Mavala Box Set

Currently going through a real Mavala phase. I just LOVE them!

I bought this box set quite a while ago on a bit of a whim but I'm so glad I did. It cost £30 for 7 polishes and a top coat (working out at a bargain £3.75 per pot). Most of the colours are more suitable for Autumn and Winter but there are stll a couple of lovely bright colours suitable for any time of year. I feel I'll keep coming back to the classic colours in this set for years to come.

The contents are:
Liberty (a beautiful nude peachy colour)
Tobago (fabulous deep red)
Mexico (gorgeous dark purple)
Los Angeles (an outrageous red with a hint of orange)
Amber (really unique bronze colour)
New York (lovely grey - see post here)
Sweety (a very sweet but not sickly pink)
Top Coat (I loved this while I used it and nearly finished the whole pot, but then moved on to my fabulous Seche - see post here)

I will no doubt continue to eventually review each of these colours in individual posts but I felt the gift set needed a mention of it's own as it's so bloody fabulous! xx

Jam Tarts

These are so so so easy to make, yet so satisfying! I think they were probably the first thing I ever made, back when I was about five with my Mum and they still remind of that now.

I made a sweet pie yesterday (which I will of course be covering in a post, but I haven't eaten it yet and so it will have to wait for another day). With the pastry I had leftover after lining the flan tin I made some jam tarts.

You can use ready-made shortcrust pastry, but seeing as I'd already made some for the pie I just used the cut offs. The pastry recipe I used was:

Ingredients
200g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
120g butter
1 large free range egg yolk
1 or 2 tbsp icy water

Method
Sift the flour, salt and sugar in to a mixing bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles crumbs.
Using a round-bladed knife, work in the egg yolk and icy water, one spoonful at a time, to bring the mixture together to make a ball of dough. Don't be tempted to put too much water in - keep mixing and it will come together but if it really is too dry add another spoonful.
Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge.
Once your pastry has cooled in the fridge for around 20 minutes, roll it out to approximately 3mm - this doesn't have to be exact!
Using a cutter about 6cm bigger than the hole in your tin, cut out circles and pop this into a muffin tin. Any bits that don't fit in to a circle can be moulded together and rolled again to make more.
Put a heaped teaspoon of your favourite jam in each case (for these ones I made some lemon curd, some lemon & lime jam, some ginger jam and some strawberry jam).
Place in a preheated oven at about 180 for approx 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is cooked and set.

Do let them cool on a wire rack before eating - the sugar in the jam means it gets very hot.

Enjoy!xx

Teapigs Chamomile Tea

Teapigs teas are my absolute obsession at the moment. I received a set of different flavours for my birthday and have continued to grow my collection ever since. Although perhaps slightly pricey for tea, I can get two cups of tea out of one bag, still with lots of flavour and so it works out much more economical!

This chamomile tea contains just whole chamomile flowers - as if you'd just picked them out of the garden! Not only are they pretty to look at while drinking the tea but chamomile flowers are widely known for their calming effects which can reduce anxiety and also help with sleep. Not crushed, this contains the whole flower which ensures you get all of the benefits of the plant. The bags themselves are biodegradable pyramid "tea temples" which means the flowers can move around and let all of their goodness in to the tea.

I love this tea just before bed, lovely and relaxing! I leave the bag in the cup and sip while reading a good book :)

Available from www.teapigs.co.uk

xx

Nail Rock - Dotty Red

I've used Nail Rock a couple of times now and have always been impressed. This classic red and white spotted dot is a great style as it goes with absolutely everything. It could easily be done using nail varnish and a dotting tool, but it wouldn't be as neat and wouldn't last as long. This is probably quicker and easier to do as well!

One note I would say about the application of them is use a hairdryer to heat them before sticking them on your nail. Old packs used to always say to do this but I think they must have had to take it off for health and safety reasons - some people were probably burning their fingers and then trying to sue Nail Rock, blaming them.  Anyway; I find carefully heating the stickers up for 5-10 seconds before carefully pushing them on the nail really helps them last longer as it softens the vinyl and glue, making them more pliable and easier to shape to your nail. Please don't burn your fingers though - hair dryers do blow hot hair that can burn (obvs).

I have in the past also tried other (cheaper) nail sticker brands and was very much less impressed. I found they chipped within days whereas I can keep Nail Rock on for up to 10 days, without so much as a chip. I normally only have to take it off when my nails have grown so much that you can see the growth underneath, making it look untidy, or they have started to come away at the edge and catch on clothes or hair.

The range of designs Nail Rock does is really impressive and always growing. They're available absolutely everywhere now from Topshop to Asos to Boots and many other store. They have even created diffusion lines such as Lip Rock and Eye Rock. A very fun brand and one I would continue to purchase items from! x


SVP62UD6UGD5