Looots of Food! - Week Notes #2 (28/5/16)

This week was a very busy, exciting one! I ate sooo much food so actually did some exercise (I know, shocking). I went out for three meals, all of which were pretty great. So, lets talk food.

The start of the week was extremely warm, I really felt like Summer was coming. Which explains my super bright and airy dress in the left picture, which I wore on Monday evening, and why it's so different to my outfit in the right picture! The green dress on the left is from Forever 21, but it comes without anything under the lacing; the white bandou is an old one from New Look I think. On the right I'm wearing a black and white pinafore from Red Herring as it was a dreary, rainy day and a more casual event.

So on Monday night I went to Huckleberry's Bar and Grill. This was exciting because we have been trying to get a table for aaaages. I recommend booking at least a week in advantages and aiming to visit on a weekday because it's less busy. I had the Boss Hog burger which was a beef burger, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, Monterey jack cheese and salad in a brioche bun. It came with regular fries and I paid extra for apple slaw, which was refreshing and went well with the pork. I also ordered a side of Dirty Mac n Cheese, which had bacon and onions in it, but I barely touched it so they offered to put it in a box for me to take home (and I then had for lunch the next day!). The food was incredible and the service was outstanding, so friendly and fun as well as polite! I would definitely encourage you to go to Huckleberry's to try it out for yourself.

So I didn't take any pictures when I went for a meal on Wednesday evening as it was more of a family event. We went to the Bluebell Inn where the food was lovely. I had the deep fried brie to start, which was my favourite course, and then hunters chicken as a main. The portions were much bigger than expected and I no where near finished my chicken, however I still had room in my dessert stomach for mint areo cheesecake which was also amazing. The atmosphere in the Bluebell Inn was very friendly and comfortable. If you are passionate about history, the war or aviation I highly recommend giving it a visit. even if it is just for drinks, because all the rooms are filled with interesting memorabilia. There's even signatures on the wall from many current pilots and those who fought in the wars.


And in the final section of this very food related Week Notes: on Saturday I went to Wagamamas with some friends! I had my favourite dish which is the chilli chicken ramen, which I always finds tastes better at the Lincoln Wagamamas. It was a lovely sunny day so we also pottered about town and had a few cocktails resulting in a very lovely start to the bank holiday!

What have you been up to this week? Tried any nice food?

Harriet x

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Transition To Summer: Lips

I'm sooo excited that Summer is just around the corner and the warmer weather has already started, which encouraged me to talk to you today about lip colours that are perfect for Summer! 

So, starting from the left, my first pick is the Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart which is a lovely bright colour just destined to be worn in the sun. Next is the Topshop Lipstick in Oh La La, a bright coraly peach which makes me think of yummy cocktails! Then, next to its friend is the Topshop Lipstick in Rio Rio, a bright orange red. I don't normally lean towards orange red colours but in the Summer they bring a bright pop of colour which looks quite tropical. Both these Topshop Lipsticks are a matte formula which means they are long lasting on the lips.

Second to last we have the Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, which is more fuchsia, warm toned pink than Sweet Tart. I've included two of the Revlon Lip Butters because I absolutely love the formula! They are extremely pigmented but still moisturising on the lips, great for a bold colour. Similar in colour but slightly lighter in formula is the Bourjois Colour Boost crayon in Red Sunrise. I love the Colour Boost crayons for the same reasons are the Lip Butters and this colour is perfect for Summer!

Swatches, left to right: Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart, Topshop Lipstick in Oh La La, Topshop Lipstick in Rio Rio, Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, Bourjois Colour Boost crayon in Red Sunrise, Maybelline Baby Lips in Electro Pink and Lancome Juicy Shaker in Berry Tale. 

If you prefer a lighter formula or more sheer wash of colour in the summer why not try the Maybelline Baby Lips in Electro Pink which gives a bold wash of bright pink while trying providing the moisturising of the Baby Lips formula. Another light option is the Lancome Juicy Shakers, pictured in the shade Berry Tale, as they are extremely moisturising because of the oil formula which still giving a nice wash of colour.

What lip colours do you like to wear in the Summer? Do you prefer nudes? Let me know!

Harriet

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Busted and Productivity - Week Notes #1 (22/5/16)

Recently I've been thinking about how I call this a beauty and lifestyle blog and yet rarely do any lifestyle posts. So in efforts to do more lifestyle inspired posts, as it is something I'm passionate about, I thought I would start a 'week notes' style series and it's a great way to document and look back on life. And so, here we go...

Most excitingly on Tuesday night I saw Busted at Sheffield Arena! It was a great experience, so much fun to see a band I really enjoyed in my childhood and I still knew all the words. You can see some videos I posted on Instagram here and here. Unfortunately we didn't get to see Emma Blackery support but we did see Wheatus, who were also amazing live. I was very fortunate to go with a good friend of mine who danced and jumped with me through out the entire concert. We also had really good seats; all in all, it was a brilliant night despite not getting home until 1am because of M1 traffic. Typical.

Another great thing that happened this week is my lovely mum bought me macarons from Patisserie Valerie, what a babe! Macarons are my favourite treat and it's very rare for me to have them so this was a nice little surprise, waiting on my bed, after work. Someone else also bought me a treat in the form of a massive bar of Galaxy! Both these gestures were just so thoughtful and sweet, ti really made me appreciate the friends and family I have.

I've had a pretty productive weekend, getting a few things ticked off my to do list, while still have a rest and relax. After the late night on Tuesday I really needed to catch up on my sleep and take it slow. Thankfully I'm no longer feeling the effects of the illness I had last week so I felt I had actually accomplished quite a lot this week, in comparison to the bed orientated lifestyle last week. I also went out for a few drinks Saturday night which was fun and lovely.

It has been a pretty great week all round and I'm looking forward to next as it's someones birthday so we're going out for quite a few meals! To see these pictures as I post them follow me on Instagram!

How has your week been? Good, bad, a bit in between?

Harriet

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Lip Collection Declutter

Inspired by the spring cleaning posts and videos I decided to have a little tidy up myself and do a lip product declutter! As you can see from the picture above, my lip products were a little bit out of control...

So first of all I went through all my products and picked out the ones I rarely use then separated them into a 'to use more' pile and a 'to throw' pile. Above is the lipsticks that were in the 'to use more' pile! These are mostly Spring and Summer colours so I'm hoping to get more use out of them within the next few months but if I don't... They'll be gone! So from left to right we have: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Darling, Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Sigma Coral, BritishBeautyBlogger Christmas collection lip crayon in Cami, Kiko Ace of Diamond Lipstick in 21, 17 Lipstick in Beehive and lastly, the Rimmel Lipstick in Pink Gossip. Not all of these are linked because some are no longer available.

Now onto the 'to throw' pile! Now I don't know the names of these because I did put them in the bin straight away before I snuck them back into the drawer, but the brands from left to right are: Avon, MUA, ELF, Natural Collection, ELF and MUA. You might notice that all of these tend to be cheaper brands and that might be the reason I've barely worn them. Not because they are bad quality but because I buy them purely because they are cheap then don't suit the colour, I know most of these I've rarely touched!

Have you done any make up decluttering lately?

Harriet x

Shop My Stash

I've recently set myself a goal to use up some of my products because I have a crazy amount considering I don't work in beauty and I also hate having to throw away gone off products. To help this goal along I've decided to shop my stash!

First up is a recent purchase, the Clinique Cheek Pop in Peach Pop. You might be surprised to see this product featured as it is relatively new to me, as seen in this haul, however I haven't used it once since I bought it! It has such a lovely colour, I'm hoping to use it more now the weather is warming up.

Next, another blush: the NYX Cream Blush in Natural. I purchased this blush a long time ago now but, again, I've barely used it. To get use out of this blush I might start wearing it at work because of the lovely neutral flush of colour it provides.

Another product I've had for a long time is the L'oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick in Tempting Lilac, which I haven't seen in stores for ages! Which is quite annoying as I love the formula of this lipstick. It provides a lovely wash of mauve for the lips which is very Spring appropriate. This product might have been discontinued which is why I rarely use it however I am trying to get more use out of it.

I've had the Maybelline The Nudes palette for a while now but it doesn't get much love from me as, although the colours are lovely, I find they don't last very long. Therefore they aren't great for days when I'm not at work as I generally want my make up to last longer. When I'm not rushing in the morning I might try and use this more as it can create some pretty looks.

Lastly, a product which was my favourite bronzer for a long time! I'm not sure why I stopped using the Kiko Illuminating Bronzer in Precious but I really like how it looks on my pale skin so I plan to reach for it more.

Do you like to shop your stash? Do you find some hidden gems?

Harriet x