Healthy Granola Bar Recipe

I haven't written a recipe on here for a long time, so I thought I'd share this delicious granola bar recipe that I've adapted from one the wonderful Natalie posted on her Instagram! The recipes are a little different, so make sure to check out both!

You Will Need:

1. 2 bananas
2. 2 eggs
3. 1 tsp of vanilla extract
4. 1 tbsp of honey
5. 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
6. Handful of granola
7. 2 1/2 cups of oats
8. Dark chocolate chips

Firstly, mash the two bananas. For this I just use a fork, but if you've got easier, quicker method, let me know! Whisk the two eggs, and combine all of the ingredients (other than the dark chocolate chips) in a large mixing bowl.

Spread the mixture into a baking tray lined with grease-proof paper, and pop it into the oven for half an hour, or until it's golden brown.

Once it was cooked, I sprinkled on some dark chocolate chips (optional, but they add some extra sweetness!) and sliced it into 16 little bars, perfect for a quick and filling snack!

I hope you enjoyed reading,

                                                                      Sarah-Rose x

Haul - Penneys, Stradivarius, Topshop

 I always find that it's very difficult to create outfits at this time of year. In Ireland it never really gets very warm for more than a week or two, so most of my summer clothes stay in the back of the closet until I go abroad. Having said this, I can't resist shopping, and while I was in Tenerife in mid July, and in Dublin last week, I picked up some practical pieces that I know I'll wear continuously, whatever the weather.

 The week before going on holidays, I popped into Penneys (Primark) to get some crop tops. These are great to have, as they can be thrown on over a pair of denim cutoffs, or dressed up with a skirt and some jewellery. I bought them in neutral colours to bring me into autumn, and they're something I can see myself wearing all year round. Plus, they were all under five euro!

buy here 

 Sticking with the crop top trend, I was in Stradivarius in Tenerife and bought two of the same top in different colours. These are just simple cropped tank tops, and really remind me of styles found in Brandy Melville. 

I had only ever been in Stradivarius in Dublin once, and the store was nothing special. This is why I was pleasantly surprised when I visited the chain in Tenerife, and it was completely different - clean, bright, organised and, most importantly, with beautiful clothes! It's amazing how much a shop can improve based on layout alone, while selling the same products.

Possibly my favourite item that I've purchased in a long time, these shorts are so beautiful that I wish I had the weather to wear them properly! Nonetheless, I've persevered and worn them despite our climate, and I'm in love. They are so easily paired with a simple white tee tucked in, or a pop of pink, or dressed up with a breezy silk shirt and some cleverly selected jewellery. The downside for any readers is that I didn't buy them at a chain store, but at a small pop-up boutique. I'm trying to find something similar to link, but they're very unique! 

 Back to Stradivarius, I got this simple navy hoodless sweatshirt. I've been looking for something like this for so long, as all of the sweatshirts like this that I've found have giant logos or slogans on them, and I really wanted something simple. Not only did I find exactly the style of sweatshirt I was looking for, but it was on sale, too - from twenty six euro, down to six!

 Another staple I was looking for was this cream knit cardigan, which will be perfect for when I want to re-wear summer outfits in autumn, but want to fight the chill.

 My last Stradivarius item (I didn't realise I'd bought this much!) is this loose fitting flannel shirt, perfect for tying around your waist or as a cover-up over sleeveless tops/dresses. Again, a great piece to transfer into your autumn wardrobe.

buy here

Last but not least are these black skinny Joni jeans from Topshop. I had been eyeing these for quite a while, as I have no black jeans, and I keep wanting to pair them with outfits. Lucky for me, I received a One4All gift voucher last week, so I could finally justify buying them! They're so comfortable and easy to wear, and I'm so glad that I know have them.

Sadly a lot of these items were on sale, or aren't on their websites, so the links to buy them are only under the clothes that I could find online!

Thank you so much for reading!

                                                                          Sarah-Rose

My Haircare Routine

  During the summer, my hair always becomes dry. Even if we aren't getting that much sun in Ireland this year (and by that I mean we're getting absolutely none) my hair still feels the humidity and I wind up with brittle ends. I have quite thick, long hair, so taking good care of it is a must, as I have so much of it! Read on for how I keep my hair smooth and shiny in summer.

Coconut oil is my holy grail haircare product. Honestly, I don't want to know how much frizzier my hair would be without it. The night before I wash my hair, I take a grape sized amount and rub it between my hands until it melts. I then massage it into my hair, starting at the bottom and working my way up to my scalp. I find that coconut oil makes my hair smoother, shinier and much easier to work with. It also doesn't leave my hair greasy or heavy after I've washed it out!

When I wash my hair, I've been using the OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco shampoo and conditioner. Both of these products are very thick and lather easily, which is brilliant because it means a little goes a very long way. Although I like using them, in my opinion I don't think they are worth the cost, as I've tried other shampoo/conditioner combos that work just as well for much cheaper!

While my hair is still wet, I smooth a small amount of the Garnier Ultimate Blends Sleek Perfector Oil into it so that my hair detangles more easily and I can brush it out without it breaking. To brush it out, I use a Tangle Teezer which, again, won't break my hair. Seeing a trend here?

Usually I let my hair dry naturally, but if I blowdry it, the heat protectant I use is by VO5. I spray this all over my hair and then brush it through so that it's evenly distributed. 

I have no special way of blowdrying my hair, I usually just tip my head upside down and don't hold it in one place for too long.

Thank you for reading!

                                               Sarah-Rose x

Strobing Makeup Look

  For over three years, contour has been everywhere - there are Kim Kardashian makeup looks on every beauty guru's YouTube channel, contouring kits have been making their way onto every high street and drugstore shelf, and into the makeup collections of anyone with a love of beauty or fashion. Whereas contouring is quite a heavy, full-face makeup look, many designers have opted for clean, fresh faces on their runways for the most recent Fashion Weeks. Strobing has taken over, and is only going to get more and more attention. But what is strobing?
  Strobing, in short, is just highlighting! No bronzer or contour is needed, and it's best worn with full eyebrows, and clean eye makeup - even without mascara, in a lot of cases. I'm going to show you how I wear strobing as an everyday look.

  I start off by using the That Gal brightening face primer by Benefit, to give that 'light from within' look.

 I then take a beauty blender (this one is just from Penneys) and dampen it by spraying some Tea Tree Water from Lush onto it. I find that beauty blenders work so much better damp!

  I then blend some of the Wake Me Up foundation from Rimmel into my chin, forehead and around my nose, just to give some light coverage. This foundation is brilliant for a lightweight makeup look, as its really moisturising.

   Under my eyes I'm using Touche Eclat from YSL, which is slightly peach toned, to cover dark circles. I also use some of this down the bridge of my nose, and on my brow bone.

   My go-to concealer for blemishes is the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, and I place that on any troublesome areas.

 To brighten my cheekbones, I apply some of the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation, as the shade is too light for me right now, but works great to highlight!

 To set the concealer under my eyes, I use the brightening yellow-ish shade in the SmashBox Contour Palette.

 Now for bit that makes all the difference. Taking the highlight shade in the Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette, I highlight along my cheekbones, under my eyebrow, above my eyebrow, in my inner corner and along my tear duct, down the bridge of my nose, on my cupid's bow, under my lips, and on my chin. Wow, that's a lot of highlighting!

Then, to finish off the look, I use a sweep of mascara and lipliner, and I'm done!

And here's pictures of the finished look! 

I hope you enjoyed reading, I'll have more posts coming soon and will be adding a list of the products I used!

                                Sarah-Rose x

New Instagram!

   This is just a short post to let you know that I've finally created an Instagram and specific email address for this blog! 

   My new Instagram is here, I'll be posting some non-blog-related pictures, but most photos will be from this blog/updates to do with blog posts. I'd love if you could follow me on there, and I'll be following back!

  I also now have an email that you can contact me on, which is sarahroseveronica@gmail.com, so if you have any enquiries about products or anything else, you can email me!

  Thanks for reading, 
                                 Sarah-Rose x

My Five Most Used Makeup Products

Whenever I wear makeup, I always find myself reaching for the same products. I wear very minimal makeup, if any, so I don't use many items - five, to be exact, and I thought I'd share them with you!

Unless I really feel that I need the extra coverage, I never wear foundation, only concealer. The concealer I use is the Collection Lasting Perfection in the shade fair, which has very good coverage for a concealer and is a really nice colour for my skin right now. I just dot this on any blemishes/hyperpigmentation I have and under my eyes, and blend it in well with the Coastal Scents concealer brush.

Next I move on to brows, which I've loved doing ever since I bought the Bobbi Brown eyebrow brush. The bristles are quite coarse and make it much easier to apply the darkest shade from the Lancome eye set, which I've unfortunately hit pan on from using so much!

I have become obsessed with the Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay, that I very kindly got for Christmas this year. The shades are so beautiful and pigmented, and there's such a wide range of colours that it's easy to transition from day to night looks. For everyday makeup I usually take the shade 'Foxy' across my whole lid, and then blend a darker colour like 'Tease' into my crease with the Coastal Scents eye shadow brushes.

My all-time favourite mascara is the YSL Faux Cils mascara, as it never fails to give beautifully long, separated and voluminous eyelashes. The formula isn't at all clumpy, which I love, and makeup never looks complete without mascara, right?

Lastly, I contour, using the Naked Flushed palette. A light sweep of bronzer under the cheekbones and at the temples, some highlighter and then blush, and I'm good to go. I use (again) the Coastal Scents angle and flat buffer brushes.

Thanks for reading!

                                                     Sarah-Rose 

My Skincare Routine

So after a long break from blogging, I'm back with my skin care routine! Skincare is so important, as it sets the base for any makeup you do afterwards, and who doesn't want perfect skin?

Firstly, to cleanse, I use the Bare Minerals Deep Cleansing Foam, which I bought in the airport in London nearly a year ago now, and it has lasted me so long! I love how concentrated this cleanser is - you need less than a pea-sized amount, and once you add water and massage it into your skin, it turns into a creamy foam. It's great for combination to dry skin (which I have) as it isn't oil based, but won't dry out your skin.

Next in my routine I like to use a face oil. I know the thought of putting oil on your skin can be scary for some, as they already try to fight an oily T-zone, but this Trilogy Rosehip Oil calms breakouts, gets rid of dry patches and leaves my skin feeling so much smoother. I've been using it for about three weeks now, and the dry patches I used to have are long gone. I only use a small dot of this as it spreads easily and you don't need too much of it.

The moisturiser I use is the Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Moisturiser from the same line (and bought at the same time) as my cleanser. This is just a great all round moisturiser that sinks in fast, doesn't leave any residue on my face and again, a little goes a long way.

To fight breakout and blemishes, I find that tea tree oil works best. This bottle is from the Body Shop, but tea tree oil isn't hard to come across and is a must try if you haven't already. It's perfect because it can be worn under makeup as it's clear, and it also reduces redness. 

About once every week or two I love using a face mask, even if it's purely just for the feeling of being pampered! The Lancôme Hydra Intense mask is a gel-like formula that smooths onto the skin and heals dry skin, which is brilliant for cold weather when my skin is like a desert. I actually got this for free in Lancôme when my mum bought other skincare products, so I was surprised by how much I loved using it!

Thanks so much for reading, I have new posts coming soon! Bear in mind that these products work well for my skin (combination-dry) but they might not for yours. But these are all products I love, so I hope you do, too!  

                            Sarah-Rose xx