Friday 30 September 2016

Goodreads: A Classic a Month

Goodreads: A Classic a Month
Friday 30 September 2016
Read post
I love a good classic piece of literature. I’d argue that a couple of my favourite ever books are classics and I’m never one to turn down reading another. I decided, as part of the little blogger’s series theme I’m sticking to at the moment, to do a little “A Classic a month” contribution to the blog. The premise of the idea is pretty simple: every single month, for the foreseeable future, I’ll be treating myself to a good old read of a classic. It might be a modern and contemporary classic, or else a classic from hundreds of years ago. It’s a little challenge to me to broaden my horizons a little bit and try some literature that I might have otherwise not bothered with. It’s also an opportunity to re-read a few of my favourite books.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

In September, I started (and didn’t finish, what a bad book blogger I am!) Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I’m only a couple of hundred pages into it so far, but I’m absolutely loving it. I LOVE the style of writing that du Maurier uses throughout and I’m excited to work out where the novel’s headed. I’m VERY suspicious of Mrs Danvers, the housemaid at Manderley, although I’m not quite sure WHY I’m suspicious of her yet. I definitely think I’ll be reading more of du Maurier’s work when I’ve got myself through Rebecca – I hear that Jamaica Inn is just as good as Rebecca, albeit a different theme, so I’ll be adding that one to my to-read list ASAP.

I’m also looking forward to giving Hemingway a go. He’s an author that has intrigued me for a while, but I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by him. I want to reread my favourite book, Notre Dame de Paris (i.e. the Hunchback of Notre Dame) at some point over the course of the year, too.

What books should I be adding to my list? Let me know some of your favourite classic reads down in the comments!  


Follow
Wednesday 28 September 2016

Beauty: Lush VIP Bloggers Event, Liverpool*

Beauty: Lush VIP Bloggers Event, Liverpool*
Wednesday 28 September 2016
Read post
If I had an infinite amount of money, with the exception of books, I think I’d definitely be spending all of my money on bath goodies and cosmetics. Getting to go to an event at LUSH would be the absolute icing of the cake for me and luckily for me, on Thursday evening I got to do just that at the LUSH VIP blogger event. After the doors had closed at 7pm, we were allowed to reign free and have a wander around, taking in products old and new and getting an experience that I feel incredibly lucky to have had access to. We were shown the BRAND NEW Hallowe’en collection before they were released to the greedy eyes of the public and my goodness me, they are absolutely out of this world. 



I love a bath. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have a bath in my current little flat. It’s not a complete deal-breaker, but it does drive me a little mad sometimes. The new LUSH collection has almost made me want to move house and GET a bath, because there are some absolutely incredible products out there and they all smell absolutely FANTASTIC. Obviously.




I met up with some other bloggers before the event and it was really nice to catchup and have a chat. Everyone was really excited to get inside – who wouldn’t be? It’s LUSH! – and when we did get inside we certainly weren’t disappointed. We were greeted at the door by the organisers of the event and handed a lovely little goodie bag to take home with us. Inside the goodie bag was a Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar which happens to be one of the nicest smelling products that I’ve ever smelt. It’s rich with Juniperberry oil and other skin friendly products – I can’t wait to go and try it out! (I’m planning on borrowing my boyfriend’s mum’s bath for the evening!). I loved the rest of the Hallowe'en collection too- how CUTE are those little ghost Bath Melts??? TOO CUTE, that's how cute. 


One of the points of the event was to introduce us bloggers to products which were perfect for our skin. Inside our goodie bag, we also had little tester pots which we were free to fill with whatever products we wanted. We got to speak to different specialists about different products: Matthew taught us all about the different skincare products that Lush has to offer and explained how different skin types require different products and sometimes, not every product works for every person. He recommended a good few products to me, which I gleefully scooped into my little sample pots and I’m very excited to give them a whirl and see if they do wonders for my skin. I also managed to snag a sample of the Daddy-o shampoo which I’ve been dying to try out for THE LONGEST amount of time.


We were able to go up and visit the Spa part of Liverpool’s LUSH store, which was amazing and I’m definitely tempted to book myself in for some pampering. The staff members talked us through all the different treatments they have on offer, as well as allowing us to test out some of the products they use up there. I thought the whole experience was wonderful and I was particularly impressed by the fact that initial consultations and the afterwards of the massage were excluded from the massage time, meaning you get exactly what you pay for ad can take full advantage of your full massage. I loved the positivity and the vibe attached to the process- the lovely ladies focus entirely on the things you love about yourself rather than the things you don’t, an incredibly fantastic concept as far as I’m concerned.  We were gifted a massage bar, which was a lovely touch and I’m so excited to give that a go and relax myself.


Finally, I nipped back down to the main store to try and make my own product. I missed out on making my very own Comforter bath bomb, but I did get to try my hand at making a facemask, which was definitely a fair trade! We made Cupcake, a product I’ve never tried to before. It smells amazing, like cake-mix, unsurprisingly considering the name. I was quite chuffed that I got to make this one rather than the Comforter as I regularly buy the bubble bar but I probably never would have thought to try Cupcake otherwise. Definitely a little treat!


Thanks so much to the team at Lush for the invite- the event was absolutely amazing and I feel so lucky to have been allowed to attend! I’ll definitely be sticking up a little haul post and a review in the coming weeks, so keep a look out for my updates!


Follow
Sunday 25 September 2016

Food: Homemade Italian Lasagne Recipe*

Food: Homemade Italian Lasagne Recipe*
Sunday 25 September 2016
Read post
At the end of August, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to review Campbell’s, a company renowned for it’s high quality meat and produce. I decided on a couple of recipes and requested the ingredients that I’d need to make it. Here we have MY version of the classic Lasagne dish, adapted to the more Italian way of eating (because every lasagne needs pancetta in it, trust me!) Campbell’s meat is remarkably tender and tasty, so I definitely recommend it if you want good quality food for good prices!

Hollie’s Italian-Style Home Made Lasagne

What you need:

Meat:
470g Minced Beef Steak
80g Pancetta

Fresh Egg Lasagne sheets. 
(You can make these if you prefer but the fresh ones are just as good!)

For the sauce:
A tin of chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper
An onion
Mushrooms (if you fancy!)
1 tsp cornflour

For the white sauce/béchamel:
400ml Milk
60g butter
50g Plain Flour
A dash of salt
Optional nutmeg
Cheddar Cheese

Serves: 4 people.

Directions:

1.     Pre-heat your oven to around 180 degrees Celsius.
2.     Cook your mince meat through, seasoning with a little salt. When the meat’s cooked thoroughly, add the pancetta. You can also add a bit of oregano if that floats your boat.
3.     Dice an onion and add to the mixture. Cook the onions until they’re browned. Add the mushrooms if you’ve chosen to include them and cook through. Finally, add the tin of chopped tomatoes. Simmer and add a teaspoon of corn flour to thicken the sauce. Let the sauce simmer while you’re making the béchamel sauce.


4.     To make the béchamel sauce, mix flour and melted butter together and heat on a low heat. Slowly add the milk and stir continuously until all the milk has been added and the liquid has started to thicken. Season with a dash of salt, a little nutmeg and as much cheddar cheese as your heart desires.

5.     Start layering up your lasagne dish with a layer of mince, then a pasta sheet and repeat until all the mince is used up. Top with a final pasta sheet and cover in the béchamel sauce. Add extra cheddar cheese to the top. 




6. Cook for around 30 minutes. Serve with salad and garlic bread.
7.     Et voilà. Enjoy your amazingly delicious lasagne, and feel smug in the knowledge that you made everything yourself! 


What's your favourite Italian recipe? Let me know down in the comments, and let me know if you give this recipe a go, it's honestly worth the hard work!! 


Follow

Thursday 22 September 2016

Beauty: MDMFLow @ Harvey Nichols Bazaar, Liverpool

Beauty: MDMFLow @ Harvey Nichols Bazaar, Liverpool
Thursday 22 September 2016
Read post
Around a year ago, I read an article in the newspaper about a young woman who, after recognising that her skin tone didn’t really suit the lipstick shades she wanted to wear, started making her own beautifully pigmented lipsticks in her shed. She eventually named her brand MDMFlow.  On Saturday evening, I got to meet this woman and by gosh, it was an experience.  


What Florence has done here with her brand is nothing short of impressive. I was lucky enough to be invited down to Harvey Nicholls Beauty Bazaar in Liverpool at the weekend to take part in a little lipstick making session and meet Flow. We also got to have a chat with her and discuss what she’s done to make her brand unique and appealing to the beauty market.


Unfortunately, I had work so I was a tad late and missed out on the actual workshop but my boss was kind enough to let me go early enough that I didn’t miss the whole thing (thanks Denise, if you’re reading!) When I arrived, I was handed Prosecco (always the way to a blogger’s heart!) and was able to ask loads of questions about the brand and the processes undertaken to make the product. The girls saved me a couple of lipsticks and they’re nothing short of GORGEOUS.


The packaging is phenomenal. There’s actually no other word for it. It’s completely recognisable as being a part of the MDMFlow range and I’ve honestly never seen any packaging like it. I love the shape of the little gold bullets and I definitely would feel really fancy whipping them out for a touch up on a night out. I’m not sure I’m quite brave enough to fashion this gorgeous glittery pink, Barbie Unicorn, but the nude, which the group named Snog a Blogger (amazing!!) is absolutely stunning and will definitely become a staple part of my make up kit. Her range is mainly marketed at black women, but her lipsticks definitely suit every skin tone- they appear differently on everyone which makes them highly marketable and a perfect purchase for anyone looking for lipsticks a little out of their comfort zone. Her colours range from classic reds and nudes, to deep purples and bright blues.



As a personal brand, Flow is the epitome of empowerment. Her bold colours definitely reflect her boldness, and even her brashness at having the guts to quit a join to pursue her dreams. The event was one which I enjoyed a lot more than previous beauty events- it was absolutely amazing to meet the brains behind the operation rather than just a PR team and see the passion behind the brand first hand. It was also really interesting to see the lipsticks being made right in front of us – it made the experience all the more personal and makes you realise just what is involved in creating these sorts of products. I had a quick swatch of the lip-glosses as well and I definitely think I’ll be treating myself at the end of the month on pay day as they are probably my favourite part of the collection. They paint on glossy and dry matte, which is my favourite type of lip-gloss. I’m eyeing up the reds, of course!

Thanks so much to Flow and Liberty for the invite, your brand is amazing and I can’t wait to see where you head next with it!



Follow