Christmas baking continues- DIY Cream Puffs

In honour of Christmas I thought it would be nice to share all my christmas traditions and recipes. I know this has nothing to do with makeup or beauty however I love spending just as much time in the kitchen. Its another place that has no rules or boundaries which I love!

You can get creative just as you can with makeup except its food! Christmas is the time of year where goodies and treats are everywhere!! Not only is baking fun but giving treats is a great gift! this is my cream puff recipe, those of you who aren't familiar with what a cream puff or chouz a la creme, if you will, it is a choux pastry ball filled with whip cream, pastry cream, or ice cream. They can be decorated or left plain either way there fantastically delicious and a great treat to serve at your christmas shindig. 

Here's what you'll need :

• 2 (3.5 oz.) packages of instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream a.k.a Whipping Cream
• 1 Cup milk
• Pastry bag (optional)

This is to make the pastry cream filling however you can just use Whipping Cream for you centre. I prefer to buy the Cream and whip it up myself just add 1/2 Cup of sugar and 1 tsp. Vanilla to the cream and whip until whipped cream. 

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 1 Cup water
• 1/4 Tsp salt
• 1 Cup all purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 Cup milk chocolate chips

1.) Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set. If your just using whip cream add 1/2 Cup sugar and 1 Tsp. vanilla to cream and whip until whipped cream. 

2.)Preheat oven to 425 F

3.) In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough mixture to a separate mixing bowl, however feel free to keep it in the pot off the heat if you don't want to dirty another dish, like me. 

4.) Using a hand mixer or wooden spoon, beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg.

5.) Drop tablespoon amounts of dough onto an un-greased baking sheet, bake for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven. Until golden brown. Centers should be dry.

6.) When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pastry cream mixture/whipped cream. Or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding mix into the shells.

7.) In a microwave safe bowl, microwave 1 cup chocolate chips for 2 minutes until the chocolate is completely melted. Dip the puffs into the chocolate for a chocolate cover. 

MMmhmmm Don't those look fantastic!!! I decided to jazz mine up a bit by melting white chocolate and drizzling it in soft lines overtop the chocolate. Like always I encourage you to get creative in the kitchen and experiment. Bring these along to your next christmas get together and have everyone amazed!

Stay tuned for more christmas festivities! its just around the corner.

xoxox

Relish

My top 5 favourite makeup up books

When I was just a lil one starting out in this industry I looked everywhere for inspiration and words from the wise. Makeup school can be very expensive! 18,000$ expensive!! being 18 and not wanting that kind of debt over my head I heavily researched and talked to many Senior makeup artist who have made great success in this business  and got their input on wether or not to dedicate ones time and money on makeup school. Surprisingly enough they all said around the same thing, that makeup school is good if you have the time and money, but at the end of the day its all about talent, passion and proof of work. It doesn't matter what fancy makeup school you came from if your talented you'll shine. I know many people that have spent the time and money going to makeup school, some manage to break through in the industry and some are still unemployed in the makeup industry. Most makeup schools don't guarantee you will leave their establishment with a full time makeup job..which kind of makes me wonder..what are you paying for??

These are the books that I've stumbled across over the years and absolutely love! not only are they very informative and helpful to everyone, makeup artist or not, but the artistry in some of these books is amazing! I still browse through them from time to time for information and inspiration ....



5.) Kevyn Aucoin - Making Faces
This book is an absolute must for anyone starting out in makeup. It covers all the basics from highlighting and contouring to eyeshadow application. Kevyn Aucoin is a very talented makeup artist who has made his mark on this industry as one of the best. He knows it all and he shares his secrets and displays his beautiful transformations. This was one of the first makeup books I bought and I still enjoy browsing through it.



4.) Kevyn Aucoin- Face forward 
Again another amazing book by Kevyn Aucoin, displaying his amazing transformations and reveals them with step by step instructions.

3.) Scott Barnes- About Face
Scott Barnes is an A-list celebrity makeup artist. He has worked on the very talented faces of Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Hillary Duff and Christina Aguilera. He is the makeup artist of Jennifer Lopez and is the brilliant genius behind her famous JLO glowing skin. In this book he shares all his secrets for creating looks that can be used everyday. This book is packed with amazing information and tips for someone who is just starting out in the industry or for any beauty lover looking for more secret tips.


2.)Alex Box by Rankin
This book is amazing for inspiration and displays the amazing art work of Alex Box, a true artist, she is anything but an imitator. She is truly original in her work and has worked with some of the most experimental and avant garde designers, photographers and hair stylist in the fashion industry.  She is nothing less then a master of colour and creativity. I absolutely love her work for this and she truly is an inspiration.


1.) Makeup is Art
I Stumbled across this book when I was furiously browsing through the makeup section of Chapters. This book is done by various creative makeup artist who truly use makeup as a form of art. This book is filled with inspiration and is great just to have on your coffee table for anyone to browse through. I don't know anyone who wouldn't appreciate all the work that has been put into this book it truly is a work of art and is one of my all time favourites.









I hope you find inspiration in all these amazing books like I did. 
Get inspired and follow your dreams!






xoxoxo




Relish

Countdown to christmas-DIY candy cane nail tutorial

Your house doesn't have to be the only thing decorated for christmas...Try adding a little festiveness(dunno if its a word but I think it fits) to your nails! of course you could just paint them the typical red, green, white etc.. or you can really get the party bumping with some candy cane swirls to accent those digits (fun fact: finger bones are called digits)

Anyone who isn't familiar with water marbling your nails please go to youtube, search water marble nail art and be amazed!!!! mysimplelittlepleasures.blogspot.com, she also has a youtube channel, she is amazing!! and from what I can see is a true pro. I cannot take credit for this. Iam in no way a professional at this I just stumbled across this technique and I haven't stopped since! As a person who hates painting their nails this technique is so fun and amazing!! I could have honestly jumped over the moon and fly across the globe I was so ecstatic when I did this. I even made my boyfriend watch and be amazed. 

here is my take on candy cane swirl nail tutorial.

Heres what you'll need:

A plastic cup: I got creative and cleaned out an old sour cream container.

Filtered room temperature water: It's half way filled in the cup

Polish colours of your choice: Since its a candy cane theme I'm going with a red, a silver and a white. all three of these nail polishes are from the dollar store but try using what you have on hand.

sharp stick to create designs: I just stuck a needle in the end of a pencil eraser, works great.

Tape: any tape will work I just use regular clear tape.

Paper towels: you know just to keep things clean :)

My camera couldn't really pick this up to well but first you want to tape off all four sides around your nails, so that only your nail will be polished not your whole finger. you can do this as you go but I recommend having all nails prepared just to have it go by more smoothly and efficiently. 

Now this is the amazing part!!!!! I didn't even know you could do this with nail polish, but all you do is take your colour and place a dot amount onto the top of the water, it will disperse outwards, taking your second colour continue this process over and over until u get a bullseye type design.

Using your pointed stick, create a swirl design by running your stick gently through the bullseye.

Place your nail in the water where you want your design to be on the nail. for most nail marbling they do one finger at a time, I decided to get crafty and try four at once. once your nail is submerged in the water take your stick and gather the excess floating polish so that it doesn't ruin your nails. remove your finger and dry.

When you take your nails out of the water they will look like this...AMAZING! right?? ...remove the tape around your nails and apply a good clear top coat of polish.

Obviously this is more of a process then just painting your nails but the results are so amazing and the process alone is fun! experiment with different colours and designs. It may be tricky the first couple of try's but keep practising ! I got so many complements on my nails and everyone was so curious as to how I did it...even my boyfriend was impressed ;)

For more designs, or a more professional take on this technique please check out

mysimplelittlepleasures.blogspot.com

xoxox 

happy painting

Relish

Countdown to christmas-DIY's

Yayy Christmas is coming!!! 
Relish's Countdown to christmas...
you know what that means?? lots of baking, wrapping, shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating which to me is the whole fun of christmas. I love giving gifts which is essentially what this holiday is all about right??  but these gifts don't have to be big, expensive and extravagant for people to appreciate them. I love taking this opportunity to give gifts from the heart that are made with my two hands and a whole lotta love!!! Keep in touch with me as I share with you my favourite homemade gifts to give and christmas goodies and festivities.

Since this is December I thought all month ill blog about all things christmas!! and what I love about this time of year...

One of the first things I'll be sharing with you today is my all time favourite sugar cookie recipe. Christmas to me is all about baking treats and handing them out to loved ones, mainly because thats what I remember doing with my grandma as a child. not to mention its much more wallet/budget friendly. My grandma has long since passed now, but I have with me her book of recipes which I take great pride and special care of to ensure her treats and love live on always. Of course I have also taken the liberty of spicing some of them up along the way, adding my own twists and special touches, and I encourage you to do the same :D


Heres what you'll need:


For the cookies


1 1/2 Cup Unsalted softened butter, just leave the butter out till it reaches room temp.
2 Cups white sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
5 Cups All purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder


For the Icing

1/2 Cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups icing sugar
2 tbsp Milk
Food colouring of your choice


Cookies


1.) Pre-heat oven to 400 F. In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until smooth. 
2.) Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3.) Gradually stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
4.) Cover dough and chill for 1 hr in fridge. 
5.) Roll out dough 1/4-1/2 and inch thick, cut into shapes and place on an ungreased baking sheet 1 inch apart.
6.) Bake 6-8 minutes until slightly golden brown on edges, cool completely.




Special note: try getting creative and adding a little something to the dough before it bakes, with the green cookies below I added little Scor chocolate pieces to the mix, you can also try adding toffee pieces.

Icing...these cookies are delicious on their own but if you want to spice them up a bit..
In a saucepan melt butter, combine icing sugar until incorporated, add vanilla and milk, stir until well incorporated and creamy consistency. add food colouring of your choice.


While icing is still warm cover cookies and sprinkle with goodies of your choice. 


My first christmas cookies of the year....

These cookies are so good!!! Not exactly calorie friendly but its christmas, this is the time of year where I indulge in all the festivities. and they don't have to be just for christmas, get creative and use different shapes and colours to make cookies all year round. Have fun and get your bake on!! who doesn't love getting cookies for christmas!! Just place these tasty tots in a festive christmas tin (dollar store) and your good to go!


please keep in touch for more of my favourite christmas recipes to come..


Peanut brittle
Almond roca
Short bread cookies
Buttercrunch toffee


What are some of your holiday favourite treats??




xoxoxox
Relish

Product review-CrownBrushes.ca

I recently went on crownbrush.ca and ordered a early christmas present to myself :D For those of you who are unfamiliar crown brushes are a brand of makeup brushes. You wouldn't believe the difference of having good brushes in your kit will do to your makeup looks, you get better product placement and blending with well crafted brushes that are specifically designed for what we do :D

All crown brushes are 100% animal cruelty free! absolutely no animals were harmed or destroyed for the purpose of making their fabulous brushes. They have a wide variety of different brushes and brush sets that are definitely worth checking out. Even for personal use these brushes are amazing!!! I wish I had ordered two sets so I had a set for personal use but these were specifically bought for my kit, and have only been used personally for the purpose of this review.

The set I bought are on sale for a limited time only! I got the 15 piece Enkore makeup brush set, Original value: 235.00$ currently on sale for 59.99$ As soon as I saw this I rushed for my visa and had to get these brushes, and when they finally arrived I was so excited like a little girl on christmas eve! they were worth every cent, the feel of these brushes is amazing!!! its almost a shame to use them their so soft and beautifully constructed. When working on clients having a brush that will do what you need with using a light hand makes all the difference for the client. I'm always getting complimented that my makeup application "feels so good like a face massage"(Iv actually had clients fall asleep on me I had them so relaxed) sounds a little ridiculous I know but when working with clients this can be a good thing! you want them to enjoy their experience and be as comfortable as possible. Even if the difference is just the quality of your brushes, you want them to call you again in the future.

I definitely recommend this set for anyone just building their makeup brush collection, It comes with 15 brushes that will cover all applications from the face to the eyes, I honestly think these 15 brushes are all you would need to create any look! for both personal use, and professionally. Although it doesn't come with a liquid liner brush which is a quick add.


What the 15 piece encore makeup brush kit comes with......
C309: Jumbo chisel powder face brush
C403: Chisel face brush
C406: Large Duo face brush
C404: Small Duo face brush
Foundation brush: theres no number on it :( but its extremely soft!
C405: Contour face brush
C407: Jumbo shadow brush
C415: Dlx Sable shader brush
C417: Chubby shadow brush
C433: Pro blending fluff eyeshadow brush
C431: Precision domed eyeshadow brush
C200: Deluxe crease brush
C408: Chisel shader eyeshadow brush
C409: Angel eyeshadow brush




If your looking for an upgrade on your regular brushes I would definitely check out crown brushes.ca, they have many different makeup brush kits you can purchase and give them a try.. their brushes are amazing!





note: These are not payed reviews, I only review about products I truly like and I feel are worth buying. Like most of you Ive tried hundreds of different products and have been frustrated searching ,trial and error, for the best ones, I'm just trying to solve the endless search for many women out there :D



XOXOXOXO


Relish

bad day?? time to get SILLY !!!

We've all had those days where nothing seems to go right. You rip your favourite shirt, your car breaks down in the middle of rush hour, you get into a fight with your significant other, you spill coffee all down your outfit on the way to work, you forget your wallet at home and your favourite expensive powder breaks inside your purse, all in a day! Days where you feel like everything and everyone is against you and you just wanna scream at the top of your lungs, or break down and cry. Its inevitable that were all going to have these types of days, its how you overcome them that will make all the difference. In times like these I like to take a deep breath and simply say FU bad day! you are not bringing me down, I'm going to end this day with a smile :)(I actually say this out loud to myself)... and get silly!!! laughter is truly the best medicine which is why I'm always laughing and smiling. I choose to not let these bad days and negativity get the best of me. remember to take in the small silly things in life and don't take life or yourself to seriously or you'll drive yourself crazy!! and if that doesn't work come stop by my blog and get silly with me :D

....heres what my "bad day" consisted of...

Is that A smile I see!!!!! what started off as a bad day turned into this silly little party for two with my older cousin, and other half..Jen. We've been like this since we were kids you put us two together and you would think we were smoking something funny. Put myself, Jen and my other cousin Michelle together and you'll probably have to evacuate the premises due to a code red of ridiculousness and overwhelming laugher...no drugs or alcohol needed here...this really is just naturally how we are.  Can you really believe I'm 21 and Jen is 25 with two kids??....yeah neither can we....this is what happens after we put her little ones down for a nap then the party gets started!! After bundles of photos and crazy poses I woke up her oldest, 3 year old daughter who gave me the weirdest confused "what the what!" look and then started to laugh..you know your cool when your 3 year old niece is more mature then you are ;)

Turn those frowns upside down and enjoy the bad days!

xoxox

Relish

Oprah, Designers, jewellery...what a weekend!

hey everyone :D.....what did all of you get up to this weekend?? go to a party? see a movie?? spend time with the important people in your life???....well this is what I got up to this weekend..

Friday: Oprah!! Did full makeup for a beautiful Bride and her wedding party..but it was something much more then that.. this beautiful bride will be featured on Oprah's network january 22. She has been through so much and our local community thoughtfully gave her and her husband the day of her dreams, a day they've been trying to plan for years but given certain circumstances was out of their reach.. I was very fortunate enough to be a part of this beautiful heart touching day for her and her family and volunteered my services so that her beauty radiated on her special day. Tune into Oprah's network channel for this beautiful brides story and happy ever after ending, and more touching stories about the local community of Aldergrove B.C, Canada.

Saturday: Bling Bling? Instead of going out for a night on the town I decided to stay in and let my creativity have a ball....heres what I created...some of my friends may just find these under their tree's ;)

what started out as this 

Became this...  

After power-crafting for a couple hours I finally ended the night, still more treasure's in the works..keep in touch for the tutorials on how to create the above creations.

(If interested in purchasing any of these fantastic pieces made with love..please feel free to contact me)

Sunday: A Special Designer... Today I had the privilege with working with a young, local Vancouver designer doing hair and makeup for his latest photo shoot. Tommy is such a talented self taught designer with such creativity and such a positive spirit and an impeccable eye for detail. Instantly meeting I felt we were going to make beautiful images together. Tommy likes to volunteer his time at a local shelter teaching beautiful strong women to make jewellery, I admire this about him so much and I became even more excited to be a part of this project.  Bringing out self esteem, confidence, and a women's natural beauty is the best part of what I do, and I'm always very excited to be a part of that moment when a women finally see's and realizes that she's beautiful! We met at a local shelter in downtown Vancouver, todays models were two beautiful young women who have been living at the shelter. Not your typical agency hired models, these women were beautifully real, with no previous modelling experience. Neither of them have never had their makeup done before so I was very excited to take them along on this beautiful journey. Tommy wanted a very specific look. He wanted the ethnicity of their skin to shine through, with a very neutral eye and bold black liner. Hair was a simple chic ponytail. I had a lot of fun working with the team today and I look very forward to the upcoming fashion show of which I will be participating backstage as a hair stylist keep in touch :)..in the meantime here are a couple behind the scenes of the day...

Please check out his amazing work....

Yasuhiro Tomita

Vancouver, B.C

Designer at Rukus

RUKUS new age / new edge:  http://www.rukus.jp/ 

Group Exhibits KIRA KIRA :  http://www.kira-tokyo.com/

Special note: for all you local vancouverites (I think thats what were called) 

All proceeds to the show go to vancouver homeless shelters. come see some local 

talent and support your community.