The 12 Days of Gifting: Day 4 Bake Boutique Candles

Nothing says Merry Christmas, like Bake Boutique's Cinnamon Gingerbread Man candle, £32.

Or if you're looking for a year round scent then you can choose from Vanilla Cupcake with Sprinkles, Almond Coffee Cake, Red Velvet Slice or Chocolate Honeycomb Brownie.

See the full review here.

The 12 Days of Gifting: Day 3 Festive Philosophy Sets

These are such a delectably delicious way to say Merry Christmas to a friend.  I bought a Philosophy set for my sister last year for Christmas and she adored it.  The packaging is cosy and the scents leave you dreaming of sugar plums dancing in your head!

For a manufactured roaring fire and toasty warm feeling then try (from left to right) Marshmallows for Toasting shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath and body lotion, £18, Holly Jolly shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath and Crisp Berry lip shine, £16, Gingerbread Girl shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath and body lotion, £18, Tinsel Town shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath and lip shine, £16 and White Pear, White Peach and White Cranberry shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath, £22.  All available at Selfridges.

*Images taken from www.selfridges.com

The Stove on Sunday: Barefoot Contessa's Truffle Butter Turkey

Thanksgiving always holds a special place in my heart after spending it with friends in Massachusetts, back in 2005, so my mum always tries to create a pseudo Thanksgiving dinner for me.  Our guilty pleasure is American TV chef Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa.  We love her and her recipes as well as finding some of her idiosyncrasies quite irritating.  Her poor husband, Jeffrey, only ever seems to be cooked chicken because it's his favourite and she says "How good is that?" an awful lot.  On the build up to Thanksgiving, the Food Network were running all of her Thanksgiving episodes, including this rather indulgent recipe for truffle butter turkey.  We decided to test run this for a potential new way of cooking our turkey at Christmas, as it's no secret that it's not the most delicious of poultry.

Ina only used the crown of the turkey rather than the full thing, which we never do, as some of the more tasty meat is the dark meat in our eyes and cooking without the bones can make it dry also.  However, we decided for the sake of the test run, we would just use the crown too.  After all, we're not really American and it's not really Thanksgiving to us, so a whole proper turkey seemed a little bit extravagant for a Thursday evening.

You will need:

Turkey Crown (or whole Turkey)

3 oz Truffle Butter

Fresh Thyme

Some Black Garlic (this was our own addition)

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

How To:

1. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels

2. Release the skin from the meat carefully, so as not to tear and begin to place the truffle butter underneath.  We actually mixed our truffle oil with standard butter instead.  We also had black garlic recommended to us by a friend, so we also placed a few cloves of this under the skin too.

3.  Press your hands across the turkey skin in order to evenly distribute the butter.

4.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil across the meat before placing into the oven at 325 degrees F for approximately three hours, remember half way through to cover the turkey with foil so as not to burn the skin.

5.  Serve with your favourite roast vegetables.

On tasting the meat it was a little dry, which we attributed to the fact we were just using the crown but it was quite impressively flavoursome considering it was cooked without the bones and the dark meat.  It had a richer taste than usual but it did not overpower.  Considering we spent somewhere near the region of £70 for our turkey last year and it didn't taste as delicious as this one we figured that we could actually get away with purchasing a much cheaper turkey and instead cook it in this manner to ensure the flavour.  To ELLE and Back brings you another credit buster, in the form of a turkey dinner, of all things!

We also took on board Ina's table decoration ideas...

"How good is that?" *wink*

The 12 Days of Gifting: Day 2 Coffee Lover's Lip Balm Set

For someone who's even been given a name change, by an old uni friend, to Starbucks, this next gift would be a perfect feature in my stocking *clears throat* "Mother did you read that?!"

Around 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed daily, so I can't be alone, making this a great stocking filler for any of the caffeine, Starbucks-going addictives out there.  At just £6 from Accessorize (only available in store now) this Coffee Lover's Lip Balm set could also be your antidote to that office Secret Santa  conundrum!

*Image taken from www.priceinspectors.co.uk

The 12 Days of Gifting: Day 1 The Fashion Foie Gras Tote for Coach

I thought this was such a clever little series title and then lo and behold, I open the Metro this morning to discover my home away from home, Starbucks, have entitled their little gifting promotion this too.  If interested then stop by a Starbucks, buy a festive drink and get a little free gift.  Today was their mince pie.  Anyway, I digress....

  This is going to be a series of twelve short posts featuring items that I either desperately would like but am slightly too financially challenged for, items that will most definitely be featuring on my Christmas list this year (keep an eye out mum) and some cool, fun bits and pieces that would be awesome ideas for others!

The first in the series is this beauty...

Now let's get this straight...I.  Don't.  Get.  Coach.  Americans get them.  All those C's, they love them.  I realise they're not just all about the C's but that's really been the road block between myself and Coach ever having a fashion love affair.  So when I read that Fashion Foie Gras was collaborating with them to create a bag, I really wasn't interested, no matter how much I love her blog.

Then I saw the finished product.  I fell in love.  Never did I expect to fall in love with a Coach bag.  Never.  Firstly I'm enamoured with it's overall attractiveness and secondly I'm convinced that Emily literally jumped into my mind, or my very oversized Marc Jacobs bag, to figure out just where it was all going wrong for me.  It's created with the busy blogger in mind but as she so puts it, really it's for any busy woman out there. "Hello" *Louisa waves her arms frantically*.  So if you're sick of delving for your blackberry and returning with your ballet pump then I would seriously consider making a loved one invest in this stylish bundle of convenience for you.

All the hidden features are a must to check out, so here's the link to Emily's blog post to take a better look.  Unfortunately at $558 (yes I can't find the UK price for something again), this will be staying very firmly on the wish list.

*Image taken from www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com

The Stove on Sunday: Heston's Pine Scented Mince Pies

As far as I'm concerned as soon as Halloween and Bonfire night are out of the way you have free reign to begin  building up to Christmas.  In fact, I, like many, am far more enamoured with the anticipation of it's arrival, the festive activities, foods, smells, tastes and sounds than the actual day.  So I hereby declare this the first official festive post of the season.

I have an obsession with Heston Blumenthal's experimental menus but as we all know they come with a fairly hefty price tag.  Luckily for us, Waitrose's collaboration with him has continued this year, meaning we can sample some extraordinary dishes at a mass market price.  Cast your mind back to last years Heston's Orange-Filled Christmas Pudding fiasco for example-they were like gold dust.  My Christmas pudding connoisseur mother was devastated she never found one.  (Do not fear, we have three stocked away for this year already-we take Christmas puddings very seriously in my house!)

Whilst my mother begins sampling Christmas puddings from every supermarket and deli in the local area, to ensure we have the best for Christmas Day well in advance (see, serious), my attention is always drawn to the mince pies.  You can imagine, therefore, my excitement when Waitrose started flaunting their Heston Pine Tree Scented Mince Pies.  Mince pies that smell like a forest of Christmas Trees.  Swoon!  I was even more thrilled when, without even voicing my delight, some appeared in our kitchen a few weeks ago, courtesy of the mother.

They didn't last five minutes, obviously, as I was dying to try them and self-control has never been one of my finer points.  The box contains six mince pies and a sachet of pine scented icing sugar.  Essentially it's the icing sugar that contains the magic ingredient, as opposed to the actual mince pie.  The instructions highlight that the mince pies should be warmed in the oven and then sprinkled with the icing sugar in order for them to reach their maximum potential.

They did exactly what they said on the tin but there were a few things that I found a little disappointing.  The mince pies aesthetically aren't that attractive and resemble more of a sausage roll.  The wow factor is of course the scent, which would be ideal for parties but personally I feel the presentation lets them down a little.  I would probably think twice about serving these up at a Christmas soiree based on looks alone.  The mince to pastry ratio was also a little off and there was definitely more mincemeat required.  The ingredients used for Heston's mincemeat are fairly unique and high end (lemon curd, apple puree and rose water), for a mince pie, so it would have been wonderful to be able to identify those.  Waitrose and Heston are both synonymous to luxury and although the concept is most definitely indulgent the flavour, due to too much puff pastry, was basic in my opinion.  However, as a consumer we're really buying into the gimmick of the pine scent, of which there was a definite Christmas Tree aroma as we brought them into the living room.   The smell, of course, captured Christmas and en mass served on a plate at a party would be magical.

If you get the chance to pick some up, do, as they're such a fun and quirky slant on mince pies that add an extra special touch to any festive meal but don't expect your taste buds to be wowed.  If possible I'd actually recommend stocking up on a few packets for the pine scented icing sugar alone and instead sprinkle over a tried and tested luxury mince pie of your choice.

*Image taken from www.grocer.co.uk

Luxe for Less: Sequin Skirt

Many of you style-conscious variety, follow the musings of @DKNY PR Girl via her twitter and she has since launched a blog for when "140 characters just aren't enough!"  One of my favourite editions is her to do list and in at number 4 is....

"Buy oversized sequin mini skirt for holiday soiree perfection!"

The link takes you to this beauty...

Available from DKNY, of course, it's retailing at around $275/£235, it's almost quite reasonable *Louisa shields herself from credit busting divas around the World*

I was elated to see, however, when flipping through the December issue of Elle last week, this clone by Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection for just £55.

I'm a huge sequin fan and consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur.  Yes there is such a thing as sequin snobbery and I have defined the rules.  I may even do a "good sequin v bad sequin" post someday.  

These just aren't any sequins though, they are the new trend of sequins, known to those that are fashionably well versed as "paillettes."  Elle described them best, I think, as "sequins on speed."

Teamed with a traditionally festive colour both of these numbers will be perfect for over the, dare I say it, fast approaching party season.

*Gasp* Can't find the Marks and Spencer's version online, hopefully it's not too late for us all! *Grabs coat, heads to Oxford Street*

*Images taken from www.dkny.com and www.cosmopolitan.co.uk

The Advent Giveaway: Behind Door 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13...

...is an array of beauty products.

I am so frustrated with myself and my lack of Advent Giveaway blog posts last week.  Life has been crazy busy and I have been preoccuppied with a lot of things.  Therefore I am giving 7 products away to one winner to make up for the 7 days missed!  To enter you must a, be a follower of the blog and b, tweet "I've entered the #toelleandback Beauty Giveaway" followed by the link to the post.  International entrants welcome.

The giveaway includes a miniature bottle of Dove moisturising shower creme, Lipstick Queen lipstick in Saint Red, Bath and Body Works antibacterial gel in warm vanilla sugar, Maybelline 18 Hour Wear Super Stay lip colour in Raisin, Mac eyeshadow in Golden Rod, Mac liquidlast liner in a Dusky Pink and a RMK Gel Eyeliner in Shiny Purple!

I am also pleased to announce that the winner of the L'Oreal Collagen Filler is Lolaa!

The Advent Giveaway: Behind Door 6...

...is L'Oreal's Wrinkle Decrease Collagen Filler.

I am DAYS behind on the Advent Giveaway, so apologies, I have been so busy.  This is Mondays giveaway which will be open until tomorrow morning (Fri 10th Dec) and I plan to post todays, along with the last two days tonight.

To enter Day 6, just comment below along with ensuring that you are a follower of the blog.  I can also announce that my random winner of the Fake Bake lipgloss from Sundays giveaway is Ray of Who is She? blog.

Planned postage of prizes so far is tomorrow!  I will confirm to all that they have been sent via email.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

The Advent Giveaway: Behind Door 5...

...is a Fake Bake lipgloss.

The gloss may be called High Maintenance but today is Sunday, otherwise known as the day of rest so there are no entry rules for this giveaway, apart from that you must be a follower via GFC.  The winner shall be picked from random from my follower list on Monday evening. 

I am also pleased to announce that the winner of the Butter nail polish from yesterdays Advent Giveaway is Lolaa!  Please send me your postal address to toelleandback@yahoo.co.uk

The Advent Giveaway: Behind Door 4...

...is a Butter nail polish.

It's icy out there and this blue is the perfect wintry accompaniment to your nails, or save it until summer and it would look great with a tan!  To enter you must a, be a follower via GFC and b, tweet "I've entered the #toelleandback Advent Giveaway" along with the link. (International entrants welcome and you are allowed to win more than once!)

The winner of Garnier's UltraLiftPro-x Re-plumping and Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream from yesterdays Advent Giveaway is Pink Julep!  Email me at toelleandback@yahoo.co.uk with your address and I will get this sent out early this week.

The Advent Giveaway: Behind Door 3

...is Garnier's UltraLiftPro-x Re-plumping and Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream.

This post is a little late going up today because I've been trying to shovel my way out of my road, which failed and doing more work for my job because guess where I still am.....?

As you can see the mound outside my door has grown further.

With an icy chill like the one thats been whistling it's way through much of England this week, it's really important to take care of your skin so moisturising is a must!  To enter simply comment below and remember you need to be a follower of the blog by Google Friend Connect  as well (International entrants welcome).

I am also pleased to announce that the winner of the Laura Mercier Chocolate Garnet Mineral Eye Powder of yesterdays Advent Giveaway was Anna of @mymindsownvoice.  Please email toelleandback@yahoo.co.uk with your address so that I can send your prize out when I can leave my road!  Watch out for Something for the Weekend... later, which will most likely document everything I would have done this weekend if I was able to get anywhere.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

The Advent Giveaway: Behind Door 2...

...is Laura Mercier, chocolate garnet mineral eye powder.

With the Big Freeze hitting England, I have been stranded at home for three days now due to our ridiculous public transport.  For me this means a roaring fire by my computer whilst I work from home and hot chocolate late afternoon...

...so the chocolate eyeshadow is quite symbolic of my being "snowed in".

The entering rules shall change from day to day, so make sure you keep an eye out.  To enter for todays Advent Giveaway you need to a, be a follower of the blog and b, tweet "I've entered the #toelleandback Advent Giveaway" along with the link and please leave a comment below with your twitter tag name so that I know who you are!  International entrants are accepted and the winner will be announced in Day 3's post.

I can also confirm that the winner of the Mac lipstick yesterday is Stephanie Cummins!  If you can email me your address to toelleandback@yahoo.co.uk I will attempt to get it sent out to you this weekend but until my front door stops looking like this....

....it may have to be next week.

*Hot Chocolate image from blisstree.com

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

The Advent Giveaway: Behind Door 1...

...is a Mac lipstick

Sorry for the poor photo!

The vibrant Mac red in "Lady Danger" will be a great statement to any LBD this Christmas.  To enter to win this lipstick make sure you are a follower of the blog and please comment below.  Anybody that wins this week should email me their details to toelleandback@yahoo.co.uk and I shall send all winning items out at the weekend (the giveaway is open to international readers as well).  The winner of todays giveaway shall be announced in tomorrows giveaway post. 

Launching the Advent Giveaway has never felt more apt when taking into consideration that the 1st of December looks like this...

We now can't open the door without mounds of snow falling in our house....eeek!

...at my house.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Maggie Angus Are Putting The Fun Back Into Monday

Most of you will be dragging your feet with an expression of gloom, not even attempting to battle off the monday morning blues. So here's a little uplift from me...

Anna Hickman Evans, of Maggie Angus jewellery, is holding a 20% off sale today. The line is relatively new but already receiving great press. The quirky pieces are a fun slant on any outfit. With necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings featuring eccentric designs, such as a row of shoes, they're the perfect gift to our friends this Christmas or even, dare I say, ourselves. After all, who doesn't like to document the obsession, Carrie Bradshaw made so famous?

The already affordable line is holding the 20% discount for today only, so kick off your Christmas shopping with these ultimate items...

NOW £27.20

NOW £21.40

NOW £23.20

*all available at www.maggieangus.com

 

To brighten your day a little further, I wanted to remind you all that Wednesday is the launch of my Advent Giveaway. A product a day to keep the winter blues away. The no.1 rule is that you must be a follower to enter. Some days a winner will be picked at random from my follower list and others I may ask for a physical entry, which again the winner will be picked randomly from. I've already got a bag stacked full of goodies including, Chanel, Bath and Body Works, Mac, amongst others.

So let's kick start this week in style.  Happy Monday Everyone!

*all images from http://www.maggieangus.com/

Way back when...

As I sit here with my Christmas pudding slice and my cup of tea on this chilly night, I am reminded of the saying on my Starbucks cup today..."Stories are gifts to share..."

I am so lucky to have so many wonderful memories, including much loved friends and family, many jovial laughs, heartwarming moments and overwhelming feelings of contentment.  I have decided to make Way back when... a regular piece that documents moments I keep close to my heart.

Today is Thanksgiving.  In 2005 I was studying at Bridgewater State College, MA and I shared Thanksgiving with my good friend Jen Corey, her family and friends. 

It was a bitter cold night and we had rehearsals for our Lab Theatre Project, the "Theatre on the Edge" Festival, that was to take place the following week.  As we wrapped at 10.30pm, myself, Jen, Jamie, Mike and Alison made our way to the cinema to see Rent the movie.  It had just been released at the cinema and my friends were dying to see it.  I wasn't bothered either way, as had never seen it on stage anyway.  We were the last into the showing and had to take seats at the very front.  It was a late showing, I was exhausted and ten minutes in I fell asleep, only to wake just in time to see the final scene.  We hugged and said our farewells to Jamie and Alison in the car park.  Mike dropped Jen and myself back to her house. 

I had visited Jen's once before but only sat in the car.  We bundled into her home with her massive bag of laundry.  Both her parents were still awake, their Christmas tree was up and their home smelt of freshly baked apple pie.  The cinnamon was intoxicating. They were beyond welcoming and I truly felt as if I was part of their family.   I even remember their distinct candied apple hand soap from Bath and Body Works, perfect for such a holiday. The following morning Jen and I headed out to Mary Lou's for coffee for everyone later and then prepared for the rest of the day.  A multitude of relatives arrived to a feast of turkey, mashed potato, meatballs, amongst other delicious foods. 

As the day drew to a close, numerous friends appeared for dessert.  Some bringing their own but either way Jen's mum had prepared enough for all.  Baklava, pumpkin pie, apple pie, brownies, cookies...the list goes on.  Us college lot headed down to the basment, ate, chatted and generally laughed until late.  Friends for dessert, since 2005, has been a Corey Annual Thanksgiving Event and every year, depsite the large ocean that seperates myself from all of them, I am still invited via Facebook.  Next year, I hope to attend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh the weather outside is frightful but my nails will be so delightful...

I'm starting to regret spending my "new winter coat" money on two L'Oreal advent calendars.  The weather hasn't quite turned yet but there is definitely an icier chill in the air, for my walk home from the station in the evening.  England, apparently, from Thursday onwards is set to look a little like this...



My sister and I Feb 2009

I may freeze to death with the "arctic winds" that are being threatened but whilst doing so I shall have the most perfect frost effect nails to match!

I used two coats of each of these two polishes...

To create this look...



To me, it screams frosted mint, which many a colleague has chuckled at me for.  The sparkle adds a snow globe quality to the metallic green, that is very much reminiscent of that Bath and Body Works snow globe, peppermint lipbalm I blogged about a few days back. 

I may not have a coat but style wise, I am more than ever prepared for the wintry week ahead.  Now if only they were scented too!

The "To Elle and Back Advent Calendar": Otherwise known as, my first giveaway!

Whoever still doubts Social Media, take note, although anybody that does, is most likely not reading my blog.

Yesterday I purchased two items from Selfridges that were recommended by the lovely, British Beauty Blogger.  One was a Christmas present, that shall remain a mystery until further notice, as the person in question is one of a few family and friends that will most likely read this and the second is the most magical treat I could ever ask for...

The L'Oreal advent calendar has been blogged about repetitively, due to it's unique concept, exclusivity and hefty price tag (£60), considering we're talking about a Christmas countdown.  I first read about this on the blog mentioned above and then numerous entries appeared all over the net, which meant I just had to have it.  I know it's extravagant and I know I don't need it.  So of course, I bought two!

Only joking, ones for my mum, I treated her too.  Synchronise "Ahhhh!" 

The calendar includes 24 days of beauty goodies ranging from creams to perfumes, from Kiehls to Stella McCartney.  Quite frankly, I can't possibly wait until the 1st of December, it needs to hurry up!

Since bragging about my calendar on twitter last night, the lovely Pink Julep expressed her sensible restraint from purchasing it, despite her overwhelming desire to do so.  I decided this could be the perfect opportunity to run a giveaway on the blog.  I've been itching to do one for a while (although I do only have 12 followers)!  Before anybody gets ahead of themselves, I am not parting with my beast of a calendar, nor am I purchasing another one for a reader.  I do however plan to implement the, To Elle And Back Advent Calendar.  This will run for 24 days, as of the 1st of December and will include beauty products, most of the luxe nature (yes I am talking CHANEL) and the odd extra fun Christmas inspired gift, if something of the non beauty nature catches my eye.  I'm not entirely sure of all the logistics yet but I am willing to ship anywhere in the World.

This brings me to my next point quite naturally.  I am literally moving on from one festivity to the next.  My last blog post (here) featured Halloween and now I feel it is of the utmost importance that I declare To Elle And Back a Christmas zone.  Not only will my advent calendar giveaway begin in a few weeks but I will be blogging about festive events, cosy treats, must have party pieces, tasteful (and tacky) Christmas lights in my local area and I might even dabble in a bit of wintry themed nail art.  You heard it here first peeps!  I am also, very much in the market for Christmas lipbalms.  I have still never quite gotten over the snow globe lipbalm I bought from the ONLY Bath and Body Works in the UK, about 10 years ago (which proceeded to close down very quickly) and so would be grateful for any input as to any you may be aware of. Oh and FYI can I just express how excited I am over the Metro believing we shall be the recipients of snow as of Sunday.  If my house doesn't look like this....

I shall be inconsolable.