Busy As A Bee

Hi there

I've got an incredibly busy week in the salon this week; so not much time left to blog I'm afraid.

I just love it when I find a cupcake for a non cupcake post! 

Image via Flickr

I've just launched my Rituals Beauty Nouvatan Tanning Parties - and I have my first one booked in for Friday evening - for 10 people! I can't wait!

So with that I'll leave you with a thought that sums up how I'm feeling...

Sadly missed - but perfect quote from Steve Jobs

Image via Rebecca Dost Photography

If you'd like to find out more about my Tanning Parties, visit my Facebook page or email for details.

Beautiful Cupcake and Cakes Gallery - Perfume

From being tiny I've always had a fascination with pretty perfume bottles. 

Heaven! Image via tips.become.com

My mum inherited a little glass bottle with a gold lid studded with jewels from her Nan. For some reason it never stood up and drove her mad - she always knew I was jumping around her bedroom as it just crash onto the dressing table! However as she grew older she started to love that old bottle and one day sadly our wonderful cleaner knocked it over!! Bless mum never had the heart to tell her it was so precious to her.

Marie Antoinette - mini cake inspired by French perfume bottles from XVII Century

by Cakes Haute Couture

Tres opulent cakes Sugar Rush Delights

The Decadence D’Or cupcake costs $750!!! Image via http://www.ripleys.com

Handcrafted from the most exclusive, rich, and enterprising ingredients around the globe. Including Palmira Single Estate Chocolate a special chocolate from the rare and fragile Porcelana Criollo bean in Venezuela. Tahitian Gold Vanilla Caviar- the world’s most labor-intensive agricultural crop, 100 year old Louis XIII de Remy Martin Cogna and edible, metallic gold flakes. Presented on a handmade gold glass curved plate and bowl. Crickey I wouldn't dare eat it!

Pretty pink spray pump. By Miss Muffin Bakery

My favourite pink, by The Caketress

I love the muted colours of this Chanel cake by The Cake Girls

Lastly my favourite perfume of the moment - this one is real - mind wish mine was that big!!

Jo Malone Wild Bluebell. Image via http://www.lipglossiping.com

Easter Leftovers Slab

Easter has been and the house is overflowing with Easter Eggs. Lots of people have Easter egg meltdowns. Why not try something a bit different this year?

Image via http://www.chocolate-easter-eggs.co.uk

My son loves to make these slabs; we discovered this recipe when we wanted to make an edible gift to take to a Christmas party. For some reason making something with all those eggs and sweeties doesn't seem anywhere as naughty as eating them individually, bit like long car journeys warrant a sweet feast! Sorry going to make you wait right till the end to see the finished result hee hee!

Ingredients
400g left over Easter eggs
200g milk chocolate
200g white chocolate

For the Topping 
Any leftover sweets you have - any big sweets chop or bash into bite sized pieces!
We like: Jelly Bellies, Crunchie, Rolos, Twix, Munchies, Snickers, Haribo, Smarties, Mars Bar - well anything really!

Image via http://www.crazycandies.co.nz

Method
1. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Melt the chocolate - if using different colours, melt separately.
3. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly.
4. Pour most of the chocolate onto the tray.
5. Swirl them together with a skewer, or end of a knife to get a marble effect - or get creative and make your own design.
6. Sprinkle over the sweets.

7. Drizzle over with the remaining chocolate.

8. Pop in the fridge until set.

9. Break into big chunks and devour!

If you're going to do it - you might as well do it well!

Ah Sweet Heaven - I Love Candy in Glasgow.

Image via http://www.list.co.uk

Other ideas for toppings
Toffee Popcorn
Homemade salty popcorn - sweet and salty a perfect combination
Dark chocolate topped with dried strawberries and chopped nuts
Dark chocolate topped with dried cherries and stem ginger
Chopped up Chocolate Brownies - drizzled with white chocolate
Toasted marshmallows
Handmade fudge
Dried bananas and chunky peanut butter
Homemade chocolate chip cookies
Try some chilli powder and cinnamon for a Mexican twist!
Stir in some of your favourite booze to the melted chocolate - Tequila or Vodka are my favourites.
Duchy's Stem Ginger biscuits coated in dark chocolate
I like to go posh and sophisticated and use a high quality chocolate such as Green and Blacks or Willies!

The list goes on and on!


I like to eat mine with Pickled Onion crisps... but guess that's just me - I think!

Happy Easter!!

I couldn't resist doing an extra post on stunning Easter goodies. 

Gob smacking giant jungle theme egg, from the very talented

The Chocolate Line in Bruges

Images via http://news.in.msn.com and http://www.ibtimes.com

Awww cute chicken coop - reminds me of Angry Birds!

By La Maison du Chocolat, Paris.
Image via http://en.parisinfo.com

Sweet Easter bunny cake pops, by the very clever
Molly Bakes of London.

Simple elegance Ladurée pistachio egg, chocolate heaven uncovered.

Images via http://makingmagique.com

Chic Easter window at Hediard in Paris.

Image via http://foodloversodyssey.typepad.com

Stunning Pierre Herme's L'Œuf Theobroma - a tribute to chocolate from the Plantation Millot, one of Madagascar's oldest.

Awesome 3ft tall handmade Belgian chocolate bunny from

Madame Chocolat in Beverley Hills.

I saw this amazing bunny being created on one my favourite programmes; Kid in a Candy Store. Watch it here on You Tube. 

No Easter is complete without a peek at Betty's Easter Window in beautiful Yorkshire. This picture is from the hot one we had last year - oh no the chocolate is melting, but still looks amazing!

Image via http://www.harrogate-news.co.uk

Happy chomping! Watch out for my post on how to use up your leftover eggs.

Beautiful Cupcake Gallery - Easter

It's Easter weekend and there simply had to be an Easter cupcake gallery!

Easter Medley by the very lovely Lizzie Loves Cakes in Manchester

Pretty painted Easter Egg cupcakes by fab pastry chef Anne Marie at Whisk This

Love the chic on the platform so cute.
Image via Hey There Cupcake

Love the little nests by Jo Takes The Cake. Used to be in the UK but this clever lady moved to Singapore - lucky Singapore!

The Easter basket looks so realistic via http://www.flickriver.com

Ha ha this is fab, cupcakes baked in an egg shell by Cup Cake Project, recipe included!

OMG this one has a yolk! How clever is this?!?!?!

I can't resist a chubby baby bot! By Hungry Happenings

Cute Easter bonnet cake pops. Image via Flickr by Baking 911

No Easter is complete without an egg hunt.

By http://www.fun-cupcake-ideas.com

Not a cupcake, but these Easter basket biscuits are far too pretty to be left out! By Bakerella

Happy Easter hope you have a fabulous day x

Jessica GELeration Has Arrived At Rituals Beauty

I am a very excited bunny - my first delivery of Jessica GELeration has arrived in the salon. I'm like a kid in a candy store! Shame I am still wearing a gorgeous set, otherwise I'd been doing my own right now!

To recap and for those who haven't read my previous posts on this fantastic nail system...

GELeration - is it a Polish or is it a Gel? Well it paints like polish, but performs like gel - a perfect combination. Jessica's philosophy is to develop the long term health of your natural nails and this has been carried on with GELeration hurray! The whole process is kind to your nails. Weak, broken or bitten nails can be revived and refreshed. Great as an ongoing maintenance treatment, for an occasion, or to help grow your nails.

Like all the Jessica range this product is amazing, it has really blown me away. GELeration is a new generation in soak-off nail system. It is a "hybrid" between a gel and a polish, it doesn't chip, fade or peel and it's super shiny with no need to use a top coat. It is much thinner than I expected so looks super natural. It dries in seconds so you leave the salon with dry nails - don't tell your man though - we still need a good excuse not to do the washing up!! Your nails look like new every day and super shiny. It's removed in minutes with a special soak off solution.

Here is my first go with "Buck Naked" - this is one of my favourites; a delicious nude brown with a gorgeous crème finish - it reminds me of Chanel's famous "Particuliere" in fact looks good enough to eat! It needs a little extra curing time than the other colours but I think the results are gorgeous - I really enjoyed using this system - even more than others I have used - it really does paint on like a polish and absolute pleasure!

Next to paint my toes- I probably won't expose you to them they are not a pretty sight! Have a great weekend x

Jessica GELeration Day 8

Here's an update you on how my new Sexy Siren Jessica GELeration nails are getting on, on day 8...

Still SUPER shiny, no chips, wearing or lifting and they are, as the days go on I am even more impressed!

My Pamper Time is Over :o(

Well I'm back and what a lovely afternoon I've had, I feel like a new woman! And this picture shows exactly how I am feeling about Jessica GELeration!

My GELeration nails look amazing. After what probably felt that an hour to the poor therapist, I eventually decided to have the Sexy Siren colour and its soooooo pretty!

So is it a Polish or is it a Gel? Well it paints like polish, but performs like gel - a perfect combination. Jessica's philosophy is to develop the long term health of your natural nails and this has been carried on with GELeration hurray! The whole process is kind to your nails. Weak, broken or bitten nails can be revived and refreshed. Great as an ongoing maintenance treatment, for an occasion, or to help grow your nails.

Like all the Jessica range this product is amazing, it has really blown me away. GELeration is a new generation in soak-off nail system. It is a "hybrid" between a gel and a polish, it doesn't chip, fade or peel and it's super shiny with no need to use a top coat. It is much thinner than I expected so looks super natural. It dries in seconds so you leave the salon with dry nails - don't tell your man though - we still need a good excuse not to do the washing up!! Your nails look like new every day and super shiny. It's removed in minutes with a special soak off solution.

For fellow therapists who haven't tried GELeration yet, the product literally does paint on like a varnish, I was a bit sceptical but it really does, it's not thick like the older systems in the pots. It is much quicker to do than and a lot easier, plus as the bottle is getting low you don't get those awful stringy, claggy bits you get with varnishes  - so no waste, a definite plus. You can cure them under a UV lamp or LED lamp.

Jessica recommend you use their intensive conditioning Phenomen Oil at home to keep your cuticles and nails in tip top condition. Lucky I have lots of that in my home salon! I'll report back with how they last over the next few weeks. In the meantime I'm going to be flashing my pretty hands to the world!

I will cover my  Aveda Chocolate Sensation facial in another post - off to relax now, then friends for a curry - yum yum!

Have a fabulous weekend x

Pamper Time Soon

Off for my long awaited pamper very soon. Just been on Jessica Nail's website to have a nosy at the colour selection for their GELeration soak off gel polish - hmm think a big chunk of my appointment is going to be spent choosing one of these gorgeous colours! So much to choose from hurray!

Here's a before picture - crickey I've got my mums veiny hands lol! Will let report back on the new nails later and the new face after my Aveda Chocolate Sensation facial - sorry guys no pic of my face without makeup! Enjoy your Saturday! x