My Top Picks // Daisy Prints

 I know nothing about fashion, zero, zilch, nada but I do love the daisy print craze that has come about this Spring/Summer. There are so many different pieces in this print but here are some of my favourites! A few of the items from New Look are in the sale at the moment, so I'd recommend snapping them up before they're gone! 

1. Daisy Printed Playsuit // Topshop, £39

2. Light Blue Belted Dress with Lace Detail // New Look, €29.99

3. Coral Cap Sleeve Swing Dress // New Look, €22.99

4. Black Daisy Print High Waisted Shorts // River Island, €40

5. Black High Waisted Mom Shorts // Topshop, £30

6. Daisy Print Chiffon Shorts // New Look, €9.20

7. Black Daisy Print Top with White Collar // New Look, €10.79

8. Navy Daisy Print Button Back Vest // New Look, €14.99

9. Daisy Print Leggings // Boohoo, €12

10. Daisy Chain Watch // ASOS, €25.30

11. Gold and White Daisy Necklace // New Look, €7.99

12. Daisy Garland // Topshop, £14

What are your favourite pieces? I love 2, 4, 5 and 10! 

Blueberry and Almond Muffins

Anyone fancy some scrumptious muffins that are quick and easy to prepare and make the perfect breakfast or snack? If you do, this recipe is for you! Before I go any further, I must confess that I don't actually like blueberries, or almonds. I did taste test them though before I passed them on to Brian's Mum and they were goooood (even though I picked out the blueberries). They probably certainly aren't the healthiest way to start your day but they do include some fruit and nuts so that makes it better, right? I'm sure you could adapt this recipe to make it a bit more healthy but I am definitely not the person you want to look to for healthy baking recipes. When I bake I go all out, completely unhealthy and full of sugar but it's just a treat, everything in moderation! However, if you would like to make healthy baked goodies, I highly recommend having a look at Chocolate Covered Katie. Her website has tonnes of amazing healthy alternative recipes that will have your mouth watering just reading them. 

Back to the muffins, this recipe makes 10 big muffins, or 18 cupcakes if you would prefer. This recipe does call for buttermilk but not to worry if you don't have any you can make some by mixing regular milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and leaving to stand for 10 minutes. You could use any kind of berries you would like, if I were to make them or myself  I think I would use strawberries. Happy baking! 

What you will need:

200g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

1tsp cinnamon

50g ground almonds

175g caster sugar

1 egg

300ml buttermilk

50g butter, melted

200g blueberries 

15g almonds, chopped 

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 and line your muffin tin with cases. 

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon into a large bowl and then mix in your sugar and ground almonds. 

3. In a separate, beat together the butter, eggs and buttermilk.

4. Slowly add the second mixture into the dry ingredients then fold in the blueberries. 

5. Spoon the mixture into the cases, until they're three quarters full and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean and they have turned a golden colour. 

7. Leave to cool on a wire rack. These muffins are best served warm! 

My Top Picks // Sandals

Sandals aren't something I would usually wear but I'm going to try this Summer so I have compiled a list of my favourites for Summer 2014, hopefully you guys see something you like! 

1. Leather-Look Sandals with Metal Detailing // H&M, €29.95 

2. Black Strappy Sandals // H&M, €14.95

3. Coral Leather-Look T-Bar Sandals // New Look, €9.99 

4. Tan Leather Asymmetric Strap Double Buckle Sandals // New Look, €24.99 

5. Tan Gold Metallic Gladiator Sandals // New Look, €22.99

6. Coral and Tan Ankle Strap Sandals // New Look, €19.99 

7. Tan Strappy Sandals with Gold Ring Embellishment and Buckle Fastening // Office, £15

8. Black Strappy Sandals with Gold Skull Detailing // Schuh, €26

I put the prices down in euro because I'm from Ireland (expect the Office shoes because they don't have an Irish website) but if you go to the stores website they should just change to whatever currency you use in your country. The only sandals that don't come in various colours are the first ones, I just picked my favourite colour to show you in this post!

My favourites are number one and number six, what are yours? 

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

I've been baking loads of yummy goodies the past two weeks, so I have a backlog of recipes for you guys. However, I made these beauties for the second time today and I just couldn't wait any longer to share it with you all! Terry's chocolate orange is my absolute all time favourite kind of chocolate, if you're anything like me you will love these cupcakes. This recipe is just a really simple twist on a normal chocolate cupcake and I've used a mixture of different recipes to make these, and the icing. I made this batch as a gift for someone so I haven't been able to try one but I'll let you guys know what they thought! This recipe makes 12 big cupcakes and I would think about 18 smaller ones. Happy baking!

What you will need:

125g butter

120g sugar 

2 eggs

50g plain chocolate, melted 

140g self raising flour

2tbsp cocoa powder

1tsp baking powder

1 orange, zest and juice 

For the icing:

100g butter
200g icing sugar
50g chocolate, melted

1 orange, zest and juice

1tbsp milk

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line your cupcake tin with cases.

2. Beat together the butter, sugar and eggs. Add in the melted chocolate and beat again until smooth.
 

3. Sieve in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix together with an electric mixer (the mixture may become stiff at this point, don't worry it'll loosen with the orange juice) and then add in the zest and juice of one orange.

4. To make large cupcakes like mine, fill your cases with 3 teaspoons of the mixture and bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer/knife comes out clean

5. Meanwhile, make your icing by combining the butter, icing sugar and chocolate then add the zest and juice of one orange and the milk to loosen the mixture.

6. Let the cupcakes cool completely before you ice and decorate them as desired! 

April Favourites

I have really enjoyed dipping my toes into the world of beauty blogging, so in keeping with that theme I bring you all my first monthly favourites! They won't only consist of beauty bits but may also include some TV, film, music and books favourites. Possibly accompanied occasionally with some other things I have been loving during the month. So here are a few things I have been enjoying in the month of April! 

• Dove Hair Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Spray
  I spray this on the ends of my hair while it's still wet and it really seems to be helping the problem I'm currently having with my dry ends. I don't spray too much as it's easy to go from dry to greasy but with the right amount it helps to put a little more life into your hair.
  
• Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation
  As I mentioned in my "What's In My Make Up Bag" post, I have been using this for a few months now and it's by far the best foundation I have ever used. I think it's going to be perfect for summer as it's super light.
  
• Maybelline Forever Strong Nail Varnish in Ceramic BluePastel nails are still my absolutely favourite, they really suit my skin tone and I much prefer them to brights (although I am partial to a cherry red nail varnish every now and then). This is the perfect pastel blue for me and it only takes two coats to achieve a very opaque colour.
  I don't think Maybelline sell these anymore, unfortunately. Which is a real shame because the formulation is fantastic. Has anyone tried any of the other Maybelline nail varnishes? I wonder if they are as good as this one!
  
• Vanilla Scented Candle
  I have never been a candle person, we have quite a few dotted around our house but I can never smell them, therefore never saw the point in buying some for my bedroom. However, last week I decided to pick this french vanilla candle up and I have been addicted to it ever since. It was extremely cheap so I wasn't expecting much from it, however I was pleasantly surprised when it made my whole room smell of vanilla!
  
• Veronica MarsLately I've been stuck in a rut with television shows, I can't seem to find one to really get into, so I returned to my old faithful favourite .I cannot put into words how much I love this show. I watched it first when I was 11/12, then last year I discovered that Brian also loved it so in preparation for the film we watched all 3 seasons. My feelings towards the film are a story for another day (basically, I loved that too). It follows the life of  a girl who starts the show as a high school student who then goes on to college all while being a private detective. It is honestly girl power at it's best, one of the many reason I enjoy it so much. If you haven't seen it before I highly recommend you get watching! 

I hope you enjoyed finding out what I've been loving this April, leave me a comment telling me what you've been enjoying this month!