Yummy Christmas Delights

Hello Bellas!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas And Santa gave you everything you wanted.
I had been good this year so I was very spoilt by family and friends and of course... Santa himself.
So after all the singing, the cheering, the partying and a lot of yummy food and Mulled wine I thought I would write a little Quick and easy mince pie recipe post for you all.
when I say quick... it literally took me 20 minutes! Ha ha. (Little bit of cheating goes a long way too).

Here is the recipe, links and method below. So lets get started ..

Recipe:
- A big jar of mince meat (Your choice of flavour)

- Ready made shortbread pastry cases

- Orange zest
-Vanilla sugar or essence
- Cinnamon
-Icing sugar

Method:
Seeing as everything is all pretty much pre-made and in jars and cases I thought I would add my own little touch!.
I emptied the jar of mincemeat into a bowl shaving a whole orange zest, adding 1 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon, and 2 table spoons of vanilla sugar or essence. You can also add extra toppings such as choice of nuts, lemon zest or a dash of orange juice. After adding the ingredients into a bowel I mixed the lovely mixture. Once all mixed i placed the ready made shortbread pastry cases into the tray and added in the mixture which just reached the top. Once filled I added the ready made short bread cut out stars and sprinkled vanilla sugar on top.
Heat your oven to 160 degree and place them to bake for approx 10 minutes.. once baked add your icing sugar to give it that lovely touch and wallah! lovely mince pies... and I must say .. they are the best minced pies I have tasted ( I am not just saying it either).

Hope you all have a lovely new year and I will be posting another blog soon! :)


                                                           
All my love
 Lizzie
 x

Liebster Award

I was nominated by the lovely Tiffany from Tiffany May Blog If you all want to keep up date with all things beauty then you should definitely check her out. 

Let's get to it!

Questions from Tiffany:

1. Where did the name of your blog come from?

It's my first name and Bellaa came from the Italian translation for 'beauty'

2. How would you describe your blog in 3 words?

Beauty, Fashion, Travel and Lifestyle .. a little bit of everything really :)

3. What is your most worn clothing item in your wardrobe?

Probably my Daniel knee high leather brown boots! ultimate fave.

4. What would you say is your favourite song, to lift you up from a bad day?

I don't really have a personal favourite song .. but a little bit of chart/ house music goes a long way!

5. Favourite movie quote?

''If I'm a bird.. You're bird'' - The Notebook

6. Who would you say is your ultimate role model and why?

Probably my partner?.. Hes older than me and he will always motivate me to be a better person weather its getting a job, motivating me at the gym.. he's always by me. His confidence and Independence is what i would like to gain.

7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I would like to be married back home in Cyprus and hopefully have a house?.. Make blogging into a full time thing.. Who knows?!

8. What TV show are you currently watching (or what did you watch last)?

Currently watching Geordie Shore!

9. What is your favourite place to visit?

Cyprus.. its home for me. I love the Beaches, The people.. most importantly the FOOD 

10. What was the last thing your personally cooked?

I cooked a lovely roast lamb dinner for me and my partner and his grandparents.

11. What was the last website you were on?

Blogger.

Mexico: Moon Palace & Beach Palace resort

Hello guys!

I know summer has long gone ! but I recently went to Mexico to catch a few more rays of sun and spend a holiday of a lifetime with my other half.
We booked to go to the Moon Palace resort for 2 weeks all inclusive in October and got a very reasonable price for the package.

Upon Arrival.. Ill warn you now if you ever step foot in Cancun airport.. It is a nightmare ha ha. It took over 1 hour to get are luggage and then we had to have are luggage checked. Other than this the whole holiday was exceptional. Arriving at Moon Palace resort where we stayed most of the duration of the holiday. We could not believe how big the complex really was! we had to get  chauffeured by golf buggy's ( Not like I am complaining because I am lazy ;) ).
The rooms were pure luxury; sand marble, crisp white bedding everyday, a hot tub and a fully stocked bar and fridge. The restaurants in the complex were absolutely Amazing. They had 14 different restaurants to choose from  but we only made it to the Italian, Brazilian, Mexican, Japanese and the steak house which were all of amazing quality. During the day time it was buffet in the restaurants and they had a cafe where they had a stocked fridge full of beautiful crafted cakes, hot sandwitches and they even made nutella crepes!
(No wonder i put a stone on in 2 weeks...).
The weather in Cancun is very hard to judge as we had at least 6 days of rain during our holiday but it didn't stop us doing the things we wanted to do out there.
We ended up booking excursions on our hotel resort credit which we only had to pay 16% back.
here are some of the things we had chosen:
Couples Massage at the golf spa
1 hour Dolphin Swimming
Aqua twister and Jungle tour
Romantic dinner on the beach
Mayan Adventure park which included turtle swimming, ATVs driving, Cave diving.

We also paid 400 pesos which equivalates  to £16 to head over to the sister hotel Beach Palace for the day..
My gosh! didn't we make a good decision to do so. The sea was incredible turquoise waters, white soft sand (I had to take a moment to take the view in). Beach palace was ALOT smaller than Moon palace with only 3 restaurants and 3 Bars in the complex.. lovely for a very quiet holiday. The sky bar is breathtaking the views of the sea the hot tubs and the all inclusive drinks were to die for.

I cant recommend both hotels enough. The staff were so helpful! and the holiday was defiantly a once in a lifetime. Pure luxury.

                       If any of you guys go to this hotel please tell me what you think! :)

                              Make sure you check out my VLOG on the resorts also.

                                                                               x x

Mexic-ano VLOG

Hey bellas! 

Hope everyone is dandy, Sorry its been a while since I have posted .. but you know what its like ( Not enough hours in the day ) Work, Home, Holiday!

I did not forget you all which is why I made a special insight video of my adventures in the most beautiful place I have ever stepped foot into.. Mexico!


Enjoy :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhegi3aE2ig

Alternatives to Real Technique brushes

Hello guys!

Here is the long and awaited post,...My alternatives to Real Techniques.
I was greeted by a lovely wrapped parcel that was delivered to my doorstep the other day which I was ridiculously ecstatic about as any woman is when goodies arrive at the front door :), after opening the package with a huge abundance of excitement, inside were the most beautiful flawless bunch of brushes, all delicate and expert evenly cut. (Jaw drop moment)

The brushes were sent by to me via www.bornprettystore.com. The website is full of beautiful cosmetics, jewellery and clothing! all at an amazing affordable price and free shipping worldwide?!.. Whats not to love?. 
The brushes themselves are super soft and adapt perfectly to any foundation to give a flawless definition when buffed into the skin! (NO streaks!) woohoo.

Each brush style can be used for all different types of techniques, for example; the slightly slanted brush I've been using to lightly contour my cheek bones, as apposed to the more dense and firm brush I would use more for buffing in any products such as my base/primer and foundation.

Honestly guys! It is a must have. 

I've reviewed other brushes before ...but nothing compares to these bad boys ;), the brushes are super easy to clean also the bristles flex back to their natural state even after a few applications of product.

These brushes are a fantastic alternative to any real technique brush range,

the only thing I found quite difficult was how wide the brushes are ...but I have tiny hands :D! other than that they are absolutely out of this world, I highly recommend these.
You can acquire 5 unique brushes for the low price of $14.99! Absolute bargain.

Here is the link to the pack of gold and black detailed Makeup Brushes

You can also get a further 10% of everything at bornpretty store by adding the code LIZZH10 at checkout!.

Hope you all enjoyed my review, you can keep upto date on all the latest trending items right here!

What are your favourite alternatives?

Tell me what you think .. Tweet @lizziedavies95

Peace bella's x

Skincare routine

Hello Bellas!

I wanted to create a post which shows you an insight of my daily skin cleanse.

First thing I love doing in the morning is getting up and freshen up with my skincare routine.
It consists of The Body  Shop Chamomile cleansing butter, which is great for all skin types. I  get a pea size of the butter and massage it into my face which creates a oil consistency. Once applied I will either wipe with a warm damp cloth or rinse the product of my face. After the application i will then use The Body Shop Seaweed pore exfoliator which smells delightful! so fresh. after rinsing of the pore exfoliator i will then apply the Seaweed Body Shop toner with a cotton pad and apply my Anti pore serum by Clarins.

They are all defiantly my must haves!, especially the seaweed collection from The Body Shop. Never ceases to amaze me! i buy it every time i run out of the products from the range i cant get enough of how wonderful it smells and how better my skin complexion is.

Whats your favourite must have skin care?

peace out bloggers !
x

My Cyprus Adventure

Kalispera/Afternoon Bellas! On the 18th July I headed to Manchester airport with so much excitement but little did I know that it would be one of the longest nightmares ever. After being boarded on the plane we got told it had broke down and the breaks were not working on the aircraft and that it could take up to 2 hours to repair. (baring in mind my next connecting flight was in the next 2 hours in Germany). Once arrived in Germany with frustration we got told that we had to be reconnected to go to France!?.. Why France?. Not only was we flown over to Paris.. we had to wait another 5 hours to board the next plane to Larnaca. At this point Both me and my dad were exhausted, frustrated. We then boarded Aegean airways who were very attentive all throughout the flight with unlimited alcohol, and really nice flight food as well as entertainment.

 Thank God we arrived in Larnaca! At 10:30 pm we went to collect are cases ready to get home and just sleep! to only find out our cases went missing and were still stuck in Paris. We had a Christening the next day as well. We were living a nightmare. Once we put a claim in and got home, it was nice to be in the comfort of my own bed and get my head down.
 Following morning we went to my favourite place in the world, the Greek Bakery! full of freshly baked traditional pastries. Mmm.. Later on in the afternoon we had my cousins baby's christening which was in the heart of Cyprus (Protaras) overlooking the deep sea. And we later then went to a Beautiful presented marquee in the village! that served the traditional souvla and bouzouki! I cant possibly tell you what I did each day as I did so much, that everyday was different.
 We spent most of the days sitting on the white sandy beaches of Ayia Napa, swimming in the exotic crystal clear sea whilst sunbathing beneath the Cypriot sun!. Honestly it was just beautiful. Most nights we visited a new restaurant each evening whether it was in the main tourist attraction Ayia Napa or in the villages where we had the traditional Cypriot meze which was a mix of starters including home made soda bread, Greek dips and village salad followed by a mix of meats such as pork, chicken cooked on the BBQ and one traditional homemade favourite moussaka. (Trust me.. i could never eat it all)
 Its so sad to be back in England, when most of the family are over in Cyprus. Its such a beautiful place to be, The food, Freedom, People, Beaches... I could go on.

 My next stop is to Mexico! ill make sure to keep you updated whilst im over there and create videos of both under water and around the complex i am staying at.
                                                     
                                                         Speak Soon Amigos! x

Beauty: summer time faves!

Pina coladas, sand between your toes, the smell of tropical sun cream in the summer breeze!

I'm so glad it's summer, my favourite time  of the year. Every year i would spend most of my time in the most beautiful island of (love) Cyprus. Exotic Palm trees, white sandy beaches with crystal clear waters. And most of all seeing the Cypriot family and having souvla (bbq) together.
 As I've come for a whole month  this year I wanted to buy products that were good quality but not to much money. I invested in the No.7 BB cream in medium for when I get a tan and mix it with my loreal luminous base for a gorgeous glow. It may not be the best coverage but it's such an amazing product for the price of it and the quality.
 I also bought Daisy by Marc Jacobs, a beautiful fresh summer essence!. I have also been using sleeks contour kit in medium for extra definition in my cheek bones and using the highlighter to give me an extra glow in the evening.

I will be keeping you all updated on my trip and what I'm getting up to over here in Cyprus !. Plenty of photos and videos for you all :).

Beauty: Loreal/Dior and Make up brushes Review

Have you ever felt like you have been round and round in circles trying to find a decent primer which isn't to expensive? So here are my initial thoughts on my super finder L'oreal lumi magique primer. The concept of the primer is to give you luminous glowing skin. it comes in a white tube like bottle with rose gold details and pump. what wasn't to like? it was definitely an eye catcher!. the consistency of the product is very very light! and adding 1 to 2 pumps on your buffing brush will go along way. the colour is like a shimmer white equally like the bottle itself funnily enough? not like your average clear primers. but once added on your skin is smooths out any imperfections and gives you the most gorgeous sheen. After adding my primer I would then spray my brush with the Dior Air Flash foundation and blending it into my face. 

(what a transformation) tanned, super glowing flawless skin. They are my must haves of all times!. Another mention i must add is my brushes.. my obsession! it would upset me how much I would spend on buying real techniques brushes.. even though there was no fault to them and they were amazing quality I wanted an alternative too. And I found them! on Amazon, a whole bunch of beautiful soft make up brushes equally as good quality as real techniques
Here are the links below for the Amazon brush sets!

make up brush set
Make up and eye brush set

Most of the products mentioned that can be bought on Amazon and Boots are currently on offer! so grab them whilst you can.

Lifestyle: How to make healthy pancakes

I wanted to create something i truly love which is pancakes. We all love pancakes smothered in chocolate and lots of strawberries!. But having pancakes always made me feel sluggish and reacted with my IBS. so i thought i would make a healthy version of it.. and I was damn right surprised on how yummy it truly was!. Obviously its not going to taste just like pancakes and the texture of it will be different but that will be the same with any alternative healthy recipe. So here is my recipe! why not give it a go and tell me what you think?

Ingredients:

•  3 ripe bananas
•  1 cup of oats ( I use gluten free)
•  1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
•  2 whole fresh eggs
•  coconut oil to grease the pan
•  1 tablespoon of flax seed (optional) 

 Topping ingredients:

• Buckwud 100% pure maple syrup
•  4 Strawberrys cut into slices 
• 1/4 cup of walnuts

Method:slice all your bananas and put them into a mixing bowl mashing them until a smooth consistency. once all smooth add in your 1 cup of oats mixing them all together and throwing your 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon, and flax seed mixing them all together again. once all smooth add your eggs into a cup whisking them and pouring it into the mixing bowl.  once all mixed thoroughly grease your pan and add the mixture in. It should take about 3 minutes or longer on each side depending on how thick you want your pancakes! once there golden brown place them onto your plate and add your toppings! :).

Lifestyle: Greek Wedding

On Friday I headed down to London in the afternoon for the weekend. After a tiring 5 hour drive and many service stops we finally arrived at Theobalds park based in Cheshunt. When i had recently viewed tripadvisor for the reviews on the hotel i was quite unsure what to expect, scared, anxious as most of the reviews were dreadful. But what a surprise the hotel for the price at £25 each for bed and breakfast i could not fault it. The rooms were standard but modern, food was exceptional and the views and the hotel it self was beautiful. As we arrived so late on the Friday we headed down to Enfield to check out where the wedding was going to be held and get some food. a little taverna on the corner of enfields busy market streets was a hidden little gem called 'spitikos' What a fantastic restaurant.. from the food to the bouzouki and the lovely owners that gave us free drinks most of the night. The following day was ovcourse the big day! heading down to the Greek orthodox church and watching the most beautiful ceremony of Andy and Sophia's wedding vows. Later on that day around half 3 we then drove to the venue and what a surprise! it was outstandingly beautiful from the chandeliers to  the beautiful drapes, the bouquet of flowers on each individual table. everything about the venue had so much beautiful detail to it. I must mention the best thing about attending this wedding was not only witnessing such an amazing ceremony but the Greek bouzouki! i loved how all the family and friends would come together and take part in all the traditional Greek dancing.
I cannot wait to be back down in London, such lovely people, and i must mention so many Greeks!, the food, the lifestyle.

What do you guys think is good down in London?, any recommendations where to visit?
p.s Anyone down in London you must visit spitikos ! :)

Lifestyle: Healthy lifestyle

Hello bella's!

So here goes, in August 2013 I was suffering with bloating and really bad stomach cramps and pains but thought nothing of it for a while.. Untill I started my job at cube it got worse. I went to the doctors to be referred to the hospital to be checked over. So after nearly 2 years it came down to one thing.. (IBS), you may ask what IBS is? Well it's  Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) its a common, long-term condition of the digestive system. It can cause bouts of stomach cramps, bloating, tummy upsets.But after all the pills and pain nothing ever worked and not even the doctor could give me advice on what to do as there is no cure.

I decided to do something about it, I couldn't deal with how I was feeling with Ibs, fatigue, no energy, and to be honest it made me miserable. So it was time for change, I wanted to feel my real self again so I've decided to go down the route of raw foods, no preservatives, gluten free. And doing this has stopped me being bored and food deprived, there's nothing wrong with eating organic as it will bring out the good in life, a better you. We all know how much food is a number one priority source for are bodys but it's time to make a change and eating healthy is the best nourishment. 

Daily menu would consist of:

Spinach,chai seed, organic peanut butter,cup of water,flaxseed, 1 banana and frozen berries and blended to make a smoothie 

Lunch:

Tuna, tamatoes, spinach, side of organic hummus made up from chick peas, lemon juice, tahini, water and  garlic all blended into a smooth consistency.

Dinner:

Pasta, organic pesto made up of lemon, basil and pine nuts all witch are blended into a smooth paste and adding spinach, tamatoes and peppers or I would have an aubergine curry with cous cous.

Snacks: healthy Nutella  (made up of organic cocoa, hazelnuts and organic maple syrup), grapes, hummus with veg sticks (any one of these)

Want to know my recipes!?.. Let me know and I will write them up :)