Winter Skincare Essentials

I had always considered myself to have pretty ‘normal’ skin – slightly oily in the summer and then more dry in the colder months – but as I’ve got older, my skin has reacted in more extreme ways to contrasting climates. This current winter I have particularly suffered with dry, very parched skin so I needed to change up my skincare accordingly. I swapped to richer, weightier formulas aimed to sooth and nourish dehydrated skin and I think I’ve found some products I would even consider awarding with ‘Holy Grail’ status. And that term is never one to be used lightly...

L - R Nuxe Creme Fraiche Mask, Laura Mercier Body Souffle, Eucerin Soothing Care Moisturiser, Blistex Relief Cream

Eucerin Ultra Sensitive Soothing Care Moisturiser

I have discovered Eucerin skincare in the last year. It is one of those ‘French Pharmacy’ brands, a notion that is becoming more and more popular in the UK (and for good reason too). This particular moisturiser is aimed at hypersensitive, reactive skin and is free from parabens, fragrance, alcohol etc, etc, etc. I find that it leaves my skin feeling nourished but not greasy. It’s also a great base for makeup as it absorbs very quickly but keeps skin feeling moisturised all day. It really was a great find! I have the dry skin formula, but there is also a formula for oily skin so I will be trying that out in the summer.

 

Nuxe crème Fraiche De Beauté Masque

Another French Pharmacy Hero! Despite the very wordy (totally French) name, this product is a straightforward intensive moisture mask. It is designed to be used when flying, to add an extreme hit of hydration that lasts for 24 hours. Unlike the traditional offerings we have come to expect when we hear the word ‘mask’ (the ones where you can’t move your face or that you peel off like a second skin), it is lightweight and does in fact appear to be just like an ordinary moisturiser. But boy does it pack a hydrating punch! The instructions suggest leaving the mask on for 10 minutes, then to massage in any excess product, or remove it with a light cleanser. I prefer to do the former and leave it overnight to really work its magic. In the winter I use it twice a week but it’s also become a travel essential as it is ideal for when skin feels ‘thirsty’ after a day in the drying sun.

 

Blistex Relief Cream

For those days when no other lip balm will cut it! I have used Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Balm for years but for some reason, it just wasn’t doing the job this year. I had what could only be described as ‘lizard lips’ but within two days of using this they were back to feeling smooth and plump. It does contain ammonia, so smells very medicinal and leaves a thick white cast on the lips so I would suggest using it sparingly in the day and then really layer it on overnight.

 

Laura Mercier Soufflé Body Crème

It doesn’t matter what I do, my pins are dry and flaky all year round, but in the winter they’re a whole new kind of dry. That’s why for me any kind of moisturiser is a necessity but I particularly enjoy products with a soufflé or body butter type consistency as they tend to be thicker and richer, meaning they stick around for longer before I need to slather on another layer. I love the deliciously scented offerings from the Laura Mercier ‘Gourmand’ range for this very reason and Crème De Pistache is my ultimate fave (even if wearing it does make me crave pistachio ice cream all day!). Oils work nicely too but in my experience can sometimes be a little messy and take a while to dry so are not recommended at night if you have just put on your fancy bed sheets. 

Please comment and let me know what your winter skin essentials are...

The Best Afternoon Snack - Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas

It can be quite difficult to find the perfect snack for that 4 o’clock slump. I often find myself reaching for a piece of fruit as it’s what’s to hand, and because let’s face it - it’s easy. But for times when I’m trying to watch my fruit intake (i.e. on days when I have already eaten 4 portions of fruit), or if I simply fancy something savoury, then an apple just doesn’t cut it!

These spiced chickpeas are fairly quick and easy to prepare, yet very tasty, and provide the type of crunch which you would come to expect from a bag of crisps. 

Ingredients:

250g canned chickpeas (drained)
2 tsp oil (rapeseed)
1 tsp harissa paste
1 tsp five spice
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7 and lay the chickpeas on a kitchen towel to dry as much of the moisture from them as possible. Mix the oil, spice and paste together in a separate bowl. 

Once dry, scatter the chickpeas in one even layer on a baking tray and drizzle with only half of the spice mixture. Roast them in the oven for 20-30 minutes, shaking the tray every 10 minutes or so. 

You will know they’re ready when they are golden brown and have a crunchy outer shell (some of the chickpeas may pop open but that’s fine). Cover the roasted chickpeas in the remaining mixture and serve immediately. 

The longer you leave them to cool, the less crunchy they will remain – whilst cooling they take on a wonderfully chewy texture that it just as satisfying as the original crunch.

And these little gems are not just another afternoon snack; they fulfil many roles, including being the perfect accompaniment to an ice cold beer, as well as acting as a more saintly version of a crouton on salads.

Wedding Series - DIY Confetti Cones

Matt Ethan

When envisaging my wedding, even from a very young age, I pictured that truly celebratory moment of having an abundance of colourful confetti floating around me on my way back down the aisle, hand-in-hand with my new husband. I was what you could call a bit ‘deflated’ to discover that it isn’t like it is in the movies! People don’t just spontaneously throw endless amounts of confetti at you once the ‘I do’s’ are done: They wait politely, until they are told to throw pre-approved (biodegradable) confetti at the pair of you, once the photographer has arranged the guests (that actually remembered to bring along a boxful of the stuff) in to two neat lines. 

Matt Ethan

Well, I wanted it to be like it is in the movies! Admittedly, I was very lucky that my venue allowed any type of confetti to be thrown at any time I wished, anywhere I wished. So I decided to put some confetti together myself. Mainly because I knew that many people do forget to bring their own – yes, I have been one of those guests who have very good intentions but then ditch it at the last moment when it takes up too much space in the clutch bag.

I went for a mixture of colours and textures; bright circles cut from tissue paper, dried and tissue paper rose petals in neutral colours, dried petals and foliage (from a colourful bouquet I had been bought a few weeks before the wedding), and the most original choice – brightly coloured hearts cut from traditional Monopoly money and cards.

Okay, I know it sounds pretty bizarre, but as we got married in London I liked that it gave a gentle nod to our ‘theme’, as well as it adding lots of colour to the confetti. I‘m also pretty sure that every single guest would hold a fond (or not so) memory of playing this particular board game at Christmas time so it provoked a little nostalgia. And what better time is there to take a trip down memory lane than at a wedding?

They were extremely quick and easy to put together and not half as fiddly as they look. I used a piece of kraft paper measuring 15cm x 11cm for each one.

Simply roll each one and fix with a small piece of sellotape – or even better, these glue dots from Pritt (they stick anything and are practically invisible - a MUST for your wedding DIY kit).

I attached a little tag to each one, some with our names, and others with the date. I then placed them standing in a wooden crate made for Kilner Jars. This meant that the cones stood up straight and could be stuffed with confetti well in advance (one less job to get done on the day – winner!).

Matt Ethan

The cones were handed out during the ceremony, just before the big announcement. You know the one where the registrar says “Can I please present to you, Mr and Mrs ...”? So that when we made our way back down the aisle as husband and wife, we were showered with fluttering confetti.

Matt Ethan

Confetti shots really are my favourite!

Layered Mason Jar Salads

Although I have cupboards and cupboards full of Tupperware, I can never seem to find the right thing I need when preparing lunches (probably because I still cannot manage to put the container with its matching lid!). And salads are particularly hard to pack as you need a separate space or extra small containers for dressings/toppings etc.

One type of vessel I am in abundance of is small decorative jars; probably due to the fact that last year I made it my mission to collect as many jam jars, mason jars and antique vases as I could in order to decorate our wedding venue, and I ended up with over a hundred of the bloomin’ things!

I’m never stuck for a way to pack my salads now and because the jars are tall, the ingredients can be strategically stacked so that a) nothing becomes soggy and b) hardier vegetables can be marinated for hours in the dressing before lunchtime.

Just remember to always add the dressing first so that it remains mainly untouched, at the bottom of the jar, and that the more robust ingredients are added next so that they can macerate in the flavours without sucking up too much of it or wilting. That being said, all soft or porous ingredients, such as mushrooms or croutons, should be added later so that they remain near the top of the jar and away from all liquid acidity.

If you are against the idea of carrying around glass jar -either because it is too dangerous...or just heavy- then I have used one of my Nutribullet cups with its screw lid before and it did the job nicely. It’s not as pretty mind you, but it definitely is a lot more portable.

Fennel and Radish Salad with Rye Breadcrumbs

 

Fennel and radishes - thinly sliced, cos lettuce, blueberries, rye bread (roasted in olive oil and salt and pepper).

 

Dressing

1 tbsp olive oil
I tsp honey
Handful of berries, smashed (I used raspberries and blueberries)
½ lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste

 

Thai Salad with Rare Roast Beef

 

Left over roast beef - thinly sliced, cucumber - de-seeded and thinly sliced, Enoki mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, red pepper, toasted sesame seeds, bean sprouts.

 

Dressing

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce (or tamari/liquid aminos)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ lime, juiced
Pinch of chilli flakes

I'd love to hear of any other original ways of transporting your lunch...

Pea and Mint ‘Hummus’

I absolutely love hummus, and probably get through two or three tubs of the stuff each week. Which is why opting to make it at home works best for me, especially as it is a very simple process – you just have to whack the ingredients in a blender!

Its main ingredient is the humble chickpea, and knowing that my American friends call this the ’garbanzo bean’ got me wondering - will other types of bean work just as well? To test this out, I went for a white bean to match the neutral colour of the chickpea and figured that as peas also fall in to the ‘Legume’ family, they would also work nicely. And of course everyone knows that mint and peas are a match made in heaven so that was an obvious addition.

 

Ingredients:

1 can of white beans (I used Borlotti but Haricot also work well)
75g frozen peas
2 tbsp virgin or cold-pressed oil 

1- 2 cloves garlic (I used garlic infused rapeseed oil so didn’t need to add this)
Juice of ½ lemon
1-2 tbsp water
Fresh mint to taste
Salt and pepper

 

Method:

Blanch the peas in boiling water for 1 minute. Once drained, add these along with all the other ingredients to a blender or mixer (yes, I used the ever –handy Nutribullet again). Pulse until combined to a smooth mixture (you may need to add more water if the mixture isn’t wet enough to be mixed). Refrigerate for an hour or until chilled. The mixture will keep in the fridge for up to five days...if it lasts that long.

I enjoy this ‘faux hummus’ spread on open sandwiches and also as a dip with crudités, but my favourite way to eat it is with avocado rye toast and chilli flakes. 

My Current Skin Saviour for Acne Prone Skin – Glycolic Acid

Having had (almost) perfect skin as a teenager, you can imagine my horror when I awoke one morning two years ago, well in to my twenties, with full blown cystic acne! Of course, with it being my first encounter with problematic skin, I had zero knowledge of what to do, or which products to turn to in this kind of situation. I couldn’t believe it – my skin had just turned against me and the more I washed and scrubbed at it, the worse it became!

I had no choice but to go to my GP, and following a three-month long course of mild antibiotics - and paring my skincare routine right back - I managed to calm my skin and get it back to what I qualified as ‘normal’. Okay, so it was no longer ‘perfect’, and I still have spotty days (or weeks), but I feel that I know and understand my skin better than ever. 

The two main discoveries I made were that - 1) for me, diet has a huge impact on the clarity of my skin, and 2) acids have changed my life! Specifically speaking- glycolic acid has changed my life.



It consists of 60 daily exfoliating cleansing pads, soaked in glycolic acid to resurface and improve skin tone. The product contains a rather decent  amount of glycolic acid (2.8%), which means that one pad provides a gentle ‘tingle’ on the skin without harsh stinging or irritation. The additions of hyaluronic acid and blue daisy leave the skin soft and plump. The main selling point of this product is that it actually works! My skin was noticeably clearer after just a week, and even felt moisturised. I continue to use it over a year later and I honestly notice a difference if I ever take a break from using it (only because I have been lured in to a false sense of security).

One tip I can offer is to use the textured side of the pad first to gently buff over problem areas, and then flip the pad over and swipe all over the face and neck, avoiding the eye area. That way, you can really target the areas you want before moving on to the rest of your skin.

If my skin is particularly spotty, I use it both morning and evening, in place of the ‘toner’ step in my routine. But whilst browsing in Boots last weekend, I noticed that NIP+FAB have formulated an ‘extreme’ version of these pads to be used at night, containing a whopping 5% glycolic. Seeing as my skin had adapted so well to this particular acid, I am very tempted by the idea of stepping it up to the next level...

Beetroot Pancakes with Goat’s Curd and Mushrooms

I know that there are some real pancake purists out there, who believe that the only option for Shrove Tuesday is lemon and sugar, but I thought I would switch it up a bit and opt for savoury pancakes. Beetroot and goat’s cheese are a classic salad combination, and one that I have always enjoyed, ‘so why not go with that?’ I thought.

Having made easy banana pancakes before, consisting of only three ingredients - banana, eggs and flour -  I saw no reason why the banana couldn’t easily be replaced with a more savoury, pink counterpart.  Mushrooms compliment the earthy beetroot perfectly and when paired with the goat’s cheese, they create a really tasty filling.



Makes 10-12 pancakes.

Ingredients:

200g cooked beetroot
3 medium eggs
2 tbsp flour (I used spelt)

½ tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to season
Rapeseed oil for cooking

Filling:

Mushrooms
Goat’s curd (50-70g)
Pine nuts
Spinach
Thyme (optional)

 

Method:

Add the eggs, beetroot, flour vinegar and seasoning to a mixer or blender to create a smooth batter (I used my Nutribullet and it worked perfectly). 

Add a small amount of oil to a pan on low-medium heat and once hot, spoon the batter in to the pan. I used the back of the spoon to make sure each pancake was circular(ish) and managed to fit three pancakes in the pan at one time. 

Leave them to cook on one side for around 4 minutes. You will notice small bubbles forming on the surface, telling you it’s time to flip! Once they have cooked on the second side you can remove them and add more batter to the pan, repeating the process all over until you have used it all up. (The batter will keep in the fridge for several days so you don’t have to use it all in one go if you don’t want to).

In a separate pan, cook your filling. I added the mushrooms first until they were golden, then the pine nuts. I waited until the very last minute to crumble in the curd and wilt the spinach. When stacking the pancakes, I alternated between pancakes and filling, leaving quite a bit to scatter on top. 

These were great for Sunday brunch but I think they will be just as good for dinner on Tuesday. They had the right amount of sweetness from the beetroot and saltiness from the curd.

If you too opt for something different to the regular Pancake Day fare this year I would love to hear about it.

Valentines Gift Guide for Her, 2016

With Valentine’s Day looming, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to share my pick of the best gifts for women. You may be in the process of dropping (not so) subtle hints to your ‘significant other’, or maybe you are going to treat yourself this Valentine’s Day – now that’s an idea I like. If it is the former, I always find that a slightly overstated “ooh that’s nice!” while earshot tends to do the trick!

 

 

Chocolates

For those wanting to go down the traditional route, chocolates continue to be a wonderful way to say “I love you”. These Lauden chocolates look amazing and taste even more so. 

Lauden 12 mixed chocolate box, £10
www.laudenchocolate.com

 

Leather Goods

A bright satchel is great for adding a pop of colour to a monochrome outfit.

Ralph Lauren Tate Satchel in Blue, was £185 now £92.40 (also available in black)
www.houseoffraser.co.uk/

This next gift is not only is this gift practical, it just oozes style and elegance. It comes in many colour ways, but of course red makes a perfectly fitting option for Valentine’s Day. Aspinal is a traditional brand and what’s more, they offer free personalisation for almost all leather goods.
Plain Passport Cover in Berry Lizard, £45 – with free personalisation

www.aspinaloflondon.com 

 

 

Frames

These types of gifts can sometime take an unfortunate turn down the tacky path, but an elegant frame with a memorable photo makes a lovely gift for any occasion. 

Geometric Gold Frame, £12 (also in copper)
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk

 

Glass Portrait Photo Frame, Zinc, £12.95
http://www.johnlewis.com

 

 

Technology (well, sort of)

The Fujifilm Instax has become very popular recently. Much like with the original Polaroid camera, being able to instantly print and hold a physical photograph has become a very novel concept in our modern age of technology. The Instax is available in an array of colours, making it easy to find one to suit any taste.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8, £79.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk

 Instax Bundle, £150 - includes case, album, lenses and film
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk

 

 

 

Lingerie and Nightwear

This can be a risky gift option, as many things can go wrong when entrusting someone else with the task of kitting out your most classified department of your wardrobe. The offerings from Marks and Spencer at present are a mix of classy and sexy, meaning that as long as your partner knows (not guesses) your size, very little can go wrong...

Autograph Kira Embroidered Low Rise Thong, £12

Kira Embroidered Wired Plunge Bralet A-C, £22.50

Kira Embroidered Underwired Padded Plunge Bra B-D, £27.50
http://www.marksandspencer.com

ASOS cold shoulder satin short slip, £22 (also in black, both available in petite)
http://www.asos.com

 

 

Jewellery and Watches

These make for classic gifts for any special occasion. Rock n’ Rose is a favourite online jewellery brand of mine as their offerings are unique and modern and they also stock one-off vintage pieces for something a little special.

Silver Zodiac Ring, £24 (all signs available, Capricorn shown)

Vintage pieces individually priced from £20-£300, full measurements given

http://www.rocknrose.co.uk

 

Australian Brand ‘The Horse’ makes some truly chic ‘time-tellers’. Their stockist list is extensive, providing to boutiques all over the world (sadly, only one in the UK – Workshop, Brighton) as well as being available online. 

The Horse Watch, Classic Style in Rose Gold and Grey Leather, $185 AUS (equating to under £100 GBP)
http://www.thehorse.com.au

 

 

Makeup

Almost Every lady loves makeup, and personally I don’t think you can go wrong with anything from the amazing Charlotte Tilbury. Her products are a little on the pricey side but well worth the money. She has transformed simple ‘gifting’ in to somewhat of an experience, making it simple for those lacking in very basic makeup knowledge to feel like a pro. It is quite an original set up, where shoppers are able to select their preferred look from a ‘menu’ and buy the whole look as a gift set – simple!

Gift Box in Uptown Girl, £165

http://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/charlotte-tilbury 

 

 

Bath and Body

Anything from Jo Malone will be a winner, but bath oils are a particularly great option as they are ultra indulgent and one small capful will fill the whole house with a glorious scent. 

Plastic bottle 250ml, £45 or glass bottle 200ml, £54

www.Jomalone.co.uk

 

Makeup bags and Wash bags are a great option for any girl with a) lots of makeup, or b) a busy travel itinerary. One of these bags with a carefully selected item of makeup or skincare hidden inside will make for a unique gift. 

Initial Letter Wash Bag, £24
https://www.alphabetbags.com/

Black and White Marble Wash Bag, £19.50
https://www.oliverbonas.com

 

I’d love to know what’s on your Valentine’s wish list. I will of course be sending this post over to the husband for ‘proof reading’ purposes.