How much do you love these earrings? I was given them as a leaving present when I left my internship not long ago and I absolutely love them (thanks Natasha!). I had to pop on-line and have a look at other items from the collection because I had a good feeling that I was going to like what was one offer...and I wasn't wrong. 

The brand is MFP Jewellery and the brand creator/designer is Maria Francesca Pepe. The items are a bit more on the pricey side (by this, I mean compared to Topshop etc!) but from what I can tell from the website they have a real luxe, designer feel to them and some of the jewellery on there is seriously lust-worthy. The earrings I was given are the Spike Hoops with Swarovski crystals in gold from the SS13 collection. They also do them in rose gold (which are calling my name VERY loudly) and rhodium. They are just perfect. About the size of a 5 pence piece, including the spikes, they're dainty enough to wear everyday but give a bit of an edge to an outfit. I'm not one who would wear full on spikes and crosses and all that (or hoops for that matter), but something like this is perfect for a subtle, but stylish, nod towards the current trends. 

I'm not the biggest accessoriser (?) in the world but I do always like to have a nice pair of earrings and a couple of ring. I've been wearing these every day since I was very kindly given them and I am in love with them. 

Definitely one to check out. 

Sophie

Visit the website here. You won't regret it!

Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

It's a post about chocolate, so how could it not! This recipe for soft double chocolate cookies is from a Weight Watchers magazine (so they're healthy, right?) that my Mum gets each month. I thought these looked so tasty I had to give them a go. They were really easy to make and very delicious.

Ingredients

125g low fat spread

75g light brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

110g plain flour

20g cocoa (not drinking chocolate - it won't be chocolatey enough)

1/2 tsp baking powder

30g milk chocolate, chopped into chunks

10g amaretti biscuits, crushed for topping

Method
Beat together sugar and butter until smooth. Add egg yolk and vanilla -whisk until combined.

Add flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix to smooth dough. Refrigerate for half an hour.

Heat oven to 200*C (180*C fan). Add dollops of mixture to lined baking sheet (the recipe says makes 15, but I made 12 because that's how many I could fit on, I just made them slightly bigger).

Sprinkle with crushed amaretti biscuits. Cook for 8-10 minutes.

They'll still feel soft when you take them out, that's normal, they will firm up a bit as they cool.

Let cool on a rack. Dig in!

Sophie

This was one of those times when you go out shopping for something specific and no where has it in stock, but you just have to buy something to fill that all-consuming desire to spend money (in this instance it was Essie's 'Penny Talk' nail polish that I was on the hunt for - I think I was a bit late on the bandwagon, hence no luck). Instead I went on a frenzied mission to find the nearest thing to it, of which there were a few, including Rimmel's 'Posh Trash' (too bronze) and one of the L'Oreal Color Riche polishes (could have been number 8 or 'Boudoir Rose', but I really wanted it to be Essie - such a brand snob somtimes!). So, in the end I went for this one, Essie's 'Buy Me a Cameo'...

From the looks of things it is pretty close, but with a bit more of a light peach tone, as opposed to full on rose gold that I wanted. I am considering hunting on line for a bottle of Penny Talk, or maybe trying out Orly's 'Rage' as I've heard it's a close call between them. Still, I do really like the one I went for and have really been getting into metallic polishes recently, which makes quite a departure for me because I'm normally one that only wears cream formulas.

Are you a fan of Essie (I'm pretty sure everyone and their dog is!)? Any colours you highly recommend from them?

Sophie

p.s. Don't forget you can follow me on Bloglovin' to keep up with the latest posts

Buy Me a Cameo is £7.99 from Superdrug

I'm going to get straight to the point and not lead you on - I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to Lush. To be honest with you I never really got what it was about and I think that was because the first product I ever tried from there was Snow Fairy shower gel, which didn't wow me in the slightest. I have, however, always been intrigued and over the past couple of months I've been gently easing myself more into the brand. So far, so good. Here I have just a couple of my most recent purchases from there. 

Creamy Candy Bubble Bar - which, coincidentally smells like Snow Fairy, what a small world.This is a
very delightful addition to bath time. It has chunks of cocoa butter (if I remember what 

the shop assistant was telling me correctly?) which makes it super moisturising and creates a good
amount of bubbles. I am tending to go for the bubble-makers (new phrase) because I don't think a
bath is a bath without them. Mine had a huge chunk of body butter in the centre which was fun and left
my skin feeling very soft. This is a nice one to try if you too are new to Lush, because apparently
this is Lush's signature scent (who knew). 

Rose Jam Bubbleroon - Apparently if the WI were to 

make a bath bomb, this is what it would be ;)! Entirely appropriate as this bath-time treat is 

rose-scented loveliness. If you are a fan of rose you'll love this, if not you'll hate it. 'Nuff said. 

I also want to give an honourable mention to the Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask, which I used about a month ago (before I got back into blogging, hence no picture). I was recommended this by another shop assistant after asking her which might be suitable for my oily-combination skin, and I did really like it. Not so much so that I rushed out to buy another one, but it was pleasant and I would repurchase it as a bit of a treat in the future. 

Do any of you have any Lush recommendations for a newbie like myself? I'm enjoying browsing all the different things they've got at the moment and am welcoming any and all suggestions!

Sophie

Creamy Candy retails for £2.50 and Rose Jam retails for £3.50

Good afternoon! 

Long-time no see and all that! I do hope everyone out there is well. I can't 

believe how long it has been since I last blogged but I'm not going to bore the 

socks off you with reasons (mostly I've just been a bit busy and not focused enough) 

but I'm here today with a new post which I hope you'll like. I'm going to have some 

more time on my hands now so things over here on Duck and Egg should be 

getting a bit more lively!

Today I've got a review of the new(ish) eyeshadow palette from the

 bareMinerals SS13 collection 'Remix'. This palette is called 'The Wild Thing' and 

has four shades:

L-R: Controversy, Elitist, Icon, Sensational

- 'Sensational' - a very light blue/green shimmer (all the shades have some 

shimmer in) and makes a really pretty inner corner highlight (and something a bit 

more exciting than a simple vanilla highlight). 

- 'Icon' - lime green shade with small gold glitter particles that

 looks terrifying in the pan but can look good if used in the right way and, I 
have found, really makes blue eyes pop. 

- 'Elitist' - a satiny finish mid tone brown than can easily be used on its own for a 

quick subtle smokey eye look.

- 'Controversy' - A deep electric navy blue which could be used in a multitude of 

ways - a twist on a smoky eye, a gorgeous liner or blended into the crease. 

The formula of these shadows is really nice. The dark navy needs layering to get 

a really good colour pay off as it can come off slightly chalky, but nothing to 

worry too much about. The others are all incredibly creamy and long lasting, 

and all of course have the skin-loving minerals in them to keep your lids looking 

smoother and younger for longer. Apologies for the shockingly bad picture of it on 
my eye, this was taken today after about six hours wear, and the lighting isn't brilliant. 
I was hoping to get a good picture this morning when I applied it but, well that just 
didn't happen! I used Icon all over the lid, Elitist blended into the crease and 
Controversy underneath the lash line for some smokiness. Overall, I really like this 
palette for a little injection of something a bit different to all the neutrals in my collection, 
and I have found it much more wearable than it might first appear.

p.s. If you do pop by a bareMinerals counter whilst the Remix collection is still available, I would 
urge you to take a look at the 'Secret Radiance'. It's an unbelievably gorgeous highlight/all over 
face colour that I am dying to get my hands on and gives you the most amazing subtle bronze glow. 

Sophie

'The Wild Thing' Palette retails for £29