Her Fashion Box - May

In Friday's post I mentioned I was hoping for a Norwegian victory in the Eurovision Song Contest and although we didn't quite make it (we came fourth), my disappointment was quickly fixed when I received some exciting mail. I am easily distracted that way you see.

The May Her Fashion Box was here and as usual I loved the beautiful cover of the magazine. The mag is such a nice touch and gives you a few tips and tricks about how to use or style the products and accessories you have received.

For my hair I received a Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo ($9.95). I am a big dry shampoo fan, but Cedel is my preferred brand. It is for brunette girls and doesn't leave any residue. I will give Batiste a try the next time I have to snooze an extra fifteen minutes in the morning. I was more excited about the Ardell lashes I received in Accent ($8.99). The lashes look great and they also come with Eyelash Adhesive ($6.99) so it's all too easy!

For my talons I received the gorgeous shade Portobello from Polished London ($7.99) which is a 4-free nail polish brand - there is no Toluene, DBP, Campbor or Formaldehyde. I love the colour and can't wait to wear it. Then there was the travel-size Designer Brands Pore Minimising Primer ($7.99). I have heard a lot about DB but I have never tried them before. I'm looking forward to comparing the Primer to my preferred Benefit Porefessional.

One of the accessories this month was a beautiful white leather cuff with gold detailing ($29.95). It will go so well in an arm party but it is also an outstanding accessory on its own.

The feminine necklace this month is also beautiful ($19.95). I actually own a similar one from Sportsgirl where the black gems are orange and it is such a great necklace. I will definitely be using this one a lot.

Lucky last were some cool collar pins which you can put as tips on your shirt collar ($14.95). I haven't tested this yet but I certainly will. It's such a cool concept!

I liked this month's box in terms of its variation and the fact that I want to try everything in the box. I'm thinking of wearing the false lashes to see the Great Gatsby in 3D but it might make it hard to wear the glasses. 

What was your favourite accessory in the box?

xx I

Hip, Hip, Hurray!

Happy days! Today is Norway's National Day and it's always super fun to celebrate. I've spent the morning at the beach which has made a nice change from the usual colder weather in May.

We will continue the celebrations tonight with drinks and dinner together with good friends. I am also crossing my fingers and toes that Norway wins Eurovision Song Contest this year, our artist is actually pretty good! If you want a re-cap of last year's Norway Day you can click on this post.

Have a fantastic day!

Xx I

Aveeno's Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream

My PM Skin Care Routine is pretty much the same as my AM Routine with the exception of three things. I don't apply SPF, I double cleanse and I use a night cream to make my ZZZZs more effective.

The night cream I have been using for the last six weeks is from Aveeno and it's called the Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream. It contains Total Soy Complex and Vitamin B3 which together works to achieve the glow aka more radiant skin. It targets dullness, texture, blotchiness, tone and brown spots and all you have to do is apply a little at night to your face and neck and Aveeno does the rest for you. It has a nice scent and I have hardly made a dent in it after over a month's use. At $19.99 it is also very kind to the wallet.

Seeing as we are moving towards winter, the Total Soy Complex is a vital ingredient because it contains Vitamin E which is so important for hydration and more glowing skin in the morning. I apply a little of the Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream at night and wake up with fresh and dewy skin. I have my winter skin care sorted thanks to Aveeno.

Are you a night cream fan? What is your favourite?

Xx I 

This product was provided for consideration. It has not affected my opinion. Click here for my disclosure policy.

Don't forget to enter the Bobbi Brown Giveaway!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Hazelnuts, Dark Chocolate and Nutella!

Donna Hay is one of my favourite food doyennes and her recipees are always amazing. I have four of her cookbooks and I constantly go to her for inspiration. Good food can be simple, delicious and affordable. For Mother's Day yesterday I wanted to make something sweet for my Mother-in-Law and I found the recipe I wanted in Donna Hay's A Cook's Guide which is an amazing collection of recipees.

Let me pre-face the caloriffic post that's about to come with the fact that I was sipping on a beautiful green smoothie whilst baking. It was one of my best yet and I mixed two cups of baby spinach, two cups of water, a banana, a pear, half a lime, two kiwis, two tablespoons of LSA and two tablespoons of chia seeds. Deeeeeelight!

The recipe I used for the vanilla cupcakes is really easy. Just mix 185 g plain flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 125 g butter, 2 eggs, 3/4 cups milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. After having done that I went rogue and added 100 g dark chocolate and a couple of handfuls of hazelnuts, both perfectly chopped. 

I then filled up twelve muffin cakes to the rim and went rogue again. I decided to include a teaspoon of Nutella in the middle of the mixture. I then baked the cupcakes for 27 minutes on 160 degrees.

They came out perfect and I had to eat one just to be sure. The gooey Nutella in the midde was so good and the vanilla/hazelnut/chocolate flavour really came through.

I then added a truckload of buttercream frosting which the cupcakes really didn't need since they were sweet enough.

I then garnished the cupcakes with some dark chocolate and hazelnuts and voila, the job was done.

The verdict from my Aussie family was very positive and the cupcakes got rave reviews. I should know seeing as I'm enjoying a leftover one right now.

Are you a cupcake fan like me?

Xx I 

New Purchase: Peter Alexander + Hollywood by Michael Kors

It's getting colder by the day and I have been doing two things; Upping my hot water and lemon/lime intake in the morning (1 litre is a great way to start the day), and I have been stocking up on my favourite pyjamas from the Pyjama King himself - Peter Alexander. The items I have bought over the years are still as good as new. Yes it is a little more expensive, but it lasts and the designs are gorgeous.

A couple of weeks ago Peter Alexander had a 20% sale on selected items and I picked up some of my favourites. The donut slippers are so cute and a perfect fit. They keep my feet warm in the morning and at night and are like wearing air, they are so light!

The moon and star pyjama pants are super comfortable. The pattern is beautiful and I love the attention to detail with the felt star and moon on the waist-band.

The most exciting item was definitely the navy onesie in a waffle fabric. It's got Penny, the PA logo on the left and the rest of it is a fabulous combination of grey and navy. It's the one I've been wearing the most, although I have been wearing all of my new PJ's.

PA does great packaging so I wasn't surprised when my pancake pyjamas came in a cute little fleece bag.

The pancake stack PJ's is a cute longsleaved top and fleece pants. Wearing it makes me very hungry for pancakes, but can you blame me?

In non-related pyjama news, I was away with work last weekend for an event and I managed to forget my Travalo so I went on the hunt for a Priceline to pick out a new perfume. After trying a few I picked out Very Hollywood by Michael Kors. 

It truly is a beautiful fragrance and I will be doing a review on it soon.

Xx I

PS - have you entered the international giveaway yet?