Sunday 30 December 2012

Baking box supplies :)

So I am back to blogging and really want to put my all into it whilst juggling everything else :) I plan to do a baking post every Sunday then a beauty related post every Wednesday of course they may be times when there are a lot more posts throughout the week . I decided to start by doing a post on what I Store in my baking box and see as the supplies needed ... for me - everyone's different of course . 
Last Christmas my Parents got me a really cool Joules hamper full of baking goodies. Although some of it is still in the hamper some bits are my own additions.  

Tins: It's best to have a wide range of tins and as you can see I certainly have a different range of tins (yes that is a penis cake tin guys ) It's also useful to have muffin tins, cupcake tins and brownie tins too. 




I have every cookie shape covered Halloween, Christmas ,Easter everything ... I also have a load of glitter just because every one loves glitter . I then have a load of practical bits and pieces spatulas whisks,palette knife and such like. 

Hope you enjoyed this little post and have a lovely week and new year  

Thursday 27 December 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and santa was really great to them. Unfortunately my family had some awful news on Boxing day so i won't be posting for few days thought let you all know :) I will be back in the new year with lots of cakes and bakes, beauty purchases and reviews.
Thank you :)

Sunday 23 December 2012

The Winterlicious 'tag'

I know I said I would post every day until Christmas and I haven't but in my defense I have and I am still ill :( so instead I am put two posts up today . If you watch you tube beauty videos you will probably have seen the winterlicious tag ... I quite like the questions so thought hey you know i'll do it as a blog post so there you are !!

1. Favourite winter nail polish?  Models own Jack Frost its a lovely blue/silver glitter perfect for the festive period 
2. Favourite lip product?  I chose a balm and a lipstick for this. Balm wise I would choose Nuxe Reve de Miel which is worth every penny as it is the only lip balm to make my lips feel better in the winter and it smells delightful. For lipstick I've been loving Revlon Raspberry pie lip butter. 
3. Favourite winter Scent or candle?  For some reason Chanel Mademoiselle always reminds me of Christmas.
4. Favourite winter beverage?  Hot Chocolate especially white Hot Chocolate with marshmallows and cream 
5. Favourite holiday movie?  Easy!!! the Gruffalo I love it yes its not a Christmas film but in the UK it's on every year and in my house we all look forward to it.
6. Favourite Christmas song?   Anything of the Buble Christmas album 
7. Favourite Christmas/holiday treat?  Christmas dinner!!!! I look forward to this all year round
8. Favourite Christmas decoration?  My boyfriend bought me a lovely bauble from the Moomin shop but I left it at uni so I'd say Candy canes or these cute gnomes from IKEA. 
9. Whats on the top of your Christmas list?   Kindle fire HD
10. What are your plans for the holiday? Spending it with the fam <3




Saturday 22 December 2012

Mince pies

Nothing beats a home made mince pie I like the fact that there not all perfect and this recipe is so so simple and tastes amazeballs if I do say so myself  .... I do cheat a little and use a jar of mincemeat but I like to spice it up a little make it a bit more different :)

Ingredients: 
225g COLD butter, diced                               
350g Plain flour 
100g caster sugar 
280g mincemeat 
50g ground almonds 
1/2 apple finely chopped
1 tbsp brandy  
1 egg beaten 

1)So most people would say to make the pastry by hand and yes I normally would but you know Christmas is a busy busy time so I make use of my food processor it's still by hand yes?  So put your butter , flour and sugar in the processor and process(?) until it forms a ball.  you can either chill this or use it straight away it's really up to you 
2) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees . grease a 12 hole cake tin. Put your mincemeat into a bowl and mix in the brandy,almonds and apple 
3) Roll your pastry flat you will need 12 large circles cut out for the bottoms and 12 smaller for the top . Then all you need to do is press the larger ones into the tin then place a teaspoon of mincemeat into the cases and place the smaller ones on top and brush with egg. 
4) Bake for 20 mins when golden allow to cool in the tin and then when cool pop them out and sprinkle with icing sugar.


Bob's your uncle ,easy peasy , enjoy :)                               

Happy baking 



Thursday 20 December 2012

'Christmas time Mistletoe and wine!'

Okay so I don't have any Mistletoe but I do have wine ... Mulled wine to be exact 
Mulled wine is something I used to love the smell of but hate the taste off however as I've got older I've started to enjoy it a bit more. It's such a lovely thing to make from scratch because it fills the house with beautiful Christmas aroma's :)  and can make a nice personal gift.  

Ingredients : 
-2x 75cl  Bottles of red wine I choose Shiraz  
( I don't really know what is best )
- 1L Cloudy apple juice 
-115g Caster Sugar 
- 1 Long cinnamon stick broken in half 
-2 star anise
-1tsbp cloves
- A handful frozen black cherries 
-1 sachet of mulled wine spices 

How to make : 
- Pour the wine and apple juice into a big pan 
and put on a low heat then add your sugar , cinnamon,star anise ,
cloves,fruit,and the mulled wine spices. Heat gently and  stir gently 
to dissolve  the sugar. Continue to heat for 20 minutes 
When  the wine is heated sieve and serve into glasses or bottles. 
I put the left over cherries in the bottles  and put tags and cinnamon 
for nice decoration :) 


ENJOY!!!!! 

P.S I have decided that with it only been 5 days till Santie comes I would blog everyday with some of my  preparations   hope you enjoy  and don't get too 
stressed. 

                                                                                       
                                                                                       



Monday 17 December 2012

Whats in my bag :)

Whats in my bag :
I really love these posts and videos there a really great way of getting to see what a person is like and with that thought i'd show the world whats in my enormous bag :) 
Bag:  I got this bag in September for uni because yes it is huuuuuge but holds all my books and laptop without been too obvious (its also rather good for bashing people out of the way ) 
http://uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_1,acc_1.9/3890094100 ( the bag in question however they don't do it in black anymore)


Cosmetic bits and bobs :

So I carry a little Liz Earle bag full of bits and pieces that I feel may need throughout the day so I have few make up bits such as Liz Earle Skin tint , Clique sample size mascara and a rimmel eyebrow pencil and tweezers these all provide any quick touch ups I may need. 
I also have origins mini ginzing eye cream for little pick me ups , Lucas paw paw ointment, Liz Earle hand cream , a little lush solid perfume : love and Soap and Glory hand gel because I have a weird hatred of wet hands and this smells lush . I then have a cute hello kitty brush and moomin mirror that my house mate bought me last Christmas . 


All The other Bits : 

I also carry a brolly , gloves and sunglasses(prepared for every weather here) my ipod which I mainly use in the car and my house keys(notice the Disney theme) I also have my purse,gum,notes,pens and work bits - bottle opener(I am not an alcoholic its just in there from work :P ) and my cards .  

So there you go hope you enjoyed that insight to my life and have a lovely week in the build up to Christmas :) 






Thursday 29 November 2012

Birthday cupcakes :)

So this week was my housemates 21st and I decided to make some cupcakes to celebrate :)
I made Chocolate orange  and vanilla and thought i'd put up the recipes because if I do say so myself they were bloomin tasty .... 

Vanilla cupcakes :  made 12 large 12 mini 
  • 200g caster sugar 
  • 200g Stork 
  • 240g S-R flour 
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
Really simple 1. cream together the sugar and stork until pale ( this should take a minute or two ) 
2. Add all the ingredients and have a mix up of them all until everything is combined. 
3. fill your chosen cake tin
4. put in the oven at 150 for 15 minutes ( check to see if there done by inserting a skewer or knife if it comes out clean there done ) If they aren't done just put them in for a little bit longer . 
5. When they are ready bring them out of the oven and allow to cool 
VOILA !!

Chocolate orange cupcakes: made 12 large 12 mini 
  • 200g S-R flour 
  • 50g cocoa 
  • 300g caster sugar 
  • 80g stork 
  • 250mls of milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tsp orange juice
  • 1/2 a chocolate orange smashed into chocolate chips 
Simply follow the first steps of the vanilla cupcakes but when it comes to the cooking 
1. Bake at 170 degrees for 20-25 minutes .
2. when done allow to cool :)

Butter icing : 
  • 500g icing sugar 
  • 250g Butter 
  • 1tsp vanilla extract 
  • If you want to make the chocolate icing add 50g cocoa powder and 2tsp orange juice 
Cream your butter until pale and soft then slowly add the icing sugar. Mix (I find doing this with a hand mixer is best) add the vanilla when all the icing is combined and mix until soft and fluffy. ( about 5 mins)
For the chocolate when you add the vanilla also add the cocoa and orange juice :)

Happy baking :)


Wednesday 14 November 2012

MMMM Malteser Brownies

MMMMMMM malteser brownies :) 


These are the finished product, might not be work of art  mind 




So for bonfire night me , my boyfriend and a couple of my housemates decided to have a bonfire feast and sparklers :) my contribution been these yummy brownies and the sparklers . 
WARNING THESE ARE VERY CHOCOLATY BROWNIES!!!





What to buy :  

  • 180g Butter 
  • 200g dark chocolate (broken into chunks)
  • 100g milk choclate( broken into chunks)
  • 75g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 50g cocoa powder 
  • 220g soft light brown sugar 
  • 3 beaten eggs 
  • 150g Maltesers 
Lets get baking : 
1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease line your choose tin ( I find a 20cmx20cm one best)
2. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a pan once melted allow to cool for 5 mins 
3. Place flour,baking powder ,cocoa and sugar and combine. When the buttery chocolate mixture is cool add to your try ingredients . Crack in your eggs and fold into the mix
4. Stir in the milk choclate, some whole and some crushed maltesers ( I am thinking next time I will try white chocolate chunks instead of milk)
5. Pour into your tin and bake for 30 mins.
6. Serve with a sprinkling of icing sugar and indulge 

Happy baking  best enjoyed with a glass of milk :)




Monday 5 November 2012

DIOR SKIN NUDE

DIOR SKIN NUDE (shade 20) : 

So again this was a bit of a whim whim buy because of I was feeling down with uni deadlines and job applications so I decided on this cheeky purchase without fully understanding the price ... OOPS !!!

    What they say :

  • SPF 15 
  • £31.00 
  • All skin types 
  • Hydrating
  • Gives a subtle velvet finish with the right amount of coverage , helps to reveal skins texture whilst adding a natural shine free radiance perfect for a natural glow. 
What I say : 

I think that £31 is quite a lot for a foundation however when you consider the brand and the packaging it's not too bad . Personally I do think it would be suitable for all skin types as it isn't to oily and does give a nice even coverage. I love the glow and finish it gives my skin and I can sometimes get away with not using a highlighter over the top. However I do think that for nights out I do prefer the YSL Teint touche eclat foundation just for the staying power. It is however great as a slightly pricey day time/evening foundation . 

Hope you enjoyed my first review type post as i enjoyed writing about it :) I'm hoping for a trip to the trafford centre at the weekend which will no doubt equate to few cheeky purchases ... hopefully these will be a fully thought out purchase. I also had a bit of a baking session over the weekend for a flat bonfire party ... so coming up will be MALTEASER BROWNIE RECIPE AND mini cupcakes ...