Makeup bag essentials ♥

 ♥ I'm very nosey when it comes to peoples makeup bags, I love to see what products other people use so today i'm going to show you what essentials I carry around with me in mine! ♥

Makeup bag Victorias Secret

Number 1-
Bourjois healthy mix foundation
- Light to medium coverage definitely buildable.
- Perfect amount of dewiness.

Number 2-
Maybelline fit me concealer
- Not too heavy but covers dark circles amazingly.

Number 3, 4 and 5-
Mac studio fix powder
- My all time favourite powder.
Mac azalea blossom blusher- no longer available- other mac blushes
Bourjois blush in rose d'or
- This acts as a blush and a highlight and is the prettiest colour.

Number 6-

Real techniques contour brush

- The perfect brush for your makeup bag, can be used for practically anything and is ideal for touch ups.

Number 7 and 8-

Max factor false lash effect fusion mascara

- I've talked about this before but it's my absolute holy grail mascara.

Soap and glory Brow Archery

- Gives a really nice natural look, the pencil side is my favourite!

Number 9, 10 and 11-

Mac cremesheen lipstick in creme cup

L'oreal glam shine miss candy lipgloss in Miss candy

- Perfect everyday colours, this lipgloss looks perfect over creme cup!

Nivea fruity shine watermelon lipbalm 

- Adds a pretty pink sheen and is super moisturising.

Hope you enjoyed having a look inside my makeup bag,

Ellie xox

No sweat smoothies ♥

Banana

I am obsessed by healthy smoothies but find them a bit of a hassle to be honest with a billion complicated and expensive ingredients! So I've created a few simple and delicious recipes I thought I would share with you, the first being banana :D

What you will need for 1 portion-

♥ 1 banana- I find it tastes better if the banana is slightly brown as it's sweeter.

♥ 1 teaspoon of Honey- Both clear runny honey and set honey work well- you can also add more for extra sweetness.

♥ Unsweetened almond milk- 2/3 full of your chosen glass - My favourite brand is the Alpro almond milk- Almond milk is a really healthy alternative to regular cows milk (which I don't like) and tastes great!

♥ 1 handful of ice- I used crushed but any ice is fine :)

♥ A blender- My blender is the KitchenAid Artisan blender linked here. - I would definitely recommend this - it can be used for so many things as well as smoothies and just blends really well!- but any good blender is perfect!

♥ An optional 2 teaspoons of peanut butter could be added for a yum peanut banana smoothie but I decided to stick to just banana.

Instructions-

1- Add your handful of ice into the blender.

2- Add your banana in pieces.

3- Pour almond milk into the glass you would like to drink your smoothie from and fill it 2/3 of the way full.

- pour this into the blender.

4- Add your teaspoon of honey.

5- Blend- On my blender I pulse the smoothie first to blend the ice then blend it on the smoothie setting to make a smooth drink.

6- Pour into your glass, add a straw and an optional stirrer and ENJOY!!!

This is perfect for a pre or post workout boost and is what I usually drink it for, but it's also amazing for breakfast or a mid-day pick me up. :D

Health benefits-

For those of you who are interested, this smoothie as well as being delish is super good for you and comes with a tonne of health benefits, these are just a few-

♥  Firstly this smoothie only contains around 150 calories.

♥ Low in fat but high in energy, protein and fibre = amazing for pre or post workout.

♥ Good for healthy skin as it is Packed with vitamin E and antioxidants.

♥ A natural source of carbohydrate = helps to reduce muscle fatigue post workout

♥ And it will also help you to sustain blood sugar levels during a workout thus providing you with long lasting energy!

I love reading recipe posts so I hope you liked this and enjoy the smoothie if you make it :D

Ellie xox

Liebster award ♥

Thank you so much to Amanda Who nominated me for this tag, check out her amazing blog here.

The liebster award is basically a tag that helps new bloggers to get noticed as well as get to know each other a little so here goes!

The rules are…

1. Thank & link the person who nominated you

2. Answer the nominators 11 questions

3. Nominate 11 small blogs with fewer than 200 followers who you believe

deserve this award and include their links

4. Create 11 new questions for your nominees to answer

Notify those nominees via social media/blogs

These are my answers to Amanda’s questions-

 ♥What’s the last book you read?

Mindy Kaling’s book, is everybody hanging out without me? (and other concerns) - and it was super good!

 ♥Describe yourself in three words.

Fun, kind and loyal

 ♥What’s your favourite movie of all time?

Ahh so hard to choose but either she’s the man, pitch perfect or Notting hill!

 ♥What do you love most about blogging?

I LOVE it when people leave comments on my posts, it makes my day!

 ♥Do you have any pets?

I don’t, I had a hamster when I was 7 but that’s about it

 ♥What’s your favourite makeup product?

I love mascara, the Max factor false lash effect fusion mascara is my all time fave!

 ♥What music are you listening to at the moment?

Right at this moment nothing but I love Fergie’s L.A love right now.

 ♥What’s your favourite drink?

Water or coffee.

 ♥Where do you love to shop?

I am obsessed by Topshop and Zara right now!

 ♥What’s your favourite restaurant or cafe?

I absolutely love pret a manger

Thank you again for nominating me Amanda, I honestly don't have 11 people to nominate so i'm just doing a few, I nominate…

Amy at http://amyalicemiller.blogspot.co.uk 

Gaby at http://thoughtsandmascara.blogspot.co.uk 

Sofia at http://smileybeautygirl.blogspot.co.uk

Abby at http://whenrealityisntenough.blogspot.co.uk

Ania at http://aniaaniapawlak.blogspot.co.uk

These are my questions for you guys -

1. Where would you choose to live if you could live anywhere?
2. Why did you start blogging?
3. Favourite makeup brand?
4. What are 3 things that make you happy?
5. Favourite clothing shop?
6. Favourite food?
7. What is the last song you listened to?
8. What's your favourite fragrance?
9. Where would you like to travel to the most?
10. All time favourite beauty product?
11. Hot or cold weather?

I love this idea and hope you guys do too,

Ellie xox 

January Faves ♥

As it is the start of February and my absolute least favourite month is over, 'hallelujah' today i'm showing you my favourite things from the month of January!

♥ Moleskin diary- I can not find the link to mine anywhere as I got it for christmas but oh my god this diary has revolutionised my life! I got the daily one and it honestly helps keep me SO organised I love it- also the colour is so cute.

♥ ASOS unicorn phonecase- My sister got me this for christmas, it fits the i-phone 5 and you only have to look at it to see why I love it so much.

♥ Max factor mascara- I forgot how much I loved this mascara, I can honestly say I will never go back to any other, it's true love.

♥ EOS handcreme- cucumber scented- this is so moisturising and feels really luxurious whilst still being light on the skin- and I love the fresh scent.

Essie nail polish in- midnight-cami- This is such a nice classic winter colour for everyday wear and has a pretty, subtle iridescent shimmer throughout. This has definitely been my most worn polish this January.

♥ Prada Candy perfume-I won't try to describe this scent but the internet told me it has vanilla-scented honey and musk notes with an explosion of caramel- so basically it's super sweet and delicious.

♥ Essie nail polish -a cut above- This is THE most amazing glitter nail polish I have ever use, its a gorgeous rose gold colour and deposits a tonne of glitter on your nails without looking ott, it also looks amazing over so many colours.

♥ Kate spade watch- This month I finally splashed out and bought this watch after lusting after it for a year and I am so glad I did! I decided to go for a watch which would be timeless and go with everything and this one is perfect, I have pictures of it on here.

♥ Topshop tunic dress- I have a picture of it on here, I have basically lived in this dress this month as well as being unbelievably comfortable it's also really flattering. 

♥ Longchamp backpack- I am so in love with this, having never used a rucksack before it was a bit of a shock at first but I have definitely been swayed by the rucksack (putting aside how annoying it is to get your money out of at a till). It looks so classy and is a really versatile piece!

Hope you enjoyed this post, if you did please follow me here on bloglovin! See you next week,

Ellie xox