Thursday 31 October 2013

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Dusk Australia - Pink Citron Artisan Room Spray


A few weeks ago I was introduced to Dusk's beautiful Artisan range ... sadly at the time I had a crazy cold, so smelling the gorgeous notes in each of the 5 bespoke fragrances was a bit tricky, but I certainly knew this was range of products I had to revisit with the full return of my sense of smell!. 

This week marked the postal arrival of their 100ml Pink Citron Room Spray so I took it for a test drive. From the moment I opened the package a subtle waft of grapefruit filled my nostrils. I should say I really like fresh/ fruity fragrances, so this is the perfect scent for me but even so it isn't overpowering or overly sweet, it's a lovely combination of citrus notes with a slight amber/musky depth. 

How did it go in the odour neutralizing department? Well, I boiled up two eggs peeled, cut and ate them and then got to spraying... four or five sprays around the kitchen and I have to say I could no longer smell the delightful egg aroma, I was impressed. I live in a small space so cooking smells, while nice when you're hungry, can swiftly infuse the entire house bed linen and all so this spray will be really handy, particularly when friends drop in.  






xx

P.S This is our first hydrangea of the season - love it!

Saturday 19 October 2013

Simple Tangy White Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Recipe

This is one of those melt, mix and your done kind of recipes I devised a few weeks ago... With the holidays season just around the corner this sweet & tangy offering will hopefully have your guests begging for more!. Why tangy chocolate dipped pretzels, you ask? Well, my sister bought some yogurt dipped pretzels at Thomas Dux and I wanted to replicate the flavour at home... long story short I haven't perfected the yogurt coating but this simple recipe certainly takes your pretzels and white chocolate to a new and exciting place!.




All you need is
375g white melting chocolate (I used Nestle White Chocolate Melts)
200g bag of pretzels (I used Parkers)
1/4 tsp citric acid ( I used Mckenzies)

1.Melt your white chocolate according to packet instructions (I used a double boiler for this).
2.When the buttons melt add the citric acid and stir very well to combine.
3. Dip the pretzels in the melted chocolate mixture and leave to set on a piece of parchment paper
4. enjoy!








xx

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Thursday 17 October 2013

Discovering Dusk's Australian Made Artisan Candle Range

Last week I received a little note from the team at Dusk promoting their new Artisan Range and it reignited my love of candles and aromatherapy (pun intended!). There is something so gorgeous about candle light isn't there? From glittering birthday candles to a relaxing bath by candlelight these flickering objects evoke nothing but joy and happiness all round! Truth be told, I'm usually a French candle kinda gal, but I was so pleased to learn that this W.A based candle house still hand pour most of their signature range locally and the Artisan range is no exception. So after a mean case of the flu this week I dragged myself out of bed, showered, tried to cover my panda eyes with layers of make-up and headed in store to find out a bit more...




Upon arrival I was greeted by a lovely shop assistant and the variety of offerings that complete the Artisan range. The candles, available in five bespoke fragrances form the center of the range, each hand poured into a crafted glass jar with a hand placed pure cotton wick. The candle wax is a soy, beeswax and coconut oil combination and each candle comes with a solid glass lid that can be used as a base while burning. The packaging and presentation of the range is streamlined and minimalist and will blend well with any interior and Dusk have also released a room spray and mood reeds as well as body wash and lotion in each of the 5 key fragrances.

Now, unfortunately given my cold/ flu situation, I wasn't able to establish my fave scent but I'm thinking I may possibly be a Juniper Berry & Geranium girl which is White Breeze and perhaps for something a bit fresh say in the bathroom or kitchen I may possibly be a Pink Grapefruit & Amber Rose lady which is Pink Citron... The three other fragrances are Shangri-La, Amber Rose and Midnight Orchid and the team at Dusk have made it super simple to discover and learn more about the Artisan range online and they are also hosting a weekly $100 online voucher competition through their facebook app!.






xx
FYI the cloches are not part of the range but are used to smell each fragrance in store - lovely!

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Macaron Cake - Luxbite Endless Love & Lolly Bag Cake - YUM!

My hubby and I are loving Melbourne's dessert hot spot Luxbite! This year I ordered the Lollybag cake for Mr's birthday, you may have seen it featured on Masterchef, and he then surprised me with their extravagant 'Endless Love' macaron cake for my Birthday and it was worth every penny!. Light, creamy, rosie and tangy this cake was enjoyed by all and the equally gorgeous lolly bag cake was full of modern day Willy Wonka style whimsy!.



Lolly Bag Cake 
Humble in size but certainly not in flavor, this cake was delicious and well worth trying... filled with all your milk bar faves from red skins to bananas, freckles, jaffas and spearmint leaves... it's also available daily by the slice.




lycee ganache, rose cream & fresh raspberries - oh my!





xx
Luxbite: 38 Toorak rd. South Yarra