Cosy, Autumn Essentials 2018

Hello lovelies! 

There has certainly been a change in the weather this week, there's such a nip in the air and the leaves are making a start to change into their beautiful colours. Autumn is starting to say hello...

It's transition time, putting away all the summer clothes and bringing out warmer, cosy knits, when the seasons change we change our fragrances, clothes, beauty products, trying new products for the season. I love this time of year, that transition season, I'm a total A/W person, I much prefer chillier, rainy days, than scorching hot summer days...

Today's post is going to be all about my Autumn essentials, from style and home ware, to beauty and fragrance. 

Firstly, one of my favourites...Throws/Blankets! What is nicer on a chilly, rainy, Autumnal day, than cuddling up on the sofa, with a cosy throw, pillows and a big cup of tea, whilst watching Harry Potter? This is my current collection, if I didn't restrain myself, I'd have so many I wouldn't fit them in a pretty picture. I think the best place to get a pretty, warm, thick, snuggly throw is Primark. They're so affordable and the quality is great for the price. They have all sorts from Disney characters to fluffy ones.

Cable knit jumpers are a A/W staple for me, they're so classic and chic! I love these two, white and pink is aesthetically pleasing together. I got this 'Jack Willis' pink jumper with rose gold edging in Autumn of last year and more recently picked up the cream and navy 'Ralph Lauren' cable knit, I thought the white jumper would be perfect for Winter outfits especially. The quality is impeccable and I think investing in pieces like this is definitely worth the money, as they will last for years.

I adore my 'Cath Kidston slipper socks' in 'Floral Spot', I really want to collect more as they're so pretty! They aren't fluffy socks, but they're very warm knitted ones. On the soles they also have little non slip pads, which are great on the cold kitchen floors in the chilly mornings, as I'm making a cup of tea.

Traditionally in Autumn people tend to go a lot darker, with reds, blacks, dark browns, but I'm not feeling that so much this year. I'm still loving my pinks, but I'm really enjoying the more rosey, deep pink tones. My two current favourites are 'Sally Hansen's Pink Prancer' and 'Essie's Eternal Optimist'.

I always change my beauty and fragrances through the seasons, as it turns colder our skin starts to dry out, which means extra products are needed to keep our skin feeling as soft and hydrated as we can.

I found this rose and argan body lotion in Home Bargains, it smells divine and is the perfect way to keep your skin as soft as a princess'. Keeping on this theme, our faces go through the tough process when the seasons change, one product I swear by is Chanel's 'Hydra Beauty, Blue Serum', it keeps my skin moisturised throughout all the seasons and smells beautiful. 

I find lips are forgotten about through the cold spells, they need just as much attention as the rest of our body. 'Lush's Bubblegum Lip Scrub' is my number one product for my lips during this time, then placing 'Vaseline's Rosy Lips', they leave the softest, rosy lips like an apple!

Make up wise, I love a little bit more of a darker lip, but I don't like them too dark, this lipstick from 'Estee Lauder, shade - Rose Tea' is perfect for this, just dabbing a bit on and giving them a lovely autumn tone. The name of this shade is so gorgeous too! 

I like to carry the golden glow from Summer through to Autumn, I use my 'Benefit Hoola Bronzer' to achieve this! I sweep this into the crease of my eyelid and in the alcoves of my cheek bones, to create a soft golden look like the colours of the leaves.

Last but not least, perfume! 

Last year was the first time I smelt 'White Diamonds' by Elizabeth Taylor, I really liked it from that moment, I knew it was a perfect for A/W. This is a strong scent, not subtle, but it lasts all day, which is perfect at work and the packaging is so glamorous.

What's your number one Autumn essential?  I'd love to hear in the comments!

I hope you have a wonderful week, full of cake and hot chocolate.

Kellie Jo

xxx

Autumn Baking - Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Happy September lovelies!

As I'm writing this, September has just come upon us. I'm snuggled up in a new knit from French Connection, I'm also wearing my new Chelsea boots, there's a crisp air blowing away, the sun is glistening at the window and I have a nice cup of tea to keep me warm. 

I much prefer Autumn/Winter, cosy blankets, hot chocolates, copious amounts of tea, movie nights, fairy lights and there is always so many exciting things happening, we have Halloween, Bonfire night, Christmas and my birthday is also next month!

This weeks post is a more Autumn themed, as September is now here! What more could you want than a yummy hot chocolate, with a hot chocolate cupcake? If you have a sweet tooth like myself you'll absolutely love this idea!

Sponge Ingredients - 

4 Free range eggs

225g/8oz Caster sugar

225g/8oz Self raising flour

2 Teaspoons of baking powder

225g/8oz Butter at room temperature 

3 Teaspoons Cocoa Powder

Frosting Ingredients - 

600g Icing Sugar

300g Unsalted softened butter

2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract

Marshmallows and flake for toppings

1 - Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas mark 4 and line your muffin tin in pretty cupcake cases.

2- Break eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and butter. Mix together until it's well combined, you can do this with an electric whisk or by hand with a wooden spoon, but be careful not to over mix.

3- In a teacup place 3 teaspoons of cocoa powder and a small amount of boiling hot water to create a runny chocolate paste, then place that into the batter mixture and stir in gently. This will create your hot chocolate base.

4- Place your mixture into each cupcake case and place into the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. Once they are cooked, place them onto a cooling rack before icing them.

5- Sift your icing sugar into a large bowl, place your butter into the bowl and add your vanilla extract too. Gradually beat together until you have them as fluffy as the clouds and sweet as candy floss. I've found when I'm using a piping bag the icing will pipe a lot better when it's had some time in the fridge to harden, I usually leave it for an hour.

6- Once the icing is more pliable, place some into your pre prepared piping bag and swirl the cream on top of your hot chocolate cake. I'm still learning and practising with my piping bag skills, but I felt happy with the improvement I've made with these.

7- This is one of the funnest parts, toppings! I decided to get some pretty pink and white mini marshmallows and a flake to crumble on top, to perfect that pretty hot chocolate. 

Here are a couple more photos of these creations... 

I hope this post has made you feel more Autumnal and ready for the new season! Have a great week doing all Autumnal activities!!

What are your favourite Autumn blog posts?

Have a fantastic week!!

Kellie Jo

xxx

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♡

What's in my bag - Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM

Hello lovelies!

I couldn't decide what I wanted to post this week! As we are in between seasons, I didn't know if posting autumn content was a bit too soon, or if everyone was starting to be interested. So I took to Twitter to do a poll, it was between this post or starting autumn posts and this post won the poll! So I'll hold off a little while longer before delving into one of my favourite seasons!

Last year I saved very hard, worked extra hours to make this special purchase. I always dreamed of getting a Louis Vuitton handbag, I never actually thought I'd be able to have one myself! I was very torn between the Speedy and Neverfull, I watched YouTube videos, reviews and done a huge amount of research to really make sure I made the right decision.
I noticed a lot of women also used the Neverfull as a 'Mum/baby changing' bag, which is something I hope to do in the future, to me that made this item more of an investment piece, something I can use a lot and it would be versatile.
I chose the Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM, in Damier Ebene.
The main reason I chose this bag in the Damier Ebene is because in England we get a huge amount of rain and this was the only leather that wouldn't get damaged by that, but it's very classic and timeless and I love this print.
This bag is brilliant for carrying all the things a girly, shopaholic needs!
It's beautiful quality, yet still lightweight enough to not hurt my arm or shoulder.

The contents of my bag is particularly girly! My purse is always in my bag, I adore my baby pink and cream Ted Baker wallet, it's just perfect for me, it fits all my cards and cash nicely, the quality is exquisite, Ted Baker products are always such a dream.
A woman always needs her perfect lipstick in her handbag, mine is this MAC one in the shade 'Holiday Crush', from their most recent Christmas 'Snowball' collection, it's a perfect frosty, shimmer nude shade.
Chanel no5 the perfume Marilyn Monroe wore to bed and done campaigns for, I know a lot of people call it an "old lady smell", but I love it, it's deep, rich and classy. A light spritz lasts all day long, but if I want a top up I have my bottle handy.
My rose gold portable charger is a brilliant creation, my iphone loses it's charge so quickly a lot of the time, so when you're on the go and busy all the time, this small companion is amazing and easy to carry around.
I also have this little Ted Baker make up bag, but I use it to store all my odds and ends pieces, my Chanel compact mirror (Blair Waldorf inspired), lady essentials, painkillers and plasters. Just so they're all organised in one place.

What is your must have essential for your handbag that I need?

Have a wonderful week lovelies, as we head into September! In my opinion, that's the start of Autumn!

                                                                     Kellie Jo
                                                                        xxx

Disney Wishlist

Hello lovelies! 

I hope you've all had a fantastic week!!

What is more magical than Disney? I think there must be a favourite Disney movie of everyone's childhood, a particular character you relate to...Mine is Marie, girly, sassy and always wearing a pink bow!

After such a long time, a 'Shop Disney Pop Up Shop' has finally arrived in a location near me in Canterbury. With this news I thought I'd create my own Disney wish list as the temptation of a store being so close to me is all too much for my bank balance.

Thumper |Medium Plush

Miss Bunny |Medium Plush

The Rescuers |Bernard and Miss Bianca 

Disney Traditions |The Seven Dwarfs

Disney Traditions |Mickey and Minnie Mouse engagement 

Disney Traditions |Carol Singing

Peter Pan| A Wonderful Thought Plate

Peter Pan| London Mug

Mary Poppins |Plush Toy

After watching Bambi for the first time last year (after so many people said they cried whilst watching it, I was worried to watch it for a while), I fell in love with Thumper and Miss Bunny, they're adorable, positive little bunnies, I'd love them for my collection. 

I remember watching The Rescuers for the first time when I was little and thinking I'd love to have a little Bernard and Miss Bianca as little companions to help me. There was never any of The Rescuers merchandise when I was growing up, so when is saw these little plushies I was in love!

I already have quite the Disney Traditions collection building up, they're all so beautifully crafted and they keep bringing out more and more. My top three favourites at the moment are...The 7 Dwarfs 'Hi hoing' off to work across the log, Mickey Mouse proposing to Minnie Mouse and my absolute favourite, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto carol singing together, this is such a Disney dream.

Shop Disney released more Peter Pan merchandise this year and they did not disappoint! 

This 'Think of a Wonderful Thought' plate and London themed mug gave me heart eyes, London is one of my favourite places, so I love the Big Ben touch with the mug handle. I think the plate is such a feel good piece with the wonderful quote.

Last but not least, this 'Practically Perfect in Every Way' Mary Poppins plush! 'Mary Poppins Returns' comes to the cinemas at the end of the year and I don't know about you, but I'm completely excited for it! I'm hoping there will be many more merchandise pieces released with the new movie, as I love Mary Poppins and this cuddly is lovely.

What are you wishing for from the Disney store?

Have a great week...

Kellie Jo

xxx

Princess Baking Wishlist ♡

Hello lovelies!

I've been working extra hard at improving my baking skills of late, as it's something I really enjoy doing and I find it helps me relax a lot more. Baking through Autumn and Winter is my favourite in particular, there's just something about baking on a cold, cosy day, when you can hear raindrops tapping at the windows, as the scent of warming cakes fill the kitchen. 

I have so many things I'd love to have to bake with, my birthday is in October, so I thought this would give me present ideas also. 

1. Kitchen Aid Artisan Food Processor| Pink

2. HHYS Pink Hand Mixer| Baby Pink

3. Premier Housewares 5kg Kitchen Scales| Pink

4. Kitchen Craft Oven Gloves| Heat Resistant

5. Silicone Fondant Mould| Tinkerbell

6. Silicone Non Stick Placement Mat| Fondant Pink

7. Bow Fondant Moulds| Lavender

8. Cupcake Apron| Pure Cotton

9. Three Piece Tool Set| Silicone Pink

I don't know if it's obvious enough, but I love the colour pink...So of course all the baking wishes I have are baby pink.

I'd absolutely love to have a baby pink Kitchen Aid mixer, I think it's every bakers dream choice, they are rather pricey at nearly £500, but I think the price says a lot about the quality of this product. That is a bit out of reach at the moment, so my second choice was the baby pink hand whisk, they both do the exact same job and both very cute! 

Scales are a complete essential for baking and why not have some pretty ones? I found these ones on Amazon and what drew me to them, other than the fact they're baby pink is the vintage feel they have.

My next pick are these baking gloves, I keep using tea towels, which isn't the best idea due to the fact I keep burning the teeny tips of my fingers when I grab my trays out of the oven, these would be perfect for all my cooking.

How could I do any sort of wish-list without incorporating anything Disney related? This little fondant mould in the shape of Tinkerbell screamed adorable to me! I'd love to make Tinkerbell cupcakes and sprinkle pixie dust all over them.

I was watching 'Catherine Bakes' and I saw she used this mat to help create her beautiful little fondant creations. She also had it in pink too and that made up my mind!

Another fondant mould product, but this time it's for bows. I love bows and feel they leave a pretty touch to anything, an outfit...A cupcake, it's even better on a cupcake, because that way it's edible! 

I already own a basic apron, but I think a pretty apron would add to my outfit and make me feel more like Snow White whilst baking.

Last but not least, a little baking utensils set, it has two spatulas and a egg brush, these will all come in handy for so many baking/cooking projects.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I already have a baking post in the works, so keep an eye out for that!

Kellie Jo

xxx

Top 5 Summer Beauty Essentials

Hello lovelies! 

I hope you're all having a wonderful summer, I cannot believe how lucky we've been with the weather, what a heatwave we are still experiencing! I have to admit, myself, I am excited for that Autumnal, crisp air...but I'll leave that for a little while yet as we still have another whole month of summer!!

With the intense heat and humidity (I have the curliest of locks, this heatwave has given me way too many Monica from Friends, on holiday hair moments. If you've seen the episode, you know what I mean!) I have been trying to have a lot more no make up days to help my skin breathe, but I am a beauty lover, so I can't go long without having the desire to pick out all my pretty beauty things and start using them.

I have narrowed down my top 5 beauty essentials for the summer. It was a hard choice, but these are the products keeping my skin glowing, yet not letting my make up go running away and keeping me smelling sweet! 

Mac Fix+  Pinklite - I have always loved Mac Fix+ the original spray, it is one of the best primer sprays to keep your make up fresh and clean looking all day. It's light on your skin and I find it never causes my skin any problems. When I saw Mac was bringing out two new fix+ sprays I couldn't contain my excitement, especially when I saw a pink, sparkly spray. Oh my goodness, I don't think I could find a primer spray anymore princess-like if I tried! When I arrived at the Mac store to pick this up, I didn't realise I was a day early! Luckily there was a very kind sales assistant who said she'd be able to sell it to me, even though it's a day early, which I was ever so grateful for. What I love about this product is the fact it's still the good old original fix+, but once I sprayed it onto my skin, it was glowing like a pink sun and also the perfect amount of glow. I even use it if I'm not going to wear any make up, just to make my skin look healthy and glowy through summer.

YSL Primer: Touche Eclat Blur Primer - Just the packaging of this product gives me complete glam vibes, YSL always do well with aesthetically pleasing products and the fact their products work beautifully make them the double threat. The consistency of this product is like a gel with sparkly, golden flex running through it, which if used together with the Mac fix+ spray I mentioned above creates the ultimate golden glow. This primer leaves a smooth, flawless base and gives easy to apply skin for your foundation or concealer and I think the finish it leaves on the skin is beautiful. 

Chanel: Coco Mademoiselle Parfum - I feel this is now a cult fragrance within the girly beauty blogger community. I never get bored or tired of smelling this scent or any Chanel perfume, their quality is impeccable and undeniable. Last summer a customer came in at work and they smelt so delightful, I had to ask what perfume they were wearing, turns out it was this one and the lady started spraying me with her's, which I was surprised and happy about, Chanel perfume is not the cheapest! I learnt that this scent lasted all day and I knew then I had to purchase it. I've been using it again this year and I'm still in love with this it. Like most people, I'm not the best at describing scents, but the best way I can is that I get hints of floral and rosey, with a deepness of Chanel no5.

Essie nail polish: Bikini with a Martini - I found this shade at The Beauty Outlet @ The Ashford Designer Outlet, it was of course a bargain as I got it at an outlet, the RRP is £7.99 and I purchased it for £3.99. I always buy Essie nail polishes as I find them reliable for any occasion, the shape of the brush is oval and makes it easy to create the best at home manicure look, the chipping on them is minimal and the consistency of the polish is just right, not too thin or thick. This shade is a baby pink with gold shimmer running through it (I'm sure you're getting I love the gold and pink theme), it's subtle, but enough to polish of a summer outfit perfectly.

Chanel: Rouge Coco Gloss Moisturising Glossimer - Shade - Douceur - Every girl needs that perfect lip gloss in their collection, the one you always fall back to in a make up crisis. This is that one! This shade works with all skin tones, it's glossy with a hint of shimmer and pinky tones. Spring, summer, autumn, winter...No matter what make up look for what season, it's beautiful! 

             I hope you all enjoyed this post and it gave you some summer shopping inspiration!

                                                                   Kellie Jo xxx

Neapolitan Cupcakes Recipe ♡

I'm finally back with a new blog post! Lately it just seems a lot of juggling with blogging, full time work and life in general, I've also struggled to have some inspiration for different, original content. 

The inspiration for making more baking blog posts is my blogging friend Sophie at The Frosting Fairy you need to go and take a look at her magical creations.

Through this heatwave we are having here in England, which I might add, none of us are used to this intense, everyday heat. I think ice cream must be the most popular dessert/snack currently, to keep everyone cool, but it's such a yummy treat!

I remember the heatwaves through summer when I was little, neapolitan ice cream was such a ice cream treat, with all three decadent flavours chocolate, vanilla and strawberry!

I wanted to put this ice cream treat into a yummy cupcake form!

For my batter mixture I actually used was Mary Berry's All In One Victoria Sponge recipe, I always find Mary's recipe's are perfection, she can do no wrong. I know you may be thinking it's a big mixture for cupcakes, but to make the two tone with vanilla and chocolate it's always best to have lots of mixture.

The ingredients for the batter - 

•                                                          4 free-range eggs
•                                                        225g/8oz caster sugar
•                                                       225g/8oz self-raising flour
•                                                     2 teaspoons baking powder
•                                                   2 tablespoons of vanilla extract 
•                                             225g/8oz butter at room temperature
•                                                   3 teaspoons of cocoa powder
• 
  

 1- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and line your muffin tin with the cases of your choice, for this I chose plain white ones to emphasise the chocolate and vanilla difference.

2- Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking powder, butter and vanilla extract. Mix together until well combined with an electric hand mixer (you can also use a wooden spoon), but be careful not to over mix.

3- Split half of your mixture into another bowl. 

4- In a teacup place 3 teaspoons of cocoa powder, add a dash of boiling hot water from the kettle and mix that into a runny paste, then place in one bowl of mixture and combine.

5- Bring your lined muffin tin over to your two batter bowls, place half of your chocolate mixture to make a base in each case, then on top of the chocolate base place the same amount of vanilla mixture, to start the neapolitan look.

6- Place your tray of cupcakes into the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, then once they are cooked, leave on a cooling rack, before icing them.


                                     The ingredients for the strawberry buttercream icing -

                                                            600g of Icing sugar
                                                 300g softened unsalted butter
                                             2 teaspoons of Strawberry flavouring
                                               2 teaspoons of pink food colouring

1- Sift the icing sugar into a bowl your butter, then gradually beat together, until it becomes a nice fluffy mixture.

2- Then swirl in your strawberry flavouring and pink food colouring to fully create the strawberry topping for the cupcake.

3- Place your strawberry frosting into a piping bag with a basic tip, (Now before you all judge my piping skills, this was my first attempt at icing with a piping bag and I'm pretty proud of it, but practise makes perfect.) and I just done a one level swirl.

This summer creation went down so well with my family, everyone loved them, they're perfect for bbq's and party's.

                                        Have a great weekend and happy baking!

                                                     
                                                                Kellie Jo xxx