Quick and Easy to Make | Homemade Apple Tart

Today I thought that I would do something a bit different here on my blog. A lot of you mightn't know but in my spare time I really like to bake. So I thought that for today's blog post I would show you how to make quick homemade apple tart. 

This apple tart isn't completely homemade because I used pre-made puff pastry. Apparently it takes really long to make your own puff pastry, with tons of different steps including freezing it a few times so I thought that I would use the pre-made one to save time.

The main ingredients you need are:

2 cooking apples

castor sugar

flour (preferably plain flour but I used self-raising)

and a Jus Rol puff pastry block

The first thing I did was rolled out my puff pastry block on a flour covered surface. Also, make sure to put flour on the rolling pin so it doesn't stick to the pastry. 

After that, I greased a deep plate with butter so that the apple tart wouldn't stick to it.

I then placed the rolled out puff pastry over the plate to make sure it fit and cut around the sides of it with a knife to make the bottom of the apple tart.

After that, I sprinkled a tablespoon or two of castor sugar over the pastry before I moved on to peeling the apples.

Once the apples were peeled, I cut off pieces into the pastry covered dish. After each layer of apple pieces, I sprinkled about two to three more tablespoons of castor sugar making sure that all the pieces of apple were covered. If you don't put enough sugar in to cover the apple pieces then you apple tart will be sour tasting.

After that was done, I rolled out the remaining puff pastry for the top of the apple tart. Then I covered the flattened puff pastry over the apple tart and cut around the sides of the plate.

Next I took an egg, broke it into a glass, mixed it up with a fork and used it to seal the two layers of the apple tart together. This was done by lifting up the side of the top layer of puff pastry and coating the edges of the bottom layer in egg. Then after it was coated, I let the top layer back down again so it would stick to the bottom layer.

Then, on to the design of the apple tart, I began by cutting a knife into the edges of the apple tart in an inch or so apart segments. Then I used my thumb to press down in the middle of each of these lines to properly seal the tart. 

After that, I took the leftover puff pastry, rolled it out with the rolling pin and then cut out the shape of two leaves to decorate the apple tart.

I then took the mixed egg and used it to stick the leaves down on the apple tart. After that, I covered the entire apple tart with egg and put it in a the oven for 25-30 minutes at 180°C (Gas Mark 4). 

And that is it, my apple tart recipe. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you did, then you make sure to save this post on Bloglovin or give it a +1 on Google+. Also, Leave a comment down below telling me what is you favourite thing to bake, or even just to eat! Talk to you soon. 

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Nivea Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover Review

In my recent blog post about Nivea's Micellar Water, I said that I preferred it way more to the other product that I had received for review. This was because I originally didn't like their Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover at all. I found that it was no better at taking off makeup than any other makeup remover. Then I figured out how it actually works. 

What I had been doing wrong was just pouring out the makeup remover out onto a tissue or cotton pad before using it. For this product to really work, you have to shake it up so that both layers (the blue and the clear one) are mixed together. Once I did this, I found it amazing at taking off my eye makeup with it almost all gone in one wipe.  One of the layers is made up of some sort of oil, which if you've read any of my blog posts about coconut oil or the Sephora eye makeup remover, you will know that oils are amazing at removing makeup. 

This product not only removes eye shadow and gel eyeliner, but it also removes waterproof mascara and is one of the best products that I've used against eyelash glue. I still haven't found a product that can completely remove eyelash glue easily but this one really helps when removing it. It is dermatologically and ophthalmologically approved, and it is suitable for all skin types and even contact lens wearers. 

Like a lot of other Nivea products, it is extremely affordable as it's recommended retail price is only €4.79 and you get quite a lot of product for that price (125ml) in comparison to the Sephora eye makeup remover which is quite similar. Overall, I really like this product for removing stubborn eye makeup and think it is well worth the price tag. If you like the sound this product, you can get it in any Boots or Superdrug. Also, let me know in the comments below if you have ever tried this product and what you thought of it if you did? Talk to you soon. 

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Bourjous 123 Perfect Foundation Review

Today, I am reviewing the Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation. I tend to always like Bourjois products and this foundation is no exception. This foundation has 3 colour correcting pigments to help your skin to look flawless. First, it has yellow pigments which are anti-dark circles, then is has mauve pigments which are anti-dull complexion and finally, it has green pigments which are anti-redness. 

I really like how this foundation looks on my skin. It is great at covering up spots (probably because of the pigments for anti-redness), it evens out my complexion and it makes my skin look flawless. The only negative thing I have to say about this foundation's appearance on my skin is that in some of my videos I can see that it makes my skin look slightly yellow. I don't know if that is from the yellow pigments or it is just because of the shade that I got (No. 52, Vanilla) but I don't think it is very noticeable. 

Here are the before and after pictures of this foundation: 

Before the foundation:

After applying the foundation:

In terms of staying power, this foundation claims to last for 16hrs. I don't think I've worn it that long but whenever I wear it, it lasts the entire day. It doesn't make my skin produce more oil like other foundations either. I got it in Boots for €14.99, which is on the dearer side of drugstore foundations but I think it is a fairly reasonable price. There is also a CC cream of this foundation which I am dying to try out. 

Overall, I really like this foundation. I like how it makes my skin look and it lasts the entire day.  Have you tried this foundation before? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to get this foundation, you can buy it in your local Boots or Superdrug. I hope you enjoyed this post and i'll talk to you soon. 

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Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick Review

I bought my first Smashbox product recently. I decided to go for a lipstick because that is usually a good place to start when trying a makeup brand. I wanted to go for a bold colour like a deep purple but then thought that I have so many bold colours that I should try something different. Instead I bought quite a bright peachy pink colour, and I know it doesn't really look it from the pictures but it is really bright. 

Smashbox is a very expensive brand and their lipsticks are even dearer than Mac lipsticks. Their Be Legendary range are around €22 or €23 a lipstick  (I can't remember the exact price). For that kind of money, I was expecting an amazing quality product and I have to say that I was disappointed. They have a wide range of colours and the colour I got (Paris Pink Matte) was very pigmented but I just hate the finish that it has. It's sort of cakey. It doesn't completely show up in the picture below but I think you can kind of see what I'm talking about. It comes out pretty dry looking even if I exfoliate and moisturise my lips beforehand. 

It is very creamy for a matte lipstick and appears to be more moisturising than other matte lipsticks but it does actually make your lips feel quite dry after wearing it for about an hour. In terms of how long it lasts on your lips, I needed to reapply it within 2 to 3 hours whereas my matte MAC lipsticks can last almost the entire day. 

Overall, I wasn't very happy with this lipstick and am not sure how often I will wear it because I just don't like how it comes out. Whenever I have the money to splurge on a more expensive lipstick in the future, I will go for MAC because their matte lipsticks are much better quality and I really prefer their finish to the matte Smashbox lipsticks. Have you ever tried any products from Smashbox? Let me know what you thought of them in the comments below and also, let me know if you know any tips or tricks to make this lipstick come out better or last longer because I'd hate to not really ever use this lipstick given how expensive it was. Talk to you soon. 

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About Me/ Contact

Hello, I'm Laura, a 24-year-old Irish girl with a passion for beauty and makeup. Aside from blogging, I love making fun YouTube videos, hanging out with friends and watching reruns of 90's TV shows. I have recently graduated from University with an Arts degree and am constantly freaking out about what I should do for the rest of my life.

Welcome to my beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog. Here you will find 

lots of reviews, makeup tutorials, OOTDs and more. I hope you enjoy my little space on the internet. If you would like to follow me on social media, here are my links:

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Also, for any questions or queries, don't hesitate to contact me: misslaurabora@gmail.com

The Versatile Blogger Award

Not so recently, I was nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award by my friend Emma over at Puddle Side Musings and I'm just now getting around to doing it. Thank you to Emma for nominating me. Her blog has lots of posts about crafts and planner decoration so make sure to go over a check it out by clicking this link. So onto the award. The rules are:

• Thank the person who gave you this award and include a link to their blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself so people can get to know you.
• Nominate 15 blogs/bloggers you enjoy for the Versatile Blogger Award and link to them.

Here are my 7 facts about me:

1. My favourite film is Jurassic world. I've seen it about four times already. 
2. Will Smith is one of my favourite actors. 
3. I once ran a half marathon and I'm one of those weird people who enjoys going to the gym. 
4. One of my new years resolutions this year is to write a song a day, even if it is the worst song of all time, just so I get into the habit of doing it and hopefully I will get better at it. 
5. I am a major procrastinator and always leave everything until the last minute.
6. I am currently taking a gap year to decide what I want to do with my life. 
7. If you didn't know already, I am obsessed with YouTube. I love making videos and I really love watching videos. 

So those are all my facts. The blogs that I am nominating for this award are:

• This Lady Writes
• Jess Talks Pretty
• Beckie Eschle
• HelenaMyBeauty
• Makeup & Beauty Mayhem 
• Let Them Fly
• Essie Loves It
• Get Ready With Laura
• Lala London
• Lauren Elizabeth
• Tu Es Belle
• That's Linda
• Kate Rose xo
• 30 Plus and Beautiful
• Just Charlotte

So that's it! I hope you all enjoyed this post and thanks to Emma again for nominating me. If you liked this post then please give it a +1 on Google Plus or save it on Bloglovin. Talk to you soon. 

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Maple Holistics Natural Shampoo & Conditioner Review (Plus Get A Free Sample)

A few months ago, the lovely people from Maple Holistics sent me some products for review. The products that they sent were their Argan Shampoo, their Silk 18 conditioner and a cute little Vanilla flavoured lip balm. 

The first thing I did when I received the items was to open the tops of the hair products and see what kind of scent they had, which is something that is important to me when choosing shampoos and conditioners. I was a little shocked at first when I smelled the shampoo because I was expecting it to be a completely different scent to the scent it turned out to be. It was kind of like expecting to drink a fizzy drink and then drinking water or vice versa. I didn't really like the scent as it was a bit strong and completely different to any shampoos that I would normally go for. I then put it down and forgot about it for a few days until I was ready to test them out. 

My second impression of the shampoo when I smelled it again, but this time, expecting more of a strong, sweeter scent, was that I actually did like it. I think it just really took me off guard the first time. I still can't really place the smell, although it is made with argan, jojoba, almond, peach kernel, camellia seed, avocado, and botanical keratin. Even when I smell it today, the only way I can describe it is that it smells like holidays. I don't know how but the scent reminds me of being on sun holidays as a child. 

The conditioner has a bit more of a subdued scent to the shampoo but I prefer it. It has a bit more of a vanilla-y scent than the shampoo but it's not just a vanilla scented shampoo. It has that sort of sweet scent that the shampoo has and contains a lot of the same ingredients (eg. argan, jojoba oil) but as it says on the bottle, "it is complimented with soft, natural vanilla undertones".   

I have been using both the shampoo and conditioner together so this is a sort of joint review. I initially didn't notice much of a difference in my hair. It was sort of a bad time to test out hair products because I had just dyed the ends of my hair blue and didn't want to leave shampoo or conditioner in my hair for more than a minute or two in case it removed more of the colour. I usually leave my conditioner in for about ten minutes if not more). However, within a few weeks, I noticed that my hair became super soft and silky which I thought was really impressive since I wasn't leaving the conditioner in as long as I usually would. I've been missing that softness in my hair since because I recently dyed my hair again which has dried it out a little bit.  

As well as the two hair products, the people from Maple Holistics also sent me a cute little vanilla flavoured lip balm, which if you know me is one of my favourite scents and flavours. If I didn't mention already, all of these products are completely natural, including the lip balm which has vitamin E and cocoa butter. I have been loving this lip balm throughout this winter to keep my lips soft especially because I just love, love, love the flavour! (and lip balm is something that I always forget to buy) 

Although, I initially wasn't very impressed with the hair care products (any more than I would be with any other shampoo or conditioner), after a few weeks I really saw a change in the softness of my hair. I feel the products are pretty expensive, though. The shampoo is currently on their site for $12.97 (€12.06) and the conditioner is currently $11.95  (€11.11) down from $30.00 (€27.88). As someone who is used to buying both shampoo and conditioner for less than €10 and don't think I will be buying them both once they run out. I think I will I have to choose one because I can't really afford to spend that much on shampoo and conditioner together. I think I will go for the conditioner again if it stays down at the €11 mark because I prefer its scent to the shampoo and If I'm going to splurge a bit, I would prefer to splurge on a conditioner. 

Here is the good news for you guys though. Maple Holistics have a section of their site where you can request a free sample to try out for yourselves so you don't have to take my word for it. Click here if you would like to go to their site to request a free sample now. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know in the comments section below if you have tried any products from Maple Holistics before, and what you thought of them if you did. Have a great day and I will talk to you soon. 

*Although these products were sent to me for review, all of the above views and opinions are 100% honest and completely my own. 

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