Issue 26

Tracey Strange reports on easy ideas to make an instant difference to your look. Photography: Belinda Merrie.

It isn’t always easy taking stock of how you look. Self-esteem issues aside, it involves time – not to mention the prospect of a makeup-budget blowout – to evaluate whether your cosmetics are working for you. But changing the way you do your hair and face is often the simplest – and most cost-effective – way of avoiding getting stuck in a rut. From makeup myths to simple quick-fixes, here are some beauty tips and tricks to keep you up to date.

DAY TO NIGHT

1) Apply dark shadow to the crease of the eye. Then, using the same shadow and an angled brush, create a more dramatic line under your bottom lashes. Smudge the line with the brush or a cotton bud.

2) Strengthen brows with a brush and brow powder or by subtly pencilling them in (use a light ‘feathering’ technique). The powder or pencil can be darker than your natural brow hairs but only by a few shades.

3) Applying bold lipstick is an easy way to add drama to the mouth, especially if you’re wearing black. But if brights aren’t for you, combine your usual lipstick with a darker liner from the same tonal family. The pencil must be fully blended into your lips. Gloss applied to the centre of the lips gives a fuller, sexier look. You can also try one of the new-season high-impact lip lacquers, which have higher levels of colour pigment and therefore remarkable staying power.

4) Rather than adding more blusher, try sweeping a sheer layer of bronzing powder down from your temples over your cheekbones (and existing blusher) and ending at the apples of the cheeks. Make sure it’s well blended into the hairline.

• 2 cups Masa Harina Corn Mix (see www.tiopablo.co.nz for stockists)
• 1 cup warm water
• Butter, sugar and ground cinnamon to serve

Place masa harina in a bowl and add water. Mix thoroughly for 2-3 minutes until dough forms a firm ball or is slightly tacky.  If dough is dry, add another 1-2 tablespoons water. Divide dough into 12 equal balls and cover with a damp cloth to keep moist. Flatten each ball in your hands and place between two sheets of waxed paper.
Roll out or press in a tortilla press until it measures about 10cm in diameter.  Peel off paper and place tortilla on preheated (medium flame), ungreased skillet or griddle for 30 seconds, then turn and continue cooking for another 45 seconds. Turn once more for 20 seconds and add a knob of butter. Brush or spread with a knife then sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon. Take tortilla off the skillet and roll up into a tube. Eat hot. Makes 12

• 120g unsalted, smooth peanut butter
• 60g butter
• 70g brown sugar
• 30g white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 70g chopped peanuts
• 120g ground almonds
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180?C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Using a mixer, cream the peanut butter, butter and brown and white sugars. Add the egg and chopped peanuts and mix through the ground almonds,  baking soda and salt. Mix well.
Roll dough into smallish balls and place on to baking tray. Flatten slightly and use a fork to create a cross-hatch pattern on top. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool until firm. Makes about 18.

Words & recipe Annabel Langbein

To roast and skin the hazelnuts for this recipe, place nuts on a baking tray and bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. Cool, then place in a clean tea towel and rub to loosen skins.

• 160g (4 handfuls) baby spinach leaves or rocket or watercress sprigs
• 2 oranges, peeled and segmented
• 75g (½ cup) hazelnuts, roasted, roughly skinned and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 rashers streaky bacon, sliced into 2cm pieces
• 450-500g fresh free-range chicken livers, deveined and trimmed
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Optional: pomegranate seeds to garnish
• ...and a drizzle of pomegranate syrup
• ...or molasses

Place salad greens in a bowl with oranges and chopped nuts. Heat butter in a large, heavy frypan and fry bacon until it starts to crisp. Season livers and add to the pan. Cook over high heat for 3 minutes until browned but still lightly pink in the centre.

Remove from heat and place livers and bacon in the bowl with greens and other ingredients and toss gently to combine. Transfer to a salad platter or individual plates. Garnish with pomegranate seeds if available and drizzle with a little pomegranate syrup or molasses. Serves 4

Words & recipe Annabel Langbein

• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 portions (or 4 quarters or 8 bone-in thighs)
• salt
• ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup toasted walnuts, ground until very fine
•    (like breadcrumbs or flour)
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
•    (available at specialty food stores)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• pinch saffron (optional)
• juice of ½ lemon

Heat the oil in a large, heavy frypan or deep ovenproof dish. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and cinnamon and brown in batches over medium/high heat for 3-4 minutes each side until golden. Remove from pan and put to one side.

Drain oil from pan, add onion and garlic and cook over low heat until softened, about 8 minutes, then add tomato paste and cook another minute (this softens the flavour). Add chicken stock and water, stirring to lift the pan brownings. Add ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar and saffron, if using. Stir to combine, put chicken back into pan and simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through. Alternatively, bake at 200°C (fan bake) for 40-45 minutes. Mix lemon juice into sauce and adjust seasoning to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with rice and a crisp green salad.  Serves 4

Words & recipe Annabel Langbein

If you prefer not to have two things on the go at the same time, prepare the salad up to 1 hour before serving.

• 4 chicken schnitzels, crumbed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Salad:

• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 red apples
• 3 inner stalks celery, thinly sliced
• ½ cup fresh walnut pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Optional: 1 head witloof, thinly sliced, or
• ...leaves from one small head radicchio
• ...lettuce, torn

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup good-quality mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons walnut pieces, finely chopped

Heat half the butter and oil in a large, heavy frypan. When the butter starts to brown, add schnitzels and cook over a medium/high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of the butter and oil to the pan to cook the other side for another 2 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.

For the salad, place lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Quarter the apples, removing seeds and cores.  Slice into matchstick strips and toss in the lemon juice as you slice to prevent browning. Add celery, walnuts, parsley and witloof or radicchio if using.

Mix mayonnaise with mustard and walnuts. Toss dressing through the salad to evenly coat. Serve schnitzels with salad and accompany with mashed potatoes, noodles, rice, etc. Serves 4

Boots and a coat are two of the costliest wardrobe investments you’ll make. Here’s how to choose items that will last more than one season. Words & styling: Tracey Strange; photographs: Belinda Merrie.

If you get up each morning thinking you have nothing to wear, it won’t be because you’re a hopeless shopper. Clothing shortfalls occur because you haven’t been able to spend the time, not necessarily the money, on organizing a workable wardrobe. Getting value out of clothing and accessories requires planning and a methodical approach to shopping. What are the rules of investment dressing? And how do you apply them to two of the priciest items you’re likely to buy this winter – coats and boots? If you’re wondering if something is worth those zeroes, consider the following.

Do you love it? It’s possible your wardrobe is full of separates you adored at the time of purchase but now resent because you don’t know what to wear them with. Even the most expensive item is worth the money if you are prepared to wear it to death. Something you love also has the added bonus of making you feel fantastic each time you put it on.

Left: Max belted coat, $229, (09) 307 3339,with Decjuba knit scarf, $49, (09) 520 0955. Right: Alberto Fermani knee boot, $820, from Runway, (09) 522 0808.

We took 10 liberties with this painting. Did you spot the differences?

Back to basics

I WAS INTRIGUED with a letter that appeared in Issue 20 of NZ Life and Leisure. The writer was talking about using expensive ingredients in luxury products and, with tongue in cheek and with the price of oil rising, wondered how long it would be before petroleum jelly comes back into vogue. This really set me thinking and sent me on a trip down memory lane.

As a child my father suffered from severe eczema, especially on his limbs. He regularly applied petroleum jelly, rubbing it well into his frightfully cracked skin. This process seemed to take forever as it was so very greasy and he had to rub hard and long to get it properly absorbed. Today we are so blessed with the wide variety of creams, moisturizers and powders available and at varying prices. However, sensitive skin often gets used to the regular use of a product and sometimes that product becomes less effective.

As a result of the said letter and because I was experiencing similar problems with my extremely dry skin, I tried this very product just to see how it measured up today. Well, the result was amazing. Much more time-consuming to apply but with persistence my skin is back on track and normal moisturizers are now all it takes so long as they are regularly applied.

My daughter sent me a packet of Sunlight soap from the UK as she felt quite nostalgic when she saw it in a supermarket. I remembered my mother using it to wash our hair (70 years ago) so thought I’d give it a go for the fun of it. An excellent result ensued but I must confess I used a conditioner as well.

I am wondering what other old-fashioned products readers still use cosmetically and would love to hear about them in your excellent, very different but outstanding magazine.

Delma Kantell, Palmerston North

LIKE LOTS OF PEOPLE, I dream of The Good Life. It’s an idle life with chooks, heavily laden fruit trees glowing in the soft-setting sun, a vegetable garden bursting with monster pumpkins and bulging rows of silver beet, a “goodbye forever” speech to the bank manager and credit cards gathering dust on the sideboard.

But my fantasies are overshadowed somewhat by childhood memories of growing up on a farm. I loved the country and being a “country kid”. I was able to have a pony – even though Dad loathed my horses for eating his trees and rudely pushing his fences. But I know that the farming part of it, the growing part of it, was hard. I know it took effort and energy to keep the huge vegetable garden from which Mum fed our family (three boys and three girls) plus a million rellies who always came for Sunday roast after church.

We didn’t do chooks. We did turkeys instead and they roamed, happy and feral, among the plantations and hedges. Their lives were peaceful until the day in December when Mum sent my brothers out with their guns to dispatch Christmas lunch. After a hard chase, often over the entire farm, dead birds were brought to the house to be prepared for the table. We children hated turkey. We thought it inedible. My sister Rosemarie reckons our Christmas turkeys died mid-marathon, weighed-down by buckets of lead shot and loaded-up with muscle-toughening adrenalin.