Review – L’Oreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation

This was a classic case of “YouTube Made Me Buy It”.

For the last year or so, I’ve been really into watching YouTube videos, even more so than traditional blogs. And every now and then, you get a particular product which is EVERYWHERE. Everyone is talking about it, everyone is raving about it, and everyone must have it.

One such product was the L’Oreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation. A few months ago, it started popping up as a dupe to the Lancôme cushion foundation, and every video I watched, there it was. YouTubers couldn’t stop talking about it.

Wow, I thought! This must really be something if all of these people are loving it!

So on a lunchtime trip to Boots I spied it in my shade and popped it in my basket.

Even then, I was a little concerned about it, mainly because of the price. It’s £14.99 for 15ml of product, which when you think about it is REALLY expensive, especially for a drugstore brand. A usual foundation comes in 30ml, so in reality it’s £30 for the same amount of product that you would normally get in a foundation bottle.

I started using it, and initially loved it. It did what it said on the tin – a sheer, buildable, glowy base product which smoothed out my skin tone and was lightweight – perfect for summer.

However, very quickly I began to notice that I wasn’t getting as much product on my make-up sponge when I dipped it in. And by quickly, I mean within about a week. I flipped the sponge over (as the foundation pools at the bottom) and all was well again… For about a week.

The problem with this product is that it dries up ridiculously quickly, and it pretty much useless after about a month. Had I paid a fiver for it I wouldn’t be too bothered, but I didn’t.

SO disappointed was I about this product, I had to share it. I don’t like to write bad reviews about products but this one was so bad I felt I needed to. DON’T get tempted by it!

Gone But Not Forgotten

I’ve thought a lot about writing this post.

I haven’t posted on here for over 6 months. Things all got a bit much and days turned into weeks, which turned into, well, 6 months.

I started putting so much pressure on myself to post that it wasn’t enjoyable anymore, it was a chore.

2014 was a busy year for me; the blog started taking off, I had a new job, I was planning our wedding, I started a new business, and I had a bad injury to get over. So blogging just fell by the wayside a little bit and before I knew it, it felt like it was too late. Like when you mean to text someone back for something important, but something comes up and you forget, and then time goes by and you feel like too much has passed, you know what I mean?

But, unbelievably, people are still reading what I wrote last year! People are still visiting, liking, following and commenting! And that’s what has really spurred me on to write this post.

So. Things are going to be changing around here, for the better I hope.

I’m still going to be writing posts, not because I have to, but because I WANT to. I’m not going to pressure myself into posting X amount of posts per week, and I’m not going to pigeon-hole myself into JUST baking, beauty or whatever. Yes, this was mainly a baking blog, and you’ll still see some great recipes on here, but going forward, I’m going to post about the things I love, as and when I want to.

I hope that’s ok with you guys and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you!

Gone But Not Forgotten

I’ve thought a lot about writing this post.

I haven’t posted on here for over 6 months. Things all got a bit much and days turned into weeks, which turned into, well, 6 months.

I started putting so much pressure on myself to post that it wasn’t enjoyable anymore, it was a chore.

2014 was a busy year for me; the blog started taking off, I had a new job, I was planning our wedding, I started a new business, and I had a bad injury to get over. So blogging just fell by the wayside a little bit and before I knew it, it felt like it was too late. Like when you mean to text someone back for something important, but something comes up and you forget, and then time goes by and you feel like too much has passed, you know what I mean?

But, unbelievably, people are still reading what I wrote last year! People are still visiting, liking, following and commenting! And that’s what has really spurred me on to write this post.

So. Things are going to be changing around here, for the better I hope.

I’m still going to be writing posts, not because I have to, but because I WANT to. I’m not going to pressure myself into posting X amount of posts per week, and I’m not going to pigeon-hole myself into JUST baking, beauty or whatever. Yes, this was mainly a baking blog, and you’ll still see some great recipes on here, but going forward, I’m going to post about the things I love, as and when I want to.

I hope that’s ok with you guys and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you!

Gone But Not Forgotten

I’ve thought a lot about writing this post.

I haven’t posted on here for over 6 months. Things all got a bit much and days turned into weeks, which turned into, well, 6 months.

I started putting so much pressure on myself to post that it wasn’t enjoyable anymore, it was a chore.

2014 was a busy year for me; the blog started taking off, I had a new job, I was planning our wedding, I started a new business, and I had a bad injury to get over. So blogging just fell by the wayside a little bit and before I knew it, it felt like it was too late. Like when you mean to text someone back for something important, but something comes up and you forget, and then time goes by and you feel like too much has passed, you know what I mean?

But, unbelievably, people are still reading what I wrote last year! People are still visiting, liking, following and commenting! And that’s what has really spurred me on to write this post.

So. Things are going to be changing around here, for the better I hope.

I’m still going to be writing posts, not because I have to, but because I WANT to. I’m not going to pressure myself into posting X amount of posts per week, and I’m not going to pigeon-hole myself into JUST baking, beauty or whatever. Yes, this was mainly a baking blog, and you’ll still see some great recipes on here, but going forward, I’m going to post about the things I love, as and when I want to.

I hope that’s ok with you guys and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you!

Gone But Not Forgotten

I’ve thought a lot about writing this post.

I haven’t posted on here for over 6 months. Things all got a bit much and days turned into weeks, which turned into, well, 6 months.

I started putting so much pressure on myself to post that it wasn’t enjoyable anymore, it was a chore.

2014 was a busy year for me; the blog started taking off, I had a new job, I was planning our wedding, I started a new business, and I had a bad injury to get over. So blogging just fell by the wayside a little bit and before I knew it, it felt like it was too late. Like when you mean to text someone back for something important, but something comes up and you forget, and then time goes by and you feel like too much has passed, you know what I mean?

But, unbelievably, people are still reading what I wrote last year! People are still visiting, liking, following and commenting! And that’s what has really spurred me on to write this post.

So. Things are going to be changing around here, for the better I hope.

I’m still going to be writing posts, not because I have to, but because I WANT to. I’m not going to pressure myself into posting X amount of posts per week, and I’m not going to pigeon-hole myself into JUST baking, beauty or whatever. Yes, this was mainly a baking blog, and you’ll still see some great recipes on here, but going forward, I’m going to post about the things I love, as and when I want to.

I hope that’s ok with you guys and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you!

Gone But Not Forgotten

I’ve thought a lot about writing this post.

I haven’t posted on here for over 6 months. Things all got a bit much and days turned into weeks, which turned into, well, 6 months.

I started putting so much pressure on myself to post that it wasn’t enjoyable anymore, it was a chore.

2014 was a busy year for me; the blog started taking off, I had a new job, I was planning our wedding, I started a new business, and I had a bad injury to get over. So blogging just fell by the wayside a little bit and before I knew it, it felt like it was too late. Like when you mean to text someone back for something important, but something comes up and you forget, and then time goes by and you feel like too much has passed, you know what I mean?

But, unbelievably, people are still reading what I wrote last year! People are still visiting, liking, following and commenting! And that’s what has really spurred me on to write this post.

So. Things are going to be changing around here, for the better I hope.

I’m still going to be writing posts, not because I have to, but because I WANT to. I’m not going to pressure myself into posting X amount of posts per week, and I’m not going to pigeon-hole myself into JUST baking, beauty or whatever. Yes, this was mainly a baking blog, and you’ll still see some great recipes on here, but going forward, I’m going to post about the things I love, as and when I want to.

I hope that’s ok with you guys and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you!

Follow me?

Firstly, I want to say a massive THANK YOU to all of my lovely followers so far! You make me smile with your comments and I love find and reading new blogs of yours in return.

I’ve recently made the decision to move to a self-hosted website (my own site – yay!) which you can find at www.eatsleepbakerepeat.com. Click on the link, come over and have a look. It’s fully functional but needs a little more work on it’s appearance… It’s almost there though!

The new website is EXACTLY THE SAME as the old one, for all of you current followers. Except, it’s not got “wordpress” in the title. It’s still me, still eating, still baking, still… ahh you get the message!

There won’t be any more posts on this current wordpress site, they’ll all be on the new one. But no fear, everyone who currently follows this blog, either by email, Bloglovin, or WordPress, has been transferred over. So you don’t need to do ANYTHING.

Just remember, the new site address is different if you ever type it in.

And for anyone new who happens upon this post, come and see me on my new site!

So thanks, and I’ll see you on the other side!!

Kim x

The Big Cake Show, Exeter

I’m very excited to have been invited to a number of events over the next month, which I will be telling you about before I go, then posting about anything interesting I find there afterwards.

The first of these is The Big Cake Show, which is being held at the Westpoint Exhibition Centre between 28th-30th March. It’s the biggest baking and cake show to ever have been held in South West England and features demonstrations from stars such as Phil Vickery, Mich Turner, Paul Hollywood and… MARY BERRY! *screams*

There are classroom style demonstrations where you can learn to perfect lots of varied skills such as scone and jam making, macaroons, cupcake and cake icing and much more. There are even special classes for kids!

To top it off, there are interactive competitions, stalls to buy some treats from, and an author’s corner where you can meet the stars and get your book signed.

Tickets are still available, and at only £12 for an adult day ticket they’re a complete bargain! Why not treat your mum for Mother’s Day?

You can visit the website here.

I can’t wait to go and hopefully will come back with lots of ideas for new and exciting bakes.

Are you going to this show or any of the others coming up?

Recipe – Apple Crumble Cake

Some people are chocolate cake people. Some people are prefer fruitier cakes. Me? I’m firmly in the chocolate camp.

Ok, a lemon drizzle (MB style) is nice every now and then, but give me a big fat slice of chocolate cake any day.

Every now and then, the occasion arises for something different, and I’m never quite sure what to make. Case in point, it was my Daddy-O’s birthday this week and I wanted to make him a birthday cake. I asked his wife for advice and she suggested an apple crumble. But that’s not special enough for a birthday cake is it?!

So I did my usual and scoured my recipe books and t’internet for some inspiration, and found a great recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery, which I have tweaked a little. Standard.

This is a cake. It is apple. And it’s crumble. It’s an Apple Crumble Cake!

Ingredients
For the cake
60g butter, softened
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
140g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
80ml milk

2 large eating apples

For the crumble topping
70g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
40g butter
70g light brown sugar

Method
— Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin. Dust it with flour to prevent the cake from sticking.
— Make the crumble topping. Add all the crumble ingredients to a bowl, and using your hands, rub them together until they resemble breadcrumbs. You could also do this in a food processor, but be careful not to over-mix it otherwise it will be too fine. A few lumps here and there is a good thing. Set the crumble mixture aside for later.
— Now, make the cake batter. In a bowl, or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla essence and keep mixing until combined.
— Sift in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, then add the milk. Mix again until the batter is smooth and creamy. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin.
— Peel, core and quarter the apples, then slice each quarter into thin slices. Starting at the outside of the tin, place the apples on top of the batter in a single layer, in circles.
— Lastly, spoon over the prepared crumble topping so that all the apple slices are covered. Sprinkle over a little extra sugar if you like.
— Bake for around 40 minutes, depending on your oven. The cake will be ready when the top is lovely and golden, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

This cake is fantastic served warm, with a dollop of cream or a scoop of ice cream. It’s also great cold with a nice cup of tea. If you’re going to have it cold, make sure it’s fully cooled before taking it out of the tin, and serve it at room temperature.

That Was The Week That Was #15

Happy Sunday readers! What a lovely day it is 🙂 I’ve been a busy bee this week with an appearance on BBC Radio Bristol to talk about baking, updating my site and work. I had a lovely night out last night for my friend’s birthday, and today Mike and I are planning a walk with the pups and Sunday lunch somewhere nice.

Don’t forget, entries are still open for my giveaway for Cake International at the London Excel, so if you would like to be in with a chance of winning a free pair of tickets, just comment on this post with which day you’d like to go and your email address – it’s that easy!

I will soon be transferring to a self hosted site – it needs a little more work on it but it’s getting there. You can visit the site at . You can also subscribe to receive updates from this site by email.

Have a great day!!

Chocolate layer cake with cheesecake layers, yum!

Apple crumble cake, recipe coming soon!

Sherlock and Lola can’t wait to try this Rapeseed oil!

Lovely ladies

Pistachio pesto – recipe coming soon

This made me smile

Cuteness!