FOTN | Cocktail Night with the Girls

30 Aug 2013


Me and my best girlfriends decided to have a cocktail night this week and I thought I'd share my make-up from the night :) This is loosely based on Tanya Burr's tutorial here, but I slightly changed it to fit me better :) We made amazingg cocktails like Frozen Lemon Daiquiris, Tropical Concoctions and Banana Daiquiris with real bananas - too yummy!!


Make-up I used:
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light 2
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 52
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold
Naked Lunch Eyeshadow by MAC
Ebony Eyeshadow by Stila
Night Sky Eyeshadow by Stila
Jemma Kidd Define Eyeliner in 01 Black
Maybelline the Falsies Mascara 'Flared'
Bourjois Bronzing Powder in 51
Sleek Chantilly Blush - Lace Palette
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous

I hope you all enjoy the last few dregs of sun this weekend :)

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " FOTN | Cocktail Night with the Girls "

A Primark OOTD

27 Aug 2013


So this isn't exactly a current OOTD as this picture is from my holiday about a month ago! But I've been meaning to share this Primark dress with you forever! I feel like Primark have been on a serious winning streak at the moment with a load of really cute dresses in stock. This red flower number is a definite favourite, I don't think it looks 'primark' at all! So many friends have been shocked at how cheap it was.

You can still buy the dress on ASOS here (so loving that they're stocking some Primark items now!) although there is only a few sizes left - the dress has literally been selling out everywhere!

I didn't pair the dress with any major accessories as its quite a bold print on its own, and my shoes are just some cute grey pumps from H&M. You can't seem to buy the shoes in grey anymore, but they sell them in black, blue, white and coral red here.

Do go and check out Primark at the moment if your on the hunt for some new cute dresses - I want to try and drag out my summer gear as much as I can too. I refuse to accept that it'll soon 'technically' be autumn!

Have you found any amazing Primark bargains recently? :)

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " A Primark OOTD "

Bake Off's Back......ALRIGHT!

20 Aug 2013

I do hope you enjoyed my Backstreet Boys inspired title ;) As you may have guessed, I am extremely happy that The Great British Bake Off is back on our screens! Its literally one of my favourite TV shows ever. Of all time. In the world. ....

To mark the occasion I thought I'd make some tasty treats to add to my viewing experience and I thought I'd share them with you :) I decided to make Salted Caramel Tuffles (from Edd Kimbers Say It With Cake) and Macadamia Nut Blondies (from Sainsburys Baking Recipe Collection). Annoyingly I forgot to take photos whilst making the truffles - to be honest it was a pretty intense experience! But here's how they ended up: 


I realise they look a little dishevelled - but hey, since when have truffles looked perfect? They were pretty easy to make, just super messy once you start creating the individual balls! But they're so yummy, so I recommend checking out Edd Kimber's recipe. 

When making the Macadamia Nut Blondies however, I did remember to document! So here we go :)


Ingredients wise you want:

125g Unsalted Butter * 400g Light Brown Soft Sugar * 2 Medium Eggs * 2tbp Vanilla Extract * 125g Plain Flour * 2tsp Baking Powder * 1/2tsp Salt * 80g Macadamia Nuts * 50g Desiccated Coconut * 100g White Chocolate (roughly chopped)

To start with, preheat your oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas Mark 4 and line a 36x24cm baking tray with parchment making sure the paper goes up the sides of the tray. Then you want to whisk together the butter and sugar. The recipe states that you should do this with an electric hand mixer, but if you're like me and had forgotten that you'd lent the mixer to your sister the week before, a normal hand whisk works fine too! 

Once you've killed your arm (if you whisked by hand!) add the eggs one at a time, whisking between each addition - then add the vanilla extract. 


Then add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine until you have a smooth consistency. Finally add in the nuts, coconut and chocolate. 


Spread the mixture out in the tray as evenly as you can - if you have this ridiculously handy angled spatula it will literally be a doddle! Like seriously, this spatula is amazing - and sadly that's not the first time I've raved about it! 

Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate 180 degrees and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. Whilst this is happening, please take part in the most important part of baking - licking the bowl. Please do so to your hearts content, as really you're helping yourself on the washing up front! 


Once baked, it should look better than this picture above! I had a few issues with the baking tray I used, which had a dip all around the odd edge of my Blondie. I also accidentally poked a hole in it whilst it was still too hot - lesson learnt! You need to leave it in the tin till its completely cooled, and then according to the recipe chill in the fridge overnight before cutting into squares. I'm gonna level with you - I just ate a load of this (fatty!) and I only made it a few hours ago. It tasted amazinggg - so no biggie if you can't wait till morning! I'll report back if it tastes incredible tomorrow though! 


The Sainsburys recipe does also include the calories per serving - but I'll refrain from giving you that information for your sakes! Let me know if you attempt either recipe - or if you baked anything for the start of the Great British Bake Off! I'm sure I'll bake some more throughout the series which I'll post on here :)

Aimee
Xxxx
read more " Bake Off's Back......ALRIGHT! "

Wishing for Autumn.

17 Aug 2013

Whenever someone asks what my favourite season is, I will always shout SUMMER! But, I have to confess the past few days I've begun longing for a fresh chilly breeze, wrapping up in a big jumper and the chance to make more excuses for a Starbucks than I already do. So with that in mind I thought I'd share with you a little A/W wishlist to sate my autumnal needs for now. (I might add, that it probably won't help in sating my endless shopping needs however!)



Why are pretty things so expensive?! I have literally wanted a OnePiece onesie FOREVER. (That pattern in particular being my favourite!) They just look like the most comfiest things alive, and my Primark onesie just isn't cutting it anymore. Unless I win the lottery anytime soon, I think my dream of a OnePiece is just that. 

The Topshop shoes may very well be the cutest shoes everrr. I realise they're not particularly autumnal, considering the cut outs - but they would definitely look cute with a pair of tights and I think that's enough to include them in my list. Being only £35 however, I don't think they'll be staying on the wishlist too long....

When it gets to coat season, a statement bag is the one thing that completes your look and Michael Kors knows it. Most girls have that one designer bag that they lust after forever, knowing full well that it's probably out of their reach. Mine is the Selma Satchel. At £315, its not anyway near the expense of some designer bags - but its definitely still way out of my reach. Fingers crossed on that lottery guys!! 

Ted Baker always seem to make the most beautiful yet classy dresses. This in particular being one of them. I can literally see myself prancing around town in it! But alas, I think this may be a few too many pounds for my pocket :( 

Lastly, the Topman jumper. I realise this jumper is aimed at men - but don't you think guys get all the best jumpers?? I'm in love with the colours in the pattern and being made from Lambs wool I don't doubt that it must be ridiculously comfy! If this doesn't end up in my wardrobe, I may just have to buy it for my boyfriend instead!

So there we have it, my current A/W wishlist! What are you lusting over at the moment?

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " Wishing for Autumn. "

A Trio of Colour

14 Aug 2013


About a month or so ago I was having a peruse around the Sleek stand and came across this Blush by 3 in Lace trio. I love Sleek's powder products - for their price they always seem to be crazily pigmented! All three shades are really beautiful and despite looking quite bright in the pan, can make a really subtle finish.


Crochet is the only matte finish in the palette, with Guipure having an obvious shimmer and Chantilly a subtle shine giving a satin like finish. Obviously being the most coral-like of the three, my favourite is definitely Crochet. I've literally not stopped wearing it! I love having all three blushes in the same compact though, its so handy for my make-up bag and all three shades are great for everyday wear.

As always the Sleek packaging is great, with a massive mirror in the compact (SO great for top ups on the go!) and at a price of £9.99 you can't really go wrong! Compared to my individual Sleek blush in Rose Gold (review HERE) the pans are only slightly smaller here, so it really is worth considering a palette rather than an individual blush.

Sleek's 'Pro Tips' suggest layering the blushes for higher intensity - I haven't tried this myself, as I prefer blush to be quite subtle but you could definitely use the blushes in this way for a night out perhaps for added impact. The blush lasts all day on my skin too, even when only using one shade.

If you haven't already checked out Sleek's blushes I'd definitely recommend doing so! Let me know if you have any of their palettes! :)

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " A Trio of Colour "

Blogging Fail = Me.

3 Aug 2013

I am a blogging fail! Two weeks without a post is not my finest hour, but in my defence I've been really busy! Okay, so by being 'busy' I mean going to work and seeing my boyfriend and friends... Pretty much what everyone else who still manages to blog regularly does. Alright, my excuses suck - but I have got a hella lot of backed up photos to share and more free time due to recent un-employment - so yay......

Onwards and upwards! Today I thought I'd share some photos of my recent (as in, I got back today!) family holiday to Wiltshire. :) I hope you enjoy!



 We spent the week in a lovely little Lodge near Devizes in Wiltshire. Its a really beautiful part of the country and I had such a good week. After having a crappy few months at my job I was SO looking forward to a weeks relaxation to forget it all.

We went to lovely places including Lacock Abbey, Bath, Devizes Locks and the Courts gardens in Holt. I have to admit I really enjoyed having a proper play around with my camera, and I'm pretty proud of some of the photos I took.

I'll be back soon with more posts - I promise! - but I hope you're all having a lovely start to your August and enjoying the sunshine whilst its still out!

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " Blogging Fail = Me. "