Glasses Through Your Letterbox

I can not see myself stepping into a regular opticians again anytime soon
with the amazing discovery I made whilst watching ITV1 last week.
I give you......

Glasses Direct a new site that lets you buy your prescription glasses online and not only that you can
trial 4 pairs of glasses FREE for 1 week before you commit,
My fellow speccy's you will understand.
And if your love for more than one pair is too great you can treat yourself to another pair as prices start from £25 or €35 with designs from Marc Jacobs, Ray Ban and Emporio Armani to name just a few.
Oh and fear not they deliver to Ireland too Click here if you fancy some new specs

Check out some of these absolute beauts,

I'm totally in love.

Until next time
Clare xo

VHI Mini Marathon Training And Skechers GoWalk 3 Review

Well if you are following my personal or The Beauty Chest official Twitter account you'll have heard me mention I'm taking part in this year's Vhi Women's Mini Marathon for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland a charity which is so close to my heart as my Nannie suffered and sadly passed away due to this devastating disease.

So since I have signed up I've being training every day which I'm really enjoying and as the weather is not being it's usual rotten self it's even better and as it's my first mini marathon I shall be walking it.

Which lead me to purchase these little beauties
the GoWalk 3 shoes from Skechers.

( I had to add a white background as my carpet wasn't doing the shoes justice)

I have a love hate relationship with these shoes,
firstly they are so so so so comfy they have a super soft insole and GoGa Mat outsole which is basically a yoga mat for your feet which feels like you're walking on a cloud each step you take.

They also have memory foam in the heel and the fabric on the outside of the shoe is kind of a mesh material which keeps your feet cool which is great for my feet as they can get super hot and they burn
and it also as an anti odor eliminator in the shoe
so you don't need socks and the easy on design is super convenient just pull on and go oh and they are so so light weight so much so I keep thinking I have slippers on lol.

They come in loads of lovely colours but as I'm a sucker for pink I went with the Hot Pink.


Now for my hate venting and the major buzz kill for my walks.
On my first walk out with them they cut across my foot with each step as the mesh rubbed into my skin and I don't know why as they fit like a glove in the shop.
So day 2 I put a couple of bandaids on my feet and I was good to go or so I thought until the memory form fit started rubbing into my heels also cutting and making them bleed.

I really don't know why this happened as I said they were a perfect fit in the shop
this happened last week and it hasn't cut into me since although I still have the bandaids on everytime I train but now they don't hurt.
So maybe my feet were just getting adjusted to them I don't know
I'll give them another week or so and see what happens.

But anyway that was my experience with them but everyone is different and even with that I still love my Go Walks they are still the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned and I will be definitely buying another pair I just wish I knew why they were cutting me when they fit like a glove before lol.
If you have a pair of Go Walks let me know what you think and did the same thing happen to you
I'd love to hear from you I posted a couple more pics at the bottom of the page for you to check out.

I have also set up a MyCharity.ie page for my chosen charity and I'm looking for sponsors.
So if you could have a read of my page and please sponsor me I would really really appreciate it
plus it would be instant good karma for you.
If you are kind enough to sponsor me please let me know on the twitter page

Until next time
Clare xo

Super Cute Bunny Truffles Recipe (Easter Special)

If you are like me you're probably going to be baking, cooking or if you're very unlucky both this weekend lol.

If you're going to be baking a cake for Sunday I just found the cutest little alternative

in U Magazine this week Easter Rabbit Red Velvet Truffles I think these are super cute

I will be definitely trying to make these tomorrow and when I do I'll put up some pics.

But fingers crossed my efforts won't be in vain I made shortbread for my Aunt's birthday last week as she loves them and they were an utter DISASTER!

Lumps of concrete would be softer lol

If you want to give these cuties a go too here is everything you need and the recipe

this recipe is originally from Dr Oetker official website which is oetker.ie 

Ingredients:

50g Dr. Oetker white fine cook's chocolate

100g plain cake crumbs

2tbsp seedless raspberry jam

Dr Oetker Bright red gel food color

To decorate:

Icing sugar to dust

300g ready to roll regal-ice white icing

Dr Oetker hot pink and jet black gel food colours

Method:

1. To make the truffles break the white chocolate into a small heatproof bowl 

and place over saucepan of barely simmering water to melt. 

Remove from the water and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Stir the cake crumbs and jam in the melted chocolate until well mixed.

Add approx. 25 drops of bright red gel food color and mix to make a vibrant red shade.

Cover and chill for about 30 minutes or until firm enough to shape.

3. Meanwhile, start preparing the decoration. Lightly dust the work surface with icing sugar.

Cut off a 190g (6 1/2 oz) piece of regal-ice, wrap in cling film and set aside.

4.Roll out the remaining regal-ice piece thinly, and using a small sharp knife, 

cut out 16 long, thin, oval shapes to resemble rabbit ears. 

Place on a board lined with baking parchment, folding the sides

in slightly as you lay them down to create more of an ear shape. 

Put the board in a warm dry place for at least an hour until firm enough

to hold their shape - you may need to leave them for several hours if the atmosphere is damp.

Gather up the trimmings and wrap in cling film.

5. Meanwhile, divide the chilled truffle mixture into 8 equal portions. 

Form into balls and place on a plate lined with baking parchment. 

Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes until firm.

6. Divide the reserved large pieces of regal-ice into 8 pieces.

Working on one portion at a time, flatten or roll into a circle about 8cm (3 1/4 inch) diameter

and lay a truffle ball in the centre. Draw up the edges of the circle to 

enclose the truffle, pinching the top together to completely cover. 

Roll the ball carefully in your hands to smooth it.

Place on a board lined with baking parchment whilst you cover the remaining truffle balls

7. Use the reserved trimmings of regal-ice to make 8 pairs of feet, 

24 balls for cheeks and tails,and 16 small balls for eyes.

Secure the feet on the bottom of each truffle using a little water if necessary. 

Stick the tail on the back in the same way, and then stick the cheeks and eyes on the front.

8. Score the cheeks with a sharp knife to make whiskers. 

Put a couple of drops of pink food colour gel on a saucer 

and using a fine paint brush, brush over the inside of the ears and leave to dry.

9. Paint a small pink dot underneath the cheeks for a mouth. 

Using the black food colour gel in the same way, paint on eye and nose detail.

Leave aside for a few minutes to dry.

10. When you are ready to serve the truffles, mae 2 small slits in the 

top of each truffle and insert the ears so that they stand upright.

The rabbits are ready to serve and enjoy.

If you tried them don't forget to post some pics and let me know how you get on in the comments or on twitter

Happy Easter all have a great one until next time

Clare xo

( Picture and recipe from Oetker.ie check them out for more recipes)

My Lovely Mammy ( Things To Do This Mother's Day )

Mother's day is fast approaching and the very special lady in your life needs to be treated
the way she deserves after everything she has done for you all your life and what she still does now.
After all we would be nothing without her so I have put together a list of the perfect
days out for your Mam and you on the special day.



Butler's Chocolate Cookery Demo. ( Tickets €40 pp)

This is absolutely perfect if your Mam loves baking and she is a chocoholic.
She can get some great tips and learn to bake wonderful treats from Ballymaloe chef
Yvonne Carty.
Enjoy a glass of prosecco and most importantly you can enjoy tastings of everything made during the demo.
Go together for a lovely day out together
Click Here for dates and more details.

18th Annual Mother's Day Lunch in aid of Unicef.
You will be bringing your Mam out for lunch or dinner I'm sure on Mother's day.
So why not bring her to The Shelbourne hotel on March 13th to this wonderful event and make a difference and do your bit for Unicef
with all the proceeds going to the Safe Motherhood Program helping some of the worlds most vulnerable Mothers and babies around the globe.
Of course you will have plenty of fun on the day enjoy delicious
                                                      food and drink plus there is some fantastic raffle prizes up for grabs
                                                      Click here for more details.



Cocktails and more cocktails
If your Mam and yourself are more like sisters than Mother and Daughter
bring her out for some scrumptious cocktails at 10 St Stephen's Green The Copper Bar.
Or if cocktails ain't your tang
you can sip some gorgeous wine in their Wine Garden.
Click here for more details and a menu or here to book








                                                     Afternoon Tea ( €29 pp )
If your Mam and yourself would like something light and you're not a fan of anything stronger
bring her for afternoon tea at 10 St Stephens Green.
Melissa Curley from Social Bee will be bringing her mobile tea service to 10 St Stephens Green from
March 10th from 10.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday.
Click here for more info or email Melissa here to book







Me Time For Mam. ( 55min Treatment €85 )
Treat your Mam to this gorgeous Delicate Gold and Pearl Delight
treatment at River Spa at the Knightsbrook hotel Co Meath.
This all sounds gorgeous the treatment starts off with a scrub of fine fusion champagne and gold followed by a luxurious pearl and champagne anti aging body                              wrap before finishing with a gold dry oil applied to decollete and shoulders.
                         Then you can treat her to a lovely meal at the Rococo Restaurant in the hotel
                         Click here to contact River Spa and to book a table call +353469482100




Mammy and Me Time ( From €395 )
For the ultimate treat for you both how about booking a 2 night stay at The K Club
with the Ultimate Spa Indulgence mini break.
Enjoy a full Irish breakfast on both mornings and a 4 course meal on one evening.
Plus you get to enjoy full access to the health and fitness facilities at The K Club which include to name a few lovelies a jacuzzi and a swimming pool.
Plus enjoy a 25 minute Rasul as well a 55 minute treatment each.
To me this just sounds the ultimate treat that your Mam will love
                                                      Click here for more info and to check out the rooms available.





I hope this has gave you all an idea of what to do for your Mammy
this Mother's Day.
Stay tuned for another Mother's Day gift guide coming up
I hope you enjoyed reading and I was of some help.

Till next time

The Oscars My Faves

I live tweeted my way through The Oscars last weekend
and boy oh boy did I enjoy it I was totally lusting over loads of the lovely gowns on display.
So incase you missed my tweets here is a recap of my absolute faves
this was beyond hard narrowing this down here are my best

Lupita Nyong'o

Rosamund Pike

Zoe Saldana

Jennifer Lopez

Rita Ora

Jennifer Aniston

Sienna Miller.
She also tops my best make
up look too flawless!!!!

   

Perfect Pancakes Recipe

Ah Pancake Tuesday who doesn't love lovely pancakes
and on this glorious day its our only excuse to divulge in our pancake love lol

If you haven't had any yet and you are looking for a tried and tested recipe that makes delicious fluffy pancakes every time you won't go wrong with this recipe
I made these on Saturday for a trial run and they were a hit in the house
I found this fab recipe on the bbc website.

This recipe will make American style fluffy pancakes

Ingredients:

135g cream flour (or for extra fluffy pancakes use self raising flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar ( If you don't have caster sugar to hand put regular granulated sugar in a blender and pulse for 20 to 30 seconds until its very fine)
130ml Milk
1 large egg
2 tbsp melted butter or olive oil ( Don't forget a little extra for cooking)

Equipment:
2 large bowls
Sieve
Fork
Pan


To Serve:
Anything you fancy on your pancake
I'll be having nutella and strawberries :)

Method:

1. Sift flour salt baking powder and caster sugar into a large bowl and give it a little mix to make sure it all combined well.
In a separate bowl whisk the milk and egg together then whisk in the melted butter
 ( Pop the butter in the microwave to melt for 20 seconds)
mix together until its a pale yellow colour

2. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and using a fork beat until you have a smooth batter
don't worry if there is lumps they will disappear as you mix.
Make sure you let the batter sit out for about 6 or so minutes
before you start cooking them to allow the mixture to thicken.

3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a little butter
when it has melted spoon a ladle full of the batter into the hot pan.
Wait until the batter starts to bubble before you turn them or flip them cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake is risen to about 1cm.

4. keep going until all the batter is gone.


Again serve how you like and with what you like but if you like flatter crepe like pancakes
just leave out the baking powder and obviously don't use self raising flour but follow the recipe and the method the same for perfect pancakes.

If you would like to add some chocolate chips or any other goodies
to your pancakes add them to the batter and mix before you allow the batter to stand.

But if you like savory and sweet things add some cooked bacon to your batter and mix again before you allow it to stand and when cooked serve with maple syrup.

Now I never tried this myself but you can make flourless pancakes with banana and egg
mash up the banana and add an egg and combine until you have a batter and fry up as you would a regular pancake.


I hope you enjoy your pancakes this evening and let me know
how you get on if you try this recipe or if you try the flourless one
let me know in the comments or on Twitter

Happy pancake Tuesday all

Happy flipping

Till next time

Clare xo

Mini February Haul

It's the start of a new month so I've had a mini splurge this week and I was
also lucky enough to win some lovely treats.

First up I finally got my hands on Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and

after hearing nothing but amazing things I just had to see for myself.

So I had my eye on the Try Me Kit to test everything before I splurged and I'm delighted I did 

I've only being using the products 2 days and I'm loving them so far

I look forward to my mini pamper session every night
The Cleanse and Polish honestly feels like a little spa treatment.

I will do a full review on all these products in the near future.

In the Try Me Kit I got 

30ml Cleanse And Polish Tube

50ml Instant Boost Skin Tonic 

15ml Skin Repair Moisturiser Normal/Combination Skin

15ml Brightening Treatment Mask Tube

2x Muslim Cloths

and it all comes in a cute little baby green bag

I bought my kit in the massive Boots in Liffey Valley for €29.75

Next up on my hit list was haircare brand Aussie
they just launched their new body wash range which are on offer at the moment in Boots
you get 2 big bottles for €8

They smell absolutely gorgeous so I divulged I picked up
No Rush with Jojoba and Fresh Mate with Eucalyptus. 

I haven't used either yet as I'm still using my Dove Mousse
but I'm looking forward to using them as soon as it's finished.

Now I don't normally buy celebrity fragrances as most of them stink lets me honest.

But when I was doing the grocery shop last week I had a little snoop around Lloyds Pharmacy

and when I spotted Katy Perry's latest scent I gladly made an exception.

I had a little sniff and I was transported to a summers day in a meadow full of gorgeous flowers

I really love this and the bottle is just gorgeous and it's really long lasting which makes it even better.

So I snapped it up it's only €19.95 at the minute for 30 ml in Lloyds Pharmacy
Spring Reign is fast becoming one of my faves well for the moment anyway.

Elle Magazine is one of my fave mags anyway but it just got even better 

as they are giving away Benefit soon to be cult mascara Roller Lash free with their March Issue.

This is not even available to buy yet so I'm so happy Elle gave it away this issue

I haven't tried it yet myself but as soon as I do I'll write up a full review
I hope its as good as I'm hearing it is.

I was also really lucky enough to win 3 gorgeous prizes this month
all 3 these I'm so excited to try.


I won the fantastic Night Mask Tan and Trystal Tan from super luxurious tan brand
Vita Liberata I'm so excited to try them out
I haven't used either yet but when I do I'll let you know how I get on.
Both Trystal Mineral Bronzer and Night Mask Tan are available to buy next month
I just need the pHenomenal 2 - 3 week tan now to add to my Vita Liberata collection.

FYI I have a special tan post coming soon stay tuned for that.

I was also lucky enough to win The Real Techniques Nic's Picks Limited Edition makeup brushes
from one of my fave Irish magazines Steller.
I was delighted I won these as you can never have too many makeup brushes and I never
had a set of The Real Techniques before so major win win for me
I can't wait to start using these either as they look amazing.

That's it for my February haul for the moment but as it is me expect another
one soon I have a problem I know lol.
Have any of you had a splurge lately or have you bought anything you
absolutely love let me know in the comments or Twitter

I hope you enjoyed reading
Untill next time,

Clare xo