Monday, 27 June 2016
Giveaway -Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette!!
Aloha
Yay Yay Yay- Super( Super )Excited about today’s post!! We are psyched to announce this Giveaway! (Totally doing the Happy Dance at the moment) !!
First and foremost a big thank you to all of you, the last few months has been a roller coaster ride for sure! Thank you for all the love and support and your encouragement has been the constant driving force, inspiring us post after post! We’ve had a total party, be it a recipe or the 'Oh-my Goodness –Its so awesome!!' –product finds, we’ve had some good times!
Now (Drum Roll), its no secret how I am a total fan of the BeccaXJaclynHill Champagne Pop Face Palette! Its super divine that we felt its only fair that you get the opportunity to experience the awesomeness!! So here’s your opportunity to get hold of this epic product!
3 Simple Steps and you can enter the giveaway!
· Join us using Google Friend Connect( Click away the button on the right-hand tab)
· Leave a comment below the blog post and tell us why you want to win the giveaway :)
· Like and share our page on Fb
You can also enter via Instagram Check out the announcements on our insta profiles: @merin.makeupsos and @meeraanntom
The giveaway is open until the 8th of July and one lucky winner will be announced here!
Hurry hurry!-get all your friends and get the party going!
Until Next Time!
Take care!
Monday, 20 June 2016
Becca x Jaclyn Hill's New Champagne Glow Face Palette Review
Tom and Jerry, Sherlock and Watson, Lenon and McCartney ,Hamburger and Fries- History surely has Taught us that a great partnership produces great results and now we have Becca and Jaclyn Hill joining this list-with an epic collaboration, the duo broke not just the internet but gave all cosmetic power houses a run for their money! Following the huge success of Champagne POP, Becca collaborated with the YouTube makeup Mogul Jaclyn Hill once again and released the latest Champagne Glow Face Palette on the 26thof May and as expected –the palette was sold out (like hot buns) within a few hours of launch.
Becca is known for their amazing formula and Jaclyn is a complete genius when it comes to product understanding and colours, and the end result, the palette -is total dynamite.
‘Classy’ is my one-word verdict for this epic product ,right from packaging to the end result once you are dolled up –it’s a total win-win-win! It comes in a gold case with a white ceramic look-alike top! The sizing is just perfect for travel and the design is so awesome that you can place it on your mantelpiece! Once you open the beautiful box, you have the five pots of- blush and highlighter magic on one side and a large mirror on the other side!
The palette does not fall short of expectation. With the Champagne Pop highlighter, along with the brand-new, gold-toned Prosecco Pop Highlighter, two Mineral Blushes, and one Luminous Blush – (like a genie) the palette is your entire makeup prayers answered!
Rose Spritz (Luminous Blush) is a lovely peachy shade and has a shimmer effect. It’s perfect for the summer scene, and can totally elevate your look!
Amaretto(Mineral Blush) is a Matte Blush and it comes in a brown-pink shade. Amaretto is probably my recommended shade if you are trying to achieve a darker make-up look. It is the best-pigmented shade I have come across till date.
Pamplemousse(Luminous Blush)-comes in lovely coral hue with pink-peach undertones. Like the rose spritz it uplifts your look with this bright rosy shade that’s perfect for all skin tones!
The Champagne pop (Perfector Pressed)has a peach gold sheen to it and the Prosecco Pop(Perfector Pressed) is more of a bronze-gold affect. These come in a slightly larger pan. The makeup possibilities are quite endless with both of these high lighters! You can mix and match Rose Spritz,Amaretto and Pamplemousse and achieve good contour effect.
All the shades are well pigmented and super easy to apply! It blends easily and it quite literally glides on your face-smooth as silk! You only need a very little of the product as it provides good coverage and it feels very light on your face.
Priced at 52 USD, This is a limited edition range and you can buy the product at Sephora.
If there were a MakeUp Top 10 chart –JH x Becca Collab would totally bust it for sure! They have won me over and this product is definitely worth the buy.
For all of you, who have been ardently following the jH x Becca champagne story and wasn’t lucky enough to get your hands on this beautiful product-stay tuned for our next post-We have something exciting planned for you ;) ;) , Trust me- you don’t want to miss out on the post.(Clue: It starts with the word G and ends with Y!)
Until Next Time
Take care!
PS: You do not want to miss our next post*******
Friday, 17 June 2016
Taco (Tuesdays) Martes!!!
From Mole to Tamale! Lush guacamole to Elote- Mexican food is quite the party in itself! I’ve always loved the big-cheesy-burrito at the local takeaway, it must be an obvious indicator of my addiction when the burly waiter on seeing me would shout out ‘The usual today senorita?’(eh,hm) With a sheepishly big smile, I nod a silly nod and tuck into 10 minutes of heaven!
I must say, I had quite conveniently succumbed to the notion of Mexican cooking being ‘over the top complicated’. I felt certain ,with my amateur (read super basic) cooking skills, that I wouldn’t turn out to be the Mexican cooking gaucho- even in my wildest of dreams –until I had a telly moment on a Saturday morning , As I watch Anna Jones whip up some Black Bean delicacy only to kindle a Mexican inferno in me!
Anna’s recipe is refreshingly easy and with tons of vegetables, it really qualifies to be a super-meal!Black Beans is a power house of proteins and has amazing nutritional value-it’s even said to boost weight loss!
This meal mainly comprises of 4 elements- glazy black beans, rich spicy gravy, guacamole and salsa.
Serves 2
Cooking time:20-30 mins approx
Ingredients
For the beans
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
olive oil, for frying
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chipotle paste or 1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 x 400g tins black beans
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ white Onion
½ cup water
For the salsa
20 cherry tomatoes
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
few sprigs fresh coriander, leaves picked
½ lime, juice only
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
For the guacamole
1 ripe avocado, stone removed and peeled
½ lime, juice only
For the sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ carrot, finely chopped
250ml/9fl oz good-quality vegetable stock
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp chipotle paste, or to taste
½ lemon, juice only
To serve
8 wheat or corn tortillas
4 free-range eggs, fried
handful of grated cheese, such as manchego or queso fresco
bunch breakfast radishes, cleaned and chopped
Chopped Red Cabbage
Cherry tomatoes
Grilled Corn
natural, sheep or coconut milk yoghurt (optional)
a few coriander sprigs
Method
Heat the oil in a pan and add thinly sliced onion and garlic once the oil is warm. Add the cinnamon, cumin, and cook for a few minutes and then in goes the Canned Beans. I drained the juices in the can and just added the beans alone to the pan. Add some fresh water to cook the beans, this would take approx. 5 mins –once the beans are soft and tender add salt to taste and set aside.
The Sweet Chilli Sauce will last you more than a meal and you can easily store in a glass jar and put it in the fridge. In a pan, heat the oil, add the finely chopped onion and carrot, Sauté till the vegetables are soft.Add the stock and other ingredients apart from the lemon and allow it to boil.Once the gravy thickens take it from the flame and allow it cool(***super important***) and then use a blender to blend the gravy to a smooth sauce.
Check for seasoning and finally a good squeeze of lemon to give the gravy a good punch! If chipotle sauce isn’t available in your local super market you can use red chilli and had tiny bit of tamarind as it would give the tangy sour flavour.
Chop up the radishes, red cabbage, cherry tomato and any vegetable you are in the mood for and keep it ready for serving.
Heat some corn tortilla on a griddle pan or alternatively you can use tacos as well. Machengo and Queso Fresco are the most popular Cheeses used in Mexican cuisine.
If you do not find these, you can perhaps substitute with Mozzarella or even some nice crumbly feta.
If you do not find these, you can perhaps substitute with Mozzarella or even some nice crumbly feta.
You can pan fry some chicken breast if there is an ardent meat lover in the household or fry up some sunny side eggs instead!
So there you go, a 'Mucho easy' Super-Mex comfort food perfect for your weekday supper!
Until Next Time
Adios! Cuídate !
Monday, 13 June 2016
A Tryst with History!
In the (pretty)vale of Aylesbury, stands tall- one of the most beautiful
chateau Southern England has seen !
With Plentiful fountains, sprawling green
acres and not to mention majestic art work and exquisite ceramic galleria
that adorn the mansion- hours go by so easily as you are marveled by the ornate walls at the Waddesdon Manor.
The manor bursts into life during summer and it is an ideal getaway if
your heart is yearning for some tranquility in a picturesque setting!
There’s about a 'million and one' things to do at the manor- From impromptu picnics
to exploring the many gardens,Put on your fine hat and join for some posh English tea and finest scones or hum along with birds at the magnificent aviary or you can just break away into your book bubble
under the shade of a mighty oak-now that’s quite Romantic!
Call it opulent or even a flamboyant- but there is no denying that Baron
Ferdinand de Rothschild was a man of style and had a keen eye for detail!
A summer dress felt like an obvious option to keep up with
vitornianesqueness of the mansion and to pay due respect to the summery
sun-The weather has surely kept us all on our toes this season!
I picked up this twirl-worthy dress from Banana Republic! If you have a
smaller figure, I would recommend the Petite size! If you style it wisely, the
dress is quite versatile! Pair it with some killer earrings and its transformed
to an occasion wear and play it simple for a smart-work look!
Banana Republic has surely embraced the summer spirit and there are some
great pieces to pick from this season, I absolutely loved this Ombre green One and this strappy floral piece is currently on sale(go go go )
This Back Floral Midi is low on stock but super classy
And in love with this one ( retro and summery) and this one is a Maxi
lover’s dream come true its total sasssssss!
Mules and slide on’s……….
One minute pause!
That was me falling head over heels over these shoes- the wardrobe
possibilities are quite endless it can amp up even the most boring blue
jean white shirt look to like electrifying!
Trust me –its worth the buy !
Aldo has come out with some ‘slam and dunk’ shoe styles !
These mules from Zara will surely haunt you in your dreams( in the
best way of course lol)
Are you twirling away in summer sun already? If there was a shoe-off
between Mules and gladiators which side would you pick! Tell us all about
the summer pieces you are loving this season!
Until Next time!
Take care
Thursday, 9 June 2016
A Gem called Palomar!!
In the midst
of all the hustle and bustle of theatre centre in London, Soho plays host to
one of the well-kept secrets amongst ardent food lovers! It is a production of
the finest kind- With chessy 80’s music and cheery bar stuff- you are promised
to have a night to remember!
If the
quality of food travels via the medium of word of mouth (and across borders in
this case), it surely is proof to the excellent work the crew’s been doing and
Palomar is your ‘Exhibit A’ to this theory!
In a cosy
little corner on Rupert Street, W1D 6DN is a magical world of Israeli cuisine!
Be warned, there is a 2-month wait to get a reservation, but if you are willing
to use your charm and steely determination you might be in luck and you can sneak your way to the later hours in
the evening ! Beg, Borrow or Steal no matter what you do – it surely is going
to be worth it!
We got
settled in the Kitchen Bar area and I would totally recommend the same, with
ever so charming staff one must not miss the opportunity to witness the
spectacle unfold as the chef’s put up a total performance whilst cooking up the
meal of a life time!
With
sharing-platter style menu, we ordered a few from each of the Section, and if
you are feeling a bit unsure get hold of the
lovely bartender for some top notch menu-advise!
Starting
with some freshly baked Kubaneh served with tahini and grated tomatoes, its proper
comfort food with class! It was almost like breaking into baked clouds, amazingly
soft and delectably buttery.
We then
tucked into Beetroot Carpaccio with burnt goat's cheese, hazelnut brittle, lentil
tuile & pomegranate molasses vinaigrette. YUM ! YUM and YUM! We quite
literally wiped the plate clean and did not leave even a speck for the dishwasher!
Their drinks
menu is as exciting as their food menu- from Drunken Botanist to Hibiscus
Cooler there is plenty to choose from.
Or even better ,you can ask the fancy bar man to shake up a custom concoction.
Ta-dah!
Culinary
world is seeing a massive ‘deconstruction’ revolution and Shakshukit is a fresh
savoury deconstructed version of the classic Kebab- Now that’s quite a ballsy
move! With Minced Meat, yoghurt, tahini served with some rustic Yaeli’s Pita,
it is both comforting and quite upper class on the gastronomic scale! It takes
some serious talent to pull that off!
If the
many-legged Octo doesn’t intimidate you, I would absolutely recommend the
Octo-hummous served in a bed of chickpea msabacha & cherry tomato confit!
Finally, it was the beautifully plated Palomar Special -Fish of the day in gorgeous moroccon gravy and some bread!
We decided
it was desert time and settled for the Jerusalem Mess – with much raving
reviews it was an easy decision made! It was a live version of the numerous
‘out –of- the- world amazing looking’ desserts you see on the telly!
Labneh mousse.
Almond crumble.
Strawberries.
Lemon cream.
Elderflower & apple jelly & fresh sorrel!
I rest my
case!
(Lol) I mean
it is the kind of desert you would see on A MasterChef finale-it was heaven on
a plate!
And for
dessert number 2 , we went for Chocolate Crémeux earl grey infused crémeux,
blood orange, milk streusel, cardamom marshmallow & coco-hazelnut tuile !
Once again, it was all magical!
And we had
El Diablo Loco for the road( or more aptly the tube :D )!
So head to
Palomar for some mind blowing Israeli cuisine, amazing company of the charming
crew and some spectacular tacky tunes to sing along all night- you are
guaranteed to have an epic experience!
Until Next Time
Take care
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