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I went a little shopping happy in Boots a few weekends ago while the 3 for 2 make-up offer was on and got a few new products to try out, mainly because I'm getting so frustrated with my super shiny skin that I can't seem to tame but also kind of because I'd just been paid and wanted to do some spending. Oops.

I was in need of a new foundation and decided to stray from my usual preference of full coverage liquids and try a mattifying brand by 17 called Miracle Matt Foundation. I went for the palest shade available which turned out to be a little orangey for me, but I pretty much always have this problem as I have a lot of pink in my skin tone. The foundation itself is very thick and when I pumped some out my immediate reaction was that it looked just like acrylic paint, when I applied it I immediately saw a difference in that my skin looked matt and shine free. This effect lasted a good 6 hours with the mattifying powder over the top which is advertised as translucent but did lighten the look of my skin some what.

Unfortunately the foundation just didn't offer the coverage that I need as I have a few red patches and usually a good few blemishes so I went and bought another bottle of my regular foundation. I am still using the Miracle Matt Loose Powder every day though, it keeps my face matt for much longer than my usual powder and helps match my foundation to my skin tone more as it pales it up a little more.

I also tried out 17's Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer which is great. Excellent coverage and it stays in place all day without slipping or shifting like some long lasting concealers can. I'll definitely be buying more when this runs out.


I also got two creams to try on my face to try and prevent spots and again to control the shine on my t-zone. The Sudocrem was a suggestion from my manager at work who has use it for years and oh my gosh it is my favourite new find. After just two nights of applying it before going to bed I have noticed such a difference. I have far fewer spots and any that were appearing and would usually take a few days to go away have been and gone much much faster. I also tried using it like a primer today which worked pretty darn well, my make-up stayed perfect much longer than with no primer at all but not quite as long as if I had used one of my expensive - for £2.55 per tub that I'm sure will last a good few months you can afford to give it a try!

I also tried Boots' own Botanics brand mattifying day cream. This smells lovely and citrussy and has a creamy silky texture that sinks right into the skin and feels nice and fresh, not heavy like many day creams can. I will warn you now - do NOT get any of this stuff in your eye by accident or you will seeeeriously regret it! I'm sure you're all much more careful than silly old me though and won't have that issue! Although I saw an immediate matt effect, under my make-up as I would usually wear day cream this didn't last more than a couple of hours so I probably won't get any more and will just stick with my usual moisturiser.


And finally I grabbed a pretty pink blusher and lipstick - after dying my hair partially pink that is the only colour I want to wear at the minute! The blusher is really well pigmented so just a little of it will give good colour pay off and it is a nice bluey pink - a lot of the time I find pink blushes to be too red but this was perfect.

The lipstick takes me conveniently on to my fabulous shopping tip! Did you know that the Boots Advantage Card machines in the stores not only show you your points balance but also give you a selection of special offers you can print then and there to use on that day's purchases? OK I'm probably late to the party on this one but I looooove that you can do this. You get a variety covering different product ranges like hair care, skin care, make-up, health etc and also some standards that cover all products. I printed off a coupon for 150 points on a £15 spend and another that gave you 100 points when buying any lipstick or mascara which I used with the above lipstick by Natural Collection. I went for a nice bright pink with a touch of nude which is called Pink Mallow. It's nice and creamy in texture and has great lasting power - for £1.99 it was an absolute bargain!

Do you guys have any fabulous new beauty finds to share?

I'll start off my apologising for the rubbish Instagram photos - this weekend was a busy one for sure. I've wanted pale pink in my hair for a really long time, but made a bit of a spur of the moment decision to do it last weekend when I saw L'Oreal's new Feria Pastel Pink Panther hair dye in Boots. I've been put off before by the whole mixing brighter pink with conditioner to lighten it etc etc but having it pre-done in a toning conditioner was a godsend. I bought it right away but didn't have a chance to give it a go until this weekend just passed.

I sectioned off the hair I wanted to dye and then got Pete to actually apply it as it wasn't in a place that I could reach and be accurate. It went on prety easily and then I wrapped it in cling film and let it sit for 15 minutes. I had just bleached my roots before and the dye took a lot better at the just lightened parts than the tips where I haven't bleached it since they were roots themselves, but it still took on a good amount of colour. I actually had to shampoo my hair to get some of the pink out as it was a little bright for my liking.


This was the result! Lovely pink and white hair that made me resemble a drumstick lolly - huzzah! Dying the underneath of my hair however showed just how much I needed a trim so I booked a last minute appointment at my local salon and had it cut... more than I had intended, but I like the results. Unfortunately as they washed my hair again more of the pink came out and I know have a peachy look, but I'm going to re-pink at the weekend and hopefully it will hold a little longer.


This is my post-chop hair. I never really wear it down and straight like this so you never really saw how long it was, but it was mid way down my back so quite a lot came off the length! It feels so much healthier and looks so much thicker now though so at the moment I'm not regretting it. We'll wait and see next time I try an up-do, I may hate it then...!!!!


I also played around with a Biba eyeshadow palette that I got last year using the bronze gold and petrol blue colours with a really light frost under my brow arch. The colours are wonderuflly vibrant and I'll definitely buy more Biba palettes if I come across them!

I hope you all had a great weekend too - what did you all get up to?

Last weekend Pete and I had the pleasure of attending a cocktail making class at Manhattan 34, a wonderful bar in Leicester that whisks you back to a bygone age of potent prohibition tipples and bartenders who really know their stuff.

I snapped our tickets to the class up a few months ago when the bar ran a Wowcher offer which the guys told us they did as a way of giving something back to the city that they have collectively been bartending in for over a decade which was really lovely to hear. It's great to see people giving something back to their community.

We showed up a little early so had a cocktail each before the other people joining the class turned up. I went for an Aviation which I've been desperate to try for a while as it contains gin, lemon, maraschino liqueur and creme de violette - I'm a sucker for floral flavours like violet, rose and elderflower. It was lovely and sharp with the sweetness of the cherry liqueur peeking through and a ghosts whisper of violet left on the tongue. Perfection.

Just as we were finishing our drinks a hen party turned up and I looked at Pete. I won't lie - we shared a brief moment of panic as we both realised this was who we would be doing our class with, but soon realised that we were with a lovely bunch of ladies out to have fun and got right in there and joined in!


We had an absolutely wonderful night and learned so much from Roop and the crew. We started off learning how to make a simple equal parts citrus based cocktail and the learn a few simple tricks that turn it into completely different tasting drinks using simple things like egg whites. This was a fabulous way of teaching you how with just a few simple ingredients you can make several drinks that look and taste individual making it easy to host your own cocktail party at home without having to purchase a whole cabinets worth of different alcohols.

We then went on to make more personal bevvies next with the hen party ladies learning to make Mojitos and Pina Coladas and Pete and I learning how to make a proper Old Fashioned and dry gin martini. This is when I finally learned the difference between a wet and dry martini and Pete learned how to order an old fashioned that will improve as you sit and sip! Yay knowledge!


We finished off the evening with a good old cocktail competition splitting off into two teams and making cocktails influenced by our favourite meals. I was on Team Pudding and Pete was on Team Italian. The heat was on. We were made an absolutely amazing lemon curd martini - perfect pudding in a glass with real lemon curd shaken with lemoncello and another magical ingredient and topped with a flurry of fluffy whisked egg whites spiked with amaretto. Seriously good stuff. It's not on the menu, but if you do visit be sure to order one as it is a real treat! Team Italian made a fabulous Bufala Negra which turned out to be a new favourite of Pete's - bourbon and ginger beer mixed with basil, balsamic and brown sugar.


It really was a fantastic evening and we gained so much knowledge. We're already planning a little cocktail soiree at our place to show off our new boozy tricks and might even go in for an advanced class after some more practice at home. The guys were fabulous fun and were great at bringing everyone out of their shell getting the behind the bar shaking up a tasty tipple. I would highly recommend taking a class if you have even the slightest interest in drinks mixing or just trying some new drinks and broadening your boozy horizons!

If you'd like to learn more about the cocktail sessions you can click here or have a browse of their extensive menu here


The Manhattan 34 boys also run a mobile events team Events 34 that can provide you with a classy mobile bar for your event. They also run a bartending academy where you can attend basic or advanced cocktail making schools - these are aimed more at professionals but I'm sure the guys would be able to transfer these skills into classes for non-pros.


You can keep up to date with the Manhattan 34 guys on their Facebook  - Twitter - Pinterest - or you can take a quick mini class via their Youtube Channel.

Here's one of my favourites to see you out...


The images in this post are predominantly from www.manhattan34.com and www.events34.com.

Unfortunately the weather in little old Loughborough doesn't seem to have got the memo that it is now Spring and should be getting warmer and brighter. Cold weather means cold weather dinners like stew and dumplings, mounds of mashed potatoes or rich pastry topped pies. Our veg box last week contained a pile of beautiful beetroot which I usually just roast and toss in balsamic vinegar, but I figured that its slight tartness would work well with the richness of beef mince and buttery pastry. My addiction to aniseedy flavours also came into play as I ground up some fennel seeds and added them to the shortcrust which I think added a really great extra note, but of course you could omit these if you're not a fan!

Minced Beef and Beetroot Pie with Fennel Seed Pastry
Serves 4

Pastry Ingredients
100g very cold salted butter, cut into small cubers
200g plain flour
1 tsp fennel seeds, ground as finely as you desire
1 egg yolk
a few tbsp water

Filling Ingredients
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into little tiny cubes
2 medium beetroot, peeled and cut into little tiny cubes
1 onion, diced small
1 garlic clove, crushed
500g minced beef
salt and pepper
250ml beef stock (fresh or from stock cubes)
1 tbsp plain flour mixed with 2 tbsp water to make a paste

Pastry Method
Add the butter cubes to the flour and fennel sees and either whizz in a food processor a few times or rub together with your fingers until you get a sand like texture. Now add the egg yolk and enough cold water to bring it together into a dough. Go slowly with the water as you don't want it to go too soggy. When you ahve your dough wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

Filling Method
Pre-heat your oven to 180C and place a baking tray on the middle shelf. Fry your veggies in a little olive oil until they start to soften, then add the garlic clove, mince and seasoning and cook until the meat is browned. Next add the stock and bring the pot to a boil, then add your flour water paste and mix in thoroughly - this will start to thicken the sauce. You could use gravy granules for this instead of the flour paste to intensify the flavour, though you may want to use plain water rather than stock. Let bubble away over a medium-low heat with the lid on for about 15 minutes, then pour into a pie dish big enough for the filling to reach nearly to the brim (mine was an 11" x 7" rectangular ceramic dish) and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Remove your pastry from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface until it is about 2cm larger on each side than your pie dish. Place over your dish so it covers it completely and poke a few holes in with the tip of a sharp knife so steam can escape - you can also add an egg wash if you want it to have a shiny top. Place the pie on to the baking tray in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry topping is golden brown and cooked through. Serve any way you wish - we had it with buttered baked potatoes with a sprinkling of smoked sea salt.


I am right in thinking that all outfit posts should have a silly title right? That's the general impression I get... and I like it.



Booooooooooo roots...



Dress - Simply Be
Tights - Clothing at Tesco 60 Denier
Black Suede Wedges - New Look
Pink Flow Clip - Forever 21
Pink Chiffon Scarf - Vintage Fair

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This is one of my aaaaabsolute favourite dresses that I own - bright colours + chiffon + cute old cars = Nancy's kitschy dream dress. Teamed with some comfy black wedges and a silly pink bow this was a great lazy Sunday outfit for popping to an antique fair and wandering round town.

My hair wasn't looking that great as it was due for a re-blonding and was dry-shampooed to hell so as a result was really fly-away - I just stuck it in a messy roll and added some flowers and a chiffon scarf to make it presentable! I hate the week leading up to bleaching day as I like to not wash my hair for two days before doing it - this might sound a bit gross but having some natural oils on your hair and scalp helps protect it from the harsh bleach so it doesn't get as damaged. I always try to only lighten it every four weeks or so too to prevent breakage and drying it out.

Do you guys have any secret hints and tips for bleaching your hair that keeps it healthier and less ravaged?


Hi everyone! I do hope you're all having a lovely Saturday! This week I was very excited to find out about The Vintage Suitcase, a fabulous little company that organises vintage fairs around Derbyshire. In case you didn't know Derbyshire has some truly gorgeous little towns to explore, and what better reason to make a trip there than for a wonderful vintage fair!

There are three dates planned so far for the Summer, Matlock in June, Buxton in July and Bakewell in August. There's lots to do in all three towns - why not visit the caves at Buxton and look at some beautiful gemstones and stalactites or get a traditional bakewell pudding after a wander through the fair?


I'll be attending the Matlock fair in June and will be on a 'Suitcase Secret Mission' while looking for more pretties to add to the house! I'll let you know more nearer the time, how exciting!

 Be sure to say hi if you come along too, it would be lovely to meet you!

Wasn't this last weekend lovely? It was so nice to finally have some sunshine and slightly warmer weather! I actually went out twice with just a cardigan on and no jacket! Luckily enough to make my Sunday perfect I had an antique fair to go to at the Palmer-Tomkinson Centre in Birstall. It is run by the fabulous Guildhall Antique and Vintage Fairs and is always a great mix of stalls and has something for every collector. Next time I'm going to try and get some more photos of all the different stalls but it was so busy this time I didn't want to interrupt any potential sales!

I've spotted some really unusual pieces at these fairs in the past that I've never seen anywhere else including mourning jewellery, Twenties picnic baskets with original plates, cutlers and containers and even an electro shock therapy machine! I wish had had enough money for the beautiful brooch above, the chap that ran the stall was lovely and so knowledgable about all his brooches, it was really a fantastic collection!

As usual I got some lovely little bits and bobs to dot around the house and here they are...


This gold Royal Wilton teacup trio caught my eye immediately shining away amongst the lady's other treasures. I have lots of teacups with gilt detailing but none that are all gold so I snapped this up straight away to add to the collection.


I thought this little white enamel and pastel coloured gem stone necklace would be fabulous for Spring with a pretty tea dress and a cardy!


These gold striped martini glasses match perfectly with some aperitif glasses I bought last year, it was meant to be!



One lady had a lovely collection of old movie star clippings for sale. I got the two above to frame up for the wall, the first is Simone Simon who I had not heard of before but has such a beautiful haunting gaze and I couldn't pass up the second as it features my lovely Lucy!!!

The necklace and earring set below was seriously calling my name too but I was a good girl and stuck to my budget for the day.


It really is a great little fair and I strongly advsie anyone who lives locally to have a look around! There's a little tea room too so you can have a nice relaxing day of shopping and then treat yourself to a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake!

Here are the upcoming dates for the year -

Sunday 12th May
Sunday 2nd June
Sunday 14th July
Sunday 11th August - Summer Spectacular with Classic Car Display
Sunday 8th September
Sunday 13th October
Sunday 17th November
Sunday 8th December

Hopefully I'll be helping out at the Summer Spectacular running a vintage hair and beauty stand so if you fancy a pinup girl makeover stop by and say hi!

Soooooo it's taken me a really long time to get the nerves up to post some outfit photos. As is obvious from these photos I'm a larger lady and therefore have had it drummed into my head that I should be ashamed of my size. I have never been ecstatic about the fact that I'm plus size but despite this have never shyed away from wearing something outlandish if I think it looks good or doing my hair in a more unusual style for the times. I guess I thought I was pretty confident in my appearance.... until I started trying to take these photos.


I took four, yes four, different sets of photos in different outfits before choosing these few to post; and I must admit that the thought of hitting publish in a few minutes is making me feel a little nauscious. I tried typing this post about five times, and stopped, and then left it another day and stewed on it some more. Then I was having my usual weekend browse through my blog feed and on Instagram and my eyes were filled with all these gorgeous bigger women and I said to myself no, you can't chicken out on this. Seeing all these beautiful women like Beth, Callie, Tess, Fluvia and many more showing off their savvy style always fills me with happiness and confidence, so lets hope it lasts long enough for me to click 'publish'...! 


Hmmmm I look pretty grumpy there huh...


This dress has been a wardrobe staple of mine since I bought it last Summer. It's made of a lovely silky viscose rather than the usual printed cotton so it hangs wonderfully and moves in a more elegant way. It is however pretty lightweight so you can easily find yourself doing an 'accidental Marilyn' if you're caught in a breeze or tootling down some stairs a little too quickly!


Dress - Evans
(No longer for sale but they do have this cute little spotty number in at the moment!)
Green Cotton Feel Tights - Clothing at Tesco
Black Suede Wedges - New Look


One of the great things about Loughborough is that it's a market town. This means that on top of the regular Thursday and Saturday markets full of food, clothing, haberdashery and other stalls we get have a weekly vintage market! As it is on a Friday I don't often get to go because I'm at work, but as it was good Friday last week I had the day off and trotted down at about 9am to see what bargains were to be had. I pretty much always come away with at least two or three purchases, but I never break the bank. This week was no exception and I got some great little pieces to add to the house!


I adore 1920's art deco green glassware and I got this little set of four sherry glasses for just £2. I also got a little stack of old movie magazines, one of which is shown above, for £5. I've already scanned in some choice adverts and pages from one in a previous post and will do some more soon too!


My favourite buy however was this lovely old soda water bottle. I've wanted one of these beautifully etched carbonators for ages but the only ones I've seen have been in the £30 plus range, however after a little bartering I managed to get this one for just £7! It is now sitting proudly on the mantle above the fireplace where I can see it every night.

I've mentioned my StumbleUpon addiction before and how it has led me to some great online finds. Well, one of them was www.shortlist.com. We never would have found our favourite little coffee shop Mr Wolfe if it wasn't for ShortList, so we will forever be endebted to its fine writers. Have a look yourself, and then get your guy to have a read too - I'm sure they will come away inspired to either cook up a storm, take you out to a top rated restaurant, become a movie geek, start reading in bed, hit the nearest tailor for a flash new suit or get some fabulous facial hair; and who doesn't want that?!?!?


Here are a few of my favourite posts...

How to dress like Patrick Bateman in American Psycho

The 30 scariest books ever written

People and their fish twins

Top 10 meat accessories

Second-hand book vending machine

The 30 coolest films ever

How to make the coq au vin from Donnie Brasco

The 30 best suits on film

Every Friday in my town there is a bric-a-brac market that is pretty awesome. I don't usually get to go because I'm at work, but as yesterday was Good Friday I had the day off and headed to the market place. I picked up a few different things (which I'll do another post about) that included a few copies of Picturegoer magazine from the mid 1950's. Here are a few scans of my favourite adverts and pages from an issure form February 5th 1955.