Saturday, August 25, 2018

TURN YOUR FATHER'S DAY GOURMET WITH GRAMPIANS OLIVE CO +



Grampians Olive Co is Australia's premium organic extra virgin olive oil company, family owned and based in Victoria. I have loved and praised them in my previous recipe post. After a couple of weeks in Eastern Europe my appreciation for top notch olives, cheese and olive oil grew and was eventually instilled as an everyday staple. We had a bottle of regular olive oil waiting for us upon our return to Sydney and all we wanted was quality extra virgin olive oil. We were told in Eastern Europe that most restaurants will only have extra virgin olive oil (the highest grade and best tasting olive oil) served at the table, lower grade refined olive oil and virgin olive oil are then exported out to other countries. So we should feel very proud and lucky to have high quality extra virgin olive oil at our door step.



In the Sampler Gift Set ($22) you will have the opportunity to trial Grampians Olive Co entire range, including 8 organic oils (Signature Organic, Delicate Organic, Garlic Infused, Truffle Infused, Chili Infused, Tuscan Herbs Infused, Blood Orange, Lemon Pressed and 2 finishing vinegars (Roasted Capsicum and Caramelised Balsamic); comes completed in 10 x adorable 25ml bottles.  

Not sure about you but I find it exceptionally difficult to buy my dad Father's Day gifts... for the past few years it's been scratchies and lotto tickets. I popped over to my folk's place recently and found out they've been using vegetable oil to cook (hmmm..) and to mix in a dressing (WHAT!!!). I whispered to mum, "Extra virgin olive oil this year, there's an Australian brand 'Grampians Olive Co' from Victoria". Mum's eyes lit up!

I promise you, any meal can be gourmet with high quality extra virgin olive oil. Sharing another one of my super delicious vegetarian recipe below using Grampians Olive Co.


TRUFFLE PAN CHARRED GREEN BEANS WITH CORN AND CASHEW

What you need:
- Grampians Olive Co Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Grampians Olive Co Truffle Oil Infused Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 bag of green beans
- 1 cob of corn
- A handful of roasted cashews
- Garlic Salt and Pepper
- A pinch of chili flakes

Let's get cooking!

1. Wash your beans and nip the head and tail of the beans, if the bean is too long, snap them in half.

2. Pour a splash of Grampians Olive Co Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil into a pan on medium heat and let the pan warm up for a couple of minutes.

3. Add your green beans into the pan, warning - it will sizzle!!! You can lift the pan off the fire for a little. Keep tossing the beans around for a few minutes.

4. Add garlic salt, pepper and a pinch of chili flakes, keep tossing the beans and put a lid on the pan to let the green beans cook and char on low heat.

5. While the beans are cooking, put your corn cob in the microwave for 3 minutes (my lazy way!) and cut the corn off the cob with a serrated knife (careful, the cob will be hot, let it rest for a bit before cutting).

6. Add the corn and cashews into the beans, turn the burner off and lightly toss with a cooking utensil.

7. Drizzle Grampians Olive Co Truffle Infused Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil to your fancy and enjoy! Serve with a bed of rice of eat it as a side.

WEBSITEhttps://grampiansoliveco.com.au/
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018

PIXI BY PETRA - WORTH THE HYPE?



Pixi by Petra is a brand that I have been dying to try. I have seen it on youtube, Instagram, blogspot, facebook you name it! Thankfully, Pixi by Petra is now readily available from TVSN. I was really excited to try these Pixi products and in this post I will be reviewing the products I have been testing and giving you my 2 cents.

Before we start just wanted to let everyone know that Pixi by Petra is free from Parabens and Mineral Oils


 PIXI LIPLIFT MAX - SWEET NECTAR

So this lip gloss did not appeal to me at all in it's packaging, it's true when they say don't judge a book by it's cover cos I ended up loving this lippy. A slight peppermint scent and a cooling sensation once applied. The gloss appears peachy when swatched, however the pigments are not as visible on my lips cos my natural lip colour is quite dark, so this lip gloss slightly accentuates my natural lip colour whilst giving it a glossy appearance. I wore the gloss for a few hours and ate a few biscuits with tea in between. My lips felt really moisturised, soft and didn't feel tacky at all. However beware of windy days, hairs will stick onto the gloss. Overall, I liked this lip gloss much more than expected.


 PIXI GLOW-Y GOSSAMER DUO - SUBTLE SUNRISE

This is a beautiful highlighter duo, there are two shades; subtle sunrise (I recommend this for those with a warmer skin-tone) and delicate dew (more of a peachy undertone). The powder is silky smooth, soft and glides on. I have been applying the highlighter on my cheekbones and brow bone. The rose shade of the duo can be used as a highlighter or a blusher if you have pale skin. However be mindful of the sheen (it's not glittery or chunky) - might be better to be used at night if you don't want too much sheen. The powder is absolutely beautiful and will give you an epic cheekbone pop!!! I rate this product.


PIXI ENDLESS SILKY EYE PEN - ROSEGLOW 

Available in 22 shades, this long wearing eyeliner glides!!!!! The liner is pigmented, long lasting and applies with absolute ease. This particular shade looks quite metallic on my lids, it will have a reflective effect if I use it on top of a darker eyeshadow, otherwise I can use it on it's own. After a few hours off wear I did notice a small amount of transfer and fading on my hooded eyelids. Because the shade is quite metallic it's difficult to spot. The liner is really soft, so I am a little bit concerned about sharpening it! A little bit on the fence about this product, there are elements I really like and other elements I am unsure about. 

PIXI GLOW TONIC

This product can be used as a toner or purred onto a cotton pad and used to tone while exfoliating your skin (glow tonic contains glycolic acid). The aim of the Glow Tonic is to remove dead skin cells, providing moisture for your skin with Aloe and Gingseng, revealing beautiful glowy skin. This is the hero product that many have recommended to me so I was extra excited to try it out. I have been using a cotton pad to apply the tonic during the evening (I don't have enough time in the morning) the tonic provides hydration and absorbs into my skin very quickly. After a few sweeps I noticed a glow, I was so shocked! It didn't feel oily, there was no residue and my face didn't feel greasy. The tonic is scented, quite a strong floral like scent that is not sickly sweet. The glow was unbelievable though, I use "toners" and non have given me a glow like Pixi. Recommended.


PIXI CORRECTION CONCENTRATE - BRIGHTENING PEACH

This is a two-step concealer, to be applied under eyes with your ring finger to cover dark under eye circles. Your under eye will look peachy, make sure you apply your usual under eye concealer on top of Brightening Peach, otherwise you might look a little bit too peachy under your eyes while walking out the door! I don't really have lines or wrinkles under my eyes, so I can't comment on whether this will sit in creases. But I have stopped powdering under eyes, I find that to crease a little if I smile too much. Overall, I found this product to be effective in covering dark circles.


SWATCHES


Pixi highlighter and Endless Eye Pen visible in this photo

Full face using Pixi products featured in this post. Foundation used is Rimmel.

Click HERE to purchase from TVSN


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