Blogmas

Saturday 16 December 2017

BLOGMAS 2017 || DAY 16 - THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES (ZOELLA'S RECIPE)


These might not be the most appetising-looking cookies in the world, but they sure do taste good! I always make some festive treats this time of the year, so I thought it'd be useful if I shared with you my favourite sugar cookie recipe.
This is actually a recipe I got from Zoella's blog and I absolutely love how these came out (taste-wise) as I'm not the best at decorating cakes due to lack of equipment but hopefully I'll be able to share more recipes with you in my new house soon.

You will need these ingredients for the cookie batter:
140g Icing Sugar
250g Butter (cut into chunks)
1 Egg Yolk
1tsp Vanilla Extract
375g Plain Flour

For the icing:
225g Icing Sugar
1 Egg White
Cold Water



The Method:

Preheat the oven to 190oC.

In a mixing bowl, add butter, icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Once you're happy with the consistency of the batter, start adding in the flour bit by bit and mix it in until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough in cling film and set aside in the fridge for around 30 minutes.
Spread some flour onto a worktop/chopping board and roll out the dough with a rolling pin (I don't have a rolling pin so I used a cucumber wrapped in cling film hahaha - desperate times call for desperate measures!). Once you roll out the dough, pick your favourite festive cookie cutters and start carving out some shapes. I actually used a pumpkin cutter as I couldn't find any festive ones, so I tried to turn them into baubles but as you can see in pictures they look like something a 5-year-old would make haha. Now that you have your cookies cut out and ready to bake, place them on a baking tray laid out with baking paper to avoid sticking and pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
While the cookies are in the oven, you can now make the icing mixture. In a bowl, mix in the icing sugar and the egg white until smooth. If you find the consistency a little bit too thick then you can add a bit of cold water to make it more spreadable. Once you have a perfect consistency, put the icing into a piping bag and decorate your cookies once they're cool. And voilá! 

Obviously, my cookies don't look good at all (it's okay I already laughed at my failure), but they really do taste great and are very easy to make! I feel like this is an easy family task everyone would enjoy - especially when it comes to decorating.

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Friday 15 December 2017

BLOGMAS 2017 || DAY 15 - GIFTS FOR HIM - AFFORDABLE LUXURIOUS SHIRTS FOR MEN FT. MILL NO. 8



I always struggle to buy gifts for my boyfriend or my dad, because who wants to receive tons of skincare products or alcohol every year for all occasions? Not the men in my family, that's for sure... So when I was contacted by Nehal from Mill No. 8 asking if I wanted to try out their service and receive a free shirt, I jumped to the opportunity as I know my boyfriend loves to wear shirts on special occasions and our 5 year anniversary is just around the corner.


First of all, the website is very easy to navigate so it does save a lot of time when you're looking for something in particular. There is a huge variety of different clothes to choose from - the images included throughout the website are very high fashion and almost persuade you to buy the whole outfit thanks to the photographers and models, of course.

Sunday 10 December 2017

BLOGMAS 2017 || DAY 10 - CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE FOR YOUR MUM - LUXURIOUS PRODUCTS


Who doesn't love a good old scented candle as a gift? Well, I found my new favourite this year and it is the Jo Malone Sweet Almond and Macaroon candle. These are very pricey, this 200g one costs £45 so it is not in everyone's price range, but it does make a beautiful gift for someone special. My mum is a huge lover of candles and I know she'd love this one because of how good it smells. There is a huge variety of different scents and sizes of candles so you really are spoilt for choice!

Another item you could get your mum is a fragrance set. I know it's difficult to buy perfumes for others as you don't know what they like, but Lancome's La Vie Est Belle is a scent that everyone will like. All women in my family have one of these because of how neutral this scent is, and it will smell different to everyone - I find it quite light and fresh but others might find it a little bit heavier.

It seems like either one of these will be a winner, so good luck to you all struggling to find the perfect gift for your mum! I hope this post helps!


What will you be treating your mum to this year?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Saturday 9 December 2017

BLOGMAS 2017 || DAY 9 - A CHRISTMAS GUIDE FOR A SPECIAL PERSON IN YOUR LIFE - BEST FACIALS FOR ALL SKIN TYPES FT. DECLÉOR


I recently had my very first facial and back massage done properly and I couldn't stress enough about how amazing it made me feel not only on the outside but on the inside too. I've been feeling very stressed out the past few weeks hence my lack of absence on social media and this blog (I do apologise to those who actually take their time to read my posts).
Because I work in the beauty industry, I had the opportunity to book myself for a facial and massage with Decléor for free which was amazing. At first, I was taken into the beauty room and asked to fill out a form which had a variety of skin problems/allergies etc. to fill out, so I circled my main concerns as prone to breakouts, acne scarring, redness, and oiliness. After I had filled out this form, I was asked to strip down to my knickers and cover myself in a towel and lay on my front. The masseuse then used oils to massage my back and put pressure onto my knots to get them out. You can only imagine how relaxed I had felt at this point, I do wear heels a lot so my back hurts quite a bit, but the way she relieved the pressure in my back has really helped.

Moving onto the facial, I don't exactly know what she did but I know it felt amazing during and after! I really loved the mousse cleanser and the phytopeel exfoliating peel which made my skin feel amazing. She also used this clay face mask on me which I really liked and ended up buying as she advised me to wear it overnight to have very fresh and soft skin in the morning. Overall, this was a fantastic experience and I cannot wait to book in for another treatment soon! I think one a month is vital for good skin health, and it's very affordable as you get your money back in products. I know for a fact that I'll be buying a full-size mousse cleanser and the exfoliating peel next.

Have you tried any Decléor products? Would you treat a loved one to a facial treatment?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Friday 8 December 2017

BLOGMAS 2017 || DAY 8 - WHAT I'M READING AT THE MOMENT - THE CHRISTMAS SECRET BY KAREN SWAN


I don't really like to read too much this time of the year as I find myself drowning in university deadlines and revision, however this year I picked up The Christmas Secret for half price at WHSmith's and I'm glad I did.
I find myself enjoying a light-read from time to time and this is a very heart-warming book. Obviously it is very girly, but that's the types of books I like to read when I'm feeling down, so I would highly recommend this one for anyone wanting a little bit of a festive romance.

This book is definitely for girl bosses who enjoy novels about powerful women kicking butts, and falling in love with the right (wrong?) men. I won't say much more as I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this is my current read and I am loving it so far!

What's your favourite festive read?

Lots of love,
Maya xo
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