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

Favourite Summer Things 2015

I was browsing through my Bloglovin feed and came across this post on Amelia Liana's blog. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favourite things that I have been loving throughout the last few months. So, let's get started.

The first thing I wanted to mention was my Mac eyeshadow in Nylon. I have been wearing this daily, along with some other product which I will mention later in this post. This is a white frosty eyeshadow it makes a look very simple and elegant. You can also use it in the inner corner of your eyes or all over your lid.

Next I would like to talk about one of my favourite eyeshadow primers I have tried. I tried most of the Urban Decay primer potions, which I had samples off and so far my favourite is the shade Sin.  I can really see a difference when I use this primer. It has a bit of shimmer, so you can get away with wearing it alone. I like to wear it under the Mac eyeshadow for an every day make up look.

I am a massive eyeliner fan, I think eyeliner can make or break an eyeshadow look. Recently I have been loving the Chanel liquid eyeliner. You can easily change the thickness of the line depending how you hold it. It also lasts all day even though it's not waterproof.

I recently ran out of my concealer so I thought I would try the Nars radiance creamy concealer. I now understand why everyone loves it. It blends really easily, it does not cake on your face and it's really a great multi use concealer. Highly recommend.

Now I have been wearing this lipstick all summer. It's the Dior Tye Dye Lipstick from their summer collection, but a very similar one from their permanent collection is the Dior addict lipstick in the shade 578 Dior Xx. It's a great everyday pink as it's not too bright but just adds a bit of colour to your lips.

One of my favourite perfumes for the spring and summer has been  Miss Dior blooming bouquet. It's very floral, but gentle at the same time.  Great perfume, if you like floral, sweet fragrances.

One of my fashion favourites has been my Ray Ban Erika sunglasses,which I have seen everybody wearing.  I love them because they go with basically everything, they also make your outfit just a bit more casual. Furthermore they suit nearly all face shapes, which is also great.

Now an app I have been using daily, just before I go to sleep. The app is called Calm and it's a meditating and mindfulness app, I find it really relaxing. What I love about is that they have guided sessions where they tell you what to do, which I find really useful as I am no expert in meditation.

I hope you guys are having a great week and I will see you next week same place same time Wednesday 5pm (GMT)

Becky xoxo