Showing posts with label Blogmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogmas. Show all posts
12/19/2014
A Gift Guide | The Last Minute Edition
So you've left things a little bit last minute. I'm not judging you, much. I'll let you in on a secret, I'm not finished my Christmas shopping either. It's Blogmas Day 7 and we've all rounded up some of the best buys you can gift this season. They're easy to grab if you've left things a bit late too. I'd recommend making a list before you leave though as the malls will be frantic. Here's my recommendations for the last-minute shopper..
Nars Lip Pencil Coffret, limited edition-Now isn't this a beauty? Quite literally. You get three Satin and 2 Matte lip pencils from Nars in this set. A few of the shades are limited edition colours but my favourite Cruella is in there. They come beautifully packaged in an acrylic container which can always be reused after (hello makeup storage). If you're buying for someone who loves lip products they're bound to love this set.
Amber Whitecliffe Maketu Tee-It might be obvious that I am a bit obsessed with this top and I do love supporting local designers who make their wares locally like Amber does. This top looks stunning on and the fabric is beautiful.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler-This may well be one of the best memoirs I have read this year. Amy's is hilarious and filled with entertaining stories and life essays. She also has a brilliant tribute to her BFF Tina Fey in there. If they're a Parks & Recreation fan, an SNL fan, even just an Amy Poehler fan (like me) then this will go down a treat.
Kikki K 2015 Inspire Diary-I've actually picked up this diary for myself and love it. It's colourful, but still grown up. In other words it won't look too childish on your desk. There's positive anecdotes throughout and plenty of space to write all those notes and aspirations down. Definitely check out Kikki K's diaries if you're in store. They have such a great selection.
*What gifts do you think we should buy in the last minute Christmas rush?
12/18/2014
Peppermint Chocolate Bark
I wish this photo had a scratch and sniff function because you'd be wanting to devour the chocolate bark you see. It's Day 6 of Blogmas and we're all heading to the kitchen and cooking up something tasty and festive for you all. I opted to make Peppermint Chocolate Bark which I'd seen on Pinterest a few times. This seems to be quite the American thing. It's super easy to whip up and requires next to no effort but it still looks great and tastes delicious. If you want to find out how to make this then keep reading..
What You'll Need:
1 cup of Oreo cookies (chopped). *For reference, I got the box in NZ supermarkets which has several tubes and I think I ended up using all except one or two of the tubes inside it.
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips. *I used the Cadbury ones because they're the best in my opinion.
1 1/2 Cups White Chocolate Chips. *These seemed harder to find so I just bought some Cadbury white chocolate buttons.
10 Mini Candy Canes (crushed), about 1/2 cup.
A cake tin. *These may not be called cake tins but y'know the things you cook brownies or slices in? Them.
A sheet of cooking paper.
Steps:
-Melt your milk chocolate chips until smooth and pour over the baking paper. Sprinkle with the chopped Oreos and place in the fridge to chill for ten minutes.
-Melt your white chocolate until smooth and pour over your oreos and milk chocolate layer. Side note: White chocolate seems to melt a lot faster so keep it on a lower temperature if you want to slow the process slightly. Add the chopped candy cane pieces on top and place in the fridge to chill until set. I found about 10-15 minutes was fine.
-Break up your bark, eat, serve, gift and enjoy! This is really so simple, it's probably not right to even call it a recipe but it honestly tastes so good I just had to mention it.
*Do you have any Christmas recipes you love?
12/17/2014
Christmas Decor
Hello and welcome back to another Blogmas post! It's Day 5 and myself, Caelan and Jess are all writing and documenting one of my favourite things, Christmas decorations. It's probably no secret that I love Christmas decor so the fact we have a real Christmas tree this year really excites me. I also seem to have a habit for collecting new decorations and I love setting up all the decorations around the house. If you want to have a lil' nosy at how we decorated our house and how I've made my room look a little more festive then keep reading..
-A little close-up of one of my favourite sections of our Christmas tree. That rose-covered bauble is one of the decorations I chose last year and it was from Smith & Caughey's I believe.
-My room's inspiration board looking a touch more festive. I was trying to channel Jenna Rink when she makes editorial mood boards in 13 Going On 30. The Christmas cards are from Kikki K and Typo. The star was from Bed Bath'N Table.
-Some of the decorations along the bottom of my pinboard and also on my wall. I don't have a big enough bedroom for a Christmas tree although I do want a mini one, next year! The two on my board were picked up last year and they're both from Smith & Caughey's I believe. The snowflake was from Bed Bath'N Table.
-Some bunting Mum made last year. We have this hanging above the ceiling in our kitchen/dining area.
-Some faux berries on our table. You may have seen these in the background of my YouTube videos recently and I'm not gonna lie, I kinda wish they could be out on display all year.
*I hope you've enjoyed this post! Let me know what you're loving for Christmas decor this year in the comments and be sure to check out Caelan and Jess' posts too.
12/16/2014
Christmas Music
Images via Tumblr
Hello and welcome back to another little Blogmas post. It's already Day 4 somehow and today we're dusting off our favourite albums, getting in the festive spirit thanks to some glittery touches and perhaps singing at the top of our lungs to some of the holiday anthems. In case you haven't guessed already, today's post is all about Christmas music...
Now I have to be honest, I really am not the biggest fan of Christmas music. I can tolerate Mariah Carey's song in small doses and the music I do listen to I find I have to not play it too frequently otherwise I get sick of it. Maybe it's because I associate Christmas music with malls these days and the not-so relaxing experience that is Christmas shopping.
Before this post becomes a total Scrooge fest I should probably tell you about some Christmas music that I do like. Now I mention this CD a fair bit but you cannot beat She and Him's Christmas album in my opinion. There's just something about Zooey's voice and the laid back vibes from this album that just gets me. Another album that you can't really go wrong with, and one that is a little more upbeat is Michael Buble's. Again, like Zooey there is just something about Michael Buble's voice. I also like the Love Actually soundtrack but it's really not that much of a Christmassy album. It just reminds me of Christmas.
*What Christmas music do you love and listen to at this time of the year?
12/14/2014
A Christmas Wishlist
Welcome back to Blogmas. It's Day 2 and we're all making lists, checking them twice and perhaps stashing them in key viewing locations. Today I've compiled a wishlist of what I'd love to find under my Christmas tree this year...
LK Bennett 'Rosie' Bag-Rosamund Pike aka current girlcrush #1 has a stunning line of handbags with British designers LK Bennett. They're all such classic bags but the 'Rosie' bag takes my fancy. It's the smaller sister of the Rosamund bag and I just love how it looks. Can I have one please?
Karen Walker Star Midi Ring-My favourite local jewelry designer has now started making midi rings. There's only a handful of designs available in this size for now and I just love the star one. The cat midi ring is adorable too.
Charlotte Tilbury 'The Dolce Vita' Palette-Another luxury find that's been on my little Charlotte Tilbury wishlist (it's a thing) is this eyeshadow quad. Obviously this would look beautiful on your dresser but from the videos and blog posts I have seen, it looks pretty spectacular on the lids too. That glitter looks perfect for the party season actually.
Crown and Glory Glitter Reindeer Antler Headband-I was introduced to Crown and Glory at Blogcademy last week, where we all received one of their headbands in our goodie bags. They're very glittery and just so sparkly and when I saw this set of reindeer antlers my heart skipped a beat. These would've been so awesome to have and wear when I made my Christmas gift guides earlier in the month. You could still grab these if you want to make a statement on Christmas Day.
The Art of Discovery-You've all heard about my love for Urban Outfitters. I could spend hours on their homeware section of the site. They've also got a pretty well-rounded selection of books to choose from too which is where I spotted this. It's a compilation of celebrity portraits and also their inspirations and I love books like this so on the wishlist it goes. Update: I have since ordered this to read from the library.
Cat Lady Chic-I've seen this book in a bookstore before and never really looked at it but it's essentially a coffee table book of celebrities with cats. Audrey Hepburn makes an appearance and also Lana Del Rey. If I didn't get the Choupette book for Christmas this would be next on the list.
Aesop Resurrection 'Rinse Free' Handwash-Aesop is another brand I have a bit of a wishlist for. The full-size of this is a little bit on the pricey size but I think this mini would be great to keep in the handbag or on the desk.
Kate Spade Confetti Dot Case-A phone upgrade seems imminent in the New Year and this case from Kate Spade takes my fancy. I've had one of her cases before and they're such good quality. It helps that the designs are pretty top notch too.
*What's on your Christmas wishlist this year?
12/13/2014
Christmas Memories
Hello everyone and welcome to The 12 Days of Blogmas. It's Day #1 and myself, Caelan and Jess are all getting nostalgic, throwing it back to the nineties and the early millennium. It's time to think about Christmas past...
For me, Christmas has always been an exciting time of the year. For as long as I can remember I know Christmas has enchanted me. When I was younger I used to often sing in local Carol concerts so I have memories of Summer nights under the stars, singing with my friends. We didn't really have traditions as such, at least not ones I can remember. There was the standard milk and cookies left out for Santa and grass for the reindeers I believe. I used to love Christmas movie-watching too! Elmo Saves Christmas was a favourite and also The Muppet Christmas Carol. The latter made me just a bit sad though. Nowadays it's all about Love Actually and Elf, when I can find it on tv.
I remember whenever we received clothing as gifts it'd become mandatory to try it on and have a modeling session in the lounge. I'm not sure whose idea that was but I'm sure it was more for the amusement of the adults. There's footage of that actually which really shouldn't be in existence. There's also footage somewhere of me getting really overexcited at receiving a fake purple hairpiece. No, that was not last Christmas. We used to often spend Christmas close to a beach with my cousins as I have family who live near a beach. So I guess I associate Christmas with Summer and swimming in the ocean. There was also the mandatory iceblock at the dairy afterwards on the walk back to the house.
I feel like I could go on for a while about how Christmas is always exciting for me. Aside from being a time for giving and receiving, it's also a time for reflection and celebration and of course memories and spending time with people I love and don't get to see as much during the year.
*What do you love about Christmas?
Check out Caelan's post here
Check out Jess' post here
12/12/2014
The 12 Days of Blogmas
Why hello there late nighters or early risers, depending on where you are in the world. I'm so excited to let you know that I'm doing a Blogmas collaboration with the lovely Jess and Caelan. We're all going to be writing Christmas themed posts over the next twelve days on a variety of different things so keep an eye out for them! Now because Caelan+Jess are both in the US, we're all posting at slightly different times. My posts will be going up at 11pm NZT so I'll share them the next day over on Facebook+include everyone else's links to their posts.
I hope you enjoy this collaboration! It's been fun to put together. For the non-festive folk, I will still have some beauty+life blog posts going up as well over the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for them. Be sure to subscribe to Caelan and Jess' blogs too. I'll see you tomorrow with Day 1's post!
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