Saturday 25 June 2016

A Huge Homeware Haul

Hey everyone, soon if any of you out there watch my Youtube videos you'll know im an advocate of home decor and I recently filmed a huge homeware haul, from cactuses to everything candle obsessed (as always), you name it, I brought it!


Have a little watch here & if you liked it please head on over to my channel www.youtube.com/3wildxx and subscribe for more videos from me, see you all soon! 

Frankie xo

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Friday 24 June 2016

Aroma Works | Basil & Orange Candle


So as many of my regular readers may be aware, I'm quite the candle addict lover & have an ever growing collection that I am yet to burn myself through, that however didn't stop me from picking up yet another beautifully scented jar of goodness! 

Beautiful packaging aside, the Basil & Orange candle from Aroma Works is super luxurious soy and aromatherapy oil based, allowing it to be safe to burn as it isn't full of those nasty chemicals some regular candles posess.


The scent is very spa like (I will let you in on a little secret, it is extremely reminiscent of the Neom candle - Basil & Neroli and a fraction of the price), the basil is light and fragrant, whilst the orange notes are subtle and warming, it is a very calming and relaxing fragrance, therefore when you light this you almost unwind and chill without even realising you have done so, perfect for somone like me who doesnt have the ability to unwind easily after a long day! 

I picked up mine from Waitrose, who I believe the collection is actually in collobaration with, which makes me very happy as I can pick up my favourite scented treats alongside my weekly food shop, although I would say it wouldn't be great for the bank balance, but they are extremely reasonably priced at £10, which frankly I would pay alot more for a candle of this high quality!

Have any of you tried AromaWorks Candles? Im keen to try more from the range, so if you have any recommendations, or if you have any other brands you think I might like let me know! 

Frankie xo

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Jo Malone - Peony & Blush Suede Shower Oil



Good morning lovelies, I hope you're all well? 

Recently I made a little trip to one of my favourite stores, in search of a new body product to ease the fact that my skin had become a little dry over the previous months, I headed into Jo Malone.

Automatically presuming I would've been picking up some form of moisturiser, I found myself sampling the body cremes, the scents were gorgeous and that was my problem, I liked them all!
I think the sales assistant could sense I was struggling on what to purchase, she came and advised me on what particularly I was in search of, and also which scents in general I like, she suggested I have a hand and arm massage with herself, using some of the scents she recommended from what I had told her I personally like from Jo Malone.

We chose Wood Sage and Sea Salt in the body creme and on her recommendation, the Peony & Blush Suede shower oil, a product I had personally never tried from Jo Malone!


She applied a generous amount of the heavenly smelling oil onto my arms which lathered into the most luxurious milk, the fragrance is incredibly light and almost undetectable until you catch it upon a whim and wonder where the scent is coming from.
Once she washed away the oil she asked me to feel my skin, it felt incredibly soft and supple, you would've thought i'd done a full body scrub and moisturised it was *that* soft, I just couldn't stop touching my arms and wondering how it had become so soft from one quick application of what seemed like a body cleanser? 

To finish off she applied a small spatulas amount of body creme in the Wood Sage and Sea Salt scent (one of my personal favourites in scent from the collection).
This wasn't a scent I would have ever thought to have paired with the Peony and Blush Suede, but she assured me that they work really well together.. well .. they did, creating an incredibly warm and sofisticated layered fragrance 

I ended up picking up the Shower Oil as I absolutely loved the way it felt alone, it was moisturising enough by itself for me to want it, plus I also loved the ease of use, knowing that I could use this in the shower without having to apply much effort or take into consideration 'dry time' as you would with a body creme! 

Upon using this at home, Ive realise how long the oil is going to last, you honestly need the tiniest amount, a little goes a really long way! 
If im feeling particularly in need of some moisture, I use a second application of it on my skin and just allow the shower to gently wash off the oil without using any force to remove it, this allows a light layer of the oil to stay on my skin leaving it feeling super soft and luxurious, without feeling as if there is any residue on my skin, it feels almost invisible on my body but allows an extra level of moisture to penetrate my skin!

I really feel that this is going to be one of those beauty products that you just keep repurchasing throughout the years, it has become a daily staple in my routine and something I can honestly tell my skin is missing if i forget to use it.

Asides from the beautiful packaging it really is a super luxurious and splurge worthy product that I can honestly say you should own in your collection!

Are there any Jo Malone products you can recommend, I absolutely adore their candles and diffusers, but am yet to branch out into there perfumes, which is something I would really like to add to my stash, but yet again there are SO many scents I just don't know where to begin, so any advice or personal recommendations will be greatfully recieved.



See you all again soon, Frankie xo 
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Monday 13 June 2016

the best victoria sponge - bake with me


So for any of those out there who know me, and know me quite well will be aware of my love for baking, well love for anything that involves eating cake, but yes my love for baking..

I have decided to include a new series into my blog, sharing my little baking joys and spreading the love throughout my recipes for you all on here, this week I thought I would grace you all with possibly the tasiest victoria sponge cake *ever*.

Did I mention it's actually super easy and quick to make too?

You will need:

200g Caster Sugar 
200g of softened butter (it makes it easier to mix)
4 eggs (beaten)
200g self raising flour 
2 tbsp milk 

Now the method should really be followed as it's written to make the cake super lightweight and full of spongey goodness..

Method:

* Preheat the oven to 190c - Fan or 170c/Gas Mark 5 
* Butter two sandwhich tins and line these with non stick baking paper (this makes them pop out of the tins with ease, nothing worse than making a beautiful base for it to get stuck and fall to pieces :(
* Using a sieve for the powdered ingredients & also fold in the beaten eggs slowly ensuring everything is well mixed together creating a smooth batter with no lumps.
* Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins.
* Smooth the surface with a spatula or baking spoon.
* Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until golden brown (the best way to test if the cake is fully cooked throughout is to take a skewer or a knife and poke it through the middle, if there is no residue left on the skewer/knife then your sponge is completely cooked, if these is residue continue to bake until there is none. 
* Leave the sponges to cool for around 20-30 minutes otherwise the cream/jam will run out of the inside of the cake!

Now for the filling, I personally use extra thick double cream, I whip this with a wisk until it reaches light peaks, basically it looks like a light thick mousse and if you were to tip the bowl upside down nothing would come out, once this point is reached you can take your spatula/wooden spoon and spread this onto the bottom base, I like to have a really thick layer of cream as generally this is my favourite part, although you can tailor this to your preferences!

For the jam, spread on the top layer of the cake (the underneath of the top layer if you catch my drift). I use either Tiptree raspberry conserve, it has a gorgeous sticky finish with no bits, or if you prefer a jam with bits in I also recommend Bon Maman Strawberry conserve, both are equally delicious it really is down to what you prefer, alternatively you can use any jam you like, these are just the ones I personally like and find work well! 

* Place the two pieces of cake together (like the photo below.
* Dust over the top of the cake with some icing sugar and decorate how ever you like, these cakes also look really pretty decorated with summer berries, this is something I would do if they cake was for an occasion as it always has a wow factor to it :) 

.. And enjoy, Im pretty sure you will love this recipe, if any of you make it please send me a photo of your creation or hashtag your photo with #frankieboobakes 

Love Frankie xo


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the best victoria sponge - bake with me


So for any of those out there who know me, and know me quite well will be aware of my love for baking, well love for anything that involves eating cake, but yes my love for baking..

I have decided to include a new series into my blog, sharing my little baking joys and spreading the love throughout my recipes for you all on here, this week I thought I would grace you all with possibly the tasiest victoria sponge cake *ever*.

Did I mention it's actually super easy and quick to make too?

You will need:

200g Caster Sugar 
200g of softened butter (it makes it easier to mix)
4 eggs (beaten)
200g self raising flour 
2 tbsp milk 

Now the method should really be followed as it's written to make the cake super lightweight and full of spongey goodness..

Method:

* Preheat the oven to 190c - Fan or 170c/Gas Mark 5 
* Butter two sandwhich tins and line these with non stick baking paper (this makes them pop out of the tins with ease, nothing worse than making a beautiful base for it to get stuck and fall to pieces :(
* Using a sieve for the powdered ingredients & also fold in the beaten eggs slowly ensuring everything is well mixed together creating a smooth batter with no lumps.
* Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins.
* Smooth the surface with a spatula or baking spoon.
* Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until golden brown (the best way to test if the cake is fully cooked throughout is to take a skewer or a knife and poke it through the middle, if there is no residue left on the skewer/knife then your sponge is completely cooked, if these is residue continue to bake until there is none. 
* Leave the sponges to cool for around 20-30 minutes otherwise the cream/jam will run out of the inside of the cake!

Now for the filling, I personally use extra thick double cream, I whip this with a wisk until it reaches light peaks, basically it looks like a light thick mousse and if you were to tip the bowl upside down nothing would come out, once this point is reached you can take your spatula/wooden spoon and spread this onto the bottom base, I like to have a really thick layer of cream as generally this is my favourite part, although you can tailor this to your preferences!

For the jam, spread on the top layer of the cake (the underneath of the top layer if you catch my drift). I use either Tiptree raspberry conserve, it has a gorgeous sticky finish with no bits, or if you prefer a jam with bits in I also recommend Bon Maman Strawberry conserve, both are equally delicious it really is down to what you prefer, alternatively you can use any jam you like, these are just the ones I personally like and find work well! 

* Place the two pieces of cake together (like the photo below.
* Dust over the top of the cake with some icing sugar and decorate how ever you like, these cakes also look really pretty decorated with summer berries, this is something I would do if they cake was for an occasion as it always has a wow factor to it :) 

.. And enjoy, Im pretty sure you will love this recipe, if any of you make it please send me a photo of your creation or hashtag your photo with #frankieboobakes 

Love Frankie xo


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Saturday 11 June 2016

a cult blogger fav?


 

I almost cant quite believe I've never written a post about this, seeing as I am now onto my third jar and cant see anything changing in my cleansing routine anytime soon, I thought it was about time that I graced my blog with this beauty and tell you all about it (although pretty sure the majority will have already read about this somewhere previously as its just too goddamn amazing). 

Having been a long time sufferer of teenage/adult acne & acne scarring, I had tried numerous and i mean numerous different products that claimed to be the cure to acne, Having spent a small fortune along the way (I could've had a deposit for a house with the amount I've spent) and many products thrown away, gifted to others or battled through with the hopes that one day they  *might* just work, I finally stumbled across this beauty! 

Hallelujah!!!! 

The Moringa Balm has not only saved my skin, but has saved my confidence, or lack of.. Too! 
The most beautifully soft, smooth balm, literally glides onto the skin like butter, is so lightweight and delicate it almost feels as if it couldn't really be doing anything to cleanse, then you look in the mirror and see every trace of makeup, dirt and the days grime just melting away.

Once adding water to the balm it emulsifies into a delicate milk that just gently washes away everything with ease, its such a concentrated balm that you could get away with one cleanse easily and feel pretty secure that your skin is freshly cleaned!



I can honestly say this product has single handedly cleared every trace of acne on my face, dramatically reduced the appearance of those blooming ugly scars and overall improved the clarity of my skin, its so much more radiant these days and I almost feel OK with leaving the house makeup free, I can't say I feel the overwhelming urge to slap on a full face of makeup anymore, a dab of lip balm is enough to make me feel put together these days!

Another thing I have noted is that I suffer with a very awkward patch of dry skin on the entirity of my toplip/ under my nose area and this has seriously helped in making it more moisturised and soothed, don't get me wrong if I don't moisturise for a day or so it does flare up ever so slightly but nothing like it ever did before, so this is a huge bonus for me regarding my skincare, as again I just couldn't find anything that didn't aggravate that area or help soothe it either! 

Another use I have found with helping soothe my dry skin is leaving the balm on overnight as an intensive mask treatment, or slathering it on whilst in the bath and allowaing the warm steamy air penetrate those pores, its a fabulous way of deeply moisturising the skin and also looks like I've had a facial the next day when I've done this.

I can honestly say if you are one of the minority that haven't ever picked up Emma Hardies cult classic Moringa Balm then what are you doing... Please please pick a tub of this up, if you are sufferers of acne, rosacea, scarring, dry or general dull skin, you really do need this in your life! 

I cant rave about this product anymore than I already have, unless I somehow manage to bag a job with Emma herself #dreamjob, it really is my all time cult fav cleansing product and I can fully expect to be using this years and years down the line, this better never be discontinued, I would cry rivers of tears haha!

Have any of you tried/not tried Moringa Balm, let me know your thoughts on it below, id love to hear your opinion and if you have any tips for products that would work well with it?

Lots of love, 
Frankie xo
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Monday 6 June 2016

diptyque - figuier | the candle editions








           


Ever the candle obsessive, I have added a new scent to the stash!
With a *mild* Diptyque obsession developing I felt the urge to pick up something fresh and summery, this fell in the form of Figuier!

On first sniff of this I must admit I really wasn't keen, it smells almost nettle like, something I wasnt drawn to, I considered exchanging it for a different scent, but persevered and decided to burn it anyway as I am a lover of fig scents and thought I'd see what it smelled like once it was burning.. Im so glad I did! 

The scent is very warming almost like baked figs and summer rolled into one, which isnt too over powering, for me I prefer this as there's just a subtle hint in the room i've lit it in once you walk into it, it almost leaves you wanting to know where the fragrance is coming from.

Diptyque describes this as: "The warmth of fig wood, the freshness of fig leaves and light milky sap all blend  to create a candle that is a glorious ode to the fig tree, with its light and delicious fresh fruit fragrance, figuier encapsulates the essence of summer" 

Figuier really is the scent you wish for at this time of the year, light and fresh but with a warming sence to the air, it almost reminds me of cosying up on a warm summers evening in the garden, eating salad and drinking pina coladas, I almost wish they would make this in a perfume, it would make the most  perfect summer fragrance!

Im so happy I picked Figuier up, and will definitely repurchase this in the larger size very soon, next on my list is the blogger cult classic Baies & my favourite perfume scent Roses, im desperate to try the candle version as I just adore the scent.

Have any of you tried Diptyque candles, know of any I should add to my wishlist?
Let me know in the comments below!

Frankie xo


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