I haven’t done a lifestyle post in god knows how long so
when Chris decided we were going to Jamie Oliver’s restaurant “Jamie’s Italian”
I felt it would be criminal not to blog about it!
Jamie’s Italian happens to be one of my favourite
restaurants, if not my favourite restaurant. One of the main reasons why I love
it is that there’s no pretentiousness with the food or the service. The food is
always spot on and the service is just right- not too much not too little. The
particular one we go to is in Cambridge, housed in a grand building that once
was a library. The architecture in itself is really beautiful and has been
given a new lease of life through the restaurant.
Anyway the food- delicious. There is so much choice but I
always go for a pasta dish. I feel it’s wrong not to have pasta at an Italian
eatery. We always grab a cheeky starter to share too. Here we went for the
olives (which were huge!) and “Italian Nachos” which were ravioli with cheese
and other deliciousness. I love the presentation too. It’s so inviting with
picky bits that make the whole experience fun and sociable. Our mains were to die for too. Just look at them!
Like I say I’m a big fan of this place and have been many a
time, so many times in fact that I’m part of the “Gold Club” which entitles you
to express booking and some goodies from time to time. On this occasion we were
treated to complimentary prosecco and this gorgeous citrus sorbet which was
beautifully refreshing to finish with.
After that delicious lunch we headed into the countryside
with the hound for a well needed walk. I much prefer English walks with Harry
and I think he does too. Cyprus got so hot and sticky, poor Harry would pant
like mad! We went to a local country park with fields and a woodland area, a buffet
of smells for Harry’s nose! As you can probably tell the selfie stick came with us and we had a bit LOT of fun playing around with that! The perfect way to round off the weekend.
What are your favourite restaurants and places to go?
Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a marvellous weekend and
the beginning of the week is being kind to you. Today I have a Body Shop Haul
video on my YouTube Channel. I love the body shop and rave about them all the
time, especially when there’s a sale on so
be sure to check out what I bought! Are you also a Body Shop fan? Let me know
what your favourite products are, I love trying new ones!
Is anyone else itching for spring now? I’m bored of
wearing warm coats so opted for my leather jacket with this outfit. It was a
bit nippy I must admit but it looks nice and I wasn’t spending too long
outside. I’ve had this All Saints jacket for years but it still looks great.
Yes All Saints leather jackets are expensive but they last, look good and are a
real investment! Justification made right there! You might recognise my dress
from a post I did in January (see here) which just goes to show how versatile
it is. I’ll be rocking all seasons that’s for sure. I’m also currently OBSESSED
with a red lip and this tartan scarf I picked up on a local market look great
with it. Just a touch of tartan does nicely.
Check out the video below for more of this look:
Anyway, what are you wearing this month? Are you also
getting fed up of your big winter coats?
Upcycling has become really popular in recent years, with
updating and renovating pieces being a fun and creative way to add style and
personality to your living space. I’ve wanted to try it for ages but was unsure
on what paint to buy, application and generally how to do a good job so when I
came across London Road Living doing courses, I jumped at the chance!
London road living is a shop based in Newark,
Nottinghamshire with a showroom of bespoke furniture cleverly upcycled and
modernised. The pre-loved pieces are
re-invented to look shabby chic using the Autentico chalk paints, giving them a
new lease of life and character. As well as the furniture, they sell theAutentico paints, painting tools and a great range of home accessories.
If you’re like me and a keen crafter at heart, their furniture painting courses may interest you. I went for the beginner’s course which will give you the skills and tips you need to upcycle pieces yourself. Our teacher for the afternoon was Ian- the shop owner and creator of the bespoke furniture so I knew we were in good hands. He gave us lots of great tips and advice not only on the paints but sourcing furniture too. We used Autentico paint on the course which is a chalk based paint that can be applied straight onto furniture without needing to prime! It was also great to try out the paints for yourself and see how easy they are to apply and what effects you can create. We applied the paint to bare wood and also to a white shiny MDF type surface to see the difference in application. Both looked great but gave a different effect. The chalk paint also dries really quickly which means you can start your next coat soon after your first. My favourite part was learning techniques to distress pieces. We tried painting a coat of one colour then painting another colour over the top before lightly sanding areas to reveal the colour underneath. This gave a really nice aged effect but my favourite technique by far was the dry brush technique. This is applying a colour to your paint brush (again different to the main colour of your piece) and removing most of it until you’re left with an almost dry brush which you lightly brush over the wood. This leaves a small amount of paint that lightly coats the wood giving a great vintage look. I think this technique would look great on cream furniture with a gold or silver brushed over the top. Below are the pieces we practiced on.
The final thing to learn was waxing. Without waxing the
furniture the paint will wash off as it’s water based and won’t seal in. We
were given a few different waxes to play with and again they create different
effects. A plain wax will seal in the paint and leave it looking the same but
protected. If however you’re looking for more of a sheen, it can be buffed
roughly thirty minutes after application. We also tried a white wax and a dark
wax which give different effects to your paint, dependant on what style you’re
looking to achieve. Again the wax was Autentico so you can be assured it will
work effectively with the paints.
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and spending the afternoon
at London Road Living. I now feel much more confident in upcycling furniture
myself. I can’t wait to have a go and create some one off pieces for my home!
If you’re looking to do a furniture painting course I would highly recommend
the course at London Road Living or if you’re looking to buy upcycled pieces or
even just fancy a lovely lunch- this is the place to come.
I also did a super quick bit of vlogging during the workshop break if you'd like to see! Click the video below:
I’ll be honest with you all- I’m not over the moon with how
this came out. My wonderful partner in crime has been working away so I
had no one to take snaps for me in some pretty outdoor setting and I haven’t
quite found a place in the house that I love for outfit snaps (hence these shit
photos!!)
Please forgive me and lets get on with the outfit!
Fur Coat- River Island
Jeans- Abercrombie & Fitch
Trainers- Converse
Tee- H&M
I love this fur coat
from River Island, it’s impressively soft for faux fur and feels really
luxurious. Now I don’t know if it’s just me but I always find that I generally
wear fur coats for special occasions, nights out or any general dressing up
scenario but today I just wanted to wear it casual and why not? It sure as hell
is cold enough and this beaut really keeps you warm. I paired it with my
favourite ever jeans from Abercrombie and Fitch which are honestly the best
fitting jeans I have ever owned in my entire life. The denim is so comfy and
soft.
I quite like how undone and casual this outfit is and plan
to dig my fur coat out more now. It’s brilliant for weekends away to be worn
with jeans in the day and transformed of an evening with a little black dress
and heels.
I also filmed this outfit. If you want to see more, click
the video below:
What’s your verdict? How do you pair your fur coat with?
P.S I’ll find somewhere to take outfit pics and videos
that’s better next time!! xx
Using the right concealer can really make a difference to
your make-up being flawless or flawed. Today I’m sharing my top five concealers
for great looking skin.
No7 Match Made Concealer
If you haven’t already checked out my post on the No7 match
made foundation clickhereand it’ll tell you all you need to know about
getting the right shade (and also how amazing the foundation is.) I picked up
the shade Cool Vanilla, matching to
my foundation. This is a great all over concealer which works well with or
without a base of foundation, depending on the look you want to achieve. As the
colour is matched to your skin tone, it can be worn just in the areas you need
it to even out your skin tone for a light and natural look. For more of a
medium to heavy coverage it’s very buildable and of course will match your No7
foundation perfectly. The consistency is on the dry side, so not one I’d
recommend for dry skin types but is still easy to blend and leaves a matte
finish that is long lasting. I love this concealer for blemishes and redness.
Bobbi Brown Corrector
This quickly has become my Holy Grail product for unwanted
dark under eye circles. I have the shade Porcelain
Peach which brightens and neutralises the blue tones under my eyes. It’s a
great long lasting concealer which doesn’t crease (yay!) and can be used as a
base under other products if need be. The consistence is creamy and quite thick
but a little bit goes a long way- you really don’t need much and the results
are instant! I can’t recommend this product highly enough to anyone who suffers
with under eye circles. It eradicates them so easily and effectively. Amazing
product!
No7 Instant Radiance Concealer
This is another under eye concealer which I discovered last
summer. I have done a whole blog post on this too as I literally was in love
when I bought it so click herefor a full blown breakdown. Today’s
synopsis however is that this product does what it says on the tin. It brings
radiance to your skin in a light consistency which is excellent for under the
eyes, reducing unwanted darkness and puffiness. I like to use this as a base
before a heavier concealer on a day to day basis to brighten my eye area. It’s
a nifty product for days when you’ve had
a poor nights sleep too!
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
It’d be damn right rude if I didn’t mention this cult
product. It may be cheap and cheerful but it does the trick and quite frankly
that’s what you want from a concealer. It’s great for all over use, even under
the eyes thanks to its amazing liquid formula. It’s incredibly long lasting and
just… amazing! I’m sure I don’t need to go on too much about this product as
everyone and their nan knows about this concealer and how well it works. FACT.
Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer
And finally I have another illuminating concealer. I fell
back in love with this when I packed it in my hand luggage to travel. The
formula is more opaque than the No7 radiance concealer and can be used on its
own for a really natural look whilst helping to reduce those blasted dark
circles. This concealer illuminates and has a peachy tone to reduce darkness
and is a light texture for your eye area.
Again as its Collection, it’s a very affordable purchase and great for a
quick touch up on the go.
So that is my top five concealers! They range from
affordable to slightly more pricey but all do a great job to give you a
flawless complexion.
So this haul is unintentionally large… but in my defence
this is an accumulation over the past couple of months and I did go to America
where shopping is a must!
Ted Baker Make-up bag
Yes I am aware I am late to the Ted Baker party with this
but isn’t it lovely? This was a Christmas present form the hubby and is
actually the wash bag but I’m using it as a roomy make-up bag for my dressing
table as it’s just far too pretty not to be displayed. I love the rose gold bow
detailing so much!
Bedhead Moisture Maniac Shampoo & Conditioner
I have a lot of friends who swear by bedhead products,
particularly their shampoo and conditioners, claiming they really make a
difference to the condition of their hair and I must admit I have been
converted. This duo bring a lot of much needed moisture to my tresses, leaving
it feeling nourished and a lot more manageable. The smell is also to DIE for,
making the chore of hair washing much more enjoyable!
Toni & Guy flexible hold hairspray
As like all Toni & Guy products this hairspray has a
distinctive lovely smell. The nozzle threw me a bit initially as it’s slightly
different to a bog standard hairspray but it works well, giving you a gentle
mist of hairspray to secure your style without it being weighted down. It also
allows some movement to the hair giving a much more natural hold.
Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray
I’ve heard a lot of hype around Bumble & Bumble products
so I thought I’d try one for myself and opted for the surf spray. This is great
for adding texture to wet or dry hair and is great for a beachy look as the
name would suggest. I love using this on a curly messy style, giving it a
deconstructed undone look- perfect for hair that doesn’t look like you’ve tried
too hard.
Anastacia Brow Wizz
Okay lets just take a moment to appreciate this amazing
brand… My brows seriously have never looked so good! When I saw the stand in
Sephora I had palpitations as I’ve heard so many good things about this brand
and needless to say they are the tits. This brow pencil is great with its teeny
tiny and precise end, which is great for small hair like strokes which is what
you want from a brow pencil. The pencil consistency is also great as it’s not
too soft and there’s no risk of over drawing your brows that way. It also has a
handy little spooley on the other end to brush through your brows, leaving them
looking naturally defined. I’m sure you all already know how great this product
is but honestly I will never look back!
Sugar Lip Tint in Raspberry
I was instantly drawn to this product for the packaging.
It’s so pretty! I didn’t realise it was a lip tint initially and has SPF 15
which is great. I’m using it more as a lipstick as the colour payoff is sheer
but pigmented at the same time. It also smells amazing with a watermelon and
sugar scent to it. They had so many other colours in Sephora but they were
slightly on the pricey side otherwise I would have gotten more!
Sephora Crème Lip Stain- Rouge
For me this is the ultimate red lipstick or stain should I
say. No longer will I have to worry about apply my lipstick badly as this
product has a doe foot applicator which makes precision a breeze. This lip
stain dries a beautiful matte colour and stays put for hours. I have happily
gone out to eat and drink wearing this and it hasn’t budged. It’s the perfect
low maintenance red lip.
Ben & Jerry’s Lip Balms
I think these must just be an American thing? Anyway I
picked these up whilst in the states and they really do smell like the ice
creams! The consistency is quite hard which I like as there’s no risk of
smooshing (yup that’s a real word) your fingers in it and making a big mess. It
also feels lovely on the lips even if it does make you pine for the ice cream…
No7 youthful eye serum & match perfect concealer
A beauty haul wouldn't be complete from me without a mention of No7. It's one of my favourite high street brands! After all the ranting and raving I've done about the colour matching foundation in this post I had to try the concealer out and it's awesome! Matched to my skin like the foundation, it is the perfect colour. I wouldn't recommend it for dry skin types as it is quite a dry formula but if however you're an oily skin type it is excellent. Very blendable and buildable and does the job. The eye serum came as a freebie and I'm loving it. Now I'm getting a bit older, (boo) I feel I need an eye cream and this serum is perfect for making the delicate under eye skin feel moisturised without being greasy. I'll definitely be purchasing a full size one!
Sephora 16hr eye shadow- sweet champagne
Another wonderful Sephora product here which is ever so
similar to the Maybelline colour tattoo eye shadows in that it’s a creamy
consistency that sets. I love the champagne shade, it’s such a beautiful
shimmery colour that looks great in the inner corner to brighten or as an all
over touch of colour.
Sephora and O.P.I gel nail varnish- hot to trot
Sticking with Sephora I noticed they have teamed up with
O.P.I and brought out their own line of gel nail polishes. The hot to trot shade is a vibrant pink colour and would be great
for holiday season. It’s not the hardiest gel polish I’ve ever used but it does
make It easier to remove. I also picked up another shade called I only shop vintage which was a
beautiful shimmery gold colour but I’ve somehow lost it sine I moved. *sob*
Sensational gel polishes in: Coral sunset, jelly sherbert
and cool breeze
My lovely friend Emma bought me these shades for my birthday
and I am in love! The formula of sensational polishes ensures that they last a
full two weeks and still look great! I have a review post here if you’re
interested in doing a home gel manicure yourself! I love all these colours and
think they are great shades for any time of year.
Tarte Lights, camera, flashes mascara
Again I was drawn to this product mainly for the packaging
and also because of the hype from other beauty bloggers and youtubers. That
packing though… And the mascara itself is great! It has two sides to the brush,
side 1 and 2. Side 1 is dense smaller bristles which add thickness to the
lashes and side 2 has longer bristles to add length. I love it! I just wish I’d
bought the waterproof one as I’m a sucker for crying- eek!
Bobbi Brown Corrector
And finally I shall finish with this little beaut. My first
Bobbi Brown purchase and a damn good one! I picked up the shade porcelain peach and it is great for
correcting darkness under the eyes. My under eye circles have been banished by
this amazing product! You don’t get a lot of product but a little bit goes a
long way. It’s a dense product which really helps mask those under eye circles
and I find it’s best applied with a brush and a bit of patting in with fingers.
It’s very quickly become one of my top concealers!
So that’s the end of my haul! It’s a lot I know and there’s
a few other bits on my video if you want to see more so click below:
It’s always good to have a little splurge and treat
yourself! What products have bought recently?
I''ve never done a homeware haul before but I moved into our new pace and buying bits to decorate and style our home has been so much fun! (Well for me anyway!)
When it comes to bedding, its always a struggle to find something you and your man will both like. I'd LOVE florals but of cours that's too girly for him but we managed to settle with this aztec geometric style print from Bedeck. The quality is amazing and the sheets feel incredibly soft. The lime shades realy cut through the dark furniture we have, giving space and a brighter feel.
Bedding- Bedeck
Cushions (grey)- Tesco
Mr Fox Pillow- Bedeck
When I realised Bedeck the Mr Fox Pillow I got seriously excited! I love the fun design and it adds character. The pixelated pillows are from Tesco and again are great quality, feeling super soft and snuggly. I originally bought these for another room but they don't fit with my scheme but conveniently they look great with this bedding.
Candle- Anthropologie
Onto Anthropologie...May I just say this shop is my heaven! I first discovered one in America and oh my! I love the style of their homeware and fell in love with EVERYTHING! I picked up this candle and coaster from their online store in the sale for an absolute bargain! I think they match perfectly with the style of the bedding and are a subtle way to carry on the theme we are going with.
Coaster- Anthropologie
Mugs- Anthropologie
I also picked up these darling mugs from Anthropologie, this time in the store in Aerica. They are so pretty that I've actually decided to keep them as decorative mugs in our kitchen, Is that weird!?
Kettle- Russell Hobbs
Toaster- Russell Hobbs
Speaking of kitchens, these are the kettle and toaster we picked out. They're a modern take on a country style which is just what we were going for. I love how sturdy Russell Hobbs appliances are and the array of colours but the neutral creams best fit our country vision.
Tea, coffee & sugar tins- Amazon
Sticking with our country vision we also got these tea, coffee and sugar tins and a matching bread bin again in cream to match in a country style also.
Bread Bin- Amazon
Coffee Machine- Amazon
We also picked up this coffee machine as I'm a dab hand at making good coffee- particularly lattes. IF however you're a novis fear not, ths machine is easy to use and comes with great instructions. It's the perfect appliance for any coffee fiends and for impressing guests with a decent cup of coffee. The milk frother is great for a frothy coffee or a hot chocolate!
So that's pretty much everything we have bought for the house except a few little bits which are just in the video, so if you want to see more click below!
Our little home is slowly coming together, we just need a few photos and pictures up really but finding little gems like we have really does help to make it feel personal.
