Sticky fig and orange muffins

Every once in a while week a girl deserves a sweet treat

Tear yourself away from the chocolate and indulge in sticky fig and orange muffins

Easy to prepare and even easier to devour 😉

Tulip muffin cases

Juicy figs

Ta dah!

Follow the recipe and enjoy! 

Sierra x

 

Jemima Khan and Russell Brand sitting in a tree…

….K-I-S-S-I-N-G. No, it’s not one of Russell Brand’s sick jokes. The man has pulled off the impossible – he has pulled Jemima Khan. I was pretty speechless when I saw pictures of them canoodling in the Daily Mail, all I could splutter was: ‘Huh!?! Jemima…what are you thinking?!”

My guess is that she’s not thinking (at least not with her brain). Despite his hobo appearance, Russell has managed to bed supermodel Kate Moss and popstar Katy Perry so he must talk a good game. But Jemima Khan is one hell of a catch.

Once upon a time this classy lady was married to philanthropist, politician and world-famous sportsman (not to mention damn sexy even in his sixties) Imran Khan. Now she’s holding hands with sex addict Russell Brand.

From this…

To this!

I’ve spotted Jemima outside my local Kensington & Chelsea pub, The Scarsdale, and she really is absolutely classically gorgeous in the flesh. Jemima, when Russell dumps you & starts talking $hit about you in his next comedy routine, let’s go for a drink in The Scarsdale and have a wee chat about the do’s and dont’s of dating over a glass of vino. Do date Imran Khan. Do date Hugh Grant. But please, for the love of womankind, don’t date Russell Brand. 

The perfect pink nail polish – OPI Bubble Bath

I have spent years trying to find the perfect pink nail polish, and have been let down more times than I care to remember but I have finally found The One! After years of experimenting with numerous shades of Essie/China Glaze/Chanel etc… I stumbled upon OPI’s Bubble Bath.

A glossy pink that works best with a tan, it’s perfect for work meetings, first dates (when you don’t know if he thinks red is sensuous or just plain slutty) and mid-week supper with your mother. Plus, I find OPI is pretty chip resistant even after a trip to the pool or a night out at Tonteria that ends at 5am the next day in Vingt-Quatre. This Saturday night, I have no idea what outfit I’m wearing or even where we’re going (suggestions?) but I do know what I’m wearing on my nails 😉

You can browse the entire OPI range of over 240 shades at Colourcopia in Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush. I’m not exactly the biggest fan of Westfield but this store is like crack for nail polish addicts. You find yourself wandering in in a daze, enthralled by the bright lights and dizzying array of nail polishes.

Ciao ciao x

What would you rather? Champagne or Cava?

I’d never tried Cava before but my friend Jenny is a huge fan, so when she invited me round I brought two cute bottles of M&S Cava Brut. Cava comes from Spain and while it may not sparkle in quite the same way as French champagne, we ended up suitably giggly.

Perfect for a mid-week treat!

Putin disses Chelsea, stop. Just stop!

This week’s OMG! moment of the week is a no-brainer. Vladimir Putin is no stranger to talking controversy but at the G20 Summit he just talked crap. Putin apparently dismissed the UK as a “small island no one pays attention to apart from the Russia oligarchs who bought up Chelsea.”

Let’s just say Putin is right, just for a moment. What does that say about Russia if its richest folk would rather live on the other side of Europe in Chelsea? My Russian friends in London are desperate to extend their visas because Moscow simply isn’t safe enough.

Take Nikita, his father is a successful businessman in Russia. His family live in Moscow but he dreads returning home for the holidays because he can’t go anywhere without a bodyguard for fear of being kidnapped and held to ransom. His parents would rather fork out for a flat in Chelsea and put thousands of miles between them, just to keep him safe.

Putin hounded the artist Konstantin Altunis who portrayed him unfavourably in the below painting (figure on the left) and drove him out of the country after seizing his work, but perhaps he  should be more worried about how he portrays himself on the global stage.

The more Putin slams the UK, the more he reeks of jealousy.

Is it ever justified to snatch somebody’s Prada?

Every summer the Arabs come to play in West London to escape the oppressive heat in the Middle East. Everyone just loves to swoon over their fancy sports cars. Whenever one gets clamped for parking on a double yellow a crowd forms and it makes front page news at the Daily Mail, sparking hundreds of comments from jealous readers.

But while everyone has an opinion on these playboys’ cars, no one ever seems to stop for a minute and smell the FASHION! I recently spotted an Arab tourist with a to-die-for Prada bag; for one mad moment I even considered doing a snatch ‘n run. But then I figured her beefy husband sitting next to her might thwart my plan…so instead surreptitiously snapped a pic on my phone.

Summer is officially coming to an end now and I’m sure the influx of fashion from the world’s wealthiest tourists will soon be a distant memory, but this heavenly Prada bag will stay in my heart forever. Just look at the gold zip on that tote winking up at me….

You can buy the Saffiano Small Promenade Crossbody Bag online from Neiman Marcus (http://bit.ly/15BIan7). Free shipping (inc to UK) throughout September with the code SEPTFS. Oh and it’ll set you back £1270 😉

Here it is in all its powder blue Prada glory:

Another one bites the dust! Superdrug on High Street Kensington closes; Morrisons rears its lurid yellow head

I don’t know why I’m even surprised anymore but here goes..Superdrug on High Street Kensington has shut its doors and guess what? The hastily taped up sign on the glass door reads: ‘We’ve now closed…but don’t worry, your nearest Superdrug is…Westfield White City.’ Quelle surprise.

 

High Street Kensington has become a victim of neighbouring Westfield’s success since its opening in 2008. I’m all for embracing a bit of competition but the indomitable spirit of Westfield is crushing the soul of High Street Kensington. Shop after shop has a closing sale and abruptly closes its doors with a limp goodbye (except for that cheap-looking Italian suit shop which permanently had a sale and took years to die).

 

On a rather more alarming note, Morrisons has opened a store at the other end of the high street. Call me a snob but I really don’t need to see that lurid, bright yellow sign in my field of vision when tucking into my lunchtime salmon sashimi at neighbouring restaurant Hare & Tortoise.

 

 

 

 

Apart from anything, does the high street really need another supermarket? We already have Whole Foods, Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco. How many more  do we need? I fear Lidl and Aldi might be the next to surface, a scary thought. I’m all for discount shopping in someone else’s neighbourhood…

 

I’ll be sad to see Superdrug go. I’m a Boots girl at heart, but there was always something about Superdrug that reminded me of my carefree teenage years experimenting with hair dye and henna. RIP Superdrug High Street Kensington.