Salted Caramel Triple Layer Cake

I made this cake recently for step-grandfather on his birthday and it's quickly become a favourite of mine, Firstly, because I cannot get enough of salted caramel but equally because it looks so impressive. Adding another layer to a standard cake is such a simple way to make it look better. Originally when I made this cake I did 4 layers, which looked amazing but it is a lot of cake so today I'm just sticking to 3. 

You could use any sponge cake recipe in the world for this but I use this one.

If you have a recipe you prefer then use it, just make sure you at least double the ingredients.

Ingredients:

350g of slightly salted butter
315g of caster sugar
350g of self raising flour
6 eggs
2 tsp of vanilla extract
for the icing:250g butter (the whole pack usually)
600g icing sugar - ish.
Salted Caramel Sauce (I use Sainsbury's Taste the Difference pre-made one)
300g chocolate (I use half milk/half dark)
Things that come in handy:

3 20cm cake tins
A cake turntable
A icing scraper
Not having these things is fine - I didn't when I first made this cake. If you don't have enough cake tins you can make one cake and slice it into two or three with a bread knife. 

What to do:

Line your tins and preheat oven to 190. Cream together your butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, plus a little flour each time. Fold in the remaining flour. Divide mixture into 3 cake tins (or however many you have, you can always slice your cake once baked). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until ready. Remove the cake from the tins and allow to cool. Assemble the cake with a thick layer of buttercream inbetween each layer.

The icing on top:

The salted caramel element of the cake comes in with the buttercream. A trick I do with most my cakes is just to add a spoonful or two of whatever flavour you desire to the buttercream. For example, I love baking a chocolate cake and adding two spoonfulls of peanut butter into my buttercream.

For this cake I add A LOT of Salted Caramel sauce to my buttercream (usually the whole jar) but add to your preference.

If you find icing cakes really hard and haven't tried a crumb coat before then I really recommend it. Once your cake is fully cooled and assembled, smooth a thin layer of buttercream all over your cake and scrape off any excess. This step cements any crumbs in place and stops them showing through on your final icing. A crumb coat is like plastering your walls before painting them. Allow this layer to set by refrigerating your cake before moving on to the final layer of icing.

Smother the cake completely in icing and then use a scraper (if you have one) or a palette knife to smooth out the icing and gradually scrape off the excess. It doesn't matter if it's not neat or perfect because you'll be dripping chocolate over it.  Place back in the fridge while you melt the chocolate.

 I melt mine in the microwave in a glass measuring jug, as this helps to pour it over the cake.
Let the chocolate cool slightly, then poor around the edges of the cake and let it dribble down the sides, then add the rest to the centre and spread it over the top of the cake.

Then enjoy!

I hope you liked me adding something different to my blog. Let me know if you'd enjoy seeing more posts like this as well as the regular beauty chat.

Chloë
x

The pale girls best friend

If you always go for foundations in the shade "Ivory" and they're still not pale enough for your skin tone, this post is for you. I too am a pasty, pasty white girl and I've got a secret that just might help.

 Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation - in White

If you're like me you'll know the struggle of trying to find a foundation. You probably have a stash of 3 or 4 foundations that you tried but were just too dark or orange for you. 

This not only puts those products to good use but it has opened up a whole variety of foundations for me. Foundations that I could never have used before because of their shade range. I just squeeze a small amount to the back of my hand and mix it into the foundation I want to use. I know at £32.50 this is an expensive product for many people, but I feel it is worth the price. Firstly because it now allows me to use many highstreet foundations. And secondly in using it this way it will also last you an incredibly long time. 

It is also really good as a highlight for pale skins. If you like contouring but haven't found a highlight that works for you then definitely give this a try. It's annoying that lots of concealers or brighteners I see people recommend for highlighting are actually 1 shade darker than my skin. Personally, it's rare that I ever fully contour as I like a more natural base. However I have to say I've used this for nights out and it makes my skin look flawless. I apply it before my foundation to the areas I want to bring out/highlight, such as my cheek bones and jawline. Then apply a cream contour to the hollows of my cheeks/my temples/under the jawline, then simply buff my chosen foundation colour over the top of this. Not only does this give a more defined look, I found it also helped even out any discolouration.

One thing this product is not for is to be used as an actual foundation. Although I like to joke I'm as white as a piece of paper, I am not. And neither are you. Slapping white foundation all over your face will not look good. So, if you are after a whole new foundation then Illamasqua are a great brand anyway in providing products that suit every skin tone. The skin base foundation in itself is a beautiful foundation and shade 02 is the best foundation I've come across for pale skin.

Do you have any recommendations for us pale girls? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Chloë
x

Noticed some changes?

Noticed some changes around here?

My blog is currently under construction!

If you've ever started a blog yourself you'll know that it's easy to fall in and out of spells of blogging. Bloggers block, shall we call it. Although it's something I've always enjoyed doing, it can be difficult for creativity to strike, as well as dedicating time for it. However I seem to be doing more and more things lately that I think "that would have made a great blog post". I'm in my twenties which has brought on many changes and big life decisions. I'm still doing freelance make-up, but also discovering many more interests such as photography and cooking. I'm also currently in the process of moving into my first home which is both incredibly exciting and daunting. And by in the process, I do mean slap bang in the process of it. Today (with the help of generous family) I moved a sofa, my bed, a coffee table and a chest of drawers into the house. A crazy time to decide to start blogging again, but an exciting time - which is exactly why I'm doing it.

You can read my posts and come with me on this journey of trying/pretending to be an adult. I'll be posting the usual beauty stuff, along with my decorating progress, recipe ideas, any tips and tricks, probably many what not to do-s and hopefully some other fun adventures.

I'm still having a play with the design of my blog in the meantime as well as writing up some blog ideas but thought I'd give you an update on what's going on. And a heads up to expect more from this blog soon.

But for now if there is anything you'd particularly be interested you'd like me to write about, please leave a comment below.

Thanks,
Chloë

H&M Beauty: Facemasks

I went into my local h&M last week to see they had totally re-launched their beauty range. I'd never tried any of their beauty products from their old line as they never appealed but they're now packaged to look high end with a great selection of products.

These face masks in their bright packaging are what first caught my eye however I have since picked up other things from their make-up, haircare and bodycare lines and I'm sure there will be another post on those to follow.
What appealed to me with these was the names of each of them, involving fruits and plants with scents you don't often find. They are each priced at £1.99 and you can purchase them from here.

The 4 I decided on were:

Raspberry Leaf

A peel-off mask with vitamin E for combination skin

Kiwi and Watermelon

A self warming face mask with pear fruit juice for combination skin

Cucumber and Aloe

A cooling peel-off mask with passion flower and lotus blossom, for tired skin

Charcoal and Pumice

A exfoliating face mask with walnut and fig for tired skin

Although they come in individual pods (which are great for travel) there is 10ML of product which is enough for you and a friend or partner. Or you could also save what's leftover in a small travel container and use it up to two times more.

One mask that looked slightly unusual to me was the charcoal and pumice mask. Now charcoal is often used in face masks to help clear skin but I'd not used that paired with an exfoliant before. It's a gritty texture that you apply and leave for 10 or so minutes. It will harden like a typical mask but as you wash it off the pumice takes away any dead skin sells leaving your skin clean and smooth.

 I enjoyed using this however if you have very sensitive skin the exfoliation may irritate your skin as the grains are quite abravive for a scrub. I'm used to using a liquid/chemical exfoliant rather than a scrub however I would still use this and will do when my skin is looking dull. 

Have you tried anything from h&m beauty yet? Comment and let me know you're favourites!

Here's some other products from the range that are on my wishlist.

xox

A rant about festivals

Every year I read lots of magazine articles and blog posts on 'Festival Essentials'. Beauty blogs over the summer are full of them. And I read them and I enjoy them. Not because they're helpful, but because they're funny.

Because the people who write them do not go to festivals.

A festival involves spending a minimum of 3 days sleeping in a field. I don't really understand how to anyone that essentials involve fine lace, suede boots and £90 sunglasses. On top of those 3 days in a field you need to factor in rain, mud, alcohol, dancing/moshing and minimum facilities.
 To me, really the only essentials are baby wipes and welly boots.

Yes there are festivals where you can sleep in a caravan and have access to an actual toilet cubicle.
But I go to Reading Festival.

So here's what I take with me, coming from somebody that's gone for 5 years.

Essentials

Tent

Sleeping Bag

Baby Wipes

Dry Shampoo 

Mouthwash
Toothpaste

Anti Bacterial Gel

Deoderant

Extras

Lip Balm
Suncreem (check the weather before you go)

Deoderant Wipes

Anti Bacterial Wipes

As for make-up, if you want to wear it, I'd go simple with cheap products. My advice is not to take anything to a festival you'll be sad not to come home with. I tend to take cheap brushes, a base, a brow product, a lip stain, a cream eyeshadow and a mascara. Although sometimes I don't bother at all.
However one of the great things about festivals is that you can wear anything you like and get away with it. So it's nice to take something fun too. Last year I took a tube of henna, a tube of eyelash glue and pots of tiny sequins and gems. 

I understand that some people reading this will say not all festivals are like that. Which is true.

I recently went to 2000 trees, a beautiful festival in Gloucester that you should definitely go to if you get a chance (and buy a White Russian while you're there.)
It was small and safe enough that I took my iPhone and nothing got trashed either.
But I have also been to festivals where my tent got trampled, someones enitre bag got stolen and a friend required multiple stitches.
This isn't to say either that you won't have a fantastic time. I've loved every one and seen some incredible bands. Even my friend that had stitches will tell you he had the best time ever.

I'm just telling you to pack the essentials.. and not the bullshit ones Glamour writes about.

ps. everyone takes UV paint and flower crowns. Try something different.

Summer Make-up Bag

So it's not news I haven't written a post in a while. Okay, I haven't since February.

Since then there's been so many things I've found and have loved that I could write about. Rather than writing lots of reviews I thought I'd give you a peak into my make-up bag from the last couple of months.

Lots of things I've found and loved bundled into one!

The Base

So I've never spoken about the Dr.Jart BB cream before but it's incredible. It feels like it does wonders for your skin, it has a beautiful glow to it with a dewy finish and it's SPF 25. It just makes you look instantly healthy. Annoyingly it only comes in one shade so it's more of a summer product for me as I'm usually super duper pale. But don't get me wrong, it's not dark and will work for most people, I'm just the whitest person ever. It's often on offer so I'd suggest waiting to get the best price.

I've been wearing this just with the Collection concealer and sometimes a dusting of MAC Mineralize SkinFinish (which I couldn't find to photograph).

As for the All Nighter Setting Spray, you need this in summer. My skin used to eat make-up.

Cheeks

Mary-Lou Manizer is a bit of a full on highlighter. You need the smallest amount but it's stunning.

NARS Laguna is just, well, a classic bronzer. Love it.

Eyes

I was looking for a highstreet eye primer and came across the Soap and Glory one which definitely makes a difference. I put my most used MAC shades in quad and recently the look I go for is Naked Lunch all over, Charcoal Brown and Soba in the crease and Mulch for a smokey look in the evenings.

Lips

The YSL in Peach Passion is my go to summer shade. I think it's definitely worth the money. Recently I've found Macaroon by Topshop which is a pink shade with a bit of peach to it which I think is lovely too!

Dr.Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Soap & Glory It's About Prime

NARS Laguna Bronzer

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof

Topshop Macaroon Lipstick

YSL Rouge Volupte Peach Passion

MAC Quad inc. Charcoal Brown, Naked Lunch, Soba & Mulch

Real Techniques Blusher Brush

Real Techniques Contour Brush

Zoeva 104 Buffer

Zoeva 227 Soft Definer (x2)

Zoeva 231 Petit Crease

MAC 266

xox

Face Masks

Skincare add-ons

So a couple of weeks ago I did a post on my basic skincare routine and it was exactly that, basic. It featured the five products I use every single day but on other days I add to my routine. So I decided it might be a good idea to do one or two add-ons to that post with treatment products, starting with masks.  

I chose to write about the two masks I reach for the most. One is perfect for when your skin is feeling dry and needs some life put back into it, the other great to really clean the skin and stop breakouts.

The moisturise boost

Origins Drink Up Intensive, Overnight mask. - 100ml, £22
I have dry skin and had my eye on this for so long. It's a little bit on the pricey side but it's been lasting me really well. It's called a 'mask' but I literally just slap it on at night and wash off in the morning so it's a great no fuss product. I use this probably once a week or more if my skin is looking a bit dull.
This is something you can really see the benefits of instantly. The next morning after using it my skin is so hydrated and looks more plump, it really is wonderful.
The big bonus is that it smells amazing. Apricots and Mango. Delicious.

On a side note: If this is a little too pricey for you the Soap and Glory Beauty Sleep Accelerator isn't the exact same but I do find it very similar. It also has the same wonderful texture and smell.

The Deep Clean

Super Facialist by Una Brennan, Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask what a mouthful - £8.99
I think it's always good to use a clay mask regularly and this is the one I always go to. Does the job at a wonderful price, what's not to love? It leaves your skin really clean and feeling fresh without drying it out. I use it once a week too and leave it on for five minutes before washing off. Absolutely love it, reduces breakouts as well as clearing any.

Two products that do exactly what I want from masks. However that won't stop me. Next to try on my wish list is the REN Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask and of course the famous Aesop Parsley Seed Masque!