Wednesday 5 December 2012

#Blogmas Day Three: BBCGFS

On Sunday, i travelled down to Birmingham for the day to visit the BBC Good Food Show, you can read everyone's tweets from the day under the hashtag #BBCGFS. It was a lovely day out, and a really fun experience to try different foods and meet the people behind some cool ideas. There was also a big show from the Great British Bake off as well as and M&S food theatre and lots of Tesco food stands as they were a big sponsor. Here's some snaps of the day.. 
Bensons totally fruity stall - review coming up on the hot apple and cinnamon drink (SO GOOD!)
Warm spiced cider - Perfect for this time of year.
This guy was a bit of a joker at the French onions stall!
More super tasty drinks - these were soooo good..
Tasty water buffalo burger!
There were literally 27 tables of different cheeses for the cheese awards..
Lots of cakes and sweet treats..
Stokes real tomato ketchup - this is the good stuff!
A couple of other companies that a worth a mention are the Mini Jam Jar company who sell a variety of delicious condiments including Raspberry and white chocolate jam - yum yum! As well as Uncle Bobs food products which do hands down the best nachos. I will also be doing a review on these on Friday so look out for some tasty food pictures! I also really enjoyed the Joe Delucci's ice creams which come in every flavour possible, my favourite being the coconut!
We came away with arm fulls of goodies to try as well as goody bags, if you ever get the chance to go to the Good Food show, i do urge you to give it a go. It's good fun and leaves you're taste buds wanting more..
Have you ever been to the BBC Good Food Show? What are some of your favourite foods?

Monday 3 December 2012

#Blogmas Day Two: Fairy Cake


It's blogmas day two and today I thought i'd share a little outfit post with you all. This is the kind of thing i wear day to day, just to run errands and that kind of thing. The jumper is a new addition to my wardrobe and i love the colour, as you may of notice I'm slightly obsessing over burgundy colours! It is slightly thin though, so it's an essential to layer this one up. What i also love about it is the little speckled detailing which just makes the colour more interesting. 
The tights I'm wearing are also totally adorable with little white polka dots, however not very practical for the colder weather. I'm on the hunt for some chunky warm tights at the moment. Also I've been wearing these shoes to death, i love creeper style shoes grunge down an outfit and they're also super comfortable which is a bonus. 
I bought this necklace a while ago on a whim in primark. The geometric shapes and almost illusion-al print caught my eye. It's a unique piece and it definitely makes this outfit more interesting. Plus it was a bargain at something like £3! It looks great with high neck tops more than anything or under a collar, but it can work with outfits like this too. On my lips I'm wearing the collection 2000 creme puff in fairy cake again simply because i rediscovered and fell in love with it. The colour is so pigmented and it lasts for ages! 
Jumper - New Look
Necklace - Primark
Skirt - Primark
Tights - H&M
Creeper styled shoes - New Look
What has been your winter staples this year? Stay tuned for more #blogmas!
Also, please like my Facebook page for regular updates.

Saturday 1 December 2012

#Blogmas Day One: Instagram 007 - Cider Lane

This month i've decided to take on a challenge and do Blogmas! Meaning I will be posting on here every other day. If any of you know of any tags going around please let me know and if you have any requests of what you may like to see leave a comment! To kick things off i'm doing an instagram update!
1. New ASOS dress 2. New Look creepers for work 3. 99p Ebay find 4. Dyed my hair red 5. My all time favourite, Percy Pigs 6. Montagne Jeunesse exotic fruits range 7. Just chilling with the Kaiser Chiefs!!! 8. Favourite tic tacs, Strawberry Fields 9. This is Halloween 10. Dip dabs yum 11. Sleepy Kitty 12. Delicious bed time snack and hot chocolate
13. My business cards came! 14. I bought an xbox! 15. Cute little lovehearts gift 16. Frankie and Benny's waffles are the best 17. November She Said Beauty Box 18. Autumn outfit of the day 19. New iPhone case from Etsy 20. Slatkin & Co goodies!
What have you been up to lately? You can follow my instagram here!

Wednesday 28 November 2012

November She Said Beauty Box

Last month's She Said Beauty Box was such a disappointment, so I'm so pleased they seem to have stepped it up a bit in November! I love how there is a good mix of haircare, skincare, make up and perfume so definitely something to suit everyone. Not to mention, a good amount of full sized products in this box too.. I can't wait to see what She Said do for the Christmas box!


In a previous box, i received the Redken radiant 10 spray which i totally loved using, so seeing the brand reoccur i was excited to try their smooth lock shampoo and conditioner combo. Yes, it was nice but it didn't wow me. It doesn't really stand out from any other shampoo and conditioner but i think that's mainly down to the fact that the samples are for one use only. I don't know about you guys, but i don't feel like i can really get a feel for a product if i only try it once. I'm sure it's a lovely product, but I couldn't see the effects of this, so therefore I wouldn't want to fork out £12 or so for the full sized product. However, on the topic of shampoo and conditioners, can anyone recommend any good hair products for coloured hair to make the colour last longer?


Moving onto possibly my favourite products in the box, the Andrew Barton Max Hold Grips and Ponybands. I haven't photographed the hair grips but you actually get 24 in a pack for £2 and 10 hair bands for £2.50 which i would repurchase in a second. These are ah-mazing. The actual bands have a sort of rubbery texture around the band which stick in your hair and do not budge. It stays in the same place all day when you're on the move, and all night if you like to sleep with your hair up. The hair bands are definitely a staple piece in my hair care collection and for such a miracle product, i think £2.50 is very reasonable. The only downside to the bands are that sometimes they stick and pull a little bit too much on the hair. The grips are also superb at holding your hair in place and for 24 i think £2 is great value. These were both full sized products in the November She Said Beauty Box and would make brilliant stocking fillers!
Another full sized product that was included was the Makebelieve enhance Luminize Skin Highlighter which is obviously a make up product. As you can see, i've been using this product quite a lot already this month and i really like it. A little goes a long way which means it's probably going to last a long time and i really love the creamy texture. I usually dab some on my eyebrow bone and cheekbones where the light hits to make my face glow a little more. I love how this is slightly pink because it makes it feel a lot warmer on the face. This retails for £7.50.

I'm not a huge fan of floral scents, but this reminds me of turkish delight which is my favourite, so i really enjoyed using this product. I haven't tried anything from Weleda so from first impressions i'm pretty happy. I love the pink packaging, i think it's adorable and the product itself sinks in really nicely on the skin. I haven't used many night creams, to be honest at night i just want to go to sleep rather than faff around with all kinds of products but this has made me more excited about looking after my skin. Supposedly all of the ingredients are natural which is another bonus to know you're not putting any silly chemicals onto your skin. It's also meant to be anti-aging and it "aids the regeneration of the outer layer of skin during the night." Sounds a little bit like the Estee Lauder advanced night repair? I'm not sure i'd pay £14.95 for the full size of this but it's definitely a thumbs up product. 



The bonus product this month were these adorable Murrays manicure emery boards which are perfect for your handbag and you get 15 in a pack. I love the cute pinstripe pattern which make them really girly but i have tons of these lying around the house anyway so i thought they could be a cute stocking filler? The downside to these is that they probably won't last very long because of how thin they are. However for £1.99 you can't really complain. 





Lastly in the box was another Yardley sample which is another reoccurring brand. This is the Royal English Daisy Eau de Toilette which is definitely more of a springtime fragrance than an Autumn/Winter which makes me wonder why it was included in November, but still a nice enough scent. This is obviously very floral which isn't really my preference but i do like how fresh it is. Also what i like about this fragrance is how it would suit both the older and the younger, it's quite versatile. I know there's a lot of controversial views on perfume samples across the bloggersphere but I don't mind the occasional sample especially if it has an appealing scent. Personally i wouldn't buy this full sized perfume but I do think it's reasonably priced at £9.99 for 50ml.    





So that was the contents of the November She Said Beauty Box and my thoughts on each item. Like i said, i am far more impressed than last month and I love how there's a bit of everything in this one, not to mention 4 full sized products if you count the individual Andrew Barton pieces. 
What did you think of this months She Said Beauty Box? You can visit my She Said Beauty Profile here. 

Saturday 24 November 2012

RedHead

Jumper - New Look
Shirt - Quiz (Old)
Necklace - H&M
Jeans - New Look
Boots - Peacocks (Old)
Notice anything different? Yes, i am now a red head. I decided to change my hair a little for the autumn/winter, sometimes I think it's nice to have a change and not get stuck into a routine. Plus i was in drastic need of doing something to my hair because before it was so damaged. I used to have red hair before I started my blog and since changing back, i remember how much i loved it! I think it looks quite feisty and vibrant without looking too unnatural for work. Also, i love treating myself to a hair cut now and then - is it me or is it totally expensive these days to get it done in a salon?! Luckily my friend introduced me to her mobile hairdresser who was able to do this for me at late notice and a very good price, so a big thank you to her! If you live in the Bristol area and are looking for a good hairdresser, she is absolutely amazing so drop me a message and i'll pass on her details to you.
This is what I wore just as a casual outfit on my day off this week. I just went for a browse around in New Look and found this jeans at a discounted price and I really love wearing coloured jeans so I picked those up. The colour actually matched my hair quite well! I also picked up a dark red jumper but it's a bit much wearing the jeans, jumper and the hair! So i chose to team it with this waffle knit jumper which i actually bought last A/W and still totally love.
I also love the whole "collar peeping out" trend so i added a collar style necklace and it gave the look a pretty preppy edge. Finally I added these boots which i forgot I owned! Don't you love it when that happens? Rediscovering an old love... So I've been wearing them at every opportunity and they're such a lovely height, especially for a girl like me who needs to wear heels to feel normal! I can actually drive in these which is a bonus. 
My favourite lip product of the month seems to be the collection 2000 creme puff in "fairy cake" which i'm wearing in these photo's. I think i'm obsessed with the colour more than anything, I always feel super pale in the autumn/winter so i love having bright lips to add warmth and colour to my face.
In other news, I may have splurged and treated myself to a new Xbox which i've totally been addicted to this week - if you have any game recommendations then let me know! But at the moment i'm playing a lot of fallout and just dance! 
What do you think of my new hair colour? Do you like to have a change sometimes?
Also please don't forget to like my facebook page for regular updates and chit-chat! 

Monday 19 November 2012

Fashion Vouchers £100 Christmas Outfit Challenge: Pearls and Feathers

I've seen a few entrant into the fashion vouchers £100 Christmas outift challenge and thought it looked fun, so i've decided to give it a go! However it's a lot harder than it looks. I originally wanted to use motel as my merchant but couldn't find any shoes over there to fit the budget.. Then, having a bright sparks moment I remembered ASOS sell motel! After hours of scrolling through ASOS, i finally settled on something completely different but so very pretty and it's this burgundy Chiffon skater dress with an elegant pearl back. It's the back that caught my attention, i just think it's so beautiful and feminine, I love the little details in an outfit.  
To continue the theme of pearls, i picked out this pearl hair barrette which could be used to pin back your hair, I sometimes like to braid mine to the back and add a pretty pin so this would be perfect. Also I found this pearl multi finger ring which looks like a lot of fun. I have a similar 3 finger ring and I love the way it looks with an outfit. 
I think this crimson colour in the dress matches well with black accessories, so to keep it sophisticated, I paired it with some plain black peep toe heels which are a steal at £18. And to add some fun texture, I love this feathered clutch bag. Finally, no Christmas outfit is complete without a bit of sparkle and glitter so I had to include a festive nail polish! I love gold glitter polishes at this time of year, so i thought i'd include this Barry M number. 
Also, I recently made a Facebook page for my blog so please go and click the 'Like' button!
 If you've entered, i'd love to see your outfits! You can enter here. What would be your ideal Christmas outfit? 

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Dining in the Dark

You're probably wondering why I've just posted a picture of myself pulling a strange facial expression blindfolded? Well, I'll tell you before you go getting any funny ideas! Last week I was very kindly invited along to attend a blind dinner party by a chain restaurant, The Living Room. The company have a range of restaurants up and down the country but my local one is situated in the Millennium Square, Bristol. I'd never actually heard of the brand before, but the concept of a blind tasting really intrigued me and I don't like to let opportunities slip, so i decided to attend!
(Pictured: Basil Grande and Spiced Moroccon lamb with giant cous cous.)
The idea was to try and identify the flavours and ingredients in the tasters they provided us of their new Autumn/Winter menu, however the catch was, you have to do it blindfolded. Which, by the way, is a lot harder than it may sound. We each were given score sheets to record our answers and away we went with the starters. The food on the menu was very tasty and there was nothing I didn't particularly like, however my ability to identify flavours blindfolded did not go well with the Black forest cured ham which I thought was accompanied by blackcurrant flavours, when it was actually fig, goats cheese, raspberry and beetroot. 
Next up were sandwiches, and we were given a Pork and Chorizo burger with smoked paprika which i really enjoyed! Didn't do so well on guessing the chorizo though.
(Pictured above: Homemade Glamorgan sausages)
Moving onto mains, we were treated with some really delicious dishes. My personal favourite was the Moroccon spiced lamb with giant cous cous (pictured above). But we were also given duck, shepherds pie,  seabass and sausages, all infused with a variety of flavours to give your taste buds an adventure!
Being a bit of a sweet tooth, I was looking forward to trying deserts and I was excited to try the Basil Grande (again, pictured above). Eton mess is one of my favourite deserts but being blindfolded made it hard to guess the key ingredients aside from meringue. We also tried a passion fruit and coconut creme brulee (yum!) and a cheese board. Finally, moving on to cocktails, i thought i'd be good at identifying the spirits after working behind a bar, but what i was certain was tequila turned out to be Quince?! And it turns out, i really don't like Manhattan's. 
Unfortunately my score of 16/40 wasn't good enough to win the Dining in the Dark trophy, but it was still a fun, enjoyable experience and i'd like to thank The Living Room for having me.
"It’s safe to say that The Living Room’s new menu has been crafted to offer something for all diners, whatever the time of day and whatever the dining preference - be it a light bite at lunch or a full three course slap-up meal. With a new and growing Vegetarian category, it also acknowledges the need to cater more closely for this growing population of diners, who often find the choices in many restaurants limited." - Press release.

In other news, I recently made a Facebook page for my blog so make sure you go and check it out and please like it!
Where do you enjoy eating out?

Thursday 8 November 2012

Diva

This is the outfit I have been living and dying in recently. I've had my eye on this ballet wrap dress from ASOS for ages now and just didn't get around to buying it. I'm always hesitant to buy online just in case the fit isn't right and i have to fuss around with returns, but with ASOS it's free returns and i managed to find a discount code so i just HAD to buy it! However i didn't need to return this beauty and i'm very tempted to buy it in black as well. It's just so versatile, I've been wearing it in the day layered up with chunky tights, boots and scarves as pictured above but you can also wear it out at night with heels, a waist belt and a leather jacket. I love this cranberry colour too - so perfect for A/W12 and i have a strong feeling this will end up being my Christmas dress!
The ballet wrap effect on the dress is also really flattering. As you can see it's fitted at the top and then flares into a skater style skirt which i think works on most body types. I actually opted for the petite styled one because i'm so short and i love the length. It's not too short to be inappropriate but it's enough to still be stylish. I literally cannot recommend this enough, it's definitely a staple piece in my wardrobe and a gorgeous investment. Don't be surprised if the next outfit post contains the black version - I am sorely tempted!
Lipstick - Diva by MAC
Ballet Wrap Dress - ASOS
Fur Waistcoat - New Look
Chunky Tights - Tesco
Furlined boots - Tesco
I wore my new MAC lipstick with this dress which is Diva in matte and it's an absolutely beautiful dark red vampy colour. My friend Grace bought it for me as a belated birthday present (thanks if you're reading!) and i absolutely love it! I don't think you can get away with the colour in other seasons but for A/W12 I have been wearing it everywhere! The pigment in this lipstick is brilliant, I'm considering doing a review on it - is that something you readers would like to see? You can also really see my ombre in these photos, I've been debating on whether or not to dye my hair a darker shade for the winter, what do you guys think?
Just a quick little update - Thank you all for helping me reach 300 GFC followers! I feel like over the past couple of months i took a little step back from blogging, but now I have quit one of my jobs and i have more time and energy to focus on this again so hopefully you will be seeing more of me! I've actually just attended an event called "Dining in the Dark" which was really exciting and I can't wait to share with you guys. 
What have your staple pieces been this A/W? Have you tried a ballet wrap dress before?

Monday 5 November 2012

Montagne Jeunesse: Exotic Fruits

Being a busy little bee, i never really get the chance to treat my skin. I'm terrible with removing my make up at night and I hardly ever remember to moisturise and give my skin the care it deserves. Now we're heading into an abyss of colder weather, it's really important that i try a little bit harder to look after myself. Therefore i've been really enjoying these little face masks from Montagne Jeunesse. They are so quick and easy to use, I don't have to take any time out of my busy schedule. Not only that, but they provide natural skin care suitable for vegetarians so it makes me feel good knowing i'm not using any harmful chemicals on my skin.
I've tried a fair few of these masks now as you will know if you've been following from the very beginning, yet the new Exotic Fruits range is my favourite so far. The range includes the Prickly Pear Peel Off, the PawPaw Peel off and the Dragon Fruit Sauna. I've only tried the pear one so far, and i just loved the smell, the colour and the application. The ingredients for this one included prickly pear, mangosteen (the "queen of fruits"), and melon which are some of my favourite fruits anyway and it just smells divine. It also has a really girly pink colour and left me with noticeably smoother skin. The peel off masks have always been my favourite because i find it entertaining and rather therapeutic peeling it off when it dries. It reminds me of peeling PVA glue off your fingers as a child! Did anyone else do that?!
I'm quite excited to try the Dragon Fruit mask because it's self heating - just what we need in this blast of winter weather so i'm off to try that now! The Exotic Fruits range are now available priced at £1.29 each and can be found at ASDA, Boots and www.montagnejeunesse.com 
Have you tried the new Montagne Jeunesse Exotic Fruits range?

Thursday 1 November 2012

Malice in Wonderland

Just a quick one today, I know i'm a day late with the Halloween celebrations, but i just had to show you guys my efforts this year. I wasn't able to properly celebrate Halloween as i was stuck behind a bar, but it's always fun to dress up and see all the Trick or Treaters! I was really pleased with how my outfit turned out this year, especially the scary make up! So this is me as Malice in Wonderland: Zombie style. 
Jenny, Me and Milly.
Working in a popular nightclub in Bristol means that i had to go all out! We had two crazy jam packed nights with 10ft spiders, creepy music and lots of costume variations! I absolutely love Halloween so i was very excited! I got my dress from Ebay and it came with a petticoat and headband which was quite good. I added a bit extra fake blood and watched many YouTube tutorials to learn how to do the make up. I also put curls in my hair thinking it was quite Alice in Wonderland-esq.
What do you guys think? What did you dress as for Halloween?

Wednesday 31 October 2012

She Said Beauty: October

Unfortunately, this month i was really disappointed with the She Said Beauty Box. The samples i received were quite cheap and none of it floated my boat. I thought i'd review it anyway because i guess that's the way beauty boxes work, some months you're going to be really pleased, and some months you'll be disappointed. For now i'm going to stick it out and hope that next month's will be more promising. This month was mainly skincare products.

I've never heard of Herbacin before or even seen any of their products. In fact, after doing a little bit of research, I think it's a German country and it looks like you can only buy online, so a little pointless to add into the box in my opinion. However the handcream itself is quite handy for this time of year. My hands always go dry and cracked and it gets very painful so i did appreciate this new addition. I also like the fact that it comes in a tin because its small enough to fit nicely into my handbag. It has a light floral scent making it smell lovely and fresh. Obviously, the packaging is also very cute with the little flower! It says this is supposed to protect your hands in all weather conditions and the chamomile in it is meant to smooth and moisturise hands to ensure elasticity and softness. I think She Said could have been a little more generous because this was  20ml tin worth 99p classed as "full sized."

Another teeny tiny 3g sample (enough for one, maybe two uses), this is the Cellnique Advances Bio Renewal Masque and again, i have never heard of Cellnique before. This could be seen as a good thing because it means that i can give a completely unbiased view of the brand, but it's annoying because again, they are only available overseas. This is formulated out of fresh fruit enzymes and acids which you can really smell. I really like fruity scents so it really appeals to me. Its quite a gentle exfoliator, but i did not see and significant results in my skin. Perhaps if i had a bigger sample it would have been different. It worked fairly well as a cleanser and yes, my skin felt fresher but i wouldn't be going out and paying $51 on this product based on this sample.



b.liv is a brand by Cellnique which I found interesting because we've basically got two of the same brands in one box. This product is called "off with those heads" and is meant to clear blackheads and whiteheads. It has a really weird scent which reminds me of bongela! I'm very lucky and i don't suffer from spots so i haven't seen any effects from using this but the smell is enough to put me off to be honest. And the gel like consistency is really strange to rub all over your face! If i did get any breakouts, i may consider using this, but i think you can get better products for $49. Also this is another tiny 3ml sample and you can maybe get one or two uses out of it. And again you can only purchase this online. 



These two samples of KeraStraight moisture and protein masks are about the only things i got excited for in this box. My hair is so dry and damaged at the moment, i really need to get to a salon, but the mixture of it being expensive and having no free time means i just haven't had the chance, so i really love finding hair products that may make it temporarily healthier for the time being. This is a leave on mask that i used before washing my hair and i left it on for about 20 minutes. After using it, my hair seemed a lot softer and conditioned but also straighter. My hair tends to dry quite wavy but after using this, I hardly even needed to use straighteners. I really like how thick the consistency of this product is, it just feels like it's doing a good job. I would be interested in trying this product again, but i'm not sure about the £25 price tag. These two samples received were both 10ml


Next up is the Biao Beauty rejuvenating night cream which seems like a nice enough product, Again, it's hard to see results when you only have a 2g sample. This smells like a lavender wheat bag which i think it quite comforting for a night cream just when you're about to go to sleep. It feels very moisturising, if a little bit greasy, and is meant to also protect against premature aging. I have also never heard of this brand before but that's probably because they're not available in the UK. The packaging is really sweet, i love the picture and the colour scheme and i am a sucker for cute packaging. However, again i don't think i'd feel comfortable paying $24.50 for a full sized version of this. 


The last product is the bonus product, or the "SSB treat" they've started to call it. It's the second full sized product in the box and it's 30 tablets of vitamins. In my opinion that's not even a beauty product and they come in the form of tablets! I hate taking tablets even when i'm poorly, so these are literally awful for me. They're supposedly a food supplement for those who are on a "health kick." There's not a lot i can say about this product except no, just no. This sachet is worth £2.49. 

I hate to be so negative, which is why i put off doing this post for quite a while but i suppose you've got to be honest about these things. I'm sorry She Said beauty, i really like the brand and i still think they're one of the best Beauty Box companies out there but this month was a complete let down. I just hope you can step up your game next month. 





You can visit my She Said Beauty profile here. 
What did you think about the October box?