Oh my! Let me tell you, these are some of THE tastiest cookies I have ever tried. Seriously. Definitely wish I could make an unlimited supply of them, but that would be ultra dangerous. Not only are they delicious, but they are also extremely easy to make! Only about 10 minutes of prep time AND minimal dishes used, which is always a bonus!

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
2 cups flour of your choice (I use 1/2 cup almond flour and 1 1/2 cup Robin Hood all purpose gluten free flour blend)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest (or more)
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips if desired
Even though I used gluten free flours, I did not use GF oats, but they can easily be substituted in. However I did use only dairy-free chocolate products. Milk chocolate chips would actually be really yummy, I just decided not to use them as I do try to avoid dairy whenever possible.
INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat two baking sheets with a small amount of coconut oil, you can use parchment paper if you prefer. 
2. Put the oats, flour(s), sugars, baking soda and cocoa powder into a bowl then mix them all together until evenly combined. 
3. Next add in your melted coconut oil, eggs, honey and vanilla extract. Give the dough another quick even mix. If you’re using all-purpose flour, you may find that the cookies are a little dry at this point, so add in another tablespoon or so of coconut oil until the dough is moist, but not wet. I personally like to use a little bit of almond flour because it seems to give these cookies a good texture, although this is not necessity at all. 
4. If using chocolate chips (which I highly recommend) add them into the mixture as well as your orange zest. Yummy! Stir these ingredients in, do not use a mixer or the chocolate chips will break up. 
5. Using your hands roll the dough into small balls and line on the prepared baking sheet. It should make 2 dozen cookies. And pop them into the oven for 5 minutes. 
6. After the 5 minute timer is up, take the cookies out and flatten with a fork. I just like to do this because I like my cookies to be more chewy than soft. Pop them back into the oven for 7-10 minutes. These are super yummy right out of the oven, but you can also pop them on a cooling rack and store them for a few days. 
Will you try these cookies? Let me know what you thought and how you adapted them yourself!
Recipe adapted from halfbakedharvest.com, although changed a lot!

If I had to choose only one beauty product to use for the rest of my life (but please don’t make me) , I can confidently say that would be mascara. Longer, more defined lashes make a massive difference to my eyes. It’s one of the first makeup products I started using and I pretty much wear it daily. Unfortunately, I can’t stick to just one formula or brand. I typically opt for dramatic formulas offering both volume and length though. Even still, there are far too many to choose from! I always have a few mascaras on rotation, and so today I thought I’d share my current staples with you:

Essence I Love Extreme is a very dramatic, extra dark formula that costs only a couple dollars. In the warmer months I did find it to transfer quite a bit, but as I’m no longer oily it’s great (I also think because I’ve let it dry out I prefer it now). Alternatively, Covergirl Clump Crusher (Water Resistant) is a much more natural looking lash as the wand separates and lengthens without looking over the top. I do tend to use this on an every day basis because I know it will work with just about anything I have going on. It really doesn’t budge and can be layered up to create more drama. L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga is the most dramatic of the mascaras I have right now. When I want my eyes to be very defined but can’t be bothered with shadows or liner, I opt for this because it goes on thick in just one swipe. For the sample sizes, I’ve been using Urban Decay Perversion a lot, it’s a good formula, but to be honest I don’t entirely love it. I always layer the Covergirl Clump Crusher overtop to make sure it doesn’t melt off. And lastly, Smashbox Full Exposure has become my newest love. It defines and yet has a fluttery look that I can’t quite describe. Once this mini runs out, I will probably have to purchase, however I would love a great drugstore alternative.

What mascara are you using at the moment?

Thought I would do something a little different today and show you step-by-step how I achieved this green and silver smokey eye look. I think it would be perfect for any holiday event into the New Year. It’s not too dramatic, but does have a soft-grungy feeling while being a little bit glamorous. I’ve paired it with a hot pink flush and a light pink gloss here, but it would also work well with much more dramatic lips and contoured cheeks. It’s quite versatile, yet unlike most holiday looks I’ve seen recently. If I can do this kind of a look, literally anyone can. It’s not meant to be perfect, but blending is the key! Feel free to try it with different colour combinations, I just thought these were festive. 
Begin with a metallic grey base (Covergirl Flamed Out Shadow Pencil in Midnight Flame) create a v shape on the outer third of the lid and up into the crease. This will be a guide for the shape of the entire eye look, but it doesn’t have to be too neat. Then smudge it out with your finger to get rid of any messy or sharp lines. 
Use a deep, cool brown (shade 3 in L’Oreal Smokey Eyes Back Pump Palette) in the crease all the way in toward the nose and extending out toward the brow. I think of it as being this shape ” ~ ” if that helps to clarify. The shade doesn’t have to be entirely matte, but no harsh shimmer should be visible. As this is such a dark, dramatic contour, be sure to blend, blend, blend! Also bring this shade down on the lower lashline and blend some more!
Use your finger to pack on any light green shadow (Eyelid shade from the Wet N Wild Comfort Zone Palette). Using your finger helps to get the most colour intensity.  Concentrate this colour on the inner two thirds of the lid space, fading into the silver base.
 Highlight the inner corner and the inner half of the bottom lashline with a champagne or beige colour (Browbone shade from the same Wet N Wild palette). Bring that highlight right up to the crease colour and in toward the nose. This will bring a lot more light to an otherwise heavy look. 
I always like a wing when going for something glam, but opted for a cool brown liner (Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner in Dark Brown). I lined the entire lashline quite thin and finished it off with a subtle wing. 
Add tons of mascara (L’Oreal Miss Manga in Blackest Black) or even flash lashes. I think this pairs best with dark, defined brows (MAC Eyebrows Pencil in Spiked and The Body Shop Color Crush in Chocolate Linger) 
My unfortunate eye shape makes for photographing a tutorial quite complicated.. If you like this kind of post, I would love to know! I could do a more classic holiday look in the near future. Or anything else if you have any requests!
Will you be wearing a look like this over the holiday season?

First off, oops that my last Loving Lately post was forever ago! I can’t believe my last post was 6 months ago. Yikes! There’s been many months to acquire new loves, but this may be a bit of a boring round-up, but I’m not feeling too exciting at the moment…. And today I’d like to share some of them with you, as well as maybe get back into the routine of doing these posts more often!

I recently added the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads into my skincare routine. I use them nearly every morning, and I find that my skin feels cleansed and toned, but refreshed, never dry. The product comes on pre-soaked pads that are super convenient and easy to use, plus the product itself is really great!

The best birthday gift I received this year was this Night Vale Community Radio Mug (thanks Patrick!) which was a complete surprise! It totally makes me seem like a dork, but I really love it! At this time of year, I drink lots of tea, so I’ve gotten a lot of use out of it.

Bath and Body Works Pumpkin Apple 3 Wick Candle has been constantly burning in my room. The scent is so strong and sooo delicious and I just can’t get enough of it!

I’ve been wearing my hair up a lot, and find that the Garnier Fructis Style Deconstructed Texture Tease is the perfect companion to making my hair feel textured and add volume. I especially love that it only cost a couple dollars!

I wrote briefly about The Body Shop Color Crush Eye Shadow in Chocolate Linger when I did a guest post on Davina’s blog last week. It can either be used on the lids, through the crease or to define my brows. This matte shade is great to have in my makeup bag as it is multipurpose, I strongly recommend that everyone give this a shot. You can find deals always running at The Body Shop, so why not give it a try when there’s a great sale happening?
Lastly, a long-time love is this Topman Multi Ribbed Beanie that I have been living in since September. And through all last A/W and through the one the year before that. It’s such an easy hat, I love how it adds a bit of interest (and warmth) to otherwise plain outfits. 
What have you been loving lately? Have you tried any of these products?!

You may have seen that at the beginning of this week I had Davina from Sparkle and Fade write a guest post where she shared the contents of her makeup bag. Well, you may not have realized I did the same over on her blog. I shared all the things I’ve been using most days, and I thought I’d do a FOTD post so you could see the kind of look I’ve been going for lately using those products.

Not only are these all my go-to products, but it’s a pretty simple look, which makes it really wearable for everyday. In this look I’m using all of the contents, but there are times when I use only a couple products. I must say I’m very happy with the versatility of my makeup bag at the moment!

Be sure to head over to my post on Davina’s blog to see what products I’ve used!

What products are in your makeup bag?