Murray Christmas

When you finish filming a movie there is normally a little gift given out to all of the crew members involved to say thank you for all the hard work.  These normally come in the form of a warm jacket branded with the name of the movie.  However, the most recent one to come home was far more inspiring.

So I filled it with ice,  added 35ml (ish!) of Grey Goose vodka,  a splash of grenadine, a much bigger splash of curacao triple sec and half a lime squeezed and thrown in.  I gave it a good shake, poured it out and added a cocktail cherry for major kitsch factor.  If you look closely you can see the star of the movie etched into the side of the shaker!

This little creation is strong, sweet and old fashioned, it felt perfect for the Christmas season.  It will now be affectionately know in our house as a Murray Christmas.  

(images thanks to Kye Corfield)

Have a go, it was delicious.

Do you have a particular cocktail you love to make up at home? How about a seasonal favourite you always create to get you in the holiday mood?

Setting the tone...Snow

1)  Amazing interiors inspiration courtesy of the supremely gorgeous Kelly Wearstler.

2)  Chanel Pearl drop, Nail Varnish £18.00 ($28.00)

3)  Michael Kors watch £125.00 ($195.00)

4)  Incredibly sweet, Smythson - White Christmas notebook £45.00 ($70.00)

5)  One of my favourite ever gadgets, Fujifim polaroid £70.00 ($110.00)

6)  Cantecaille iridescent eye shade, £23.00 ($36.00)

7)  Dyptique Mini candle, £20.00 ($31.00)

8)  Super sexy dress from ASOS, Can you believe it is on sale for £33.50 ($52.00)

9)  Dolce and Gabbana, Crayon intense eyeliner white, fill in your waterline and make your eyes sparkle. £16.50 ($25.00)

10) A deliciously indulgent feast for the eyes, Marie Antoinette. On DVD. Available here.

Little Preparations

Lets get this weekend off to a glamourous start with a few holiday season essentials.

Sparkling white teeth are definitely in order this season, especially as hopefully you will be spending most of it meeting up with friends and laughing together. This product is amazing and finally available in the UK.  Get your hands on some this Christmas and your teeth will love you forever! 

How about some big holiday hair, whether your locks are all the way down your back or a little above your ears you can always add a bit of height and a bit of glamour with a set of velcro rollers, some teasing and a quick spritz of make-up artist favourite, Elnett.

A perfect manicure, this is something I personally strive to have all year round (most of the time I cheat and have a gel manicure as it lasts about three weeks!). As a make-up artist its nice for the person in your chair to see the hands touching them are well looked after.  The winter is good chance to embrace the deeper colours out there, this, by Essie is my favourite winter red.  Polish your nails, it really finishes your look.

Finally as you are dashing out the door have a spritz of something delicious.  My signature scent is Chloe as it smells divine (obviously!), it works in all seasons and it transitions perfectly from day to night.

(image via)

Do you have a signature scent? meticulous pre-party preparations? 

Have a glamourous weekend everyone! 

Wang-tastic

Alexander Wang you just keep bringing your A game when it comes to lust worthy arm candy!  Sold.

Coming up holiday season beauty essentials.

Festive Fishtail Braid

Fishtail braids look so complicated.  They are not! They are beautiful to look at, make you feel polished and together and are unbelievably simple to do.  Firstly, if you fancy, put a little bit of teasing in at the crown this is just to give some height and a nice silhouette to your final look. Then separate your hair roughly into two sections.

Take a small strand of hair from underneath one section and hand it over to the opposite section and then repeat the same process on the other side, continually passing a little piece of hair from underneath over to the other side and joining it into the original bunch.  The bigger the strands you pick the larger the, erm..scales? (yuck) in your fishtail braid will be. Keep doing this all the way down, easy huh?

Its even easier, if your hair is long enough to bring in front of you over your shoulder and braid downwards.  Keep repeating this process until your plait is the desired length, band up the end and you are ready to roll.   

I like to deconstruct this look a little bit and pull it apart with my fingers.  This makes the style a little more casual. (On the other hand you can really slick this do down and make it look super edgy and warrior like).  

Add a pout full of red lipstick and get your Christmas cocktail on!

(Thank you again gorgeous Leslie and Kye Corfield for his awesome photography skills! X)

Do you have a signature hairstyle? Do you have any plans for your hair and make up this party season? 

Don't forget to follow on twitter @56toRivington - Enjoy! 

Setting the tone...Blush

1) Pretty interior inspiration

2) Philosophy Amazing Grace £19.00 ($29.00) found here.

3) Topshop -Vintage style hexagon studs £7.50 ($12.00) found here.

4) Kozyndan Bunny Blossom limited edition cushion £45.00 ($70.00) found here.

5) Cute illustrations and a fun story for the little people you might know, found here.

6) Lady Ga Ga, Viva Glam - M.A.C. The full RRP less VAT going towards the M.A.C AIDS Fund, a treat with a purpose.

7) Stunning Chanel tweed blush £.29.00 ($45.00) found here.

8) The perfect Christmas gift idea £950 ($1490) or not! found here.

9) The perfect Christmas gift for me!  £499 ($783) found here.

Mmm...Miette

On our road trip stop in San Francisco I was lucky enough to be staying almost next door to this charming place. Where I sampled it's delicious peanut butter cookies.  I just stumbled across this gorgeous video of the founder Meg Ray explaining the history of her pastry shop Miette.

A little something sweet for this chilly afternoon in London.

(video via)

You can purchase the cookbook right here, What a lovely Christmas gift for the pastry aficionado in your life.