Blue Nail Polish

So, I have been doing quiet a lot of shopping recently, I think more over the last week than the past month, which makes me very happy. I would love to upload photos of what I bought but of course the internet is so slow and last time it took hours, so I will just talk about it. 

First of all, I bought some blue nail polish from target, it is just a random brand and was $3 because I don't believe in paying over $10 for nail polish. I just put it on and am not sure that I like it, but at the same time the colour is very nice. I got two big rings from Lovisa, which is a relatively new budget jewellery store with really nice stuff. I really like it there and if I had an in-finant amount of money I could go crazy!! I also bought a top for summer and some other 'bohemian' jewellery from equip. Pretty much it was a good shopping day and I am not broke at the end of it which makes it even better. 

I also received my ASOS items today which I am over the moon with, not only do the swimmers fit perfectly but the bag is really nice and  surprisingly big. The swimmers are very flattering and have a one strap which acts as a halter neck. There is also a bit of a 'boob' supporter which for anyone who is bigger than a B cup is a god send! The bag is fantastic, the strap is surprisingly log and it will take me a while to get used to it but it is still a great and roomy bag!!

Love and luck

xxxx

Friendship

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" Victor Borge

"The road to a friends house is never long" Danish Proverb

"Good times made better and bad times forgotten due to the healing magic of friendship" Meave Binchy

"A friendship can grow on the most unlikely and barren ground"Maeve Binchy

"A single rose can be my garden ... a single friend, my world" Leo Buscaglia 

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless" Mother Teresa




Love and luck
xxxxxx

Cranberry Almond Loaf

I made this recipe the other day and found it was a really nice cake/loaf thing.  I found it on the back of a cranberry packet from Woolworth's.

Ingredients:

• one and a half cups of self raising flour
• three quarters of a cup of brown sugar
• one cup of cranberries
• two thirds of a cup of chopped almonds 
• one third of olive oil
•  two eggs
• one third of a cup of milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius
2. grease and line a twenty cm loaf pan 
3. in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cranberries and almonds
4. in a separate bowl, whisk together oil, eggs and milk
5. gently add to flour mixture and stir until just combined 
6. spoon into loaf pan and bake for fifty minutes 
7. stand cake for five minutes in pan, then remove and place on wire rack to cool

This cake was good but I did find it a little dry so maybe try adding more oil or milk. I also (because I like icing) added the icing I use for my Red Velvet cupcakes (see below)

Happy baking!

Love and luck

xxxx

Shopping Expeditions

Today I went shopping which was very exciting to get out of the study books and spend some money. I found a really nice kaftan for my beach holidays and it matches both my swimmers and my hat which makes me extra happy. It was from Myer and the brand is Zazou which I think is exclusive to Myer. It was quite cheap at $50 and really light material which means it will dry quickly. I couldn't find a picture on the internet so had to take one of my own, which I am sorry for because I am not very good at photography. 

I bought two other tops bother from Miss Shop. I find Miss Shop is relatively good priced and reasonable and the things I buy there last long. I was just looking for some summer casual tops to go with some shorts. One was $30 which was just a simple floral top and the other was $50 and had quite a lot of lace at the back. Once again unfortunately I had to take the photos myself so they aren't very good. 

This is the $30 top, it is really nice material and this picture probably doesn't flatter it. 

This is the back of the $50 top. I did take one of the front but didn't turn out very well, but the front is pretty much the same but without the lace. 

Sorry about the lack of blogging recently internet has been extremely slow and I have been really lazy and tired.

Love and luck

xxxx

Inspirational Quote

'It always never seems possible until it is done' - don't know who said it

Love and Luck 

xxxx

Clean Start Review

I have been recently using a product suggested by my beautician called Clean Start. The brand of the product is dermalogica and then the clean start range targeting at teenagers. 

I have used the clean start skin kit, which comes with a spray called all over clear, a cleanser called wash off, a face mask called ready set scrub!, a cream called bedtime breakouts and a moisturiser called welcome matte spf 15. 

I know it sounds like a lot of products and I was a little unsure about using them all twice a day but I got used to it and my skin is a lot more hydrated. This start up kit is a bit small I found and only lasted a few weeks. But dermalogica does provide larger bottles for purchase if you are happy with the start up kit. I would suggest this product but did have a few little issues with it that I think people should be aware of. It takes up to four weeks to work and with the size of the product didn't give it enough time to have its full effect. But the creams did reduce redness, irritation and dry skin which was a positive for me. I wasn't a massive fan of the cleansers it came with, I found they were a bit superficial with their cleaning, I think my favourite products out of this set was the face mask and the bedtime breakouts cream. The face mask really moisturised my face and left me feeling refreshed and ready for the day. The bedtime breakouts cream is more of a gel type substance and left me waking up with a moisturised face. Out of five I would probably give this product a 3.5. It has many positive elements but as with anything has its negatives. I feel thats what it was like with my skin but of course it would change depending on the type of skin you have. 

Hope this is helpful!

Love and luck

xxxx

Online Shopping

Of course, because I am house bound, I needed to a bit of online shopping. This lead me to the highly advertised new Australian ASOS website! And may I say the current sales they have are fantastic with massive savings. Here is the website: http://www.asos.com/au/Women/

Because I am going away on numerous beach holidays within the next few months I decided I should stock up on new swimmers, hats, bags etc. On the weekend while out for brunch I actually bought a really nice, simple broad brimmed hat which I have wanted for 12 months but never really found the right one. I got it from the ripcurl shop in Manly and even though I hate those brands like Billabong, Roxy etc. this hat is actually quite nice and doesn't have a massive logo on it, which is mainly what I hated about the brand. I had to match the hat to my pair of swimmers that I got last season, unaware that I would buy new ones today. They aren't extravagant swimmers or anything, just black and white polka dots but had to find something that worked with the kinda of 50s theme of styling. The hat below is similar to what I bought (I couldn't find an exact image). Mine is black and the scarf around it black and white matching my swimmers. I was really happy with this find and can't wait to get out in the sun and use it.

Back to ASOS, today I bought a pair of black swimmers and a bag. I felt I needed another pair of swimmers and wanted to buy a kaftan to match but unfortunately didn't really like any of them, so will have to keep looking. The swimmers were quiet cheap at $23 and hopefully they are good material etc (keep you updated). 

The bag I bought because I am going overseas and needed something that was more secure than what I have, this bag looked perfect being not to big but big enough to fit everything I need and having lots of zippers so it would be harder for people to access. 

So I got the bag in brown (this colour is red in the picture) and hopefully the leather will be ok and everything, so have high expectations with the $30 price tag though. 

That is pretty much all I have bought in 6months, which is pretty much driving me insane due to the lack of clothes that I have to wear so I will more than likely be going crazy with all the cheap clothes in hawaii.

Love and luck

xxx

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am in a very cooking/foodie mood (promise this will be my last recipe post for a while), I have just made some chocolate biscuits and about to embark on dinner. But before I even decide what I should make for dinner I thought I should do a post today as (sorry!!!) I missed yesterday after 5hrs of exams. Below is my famous (amoungst 10 people) Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe, this can also be made as a cake if you like by just putting all the mixture together. The key when making Red Velvet Cakes is to whisk the butter and sugar really well, otherwise they will be very heavy. Happy baking!!!

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

YOU WILL NEED

Cupcakes

60 g Unsalted Butter, room temp

150 g Caster Sugar

1 large Egg, lightly beaten

10 g Cocoa Powder

20 ml Red Food colouring, gel/paste

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

120 ml Buttermilk

150 g Plain flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Bicarb Soda

1 1/2 teaspoon White wine Vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting

300 g Icing sugar, sifted

50 g Unsalted butter, room temp

125 g Cream Cheese, slightly softened

Makes 12

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 170c. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with patty cases.
2. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well mixed.
3. In a small bowl, mix the food colouring, cocoa powder and vanilla extract until it makes a thick paste.
4. Add the paste to the butter mixture and beat thoroughly until the colour is mixed evenly through the batter. Be sure to scrape down any stray batter from the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The mix should be a deep rose pink/red.
5. On slow speed, slowly add half the buttermilk until well mixed then add half the flour until well mixed. Repeat for the remaining milk and flour, beating until the mixture is smooth.
6. Add the salt, bicarb and vinegar, turning up the speed and beating for a couple more minutes.
7. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of mixture into each paper cases until no more than two-thirds full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top of a cupcake bounces back when lightly touched. (A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean).
9. Once the cupcakes have cooled slightly in the tray, remove them and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese frosting.
10. In a food processor or electric mixer, beat the icing sugar and butter until well mixed.
11. Dice the cream cheese into smaller cubes then add to the mix, beating until completely combined.
12. On medium-high speed, continue beating the frosting until it becomes light and fluffy. This takes around five minutes.
13. When the cupcakes are cold, pipe the cream cheese frosting on top, or use an icecream scoop to dollop the frosting on the stunning red-domed cupcakes.

Love and Luck

xxxxx

Moroccan Eggplant Salad

So I am not exactly sure where this recipe came from, possibly from a magazine. Anyway, today was my last day before HSC starts (5hrs of exams tomorrow :( ) so it was going to be inevitable that I did a bit of comfort cooking to calm my nerves. We had a massive eggplant in the fridge so I decided upon making this Moroccan Eggplant Salad. I found that it was really good and would happily make it again!

Ingredients:

• 3 eggplants, sliced into 1cm thick rounds (or 1 big one like I had)
• 1 handful flat leaf parsley 
• 4 tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and halved
• 1 tablespoon cumin 
• 5-6 green olives, deseeded and halved
• 1 tablespoon preserved lemon, thinly sliced
• Juice of one lemon (fresh is the best) 
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

• Heat oil and fry the eggplant in batches, until golden brown all over
• Set aside and in the same pan, heat a little more oil and add the parsley (it will spit)
• Add the tomatoes, cumin and toss together over a low heat for two minutes
• Add the cooked eggplant, olives, preserved lemon, then half the lemon juice and toss together
• When at room temperature add the remaining lemon juice over the top and serve with bread for mopping (my favourite part) or couscous

This recipe is a bit unusual but surprisingly good! 

Hope you enjoy!

Love and Luck

xxxx

Book Club's

I am not a big reading person, I have not read one single HSC book. But when I read this article in the magazine Frankie (which by the way is a great magazine and would suggest it highly) it really inspired me to get reading and start up a book club. I'm not exactly sure who would be willing to do this with me but the article had some suggestions I would like to share. Benjamin Law, the author, explains the joy of group reading:

• Keep it tight: no less than 5 members, no more than 10
• Talk to your local bookshop: smaller independent shops will often have staff members who specialise in clubs, so its worth making an appointment to see what they can offer you. Some can even host your club at their cafe or hold mini presentations of new releases that might suit you for next months title. Some shops also offer discounts if your members buy a minimum number of books. The key is to ask
• Same bat time, Same bat channel: find a day that suits everyone then stick with it.
• Call the shots: there needs to be an organiser, and this person should encourage everyone to use your mailing list to exchange book reviews and make suggestions, but call the shots and determine the reading list month by month 
• Be diverse: over 12 months there is plenty of time to read different genres, fiction and non-fiction, Australian and Overseas. The options are endless, don't just stick to the hopeless romantics books
• Cast for conflict: choose books for people to fight over, and ones you wouldn't necessarily read otherwise 
• Everyone has to speak, then its free-for-all: ask everyone for a brief assessment of the book, make sure everyone has their go
• Get drunk: this is book club, it is casual, good book clubs involve food and wine. 

Personally, this article inspired me to start up my own book club, which is really out of character for a 17 year old! If it inspires me to read more it should inspire others, try it and see how it goes ..... there's it no harm in failing!

Love and luck

xxxx

Introduction

So, this being my first post it is slightly daunting as I don't have much to say as of yet. I am currently doing my HSC which means at the moment I am studying at least 6hrs a day ..... boring!! 

The plan for this blog is to talk about the type of food I like to cook, from cookies and muffins to meals for family dinners. In a few weeks I would have finished my final exams and thats when the blogging really starts, with details of my trips to Port Douglas, Hawaii and Melbourne along with my fashion purchases along the way ... occasionally blogging outfit posts. 

My most recent purchase was one I made on ebay, I here so many stories about bad ebay purchases and how terribly they can go wrong so I am always hesitant when purchasing things online but this purchase was actually really positive. I had always some nice Wayfarer Ray ban's, so looking through things on ebay I found this buyer, http://myworld.ebay.com.au/create2010r/?_trksid=p4340.l2559, and would have no problems recommending them. My experience was perfect with emails updating me and then packaging great and coming with everything that was advertised. No regrets .... I think these are a wardrobe must have!!

Now, I am not scared of admitting that I like to get things for free ... there is nothing that could make me more happy. Recently I found this facebook page called 'dressme4free'. They give away free items every day of the week and if you are a member you can 'buy' max 2 items per week. Membership costs $9.95 for three months and then there is also shipping which is $9.50 for one item or $14.95 for two. I am a little unsure about becoming a member and still thinking about it! The link is here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/DressMe4FREE/238904796148078. Let me know what you think? 

Recently, I saw an add on TV for the Garnier Skin Naturals Miracle Skin Perfector Daily all-in-one B.B. cream and thought that it looking quite good. It is like a tinted moisturiser, which means it acts as both a foundation and moisturiser. I am a little disappointed with this product as it only came in one skin tone and it being in a box I wasn't able to look at the tone until I got home. I presumed in the store (Coles) it would suit most skin tones, but in fact it is extremely dark and with my pale skin tone it just doesn't work. I have to mix it with a lighter foundation, which is slightly annoying considering the $16 price tag of this product. 

This is the kind of thing that I will be blogging about over (hopefully) the next few months/years + all my travels happening in a month. At the moment I probably won't be blogging everyday but in about 2 weeks the amount of blogging will improve. Hope everyone enjoyed it!

Love and Luck

xxxx