DIY HOT CHOCOLATE

Hello!

I know the hype of making hot chocolate's is sort of over, however I've only just really started to make homemade hot chocolate and honestly it's the best thing ever. I thought this DIY might be helpful to some people on how to make it because I was unsure at first, but ended up mixing things together that looked right, and made something super yummy.

Ingredients:

1tsp vanilla essence

50g of chocolate

Milk (Measure this by pouring milk into a mug in which you will drink the hot chocolate from as you will get a perfect amount of hot chocolate)

Hot water 

Other Flavours:

 A pinch of cinnamon for spicy taste.

A little salt, and caramel syrup for a salted caramel hot chocolate.
Orange essence for a chocolate orange.

Utensils:

Glass mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

Tea spoon

Mug

Saucepan

Method:

 1. Pour hot water into the saucepan-make sure the saucepan is quite full up, and put the saucepan on the hob.

2. Place the glass bowl ontop of the saucepan, but check the bowl isn't too small and sinks into the pan.

3. Turn the hob onto a low-medium heat, then add in the milk.

4. Once the milk feels luke warm, add in the chocolate and keep stirring until the chocolate is fully melted. If the chocolate takes quite a long time to melt, turn the hob up.

5. Once everything is blended well, add 1tsp of vanilla essence or your own flavouring of choice and mix together.
 
6. Pour the contents into your mug and decorate with cream, marshmallows, chocolate curls. (The glass bowl may be quite hot so either wait for it to cool down, or use oven gloves if the bowl is too hot to handle.)

The Final Result:

I know this doesn't look anything special, but the taste is outstanding. I'm really pleased with how my drink turned out, especially as I randomly put it together and just used my instincts to decide how it should be made. What I love about home-made hot chocolate is that you can control what you put in, and how much. If you were on a diet then you can use a lower fat, dark chocolate and maybe use less chocolate and more milk, or only make a small amount.

Also, you can make a powdered mix of hot chocolate, which would last a very long time, and only cost a minimal amount. Find the recipe for powdered hot chocolate mix here.

SAMPLE SIZES #2

Hello!

Today I thought I'd do another sample sizes post because I've recently received some new samples, and want to share my opinion on them with you.

If you haven't read my first Sample Sizes post then you can check it out here. The 3 samples I will be reviewing are: Johnson's Face Care day cream, Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, and "Womanity" perfume by Thierry Mugler.

I have quite a lot of Johnsons products at home, purely because I know my skin likes the formula used in the products, and they are generally good. However, I hadn't tried this face cream, and the first thing I noticed when putting it on my face was that it felt very soothing, and refreshing. I know most creams feel like that, but this one had a light scent to it which added to the experience. In addition, the cream has spf 15 in which is always a bonus because noone wants burnt, dry skin. But, this took quite a long time to sink in which isn't ideal, especially not for in the mornings before applying my makeup for school as time is limited. If the cream didn't take so long I may have bought a full size pot, however it doesn't so this product wouldn't suit me on school mornings, only weekends.

My next sample is the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation which is constantly being mentioned by beauty experts for being extremely good, and I couldn't agree more. As I don't wear foundation I felt a bit oblivious to try it on my face, however it felt really moisturizing with quite a good coverage. The foundation also has quite a nice smell to it-I don't know what this is but if you smelt it you would know what I meant. In addition, I found this foundation to be very easy to blend as it's very dewy, which is something I would want my foundation to do. If I was someone who wore foundation daily I would purchase a bottle of this, however I don't so I will not be getting a full bottle of this anytime soon.

The last sample I will be reviewing is Womanity by Thierry Mugler. I fell in love with this sample even before I had smelt it, purely because of the extravagant bottle. I judge perfumes on their appearance way before I smell it, this is probably a bad thing to do but I think the bottle can tell you a lot about the perfume itself. "Womanity" starts off with a very loud citrus smell, but then diffuses into a subtle fresh fruity smell which is a lot less powering then the first spray. I quite like the smell, it's something I would wear often and definitely have on display in my room because I love the bottle.

Yay for samples!

BENEFIT ROCKATEUR BLUSHER REVIEW

Hello!

I haven't reviewed a product in a long time, and as I got this blusher for Christmas I thought I might aswell review it because it's quite a new product, and with all the sales on you may be tempted to buy it.

Once again, the first thing that jumps out to me from the blusher is the packaging. As you can see the box is covered in a gold snake effect with pink and black lace in the corners, the packaging is quite regal and elegant with a punk sort of twist, and I think this look really nice on display and definately stands out-just like all the Benefit products. Benefit always go over the top when it comes to the packaging and designing of their products, some people think the packaging is tacky and over the top but I think it's what makes the brand so unique and outgoing. However, the practicality of the box isn't too good because it is so large, and isn't something that would fit well in my makeup bag.

As do all Benefit blushers, the blusher comes with an applicator which is ok, but I prefer to apply the blusher with a Real Techniques blusher brush because the quality of the brush fibres are much better, and transfer the product a lot better. When you open the box you also get a tiny mirror which is quite handy, however you can't see the whole of your cheeks in it so it's a bit pointless, and if Benefit removed the brush and mirror in the packaging then the pricing would go down a lot, which I think people would benefit more from. Although, some people do like receiving an applicator and mirror in the product.

Anyway, onto the blusher colour. The blusher is a very pretty light pink/bronzed gold colour, it's hard to describe but in the picture you can see what I mean. I really like the colour of the blusher, it's perfect for all seasons because it has the Summer and Winter pink/bronzed look which most people desire for in the seasons-well I certainly do.

As you can see in the before and after pictures, Rockateur has a spray of golden shimmer on top which only lasts through a few uses, this is a little bit of a shame because it adds a nice shimmer to your face, but the product without the shimmer is still beautiful enough.

As with all the Benefit blushers, the blusher stays on my cheeks all day without having to be touched up, and this is without a primer for it to stick to. In addition the powder is also scented, the scent is quite spicy but nothing too over-powering, and I know this can put people off but I think it adds to the overall product.

I was given this blusher as a Christmas present from my step uncle and aunty, but after looking on the Benefit website I found out this blusher was £23.50 which would leave a hole in your pocket, however I think it's worth it for the gorgeous colour. I'm sure there's a cheaper dupe/alternative somewhere but I am currently unsure of one yet.

If you know any blushers that are similar, and is a cheaper version then let me know because I'd be glad to buy the alternative, and do a comparison between the two.