Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Sunday, 16 July 2017

Refreshing Summer Cocktails with Hayman's Gin

As warmer weather is fast approaching, Hayman's the original English Gin Makers, have added a dash of Englishness to classic cocktails - perfect to enjoy on lazy summer days in the garden. Introducing three refreshing cocktails; English Ruby Fizz, Lavender Lady and Victorian Mojito, each recipe incorporates Hayman’s London Dry Gin, seasonal fruits, mixers and flavours to create traditional summer cocktails but with a delicious twist.



I thought these sounded so lovely, that I couldn't resist making one. I'm a big mint and lime fan so I just had to make the Hayman's Victorian Mojito which was not only refreshing and delicious but also so quick and simple to make. Perfect if you have company and need to batch make some cocktails quickly. 




Hayman's Victorian Mojito

Nothing says summer like a sun lounger, a good book and a refreshing minty mojito in the back garden.   The Victorian Mojito combines Hayman’s London Dry Gin with fresh mint and lime juice balanced with sugar syrup to create an ideal English classic.

Makes 1 cocktail;

50ml Hayman's London Dry Gin
25ml Freshly squeezed lime juice
20ml Sugar syrup
Premium tonic water or soda water
Freshly picked mint leaves

Method:
1. Fill a highball glass with cracked or crushed ice and a few fresh mint leaves
2. Pour in the Hayman’s London Dry Gin and let it run down over the ice
3.  Add the lime juice and sugar syrup
4.  Churn vigorously ensuring the ingredients are well mixed
5.   Top with the tonic water or soda water
6.    Garnish with a mint sprig

Or how about trying one these; 



Hayman’s Lavender Lady

The Lavender Lady is the Hayman’s take on the traditional sour White Lady cocktail.   The egg white creates a silky mixture, which perfectly accompanies the honey and Cointreau.  Top the cocktail with a sprig of Lavender, and sit back in the garden and relax.

Makes 1 cocktail; 

50ml Hayman’s London Dry Gin

20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

10ml of locally sourced honey or 20ml of honey water

10ml Cointreau

1 medium egg white

Dash of orange bitters

Sprig of lavender to garnish

Honey water:

1. Combine equal parts of honey and hot water

2. Stir until mixed

Method:

1.  Add cubed ice to a cocktail shaker

2.  Pour the Hayman’s London Dry Gin over the ice

3.  Add all the remaining ingredients, except the garnish

4.  Give all the ingredients a very hard shake and strain into cocktail glass

5. Garnish with a sprig of lavender


Hayman’s English Ruby Fizz

Semi-sweet, refreshing and with an eye-catching pink tint, the English Ruby Fizz is the ideal al fresco cocktail.  The sweet taste of the raspberries partners perfectly with the spicy ginger notes.

Makes 1 cocktail;

Ingredients:

50ml Hayman’s London Dry Gin

20ml lime juice

10ml sugar syrup or Grenadine

4-8 fresh raspberries or raspberry syrup

Ginger Ale to top with

Lime wheel and fresh raspberries to garnish

Method:

1. Fill a highball glass with plenty of large cubes of ice

2. Set aside the ginger ale and garnish, and combine all remaining ingredients in a shaker with the ice

3. Shake well for approximately 12 seconds

4. Double strain into the highball allowing the liquid to run over the ice

5. Top with ginger ale

6. Garnish with a lime wheel and raspberries

Thursday, 22 June 2017

A Crochet Crush from Simply Be

It's been almost a month since I blogged about fashion! Feel like it's almost a record for me.
Well, now what perfect way to ease myself back in than showing off this absolute belter of a dress. Now, I'm going to be honest here; I deemed this dress as ugly. Channelling ultimate granny vibes, this dress looked like it belonged on the back of a couch. But putting it on, I clearly had to eat my words!

 

 

I usually steer away from tunic style dresses as they do nothing for my shape but this one clung to my curves just beautifully. 
With 3/4 length sleeves and sitting at the perfect height on my knees, it was not overly hot to wear either. I will say though, this dress does not come with a slip and was pretty much see through so I wore chub shorts and a little vest underneath. But not forgetting, this would be a great dress to pop over your bikini too. Or how about pairing it with cute boots for the ultimate festival look?

 
You can find this beauty at Simply Be here.

Friday, 21 April 2017

Anti Chafing Knickers - My summer must have!

The sun has finally started to come out and so have my skirts. Which means it's time to start stocking my wardrobe with some essentials. First on the list would have to be anti chafe shorts. If like me and thousands of other women, suffer from the dreaded 'chub rub' then we can all wince at the mere thought of the burning pain we endure after a warm day. So to warn off said thighs of fire, I usually wear some kind of anti chafe wear.
This year, I'm trying out the anti chafe, short leg knickers from The Big Tights Company

 

Now for me, the length was perfect. I've previously found that if the shorts are too long, my skirt sticks to them and end up bunched between my legs. Not a good look!
I opted for the short leg in hope that this wouldn't happen and I'm so happy that nothing stuck. These are actually knickers but I wore them as shorts as I felt as though I had forgotten to put my underwear on-personal preference! They are super comfortable and stretchy, as they are no designed to be shapewear, there's no 'sucking in' effect. 
I also like that the waistband isn't high waisted, unlike some which can make you feel too layered in the hotter months. They sat just above my naval and against normal waistband. 

 

 

These knickers come in sizes 12-36 in black, white and natural in both long and short leg, with or without lace trim and can be found here.

Sunday, 22 May 2016

Dressing Down with Evans

Everywhere I look, all I seam to see is festival wear. Wether it's TV adverts, shop window displays, online stores etc.. And as much as I love a folkish festival look, in the summer I'm mostly slumming it in flip flops and pull on dresses.
When asked by the gorgeous babes at Evans to choose some pieces from their range, I wanted comfort. Something non slobbish or plain but just something I KNEW I was going to wear when the temperature starts to soar. 





So I went for this blue stripe dress. Yes, it's a pull on dress, no fancy designs, no cute fabrics or seductive shapes. But the colour is everything! The fabric is super soft and comfortable and i love the little pocket. Not only is this my favourite colour but I also had the perfect colour coordinating Nike sliders to wear with it. It reminds me of a 70s deck chair and I'm so cool with that! 


The dress can obviously be worn in a variety of ways, it's not all about the simplicity of flip flops. How about some cute heeled sandals and a statement necklace? 



The dress can be found here over on the Evans website x

Friday, 13 May 2016

Thighs Of Fire? Not with Tortz!

If there's one thing I worry about when buying new skirts for summer, that's thigh rub. Now I won't go as far as calling it 'chub rub' as I know plenty of slimmer women who have endured the dreaded thighs of hell during the warmer months.
So when I came across Tortz., I wanted to try them out in a second. 
Unlike anti chafe shorts, these are more like short tights, alas where the name Tortz comes to play. With lace hems and a nice high waist, these ticked all my requirement boxes. 
I'm partial to quite a shortish skirt in the summer so I knew I didn't want something too long that would reach my knees and be shown to everyone at the slightest hint of a breeze. I also didn't want a thick material to bulk my clothes up or make me too hot. Tortz have the look and feel of a thin denier tights but are incredibly hard wearing. I won't lie, I tugged and pulled and picked but I still didn't manage to damage them!


With a non slip rubber backing to the lace, the Tortz stay firmly in place. I wore these to a blogger event one evening, where I knew I'd be hot and on my feet for a few hours. I didn't even notice I was wearing them, the were truly comfortable and very breathable.


I'm wearing the nude here but they also come in black or you can buy one of each in a pack of two.
Tortz are available in 3 sizes ranging from 8 to 22. I highly recommend this product and although a fairly new company, I do hope to see a larger range of sizes being added in the future.

Thursday, 26 November 2015

OOTD Summer Florals for Autumn? Hell Yes!

Now that those summer days are long behind us and we start each day reaching for our warmer clothes, I decided to reevaluate some of the items in my wardrobe. I found a few cute 'Spring/Summer' dresses that I wasn't quite ready to pack away and set about making them work for winter too.


This Asos dress is one of my ultimate favourites and although the pattern screams summer, it has full length sleeves. So I popped on some tights, my favourite chunky shoes and my amazing tassel jacket and voila! I was warm enough and I love the pop of colour. Especially now everything is so dull and grey. 


Although my outfit is no longer available, you can still shop my style. Here are items I love That are similar;

Monday, 14 July 2014

Winning is wonderful!

Dont you just love winning a prize? I'm one of the unlucky type who just doesn't win anything I enter. This month however, I won a wonderful blog giveaway over at www.thelifeofabeautyaddict.co.uk Today I received my range of lovely goods and I'm really thrilled lol

 
I got a New Look flower headband and aviator sunglasses, a Models Own nail varnish and pocket mirror and a festival essentials pack of organic beauty products by the Green People. Fab!! I can't wait to try those out and wear my headband. Even if I'm not attending any festivals this summer, I'm gonna rock the look anyway. 


                               X

Thursday, 5 June 2014

OMCZ 33 - Summer Fun Day

This theme was chosen by Becca and this is what she said;

"It’s getting warmer in the UK and it’s nearly time for the Summer Fun Days to start. Whether it be your local village fun day, a school fayre or a party at a friend’s house, I want to see your outfits for those days out soaking up the sun"

Days like these I tend to make little effort with hair and make up as if it's hot then I really don't want to sit and sweat it off. I tend to opt for a maxi dress or simple top and skirt. Here's what I chose

Crop top, skirt and jelly sandals are all current season Primark, necklace is vintage

Here's a list of the other beauties taking part

Gillian - www.weegillie.com