Because winter hates your lips?...

Back in January, I may have purchased a few bits in the feelunique sale, one of which was the much raved about Reve de Miel ultra nourishing lip balm by Nuxe.

Walking to and from work in the cold Aberdeen air can really take it's toll on your skin in general and I found that my lips were in desperate need of some nourishment rather than just a barrier (such as vaseline).

The product weighs in at 15g and comes in a rather nice , frosted glass tub.  Retrospective thinking here but I would have preferred to try the stick version as it's more hygienic than dipping my fingers in but as it's just me that uses it and I apply it after I have brushed my teeth and washed my hands, I shan't worry too much.

 

When I opened it, I was really surprised at how solid it is and that actually put me off a little.  I felt I really had to work to get the product out and then felt I was dragging it across my lips.  I've since seen somewhere that there is almost like a skin across the top and once you get past that, it's a bit easier to use.  

 

Containing honey, plant oils, shea butter and grapefruit essence, this is a heavy duty lip balm.  What I really quite like about this is that it is matte and it doesn't change the colour of your lips nor does it give them that white look that can happen if you put on a tad too much (probably because it's too stiff to put on too much!).

I can put this on at night time and still feel it on my lips in the morning, it's not sticky as such but it does make your lips feel coated.  I'm not so fond of it as a slick on after lunch kinda thing but as an overnight 'treatment' if you like, it is very effective.

Tested in the extreme weather conditions in Canada, I would recommend this if you are going to bracing the elements whether it be walking to work or going ski-ing, this balm offers long lasting protection and nourishment and the scent isn't too overpowering either.

Do you have a  favourite cold weather lip balm?

Have you tried any of Nuxe's products?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Old cats are cold cats!

With winter upon us, my little tooter, Honey, is really starting to feel the cold.  It doesn't help that her belly is still quite bald from where she over grooms.

This is a really important time of year not just to keep yourself cosy but also to keep your pussy cats cosy. If your cats are outdoor cats please, please make sure they have a reflective collar, preferably with your number on it and if they go awol, please check in surrounding sheds etc as they will try and find a warm (or less draughty) spot. 

As Honey is now about 14 years old and very little (3.2kgs) it's important that we give her a little help to keep warm (I think it is anyway!) 

So I bought her a hoody... I know, I'm mental! I got this off of amazon but I actually think it is too small for her but at least I know she wasn't totally against wearing it! This is really for dogs more than cats but the selection for cats is minimal.  

I also had a therapeutic heat pad lying around from when I used to get a lot of backache and so this is like her own electric blanket that I put on for a while at night, they have these in Argos for £29.99 which actually sounds like quite a lot but you can get them from eBay and amazon ( you can get waterproof ones!)  I use the scarves that I got from poundland for my Cheshire Cat outfit a few weeks ago.  

As for the boys, they are in the livingroom next to the radiator, or on the sofa, or on our bed... They can sleep anywhere and if they are feeling the cold they often snuggle up together - so cute! 

I'll sleep on the sofa then...

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

P.s. This has been posted on my ipad and so apologies for lack of links and unformatted pics! 

(Kinda) Homemade Lasagne

Hey Chummers,

So tonight I thought I would post a winter warmer of a recipe that is pretty easy whilst can also make you feel quite cheffy and like you have actually cooked something.  And it's yum!

Lasagne, yum yum yum! For this recipe I have used beef mince but you could use quorn or any other type of mince (think lamb would be a bit weird though, I am perhaps biased because I can't stand lamb.)

First up, I chopped up an onion, about 4 garlic cloves, some celery (bleurgh!) and grated some carrot. You can add peppers, courgette and any other veg you fancy really.

I put a wee glug of olive oil into a pan and put the pan on medium/high heat.  I then added the onions and celery and cooked them for a few minutes until they started to soften. Then I added the garlic and the carrot and again, left them to cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally so that things didn't start burning.

I then added the mince and let that cook through (known as browning it as the mince will go from pink to brown when cooked).   

Once the mince was suitably browned, I added a beef stock cube crumbled over the top and stirred it all in.  After that, I added a glug of red wine, a sprinkle of oregano and then after a minute or two, I added a good squirt of tomato puree and a tin of chopped tomatoes.

I never used to cook with wine, in fact, the very thought of having wine in my food would have really put me off but it definitely adds lots to the flavour of a dish.  The trick is to put the wine in before the rest of the 'wet' ingredients so that the alcohol can burn off a little (don't worry, that doesn't mean there should be flames!!)

Tomato puree is a handy ingredient to have in your cupboard and if you have an ice cube tray, it doesn't have to go to waste either.  I find the tubes of puree burst easily and so I pop the remainder into an ice cube tray and then you have handy little portions that you can just throw in your pan.

These were the last of the tomatoes off of our little tomato plant and so I just quartered them and popped them in the pan too.  I love cherry tomatoes, I can sit and eat them like most people would eat grapes or minstrels! Lastly, once everything else is in the pan, add a bay leaf or two.

I cheated with the white sauce! Shame on me, I know.  Usually I would make my own sauce but time was of the essence when I made this.  I use fried lasagne sheets but fresh ones are good too, or you could even make your own but you would need a pasta machine etc.  I grated some cheddar and got a small amount of parmesan cheese (just a smidge though as too much can make your sauce taste a bit sicky!)

Now onto the construction...

I layer in the bolognese type mixture *REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE BAYLEAF*.

The longer you can leaf the bolognese mix simmering on a low heat, the better, especially if you are using quorn mince.  

Layer on your pasta sheets

Then spread some of the white sauce across the pasta sheets and top with a sprinkling of parmesan and a handful of cheddar. 

Keep building it up with bolognese, pasta and white sauce until you have almost reached the top of the dish and then your done.  You don't want it too close to the edge because then it may bubble over and make a mess of your oven.  

Top it off with a couple of handfuls of cheddar and another small sprinkling of parmesan.

Cook for about 30-40 mins or until it is golden brown at a temperature of about 180 degrees C.

It may look a bit like a dogs dinner but it tastes yummy, the cheese is all melty, the white sauce is gooey and the bolognese has the flavour of the oregano and bay leaves to give it a herby edge.

Several things to note;

• I don't tend to measure ingredients for dishes like this, I just go with the flow
• you don't have to put wine in it
• I usually put black pepper in to season but never usually use salt, beef mince can be quite salty as it is.

Let me know if you give this a try, it's great for a winter night with some salad and some garlic bread.  To make the salad a bit more exciting you could add some toasted pine nut over the top.

Whats your favourite winter comfort dish?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Weekend Mani #4

Following on from last weeks foray into textured nails I happened across the Velvet Goth Collection by models own.  I only bought one from the collection as I also had my eye on one of the Artistix Duo's and it was a 2 for £8 offer in boots the other week.

I went for the green which is called 'Absinthe' and it is an emerald green glitter which dries semi-matte.  I love this colour, something about it reminds me of the evil queen from Snow White.  The velvet cap is a nice touch too, I may have to collect the rest of the collection!

The polish went on pretty well, it is packed with small green and black glitters and possibly silver, I couldn't quite tell as the sparkle was so intense!  Also in the mix was a slightly lighter green, larger glitters which gives this polish another dimension.  

I couldn't get this as neat as I would have liked but I think with larger glitters that is always the case.  The one and only bugbear I have with larger glitters in polishes like these is that if they land on the free edge of the nail, they can catch and cause the polish to chip.

The polish dries quickly and dries down to a demi-matte finish.  The texture when it dries is not particularly rough, which is great for those of you who don't like the feel of textured nails

My mani unfortunately chipped quite a bit and so I had to fill in the tips the next morning.  I ended up putting my trusty Seche Vite over the top to make it last as I was off work for four days.

All in all, I love this colour and I think it's a great winter colour.  The rest of the collection is also gorgeous and for the price they are really good.  The bottles are so easy to store and identify with their cutesy caps too.

Have you tried any of the Velvet Goth collection?

What colours will you be wearing for autumn/winter?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx