body lotion after my bath. It also leaves a scent of cocoa butter on your skin which is really lovely! I highly rate this bath bomb and I will definitely be repurchasing this soon.

Soap & Glory Supercat Liquid Eye Liner in "Carbon Black" | £6.00 | LINK
I recently ran out of my Eyeko Skinny Mini liquid eye liner, so I was on the hunt for something new to try. I'd heard some good things about the Soap & Glory Supercat liner so I thought I would finally try it out. This liquid liner is so pigmented and is completely black and opaque when you apply it to your lid. My only problem with it is that I find the applicator (it's like a felt tip pen) a little big so it can be difficult to draw on a very thin line. Luckily I don't mind my eye liner quick bold, but some days I do prefer just that natural looking volume to my lashes. I might have a hunt around for some more liquid liners to try so if you have any suggestions then do leave them in the comments below!

Oasis Dragonfly & Flower Stack Rings | £12.00 reduced to £1.00
Now, moving on to the accessories. Oasis is a shop that many young people may not think about looking in, but I have to say a lot of their jewellery and clothes are really on trend and are absolutely gorgeous! I'd been eyeing up these little rings for ages and I couldn't believe that I found them in the sale for just £1 considering they were originally £12 - absolute bargain! I think the dangly dragonfly and flower charms are really sweet and are completely different to any other rings that I have. The other 2 rings are more simpler but are still very pretty to wear together.

Oasis Bird Charm Necklace | £10.00 reduced to £2.00
Next I also found this cute bird charm necklace in the sale for just £2! I have so many necklaces like this but I couldn't leave this one behind. This is a really dainty and pretty necklace that can be layered up with other necklaces or just worn on its own for a more simple look. It also comes on a thin golden chain that I find is the perfect length for me - such a great piece to add to my collection.

Oasis Jewel Flower Hair Clips | £6.00 reduced to £3.00
The final accessories in my mini haul are these really sweet jewelled flower hair clips. I've always been a girl who wear pretty accessories in my hair, in particular flowers, so I just had to pick these up! Hair accessories are perfect for dressing up an outfit and as these have little diamantes in the middle, they also bring some added sparkle to them! These are really sweet and I think they look great paired with any hair style.

So this is my little haul from the past couples of weeks. I've tried to link as many things as possible but I think for sale items it's a case of looking around and seeing what's in your local stores. I hope you enjoyed this post and as always, please do leave your links to any hauls you may have done recently - I do love having a good nose through what people have bought!

Have you treated yourself to anything lately?
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Wednesday 11 December 2013

November Favourite's

November 2013 Favourite's Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo Restructuring Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
November 2013 Favourite's Benefit Coralista Lip Gloss Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
November 2013 Favourite's Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon Plum Russian Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
November 2013 Favourite's Dolce And Gabanna The One Perfume Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog

Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing well. It feels like ages since I last published a post on my blog - it's like everything happens at once around Christmas time and I end up being so busy all the time! I also thought I would mention that today my blog is 1 and a half years old. I really can't believe how quick it goes! I can still remember creating my blog and taking the photos for my very first post as if it was yesterday! I'm really grateful for everyone who has ever followed me, commented or simply "liked" my posts on Bloglovin' - all of it means so much to me, so I just want to say a big thank you to you all! I wouldn't still be blogging if it wasn't for all of your support!

Today's post is going to be about my favourite beauty products from November. I usually post these right at the beginning of the month, but I've literally had no time to photograph and write recently. I also blame rubbish Winter lighting meaning there's only a couple of hours in the day you can get half-decent photos. Note to self: I must remember to invest in some kind of lighting system!

Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo | LINK
So my first favourite from November is a new shampoo that I've added to my hair care routine (this has completely changed since my Ombre Hair Care Routine I posted almost a year ago, so if you would like an updated hair care post then do let me know!). I've been on the hunt for a clarifying shampoo for ages, but never really knew which brand to try out. I was in Superdrug a few weeks ago and spotted that a lot of Tresemme products were half price, including this Deep Cleansing shampoo - just what I needed! I thought for £2.50 I may as well give it a try, especially as it contains a massive 900ml of product! I use this shampoo around once a week and I find that it really does remove any traces of oil or grease that may be left in your hair leaving it looking and smelling really clean. As my hair is quite fine and curly, it does tend to make my shorter "baby hairs" go a little frizzy so I would suggest also picking up a deep conditioner to help combat this. Which leads me on to my next favourite...

Tresemme Restructuring Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque | LINK
 At the same time as buying the Deep Cleansing shampoo, I also picked up this Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque as I knew the shampoo would be a little drying as it removes excess oils from your hair. I absolutely love this treatment masque and I find it really helps nourish my hair back to normal after using the shampoo. I believe this was also £2.50 when I bought it and you get 500ml of product - such a bargain! When I use this masque my hair is always left really soft and smooth so I would highly recommend you trying this out and adding it to your hair care routine!

Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in "Coralista" | LINK
 Last month you could pick up a choice of 3 Benefit lip glosses with every Elle magazine. I only managed to find Coralista despite looking everywhere for Dandelion as well! I've never tried Benefit lip glosses before as I've never been a huge lip gloss fan, but I am so glad I picked up this one as it's probably the nicest lip gloss I've ever tried! The Benefit Ultra Plush lip glosses have a beautifully smooth formula that isn't sticky at all. They also smell amazing and leave your lips feeling incredibly soft. Coralista is a sheer coral shade that would be amazing for the Summer time, but I also think it's still very wearable in the Winter as it's so sheer. I absolutely love these glosses and will definitely consider picking up the full size versions soon!

Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon in "Plum Russian" | LINK | Review
 Another favourite of mine is Bourjois's Color Boost Lip Crayon in "Plum Russian". This is a perfect lip product for day and night and I find it's so easy to wear. As it's quite a deep berry/ plum shade, it's great for this time of the year when you want to add a hint of autumnal colour to your lips. I won't go into loads of detail about these lip crayons as I have recently reviewed them, so click HERE to read the post!

Dolce & Gabbana The One Perfume* | LINK | Review
My final favourite of November is a perfume that I've pretty much worn everyday for the past couple weeks! Dolce & Gabbana's The One perfume is a perfect "every occasion" kind of scent that really works well in the Winter time. It's a very warm, sophisticated yet sweet scent that I think anyone could wear. Again, I recently talked about this perfume in a Gift Guide For Her post which you can read HERE!

So these are all of the products that I've been loving recently. For once I have a nice mixture of hair, makeup and perfume which I hope is useful for some of you! I hope you enjoyed this post and that you have found some new products that you would like to try out. Please leave your links to your November Favourite's posts below so I can come and have a little read - I love finding new products to try!

What are your November Favourites?
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Friday 6 December 2013

Meet My December Advertisers


Hello everyone and welcome back to another "Meet My Advertisers" post! I absolutely love writing these posts as I think they're great way for finding some new blogs to read. This month I have 1 exclusive advertiser and that is Laura from Laura's All Made Up. Laura was one of the very first blogs I followed way back when I started blogging. She's a blogger that I've religiously read since then and I find her posts so varied and interesting to read. She's an absolute staple in your following list so be sure to check out her wonderful beauty, fashion and nails blog!

Exlusive Advertiser | Laura's All Made Up


Hello everyone! I'm Laura and I write Laura's All Made Up. My blog is a place where I share reviews on beauty products, including cosmetics, haircare and skincare. I absolutely love nail polish and nail designs so do check out my nail art category! I've recently started to include more fashion related posts and budget buys... So hopefully there's a little something for everyone :) It would be amazing if you could stop by my blog, and please leave me a comment if you do! 

Links
Thank you to Laura for choosing to advertise with me this month - I'm really happy to have her blog in my side bar! Please be sure to go and check out her blog, I'm sure you'll find so many posts that will get you hooked for hours. Do leave her a comment and if you do enjoy her blog, make sure you follow her as well!

Please do take the time to check out my lovely advertiser!
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My exclusive advertiser of the month is Laura's All Made Up. To find out how you can advertise with me, click HERE.

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Gift Guide For Her | Fragrance Sets

Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Marc Jacobs Dot 50ml Set Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Marc Jacobs Dot Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Marc Jacobs Dot Perfume Shower Gel Body Lotion Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Dolce And Gabbana The One 30 ml Set Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Dolce And Gabbana The One Set Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Dolce And Gabbana The One Perfume Body LotionSet Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Yves Saint Laurent YSL Manifesto Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Yves Saint Laurent YSL Manifesto 30ml Set Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog
Christmas Gift Guide For Her Fragrance Sets Yves Saint Laurent YSL Manifesto Perfume Body Lotion Belle-amie UK Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Blog

Hello everyone, I hope you're all having a lovely week! I can't believe it's already December and that Christmas is only 22 days away! I'm so excited for Christmas this year as this is the first time I've been able to buy proper presents for my friends and family, so I can't wait to give them out to everyone! I'm actually someone who really loves reading and watching Christmas gift guides (I find them so inspirational!), so when Fragrance Direct asked me to feature some women's fragrance sets on my blog as part of a "Christmas gift guide for her", I couldn't wait to take part!
This will be my very first gift guide post here on my blog so please do let me know in the comments below if you enjoy it!

When it comes to buying a gift for a special girl or woman in your life, I always feel that you can't go wrong with a perfume. It's something every woman loves and us ladies can never have too many fragrances in our collection! I've picked out 3 different scents that I think would suit a range of people's needs for a fragrance. Of course you could buy any of these scents for anyone, but I've categorised them into age ranges to help you if you're looking for a gift for a younger or older woman.

Marc Jacobs Dot 50ml Gift Set* | £44.99 | LINK
The Marc Jacobs Dot gift set was the set that I chose for a younger girl, for example this would be a perfect gift for my little sister who's in her mid-teens! This set comes with a 50ml Eau De Parfum plus a mini shower gel and body lotion. Marc Jacob's Dot fragrance is a sweet floral scent that's a perfect day time perfume. With top notes of: red berries, dragon fruit and honeysuckle give it that sweet element and with the jasmine and orange blossom notes, this is a great fragrance for someone who also likes a floral scent! The wear time of this fragrance is great and I find it's the perfect scent to wear for any occasion.

As you can see the packaging and the bottle of the Marc Jacobs Dot set is absolutely gorgeous and is definitely a perfume that would take pride of place on any girl's dressing table. The box is also really cute and definitely sets this fragrance off as being perfect for a younger girl.

Dolce & Gabbana The One 30ml Gift Set* | £36.95 | LINK
The next perfume I chose was Dolce & Gabbana The One gift set and I would personally give this fragrance set to anyone who's my age or into their late 20's. It is a very warm, glamorous and sophisticated scent but at the same time it has that sweet vanilla element to it which makes it just that little bit younger. For me this is a gorgeous evening scent or an every day Winter scent as it does have a warm smelling side to it. It also contains a 50ml body lotion which will really help maintain the scent as well as keeping the skin moisturised. I find that this perfume wears really well on my skin and sometimes I can still smell it the day after on my clothes too!

The Dolce & Gabbana The One Eau De Parfum comes in a gorgeous golden box with a black velvet interior making it a very glamorous looking gift. The bottle it stunning with the golden lid and clear bottle which makes it look very sophisticated, just like the scent itself.

YSL Manifesto 30ml Gift Set* | £41.99 | LINK
My final fragrance set I chose was the YSL Manifesto gift set. This has a much older feel to it due to the wood and floral notes it contains, so I think this would make a perfect gift for an older woman you may know - this could be someone like your mum or aunt! It still has quite a sweet tone to it as it does contain notes of black current and vanilla, but the wood like tones definitely stand out in this scent to me. This is a very luxurious perfume that I think anyone would enjoy and it makes a perfect evening time scent as it does have those deeper and bolder tones. Like the other sets, this also comes with a body lotion which will help keep the Manifesto scent on your skin all day long. I also find that as it is such a strong, bold scent, this perfume lasts all day or night on my skin even if you only spray a small amount. This is a great perfume that you can get a lot of wear out of - I'm sure any girl would love to have this as a gift!

Like many YSL products, the packaging of this perfume is very luxurious as it comes in a golden box. I also love the bottle that Manifesto comes in and you can feel that it's such good quality!

So these were my top 3 fragrance picks for my gift guide for her this year. Fragrance Direct have a wide range of different sets and single perfumes for him and her, so if you're looking to find that perfect gift for someone this year, you should definitely check out their website!
I hope that you enjoyed this post and do let me know if you would like to see a gift guide for him on my blog!

What is your must have fragrance for Christmas?
Are any of these gift sets on your wish list?
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