Creme Egg season

Goodbye Christmas pudding, hello Easter egg. No sooner has the festive season come to a close, than we are greeted with the prospect of an equally exciting time: the Cadbury Creme Egg season.

The television adverts for these sickly but delightful chocolate treats have begun to infiltrate our living rooms, and I must admit, they are some of my all-time favourite commercials. Stop-motion chocolate eggs causing mischief and fellow eggs to explode is, for me, brilliant advertising.

The Cadbury Creme Egg season has officially started. I'll be stocking up now, and feeling sick later.

Blue Ivy Carter

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's baby has finally landed. Welcome to the world, Blue Ivy Carter, you're already one of the most famous babies of all time!

Normally, I don't think much of these weird and wonderful (debatable) names celebrities are giving to their offspring, but Blue Ivy Carter is actually quite lovely. There was a lot of speculation over the order of these names (Blue Ivy or Ivy Blue?), until Gwyneth Paltrow tweeted her congratulations to the couple on the birth of baby Blue.

I can't imagine what it would be like to have R&B royalty as parents, but she is definitely one lucky girl. New daddy Jay-Z has even released a song dedicated to her, entitled Glory. And with such a super-stylish mummy, I think it's safe to say Blue will be giving Suri Cruise a run for her money in the child fashion stakes very soon.

Better baking (cheat)

As mentioned a while ago, I really enjoy baking. However, my last attempt was, what you would call, an epic fail. Therefore, this time I thought it would be best to have a little help. Some might call this cheating, but considering what happened with my blueberry cupcakes, I call it smart.

I decided to make some chocolate cupcakes, courtesy of Green's Dennis the Menace Cake Mix. I've made these cakes many moons ago, and they always turned out beautifully. This time was no different.

You open the box, and twenty minutes later, you have a tray of perfectly cooked cupcakes. Just add the icing and little character motifs, and you're done. Granted, they're not the most attractive cakes in the world, but they taste wonderful. The plate of 12 were demolished almost instantly. Result.

No.5 is No.1

Chanel No. 5 is considered by most to be the world's most famous fragrance. Released in 1922, it is reported that a bottle of this world-renowned perfume is sold every thirty seconds!

For some years now, I have coveted a bottle of this celebrated scent. This Christmas I had my wish granted, with a bottle of Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere lovingly deposited into my Christmas stocking. The packaging is simple but unmistakably Chanel, with the little white and black box just as iconic as the glass bottle itself.

And what a beautiful bottle it is. Slightly taller than the classic No. 5, but still with the distinct square shape and bottle stopper top. The fragrance within is a reinvention of the original, similar but with a fresh modern twist, making it particularly suitable for a younger market.

As with all Chanel perfumes, you can sense the quality of the scent. They are incredibly long-lasting, and only a small spritz is required to smell beautifully all day. A bottle of No. 5 may be pricey, but it sure is worth it.

A quality Christmas staple

When I first see the large tins of Quality Street piling up on supermarket shelves, I know Chrsitmas is just around the corner. For me, the Quality Street tin is a quality Christams staple that no household should be without (and we usually end up with a few!).

One of my all time favoutrite smells is that of a freshly opened tin of the famous chocolates. I'd recommend everyone to stick their nose in a brand new tin and have a good ol' sniff. They are also incredibly beautiful to look at, with their multi-coloured, iridescent wrapping. They won't stick around for long, I'm sure, so I'm stashing the Orange Cremes away from the resident chocoholic (my dad) as I speak.

Nb. Quality Street also make excellent poker chips. I see your Green Triangle and raise you two Big Purple Ones.