August Love List

I was inspired to write this post after watching one of Inthefrow's latest youtube videos - see here. I suppose it's a new take on a monthly favourites post but with less of a focus on beauty products! I really liked the idea of this tag and thought I'd give it a go too.  Make sure you tag me if you have decided to post one too - I'd love to know what your favorites were this month!
1. What I watched: Favourite film/ Programme
Ok, so this may sound a bit nerdy but the best thing I watched this month was a documentary called Blackfish. You can find this on Netflix and it was recommended to me by one of my best friends. She summed it up as 'it shows you how messed up SeaWorld really is!' Having visited SeaWorld many moons ago when I was a young child I was really intrigued to discover the secrets behind the way that they treat the killer whales in its care with a specific focus on the role of the trainers there too. I'm not going to give too much away but its a must see! I'm still shocked by what was documented and it's safe to say its changed my perception of animal parks/zoo's entirely! 

Also, I have been watching PLL - I was seriously miffed with the mid season finale. Actually, disappointed may be a better word. I'm pretty sure everyone else who is a fan will agree too.  Let me know what you thought in the comments below. 
2. What I snapped: Favourite photo
My favourite photo from this month is this one from when me and Sam were invited to one of his good friends from work's wedding near the beginning of the month and we had a lovely day - from what I can remember! We rarely have any nice, non-silly photo's together so I loved this one. 

3. Who I loved: Favourite person
My favourite person this month is a food blogger from Birmingham. Her blog is called; Full to the Brum (very clever I thought!) and ever since I have discovered it I now know all the best places to eat in the city! I have now lived in Brum for just over a year and admittedly it was hard to settle in at first, after moving from the rural Welsh valleys which I have called home the past 23 years. However, this blog has opened my eyes to the excitement of living in a city and you need to check it out if you are looking for somewhere to eat whilst visiting Birmingham!
4. What I wore: Favourite piece of clothing 
My favourite piece of clothing that I have worn this month is the dress I wore to the wedding mentioned above. I bought it from River Island a few months ago and I felt super classy in it on the day and it was comfortable to wear! Including throughout the wedding breakfast, buffet and dancing!

  5. What I did: How I spent my free time
As it is summer holidays and I have so far enjoyed almost 5 glorious weeks off work (you chose your career and I chose mine!) I have enjoyed nothing more than just relaxing with friends and family over a few glasses of wine and just catching up this month. I rarely get a chance to do this when I am back in teacher mode come September!
6. What I ate: Favourite food
The best thing I have eaten this month is a burger from a small 'burger shop' based in Hereford called A rule of tum! It was mind blowingly - good! I have reviewed the restaurant and you can find the post here. 

7. What I drank: Favourite drink
Last Friday night I headed out to Gas Street Social in the Mailbox in town for some cocktails and nibbles with the ladies in Sam's family whilst the men went to the football. The first cocktail I drank was a standout for me. It was one of their craft cocktails and was called The Gas St Cobbler  and included Sauvignon Blanc wine, passion fruit - vanilla - cardamom syrup,  Finlandia Vodka, dry sherry, lemon & apple. It was amazing! I need to go back and sample more of their cocktails!

8. Where I went: Favourite event or occassion
My favourite occassion this month has been my Mam and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary party. It was so nice to see them surrounded my friend's and family for this special anniversary and it was really nice to be back home and enjoy some 'family time' too. Here's a cute photo of them 25 years ago on their wedding day!

9. What I heard: Favourite song This is always a tough question to answer but the most played song on my Spotify playlist at the moment is Waiting for Love - Avicii. It's a really catchy song - most songs by Avicii normally are, I have loved listening to it on repeat throughout my long car journeys recently!
10. What I used: Favourite thing that I have used
Ok, so this is a beauty product, but its too good to not mention it! I purchased the MAC strobe cream in the duty free on my way out to Croatia near the end of July and it has been an absolute staple in my make up bag ever since. I love putting this onto my face before foundation and concealer as it gives a lovely dewy glow to my skin. This has also looked great with my post holiday tan which is now sadly fading despite the 3 tubs of moisturiser I have gone through! I would really recommend this product if you are loving the strobing make up trend at the moment. 
Hope you enjoyed this post!

Restaurant Review: A rule of tum - burger shop

Me and Sam found ourselves In Hereford today. We met a friend during his dinner break (and enjoyed rubbing it in to him that we have a further 4 weeks of summer holiday left) before heading off to a small burger shop, named 'a rule of tum' which was recommended by said friend to see what they had to offer. 

 

The 'burger shop' is easily missed as it is located down a quiet side street away from the main part of town.  The outside decor was simplistic, yet appealing. When you initially walk in, it seems very small and it's filled with long wooden benches and my old science class stools (literally) but it had some quirky vibes and cool artwork. We decided to sit outside in the decking area to soak up the sun, whilst it decided to make an appearance.  The menu was also simplistic and there was a specials board too. They claim to use only local produce and also have some quirky craft beers on offer too - much to Sam's delight!  I opted for the Hereford Hop burger from the main menu and Sam went for the Farmer Tom's beef burger with a side of Rosemary salted chips. The staff were very friendly and I was impressed that they asked how we would like our meat cooked.  We didn't have to wait long for our food which was served on plastic trays with the burgers wrapped in paper - think five guys! The burger was cooked to perfection and included Hereford beef patty, pulled neck of beef, Hereford hop cheese (hence the name), pickled onion rings, mustard Mayo, ketchup, baby gem lettuce and was served in a brioche bun. It is definetly one of the tastiest burgers I've had, but I think my favourite burger of all time still goes to the Bean Bean KING by the Original Patty Men. 

The chips were out of this world, who would've thought potatoes and a handful of salt could taste so delightful? There was more than enough food and Sam had to finish my burger off as I was having a major food coma! 

The bill came to a total of  £26.20 which is pretty standard for a bottled beer, glass of wine, 2 x burgers and a side of chips. Would I revisit? Definitely! After browsing their instagram and discovering that they do obscure burgers such as pheasant, confit duck and mackerel on their specials board I would not hesitate to return!  Check out their social media pages;  Instagram - @aruleoftum Twitter - @aruleoftum

New cobblers...

Sorry for my recent break from blogging, life seems to be getting a bit overwhelming so I am just trying to organise myself to stay on top of things. With the summer holidays lurking around the corner I am hoping to publish more posts in the next few months!  

  I recently spent a Saturday having a drive through Birmingham - visiting Sam's family in King's Heath and having a wander around Harborne. I love these easy, lazy days and I don't often get a chance to spend my weekends like this.

  I didn't dress up too much for the occasion and went pretty casual. However, recently Shoe Zone got in touch with me and very kindly sent me these wonderful patent oxblood chunky loafers which look perfect with some skinny jeans and casual tops on a typical British summer day (which isn't normally that warm despite the recent heatwave we have had)! I also think they will look fab for a smart work look for the Autumn/Winter '15 season. I have had lots of compliments when I have worn these and people are shocked when I tell them where they are from! I cant wait to style these with more outfits and accessories!  

 

  What's your current wardrobe staple?  

Restaurant Review - En Place Pop Up

On Thursday night we spent the evening at 6/8 Kafe at Millennium Point. It is becoming a very popular spot for pop up restaurants and there are several more lined up within the next few months.

On this night, we were there for En Place. It's a new business consisting of two chefs from Worcester who have over 30 years experience between them. We attended their last pop up event at 6/8 Kafe and were so impressed we thought we would try this menu too!

 

The menu on the night consisted of;

Snacks –  Crispy pigs ear and fresh raw asparagus with olive oil powder

Beetroot and Goats Cheese

Octopus, Watermelon, Black olive, Bloody Mary Sorbet

Sticky Toffee Pigs Cheek, Apple, Fennell, Asparagus, Vinegar

Dark Chocolate Tart, Burnt Orange, Cinnamon

Retro Petit Fours – Peach Melba, Black Forest Gateaux and Walnut Whip

 

 

 

 

We both really enjoyed our meals. I have to take my hat off to the boys who have evidently worked very hard on the menu and were excellent hosts on the evening yet again.

 

 

The stand out dishes for me personally were the sticky toffee pigs cheek which was absolutely delicious and made me crave for more and the dark chocolate tart on the dessert course.

   

 

 

I thought the menu was well planned and all courses complimented each other and I thoroughly enjoyed the quirkier elements to the dishes too. 

     

The menu cost was £35 per head for the 5 courses and as 6/8 Kafe don’t have an alcohol licence, bring your own bottle is in operation! Give the boys a follow over on twitter so you can keep updated with all future pop up news - @_enplace

 

  Have you tried any exciting new restaurants around the West Midlands lately? Let me know!  

Not another mascara review?

This is my second mascara review in a row but I had to tell you all about the roller lash mascara by Benefit which I purchased last weekend! This mascara has been out quite a while now so I am quite late jumping on the bandwagon but I must say the hype is most definitely worth it!

The wand is made from plastic and I normally always go for a brush style wand as I find they make my lashes thicker and more voluminous. However, this was not the case with the roller lash. 

I love the packaging of this mascara and the way it looks. It is typical Benefit and looks very cute. In comparison to the ‘They’re real’ mascara by Benefit it holds the curl longer and adds more volume and length. I loved the fact that I did not need to curl my eyelashes before I applied this mascara as the wand did all this for me! I love the formula of this mascara too as it doesn’t give you that clumpy look that some can! As a side note, I do tend to coat my lashes several times in this mascara to achieve this look. 

What do you think? Has anyone else tried this mascara?

Lancome Hypnose Mascara. The verdict is in.

I am a bit fussy when it comes to mascara. I don't like to spend a lot of money on them in general and normally opt for the classic but great - Maybelline the falsies. My own eyelashes are dark, not very thick and quite short and I like my mascara to add significant volume!

Enter Lancôme Hypnose Mascara. This is only my second high end mascara purchase ever and I was reluctant to splurge £22.50 on a product that would inevitably dry up within a few months. However, I had read many great reviews and seen some insane before and after pictures and I was ready to be blown away by its ability to 'intensify lash volume, up to 6 times' for myself!


I really like the packaging of this product which came in a little silver box which looked very sleek and stylish and the bottle itself is an interesting shape and I like the classic black and gold combination.


The mascara itself is very easy to use and adds volume and length in just one coat, although I like to give mine 3-4 coats. (Perhaps a bit excessive!)The colour is a very dark black which adds to the dramatic lashes look which I love. The brush is a decent size and shape and it is said to contain '1,000 sensor bristles, delivering made-to-measure lash volume that you control.' The brush successfully manages to separate lashes and adds volume without clumping.

I really like the way that this mascara looks on my lashes as so many other mascaras make them look dry and clumpy whereas this mascara makes my eyelashes feel flexible as it is said to contain 'silicone, glycerine & Vitamin B5 keep lashes soft and supple all day long.' This mascara stays on my lashes all day without smudging or flaking so it gets the thumbs up from me. I also love that it is very easy to remove with my Garnier Micellar cleansing water.

Left eye with the Lancôme Hypnose mascara applied, the other without.

The overall verdict? The brush is very thin and is great for reaching all lashes - especially those pesky little ones in the inner corner of the eyes. Considering I have quite short eyelashes this mascara gives them a lot of length and volume and the curl holds all day. I would definitely recommend this mascara even though it is a little pricey.

Restaurant Review - Cote Brasserie: Mailbox, Birmingham

I had surprised my mother with tickets to see Shrek the Musical for Mother’s Day over the Easter weekend and wanting to make a day of it I booked us in for an early dinner at Cote Brasserie in the Mailbox. I have had several pre-theatre meals at the Cardiff Bay branch of Cote before and enjoyed so I thought it was a safe bet.

It was pouring with rain when we arrived but we were quickly relieved of our wet jackets and seated at our table. As I don’t see my mam that often so we opted for a bottle of the Blanc des Blancs Brut to go with our meal but the waitress strongly advised us to go for the nicer (and more expensive) bottle of Brut Cremant De Bourgogne. It was good – but probably no different to the cheaper bottle!

We both ordered from the A La Carte Menu and went for 2 courses. For starters I chose the French onion soup – a true French classic and my mam went for the Chicken liver parfait. Both were reasonably priced at around the £5 mark. The soup arrived and it had spilled over the sides of the bowl which did not give a good presentation, however the taste was good. My mam also enjoyed her starter but said it was no different to standard chicken liver pate’s she has had before.

For our mains we both opted for the Half chargrilled ‘Breton’ chicken with frites and a choice of sauces. I went for the wild mushroom sauce and my mam went for the garlic butter. Both portions were generous but there wasn’t anything particular that screamed French Bistro about the place. It was just your average chicken and chips!

As a side note – I have the right to be fussy when it comes to French food as my grandparents have lived there for over 10 years now and as you can imagine I stuff myself silly with true French delights every time I visit. Overall – despite visiting Cote Brasserie on several occasions but this being my first visit in Birmingham I wasn’t overwhelmed and I do think the mains are overpriced for what they are. The bill came to around £55 which for 2 x 2 course meals which lacked in presentation and a bottle of fizzy wine was slightly expensive in my opinion. However, the waiter and waitress who served us were very polite and catered to our every need.

Despite sharing a bottle of ‘Brut’ between the two of us me and my mam then left Cote Brasserie for a couple of rounds of cocktails in Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse Bar before the show started which did affect my ability to stay awake during Shrek I must admit! I would say that I would definitely return to MPW but I doubt I will visit Cote Brasserie again in a hurry!