I Smell Like Taylor Swift!

Hey!

So if you’re like me, you like to smell good! I have a thing about smells... food smells, smells of places, perfume smells... I know you’re probably thinking “weirdo!” haha, but I think my memory uses smells to remember moments and people. I also think it has a lot to do with my childhood, because my mum used to smoke in the house, everything I had smelt like cigarette smoke L. So I like to know that I smell good... because, well, who wants to smell bad?!

My latest scent is another one of my BARGAIN FINDS! It is Taylor Swift “Wonderstruck”. I first bought this one because a friend was wearing it and it smelt really similar to "Ari" by Ariana Grande (which I couldn’t afford to buy at the time).

So I went for a little look and found it in Savers. It was £10, which I thought was really good for a 50ml eau de parfum. Both “Ari” and “Wonderstruck” are very sweet, girly, daytime scents. As it is an eau de parfum, it lasts for ages and really lingers on clothing. The bottle is really nice too with a charm bracelet feel on a purple, glittery bottle.

Here’s the best bit; I went back about a month later and found it had been reduced to £4.99! So I bought another one! So I’m all stocked up for 2016! Plus, with Valentine’s day coming up, you could treat yourself or a loved one to a whiff of Taylor Swift!

Savers is a great store in general for big brand toiletries at lower prices. I head to savers for stuff like Treseme products, deodorant, facial products and tampons.

If you want to check where your nearest Savers is, here is a link to their website;

www.savers.co.uk

Loft Haul

Disclaimer: No, “Loft” isn’t a hip, new, trendy clothes store or beauty brand! I’m literally talking about my loft!

Hi guys,

So, last weekend I helped my mum go through old boxes of my childhood belongings, so she could throw away stuff we don’t want and put the rest into storage.

Although I didn’t manage to find secret treasure map or have a ‘Goonies’- style adventure, this turned out to be the best vintage shopping trip EVER! I found some amazing things that I, or my mum, used to own. And the best part; it was all freeeee!!

From Spice Girls to scents, this post covers my top 5 finds.

Enjoy!

1. Spice Girls Merchandise 

​​

 This was one of my most exciting finds! I was a HUGE Spice Girls fan throughout my childhood. And my mum clearly had no problem feeding my obsession! This is probably 10% of all the Spice-things I owned. From bed sheets and wallpaper, to make up kits and t shirts; I had it all! I even found a load of unused party things like paper plates and bunting (that’s my 25th birthday sorted!) These little bits are so cute and I feel like I can use them even now.

2.Disney Land photo viewer

This was probably my most nostalgic find. I am IN LOVE with Disney Land. Some of my best memories as a child are surrounded by Disney. My mum first surprised me with the trip when I was about 6 or 7 years old. I loved it so much and I enjoy it just as much now (the last time I went was 2014!)

This viewer works by inserting a piece of card that has some film negatives on the ends. You hold it up to a light source like binoculars and each photo becomes really clear, with a 3D-type feel. The two bits of card I have show aspects of the Disney Parade from the 90s, and some images of the Disney Land ground, Small world ride and Alice’s Labyrinth. I would love to get my hands on some more of the cards!

3. Mickey Mouse Watch

​​

Keeping with the Disney theme, I found this cute little Mickey Mouse watch! The funny thing is, I was recently searching the realms of Ebay for one of these! My mum replaced the battery, I replaced the strap and it is good to go! I think this vintage piece would be worth a lot today and I’m sure I am the envy of all the Brick Lane vintage trawlers!

4. Clock Rings

​​

These 80s style rings once belonged to my mum, but as a kid I remember playing with these like costume jewellery. They remind me of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air-style era, and I can see myself rocking them with my vintage acid wash denim jacket.

5. Perfumes

​​

Ex boyfriend presents, gap year smells, these perfumes date back to circa 2011. I found a nearly full bottle of Beyonce’s “Rise” from my first boyfriend for my 2012 birthday, a nearly empty bottle of Britney Spears “Curious” (we all had that phase right girls?) and my first ever perfume; Burberry Touch, a birthday present from my friend Jasmine from 2007/8!!

Anyway, they have all been added to the collection and shall no doubt reprise their roles and bring up some sweet (and sour) memories of my adolescence.

I hope you enjoyed rummaging around my loft with me! I would say, before you head down to your local vintage/thrift/charity shop, do a little digging under your own (or your parents) roof! You never know what treasure you could uncover!

Peace out for now,

Eb x

Holland and Barrett's Saved My Face!

Hi Lovelies!

Hope you are enjoying the EBONI & IVORY! So this post is about the time Holland and Barrett's products saved my face!

*Skip the “Horror Story” to get straight to the reviews.*

The Horror story:

A little while ago, I was a little stressed over about 5 film auditions that were coming up. I think this stuck with my subconscious because, while I was sleeping, I managed to scratch my forehead pretty seriously! I already had a few pimples from clogged pores and I managed to scratch them all off and leave some pretty bad scars. After a day, they scabbed over and left my forehead covered in these awful marks.

I freaked out a little bit, calling my friends etc. The worst part, was that the upcoming auditions were for films! Meaning, I would be recorded close up on camera. I tried using make up which corrected the redness, but just sat on top of the scabs leaving visible bumpy, acne-looking marks.

Unfortunately this didn’t fade by the time my 3 auditions in one day came, I had to pick myself up and not let the situation affect or ruin my auditions!

Any way, the horror continues when I realise I have a WEEK until a filming day for a web series I have a part in all the way in Oxford! I needed to book my £60 train but I was worried my forehead wouldn’t have healed by then.

Review:

​​

So one day before work, I headed to Holland and Barrett’s London Embankment store. I got chatting to a member of staff “Simone”, who was SUPER helpful! I told her what had happened and she advised me on a “rescue”, “restorative” cream called Mankuna Honey Cream (£8.99). I had read about mankuna honey properties when researching getting rid of spots, and I thought I may as well try it! It was ‘Buy One Get One Half Price’ so I picked up some Aloe Vera Gel (£3.99), which is supposed to be good for burns and scar healing. Simone was really sweet and threw some free samples of ‘Organic Snail Gel’ in my bag (don’t gross out just yet!). She explained to me that in a certain part of the world, there were some farmers who work really hard and end up with lots of cuts and scars on their hands. They found that the properties in the snail slime help to heal their skin quicker! I couldn’t wait to use it!

I can’t say for sure which product helped the most as I was using them all at the same time. But I can tell you, a MIRACLE happened on my face! In TWO days, my scabs were flaking off and revealing just some pink skin that was 80% healed underneath. With a little make up to colour correct the pink areas, my skin had never looked better! The bumpy spots I have scratched off were gone!

I am so grateful to these products and would DEFINITELY recommend them to anyone who needs fast healing of cuts, scrapes and scratches. I applied the products liberally as they are completely natural. Also combined with washing my face twice a day really helped. REMEMBER: Do not pick at any scabs! Allow them to flake off naturally as this means the skin underneath has healed!

Illamasqua Make Up HAUL!

So just over a year ago, I was invited to be a make-up model for Illamasqua’s Make

Up Academy classes. In return for my time, Illamasqua send 4 or 5 products of my choice per day! This means that I have been left with a fair amount of Illamasqua products to play with, which is great!

If you haven’t heard of Illamasqua, here is their website: www.Illamasqua.com

I would compare them to MAC. This is because I feel they are a high end make up brand with prices and packaging that matches MAC. They are also a brand that is used by make-up artists for commercial purposes. Illamasqua is a little different from MAC in regards to their branding and advertising. The bright and brilliant colours they use are very loud and could appeal to more quirky people. Their in-store workers and models often feature piercings and tattoo’s which really stands out and sets them apart from other more glam and girly companies.

Ok, now on to the product HAUL!!! After working as a model three times, I have started quite the Illamasqua collection!

I will talk through a few of my favs and leave some images below 

1.       Hydra Veil Primer

This primer is like a cold gel and really satisfying to apply. It feels as the name suggests- really hydrating! The Illamasqua make-up artist I had told me that he sometimes keeps some in his fridge so when he feels hungover some mornings, he can put it on and feel refreshed! Haha, not tried this yet myself but it sounds legit.

Foundation really sits well on top of this primer and really taught me the importance of a good primer!

2.       Skin Base Foundation – 5.5

This Foundation is incredible! I have never used a high end foundation before and it really does make all the difference! It has great coverage and I find is best applied with the fingers in dabs and dots, then blended with the Illamasqua contour brush.

3.       Concealer – Medium 1

This Concealer is very dense and can be built up into maximum coverage. There is not a lot in the pot so I guess with regular use, can probably run out quickly. However, I only use it for those really big red spots that just pop up a couple times a month. I wouldn’t use this one under my eyes as it is shade medium which would be too dark, but I’m guessing perhaps a lighter shade would work well.

4.       Brow Gel- Stare

This brow gel saved me! I was using crappy pencils until I discovered brow gel! I went for a shade darker than perhaps I should of, but I don’t apply it heavily and find it defines my brow and lifts my face more than the shade lighter; which is more of a shade for blondes. I apply the gel with the Illamasqua angled brush which I find works well for me. I use a Rimmel eyebrow pencil first to achieve the basic shape, then go over the top with the gel. The gel lasts a lot longer than pencil as it doesn’t rub off so easily! It also looks more natural.

5.       Dry Contour Palette

This contour palette is really great for contour beginners. I find the contour brush works well with the kit. The kit contains two powders. The shading tone and the highlight tone. I use the deep shade for cheekbones and nose definition, and the highlight for cheekbones, under eyebrows, on the bridge of my nose and lightly on the forehead, cupids bow and chin. A bronzer would be better for a general dust over as the shading tone is matte and neutral.

The best thing about this palette is that it could be used lightly for a natural daytime look, but also built up for an defined evening look.

6.       Loose Powder

My final must-have product would be the loose powder. I think it is really important to set your make up in place once you have finished. This luminous, colourless powder works well with the Illamasqua powder brush to keep all your hard work in place. It helps the make-up last longer throughout the day.

You Tart!

Eboni's Goat's Cheese, Pesto and Spinach Tart!

​​

This weekend, I decided to use some of the hoards of pre-made pastry I have sat in my freezer, and made a TART!

I got some inspiration for the filling online, but didn’t actually follow a recipe! Surprisingly, it tasted really great! I made a Snapchat Story following the events! However hilarious the video was to make, it’s not exactly easy to follow haha, so here is my recipe and some pictures of the final result!

(Remember, there are loads of ways you can adapt this recipe and make it your own. The one I made is vegetarian, but you could add some chicken or sausage etc. Also try using different types of cheese to get a stronger flavour!

Ingredients:

• ‘Just Roll’ Shortcrust Pastry
• Cheese!!! (Cheddar, Soft, Goat’s)
• Two handfuls of Spinach (I used frozen, but fresh may work well too)
• 1 medium sized potato
• Pesto
• 1 egg
• Salt & Pepper (the seasoning not the band...)
• Love <3

You will need:

• Rolling Pin (or wine bottle....)
• Tart Tin (I got mine from Poundland)
• Saucepan
• Greaseproof paper (paper to protect you from Grease the musical) haha
• Dry rice (or baking beans if you’re fancy)

Time:

• This took me about an hour and half, but I was messing around and probably could have done it quicker!

Method:

Okay! Let’s go!

So, I defrosted the Just Roll Shortcrust pastry the night before so it was nice and soft for rolling. Roll it out into a thin circle that will fit into your tart tin. (I found that I had a lot of excess pastry which I balled up into a sandwich bag and popped back into the freezer for another day.)

1.  Pre Heat the oven to 180º (fan oven).

2.  Line the tart tin with the pastry and push it down into the edges. Take away the excess edges. Cut a     tart tin–sized circle from your greaseproof paper and lay that on the pastry. Top with the dry rice (but make sure the rice doesn’t get into the pastry!). This will keep the pastry from rising while you blind bake it. You can also poke it a bit with a fork to get the air out which will help with the rising issue too.

3.  Blind bake the pastry in the oven for 20-30 minutes. It should be golden brown and have no undercooked, gooey bits!

4.  While the pastry is blind baking, you can start to prepare the filling. I set a pan of water to simmer and added the spinach and peeled, chopped potato. The potato should be cut fairly small. It will cook quicker and be easier to mash. You can also use this time to grate the cheddar cheese.

5.  Once cooked, drain the spinach and potato and pop back into the saucepan. Add about half a tub of soft cheese (I used Philadelphia Light- £1 in Co-op) plus the grated cheddar and a nice spoonful of Pesto. Give it all a stir and if you’re feeling crazy, a little mash for good measure. Add the egg now. Egg is the glue of baking and will hold all the filling together.

Now, the kitchen will smell amazing by this point. Do not give into temptation and tuck in early! I promise, it will taste even better with the filling!

6.  Take your tart out of the oven and fill with the filling... obvs :p Make sure it’s all level and top with pieces of goats cheese.

7.  Right, now back in the oven for about 30-35 more minutes.

Disclosure: I know it smells amazing and you’re hungry, but try not to eat anything else so that you will actually be able to eat it when it’s ready... unlike me who wasn’t hungry at all by the time it was ready, so watched my mum eat it instead!

8.  So all that’s left is to take your tart out of the oven and enjoy! Make sure, before you tuck in, that the pastry is cooked right the way through! I made the mistake of making the crust too thick so it took longer to cook through. Lesson learnt for all of us!

The end! Hope you guys enjoyed and are having a go at making your own! If you do try this out, Tweet me pictures of your tarts!

Love x

​​

THAT Pink Coat!

So until recently, I was fairly un-experimental when it came to clothing colours. I had my palette (black, burgundy, brown and deep shades) which I tended to stick to. But lately, I was inspired by a fellow blogger and decided to venture into the world of PINK! This, for me, was pretty ambitious. I spotted this wool coat in Primark Hammersmith on sale at £10 (BARGAIN FIND!) so I picked it up along with a white high- neck jumper that I thought might look good underneath.  Since purchasing, I have worn this coat 90% of the time! It’s great for this London weather at the mo as it is woolly and warm and the colour stands out in crowds against the grey landscape! I feel super girly, confident and feel that it brightens my day a little. What an amazing thing a simple new coat can do!

I would definitely say that if there’s any colour you usually avoid or aren’t sure about wearing, just go for it! Don’t spend too much, but get a little experimental. And who knows, you may find your 2016 shade!

googled7f0db815b5fefd5.html