Lemon Butterfly Cupcakes

I'm quite a fan of baking. Cakes and cupcakes are my favourites and what I'm best at. I'm still working on my biscuits and desserts. I even have a whole Recipes section on my blog (you can find it by clicking on the link in the left hand side bar.) So for my birthday this year my parents bought me lots of baking goodies. These colourful silicone cupcake cases included, and a recipe book just for cupcakes!
This recipe is taken from there, these Lemon Butterfly Cupcakes are so easy to make and you only need a few basic ingredients.

What You Need:

150g Self Rising Flour

Half teaspoon Baking Powder

100g Margarine

2 Eggs

150g Caster Sugar

1 Lemon Rind

Icing Sugar

Method

Beat the sugar and butter together in a bowl until light and fluffy
Sift in the flour and baking powder alternating with the beaten eggs, mixing as you go.
When everything is well mixed, fold in the lemon rind.
You now have your cake batter so pour into your cupcake cases!
Pop them in the oven for 15-20mins on Gas Mark 4

To make the frosting, mix 50g of Butter with 100g of Icing Sugar
The mix will not be stiff but not too runny.
Add a squirt of lemon juice.

When the cakes are cool,  using a sharp serrated knife, cut out round circles from the top of each cupcake
Then cut these shapes in half.
Smooth the frosting over each cupcake, and wedge the 'butterfly' wings back into the top
Dust with icing sugar and then devour!

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In a Week...

Exhibitions and Notes / OPI Nail Envy / Triple Chocolate Muffins / Manchester Christmas Markets / Urban Walk / Photography Work

I've not done a 'In a Week...' post in quite some time, but I've actually been so busy over the past few weeks I felt as though I had something to talk about.

On Tuesday I went along to a Photography Workshop hosted by Andrew Brooks, a well known photographer from the Manchester area. It was held at MOSI and the museum kindly let us explore the store rooms for bits and bobs to photograph, and Andrew Brooks gave us an introduction to how he produces his images. The workshop wasn't free, it was pretty pricey but it was insightful and worth it.
Some of these photos were taken at the Dark Matters exhibition at Whitworth Art Gallery, I only got a few snaps before being told about the 'no cameras' rule. Oops.
I purchased OPI's Nail Envy on a friend's recommendation and so far so good. Although I can't really be sure if its making my nails stronger, its giving them a lovely shine.
I made these triple chocolate mini muffins this week and they were all gone in a matter of days. I can't wait to start making mince pies and Christmas cookies.
The Christmas Markets in Manchester are always worth spending a few hours at, mulled wine and German cooking!
And then finally these are just a few images from my current Uni assignment. They were just taken on a walk around the city centre, I'm still a bit stuck for ideas. I'm not much of a landscape photographer but I'm finding myself drawn that way for this City brief.

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Saturday Night Gig

Make-up: Urban Decay NAKED palette, Collection 200 concealer, Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation, Natural Collection Apple Blossom Lipstick, Topshop Powdered Blusher, Maybelline Collosal Mascara, Elf Gel Liner, HD Brows

Jewellery: 

Watch - Urban Outfitters

Orange Wrap Around - H&M

Chain Wrap Around - Primark

Beads - Primark

Rings - H&M

Cross Necklace - Etsy

Just quickly posting this up, my face hair and jewellery for the night. I'm off to see Frank Turner at Manchester Apollo! What's everyone up to this Saturday night? I'm just happy I'm not working and instead spending the night with friends and Frank.

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New Buys...

Silver Grey Jumper - H&M £14.99

Brown Bobble Hat - Topshop £14.00

Fur Hat - Primark £3.50

Black Belt - H&M £7.99

Powdered Blusher - Topshop £6.00

I went shopping with one of my best friends today, and I always end up spending money when I'm with her! I also got some Christmas presents (not included here) so not everything I bought is for me!

This sparkly silver/grey jumper is ten times nicer in real life, its perfect for those relaxed Christmas parties or family gatherings. I'm planning on wearing it to one coming up soon or on Boxing Day (or both). It's got a zip running down the back for about 4 inches which is a nice touch. 

I've wanted these two hats for a while so they were not an impulse buy. I saw a girl on the train wearing this Topshop Fur Pom Hat and had to have it! Although I do think £14.00 is a little extravagant for a bobble hat! Lucky I have my student discount. The belt is also something I've been after for ages, its just a simple black and gold waist belt, the perfect width. I'm going to wear it with dresses both day and night and use it to pull in other baggy items.

This Topshop blusher is a powder rather than a cream blush like they used to make. I love the colour its a perfectly bright light pink with blue undertones - great for fair skin and you can build it up as much as you like for a sort of 'dolly' effect! It sits in between Mac Well Dressed and my other Topshop Blusher in Flush - this one being a shade between the two, but brighter! It appears to have been named 'Powdered' unless that's just the description in which case it has no name at all.

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GlossyBox November

GlossyBox November

Monu Moisturiser

+FC5 Hand Cream

Dead Sea Spa Magik Bath Salts

Illamasqua Perfume Sample - Freak

Nail Rock Wraps

Ok so this month's box...to be entirely honest I wasn't overwhelmed by any of the products in the way I have been in the past. But it was still a nice collection of samples and I was looking forward to trying everything out.  I've found some brilliant products through GlossyBox and I just love receiving a beautiful surprise package through the post!

The Dead Sea Spa Magik Bath Salts were a great product to include! Who doesn't love to indulge in a hot bath, and having something new like this gets me even more excited to relax after a long day at Uni. I'm yet to try these but I'm sure I'll like them, I love anything bath-related. 

The Monu Moisturiser I've found a little tacky on my skin, it doesn't smooth on easily and I don't like the smell. I'm pretty picky about my skincare though, I have sensitive skin and I don't always trust new skin products that don't say 'for sensitive skin' all over them!

I like the smell of the perfume from Illamasqua. But I don't love it. They are a brand I'm always willing to try out, I wouldn't buy their full priced items so its lovely to receive a bit of luxury like this in the box.

Nail Rock Wraps appearing for their 2nd time in the GlossyBox, but I received a nicer design this time, I'm definitely going to give them a go. This black and white stripy design is something that's super difficult to paint on.

Finally, the +FC5 hand cream. It has a very organic smell and leaves my hands feeling fresh and soft without being sticky or greasy. I need a hand cream that sinks right into the skin but actually makes a difference, and this does. I don't think I'd buy the full size though, hand cream is not something I'm crazy about.

What I found quite exciting is that GlossyBox are now selling boxes for men! It's 4 boxes a year which include 7 sample products. This sounds like a fantastic idea for boyfriends, brothers or even dad's who are into grooming. I don't think every man would admit it but secretly they love a bit of pampering and may feel a bit uncomfortable about shopping for lots of products - this way, the box is delivered to their home and they can test out beauty stuff in secret! The only draw back is that it is £15 plus postage for every box. I think the Glossy team may consider lowering the price if lots and lots of men signed up. My suspicions tell me the higher price might just be to see how it goes.

What are you're opinions of this month's box? I'm always curious to find out and see what other people got!

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Ring Collection

Purple Stone Ring - Ebay

 Three Loop Ring - Unknown

Stud Ring Set - H&M

Cross Double Finger Ring - Urban Outfitters

Cross Ring - Fashionology

Deep Blue Stone Ring - Ebay

Long Turquoise Stone Ring - Primark

Feather Ring - Fashionology

Above the Knuckle Ring - Fashionology

Small Turquoise Stone Ring - Jewellers in Yorkshire

Large Turquoise Stone Ring - H&M

Silver Ridge Ring - Unkown

Skull Ring - Ebay

I did a post featuring my ring collection back in March you can read it here but I've since acquired a few more rings and found myself wearing them much more often. All of the rings above are listed and I've tried to link them up accurately to their place of purchase. Of course, some were given to me as presents and I have no idea where they are from!

I have a big place in my heart for Fashionology jewellery. It may be a little more expensive than say Topshop or H&M but the quality is so much better - the rings are sterling silver, chunky, well made and won't turn your finger green. I like to treat myself on their website every so often, the feather and cross ring arrived the other week.

I've recently discovered an amazing jewellery shop on Ebay, 'eorangehill' who sell beautifully large stone rings in every colour imaginable. They are based in South Korea but my items arrived within a week, nicely wrapped and better than I imagined! 

Urban Outfitters is another favourite place of mine to shop for jewellery. Although, I do sometimes think their stuff can be overpriced for the quality. They constantly update their jewellery range though so I discover something new to lust after every time I go in.

What's your go-to place for jewellery? 

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Fimo Flower Nails

These fimo flower pieces came free with some nail art pens I bought on ebay years ago. I never got around to testing them out although I'd googled fimo nail designs and been impressed with what I'd found.

I did these whilst watching Children In Need last night and didn't expect them to even stay on! I used an eyelash glue and tweezers to stick each individual fimo slice on to the nail (but nail glue would probably be stronger) and then I painted over the whole nail with a clear top coat, about 2 or three layers.
I like the way they have turned out, although not very in-season but girlie and cute. I'm looking for some Christmassy fimo slices to create a more festive design!

The real test will some tonight at work...will they all fall off? I'd use these again in the future but perhaps for one off occasions, parties, nights out etc rather than for everyday wear.
What do you guys think? Has anyone tried fimo nail art before?

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P.S. I've recently reached a massive 500 followers, and it hasn't gone unnoticed! Thank you so much to everyone that's a reader of ThisFashionIsMine you've made my week! I'm planning a little giveaway soon to say a proper thank you, once all the prizes have been organised I'll be posting more about it - so stay tuned!

City Life

Leather Jacket - Peacocks

Plaid Shirt - New Look

Plaid Scarf - Primark

Cardigan - New Look

Jeans - Topshop

White Leather Converse 

Hat - H&M

Cross Ring - Fashionology

Stone Ring - Ebay

(please ignore chipped nail polish!)

Today I bus'd it to Oxford Road to visit Whitworth Art Gallery and see an exhibition on 'Dark Matters' and I found myself dressing as a boy to do so. I can't wear this shirt without a leather jacket, I feel like too much of a lumberjack if I wear it alone, but more punk rock with the leather. Maybe the tartan scarf was too much but I need to wrap up warm today.

I'm not a hat person so I imagined myself throwing this one off in frustration ten minutes into my journey but I didn't, it stayed on, kept me warm and I actually really like it. Its an old one from 2 years ago, I rediscovered it this morning when I had greasy roots and no time to wash my hair. 

I won't talk to much about my rings, they're both new but I'm planning a whole ring collection post soon where I'll go into more detail. After visiting the gallery I trundled into the city centre to do some shopping (avoiding the H&M-Versace ordeal. And anyway, everything was sold out in 2 hours!) 

Did anyone actually manage to get any Versace goodies? My friend managed to get the shirt he wanted but he queued from 8am!!

Friday's are my free days but I'm heading into Uni non the less to hand in some library books and hopefully get some work done. A main assignment for us right now is focusing on the city, so everyday I'm thinking of things to photograph. I might even take a few cameras into Manchester tomorrow and snap some pictures of the famous and wonderful Christmas Markets! 

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Banana Bread

Today I baked my first banana bread loaf. I've never even tried banana bread before but the thought of banana in cake has always interested me. I used a recipe from the bbc website, strangely donated from John Barrowman of all people, but it turned out great! Its very simple and has a great flavour. I was a bit worried the banana flavour would overwhelm everything else but it was quite subtle, just the right amount.

If you want to try this for yourself you can follow the recipe here and my top tips and recommendations....

• I used 4 small-medium bananas. The recipe calls for over-ripe ones but I actually can't stand the taste of over-ripe fruit so I mashed up some perfectly ripe ones, nice and yellow, not too hard.
• Before adding the flour, the mixture is very very runny. The flour adds density and don't worry, it will come together.
• The recipe states 1 hour in the oven on Gas Mark 4, but the top of the bread started to catch a little after 45mins, so I lowered the temperature to Gas Mark 3, and placed a piece of tin foil loosely over the cake to prevent it from burning.
• Check on your banana bread every so often, but don't waft the oven door about, it will cause it to fall! Stick a long skewer into the bread to check its done. It will come out fairly clean with a few crumbs when it is ready.
• The banana helps to keep the bread really moist, so it can be a little gooey - as long as its had an hour it will be fine!

Good luck! If you're trying this for the first time like me, follow the recipe carefully. Next time I'm going to add some cinnamon for a more festive banana bread. It would be lovely served warm with custard too!

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Multi-Coloured Nails

If anyone follows me on Twitter you will have seen my endless Made In Chelsea tweets over the past few weeks or so. I'm a huge fan of the show, (yes TOWIE too) but in particular the girls fashion sense and style in Made in Chelsea is something to be admired. 

So when Cags (Caggie Dunlop) turned up to say goodbye to Spencer at the end of series one and I spotted her multi-coloured nails I knew I had to re-create them. It seems a lot of celebrities are painting their nails this way e.g Fearne Cotton, Pixie Lott and Lauren Conrad...

I stuck to block pastels, two blues, a yellow, a green and a coral. But this will work with all sorts of colours as long as they aren't metallics or two-toned polishes.

Models Own - Lemon Meringue

Models Own - Top Turquoise 

Barry M - Pale Blue

MUA - Shade 9

Barry M - Peach Melba

Turquoise Ring - Primark

Spike Ring - H&M

Knuckle Ring - Fashionology

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The Galaxy Tee Shop NOW OPEN!

A few weeks ago I posted this DIY tutorial on how to make a galaxy print t-shirt. I got some lovely comments and lots of you said you especially liked the cross galaxy design. Keeping this in mind I decided I'd make a few more, open a web-shop and sell them to you guys! I've started off making just the odd few, if they are successful I will definitely make more. So each t-shirt on the web-shop is just ONE product, I don't have multiples but I am prepared to note down an order for more of a certain design :)

Take a look at a few of the designs for sale...

Galaxy Cross and Upside Down Galaxy Cross V Neck Tees

Galaxy Triangle Round Neck Tees

Galaxy Skull Boy-Fit Tee and Pink and Navy Galaxy Print V Neck Tee

I'm so excited to open this online shop. Each t-shirt is designed by myself, and I hand make each print. I buy a few tshirts at a time and take special care over each one. I'm using no machinery, no production line, which means each tshirt is individual, unique and one of a kind. This also means I'm flexible when it comes to customization. If you have any ideas for future designs or something you would love to buy, let me know and I'll see what I can do!

You can visit the shop for yourself here at ThisFashionIsMine.bigcartel.com and feel free to make a purchase! All tees are ready and waiting to be shipped to new homes.
Tees are at a special introductory offer of £8.50 with £1.50 shipping costs, meaning its just £10 in total to make an order at ThisFashionIsMine.
Delivery to the UK should take 3-5 business days.
Delivery outside of the UK will cost £3.00 and may take up to 14 business days.

If you have any questions please ask in the below comments or email me on gwen@gwenmcmullin.co.uk

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Bonfire Night Shatter Nails

I know I'm a bit late with this tutorial, Bonfire Night was last Saturday and in actual fact I was going to call this nail design 'Sunset Nails' but they remind me far more of fire, flames and fireworks.
If you've read my blog for a while you might remember I did something very similar as a guest blogger over on Fleur De Force's (old) blog in the summer. You can see those Tropical Ombre Nails here

Using the same idea, I'm putting two bright colours together and laying a coat of Barry M's Shatter Polish in black over the top....it gives the impression you spent ages designing your nails when in fact it takes about ten minutes. You can do it with any colour, I thought this red and yellow ombre was perfect for this time of year.

Staring off with the deep orange, or bright red colour, I'm using Models Own Coral Reef paint the whole nail as normal. Wait for it to dry before starting with the next colour. You can paint two coats if you think necessary.

Using a little piece of sponge (mine is cut from a household scouring pad) dab on the yellow polish. I'm using Models Own Lemon Meringue. Start off with a small amount on your sponge, blend the yellow down to the middle of the nail as to avoid a sharp line. Add a little more to the tips of the nails for a stronger shade of yellow. Wait for this to dry. Right now, your nails will look messy and not very pleasing to the eye. But wait...

Using a shatter polish, I think black works the best here, it dulls down the bright in-your-face colours and pulls the two together. If you were using muted shades, maybe going for a white shatter polish would be a good idea. This shatter polish really brings the whole design together.

You can finish with a top coat if you like but I prefer this slightly matte look.

Ta-da! Apologises for the bits of polish around my nails, these rub away with a little bit of nail varnish remover on a cotton bud. Let me know if you try this out, its one of the quickest and easiest ways I like to paint my nails and it still looks like I've made some effort.

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