Wish List Wednesday

Being the week before payday (damn you 5 weekend pay months!) this week's wishlist is purely aspirational...courtesy of Net-A-Porter.  Well, if I'm going to lust, I may as well do it properly right?



Alaia, £1055




YSL, £785



3.1 Phillip Lim, £750



Miu Miu, £710




Alexander Wang, £750



Chloe, £700


 Swoon.  In reality, this is about all I can afford right now...

What designer pieces are you lusting after right now?

Baking on a mission!

It was my beautiful Goddaughter and her baby brother's Christening yesterday.  My gift?  60 cupcakes!

I've never baked so much (well in one go) before, and it was a massive challenge - especially when the first 20 or so cupcakes sank due to my slightly dodgy oven.  But I perservered and I think they came out pretty well...if only they were all exactly the same, the perfectionist I am :)

For anyone interested, I used the hummingbird vanilla cupcake recipe, and my own improvised vanilla buttercream recipe (150g unsalted butter, 500g icing sugar and a generous glug or two of milk).  I then coloured some ready made royal icing and cut out some little stars and topped with edible glitter.  They all disappeared within about 20 minutes so a job well done, if I do say so myself :)

Now I just have to brace myself for the incoming orders...eeek!  Do you ever give homemade gifts?

Wish List . . .er. . . Thursday

So this is a day late - oops.  But hey, better late than never right?  So here we go...just two mentions, but they are good'uns!

Dress Up Topshop



L-R £70, £80, £125, £85, £150 (All Topshop) - click to enlarge

Topshop have produced an exclusive collection of dresses which appeared on the website today.  A fair bit pricier than their usual dresses but they are perfect for any special occasions coming up.  I particularly love the nude chiffon and the black bandeau dresses with embellishment.  Though the sequinned bow waist number is rather special too!  Sod it, I want them all.  Now if only I had a few hundred quid spare....

ASOS Platforms

Heist Platforms, £70, ASOS

I LOVE these shoes - and it's not hard to see why.  Leopard print, platforms, bows - they are me all over.

Mac Quite Cute - Play Time

I did think that Candy Yum Yum and Quite Cute would be my only purchases from this collection, but after seeing a few pictures of Play Time lipstick and hearing about Mac's free Haute & Naughty mascara offer I thought it would be rude not to treat myself to one more!

This is a much more wearable lipstick than my other two; a soft, semi-sheer pinky purple. The creemsheen finish means it can be worn as a sheer wash of colour, or layered up for a more intense shade. I really like it. Whilst Playing Koi may be most peoples' more obvious everyday shade, this is much more me - especially for the summer.

So anyway, onto the important stuff - the swatches!

So...have you picked up anything from Quite Cute yet? Have you done what I have and gone back for seconds?

I will try and review the Haute & Naughty mascara this week too.  Anyone else taken advantage of this deal?

NOTD - Essie Nice is Nice

(geez, talons much?)

You may remember the Essie French Affair collection from one of my recent Wednesday Wish Lists.  I finally got round to ordering a few of the polishes from ebay, which arrived this week.  French Affair, a sweet pastel pink, went to one of my besties, whilst I nabbed Nice is Nice and Kisses & Bisses for myself.  

Nice is Nice has been adorning my fingertips for the past few days and I love it.  Everything I need from a lilac - soft, creamy and just pink enough to make it super feminine.  And perfect for Spring!

Kisses & Bisses, an iridescent shimmery beige, is up next...

What nail colours are you going for this spring?

Deja Vu

Who'd a thunk it? Jessica Simpson producing a cult shoe?  If you've given up hope of getting hold of a pair of her 'Dany' platforms do not fear! The British high street comes to your rescue once again!


Clockwise from Left - Jessica Simpson 'Dany', ASOS £70, Kurt Geiger, £120

These ASOS Bitten platforms aren't online yet, but after being featured in the latest magazine they will hopefully up on the site very very soon...and the Kurt Geiger offerings are a great summer version of the shoe, with the tobacco suede and cork platform heel.

What are your thoughts on these shoes - a must have? Or a must avoid?

I must say, I do rather like them...but whether my ankles would? well, that's another question.

Wish List Wednesday

What amazing weather today!! I wish I wasn't stuck in an office so I could spend the day lazing in the park...larverly.  Long may it continue - well into the weekend at least.

Anyway, back onto the matter in hand - my wish list.

Midi Skirts

Magenta pleat midi, £49, Never Fully Dressed

I've been umming and ahhing about these skirts for a while now, but since spotting this hot pink pleated number from Never Fully Dressed, I now think I need to make one mine.

My main problem with this length is that they cut my calves in half, and I am not blessed with skinny legs! But I think this skirt would look lovely with a simple vest or tee tucked in, a skinny belt and a pair of delicate ballet pumps or metallic sandals.  What do you think?  Or are midis a no go?

Wayfarers

Ray-Ban wayfarers have been my sunglasses of choice for a good few years now, and I am now desperate to get a pair of the standard glasses to drive with.  My only problem is finding somewhere that won't charge me £250 for my puny prescription...I've found them on the Toni and Guy opticians site - here - has anyone used them before? It seems almost too good to be true!

Toy Watch

Toy Watch - all £170 at ASOS

I always used to 'like' but not 'love' Toy Watch...until I saw these latest offerings.  How gorgeous are these pearly timepieces? The only problem is - which colour is best?  I'm edging towards the pink..but then I love the blue, and the white is oh so classic...help!

Fashion Bargains

Oh and finally - I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win a ticket to The Outnet's 2nd Birthday sale.  I managed to nab myself a lovely Marc Jacobs sweater dress last year (for £1 plus blood, sweat and tears) so the chance to grab a bargain again this year would be fantastic.  If you want to enter - just click here and fill in your details.  Fingers crossed!!

Giveaway - the winner!

Just a quick post to announce the winner of the Hummingbird Bakery 'Cake Days'...

It is Lucy at Beauty and the Blogger!

Lucy's dream cake was an eton mess cupcake which sounds, quite frankly, wonderful.

Congratulations Lucy - please drop me an email with your address and I will get the book out to you this week :)

Keep a look out for other little giveaways here, I'm sure there will be another coming up soon!!