Away! - Fiji Trip Packing - August 2013

Fiji Trip - August 2013 by katmillist featuring flat shoes

The actual clothes/accessories I am taking:

• Sussan Linen Button Down Shirt in white
• Gap Essential V-Neck T-Shirt in white
• Forever New Roll Sleeve Silk Shirt in hot pink
• Gap Lace Tank in black
• Polo Ralph Lauren Sport Polo Dress in navy blue with white pony logo
• Jeans West Tummy Trimmer Slim Bootcut Jeans
• Hi-Lo Silk Wrap Skirt from Paddy's Markets, Sydney in light green
• Target Denim Shorts
• Fernando Frissoni Wool Tank in pink
• Forever New Belt in white
• Wittner Rhinestone Sandals in bright silver
• Target One-Piece Swimmers in black
• Suite Boutique Cotton Shirt Dress in light blue
• Forever New Snakeskin Belt in pink/purple
• Mango Mohair Cardigan in hot pink
• Midas Wedge Leather Sandals in brown
• Flipsters Coco Flats in black
• Havaianas Slim Crystal Thong in silver
• Balenciaga Giant Chic Small Box Bag in violet

And these are the ones shown above:

See by Chloé long sleeve dress
farfetch.com

Ralph Lauren white dress
stylebop.com

Marc jacob
$365 - brownsfashion.com

Dkny
$290 - harveynichols.com

M Missoni slimming tank
farfetch.com

Calypso St Barth button down shirt
calypsostbarth.com

Kin by John Lewis short sleeve shirt
$23 - johnlewis.com

H m
$9.08 - hm.com

Levi's bootcut jeans
amazon.com

Minty Meets Munt waterfall skirt
$63 - superette.co.nz

Panos Emporio one piece swimsuit
$150 - nelly.com

AG Adriano Goldschmied jean shorts
amrag.com

High heels
macys.com

Havaiana
dariensport.com

Accessorize flat shoes
accessorize.com

Nine West flat shoes
ninewest.com

Balenciaga leather purse
mytheresa.com

Acciaio buckle belt
yoox.com

French connection
asos.com

The Bonnes Affaires Christmas Gift Guide - Under $100

Christmas shopping is ramping up around the globe.

If you have someone special in you life you might be looking to spend up to $100 on a gift.

Below are some lovely gifts in that price range that will suit almost anyone!

UNDER $100

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5.

1.  Longchamp Le Pliage Coin Purse (various colours available) - $65 - Hunt Leather or Longchamp Stores

2.  Cire Trudon Miniture Chandle (Mademoiselle de la Valliere) (various scents available) - $65 - Becker Minty

3.  Paris Breakfast Original Watercolour - Pink Macaroon Box - US$85 (plus postage) - Etsy

4.  Oroton Photo Frame and Alarm Clock - $75 - Oroton Stores

5.  Laguiole Cheese Knife Sets (various colours and knives in each set) - $89 - $99 - Alfresco Emporium and Peter's of Kensington

If you missed the Under $20 gift guide, click here.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming Under $50 and Under $200!

Mulberry and Apple Crumble

You never see mulberries at the supermarket for sale.  Such a shame.  A completely underrated berry, in my opinion.

Anyway, I was up visiting my Mum a few weeks ago and she has a mulberry tree.  We picked and ate to our heart's content.  I ended up with a purple mouth and purple hands and feet.  Such fun!

As the weekend was such a rush, I carefully packed some of the delicious berries into a container and brought them home with me.

Now to the crumble!

Yum!

Heat the oven to about 170 degrees celcius (about 180 if you don't have a fan-forced oven).

125gm butter
125gm plain flour
50gm sugar (add a little brown for a really caramel-y crumble!)

Rub the butter, flour and sugar together until it feels a crumbly texture.  Set aside.

Two pink lady apples (I'm sure any apples would work)

Cut your apples up onto bit-sized chunks.

Mmmmm.....the star - mulberries!  I used about 2 cups worth.  Wash thoroughly!

Layer the apples chucks and the mulberries in an oven proof dish.

Sprinkle with about 50 grams of caster sugar (use more or less depending on your taste.  I don't like mine sickly sweet).

Cover the fruit with an even layer of the crumble mixture and bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until golden on the top.

I like mine with custard.

Mmmmm....so delicious!

The Bonnes Affaires Christmas Gift Guide - Under $20

Today's post is for all the true bargain hunters out there looking for beautiful but affordable Christmas gifts.

This is for a selection of gifts for under $20.  Following posts will provide a selection for under $50, under $100 and under $200.

UNDER $20

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1.  Lindt Delice Macaroons (various flavours available) - $2.70 (cheaper if you buy a boxful) - Lindt Chocolate Cafes

2.  Built NY Netbook Sleeve Micro Dot 9-10 inch (other colours/designs available) - $18 - Peter's of Kensington

3.  Mimco Nouveau Barrette - $19.95 - Mimco

4.  T2 Turkish Tea Glass - $18 - T2

5.  Personalised Luggage Tags - $12.95 - Bag Tag Studio

Good luck with the Christmas shopping!!

The face cream to end all face creams!

After searching my whole life, I have finally found the very best face cream on the planet!

It's not La Mer, it doesn't have gold flecks in it and it doesn't cost a lot.  I know that sounds too good to be true but be prepared to be dazzled.

If you are in Australia, you might have seen them advertising the new Garnier BB Cream.  Not that anyone knows what a BB cream is but a little research revealed something amazing.

BB stands for "blemish balm".  It is a cream given to people who have had laser or similar treatment on their faces to simultaneously cover blemishes (or healing scars), protect from the sun and promote healing.

Some Korean actresses got hold of this stuff and it took off like a shot in Korea.  Other countries have been slow to start but it is now making its way around the world as the next hot thing since YSL Touche Eclat!

Rather than buy the various incarnations available on the internet, I went to the source: the original.  It is made by a Korean company called Missha.  They have a store in the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney or you can pick it up online at various sites.  They stock a few different types but I went for the Signature Real Complete BB Cream as I have combination skin.

It was only $36.90 and it is truly amazing!

Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream

It does the following:

1.  Covers my pimples

2.  Covers the dark circles under my eyes

3.  Evens skin tone

4.  Reduces redness

5.  Protects from the sun (SPF 25)

6.  Smooths fine lines (although I don't admit to having many yet

7.  Provides a beautiful base for make up

8.  Doesn't feel heavy (more like a sunscreen weight that foundation weight)

9.  Matches your skin tone without fiddling with numerous colours (comes in either yellow based or pink  based)

10. Stays on all day (and all night if you are naughty).

Using this you no longer need a moisturiser, sunscreen, foundation, concealer or primer.

Plus you can wash it off in the shower with a good cleanser.

I cannot recommend highly enough that you go out and try this product!

Before and after using Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream (Lipglossiping)

My morning routine has shrunk to cleansing, putting on the BB cream, mascara, blush and lipstick.  On the weekends I usually only do the first two!

Thanks for...

Strawberries and Cream Tisane from T2.

Purple roses that smell like heaven!

Home-made soup with leek, cauliflower and fennel.

Wandering through the park during the day.

Soy tea cup candle that smells like holidays (coconut and lime).

Little tubes of magic from France

I read all the time that you should skimp on your cleanser and splurge on your moisturiser.

I can't say I have ever paid more that $100 for a moisturiser, plus my skin reacts to something in every product I have tried labelled "anti-aging".  Therefore, the last thing I want is to put down $300 for La Mer and end up using it once and looking like I have a red, raw face.

I once tried a you-beaut moisturiser from Clinique.  I usually don't have too much trouble with their skincare products (unlike Lancome, Aveeno and Olay).  So off I went on honeymoon with my little tub of magic.  It was magic all right.  It turned my lovely skin from peaches and cream to red and angry!  I spent my whole honeymoon with my face covered in a rash and not being able to wear any make up!

But to the rescue came a true little tube of magic.

At the first sign of the rash, I raced from my NYC hotel room down the street to Duane Reade.  There I found my saviour.  Eau Thermale Avene Skin Recovery Cream.

I used it as my moisturiser for the rest of the trip and the rash was almost gone by the time I got home.

Eau Thermale Avene actually make a whole stable of brilliant skincare products.  They are all made in France, most do not contain those nasties like parabens, and they have an excellent range for people with sensitive skins.  Not to mention their products for men and children.

I currently use their Clearance K moisturiser.

I must add, their 30+ Sunscreen is awesome!  Most sunscreens drip into your eyes as you sweat in summer causing stinging and crying.  This one is made with proper zinc and titanium dioxide (with a slight tint so you don't look too white) rather than nasty chemical sunscreens.  I even put it on my eyelids and under my eyes without any stinging even in the middle of a Sydney summer.  Highly recommended.

You can pick up your own tubes of magic at Priceline and other good pharmacies (and Duane Reade if you are in NYC!).

Mmm...Magic Chocolate Fudge Pudding

I'm a big fan of making things rather than buying them.

This is a recipe my Mum gave me and it is delicious!  I decided to do a different take on it and it wasn't completely successful but who cares, it still tasted good.

So this is Magic Chocolate Fudge Pudding (or in the pics below, Magic Chocolate and Coconut Fudge Pudding)!

(The magic bit is that you put the sauce on the top and when you take it out of the oven, the sauce is on the bottom!)

 Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced).  Grab your ingredients and off you go!

1 cup plain flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of chopped walnuts or peacans

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup cocoa (or you can use drinking chocolate)

1 3/4 cups hot water

Since I am making mine with a coconut twist, I have replaced the nuts with shredded coconut and used 3/4 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of hot water rather than using all water (in hindsight I think the better switch would have been the 1/2 cup milk for 1/2 cup coconut milk).

Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt to a bowl. 

Add the milk and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Then add the nuts (in my case, I added shredded coconut).

Mix together the brown sugar and the 1/4 cup cocoa or drinking chocolate (I prefer the cocoa myself as it is a bit less sweet) in a separate bowl.

Pour the batter into a greased oven dish and smooth the top with a spatula.

Sprinkle the brown sugar/cocoa mix over the top.

Then pour the hot water (or in my case, hot water/coconut milk mix) over the back of a spoon on to the top.  I recommend you do it over the back of a spoon otherwise the pressure of the water digs holes in the batter!

Bake for 30 minutes, then voila!  Magic Pudding!  This one doesn't look as good as usual because my sauce didn't all settle properly.  The original recipe it definitely the best but the coconut did give it a little something.  Usually you end up with a nice springy chocolate cake with a delicious thick chocolate sauce underneath.  Kind of like those self-saucing packet puddings you buy but a million times better!

You can also make this recipe in 6 ramekins (like the one below).  I often do this for dinner parties.  Just cook for 15 mins or so (you can push with a finger on the top of the pudding and when it springs back it is ready).

I usually serve with double cream and strawberries but today, I'm having it au natural!