My big fat Greek food box

I know that we're all looking forward to some lovely Christmas food and right in the middle of all the preparations, I get a delivery from Kitchen Nomad, my monthly subscription of a box of food from somewhere exciting in the world and this month the focus was on Greek food. Greece is a country very close to my heart since I've been very fortunate to not only travel around a lot in Greece but I've also lived there, on an island in the Cyclades called Naxos. It's not always easy finding good food that doesn't contain meat or poultry in some countries in the world, but in Greece it was a doddle since a lot of the cuisine is based on fantastic fresh vegetables and fish flavored with wonderful herbs and spices. So what's in the box to recreate some food memories this time around?

 Ingredients

Kalamata extra virgin olive oil - from the Kalamata region on Peloponessos (Southern Greece), known for its peppery and herbal flavor

Vine leaves in brine - essential for Dolmades, yum yum

Pickled capers - use in salads, or with fish or as a pizza topping. Oh, I love the saltiness of these!!

Orzo pasta - almost looks like a big grain of rice, but it is actually a type of macaroni and it's perfect to use in soups or stuffing

Kalamata black olives - dark purple olives

Cassia bark - similar to cinnamon but much more intensive, used for marinades and infusions

Organic pressed tomato sauce

Dukkah spice mix - spicy blend of nuts, seeds, herbs and spice used for dips

Dried Greek figs

What feast are we cooking up this time?

Starter:

Dolmades (Stuffed vine leaves) -  Vine leaves stuffed with rice, tomatoes, onion, parsley, mint and lemon juice - simple but incredibly flavorsome

Dip with dukkah spice -  you can sprinkle the dukkah over yoghurt or just dip bread in olive oil and the dukkah

Mains:

Youvestsi with orzo and cassia bark - protein (it's supposed to be lamb really), onions, tomato sauce, garlic, cassia bark, orzo and feta cheese

Prawn saganaki with tomato sauce - prawns in a garlicky olive and tomato sauce, sprinkled with feta cheese and baked in the oven

Tarte with black olives and capers - puff pastry covered with olives, capers, fresh tomatoes, basil and rosemary

 

Dessert:

Fig and walnut bake - figs and walnuts baked in honey, cassia bark and served with yoghurt

Cafe frappe - Ice coffee with lots of froth. I take mine medium sweet with milk - oh the memories...

This food box certainly brought back some lovely memories of the amazing tasty food that Greece has to offer, and after Boxing day when we're all fed up with Christmas food and leftovers, I think a big fat Greek buffet with lots of ouzo and wine will be a welcome change. We might even leave all the dirty Christmas plates and do some plate smashing... Opa!

Winner of 700 follower giveaway & Ciaté Advent calendar Dec 11 to 18

Before we look at the beautiful mini's that Father Ciaté has given me lately I want to say thank you to everyone who entered the UK giveaway I held to celebrate that I reached 700 followers on Bloglovin'. I so appreciate all the support you all give me and I wish I could give a little something to everyone, but  unfortunately there could only be one winner this time, and that is Emma B - another wonderful blogger (Fab Head to Toe). Big congratulations to Emma, I hope you enjoy the Bourjois Iconic Glam set which is on its way to you.

Well, I think it's safe to say that the Ciaté advent calendar just keeps getting better and better. The first batch was OK some fun reds and oranges, the second batch was even better with some lovely metallics and muted shades and this week - WOW is all I say! I'm a very happy polishaholic at the moment with such an amazing selection of shades, effects and textures - just look at these beauties:

 Dec 11 - Jingle Belle: A gorgeous loose glitter in soft pink and effervescent gold and crystal. In the photo I'm wearing it on top of the Ciaté Kiss Chase I got last week. I would wear this either as an accent nail or as the tip of a pink version of a French manicure.

Dec 12 - Pepperminty: A stunning cool, fresh and crisp mint shade with a slight light blue tint. In one word - FABULOUS!

Dec 13 - Ferris Wheel: A subtle creamy pastel blue, very much a spring shade, but also perfect for cool snowy winter manis

Dec 14 - Party Shoes: A beautiful gold glitter polish, that works well on it's own using several coats to build up the density or as a top coat. 

Dec 15 - Play Date: A vibrant, punchy fuchsia pink
Dec 16 - Members Only: A very sheer, shimmery and delicate pale ballerina pink

Dec 17 - Frost Yourself: Finally I got some new caviar beads in this Christmas mix of silver, grey and bright blue.
Dec 18 - Amazing Gracie: A milky off white shade with a faint nude pink hue, great for a natural look or a French mani. 

 From left to right in artificial light:

Jingle Belle on top of Kiss Chase

Pepperminty

Ferris Wheel

Party Shoes

 From left to right in artificial light:

Play Date
Members Only
Frost Yourself 
Amazing Gracie

 From left to right in natural light:
Jingle Belle on top of Kiss Chase
Pepperminty
Ferris Wheel
Party Shoes

 From left to right in natural light:

Play Date
Members Only
Frost Yourself 
Amazing Gracie

We have sooo many beautiful shades this time around and I genuinely LOVE every single one of them, but for me the jewel of the crown has to be Jingle Belle. I'm completely in love with the gem crusted, glittering but matte look and think it's so eye catching. The only thing about these loose glitters is that even though you are very careful to gather the excess when you've sprinkled it to put it back in the bottle you almost always loose a little bit of the glitter, which is a shame and I wish that they could come up with a better way of dispensing it. But the look is simply stunning - well done Ciaté!
 

December empties

I can barely believe that there's only one week to go before Christmas! I've spent the last few weeks bringing home so much stuff for Christmas that the cupboards are filled to the brim of food and hidden away presents. Well, good thing then that I've also tried to make some space by finishing up a few products.

As you may know Operation Rapunzel to get my hair to grow even longer has been in action these last few months, so you probably won't be surprised to see that there are 4 empties today that are related to hair care. The first one is the Kérastase Elixir Ultime hair oil (£27.60). It's a wonderful light oil with a gorgeous scent of sweet and rich moringa that is great for repairing and nourishing damaged hair. Like most hair oils you can use this for some many purposes, as a conditioner, treatment, detangler or as a styling products. I only use a few tiny pumps of oil, and my hairs feels so smooth and silky and cared for. Out of the hair oils I've tried, this is one of my absolute favourites and despite the price tag I would definitely buy it again as it's a real investment in your hair.

Next up is the dry shampoos of the month and both are from Batiste in the scents Cherry (£2.99) and XXL Volume Big & Bouncy (£3.99). Batiste will always be a brand I turn to for dry shampoo because of the wide range of scents that they offer, and they keep re-inventing themselves with new and exciting releases. The cherry scent comes in a cute retro bottle and it has a sweet, fairly intense cherry scent and although it's nice it's almost a little too heavy for me since I prefer lighter scents on my hair that won't interfere with whatever perfume I'm wearing. Big & Bouncy is more of a fresh floral and it's very effective for adding texture and extra body to the hair at the same time as it refreshes and controls oil and I would definitely get it again to help create updo's that stay in place all day.

Key to my routine to encourage my hair to grow is using the Lee Stafford's Hair Growth Treatment which is a protein rich mask that you use as a treatment in between your shampoo and conditioner and you apply it not only to the ends of your hair, but to the scalp as well and a healthy scalp is important for healthy hair, after all the hair grows from the scalp - not the ends. It's a wonderful rich cream with a lovely nutty scent that makes the hair feel very soft and volumized. I've really enjoyed using this every week and I'm already working on my second tub so that I can give you an update next month on how it's worked for me - and if my hair has grown longer which I really hope.

That's the hair products out of the way, so let's look at the others starting with the Gatineau Floracil Eye Makeup Remover (£17.50). It's a non-oily very gentle but effective remover that contains camomile to sooth and refresh the eye area but that also cares for the eyelashes at the same time. In the evening I usually take two cotton pads, soak them with Floracil and put them over the eye lids for a few seconds, and it's as if all the makeup, even water resistant mascara just dissolves and gets wiped away. There's no rubbing or pulling of the delicate skin and no stinging sensation in the eyes. If like myself you spend most of your day in front of a computer screen, your eyes might get a bit tired and weary, and just relaxing with a few pads of Floracil, is a few minutes of every day luxury.  This is without a doubt the best eye makeup remover I have ever used and I will definitely get another jumbo sized one in January and since it should last me about 5 months, the current offer on Salon Skincare really is excellent value for money.

One of the nail care brands that I completely swear by is Sally Hansen and I have used the care range for years now. I must confess that I have strayed and used other brands in between that promise miraculous nail growth, but I have always come back to Sally Hansen since I find that the products actually work and one of the products I've used almost non stop the past year is the Nail Growth Serum (£6.95). The serum contains Biotin, which is famous for helping hair and nails to grow and also for improving the quality. You massage it into both the nail and the cuticle and it certainly helps your nails to grow and I also find that the nails feel stronger and more even. I do prefer the Nail Growth formula that you can use as a base case, but both products are great and if you find it difficult to grow your nails, this might be a great product to try.

Just as I had planned on wearing a lovely glamorous Hollywood look with red lips and a winged eyeliner, my Avon Glimmerstick Liqui-glide eyeliner (£2.50) gave up the ghost. Timing couldn't have been worse! The product has the consistency of a liquid eye liner, but it's in a pencil form and has great precision, which is great for me since I find that liquid liners can be quite difficult to work with. The liner lasted really well throughout the day without any smudging but it was also easy to remove in the evening. I wore the shade graphite - perfect for creating a flick but not quite as harsh as darkest black, all in all a very nice and budget friendly eye liner.

The last empties is one of the winter scented candles I recently bought from Lily-Flame Candle (£8.50). Winter Wood was a fresh, but woody and aromatic scent, almost like the scent of Christmas tree. In the tin it was a bit soapy but I was very positively surprised and it filled the room with a lovely homely scent. I'm usually never disappointed in the candles from Lily-Flame - the scents are great, the candles burn a long time and they usually burn really well. This time however I wasn't pleased when the candle after about 15 hrs refused to burn any longer and had turned into the shape you see in the photo. A bit disappointing, but at least the other candles that I bought haven't let me down, and are just as great as I've come to expect.

I didn't manage to finish as much as I had hoped this month, but I'm sure I can find space somewhere if Santa is kind enough to bring me some lovely beauty bits and pieces this Christmas...

Rudolph the red nosed Lush mask...

Well, it had to be done... what else could I possibly name this post about the most festive skin care product at the moment, it is of course the Lush Fresh Face Mask in Rudolph (£5.50). Since I use some form of a mask at least twice a week I'm always on the hunt for something new. I've tried quite a few of the Lush masks with mixed success to be honest, but after a few trial and errors I have found my firm favourites that I stick to e.g. Cupcake and BB Seaweed. It's so much fun going into a Lush store and browse the fresh masks - it's a bit like a salad bar, and for me they are great value for money and my only issue is that because they only contain natural ingredients I don't always manage to finish them before the expiry date, but that's a small price to pay for natural fresh skin care.

Rudolph is a calming and soothing mask specifically intended for winter and cold harsh weather, and it's rich in ingredients that reduce redness and restores the skin e.g. cucumber, lavender oil, oatmeal and tofu. Even if we have been lucky enough not to have your typical winter weather, this mask is still lovely to use if your skin feels a little tight, irritated or dehydrated and I would imagine this would be great for sensitive skin as well. The mask is nice and creamy and holds together well, so unlike some of the other fresh masks it's fairly easy to apply an even layer all over the face, although there might be some little drops of it that fall off - so don't use this wearing something delicate or fancy. Leave it on for about 10-15 minutes or so before you take it off and enjoy the lovely fresh, watery smell of cucumber on your skin. It doesn't really dry into a different consistency so it's easy to wipe it off with a hot cloth for a gentle exfoliation at the same time and your skin should feel very moisturised, nourished and less angry.

Since I spend all of my day in front of a computer screen, I sometimes feel that my skin gets a little prickly and Rudolph is a wonderful, fresh relaxation in the evening and even though BB Seaweed is another great skin calmer I actually prefer the aquatic scent of Rudolph, which just adds to the sensation of the skin being refreshed, soothed and restored. Yet another fun product from Lush this Christmas season and I'm very happy to let Rudolph and his cute red jelly nose guide my skincare this winter.   

Manic.Monday: Essie Raisinnuts

December is just flying by - yesterday it was already the 3rd of advent, which means that again it was time to light candle no 3, eat some ginger bread and crack out another bottle of Glögg. Some of you may remember that I have mentioned Glögg before in a post, but if you didn't see that one I can tell you that it's a traditional Swedish hot winter drink, quite similar to mulled wine i.e. it's based on red wine and it's rich with invigorating and warm spices like orange, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and cognac. You usually serve Glögg with raisins and nuts, so I can't think of a more suitable nail polish for this Manic.Monday than Essie's Raisin Nuts (£7.99).

I know I recently did another post on an Essie nail polish (St. Lucia) that wasn't entirely positive, but since I then also mentioned that for me the more pigmented Essie shades are - the better the quality is, I wanted to balance my previous review by showing a good shade with lots of pigmentation... and Raisin Nuts is a really good one.

There's no denying that the formula still is quite thin, but it does feel a little bit more creamy when you apply it. The brush is also still the same, i.e. quite narrow and when I apply it I need about 4 streaks to get a good coverage. Now had that been in a lighter shade, I know from experience that the first coat would have been streaky, however the pigmentation makes all the difference and with Raisin Nuts I get a really nice and even finish. Raisin Nuts is a warm, sweet dark red shade that creates a lovely satin finish. For me it's not opaque enough when I just use one coat and since I really want to bring out the lovely depth of the color, I always apply two coats with this shade. The formula dries very quickly and evenly without any gloopyness and in the photos I've also followed up with a high shine top coat.

I love to wear Raisin Nuts and the sophisticated deep wine shade really reminds me of the color of Glögg and for me it's a great soft shade for autumn and winter that goes with most outfits. This particular shade from Essie lasts about 3 days on me before it starts to chip even if I'm wearing a good base coat and top coat, so for me long wear is still an issue - but not a big one so let's call it an issuette. It's not going to stop me from getting any Essie shades that I really like, however I have to be honest and say there are other brands that I prefer to use. If you have any tips on how to get Essie nail polishes to last longer, I'm all ears!

Wondrous winter warmers

I've always loved Christmas, and this year I don't know what has come over me, but I think it's safe to say that I've taken it to a different level! Not only have I decorated the house much more than I usually do, and started hoarding Christmas food early on, but I've also bought special Christmas snuggly clothes - yes... really... On the other hand I don't think it's just me. I can't remember the last time that every single shop on the high street had such a range of cute, adorable and silly but wonderful Christmas themed clothes. During one of my recon missions a few weeks ago to everybody's favourite budget palace - Primark, I picked up some cute Christmas winter warmers: leggings, socks and slippers. Considering the prices were so low, I actually think I was quite restrained only getting these few items. I did also pick up a plain basic new red top from Zara because after all what is Christmas without a red top, and a lovely black fluffy and warm angora jumper from A-Wear to complete my lounge wear look for the season.  

Red baggy jumper: Zara // Black angora jumper: A-Wear // Slippers & Penguin leggings & Polar bear leggings & 3 pairs of Christmas socks: Primark 

As much as I love my penguins and polar bears leggings I have to point out that I had never actually planned to go out in public wearing any of these. It was just going to be for nice and cozy evenings after a long day's work, and after the reaction from Him Indoors to my fabulously chic penguin leggings - 10 mins of rip roaring laughter, I'm definitely sticking to my original plan. But then again - what do men know?!

Kiss from a winter rose

Christmas time is the season for all things party, and it's a chance not only to dress up in glamorous outfits but it's also a time to be creative and have fun with makeup, trying on some looks that you might not normally go for. I'm definitely not a professional make up artist but I love to experiment and try on different looks, and since berry and plum shades are on trend I wanted to do a smokey rose eye look using some new shades that are a bit richer and darker and which would work well for an evening winter look. 

Usually I would start by applying my foundation however since I did a smokey eye, I actually left this to after I'd finished my eye makeup to avoid fall out and tedious corrections under the eye, so let's go straight to the eye shadows that I used. I started with applying a wash of The Body Shop Colour Crush Eyeshadow* (£7) in Grape Expectations all over the lid and even a little bit winged on the outer eyelid. It's a great silky eye shadow, that's very rich in pigmentation. You only need very little of this eye shadow, so I would recommend that you start lightly and then build it up and blend it out, which is nice and easy to do because of the lovely texture. The shade Grape Expectations is a beautiful truly matte, deep plum purple with a faint red note that I think would work for most eye colors. I also used what was left on the brush after all the blending and used that to line the lower lashline. To deepen the look I then added DAMS eyeshadow* (£16) in Damson Black to the socket line and also to the wing I created with Grape Expectations for more contrast with my blue eyes. The DAMS eye shadow is another creamy and very pigmented product where you only need very little for a dramatic impact, and I was positively surprised that there was hardly any fall out at all, despite all the blending that I did and the finish turned out very even and intense without looking heavy or cakey.

For definition I added Avon Glimmerstick Eyeliner (£3) in Blackest Black which is a wonderful smooth eyeliner that is long lasting and waterproof so you can also use it on your waterlines for even more impact. I applied the eyeliner on both the upper and lower lashlines and then it was time for the key to the smokey look - the smudging. In a way a smokey eye will hide all sorts of make up sins if you just smudge it enough and unlike blending which softens everything - smudging adds an edge, an attitude: "I slept in my makeup and I look fab" kind of feeling... I used The Body Shop Smudger Brush* (£9) which has a generous soft foam tip that is so flexible to work with and it creates that wonderful fused and slightly messy smokey eye look. I was really impressed by this brush and as much as I love my Real Techniques brushes I will definitely try some of the other brushes that The Body Shop offers. To finish the eye area I had to use the amazing butterfly effect mascara False Lash Flutter from L'Oréal (£10.99). I've mentioned this so many times before so I'll just say that it adds length, volume and flares the lashes all at the same time - perfect when you're going for a heavy eye look.

Having finished the eye area, it's time for foundation and I used The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream* (£12) in shade 3 Beige. I had never used a BB cream so I don't have much to compare with, but it contains hydrating qualities as well as pigmentation to even out your skin, in short it combines skin care and make up in one products. From the tube the cream looks white, but as soon as you start massaging it in, the pigmentation is released and this will adapt to your skin tone. When I first saw the pigmentation appear on my skin - a rosy terracotta, my heart almost stopped because that is as far away from my natural skin color as you can get. Luckily it did somehow miraculously adjust and gave a light-weight even coverage that not only felt very pleasant and natural on the skin but it also looked very natural. It lasted well throughout the day without transferring onto white clothes and when I removed it, my skin felt hydrated and smooth, as if I'd just moisturised. The only thing I'm not keen on is the scent which gets quite distinct as you work on getting an even coverage partly because I don't find it quite synthetic and  also because it changes into a more dry and powdery scent. I do however like the BB cream and since the scent is fades quite quickly it won't stop me from using it.

I didn't apply any blusher because I wanted the eye makeup to all the talking, but that of course is a personal choice and you could easily wear a berry shade to match. For my lips I used The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick* (£10) in Innocent Pink which is a light pale delicate pink with a slight shimmer that gives an almost nude look, great for contrasting a heavy eye. The lipstick feels very moisturising and it fades well and evenly after a few hrs, without any horrible dry patches. 

A smokey eye isn't always easy to carry off in the day time, but depending on which shades to choose, it's less of a vampy look and using the berry shades give depth, without being too dramatic, so for me the look works in the day time as well. If you're looking for inspiration The Body Shop has a wonderful series of mini tutorials to create different Smokey Eyes; Intense, Nude, Subtle, Jeweled or Rose. What do you think - do you like a smokey eye and a nude lip or have you created another look recently that's your new favourite?

Dec 13 - St. Lucia

Today it's Dec 13, a very special day in the Scandinavian calendar when we celebrate Lucia which is probably one of the most popular traditions throughout the year, and an important part of the overall Christmas festivities. Lucia is celebrated with a procession, a group of girls and boys dressed in white who sing traditional songs and it's lit by thousands of candles. The celebration has roots in both pagan and Christian myths, but mostly it's about the principle of light overcoming darkness. Lucia is seen as the Bringer of Light and since Dec 13 is the longest night of the year, the procession marks a turning point to show that lighter days will return soon - and during the dark winter in the north of Scandinavia where we only have sunlight for a few hrs every day, we really need a reminder that the darkest days of the year have passed. It's a beautiful, suggestive and moving tradition, and all over the country in more or less every work place and school - there will be a candle lit Lucia procession that most people will take time out to watch.

 Traditional Lucia procession

It might not be as dark in the winter time here in the UK as it is in Scandinavia, but today is still a turning point of the year and I'm looking ahead to warmer and lighter days, when it would be perfect to wear this beautiful and summery Essie nail polish (£7.99), appropriately named - St. Lucia. Essie must be one of the most famous and popular nail brands in the world and I'm fairly sure that a lot of that has to do with the fact that Essie has an amazing range of shades to choose from, each looking lovelier than the other. I think there are more than 70 of them from the lightest, most subtle natural shades to deep, rich and hearty shades. St. Lucia is a gorgeous creamy and delicate pale misty lilac, as if you've taken one single blueberry, squashed it and let it drip into a milkshake.

The formula is quite thin, and personally I can find it a bit difficult to work with it, especially if it's a lighter shade since they are more sheer and you might end up with streaking (in my case I always do with the first coat). I would have liked the formula to be just a little thicker to make it easier to apply the lighter shades, including St. Lucia particularly since the brush isn't very wide either. The brush is perhaps slightly more narrow than the average brush, and for me it works better with the less sheer shades, since you have to worry less about getting an even coverage. Even if the formula is a little thin, it dries quickly so you can quickly apply as many coats as you need to get a lovely finish and in the photo I'm wearing two coats, without the nails looking heavy.

 With Nails Inc Snowflake effect (surprise, surprise!) as accent nail 

Even though I've read reviews of Essie polishes lasting up to a week without any imperfections, and perhaps it depends on the shade but unfortunately St. Lucia only lasts up to about 2 days on me before it starts to chip a little. I have had this issue with lighter shades of Essie before, which is why I tend to mostly buy the more pigmented shades since they are not only easier to work with, but I also find that they wear a bit better - however this shade is so graceful and sublime that I'm not going to hold a grudge, although ideally I would have liked it to last longer. 

Where there are Scandinavians in the world, there will be Lucia celebrations tonight, and Him Indoors and I are actually going in to London to watch the procession at St. Paul's Cathedral, and I'm so looking forward to it. I wish you all Happy Lucia!

Winter temptations

Warning - if you are easily lead into temptation, you might want to stop reading about ... now! I'm sure I'm not the only one whose favourite drink at this time of year is hot chocolate, and after doing the Manic.Monday post on Sally Hansen's Haute Chocolate I was really in the mood for the real thing. There's nothing so cozy and comforting as coming home from a long walk in the cold, lighting some candles and then heat up from the inside with a nice cup of cocoa. Some people are really creative and make their own tasty hot chocolate from scratch in all kinds of yummy varieties and flavors, and I take my winter beanie off to them. But since I frankly can't be bothered with that and am more busy with deciding which nail polish to wear next, I turn to one of the great ready made powder versions that you can get from your local super market, or in specialist shops like Whittard or Hotel Chocolat. A while back I bought quite a few weird and wonderful hot chocolate flavors at a sale in Whittard which now are my occasional winter treat.

There are some flavors that work better in combination with chocolate than others and for me ginger, cinnamon and chilli are definitely at the top of the list. As you may have gathered from other posts I love spicy food and to experiment with different flavors, and that also extends to drinks. Adding ginger to hot chocolate adds a warm, piquant sweet zing to it, but it's by no means spicy hot as such or overpowering. It's perfect to decorate with a couple of thin slices of crystallized ginger to bring out the sweetness of the chocolate, it might sound strange, but well it's well worth trying. Cinnamon is another spice that adds a subtle, soft warm depth and since it's bitter and sweet at the same time, it works perfectly with chocolate without being too distinct. I love to combine cinnamon hot chocolate with something nutty and crunchy, e.g. crocante or toasted nuts to add a little extra to it and toasted nuts in the winter time are just lovely.

Last in the line up is the most interesting flavor - lime and chilli hot chocolate, but perhaps not one for those with less adventurous taste buds. Using hot chocolate and chilli together is not as novel a combination as you might think, in fact it dates back to the aztec civilisation where strong beer-like chilli hot chocolate was used as we use champagne today - to celebrate special occasions and it was also part of important ceremonies. The chilli definitely adds a kick, but it's not a burning hot sensation and it's more of a heat that develops, and the lime cools and refreshes at the same time - this is a quintessentially Mexican flavor which very addictive. Since the chilli brings out the bitterness of chocolate more than anything, it works really well to add some sweetness, e.g. marshmallows or M&Ms as decorations to tone down that bitterness.

 Guess what is in each mug?

Lime & Chilli hot chocolate, whipped cream and mini marshmallows

Cinnamon hot chocolate, whipped cream, sprinkle of cinnamon and toasted chopped hazelnuts

I'm not that big a hot chocolate lover that I will ever replace champagne with it, but I do enjoy the occasional decadent and naughty excess of chocolate with lashes of cream and scrumptious toppings. Feel free to blame me for any accidental intake of hot chocolate that might happen today - just enjoy every sip of it and I assume FULL responsibility!

Ciaté advent calendar: Dec 6 to 10

Last week I showed you the first round of nail polishes from the amazing Ciaté advent calendar, and it's time again to catch up and see what was behind the doors from Dec 6 to Dec 10. I was quite happy with the first few nail polishes although I did say that I wanted a bit more variety when it comes to the shades, but this week I think it's been a really lovely mix of shades with everything from the delicate to the metallic:

Dec 6 - Sugar Plum: A lovely creamy light and girly violet that makes me think of Spring and Summer, but I will also experiment with this using the Nails Inc Snowflake Effect top coat.

Dec 7 - Fir for a Queen: A cool, metallic chrome for a sleek contemporary look.

Dec 8 - Kiss Chase: A beautiful soft genuine bubblegum pink for a playful flirtatious look

Dec 9 - Pillowfight: A wonderful feminine soft gray with a lilac undertone, which would be a great option for a neutral nail. 

Dec 10 - Speed coat: Top coat to help your nails dry within 60 seconds (not shown in the swatches)

 From left to right in artificial light:

Sugar Plum
Fit for a Queen
Kiss Chase
Pillowfight

From left to right in natural light:

Sugar Plum
Fit for a Queen
Kiss Chase
Pillowfight

All these shades are lovely and I would definitely wear everyone of them but my favourite amongst these ones is Kiss Chase. I'm not usually big on pink nails for me but this shade has a warm undertone and it's a more grown up version of pink, so soon you might see me sport a pink pinky!