Heigh ho, it’s back to work I go…

As you read this, I will probably be ensconsed back behind my desk getting cross about the wi-fi at work. Yep, after eight months that have flown by, I’m back at work.  (It’s actually a bit of a cop-out, as I’m only going for one day and then it’s half-term, but I thought it would be good to get in and get organised.)

If I’m honest, I feel a bit ambivilent about going back to work. On the one hand, I really don’t want to leave D, no matter how annoying he can be when he’s teething/grumpy. I’ll never get this amount of time to just be with him again and I don’t really want to miss anything because I’m at work. On the other hand, it will be nice to see adults other than Benn and the postman on a regular basis. I’m also worried I’ll get CBeebies withdrawal.

Anyway, to soften the blow of going back, I have collected a few lovely things to cheer me up:

Marvel at how I have used effects and filters like a proper blogger would.

The notebook was bought from Paperchase for £8. I like it because the cover has a massive bird on it (obv) and it’s a soft cover too. This will be my planner and notebook in one; teacher planners are expensive and all my data is stored on my work laptop, so there’s no need for a dedicated ‘special’ planner. Also, this is cheery and more flexible in how I can use it.

The little boxes are SO. CUTE. I bought a pirate one because it says ‘Ahoy Matey!’ on it and I often refer to D as ‘matey’ and the fox one because, well, it’s a fox. I’m planning on making up teabags using tea filters and loose leaf tea and using these boxes to take them to work.

Finally, a brooch I had to have- I bought it from this seller on eBay. People who know me well know how superstitious I can be, especially when it comes to magpies. This brooch combines that old-fashioned jiggery-pokery with my love of William Morris (it’s a design from one of the Morris and Co. tiles.) I love this and will be wearing it proudly on whichever cardi I chose to wear today.

All I need now is a pencil case and some gel pens and I’m sorted.

Wish me luck!

 

Eteaket Flowering Teas

When I was offered the chance to try a couple of Eteaket’s flowering teas, I jumped at it! I’ve always been fascinated by flowering teas; they’re so pretty but they can also be hit and miss when it comes to flavour. I’m a massive fan of Eteaket’s other teas (seriously, check out their Royal Earl Grey, my usual ‘first cup of the day’!)

The teas are hand-sewn buds of premium green tea with blossom (either jasmine or rose) in the middle. You prepare them by placing the bud into hot water and watching it slowly unfurl. By the time it has uncoiled, you should have a perfect cup of tea.

I tried taking pictures of the tea, but they were rather unimpressive, so I’ve borrowed Eteaket’s gorgeous photos to show you the potential of the teas.

Eteaket Jasmine Flower Blossom

Although my buds didn’t quite open as gorgeously as they do in the photos (I was using a small glass teapot, which meant that the buds could float around a bit), there’s still something wonderful about watching them open to reveal a tiny flower inside. The benefit to brewing the buds in a teapot is that you can see the flower emerge and then pour off the tea. I’m not a fan of leaving green tea too long after brewing, as I find it gets too bitter for my taste. By waiting for the tea to open, the flavour is perfect.

My favourite of the two is the jasmine, which is unusual for a self-confessed rose addict. Unlike a lot of commercial jasmine teas, this one is not heavily over perfumed; the flavour is clean and crisp. I think that this would be a wonderful palate cleanser for a dinner party. As a result of this trial, I am extremely tempted to buy some of Eteaket’s Jasmine Chun Hao tea. I’m a jasmine convert.

Eteaket Rose Flower Blossom

Visually, the rose is my favourite- when you see the pinky red start to erupt, it’s really cool! Flavour-wise, again, it’s lovely, very fragrant and floral. I found that the time it took to fully open (I wish I’d timed it) meant that the tea was perfect. I’ve spoken before about how rose tea in particular can be over-brewed quite easily; this was done to perfection by the time the rose petals emerged. This is a definite for rose fans. It’s just, for me, the jasmine has slightly more of an edge and I can see more people liking it.

I would seriously consider buying some of these and pairing them with a small glass teapot as a gift. They are SO pretty and perfect for the tea connoisseur…

Baking Challenge #7: Hummingbird Bakery Brownies

I’m about to show you my most successful bake EVER. The other day I had a hankering for brownies. Plain, no-nonsense brownies. All the recipes I could find had extras: walnuts, cherries, whatever. I JUST WANTED PLAIN BROWNIES.

So, after a couple of suggestions on Twitter, I found the Hummingbird Bakery recipe. Dead simple- chocolate, eggs, a ton of butter and a truckload of sugar. On the indulgence scale, this goes all the way up to ‘Nigella’. I was dubious that this could work, but my auntie had taken the baby out for the morning and I wanted to bake, so I decided to just crack on with it.

I needed 200g of chocolate and my local shop had a really limited range. (If I did this again, I would use fair trade chocolate… I particularly have my eye on Divine’s range of flavoured chocolates- especially the orange flavoured!)

Mmmmm, this was lush even just as a batter…

I must admit that it was a lot of fun making the batter- very quick and easy (and it was SUCH a chore cleaning the bowl afterwards. With a spoon. Into my mouth.) It was also really quick; about fifteen minutes prep and then 30 minutes in the oven. The house also smelt AMAZING.

The resulting brownies were perfect- slightly chewy on the outside and lovely and gooey on the inside. They also go very, very well with the English Rose tea I reviewed last week. It’s like a little slice of Turkish Delight, chocolatey heaven! (Benn, who’s a very critical person when it comes to my baking gave them 8 out 10. High praise indeed!)

This post was written in conjunction with Ethical Superstore.

 

The Great Mascara Review: Max Factor Eye Brightening Tonal Black Volumising Mascara

Blimey, a name and a half. Before we begin, I would like to remind you of my key requirements in a mascara:

1) Decent price point (i.e. can I afford to repurchase?)

2) Non-faffy brush

3) Good eyelash definition

Ladies and gents, I may have found the perfect mascara for me (again.)

Mascara #9: Max Factor Eye Brightening Tonal Black Volumising Mascara in Black Sapphire  (£7.99)

Image: Nelly.com

I love this. I love this more even than the Maybelline Volum’ Express. The formula is spot on- my eyelashes look long and defined after two coats and don’t go spidery after three. I’ve not had any issues with clumping and it’s held its own against rain. Does it make my eyes brighter? I think so, but the effect is more noticeable when I’m not wearing eyeliner (this is a rare thing indeed.)

Also, look at the brush! Perfect for a stickler like moi. A good, sturdy brush with no-nonsense bristles that distributes the product evenly. This is why gimmicky brushes make me a bit suspicious. If it ain’t broke and all that…

According to Max Factor, the formula was developed using colour technology, to make mascaras that really made eyes look brighter (you can buy this for green and brown eyes too.) Even if it wasn’t a special eye-enhancing mascara, I would still pay this price for it. I love it.

Would I buy this again? Without a doubt, yes. My ultimate favourite so far… I have a few unopened mascaras in my ‘to try’ box, but once they’ve run out, this will be a permanent fixture in my makeup bag.

 

BLOG SALE!

It’s time I admit that I have a large tea/nail polish/knitting addiction. I need to fund this. I also have a lot of makeup that needs a new home.

Boring stuff (AKA: terms and conditions)-

• I will try to keep postage fair. Generally, postage will be around £3 for first class packets, but I will adjust accordingly. I also reuse packaging materials. I will always obtain a proof of postage. Let me know if you want me to include recorded delivery in your postage options. I am only sending to the UK. Sorry!
• Let me know in the comments what you want and an email address I can send your Paypal invoice to. I will work out postage and let you know a total. Please pay within 24 hours, otherwise I will relist your item(s).
• Everything is sold as seen and no returns! I would advise you check out swatches online if you’re not sure about a colour etc. My photography is not the best at representing colour…
• Any questions? Quickest way is to tweet me @wuthering_alice

(Please ignore my fridge in this photo!)

Lipsticks- usage for each shown: DuWop Private Plum- worn twice £4 /DuWop Private Nude- worn twice £4/Clinique Almost Lipstick Black Honey (still loads left)- £8

Eyeshadow palettes- usage for each shown: No7 palette (heavy-ish use on the two neutral shades on the left hand side, other colours swatched) £3/No7 Fanomenal Lashes palette (swatched only) £3/Fashionista palette with colours Exclusive Collection, Stylish and two varients on Double Take (one is slightly damaged after a fall! Ask if you’d like to see a photo. Other shadows worn once.) £4.50

Eyeshadows £2 each- Bourjois Little Round Pots in shades 1/25/94 (each worn once) and Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo in Permanent Taupe (still lots left) All four for £6

MUA Mosaic Bronzer in Sunkissed Glow £1/ELF Complexion Perfection £1

Nail polishes- Barry M Aqua Glitter (worn once) £1.50/17 Supreme Shine in Spiced Plum (worn once) £1.50/Ciate in Sand Dune (unopened) £2.50/Bourjois So Lacque! in Bleu Violet (unopened) £2.50

Nail polishes- Models Own Blizzard (worn once)- £3/Models Own Snowflakes (worn once)- £3  /Nails Inc A+E basecoat (75% left) £3/Essie Very Structured (worn once)- £3/Essie Madamoiselle (worn once)- £3

Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver (unused)- £6/Benefit minis: Porefessional (unused) and It’s Potent! (used once) £5 for both/Max Factor Colour X-Pert waterproof eyeliner in Metallic Lilac and Metallic Anthracite (both swatched once)- £6 for both

Soap and Glory Heel Genius (unused)- £3

The Balm Fratboy blusher (very light usage)- £7 

There you have it! Please help me buy more stuff!

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butter LONDON: Yummy Mummy

I have a real love affair at the moment with butter LONDON and I don’t quite know why. Anyway, I’ve been picking up the polishes on eBay and this was one that I was quite intrigued by.

I’m not usually a neutrals girl, but I figured every nail polish wearer should have at least a couple in their arsenal, right? So I picked up Yummy Mummy completely expecting to be underwhelmed. BUT I LOVE IT.

butter LONDON claim that it looks good on every skin colour… it does look good on my pasty digits. It’s quite a sophisticated, grown up colour. I’m not sure what though- is it a beige? Mushroom? Taupe? Anyway, whatever. It’s grand. It has a very, very subtle glitter under the   main colour which lifts it from being a dull colour to having a little bit of a secret shimmer.

Formula-wise, I really like it, although it did take three coats to get it utterly opaque. I used the sticky sandwich method, as my now usual wont. I like brushes on these polishes too, easy to get just the right amount of polish on them and not messy at all.

I’ve got my eye on this being my go-to nail polish for important events and work. You know the type, where neon green might not quite be right.

Oh, and if anyone actually ever refers to me as a Yummy Mummy, they’ll get a poke in the eye.