21st birthday wishlist - Beauty and Lifestyle

My second and final birthday wishlist is here and it's a mish mash of beauty and lifestyle. I was going to  split these into two posts as there are so many more things I would love, but I don't want to make life too easy for anyone buying me presents :D

1. I am very much in love with my current blusher which is the Benefit Rockateur, however, I have hit pan and I like to give other products a go. So, I have hunted for what appears to be a great option for fair skinned people like me. This Too Faced blush has all of the good tones and has a perfect amount of shimmer and I like that you can blend the 3 colours together or be bolder with one. 

2. I know everyone is after the wintery candles now but I just can't get over how good this Yankee candle smells. I have resisted buying it so far as I am still using up my Fluffy Towels one but I wouldn't complain if somebody wanted to gift it to me. I know it'll be the perfect summer reminder whenever winter gets too cold and depressing. 

3. I am still a Butter London virgin and it just can't go on, I cant even explain how beautiful every single colour is. I am very much drawn to this one, who wouldn't be, it's so sparkly! To top it off it's called 'airy fairy' who doesn't want a nail polish called that?

4. My bedroom seems to have taken a slightly grey/purple colour scheme recently and it's not quite balanced enough for my liking. All of my bedsheets are purple orientated so I definitely think I need a grey cushion, and maybe even a grey throw if anyone can find a nice one. I love Matalan- I think they are great quality for the prices they are and I always seem to come out with something.

5. I know I know I couldn't be later to the party with this one, everyone has been raving about the Benefit 'Gimme Brow' since it came out but I was just a little dubious about what use i'd get out of it. I have naturally fair and sparse eyebrows so it can be very difficult to get any kind of shape out of them. I fill my brows in almost every day and it's fine but I think this product will help accentuate the hairs that I do have and hopefully help to keep the sisters (not twins) looking natural.

6. The picture says it all doesn't it? If you aren't a lover of tea, well i'm not sure we can be friends. Hmm well, I might be able to forgive you but come on, you are crazy. Gifts & Pieces is a fairly new find for me and I am surprised it hasn't already bankrupted me because I can tell you now, if I had my own place, it would be full of items from here. All in good time hey! I think a mug is a pretty good baby step right, nobody can have too many mugs can they?

I hope you have enjoyed these posts, maybe it's even made some of you do a bit of shopping?

xoxo

21st birthday wishlist - Fashion

1. After the chilly winter last year, I have decided my parka just wont cut it in the warmth sector this year. I like the length and the two tone colour of this Boohoo faux fur coat and I don't think it's too full on so makes a great baby step into fur coats.

2. I came to the conclusion last weekend that I have kind of given up on bracelets. I'm not sure why but I just seem to reach for rings and necklaces instead. In an attempt to change this I have hunted for a simple but pretty one and I stumbled across this beauty from Topshop.

3. Midi skirts may be my favourite trend from this year. I just don't really have the legs or the skin tone to wear shorter skirts without tights and I think midi skirts are so easy to style and wear. I have had a few over the summer but I think I need a classic black style to use in the Autumn. I like this one from Newlook because it's high waisted and just perfect really.

4. Ok, so this one is very much out of my comfort zone. Past the age of about 13 I don't think I have put a single hat on my head. I branched out a little a few years ago and bought a furry headband thing from Accessorize because I kept getting cold ears, and that is as far as I have got with hats. I just don't think they suit me, BUT, I really really like these floppy hats and I keep wanting to buy one- I just need 1 person to tell me it'll suit me haha. The one I have picked is from Miss S and is perfect sized. Only downside is it is wool, hopefully it wont itch my head.

5. I can't really say much about this one to be honest. I need a scarf and I really like this grey tartan one from Boohoo because it looks pretty long and snuggly. Perfect for the looming cold weather. 

6. Probably my favourite item on my wishlist is this geometric necklace from Zara. I absolutely love that is has the silver, gold and black coated metal which means it'll pretty much go perfectly with anything, and then added bonus is it is super chunky and I adore chunky statement jewellery. I really hope someone gets me this. PRETTY PLEASE :)

I have one more wishlist that will be going up before my birthday and it'll be a beauty/homeware wishlist.

xoxo

August catch up

Sunny smiles. Selfies with mumma. Another set of floral nails. Looking amazing in my £1 poncho. Cuppa tea anyone? Giving Hello Fresh a go. I have taken up pole dancing. Making chocolate cups. And then some bread.

Little one last to turn 20. I keep ordering salads in restaurants, am I ill? Isn't he a pretty one. Dinner outfit. First night out in months. Our glamorous ride to London. The first 21st of the group. Cool kids at the back nerds at the front? Had a fab night with my buddies.

Hey hey, here's my August catch up for you. I actually thought this was going to be a long one but it turns out I didn't take very many pictures. I will do better next time I pwomise. Lots of plans for the next few months (including my 21st) so I hope to have lots more to share.

xoxo

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A 16 legged Octopus?

NOTE: I am not trying to say this is my recipe. If you watch it then you will of course know this is the recipe that Richard did during bread week on the Great British Bake Off. I just really wanted to give it a go and thought I would share my thoughts/pictures and mistakes.

For the dough

• 500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10g table salt
• 25g caster sugar
• 10g fast-action yeast
• 30g unsalted butter
• 2 large free-range eggs, beaten
• 50ml semi-skimmed milk
• olive oil, for greasing

For the filling

• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced into strips
• ⅓ medium butternut squash, cut into strips
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 100g feta
• 50g shelled walnuts, broken into small pieces

For the pesto

• 50g pine nuts
• 50g parmesan
• 150ml olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• Bunch of basil

For the topping

• 1 large free-range egg
• 10g pine nuts
• flaked sea salt, to taste
• cracked black pepper, to taste
  
  
  
  To make the dough, put the bread flour in a large bowl. Add the salt, sugar, yeast, butter, beaten eggs, milk and 25ml warm water. Mix until combined. Add up to another 100ml warm water, mixing between additions until you have a soft dough.
  
  Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
  
  
  

Lightly oil a large bowl and add the dough. Cover with cling film and set aside to prove for about an hour.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.

Put the onion, pepper and butternut squash onto baking trays, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until tender. REMEMBER: Onions make you cry, don't let it distract you or you will slice a chunk out of your finger and it hurts.

Pesto: Heat a small, dry frying pan over a low heat. Add the pine nuts and toast until lightly browned. Add the pine nuts and all the remaining pesto ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. I personally only think you need to make half this mixture as it is very garlic-y and can be overpowering.

To finish the bread, knock back the proved dough by kneading it for 20 seconds, then cut it into two. Wrap half in oiled cling film and set aside.

On a floured work surface, roll the remaining half of dough into a circle with diameter of approximately 30cm. Let the dough rest for a few five minutes – it will shrink back. Roll it out again to a diameter of approximately 32cm and place on a large, greased baking tray. (As you can see below, it doesn't need to be perfect. I also added a sprinkling of semolina on the tray to help stop the bread getting a soggy bottom)

Spread three tablespoons of pesto over the dough and pile the roasted vegetables, feta and walnuts over the top in layers, making the layers slightly deeper in the centre (When i made this, the recipe said: 'Pile the roast vegetables, feta and walnuts in the centre measuring roughly 10cm wide and 8cm high'. Apparently they realised this was stupid and changed it, which is what I realised at the next step) This will form the base of the bread.

Roll out the remaining dough as in step 8. This will make the top layer. (I think a light spreading of pesto is required to sit on top of the veg.)

Brush the edges of the base with a little water and carefully lift the top layer onto the base.

Use a sharp knife to trim the dough into a neat circle (approximately 30cm/12in diameter) (Don't bother, unless you feel particularly inclined to do so). Place a small bowl over the filling in the centre. (The size of the bowl depends on how long you want your twists to be) Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 equally-sized strips radiating from the bowl. Twist each strip twice and cut the ends into points (Again, don't bother). Press the end of each strip onto the baking sheet to stop them unravelling while they prove. Set aside to prove for about 30 minutes. (I just placed inside a plastic bag because it seemed like the right thing to do. Plus, I have a dog and she may have taken her 
chances and stolen it from the side)

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

For the topping, brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle the pine nuts, salt and pepper in the centre (I crushed the pine nuts, salt and pepper together and sprinkled across the whole lot). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown. Check after 15 minutes and cover the twists with aluminium foil if they are browning too quickly. Allow to cool before serving. (Why would you do that. It tastes so much better hot from the oven.)

I would love to see pictures if you try this recipe. Tweet me at @strawbteacake. 

Enjoy!

xoxo