PHAZE STREET...

Does anyone ever really stop to notice fashion, not on the catwalk, not in the magazines, but on the streets, whilst people go about their everyday business, without editing and without photoshopping? The vast diversity, collaborations and collections of style fascinates me. Mixing old school flat caps and pheasant print ties with 90s trainers and baggy pants injects Cardiff with colour. 

Here I'm bringing Fashion Week to the streets...

Keep Cardiff looking stylish!

GOURMET DOGGY TREATS...

Finally getting to grips with this whole baking lark and feeling particularly generous this morning, I decided to treat my gorgeous little pooch, Sookie, to her very own homemade Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits.

Hunting for a particularly scrumptious recipe and catering to Sookie's biggest weakness; PEANUT BUTTER, I found this recipe especially fitting...

WHAT YOU'll NEED:

•  128g of Plain Wholemeal Flour
•  1/2 tbsp. of Baking Powder
•  64g of Smooth Peanut Butter
•  6oz of Skimmed Milk

First pre-heat the oven to 190°C.

Next mix flour and baking powder in one small bowl and combine milk and peanut butter in separate medium bowl. 

Whisk milk and peanut butter into a smooth paste, then slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix. 

Mix until it reaches the consistency of a soft dough.

Then dust surface in flour and roll out dough to about 1/4 of and inch think. 

Use cookie cutters to form shapes and place biscuits onto a lightly greased baking tray to cook for about 20mins until light brown. 

This could be a painful 20mins...

When done remove biscuits and leave to cool.

I cant tell you what they taste like but Sookie sure approves...

 WARNING: there'll be no going back after this...no more crumby dog biscuits, no more cheapy doggy chocs, its gourmet all the way... Because they know y'know!?

AZTEC SECRET...

Boy are you guys in for a treat... I have discovered a miracle! 

A miracle in the form of a clay mask to be precise. Not having the best skin in the world; suffering from acne, varying between dry and oily on a daily basis and having to wear a fair bit of makeup to work (as that is my job), I often find myself in a vicious circle of trying out new products and spending a heck of a lot of money in the hope to find that one star product. 

But finally I think I've found it...

Aztec Secret Indian Clay (available here) is made up of calcium bentonite harvested from Death Valley in California where it is dried into a fine powder in temperatures of up to 134 degrees. Its labeled the 'Most Powerful Facial in the World' due to its ability to remove impurities and cleanse dirt from deep within the pores.

A fine powder clay to be mixed with equal parts raw apple cider vinegar or warm water.  

Stir the mixture into a paste...

Apply 1/4 to 1/2 inch of clay evenly to the face or other areas of the body and wait for the stuff to work its magic.

Then kick back and relax for 5-10 mins for delicate skin or 15-20 mins for normal skin. A slight pulling and tightening sensation is normal - "Feel your face Pulsate"

And resist the urge to snack on that cucumber... 

Enjoy your very own spa at home...

ASOS Buys...

In preparation for my upcoming holiday I have been trawling the internet looking for 'holiday clothes'. 

Being a fashion graduate and with fashion week in full swing I cant help myself but to spend hours at a time on the internet watching fashion week videos and following current forecasting. 

 Armed with a knowledge of what to be seen in this Auntumn/Winter and having a perfect excuse to go shopping (there's always an excuse) I logged myself straight onto ASOS and got down to business and boy did I find myself some goodies...

Tartan Shirts, Crisp White Blazers and Heeled Sandals, what more could a girl ask for...

I'd also like to take this opportunity to

debut my first ever 'vlog' post, enjoy...

With New York Fashion week drawing to an end and London fashion week just around the corner, I couldn't help but notice a common thread of tartan gracing the catwalks and high street stores. Its seems Viv had the right idea and its coming back with a vengeance... 

1. Tartan Trousers: RIVER ISLAND (here)
2. Tartan Shirt: RIVER ISLAND (here)
3. Tartan Blazer: TOPSHOP (here)
4. Tartan Skirt: TOPSHOP (here)
5. Tartan Dress: H&M (here)

And in the words of Westwood herself 'You have a more interesting life if you wear impressive clothes', and in my opinion nothing's more impressive than a good bit of tartan, so grab your bagpipes and sporran and strut your stuff this Autumn/Winter...

CHOCOLATE CHUNK WELSH CAKES...

Being someone who ALWAYS has a sweet tooth I found myself literally drooling after stumbling across an ingenious recipe of... Chocolate Chunk Welsh Cakes. 

Feeling particularly culinary creative this week I thought I'd give it a go and before I even really knew what I was doing I found myself stirring, mixing and rolling out my welsh cake mix... whilst making one hell of a mess might I add!

What you'll need: 
•  225g of Plain Self Raising Flour
•  125g Unsalted Butter
•  50g Caster Sugar
•  25g Chocolate Chunks
•  1 Egg
•  2 tbsp Milk
•  Pinch of Salt

Start by sifting 225g of flour and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Then add the butter and rub until the mix resembles bread crumbs. Then stir in 50f of caster sugar.



Add the chocolate chunks and make a well in the centre of the mixture to add the egg and milk. Mix well until of forms a firm dough.

Next flour the surface and rolling pin and roll mixture out until about 1cm thick. 

Using round cookie cutters cut out cakes and place on a lightly greased griddle to cook for about 2-3mins until golden brown on both sides. 

Of course, I had my own little helper...

So she got her own Doggie Cake...

A modern twist on a traditional dish... Happy Baking!

STEP BY STEP; EYEBROWS...

Following my last Step by Step makeup look I received a request on how to style eyebrows. Now, I love eyebrows and luckily for me, and you, NARS have recently launched a new eyebrow collection featuring 4 shades of Brow Gel and 4 new shades of eyebrow perfecting pencil. You can find these HERE. 

Brows are not as daunting as they may seem and there are three easy steps that you can follow in order to create the prefect brow shape to suit your face...

Step One- Start

This marks where the brows should start, marking from the edge of the nose straight upwards.

Step Two- Arch

This marks the highest part of the brow; where the brow should arch. Starting from the edge of the nose running diagonally up through the centre of the pupil.

Step Three- End

Here marks where the brow should end; starting from the corner of the nose following the edge of the eye diagonally upwards.



Final Shape

Join these dots, fill in the brow and voila...

There are also a few general "brow rules" you may want to take into consideration when shaping the brows to ensure that your eyes are framed correctly in co-ordination with your face shape.

Oval face: All brow shapes.

Round Face: An arched brow which helps to elongate the face.

Long Face: Straight brow in order to cut length. 

Square Face: A Larger brow, with soft edges in order to help even out the angles of the face.

Heart Shape Face: A rounded arch in order to balance the face. 

Happy brow mapping!