Happy Halloween - A Fail And A Little Nails Of The Day Featuring Born Pretty Gel Color BP-MC02*

I know I keep saying it but this year really has flown by, I find it so hard to believe that it's Halloween already. I'm not the biggest Halloween stan, but I am partial to a pumpkin or two. I can't show you this years carving attempt because it's so terrifying - it was a bit soft to carve so I ended up improvising with a sharp knife and some BBQ skewers, to create a weird plague doctor, bird, bat, mothman hybrid - I don't know about the trick or treaters, but it will definitely scare away the evil spirits - LOL. Anyway the innards of said pumpkin are now bubbling away to create a panful of Delia Smith's Pumpkin & Toasted Sweetcorn Soup (check out the recipe here if you have some spare pumpkin flesh), and the horror exterior is ready for all the little witches and ghosts with their pumpkin pails. 

I got any cute Halloween outfit pics or recipes to share with you this year, so instead I'm sharing a little nails of the day post with you featuring my lovely pumpkin before I attacked it with a sharp knife!

This is the Born Pretty Gel Color in the catchily names shade BP-MC02. I bought this particular colour in a set of Autumn themed shades from Amazon in October of last year, when I was on the hunt for a pumpkin toned orange gel polish.

This isn't bright neon orange by any means it's definitely noticeable but it's a touch more muted, with maybe some yellow tones in it. 

This is a gel polish so you do need either a UV or LED lamp to seal it. I used some nail dehydrator, primer, and then a base coat and applied two coats of polish, and then a coat of top coat sealing under the lamp between every polish layer. I used my Sensationail LED lamp, and I've got to say the instructions were a touch vague - it said to seal for 30-120 seconds, so I went for about 90 seconds for this polish and it seemed to set pretty well.

The finish as you can see is very shiny, but I think that it could also work with a matte top coat. My nails are super short here so it's never the easiest paint job but despite the less than perfect paint job. this was pretty easy to paint with, the brush was fine and the polish was a nice consistency.

As for wear time, it's actually quite hard to judge, having your hands deep in the guts of pumpkin, full of enzymes and fruit acids doesn't do a lot for a manicure, well it didn't do much for mine! By the time I'd finished my carving attempt I'd lost 1 nail on my left hand and 4 on my right! The leaflet that came with the set I got said it could last up to 3 weeks, so who knows. I still think I'll experiment a bit more with timings, and different top and base coats when I use it again to try and see what works the best, but all in all a decent polish, and a nice seasonal shade.

Alas this particular shade is now pretty hard to find, as I say I bought in a kit about this time last year and believe it or not the last one sold out on Amazon earlier this week! However there is currently a set of 6 polishes also available from Amazon for £9.99 that contains a very similar colour. There are loads of very reasonably priced Born Pretty polishes, again including some similar sets and colours available on eBay and obviously direct from Born Pretty.

So whatever you're doing this evening be it trick or treating, sitting with the lights off hiding from said trick or treaters and ignoring the whole thing , having a party or just having a nice night in, I hope you have a very Happy Halloween, and also if you're celebrating a very Happy Diwali x 

*This Post Contains Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Spooky Skincare With Beauty Pro Pumpkin Infused Sheet Mask*

Hi Guys x I hope you're all having a good Halloween (despite the whole potential lockdown thing). It's been a bit of a funny one here x I took a picture for this blog post and then I went to carve my pumpkin only to find a rotting and liquified mess inside, so no sweetcorn and pumpkin soup of me this year, instead I'm making a version with butternut squash so fingers crossed it tastes just as yummy. 

I was originally going to share a Halloween nail post with you but instead I decided to bring two of the key elements of Halloween together, pumpkins and scary masks together in one beauty review post.
 

I've tried quite a few masks and targeted treatments from mask specialist Beauty Pro now, and I've always been pretty impressed so a few weeks ago I decided to add this one on to a NEXT order. 

From their Plant Based, vegan friendly range, this sheet mask is crammed full of plant enzymes, and AHA's and is designed to brighten and soften, and deeply moisturise the skin. 100% plant based, the mask itself is made from biodegradable bamboo fibre and contains a whole host of organic herb and plant extracts including pumpkin, ivy, bergamot, hibiscus, Chinese yam, chia and flaxseed. As I say the mask is suitable for vegans, and as well as being approved by PETA and the Vegan Society, it's also water free.

As you can see from this picture the mask was very, very wet, unlike the mask I talked about yesterday this one definitely had more of viscous serum texture. As it was so wet it was a little bit difficult to pull apart but the bamboo fibre was fairly sturdy so it didn't rip or tear. 

Since pumpkin has so little smell (unless it rotten :() I wasn't really sure how this would smell but it actually had a nice citrus scent, a bit like a cross between lemon bathroom cleaner (in a good way though!) and Earl Grey tea, probably down to the inclusion of the bergamot.

Before 

It initially felt very cool on the skin, but as time went on I did experience a slight tingling sensation, but it wasn't uncomfortable or painful. Also unlike the SUGU Beauty mask that I talked about yesterday, I didn't experience any problems with running or dripping.

On Application

I removed the mask after about 15 minutes and as you see in the picture below my face was still very wet, so I rubbed the excess serum into my face and neck.

Immediately After Removal

It took about 5 minutes to absorb, and as you can see my skin still looked hydrated and moist. There is a tiny bit of pinkness there but my skin didn't feel irritated, sore or dry. It still felt a tiny bit sticky but within half an hour or so that had disappeared and my skin felt a touch smoother

5 Minutes After Removal

I don't know how it obvious it is for these pictures but I definitely felt that my skin looked more awake and more refreshed after using this mask. I used the mask first thing in the morning and I definitely felt that it gave my skin a bit of glow and stopped my looking, and thanks to the scent feeling less tired.

The mask definitely isn't just for Halloween and I'll will potentially buy it again. This particular mask has an RRP of £4.95 but the price does vary slightly depending on where you buy it. It's available from various retailers including direct from Beauty Pro, from Beauty Expert, The Fragrance Shop, Look Fantastic and NEXT Beauty x What ever you doing tonight, whether it's sitting with a face mask on and watching scary movies, or having a social distanced Halloween gathering I hope you all have an enjoyable and safe night x 

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 

Essie - Braziliant And A Bit Of Halloween Nail Art

Happy Halloween x I hope you've had a thoroughly spooky day whatever you've been doing and I hope that tonight it equally scary - I'm planning to snuggle on the sofa and watch some scary films and eat a lovely bowl of Delia Smith's Pumpkin And Toasted Sweetcorn Soup - Yummy! My pumpkin this year was a bit of a fail - he had a bit of a sunken head but hey at least I tried!

To coincide with the bright orange of Mr Pumpkin Head I decided to match my nails to his bright orange exterior with Essie - Braziliant

This picture is probably one of the best for showing off the real colour -. I've found it nigh on impossible to capture it's true colour but it's a true bright, bright orange shot through with a touch of shimmer, that just seems to be reflecting on my flash and making it look quite a bit redder.

Like a lot of Essie polishes, Braziliant was pretty easy to apply. This one has a wide brush and the formulation is quite thick, so with careful application you could probably get away with one coat but here I've used two.

I love, love, love this shade and whilst it would amazing with a tan or on the beach, I think orange is a real autumnal colour and it looks really nice with some of the browns, tans and rust shades that are around at the moment.

Seeing as it's All Hallows Ever though I decided to give this polish a bit of a Halloween twist. There are so many amazing Halloween nail art tutorials out there but I've gone for the cheats option and used some really easy nail stickers.

This set that I got from Top Shop isn't particularly scary or complicated but black cats are most definitely associated with Halloween. Black cats definitely have a bad rep but I love them and so I thought I'd add some black cat face stickers on to both my thumb and my middle finger to create an accent nail look.


Nail stickers are the easiest was of playing with a bit of nail art and creating an accent nail. I just use a pair of tweezers or a hoof stick to peel the sticker off the sheet, and then you just place it on top of a dry, polished nail, press it down and put on a layer or two of top coat to hold it all in place.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and the lovely bright, cheeriness of Essie - Braziliant on such a dark and spooky night x Happy Halloween x

Cooking With LouLou - Halloween Edition - Redone

When it comes to Halloween I really take it or leave it, I'm not big on dressing up as an adult, and skulls to be honest give the creeps, what I can get on board with though is Halloween food. Have a look on You Tube or on Pinterest and there are loads of spooky themed recipes for both sweet and savoury treats. I'm not sure I fancy spooky severed finger hot dogs though, so today I'm sharing one of my favourite Halloween recipes, and a recipe that I could literally eat every day of my life.

The first recipe is based on a recipe in one of my favourite vegetarian cookery books, Delia's Vegetarian Collection by the queen of TV cookery herself, Delia Smith. if you're a veggie and you haven't read it I thoroughly recommend this book that you track it down, I believe it's out of print now but I regularly use it and it features everything from soups, and stews, to main meals, and cakes and desserts.

For so many people carving a pumpkin is all about the art and for creating the most perfect Instagram approved pumpkin but I carve mine with the aim of extracting as much pumpkin flesh as possible. As pretty as they are Pumpkins are food, they're good for you and they should be eaten, so show it some respect extract the flesh, cook it and eat it - please don't throw it away! There are so many pumpkin recipes online but this one is a real winter warmer and it's so easy to make. 

Delia Smiths Pumpkin Soup With Toasted Sweetcorn

1lb 8oz (ish) Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Peeled, De seeded, de gunked, and roughly chopped
1 Can Sweetcorn (Drained)
2 Corn Cobs Stripped
1oz  Butter
1 tsp Butter
1 Onion Peeled and Roughly Chopped
1 Clove Garlic (optional)
A Sprinkle of Chili Flakes (optional)
275ml Milk
About 1.5 Litres of Vegetable Stock
Salt and Pepper To Taste

1. Add 1oz butter to a large pan (I am using a pressure cooker pan here) add the roughly chopped garlic and the onion - cook for about 5 minutes to soften

2. In the meantime strip one corn cob and open a tin of sweetcorn

3. When the onion is soft add the pumpkin to the pan I usually leave it for about 5 minutes till it starts to soften

4. Add the stripped corn cob and the can of sweetcorn bar 2 tbs to the pan -season and cook for about 10 minutes or so with a lid on till the vegetables start to soften (the pan will look quite full don't panic it will cook down)

5. Meanwhile prepare the stock

6. Add the stock to the pan, give it a quick stir and then pop the lid on for at least 20 minutes (this is pretty flexible I've left it for up to an hour and it's fine) then add the milk x

7. Make sure all the veg is soft then turn the pan off the heat for a little while - your going to blend it and you don't want to be too hot

8. Blend the soup to your preferred consistency - I use a stick blender which is easier for me but you could always carefully pour it into a blender

9. Once it's blended add the remaining 2tbs tinned sweetcorn for a bit of texture and return to a gentle heat

10. In the meantime strip the remaining corn cob and put the corn onto a baking tray sprinkle it with salt and pepper and the remaining teaspoon of butter and put it under a hot grill

11. Keep watching it as it will turn very quickly - you wanted it nice and toasted, but not too burnt - it sometimes pops a bit but it smells amazing like hot buttered popcorn

12. Check the seasoning on your soup - then serve with a spoonful of the toasted corn on the top

Hints and Tips 
* Delia uses all fresh corn but I find it a little tasteless and dry so I only use half and
half - For the toasted corn the fresh stuff works best but again I've used a combination of the two just make sure that you drain the canned stuff really well and pat it dry with a piece of kitchen paper
* Neither does she use the garlic or chilli but I think it gives a nice kick
* You needn't be too precious about quantities - add what you have soup for me isn't an exact science I used about 2/3 of the huge pumpkin that you can see above - if you have any spare pumpkin just throw it in and add some more stock - or blanch it and freeze it so you can make soup anytime you like
* This soup freezes really well (for up to a year in my experience and it will also keep for a few days in the fridge
* Obviously if your veggie like me use veggie stock but it would also work with chicken stock
* You can also use Butternut Squash but Pumpkins are plentiful at the mo and they may even be reduced tomorrow ;) What am I saying of course they won't be reduced - my local supermarket sold out days ago!


So that's what I do with my pumpkins but what about the seeds, well as you probably know you can eat them, but how do you get from the soggy, orange coated goop in the pumpkin to the things you buy in health food shops well this is how I do it - first of all wash the orange goo off, then put them in a bowl with some salted water overnight, next day drain them and dry them the best you can I usually wrap them in a tea towel and squeezy, next put them on a baking tray sprinkle with salt, and pepper, maybe add a bit of garlic salt or some chili flakes and a swig of olive oil and put them in a hot oven till they brown :)


You can take the seeds out of the kernels but there really isn't a need they are perfectly fine the way they are, they are a really nice snack :)

As well as my Pumpkin based treats I also made something I try not to make too often the reason being it's so addictive, you don't always fancy bread with soup, often in my case because some gluten free breads aren't that great but this is gorgeous with soup, with chili or even on it's own, and it's a good alternative to a cheese scone. From another fabulous vegetarian cookery book this time by the late Linda McCartney comes Spicy Mexican Cornbread from Linda's Summer Kitchen, again it appears to be out of print so I'm doing the honourable thing and I'm sharing my version of this fabulous recipe with you x

Spicy Mexican Corn Bread

1 Egg
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
6 oz (175g) Canned Sweetcorn (about a can, drained)
125ml Plain Yogurt
4oz (125g) Yellow Cornmeal (Polenta)
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
8oz (250g) Cheddar Cheese - grated, cubed or crumbled (reserve a little for your topping)

1. Put the cornmeal, salt, chili flakes, baking powder, cheese and sweetcorn into a large bowl and mix together

2. Crack your egg(s) into a jug, then add the yogurt, and the oil and mix well

3. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well till all the cornmeal is covered, you might need to add a bit more liquid I sometimes add an extra egg

4. Put your mix into a loaf tin I used my trusty silicone here, and sprinkle with a bit of cheese, then pop it into the oven at about 180°C/ Gas 4 for about 40 minutes till the top is browned

5. Serve slightly warm or cold, you can also heat it up for about 30 seconds or so in the microwave

Hints and Tips
* In the original recipe Linda McCartney uses 1/2 oz of fresh green chili and 125ml of Creme Fraiche but it works just as well as chili flakes and plain yogurt
* Cornmeal or Polenta is available in most major supermarkets (try the world foods section) and health food shops - you can can different textures so try them and see what you prefer I must say I prefer the a finely milled one for this recipe
* The original recipe uses cheddar but to be honest I have made this with what ever cheese I have in the fridge - here I've used Cheddar and a bit of Feta, but it works with pretty much anything you have Spicy Mexican Cheddar is particularly nice and so is Mozzarella especially when it's served warm :)
* This recipe is gluten free providing you check the cornmeal and the baking powder x
* Again the quantities can be altered - I've doubled the recipe here but it's pretty flexible
* As well as making it into a loaf you can also make into a tray bake, muffins or buns ;)
* It's best eaten within a couple of days and to be honest I've never tried freezing it because it never lasts that long in my house

So there you go my Halloween eats - they work perfectly together but they work just as well on their own x The Trick or Treaters have been a bit thin on the ground this year so hopefully there are lollies, and mini Mars Bars left x Hee Hee Happy Eating and Happy Halloween xx

Happy Hallloween

I am not the biggest fan of Halloween but I do like my pumpkins





After carving and hollowing them all out I made a yummy pumpkin and toasted sweetcorn soup - recipe here :) with the addition of a tiny bit of garlic and chilli, and some Quorn bacon and served it with some gluten free sun dried tomato ciabatta - yummy!

I also roasted my pumpkin seeds with garlic and salt for a lovely crunchy snack

So there you go my Halloween eats :) - lets hope we don't get many more trick a treaters I fancy some of the Milky Way funsizes from the Halloween dish - Happy Halloween xx