Little Bo Blab

My Graduation | Class of 2014

2014-07-29T16:20:00.001+01:00

So, I'm no longer a student, but a full grown adult with a degree and the frightening prospect of finding a career! - Eeeek! But with all jokes aside, I've had a wonderful (be it slightly stressful) 4 years at Huddersfield University. I've met some fantastic people, made some life long friends in Yorkshire and I'm looking forward to a very bright future back in Liverpool!

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The H&M rose print skater dress | OOTN

2014-07-21T13:52:00.000+01:00

I'm so glad I bought this dress when I did, I managed to pick this up the day it was released and actually picked it straight off a rolling rail before they had a chance to get it on the wall display. I think a week later only a handful of sizes were left too? - Crazy

This dress pretty much just screams summer. I'm a big fan of vintage patterns, and on the rare occasion I wear a dress I want to look pretty as a picture which I think is where this frock really excels. I mean you could be the biggest tom-boy in the world but you'd look like a real lady whilst wearing this outfit.

The bag is a big beautiful favourite too. I picked it up about a year ago at Deichman shoes for £7, an absolute bargain. And its so huge! I love a big bag and this one is great for me as I tend to try and take my life out with me on a night out - Small bags just don't make the cut.

Finally the shoes are a little present off Creature, he got them after I passed one of my uni modules with a 1st earlier this year and since have been a favourite for classy meals out.

I think in hind sight, neutral accessories would have looked better but at the moment I have a severe lack of neutral heels that don't kill my tootsies!

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Boyfriend t-shirts | Mini haul

2014-07-18T13:36:00.000+01:00

| Hogwarts T-shirt - £6 Primark | Mean girls t-shirt - Ebay |

I wish I could say I'm one of these girls that loves a dress, but I'm not. I'm definitely a jeans & t-shirt kind of girl through and through. And ever since seeing Jess from Jessica In Your Ears Hogwarts t-shirt at a recent event, I've wanted my own! On a recent trip into Primark to grab the essentials I actually managed to get my hand on the navy blue version of this magical tee, and believe me I was also very tempted by the Slytherin and Griffindor tees too - But now that would be a tad obsessive now wouldn't it?

I've also recently been sent a fabulous t-shirt that commemorates one of my favourite films of all time, Mean Girls. I actually got this shirt for free through a store on Ebay after a very long winded dispute over 2 t-shirts going missing in the post and a completely made up investigation with royal mail by them. I eventually got a refund and a free t-shirt as compensation, but I won't be recommending this store any time soon as it seems from their recent feedback, this isn't the first time this has happened, and several people experienced the same treatment recently.

I am however utterly in love with both these tees. I've worn both simply with skinny jeans, sandals, and a leather jacket, keeping the whole look very plain. But the inner geek inside me is just over the moon with both looks!

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Boyfriend jeans & summer florals | WIWT

2014-07-15T13:21:00.000+01:00

Now we're getting into summer I'm banned from my forever favourite skinny jeans & black jumpers. Replaced by summery floral patterns and pastel shades (much to my pale skins annoyance). However I'm not quite ready to give up my jeans.. Being a size 12 and quite big on the thighs, as a rule I probably shouldn't be wearing boyfriend jeans as they use serve to make my ass and thighs look huge, but they're just so darn cute!

Personally I loved this outfit, the shirt looked really cute tucked in loosely, and paired with the neutral accessories it brought the whole look together. I wore this for a simple shopping trip with Creature, and felt cool enough without flashing too much milk bottle pale flesh!

What's your go-to summer outfit?

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Beauty disasters | Why I won't use semi perm eyelashes

2014-07-11T13:08:00.000+01:00

Like many girls, even the ones who may not want to admit it, I'm pretty hung up on my looks. The constant battle with my self image has been something I've struggled with since the age of 14, and not just weight issues, but with cosmetic issues too. I've always longed for long lashes, years of watching Maybelline adverts and being envious of my dark haired friends for having such naturally dark and lustrous lashes was something that secretly got me down for years.

Since then I've been on the hunt for the perfect solution in a bottle, I've tried every potion under the sun, every home remedy and exhausted the drug store mascara options to no avail. My eyelashes are naturally white, as you can see in the left photo on my bottom lid, so unless I smother my eyes in mascara, of which usually weighs them down, my lashes just lack impact.

Whilst at Mango, A few of the beautiful ladies I worked with were regular users of semi-perm lashes, they looked thick, beautiful and made their eyes look so god damn gorgeous! - & I was sold. It seemed like I'd found my answer, so on payday I went to a local salon and got some semi-perms for myself, over the moon that I might have just found the solution.

Ok, so first off, my eyes watered like hell for days afterwards. Its normal for your eyes to water whilst the lashes are wet with glue. The fumes are pretty intense and a little irritating, however I experienced uncomfort for several days after them being put in place. - Not great. However, I was so unbelievably happy with how they looked, I just blotted the tears and continued to flutter my newly framed eyes.

Then, Not a week into having the lashes on, the corners of my eyes began to ache, closely followed by a splitting pain when ever I closed my eyes. It was time to get them off. Rather than taking them off myself, I went back to the salon to have them taken off professionally. They covered my eyes with a serum, and shortly after began picking them off.

I have genuinely never felt such pain. I don't know whether they used the wrong glue, if the lady who removed them was new, or whether they didn't leave the removal serum on for long enough, but as she began pulling the false lashes off, she took my own ones with them too, leaving me with several half length stubby lashes and only a handful of longer ones. As you can see from the right photo above, a large patch of lashes are missing, and it's the same on the other side too.

I can safely say that no amount of insecurity would be worth going through that again. I went through a period after the removal feeling utterly disgusted with myself, I genuinely felt lower than I had in a long time. But I've picked myself up and began the painstakingly slow process of trying to grow them back. My only solution is to wear more black eyeliner to compensate for the lack of impact, whist I wait for them to return.

I would however like to point out that although I had a terrible experience, many friends of mine have had positive treatments, so I by no means want to tell you that semi-perm eyelashes are dangerous. I'd also like to thank some of the girls on twitter for lending a hand and reassuring me that this isn't the norm and eventually I will have my natural lashes back.

Have you ever had any beauty related disasters?

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The Midweek Treat | Lush Golden Egg bath bomb

2014-07-09T10:00:00.000+01:00

Today I'm bringing you a review of the much hyped Golden Egg bath bomb by Lush. I picked this one up before I actually read any reviews from other bloggers, but absolutely loved the glittery appearance of this bomb, and lets face it, I'm a magpie for anything glittery.

So to begin, obviously, the overall look of this egg is a little bit special. It's thick with glitter making it look like a very luxurious and inviting bath bomb. I will however just say that mine was a little sticky to touch, & I'm not sure if this has been the case for everyone, but when handling it you get a significant amount of glittery residue stick to your fingers.

What Lush say; "A glistening golden bath melt and bath bomb rolled into one. Because of its luxurious bath melt outer layer, when you first drop this into the bath it will sink down, then bob back to the top as the bath bomb centre begins to fizz away, filling your bath water with its sumptuous honey-toffee fragrance."

Straight away you can smell the orange oil, which if you read my Midweek Treat series you'll know that citrus tones are my favourite kind of scent. So immediately I was really excited for this bomb. On hitting the water the Golden Egg span releasing all it's glitter and leaving me with a slow fizzing yellow bomb.

But also, if you've read any of my previous lush posts you may already be able to guess my final feelings towards this bomb. Yellow?! Why the yellow!? I don't know about you ladies, but I don't find bathing in piss coloured water particularly relaxing. And it was such a shame because this silky bomb smelt utterly delicious.

I cannot deny that I left the water feeling silky soft and smelling amazing, but i just can't get over the colour. Lush bombs are famous for their bright colours and I cant help but wonder if this would have been better in an orange tone rather than yellow? - So, with much disappointment, I'm going to have to rate this bomb an unappealing 3/5. Unfortunately I don't think I;ll be running to purchase this pretty to boot bomb again.

Have you tried The Golden Egg? - What were your thoughts?

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Cocktail master class | The Botanist (*)

2014-07-06T19:00:00.001+01:00

Ever since being invited to The Botanist blogger tea party earlier this year, I have had a little obsession with the restaurant. I've been back with my family as well as Creatures family and it's always been met with amazing compliments for the food and the great range of drinks.

A few weeks ago myself and 4 other bloggers were invited to The Botanist for a cocktail master class to learn how to make 3 of The Botanists yummy cocktails. As you can imagine this event was right up my street, and not only were we invited to free pour our own delicious alcohol but also treated to a selection of bar snacks mid way through the evening. - Bonus!

Cocktails have never lost that air of glamour for me, I'm still a beer girl through and through but when I do occasionally swap my Peroni for an elegant martini glass, I like those cocktails to actually taste substantial. There is nothing worse than a cocktail that literally just tastes like bog standard fruit juice. However at The Botanist their cocktails not only taste delicious but also so very alcoholic!

What I particularly enjoyed was the fact they use amazing and unusual ingredients in their drinks, whilst we were sipping our hand made Mojitos packed full of fresh mint and watching our next cocktails demonstration, Adam our teacher for the evening began filling his tumblers with baby rose buds! In today's cocktail culture it isn't enough to just have a great tasting drink, it must look the part too, and boy do The Botanists cocktails look pretty!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Botanist, I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly how I to make those cocktails for yourself. I can however vouch that not only will you have a crackin' time 'learning' how to make some of The Botanists signature drinks but you'll also get wickedly drunk.

You can find out more about The Botanists cocktail master classes here

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Marinated lamb & slow roasted tomato salad | Recipe

2014-06-12T21:36:00.000+01:00

Lately I've become utterly obsessed with Leeds Market when it comes to my food shop. I've watched food programes since I was a tot and never really gave much of a toss about these great markets in Britain until recently. Whilst walking around, picking up fresh duck eggs and nibbling on bits of sample cheeses, it occurred to me, my Dad would often tell me to visit the local market in Chester, to keep it alive for others to enjoy too when it was threatened to be closed, but the importance just never sank in until now. The huge range of fruits, veg and meat you can pick up is incredible - not to mention cheap! I will forever wince at the price of meat and veg in Morrisons or Tesco after my recent ventures.

So in honour of my Dad, the ever experimental "throw whatever you have in the cupboard in it" kind of cook. I picked up some quality lamb cutlets and stocked up on my fresh herbs & headed home to pull together a fresh, summery (and relatively healthy) tea for me & Creature.

After routing through my veg stocks, I decided upon a slow roasted baby tomato salad with balsamic glaze to accompany the lamb. My fridge is stock full of salad, veg and fruit at the moment as myself & Creature are on a major health kick. So many of the bits you need for this recipe I already have as cupboard essentials. So without further ado. Here is my recipe for Marinated lamb with slow roasted garlic baby tomato salad.

Ingredients:

The lamb & marinade:

(Feeds 2)

4 Lamb cutlets on the bone

Olive oil

dried chilies

fresh mint

fresh rosemary

Garlic pepper seasoning

For the roasted tomatoes:

1 packet of sweet baby tomatoes

1 bulb of garlic

black pepper

sea salt

Fresh thyme

Olive oil

Salad:

1 packet of mixed baby leaf salad or Rocket

balsamic vinegar or dressing

red onions (roasted or raw)

Fresh mint

Fresh basil

This may seem like a lot of ingredients, but the most important thing for this recipe is the balance of herbs. For those of you who don't have garlic pepper for the marinade, using garlic salt and a twist of black pepper would be fine. Or even fresh garlic and chilies would work a treat too.

1. The Lamb marinade: Firstly you need to marinade the meat. Finely chop 2 sprigs of rosemary leaves and mint, mix 3 table spoons of olive oil in a large dish and add in 1 tsp of dried chilies & 1 tsp garlic salt. Sprinkle in your fresh herbs and mix with a spoon until evenly distributed in the oil. Next drop your cutlets into the marinade and made sure they're all lightly coated.

Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge. The longer you leave them the better, over night would be best. But 4 hours+ will ensure your meat had absorbed enough of that gorgeous flavor.

2. The roasted tomatoes: Cut your baby toms into half's and mix in a bowl with 1 tbsp of oil, ensuring all have a light coating. Next finely slice 3 garlic cloves and a handful of fresh thyme. Distribute the tomatoes across a lined baking tray, and place a thin slice of garlic on each one. If you enjoy roasted garlic you could also like I have roast some whole cloves too, but this is optional.

Next, sprinkle the toms with cracked black pepper and place in a preheated low oven at 140'c for 2 hours. Make sure they are wilted but still a little juicy when took out of the oven. They should be soft and deliciously sweet.

Leave the tomatoes to cool once cooked so they are at room temp when served. In the mean time, turn on your grill for the lamb.

3. Cooking the Lamb: The lamb will only need 3-4 minutes on each side to ensure it is medium and pink inside. I prefer my lamb pink and juicy. However if you prefer yours rarer, or even well done, add or subtract 1 minute cooking time. The meat should spring back to the touch and the fat will have crisped up some when done, but again this is personal preference. - leave to rest for 5 minutes.

I grilled my lamb to ensure any excess fat was drained off, this was a healthier option for myself and creature. Feel free however to roast the meat instead - basted in its own juices.

4. Assemble your dish: Whilst the meat is resting, in a salad bowl place your salad leaves, whole mint and ripped basil leaves, roasted tomatoes and garlic and toss together. The tomatoes will break up some and create a lovely sweet juice that coats the leaves. On this occasion I also slow roasted some red onions in just a little oil, salt and pepper and tossed with the salad.

Add a liberal handful of the salad in the middle of your plate, dribbling a drizzle of balsamic vinegar around the plate and over the leaves. Then place your cutlets on the top & enjoy with a glass of vino!

Would you try my marinated lamb & salad?

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Lush Kitchen Demo | Granny takes a dip

2014-05-23T19:28:00.001+01:00

For weeks I watched on Instagram as people got their hands on this exclusive bath bomb before they hit the shops. If you've kept up with my #MidweekTreat series you'll know that colouring and theatrics in Lush bath bombs is an important factor I always rate products on. So naturally after seeing the rainbow effect of Granny Takes a Dip I was desperately trying to hunt down one of my own.

It took me a week, but I picked up my first Granny in my local Leeds branch & luckily it was the last one in store after a surge of sales over the bank holiday weekend. So I skipped out merrily with my bomb & straight home to the tub to test it despite the recent heat waves. I fear in the next few weeks I'm going to have to retire from bath bombs as showers become more comfortable. However I plan on trying some fresh facemasks and even make some of my own instead.

My Granny did not disappoint. The colours were magnificent, slowly spreading a rainbow of colour around my bath. Unlike Lush ballistics, Granny Takes a Dip fizzed for around 5-10 minutes before it disappeared leaving pockets of rainbows over the top of a rich purple tinted water below.

Lush say; "This ginger, pepper and lemon-scented bath bomb turns your water psychedelic and puts some colour in your life. Simply drop into a warm bath and watch as its fizzing centre dissolves into multi-coloured waters. Its spicy, citrusy scent will pep you up: lemon oil boosts the mood, while ginger and pepper are warming"

I love citrus scents, and the lemon oil combined with the ginger spice was divine, it lingered in my bathroom and on my skin for hours after my bath was emptied, and I was that impressed that I returned to Lush the following week to get another Granny. This bomb has been by far one f my favourites to date, even taking over Space Girl.

I was pleased to find also, that the deep purple did not stain my tub like Phoenix Rising despite the obvious high dye content, nor did it dry out my skin. I in fact left that bath feeling silky soft and smelling citrusy, complimenting my usual CKin2u perfume.

Colour 10/10 | Smell 9/10 | Skin 9/10

I would have given this straight 10's but I have had bombs previously whose smell and skin softening properties have been longer lasting, however Granny Takes a Dip is definitely my new favourite bath time treat.

Have you tried Granny Takes a Dip yet?
See my Demo video on instagram here

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Silent Sunday | #41

2014-05-04T11:30:00.000+01:00

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Cadburys Creme Egg brownies | Recipe

2014-04-28T12:00:00.000+01:00

Last week my social media pages were inundated with photos of chocolate from Easter. It may come as a shock, but I'm not a huge chocolate eater, other than high % dark chocolate that I can eat by the bar. However, sweet milk chocolate? - Not my bag.

Like many of you though, I do get an insane amount of Crème Eggs from friends and family. And although I'm Admittedly not a chocaholic, I can never say no to a gooey brownie. So here is a deliciously chocolaty recipe that will put good use to any stray crème eggs you may have left over.

| Prep time: 15mins | Cooking time 40mins | Serves 12 |

Ingredients:

185g Dark Chocolate

185g Butter (or Margarine)

85g Plain Flour

40g Cocoa Powder

3 Eggs

275g Caster Sugar

6 Cadbury Creme Eggs

1. To begin, pre-heat the oven to 180 and gas mark 4.

2.You need to stat your basic brownie batter. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Once mixed together, leave to the side to cool a little.

3. Next mix your eggs and sugar using an electric whisk. This takes time and your mixture needs to double in size and thicken up. Your mix should also be pale in colour.

Add you egg and sugar mix to your cooled chocolate mixture. TIP: Make sure your chocolate mixture is at least luke warm, or cooler. If the chocolate mixture is too hot it will cook the eggs!

4. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and fold everything together. TIP: Take your time and be gentle. Cut your creme eggs in half. This is tricky and doesn’t always turn out very neat, but don’t worry, it will still taste great!

5. Pour everything into your greased & lined tray, pushing the crème egg halves into the mixture and spaced evenly. Then bake in your preheated oven for 40 minutes.

6. I like mine still gooey in the middle however if you like yours a little more cakey, leave them in the oven for 50 minutes. Once cooked, leave to cool before cutting into 12 pieces and serving with vanilla ice cream.

Have you ever tried Crème Egg brownies?

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Silent Sunday | #40

2014-04-27T11:30:00.000+01:00

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House of Fraser prize haul

2014-04-25T16:42:00.000+01:00

I posted last week my HoF wish list (see here) after receiving a £100 voucher via Frock me I'm Famous as the winner of her sponsored giveaway. However once actually in my local House of Fraser, I quickly forgot my wish list and became engrossed in the Ted Baker SS14 collection.

I always see girls walking around with the Ted Baker bags, & I've always loved them. Naively I assumed they would be expensive due to the high price tag however I was over the moon when I picked up the small floral tote above for £35. It's perfect for the coming summer months & I can't wait to style it into an outfit.

Shortly after getting my bag, I picked up the small pink IPad case above too, I however had a different purpose in mind.. This little bag is the perfect size for my new Kindle, it's highly padded and features the classic TB bow on the front, making an uber stylish carrier for my tab.

I also picked up a pair of black sandals from Steve Madden. If you saw my wish list you will have seen a similar pair from Michael Kors, however they were sold out online in my size & my local store didn't stock them. I think these are a pretty good substitute, they're real leather and comfortable. But the gold plaque adds a subtle detail that can be matched with jewellery and accessories.

What would you spend a £100 HoF voucher on?

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The Midweek Treat | Phoenix Rising bath ballistic

2014-04-23T12:00:00.000+01:00

After last weeks disappointment with Sakura, I picked the very pretty and brightly coloured Phoenix Rising bath ballistic as this weeks midweek treat. Firstly I love the colour and shape, it just looks a little more special that your average bomb, and you can already see that the colour is going to be a big impact in the water. - Whish is exactly what I've come to expect and love from Lush bath bombs.

Lush say: "A mystical, shimmering purple and green layered bath bomb that rises in the water on a cloud of exotic spice fragrance. When your skin is feeling over-cooked and in desperate need of hydration, the luxurious blend of cocoa and shea butters will have you rising out of the bath with soft, luscious skin. Its rich, cinnamon fragrance will also lift your mood if you’re feeling out of sorts."

The smell of this bomb is incredible, although more of a winter scent, the cinnamon is really strong and delicious. This bomb has been sat in my bath bomb bowl for the past few weeks, keeping the room smelling lovely, which is always handy when living with a boy!

Now, this bomb is supposed to be a bath ballistic, however it took its time to make any impact on the bath. And around 5 seconds under the water before it actually fizzed or melted at all! (See my demo video here) I left the bathroom numerous times in the space of 5-10 minutes & in that time it had hardly fizzed at all despite the bath being hot. So I decided to crack it open with my hands revealing the green centre. It was then that the bomb began to fizz a little faster.
The bath water was a gorgeous shade of purple by the time the slow fizzing was through and the creamy tones on the top made my bath look like a tie-dye, which I love!

On other reviews I've read I was a little concerned that my nails would be dyed purple. the colouring in this bomb is very strong, and whilst I can say in confidence that I emerged still lilly white & nails intact, I can't however say the same for my bath. I was forced to scrub it with bleach after tide marks of purple were stained up the tub!

My skin didn't feel as soft after this bath as it did with Sakura, however it was a much more satisfying in colour and overall effect. I am a little concerned about the staining of the tub, which would usually make me reluctant to buy again, however my skin really did smell beautiful all night so that sways it for me. I rate this bomb 4/5 - Great smell & colour, but high dye content so invest in some good quality bleach.

Have you tried the Phoenix Rising bath bomb?

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Silent Sunday | #39

2014-04-20T11:30:00.000+01:00

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HoF giveaway winner | Wishlist

2014-04-18T12:00:00.000+01:00

Coat | MK Sandals | Tote Bag | Candle | Coffee Machine

I've been a very lucky girl! Last week I received a little letter from the lovely Hayley from Frock me I'm famous after winning her House of Fraser £100 voucher giveaway. And as I've not had time to actually spend it yet, I thought I'd have a gander on the website and create a little wish list. Obviously I cant have all of the above items but they're definitely things I'm considering!

Ok so first up is the coat from Glamorous, I had one very similar to this but more of a boyfriend fit (see here) however I accidentally left it in a bar, & forgot which one it was left in! - Doh! And at £25.50 this coat is an absolute steal, probably because it's spring & lets face it, we won't need coats for much longer, but still, I love the tweed and leather contrast.

I'm also completely in love with these Michael Kors sandals, they're exactly what I need for SS14. Simple, classy and fabulous! I'm almost certain that I'll be purchasing these if my local HoF store stocks them.. I also loved the Radley tote bag. I'm one of these crazy bag ladies that completely hoards handbags, recycle bags, any kind of bag! - So I thought, why not have a designer tote? & for £10 it's something too affordable not to buy.

Since moving into my new home with Creature, we've been buying loads of appliances but one thing I've wanted for the longest time is a coffee machine, This Nespresso machine comes in at a reasonable £89.99 and in a rage of colours. Although I'm pretty sure I'd go with a bright red one to brighten up my kitchen. & finally, no HoF wish list would be complete without at least considering splurging on Yankee Candles, I've a serious obsession with the brand and drive Creature crazy buying them all the time, but they make our flat smell delicious.

If you had £100 to spend in House of Fraser, what would you buy?

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The Midweek Treat | Sakura Bath Ballistic

2014-04-16T11:30:00.000+01:00

Truth be told, I tried this little bomb last Friday after I'd handed in my dissertation, practical project and investigative journalism pieces. So less of a midweek treat, more of a 'I've had 1 hours sleep and need to wind down' treat. But that also means I'm one assignment away from finishing Uni for good, and you wouldn't believe how relieved I am to be out of higher education!

Ok, for those of you don't know, Sakura is a bomb that has been brought back into production, it was discontinued a while ago but it's been re-launched (apparently) by popular demand. I like to try a new bomb, where possible, every week so when skipped into Lush Leeds I was really drawn to Sakura. I'd never seen it before, and thought the almost druzy stone like appearance of it's top was just too pretty!

Lush say: "This is a celebration of spring in a bath bomb, bursting into a floral fragrance. Inspired by the cherry blossom in Japan, this pretty bomb is designed to evoke the burst of optimism the first sign of spring brings. We've used calming mimosa and jasmine oils complemented by lemon oil and orange flower to bring to mind the smell of this colourful season."

Smell wise, you can definitely pick out the citrus. I LOVE citrus scents, especially in the spring/summer, so as you can imagine, I was really excited to pop this in my tub. However, I was a little underwhelmed.. I assumed, with the pink and blue pretty speckles, that this bomb would have a little bit of colour to it, but how wrong I was. It was a very low impact bomb if I'm honest, I mean the creamy look of the water is ok but c'mon Lush I want some excitement! Sakura just didn't make my bath look as inviting as say Rose Queen or Secret Garden.

It's not all doom and gloom though, Sakura was a deeply nourishing product, and instantly after plunging into the water, I could feel how soft my skin was. I'd exfoliated a day earlier, and this bomb just made my skin feel like butter thanks to the essential oils. Not to mention the scent was so strong that it lingered on my skin for the rest of the day.

All in all, I wasn't completely sold on this bomb. I've come to expect fireworks with Lush bath bombs and this doesn't really step up to the mark. However I did enjoy the smell and how great it made my skin feel. So with that taken into consideration I'm scoring this apparent Lush favourite 3/5.

Have you tried Sakura?

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Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish | UK Giveaway

2014-04-14T11:39:00.000+01:00

My first giveaway of 2014!

Ok so lately I've become utterly obsessed with Liz Earle thanks to my good friend Jessica, so in honour of her I'm giving away one of their legendary Cleanse & Polish to one lucky winner. The set comes with a 30ml bottle of the Cleanse & Polish solution and one of the hot cloths.

This giveaway is only open to the UK (sorry international readers)

Please enter via the rafflecopter app below.

Please note:

- The only mandatory option is you must be following this blog via Bloglovin' or GFC (a google account). - I will be checking.

- Please leave your email in a comment below so I can contact the winner.

- You can gain extra entries by tweeting about the giveaway (1 extra entry per day)

- You may also gain 1 extra entry by including this link in a blog post (1 extra entry per post)

- The giveaway will be running until May 1st

- If the winner does not respond within 3 days I reserve the rights to pick a new winner.

- UK residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck lovelies!

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Silent Sunday | #38

2014-04-12T11:30:00.000+01:00

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The Midweek Treat | Immaculate Eggception review

2014-04-10T11:30:00.000+01:00

It's another smash & grab! You may have seen my Love Locket review from a few weeks ago in which I failed miserably at attempting to cut into the bomb with a knife as recommended. So Instead I opted for smashing it on the floor, turning my bathroom into a pink sand desert to reveal it's centre!

This week I've been smashing the Immaculate Eggception in an attempt to find my hidden chick or bunny. Much like Love Locket The Immaculate Eggception had a hidden secret inside & mine revealed a little yellow chick. This amazing bath bomb comes in two different colours; yellow or pink. They both share the same delectable fragrance, with zesty lemon oil to tone the skin, refreshing grapefruit oil and sweet and comforting Fair Trade vanilla absolute from the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda.

You have two options with this bomb, you can use the smashed outer, spreading it out between 2 baths. However you will get a slightly weaker scent. & then use the inner bomb for another separate bath (you can get up to 3 baths from this one bomb). Or like me, you can be greedy & throw it all in together and have a super scented bath!

With this one I absolutely LOVED the colours. I adore it when Lush bath bombs create a sort of tie dye effect across the water, & in fact if you read my Love Locket review you'll see this is exactly the kind of effect I wished I would have got after being slightly disappointed with the lockets papery hearts. I was however expecting to see a little more blue with the outer showing blue tones, but they disappeared immediately as it hit the water.

So I am absolutely won over by The Immaculate Eggception, I love the smell, I love the colour effect & my skin felt amazing after leaving the water. Smooth, nourished and smelling wonderful.

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Gaucho | Restaurant review

2014-04-08T11:30:00.000+01:00

For me, a perfectly cooked medium rare steak is just ambrosia. & Gaucho Leeds as fast become mine and Creatures go to place on payday for a blow out meal of awesome proportions.

To begin, if you've not been to Gaucho before & like me, find the menu a little daunting, the staff will bring out a large wooden board adorned with the meat selections & take you through your options. Being a medium rare fan I found I can pretty much choose any of the steaks on offer, which really didn't help my choice!

So in the end I chose the Bife de Lomo fillet, hoping for a soft, melt in your mouth steak whilst Creature went with a steak marinated in garlic and herbs. With each steak you get the choice of a complimentary salad or chips, I can vouch that both choices are great. The salad has a lovely clean lemon and oil dressing & the chips are chick cut & perfect to dip in your chosen sauce.
Sauces are extra but I always need something to smother my meat and chips in, on this occasion I went with the smoked garlic hollandaise, & Creature chose his forever favourite peppercorn.

Before your meaty assault can begin, each meal spent with Gaucho is begun with a complimentary bread basket. Now for me, this is perfect, I have an absolute obsession with breads & discovering new favours, textures etc. So when I was first introduced to Gauchos bread selection, I was in heaven.
My favourite of the 3 breads on offer would be the warm lightly cheese flavoured balls. Gorgeous, melt in the mouth, cheesy balls of bread. It took a while, but I eventually figured out that they are called Pao de Queijo and found a recipe . These balls also go fantastically with the chimichurri dressing served on the side.

Gaucho make a pretty bold statement about how tender their steaks are, when you're given what can only be described as a butter knife to cut your meat. And I was sceptical at first, but my steak seriously did cut like butter & I have been blown away by all of the steaks I've sampled since discovering the Argentine restaurant. This most recent visit was by far the best steak I've had to date, the meat was seriously tender, perfectly cooked & the smoked garlic hollandaise was incredible!

So after my belly was full, my gin & tonic cocktail almost slurped, our waiter for the evening returned with the desert menu. & of course I couldn't refuse. I chose the smallest pud on the menu - A selection of truffles, which consists of 5 individual chocolates topped with, chilli, orange, salt, cocoa & coffee. I was a little taken back by the idea of salt or chilli with sweet chocolate, but I can whole heartedly say I enjoyed each and every truffle, by favourite of course being the coffee.

As you can tell from the review, I am 100% a Gaucho fanatic. However there is no escaping the fact that it is an expensive place to eat. The cheapest steak is £18.50 and with prices creeping up to a staggering £148. Gaucho is not somewhere you're likely to visit a lot. However as a payday treat or a place to celebrate a special occasion, Gaucho is my go to place!

Have you ever visited Gaucho?

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Silent Sunday | #37

2014-04-06T11:30:00.000+01:00

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Spring is here | Wishlist

2014-04-04T12:00:00.000+01:00

I love a good internet shopping spree, although at the moment, I'm banned from spending anything until payday. So instead, I'm bringing you a wish list of a few pieces I want for spring.

First up is a statement jacket. I'm desperate for something bold and floral for this season, & I was instantly drawn to the Red floral silhouette print blazer from River Island. I thought I wanted a multi coloured jacket when I first started looking, but I love the blood orange/red in this jacket & the white and black accents would make it unbelievably easy to accessorize.
Something I have in abundance is black tops and jeans, but I loved this spaghetti strap top from H&M & the lovely powder blue jeans from Topshop. The blue is perfect for the coming summer months, especially because the UK weather can be pretty unpredictable, so a good pair of light jeans is an essential.

& onto accessories, no SS14 wardrobe is complete without a neutral or black pair of ballet flats, I liked the Dune Lucille Brogue Tassel Loafer for the simple reason it combined both leather and suede. The jewellery is from Mango (of course) & the bag Zara - You can't beat a bit of Mango or Zara jewellery! But I felt in particular the red bag paired with the bracelet would pull the whole outfit together.

What do you think of my choices?

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The Midweek Treat | Lush Rose Queen

2014-04-02T19:31:00.000+01:00

First off, just look at the picture above, I mean, how beautiful does that look!? Do I even need to review this one? - Well yes, as I want to tell you exactly why you need to be pairing these two treats together.

I've never been a huge floral scent fan, although these past few weeks between Rose Jam, Rose Queen & Secret Garden I'm beginning to wonder what exactly I've been missing all this time. I suppose it's because I want to avoid the whole "Nana" scents, and rose always reminded me of older people. But in actual fact, the Rose Jam bubbleroon & Rose Queen bomb paired together are really sweet as well as floral giving them a more modern floral scent.

To get the above effect, I held the Rose Jam ball under the falling water for around 10 seconds until a thin white foam spread across the water. Once the tub was full, I then released the Rose Queen bomb, letting its soft pink tones colour the water. You'll also notice that like Secret Garden, Rose Queen also had a centre filled with dried rose petals. This personally is my favourite part of Lush floral bath bombs.

So, as above I mentioned about the scents being quite sweets. Well, to be specific, it's the Rose Jam bubbleroon that smells sweet. The Rose Queen for me smells very classically rose, again almost verging on elderly, however, the sweetness of Rose Jam really does lift this bath bomb for me.
Like most of the bombs I've sampled so far, I left this bath feeling silky soft & relaxed, my skin glowed & the scent lingered for a few hours. However, usually when getting out of the bath I like to use a cream or butter to nourish and rehydrate. So far I have not found anything to match the scent of Lush's rose range, but I'm not giving up!

I loved this combination, other than my after bath problems. I adore the scents of these two products, I love the way it makes my skin feel & the way it looks in the tub. Even when the bubbles have dispersed the floating buds still look beautiful in the pink water.
I rate Rose Jam 5/5 and Rose Queen 4/5

Have you tried Rose Jam or Rose Queen before?

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Silent Sunday | #36

2014-03-30T11:30:00.000+01:00

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