Glitter for 2012! (Instagram)

Wasn't planning on posting again today but just couldn't contain my excitement about these nails inc polishes

Gold Glitter - Nails Inc in Finsbury Park

Pearlescent Plum - Nails Inc in Regents Palace

Aren't they gorgeous?!

I got these in a set for Christmas alongside 3 other festive shades and thought I would give them a go for New Years Eve and I really couldn't be happier.

I was a little dubious at how good the coverage of the gold polish would be but was really pleasantly surprised, perfect after just two coats!  The plum shade is a lovely pearlescent multi tonal colour with navy undertones and the good coverage you would expect from any Nails Inc polish.

Alas... My love affair with Nails Inc continues!

Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a suitably stylish 2012...

Comfort is Key...!

So. It's that time of year again.  The excitement of Christmas has been and gone and no longer can we lazy students ignore the impending doom of essay deadlines and January exams!
Unfortunately for me, this means I have been spending most of my life in the library.  As you can imagine, turning up to the library in floaty dresses furs and sparkles isn't really the done thing (... maybe I should change this?!)  so I've been making use of cosy jumpers to keep snug and comfortable!

Jumper: River Island

Boots: Miss Selfridge

Vest: Topshop

Cable knit jumpers are big news this season and this one is a personal favourite.  I found it in River Island a few months ago and was drawn to its unusual swing cut.  The shape is really easy to wear and just an interesting new take on an old classic.  I must admit however that my arms tend to get a little cold when I wear this so it probably isn't the most practical of warm jumpers but a favourite none the less!

I also got a chance to try out my new La-Tweez illuminating tweezers and must say I am VERY impressed!  Will be posting about those tomorrow, a nice little break from essay hell...!

Hope you're not working too hard, any revision tips out there?!

Until next time...

Festive Treats you can make all year round!

Whenever my family come to visit I use it as a great excuse to whip out my Cath Kidston apron and experiment with new recipes!
This Christmas was no exception.  As well as some German Stollen, iced mince pies and a traditional Christmas Cake I also rustled up these Sugar Cookies and some Chocolate and Cointreau Truffles.

All of which disappeared pretty sharpish!  And they couldn't be easier to make.


Sugar Cookies   (makes around 20)


200 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
280 g caster sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
400 g plain flour
a pinch of salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Royal Icing 
1 egg white
½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
310 g icing sugar, sifted
food colouring, optional
shaped biscuit cutters
4 baking trays, lined with greaseproof paper


1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.


2. Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and cream until light and fluffy.


(I always use a handheld electric whisk.  So much cheaper than a Kitchenaid and just as good!)


Add the egg and mix well, scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 


3. Add the flour, salt and cream of tartar and mix well, but be careful not to over do it. The dough should be light, soft and easy to handle.


4. Now for the fun part...! Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Cut out shapes with your choice of biscuit cutters. 


5. Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Check them regularly to make sure they are not burning. The cookies should be very light golden on the outer edges and paler in the centre. 


6. When you are happy that they are cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly on the trays before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 


7. For the royal icing: Beat the egg white and lemon juice together. Gradually start adding the icing sugar, mixing well after each addition to ensure all sugar is incorporated. Whisk until you get stiff peaks.


8. Stir in a couple of drops of food colouring, if using, and decorate the cookies. I used bronze pearls, white chocolate balls and some edible glitter to create mine!


and voila! Yummy biscuits.




Chocolate and Cointreau Truffles (Makes about 25)


25g unsalted butter
5 tbsp double cream
325g of Dark Chocolate broken in to pieces (I used Bourneville)
2 tbsp Cointreau (Or any other liqueur of your choice!)


1. Line a small tin with baking paper.  It needs not to be too large as it can be hard to scoop the mixture out later on.  A swiss roll tin is ideal.


2.  Place the butter and cream in a small saucepan and bring slowly to the boil making sure to stir constantly.  Boil for about a minute and then remove from the heat.


3.  Add 275g of the chocolate to the cream and stir until it all melts in.  Then add the cointreau.  Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or until the mixture is firm.


4.  Use a teaspoon to scoop out balls from the mixture and (this is the messy part!) use your hands to roll them in to nice bite sized truffles!  Its a good idea to keep some kitchen roll to hand for this, your hands WILL get covered in chocolate!

Grate the remaining chocolate onto a plate and roll the truffles in it until coated.

DONE!

It's best to keep the truffles in the fridge until serving as they can go a little soft and gooey, still delicious however!

Let me know how you get on...

Boxing Day and Review: Enrapture Encode Totem Styler

I am currently writing this filled to the brim with food and drink, sat by the fire and surrounded by family...  HAPPY PLACE!
In my family, Boxing Day is almost more important than Christmas day as it's the day when the whole of my dad's family comes to visit.  Because of that I always make an extra effort to look smart and ready to entertain!

Dress: Urban Outfitters
Boots: Miss Selfridge

This dress is my absolute favourite recent purchase!
After singing at a wedding I had 2 hours to kill in Bath and, being me, decided to do so in the city's shopping centre!  Since there's no Urban Outfitter in Nottingham or in Ye Olde Countryside, that was my first port of call! And there it was.
I really love the colour of this dress.  The print is discrete and the shape is ladylike but also fun with the cut out panels in the back.  I paired it with opaques and my black Acne style ankle boots from Miss Selfridge (I wear these TO DEATH) to keep it reasonably casual but it could easily be dressed up with bare legs and peep toes.  I know I will be wearing this again at the first possible opportunity!

I kept my makeup simple with my usual day to day look, a a little bronzer, a little blusher and some added High Beam (highlighter) to give my skin a dewy glow.

It's also the first day I've been able to play with my Christmas goodies!

I went straight for the Enrapture Encode Totem Styler.

EXCITING.

I have been looking for hair curlers for a while but when I read about these online I knew they were the ones for me!  The unique barrel tong has three sections which can be set to different temperatures to create the perfect curl, as loose or as tight as you'd like them to be!

Just spin the dial to set the temperature of your choice.  I opted for 1-2-1 giving me a defined curl that starts and ends gradually.  I used the flipper to clamp my hair at the bottom and curl it away from my face and held it there for about 10 seconds per curl.

As you can see, I'm really quite pleased with the result!  I curled my hair at around 10:30 this morning and as I am typing this 12 hours later my curls are just as defined and bouncy!

Overall I am really pleased with these curlers.  They heat up quickly, the flipper holds the hair in place unlike other curlers I have used in the past and the results are just what I was looking for.  I can't wait to try out different combinations and styles, I'm sure I'll be posting again.

Have you used these curlers before? Or will you be buying them in the future?

Hope everyone has had a lovely Boxing Day!

A little present from me to you... I'M BACK!

So... Santa brought me a camera charger. Wonderful news for my poor neglected blog.  Luckily enough I haven't completely forgotten how to type or take photos so I hope my little break hasnt changed anything too drastically!

First things first, A BIG FAT MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you!
I have been well and truly spoilt which means plenty of updates over the next few days!
I have much to share...

This is what I wore today,

Dress: Dress Up Topshop
Boots: Miss Selfridge
Necklace and Bracelet: Thomas Sabo

Nice and simple as you can see.  I ordered this dress online for the Uni Music Society's Christmas Do and couldn't have been happier with it when it arrived!  The material is thick and the shape is flattering.  I usually steer away from backless dresses, I tend to think they're meant for skinny girls but actually this one is fine and has become one of my favourites!

In my stocking was a lovely set from Nails Inc (thanks Mum!) and I couldnt wait to try them out.

St Pancras - A tomato red, burgundy shade.
Paddington - Slate Gray, green undertones
Fenchurch Street - Brick orange
Charing Cross - Orangey Red

I opted for Paddington, a gorgeous shade of slate grey with green undertones.  I topped it up with the Nails Inc Kensington Topcoat for some added shine.  It really is a lovely shade and I know it is going to match my dress for tomorrow just as well as it has worked today, very versatile!
The coverage is great, a thin bottom layer and a second slightly thicker layer was all I needed for a good opague splash of colour.  I can't wait to try out the rest!

Did you get any exciting Christmas goodies?
Tomorrow I am going to try my new Encode Totem Styler (Curling tongs!) review will follow shortly after.

Until next time.... (promise not to leave it too long..!!)

Eyebrows/HD Brows review.

Hello lovelies!

Apologies again for my short hiatus.  It's so easy to forget how much work goes in to moving in to a new uni house, from making sure you have adequate storage to attempting to fit all your clothes into an inadequate wardrobe to building a bookcase (YES! I built a bookcase....from Ikea but even so.  My first foray into the world of flat-pack furniture was largely successful!).  Because of that blogging had to take a back seat but I am slowly getting back into routine and getting round to writing everything that I have had planned.

So!  I think women often feel that shaping their eyebrows is a daunting task that can so easily go wrong so often spend money getting them threaded/waxed etc.  Whilst I am a huge fan of threading, (and think you should have it done every once in a while!) as a student it simply isn't feasible to be throwing my pennies away like that all the time!  With this is mind I thought I would show you the 'rules' of eyebrow shaping at home.

1. To determine where your brow should start, hold a pencil or make-up brush along one side of your nose.  Where it crosses the inner corner of your brow is where it should begin.  Unfortunately my brows start a little short of that point so I just let mine start where they begin!

2. Now angle the brush across the iris which will show you where the highest point of the arch should be.

3. Finally angle it to the end of the outer corner of the eye which is where the brow should end.

4. With those angles and lengths in mind, use tweezers to pluck the stray hairs.  Don't be afraid to pluck above the brow if you need to but be careful!  Once this is done fill in the brows using light, feathery strokes as if you were drawing individual hairs.  I have used the HD Brows kit that I received in my first glossy box, see here.

As you can see in the pre-filled photos, my eyebrows are VERY fair compared to my hair colour and also very thin.  Because of that I ALWAYS fill in my brows and I think it is a really important step in the daily make up regime.  It works wonders to lift your face and complete your eye make up.

As for the HD Brows kit, I'm a fan.  I had been using a Benefit gel eyebrow kit and hadn't used powder before. I'VE BEEN MISSING OUT.  The powder is so much more subtle and natural looking.  I have done them quite lightly in these photos because it was day time, using the second darkest shade.

I'm afraid that the crack in my set has gotten worse and just crumbled on my way to uni:

Disappointing but as I said, that particular colour isn't the right shade for my brows so I'm not too upset!

Today is a chores day, slowly getting my life in order!  Here's what I'm wearing:

Dress: Topshop

Belt: River Island

Cardigan: Topshop (old!)

Please ignore my horrendously clashing nails!  They will be getting a different lick of paint before the day is through!

Hope everyone is well,

...me again!

Hello all!
So, on Monday I moved back up to university into a new house with 5 other girls (EXCITING!) hence why I have been quiet over the last few days!  There is so much unpacking to do and I have an inordinate/embarrassing amount of cosmetics/beauty products/clothes/general crap that I probably don't need!  So, considering how busy I've been, I've not had a whole lot of time to post.  With that in mind, I thought I'd give you a snippet of my room and the general mess I'm living in!

As you can see, it's all very much a work in progress but it's exciting to be able to put your stamp on a room and do something different and new.
My wardrobe is absolutely STUFFED.  It's a struggle to get anything in/out of there.  Just done a huge clear out but I think I'll have to do another...


The only other thing I have been up to is a cheeky bit of baking for my friend Sam's birthday.  I donned my Cath Kidston apron and whipped up some red velvet cupcakes.

Ingredients

60g butter at room temperature

1 egg

150g caster sugar

10g cocoa

10ml red food colouring

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

120ml buttermilk

150g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

Frosting

300g icing sugar, sifted

50g butter at room temperature

125g cream cheese, chilled

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Cream the butter, egg and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl mix the cocoa powder, food colouring and vanilla extract. Once mixed add to the creamed mixture.

4. Mix carefully until combined and then add half the buttermilk, mix further and add half the flour and the baking powder. Mix thoroughly before adding the remainder of the buttermilk and flour and mixing further.

5. Add the white wine vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix thoroughly for at least 5 mins.

6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins or until the cupcakes spring back slightly when touched.

7. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

8. In the meantime, to make the frosting cream the icing sugar and butter together until well mixed.

9. Add the cream cheese and mix until it is incorporated. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy for at least 5 mins.

10. Use a spatula to layer the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

EAT! and show off to your friends.  The red colour of the sponge always surprises people and they taste great.

More from me soon, sorry again for my mini hiatus!  I am attempting to build an ikea bookcase today... wish me luck!

A snippet of London

I'm back from the most fabulous mini trip to London!  Very tired today but it was worth it.  I kept falling asleep on the train home and waking up to a man watching me. Alarming. But THAT is how tired I am!
I started the day at Paddington, ready to peruse Topshop on Oxford Street (and embarrassingly head to toe in recent Topshop purchases...!)

Dress: Topshop
Cardigan: Topshop
Bag: Topshop
Hat: New Look
Bracelet: Thomas Sabo
Belt: River Island
Lipstick: Topshop in Rumour Has It


This dress is so wearable and comfy but must admit it doesn't cope well with the gusts of wind in the London underground!  I was accidentally giving a bit of an eyeful to passers by all morning, as well as trying to keep hold of my hat!


I walked up and down Oxford street from 11 until 4, soaking up the buzz of fashion week and getting my fill of the high street.  Later, my friend Annabel and I headed to Borough market and found a delightful little tea room in which to indulge in MACARONS! (a personal fave!)

Just look at the size of those meringues! And here are the macarons themselves, vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.

They really were beautiful, and not just to look at!

In the evening, we headed to Clapham for a night on the tiles and we had SUCH a great time.  I wore a black and white polka dot dress (didn't get a pic I'm afraid!) to match my polka dot nails and did my hair and make up like this:

Foundation: Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC25

Concealer: Benefit Erase Paste in no. 2 Medium

Bronzer: Mac in Refined Golden

Blusher: Topshop in Flushed

Lipstick: Topshop in Pillow Talk

Eyebrows: Benefit Brow-zing!

Mascara: DiorShow Extase

Eyelashes: Eylure Naturalites

I curled my hair using GHDs.

I'm gutted a didnt get a good photo of this dress because I am head over heels for it!  I also have it in a plain Oxblood colour (yes, I know! More Oxblood!) and it really is the most wonderfully flattering shape.  I paired it with black opaques and patent platform heels.

Hope you girls have had a lovely weekend too!

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails... Part Two?!

Hello Lovelies!


So, yesterday I did a Cath Kidston nails tutorial and couldn't believe the response it got!  I've always been a huge fan so it really was great that fellow Kidston lovers appreciated my sloppy nail painting!
For my London trip I decided to paint my nails in a big AW trend, polka dots...

Navy and white are always a winning combination.  I used Nails Inc in Kabaret and the Andrea Fullerton Nail Art pen in Kathleen.  What I love about this look is how lovely it looks against any outfit.  They really stand out without looking brash or tacky.

Whilst uploading these photos I also noticed something else.... Navy and white polka dot is remarkably similar to another Cath Kidston print! Oops... obsessed much? I think so.

What's your favourite print?  Any nail art requests?

Have a lovely weekend!

September's GlossyBox!

Today was a bit like Christmas.  A little pink box with mysterious interior but very promising packaging appeared in my post box.  My very first GlossyBox had finally arrived!  Given that I ordered it 4 weeks ago I was beginning to get a little impatient/concerned about its whereabouts but I the excitement of seeing it sitting there just about made up for it!

For those of you who don't know, the premise of GlossyBox is that you pay a fixed price of £10 a month to receive a box filled with some of their favourite products.  The box is beautifully prepared with black paper and pink ribbons hiding the booty underneath!

The idea behind this month's box is to take popular products from across the world that are unusual or have something different to offer and bring them to the UK.

Here's what was inside and what GlossyBox has to say about them:

"1/ Dead Sea Spa Magik - Salt Brushing

Voted 'Best Exfoliator' by You Magazine.  A harmonious blend of pure Dead Sea Salts, vitamin E and coconut oil, with hypnotic citrus aroma, make this a wonderfully pampering body exfoliator.

2/ Green People - Fruitful Nights

Night treat for face and neck.  this 'magic' night cream smoothes fine lines and improves pigmentation marks.  Using pineapple and wild berry extracts, dead skin cells are lifted away revealing younger skin.

3/ HD Brows - Eye&Brow Palette

Eyebrow experts HD Brows have developed this fantastic multi-use eye palette containing four matte ete-brow colours.  They double up as eye shadow and eyeliner as well as lasting 24 hours!

4/ Neal and Wolf - GLOW Super Shine Spray

GLOW is a weightless spray that adds deep, lasting shine.  Its unique formula also helps to smooth hair, control friz and reduce static.  The result?  Incredible all-over shine that leaves hair glowing!

5/ Plum by Mary Greenwell - Eau de Parfum

Plum is the signature fragrance by world-renowned celebrity makeup artist Mary Greenwell.  A stunning classic chypre with a memorable modern twist."

So!  All sounds very promising.  I'm planning on having a nice relaxing bath tonight (I did Body Pump at the gym last night and OW OW OW today!) so will use the salt scrub then and that shine spray will come in handy tomorrow for my trip to London.  Same goes for the HD brows.

One little complaint.... My HD brows set was broken when I opened it...

Very disappointing but I suppose it cant be helped, no ones fault.

Overall, I love the surprise element of Glossy Box!  If you want to learn more, click here to go to their website.

I'm off to London tomorrow so may not post for a few days but I will have more for you on my return!

Until then lovelies,

Olivia Palermo at NYFW

When this photo of Olivia Palermo looking stunning at the Tibi Spring 2012 show at New York Fashion Week popped up on my screen I was firstly jealous of those legs (wow!) and that glossy hair (swoon) but also loving how she always manages to mix basic separates and create such glamour.
If you're anything like me, you'll want to emulate this for your next night out on the town or dinner date but Tibi is WELL out of my price range!
With this in mind, hit the high street!

These leather Oasis beauties are pricey but well worth investing it.  Leather is key for the next few seasons and this lovely Taupe shade will match your winter jewel tones and your summer pastels.  If you dont already own a pussy bow blouse, you must!  It will be one of the hardest working items you own.  Dressed up or dressed down, always chic.   These Misguided heels are a dead ringer for Olivia's Charlotte Olympia Pumps at a tenth of the price and with Leopard set to be huge, they will take you straight through the party season.

I love this look and I love Olivia.

What do you think? Can this woman do any wrong?!

Loveee

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails

Since I love my Models Own polish in Grace Green so much, I couldn't resist using it in a tutorial!  As a baking enthusiast my kitchen is litered with Emma Bridgewater and Cath Kidston, including a lovely green apron that my friend Sam gave me for my 21st!  Using this as inspiration I created these lovelies and I cant stop looking at them as I type away...

The good news is, it's so much easier than it looks!


Here's what you'll need:

A base coat and a top coat: I'm using Nails Inc Kensington Basecoat Caviar and Albert Bridge Topcoat.

A base colour: I have used Models Own in Grace Green but this looks just as good with pastel blues or pinks.

A light pink shade for the roses: I've used Barry M Nail Paint in Bright Pink

A darker pink shade for the petals: I've used Topshop Nails in Paint It On

A green shade for the leaves: I've used Topshop Nails in Beyond the Sea

A blue shade for the small flowers: I've used Models Own in Feeling Blue

If you have a white nail polish, you can easily use this but I have used the Andrea Fullerton Stripe and Sparkle pen in Kathleen:

You will also need a kirby grip, opened out:

This is what you will use, dipped into the polishes to create your design!

Start by putting on your base coat and your chosen background colour:

Next, take your white nail pen (or using the kirby grip) draw two stripes along 2 of your nails and cloud shapes on the other three.  Put polka dots along the outside of each shape.

Dip the kirby grip into the lighter pink shade.  Draw large rose shapes onto the clouds and put dots along the stripes.

Next, take the dark pink and put lines inside the large rose shapes to resemble petals.  On the lines, add more dots.

Finally, use the dark green to add leaves to the roses and put more dots along the stripes, slightly on the outside to make them more like leaves.  Use the blue polish to add more flowers to the stripe.

Finish with a glossy topcoat, making sure you leave enough time for it all to dry.

And there it is. A Cath Kidston style manicure.

What do you think?  Will you be giving this a go?