Love Treats

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching I thought I would share some of my favourite and sweetest posts which can easily double as treats for your Valentine! Why not try your hand at making macarons? I promise they're not quite as intimidating as you may think! Or, why not have a V-Day brunch complete with homemade strawberry milk, and chocolate stuffed french toast? You could always make a batch of red velvet cookies, or heart shaped cake pops. They can be easily packaged, and are sure to make anyone smile!

 I'd love to know- do you still give out Valentines?

Vacation Beauty

I cannot believe that I will be finishing up my undergrad and heading to Costa Rica next week! I am so excited that I have already started rounding up my "must pack" beauty items. I am looking forwards to relaxing on the beach and doing some adventurous activities, but since the temperatures are expected to be in the mid to high 30's I am gravitating towards the light and dewy look. These are some of my favourite beauty products at the moment that I will not leave home without.

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo : because after long days by the pool there sometimes isn't enough time to wash hair before dinner
2. Baby Lips in Quenched : perfect moisture and SPF 20
3. Moroccan Oil Glimmer Shine Spray : to spruce up the locks 
4. OPI Mermaid Tears : tropical and bright
5. Maybelline Dream Fresh Beauty Balm : (this is the first BB cream I've tried) tinted SPF
6. Bare Escentuals Bumox Lash : a travel size of one of my favourites
7. Revlon Love That Pink & MAC Viva Glam Gaga : bright pinks for evening wear
8. Clinique Moisture Surge Intense : can relieve the driest of face days 
9. Viva La Juicy : light and floral
10. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Buff : this is my favourite product right now, and I am excited to see how it lasts in the humid temperatures 

**On a side note: macaron look-a-like boxes are perfect for packing earrings and dainty rings 

Mastering le Macaron - Part Two

Hope everyone had a fabulous long weekend! If you saw my first attempt at making macarons, you knew I was on the hunt for a yummy buttercream recipe. I used the same recipe for the base of the macaron, but found an amazing raspberry buttercream icing to sandwich in the middle- and what a difference it made! I was hoping for a stronger yellow colour, but I was worried adding too much food colouring to the base would make them too watery, and not turn out. Still, I find the natural-ish colour looks great with the pink icing.

I used this icing recipe, but instead I changed the strawberry jam to seedless raspberry jam, and added a tad bit more for a stronger flavour. Although I still cannot compare them to the ones I had in Paris, this batch was far better than my first attempt. They were also a perfect addition to our Easter sweet table! Still wondering if any of you have mastered the macaron? 

Mastering le Macaron

Going into this project I knew noooothing could compare to the macaron goodness that I experienced on my last trip to Paris. But who doesn't love a good experiment! I followed this recipe and made some minor adjustments and let me just say- I was pleasantly surprised! Look at those pieds! They were definitely crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. I found the buttercream icing recipe a tad bit sweet so next time I will be substituting it with another. And yes, there will be a next time! I am already envisioning an array of lavender and yellow babies for Easter! In the meantime here are some of my tips: 

• Make sure you don't add in other ingredients until the egg white mixture is glossy and forms white peaks when you lift batters. I didn't think my eggs would do this, but after testing multiple times it was obvious when the peaks actually formed! Took me 8-10 minutes to form this texture.
• Make sure you tap the tray a few times to get out excess air and let them dry for at least 15 minutes. I was so anxious to just pop them in the oven that I almost forgot this crucial step!
• Try and find two trays that are the same thickness. One of my trays was thicker than the other so the macarons on the heavier tray did not fully cook. It was a sad moment when I pulled them off the tray to find the bottoms were stuck! 

Even though people say they are very finicky and stubborn, I thoroughly enjoyed making them, and at the end of the day they were delicious! Isn't that all that matters?