IT'S CHRIIIIIISSSSTTTTMMMAAAAAAASSS! (& a big ol' apology)

1. River Island White Christmas Fair Isle Jumper - £35

2. BooHoo Hiba Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal Jumper - £15

3. ASOS Christmas Jumper In Reindeer Fair Isle - £35

4. Topshop Knitted Sequin Present Jumper - £50

* Ladies and Gents, Gents and Ladies. Before this quick festive post on something very dear to my heart, the legendary christmas jumper, I feel as though you all deserve an explanation.

Bioderma - My First Beauty BFF

Bioderma might be old news in the blogosphere, but that's not going to stop me paying homage to the first ever product I deemed worthy of 'Holy Grail' status...

I Whip Ma Hurr Back n' Forth!

So Yeah... Ma Hurr. It's been rather, erm, colourful. Wanna know how I make myself look like a super magical Unicorn? Then read on dear friend!

LFW - OOTD

LFW - OOTD

A grey, wet and windy friday, a girl with a one hour turn around slot and an extremely fashionable occasion? Panic! 

PINGHE

The Beginning

On Friday the 13th of September I attended my first ever LFW show and launch party. PINGHE

It was the opening day of London fashion week and I had to speed home after my 9-5 and turn myself from plain jane to ab fab in less than an hour. Not an easy feat I assure you.

I kicked off my jeans and T-shirt, pulled on a long black skirt, a black lace crop top and my trusted leather jacket (outfit post to follow) and stepped out into the drizzle.

Official Catwalk Photographs provided by Goodley PR.

PINGHE

You know sometimes a collection will catch your eye, and suddenly you find yourself lusting after every single item? Desperately working out how to finance such a dream, 'maybe if I eat noddles for the next three months and don't leave me flat..?'

One of those collections.Yeah.

YADI YADI YADI

I freaking L.O.V.E. this woman.  Around a year ago I went to a night called Play All the Things, a regular, London based, not quite open mic night run by To Kill a King (a ridiculously awesome band that I'll be posting on in the near future) and the beautiful creature that is Yadi was performing.

It became clear about 10 seconds into her opening song that I was doomed. Doomed to purchase every EP, single, album and demo I could get my hands on.

Not So Naughty Noms.

Rice Cakes.

The epitome of jibe inducing food. The second you whip out a rice cake near another human being you can practically see the thoughts forming... 'oooh looks like someone's on a diet!' 

Shove off love... what if I just happen to really like rice cakes? Eh?

N.V.A.A. Nail Varnish Addicts Anonymous. Does this exist? It bloomin' well needs to! I have a serious problem. I cant freakin' help myself I swear! I just have to have the ever so slightly paler shade of blue, that shimmer top coat with three different sized gold flecks not two and I most definitely couldn't live without that nude that's nearly identical to the nude I already own but look at the brush... that brush is way better than the other brush... it'll be easier... a time save... aaaaaaand oops. CHECKOUT.

THE ULTIMATE Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder

FUNBAGS. BAZOOMAS. HOOTERS. BOOBS.

I know that for many women, these supposed objects of desire are actually a huge source of bodily dissatisfaction. Too small, too big, wait is that one bigger than the other one? Why the hell is there a hair coming out of my nipple!?!!! You know the drill.

The Masked Avengers

One of my biggest problem areas is my skin. It hates me. I swear my face holds some long standing vendetta against me for using St Ives Apricot Scrub everyday from the ages of 15-18. HEY SKIN! I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER! LEAVE IT OUT NOW WOULD YOU PLEASE!?!!!

Sitting Pro Pretty in Peppermint.

Peppermint Nails? Yes please!

This Is How The Summer Ends.

1. River Island TBar Metal Tan Sandals - £28

2. Romwe Floral Printed White Irregular Sweater - £26.18

3. Topshop Moto Acid Wash Denim Hotpants - £30

4. Zara Bucket Bag With Studded Straps - £39.99

Do you reckon we've had it? Was that Summer? Seriously?

I'm not giving up people. I have an array of warm weather attire I've yet to flaunt and I'm damn well guna flaunt it. I've also got fingers, toes and eyes crossed that this weekend is 2002 Nelly (Hot in Herre!) for those of you at to Glasto. So here we go, the outfit I'm a hopin' and a wishin' will be festival appropriate for a couple of months yet.

Fields of gold, music so loud your ears start bleeding and one cider too many do not mix with heels, even a wedge can seem like a device of torture when your three bands in and numerous tequilas down. So turn to the trusty sandal you free spirited wonderer. Don't you settle for any old flip flop, just because we are being sensible doesn't mean we cant be stylish and River Island hits the fashion nail on the head with these Metal barred beauties.

You know how sometimes even though its a bajillion degrees in the sun when you find yourself under a tree or behind someone who quite clearly ate all the pies, in other words, well and truly in the shade, suddenly it seems a bit 'nippy'? Not cold enough for a chunky winter knit but there's a slightly breeze that could threaten to raise a pimpled goose or two? Romwe's floral sweater has you covered (ha!). Light weight, easily shoved into a bag, absolutely stunning and effortlessly chic.

Denim shorts. Buggers. Little Buggers. Personally I have to be feeling damned confident to wear any form of short without the safety net of tights covering the pale and somewhat jiggly flesh of my tighs. However those days do occur, usually aided by a margarita or two...

£30? Topshop? Moto? DONE. Easy peasy.

Finally we find ourselves at the bag. Bags are a pain in the arse. I love them. I honestly do. I think I inherited the passion from my mother. Her handbag collection is unrivalled. However, finding the absolute right bag for an occasion can be a task more taxing than attempting to find the square root of 798245 x 473957 / 6.639 in your head. There are so many factors to be considered : space, durability, weatherproofness ( that's not a word : / ), comfort, colour, style. It's a bloody nightmare. I usually suffer with space over most things, I NEED SPACE, this bucket bag from Zara has a Mary Poppins quality to it and its a great 24 hour buddy. Day to night, no fuss. Boom.

Let's go with the power of positive thinking guys and dolls. 

Everybody after three,      1... 2... 3... SSSSUUUUUUUNNNNNSSSHHHHIIINNNNEEEE!!!

SPLASH

Glitter top coats. I have a love hate relationship with the little tykes. They have the ability to look both utterly awesome or totally trashy, chic and elegant or christmas bauble, oh and they are universally acknowledged as a bitch to get off.

Recently I've gone off normal glitter. Its just not doing it for me any more. This however is something different. Models Own 'Splash' Range is a series of 5 'top coats' that contain chunky shards of iridescent light reflecting flakes. There's a blue, pink, red and orange and the sort of purplish looking one I went for which is beautifully named 'Mermaid Tears'.

I grabbed mine on ASOS for a fiver. Money well spent. This is my new favourite evening nail look. The shards are a sort of blue/aqua colour and teemed with a black polish they really stand out. Even blokes have noticed my nails when I've had this combo on the go, noticed and complimented... WOAH!

I've popped this sobbing fishtail wonder over some of my favourite paler shades too, mint green, light blue, lilac, and it's a subtler finish, sort of pretty rather than the striking effect when its over black or a royal blue.

If you're looking for something easily applied to shake up your existing colour collection I'd highly recommend giving the Splash range a go. Just make sure you pop a top coat over whichever of the paradise beach inspired line you choose to ensure a sleek and even finish.

I'm going to watch The Little Mermaid now... Don't judge me.



 'Under da' sea... do do do do... Under da' sea...'

MEOW.

Kaiko Kitty Ears - £12

Remember the cat ear sunnies featured on May's 'Black Sun' YES PLEASE list? Those ones I'd need to sell a kidney to be able to afford? Well guess what... DIXI, one of my favourite online accessories and jewellery stores stock a purse friendly version!

I kinda had to have them didn't I? They are truly awesome. I only bust these feline fashion items out with my harder edged outfits, but every time I do I get complimented on the little suckers. They look equally fantastic resting on your nose or perched on top of your noggin. In fact they sort of make more sense plonked on top of your barnet as the ears are in the right place then and not sitting over your eyebrows.

These seriously fun sun shaders will be traveling with me to many a festival this summer I'm sure.

Are you brave enough to give them a go?

I Just Can't Help Myself.

I know. I know. I'm going to end up with the entire collection if I'm not careful, but look at the puuuuurdy colours! 'Guava' the greener shade is just the perfect poolside accompaniment. It's not as 'WOAH LOOK AT ME!' as 'Greenberry' (my current go to super bright turquoise from the range), but still packs a super fresh punch of colour into any spring summer outfit. 'Blue Grape' was my attempt at finding something budget to fulfill my current lusting after Baker Street from Nails Inc, which actually it does rather well. Not a direct dupe but a gorgeous royal blue, and it goes fantastically with a bold red lip and a fifties style sundress or brightly coloured play suit.

How many of the Gelly Hi-Shine have accidently fallen into your shopping basket?

When The Dog Bites, When The Bee Stings....

Microwave Butterkiss Sweet Popcorn

An absolute life saver on those days when only reruns of friends and eating twice your body weight will help lift the grey clouds. It's the closest I've found to freshly made cinema popcorn and best eaten when still warm.

Avocado & Marmite on Multigrain Toast

Sounds strange, tastes bloody fantastic, if you're a marmite lover of course, if not try avocado and sun-dried tomatoes with a bit of crumbled feta. Yum.

Graze Boxes 

I get these sent to my workplace every monday. It's like a guaranteed weekly present. You can chose how often you'd like your boxes to arrive, once a week, once every 2 weeks etc. You can skip boxes and delays them for holidays etc, and best of all you get to tell graze exactly what it is you like and don't like. You just log onto the website and go through the snacks picking Bin, Try, Like or Love, some snacks even have a 'send soon' option. I've even been able to make all my boxes dairy free with one simple click! Boxes can include, seeds, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, bread bits, cakes, crackers, olives, popcorn, nibbles galore basically! I've never received a box I didn't love.

If you haven't given it a go I really urge you to do so.

You can even try a box for FREE, just click > HERE <

Andrew Kaufman - All My Friends Are Superhero's

It's only a little book. You can read it in one sitting with a nice cuppa and a choccy biccy. Kaufman is one of my favourite writers ever, in the history of ever. I've never read any books even similar to his and I bloody love them.  The way he portrays characters is magical and so unique. I really can't explain it but it will make your heart smile and fill you with a sense of wonder. Also check out 'The Waterproof Bible',  'The Tiny Wife' and 'Born Weird'.

Honestly. Please read it. You'll love it.

Erin Morgenstern - The Night Circus

When I first started reading this book, I wasn't expecting much, but within a few pages I was hooked. The plot is intricate, the imagery dazzling, and it really has the ability to totally take you out of wherever you are and into a place where magic is not only possible, it is elegant, beautiful and dangerous. This is not a Harry Potter style witches and wizards jobby, it's more refined, grown up you might say (I'm not dissing Potts don't worry, still bloody love me a good wand!)

David McRaney - You Are Not So Smart
A wonderful book about the mind that you really don't have to be a brain box to read. This wonderful book was lent to me by my boyfriend. He'd been quoting little snippets about human behavior and thought processes at me for weeks and they were always ridiculously interesting, so I put myself right up at the front of the borrowing queue. I cannot put this book down. It's one of those 'oh yeah... that was definitely my stop we just passed' types.

Cougar Town

Produced by Doozer and Coquette Productions (These guys are divorced and still best mates. Double yays!), this show is a go to guilty pleasure. It centres around the recently divorced 40 something Jules Cobb, played by Courteney Cox her son, ex husband and immidate friendship circle. I'm not guna go into great detail here, it's just freakin' wicked. Give it a a few episodes to develop... You'll soon find yourself jonesing to be a part of the Cul-de-Sac Crew.

PENNY CAAAAAAN!

Game of Thrones

Everyone is is a state of shock after the Red Wedding. It was mind blowing. There's enough hype around this bad boy I'm simply going to say, it's worth it. Do it. DOOOO IT.

I want to be the mother of dragons. I want it with all my heart and soul.

Pushing Daisy's

A lesser known programme over here in the UK and a definite little gem. We follow Ned, a man who has the power to bring the dead back to life with one touch and re-dead the poor souls with a second. He uses this 'power' to help solve bizarre murder cases with a private investigator, and simultaneously owns and runs a pie shop. It's FUN. The cinematography is fantastic, a real treat for your peepers. It's a stylized world, vaguely 1950's but brighter and better. You'll be a fan from episode one!

If you have any food stuffs, books or TV shows you could recommend please do, I'm always on the hunt for fresh new things to get involved with!

Pulling On Purse Strings.

I'd been struggling with a broken zipped faux leather poor excuse of a purse from Topshop for the last few months (apparently it's not just me, word on the spending street is that the quality of Topshop purses is somewhat below par, especially in the zip department), and after loosing various bits of loose change to the depths of handbags, the streets of London and between myself and the large bloated commuter next to me on the tube I decided enough was enough!


I wanted to find a something decent to stash my cash in and I was prepared to pay out for the pay off. However after a good week or so of intermittent searching both online and on foot I came up empty handed. Things were getting desperate so I figured I'd just pick up a cheapish replacement for the meantime, otherwise I'd continually unintentionally kissing goodbye to my hard earned moolah.


I was placing an order on ASOS and came across this Bright Floral Embroidered Zip Around Purse. The styling was completely different from my normal safe black but it had all the necessities, lots of card slots, a zipable pocket, and only cost £15. I figured it would do.

It more than does.


I bloody love this thing. Not only it is great quality, its a perfect size and it's easy to find in the depths of even the largest arm candy! It might be a shake up from my back to black routine but I actually really like the design. It's gorgeous and right on the button for spring summer. Yay!

Liz Earle Botanical Essence #100

Liz Earle is a name many a skincare fanatic will be well associated with. Their cleanse and hot polish system has practically achieved cult status within the blogging world but did you know as well as buffing and painting our faces to the point of perfection the brand also wants to get us smelling fantastic? 

Liz Earle Botanical Essence No. 100 is the third offering from the fragrance line, and in my opinion its also the best. I tried to get along with both No.1 and No.15 but to be quite frank, I found both to be a little overpowering and somewhat headache inducing, and they reminded me a little of my nan...

This fresh and fruity scent was created in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society to celebrate the centenary of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and boy can you tell! I absolutely love it. It's wonderfully evocative of spring, floral without being sweet, and ladies and gents, it lasts! 

When you walk into florists, sometimes the smell can be almost like an assault on your poor little shnoz, it can knock you back, make you feel giddy. Well this isn't that, its more like taking a stroll through a flowering spring meadow at dawn, a light breeze caressing your face, accompanied by bird song, woodland creatures frolicking around you...

...you get the picture. Its light and fresh but defined. Not one of those scents that you have to tell people your wearing because its so subtle your laundry detergent has managed to mask it. If you get a chance to have a sample spritz net time your in John Lewis I recommend doing so, you might just end up walking out with an extra spring in your step.

Lace Without Limits.

1. Zara - Lace Dress - £49.99

2. Topshop - Unlined Parka - £60

3. Steve Madden - Flank M Biker Boot - £95

4. Topshop - Railroad Denim Backpack - £30

Lace Dresses. They are bloody gorgeous no? Meh Oui! My issue with these fanciful beauties however is that they usually just don't fit my style. I'm not one for the whole cutesy super feminine thing. Its not that I dislike it, it just doesn't suit me. I could pull off the innocent damsel look for about 3 seconds, then I'd open my mouth and the whole image would go to pot.

Anyway... I'm off subject boys and girls. Lace dresses. I love 'em. I like to wear the little buggers now and then, they just have to be the right sort and I have to work them my way. 

My way or the highwaaaaay.

Ahem. 

This fabulous number from Zara is freakin' gorgeous. It's not too short (a problem which seems to plague the high street these days... I don't know about you but I'm not a fan of full mooning the face off everyone around me.). Lovely, light and roomy, but still gives you a great figure because of the drawn in waistband and the arms are gorgeous at a just below the elbow length. All round goodness.

There are some of you out there that might teem this pretty offering with sandals or heels and I somewhat envy you and you're dainty approach. For me however its boots, boots, boots. I have an ongoing 'body issue' with my legs / calves and a good stout boot balances me out. These Steve Madden Bikers are number one on my currently most coveted footwear list. The mesh top/collar is something I've not really seen before and for me it kind of spring/summers the boot up a bit, shows a bit of skin and such. 

I'd finish the whole thing off and make it 'day trip to a festival/picnic/country park/BBQ' appropriate with this Parka / Rucksack combo from Topshop. I actually purchased the rucksack... (these wish list posts are killing my bank balance!) and I'm thinking of booking a church soon, it's a match made in heaven. If it was a bit chilly out (which is always a possibility over here in Bonni Blighty!) I'd add some form of neutral toned chunky knit underneath for toastyness.

That dress is really, really screaming to me.... Oh Lord... give me strength. 

Clean That Mess Up.

Give me the news... I gotta' bad case of loooooving yooooou.


Ok I'll stop now.


Right. Dr Bronner. He's not going cure your sniffles, or even help with that slightly iffy looking rash (might wanna get that seen too love...) but he makes one hell of a soap. I decided to purchase a bottle after my regular brush cleaner (the Bare Minerals Well-Cared For Brush Conditioning Shampoo) ran out and wasn't in stock at my usual online haunt. I'd heard a lot about Dr Bronner and his magic soap and figured it was about time I give it a go.

After some research into the varieties available I went for the tea tree option. I'm currently involved in an ongoing battle against adult acne (more on that to come in future posts guys and dolls), and figured maybe it might help ever so slightly, plus I like the smell.

Down to business though... I love this stuff. It does an excellent job on my brushes, even on those laden with super thick concealer and foundation. I just dampen the brush slightly, get a little soap in the palm of my hand and swirl the brush around in it for a few seconds, then rinse out under running warm water.

It's cheaper than my previous brush cleaner, and if I ever run out of shampoo or hand soap it can be used an an emergency back up!




It's available from a whole bunch of places, but I got mine here at Feel Unique - £5.49 (free delivery!)




Added bonuses include that fact that many of the ingredients are fair trade sourced and certified under the national USDA national organic program, no animal testing is involved at all, oh and Dr Bronner looks like a mad scientist...

Acaia Body Smoothie

Body Smoothie? SMOOTHIE? Seriously? I've pledged my allegiance to the body butters of this world and now your adding another food group? Ok lets all calm down a bit. It's only branding after all.

The Acai Body Smoothie surprised me, it's consistency is definitely not that of a body butter, there's no grease involved here, but its not as light as any of those air whipped jobbys that have appeared lately. I'm guna go with a thick mousse. A non sticky pink sorta mousse type thing. Yeah.

Anyway. Once you've stopped marvelling at the unique and rather indescribable texture and started applying this little wonder you'll be hit by the fantastic smell. Gorgeously fruity without being sweet, it's almost a little tart and so so fresh! You can practically taste the berries.

It terms of moisturising, which is after all the number one characteristic we are looking for here, this scrumptiously smelling tub of summer fun scores pretty darn high. Like I said, there's no greasy residue,  it seems to be easily absorbed by the skin, a little goes a long way and it doesn't feel heavy or sticky. It certainly does moisturise, my skin feels smoother and softer after application, and the smell hangs around for a little while too which is a delicious added bonus.

The Acai Body Smoothie is perfect for days when your in a hurry. You don't need to worry about leaving icky oily marks everywhere, it wont cause every piece of grass or fluff to instant stick to your legs and create that oh so desirable yeti look and it doesn't make it nigh on impossible to pull your skinny jeans on. Whilst it wont replace my body butters, which are still firm favourites on lazy sundays and when I've got time for a real pamper session, it is now a staple in my body care line up. No more forcing one leg in the Topshop Leighs, loosing my footing and going arse over tit for me in the mornings! YAY!

House of Rush

Recently I was lucky enough to attend a networking event for beauty bloggers held by the Gorkana Group at the House of Rush, Piccadilly.

I'm going to be completely honest here and say that until I headed over to the salon on a particularly grey and drizzly tuesday evening I had no clue that Rush, one of the UK's most well known hairdressing companies, had expanded further than just treating our tresses.

House of rush offers all the usual cuts, blow drys and treatments you would find at your local branch and THEN SOME. Its a one stop stop for all your beauty needs. Facials, a beauty counter, nails, massage, even full on men's grooming... you name it they've got it!

Check out their website for a full list of services and there's 25% off for first time customers!

Have a flick through the pic's below to see some of the nights attendees being treated to full on blow drys and styling. I was too busy nosing around to sit down at let the masters work on my long time neglected locks, but I'll be booking myself in for an overhaul ASAP that's for sure!

Black Sun.

1. ASOS Sheer Back Black Jumpsuit - £35

2. When Trouble Came to Town / Anna-Karin Karlsson Sunglasses - £423 (roughly)

3. Topshop Fleure Gladiator Sandals - £55

Jumpsuits are one of those clothing items that I absolutely adore, get the right one and you can pull off a real unique, edgy, chic look effortlessly. There is however a vast sea of camel toe creators and thigh clingers out there to be navigated before finding you're own long lost island of one piece paradise. For me personally, this sheer backed number from ASOS hits all the right buttons, so much so that I hit the check out button and purchased its fine ass. Opps! Shoppers guilt aside, I'm so glad I did. I'm a size 10 with D-cup fun bags, a long body with a little waist and a sizeable hip, bum, thigh zone and jumpsuits can make me look like a lumpy sausage, this one however fits like a dream. The fabric is light, moves gracefully and doesn't give you that material made paunch that some tie waists can create. The sheer back extends to a panel that runs down the outside of both legs and reveals just enough skin to be fashion over flirty.

ERM MA GURD... ERM. MA. GURD. These sunglasses have shot to the top of my wish list. They are both ridiculous and awesome. I don't really have to say much more do I? You can see them. They are right there ^ . HOW FREAKIN' MARVELLOUS ARE THEY?! .... I KNOW! 

On a completely unrelated note...how much do you reckon I can get for my kidney?

The gladiator sandal look is one I've always found tricky. Ankle straps have a tendency to make my legs look less like a those of a leaping gazells and more like the body carriers of an aged elephant. These bad boys from Topshop however have a little cheeky wedge heel hiding at the back, enough to give that all important lift without being overly high, making them day wear appropriate and bearable for those 'rushed off your feet' days.

Cracked Chocolate Brownie Cookies

I stumbled across these bloody delicious morsels on a hunt for dairy free chocolate cake recipes. At first glance I wasn't convinced... Cookies without chocolate chips? Surely thats blasphemy? But these little buggers looked so pretty I figured I'd give it a go anyway, and I'm bloody well glad I did!

Not only do these circular drops of delight look impressive, but they taste phenomenal. You know how the corner bit of a tray of brownies is always extra good due to the 'crust' to gooey centre ratio? Thats what makes these so fantastic. They are wonderfully soft in the centre but have a satisfying hardened (not crunchy mind you...) exterior and the icing sugar coating doesn't just have aesthetic appeal, it really sets off the flavour of the cocoa. Lip smackingly tastey and guaranteed to be gone within minutes, give them a go guys... you will NOT be disappointed. 

Ingredients:

85g Cocoa powder

400g Caster Sugar

250g Plain Flour

125ml Vegetable Oil

2 tsps Vanilla Extract

2 tsps Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

60g Icing Sugar

4 eggs

Quick note before we start boys and girls: Usually I'm a huge advocate of the electric mixer when baking, however with this recipe there is honestly no need for one as its just as easy if not easier by hand. I'd recommend a rubber spatular (like this) over a wooden spoon as its useful when incorporating all the ingredients that get stuck to the sides of the bowl etc.




In a large bowl mix the caster sugar, vegetable oil and cocoa together. Beat in the eggs one at a time and pop the vanilla extract in there too.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl and use folding and figure of eight motions to make sure everything is well and truly mixed.

Cover the bowl over with a clean tea towel and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours (I tend to do all this prep in the evening and then leave it over night so I can have freshly baked cookies the following day).

Once your mixture has chilled the fuck out it's time to get ballin'. First preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Then get a baking tray ready by covering with either a non-stick teflon sheet or some baking parchment. Use a metal dessert spoon to scoop one dollop of chocolatey goodness at a time from the mix and roll into around 2.5 cm balls (don't worry about being exact here, but keeping them roughly the same size looks neater and means they'll all bake evenly).

Add the icing sugar to a small bowl, roll each ball in the powdered white scrumminess so its completely covered and place on your baking tray. Leave a good couple of inches between each sugar coated globe and give every one a little pat on the head just to ensure the cookie will spread slightly (and for being such a good chocolatey ball of yumminess of course).

Bake for around 8-12 minutes. Cookies will 'crack', expand and harden slightly when ready. Use a clean knife and insert into the centre of a chosen test victim, if it comes out clean then whip em out coz those suckers are done, done, done!

NOM.

Cocktail Chronicles - Numero Uno - Amaretto Sours

I honestly don't like Amaretto. It's the marzipan thing. I feel like marzipan is a bit like marmite, love it or hate it. My loathing runs pretty deep for the stuff, wedding cakes are a no go and you can shove off if you think I'm trying any of those miniature fruit shaped versions of the stuff at christmas (what's with that anyway?!?) This cocktail however I bloody love. The amaretto serves the purpose of balancing out the sourness of the lemon, I can't do the taste justice but I can tell you that in my opinion it definitely does not in any way resemble marzipan. This bad boy is super refreshing and far too easy to drink, one WILL lead to another.

Ingredients

100ml Amaretto (4 x 25ml Shot)
1 & 1/2 Lemon (juice only)
1 Egg White
20ml (just under 1 shot) Sugar Syrup *
Ice


*To make sugar syrup just grab a small mug and quarter fill it with caster sugar, then fill to the half way mark with boiling water, stir until the sugar dissolves and leave to cool.


You'll also be needing a small sieve & a Cocktail Shaker. If you don't have one then any container you can get ice cubes into and seal so that the liquid won't escape will do just fine. A washed out large pasta sauce jar would probably work!


FYI: The amounts listed make enough for two of these little wonders. Share with a friend or halve if you're just trying it out for yourself... or don't halve... I didn't halve... in fact let's just forget about the halving ok?


Prep your glasses by filling to about the half way point with roughly crushed ice (if you havn't got an ice crusher pop some cubes into a freezer bag and give em' a whack with a wooden rolling pin) To create this dangerously moorish delight all you need to do is pour the Amaretto, lemon juice, egg white and sugar syrup into the shaker / container, add 4 or 5 ice cubes, seal and shake. Don't be afraid at this point ladies and gents, really give it your all. I'll go for a good 15 to 20 seconds, usually I end up with my face scrunched up in effort and concentration, my feet planted a step or so apart and knees bent for real stability. Sexy huh?

Once you've shaken, rattled and rolled your way outta that comfort zone simply pour through the sieve into the prepared glasses and garnish however you like. Umbrellas, lime slices, glacier cherries, edible glitter, whatever the hell ya fancy! I got a pack of these little paper fruit jobbys from TIGER for £1! AWESOME.

Spring Nail Edit

SUN. FUCKING SUN! Did anyone else see it? It was here. I promise! I don't know when we'll be seeing it again, or how long for, but those few skin licking delicious rays sparked the arrival of spring/summer time for me. They also imparted a deep sense of impending doom (bikini season's drawing near ladies) and the stark realization that my wardrobe does not currently support warmer climates. Shopping for heat friendly clothes is a bit of a mission, finding something cool enough thats office appropriate and in keeping with my personal style is tricky dicky. Updating my nail colours however involves the quick rotation of a (rather large) polish housing drawer and I'm good to go!

The Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine range features heavily in this selection. I love the formula, they are brilliantly opaque after two coats and the colours are just gorgeous. My absolute favourite is the Lilac/Purple 'Prickly Pear', it's just sooooo pretty, and it looks scrumptious on tootsies as well as fingertips. 'Greenberry' the bright turquoise is a close second, it's super vibrant and definitly makes an impact, great for teaming with pretty florals or simple block shifts during the day and making a statement against darker evening styles (in my case usually disco pants and leather jackets). The nearing cult status 'Blueberry' is also b-e-a-utiful as is the deep green 'Watermelon' but a quick word of warning on 'Lychee' the nude, it's not for every skin tone, but does work great as a nail art base.

The two Topshop shades I've included are both blue hues, 'Marine Scene' which as the name suggests, wouldn't look out of place on the hit TV show STINGRAY duh na nur nur nur na... ahem, and 'Windy City' which is almost a muted duck egg tone. 

Rimmel's 60 polish in 'Grey Matter' is an all season staple with me, and the brush on these little guys makes application a dream. Finally there's 'Bon Bon' from Ciaté, a dusky sort of rose. Against pale skin this is absolutely stunning (fantastic for the practically transparent like myself), but once you've got a bit of colour going on I'd pop a shimmer top coat over it to boost the contrast and avoid a 'muddy' look. 

I'm sure I'll end up with a 'Part Deux' to this post so keep a look out, but this my current go to selection.  Now if you'll excuse me I have about 10,000 sit ups to do...

Clockwise from top:

Topshop - Marine Scene

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Watermelon

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Greenberry

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Blueberry

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Prickly Pear

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Lychee

Ciaté - Bon Bon

Topshop - Windy City

Rimmel 60 Seconds - Grey Matter

Nailed it.

I'm about to pop up a spring nail edit type post, but before I do I figured some of you lovely lot might want to know what I use to make a protective type sandwich round my coloured polish and how I go about painting my finger helmets.

For Starters I always make sure I've got all the old polish off before starting a-new. A blank canvas is essential for getting a super smooth finish. I'll use either the Cutex Nail Varnish Remover (£2.20) or my Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover (£4.99) to do this, then make sure I give my hands a good wash and dry.

I then try and pay some attention to my cuticles. I'm trying to find a cuticle remover gel I get on with, I've been trialling the Sally Hansen Cuticle Remover Gel (£6.45) which is alright, but nothing to write home about. If anyone has any suggestions about cuticle removing and softening products please leave them in the comments!

Moving on to shaping my nails, I tend to rock a straight edge with baby-proofed corners (I just take off the sharp edges with a couple of light swipes of the nail file). Then I'll wash and thoroughly dry my hands again and if I'm feeling really professional I'll swipe over the nails with a bit of varnish remover on a clean cotton pad (a tip learnt from Anna of Vivianna Does Makeup, see her full Manicure routine post & video here).

Currently I'm using the O.P.I Original Nail Envy (£18.65 (!)) as a base. I suffer from really flakey nails, by that I mean they don't break so much as separate into layers at the tips and peel off. Ewwwww. I know right? Anyway... O.P.I has actually really helped with this issue. A lot more than I was expecting to be honest. It's not solved the problem completely, but my nails have always been rather weak and I subject them to quite a bit of daily torment so I wasn't expecting a miracle cure.

After one coat of Nail Envy has been applied and completely dried it's on with the colour. I'll do 2 coats of colour with pretty much all my nail varnishes. I can rarely be bothered with three, and if a colour isn't opaque enough after two coats then it usually ends up being given away. I find that too many layers of varnish can encourage that 'peel off' effect? Anyone else get that?

Then it's a topcoat of Seche Vite Dry Fast (£9.00). This little number has caused a bit of a stir in the nail world. There was a lot of hoo-ha about health concerns flying around the place. For some information on this head over to Lacquer Glamour, there's a full run down of the issue and some further reading if you're interested. I did my research into it and decided to take the plunge, risk it, throw caution to the wind, etc. It was a personal choice based on the fact that I subject my body to a lot of other unnatural substances and poisons (queue the one too many montage!), and so long as I don't sit and huff this stuff in an unventilated cupboard I looks like I should be ok. Plus, bless my soul, does this stuff work! Previously I'd been using the Save The Nail Wet Look Top Coat (£6.95), which had served me relatively well. However my nails seem to last longer with Seche Vite, I can go a good few days with only minimal signs of wear appearing round the tips and damn does this stuff dry fast! I swear it's like the road runner of topcoats, and still has a lovely glossy finish. BEEP BEEP.

I've been finishing up with a Boots own nail and cuticle oil (£6.20) that I got in some sort of deal, combo jobby, which has actually been rather disappointing. If anyone has a suggestions about an alternative please let me know. I'm thinking about purchasing the Burts Bees Lemon Cuticle Cream ... ?

So there you have it. Sorry it was a little long winded but I figured I might as well review the products as I went. It's all very well saying what I've been using but it's better to know why right?

The Spring / Summer Nail edit will be up shortly, so keep your eyes peeled (this phrase really freaks me out, I NO WANNA PEEL MA EYES!)!

Finger Candy

Recently I posted about the launch of DIXI's new website, one of my favourite go to stops online for accessories, and well while writing about their new collections I may have accidently, 'oops my finger slipped', type, sort of, bought a couple of things...

I was extremely restrained and just brought a couple of above knuckle rings. I went for sterling sliver in a Wishbone and Plain Band style. I absolutely adore them. They may be slightly more pricey than your average high street option but they aren't going to give you the delightful green fingered 'I'm slowly turning into a Zombie starting with my digits' look. You can wear the rings singularly or mix and match, and they really set off any outfit. I've got quite a harsh style when it comes to jewelry (skulls, geometric shapes etc) and I find these soften and feminize my outfits. The regular rings featured here were a last minute purchase in HnM a stackable 10 Pack that only cost £2.99!!!