Stephanie.

December 16, 2018 No comments

Day 3

there is nothing quite like Christmas baking!

Christmas is definitely my favourite time of the year to bake some goodies and share them amongst friends and family.

shortbread is something i have been making since i was a little kid, mum and i would cut the shortbread into Christmas shapes and decorate them with green and red icing.

i decided this year i wanted to recreate my childhood shortbread cookies and share it with you.

Christmas Shortbread

Prep: 2 hours Cook: 20 minutes Makes: 20 cookies (depending on cutter size)

Ingredients
200g unsalted butter (chopped)
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1 1/2 cup Plain Flour
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
**whatever you choose to decorate with** (i chose Dr Oetker designer icing in white and some icing sugar)

Method

Step 1 - Process butter, sugar, flours and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor, stopping and scraping down sides with a spatula, if needed, until dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently to combine.

Step 2 - Divide dough in half. Shape into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until just firm.

Step 3 - Preheat oven to 170C/150C fan-forced. Grease 2-3 large baking trays. Line with baking paper.

Step 4 - Roll out 1 portion of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Using your preferred cookie cutter, cut 8 cookies from dough. Repeat with cookie cutter, re-rolling and cutting dough trimmings. Place cookie shapes, 2cm apart, on 2 prepared trays.
Step 5 - Bake, 1 tray at a time, for 10 minutes or until just firm to touch, but not browned. Leave cookies to stand on tray for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6 - once completely cooled, decorate as you wish. (i chose to decorate with some pre-made icing by Dr Oetker and some Christmas themed sprinkles)

i really enjoyed baking these Christmas treats and hope you will too, send me some pics of your creations if you end up using this recipe :)

**sorry they are decorated so terribly i had to rush them**

xxx

instagram: @lifebyssblog

email: lifebyssblog@gmail.com

December 15, 2018 No comments

December 14, 2018 No comments

Day 1

firstly i can't believe its December, secondly i can't believe its almost Christmas and thirdly welcome back to another year of 12 days of Christmas!!

i really enjoyed doing my 12 days of blog posts in the lead up to Christmas last year so here i am back again!

i wasn't sure where to start for day 1 but i decided it was only necessary i did a November beauty favourites post especially after the amount of new beauty products i picked up in over the course of the month.

if you are up to date with me on instagram and on here, you would know that we just got back from our cruise to New Zealand. we spent a few days in Sydney before we left on the cruise and that's where i picked up a ginormous amount of new makeup and beauty products.

1. Nars Climax Mascara in Explicit Black

i had been using a tester of this mascara for a little while before i decided to take the plunge and pick up the full sized product but i am really glad i did. i am really impressed with this mascara, it is super light on the lashes and fans them out nicely. i like that my lashes never look or feel clumpy when i use this mascara. it also makes my lashes look longer and overall they feel fuller. this mascara also never smudges and stays put the entire day, at this point i can't fault it!

2. Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear 24hr Foundation in 005
this foundation was on my wishlist for an extremely long time, i had been watching my favourite beauty gurus use it for months. so of course the first thing i did when i got to Sephora was buy it (we don't have Sephora in the city i live in, so i normally spend my life savings when i get the chance to visit a Sephora store). i picked up the shade 005 which is a near perfect match! so far, i am loving the coverage and finish of this foundation. i feel as if it gives my skin an airbrush finish and i like that its not super matte. the longevity of this foundation is really good, i wore it on a 35 degree day all day in Sydney and it didn't move at all. highly recommending this one!!

3. Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
my new favourite bronzer!!! i literally have not put this down since i got it. the shade and pigment in this bronzer is perfect, it is extremely buildable but also has the right amount subtleness if you only want a light bronze. i really like how this bronzer sits on my skin, its not too ashy and not too warm. i really think its great for the cooler months, through autumn and winter. i would probably use the regular chocolate bronzer for summer when i really want to be bronzed but otherwise this bronzer is definitely a must buy especially if you are fair skinned like me!

4. Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes Eyeshadow Palette
my fiance bought this for me for our anniversary, i had been waiting to receive it for months so i was super excited to finally use it. of course, like all Too Faced palettes it lived up to my expectations! i love the shade range in this palette, it is really versatile. i can see myself using it during summer but also during winter and autumn. the pigment is amazing; Too Faced always produce the most pigmented shadows. i literally can't fault this palette, i really love the fact it is entirely matte and how usable the colour range is.

xxx

instagram: @lifebyssblog

email: lifebyssblog@gmail.com

December 13, 2018 No comments

November 30, 2018 No comments

DAY 3: SEA DAY (Sunday 04/11/2018)

Ovation of the Seas from the North Star

we are officially home from holiday, i can quite easily say i am VERY depressed about this. it went way too quickly but nonetheless this holiday was AMAZING and the Ovation of the Seas and New Zealand lived up to all my expectations.

my partner also proposed to me before we got on the cruise so that made it extra special. it was truely incredible but i will share a separate post about that! :)

i thought i would break down the holiday posts this time around and instead of doing one for post of the entire trip. i have decided to do one 'sea day' blog post and one 'port day' blog post, sharing in detail what a typical day at sea and in port would look like.

typically i like to be a little more active on a sea day and unlike many, i like to get up early and make the most of the day.

time tends to get away from you whilst you are cruising through the vast ocean, so i like to try and get as much in as i can in the morning and relax in the afternoon.

this particular sea day started of with breakfast in the dining room buffet. we went to the dining room buffet most mornings, it is a lot nicer/better then going to the windjammer (huge buffet). you still get table service for your tea and coffee and can ask for extra things like fried eggs etc that normally aren't in the buffet.

after breakfast we tended to head back to the room and finish getting ready for the rest of the day. i would then browse the cruise compass (the daily schedule of events happening on board) to see if the was anything i would like to do. this sea day we had a few things booked and planned so i didn't have to do much planning.

Good morning world - Coffee was NEEDED

Northstar at it's reach of 90m above sea level

we grabbed a coffee and headed up to deck 14 where we waited on the sun lounges for our turn on the North Star. the North Star is a capsule that suspends 90m above sea level, offering some pretty amazing views over the boat and the ocean. we jumped on the North Star at our booked time of 10.30; bookings for this are essential and it is definitely worth booking before you arrive on the ship via the cruise planner.

the North Star is a must do and super worth it especially if are someone who likes to take photos (i think i took a good hundred).

View from the Northstar

once we were done on the North Star, we walked around on the outside levels of the ship. it was a particularly sunny and surprisingly warm day. the back of the ship, holds the Flow Rider (a simulated surfing ride type thing) and the iFly (pretty much simulated sky diving), both are always great entertainment. we watched people participate on both of these whilst enjoy the sunshine.

View from the Northstar- it was such a nice day!

lunch time rolled round and lucky for us, we had a reservation at Jamie's Italian.

the layout and decor of Jamie's was really nice and perfectly situated on the ship.

before i tell you what we had to eat, let me just say it was the best meal i had on the ship by far!!! so yummy!!

i started off with a bruschetta for entree as well as a anti-pasta platter of cold meats and cheese that we shared. my main course was a tagliatelle bolognese, i can't even describe to you how good this was. the sauce was amazing and no doubt it was almost better then my nonnas!! (and that is saying alot)

for dessert, i finished with a tiramisu which once again has to be up there with one of the best i have ever had. i definitely have no complaints about this dining experience and i wish we went back a second time round. if you are going on the Ovation then definitely add this to your list of things to do.

after lunch, we headed for a spot of shopping. we ventured into Michael Kors where i picked out a nice black coin purse. it was on sale and an absolute bargain so i just couldn't resist. (i wish i bought more stuff from the shops on board because the prices are ALOT better then what they are here in Australia)

as we finished looking around the shops i realised i was going into a full blown food coma, so it was only necessary that we headed to the Two70 lounge to relax whilst we looked over the ocean. the Two70 was one of my favourite venues to hang out, it has 180 degree views of the ocean due to its floor to ceiling glass windows and a lot of comfy chairs.

we sat back and relaxed whilst sipping on some strawberry daiquiri's. i read a bit of 'Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine' and we enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon.

Royal Theatre

we attended our set dinner reservation at 5.30pm with our waiters Ge and Donna and enjoyed a nice 3 course meal. i can promise you that these 3 course meals every night definitely didn't do a lot for my waistline.

the night was finished off with a show in the Royal Theatre called Live Long Legs. i like attending the shows each night as there are always something different.

once the show was over, it was bedtime which was well and truly deserved.

i hope you enjoyed this little insight into our holiday

xxx

instagram: @lifebyssblog

email: lifebyssblog@gmail.com