A traditional Christmas + an idea for your turkey leftovers

A traditional Christmas + an idea for your turkey leftovers

Saturday, 26 December 2015

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First of all I hope you all had the most magical Christmas filled with joy, laughter, love and peace with your loved ones. 

Yesterday we rose early to prepare for our traditional family Christmas lunch which my mum always nails; as a starter she made pumpkin soup and then as the main course she cooked a turkey with grilled potatoes and onions, and steamed carrots, broccoli, and green beans. Once we were all well and truly satisfied we cosied into the living room next to the roaring fire to watch a movie and enjoy each others company.

After Christmas there are bound to be some leftovers and I don't think anyone would be in the mood to cook after such a big lunch. 

Some might say turkey and cranberry sandwiches are boring, but I don't believe that. And I'm going to give you an easy recipe so you too can see how yummy they can be. 

Steps:

First you need to toast your slices of bread. 

Then spread each slice of bread with cream cheese and a layer of cranberry sauce. 

Top with lettuce, turkey and remaining slice of bread. 

Plus up your sandwich : Add pomegranate, nuts and a little bit of pepper to your sandwich! 

As you can see these sandwiches are pretty enough to serve for a fancy brunch, but simple enough to enjoy for a lazy lunch.

Happy Holidays! 

-T

Review & Swatches: Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in ‘Au Naturel’

Review & Swatches: Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in ‘Au Naturel’

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

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I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while now but I always end up writing about something else. I’ve had this palette for a while now and it’s been my go to, everyday eyeshadow palette despite the fact that some colours are not so great (but more on that later).

The Sleek 'Au Naturel' eye shadow palette is a mix of 12 colours; 8 mattes and 4 shimmers in varying shades of beige, fawn and brown. There’s some definite similarities to a certain cult Urban Decay palette, but as I don’t own any of the Naked palettes I can’t comment on how close other than the theme and shade choices.  The top row mattes (see shades from 01 to 04 in the palette and swatches) are slightly disappointing because they're so sheer that they barely show  but the bottom row’s mattes and frosty shades are amazing (shades 05 to 12); they are both highly pigmented, have an easy-to-blend texture and fallout is very minimal. 

The palette also comes with a decent sized mirror so that’s definitely a bonus especially if you want to take it with you while travelling. The case is very sturdy and stylish with a matte finish, the downside to this is that it has a tendency to pick up dust and fingerprints but a good swipe will clean them. 

Shade Details:

1. Nougat: A matte chalky white/cream which can be used as a base colour.
2. Nubuck: Matte light ashy grey. Not great pigmentation wise (very sheer).
3. Cappuccino: Soft matte beige which is exactly the same shade as my skin therefore doesn't show up 
4. Honeycomb: A matte beige with a hint of yellow, okay-ish pigmentation-wise. 
5. Toast: A matte pale orangey-peach shade which is also sheer. 
6. Taupe: A very light shimmery champagne with a hint of peach. Pigmentation is lovely (especially if used wet) and works great as a highlighter in the inner corner of the eye. My favourite shade 
7. Conker: A shimmery dark reddish bronze with great colour payoff. 
8. Moss: A dirty golden-olive brown with great pigmentation.
9. Bark: A deep cool matte brown with a lovely smooth finish. 
10. Mineral Earth: A shimmery dark brown with amazing colour payoff.
11. Regal: A matte brown/taupe with purple undertones.
12. Noir: A dark matte black. 

I would suggest this palette for anyone who wants to create natural day time looks or dark smokey eyes.  Personally I don’t love it as a whole palette but if I had to judge it based on the bottom row, I would say that it's pretty great so I still think it’s a great value for money especially when it's so affordable!

You can find the palette online here or if you live in Malta, at Roseberry, Valletta. 

Have you ever tried out products from Sleek Makeup? Let me know in the comments below! 

-T

Review: Irresistible Me Diamond Professional Styling Iron*

Review: Irresistible Me Diamond Professional Styling Iron*

Saturday, 12 December 2015

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Recently I was contacted by Irresistible Me to review their Diamond Hair Styler. Obviously I jumped at the opportunity of trying something new because owning great quality hair tools is something that's always been important to me, especially when you have crazy frizzy hair like mine!

What you need to know: “The Diamond Professional Flat Iron is our next-generation, digital, SMART styling iron featuring unique DIAMOND Hi-Tech, which coats the floating ceramic plates with crushed diamond particles mixed with tourmaline. The diamond and tourmaline technology will protect your hair and keep all the natural hair oils, colour and moisture in, leaving your hair healthy, shiny and frizz free. The styling will last longer against air humidity and everyday stress.”

When I first pulled the Diamond Hair Straightener out of its beautifully designed box (with magnetic closing), my initial thought was how lightweight it felt, which in my mind equated to it being possibly flimsy and thus wouldn’t do a good job at straightening my hair. But boy was I wrong! I only had to go over each section of hair once or twice to get the effect I wanted - that being pin straight. You can also use the iron to create beautiful curls - you can see me doing this in the photos. 

It comes with an array of features that will make your life so much easier:

• a 360° mobile cord that swivels around following your every move
• a thumb print and cool tips for a steady grip and to avoid burning your fingers
• all buttons are on the inside so you don't accidentally change the settings
• shuts down automatically in 30 minutes
• gets hot (450F/230C) really fast, in up to 15 seconds
• intelligent heat display that lets you see the temperature all the time
• it is super light and comes in a beautifully designed box with magnetic closing that you can use to store it
• it automatically changes the temperature display to Celsius or Fahrenheit, depending on the supplied voltage, making it perfect for travelling
• the 1'' floating plate self-adjusts, eliminating any pressure points, so that the iron can work through your hair smoothly without pulling

Overall, I’m extremely impressed by the Diamond Hair Styler. I love how lightweight it is (especially if you want to take it with you while travelling), how the buttons are on the inside so you don't accidentally change the settings or switch it off while you're using it and how quickly it heats up, which makes my morning routine much easier. It’s also very sleek and modern so that also helps 

So if you're in the market for a flat iron, I would highly recommend Irresistible Me's Diamond Flat Iron. I promise you that it’s worth the money!

This retails for $149 (but right now it's selling at $104 because they have a 30% off sale on hair tools), and you can purchase it here. 

Also, check out their website – they also have hair extensions, a beautiful curling iron and loads of other stuff!

*This product was sent to me in consideration for a review. With that being said, the opinions expressed here are 100% mine. Additionally, links are there for information and are NOT affiliate links. 

-T