Benefit High Beam Dupe?

So today I was in poundland and saw this, it's called "Chit Chat Highlighter" .

It reminded me of the benefit highlighters in the way that they're both a liquid formula with a brush in a glass bottle, white lid etc! 

Even without my benefit high beam with me I could tell that this was a more pinky tone in the bottle and I didn't expect it to be excellent.

However once I got home and swatched them next to each other on my hand they came out the EXACT same colour, I promise you, just look at that photo! 

Now clearly there is massive price difference- but the only flaw I can find with the 'Chit Chat Highlighter' is that the brush is a bit rubbishy, but it's good enough to get the product out and as I'm sure you know you don't use that to blend it in anyway so I don't see it as a major issue! 

I'm so so please I picked this up and I actually think its slightly more pigmented and long lasting than Benefit! So all in all I would definitely choose this over Benefit and really want to go and grab another one as I have absolutely no idea where else you can get this brand, or how long it will be in pound land. (If any of you do know please please let me know, I would really appreciate it!!) 

The only reason for the size difference of these bottles is because i have the high beam in a mini version- i believe the full size version is the same size as Chit Chat

 

Benefit top, Chit Chat below

Chit Chat left, Benefit right

Cheap Ring Trick

I learnt this little cheap trick ages ago, and it's flipping useful! Say au revoir to embarrassing green fingers and ruined rings!
Cheap jewellery, and rings in particular, although very pretty in the shop can turn your fingers green instantly turning tasteful to tacky, but here i have the solution! So, before you wear your latest Primark purchase, grab a good top/base coat, or any clear nail polish and coat the inside of your ring, leave it to dry! Then if you have time do the outside too, but the inside is the part most important!
I always do this as allows me to buy cheap rings from on the high street without them staining your hands- a nasty give-away that no-one wants!


These are just a couple of silver coloured rings i bought a while ago in a pack for a few pounds in HandM- now i can wear them all the time!


Nail polish- BarryM in Mint Green
As always picture quality isn't perfect, my apologies if this bothers you

Say it with cake...

I have many people in my life who when it comes to birthdays or any other cause for giving a gift, are absolute hell to buy for. Although the usual go to 'no idea' gift cards or cash will suffice, I sometimes like to add something a little bit more personal, either as an added extra, or a much cheaper alternative (yes I'm tight like that)! So I ask myself, what is the one failsafe option loved by 99% of the population? CAKE! Now, if you have never set foot in a kitchen then this might not be the best option for you just yet, we don't want to be giving the gift of food poisoning; but if you know your whisk from your wooden spoon, then what could possibly go wrong? So, decide on a great recipe, whack out the mixing bowl, put on an apron and... Say it with cake! After all it shows much more time and effort than just putting money in an envelope, and there's lots of things you can do to make it look really pretty such as edible glitter, sprinkles and even ready made icing shapes; you can get them everywhere and lots of them are really affordable!

My cupcakes for last years diamond jubilee (I made the cake toppers myself! Super cheap!)

I always bake a cake for my friends and family's birthdays, mothers day, fathers day, easter, parties, christmas... any excuse really, and (I hope) it's enjoyed by everyone!

Please follow us on twitter @vanillavelvets and don't hesitate to leave a comment, we love to know what you think!
Bye for now x

White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

I Love white chocolate, and I adore cheesecake, they are two of my favourite foods; so combine the two, and you have an absolute winner for me! I always make this as a delicious pudding, it's loved by everyone in my family, and it never fails to satisfy my taste buds and provide a source of indulgence for that heavenly ten minutes spent eating it. Give it a go, you won't regret it... I promise!

Recipe: 

Serves 8-10. Takes about 1 hour to prepare, plus at least three hours chilling time, or ideally overnight.

Ingredients:

200g digestive biscuits

50g butter, melted

400g white chocolate
280ml double cream

250g soft cheese (Philadelphia)

Method:

1. Line the base of a 20cm/ 8 inch spring form tin with non stick baking paper.

2. Crush the biscuits until that resemble bread crumbs, then pour in the melted butter and stir well. Now tip the biscuit mixture into your tin and press them down firmly to form an even base layer for your cheesecake.

3. Break the chocolate into small pieces, place in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering chocolate and gently melt the chocolate stirring once or twice but not continuously. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool slightly whilst you do the next step...

4. Gently beat the cream and soft cheese  in a bowl until well mixed - try not to over best as that will make it go stiff. Fold in the melted chocolate until a smooth mixture is formed.

5. Now pour over your biscuit base in the tin and chill for at least 3 hours, or ideally overnight.

And that's it, now all that is left to do is eat it and enjoy! Comment and let us know if you've tried it and how it turned out for you, and follow us on twitter @vanillavelvets !

Thanks for reading! Bye for now x

Raspberry and Banana Smoothie

Hi, I made a really nice smoothie the other day so thought I'd tell you how!
I didn't plan it in advance so it was just what I had in and if you planned you could probably make a much nicer one, but hey ho!
I used
A Handful frozen raspberries
A splash of orange juice
1 banana
I don't know the exact measurements because as I said I just chucked it all in and luck of the draw it turned out well!
You don't have to use frozen raspberries obviously, however I always try to use at least one frozen ingredient as it makes my smoothie come out super cool and refreshing.
Smoothies are a lovely healthy snack as well as a way of getting some of your 5-a-day but if you want a nice treat add in a few scoops of vanilla ice cream - it's yummy!
I'd live to know some of your smoothie recipes, please leave some in the comments below or let me know your favourite secret ingredients!
Bye for now! x x x

What's in my bag...

I think a handbag can tell you a lot about its owner, and the things they can't go a day without! So, here's a peep inside mine! Enjoy ...

My bag is the Anna bag from stylistpick.com in black, and I bought it reduced from £35 to £15 in their recent sale... Bargain!!

I'm not one of these people who somehow finds the time to top up on make up through the day (as much as I wish I was) so beware, the make up in my bag is very very minimal!

Inside:

Body shop almond hand cream - this is super moisturising but drys quickly without any stickiness (my hand cream pet hate) leaving my hands super soft!
Body shop strawberry hand cleanse gel - this smells AMAZING!! Perfect for freshening up hands on the go!
Hugo Boss orange perfume - I love this fragrance, it's lovely and citrusy fresh but quite sweet at the same time, perfect for day or night
Rimmel stay matte powder - As I said, I don't tend to top up my make up through the day, but I do always carry a powder just in case I have any unsightly shine! Rimmel stay matte is my favourite, it's so cheap and does the job just as well as any more expensive powders I have tried
No 7 liplicious lip gloss - I always chuck whatever I'm wearing on my lips for the day in my bag, and this just happened to be today's choice. It's super shiny with a subtle pinky colour; a really nice everyday product!

Tissues - always a must have
Umbrella - we all know how unpredictable the English weather is, even now we're heading into summer, and there's nothing worse than spending ages on your hair only for it to get ruined in a surprise spurt of rain!
Chewing Gum - I always have some on me as it stops me from snacking unnecessarily and freshens breath
Bottle of water - saves me having to make a detour and by one when I'm thirsty, and water is good for you and your skin so drink up!
Sunglasses - as soon as the first hint of sunshine appeared these went straight in my bag!
Glasses - much to my dislike I have to wear them, but I do so as little as possible, which usually results in them sitting in the bottom of my bag whilst I squint to see things over the opposite side if the room
My phone - the most important thing in my bag!
My purse - from river island. Its nice and big to fit all my loyalty cards, coupons and the money I wish I had more of!
House keys

So, that's everything in my bag! I hope you found this interesting (especially if you're nosy like me), and don't forget to comment if you have any questions and follow us on twitter @vanillavelvets .

Thanks for reading! Bye for now! x

Nails of the Day

Just thought I'd do a quicke (post- minds out of the gutter please!) on today's nails as I thought they looked quite nice if I say so myself! I'm wearing BarryM as always in Mint Green and with the BarryM glitter on my feature nail (several coats necassery for this look!)
In short I thought it would be nice to show you some nails that look nice but not perfect and done by a real girl on the go who isn't perfect at all beauty things- see the bits rounds my cuticles?
Hope you enjoy, and I'd love to see your fave spring nails just tweet us a picture and we'll follow back for today! @vanillavelvets
Bye for now! x x x