FATURDAY SATURDAY

Sometimes our guilty pleasures are, well, even more guilty and one of my all time favs has to be carrot cake. So, I thought I'd share this really simple recipe that’s guaranteed to have you coming back for more... well, when it has 'carrot' in its name it's pretty much part of your 5 five a day ;) And you certainly deserve it after baking up a sweat!!! And it’s the weekend,  jeez how many more excuses do you need...!!?

INGREDIENTS:

175g light muscovado sugar
140ml sunflower oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
150g grated carrots (about 3 medium sized, I tend to be very generous with this measure to make it extra carroty!)
100g raisins (I always add a bit extra)
grated zest of 1 large orange
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I use 2)
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated gives the best flavour)
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the Frosting:
175g icing sugar
11/2-2 tbsp orange juice
(These measurements are as per the recipe, however I am never accurate with the icing measurements and tend to add maple syrup or honey and sometime a sprinkling of walnuts on top to finish if I'm feeling a little nutty!!)

METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Grease the base and sides of an 18cm cake tin (I prefer to use a bake oil spray as it's less messy!!)

2. Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.

3. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients until the mixture is fairly soft and almost runny.

4. Pour the mixture in to the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.

5. Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth, it wants to be about as runny as single cream. Set the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.

6. And finally... enjoy!!!... And then find it a good hiding place for it!!! 

 
 
  

KICKS WITH TICKS

 It doesn't take long for scuffs and dirt marks to show up on what were, only a short time ago, a pair of fresh to death kicks. Sometimes you can revive their appearance with the mere swipe of a damp cloth, but when you live and die in your favourite pair like I do it’s amazing how quickly they can start looking tired and to be honest, a damp cloth just ain’t gonna cut it!!!! So if money is tight and buying a new pair is just not an option… or you just can’t bear to part with them, you can prolong their life a little longer with a bit more of an aggressive cleaning approach… the washing machine! For best results remove the laces and wash them separately or just put in new ones. I wash the shoes by themselves, on a delicate cycle at 30 degrees and use half a cup of detergent. Allow to air dry and make sure you stuff them well with newspaper, not only does this make them dry faster it also helps retain their shape. Then you’re good to go!!! But unfortunately I find this only works well once.

BEFORE AND AFTER:

 

MR BRIGHTSIDE

Skirt and top: River Island, Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Forget all prim preconceptions around the midi skirt, whilst the mini is sexy in a very obvious way, it is the knee-length, calf-skimming hem lines that can best accent your femininity… why flash everything when just flaunt of ankle or hint of calf can be so much more sexy. When it comes to the midi skirt I prefer to choose either a material or colour that makes it more edgy, either punked up in leather, highlighted neon brights or a fun print. If the material is especially figure hugging I prefer to pick a size a couple above what I would usually go for as I like the line of the skirt to hang from my hip in a bit more of an a-line shape as I don't like to overly accentuate my hips!!!

LASH OUT!

 MASCARA MANIA!

Splurge or Save – the best mascaras from budget to blow out, tried and tested!!

With an overwhelming number of products to choose from it can be a bit of a mascara minefield out there and having struggled to find a mascara I love enough to be totally brand loyal to, I thought why not road test a selection of what's out there and share with you what I find to be the best of the bunch to achieve those to die for perfect peepers! 

   

BUDGET

 

 Seventeen Doll’d Up Mascara - £6.29

 Uses a curved brush specially designed to give you a fabulous set of doll like lashes to create a beautiful overstated wide-eyed look.

      Rimmel Scandal Eyes Volume Flash Mascara - £6.99

 A big brush that volumises and defines, with more lashes revealed, corner-to-corner; seriously, you won't need your falsies after this!

Bourjois Volume Clubbing Ultra Black Mascara - £8.00

Extreme volume, ultra resistance with a maxi brush; it curls your eyelashes without the need for an eyelash curler, making them thick, full and really long.

       Gosh Boombastic XXL Volume Mascara - £8.49

Great if you really want to build up extreme volume and length at the same time. The huge brush stores plenty of mascara, it also separates the lashes without clumping them together.

 MID-RANGE

  AVON Supershock Max Mascara - £10.00

1         Maximising mascara that gives great volume and length, it builds up without clumping and gives you a nice full look.

 

Art Deco Art Couture Lash Volumizer Mascara - £14.50

A luxurious mascara for extreme length, volume, curl and separation that gives lashes incredible depth and coverage.

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara - £15.00 

      With one of THE fattest brushes out there it is no wonder this product claims to give you lashes that 'stand out and shout' and I can't say I was disappointed!

   Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara - £16.50

   Super long lasting and no smudging with a natural looking thickening effect

MAC False Lashes Extreme Black Mascara - £18.00 

     The formula is very "wet", black and inky. It applies well, does not smudge or flake and removes very easily, it coats each lash well to create a beautiful wide eyed look.

Nars Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara - £18.50

This mascara thickens as well as holds the curl for dramatically full lashes. It never smudges or flakes! I am impressed by the fan-like lash effect it creates.

 BLOW-OUT

 Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Mascara - £19.00 

     

    This product truly lives up to its name, it lengthens and provides decent volume, it also separates your lashes well so you won't even have to think about using a lash comb.

   Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Lash Enhancing Mascara - £21.00

   

    Volumises, lengthens and curls the appearance of lashes for an eye-opening look that lasts all day.

  Dior Diorshow Iconic Extreme Mascara - £23.00 

    

    A great luxurious everyday mascara that gives you just the right amount of eye drama for daytime; it creates the fake lash effect minus the fake.

   Tom Ford Extreme Mascara - £34.00 

      Coming in at the most expensive but in my opinion it is definitely worth the extra splurge... super glossy and super black it makes my lashes long and lustrous with every lash defined PLUS a thickening, volumising effect. The perfect mascara for beautiful, dramatically framed eyes. Love.

 

    Please note: These opinions are my own and I have not been sponsored for this post.