Hair donation - My experience

Crazy top knot before bed!

Back in February I made the decision to cut my hair.  I'd been growing it for a little over 18 months, and it was starting to get to the stage where it was annoying the heck out of me.  I was finding that when I went to bed, I'd have to pile it all on the top of my head in a top knot, just so it wouldn't get wrapped round my neck!
I then thought to myself, if I'm going to cut off all this hair, I may as well do something with it, I was never massively aware of hair donation, but after some google based research and sending some tweets to various charities, I chose to donate to the 'Little Princess Trust'. They're a charity who provide wigs for children who've lost their hair through cancer or alopecia, as well as other conditions.


Before the cut.

Going into the hairdressers, I was quite nervous, the last time I'd had my long hair cut short I was 16, and I woke up the next morning and cried, I instantly regretted it. This time round however I haven't regretted it once. There are several specifications in order for hair to be donated. Once we'd tied my hair off into two loose pigtails, we went for the cut, in total I had 8inches cut off. It felt very odd at first, and every time I walked past a mirror, it took me by surprise that it was a lot shorter.

Once it'd been cut we put the hair (still in their two pigtails) I put them in a Ziploc bag, filled out the donation for on the website and popped it in an envelope and sent it off.  Around 3-4 weeks later I received a certificate thanking me for my donation.

I'm lucky that my hair grows fairly quickly, in the 2 months since I had it cut its already grown about 1.5 inches! As a result of this, I've decided that I'll grow my hair long again, and then get it cut in order to donate it. I like the idea that instead of being swept up and put in the bin, its being made into a wig, and making a difference to a child's confidence! I urge anyone who is considering donating their hair to charity to do it! The way I see it, even if you hate it, it'll grow back, but at least you made a difference to a child by cutting it!

Before and after.

Pineapple Upside-down cake

This recipe is perfect to use with fresh pineapple, or even tinned. Serve it warm or cold with Ice cream or cream. Delicious!

Ingredients:

- For the topping

50g Softened butter

50g Light soft brown sugar

7 Pineapple rings (if using tinned, it should be in syrup)

Glace cherries

- For the sponge

100g Softenedbutter
100g Golden caster sugar

100g Self-raising flour

 1tsp Baking powder

1tsp Vanilla extract

2 Large eggs

Method:

1) Heat the oven to 180c/160c Fan/ Gas mark 4.

2) Start by making the topping. Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Spread over the base and quarter of the way up the sides of a 20-21cm round cake tin.

3) Arrange the pineapple rings on top, then add the cherries in the centre of the rings (I also used them as gap fillers, just to add more colour)

4) Place all the sponge ingredients in a bowl, and add 2 tbsp of pineapple syrup. Beat together until a soft consistency.  Spoon into the tin on top of the pineapple.  Smooth out so its level.

5) Bake for 35 minutes.  Once cooked, leave to stand for 5 minutes, turn it out onto a plate, and serve.

My Lipstick collection

Until recently I hadnt been into lipstick/lipgloss, I owned a Barry M lipstick, but had always wanted to expriment with more colours. Then for some reason, I decided to 'Back to MAC' some empties and got my first lipstick from MAC, excluding the Barry M one, I've collected these lip products over the last 18 months.

 

Lets start with the boring lip care products;

1) Nivea Hydro Care lipbalm £1.99
2) Lipcote £3.69
3) Soothagel (not strictly lipcare, but because it treats mouth ulcers its in there!) £2.754) The Body Shop Lipscuff £8.005) Kryolan lipliner in 910
6) Kroylan lipliner in 125
7) No7 lipliner in 20 Nude £6.75

Lipglosses;

1) - 4) Fearne Cotton lipgloss set - I got these in Boots at christmas, I couldnt find them online, so I'm not sure if these particular ones are still in production.
5) Nars - Turkish Delight £17.506) Soap & Glory - Sexy Mother Pucker in Candy Gloss £9.007) MAC Dazzleglass in Bare Necessity £17.008) Jelly Pong Pong in Irish Cream Pavlova £10.009) Anatomicals in 'I Never Fake Strawberry Milkshake' £3.4910) Du Wop Venom Gloss in Butter Cup £16.00

MAC Lipsticks all £14.00;

1) Creme d'Nude (Creamsheen)
2) Hue (Glaze)
3) Creme Cup (Creamsheen)
4) Saint Germain (Amplified)

 Rimmel (Kate Moss collection) all £5.49;

1) 03
2) 05
3) 08

Revlon Lipbutters all £7.99;

1) 005 Sugar Frosting
2) 045 Cotton Candy
3) 055 Cupcake
4) 090 Sweet Tart
5) Burberry sample lipstick in 202 'Copper'














Random colours;

1) Rimmel 305 in Nude Praline £4.99
2) Glossybox in Glossy Pink
3) Yves Rocher in 106 'Mauve' £7.25
4) Loreal Color Riche 297 in 'Red Passion' £8.19
5) Helen E in Coral £8.00
6) Barry M in 101 'Marshmallow' £4.49

Get to know me

I'm a little behind on the blog post I was going to write, so instead I've done a quick tag to bridge the gap between posts.

1. Are you named after anyone? Not that I know of...

2. When was the last time you cried? Saturday (2 days ago)

3. Do you have kids? No.

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? Why not...!

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? No, never... (see what I did there!?!?!)

6. Will you ever bungee-jump? Noooo!

7. What's your favourite cereal? Lucky Charms

8. What's the first thing you notice about people? Eyes and hair.

9. What is your eye colour? Green/Blue/Gray

My sister and I

10. Scary movie or happy endings? Scary movies, I can't stand a rom-com where you can tell whatll happen from 5 minutes in!


11. Favorite smells? Ralph Lauren perfume (Ralph), Petrol and Freshly cut grass

12. Summer or winter? Probably winter, I love wrapping up all warm, although my birthday is in the summer...

13. Computer or television? Computer, can watch TV on my laptop!

14. What's the furthest you've ever been from home? Probably when we went to Seattle on holiday.

With my goddaughter

15. Do you have any special talents? If I do, I don't think I've discovered it yet!

16. Where were you born? Bath (in England...not the actual bath!)

17. What are your hobbies? So many, but main ones include baking cakes, spending time with my goddaughter and my best friend, painting my nails and watching box sets, and going on adventures with my sister!

How cute?

 

18. Do you have any pets? No, but I REALLY want a chocolate Labrador... *hint hint*

19. Favourite movie? Orphan, Dirty Dancing and The Inbetweeners movie

20. Do you have any siblings? Yes, my sister, she's 3 years younger than me, but she is one of my best friends!

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? Happy, I think it won't matter where I live, or what I'm doing, I just want to be happy!

Bath Fashion Week

Last night, I was fortunate to go to one of the fashion shows for Bath Fashion Week.  It took place in the assmebly rooms and lasted about 45 minutes.  It was showcasing some of the highstreet looks for Spring/Summer 2013.  Main designers included Reiss, Phase Eight, Jigsaw and Candy Kitten - Jamie Laing (Made in Chelsea's) store. Whilst I'm not a 'Made in Chelsea' fan, some of items from his line were really nice.

Main trends that ran throughout the show, were the Spring/Summer staples, Nautical, Pastels, and ofcourse the ever favourite floral.  Also show was a large selection of accessorises, including Specsavers glasses (which gave me a chance to scout out a possible new pair of glasses for myself) and even Radley wellies, which at £40 a pop are perhaps a little too much when mine tend to get covered in cattle...mess!

An added bonus at the end of the night, was the goodie bag.  One touch I particually liked, was from the jewlery company 'Wylde', being a brand that specialise in highend jewlwery, they obviously werent going to give away products for free, however, we each recieved a white flower each, which I thought was a nice added touch to the evening. 

Having left my goodie bag untouched until this morning, I can now report that the contents, although some of it a little odd, has been very well reciveved! A particualr favourite being the navy blue Armani clutch bag, which coinsides with the sample of Armani Code perfume inside.  The bag was also jam packed with perfume samples, and some Clarins products.  A lot of the other items inside were vouchers, and various leaflets promoting local business' and sponsers.

Overall it was a wonderful evening, Bath Fashion Week runs until April 21st, so if youre local, i throughly suggest getting into Bath and having a look around.  Everyone at the Asembly rooms put on a great show. Well done!

This or That - Beauty Edition

Here's a quick and easy tag, the this or that of beauty, feel free to leave your answers in the comments. Enjoy!

Makeup:

Blush or Bronzer: Blush
Lip Gloss or Lipstick: Lipstick
Eye liner or Mascara: Mascara
Foundation or Concealer: Foundation
Neutral or Colour eye shadow: Neutral
Pressed or Loose eye shadows: Pressed
Brushes or Sponges: Brushes

Nails:

OPI or China Glaze: OPI
Long or Short: Short
Acrylic or Natural: Natural
Brights or Darks: Darks
Flower or No Flower: No Flower

Body:

Perfume or Body Splash: Perfume
Lotion or Body Butter: Body Butter
Body Wash or Soap: Body Wash
Lush or Other Bath company: Lush

Fashion:

Jeans or Sweat pants: Jeans
Long sleeve or short: Long
Dresses or Skirts: Dresses
Stripes or Plaid: Plaid
Flip flops or Sandals: Flip Flops
Scarves or Hats: Scarves
Studs or Dangly earrings: Studs
Necklaces or Bracelets: Bracelets
Heels or Flats: Flats
Cowboy boots or Riding boots: Riding Boots
Jacket or Hoodie: Jacket
Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe: Forever 21
Abercombie or Hollister: Hollister (don't like either but their stuff seems nicer...)
Saks 5th or Nordstrom: We don't have either in  the UK...

Hair:

Curly or Straight: Straight (just easier!)
Bun or Ponytail: Bun (Scruffy topknot)
Bobby pins or Butterfly clips: Bobby Pins
Hairspray or Gel: Hairspray
Long or Short: Long
Light or Dark: Dark
Side sweep bangs or Full bangs: Full Bangs
Up or Down: Up

Random:

Rain or Shine: Shine
Summer or Winter: Summer
Fall or Spring: Fall
Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla
Eastcoast or Westcoast: As I've only ever been to the Eastcoast, I'd have to say East!

How to bake: Appelgebak

Yesterday, I baked a traditional dutch apple pie, better known as 'Appelgebak', here I'll show you step by step how to make the perfect appelgebak.

For the crust:

 

300g Self Raising Flour
200g Butter
Pinch of Salt

160g Caster Sugar

1 Egg (whisked)

 

For the filling:

1kg Apples

50g Caster Sugar

2 TBSP Cinnamon

75g Raisins or Sultanas

2 TBSP Breadcrumbs

 

1) Preheat the oven 180c Electric and 165c Fan assisted.

2)  Combine the flour, butter, sugar, the salt and half the egg, I find it easier to use a mixer, but this can be done by hand.

3) Once combined it should resemble pastry rather than cake batter. If too dry, add some more of the egg.

4) In a separate bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the filling EXCEPT the breadcrumbs.

5) In a 23cm spring form cake tin, spread the crust mixture evenly across the base and up the sides, leaving some for the top. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the bottom.


6) Add the apples, then spread the remainder of the crust to the top.


7)  Bake for 60-75 mins, and dust with icing sugar once cooled.

 

 

10 Years since the adventure began...

Today its 10 years since myself, and my family made the massive move from our tiny village in Wiltshire, to a town in Zuid- Holland.  I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown.  Overall we spent a little over 6 years living abroad, and lived in 4 different countries in that time.



 

When people hear that we've lived abroad, they always ask the same question, "Where was your favourite place to live?" Every person in the family has a different answer, but mine, always, without hesitation, is The Netherlands.

 

I always think of this time of year so fondly, there was a lot of laughter just within the first few days in our new home.  For example our removal truck was so big it didn't fit down our street, and they had to rent a smaller truck to shuttle it from the street behind to our house!

Our new home.

Moving to The Netherlands, for me, I believe, was a true life saver, at my school in the UK, I'd become lazy, knew how to make trouble/ how much I could get away with.  I had a bad attitude and was basically just obnoxious.  Having to move my entire life, and start a new school, knocked me down a peg or two, and a soon found 'the old me' again.

The Street where we lived.

My sister and I started at our new schools on May 1st.  I've always been a very shy person, and for me, day 1 at my new school gave me a panic attack, I was terrified I wouldn't make any friends/ wouldn't fit in.  I'm not going to pretend I made friends right away, as always when I was given a 'Buddy' to show me around, I soon found out I was paired with someone with very different ideas/interests to me.  It took me until after the summer holidays to make the friends and I still keep in touch with them today.
Given the chance, I'd do the whole experience again. We are now back living in our tiny Wiltshire village, and having spent 6 Years away, you soon come to realise how narrow minded some people are, and how much of the world there is to see, I'm fortunate enough to have not only travelled to different countries, but also to have lived in them.

25 Random Questions Tag

25 Random Questions Tag

1. Where were you 3 hours ago?  Downstairs eating dinner with the family!

2. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? A Tube of 'Soap & Glory' Hand Food

3. What are you wearing right now? My PJ's

4. What are the colours of your bedroom walls?  Cream

5. Who is the last person you sent a message or comment /BBM?  My sister

6. What does your last text message say?  "Got your stuff..."

7. Can You Taste The Difference Between Pepsi And Coke?  It's been so long since I had a Pepsi...I'd say yes!

8. Is your hair curly or straight?  Straight.

9. Which is the hardest thing you ever had to do? Probably starting at a new school in a whole new country... I did it twice, and it was terrifying!

10. Favourite 2 colour combination? Black and Purple

11. What is your favourite accessory? My handbag, I love it, or my scarves, can't leave the house without one!

12.Which current celebrity's style do you admire most? Khloe Kardashian

13. What is your favourite fashion store/shop?  New Look, Dorothy Perkins and H&M

14. When was the last time you drove out of town?  About 2 weeks ago!

15. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?  Green Day!

16. What was the last thing you bought?  Petrol (I think!) or maybe makeup...

17. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? Check my phone

18. Favourite Food? 'Lucky Charm' cereal... this is now available in Tescos... I'm rekindling my love for them!

19. Biggest turn off? Noisy eaters/Rude people

20. What do you always have on you/wear? Always my liquid eyeliner!

21. What does your screen name mean/ how did you come up with it? It's my name... so ask my parents!

22. Favourite style of top/blouse? I don't have an outright favourite, I'm very much a person who dresses to be comfortable!

23. Favourite TV show? Anything in the Kardashian genre, I'm currently re watching seasons 1 thru 10 of Friends, forgotten how much I loved it!

24. What is a favourite TV show from your childhood? Playdays, Tots TV, Wizzadora

25. What does your dream bedroom look like? Big bed, lots of Black, Purple and Silver throughout, lots of cushions and throws, and the one thing missing from my current bedroom, a dressing table/somewhere to store all my makeup!