Zebra-Esq

Hey guys!
Sorry that this post is so far apart from the last. I don't really have an excuse, so yeah, really sorry! I shall try to get back to regular blogging :)

Quick catch up. So, I got my results the other week, finished my A-levels with two B's and a C. Not too bad I guess! I decided Uni isn't for me so I guess I'm going to have to join the real world sooner than some of my other friends which is pretty sucky! I don't actually have a plan as of yet, I know I want to do something related to fashion/media, but who knows what will happen. At the moment I am staying at my job at Wallis to earn some extra money as I intend to visit a few of the countries on my list before I have to settle into a real job.

OH, and I also went to Go Ape the other day for my friends birthday, it was AWESOME. Check out the video my friend Natalie made here.



Anyway, back to the point of this post. Recently I have been sporting pastel coloured nails, hoping it would make me feel more summery. However, today the weather was really really crap and was all rainy and dark, so I thought I'd change my nails to match!

Whilst I was hunting out all my dark and wintery nail polishes I came across a nail art pen I bought back when I thought I was really good at painting nails aha. Of course I had to use it again, so here are the results of this find.

I used 3 nail varnishes, as well as my base and top coat ones. The one on the left is a Maxfactor limited edition nailfinity that I got in one of those gift boxes at Christmas. The one on the right is a Ciaté paint pot, in the colour 'Wait until dark'. Finally, the centre one is a silver nail art pen I got off of eBay about 6 months ago. It's not the best nail pen but it does the simple things.

The art pen has a thin brush as well as the nib, but I have only ever used the nib.

I started off with the black, it took a few coats to get it this dark which is a pain, but I really like the brush of this nail varnish. I painted my ring fingers the dark purple, but you cant really see it in these pictures :(, it is noticeable when it shines in the light though.

I put a little bit of the silver on to my nail once it was completely dry and used the nib to move it around and create this stripey effect.

It actually worked much better than I thought it would. I may have to invest in some other colours, What do you think of this zebra-Esq nail effect?

Megan xo

Pictures #2

Hey Guys!

Picture post for you all today, apologies if it's not the sort of thing you like to see on a blog, but I haven't been wearing any interesting outfits lately and I've been going barefaced the last few days.

Pre-warning: There are a lot of pet pictures and food. It's what my days have consisted of lately.

1.The bunnies are very fidgety, this is the result. 2. Skye, meet Jim, he is not food. 3. Dave makes a brilliant Meerkat, cutie. 4. Mother and daughter bonding = ripping out the bathroom. Great stress relief!

1. Party time! (Yes it is a loo roll) 2. Ben and Jerry, the two greatest names is history. 3. My first Pinkberry, Pomegranate fro-yo, Strawberries, White chocolate and Crispy Crepes. Nom. 4. Enjoying the sun.

1. Button's was chasing this poor little froggy :(. 2. Choccy milk and millionaire's shortbread pudding! 3. THE BIGGEST SPIDER EVER. scared the crap out of me!. 4. Enjoying the first bit of sun in so long with a vodka coke and a book.

1. My first attempt at melt in the middle chocolate puds, they turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. 2. I made a Rolo cupcake tower for my Nan's birthday, best granddaughter ever! 3. The terrible letters I had in scrabble, meant I lost :(. 4. Big bang theory, yay or nay?

What have you guys been up to?

Megan xo

Mummy's birthday/OOTD/Cake

Happy birthday mummy :)

As you can tell, this post is dedicated to my mum's birthday, she likes to think she's getting younger, not older, so I won't mention her age.

I bought her this Philosophy bubble bath, and I am also taking her to have a Molton Brown massage.

We went for Lunch at the pub down the road (courtesy of my grandparents who go their for the OAP lunch) and had a roast, was fairly average but wasn't dreadful. This leads to my OOTD...

Cardigan: Abercrombie & Fitch (massively old)
Dress: Newlook last year
Shoes: Wallis

I have only worn this dress twice since I bought it last year, mainly because it's strapless, and I always worry it's going to fall down. BTW, these shoes are so comfy!

It doesn't look like I'm wearing much make-up in this, probably because I took this photo 8 hours after I had put it on. Oops!

I didn't wear much jewellery with this outfit because I didn't want it to look too dressy. I chose to wear my  plain, thicker bracelet that my boyfriend gave me when we first got together and my Tiffany bracelet that my sister and brother got me for my 18th birthday. On my nails I'm wearing Models Own- Beetlejuice. 

The Rasberry and White chocolate birthday cake I made mother. (Tastes good, if I may say so myself.)

Time to enjoy cake and vodka, whilst playing Buzz

What have you guys been up to? What are your favourite cakes to make/eat?

Megan xo

Wishlists

Hey guys!

I have decided to do wishlists because it makes me feel like I'm shopping, without spending any money *sigh*. I have created wishlists for Asos, Newlook and Wallis, seen as I work there and all. Now all I need is some extra money and everything could be mine. (Any offers?)

Love this dress, simple and elegant, but a little too short :(. Looking for a new bag, liking this style? Pastel colour blocking, yay or nay? Either way, I love how summery it is and I like how the colours are carried through the dress.

Love a good skater dress! I have been looking for the perfect dip hem dress, could this be it? I like the embellished  shoulders on this top, but am I a fan of the rest of it, hmm. Love some studs, and you always need a new pair of flats.

Who doesn't love pink spotty shoes? I have a confession, I couldn't resist them and bought them. However, I don't feel too guilty because they were only £10, bargain! I love this jumper, I may have to get it as winter uniform. this dress is actually a dipped hem but that isn't shown in the picture, I was drawn in by the colour, but knowing the dresses at Wallis, it would be far too long for me :(. A bunting necklace, Olympic fever, need I have another reason?

Have you guys seen anything you're after?

Megan xo

'It's not Terry's cake, it's mine'

Hey guys!

So, today I thought I'd do a recipe post for a change. I absolutely love baking cakes, and I love decorating them too (I'm not very good at decorating big cakes though, I go a bit crazy and it ends up looking like a child got at it.) I decided on 'Chocolate and Orange ring cake' as a couple of weeks ago I used a similar recipe but used Lemon and Poppy Seeds and everyone seemed to like it. Besides, it has chocolate in it so it must be good right?

You will need:

A ring mould

Cake

250g/9oz Self raising flour

200g/7oz Caster sugar

175g/6oz Unsalted butter (and extra for greasing)

2 tsp Baking Powder

3 Eggs (beaten)

2 small oranges (or in my case, 1 big orange)

90g/3oz Plain chocolate

Topping

50g/2oz Plain chocolate

170g/6oz Icing sugar

2 tbsp Orange juice

Preheat your oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3

Start by grating the zest of your orange(s), and put aside. Then peel the orange and remove the horrible core/top bit (as you can see in the picture.) Remove as much of the white skin as possible and cut the segments into small pieces. Try to reserve around 2 tablespoons of the orange juice, as you will need this for the icing later.

Coarsely grate 90g of your plain chocolate and set aside with the orange segments.

Sift the flour and baking powder into your mixing bowl, add the pre beaten eggs, sugar, butter and orange zest and mix on a low speed until the mixture is smooth, (be careful not to over-mix.)

Fold in the Orange segments and the grated chocolate until it is nicely mixed.

Be sure to grease your ring mould well before adding the mixture, as it will only make it easier for you to remove once it's cooked!

Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until it is golden brown and springy to touch (and that if you insert a skewer it'll come out relatively clean.) Wait until the cake has cooled before turning out.

Make the icing by sifting your icing sugar into a bowl before mixing in around 2 tablespoons of your reserved orange juice. It should be a slightly runny consistency, (you can always add a few drops of water if it's a bit thick.) Drizzle over the cake however you like.

Melt 50g of plain chocolate over a pan of hot water, and then drizzle over the icing. Finish by grating some extra chocolate or orange zest over the top (or leave it as it is.)

 Voila! Serve with a nice big mug of Tea and enjoy!


Which ingredients shall I try next?

Megan xo