Iced Mocha and Iced Coffee Recipe

Well, if you know me, you will probably know that I'm a bit of a Starbucks addict, and I have no shame. I'm fairly sure the local Baristas can guess what I'm going to order every time - it's pretty much always the same. I love a good iced caramel macchiato. However, I used to be a bit of a Starbucks snob, and it would be the only place that I would order coffee. BUT, I have changed (I promise!) I've started to vary my coffee drinking venues, and noticed that iced coffees are on menus EVERYWHERE. 

I have had iced coffee at every possible turn, and every possible variation. 

I think I have perfected a recipe to make at home. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to make an iced caramel macchiato,  but I've got a right nice vanilla iced coffee for me, and a lovely mocha recipe for my brother...

Right, we're going to need:

Some kind of (pretty) mug or cup - I've chosen to use these beautiful Kilner jars

A little spoon

A kettle or coffee machine

Coffee (any kind you like really)

Ice cubes

Milk - semi skimmed is what I use to create a creamier taste

FOR ICED COFFEE - Flavoured vanilla syrup - I used Monin vanilla syrup

FOR ICED MOCHA - Hot chocolate powder - I used Options belgian chocolate powder

• Pour 1tsp of coffee granules into your chosen glass. You could add more if you like a really strong coffee. 
• If you want to make the mocha, add one heaped teaspoon of the chocolate powder to the coffee granules and stir the dry ingredients until combined.

• Boil the kettle and fill the glass until half full, and stir to dissolve the coffee granules /and chocolate powder, if you are making the mocha.
• If you are using a coffee machine, all you need to do is fill up your glass halfway.
• Leave the coffee for a few minutes, just to cool down slightly.

• Next, fill the cup almost to the brim with your chosen milk and stir to your liking.
• If you are making the vanilla coffee, add in the syrup now. I just used a dash because this stuff is quite strong, so not much is needed, but this could vary for different syrups.

• Add a few ice cubes in to keep the coffee cold, and VOILA! Your coffee's are ready!

If you wanted, you could add whipped cream to finish your coffees off, or maybe even some chocolate dusting?

I have no idea why these are the colour they are... They don't look particularly appetising, but they taste pretty good. Maybe more coffee was needed?

I also added in these cute little stripey straws to make drinking them more fun!

You may be able to tell from the jumper, but the weather here today is pretty pants, so maybe iced coffee wasn't the best decision, but this recipe is perfect for summer, and maybe into autumn? I can happily drink cold drinks all year round...

So, I hope you like these quick and incredibly easy recipes! If you try them, let me know in the comments how they turned out!

M

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Let me take you to... Southwold

A family trip to Southwold in the summer holidays inadvertently became a 'Let me take you to' the other day when I noticed how pretty everything was. The minute we got out of the car, the beautiful beach huts got me... They were practically begging to be photographed. So... here are some of the prettiest bits that I came across...

M

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Holiday Makeup Look

Hello!

So you may know that I've recently got back from a holiday, so I thought that I'd show you my go-to makeup look for these past few days, and I've found that it works especially well with a bit of a tan. Also, I've found that this is great to wear whilst you are actually on holiday, when its still quite warm in the evenings and you don't really want to wear much on your face, as this doesn't really use much and is quite light.

Simple - Kind to skin and sun kissed Moisture Cream

I bought this moisturiser just before we left to go on holiday because lord knows my skin dries out when I tan. I usually end up with my nose peeling, and let me tell ya, it ain't pretty. So, when abroad, I find myself literally coating my face with moisturiser in a feeble attempt to lock in my tan and stop the nasty peeling. This moisturiser even helps to build up a natural and even looking tan, which definitely helps when my tan begins to fade and become patchy, and it provides a lovely base for this makeup look.

Rimmel - Wake Me Up Concealer

Urban Decay - Naked 

Rimmel - Wonder'full Mascara

Max Factor brow pencil - Hazel

Right, so next, I usually skip to the eyes. (I'm not sure whether this is a weird order or not?) Now that school is well and truly finished for the summer, I've been getting back into using my Naked Palette, and experimenting with the different colour options. I've definitely discovered that some of the grey and brown tones do not go well with my eye colour, but for this look, we've stuck to the pinks.

Firstly, I prime my eyes with concealer, and I use Rimmel Wake Me Up to create a matte base to keep the shadow in place and stop it from gathering in the crease.

Next, for the eyeshadow, I used the shade 'Naked' all over the lid, and brought 'Sin' into the crease and blended the two colours together using the fluffy end of the brush provided in the palette. Next, I used the colour 'Virgin' in the inner corner of the lid, to brighten and widen my eyes. Finally, I dragged a little bit of 'Sin' under my lower lash line for a bit of a smoky look.

Then, to finish off the eyes I added a few coats of Rimmel Wonder'full mascara, until I was happy with the appearance of my lashes. 

Usually, after finishing my eyes, I brush out my brows and very lightly fill them in with my Max Factor brow pencil in the shade Hazel. And guess what? Thats exactly what I did today!

 Ok, so moving on to my face...

I started to subtly contour my cheekbones using the bronze section of the Bourjois Bronzer and Highlighter set. I find that this worked quite well for this because it doesn't really have any shimmer and its not as dark as most contour sticks, so it does the job nicely. 

Next, I used the Body Shop bronzer in the shade 1 - Golden Bronze and brushed it in a 3 shape to add a bit of extra colour to my forehead, cheekbones and jawline, and also, down the tip of my nose.

Then, very lightly, I used Rimmel's Clear Complexion Transparent powder to even out my skin tone in all of my patchy bits, and I find that this is great for giving a foundation perfect skin look, without the weight of foundation - perfect for summer!

Maybelline Colour Sensational - 630 Velvet Beige
My favourite bit! The lips are always my favourite part of doing my makeup, and today I chose a matte nude to polish the look. This lipstick looks great on its own, but as the lips are kind of the focus of this look, I added a bit of liner, to plump my lips and neaten the edges.

Maybelline Colour Drama lip pencil - 210 Keep it Classy
I know the more traditional lip liner method is to apply it first, before lipstick, however, I find that when I apply it after lipstick, it REALLY makes my lips look bigger and nice and full. I think this product is meant to be used as an actual lipstick (I don't know???) but I tend to just use it to outline my lips. Its great for giving a Kylie Jenner style matte lip, and there's also a nude shade of this pencil that I'm desperate to get but its always sold out whenever I try, so they must be pretty popular products, and I can totally see why.

And... here's the finished look! I hope you enjoyed this and that it may have been helpful, because I know that I loved the products, and I'm very pleased with how they look on my face.

So, until next time...

Bye!

M

x

Let me take you to... Ibiza Old Town

Hello!

Ok, so, I have just got back from an amazing holiday in Ibiza with my family and one of my best friends, and I thought that I would share one of my favourite days with you.

I'll start off by saying that having a friend come on holiday with the family this year certainly changed the dynamic, and although it was lovely to have him around, it did stop us from doing certain things, such as travelling far away from the villa, as we couldn't quite fit all six of us in the five-seater car... However, we managed for ten days and (I hope) we all had a fab time around the pool and beach. 

Sadly (and luckily I suppose...), Charlie left before we were due to leave, so we had three days to occupy ourselves without him, and as we now had enough car space, we made the journey to Ibiza Old Town, and hour away from where we were staying. 

oh my god

I love it there. It's one of those old, beautiful, cobbledy stone streets places where you can't imagine anybody ever living but of course people do and you just want to stay there forever. Theres not really much I can say to do this divine abode any justice, so I'll just show you.

Here is Ibiza Old Town in pictures:

 

I hope you like this style of post! I'm thinking about making it a recurring piece, maybe for more travelling or day trips???

And finally, here is one of my favourite of all of the holiday photos...

M

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