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

Second five days of the YouBeauty advent calendar (Blogmas day 10)

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 second five days of the YouBeauty advent calendar 2014:

Day six) An aromatherapy candle, since I have got this I have burnt it each day when I'm either in the shower or bath and it fills my whole bathroom with the nicest relaxing scent, I definitely think that when I finish burning this one I will be purchasing another!

Day seven) A Sisley radiant glow express mask, I used this the day I got it and although I did not see any results of my skin glowing it definitely made my skin feel as smooth as a baby's bottom and along with the aromatherapy candle was the perfect combination for a relaxing night.

Day eight) A Philip Kingsley hair elasticizer this product is to be used on you hair as a mask before you shampoo and condition, I am yet to use this as it is a 10-20 minute treatment and I have not had the time, however I am really looking forward to see if it makes a difference to my hair.

Day nine) A Teeez desert metal mascara, I am in love with the wand for this mascara!!! The actual mascara formula is great too, and at one point when I was wearing it I even rubbed my eye and it didn't smudge, however the applicator is what makes this product, because it is so thin at the top it makes getting my inner eye and bottom lashes so much easier than using a normal mascara wand does, so I would highly recommend this product. A smudge proof easy to apply black mascara! 

Day ten) And finally I got a Burt's bees almond and milk hand cream, it smells delicious and exactly like marzipan, I can imagine the smell getting quite sickly if I used it all the time however I am going to make sure I only use it when I really need to.

-J xox 

Jess's top three winter time skin care products (Blogmas day 9)

Jess here,

For today's Blogmas I will be counting down my top 3 winter skin/body products:

3) Number three is my Soap and Glory Butter yourself moisturiser, I love to use this throughout the winter time because during this period my skin gets dry so using this once every two days (because I'm too lazy to do it everyday) really helps keep my skins moisture up.

 

2) Number Two is my Clinque facial soap and toner, this two step process makes my skin feel clean and it feels like it really cleans out all the impurities, I do this routine once a day.

1) And finally my Number One product for the wintertime is my evening moisturiser, this is a really intense moisturiser so because I have an oily complexion I only use this once every couple of days, but when I do it works wonders on my skin.

Thanks for reading,

-J xox