Another Top Ten…. My Top Ten Kitchen Appliances/Utensils

My last post was very popular and I loved writing it, so I thought I would do another “Top 10” but make it more relevant to this Blog.  So below are my Top 10 Kitchen Appliances/Utensils – I either have them and love them or they are on my wish list.                          

 

1. KitchenAid Mixer – I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not much of a baker so this appliance was mainly about having it on display in my kitchen for aesthetic reasons….. but when I do bake it is my saving grace.  White is timeless and will never go out of fashion but I do have my eye on the copper range at the moment.  Luckily I can’t justify two mixers….
2. Lemon squeezer – I use citrus quite a bit in my recipes so my lemon squeezer comes in handy most days.
3. Scanpan Knife Block – I love these knives, they are very good quality and the knife sharpener is really good and easy to use.  Handy tip – don’t put your knives in the dishwasher, it will make them blunt (thanks Mum).
4. Le Creuset Salt & Pepper Mills – I splurged on these, much to my husband’s horror….. I’m a Le Creuset girl, their products are amazing, the quality is second to none and they last forever so I don’t mind “investing” in their products (that’s my justification and I’m sticking to it!).
5. Le Creuset Dutch Oven – OK so the salt and pepper mills may not have been a necessity but my dutch oven is!  I cook EVERYTHING in it.  I inherited it from my Mum, she knew how much I wanted one, and lets be honest they aren’t affordable for the everyday person, so she handed down one of hers to me (and I will be forever thankful).  It is amazing to cook with, it holds heat really well and is SO easy to clean.  I make sauces, roasts, soups, stir fry and more.  I barely use my other pots anymore.  If I could have a full range of Le Creuset pots and pans I would be one happy lady.
6. Nespresso Machine – It took me so long to convince my husband to get a Nespresso Machine, and I now have the satisfaction of saying “I told you so” every time he raves about it.  We love coffee and would both have at least one takeaway coffee a day (spending approx. $4 on each coffee).  While the machine is expensive the coffee pods are really reasonably priced and it has ended up saving us a lot of money in the long run.  If you love cafe quality coffee try the nespresso machine, I would seriously be surprised if you didn’t love it.
7. Mortar & Pestle – It’s actually ridiculous that I do not have one of these.  I make so many curries etc. where I need to grind spices.  I am just really fussy and I am having a really hard time finding one I like.  I am making a lot more curries now that the weather is getting cooler so I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy one.  Any suggestions would be appreciated…
8. KitchenAid Food Processor – I bought a Kitchen Aid Mixer before the food processor and I have no idea why…. I cook, I don’t bake…. I love my food processor, it has changed my life (Mitch not so much, as he is usually the one who washes all the pieces).  It has saved me so much time in the kitchen and I use it daily.
9. KitchenAid Soda Stream – I know there are cheaper soda streams out there but if money wasn’t a problem I would buy the KitchenAid Soda Stream.  We drink a lot of soda water and spend quite a bit of money buying bottles every week so a soda stream is in our future, I’m just not sure I’ll be able to convince Mitch on the KitchenAid….
10. Le Creuset Garlic Keep – Again, probably not a necessity but I love my le creuset garlic keep.  I use garlic in most of my recipes so to have it nice and handy on the bench is a good thing.

My Top Ten Beauty Products

It’s been a while between posts, I’ve had a lot going on but that is no excuse!  I promise to be better from now on.

I’m going to post something a little different today.  I LOVE cruising the internet looking at suggestions/posts by people on their favourite (favorite) beauty products, so I thought I would share the items I cannot do without!  Below are my Top 10 (in no particular order):

            

        

   

1. Free Your Mane Hair Oil – I apply this to my hair after every wash.  It hydrates my hair and makes it really soft and smooth.  If I am going to use product no. 7 (Olivine Love & Salt Mist) to help with my natural wave, the oil helps keep the frizzy curly bits calm.  It leaves my hair feeling really healthy and it smells good too.
2. Frank Body Scrub – This product is genius! It is a coffee based scrub made from natural ingredients.  It’s made in Australia and shipped worldwide for next to nothing.  Not only does this coffee scrub exfoliate, it repairs damaged skin and helps with cellulite and stretch marks (I’m serious).   My favourite is the Coconut scrub, it reminds me of the beach.  I have gifted this to a lot of my friends and all of them are obsessed!  I can’t even put in to words how smooth my skin is after I scrub.  I LOVE this.
3. Rose Benetint – Benetint is a cheek and lip stain.  This product gives me naturally rosie cheeks and a really nice subtle red lip.  The tint dries out my lips so I usually put product no. 6 (EOS Sweet Mint Lip Balm) over the top.  I love Benefit products, most of the make-up I own is Benefit.  The website is really cool too, they have a tab called “Beauty School” where you can find demonstration videos on how to use their products.  I’m not much of a Make-up Artist so I find the tips really helpful.  I don’t like to look as if I have make-up on and Rose Benetint provides a very natural look, it also smells AMAZING!
4. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant – This daily scrub comes in powder form.  You just wet your face, after cleansing, put a small amount on your wet palms and create a paste.  Then you massage it on to your face.  This product leaves my skin SO smooth and bright.  I know “bright” sounds crazy but Mitch, my husband, often makes comment on how good my skin looks after I use this.
5. Go-To Skincare Properly Clean – I’ve tried a lot of cleansers and have found that this one is the best.  It removes ALL of my make-up in one wash.  It’s a really gentle product and it is also an Australian product.  The creator is pretty cool too, Zoe Foster Blake is a writer and I believe she used to be a beauty editor for a magazine.  The link to her blog, Zo they Say, is on my “Sites I Love” page.  Check it out if you have some time, it’s a bit of fun!  Back to the cleanser, it really is excellent and smells really good too.  I highly recommend it if you are looking to try something new.
6. EOS (Evolution of Smooth) Sweet Mint Lip Balm – This lip balm is 95% organic and 100% natural.  I like the sweet mint the best, the mint leaves my lips feeling really cool and a little bit tingly (in a good way), it tastes really good too!  The packaging is super cute and different.  It makes a good little gift too.  I love how smooth my lips feel and as I said earlier I apply it over the top of my benetint rose lip stain to hydrate my lips and to leave a glossy shine.
7. Olivine Atelier Love & Salt Mist – I have naturally wavy hair but it needs a little bit of help.  Salt water sprays are everywhere right now.  Have you ever been swimming in the ocean and when you are out and your hair has dried off you have an amazing wave?  If you have then you need to get this spray.  After I wash my hair I scrunch dry my hair with a towel, add some of the Free Your Mane Hair Oil and then spray it all over with the Love & Salt Mist and let it dry.  It leaves me with amazing “beachy” hair.  It smells amazing, like summer.  Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray is also a good one to use.
8. Lucas’ Paw Paw Ointment – I use this religiously before bed on my lips.  When we lived in Canada we lived in the Rocky Mountains, so the air was very dry.  I would wake-up in the morning with cracked lips, so I started applying PawPaw ointment before I went to sleep each night and it made such a huge difference.  It can also be used as an ointment for minor burns, sunburn, cuts etc.  Most Australian women have a tub in the house and a tube in their handbag.  If you’re really obsessed you have one in your car and one in every handbag you own (that’d be me).
9. OPI Nail Polish – Recently I have become obsessed with painting my nails on a weekly basis.  I love OPI Nail Polish because of the quality and the range of colours (colors).  My dream is to have one draw in my bathroom with every colour (color)!  I mostly like the nude and pink colours for my fingernails and I usually get a little more bold with colour (color) on my toenails.
10. Urban Decay Naked3 – My best friend/bridesmaid, Mandi, bought me this as a bridal gift.  I am hopeless, as mentioned above, at applying make-up and Mandi is the total opposite.  When I lived a block away from her she was my own personal make-up artist/hair stylist.  Now that I live on the other side of the world to her (which SUCKS) I have had to learn how to do my own.  Which is why she bought me this amazing set of eyeshadows.  I have sometimes blue eyes/sometimes hazel eyes so the Naked3 colour (color) palette is perfect for me.  It’s an amazing gift and I love, love, love it!

If you have any questions on the above comment below and I would be happy to answer.

Take care x