Morrocan Lamb Tagine

This is a very easy and delicious alternative to a winter stew. Really tasty and so simple to make.

To serve 4 you will need:

1 or 2 tbsp oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tin chopped carrots (bit of a cheat but works just as well!)
400-500g of lamb, chopped into chunks about 2cm squared.
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of mint
1/2 tsp of parsley
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed and then finely chopped
1 tbsp of honey
100g of chopped dried apricots
1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

Then to bulk it out I usually add 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced. You could even add a parsnip. Not strictly Moroccan but this works really well!

Begin by softening the onion in a heavy based pan. I used a casserole pot for this dish.

Once soft add the carrots and diced lamb and cook until brown and then add all of the herbs and spices and the garlic and cook for another few minutes. I mixed all of the spices/herbs/garlic together before adding to the pot so they were more evenly distributed.

Add the honey, apricots, sweet potato (and anything else you might want to add) and the stock cube and cover with boiling water and bring to the boil.

And now the easy bit. Turn down the heat, cover the pot, sit back and relax for about 1 hour or even 2 if you have the time.

Serve with cous cous and enjoy! (Sorry for the rubbish photo! It's so hard to find good light at this time of year.)

No7 Eyebrow Palette

I love Boots 3 for 2 Christmas offer. Since the cheapest product is free I usually buy myself a little something as a reward for all of the hard work of Christmas shopping. This week I bought myself the No 7 Eyebrow Palette.

This palette comes in a very cute little box and contains four eyebrow powders, an eyebrow pencil, a mini applicator brush and a (very) mini pair of tweezers.

I can have quite unruly eyebrows at the best of times so I need all the help I can get.

The eyebrow powder come in four different shades. Two browns (one dark, one just a little lighter), a browny grayish shade and a pale nude/pink shade, which is probably more of a highlighter. The pencil is a light shade of brown.

The tweezers are actually a nice surprise. i was worried they would be difficult to use as they are very small but they are great. They made me wonder why tweezers really need to be any bigger!

The pencil is a little bit too light for my brows but the texture and ease of application are both really good and the powders do the trick too.

Despite this I think the palette really misses a mirror. With one it would be great for on the go brow touch up but without I'll probably end up just using this occasionally at home. It would also have been nice if there were colour options for the brown pencil (e.g. blonde, brunette etc.) because the pencil i pretty much useless to me and I'm sure it would be to a lot of people.

This product is pretty good and at £10 is also pretty cheap but there is not enough I love about it to make it a make up routine staple.

MUA Elysium Palette

I have a new found love for MUA products and when I saw this whilst wandering around my local Superdrug, I knew I had to buy it.

The palette comes with 10 eyeshadows in varying matte and shimmery tones as well as a double ended highlighter and eyeliner pencil.

The colours are really lovely and seem to have pretty good staying power. It's nice that there are  a few sparkly ones included for the festive season.

The colours all have really pretty names and I'll walk you through them one by one.

Air - Very pale and smooth colour. Perfect for a base or highlighter.
Cherub - This very pale pink colour is adorable. Just the right amount of sparkle.
Charm - My favourite of all the colours. Perfect for day wear. Very subtle and natural.
Refine - Very similar to Charm but just a hint darker.
Entrance - A hint of sparkle. Perfect for Xmas party smoky eyes.
Adore - Beautiful colour but just a bit too dark for my pale skin.
Astral - My favourite sparkly colour in the palette. Nice colour and perfectly sparkly.
Grace - This one would also be perfect for smoky eyes.
Smoke - I'm a bit scared of this colour to be honest. It's very dark and very pigmented.
Seraphic - I love the name of this and the colour. Another one that's great for the party season.

The eyeliner pencil is a nice consistency and holds its colour really well and the highlighter does the trick to.

This palette is fantastic and at £6 is an absolute bargain. A must have for any make up lover!

My Two Favourite Mascaras - Compared

I'm pretty simple when it come to makeup and I tend to stick to the same brands for most things. When it comes to mascara there are two that I love.

ModelCo Fibre Lashxtend and Maybelline Great Lash Mascara.

I've used Maybelline since I started using make up when I was about 14 and there is always at least 1 in my makeup bag. It doesn't clump, looks natural and is easy to apply.

I first used the Modelco mascara when I received a tube free in Glamour magazine earlier this year and I am a convert! It has a slightly higher price tag than the Maybelline brand, but as my mum says, you only get what you pay for!

The Modelco Fibre Lashxtend comes in at around £16 which isn't going to break the bank but is quite a bit more than the £5 I usually pay for Maybelline.

So is it worth it? Judge for yourself....

Maybelline Baby Lips - Peach Kiss

I purchased this product because I really need a reliable lip balm at this time of year. The winter in Edinburgh is really harsh on my lips and they are often cracked and sore.

Maybelline Baby Lips caught my eye because as well as being a lip balm it is a nice nude pink colour.

It's a nice soft lip balm with a pretty but subtle colour and I've used it religiously over the past few weeks.

My lips have managed to avoid being cracked so far and I think this will become a firm favourite lip balm over the winter months and at only £2.99 its well worth the money!

Forgotten Treasures

I was clearing out my wardrobe a few days ago and stumbled across a few products that I had forgotten all about but really love.

Percy Reed Finishing Polish

This is actually something that I got free in Glamour Magazine but I love it. I’m not usually a fan of hair products as they can make my hair seem flat and lifeless but this is fab. It’s got a lovely texture and doesn't have too strong a smell. I hate using scented products on my hair. It’s great for taming fly away hairs and split ends. The best freebie I've ever received!

Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Exfoliator

I have an unhealthy addiction to the Body Shop. I can spend hours browsing the shelves, smelling every product and using every tester. The stuff is great quality, reasonable priced and ethically sourced. I bought this product when I was in the middle of a bad skin phase. I bought it with just about every other product in the Vitamin E range and used them religiously for a few months. They really did sort my skin out. Unfortunately I used everything up and never got round to buying them again but I absolutely love this range and would recommend it to anyone trying to whip their skin into shape!

Body Shop Honey and Oat Face Mask

Another Body Shop favourite. This mask is lovely. It’s thick and creamy and smells delicious. It has little grainy oaty bits in it too so you can feel is exfoliating as you put it on. This product feels really natural and luxurious and I can’t believe I’d forgotten about it until now!

Pure Simplicity Heel Balm

I was given this as a gift in Australia last Christmas. I spent 5 weeks in Oz and my feel really suffered from wearing flip-flops (or thongs as the Aussies call them) non-stop for weeks. This was a lifesaver. My feet were sighing with relief when I first used this and I continued to use it when I got home to keep my feet in shape. Every time I use this product the smell transports me back to the Aussie summer and I can’t wait to get back there!

Wedding Stress!

I am getting married in 6 months. So far I have arranged my venue and my dress and nothing else. I have a friend who is also getting married at around the same time. She has sorted everything already. I really need to get started. The problem is, I’m just not a good planner. I always get everything done but usually at the last minute. I’m the kind of person who does Christmas shopping at 4 O’clock on Christmas Eve.

So I've made a list of things I still need to do:

Bridesmaid Dress

Wedding Cars

Florist

Photographer

Hair and Make Up

Honeymoon

Shoes, Jewellery etc.

Guest List

Cake

Invitations

Favours

Table Decorations

Menswear

Wedding Rings

The list is endless. Where do I start!? Have I forgotten anything? How will we pay pay for it all? Aaaaaah!