Nutella Banana Bread

Whenever we have bananas that have gone too ripe, I always make a banana bread. This time, I decided to add some Nutella and make Nutella Banana Bread! If I had to give advice, I would say that when you add the remaining Nutella to the mixture when it's in the loaf tin, swirl it in a bit more than I did in the photo. I found that as the top had a lot of Nutella on it, it cooked a lot quicker than the middle of the cake and so the edges overcooked a bit too much! If the top does start to brown too much, just add a sheet of tin foil on top! This cake is perfect if you don't like overly ripe bananas! (like me, I hate when they get any brown on them!)

Ingredients

30oz (75g) Margarine 

40z (110g) Caster Sugar

1 egg (beaten)

8oz (225g) Plain Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

4 Bananas (I used 5 as we had 5!)

2oz (60g) Nutella

Method

1) Pre-heat your oven to 180C.

2) Grease a load tin or line with greaseproof paper

3) Weigh out all your ingredients and place the margarine, sugar and beaten egg in a bowl.

4) Add the baking powder and sift the flour and mix together.

5) In a separate bowl, mash your bananas. Four bananas is the normal amount I use but I had five so I used them all, it doesn't matter too much how many you use.

6) Add the mashed bananas to the other ingredients and mix together.

7) Melt the Nutella slightly, I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then drizzle two thirds into the bowl and swirl using a spoon, making sure you don't mix the Nutella in completely.

8) Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and add the rest of the Nutella to the top and swirl it in.
9) Put in the oven for around 50-55 minutes, until golden brown and cooked all the way through!

There you go! It's so simple and great if you have some bananas left over, if you aren't a fan of Nutella, you can always add some chocolate chips or leave it plain instead!

Skin Chemists Instant Facelift Guest Post By My Mum!

Skin Chemists Instant Facelift £29.99*

Here's a first, a review from my mum! She was asked if she wanted to try out the Instant Facelift from Skin Chemists as it would work better on her "mature" skin, the product claims to work instantly on skin, to increase skin elasticity, moisten and soften the skin and tighten skin. So here goes the review.

The consistency of this product is quite runny, similar to a serum or a moisturiser, this makes it easy to apply to the skin and it sinks it quite quickly. I just gently tap this onto my skin, the instructions say not to rub this into the skin too much so I made sure to not work it into the skin but apply and let it sink in. The packaging says it can be used morning and night, which is when I used it. It didn't cause any problems when I applied it underneath my makeup and the foundation applied nicely over the top. When I first apply it, the skin does go tight and feel almost dry. I mainly put it on my forehead, under my eyes and around my mouth (*georgina* my mum doesn't have bad wrinkles at all, her skin is really nice, it is just the few around the eyes really!) as this is the main areas where I need it. The packaging is quite simple which I like, I think the colour scheme of black and white looks very professional. There is a pump which I also like, it means that you never accidentally pour out too much product so it's easy to control what you're using. In terms of the "facelift" part, I would call this more of an anti-ageing cream than a "facelift." My skin does feel smoother and softer and it was a lovely product to use, however the results weren't really dramatic. This retails for £145 which is definitely more than I would spend on a product however at the moment it is reduced to £29.99 here, which is much more reasonable and a price I would pay!

Have you tried any anti-ageing products?

Wishlist

Origins Ginzing Moisturiser

I mainly use Origins products for my skin care but I've been trying to use up my moisturiser before I buy a new one, I have been meaning to try the Ginzing Moisturiser for a while, I really love the scent of Origins products, they all smell really fresh and fruity. I also love that they are gentle on my skin, I break out quite easily so it's nice to use products that don't aggravate it at all.

Hunter Coral Wellies

I recently started working in a shoe shop and they have some Hunter wellies, they have an orange pair and when I did a quick google, I found this coral pair! They seem to be quite hard to get hold of so if all else fails then I will get the orange pair! Both are really pretty and practical!

Asos Travel Wallet

I go to Amsterdam at the end of next month (eeeek!) and I have been looking for a travel wallet so I can store my passport, boarding pass and money all in one place. When I was searching, I could only find ridiculously expensive ones but I came across a few Asos ones, this is so similar to the expensive ones I found. They have so many different colours to choose from, I like this black one as it does with any handbag and is very classic.

Triangl Winnie Bikini

Triangl Bikinis seem to be everywhere at the moment, I really like this style of bikini and I love the pattern on it! I've been lusting after one (or two!) for a while so am dying to get one!

Bobbin Bikes Metropole Bike

This is probably the most lusted after item in this wish list. I want this bike SO BADLY! Out of all the bikes I've seen, this brand are my favourite. I love this mint colour but they also do so many other colours and styles of bikes to choose from, including children's bikes! You can also get a basket for the front (which of course, I would get!) which is just adorable. I've been thinking about getting this bike for a while and am so stuck on whether or not to get it, I absolutely adore it, I'm just trying to work out how much use I will get out of it! Let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Who To Follow On Instagram

I am completely obsessed with instagram, I am constantly on it! I thought I would share a few of my current favourite accounts. Most of them are full of girly, pretty photos of flowers, outfits and macaroons but there are a few different ones too!

Notyourstandard
This girl is beautiful. She posts a lot of her outfits which I take inspiration for when putting together my own, there's also a lot of flowers, deserts and photos of Berlin!

Missunderground
This is an odd one, this account is purely photos of the London Underground. It sounds like the most boring thing ever but I am completely obsessed. They aren't just your standard "here's a train" photo, they are beautifully composed and thought out photos.

Swopes
Another favourite, this account is simply amazing. Every time I see a photo from her, I am blown away. Her photography is just phenomenal and if you don't follow this account then you really are missing out. The account focuses around Chicago, a place that I've never really thought about going but it looks amazing and it's definitely now on my "to visit" list!

Parisinfourmonths
An account run by Carin who moved to Paris, her photos are mainly from in and around Paris, she is a photographer so her photos are of course absolutely beautiful. If flowers, macaroons and the Eiffel Tower are your thing, this is the account for you.

Katiemitchellphotography

Another Paris based account, this one is quite similar to ParisInFourMonths. Again, a lot of flowers, deserts and pretty locations!

Nectarandstone
This is a recent find but Caroline is a desert designer, yes you heard me, she designs deserts, for a living. I don't think I could be more jealous of anyone than I am of Caroline. She posts photos of her creations, baby shower cakes, chocolates, biscuits, cupcakes, you name it. Her account makes me feel very hungry and very jealous but it's definitely one of my favourites! I SO wish that I could order some of her beautiful pyramid shaped chocolates as they look AMAZING.

Befitbabes

If you are trying to keep in shape, this account is great for keeping you motivated. I find that following instagram and twitter accounts that post motivational pictures and quotes helps a lot with losing weight as you constantly feel motivated and inspired. They basically post pictures of girls with UHMAZING bodies.

Georginalucyy

Just a little bit of self promotion here! I mainly post pictures of food and pretty places I visit although it is 99% food!

Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner and Remover

Benefit They're Real Liner £18.50*

They're Real Makeup Remover £14.50*

Benefit recently launched two new products into their They're Real range, joining the They're Real Mascara. I personally really like the They're Real Mascara, I love the brush and find that it's great for separating lashes and preventing them clumping together, with the smaller sample sized one I use it as a bottom lash mascara as it is much smaller than the full size so it fits perfectly.

The two new products being added to the They're Real family are the Push Up Liner and the They're Real remover. The liner definitely had the most hype surrounding it, Benefit describe this as a "matte black gel formula that won't smudge, budge or dry out." I use liquid/gel liner pretty much every day so I was excited to try this out, it's pretty handy to be able to do winged liner on the go or when travelling, without having to carry eyeliner and a brush! I think the concept is brilliant, the tip is made of a rubbery material so it fits to your eye and is easy to do flicks for winged liner. I did find that this lasted really well throughout the day however there are a few things that I'm not a huge fan of. I did find that it was quite difficult to apply a thin line, some days I want to apply liner but only very subtly, I found that this liner works better if you want a thicker, more dramatic look. The consistency also slightly lets it down for me, I think in order for it to work better for winged liner, it needs to be much thinner. I find it too thick and this made it quite dry and when I wound up the liner to get more product out, it often crumbled. However if you like thick liner and aren't as fussy as me about the consistency when it comes to my eyeliner, it could still work great for you. 

The makeup remover is a winner for me though, the consistency reminds me of a moisturiser. I had been wearing the Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara and it would not budge from my lashes no matter what I tried. I tried this and it came straight off! I simply use a cotton pad and gently press onto my eyes, it doesn't sting my eyes at all, so out of the two products I would recommend the makeup remover as it works amazingly on waterproof makeup!

You can buy the They're Real Liner for £18.50 and the Remover for £14.50, you can buy on the Benefit website here.

What do you think of the They're Real products?

Wishlist: 90's Fashion

Motel Sunflower Tiara Dress £34.99

Ark Nora Platform Chelsea Boots £34.99

Ark Gingham Skort £3.00

Pop Pop Boutique Crop Top £15.99 and Shorts £19.99

90's fashion has been making a come-back recently with jelly shoes and plaid skirts being, well..everywhere! This Sunflower dress is SO pretty, I adore the print as sunflowers are my favourite flower and it has a loose slightly smock style to it which is one of my favourite type of dresses to wear, to be honest, dresses are generally my favourite thing to wear. I love a good old Chelsea boot and I love these platform boots! I find that shoes with a platform are so much easier to walk in as your foot isn't at much of an angle so they are really easy to walk in, plus at £34.99, you can't really go wrong. I've been on the hunt for a skort for ages, I swear everyone seems to have one! I love the way these look, especially the gingham fabric and they totally remind me of the film Clueless! Finally, this Co-ord set. I've never really considered buying a top and bottoms that match and I'm not really sure why as I really love the way this looks together, I think the pattern is really feminine and pretty so it's right up my street!

What items are on your wish list at the moment?

*Sponsored post

How To: Strawberry and Cucumber Infused Water

I was just browsing a store where I live and I came across this cute jar with a straw, it just screamed Pinterest and I had to buy it! I decided to make an infused water in it which is so simple, I am also planning to make an iced coffee too! I went with a Strawberry and Cucumber water (I later added Limes as I found them in the fridge) but you can use any fruit combination you want, you can literally add anything! I am dying to try it with Watermelon as it's my favourite and I also think Peach would be lovely!

Ingredients

Water

Ice 

Strawberries

Cucumber

Method

1) Fill your jar with water, I used the chilled water from the fridge. I then added some ice.

2) Chop up your fruit however you want, I thinly sliced the strawberries, cucumber and limes.

3) Give it a stir and pop in the fridge! It doesn't take that long for the flavours to infuse the water, I left mine in for about 45 minutes.

That's it! I think this is such a good idea if you find water too plain as it adds such a lovely flavour but is still healthy so it's a great alternative to fizzy drinks! 

PS. You can buy the jar here!

Uses for Coconut Oil

Clearspring Organic Virgin Coconut Oil £8.99*

I was recently asked if I wanted to try out something from the Organicopia website, I picked the Coconut Oil as I had wanted to try it for ages as I heard it was really good for hair growth. However when researching I found out it had so many uses! Here's just a few..

Hair
I'd read that coconut oil is great for hair growth; just do a quick google and you can see some amazing results. It's also good for just generally improving the health of your hair, once a week I apply it all over my head, making sure I massage it into the roots (this helps with the growth part) I leave it on for about half an hour. While it's on your hair it will look like you haven't washed it for a year and it will feel disgusting, I then just hop in the shower and shampoo my hair as I would normally (sometimes I do two shampoo's just to make sure I've got all of it out. Afterwards you with have healthier looking and feeling hair, I have noticed such a huge difference in how my hair looks, I haven't been using it long enough to notice a difference in the length of my hair but I will keep you posted!

Eating 
This can be used as an alternative to other oil for cooking, it has less calories and is vegan and organic so if you are into looking after your body then this is perfect. It also boosts metabolism so if you're looking to shed the pounds, this will be great!

Oil Pulling
This is a new one to me, I had heard people mention it but had never really looked into it that much. Basically it's a coconut oil mouthwash! It's meant to get rid of bacteria in the mouth, freshen breath and also whiten your teeth! My teeth have been in need of whitening for a while so every morning for 10-15 minutes I've been 'swooshing' this around my mouth. A word of warning; it's disgusting. I really don't like the taste of coconut oil and it's not the most pleasant of things but hey, it works. I generally do it while curling my hair as I'm distracted, just make sure you don't swallow any.

Skin
This can be used on the body or on the face, I have ridiculously dry skin at the moment and this makes it feel so healthy and soft! After I come out of the shower in the evening, I just apply this all over my face. Straight away it sinks in and I love how it makes my skin feel! It can also be used on the body, I have dry skin all over my body so it is amazing!

Shaving Lotion
Another idea is as a DIY shaving lotion! This is especially great if you have dry skin (like me!) and it is amazing for sensitive skin too as it is natural and organic so doesn't have any ingredients that will irritate you skin!

You can purchase your own here!

Food: White Chocolate and Raspberry Croissants

This is the third time in three weeks that I've made croissants! It started after I saw Rosie's Nutella Stuffed Croissant Recipe, they're so simple (and delicious) so definitely check the recipe out. I was looking for more fillings for the croissants as I had already made the Nutella ones twice! A lovely girl on Instagram suggested White Chocolate and Raspberry, a perfect combination! They are so quick and easy and only use three ingredients! Here's how I made them!

Ingredients

Jus Roll Croissant Dough 

(you could make the dough from scratch but I find this so easy if you want them for breakfast/brunch as it's a lot quicker) 

Raspberries

White Chocolate (I ended up using 1 bar)

1) Preheat your oven to 180 C 

2) Take the dough out of the tin and split it up into the six pieces.

3) Put a bowl over a pan of boiling water, add your chocolate and wait until it's completely melted.

4) Spoon the chocolate onto the triangles and add some raspberries (I cut them up into quarters)

5) Roll up, starting at the bottom of the triangle.

6) Put in the oven for around ten minutes or until they are a lovely golden brown!

Enjoy!

I admit that these were more difficult than the Nutella ones, the chocolate was very runny so you could pop them in the fridge for a few minutes so the chocolate is a bit harder as this ended up with white chocolate..everywhere! However we found that they weren't as sickly as the Nutella ones!

Foundation Overview

I think it's clear to say that I have an obsession with foundation, I have a ridiculous amount and I always manage to convince myself that I need one more. I thought I would share a few of my favourites, these are the ones I tend to switch between on a daily basis.

Mac Face and Body

This one is more of a lighter coverage than all of the others, the formula is very thin and runny so if you're after a foundation with a lot of coverage; this isn't one for you. However if you want something that feels light on the skin and makes it look like you have hardly anything on, then it's great! A few people compared Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua to this, which I kind of agree on, the consistency and smell is similar. However I personally hated the coverage of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and it just slid off my face in a couple of hours. Face and Body doesn't do this and it's used by so many makeup artists for shoots, as it's called Face and Body, it's also perfect for legs; especially if you're going out! When I bought this (and I think this is still the case) they didn't stock it in Mac stores, only online, which is a slight pain when it comes to picking shades. However I find with this foundation, because it's so light, if you get a shade too light or too dark it's not the end of the world as it's easy to blend it in. Because the consistency is very runny, I struggle to use a lot of brushes with it and it just doesn't blend in too well, so I find the best way to apply it is with fingers or a sponge, like a Beauty Blender/the Real Techniques one! They sell two sizes of this, the 120ml which I have and the 50ml. The 120ml is £27 and the 50ml is £21.50. I personally think the 120ml is great value for money, bearing in mind most foundations are only around 30ml! The 50ml one is perfect if you travel a lot or are a makeup artist and don't want the huge on! This is great on my dry skin and is one of the only foundations that I have no problems wearing, it doesn't cling to any dry patches.

Estee Lauder Double Wear

This is probably one of the most well known foundations, I would say this is medium to full coverage. It does cover a lot. However I find that the consistency of the foundation isn't too thick, I know that I expected it to be this really thick, heavy and cakey foundation, which it isn't. This is definitely a matte finish so if you have very dry skin then it maybe wouldn't be great, although I do have slightly dryer skin and it's not too bad on mine. This is available in pretty much every department store/Boots so it's very easy to get hold of. It retails for £29.50 (which has gone up quite a lot since I first purchased it!) so it's definitely pricey! It contains SPF 10 and I have been photographed with flash when wearing this and it did cause flashback, so it's probably not the best if you're going out anywhere that flash photography is going to be used! This is one of the most long wearing foundations I've tried, when I take my makeup off at night, it's ALL still there! I like to apply it with either a Real Techniques Buffing Brush or the Sigma F80. 

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
When I first used this foundation, I hated it, I just couldn't get it to work. However, I now love it! I think the key is to start by applying a tiny bit and if you need more, add it. It's one of my all time favourites. The consistency is kind of a mix of a mousse and a gel, it's very thick but I find that it blends really nicely into the skin. It is more of a full coverage foundation with a matte finish that lasts ages! I went out with this foundation on, slept in it (naughty Georgina) and woke up with my skin still looking great! I couldn't believe how good the foundation still looked! I either apply this with a Sigma F80 brush or a wet Beauty Blender style sponge, the latter is probably my favourite way of applying it as I adore the finish the sponge gives! As I said, this is one of my all time favourites, I would  definitely repurchase! It retails for £34.50 so it is quite expensive but you do get 35ml rather than the standard 30ml!

Makeup Forever HD
This is the most recent foundation I've bought, it is called HD as it is meant to look great on HD cameras. I would say this is on the low side of medium coverage, it definitely doesn't cover as much as Nars Sheerglow. The great thing about this foundation is that I find it doesn't look cakey at all, I can keep adding more in the places that I need it and it still looks natural. It retails for £30.95 which again, is a pricey purchase. It is very difficult to get hold of, I bought mine online at Guru Makeup Emporium which meant that I had to sort of guess my shade. However you can go into their store in Kensington if you want to find your perfect colour match, if you live outside the UK it is available at Sephora. (damn you Sephora, when will you open in the UK!?) I love applying this with a wet sponge as it gives such a lovely finish, it lasts really well throughout the day.

Nars Sheerglow
Another one of my top foundations, I tend to go back to this foundation so often! The coverage of this is medium, whenever I talk about this foundation, I say "it isn't sheer or glowy." It is medium coverage and covers well so it definitely isn't sheer and I don't find the finish is glowy or dewy, it does make your skin look very awake and fresh but I would associate "glow" with "dewy" which is definitely isn't. I love the coverage of this and it never looks cakey. I apply it with my Sigma F80 but it works well with most brushes! It retails for £30.50, which is pricey but I think well worth it! This is a foundation I tend to wear when I'm going out (along with Laura Mercier Silk Creme) as it has a lovely finish and contains no SPF! This works great on my dryer skin and I think it would be great on normal skin, if you have oily skin, they do Nars Sheer Matte which may work better at controlling oil. 

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

This is a relatively new foundation to me, I bought it a while ago but didn't really use it. I find this one very similar to Nars Sheer Glow, it has medium coverage and is very "silky" as the name suggests. I love applying this with a wet sponge as I think it works better on my slightly dryer skin. It retails for £35.50, personally if I had to pick between this or Nars Sheer Glow, I would go with Sheer Glow, I just find it works slightly better on my skin. I know a lot of people use this for weddings as it has no SPF and it photographs beautifully.

If you have any questions about the foundations, leave a comment and I will reply.

Food: Millionaires Shortbreads

I'd been meaning to make millionaires shortbreads for ages, I've had a tin of condensed milk in the cupboard for a while and I actually didn't realise just how easy they are to make! There is hardly any actual 'cooking' involved and they are really quick and simple! They also include three of the best things ever, chocolate, caramel and biscuit. I had a few tweets and instagram comments from people who seemed to want to steal one for themselves so I thought I would share the recipe, it's so simple!

Ingredients

Base

125g butter

50g caster sugar

175g plain flour

Centre and Topping

400g condensed milk

50g light brown sugar

50g butter

150/200g chocolate of your choice.

Makes: 16

1) Preheat your oven to 180 C/gas mark 4 and lightly grease a baking tin. I used a 8x8 inch tin which worked well but I think I could have used a slightly bigger tin as my base ended up quite thick!

2) For the shortbread base, put the plain flour and caster sugar into a bowl. Add the butter (sometimes it's helpful to have softer butter so perhaps take it out of the fridge and allow to soften slightly) and knead all the ingredients together until it forms a dough. Then, press the shortbread into the base of the tin and make sure it is even. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool in the tin.

3) While the shortbread is cooling (I left mine close to a window as it is very hot and takes a while to cool down) put the condensed milk, light brown sugar and butter into a saucepan. Bring it to the boil, then turn the heat down slightly and stir for around five minutes, or until the mixture thickens up. Once that's done, pour it over the shortbread and spread it out evenly and leave it to cool, letting the caramel set slightly.

4) For the topping, I used cadbury's chocolate because that's what I like but you can use pretty much anything! I'm quite tempted to try with white chocolate next time! Take a pan and fill with water, let it boil before adding a bowl over the top. Put your chocolate in (above, I said 150/200g as I used 150g but I think I could have used a tiny bit more as the base is quite thick! However if you don't like a lot of chocolate then stick with the 150g!) the bowl and melt. When all the chocolate is melted, pour it over the top of the caramel. Put it in the fridge until the chocolate is set and cut into squares!

That's it! So easy and they taste blooming amazing too! If you make these, I would love to see, so tweet me or tag me on instagram @georginalucyy.

P.S I apologise in advance, you will want to eat them ALL.