Rainbow Piñata Cake

Piñata cakes have been all over the internet recently. So when me and David decided to have an afternoon baking, it seemed the obvious choice. Although the cakes appear very effective, they are in fact incredibly easy to make.

For the cake mix I stuck to a tried and tested recipe. 

150g self-raising flour

150g caster sugar

150g butter/margarine (I use Stork when making cakes)

3 eggs

As a lazy baker, I'm a big believer in the all in one method, simply beat all of the ingredients together until you end up with a light, smooth mixture. 

To create the multi-coloured marble effect, split the mixture in to three bowls and add a full tube of Dr Oetker's Food Colouring Gel to each bowl. We used blue, yellow and red. 

Then spoon a little of each mixture in to the tin at a time, and gently swirl together with a knife to create a marbled effect. 

Bake both tins for 20 minutes at Gas Mark 5 until golden and risen. 

Once the cake has cooled, using a sharp knife cut a crater into the top of one cake and into the bottom of the other and fill with your chosen sweets. We chose jelly babies but any kind of small sweet would work. 

To ice the cake, beat together 150g stork and 150g icing sugar together until light and creamy. Use the icing to sandwich the cake together and to cover the top and sides of the cake. Finish with sprinkles of your choice. 

And there you have it! 

Have you baked anything recently? 

Blanket Wraps

September is finally here and autumn has officially begun. The last few weeks haven't been particularly summery here in the UK, and as a student who is itching to get back to uni, I'm especially keen to get some autumn staples together.

One item at the top of my list is a blanket wrap. Definitely not as practical as a coat but snugly and warm all the same (and pretty cool) this is a must for AW15,

Here are some of my favourite styles. 

£20 from Boohoo

£24 from ASOS

£15 (reduced from £20) from Dorothy Perkins

Which is your favourite? 

 

The Belgrave Music Hall

I walked up to the bar and ordered a drink from the heavily-tattooed, pierced and bearded barman. He poured my cider into a plastic pint pot, the height of sophistication, as me and my friend were heading for the roof, where glass wasn’t allowed.

We climbed about four flights of black painted stairs which looked like they weren’t open to customers, but seemed to be. The walls of the stairwell were also painted matte black, there were no windows and the only hints of colour were some old band and film posters which covered parts of the walls. It wasn’t the most encouraging beginning.

After a lot of steps, and a few spillages, we eventually made it up to the spectacular roof garden. To our right was a wooden frame structure, covered in ivy, sheltering three tables decorated with flowers in glass bottles and scented candles. They were taken by some city executives, enjoying a swift lunchtime pint in their expensive looking suits, before heading back to the office. To our left were two tiny garden sheds, painted bright yellow, fitted with comfy looking cushioned chairs and little coffee tables. They were taken by some cool, hippy looking people, wearing multiple shades of green with dreadlocks and bandanas. This was the kind of place where anyone was welcome, as long as they knew where to look.

We made our way straight ahead towards a large, unsheltered table, navigating our way around a yoga class which was being held. The class certainly surprised us – it was the last thing we expected to see happening on the roof of a pub. We couldn’t help but admire the crazy positions that the class was contorting themselves into, supporting their sideways body off the ground with no more than their elbow. I can barely do a handstand.

Sitting at our table, sipping our drinks, we took in the view. We were by no means at the highest point of the city, skyscrapers still towered over us. But we were pretty high, looking over the roofs of some buildings and far above the tiny people walking around below. The city spanned as far as I could see – not a green field in sight, and yet it was still breath taking.

We went during one of the first glorious summer afternoons in England, just as everyone is getting excited for the warmer weather and brushing off their shorts and sandals. If I was to go again, I’d go at sunset. I can think of no better place to observe the transition between day and night, to watch the sun glow red over the city before the night comes alive. 

Shopping Haul

Yesterday I went on a shopping trip, and despite not looking for anything in particular, I ended up doing pretty well. 

Top - Dorothy Perkins

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Hat - Dorothy Perkins 

Jumper - The Collection at Debenhams

Cosmetic bag - Next

Shoes - Dorothy Perkins 

Firstly, I adore my new pinafore dress and the turtle neck top to go underneath, I can't wait to have an opportunity to wear it! While shopping I noticed a lot of deep reds and burgundys - great colours for autumn/winter, and this dress fits in to the trend quite well. It's a retro-looking piece which is something I really like and it will definitely be able to see me through the last few weeks of summer and into the autumn months. 

I've been lusting after one of these hats for a while, so when I spotted one in Dorothy Perkins for £14 I just couldn't resist. I'm not sure how much I'll actually wear it, as hats are quite a daring look for me, but I'm sure that it will add a touch of cool to any outfit. 

Jumpers are my favourite thing about autumn/winter, and the only thing that gets me through the post-summer blues is snuggling in to some gorgeous new knits. As this jumper is quite thin it should make dressing for 9am lectures easy when I go back to university next month. 

My nail varnish collection is ever expanding despite the fact that I work with food and therefore cannot paint my nails, However, I decided that they now need a bag of their own, rather than taking up space in my also expanding make up bag (you can read about my new found love of make up here). I love the bold print on this bag and it is the perfect size for what I need. Now I might have to buy a few new colours to fill it up a little more...

Finally, the shoes! A pair of smart black ballet pumps are always a key piece, they are great for shopping, work experience and for those nights on the town when you simply cannot face wearing heels. The little bows on the heel are absolutely adorable and I am sure that I will get plenty of wear of them. 

As soon as I get an opportunity to wear my lovely new clothes I will be uploading an outfit post for you to see. 

Have you bought anything new lately? 

Getting in to Make Up

Recently I've been taking more of an interest in make-up. I've started slowly, and haven't been raiding the Mac or Benefit counters just yet, but I have started to move away from the products I've been using since the age of thirteen.

As someone who has battled with acne for over half my life, I think that whenever I saw someone with perfect skin I always assumed that it was simply because they actually did have perfect skin. But since watching beauty bloggers such as My Pale Skin Blog, I've realised that a lot of it actually comes down to some pretty incredible make up skills.

I think that the main reason I've always been reluctant to invest in make up is because it is quite difficult to try before you buy. A quick swatch on the back of your hand isn't always the best indicator of if the product will suit your skin tone, it also gives no idea of how long the product will last - especially in the hot conditions that I work in.

On a recent trip to Leeds I visited the Kiko Milano store. While I was there I bought two products: Soft Touch Blush in shade 107 and Radiant Touch Creamy Stick Highlighter in shade 100.

The products were towards the upper bracket of the drug store market, the blush was £7.50 and the highlighter was in their sale: reduced from £8.50 to £4.20.

I invested in Kiko because a friend recommended it to me, as a fellow acne sufferer, I do trust her judgement when it comes to make up.

Once I have given these products a thorough test drive I will be sure to write a review!

What are your favourite beauty products?

The Snake

- This story is 100% factual -

A girl I used to know had a pet snake from being around nine years old. It was a large snake, a boa constrictor or something like that, and it used to sleep at the bottom of her bed, rather like how other people might have a dog or cat sleep in their room.

When the girl was around sixteen, she suddenly noticed that the snake was no longer eating its food and was beginning to lose weight. Concerned, she took it to the vet to see what could be done to treat the animal.

After looking over the snake, the vet turned to the girl and said, "the snake is starving itself so that it can eat you."

Aisle Style

It's August, and the peak of summer means only one thing to many women: wedding season.

As a university student, I'm not exactly in the position to get married myself. However that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a little window shopping for wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and even table decorations. Just don't tell my boyfriend.

The website Aisle Style (which you can access here) is full of beautiful dresses appropriate for the bride, bridesmaids or even a sophisticated and glamorous ball.

Me and my close female friends have already made arrangements to be each other's bridesmaids and have rotated the maid of honour to ensure that we all take on the role for one of our best friends. Even though none of us are engaged and we aren't even all in relationships, it's important to get this stuff worked out early, right?

Here are some of my favourite pieces from the site.



£89.98 available here

I think this piece would be perfect for a masquerade ball, paired with silver sandals, clutch bag and a glittering mask, it's sophisticated without looking too over the top and is age appropriate for a 19 year old.



£64.99 available here

This is exactly what I would have the bridesmaids at my wedding wear. As my best friends, it's important that they are happy and comfortable, but it also doesn't break the bank! I think this colour would be perfect for a late summer-autumn wedding.



£229 available here

I love the idea of a vintage wedding dress, and this style encapsulates everything I want from my dress. The delicate sleeves and lace design is simply stunning and would hopefully keep all eyes on me if and when the big day occurs.

Potential bride-to-be or not, this is a wonderful website.