Valentines Day approaches. I made my header a pukey pink to celebrate.

I shan’t defend my love of Valentines Day once again, apart from to say I just like any excuse for a theme and a bit of dressing up. What I don’t like (and avoid like the plague) is that much like Christmas the shops are full of “Valentines” gifts. Underwear made from tacky red lace. Chocolate made to look like roses and heart-shaped plastic champagne flutes.

So today I thought I’d focus on some NICE lingerie. Whether you’re buying it for yourself or a gift, this is a far better idea than red net from Ann Summers. Even if you’re on a budget, there are nice retro style pants out there for you. Valentines Day is not the only time of year we wear nice underwear, but it’s a good excuse to get some new stuff!

Kelly Brook has recently launched a lingerie collection for New Look which has some nice pieces with vintage styling (it also has some really horrible pieces, but we just won’t buy them!) Personally I’d steer clear of the suspenders if you actually want to wear them outside of the house as they look like your likely to end up with the whole lot round your ankles, but these are my favourite sets.

Lace Edge French Knickers – £9.99 and Pleated Bra – £14.99

This set comes in lilac and cream for a bit of a whimsical, lounging around in a Parisian garret apartment with white washed floors feel.

Satin Trim Bra – £12.99 and High Waist Briefs -£8.99

The world is finally catching on (probably only temporarily) to the fact that knickers that aren’t made of string can still be attractive. Hurrah! This set, I think, is a bit more every day practical. It comes in Apricot and Black. I like the black for a bit of a femme fatale vibe.

Feather Trim Mules – £19.99

Finally, I couldn’t leave this collection without mentioning these! Feather Trimmed Mules! I’ve wanted a pair of these for years, I have visions of clacking around my imaginary mansion in a long sheer peignoir and a pair of these, scandalising the local village. Now, which colour?

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IT’S SNOWING!

Well, it was snowing at the weekend and the newspapers are gleefully reporting weeks of travel chaos and arctic temperatures. When it snows there’s really nothing for it but to hunker down under a blanket with some nice warming booze.

I mentioned Hot Mars Bar Vodka over the weekend on Facebook and Twitter and was met with a flurry of recipe demands, so here it is!

If you search you’ll find similar recipes that are designed to be poured back into a vodka bottle and drunk chilled. I like it hot, and this is how I’ve made it since about 1997 when I saw it in the now defunct MINX magazine.

You Will Need (Serves 2)

• 1 Mars Bar
• 100 ml milk
• 100 ml vodka

Slice the mars bar up really finely and put it in a small bowl. You need to melt it with the milk.

You can do this the old fashioned way, over a half full bowl of boiling water, or you can stick it in the microwave.

If using the microwave my advice is to add half the milk, blast it for 20 seconds, stir it vigorously till it’s almost smooth, then add the rest of the milk and give it another 20 seconds. This will stop the chocolate and the milk burning before you’ve had chance to get rid of all the lumps.

Basically keep heating it and stirring it until the mixture is smooth and really hot.

DON’T BURN YOURSELF, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’VE ALREADY DRUNK A FEW OF THESE!

Take 2 teacups and pour a double shot of vodka into the bottom of each.

Top up with the melted mars bar and top with squirty cream if you so desire.

Drink immediately while it’s still warm.

Yum,yum, yum.

A few helpful notes:

The vodka is not hot, so will cool down the milk quite dramatically. If you find it’s too cold, or too strong then try adjusting the quantities of milk and/or vodka. Try one shot of vodka instead of a double, or add an extra 50 ml of milk to the mixture. You could also make the mixture with 2 mars bars and 200 ml of milk and still mix it with a double shot of vodka for a longer drink that still has that chocolatey caramelly goodness.

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Today’s Friday Frock Love is the about the gorgeous own brand label at my sponsor, Pin Up Parade.

Helen launched Swagger Joint last year, but the problem with internet shopping is you can’t actually see, touch, and feel the quality of things. So she sent me one of the Avril dresses to see for myself.

I’m sending it back, so it’s not mine to keep, though me and my bank balance are having some quite intense discussions on the issue. I am seriously impressed with this dress!

The only way I can tell it’s not an actual vintage dress is from details like the nylon zip and overlocked seams. The quality really is fantastic, especially when you start looking at some of the tat on the High Street that they have the cheek to charge a similar price for!

This particular dress is really heavy, so it hangs beautifully. It’s made from a wool crêpe and is fully lined as well. I’m in between the sizes on the chart, so I went up a size, and it was actually a perfect fit and a really flattering cut on the bodice. Plus, look at the length! It’s actually calf length, not knee length or above the knee like so many dresses.

The Swagger Joint dresses go all the way up to a size 20 as well, and you can rely on the measurements on the Pin Up Parade site as Helen actually measures all the dresses and produces individual size charts for each one.

There are 2 other dresses in the Swagger Joint range at the moment. The Viv dress is a pencil dress with a velvet collar and the Esme is a matte satin circle dress with net underskirts.

The Viv and the Avril are both part of the price drop on Pin Up Parade dresses, while the Esme is actually in the sale section in sizes up to a 16 for just £30!

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