Slutty Brownies!!!

Now that I have you're attention (ha ha!) I would like to share with you, my lovely followers, a recipe I came across yesterday for cookie dough, Oreo cookie and brownie batter mix erm....brownies aka Slutty Brownies!

You've probably heard the term before, seen the pictures, and drooled uncontrollably!

If you haven't, well my friend you are in for a treat!

Image provided by Google

Hungry yet?

I was so bored yesterday and I've been wanting to make these forever!

I had all the ingredients I needed in my cupboard so off I went into the unknown!

I'm making this sound like an epic journey! And I have every reason, I'm usually a terrible baker so I was terrified that these might turn out really crappy.

Anyway I picked my balls up and went for it!

Here's my ingredients that of course I didn't come up with but found on the Kevin & Amanda website HERE.

I noticed that used a choclate fudge brownie batter. Unfortuantely I didn't have that; but I did have a good brownie batter reciepe from Nestle:

100g butter, softened

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of baking cocoa

2 eggs

1tspVanilla extract

1/3 cup of plain flour

1tsp baking powder

• preheat oven to 160degrees
• melt butter for 30seconds and then stir in the baking cocoa thoroughly. Let it cool slightly then beat in the eggs, sugar and the vanilla extract.
• Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add into the mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed then spread on top.

This recipe is insanely good and below are some pictures I took of my process:

Step one: Cookie dough to line the bottom.

I found that quite hard to do inside the dish, so what I did first was line the dish with the cooking paper and then take it out and spread the batter from what I got of the outline then placed it back into the dish.

Step two: Place on top the Oreo cookies.

Just a tip, place two layers of Oreo cookies, I felt one wasn't enough, and this dessert is all about layering!

Step three: I had left over cookie batter so I spread that on top of the oreo's.

Step four: Spread over the brownie batter mix and bake!

After 45 mins of baking on low 160degree heat, here's how mine turned out

Burnt just around the edges, moist and smelt absolutely fabulous!

LAYERS!

SCRUM-DIDDLY-UMTIOUS!



Oh mi gosh HELLO SEXY!



So that's how mine turned out after 45mins :-)

The first three were straight out of the oven and the two you see above were from sitting over night so there not as gooey and chewy.

But that's not a problem, just put them in the microwave for 30seconds to 1min and serve with a side of ice cream and get ready to say '"COME TO MOMMA!".

They taste absolutely delicious, and I decided when I make another batch I'll add marshmallows in between the Oreo cookie layers.

You can get really creative with this and my biggest tip is the more layers the better as it adds more to the 'SLUT' appeal haha :D

Hope this post gave you some inspiration, I was surprised at how well these turned out for me and I can expect it'll do the same for you so definitely give it a go!

Cheers for reading and here's another picture of my brownies for good measure ;-)

XOXOX

Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar

Hi Everyone!

About a week ago I went into the city to hand around some of my C.V 's.
Unfortunately I am still unemployed.
No matter, I've been settling into unemployment quite well with all the housework and cooking I've been doing I'll be the perfect housewife!

JOKING! I am too much of a feminist for that :P But I do love a clean house and I do like to cook!

Back to story!
So As I was handing my C.V's out I recall that a new milk and cookie bar had opened up and some of my friends had paid a visit and LOVED it!
I instantly saw me having the time to blitz in the city as an opportunity to check out this milk and cookie bar cleverly named, Moustache. (I instantly thought milk moustache?)

I tell you one thing, it was not hard to find.

If you're a local in the Auckland area you'll probably already know where it is, but just in case here's a link to it's website just to be safe (MOUSTACHE).

I kid you not there was a line that was 4metres long!
So I thought 'what the hell' and waited patiently in line, not for that long though, and ordered a chocolate chip cookie which was almost as big as my head!
And to keep with the cookie theme, I ordered a cookies & cream milkshake, yum.

The problem that I have with milkshakes, though, it that the mix always tends to stick to the roof of my mouth, I do find that it kills the 'yummy factor' I wish to experience, but I didn't find that at all with this place!

Chocolate Chip Cookie $4, Cookies & Cream Milkshake $7.50. Enjoying consuming these delicious treats, priceless. For everything else, there's MasterCard XD (sorry I just had to add that in!)

Anyway, here's a few pictures I took inside of Moustache, it's a pretty cool place!



The awesome hanging milk bottles

Everything is made in front of you!

Some of the 4meter long line!

I loved the interior design of the place, like how there were lighted up milk bottles hanging above the counter and how the menu was displayed on a chalkboard and the the cookies were (for obvious reasons) displayed in large cookie jars, and behind the counter were old milk bottles and candy jars sitting on the shelves.

The place definitely gets you're taste buds going!

Everything is also made right in front of you, which I like :-)
The staff were so friendly, despite how busy it was!

The service was amazing, I wasn't left waiting long, and above everything else the quality of the produce exceeded my expectations, I'll definitely be going back!
The only thing that was a let down was how small the place was so there was no room for more seating, there were a few seats at the front, but otherwise the place is fantastic :-)

So friends, Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar is the place to be in the City of Sails aka Auckland City. And if you haven't already been there (for those locals) get there, you wont be disappointed!

Enjoy the rest of you're weekend everyone!

XOXOX

New-ish hair.... (Total Care Hair & Beauty)

A very good friend of mine, Daena, works at this amazing hair salon called Total Care Hair & Beauty based in Remuera, Auckland.

And for weeks she's been asking me to come in and get some highlights as part of her training at the salon. And each time she's asked me I've either been too tied up or had no money and I've always felt super bad for letting her down, but not this time!

Yesterday I finally had the time and money to go in and see her and get some highlights!

Total Care Hair & Beauty

When I got there I was amazed at how gorgeous the salon was! Daena told me that it used to be an old home; which is totally obvious from the outside but when you go in....

It is just as beautiful inside as it is out!
Whenever I'm going to try out a new hair salon I always look at how clean it is and this place fit my expectations well :-)

This was also the first time in 4years that I'd be putting dye in my hair!
So I wanted something close to how my hair is naturally highlighted but also something lighter for the Spring/Summer months ahead as my hair tends to go quite dark in the Autumn/Winter months.

My hair before. Naturally highlighted but a little dark, and slightly wind raped :P

So with the help of her trainer, Daena started putting the foils in my hair with shades that her trainer recommended which would look beautiful and flattering with the natural tones of my hair.

The gorgeous Miss Daena in action!!!

Foils done!

This thing looks like it's going to take off into space! It was used to help set the dye into my hair :-)

I was soo excited to see how my hair would loo!
After waiting for my foils to set with the big spaceship (LOL) it was time for the big reveal......right after getting my hair washed and having the aaaamazzzziiiinnnggg head massage!

And here's the results

Lighter and loving it!

I can happily say that I am stoked with my new hair colour! They listened to exactly what I was wanting and I probably went about 5 shades lighter with my hair.

Let me just add in, the above pic you can see a big white patch of hair.

Well I was born with that!

I was born with jet black hair and two white patches, then my hair gradually throughout the years went platinum blonde, golden blonde, honey blonde and then browny/blonde strange huh?!

Overall I am happy with the results and especially the service of the staff!

They were super friendly and knew exactly what to do.

The workplaces were clean and the atmosphere was very homely and comfortable I would easily recommend this place to anyone and give it 5 STARS!

So if you live in the Auckland area (or New Zealand for that matter) Total Care Hair & Beauty is the place to get a good hair experience and bang for you're buck!

They not only do hair but massages, spray tanning, waxing and much more!

Hope you like the results of my new hair for Spring/Summer!

Cheers for reading :-)

XOXOX

Current and Fave Recycled pieces

So I'm writing my latest post whilst watching Master Chef USA.
The chefs are in Puerto Rico and are making these amazing pork dishes GAH I'M SO HUNGRY WHY MUST THEY TEMPT ME SO :-(

Never mind I'm too excited to share my latest and greatest recycle finds with you all!

Today I paid a brief visit to my favourite recycled clothing store, Recycle Boutique.
For those of you who don't know, this place is my second home LOL.
They sell recycled clothing, accessory and shoe gems from designer to the unknown and I have found some pretty amazing things from this place which you can check out HERE, and HERE.

I've been wanting to brighten my wardrobe up a bit and the first thing that caught my eye in the store was this gorgeous 100% pure silk, gold sequined top by Witchery!

This top would've easily been $80+ in store but I picked it up for a reasonable price of NZD$25!!!
Aaaand pure silk how lucky could I get!

The top can be worked into a casual day look and a glam night look.
I'm wearing this with my fave Levi's jeans and my nude Christian Louboutin peep toe pumps which were also a great find from R.B :-)

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS TOP!

My Loubi's :D

Next on my current finds is this flowy cardi/jacket from brand Jacqui E.

The photo on the left doesn't do it any justice, it is gorgeous!

It's also something I would never buy either and it looks great on :-)
Despite being 6 sizes too big for me I love the fit as it will incorporate well into summer.
I've folded the sleeves up and paired it with my new Witchery top, it's looking pretty good.

Picked that baby up for NZD$28 :D

And last, but not least, is a purchase I made at the beginning of last month is this fab Sugar Skull Scarf!

This wasn't the first time I'd seen this scarf at R.B.
I'd never brought before but I thought I'd go for it this time and I'm so glad I did, this thing is huge!

It's also very warm and I picked it up for NZD$6 which was less than I hoped; something like this scarf would easily be worth $30!
I saw Ashley Simpson wear a scarf similar to this in '04 or '05 and I loved her style back then and still do :-)

Of course in this photo of her here she's wearing an Alexander McQueen Skull Scarf, unfortuantely the brand isn't portrayed on mine but it still is gorge :-)

So gals and guys I hope you liked what I brought cause I sure do :D
So do any of you go thrift shopping? What are you're best purchases? And what is you go to fashion staple?

Cheers for reading!!!

XOXOX

Putting my (not so) best face forward

Hi Everyone!

As most of you know I'm a big fan of The Body Shop.
One of my most fave purchases from them is there Tea Tree Oil face mask which is something I used to purchase quite often but haven't in the last 3 years (shame on me!).

It was a once-a-weekly skin treatment I would do for my skin and it would always come out glowing after being left on for 20-30mins.
I also had a very good skin routine and a healthy diet so my skin was fantastic.

I can't exactly say much for it now:



Purchased for an affordable price of NZD$25.50

I can't even begin to explain how stressed I've been which has caused my skin to breakout so badly, and these photo's are less than satisfactory after my last photo in my post I did a few days ago but then again I was wearing makeup and the above photo is a harsh reality of how good makeup can be when breakouts happen!

So a little in depth detail of the product:

The Body Shop have described this as suitable for blemished skin (obviously) and has an instant cooling effect and helps to list away impurities when used on a weekly basis, something which I thoroughly agree with and it smells really good :-)

Directions listed:
Apply generously to the face and neck with fingertips. Leave for 10-15 mins (20-30 wont kill you though), rinse off with clean water. Mask doesn't dry.
Breakouts are minimised with regular use. The ingredients contain menthol, tamanu oil, lemon tea tree oil and Community Trade organic tea tree oil.
STRICTLY AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING!

I put the mask on straight after having a shower, so my face was ready to soak up the goodness this mask contained and after 20mins of leaving it on and rinsing it off with warm water the redness with my blemishes were reduces and my face felt amazing!

I'll be reviewing this over a 3 week period and using the mask on a 2day basis to try and help my skin heal.
In the mean time I am already eating healthy and drinking plenty of water so hopefully with that occurring my face will look normal again in no time!

My next purchase with The Body Shop is a new BB Cream they've come out with, I tried a little on my hand yesterday and it is amazing!

I'll do a review on that later, in the mean time do you have any favourite purchases from The Body Shop or any other labels?
Or do you have any home remedies to treat blemishes I.E. Honey Oat and Caster sugar mask?

Thanks for reading all and I hope I didn't scare you too much :P

XOXOX

Good food at the Occidental

So last weekend before my last interview test with Hallensteins (you can read all about it in my last post 'Makeup and new Beginnings') my boyfriend Andrei and I decided to get some breakfast at a place we have never eaten before.

The usual places we would normally go was McDonald's, Subway or little cafes around were we lived.
Instead, we went into the city and walked down one of the many little streets browsing for a place that caught our eye.

One in particular was a Belgian / German Cafe called Occidental Bar which is located on Vulcan Lane off Queen Street in Auckland City.
Prior to coming here we have been to dinner at a very similar cafe called Blankenberge Belgian Beer Cafe, and every Tuesdays they have a special on $15 1/2 Kilo steaks and a side of fries .
YUUUUUMMMYYYY!!!!

We took an instant liking to the atmosphere, very casual, spacious and nice and quite where we could talk and have some good food.
Here is what we ordered for breakfast:

Starter:

Me: Hot chocolate with a  yummy German Biscuit on the side

Andrei: Frothy hot coffee with the same cookie (that cookie was damn good!)

Breakfast:

Me: Fluffy pancake stack with maple syrup, cream, sliced bananas and mixed berries and a side of hash browns

Andrei: Occidental Big Breakfast (typical man choice haha) grilled bacon, tomato, Belgian sausage, creamy mushroom, hash browns, poached eggs and toasted grain bread.

 



Our yummy food! Sorry this photo does Andrei's meal no justice!





I can happily say that I was impressed with the quality and presentation of the food.

The pancakes were fluffy and pretty much to-die-for as you can see from the photos and both meals were very filling I also loved how my hot chocolate was presented in a beer type glass!

The service of the staff was great, especially since it was so early in the morning and we both enjoyed the vibe of the restaurant which is the same as we get at Blankenberge and a reason why we visit there often now :-)

Although I loved my pancakes I just couldn't stop staring at Andrei's breakfast platter!

And seeing as breakfast is the most important meal of the day I decided that I'll get what Andrei ordered next time we visited :D

So if you live in Auckland or ever plan on making a visit to Auckland (for my overseas readers) The Occidental is definitely the place you wanna sit down and have a good breakfast or a good beer (later in the day of course or maybe breakfast if it takes you're fancy).

I'll have more great food spot reviews around Auckland soon everyone, in the mean time I hope this doesn't make you too hungry ;-)

XOXOX

Makeup and new beginnings

Hey everyone!

This will be my first post in almost a month, and let me just say a lot has happened!

So before I go any further I would like to welcome my newest followers and also my BBF Minna Chen who is my new co-author!
She's written the last two posts, if you haven't read them already please do you will not be disappointed :-)

So just a quick update with me, I was told two weeks ago that my job with The Department of Corrections sadly ended as my fixed term contract wasn't to be re-newed, that wrapped up just this Friday so I'm now in the process of looking for work.
So far I've have had two interviews with retail stores (a huge change from my last administration role!), I didn't get one of the jobs but the other one is looking very hopeful!

It's with a men's clothing store called Hallensteins. The first stage of the interview went fantastic and yesterday I went in for an hour to show them my retail skills. I can happily say that went fantastic as well!
In the first hour I approached and offered any assistance to customers telling them about specials the store had going etc and made a sale!
My interviewer was definitely impressed and I should be hearing back from them this Monday so fingers crossed!

Another update is before I left my job I was involved with a Biggest Loser Challenge with other staff members which started in the beginning of August.
I started at 66kg, so I watched what I ate and exercised regularly.
I didn't want to weigh myself till the end of each month (competition was due to finish in November) to avoid obsession, I did see results though!
My skin cleared up, I was a size smaller, my muscles were toning up and I had soo much energy!
Last Friday I was 64kg, and that was on a tummy full of food from the going away party my workmates held for me! So I'd only lost 2kg since the start of August which isn't bad!
So I will definitely be keeping that up, I hope to be 59kg by November which is a healthy weight on my tiny 5'4 frame :-)

64kg and loving it! Top by Max NZD$69 (SALE), Jeans Levi's Curve I.D in Bold skinny NZD$120

Unfortunately due to my job not being continued I started to stress, thus causing my skin to breakout again....very badly.

My M.A.C Studio Sculpt foundation hasn't been agreeing with my skin as it did when I was 18, so time for a change!
Yesterday I went into the M.A.C store and got some assistance; essentially I wanted a foundation that gave me natural to medium coverage with a dewy finish.
The lovely girl that helped me directed me to the liquid Pro Longwear foundation in  NW20 (very different from my usual NC25 colour) and did a test run on my skin.

M.A.C Pro longwear foundation in NW20, M.A.C Red lipstick, The Body Shop Define and Lengthen Mascara

I am and was rather impressed with how natural it made my complexion look :-)
The retail assistant (I didn't get her name unfortunately) also used the Prep Prime base, Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC20 (for eyes and blemishes), and the Mineralize Satin finish Natural powder in Light.

The before an after look was amazing, I loved the satin finish, and I was so happy with how helpful the assistance was so I picked up the foundation for a a rather expensive but worth it charge of NZD$70 plus having some more things to add to my makeup shopping list I.E Primer, concealer , podwer and brushes!

I've always loved M.A.C's makeup, I've tried branching out with other cosmetics but none seem to come close to how good M.A.C suits my skin (especially foundation).
Actually I lie, I've currently used Shiseido's The Makeup stick foundation in I 40.
That has given me an amazing natural coverage and a beautiful satin glow as well, I've also used Clinque and Bobby Brown foundations in the past which have been impressive as well!



M.A.C Red lipstick, best red shade I've used!
Received with taking back 6 empty M.A.C Containers :-)

 Another quick update before I go!

I've been accepted into a Graphic Design course next year with Natcoll (very good Design school) which will run for 15weeks and will get me a Certificate in Graphic Design (of course), that will grant me Entry into University and do further study of Graphic Design and Visual effects, exciting much?!

I have another job interview tomorrow with another NZ retail store called Mr. Vintage so wish me luck and I hope to have something soon!

You'll be hearing from me again soon, hope I didn't brag too much, I obviously need to put more entries :P





Have a safe weekend all I'm now off to bake some cookies!

XOXOX