27 February 2015

Style It. Oscars 2015 Best Dressed

Please forgive me for being a little bit late to the party on this one but I have been otherwise engaged i.e., having a Roman holiday (travel post up soon!). Nevertheless, I couldn’t let an Oscars red carpet pass me by without doing a round-up of my favourite dresses – it just wouldn’t be right!

This year’s red carpet showed that the biggest night in showbiz has definitely become one of the biggest nights in fashion. Plenty of beautiful designs were on show but I’ve narrowed it down to five ladies who I think combined classic elegance with modern glamour. Drum roll please…

Ah Rita, you did good! Whilst she’s usually a little too far on the wild side for me, I absolutely loved her red carpet look by Marchesa. The new pixie hair cut suits her so well and combined with the structured navy dress it was a modern update on old Hollywood glamour for me.

Like the perfect princess, I adored Felicity Jones’ champagne hued gown. The elegant embellished bodice and the satin full skirt is like something out of my Disney dreams. Designed by Alexander McQueen, it’s the epitome of feminine elegance to me.

Wearing Saint Laurent, fellow Aussie Margot Robbie was a stunner. I love her new blonde lob which perfectly complimented the swishy layers of her black dress with its dainty mesh sleeves. We all know in my book, you can’t really go wrong in black.

Whilst she’ll always be Elle Woods to me, Reese showed us that she’s still got it at this year’s red carpet. What a killer figure! Tom Ford sure knows how to cut a figure-hugging dress.

Known for wearing jaw-dropping dresses in the past, this year J.Lo’s gown was worthy of a fairytale. Layers of tuelle adorned with intricate embellishments made her the star of the show. The warm honey hue of this Ellie Saab design was perfect for her tone. When it's Ellie Saab you really can't go wrong.

Take a look back at my best dressed at the Oscars from 2013 and 2014.

Photos via Pinterest.

23 February 2015

Plate Up. Healthy Fried Rice

If you live in London, when it comes to cooking meals I'm sure my fellow city dwellers would agree with me when I say you want something quick, easy and uncomplicated (generally having a kitchen that is 2 feet wide hinders complex dishes).

My most recent answer and newest favourite dish? Fried rice.

All the joys of serious flavour without too much bad stuff for you, thanks to my personal custom recipe.


What you'll need
2 cups short grain rice
3 rashers bacon
200g cooked small prawns or shrimp
4 spring onions, chopped
1 cup peas
1 carrot, julienned or grated
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed chilli
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten

What to do
Set your rice cooking on the stove ensuring the water is well salted. In a separate fry pan, cook your bacon until it's crispy and then cut into small pieces. Once it's brown leave it in the pan and add the spring onions and carrot. There should be enough residual oil left to do the trick.

When there's 5 minutes to go on your rice add the peas in to cook in the boiling water. Once the veggies in the fry pan are tender, add the garlic, chilli and prawns and fry off.

Once cooked, drain your rice and peas and add it into the fry pan. Toss it all together along with the soy sauce. You're frying the rice!

Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs. Let them cook for a minute or so before tossing the mixture around. Ensure you keep agitating the pan until the egg is dispersed and all cooked.

Then serve it up and tuck in. Fried rice, very nice.

Photos by Krissie.

20 February 2015

Must Have. Stylish steals that look exxy

You know that old saying, fake it til you make it? It’s so applicable in fashion because I don’t know about you but I don’t always have 6K lying around to drop on a Celine tote bag. The one secret every fashionista worth her front-row ticket knows is you don’t always have to pay the big bucks to look stylish. With a savvy eye and the right persistence, there are plenty of pieces to be found that look luxe without the price tag. Check out my round up of stylish steals that look way more exxy than they actually are. You can thank me later…

Styles from left to right, top to bottom: Earrings by Miss Selfridge £8.50, Shoes by Miss Guided £45, Trench Coat by Topshop £45, Shoes by Topshop £20, Jeans by New Look £35, Watch by New Look £25, Bag by Miss Guided £15, Skirt by River Island £30, Sunglasses by Topshop £16, Jacket by Miss Selfridge £30, Bag by Miss Guided £15, Cuff by Miss Selfridge £10, Bag by Topshop £38, Earrings by Boohoo £6, Bag by Miss Guided £25.

Photo by Krissie via retailers.

16 February 2015

One Day. Cirque de Soleil’s Kooza

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve had a fascination with the circus [and fairies, but that’s another story]. The whimsical nature of a travelling performance with flying trapeze artists, girls who could bend themselves in half [backwards mind you!] and hilarious clowns just tickled my fancy. Funny thing is that it took me 24 years to actually go and see a Cirque de Soleil show. But hooray because last week I did it! And the bonus was that it was at the famous Royal Albert Hall – double hooray!



I must say that for the 2 hour performance of Kooza I think I was holding my breath for at least 40 minutes of the show – which left in breathless [obvs], in raptures and a little bit giddy. To give you all the deets in short, it follows the story of a little boy who stumbles across another world full of intriguing and spectacular characters, before going on to get a treat of his own at the end… I’ll leave you to guess what that is.


I was nervous, the performers made my heart race and I spent a great deal of time with an “oh no they’re not going to….” expression on my face. But it was spectacular.


I saw tight-rope walkers who not only ran and leapt across the rope 8 metres up, but even rode a bicycle on it! I saw an acrobat perform extreme examples of strength on a stack of chairs that were equally high. Two men rode a spinning wheel of death (this was my fav and there are no words to describe it, you need to see it!). Not to mention the little pocket rockets who wore stilts 3 metres tall and proceeded to be flipped off a see-saw into triple somersaults then cooly landing on their feet stilts.


Like I said, breathless raptures.

My night at the circus has only further inspired me to see more shows. I think next might have to be a trip to Las Vegas to see Ka. I can’t wait.


Photos via Pinterest (forgive my lack of personal images, there were no cameras allowed in the show)

12 February 2015

Plate Up. Healthy 100 Cal Chocolate Brownies

When I heard there was a recipe floating around for chocolate brownies with less than 100 calories per slice I was a little sceptical. No doubt they'd be dry, lacking flavour and not really a brownie at all. Like one of those non-fat, non-sugar, non-gluten cakes that people rave about when they actually taste pretty terrible.

Wrong.

These brownies are delicious considering they're made largely with oats and natural yoghurt. For a delightful sweet snack without the feeling of guilt I would highly recommend. They're delectably good.



What you'll need
3/4 cup low fat natural yoghurt
1/4 cup skimmed milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup of natural sweetener like stevia
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
150g nuts (your choice, I opted for walnuts)

What to do
It really is dead simple. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius and grease a small baking tin. Mix all your ingredients together (except the nuts) either by hand or in a blender. Pour into the tray, scatter the nuts over the top and bake for 20 minutes.


If you like your brownie a bit gooey you can whip it out a little early. The calorie count is based on cutting it into 12 slices. Perfect to enjoy with a cuppa or wrap it up for a treat in your weekday lunch.

Because I always cook in fur...

Guilt free chocolate? Yes please.

Photos by Krissie.

9 February 2015

Style It. The colours of SS15

Get ahead of the fashionista crowd this season by ensuring you’re wearing all the right tones. Pantone’s seasonal colour report is a much awaited round-up; after all, they are the true colour experts. This season we’re told to embrace khakis, neutrals, tangerine and greys, shades of blue, and a touch of [the very controversial] marsala. Here are my top picks for the shades of the season…

Styles from left to right, top to bottom: Top by Sportsgirl $79.95, Skirt by Topshop £36, Dress by Karen Millen £215, Skirt by Topshop £50, Playsuit by Miss Selfridge £45, Knitted Top by Miss Selfridge £25, Blouse by River Island £30, Knit by H&M £14.99, Dress by River Island £50, Skirt by River Island £45, Coat by Forever New $199.99, Skirt by New Look £17.99, Coat by Forever New $169.99, Top by Forever New $59.99, Jeans by Miss Selfridge £34

Photo by Krissie via retailers.

6 February 2015

Eat Me. Hawksmoor, Seven Dials

Ask what the best place in London is for steak and the whisper on everyone’s lips is Hawksmoor. Visit the underground Seven Dials location and you’ll see [and taste] why; this place has an exclusive air and serves up some seriously good meat.


I think my iron levels were running low, I hadn’t eaten a steak since I left Australia in July; one because I’ve found the red meat here in the UK to be of questionable taste, and two because it’s really expensive. Thankfully it was Dad to the rescue because during his visit last month he took me to Hawksmoor; best Christmas gift I could have got.


We entered the wood panelled interior and traipsed down the stairs, upon entering the dining room Hawksmoor had the feel of a 1940s speakeasy where a high-end crowd would have indulged in illicit liqueur. It’s a high-class place with an air of mystery, and be sure to watch your head, the ceilings are super low.


We indulged in a drink at the bar before heading to our table where we ordered Chateaubriand to share. And boy was it good. You can order single steaks off the menu, or you can do as we did and order one of the special cuts off the blackboard. They have different cuts of different sizes available everyday so it’s potluck what will be there on any given night but you can be assured it’s good.

It was an evening of fine wine and delicious food with plenty of raucous laughter thrown in – I think the waiters took a little time to adjust to our Aussie humour; Dad loves a practical joke.

Be sure to pay a visit here, Hawksmoor is a great place for a special occasion meal – save up your pennies so you can splurge on the best steak. 5/5

Where: 11 Langley Street, Seven Dials WC2H 9JG
Bookings: essential
Phone: 020 7420 9390

Photos by Hawksmoor & Krissie.

Hawksmoor Seven Dials on Urbanspoon

2 February 2015

Style It. January Celeb Street Style

I've long been a peruser of celeb street style, call it my guilty pleasure. Usually there's a mixture of good and bad out there but I've got to say that of late it seems the fashion bible has struck the Hollywood elite because their street style has been totally on point. Check out my top three fav's from this month below and how to replicate the looks for yourself...


Coat by Topshop £85 || Top by River Island £26 || Jeans by River Island £40 || Boots by Topshop £130

Ahh my girl crush Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, she always looks beautiful. Love the military-style coat paired with the creamy top and dark wash jean. The tan boot is a bolder alternative to more muted browns.



Dress by alice + olivia £205 || Coat by Jaeger £249 || Boots by Dune £134 || Fedora by F&F £14

When I saw Katie Holmes rockin' this outfit on the red carpet I was so pleasantly surprised. Full points for bringin' stylish back. The longline coat, the over-the-knee boot and the fedora equals urban-edgy perfection in my book. Nice blow-out too.


Top by River Island £28 || Blazer by Wallis £19 || Skirt by Atto £240 || Shoes by Jeffrey Campbell £100 

It's no surprise that Alexa Chung is in my top three, really this girl can do no wrong when it comes to fashion. I'm loving this look she styled for Paris Fashion Week. Blacks, creams and greys truly are my favourite palette. Plus, top points for the pixie shoes, I struggled to find a replica for these babies but I think my substitute pair are equally stylish.

Photos via Pinterest.