Past posts revisited: Beauty Bits

As part of the revamp of my blog, I thought it'd be a fun idea to revisit some old posts and see how much I've changed over the years. Not only will it make it easier for me to think of things to write about (lol!), but they'll also hopefully be interesting for everyone else to read too. And first up is this post which originally featured here back in September 2009. Am I still using the same products as I was then? Have I stayed faithful to my old favourites or have I embarked on a fling with something new and exciting? Well, here are the answers:

What I'm using at the Moment:

Shampoo: Tresemme Luxurious Moisture and Dove Colour Radiance (I'm a great believer in alternating products)

Conditioner: Tresemme Salon Silk and Dove Colour Radiance

Styling Products: Umberto Giannini Flirty Curls Scrunching Jelly

Shower Gel: Just like in 2009, I have a number on the go but two I'm showing a lot of love to at the moment are Soap and Glory's Clean on Me and Dove Silk Glow Beauty Care Body Wash

Body Scrub: I love the scent and feel of Soap and Glory's The Breakfast Scrub and I'm also trying to use up my Naturals body scrub, but I still don't use these nearly as often as I should :-(

Bath Products: As we don't have a bath any more, I don't buy any of these for myself but I do try and use my stash up in the shower when I remember (which isn't very often!)

Deodorant: Soft and Gentle Wild Rose and Vanilla Roll On

Body Moisturiser: The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter

Fake Tan: Don't use

Cleanser: Lacura Creamy Face Wash (for sensitive skin)

Facial Moisturiser: Lacura Shimmering Day Cream

Facial Exfoliator: Soap and Glory Scrub Your Nose in It

Hand Cream: I alternate between Avon Care Renewing Moisture Restorative Hand Cream (what a mouthful!) and Boots Garden Collection Lavender Hand Lotion

Primer: 17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer

Foundation: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Cameo

Concealer: Not using at the moment

Powder: Not using

Blusher: Natural Collection Cream Blusher in Naked Glow

Bronzer: 17 Instant Glow Bronzing Pearls in Medium

Highlighter: Don't use

Eyeshadow Base: Not currently using, although I'm tempted to try out the Frontcover Shadowbase I received in a gift set

Eyeshadows: In terms of brand, I adore Frontcover for the choice of shades and their colour payoff but when it comes to shades, my most frequently used are Frosted Almond by Frontcover and Statuesque by 17 at Boots

Eyeliner: I've recently started experimenting with Frontcover Shadowline(a solvent which you mix with any of their eyeshadows or pigments to create your own custom eyeliner)

Eyelash Curlers: Don't use

Mascara: Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Cat Eyes or Soap and Glory Thick and Fast

Lipstick: Bourjois Lovely Brille in Rose Balneaire or 17 Shine On Lipstick in Bon Bon

Lip Gloss: Urban Decay Shot-O-Gloss in Mai Tai

Lip Balm: Visionary Soap Company Peppermint Lip Balm, Dermalogics Lip Care with Aloe Vera or Wilko Fruity Berry Lip Balm

Nail Colour: Haven't used in months but when I do, my most frequently used shade is probably Nails Inc in Instyle Mink

So have I changed? Well in some ways, no. There are still some products I'm using two and a half years on (scrunching jelly and foundation to name two), and I still love to alternate the brands that I use for others. And I'm also still on a mission to reduce my stash of bath foam and body lotion! But then, on the other hand, there are some new brands that I can't imagine not knowing about way back when. I don't know what I'd do without my Frontcover eyeshadows and Soap and Glory has rapidly become one of my brands of choice. And I'm also experimenting with new products. Primer or eyeliner anyone? Who knows where I'll be in another couple of years!

And that's pretty much it, hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into my beauty bits and if there's any products you'd like more information/a review on or pictures of, please let me know, I'm always happy to help! But now how about you? What products are you using at the moment and which are your faves? I invite you all to tag along and join in this survey, I'd love to hear from you :-)

'Til next time...

Baking with Julie: Marble Cake

Last Sunday was a cold, grey day so what else to do but bake?! Feeling a bit unsure about what recipe to choose, I decided to take a look through the new cookery book I received off some of my dearest friends for  my birthday and based on the fact that I had a little cocoa powder to use up, and also that I wanted to try something new but not too adventurous, I eventually plumped for the marble cake (or chocolate and vanilla ring, if you're following the book exactly!)

Marble Cake (or Chocolate and Vanilla Ring, if you prefer)


Source: Very slightly adapted from Traditional Family Cakes (I'm pretty sure this is the same book I have, the only difference seems to be the cover design)


Ingredients

• Oil or melted butter for greasing (I used soft spread margarine instead)
• 175g plain white flour (Replaced this with self -raising and also omitted the 1 tbsp baking powder that the original recipe called for)
• 175g unsalted butter, softened (I again used soft spread margarine)
• 175g caster sugar (Substituted this with granulated sugar; to my mind there's no real difference between the two)
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (Didn't use as I had none in)
• Icing sugar for dusting (Omitted this step)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/325 degrees F/Gas Mark 3. Grease a baking tin (The recipe calls for a 1.5 litre/2.75 pint ring tin but I used a roasting tin instead and I'm not too sure of the actual dimensions!)
2. Sift the flour (and baking powder, if using) into a large bowl and add the butter/margarine, sugar and eggs. Beat well until the mixture is smooth. Transfer half the mixture to a separate bowl.
3. Mix the cocoa powder with the milk and stir into one bowl of mixture. (Add the vanilla extract to the other bowl, if using, and mix evenly). Spoon alternate tablespoons of the two mixtures into the prepared tin and swirl lightly for a marbled effect (The recipe suggests using a palette knife for this, I just used a spoon and it worked fine.)
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50minutes, or until risen, firm and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar before serving, if desired.

Serves: 12 (Or 20-24 if you cut your cake into smaller pieces like I do!!)

Overall, I was delighted with the way the recipe turned out. The marble effect really worked well and the cake tasted delicious; I really don't think it suffered for the substitutions and omissions I made at all. And I have to say my family agreed, as the cake vanished within a couple of days and there's now not a crumb to be found anywhere! And I'm hopeful that the other recipes in the book will work out as well, there's several that I intend to make over the coming weeks and months and I can't wait to share them with you all!

'Til next time...

January round up

I honestly can't believe that we're approaching the end of January already, it certainly doesn't seem like a whole month ago that I awoke with a stinking headache, no phone and only a hazy recollection of the events of the night before! But somehow it has been, and here's my round up of what I've got up to in the last 31 days:

This January I have:

• Vowed not to drink too much ever again...my escapades on New Year's Eve cost me my recently upgraded mobile phone and some of my favourite eyeshadows as well as leaving me with a killer hangover, a badly grazed shoulder and severe embarrassment. Methinks I'll leave the drunkenness to other people from now on.
• Celebrated 4 family birthdays, including my own. I turned 28 on 22nd January and enjoyed a lovely weekend with some of my closest friends and family, during which I was thoroughly spoiled. I really am a very lucky girl! :-)
• Indulged in some shopping of both the sales and non-sales varieties...pictures will be up as soon as I can get hold of a decent camera!
• Enjoyed a lovely 9 day holiday from work :-) I didn't really do much, but it was very nice to get up and go to bed when I pleased, go shopping and get my hair done and generally just laze around <3
• And on the subject of work, I have actually felt more settled in my job and happier with my performance over the last few weeks. Whilst I'm nowhere near as competent and confident as I'd like to be, there have been definite signs of improvement and I'm hopeful that I'm moving in the right direction :-)
• Seen my best friend J (and her husband) for the first time since last summer. The three of us met up for coffee and a chat on Saturday, and whilst we didn't have much time together ( they were only visiting for the weekend so had a seriously packed schedule!) it was lovely to see her again and catch up with all her news. I was especially delighted to discover that she's 14 weeks pregnant (she's due in late July) and to see a scan picture...I'm seriously so happy for her and her husband S and I can't wait for the new arrival.
• Indulged in some girl time with 3 of my favourite ladies. We spent a little time shopping, saw "The Sitter" at the cinema and then rounded our afternoon off with a Nandos. It was an absolutely fantastic few hours and we were all agreed that we should make it a regular occurrence; it was the perfect Sunday treat.
• Enjoyed nights in and out with old friends; these are often some of the highlights of my week and there was no exception this month. I'm so lucky to have such a fantastic group of friends and hope that we'll always be as close as we are now.

And that was my January. How was yours? Did you do anything exciting? Tell all...I'd love to hear from you!

Till next time...

Ch...ch...changes

Just a very quick post to explain that a few changes are happening around here. Firstly, in terms of my blog layout and design, I've added a couple of new buttons and also created some new pages which I'll be updating in the near future. Secondly, I'll also be making a real effort to post a lot more frequently. I don't exactly know where my blogging mojo has been for all these months but it seems to have well and truly returned, and I've got lots of ideas for posts safely tucked away. Some will mark the return of old features (Highs and Lows, weekend  round ups, recipes and fashion posts), whereas others will be something new (I've got plans to write a series of reviews and I also want to experiment with beauty blogging). In addition, I'll also be revisiting many of the tags and memes I've participated in since I started blogging, and seeing just how much I've changed in the meantime! I know I've made similar claims before, but this really does feel like a new start for me and my blog and I'm really excited about starting to post regularly again!

And this, dear readers, is where you come in! Whilst my blog is first and foremost an outlet for personal expression and a place for me to explore my passions and interests and share what's important to me, it would be nothing without people to read it. So I'm asking you to have a read through my previous posts and tell me what works for you (and what doesn't), or just think about the kind of posts that you enjoy reading on your favourite blogs and let me know. The more ideas, the better as far as I'm concerned!

Anyway, that's all for now. Til next time...

Today I'm grateful for...

• A much needed lie in and getting up at nearly 10:00 am
• Cosy cardigans and stylish yet comfortable boots
• A random conversation with a stranger which brightened up a boring wait in a slow moving queue
• A free mince pie to go with my Christmas coffee
• Good news from my friends and family
• Twinkling lights and beautifully decorated houses
• The fact that my pesky cold seems to be on the way out (fingers crossed!)
• A three day working week (I've been on holiday yesterday and today), then a full weekend off! :-) To say I'm excited may be a little understatement!!

What are you grateful for today? Drop me a line and let me know...can't wait to hear from you!

'Til next time...

Christmas is coming...

and I've definitely been in a festive mood over the last couple of days. Maybe it's down to the fact that we've started putting our Christmas decorations up or that I watched a local theatre company's pantomime yesterday afternoon. And it definitely could also be a result of the present wrapping, Christmas card writing and festive music listening I've been doing today. It might even be because of the chilly direction the weather has finally taken; there may have been the teensiest bit of snow last night which would mark the first of the winter here in Manchester. But whatever the cause of this Christmassy feeling, the result is still the same: a sense of contentment and good cheer that not even a pesky cold can dampen :-)

So in honour of my new found Christmas spirit, I thought I'd share a few of my favourite Christmas themed craft and decoration ideas from Pinterest...hope you enjoy!! Oh,and if you're a pinner too, let me know. Or follow me. Or better still, both!!

Source: cache.elizabethannedesigns.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: cache.elizabethannedesigns.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: darlingdoodles.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: creativetryals.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: redheadscraftmorefun.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: carlyrobertson.typepad.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: pughs-news.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

And that's all for now. 'Til next time...

My Christmas To-Do List

Today is November 30th. And that, my friends, means 2 things. Firstly, it's December tomorrow! Can you believe it? I certainly can't; this year has gone by faster than any I've ever known. And secondly, Christmas is only 25 days away!! I'm so excited...even if I am working up to Christmas Eve :-( However, that doesn't mean I'm going to miss out on any of the Christmas spirit. I've already bought most of my Christmas presents, sampled the festive offerings at Starbucks and visited Manchester's Christmas Markets and I've got much more planned besides. And inspired by Amy over at Just a Titch who posted her Holiday To-Do List a couple of weeks back and Elizabeth at E Tells Tales who wrote about her Christmas traditions in her most recent post, I've decided to create my own Christmas To-Do List. And here it is:

• Help decorate my house this weekend...we always do this on the first full weekend in December, it's tradition!
• Enjoy more festive food and drink at Starbucks...I'm especially excited by their "12 days of gifting" promotion :-)
• Make more solo and group trips to the Manchester Christmas Markets and indulge in hot chocolate with whipped cream, delicious freshly made Belgian waffles and maybe even a cheeky mulled wine ;-)
• Bake Christmas goodies...I'll be breaking out my old favourites like gingerbread and chocolate Christmas pudding truffles,as well as trying some new recipes too...so watch this space!
• Wrapping all of my Christmas presents and writing some Christmas cards, preferably with a soundtrack of Christmas favourites or with a Christmas film playing in the background.
• And on the topic of Christmas films, I'll definitely be watching the following this festive season: Elf, Love Actually and The Holiday. I'll also make sure I slip in a little Kiss Kiss Bang Bang...my favourite non-traditional Christmas film bar none :-)
• Attending the candlelight carol service at my family church
• Hopefully spending Christmas Eve with my closest friends, chatting, maybe listening to Christmas tunes and sharing in the Christmas spirit

And there we have it! So all that remains is for me to ask you, what are your Christmas traditions? Have you made a to-do list? Let me know...it'd be great to hear from you!

'Til next time,

Julie