Boots - a love/hate relationship!

Hey Chums!

I was in Boots last week and allowed myself a mini splurge, I love it, my bank account hates it!! Haha!

It was my friends hen night and so I thought that deserved a few new bits and bobs, as you do...

I finally bit the bullet and purchased a few Real Techniques brushes! Squeeeeee! I got the core collection and a rather giant powder brush, both from the your base/flawless range, I will post the links to each item on the boots.com site, however, do shop around! I think I will chat about these in another post though or we will be here all night!

I also got the smashbox 'It's your prime' kit.  I have been tempted by their 'try it kit' before but was put off by the fact that it had a lipgloss and a mascara that I probably wouldn't use, so I was delighted to discover this newly released kit.  I had originally wanted to try and get a small size of The Porefessional by Benefit but the sales assistant wasn't particularly helpful.

The smashbox products were very dinky but I had expected more than just a box with the products wrapped in a square of black tissue paper, perhaps even just a leaflet or directions for use?

I was going to be wearing a red dress with black and gold accessories and so I felt this was a great opportunity to try out one of the Kate for Rimmel lipsticks.  This is pretty brave for me as I'm usually a Benetint kinda gal! I got the shade 111 which seemed to be the most true red.

I tried the Kate Matte Lipstick but something about it didn't click with me, I'm not sure what though.  The coverage was fine, the texture was nice, it was pretty matte without being drying and chalky but I just wasn't quite feeling it.  I ended up using a really old lipstick I have had for ages, which wasn't a matte finish.  I don't even know if this shade exists anymore (certainly is not on boots.com) but I think I preferred it as it has a slight blue tone to it, which can help make your teeth look a bit whiter (allegedly!)

I also picked up L'oreal Elnett 'So Sleek' Hairspray, it was 2 for £4 for the little ones but I only bought one as I hardly ever use hairspray. I wouldn't normally wear it out but I was curling my hair and need a lot of help to keep the curl in my fine hair.

For my Nails, I used OPI 'From Me to Q' which is a creme red, I felt very glam with this on my fingers which is not at all what I expected as I usully avoid red on my fingernails! This went on really well and was totally opaque in two coats.

The bracelets were from accessorize and I thought they would break up the red nicely and are simple enough that they will work with loads of other outfits.

Jewellery wise, I also got some hoop type earrings from new look and they were useless! The clasps did nothing to keep them in my ears and so by the time I got to the bar, they were in my bag! 

This is the dress I bought...

It was really comfortable and was only dress number 5 or 6 that I bought! (the rest have now gone back to the shop!)

I wore it with black, high waisted spanx tights, which I didn't feel were particularly worth the hefty £39 price tag.  You can usually get them online for cheaper but as I was needing them for that very night, that was no use! 

I also just wore a pair of black New Look shoes, a new look bag (like this but without all the stud detailing bits, it was more of a black snakeskin) and a black blazer from ASOS (they sent the wrong size but thankfully it was too big rather than too little!)

Again, this has turned out much longer than expected but I hope you enjoy it!

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Wakey wakey to some cakey cakey!

Hey Chums,

The title of this post is not suggesting you should have cake for breakfast but if that's how you roll...marry me?!

Today I am going to post a tried and tested coconut sponge cake recipe, it's not very fancy but every time I have made it, it has been a success (not to mention yummy!)

You will need:

175g softened butter
175g caster sugar
175g self raising flour
1.5 tsp of baking powder
3 beaten eggs
50g dessicated coconut
2 tbsp coconut milk or single cream

What to do:

*Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
*Butter two 20cm cake tins and line the bottoms with baking paper
*Mix together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powders and eggs until smooth
*Add the coconut and cream and fold gently into the mix
*Divide the mixture between the two tins and smooth down the tops
*Bake for approx. 25 mins until the cakes are golden ( a toothpick poked in the centre should come out with no cake mixture stuck to it, if there is, pop it back in the oven for a wee minute)
*Loosen the edges by taking a knife round the sides and leave in the tin for 5 minutes
*Turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before icing

For the Icing:

280g icing Sugar
100g softened butter
3 tbsp cream

*Mix all three ingredients together until lovely and smooth! I usually halve the amount of this as it makes loads!

Once you have your cooled sponges, pick your bottom sponge and spread some jam across it (raspberry is best). I usually take the top sponge and put extra icing on the underside and then sandwich that with the jammy side.  Once happy, ice the cake until your heart is content.

Finish with dessicated coconut sprinkled over the top and a glace cherry!

Et voila!

A yummy, scrummy, crumbly cake!

I hope this inspires you, or makes you hungry?!

Hugs,

Jodi 

xxx

Me vs Technology! Grrr!!

Hey Chums,

So I feel I should point out that when it comes to technology and the likes - I am clueless!! Starting this blog is somewhat of an achievement for me and although it's not perfect by any means, it serves its purpose, it allows me to rant and rave about the things I love!

Working a 9-5 job pays the bills but my passion has always been beauty and I would sincerely love to chat to like-minded souls as not many of my friends share my obsession interest!

One day, hopefully, I will have a beautifully laid out blog but until then I hope that the words and content can suffice!

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Don't Fear The Glitter!

Hey Chums!

So, it's sunday night which means only one thing... I need to take off my nail polish for work tomorrow! Boooooo!

On my nails today is Nails Inc. Nottinghill Gate, which is a fab neon pink and I have OPI Servin' Up Sparkle as a reverse gradient on my thumbs - I really wanted something bright, fun and sparkly as it has been so wonderfully sunny!

My hands are a complete mess after moving furniture and tidying up for most of the weekend!

Now I face the dilemma of getting the polish off my nails with the least amount of hassle possible - enter the 'foil method'

The 'foil method' is the most foolproof method of removing stubborn glitter from your nails and I will show you how to do it! Hurrah!

Firstly, Get your tools - you will need nail polish remover, cotton wool, scissors and tin foil.  Sorted? Let's do this!

Next, Cut your cotton wool into nail size pieces - I usually get four out of one pad, and cut or tear your tin foil into strips (number of strips depends on how many glittery fingers you have!)

 After this, Apply a small amount of nail polish remover to each piece of cotton wool and place on the nail

Then, give it a space hat! By this, I mean wrap a strip of tin foil around the piece of cotton wool

Nearly there! Watch your cat try to play with the tin foil for a wee minute or five...

Binx loves tin foil! I roll it up into balls and he kicks them about like little footballs! 

And Voila! After five or so minutes, you should be able to remove your polish in one fell swoop.  

 The polish used in this picture heavy post is 'Dutch ya just love opi' by OPI and although it is not full on sparkle sparkle, it does have a gold shimmer running through it which can be a pest to remove!!

My favourite way of doing this is to get all my bits and bobs together, run a bath, get in said bath, slap on a face mask, apply the foils and relax in the bath! 

I hope you have had a lovely weekend!

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

A helping hand...

Hey Chums!

I work in a hospital and to stop the spread of infection from patient to patient, we have to wash our hands a gazillion times a day.  Along with this we also have to use the alcohol gel and put on those disposable gloves  which is all pretty harsh on our poor hands!

I had heard about a hand cream which had been developed specifically for hardworking hands, by a nurse, called Yes! Nurse.  I very cheekily asked them for a trial size sample for one of my colleagues who had been really suffering with dermatitis and broken skin and the lovely people sent me a full size product.

It arrived super quick and in possibly the best ever packaging I have seen for a handcream! 

All the clinical staff who tried it in my department really, really liked it.  It had a lovely, subtle scent, It is quite a thick, luxurious feeling cream but dries in really quickly and leaves little to no residue behind which is absolutely great if you need to quickly get some gloves on! The cream is full of natural ingredients to help skin recover such as Manuka honey, almond seed oil and aloe vera.

All in all a lovely cream and I think I am going to be signing up to receive this as a subscription to keep in a drawer in my department.

Hugs,

Jodi 

xxx

P.s. if you decide you want to keep it all to yourself, the tube is quite pocket friendly! 

Is it orange? Is it pink? Is it red?

Hey Chums,

We have started getting sunshine here in the North East! Yayayay! I hope you are too, wherever you may be!

I love that no matter how casual and comfy you dress, having your nails done can really lift your spirits.  It's during these summer months that I love wearing coral nail polish, it can look a variety of different colours in a day. It can look red but then the sun can hit it and the orange leaps through, it keeps your hands looking classy but with an edge AND I have yet to see a skintone that doesn't suit it!

I only have two coral nail polishes but I like them so much that I don't feel the need to go out hunting for more (although there are some gorgeous lighter coral ones on the go just now from Barry M and Maybelline and Rimmel, haha, maybe I will end up buying more!)

Essie's Peach Daiquiri in the shade (trying to be a bit artsy on instagram!)

Barry M Coral in sunlight at the beach! :-)

The two as neighbours

The Peach Daiquiri by Essie is leans more towards the pink end of the coral spectrum whereas the Coral Barry M is definitely more orange-y red.  Both are lovely and the formulas are great.  Although I'm a huge devotee to O.P.I, I have quite small nails and the Barry M and Essie brushes are easier to use for me.

I hope you enjoyed these comparisons and it has spurred you to go get some happy hands!!

Hugs,

Jodi 

xxx

Food, Glorious Food!

Hey Chums!

Just a quickie today, oh er! I fell out of love with the beauty boxes that were doing the rounds, there were too many perfume samples which you could easily get at Debenhams and sachets that contained 1ml of product (how can you tell if something is effective from 1ml?!).  Instead, I got myself a foodie box which my partner and myself could both enjoy!

A girl on one of the facebook groups that I am a member of had a discount code for a flavourly box which meant I could get the box delivered for only £10 when usually, including delivery, it would be £20. So, I signed up and awaited my box with great anticipation!

And it arrived! It was well packaged and had the usual leaflets giving you information about each individual product.  The box contained a whole range of items and they actually seemed like a proper treat 'cause they were a bit posh!

In my box was:

• Mike's Homemade Chutney in Carrot and Cumin
• The Bluebird Tea Co. tea in Hot Mama Jama
• Just Live A Little Granola in Apple and Cinnamon flavour (webiste under construction?)
• Patchwork Pate Apple Chutney with Hobgoblin Ale and a Touch of Ginger
• Patchwork Pate Spelt Organic Oat Fingers 
• Elements for Life Yummy Scrummy Raw Chocolate Brownie
• Melting Pot Dark Chocolate and Ginger Fudge
• RoasterB Coffee Co. London Blend Fairtrade Coffee

The box was a lovely little 'gourmet' experience which both my partner and myself could enjoy...and my mum and my step-dad and my work chums! My favourites were the oat fingers, lovely and smooth and perfect for dipping in my houmous! The coffee was a hit with the coffee drinkers, I really don't like coffee, won't even go into coffee shops because of the smell but I LOVE the smell of this one and even tried a sip (turns out I still don't like coffee!!).  The Chutneys went down a storm with the girls at work although some said the ginger one was a touch too gingery. The brownie was nice and moist and settled my sweet tooth with the hit of cocoa. The fudge was really different and you could really taste the ginger but the consistency and texture were lovely. The tea was infused with lime and chilli and a whole host of other exotic ingredients and was really refreshing, a really nice palette cleanser. The only thing I haven't tried yet is the granola, I like granola but I don't like the stuff you have with it so that it's not dry as a bone such as yogurt (does milk even 'go' with granola?! 

One thing I will say, is that I have seen a few comments about Flavourly.com's customer service letting them down, so if you do decide you would like to try it, I would perhaps only take out a rolling month-by-month subscription so that you can cancel straightaway if there are any problems.  

If you do decide to subscribe, there are often codes for first time customers - try GIFT10 for £10 off.

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx