My New Mulberry

Once upon a time a young woman called Nicola had a very special friend. She called her Mademoiselle Parkin and she was all glossy and beautiful and made Nicola very happy.

She looked like this:

Nicola and Mademoiselle Parkin went on so many adventures together and were totally inseparable.

However, after a few years, she lost her gloss and her beautiful red colour went a weird shade of black.

It was with a heavy heart that Nicola sent her dear friend to the handbag hospital (The Mulberry Factory) to see if they could make her better. Unfortunately there was nothing they could do for her and  instead offered to replace her for a new and shinier version.

If this story ended like all good ones should, then Nicola would have refused this kind offer and held on to her dear old friend, however old and worn out she looked.

However, this story has a different ending altogether....

Whoops!! xx

My new bag is just so so beautiful. If you fancy getting your hands on one, it's a Medium Mulberry Lily and you can get it here 

Nayanah's Easy to Make Chicken Soup

There is nothing more comforting or warming than a delicious bowl of homemade chicken soup. It's also a well known fact that if you're feeling a bit under the weather, this wonder-soup has a whole host of medicinal properties.

Anyway, the following recipe is easy peasy and produces a delicious and healthy bowl of soup. Thanks to the gorgeous Nayanah Siva for introducing this to me!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

5 large carrots
2 leeks
3-4 sticks celery
1 clove garlic
2 bags Heston Blumenthal chicken stock
Couple of glasses of white wine
1 sachet Telma Kneidl Matzo Ball Mix
Good sprinkling of dried thyme and dill
salt and pepper for seasoning
One large, freerange egg

Recipe:

Chop up the veg into small pieces and crush the garlic. Heat up one tblsp olive oil and mix with a knob of butter in a large saucepan.

Sweat down the vegetables and garlic for around ten mins (add a bit of salt to stop them from burning)

Once the veg are getting nice and soft, add your thyme and dill and if you happen to have any bits of chicken left over from a roast, chuck them in too. Let them combine for a couple of minutes.

Then pour your stock in the pan along with your white wine and some water.

Shove a lid on the pan and let it simmer away for half an hour or so.

In the meantime, mix one sachet of Matzo Ball Mix with a large freerange egg. Stir it together and then leave it for five minutes until it hardens a bit.

Separate your mix into 12-14 small balls.

Add the balls to your soup and leave them simmering for 7 minutes.

Add pepper and salt to taste and serve with some crusty bread.

Voila...delicious chicken soup in just over half an hour!!

What I'm Wearing Today

Just a quick one, but I wanted to share my most recent purchase with you....

What do you think? It's from ASOS and is only £35. Here's the link xx

Mr Bag Man

Chris and I were doing a mundane shop in Tescos the other day. It was freezing cold, dark and raining outside and as I scanned my eggs on the self checker I was feeling pretty bleurgh.

That all changed when I spotted this little fellow. He lives near the checkout and is there to cheer up bored and disillusioned shoppers. I have called him Mr Bag Man.....

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this. There is something so amusing about spotting faces in every day objects. Anyway, since then I have been discovering more and more like him, including a door knob that looks a bit like my uncle.

Watch this space.......

Best of The Week

Here are some of the things that have caught my eye over the past week....Enjoy xx

ASOS Skater Dress With Sweetheart Neck

£25.00



This dress is ultra-flattering and the neckline is really sexy. I wore it to interview Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne on Thursday at the "I Give It A Year" press junket. (It's a great film). The dress looks great combined with a statement necklace and black tights with ankle boots.

Zara Studded Sneaker

£59.99

I've been desperate for some ASH trainers in this style for ages, but these ones are just as gorgeous and about a third of the price. I like the gold studs in particular!

Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Colour

£18

I love this lipstick. It contains Shea butter so is really moisturising and also comes in a plethora of beautiful shades. My favourite is Rose Petal.

Orelia Gold Heart Necklace

£10

Dainty, pretty, bang on trend and only a tenner. What's not to love? Orelia do loads of dainty necklaces and they look great layered!

Jo Malone Red Roses Body and Hand Wash

£30

Leif and Nayanah bought this for me and Chris as a new bathroom gift. It is amazing and smells of pure wild roses. This will only be coming out on very special occasions!

And Finally.....

Rafe Spall

 My man of the week

I asked him a very embarrassing question in an interview this week and he answered it beautifully. If you want to see him in all his glory (and I mean ALL) then make sure that you see I Give It A Year. (Coming to cinemas soon).

Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful Makeup Lesson

I spent yesterday afternoon having a Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful makeup lesson at Liberty in London.

I love Bobbi Brown's makeup ethos. She believes that makeup should be an enhancement of your natural self and that if you get it right you can feel both pretty and more importantly, powerful.

I couldn't agree more! When I left the house to go to my lesson, totally bare-faced, I felt like a much less confident version of myself. Two hours later I was ready to face the world with a spring in my step.

So...I'm going to take a deep breath and share the stages of my lesson with you. That means you get to see me without makeup on! YUCK!

Makeup free and looking quite simply bleurrrrrrrgh!

BB Cream and under-eye concealer - Tick!

Blusher and bronzer making me feel a bit more human

Makeup done! Feeling pretty and powerful :0)

These are the products they used on me (see full list below)

Here's my Pretty Powerful list of products:

Prep for the skin:

Hydrating face cream: This comes with a built in primer

Hydrating eye cream

Hydrating tonic: This stuff is stunning and is a brilliant moisture-trap

Repair serum: really good for any dry patches you have

lip balm

Under-Eye Concealer:

Eye Brightener in Light Bisque: This is a bit like Touche Eclat but has less light-reflecting pigments and is a better colour corrector

Foundation:

BB Cream in Light: Protective and makes the skin lovely and dewy

Powder/bronzer:

Powder in pale yellow

Bronzer in Golden Light 

Blush:

Desert Pink: This is a suit all, beautiful English Rose hue

Lips:

Rose Petal Creamy Lip: moisturising (contains shea butter) and the perfect shade of pink

Brows:

Smoke (eyeshadow)

Eyeshadow:

Beach honey with Slate in the crease of the eye for contouring

Eyeliner:

Black ink

Mascara:

Extreme Party: Great mascara for if, like me, you like having massive lashes

The brushes used were INCREDIBLE! If you are looking to buy some great makeup brushes then I definitely recommend Bobbi Brown.

The products above are obviously my tailor made list, but a lot of them would suit many skin tones. I do recommend that you have a Pretty Powerful Lesson though. Not only will you learn some great makeup techniques, but you'll discover the colours and products that really work for you!

My Latest Debate on This Morning

Here's a clip of my latest debate on This Morning. The question was "Can Men and Women Ever Just be Friends?"

Eamonn Holmes was in a particularly cheeky mood as you'll see :)


PS my dress is from Reiss and the nail polish is Jessica in Monarch

A Snowy Afternoon in London

I LOVE snow, especially when it's just fallen and is pure white and untouched.

Yesterday afternoon was spent frolicking with three of my favourite people (My husband and our friends Leif and Nayanah) in Highgate Wood which is one of my favourite places in London. The wood looked magical in the snow and we were in our element. Chris in particular got very over-excited as you'll see....

I got Chris with these a few seconds later

Look at those icicles

Where is everyone?

I LOVE this place!

WEEEEEEEEEEE!

An excited husband running around in the snow

Nayanah and her mini snowman

Possibly the cutest snowman ever

 We met a gorgeous Lurcher called Roxy. Dogs love the snow!

"play with me....pleeeeeassssse!"

A moment of snowy reflection

Such a big kid :)

Cold and happy!

After all that snow it was time to sit by the fire at a gorgeous pub...

......with yummy food.....

.....and a warming glass of Winter Pimms!

Thanks for sharing my snow day with me xx

The Best Of The Week

Here's this week's summary of the things that I've spotted/bought/loved over the past seven days.

Black wool jumper with jewelled cuffs - H&M Trend

£34.99

I spotted this jumper in H&M Regents Street the other day. It's part of their trend range, which means that it is slightly more expensive than their usual stuff but the quality is better and the range is indeed bang on trend.

The jumper itself is just gorgeous. It's made of pure wool and looks great with just about everything. I can see it working with leggings and jeans and I wore it this week with a leather mini-skirt, black tights and ankle boots. I love the jewelled cuffs which give it a bit of sparkle.

I haven't been able to locate this online as the trend range is limited, but definitely look out for it next time you're in H&M.

Hunter Original Gloss Blue Wellies

£85 - ASOS

I know that £85 is a hell of a lot to pay for a pair of wellies, but Hunters are such good quality and if they're good enough for the Queen, they're definitely good enough for me. I love electric blue and these will definitely do the job in the current "snow-mageddon" that we're experiencing in the UK.

Tom Ford Black Orchid

£68 for 50ml

I'm totally obsessed with this fragrance at the moment. It's just so sexy and every time I wear it people comment. This is a perfume for women who like their fragrance to make a statement. It's strong but not overpowering and I think it's set to become a classic.

Sandra Diekmann Illustrations 

I first spotted Sandra's work at Souvenir in Highgate and am now obsessed. Her work is quirky, mystical and I love her depictions of animals. Sandra's illustrations have a fairytale/folklore quality to them and are just stunning. She also does commissions!

 New York Skyline Jumper

£35 - River Island

This is so retro and kind of ridiculous but I think it's great. It brings a bit of colour and fun to this cold weather and looks great with skinny jeans!

John Galliano Black Butterfly and Rose scarf

£39.99 TK MAXX (RRP £130)

This scarf is pure silk and so classy. The TK MAXX website is fantastic for finding bargains like this. I'll be wearing it with a white t-shirt and jeans.

Lancome Bi-Facil Non-Oily Instant Cleanser

£21

                      

This stuff is AMAZING at removing really stubborn eye makeup. The makeup artist at the BAFTA mock-up day used it on me and it got rid of my (lashings of) mascara in moments. It felt lovely and gentle too.

My Week In Pictures

It's been a funny old week, a real mixture of glamour and the total opposite.

On the glamour front, I spent Thursday morning at the BAFTA mock-up. This basically meant spending the most AMAZING morning in the Royal Suite at the Savoy Hotel and experiencing exactly what the celebrities will do on BAFTA day.

I will being doing a post all about this, but here's a little taster. It's a picture of me and Charles Worthington. He'd just created my 60's style BAFA 'do'. I like to call it my Olympic Torch look :)

After being treated like an A Lister it was back to reality with a bump. For my non-English readers, here's a peek at the London Underground during rush hour:

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that one of my big weaknesses is chocolate. Well,the stress of rush hour on the tube can definitely be alleviated by one of these eccentric chocolate bars. The popping candy, jelly beans and smarties work surprisingly well together. So naughty but SO nice.

One of the highlights of the week has been re-discovering one of my favourite films of all time. Space Camp is a must watch if you fancy being transported back to the 80's (and space). I used to watch this film literally every day as a kid. It got totally panned by the critics at the time but I love it!

 And finally....here's a bathroom update for you. It's progressing slowly, noisily, dustily (is that a word?)  but surely!