CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

85% of the time if brownies are on the menu at a restaurant and i'm having dessert i will have them. I love me some brownies. Here is a quick and easy cheesecake brownie recipe to cheer you up if you are either having a rubbish week, fed up with this winter weather or you just love you some chocolate goodness.

For the brownie mixture you will need:

225g/8oz dark chocolate (minimum 70%)

150g/5½oz unsalted butter

3 free-range eggs

225g/8oz caster sugar

100ml/3½fl oz strong espresso

100g/3½oz plain flour

For the cheesecake mixture you will need:

150g/5½oz full fat cream cheese

50g/1¾oz caster sugar

1 free-range egg

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas-Mark3. Grease and line a 8in/20cm square cake tin. For the brownies, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (Making sure the base of the bowl isn't touching the water.) Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk the eggs, caster sugar and coffee in a bowl until well combined. Sift in the flour and chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.

For the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese, caster sugar and egg until smooth.

Spoon the brownie mixture into the cake tin then spoon the cheesecake mixture on top and use a knife to cut lines into the mixture to create a marble effect.

Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until just set. Remove the tin from the oven, set aside to cool completely, then cut into squares.

When all the above is completed all that is left to do is sit back, relax and enjoy.

Hope you are all having a happy Wednesday...

Katie♥

COLLECTIVE BEAUTY HAUL

Over the past couple of weeks i have purchased a few different beauty related items both online and in boots which for those who do not know what boots is, it is basically a drugstore in the UK. Some of the items i have bought i have already tried them out but some i just got yesterday so i haven't tried them as of yet.

1. Maybelline Baby Skin (instant pore eraser) primer- £7.99

I have been using this primer every single day since i bought it and i truthfully have no bad word to say about it, it's such a great primer. A lot of people have likened it to the Benefit Porefessional but the Baby Skin is obviously a lot more affordable if you're on a budget.

2. Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede (030 high heels) lipstick- £8.99

I love love love this lipstick, the colour is a really nice shade of pink not too pale and not too bright, super pigmented and very long lasting. I will definitely be buying more colours very soon.

3. NYX Liqud Crystal (lcl103 crystal pink) glitter liner- £4.00

I just got this specific colour yesterday and haven't tried it out yet but i have it in a gold colour and i really like it. It has a really good formula, not clumpy and applies so easy.

4. NYX Mega Shine (138 rust) lip gloss- £6.00

I really like this lip gloss, the formula is really nice and glossy but not sticky. I usually apply this on top of my favourite nude lipstick (NYX celene) the two work really nice together.

5. NYX Glitter On The Go (golden peach) loose glitter- £4.50

I have tried this glitter pigment a couple of times and i really liked the way there was no fall out which sometimes with glitter can drop down during the day, i always apply it with a flat eyeshadow brush with some MAC fix+ and pat it onto the lid.

6. NYX Lip Pencil (816 fushcia) lip liner- £3.50

I swear by NYX lip liners they are one of my favourite's, so i decided to purchase it in this purple colour to team it with another lipstick i have bought which will be shown in the next image.

7. NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil (703 pink nude and 727 vanilla ice) lip crayons- £5.00 each

I have always liked the jumbo eye pencils and a fan of lip crayons in general so i thought i would give these two a go and i really like the finish of them you don't really need a gloss on top as they are pretty glossy on their own, i will definitely be purchasing more colours in the future.

8. NYX Diamond Sparkle (ds21 sparkling satin) lipstick- £4.00

I just got this lipstick yesterday and haven't tried it out yet. I love the shade it's such a pretty pink which is right up my street as i am such a pink/nude lipstick kind of girl.

9. Collection Little Mix (perrie) lipstick- £2.49

This is the lipstick i will pair up with the NYX lip liner shown in the previous image. It really reminds me of the shade which Beyoncé is wearing in the "No Angel" music video, so i am so excited to try this out.

10. Revlon Lip Butter (027 juicy papaya and 005 sugar frosting)- £7.99 (2 for £10 at boots)

I have always wanted to try these for the longest time as i have heard so many people say lots of great things about them. So i finally went to try one and the were also on special offer so i got two. They are really moisturizing which is always a good thing and they have a really nice sheen to them.

11. No7 Exquisite Curl (black) mascara- £5.00 (sale at boots)

I always like trying and finding different mascaras and this was in the sale over half price, so that was a bargain i couldn't refuse. My favourite thing about this mascara is the curved wand.

12. No7 Poppy King Rain Drops (playing, a red colour) lip crayon- £2.00 (sale at boots)

I have never tried out a No7 lip crayon before so i am excited to try this particular one out. This was also a sale item and i am unsure what the full price was as it is a limited edition collection. I swatched the crayon and it is super pigmented, i really like the fact it comes with a jumbo sharpener on the end.

13. Clean and Clear Morning Energy (skin brightening) facial scrub- £3.99

I had ran out of my usual L'Oreal facial wash and wanted to try a different morning time facial wash, so i went for this facial scrub and i honestly prefer it to my usual one. The smell is amazing (lemon and papaya) and it is really energizing and wakes me up in the morning.

14. Nivea Hydro Care (aloe vera) lip balm- £1.58

I have so many different lip balms as i feel as you can never have enough but i had none in stick form and i wanted one to travel with as it is more hygienic when you are on the go. Simple but a classic item.

Hope you are all having a lovely week and are staying warm if you're in this cold weather...

Katie♥

  

GLOWING SKIN: TOP 5 SKIN HIGHLIGHTERS

I am all about having glowing skin, so highlighters are a big part of my makeup collection. There is so many beautiful products out there whether it is a powdered highlight or a liquid luminizer form, both high-end and drugstore.
So here is my top five skin highlighters...

1. NARS liquid illuminator in the shade Copacabana - £22 House of Fraser.

2. MUA undress your skin highlighting powder - £3 Superdrug/MUAonline.

3. Benefit girl meets pearl twist up liquid highlighter - £24.50 Debenhams.

4. NARS powder highlight in Albatross -£21.50 HQhair.

5. L'Oreal lumi magique liquid illuminator pen in light - £8.49 Boots.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend...

Katie♥

ROOM TOUR: NEW BEDDING

For a while now i have been wanting to change up my bedroom and the way it looks and i am finally really happy with the way it looks and has turned out. So here is what i did with my room and where i got everything from..

1. I am really into floral prints and that hasn't changed from when i last updated my room but this time i have opted for a really pretty purple floral duvet bedding. - £35 double duvet and two pillowcases and £15 for a double fitted sheet and two pillowcases for the underneath. - Both from Next.
2. Dark purple silk effect cushions really coordinate with the darker purples in the bedding, i bought two of these one for each outer sides of the bed. - £5.99 Each from Dunelm Mill.
3/4. For two statement cushions to feature in the center of the bed i opted for this creamy white faux fur effect cushion - £7.99 from Dunelm Mill and then a darker cream quote pillow which says "always kiss me goodnight" which i thought was so cute. - £9 from Next (last season).
5/6. For accessories i went for this white and purple ornament which says "relax, revive, rejuvenate" - £3.59 from Dunelm Mill and then seeing as i am a complete Yankee Candle junkie to tie in with the purple theme i have a medium jar in "beach flowers" which smells amazing - £16.99 from House of Fraser.
7. I have been wanting a really cute white makeup brush holder for a while now and haven't been able to find one that i really like and i finally did. It's a vase which had a tea light holder inside but i just took that out and replaced it with my brushes - £10 Rocha John Rocha at Debemhams.

Katie ♥