A woman who doesn't wear lipstick feels undressed in public. Unless she works on a farm.” Unknown source

I LOVE lipstick as much as I love shoes, handbags, battered sausage and chips....

I love makeup generally, I don't know if its the fact that it involves brushes thus reminding me of paint or whether it's the fact it hides a multitude of late nights and you can change your look? I also love the cute,quirky packaging....


So to start I am going to give you a selection of my favourite sites and also where to get products for better value....


I dare you not to find something fabulous....


http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/


http://www.feelunique.com/


http://www.asos.com/Beauty/


www.haircareheaven.co.uk/

The School of Life and a new pair of boots...is this Karma?

  

So in view of it being September and me being a little old for buying a new pencil case and going back to school I still thought I should try something 'new' and learn something (that wasn't baking, needle point etc...). So open to new ideas a friend and colleague suggested a seminar at the School of Life entitled ' Realise your Potential'  which I envisioned my include mung beans, bells and chanting but I was pleasantly surprised....

On arriving there was wine - good wine! GOOD food - breads, cheeses, pancetta and slabs of lemon cake I had found my Mecca! And then the session started with this lovely man who was tall, willow like with a posh accent who was wearing clothes he had made himself apparently? The session was in this amazing white room with walls covered in animations

 that were made to look like you were in your living room. 

The session made no religious references, it was calming, reassuring and made you think about things differently. Did you know nettles have longer threads than Egyptian cotton? Helped make army clothes in the 1st World War? Or has more iron than spinach? 

I'm not going to waffle anymore but this session was a real eye opener for the biggest skeptic and the lemon cake was magic :) 

http://www.theschooloflife.com/Classes/How-To-Realise-Your-Potential

On a shallow note I have found the most beautiful pair of boots that are patent, crocodile skin style and shall be on my feet when taking the next steps to realising my potential hee hee...

Tea for two, Two for Tea and cake ALWAYS CAKE

              Auntie Wurly's Enchanted Garden


I love going to see my Auntie Wurly particularly in the summer she lives in this amazing house that has this beautiful garden where every summer we have tea and cake and talk fashion and life. She gives me the odd words of wisdom and lets me moan as well as telling me when I am being a madam and need to pack it in.

It was on reading the book (well started to read Eat, Pray, Love) that I got to thinking about the important people in your life, you shouldn't need like the dramatic, slightly self involved woman in the book to trek to Asia to find yourself with a medicine man that looks like Yoda ( her words) your life and the people around you should know you well enough to give you a gentle nudge in the right direction. As she discovers self belief and a true sense of self comes from being true to yourself, valuing others and treasuring those close to you like Auntie Wurly.

Talking of treasures but now of the material kind try this website gorgeous unusual pieces

http://shop.loveheartsandcrosses.co.uk/

Glamourising the pre fab building....

First day back at work with only a Diet Coke for company in my Pat Butcher style prefab taxi rank esque building. Lush. So I thought I would bring some glamour by opening my glam blog and adding a Rocky Road recipe and some discount info :)

Ridiculously Easy Rocky Road

1 bar (150g)  Green and Blacks dark cooks chocolate
1 packet  (225g) Digestive biscuits/ Hobnobs
2 tbsp of Golden Syrup
5oz Butter
2 mini fudge bars
1 tub of glace cherries
3 flump marshmallow bars

Equipment: baking tray/ cake tin , pyrex bowl, saucepan , rolling pin, wooden spoon, mixing bowl, sandwich bag, grease proof paper.

Step 1: Crush your digestives/  hobnobs with the rolling pin till crumbly (this can be done in a sandwich bag to save a digestive explosion).

Step 2 : Melt chocolate, butter, syrup in a pyrex bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.

Step 3: Chop up your flump marshmallow bars, fudge, cherries into 1cm pieces (halve cherries).

Step 4: Pour all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir so all is well covered.

Step 5: Line baking tray with grease proof paper and then pour in your mixture. Flatten mixture out to a depth of 3 /4 cms.

Step 6: Place tray in the fridge for 1.5 hours or 45 minutes in the freezer.

Other bits you could add: white chocolate, smarties, m&ms, jelly babies, banana pieces....

News Flash!!! Fashion Update....

Buy Glamour October Issue 20% discount at Oasis, Jaeger,Mango......

Hi, Hey, Welcome, is this right? My names Coco - Mrs Coco Schmoo

Right, so the idea of this was as a creative outlet - for years like other creative mad hatter types I have kept sketch books crammed full of torn bits of magazine, newspaper, chip paper..bits of fabric etc...chocolate wrappers and I thought this might be a way of joining the 21st century creatively!

I have also recently got married ( super fab :) ) but I  also have this sneaking fear that I now need to start reading Homes and Gardens and reading articles on how to make the perfect window ledge garden, I also don't want to start having discussions with other couples about how lovely their place mats are when we go round to dinner.

So there must be a way of being a domestic goddess/ wonderful wife but also remain fun, always silly and stylish so here goes Coco Schmoo wife in training.... :)