Do you know, when I was younger I was specifically asked by my school not to take home economics GCSE for fear I’d bring the league tables down!

I was in short, something of a disaster in the kitchen. In cookery classes, my cakes fell flat, my steamed chocolate pudding erupted from my pressure cooker and actually hit the ceiling, while my microwave chicken dish could have poisoned you just by looking at it!

When I asked to do a creative cake baking course for activities week at school, I was laughed at, but ironically that made me more determined. And, after the sponge keyboard to the upright piano I was making fell apart, I adopted a famous motto for myself, ‘Keep calm and carry on’ and that is what I did!

And now I make wedding cakes – only for free for friends though as I don’t have time to do it all the time!

Here’s my first ever one (I’m making my second in April):

My first wedding cake

So, when faced with a summer cookery challenge and with rain lashing against the window outside, I went for a comforting theme, with a little bit of ‘Keep calm and carry on’ thrown in for good measure.

 And what’s better than a mouthful of sugary delight? A second one of course!

 My first recipe is for my cupcakes. But what I want you to do is make it your own. Take inspiration from mine and then get creative, go with the errors you make and turn them into positive quirks!

 So for 12 cupcakes you will need:

•  100g butter creamed with 100g caster sugar.
•  2 eggs beaten in gradually to the mix with 100g self-raising flour.
• Some vanilla essence.

Then all you have to do is bake them for up to 20 mins at 180°C!

fresh out of the oven

 And if anything goes wrong? Don’t panic – one egg less, too much flour, or loads of sugar will merely change the consistency of your cakes and you may find it was the best mistake ever!

For the icing you will need…

• Half a pat of butter
• 200g icing sugar. 
• Plus a little bit of what you fancy – milk to make the icing paler and softer, vanilla essence for flavour etc. 

Simply beat the ingredients together – although make sure the butter is nice and soft otherwise you end up with a sugary crumble topping!

Then, all that’s left to do is spoon it into a piping bag and get piping – any style you like. Go for the ice-cream swirl like me or a lattice effect.

piped buttercream icing

Then simply top with something tasty. I used chocolate hearts and edible gold glitter, but in the past have used anything sweet and tasty – even flying saucers!

Yum!

Tuck in!

Another great sweet treat for afternoon tea, is DG’s Refrigerator Cake.

Made originally from a recipe, I customised it to make it my own – and after a Golden Syrup mishap, I discovered how to give it an almost creamy consistency. I debuted it at a picnic this weekend and it went down faster than a sledge on a black run.

So here it is – a premier of DG’s Refrigerator Cake…

• 500g digestive biscuits
• 300g Cadbury Fruit & Nut chocolate 
• 150g dark chocolate
• 120g butter
• 300g Golden syrup

Begin by making a Bain-Marie so you can melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup together

Allow the mixture to melt, and stirring it occasionally

While it’s melting, put the digestives in a sandwich bag and give them a good bash with a rolling pin or the back of a soup ladle. Careful not to smash them too small or you’ll end up with crumbs not bits.

Have a smashing time!

Once the mixture is melted completely, tip in the biscuits and combine the mixture together.

Biscuits added!

Leave for a few minutes while you line an 8inch square baking tin with clingfilm and then tip the mixture in before patting it down as evenly as possible.

So it's non-stick yah!

A spoonful for the tin, a spoonful for DG

Leave out for 10 minutes and then transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours to set.

Then, simply tip out on to a chopping board and cut into squares… and then, if you really must, share!

Little squares of yumminess

As you can see, I had a fabulous anonymous-blogger-and-friends tea for two – and what a tea it was!

Tea for two and two for tea!

After spending my £20 Superdrug voucher on Gym Buddy, I decided to keep the £60 Missguided voucher that the lovely peeps at Superdrug sent me all to myself.

I’ve heard about Missguided but as I never really buy clothes online – except for pants from M&S as my regular Twitter followers will know – it was a whole new experience for me.

So it was with excitement that I spend an entire lunch hour at work trawling the site to see what I liked best – and then I had the hard decision of choosing what to treat myself to.

What I particularly liked about Missguided was that you could click on trends – and there, all items Nautical for example were grouped together. It was fab!

I decided though that I wasn’t going to follow a trend – I rarely do – and instead bought things I wouldn’t normally buy myself if it was with real money.

This consisted of two maxi dresses, a pair of harem pants, and two gorgeous bracelets. None of which I needed, but all of which I loved the look of.

So how did I get on? Well, firstly I just have to say how impressed I was with the whole ordering process. It was quick, efficient and I even received text messages to keep me updated on the progress of my delivery. It was great as it eliminated the worry and impatience of ‘When will my parcel arrive?!’

And when it did, what did I think?

Well maxi dress number 1, the Melinda Maxi Dress in Black, £24.99, was a roaring success. I love it and will debut it at Gym Buddy’s wedding in a few week’s time I think with a silver silk jacket I bought recently.

Maxi dress number 2, the Jorja Strapless Maxi Dress in Pink, £17.99, was also good and is perfect teamed with a denim jacket and wedges for trecking around London in. The colour is soooo bright that I look tanned in it!

And erm… the Samantha Jersey Hareem Pants, £9.99? Well, let’s just say, some people are made for this look, and some are not.

I am in the latter category, but I love them, so will be wearing them for gym, climbing and other such activities where you need to the freedom of movement these fab trousers give.

Finally, my stash of jewellery. Well, I treated myself to two Kassidy Wooden Saints Bracelets, £3.99 each, and a third one for Friend Who Knows Big Words. I love, love, love these bracelets and have had so many comments about them!

So all in all, a fab haul. I have a great selection of things in my wardrobe I wouldn’t normally have bought myself, and I have now conquered my fear of internet shopping, because, apart from the hareem pants, everything fitted and looked lovely!

So if you’re new to internet shopping – visit missguided.co.uk for a quick peep, you won’t be disappointed.

Readers of my regular blog will know that last weekend I went to Paris to visit French Cousins 1, 2, and 3.

French Cousin 2

Staying with French Cousin 2 and her boyfriend Mustard Boy – he’s from Dijon, don’t you know? – meant that we were a mere 15 minutes from all the great sights of the city. The Eiffel Tower – which had me squealing like Carrie from SATC every time, Musée d’Orsay, the Rodin Museum, Notre Dame, the jail where Marie Antoinette hung out before losing her head, the magnificent Seine, you name it, it’s all there for your eyes to see.

And just that we did!

On Saturday, we headed off to the Musée d’Orsay and oohed and aahed over the Impressionist paintings by Monet and Van Gogh, before marvelling at the polar bear sculpture by Francis PomPon and the Little Dancer by Degas. No matter how many times I see these, I quite simply never tire of them.

Cameras are not allowed inside museums, so there are an appalling lack of photos partly due to this and partly due to a flat phone battery on the Sunday! *blush!

Then, as we were walking to the Rodin Museum, I noticed some bicycles that looked very much like the ones just launched in London that you can rent. And it turned out that these were just that. And for 1 euro, and no registration, I was soon sitting astride one wobbling through the sunny streets of Paris feeling like Amelie! It was fabulous. Except for the Place de la Bastille, which was quite simple insanely scary.

Rodin Museum

The Thinker

Saturday night, after saying goodbye to French Cousin 2’s temporary Mexican cat – Simon – we set off for a party by the river. I had made an effort, my hair was shiny, my make-up done, my mind aware that Parisians always look chic, but I didn’t factor in the rain. So, soon enough, I was sporting the drowned rat look, my hair soggy and flat, my mascara skimming my chin and my clothes doing very little except making me wetter and colder.

Simon the Mexican cat

We soon sought shelter under a bridge with a load of other Parisians, the shadow of Notre Dame in the background, the lights of the city illuminating the river beside us, and then the party started. Music blared, police came and went, bongos were played, police came and went, hobos turned up and went with the police – it was a very eventful, but excellently fun evening!

The next day, after Simon the cat had woken me in at 5am, 7am, and 9am with his incessant chatter, and his apparent need to use my sofa bed as part of his morning assault course, we took our fragile bodies on a boat trip up a canal from the outskirts of Paris right into the centre. This was amazing, particularly as the last 2km of the canal goes under Paris in a softly lit tunnel full of history of the city’s industrial past. Then, you suddenly pop out of the last lock on to the Seine and carry on as usual past the familiar sights again.

And then, all too soon, it was time to say goodbye to the French Cousins, Mustard Boy and Simon the cat and head back to London. But ah-hah, the excitement was NOT over, for who should be in my (shhh economy) carriage than Mr Pete Doherty himself. I was amazed to see him there and actually did a double take in case I was accidentally in first class…

Even celebs like to save money it seems. Best keep an eye out for one next time I’m in Superdrug then…

Phew, I was certainly cutting it fine with getting my latest Superdrug Challenge – the store visit – up on this blog.

The reason for this is that I was planning on taking Gym Buddy along with me. You see, she’s getting married in under a month and has a lovely honeymoon planned in the Maldives.

I thought, seeing as I really don’t need any more beauty products this week, I would give her my £20 voucher to treat herself to some honeymoon essentials.

The problem is, she’s my Gym Buddy, and like I said, she’s getting married this month – so most of our spare lunch hours are spent down the gym at the moment being tortured by instructors who have bodies we can only dream of.

On Wednesday, for example, we went to Legs, Bums, and Tums, which should really have been called ‘Disco Legs and Lying on the Floor’ – the former from too many squats, the latter from being quite unable to do the insane sit-up routine she was trying to make us do.

Then yesterday, I went to a Zumba class – which was kind of a mixture of Latin American dancing and our instructor looked amazing – I however, looked like a plank. A bright red, sweaty plank. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get my shoulders to shake and my butt to wiggle. I just looked like something out of Dirty Dancing – you know, that first scene with Baby and the Watermelon…

*cringe

Anyway, where was I?

Ah yes, the Superdrug visit. Well, we finally pencilled it in for Thursday lunchtime – we had a gym class after work that day – and headed off to the store on Tottenham Court Road.

It’s a large store with the usual layout – make-up first, all enticing and ‘BUY ME, BUY ME’ then nail stuff, hair care, body care and all the things you never knew you needed handily by the till.

What this store also had, was the largest selection of travel miniatures I have ever seen in a Superdrug, which was perfect as these are ideal for honeymoons.

Now, readers of last year’s blog will know I shied away from the store visit last year and reviewed the website instead – read all about it here. And there is a reason for this – I am not good at talking to strangers, especially not of the taking notes and interviewing variety as this does not really go hand-in-hand with lipreading.

So, as all the staff looked busy, I got on with the shopping part of the challenge, while working up the confidence to speak to someone.

Rather alarmingly, top of Gym Buddy’s list was a First-Aid Kit – apparently she’s never had a holiday without a medical emergency! – and this was in the travel miniatures section.

She then spotted a fab Nivea Travel Bag, consisting of wipes, deodorant, shower creme, lip balm and face cream and popped that in the basket.

Next, came the John Frieda shampoo and conditioner – volumising for extra honeymoon glamour

And finally some Imperial Leather Foamburst for shaving and showering!

I then encouraged Gym Buddy to buy something frivolous and as Rimmel had a 3-for2 deal on, we headed there, where she picked up 2 gorgeous nail polishes and a lip gloss that I could personally recommend from my last challenge.

And it was here, we got told off for taking photos by a member of staff.

*blush

I was so embarrassed and knew that I should have just introduced myself the moment I arrived, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

As it was lunchtime, they all seemed very focused and busy, so after ascertaining that I was legitimately meant to be there, they left me to it before I really had a chance to ask any questions.

But this was OK – because as Superdrug is my second home, I know it well, so I didn’t really need any help and I am sure if I had been stuck on which shampoo Gym Buddy should get for her honeymoon, someone would have helped me.

Anyway, all too soon it was time to pay…

And here’s the best bit – thanks to the 4-for-3 offer on travel miniatures and the 3-for-2 offer on Rimmel, Gym Buddy made savings of £5.69. Coupled with her voucher, this meant she only had to spend £1.46 to get her honeymoon wash bag sorted!

AMAZING!

What’s more, never one to be discouraged by my interviewing failure, I popped into my local Superdrug on the way home. I like it here – it’s small and friendly and the staff chat to you as you buy your things at the till. The guy there once gave me a whole carrier bag full of Summer Insider magazines when he discovered I was in it –

‘Just in case my mum wanted one!’

Love it!

I was most excited by Superdrug’s third challenge, ‘Create your Summer Looks’ especially when a massive box of goodies arrived for me. It contained an incredible selection of make-up from Bourjois and Rimmel as well as the latest Nokia E72 phone – but the latter is a whole other story!!

All this, and an amazing weekend ahead of me, too, I thought as it was Gym Buddy’s Hen Do.

With the challenge to create two summer looks, this was the perfect weekend to do it. Gym Buddy had a whole weekend of fun planned: we would have afternoon tea at the Soho Hotel followed by an evening in Circus and Guanabara, Covent Garden afterwards.

SLIGHT PROBLEM…

But then I realised something: I’m anonymous blogger!

How on earth was I going to demonstrate two make-up looks when erm… my face is confidential!

I sat and I thought, and pondered… and thought… and in the end I decided that there was only one thing for it. I was going to have to come out. Waive my right to anonymity…

So, is everyone ready for the slap-free me?

HERE I AM!

Was this how you pictured me? Be honest now…

Anyway, my outfit for the afternoon tea was based around a new dress I picked up in Notting Hill the other weekend. It’s strapless, 50’s style and has a fabulous waisted belt with a big sequined strawberry on. It was love at first sight – even if the lack of zip means I have to dislocate one, if not both, of my shoulders to get in it!

For this look, I decided to use a selection of the Rimmel make-up.

First, as this dress is quite short – and I have toddler knees and pasty white skin – I put some Rimmel SunShimmer Instant Tan, £3.99, on my legs. This went on evenly and provided good coverage; although I was left scrubbing my fingers afterwards so have decided to use a tanning glove next time.

Then, I applied some Nivea Sun Damage Face Ccream SPF 30, £8, that I bought from Superdrug the other day in a bid to find something that protects my face but doesn’t give me spots. This really does get the thumbs up and even though I wear it every day, my skin remains clear.

And, as I had such spot-free skin, I decided not to bother with foundation and instead got to work on my eye make-up. For this, I blended a small amount of Rimmel Spicy Bronze Glam Eyes over my eyelid and up to my brow line. This powder is easy to apply and blends well, giving a sheer, silky finish.

Then, I dabbed a small amount of Rimmel Posh Peacock Glam Eyes into the inside edge of my eyes before using the Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in Aqua Sparkle along my bottom lid as it matched the blue in my dress perfectly. The smudger tip really helped even the colour out, and although it was a sweltering hot day, I felt confident that it would stay in place.

Finally, to finish off my eyes, I used Rimmel 1-2-3 Looks Adjustable Volume Mascara in Black, £7.99. I love, love, LOVE this mascara – just a simple twist and you can control how much ends up on the brush and therefore on your lashes. I opted for number 2 as it was a glam daytime affair – and it was just right.

As an English Rose complexion, I often find applying bronzers a bit tricky. My face loses definition if I am not careful, so I follow a less-is-more policy. The Rimmel Natural Bronzer, £5.49, is ideal though, and it even has a SPF 8, offering added sun protection.

Finally, I used a sweep of Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in Endless Summer. This fabulous non-sticky formula looks great and really does stay in place. I had to reapply it during tea but even when scoffing scones, a hint of it stayed in place.

And finally, I opted for 60 Seconds Nail Polish in Coral Crush, £2.49, as this is my absolute favourite shade at the moment although I would definitely recommend two coats of this to get the best finish.

And here’s what I looked like!!!!!!

TIME TO PARTEEEEEEEEE

But then – filled with cake, champagne and tiny little sandwiches with the crusts cut off –it was time to get ready for Circus for our night of drinks and dancing. I was going for the flower-in-hair, tousled, sexy, sultry, erm… gorgeous angle (with a little optimism thrown in, obviously) and needed a look that would be quick and easy apply, and wouldn’t slide of my face in the still-hot-heat-of-the-summer evening. And Bourjois really came up trumps!

After removing my Rimmel Make-Up using Superdrug Natural High Wipes, £2.99, I shunned moisturiser and reached straight for the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, £9.99. Promising a glowing complexion and toned skin, it went on like a dream and stayed put without making my skin feel coated. I was very impressed with the coverage – the pores on my nose were disguised perfectly and it even worked well under the eyes, so I didn’t even bother with my usual concealer.

Then, I used Bourjois Ombre Stretch in shade 03, £5.99, on my eyes. This honey-coloured shadow catches the light and is perfect for nights out, as it’s subtle from some angles and more noticeable from others. Applying it lightly up to my brow bone, it accentuated them perfectly.

I then, rather nervously applied the Liner Feutre – felt tip eyeliner – in Black, across my upper and under my lower lid. I honestly wasn’t that sure about it at first – because as the packaging points out, it’s ‘very long lasting’ and I certainly didn’t have time to scrub it off and start again. It was certainly noticeable and freaked me out a bit at first, so to tone it down, I simply blended in some more Bourjois Ombre Stretch and it softened the black line perfectly.

Then, and this really has to be my favourite mascara ever, which is quite something as they are the things I usually moan the most about on this blog, I applied Bourjois Mascara Elastic in Black. As you can see, I have very long eyelashes and these often get clumpy when applying mascara. But with this one, they quite simply looked fabulous… faultless even!

To add some definition to my cheeks, I swept some Bourjois Bronzing Powder, £6.99, across my cheekbones, dabbing subtle touches across my forehead and brow bones, too. This smells and looks like chocolate and gave me just the sun-kissed look I was going for. And then, to restore some of my English Rose complexion, I used a Bourjois blusher in shade 35, Lune D’or, £6.99, which gave my cheeks a delicate hint of pink.

And finally, a slick of 3D Effect lip gloss in Brun Rose, £6.99.

Honestly, I have never had products work so well together and I was also very excited about finding a new foundation, bronzer and mascara – all Bourjois – that I want to recommend to everyone… and do just that I did. Every ‘Hen’ in the place knew how fantastic I thought everything was, mainly because they had commented on my make-up in the first place.

The last finishing touch was this 1 seconde Nail Polish, which has a fan effect brush. I was nervous about using this as I had a manicure with this new brush style once and the lady totally mucked it up. But actually, I found it easy to apply, AMAZINGLY quick drying, and one coat really was enough.

So then all that was left to do really, was see what I looked like:

And then party the night away, which was exactly what I did… from watching acrobats in Circus to dancing my tootsies off in Guanarbara afterwards. And the best bit? My make-up actually did stay in place. And the second best bit? At 3am when I got home, the mascara actually came off without me having to scrub my eyelids off.

And the third best bit? This weekend I get to mix and match the make-up and create a whole new selection of looks… just for fun! So I think I’m going to put the Rimmel Posh Peacock Glam Eyes eye shadow with the Bourjois eyeliner, and paint my nails in a Rimmel shade of matt grey to match the fabulous grey silk jacket I bought recently.

With all that sorted…. All that’s left is for me to find my body…

Er… any one seen it?!

Ok, here’s the thing – I am blonde, always have been, and probably always will be until I am old and grey anyway!

I love being blonde – I like the way in summer my hair goes lighter without expensive trips to the hairdresser, and the fact that John Frieda decided to make a shampoo and conditioner just for me – to help it along and keep it nice and blonde.

Since using John Frieda’s Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner, I can honestly say I’m a convert. I like his Blonde range anyway, but I have to admit I was nervous about Go Blonder drying out my hair, as I often find to be the case with chamomile-based products.

With it’s distinctive smell, the shampoo lathers well and gives a squeaky clean feel after just one wash – regardless of how many products I throw at my hair when styling it. And the conditioner, when combed through and left on for a couple of minutes leaves my hair fabulously soft. I’ve been finishing off the look with some John Frieda Secret Agent Flawless Finishing Crème  and this means that I’ve been leaving the house with great hair every morning without fail – a brilliant confidence boost. And is it blonder? Well definitely – but whether that’s the amazing sunshine we’ve been having or the John Frieda’s doing, I am not sure. It’s probably a combination of both.

When asked to write a piece about who has more fun, blondes or brunettes, I struggled because I have no idea what it’s like to be brunette or if they even have more fun, so I asked Gym Buddy for a helping hand.

She’s a brunette and gets married this summer. Last weekend she bought her wedding ring – it matches her engagement ring and came from that magical shop where the boxes are pale blue with white ribbons so in that scenario, she’s definitely having all the fun.

So when came to her and said, ‘Make me a brunette, I want to see if it’s more fun,’ she said she’d do her best. Except it turns out I am impossible to make brunette – I turn out a muddy colour of blonde, as though I haven’t washed my hair for a week! Proof here!

But Gym Buddy thought she’d have a little fun of her own and so she decided to see if I would have more fun if my hair matched my dress, like so

Or if my hair matched erm… an aubergine!!!!

Thankfully, Photoshop has an undo button – which was a relief, but it made me realise that in real life being blonde is just fine. I don’t want to be brunette, although with Tiffany engagement rings and dream weddings, I have to admit, one particular brunette’s life is looking pretty fun right now!

John Frieda Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner cost £5.49 each but are in a 2 for £7 deal at Superdrug.com now! 

Today is Thankful Friday – I’m thankful because it’s my last day of work before Christmas. This leaves me lots of time for internet shopping while I’m at home Christmasfying my new flat – and where will I shop?! Superdrug.com of course!