Becky's Review-Empties # 1

Today I am doing something a little different. It's going to be a product empties, which for those of you that don't know it's a review of products you've used up. I find these types of reviews very helpful as you know exactly what the person thinks after using up all of the product. For some of the products shown I have done a whole post, so I will link those for you as they are much more detailed.

Let's get started.

Zoella Beauty Soak Opera 

Lets say it was not the best shower gel I have used, however it was ok nothing wrong with it. I just was not a massive fan of the consistency of it. Otherwise it was ok, the smell was nice it lasted a long time. However I don't think I will repurchase it.

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel 

I did a whole review on this product, so if you want to find out more I will link it here. But in a nutshell it was AMAZING totally worth all the hype, the only downside is the price and the fact you don't know when it has finished. I would definitely repurchase it.

Soap and Glory Hand Food 

It was a very good hand cream for it's price. For me it is more of an overnight hand cream as it does leave your hands quite greasy. It had a really nice scent, the signature Soap and Glory scent. However I would not repurchase it only because I do prefer Crabtree&Evelyn Hand creams. It is a really good hand cream I you want something not too expensive.

Bioderma Solution Micellaire 

I love this product I have gone through countless bottles of this stuff. I have a review about it which I will link here. But it is the best make up remover I have tried. However it is much more expensive if you buy it outside of France, so if you are going to France then definitely pick it up from a pharmacy.

The Body Shop shower gels 

I really have started to like Body Shop recently as a whole and I do really like their shower gels. They are at a good price, smell amazing and lather up really well. Overall I would repurchase them and all ready have back ups .

Hello Mouthwash 

I have tried all of there flavours and my favourite has to be the Mojito mint, although they are all really nice. They have now become my mouthwash, so nice. Highly recommended.

Batiste Dry Shampoo 

I usually do like Batiste dry shampoos, they are really good, however the dry shampoo that is designed for a specific hair colour I did not like. Whenever I applied it left my hands a dark grey colour it was not very nice. I have repurchased the normal ones, but I will not be repurchasing the Plus ones.

Soap and Glory Righteous Butter 

This was a really nice body butter lasted a very long time. Had a really nice scent and I would definitely buy it again.

Soap and Glory Foam Call 

I was not a massive fan of the scent therefore I won't be buying it again.

Crabtree &Evelyn Hand Cream 

These are by far my favourite hand creams. They are really moisturising, lovely scents, sink into your skin really fast. I have already repurchased several hand creams from them.

Kerastase Elixir Masque 

This is a lovely luxurious product it really nourishes your hair. I have gone through several tubs of these. I would highly recommend this product. Definitely would repurchase this product.

Soap and glory Daily Youth Face Wash  

Great morning face wash. Really nice texture and not too expensive. I would repurchase this face wash.

La Roche Posay Tolerane Face cream 

Lovely face cream just very small and did not last a long time. Otherwise a good allrounder face cream. Highly recommend.

Nivea Lip Butter 

I have written a whole review on this product, so I will link it here. I do really like this product however the only thing I don't like is that it is in a pot rather than tube. Since writing this review I have found different lip balms that I prefer using at night and I use a different lip balm during the day which I will mention later in this post.

Body Shop Body Butter 

I have started reusing a lot of Body Shop products and one of them is their body butter. I really like this product I have purchased it lots of different scents. Overall I really like this product and I would and already have repurchased it.

Soap and Glory Beauty Sleep Accelerator 

I really loved this night cream it was really nice and thick, but also would not sit on the skin. Great price for a great product. It also had a very nice relaxing scent.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm 

This has become my new favourite lip balm to carry in my handbag: it is small and gets the job done. Moisturising and cheap. I have already repurchased another tube.

La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra 

I really like this cream more than just the Toleriane because it has a pump, it lasts longer, you can use it morning and night. I have already repurchased this product.

Chanel Stylo Eye Liner 

It was a good eyeliner, but I think the brush was a bit too thick. I don't thick I will be repurchasing this eyeliner as I have found better ones.

Soap and Glory Face Soap and Clarity 

I loved this face wash it was my favourite from Soap and Glory great for daily use. Would repurchase this for sure.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 

Really great cheap concealer. Great if you are looking for something on a budget. Highly recommend.

Soap and Glory The Fab Pore 

Really great face cream, nothing special, but perfect for every day use. Would repurchase.

So that brings us to the end of this post. Hope it was helpful for you guys and you got some ideas of products to try and products to skip. See you all next week with a new post same place same time Wednesday 5pm (GMT).

Travelling with Becky- Amsterdam

I recently went on a trip to Amsterdam and I thought I would share my thought with you guys. It was the second time I had visitied the city and after my first visit I was not very impressed with it, however after my recent trip I really warmed up to the city and now I can say I actually like it .

I thought I would mention some of the things I enjoyed doing. One think I really liked and would recommend to anyone going to Amsterdam is the Canal tour. There are loads of different companies that offer them and this is a great way to see the city. Next must see is the Anne Frank House. I went early morning and ended up waiting for about 1h30 before getting in. So, the best way is to buy tickets online before travelling. You can do quite good shopping in Amsterdam, there are some really unique boutiques to be discovered. Another thing which I enjoyed visiting was the Royal Palace which was open.
Something for the diamond lovers out there is the Diamond Museum. Of course, there are also the famous museums such as the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum if you are into art. If not, I found it very enjoyable just to walk around. There are many things to discover, just by wondering through the streets. Also the great think about Amsterdam is that there is Wifi everywhere, making it very easy to go around without turning on your data roaming.

Now on to food, one of my favourite things. I must admit I did have some very tasty meals to eat while in Amsterdam. I was impressed how good their coffee is. One place I would recommend going to get some nice coffee is the Coffee Company which I saw quite frequently. A place where they make amazing sandwiches, coffee and food in general is a cafe called Baton. Also if you are looking for some good pancakes you can find they at a place called Hansel and Gretel just opposite the Rijksmuseum. If you see Chicken Satay on the menu I would recommend trying it, as I have had the best ones in Amsterdam, they are really tasty.

Few things to watch out in Amsterdam, there are A LOT of bikes. They are coming from every direction, very fast, so watch out.
Otherwise it's a great place and everybody speaks English which is great because I find Dutch quite difficult to understand.

If you are thinking of going I highly recommend visiting it. However if you stay more that 4 days you may start getting a bit bored as it's not a massive city. 

I hope this post was useful for you guys. See you all next week for a new post Wednesday 5pm GMT. 

Becky xoxo 

Cooking with Becky- Autumnal Recipes

As my Picnic Recipes  post was so popular I thought I would create another post were I would share some of my favourite autumnal recipes. I have lined up 4 recipes that are really yummy and easy to make. Some of the recipes are not my own recipes, so I will link them, but as always I have made the recipe myself and tried them out.

Starting of with my Breakfast Recipe

Pear, Almond and Caramel Porridge/Oatmeal

Serves 2

1Pear diced  

75g Almond flakes 

1 cup Porridge Oats 

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Almond Milk 

1 Banana cut up

Caramel Sauce (bought or made)

Mix the water and almond milk in a pan (the best pans are non stick pans). Let it heat up for a few minutes and then add in your porridge oats and let it cook according to the instructions on the package. When the porridge is nearly ready add your banana and pear. Let the porridge finish cooking and add 65g of your almond flake to the porridge. To serve, pop your porridge on a plate/bowl, drizzle some caramel sauce and sprinkle some almond flacks on the top and Voila.

Next up we have a recipe that can be served for lunch, dinner or as a starter. 

Roasted Vegetable Minestrone.

This is a recipe I found on The Pioneer Woman and it is so good and warming, you must give it a go. 

Here is the link to the recipe. 

The next recipe I want to share with you is perfect for dinner.
Warning- This recipe does take longer to make. It took me about 1h30, so make sure you are not in a rush.

Pan Sealed Scallops with Pumpkin Risotto. 

Again I found this recipe online. Really tasty and great if you are having friends round. Here is the link to the recipe.



Last but not least we have a sweet treat.

Apple Strudel

This is so good it has become a staple autumn desert for me and it's really easy to make as well. 

For the filling you will need:

110g Sugar

1/2tbs Cinnamon

35g Butter

50g Raisins

2tbs Almond flacks

juice and zest of half a lemon

7g corn flour

5 apple of your choice

For the pastry you will need:

4 Sheets of filo pastry 

80g Breadcrumbs

70g Sugar

1tbp Cinnamon

100g melted butter 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C /400 degrees F.

For filling

Place a pan on a medium high heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted add your diced apples and let it cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Then stir in the sugar. After a minute add the raisins, almonds and cinnamon to the pan and mix. In a bowl add the lemon juice and zest and mix with corn flour. Once mixed add to the apple mixture and let it thicken. Leave on a low heat while you prepare the pastry.

For pastry

In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs, sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Then brush your filo melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. Lay another sheet over the top and repeat the same process. Once you have reached the forth sheet brush it with butter, but don't sprinkle any more of the cinnamon mixture. Flip all the sheets over, so that the first sheet is on top and brush it with butter. Place your filling alone the edge of the pastry leaving a 2 cm gap from the edge. Then carefully roll the pastry into a log. Press the ends to close. Place it on greaseproof paper and place it in the oven for 20 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

There you have it all 4 of my autumn recipes. I hope you give them a try.

Becky xoxo

Review- Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser

I like trying new products, so today I am sharing my thoughts on a cleanser I have been using over the last few months. This is the Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser.

This is a thick white cleanser with little blue beads in it. It has a very subtle fragrance which I don't really mind. This cleaner is targeted specific for oily and combination skin and after having used it for a while I understand why. It strips your skin off all the oil and leaves your skin feeling very tight. I personally don't like very much as I find it quite uncomfortable, however if you have very oily skin you may enjoy it. One think you need to be warned of, is that if this gets in your eyes it stings really badly, so avoid your eye area. Now the question is whether I would repurchase it and the answer is no. It's nothing special and I personally think it's quite expensive for what it is. I have used much better products that are cheaper, such as Body shop face washes and Soap and Glory. They are also great products at a fraction of the price of this face wash which retails for £19 . This may be for you if you have very oily skin, but otherwise I would skip this one.

My rating 3/5

I hope this was helpful. I will see you all next week with another post. Same place same time, Wednesday 5pm (GMT)

Becky xoxo

Handbag Staples- What Every Girl Needs In Her Handbag

This is something a little different. I thought I would put together a kind of what's in your bag, but instead of just showing you what's in ones bag, I thought  I would put together a standard what's in my bag. Now most of this things fit in a tote bag or in a small cross body bag.

1. Sunglasses

I take sunglasses with me everywhere. I am one of those people that even if it's not really sunny I will be wearing my sunglasses. I normally switch up my sunglasses depending on the outfits I wear, but my most worn sunglasses are my Ray Ban Erika. I think they go with most things.

2. Mini wallet

I have switched from a larger wallet to this one, because it is a lot more practical. It can fit in all my handbags and I have everything I need in it. My one is from Marc Jacobs

3. Headphones

I like to take these small headphones for day to day use as they are small and practical. They are just the standard free Apple headphones. I wrap my headphones around a Bobino which makes sure my headphones don't get tangled.

4. Hand Gel

Hand Antiseptic is a must no matter where you live. My favourites are the Soap and Glory  and the Bath and Body Works ones.

5. Chewing Gum

I aways carry gum, I love a brand which I found in Turkey and Italy called Vivdent.

6. Blister Protection

I carry two products Compeed Blister Plasters and their anti Blister stick, which protect me from getting blisters. I would highly recommend the cream as it actually works.

7. Lip Products

I carry 3 lip products with me: a lip balm, I like the Burts Bees one, then a neutral colour lip gloss and the lip stick I am wearing that day. In the colder months I go for darker colours.

8. Keys

I carry my house keys with me everywhere.

9. Umbrella

In the colder months I also carry an umbrella if I have a bigger handbag, as you never know when it's going to rain.

So, I hope the blog gave you some ideas to what you could have in your handbag.

See you next week with a new post Wednesday 5pm (GMT)
Becky xoxo

Review- Dior Eye Reviver Backstage Pros

Today I am back with another review, this time for the Dior Eye Reviver Backstage Pros Palette. I have had this palette for a few months and have started using it more recently, so I thought I would share my thoughts on it with you guys.

The palette comes with 5 eyeshadows with a hint of shimmer in them and a black gel eyeliner which I, personally don't really like. However these eyeshadows are amazing they are really easy to apply, perfect to wear everyday. This palette reminds me of the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette however the shimmer edition. For any neural eyeshadow lover I would definitely recommend this palette it's great to travel with or just to pop in your make up bag.

My Rating 4.5/5 - because of the eyeliner.

I hope this was helpful for you guys. See you all next week Wednesday 5pm (GMT)

Becky xoxo

Things to do in London.

If it's your first time in London then you will probably want to see all the tourist sites. I have a blog post all about that which you can check out here . But if you have already done all touristy things or if you live in London, and you want something to do I have a few suggestion.

1. The Park 

London is full of green spaces for you to hang out in. One thing I would recommend doing is rent a Santander Cycle. They are really affordable costing £2 for 24 hours, but make sure you dock them every 30 minutes if you don't want to pay extra. Then you can go and eat at one of the places mentioned in last weeks post. This is a super fun day out to do any time of the year as long as it's not too cold or raining.

2. Exhibitions 

This may sound very boring but there can be some very good exhibitions. One of my favourite places is the V&A where you can always find good exhibitions, but be warned if you don't book in advance you may be stuck in a very long line to buy tickets. Also National Portrait Gallery is currently having an exhibition on Audrey Hepburn until October. So, look around and you can find some really good things to go to.

3. Shows 

London is famous for it's musicals, so they are a must see even if you live in London. Also there are some beautiful ballets at the Royal Opera House, you could see. They can be great fun.

4. Shopping

There are some great places to shop in London and few of my favourite are Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street, Covent Garden, Kings Road and Westfield. If you go to all or just one of these places you can definitely find what you are looking for.

5. Winter Wonderland 

If you are in London from November to January then Winter Wonderland is a must see attraction, a winter only theme park with a lovely Christmas market. So, even if you aren't a fan of rides then there is still something for you to do, it's an amazing day out.

So, here you have it 5 things to do in London. Even just walking around is great fun as you can always discover new places.

I hope that I gave you some ideas of what you could do in London. Hope you are all having a great week. See you all next week, same place, same time Wednesday 5pm (GMT)

Becky xoxo