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Saturday 25 May 2013

Macarons

I cannot remember when and how my love affair with macarons started. I might have read about it or came across it in the shops but I remember my first proper taste of a proper macaron at Laduree in Harrods which I wrote about here.  Pierre Herme is another brand of macaron which I love, well actually, I love it more than Laduree but as much as I do not see many Laduree shops around London, I only know of one Pierre Herme shop and it is not a proper cafe, it is just a kiosk in Selfridges. 

So the other day, as we were traipsing around London, we came across this lovely and quaint Laduree cafe in Burlington Arcade. 


This is what greeted me when I went in, aside of course from the lovely, sweet smell of the macarons. The shop interior reminded me more of  Gaudi's structures in Barcelona than anything French. It is lovely otherwise.


The interior of the shop was small but there are tables and chairs right outside where you can have tea or coffee with you macarons.

Deciding which ones to get is always the hardest when you are faced with this array of deliciousness.



My favourites are pistachio, salted caramel, coffee and recently,the strawberry candy marshmallow

The hubby bought two boxes, the hubby paid for the two boxful of macarons that I chose.

This is afternoon tea at home today.



It has to be Laduree or Piere Herme for me. The others just do not measure up. 

What's yours? 

Thursday 16 May 2013

Bedtime Reading

I love Lauren Conrad. Some might disagree but for me, she is like a younger version of  Martha Stewart. In fact, she is collaborating/guest writing for her if you head over to marthastewart.com right now.

She is enterpreneural. She is into arts and crafts and is really great in making small and simple things look really nice as seen in her YouTube videos. I have always loved her in 
The Hills. She has style and class.She is not a fashionista.


Her book  has been in my night stand in the last week. I am reading it again to be inspired. She is an inspiration in all things nice.

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Chanel Is Love


Don't we all know that already?


My love affair with the brand started when I was on the look out for a great foundation. It was a few months after I had my baby girl. Lack of sleep has taken its toll on my face and my skin was dry, dull and was looking really tired. I accidentally just got a sample sachet of their Vitalumiere foundation from a fashion magazine that I bought and tried it on. It was excellent as it gave me this wonderful dewy glow. The nice thing about it is it is sheer foundation. It is not thick that you look so made up. It does not cover all your skin flaws which is a good thing, it makes it more look natural. I have written a post about it here and just cannot stop raving about it. One of my ultimate beauty buys.

Once I got sold on the foundation, there was no stopping. Their lipsticks are great, too. I always get compliments every time I wear my red Chanel lipstick and don't even get me started on their Le Vernis nail colour.  They do not chip easily and gives a really beautiful finish on my nails. OPI comes second best for me in the nail color department.

What is your best beauty buy?

Sunday 12 May 2013

My Seafood Pasta

I love seafood pasta so much that every time we are in an Italian restaurant, that is my default order. Whether we are in Carluccio's, Bella Italia or Loch Fyme, you can always guess my order. It has been a while since we visited this restaurants and I have been craving for my seafood pasta. So, I decided to have it in the comforts of my own kitchen.

I have scoured the internet for a recipe and little did I know that I have it in one of my recipe books gathering dust in my kitchen work top. Imagine my surprise and glee as it is from one of my fave celebrity chefs, Gino D' Acampo.



I gathered my ingredients without delay.


The recipe was quite simple and easy though I had to tweak it a bit in the end as it lacked something when I tasted it. I added a knob of butter once everything was cooked and that added more taste and creaminess. It was buttery, garlicky and hot at the same time. It was loveliness in a bowl.


Gino's on the left and mine on the right.

Mine looked a bit bland and bare as I did not have tomatoes available in my kitchen but the taste definitely was not compromised. I really enjoyed it beyond words. And so did the husband.

Here's the recipe:

LINGUINE WITH GARLIC, PRAWNS AND SPINACH


300g linguine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove,slice
150g spinach leaves
400g uncooked prawns, peeled
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsely
grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
10 cherry tomatoes quartered

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and fry the garlic for 1 minute until golden brown. Add the spinach and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the prawns with the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan, then lower the heat.

Add the lemon zest and cherry tomatoes and stir everything together for 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

I added a knob of butter on the pan and once melted, I stir and mixed with the finished product. 


Enjoy!


Monday 6 May 2013

Spring


Below is taken a couple of weeks back and I was already able to see clear blue skies and the trees are actually alive again. The temperature was still not as warm but I can assure you, it is so much warmer now in the double digits.

Now that the most awaited season is here, it is time to prepare as the heat can also take it's toll on our health. 


1.  It is always good to stay hydrated during the warmer months to keep you cool as it will affect your health and skin especially. It is always best to carry around with you a bottle of water.

 2. Eat healthy. I am not saying we only eat healthy during the warmer months but it is the best time to do so as winter time always makes us comfort eat and sometimes, well most of the time, we cannot help it.
 3. Take extra care of your skin. I say extra because during the winter months, we still need to take care of our skin as it can really dry out and even during winter, we still really do need to wear spf and sunblock. But during the summer, we slather on higher spf and a lot of sunblock. Nobody wants premature ageing.
 4. Take longer walks. Exercise more. Invest on new workout wear, jogging shoes and exercise videos when you just want to do your exercises in the comforts of your home.

5. And lastly, always stop and smell the flowers...because before you know it, they would have disappeared and it is winter all over again.

Sunday 5 May 2013

The Bedroom That Ikea Made

Our house and Ikea have a long standing love affair. Ikea is our "go to" place for anything related to house furnishing. Over the weekend, we finally bought all that we needed for the bedroom and it is now more or less finished...looking like an Ikea show room. But I don't mind one single bit. I love it to bits in fact!


Things That Make Me Happy {April}


Small things make me happy. It could be as simple as a  bunch of flowers or a movie at home.

Here are some random things that make this girl happy.

1. A lovely chocolate cake 2. My favorite seafood pasta 3. Brewed coffee on weekends 4. A well made hair 5. Costa 6. A new lipstick 7. Our lovely bedroom