Happy new year!!

Hope you are all having a great New Year's Eve and see the new year in happily! 2014 was a good year and we both can't wait for 2015, we hope to post regularly and keep you all entertained with our posts. 

And again HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

-J&H xox 

Merry Christmas Everyone! End of Blogmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Hi all, 

Hope you are all having a brilliant day, we are both enjoying ourselves with our family's, Jess in England and Hannah in Denmark. We are so happy to have been able to upload each day of December up until Christmas, check it out here if you've missed it...

Thanks for reading, now go and enjoy your Christmas day, 

-J&H xox 

The final four days of the YouBeauty advent calendar (Blogmas day 24)

Jess here,

This year for christmas I have got the YouBeauty advent calendar, this is an advent calendar filled with skincare products, makeup and general beauty products and I thought I would share what I get in my calendar every five days. So here is the fifth and final four days of the YouBeauty advent calendar 2014:

Day 21) A Bioeffect serum, when i saw this I thought it would only do for one use, however when I used it I realised a little bit of it goes a long way! Very hydrating and moisturising. 

Day 22) A rituals body scrub, this smells amazing and I cannot wait to use it.

Day 23) A Maddi Alexander rose bath oil, this was perfect along with a candle and face mask in the bath, very relaxing. 

Day 24) A sleep + pillow spray! I am gonna need this to help me sleep tonight as I am so excited for Christmas!! 

Hope you are all having a lovely Christmas and that you enjoy this post, 

Merry Christmas 

-J xox

Day out at London Aquarium (Blogmas day 22)

Jess here,

Last weekend my family and I visited London's Sealife Aquarium and the London Eye, one of my sisters friends works for Merlin and so gave us his Merlin card to use up the free tickets before the new year. It was an amazing day and so here are some of the pictures I took .

As you walk into the aquarium you can walk over the shark tank, although this made me feel quite queazy it was loved by my nephews who were fascinated by it.

As soon as we walked into this section both my nephews shouted 'NEMO AND DORY',

My sister, her husband and my nephews in the hurricane machine and my niece Maisie Boo cuddling her pink seahorse which she loved! 

                        

Once we had finished in the aquarium we wandered down south bank and decided to stop and watch these performers, when we all turned around to start to walk away my sister noticed that my nephew was not with us so we all started panicking, running around everywhere looking for him,little did we know he had pushed his way to the front of the crowd and was then picked to be in the performance.

We then went for a meal in Strada which is a delicious Italian restaurant, and I have to say the service was excellent considering how busy it was in the restaurant, it had a very friendly feel.

Then in a quick decision we decided to go on the London Eye, my nephew was desperate to see the sites of London so because we had enough tickets we went up. There are such breathtaking views at night, especially as the sun was just setting at around 4pm. 

Thanks for reading my post about my family and I's day out, hope you enjoyed this post,

-J xox

London Aquarium and London Eye 

Danish traditions- (Blogmas day 23)

Hannah here!

As I am half Danish I am celebrating Christmas in Denmark this year. I thought for today's blogmas post I would just give you a brief insight into my Danish Christmas! 

In Denmark Christmas is celebrated on the 24th of December in the evening. This means that I get to open my presents about 12 hours before you! We also have our Christmas meal in the evening at around 7 o'clock, Danes traditionally eat roast duck rather than Turkey. However the main reason that I love a Danish Christmas as much as I do is because of the strong likelihood of snow! A white Christmas and being with all my family is what makes a Danish Christmas so festive. 

I hope you all have a merry Christmas, wherever you are this winter! I would love to know if you have any traditions! -H xox

Christmas and Holiday essentials! (Blogmas day 21)

Hannah here!

Here are a few of my christmas and Holiday essentials, for a cosy night in this winter!

1) A warm and snuggly blanket. These are a must have for the cold Christmas period.

2) Hot beverages. I am a big tea drinker although a hot chocolate is the perfect winter treat, and if you really want a treat the hot chocolates from Whittard's are my favourite. 

3) A great Christmas movie, my ultimate Christmas flick has to be 'Love Actually' but you can check out our blogpost for our Top 5 Christmas Movies.

4) Christmas jumpers, I think Primark do some of the best Christmas from the really tacky to the subtly festive.

5) Winter nail polish. I love painting my nails so a good berry red or a festive glitter top coat is a certain holiday essential.

Thank you for reading, let me know if you have any Christmas essentials! -H xox

Fourth five days of the YouBeauty advent calendar (Blogmas day 20)

Jess here,

This year for christmas I have got the YouBeauty advent calendar, this is an advent calendar filled with skincare products, makeup and general beauty products and I thought I would share what I get in my calendar every five days. So here is the fourth five days of the YouBeauty advent calendar 2014:

Day 16) An eyeko lash curler, this is just what I needed, I recently misplaced my eyelash curler so this is a perfect replacement, it has lovely blue velvet handles and the eyelash pads are so soft, can't wait to get using these! 

Day 17) A radial stem cell lip plumping lipgloss, I'm not sure how this works but the times I have worn it, it has worked! 

Day 18) A John Masters organics shampoo and detangler! 

Day 19) A benefit POREfessional face primer, I have only ever heard rave reviews about this product so I am excited to try it out!

Day 20) A James Read sleep mask tan, another tanning product, if you have read the third you beauty post review then you will know I am not a massive fake tanner, however I am willing to give this a try and if I do not like it I have promised it to one of my friends! 

Thanks for reading, why not check out all of our blogmas posts??? Click here if so... 

-J xox

Stocking fillers- Blogmas day 19

Hannah here!

For today's Blogmas post I thought I would share some stocking filler ideas, these are just some of the festive little items I have seen recently.

1) These Milk Chocolate Penguins from Hotel Chocolat cost just £7 and would be appropriate for any chocolate lover. 

2) I am a big fan of the Emma Bridgewater range and really like their "Christmas Joy" 1/2 Pint Mug as it is the perfect size for a hot chocolate!

3) Essie Nail Polish in "Fishnet Stockings"is the perfect Winter shade, so would be a lovely stocking filler for anyone who loves to paint their nails.

4) I don't think I would be the only one excited by these christmas socks from John Lewis in my Stocking!

5) A stocking wouldn't be complete without an orange so a Terry's Chocolate Orange with "Exploding Candy" is a fun and new take on an old tradition. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you find this post useful (even if it just gives you a few things to add to your own christmas list)! -H xox

Visiting Father Christmas on a Barge (blogmas day 18)

Hi all Jess here,

At the weekend me and my family traveled to Chicester to visit Father Christmas, I'll be honest I did not have high hopes as I thought it would be like every other Father Christmas visit however it was brilliant.

We arrived at Chichester canal and ventured into a Christmas decorated barge, we then proceeded down the canal and were served sausage rolls, mince pies and teas or coffee (and fruit shoots and biscuits for the kids.)

Once we reached the end of the canal there was Father Christmas waiting to board the barge with a sack full of presents. My niece and nephew loved it, they were so excited! 

When Santa came on board we started to make our way back up the canal and Father Christmas called each child up individually and had a chat, picture and gave them there present. 

It was a lovely day, my niece and nephew absolutely loved the Father Christmas experience!

After we had finished visiting Father Christmas we went out for my nephews birthday meal (he was 6 on Monday) at a cowboy restaurant, he loved it, especially the massive dessert that they do especially if it is someone's birthday.

So overall it was a lovely day and I would really recommend the Father Christmas trip for families with kids! 

Thank you for reading! 

-J xox 

Our top 5 Christmas movies (Blogmas day 17)

Jess and Hannah here,
Today for Blogmas day 17 we will be counting down our top 5 favorite Christmas films, let us know if you agree with us or what your top five would be!

5) Nativity 1, this is a hilarious film that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults, there are sequels to this film however the first is the best!!

4) The Grinch, he is a Christmas hating green hairy creature who lives in whoville and the film is all about him. This is an amazing film which we have both loved since a very young age.

3) Elf, who doesn't love elf, this is a hilarious film that never gets old!

2) Home Alone 1, this film is amazing, all about a boy who gets left home alone!

1) Love Actually, this is our number one Christmas film, it follows around lots of different couples all around the Christmas period and just puts us in such a Christmassy mood.

Thanks for reading,
-H&J xox

Christmas Wish List (Blogmas day 16)

Hi Hannah here,
With christmas fast approaching I thought I would share my christmas wish list with you. This is a combination of things that I would like for christmas, and other beautiful things I would like.

1) I have asked for the first naked eye shadow palette by urban decay, and would be delighted if I recieved it this Christmas. It has some beautiful shades and I would love to experiment with them! 

2) I have a few of the real techniques brushes already and really enjoy using them, so would love to own the core collection. 

3) I would really like the "they're real push up liner" by benefit as I am a great lover of eyeliner and have never tried this type of applicator for gel eyeliner. 

4) I have owned several pairs of Joni jeans from Topshop and they are the most comfortable jeans I have ever tried.

5) I have not asked for an iPad for Christmas and would never expect to receive one, however a girl can dream...

Third five days of the YouBeauty advent calendar (Blogmas day 15)

Jess here,

This year for christmas I have got the YouBeauty advent calendar, this is an advent calendar filled with skincare products, makeup and general beauty products and I thought I would share what I get in my calendar every five days. So here is the third five days of the YouBeauty advent calendar 2014:

Day 11) A vita liberata self tanning lotion and a mit, I'll be completely honest when I opened the calendar and saw this self tan lotion I was not as excited as I have been about other days, I have never fake tanned (mainly because I'm scared I'll go streaky/it won't suit me) so this product did not really draw me in, however I am willing to give it a try so I have done a patch test on my belly to see how well it works and I can safely say (even though my knowledge of self tanning products is not very good at all) that this product works well and definitely does what it says on the bottle! *sorry this review is a little pointless but I'm not a fake tan kinda person* 

Day 12) A glam glow tingle exfoliate facial treatment, I am really looking forward to trying this product out, it is meant to tighten your skin and so I am waiting until the spots I have at the moment to clear up before I test this product out. 

Day 13) A Sally Hansen nail rehab strengthener, I tried this out the day I got it and it really does what it says on the bottle! I like to grow my nails out long so a nail strengthener is essential to me and this one really does work.

Day 14) A John Frieda volume increasing blow dry lotion, I prefer to let my hair dry naturally, however when I have enough time to I do use a hair dryer and so this serum will be perfect for when that time comes around! This serum smells delicious and I cannot wait to use it.

Day 15) A Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier, this fragrance smells lovely it is very floral and sweet and just the scent I like, so I am very happy to have received this and I shall be wearing it until it runs out!!

Thanks for reading, 

-J xox

Christmas Beauty Haul (Blogmas Day 14)

Hi Hannah here,

For the 14th day of Blogmas I will be showing you some beauty items I picked up while Christmas shopping yesterday! 

 

1) the first item I picked up was the Soap and Glory "scrub your nose in it" facial scrub. This is a pore-refining scrub which I am eager to try as it was recommended to me by a friend! 

2) I also picked up the "Dr Spot" breakout clearing gel from the same Soap and Glory range. I am particularly prone to breakouts so I'm always eager to try out new products that aim to battle blemishes. 

3) I am a huge lover of nail polish and really enjoy painting my nails in a festive colour during the winter. So I had to try the new nail polish from Rimmel's "Glitter Bomb" range in the colour 'midnight mistletoe'. I also picked up a deep red wine colour from Rita Ora's nail polish range with Rimmel, in the shade "Rita Rouge". 

Hope you've liked this post and if you have any of the products above and love them, let me know on our Twitter @livesofHandJ 

Thank you for reading,

-H xx

Mince pie recipe with homemade mincemeat (Blogmas day 13)

Jess here, 

Today I will be blogging about a mince pie recipe that is used constantly around Christmas time in my house, the mincemeat I have made was taken from a Delia recipe which I will link below, and I made my mincemeat about a week before I made these mince pies, as it states in the recipe it will keep for ages so make it whenever! Also if you did not want to make the mincemeat you can always buy a jar in your local supermarket.

The Delia Mincemeat Recipe

Ingredients: 

•  1 lb (450 g) Bramley apples, cored and chopped small (no need to peel them)
•  8 oz (225 g) shredded suet
•  12 oz (350 g) raisins
•  8 oz (225 g) sultanas
•  8 oz (225 g) currants
•  8 oz (225 g) whole mixed candied peel, finely chopped
•  12 oz (350 g) soft dark brown sugar
•  grated zest and juice 2 oranges
•  grated zest and juice 2 lemons
•  2 oz (50 g) whole almonds, cut into slivers
•  4 level teaspoons mixed ground spice
•  ½ level teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  ¼ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
•  6 tablespoons brandy
• You will also need 6 x 1lb (350ml) preserving jars and 6 waxed discs

Method:

All you do is combine all the ingredients, except for the brandy, in a large mixing bowl, stirring them and mixing them together very thoroughly indeed.

Then cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave the mixture in a cool place overnight or for 12 hours, so the flavours have a chance to mingle and develop.

After that pre-heat the oven to gas mark ¼, 225°F (110°C).

Cover the bowl loosely with foil and place it in the oven for 3 hours, then remove the bowl from the oven. Don't worry about the appearance of the mincemeat, which will look positively swimming in fat. This is how it should look.

As it cools, stir it from time to time; the fat will coagulate and, instead of it being in tiny shreds, it will encase all the other ingredients.

When the mincemeat is quite cold, stir well again, adding the brandy. Pack in jars that have been sterilised (see below).

When filled, cover with waxed discs and seal. The mincemeat will keep for ages in a cool, dark cupboard - I have kept it for up to 3 years.
Vegetarian can make this mincemeat happily, using vegetarian suet. And if you don't want the full quantity, make half.

NOTE: To sterilise jars, wash the jars and lids in warm soapy water, rinse well, then dry thoroughly with a clean tea cloth, place them on a baking tray and pop into a medium oven, gas mark 4, 350°F, 180°C, for 5 minutes.

Then to make the actual Mince pies all you need is, for the shortcrust pastry: -300g Plain Flour
                                                                                                               -150g Butter
                                                                                                               -1 egg white

and for the building of the mince pies: -1 egg yolk
                                                         -small bowl of water

Method:
1) Set the oven at 200°C/gas mark 6.

2) Cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until you have what looks like breadcrumbs.

3) Add the egg yolk, then mix briefly with just enough water to bring to a smooth dough. You will probably need just 1 or 2 tablespoons.

4) Bring the dough together into a ball, then knead it on a floured board for until it softens.

5)Then roll out the dough thinly.

6) Next using a cutter of your choice (preferably a circle shape) cut out 12 pieces and place them in a baking tray with 12 holes in it that has been greased with a small amount of butter. then cut out 12 more pieces (re-rolling the pastry if you need to) and set to one side.

7) Using a teaspoon fill each pastry case in the tray with some mincemeat. 

8) To stick the tops on the mince pies what you need to do is, dip your finger in the small bowl of cold water, run it along the edge of the top piece of pastry(that you have previously cut out and placed to one side) and then place on top of the mincemeat filled cases. Repeat for each mince pie.

9) Then using a fork prick each mince pie three times.

10) Then to ensure you get a nice brown glaze use the yolk as an egg wash and brush this all over the tops of the mince pies.

11) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and they should be done!

Thank you for reading, If you use this recipe or Hannah's gingerbread recipe be sure to send us pictures of them on our twitter @livesofHandJ

-J xox

Favourite winter makeup choices (Blogmas day 12)

Jess and Hannah here,
Today for Blogmas day 12 we are going to be talking through our top makeup products for the wintertime, hope you enjoy...

Jess's top products: 

Face product- Revlon Colourstay Concealer in the shade 02 Light Pale

Throughout the winter season my skin seems to get really spotty, I'm not sure what it is because of but I seem to break out in spots all through the winter period, so using a good concealer is essential to me and I love using ...

Powder product- Bourjois Bronzing Powder

Once we get into winter I have completely lost my summer tan so using a bronzer is an essential part of my makeup routine and I have always absolutely loved this chocolate bronzer. 

Lips- Clinque lipstick in the shade 13 Rouge Eclat Woodrose

This colour is just slightly darker than my natural lip colour so I love to wear it in the winter time to give a bit of darkness to my makeup.

Eyes- GOSH defining brow gel 

For my eyes, at the moment I am loving this brow gel, whenever I wake up my eyebrows are all sticking up in every direction so this gel is perfect and keeps my eyebrows in place all day!

Hannah's top products:

Face Product- Maybelline fit me concealer. 

During the winter I don't use much on my face because my skin tends to be in a better condition, however this concealer is perfect for covering those dark under-eye circles! 

Powder product- Rimmel stay matte powder in "transparent".

This is a staple product I use on my t-zone to mattify the skin.

Lips- Max Factor lipstick in the shade "rosewood 833" 

This is a really subtle and moisturising lipstick perfect for weekday wear in these colder months.

Eyes- Maybelline colour tattoo eyeshadow in the shade "on and on bronze"

I am in love with these eye shadows as they are so versatile and easily applied. This shade is a really warm bronze which can be worn both in the day and in the evening.  

Thanks for reading our winter makeup choices, 

-H&J xox