The Perfect NYE Manicure with Ted Baker

New Years Eve is all about Glitz & Glam and one of the best accessories you have is right at your fingertips!!!

When I have a fresh manicure I feel preened and confident, it's just perfect to have gorgeous sparkly nails when toasting your champagne glass and midnight!

Ted Bakers beauty range is so pretty, and ideal for building up your collection of nail tools to get you started! I was lucky enough to be sent a few of their items and I wanted to share with you have I've done my nails ready for NYE!

The Golden Girl Duo consists of one shimmer nail varnish 'Golden Girl' and a glitter nail varnish 'Totally Twinkie'. Both contain 9ml and the set is available at Boots for £8.50.

To start I removed my old nail varnish and made sure my nails were 100% clean. Next I pushed back the cuticles and shaped. I have previously had red nails for about 2 weeks so the nail scissors were perfect for cutting back any nails that were too long. After this I shaped all my nails with a file.

I picked up Golden Girl and applied two coats - it was so easy to apply, the brush is medium thickness so it applied really quickly. This polish had a lot more shimmer then I expected and looked stunning in the sunlight.

 

Now if you just like gold nails you could quite easily stop here, but I for one LOVE glitter and will use it at any opportunity!!! 

Next I added 2 coats of the glitter nail varnish. I am used to using Barry M Glitter but I may be swayed over to Ted Baker... it is chunkier and the colour is more of a cool gold then a yellow gold which looks so gorgeous on. The varnish was very thick to apply so you do need to work quickly - you may find after a couple of months of use it would be best to add a few drops of nail varnish removed to thin it back out.

Once all the layers were dry I finished off with some Top Coat to smooth everything off and to make sure these gorgeous golden tips last!!!

I'm really impressed with the Ted Baker beauty products - the packaging is gorgeous, they are high quality and super easy to use. You can find the full range in your local Boots of HERE. Make sure you keep an eye for for 342!!!

How are you having your nails this NYE?

Stevie

xoxo

Stanwell House Lymington - because 3 courses is never enough...

I've mentioned in the past that me and 4 girlies have a weekly 'Dinner Club' - this involves us taking turns to host and cook dinner once a week. We all arrive in our pyjamas, eat a feast, and then get snuggly with a DVD or game. It's so much fun and we usually spend 2 hours straight gossiping!

On the odd occasion we like to get dressed up and pop out somewhere a bit more swish and as Christmas is a few sleeps away we thought it was the perfect excuse!

We headed to Stanwell House in Lymington, this was probably my 5th visit to Stanwells and it never disappoints, hence why I've had to share this little gem with you! Situated towards the bottom of the High Street (if you've been to Lymington you'll know the High Street is one massive hill) it's hidden in a gorgeous old building behind some double doors...

I always opt for the Bistro Menu as they do excellent deals - this evening was no exception, £26.45 for 3 courses (it's even cheaper at lunch!) I ordered Breaded Mozzarella, Pork Belly, and Christmas Pudding and prepared for a taste explosion!!!

While we were waiting, slowly sipping on wine, and discussing our exciting plans for Christmas we had a surprise course placed in front of our eyes... there laid a little glass container filled with cauliflower soup, topped with a golden drizzle of Indian oil. The soup was warm and yummy and the curry flavoured oil added a real kick of flavour. It's safe to say they all quickly disappeared again.

 

Next up was the Breaded Mozzarella, this was warm a gooey (could of done with a few minutes extra as the middle wasn't completely melted.) 

 

Time for the main... Pork Belly, Roasties, Sprouts and Beans topped with a delicious sauce. Words cannot begin to explain how amazing this was, 3 of us chose this and our plates were literally licked clean, I could of eaten it all again!

 

Mmmm Christmas Pudding topped with Brandy Custard...

 

Isabel's chocolate Crème Brule with homemade biscuits...

 

Jayne & Kirsty opted for raspberry mille feuille...

 

We thought the fun ended there but we were wrong... next we were treated to fresh pots of tea and warm mince pies!!! I don't like tea so they kindly changed it for a rich, yummy hot chocolate.

 

After 5 courses and lots of belly laughs we were very full and very sleepy. An excellent night out and a perfect festive meet up. If you ever get the chance to visit Lymington I would highly recommend taking a break in Stanwells and grabbing some of their gorgeous food, you won't be disappointed!

 

Stevie
xoxo

Get Your Glad Rags On - Festive Outfit Inspiration

One of my favourite parts of the Festive Season is all the parties and get togethers! I love seeing everyone getting in the Christmas spirit, putting tinsel in their hair and layering themselves in tacky jumpers!!!

For me, the 3 big outfits to plan are The Christmas Party, Christmas/Boxing Day, and of course New Years Eve! I've been browsing the web non-stop for the past week looking for the ideal selections and there's some right crackers out there (sorry, I had to get that in there!)

ACCESSORIZE SIMPLE RIBBED TORQ COLLAR NECKLACE

LIPSY BANDEAU JUMPSUIT

YSL LE ROUGE PUR COUTURE LIPSTICK

CARVELLA KURT GEIGER GOSH HEELS

The Christmas Party is that moment to show the office how glam you really are away from the spreadsheets and stats! I love the look of this Lipsy Jumpsuit, it will be super flattering on (slim those legs and bum) and show off that gorgeous waist of yours! Paired with some simple accessories it's really going to make you look a million dollars. For hair I think either a big bun, or full on Jessica Rabbit bouncy curls to really get those office hotties staring!

ZARA PRINTED DRESS

ALEX MONROE CALABRIA THREE FLOWER RING

PRETTY POLLY TIGHTS

BLACK FUR COLLAR

Boxing Day is all about taking time to relax and enjoy the company of your loved ones (not to mention that tin of Quality Street!) With a few visits to family and a few classic Christmas films it's important to be comfortable. I love this printed dress from Zara and with a little bit of fur wrapped round you you'll keep warm and look très glam!

RIVER ISLAND BLACK LEATHER LOOK PENCIL SKIRT

MISS SELFRIDGE GOLD RUSH EMBELLISHED CAMI TOP

MISS SELFRIDGE EMBELLISHED CAMI CROP TOP

ACCESSORIZE MIRRORED HARDCASE CLUTCH

NYE 2014 ... the countdown.

After watching Gatsby this year I have become a tad obsessed with the gorgeous 1920's embellished style. Everything is so pretty, detailed and feminine. Miss Selfridge have hit the nail on the head with these Camisoles (not forgetting the dresses in store). I think they'll look perfect paired with an on trend leather pencil skirt and a big up do. The perfect ensemble to bring in the New Year with a few bubbles... if you're lucky there might even people doing the charleston and pouring glitter from oversized lavish bottles of Champagne!

What's your favourite outfit you've planned?

Stevie

xoxo

MissGuided Black Velvet Swing Dress OOTD

MISSGUIDED INES VELVET STRAPPY SWING DRESS

 BARRY M NAIL PAINT IN BERRY

URBAN OUTFITTERS CROSS NECKLACE

PRIMARK WHITE LONG SLEEVE TSHIRT

PRIMARK COSY 300 DENIER TIGHTS

Layering in for A/W has been in trend for a while now but it's only this year I've ventured out and tried layering with a strap dress and a tshirt!

I saw this gorgeous Black Velvet Swing Dress on MissGuided and thought it would be a great addittion to my Winter wardrobe. It looks gorgeous and cosy dressed down for the day time, and it's easy enough to glam up with a pair of chunky heels and a leather jacket for the evening.

Have you tried the velvet trend?

Stevie
xoxo

A Mexican Fiesta!

Over the festive period there's no better excuse to get together with some of your besties for a themed dinner party! There's so many themes out there you could go with - Christmas, Geisha, American or my personal favourite MEXICANA!!!!

I ordered some props from Flingers Party Shop to really set the scene. They arrived so quickly, were well packaged and were perfect for the night! 

STRAW MEXICAN SOMBRERO* £3.99

BUSHY GRINGO TASH* £1.29

NEON MARACAS* £1.99

MEXICAN FIESTA CUTOUTS* £2.29

For the food I planned a banquet fit for a matador!!! Chicken Enchilada's, Beef Tacos, Chips & Dip, Potato Wedges and my favourite, Avocado Salad! All yummy and packed with fresh vegetables so you don't have to feel quite so guilty.

For the Enchilada's I used the Asda Kit, it's great value for money and really tasty (I prefer it over the Old El Paso kit!) I stuffed these with chicken, peppers and onions and top with cheese. For the Beef Tacos I browned the mince and added the seasoning (for me personally this didn't have enough flavour or spice so still going to keep searching for the perfect taco recipe!) I lined the shells with lettuce, spooned in mince and sprinkled a little bit of cheese.

 

The Avocado Salad is my absolute fave, so easy to make and it brings a POP of colour to the table. Serve it with a big side of Sour Cream and it'll go down a storm I promise!

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

2 Avocado's

2 Red Onions

1 Punnet of Cherry Tomatoes

1 Lime

METHOD

1. Slice the Cherry Tomatoes in half

2. Cut the Avocado in to squares (keep it nice and chunky!)

3. Slice the Red Onion into cubes

4. Mix together in a big bowl and top with a squeeze of lime

For pudding I wanted something with a bit more of a kick... especially as it's coming up to the festive season! While in Jamaica I drunk a lot of Pina Colada's so I wanted to recreate this for the girls. I grabbed the ingredients,  whizzed it all together and served. They were strong but disappeared quickly and there were a lot of giggles after!

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

Pineapple

Pineapple Juice

Coconut Milk

Rum (White or Dark)

METHOD

1. Pour Rum into blender (I used one shot per person)

2. Add the whole tin of Coconut Milk

3. I added around half of the Pineapple Juice (you can always add more to make it less strong)

4. Add loads of ice and blend!!

5. Pour into glasses and decorate with fresh Pineapple on the rim

6. Wait for the giggles to kick in!

Ole'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's your favourite Dinner Party to host?

Stevie
xoxo