24/12/2014

MINCE PIE MAKING // 1 DAY TO GO

Mince pies (not made with mince meat..) are one of my favourite parts of Christmas. For the last day of my ''countdown'' to Christmas, I decided to discuss mince pies; which will be set out especially for Santa's snack tonight. I just love the warm, festive taste and how Christmass-y I think it feels making them. (Because, of course, mince pies must be homemade...)


To be honest, I think everyone knows how to make mince pies; but, I want to point out one particular recipe I used (and successfully completed) this year: link here. This recipe is fabulously easy and simple to follow, yet it gives great results (in particularly the delicious pastry)! I hope you choose to make these Winter treats - they won't disappoint.


 Lastly, I hope you have a..
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

23/12/2014

DIY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS // 2 DAYS TO GO

One of my personal favourite parts about the Winter Season is the weeks leading up to Christmas. I lovvvve dressing up my room Christmas themed and decorating the tree with all things festive. For those reasons I wanted to share some DIY's for this year...

Pinecones
Found in almost every craft store (or outside..), pinecones can make a great addition to a room and create a rustic vibe. To amp up your pinecones add dainty ribbon, bows and/or glitter. Pinecones can be hung on a Christmas tree or thrown into a basket (either would look fab)!


 Dried Oranges
Oranges look great in wreaths, on trees and generally around the house. I think it's due to the bright - and cosy - orange colour. (It really adds to a classic atmosphere). So, you're going to need: 3 oranges; and oven; a sharp knife; icing sugar (you'll find out why soon) and a chopping board.
     You will need to slice the oranges thinly, at around 1cm, to ensure the best results. Afterwards, I squeezed out any extra juices from the oranges with tissue (this reduces the drying time). Next, dust the icing sugar over the slices (this increases the shine on top) and pop in the oven (setting the timer for 1 and a half hours). During this time, you will need to keep an eye on the oven and turn the slices over if needed.
     Once cooled, with a cocktail stick poke holes in the orange slices, and then thread with pretty ribbon. Lastly, I used a glue gun (from HobbyCraft) to neatly finish the decoration and secure the ribbon in place.


Bauble Revamp
To ''jazz'' up an older plain bauble start by cutting away the ribbon that was previously tied around the decoration. Then, re-thread with thicker ribbon and tie in a bow.

For the leftover decorations..
Due to the fact these decorations could quite possibly fill a mansion, you will be quite likely to have extras.. To take advantage of this, I took the remaining decorations, emptied a used candle jar and then tied (my fave) red/white striped string around it.

Follow my BlogLovin' here to be updated when I upload my ''1 DAY TO GO'' post!

VOILA. I hope you enjoyed my last-minute Xmas Decs. 
Merry Christmas!

First MAC Lipstick // 'Retro'

The first MAC lipstick I have ever bought is.. 'Retro': a vintage, rustic deep orange-y-red. Perfect. Retro, in my opinion is such a lovely shade (and name) and therefore justifies the price tag - it's like no other! I do, also, think this will be my lipstick of choice for Christmas Day (ooh, what an honour..) and I think it will be a dream to wear. Take a look at some photos I took below.. And prepare yourself for the ''2 DAYS TO GO'' post for my Christmas Countdown (read yesterdays here) which will be uploaded soon.

22/12/2014

RUDOLPH NAIL ART TUTORIAL // 3 DAYS TO GO

For the next following days I will be uploading a Christmas themed post counting down the days until the 25th.. So, today I give you ''3 days to go'' - a Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer nail tutorial. Enjoy!

You will need:
A berry red nail varnish (Barry M Raspberry)
A light brown nail varnish (Claire's)
A dark (shimmery) brown nail varnish
A dark (shimmery) red nail varnish
A nude nail varnish
A few cocktail sticks/nail art brushes


1. Waiting between paints, apply the berry shade to all nails (apart from your ring finger and middle finger) using 2/3 coats. For the two other nails you will need to use the nude shade - this will probably be more than 3 coats.

2. Using the brown colour, paint half the nail (only on the nude nails) and round the edges: as to create your Reindeer's head. You will also need to add some ears (which can be tricky - so this is where the cocktail sticks come in..). For the antlers you need to use a very thin, small brush and not much of the dark brown nail varnish.

3. Then for the noses!! You'll only need a small red stroke for this (I used a glittery polish but you don't have to). Lastly, dot a white circle (for the eyes) and a small black pupil right in the centre.


Follow me via BlogLovin' here to be updated when I upload another festive post tomorrow!

13/12/2014

Budget Quad Palette: NYC



Anyone searching after a similar product to the Wet'n'Wild palettes? Well I've got you covered: the NYC Broadway quad looks and feels like the Wet'n'Wild offering - but it's available in pretty much every Superdrug in the UK (meaning it isn't only reserved for Americans)..

Broadway has four shades: the first, a shimmery champagne; second, a red-toned taupe (the most used); third, plum and the fourth is a matte black (with the least pigmentation). The first 3, I use more often - due to the fact the black doesn't have great colour payoff.

At £2.99, the Broadway palette is a bargain - perfect for both makeup collectors and beginners. Find the other shades of the NYC Colour Palette here (also cleverly named after an area in New York).

08/12/2014

REVIEW // Hydraluron


If there's one skincare product you need this Winter: it's something that will enhance the power of your moisturizer and increase hydration to the maximum. That's where Hydraluron comes in.

Designed by the brand Indeed Labs, Hydraluron ''increases skin hydration from below the surface with an ultra high-quality hydraluonic acid that holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water''. Basically, after using Hydraluron your skin should be ''plumped'', refined and glowing. In my opinion, I think this is a fabulous product to really amplify my daily moisturizer - thumbs up from me!


Find Hydraluron here via the Boots website (and check out the other products in the range..).