Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Red Red || Review & Giveaway

Hello Lovelies,

Every girl should own three things a red nail varnish, a flattering red lipstick and a fab LBD, and this little gem ticks one of those boxes.  I recently read a post on Fleur De Force's blog about a Wet n Wild nail polish which according to her was the most amazing polish, so I grabbed my phone and called my frequent flying friend to grab me a red bottle on their American travels, however I didn't bank upon receiving three bottles so if one of you UK ladies would like a bottle of this fab colour then leave a little comment below.  

I don't really know where to start when it comes to this fab polish, I suppose the first thing to say is I love the colour, red can be an odd one, very much down to personal taste as to whether you prefer a more blue red or an orange.  I personally veer towards the more blue toned reds as they look better against my skin, and this one definitely has a blue undertone, so big tick there.  The second plus is the price, at 95 cents a pop they are a total snip.  For such a cheap polish this has amazing staying power, my nails are seriously prone to chipping but this is as hard as nails.  If I had to choose a negative it would be that it doesn't have one of those snazzy one-stroke brushes, but it isn't the end of the world.  

As an overall polish I can not fault it, it is a beautiful colour, great texture and cheap as chips, what more can you ask for.

St. Ives Naturally Clear Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub || Review

Hello Lovelies,

I have never really suffered that badly with blackheads, but was in dire need of a facial scrub, so after chatting to my lovely beautician E (who works miracles with my eyebrows)about the trials and tribulations of finding the perfect skincare products,  she recommended St Ives Blemish Fighting Facial Scrub (£4.29).  I have never used a St. Ives product before but was eager to give it a go (so was my skin). 

During the summer I definitely have combination skin, while during the winter it gets quite dry, so a scrub was definitely needed.

The trick with face scrubs is to not scrub them hard against your face, all you need is a smooth brushing effect to get the desired result.  I love this scrub as it is smooth and super creamy with tiny specks of walnut shell which do the scrubbing to make your skin super smooth.  I can't say it will banish your blackheads or blemishes, but it has really combated my oily combination skin, so give it a go, it may just become your go to scrub!

Hot and Cold || Chicken, Sweet Pepper, Mozzarella and Spinach Salad

Hello Lovelies,

Ingredients

1 sweet Romano pepper
1 chicken breast
1 thick slice of buffalo mozzarella
2 handfuls of baby spinach 

Today I bring to you my favourite salad, it is fabulous in the summer or on a slightly blustery day as half of it is warm. 

The first thing to do is chop your peppers into small even slices, then throw them in a saucepan with a spray of olive oil to soften.
Then grab yourself a small chicken breast and cook in your preferred way, I had baked mine with a smidgen of olive oil the night before, so
I sliced it and added it to the peppers to heat it up, making sure to stir.

Once you are happy with your chicken and peppers, pop it on a bed of  scrummy spinach.
The next and final step is the mozzarella, for this you definitely need buffalo mozzarella as cows milk doesn't have the right texture.
Cut yourself a nice chunky slice, tear and scatter over your salad.  

Then all you need to do is grab yourself an icy glass of water or a cheeky glass of vino and enjoy your salad in the summer sun (while it lasts).

Voilà!

Absolutely devilishly delightful!

Afternoon of Golf and other Adventures

Hello Lovelies,

Salisbury Golf Centre is this tiny golf club that we go to now and then as a family to have more of a pitch and putt than a game as out of all of us my brother is the best player as he used to go out after prep at prep school and play their 9 hole golf course with his friends. But considering when we played this time he managed to hit his ball from the 8th hole over to the parallel 7th we must all be pretty shocking!!!   
 

Forgetting all of the bad shots and the embarrassing amount of strokes for a 3 par hole (we won't go into how many!) it was a pretty good afternoon, sometimes it's just really lovely to spend time with all of your family doing something fun, even if you are all a bit rubbish! 
  

On Tuesday my mother, brother and I went on a walk, I am a country girl at heart but as all my garb basically my Hunters are at my fathers (probably being chewed by the dogs) so I had to throw on a pair of trainers.  Even though the weather was fab walking through grass fields and down paths lined with stinging nettles is no fun in shorts and trainers.  The Devenish Reserve has lovely walks but OMG the steps are a killer!      

This picture was snapped about halfway up and as you can probably see they go on forever, but once you get to the top it is lovely,  massive woodland which you can basically just explore or if you would rather then just stick to the paths. 

As we walked through the woods we kept stumbling across these little dens made by children on school nature trips, littered among them were little clay animals like the hedgehog on top of the steps sign.  Once you have tired of the woods, having scoffed a load of blackberries you can walk through the meadows which have a beautiful view of the surrounding villages and fields.

These have been my two little excursions recently, not massively exciting but it was all good clean family fun!  

Make the Most Of The Last Few Days Of Summer || Summer Giveaway

Hello Lovelies,

I thought it was high time for a giveaway and what better than a summer giveway, (maybe a tad late as we seem to have had our few weeks of summer), but that aside it is still technically summer.
I thought as it was nearing that time of year when students go back to school and Uni, as well as the academic year beginning I know lots of people who are starting new jobs after finishing Uni, so I thought what better than a few little essentials for those both starting something afresh or who for those who just want a few new goodies in their life!

The first two are my absolute essentials I can't survive without antibacterial hand gel and Soap and Glory Gel (£2.50) is amazing it smells really girly and fruity and is nice and doesn't dry your hands out, like others do.  The second one is my favourite lip balm Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm (£3.69) I love the peppermint version, it is so yummy and soothing, definitely keeps my chapped lips at bay.   

The next two are my favourite nail varnishes, a glamorous red is a must, and all girls love a good pink.  The pink is Mavala in Honolulu (£4.50) and the red is Essie Russian Roulette (£7.99), it is a really glamorous colour. especially if you are a working girl (not in that sense, get your minds out of the gutter!)

The last part of the giveaway is my fave a gorgeous black pearl bracelet with a sterling silver Hamsa hand.  For those who aren't clued up on the old Hamsa (Khamsa) hand, they are an amulet that is popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  They have been commonly recognized as a sign of protection in many societies throughout history, however they also represents blessings, power and strength (everyone can do with that!)  After that mini history lesson, it is just a pretty snazzy bracelet that will jazz up any outfit, and something I pop on my wrist most days.     

This is my bracelet, yours is still neatly wrapped!

So if you would like a chance of winning these goodies, then subscribe to my blog via bloglovin' and leave me a comment on what your favourite part of the summer was, was it a summer trip/holiday or was it meeting up with your friends and having a BBQ?  

This little giveaway will end on Sat 7th of September, so you still have a couple of days to enter. X

Sophie's Chunky Chips with Chicken, Mozzarella and Marinara Sauce

Hello Lovelies,

I love cooking so yesterday I cooked supper for the family, I sat down in the morning and had a search through my recipe book for something scrumptious to cook and came across my chunky chips, chicken, mozzarella and marinara sauce. 

These chunky chips are scrumptious, once you have had them there will be no going back to McCains and there oven chips!

Ingredients:

Potatoes (as many as you need)

a pinch of rock salt

a glug of olive oil 

All you need to do is chop your potatoes, I normally chop them into eight.

Then lay them on a none stick baking tray or of you don't have one in your kitchen pop them on some non-stick baking paper on top of a tray.

Once you have layered them out, add a little olive oil, you don't want them swimming in it as you don't want to fry them, then sprinkle with rock salt.

Once they are all covered put them in your oven at 160 C for 30 mins, DO NOT MOVE THEM, the temptation to flip them and push them around the tray is great, but don't.  After your 30 mins is up, take them out and flip, popping them in for another 10-15 mins to crisp.

Then voilà!  Now serve and revel in the adoration from friends and family.   

This recipe doesn't have a name and isn't that pretty, but this nameless dish is rather scrumptious, it is basically  marinara sauce, chicken and buffalo mozzarella a little mix of loveliness.  

First you need to cook your chicken in a frying pan with a dash of olive oil, once they are lightly browned, pop them in a tray and pour over your marinara sauce.
Put your tray into a pre-heated oven at 160 C and cook for 20 mins.
After your timer goes bring it out of the oven and lay sliced buffalo mozzarella over your chicken breasts, then put your tray back in the oven and let the lovely mozzarella melt.

Once the mozzarella is melted serve your chicken with your chunky chips and some leafy greens, and ENJOY!

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour 159 Fire || Review

Hello Lovelies,

I am a complete nail varnish addict, recently I have been using every colour under the sun from pink to turquoise even a bit of neon, however the one colour I have been neglecting is the old classic and my favourite, RED.  You can't go wrong with a good red nail varnish, it is a very glamorous colour and perfect for all occasions whether your dripping with gold and diamonds on your way to a ball or your stood at the kitchen sink doing the washing up, a good red nail varnish will always make you look glamorous!  

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Fire is my favourite red, it is very intense and looks lovely against fair skin.  It is definitely a more blue red rather than orange which I love.  The packaging is delightful just like all of Chanels products, however I have heard negative things about the brush as it doesn't have the newish nifty one stroke brush, but I don't find it a massive issue as I have tiny fingernails.

I think the staying power of this nail varnish is pretty good it lasts about 4-5 days with a topcoat and the massive bonus is it doesn't stain my nails.  I purchased this nail varnish over a year ago and it seems that you can't buy it anymore, I would say the closest nail varnish would have to be  Yves Saint Laurent La Laque Couture Nail Lacquer in Pop Art (£18.00).

Does anyone else love red nail varnish?

Salsa Time Baby

Hello Lovelies,

I can't have citrus fruits so this Salsa is perfect, scrummy and lime free, you can't beat a great salsa whether it is with tortilla chips or a Mexican feast.

Ingredients:

2 ripe medium tomatoes
2 small hot pepper (jalapenos)
1/4 cup of snipped fresh parsley
1 small onion 
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of chili powder (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch of rock salt

First thing to do is chop and then combine all your ingredients, if I am making it as a cheeky dip or just using it plain then I will cook the onion quickly in a pan with a dash of olive oil if not and the recipe involves cooking then I wont bother.

There are two ways you can eat your salsa, smooth or chunky, I personally like something in the middle of the two so I pop it in the blender for two seconds so you blend half of it and the other stays chunky. 

We are salsa lovers so this was wolfed down very quickly! 

Does anyone else make their own salsa?

Fresh Mint Tea

Hello Lovelies,

One of my favourite drinks has to be Fresh Mint Tea, I am a lover of  all thinks mint and you just can't beat mint tea.  Now do not confuse this scrummy drink with the regular (bagged) peppermint tea as this kind of tea is usually filled with dried peppermint leaves and gives a very different taste.

It is super easy to make and yummy hot or cold, it is simply made with FRESH mint leaves and boiling water.
You can either buy your mint in bunches from your local fruit/veg market or supermarkets sell it in bunches or packets, or if you have a garden like my fathers go and pick it from the garden.
Now depending on how 'minty' you like your tea, grab a bunch of mint branches and give them a quick rinse under the tap then pop them into a tall glass, it is so pretty once the water is added that you need to be able to see it! 

Next you need to boil your water and pour it over your mint and WAIT! 2-3 minutes is your approx stewing time, I like to leave the leaves in the glass as it continues to draw out the flavour and goodness of the mint leaves, and it doesn't bother me. 

As well as the yummy taste of this drink it also has fab health benefits.  It is a great digestive aid that helps to relieve tension, bloating and other such things, plus it is also a mild muscle relaxant so it is a great drink to consume just before bed or if you are a little tense or stressed, basically it is FAB!  

Does anyone else drink fresh mint tea too  or perhaps you haven't given it a whirl yet?