Over the first three months of 2016, I would like to say I am proud to be following through with one of my New Year's resolution - frequently changing the cosmetics in my makeup bag so that I utilise all of my products. However, this month these five items became staples in my everyday morning routine. In fact, I've been loving them so much I just had to tell you about them!

Also, this post is in collaboration with @BeautyandBrushesX from Instagram; don't forget to check out her top 5 current beauty products on her blog!

BRONZING

~ Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess ~

Since Christmas 2015, I have worn this on my face every single time I've applied makeup - and there STILL isn't a significant dent in the product. Hallelujah! This bronzing powder helps me to achieve a natural, luminous glow whilst defining my non-existent cheek bones. The warmth of the brown is very flattering on my dull skin and boosts the life in my, usually very sleepy, face.  A product I will forever repurchase and rave about!

~ Real Techniques Bold Metals Contour Brush ~

When it comes to makeup application, I always acquire the best brush for the job - I have made many a cosmetic fault by using my fingers or wrong brushes to blend in my early teens. Therefore, I find it vital that I find the best brush possible to apply product. For contouring, I finally got my hands on one of Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes - The Flat Contour. Contouring has been made simple with a brush that can evenly, and precisely, apply product in the hollows of your cheeks, along the jawline, nose and elsewhere. Oh, and it's rose gold - BONUS!

BROW DUO 

~ Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate & Angled 12 Brush ~

LIPS

~ Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Bond Girl ~

On Valentine's Day, I was very lucky to spend the day in London and have a mooch around all of the makeup shops - something my boyfriend didn't like doing as much. In Selfridges, I managed to pick up my very first, and well-loved, Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in the shade BOND GIRL. This for me has been my go-to nude of the month. I don't usually wear pale, orange toned nudes as they completely wash me out, so this mauve/pink toned nude has been my March saviour. 

FRAGRANCE

~ Valentino Valentina Perfume ~

Finally, I have been reaching for my old fragrances - like Valentino Valentina - this month as they somehow bring back memories for me. I always relate smells to events/days in my past and I think it is such a memorable way to reminisce. This classy, feminine bottle holds deep white floral notes with inital sweet citrus bursts of berries. Perfect for the upcoming Summer months. 

What beauty products have you been loving this month? Have you tried any of the items I spoke about?

Lots of love

Personalisation is something that can make someone's day. I think personalised gifts are the key to a loved one's heart - whether is be something sentimental like a necklace or framed photograph, something creative like a scrapbook or something practical like a phonecase or mug. 

CaseApp are a brand that specialises in personalised phone/laptop cases; you are able to chose from a pre-made design, like my 'Perfect White Marble' one, or insert your own image. After seeing marble-print invading all my social media, I just had to go for this design!

Rather than overloading my masterpiece with tons of emojis, photos and text, I decided to keep it basic - simplicity is key for me. I thought bombarding the case with excess material would take away from the beautiful marble design. Thus, in pretty, elegant font I typed 'Char Emily' (my Instagram name) along with a cute black love heart, to the bottom of my design. 

On arrival, I was delighted to receive an immaculate-printed, good quality case that has already withstood a few falls. Being clumsy I always drop my phone and end up damaging ever single case I purchase; however, there is not a single mark after a couple of weeks! Also, I am in love with the smooth, matte finish - this is very aesthetically pleasing and sets aside from my other phone covers that hold 21940832487 sequins and gems.

If you are struggling for a gift idea, I highly recommend personalised ones. With swift delivery and phenomenal quality, you cannot go wrong with CaseApp. Don't forget to check out their designs!

GET 20% off your own custom phone case with this code : FHMPZT

Lots of love

Happy Easter!

Without further ado, I present to you one of my favourite recipes - with a twist! I absolutely love making chocolate tiffin (malteser being my absolute fave) so since it is Easter Sunday, I thought I would bring you a delicious, easy-to-make dessert, mini egg style. 

I hope you like the recipe and don't forget to send me photos on Instagram/Twitter if you try it out!

Online boutiques are my weakness. I cannot get enough of their incredibly designed, celebrity-style clothing for just a small percentage of the original product's price. Recently, through the blogging industry, I have discovered Boutique of Molly; an amazing online fashion heaven that sells everything from luxurious to casual wear. Rather swiftly, I became a huge fan of their 'Alexa Lace Up Playsuit' - a comfort-fit, back lace up playsuit that I appeared to be lacking in my wardrobe.

¦ Fur Coat - Matalan ~ Playsuit  - Boutique of Molly ¦

For evening wear, I usually opt for something black. I know this can be quite boring but I feel that it can then be worn all year round, thus getting the most use out of it. This playsuit is very summer appropriate, with two thin cami straps and the partially-backless lace detailing. However, I still feel this can be worn seasonally as the outfit can be accompanied by a complementary fluffy coat. 

Material-wise, the fabric used feels sturdy and rather luxurious, considering the cheap price. The material clings to you body, corset-style, enhancing your body shape and hugging at any curves. I am in now way, shape or form happy with my figure but this outfit gives me more confidence as it generously brings out the subtle curves on my body. 

Also, the playsuit has two front pockets,which is always an added bonus for me. Personally, I hate wearing coats when I'm going to a party; it is always a hassle trying to find somewhere to store it. Therefore, these pockets are fab to store the small essentials needed - money, phone and possibly a lipstick to top up with.

Head over to Boutique of Molly to browse their different collections (I'm always lusting over their luxury collection)! 

Lots of love

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This post was in collaboration with Boutique of Molly, however all opinions are honest and my own.

My last recipe (Oreo-Filled Cookies) post received lots of positive comments, views and general feedback so I thought it would be a good idea to post another. Even better...an Easter-themed dessert!

Enjoy these chocolate-y treats, maybe even make them in the Easter holidays if you are still at school like me? Don't forget to tweet or email me your version if you decide to make a batch for yourself :)

Ingredients : 

85g Plain Flour

180g Margarine

270g Caster Sugar

180g Dark Chocolate

3 Large Eggs

40g Cocoa Powder

6+ Cadbury Creme Eggs

Method :

1 ~ Grease your chosen baking tin (I baked mine is a circular tin) and preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius/Gas Mark 4/350 Fahrenheit.

2 ~ Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over hot water. 

3 ~ In a separate bowl, break all the eggs and thoroughly mix in the caster sugar. I would recommend using an electric whisk for this stage - it really quickens the process!

4 ~ When the melted chocolate and butter is cooled, pour it onto the egg-mixture and fold together.

5 ~ Next, sift the cocoa powder and plain flour, making sure to fold the mixture again.

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6 ~ Carefully cut your desired amount of Cadbury's Creme Eggs into halves. 

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7 ~ Pour the mixture into the baking tin and cook for roughly 20 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and place the Creme Egg halves into the mixture. 

8 ~ Finally, put the mixture back in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes. Allow 10 minutes cooling time after the brownies have been removed from the oven.

Voilà!

What is your favourite dessert? 

Lots of love

Pink Reflective Oversized Sunglasses

These are by far my favourite pair - I loooove the pink/purple holographic reflection!

Black Half-framed Blue Holographic Sunglasses 

I bought these on holiday from an individual gift shop but there are similar affordable ones HERE! 

You can find these in Primark inside a matching pastel bag for a crazy £1! I can only find close high end dupes, so here is a similar pastel pair for £14.99. 

These are also from Primark for £1!!!

Here is a River Island alternative for slightly more money

These were originally from New Look but they are not sold online anymore. Click here for a relatively close snake-skin dupe!

Brows are one THE most important part of my makeup routine. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who suffer with sparse brow hairs; therefore, they are difficult to shape when I get them waxed whilst further costing me an eyebrow tint for the beautician to ever SEE the hairs they need to wax. 

Formulation - The highly-pigmented formula aids smooth application onto the brows - the creamy texture allowing the product to glide with ease. Also, the 'gel' is thick so a little product goes a long way; realistically, one dip covers one of my brows.

Colour - Not being able to buy Anastasia in England is such a pain when choosing colour matches. Therefore, I tentatively trusted Google Images to supply me with the correct colour match. To my luck and fortune, I succeeded and the shade 'Chocolate' matched my brows perfectly. This shade is slightly warm toned, complimenting my pale/ivory complexion. Finally, it is simple to create the gradient effect (dark to light from ends to where the brows meet) - all you need to do is apply more product onto the end of your eyebrow.

Angled 12 Brush - This brush has saved my life; it gives me ultimate precision when crafting my eyebrows, simple application due to the thin bristles and angled shape, and accompanied with a spooly to help tame those annoying stray hairs!! I would 100% recommend picking this up along with the Dipbrow Pomade. I totally plan on purchasing one for gel liner too. 

Have you tried the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade? What is your holy grail brow product?

Lots of love

When a new season comes around, it is absolutely vital that I alter my makeup bag to fit the appropriate weather/theme. In Spring, I can't help reaching for all my favourite pastels, pinks and shimmers. Here is what you are most likely to find in my makeup as we change from Winter to Spring...

Although I'm a sucker for full coverage foundation, I can't help opting for this incredible BB cream from Garnier. This leaves my face feeling light, even and fresh - the smell is an added bonus, it reminds me of being on holiday!! The lightest shade matches my skin colour perfectly too; I always seem to be paler than pale after undergoing the cold Winter. 

When it comes to complexion, I'm not one to go for intense contour and excessive highlight in the Spring, unless I'm going out in the evening of course. To create a more subtle bronze/contour, I use L'Oreal's Glam Bronze Eau De Soleil for slightly definition. The formulation is very liquid-y and can be messy, so be careful otherwise it will go everywhere - TRUST ME!!!

Jasper Rose by Bourjois is the one to go for if you like pink, rosy cheeks like myself. The powder formula is highly pigmented so you don't need to apply more than two strokes onto your cheek to create the desired effect.

Finally, face-wise, I'm into dewy highlight; Rimmel Wake Me Up Shimmer Touch in Flush of Pearl is supposedly a great dupe for Benefit's well-loved High Beam. The liquid formula forms a dewy, iridescent glow on the cheek bones which instantly draws sunlight. 

During this time of year, all of my pink-based eye shadow palettes come out the drawer and become much more utilised. Recently, I've been loving my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette as it contains both winter/spring appropriate shades to take me from one season into the next. My fave shades definitely have to be Salted Caramel, Creme Brulee and Haute Chocolate.

 Also, I love to use my Bobbi Brown Pink Opal palette for a quick shimmer on the lid - this can add a glitz to your makeup if you don't have time to go create a whole eye look. This would also work as a beautiful, pink-toned highlight!

Finally, my Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in RSVP gives the perfect base for a Spring eye shadow look. I cannot stop using it throughout the season, whether I'm wearing eye products over the top or not!

Leaving the best till last...LIPS! Pink seems to be a running theme in my posts whenever Spring hits us... Anyway, Mac's lustre finish lipstick in Lovelorn is essential in my makeup bag throughout this time of year. Pink lips are so feminine and really lighten my complexion; this blue-toned pink also makes your teeth look insanely white.

In the warmer months, I like to delve into my lipgloss collection - I have such lovely shades but am always hesitant to use them in the Winter, as the wind just blows my hair onto my lips and it is a NIGHTMARE. Urban Decay's beautifully encased LIAR lipgloss is part of the infamous NAKED collection - the colour is less dramatic than the lipstick so would work for those who are tentative at wearing vibrant colours.