The time is getting nearer when we can have gatherings once again, so aside from hitting up Kmart, many of us are dying to have our friends over and entertain with nibbles, a delicious meal, dessert and of course, Cocktails!!!!

Here's a couple of my go-to recipes to get you going, and a few pointers when organising an event that includes cocktails. I've also snuck in a delicious mocktail too!
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So let us begin with some sensible suggestions for your shindig:

• Always have food available throughout the night - Chips and Dips are simple and easy, but just are not substantial enough to soak up the alcohol and keep your guests less susceptible to intoxication!
• Ensure you always have jugs of water on hand so guests can help themselves, and so you can offer it around.
• Stay in control of your party - don't wipe yourself out sampling every drink being made! 
• Look after your guests with a genuine sense of care for their wellbeing - Don't set out to wipe everyone out.......they may not want to be your friend too much longer!
• Punches and Jugs are an easy way to entertain a group without the stress and mess of making individual drinks. All of the below are either made as a jug or punch and easily adaptable to suit.

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Pink Punch
Makes 2L or approximately 13 drinks

150ml Lime Juice
3 cups Caster Sugar
1L Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
350ml White Rum
Ice

Stir all ingredients in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved. Garnish with sliced Ruby Red Grapefruit.

Kiwi Cocktail
Serves 4

5 Kiwifruit - peeled and finely chopped
3 Limes - cut into wedges
1/3 cup Mint Leaves
1tbsp Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Vodka
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
4 cups Soda Water

Combine Kiwifruit, Lime, Mint and Sugar in a bowl. Pound with end of a rolling pin until crushed. Spoon mixture among 4 glasses. Add Vodka and Ice. Top up with Soda Water.

Moscato Punch
Serves 8

750ml Pink Moscato
750ml Sparkling Rose
1 cup Guava or Orange Juice
100g Strawberries, thinly sliced
1 cup Crushed Ice
Mint Leaves to serve

Combine Moscato, Rose, Juice, Strawberry and Ice in a Jug. Serve into glasses and decorate with a sprig of Mint.

Summer Iced Tea
Serves 12

4 Herbal Infused Tea Bags (eg: Twinings Cranberry and Pomegranite)
24 Mint Leaves, torn
4 cups Boiling Water
4 cups Pineapple Juice
4 Passionfruit, Pulp and seeds to be used
6 Lychees, peeled and de-seeded (optional)
2 cups Ginger Beer
Ice for serving

Place teabags and half the mint in a large, heatproof jug. Add boiling water. Jiggle teabags for 1 minute. Discard. Refrigerate until cold.
Divide tea, juice, pulp, lychee (if using) and remaining mint between 2 large carafes. Stir until passionfruit seeds separate and all is well combined. Half fill glasses with mix over ice and top with Ginger Beer.

Enjoy your time with your friends, and always, Drink Responsibly.

​Kim xx

So often, we are so critical of ourselves... Our body, our hair, our clothes, our makeup... the list goes on and on! We need to stop being so hard on ourselves! Why are we so judgmental and unforgiving on ourselves, but yet, these perceived "flaws" of our own, are usually what we see as beautiful and unique in others.​

When was the last time you were naked in front of your partner/sexual partner? Did they pick out all of your "flaws"? Did they criticise you or look away in disgust? No! They were excited and thrilled that they had a beautiful, confident, sexual woman standing in front of them offering themselves for a night of pleasure!

So if our chosen partner (whether it be for a lifetime, years or a night) is not critical of us, then why are we???

Our "flaws" are what makes us unique, what makes us US - what we may perceive as horrid is seen by another as beautiful BUT how can we turn our way of thinking around? How can we start to perceive ourselves as beautiful, our "flaws" as being sexy, attractive, beautiful?
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You have heard it from everyone who has had a shoot - you feel empowered, confident, sexy - but does the feeling last?

Does your own body image improve for good? Do you begin to love yourself and those pesky perceived "flaws"?

The answer to these questions is a resounding YES! Or if you prefer, YAAAAASSSS QUEEN!

That is the absolute beauty of a Boudoir Shoot - you are possibly at your most vulnerable, posing for someone with a camera in your lingerie (or nude). It's possibly the most terrifying and freeing thing you can do! All your opinions and judgements come flooding forward, mixed with  questions of yourself such as "Am I good enough to do this?", "Will I get the poses right?", "Will I look as amazing as XXX did?" Again, all the answers to these questions are YES!

You are unique, no photo shoot is the same. Lauren will capture you in a way you have never imagined or seen yourself before! Lauren sees your inner beauty and draws that out of you during a shoot, so your natural beauty is radiating, and everyone who sees your photo's will see that inner essence of your beauty shine!

All the images you see from Boudoir Photo Shoots from Pure Beauty Photography are the real person - there's no airbrushing body shape or manipulation to make your breasts sit up or give you a bubble butt - What you see are real people, starting to love and accept themselves exactly the way they are.

​Yes, bruises and red marks (from previously worn lingerie) will be manipulated, but what you see in the mirror, is what you get in your photographs - just with gorgeous hair and makeup!

I'm going to tell you a little story.... There was a young (I use the term loosely!) lady who was so excited about her first Boudoir Shoot with Pure Beauty Photography, BUT her confidence had been almost completely eradicated. She was full of self doubt, anxiety, stress and judgement of herself, but she barrelled ahead with her shoot, because she was just so excited about it, and supporting her beautiful friends new business - and she was also stubborn as a mule! Outfits and accessories were picked out and packed, but so were her critical views of her belly and her thighs. A lot of time was wasted by her thinking negatively of herself and being critical of these perceived "flaws" that no-one but her saw! She adjusted her breasts constantly, she continually held her breath and sucked in her belly as much as she could, but a beautiful thing happened quite soon into the shoot......She Let Go! She let go of her inhibitions, of her self judgement, her self negativity, her anxiety, and embraced the shoot for everything it was - A Celebration! A Celebration of her strength, her beauty - inside and out, her confidence, her assured outlook on life, her ferocity. My favorite images from this shoot, and my subsequent shoots, are actually the ones where my boobs aren't perfectly adjusted, and the roundness of my belly shows - these are always the first images I select from my shoots! 

And every time I look at any of my photos, I am flooded with all of the feelings of confidence, sexiness, strength and beauty all over again!

​So what are you waiting for girl? Love yourself that little bit more, and take the leap like I did!

Kim xo

Winter Is Coming.....No, this isn't a promo for another GoT season - it's a fact! So what is the greatest thing to consume whilst you're in your cosy ugg boots and Pure Beauty Photography hoodie with the heater keeping you toasty???? Soup!!! It really is so simple to make, and the sky is the limit! You can basically make a soup out of almost anything! Do you know you can make Cheese Soup? Sounds dubious, but I kid you not, it is actually delicious!!!!
Here's a couple of my Winter Soup go-to recipes that will warm the cockles of your heart!
​Go On - Get Cookin' Good Lookin'

Pumpkin and Roast Vegetable Soup

1 Pumpkin *I use Japla pumpkin, but any is fine!
1 bulb Garlic
1 Brown Onion
3-4 Potatoes
1 knob Ginger (you can omit this if you don't like Ginger)
3-4 Carrots
You can add any root vegetables you fancy!
Vegetable Stock
Water
Salt & Pepper

Peel & Chop Vegetables to roasting size & place on oven tray with bulb of garlic, ginger & season with Salt & Pepper & drizzle in Olive Oil.  Cook in preheated oven at 180 degrees for around 40 minutes or until roasted & starting to caramelise.

Once vegetables are softened & caramelised, remove from oven tray to large saucepan, remove garlic cloves from bulb (you should be able to squeeze gently from the bottom of the bulb & clove will pop out - but be careful - it will be super hot!)

Add in enough hot water with stock cubes crumbled & dissolved to cover vegetables. Use a stick blender to puree roasted vegetables & mix together all ingredients.

Once blended, Simmer & stir over stove until all ingredients are fully combined. If soup is too thick for your liking - add some more water & stir in. Season with Salt & Pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty buttered fresh bread (Sour Dough is awesome!) & stir in some fresh cream or goats cheese & Enjoy!

** Use however many vegetables & pumpkin looks good to you - I don't really measure anything, but I taste during the cooking process to ensure it's to my liking **
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Lamb Shank and Vegetable Soup

4 Lamb Shanks
2 Brown Onions
1/2 Celery
4 Carrots
Vegetable & Chicken Stock Cubes
Water

** You can add in potatoes, barley, lentils - whatever you want! **

Dice Brown Onions, Slice Celery & Carrots and Place in Stock pot on medium stove. Add in Lamb Shanks (don't get the frenched ones - they are more expensive and have so much meat removed). Cover with enough water to cover all ingredients. Season with Salt & Pepper. Crumble in 1 of each stock cube (keep tasting, as you may want/need to add in another 1 or 2 during the cooking process). Heat up until soup is boiling & turn stove down to a slow simmer.

Simmer, stirring occasionally for 2-3 hours until meat is falling off the bone & easily removed.

Taste the soup, you may need to add more seasoning, or another crumbled stock cube. Keep in mind that the flavours will develop while cooking - so don't over season! If it tastes too salty early in the cook - it's only going to get stronger later!

If the water starts to evaporate during cooking, add more.

This is a hearty soup & again, fantastic served with buttered bread on the side! This is also really good for your gut health by cooking the meat on the bone throughout the whole process.

I also love Hot & Spicy Soups - think a delicious Thai Curry inspired soup! Another favorite is the Kick Start Soup - so full of vegetables & really filling & good for you too!

Happy Cooking!

​Kim x