Wednesday 31 January 2018

Colours, Colours Everywhere! | Male Spring Fashion Trends

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today, I would write a blog post all about male fashion trends, mainly because I wanted to. I'

I've decided to include a mixture of both general fashion trends and trends that were big at the London Fashion Week Mens SS18. T

Pink Is Returning

Pink is manly, and isn't jus for wearing on Wednesdays. Pink has made a fashion comeback in the past few years, due to things such as the stigma slowly coming away from pink only being known as a colour that LGBT+ people wear. (Before you say that pink isn't seen as a colour that only certain people wear, trust me I heard comments within the past six months saying so still. It's a stupid comment to make in my opinion.) Pink goes well other pale colours, but, it goes very well with anything thats white, as it gives a very summery St Tropez feel to the outfit.I think that a Pink jumper can make an outfit looks 10x better especially in the Summer.

A folded up bright pink mens shirt on a white background.
https://www.ctshirts.com/uk/slim-fit-end-on-end-pink-shirt/FOR0491PNK.html

Eighties Is Back

From boxy suit jackets all the way to frayed hems, the eighties are coming back into fashion with a bang. The best way to do this would be to include something that is eighties inspired and to incorportate it into your outfit, otherwise too much eighties would look like a bad fancy dress job.

Layers

Layers are normally known as a trend for Winter, but if you're familiar with Spring weather, then you will know that it is still cold as hell, so layering seems like a good trend to still follow. ,I think the best thing about Spring layering is that its less about incorporating sartorial inspired clothing, but instead incorporating more streetwear into the outfit such as jackets and trainers.

Vertical Stripes

Vertical stripes have popped up as a big trend this season. Vertical stripes are normally used within fashion, to make yourself look a lot more taller than you are. Personally, I think that vertical stripes will be a big trend in fashion, as long as it isn't just vertical striped suits that make you look like a pimp when you wear them.

A long white shirt with two buttopns open with black thin stripes down the shirt on a white background.
https://www.repertoirefashion.co.uk/menswear-c1/shirts-c4/mens-dwayne-shirt-slim-fit-dark-navy-blue-vertical-stripe-p24297

Tones

Outfits that are based around one tone of colour are slowly coming into fashion. I think the best way to pull this off is mainly using one main thing with a tone and pairing it with something that contrasts, because, if you try to make it all one colour, then there's a good chance that you'll look like a piece of fruit. Maybe, pairing a mustard yellow trenchcoat and chinos with a white shirt would be a good way.

A bright mustard yellow trenchcoat done up with a thick yellow belt across the middle of it with big bold black buttons on a white background.
https://www.hotdrops.com/uk/blog/best-trench-coats-for-men

Would you wear any of these trends? Let me know down below! 
Thanks for reading this fashion based blog post. I hope that you come back for another blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Monday 29 January 2018

Pop That Sweet Treat In Your Mouth | Valentines Day Gift Ideas

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Valentines Day is slowly coming up soon. As its a massive marketing campaign to put a price on love and affection, I thought that today, I would write a gift guide telling you what you could buy for those who you love. If you're single like myself, then all of the below gifts can be bought for yourselves too.

Several bright pastel pink spherical chocolate truffles in a light pink heart shaped box next to a bright pink heart shaped lid on a white background.


Sweet Treats 

Jelly Belly 

Jelly Belly was founded in 1898, and began making jelly beans in 1976. Today, Jelly Belly products are sold all over the world. Jelly Belly jelly beans are certified kosher, vegetarian, and free from gelatine, gluten, fat and dairy. Jelly Belly products are the best thing for those who like sweets, but aren't a big fan of chocolate/can't have chocolate for reasons such as allergies or intolerances, like myself. I think that these Sparkling Wine Jelly Belly's are the best for a Valentines Day gift, due to them being full of light and refreshing flavours. The product also comes in a cute Champagne Bottle which I think is adorable!

A tall green plastic bottle with a gold top to look like a Champagne Bottle with a bright red jelly bean logo with Jelly Belly in cursive yellow font with Bubbly in gold bold font ona white background.

Lindt 

Lindt are the epitome of Valentines Day Chocolates, in my opinion, due to them being a little bit extravagant and delicious to eat, but also aren't too expensive. They also do the cute Chocolate figures such as the Gold Bear/Bunny. I think that this would be a cute gift on its own, as you get delicious chocolate and a cute charm, to attach to whatever you want. If you're within driving distance of a Lindt store, then I urge you to pop in, as they offer a Pick & Mix service which would be great as a present. You fill it up with all yours or your partners favourite Lindt Lindor truffles, and then all you would need to do, is buy a ribbon and attach to the bag.
'
A medium brown chocolate teddy bear with engraved nose, mouth,,eyes and ears covered in a bright gold foil with a bright red coa covering most of it with Lindt in black bursive gold font on the bottom of it on a white background.

A rectangular silver box of different spherical chocolate truffles coveried in different coloured foil with some dotted around next to the box next to a clear large rectangular cellophane bag on a white background.

Charbonnet Et Walker

If you're feeling extravagant, and you are wanting something that's a little bit luxurious, then Charbonnet Et Walker is the place for you. Charbonnet Et Walker are known for their terrific truffles and a box of them with a ribbon, would make a perfect present for yourself or someone else. Flavours include Strawberries & Cream, Sea Salted Caramel, Whiskey, Pink Champagne and many more. All of their truffles are amaing, as I've tried them before and I can remember eating them like it was yesterday.

Several bright pastel pink spherical chocolate truffles in a light pink heart shaped box next to a bright pink heart shaped lid on a white background.

Old Fashioned Sweets 

Do you miss the good old days where you could run down to the corner shop, and pick up a bag of sweets for not that much money? Well, why not treat yourself/loved ones to some amazing old fashioned sweets such as Liquorice, Mint Humbugs and Aniseed Balls.

Several spherical dark red aniseed balls on a bright silver tray on a dark background.

Underwear 

AVA-J 

I think that AVA-J are the best underwear brand around in the United Kingdom. Their underwear fits amazingly and looks great on anyone. They stock great underwear such as Boxers, Boxer Briefs, Jockstraps, Briefs and much more for yourself/the men in your life who need some great underwear. They even stock nightwear such as gorgeous dressing gowns! They even have a sale on at the moment, which I'm trying to avoid, due to still not finding my wonderful pair of AVA-J underwear when moving to Leeds, and because I'm trying to not spend loads at the moment. I love their jockstraps and briefs as they're gorgeous and super comfy.

A v shaped jet black thick materialed jockstrap underwear piece with a cut out hole for the bottom with a thick wide rectangular strip at the top with avaj in simple white font on a white background.

A pair of rectangular bright blue boxer briefs with a black thick rectangular strap at the top of the underwear with avaj written in white simplistic font on a white background.

Bravissimo 

Bravissimo is an amazing lingerie brand for those who want to feel sexy and confident no matter what. Bravissimo stock their amazing products, in a vary od different sizes and colours. If you are a big boobed woman or know someone who is, eg, a partner or someone then this brand is for them.

A bright pink bra with black edges and black thin straps with a matching v shaped panty that is bright pink with a black edge trim on a white background.

Fragrance

Debenhams 

Debenhams is known for its amazing array of fragrances, from ones such as Jimmy Choo to Viktor and Rolf to Tom Ford. There is a luxury fragrance for everyone. If you want to treat yourself to a new scent or get someone special, something that they'ce been lusting over then Debenhams is the place for you.

A glass cylindrical hexagonal bottle filled with a bright pastel pink liquid with a silver cylindrical lid with a little red rose next to it on a white background.

A clear glass cylindrical hexagonal silver and gold bottle with a silver cylindrical lid filled with a light gold liquid on a silver background.

The Perfume Shop 

The Perfume Shop is known for having amazing perfumes, from brands such as, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Paco Rabanne, and celebrity fragrances such as David Beckham and Nicki Minaj. If you know someone who loves a certain celebrity then a fragrance from them might be a great gift. If you or yourself need to top up on a fragrance then this is the best place for you, due to their many offers.

A silver bottle with a silver head and black long flowing hair with a pink bra and Trini Girl in dark pink bold font on a white background.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a great go to present for anyone around Valentines Day, especially if they have a favourite liquor or brand. You can also always grab a bottle of something and add things, such as mixers and fruits to give them or yourslef a DIY Cocktail Kit. Check ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons. Sainsburys or your local Supermarket for whats on offer/what kinds of alcohol they stock.

Adventures

Experiences and adventures have become such a great gift. Things ranging from car experiences to afternoon tea to spa treatments and much more. Red Letter Days do a range of couple experiences which are great for those wanting to get back in touch with their other half but, there is also things like mentioned above that are great for one person or a group of friends.

Have you got anything planned for Valentines Day such as presents/experiences? Let me known down below! 

I hope that you've enjoyed reading this blog post! I hope that you've enjoyed this blog post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Jelly Belly's were featured in this blog post in return for goods or services. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own. 

Friday 26 January 2018

Surfing It Up In Wet Leeds | Limeyard White Rose Event

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I was invited to try out some of the amazing food and drinks at Limeyard at White Rose Shopping Centre last week, and I thought that today, I would talk to you all about it! 

A half rack of dark brown pork ribs with cylindrical bones still attached with a dark brown Coca Cola glaze with red chilli pieces sprinkled on top on a white circular plate with a blue rim on a light golden brown table on a light background.


Limeyard, All Day California Kitchen, brings you delicious West Coast-inspired treats for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Serving up their signature delicious dishes including, Coca Cola Glazed Ribs and a Yards of Tacos, just to name a few.! From early morning breakfast to late evening dinners and drinks, you will always find something to cool and breezy at Limeyard.

A shot of a dark black rectangular building with Limeyard in bold capital white font with lights behind them with rectangular elegant windows with rectangular light broiwn tables and clear glasses in the window on a dark background.

Sadly, Luke couldn't come along, so instead, I brought along a friend who I shall remain anonymous or the purposes of anonymity throughout this blog post. We made our way throughout the glass doors of White Rose After making our way through the ultra modern food court, we found Limeyard and made our way into the relazing looking building. 

A chandlier consisting of a spherical bright light with six little spherical lights encircling the main big light. Three are pink and three are white on a dark background.

A long rectangular light brown table with lighter brown chairs with blue rectanuglar napkins and silver silverware on top of them on a bright background.

We sat down in a comfy booth in the corner of the restaurant, and chatted for a few moments. We were then allowed to choose two things from a list of the new menu and whatever drink we wanted. As there were four different cocktails, I made it my mission to try all four, because well, I love a good cocktail! The first cocktail of the night was a Koko Mojo. I love saying and typing it for a start... This drink contains Coconut Rum, Lime, Mint, Passion Fruit and Soda. I love anything that starts off with Rum. I loved this slightly more tropical version of a Mojito as the Passion Fruit and Coconut offset the tartness of the Lime. The Passion Fruit just muted the Coconut a bit which is good as sometimes Coconut can make drinks a little bit sickly I could drink these over and over again whilst chatting with friends after some shopping, but also, I could see myself drinking these on a beach! 

A tall large cylindrical glass filled with clear crushed ice with creen pieces of mint and green pieces of lime with two cylindrica white straws on a golden brown table on a light background.

The first dish that we tried was, Mississippi Street Wings. This dish contains House Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip, Coriander and Lime. I rarely eat Wings. I'm not really sure why, but I think its just one of those things that you have to be with good company for, you know? These Wings were delicious. They were succulent on the inside and crisp on the outside. The House Rub that was on the Wings were delicious, but they did come with a kick once you had eaten the wing. I didn't mind this due to the refreshing Koko Mojo. The Lime added a bit of zing against the sweetness of the Chicken and the Coriander added a touch of freshness. 

A batch of medium brown Chicken Wings sprinkled with pieces of bright red chopped up Chilli with a pot of bright white Blue Cheese Dip in a small circular offset white bowl on a white circular plate with a blue pattern across it on a light brown table on a light background.

The second drink that I enjoyed was, Frosé. Frosé is well, Frozen Rosé. This drink contains Rosé Wine, vodka, Watermelon, Strawberry and Simple Syrup. I wasn't sure if Wine and Watermelon would work but it kind of did. It gave the drink a refreshing kick! The Strawberry and Simple Syrup took the bitterness away from both the Wine and Vodka, as Vodka is known as that Spirit that no one drinks due to the burning afterwards. I think that this would best during alfresco dining in the middle of a Summers afternoon. 

A bright orange cocktail in a tall wine glass with two bright white cylindrical oaoer straws on a light brown table on a light background.

Next on the food truck was, Popcorn Chicken. This dish came with a Chipotle Mayo Dip. The Popcorn Chicken were super crisp and warming on the outside and succulent in the inside. I loved the size of them as you could just pick them up, dip them in the dip, and pop them into your mouth. The Chipotle Mayo Dip was sweet but refreshing,. The coolness against the warm chicken was gorgeous, but the addition of Chipotle was amazing, as I'm not the biggest fan of straight up Mayo. The only problem that I had was that I wanted more! 

Small spherical medium brown pieces of chicken in a small medium brown wooden basket with a small circular silver bowl filled with a bright gold Chipotle Mayo dip on a black napkin on a bright white oval plate with a bright blue rim on a light brown table on a bright background.

Carrying on with the dishes, the next plate was the delicious 1/2 Yard Of Tacos. These are described as soft Corn Tortillas with a choice of delicious fillings, all served with house Guacamole and Sour Cream. We chose to go for BBQ Pulled Pork, but there is other choices such as, Steak, Spicy Chicken, Crispy Cod and Spiced Black Turtle Beans. The Taco's were delicious. The sweetness of the Corn Tortillas against the smokiness of the BBQ Pulled Pork was gorgeous. The Pork was melt in your mouth which I love and the Guacamole added a splash of coolness and freshness against the deep and warming flavours of the BBQ Pulled Pork These and a Cocktail are good on their own, but they become addictive especially as they just about fit in the mouth all at once. Trust me, I know as I tried it... 


Sadly, the third and final drink was Mango Spritz. This contains Sauvignon Blanc Wine, Vodka, Mango, Pink Grapefruit, House Triple Sec, Simple Syrup and Peach Bitters. The other drink that was on offer during the night was Bay Breeze (this contains Vodka, Coconut Rum, Pineapple and Cranberry), but I didn't finish my Mango Spritz until I finished my food, and it looked a bit weird asking for another drink without any food at the end of the night. I'll have to come back for that last drink! I liked the fruitiness of this as the Mango complimented the Peach Bitters which also cut some of the bitterness out of the Vodka. I'm not massive on Pink Grapefruit but I liked it as it added a bit of zing to the drink. 

A tall long stemmed glass containing a bright yellow slushie with a red strawberry halve on the rim of the glass on a light brown table on a light background.



Now to the last dish, which was, Coca Cola Glazed Ribs. First of all, I love Ribs so I instantly knew that I had to try them. I also had to try these due to the fact that they were glazed in Coca Cola, and I wanted to know what that tasted like. These ribs are slow cooked for 8 hours which means that the meat is easy to remove from the bone, for those who hate bones. The meat was succulent and the glaze was sweet but spicy at the same time which I adored. Spice as in that sort of Cinnamon and Clove way, not the Chilli sort of spice. I could eat these for days! 

A half rack of dark brown pork ribs with cylindrical bones still attached with a dark brown Coca Cola glaze with red chilli pieces sprinkled on top on a white circular plate with a blue rim on a light golden brown table on a light background.
Have you ever tried out Limeyard before? Let me know down below! 

Check out Limeyard and White Rose for more amazing food including desserts and for a great shopping experience within Leeds! 

Thanks to the PR for invting me to this Blue Monday event, and thanks to the staff on the night for taking care of all of us bloggers that attended. 

I hope that you've enjoyed this blog post, and that you come back next time for another blog post! 

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

This blog post was in return of goods and or services. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own! 

Thursday 25 January 2018

Because I'm Always Worth It | My Hair Story

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today, I would talk to you all about my hair story. I know that this may sound a bit weird, but a lot has been done to my hair over the past few years.

A image taken by myself of myself, a young white male with slicked back dark brown hair with round tortoiseshell glasses a silver lip piercing, a thick black wool cardigan and a grey and white checked shirt on a white background.


I started experimenting with my hair within the good summer days of around 2014 from what I remember, but don't bank me on that. It started off with a friend of mine bleaching my hair on the foor of a well known hotel chain within Manchester. Even though, this sounds like a very stupid thing ever, and it was, I had actually planned it for a good month or so, as for a good couple of years beforehand, I had dreamt about dyeing my hair a completely different colour to boost my self confidence and such. (A completely different blog post about that might be on the blog at some point.)

After letting the bleach seep into my scalp, we stuck on a turquoise semi permanent hair dye and did all the usual things when dyeing hair. At the time, I thought I looked cool, but looking back, it looked like what it was... A first time home done bleach and dye job. I thank my friend for doing it to this day and I love the memory of the weekend we spent in Manchester, but thank goodness we can look back at it with laughter because its needed. I wanted to look like a pretty mermaid, but in reality, I didn't even look like someone trying to look like Ursula for the first time drunk. To be honest, I looked like I had a menage a trois with some bright orange and turquoise paint.

After this experience, I spent a good while getting three different colours out, and slowly took the time to get my hair back to a point where bleaching would be fine for my hair. After that I dyed my hair electric blue and I loved it! The only problem is that, when blue hair fades, it becomes a pale blue crossed with a slightly green hued mess. I stuck with green for a week or two, whilst I figured out what to do.

After consulting a hairdresser friend of mine, I decided to strip my hair and decided to dye it medium brown due to brown neutralising a lot of the pigments that are found in green hair dye. I stuck with this for quite a while. If you've been reading this blog from the beginning, then you will remember my medium brown shaggy hair at the beginning of the blog's creation.

After growing this out, I slowly decided to go back to blue in the form of Black-Blue hair and I loved it. At the same time, I decided to slowly grow my hair out. Sadly. the main reason to growing my hair was because my anxiety became ultra bad for a long while. This meant that hairdressers were a deffo no for me. My hair grew to just past my shoulders and shimmered in a wonderful blue shade when the light hit it. I did love having long hair due to being able to play out so many styles with it, and I do miss it sometimes.

Long hair and using several treatments to condition my hair including Coconut Oil and such took it's toll, and after a whie, I decided to cut it which then lead into my combover phase. This simply meant that I would wear my hair in a sort of combover style, and I still do to this day sometimes. It took a long while to get used to this but I did!

Last stop on the train is the present look. I've had my hair cut even shorter, as I've realised that lactose and my scalp have arguments every now and again. I have started to experiment with styles and using more products in my daily style. I now use a Pomade and try to style my hair into somewhat of a curved sort of quiff. It's not much and often, it's a mass but I kind of love it!

I have no current plans to dye my hair or do anything drastic with it anytime soon, but I do wish that I did dye my hair maybe a sort of Purple or Red colour so, that may happen within the near future.

Share your hair story down below in the comments section below! 

Thanks for reading this beauty based blog post and I hope that you come back to read the next post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Tuesday 23 January 2018

Set Sail For Some Loving | Lush Valentines Day Range

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Lush have released their products for their Valentines Day range, and I thought that, today I would talk to you all about the products that are within the VD range.

Bath Bombs: 

Rose Bombshell

Rose Bombshell is the epitome of Valentines Day, even if it is a little bit stereotypical, creammed into a bath bomb to ensure that you have a wonderful bath that gets you in the mood for loving. This product contains Sicilian Lemon Oil, Geranium Oil, Rose Oil, and Rose Oil which gives your bath a zesty yet sweet Rose scent. This product also contains Fine Sea Salt which helps to get rid of dead skin cells and Yellow Rose Petals which burst out from the bath bomb, to give your bath a romantic and luxurious feel. If you love anything from the Rose Jam family, then you will love this!

A spherical bright pink bath bomb with swirls engraved into the bath bomb with fflecks of bright pink rose petals encrusted into the bath bomb on a white background

Giant Rose Bombshell

This is the same as the above but comes in a giant version. I'm not fully sure why but if you're in a massive bath that fits two people then this might be a good bath bomb to use. It is only available via online or selected stores including Oxford Street and Manchester Arndale (maybe?)

A giant spherical bright pink bath bomb with swirls engraved into the bath bomb with fflecks of bright pink rose petals encrusted into the bath bomb on a white background


Love Boat

Push the boat out with a trip on the Love Boat! This Bath Bomb resembles a well... boat. This product contains Sicilian Lemon, Sweet Orange and Rose Oils, which gives the bath bomb a zesty but slightly deep scent.

A bright pink boat shaped bath bomb with a bright blue outline on the edges of the bath bomb on a white background.

Tisty Tosty

Tisty Tosty used to be an all year product, but was sadly removed when Lush decided to remove a good few of their products last year. It used to be coloured White, but for Valentines Day, it has been coloured a lovely paste Pink colour. This one contains Lemon and Geranium Oils and Jasmine and Rose Absolutes, which gives the product a sweet but slightly floral scent. If you love anything floral then you will probably like this one!

A light pink coloured heart shaped bath bomb with seven yellow rose petals encrusted into the bath bomb on a white background.


Bubble Bars

Unicorn Horn

Create a Unicorn within your bath! Unicorn Horn is back for Valentines Day! This Bubble Bar contains relaxing Lavender and sweet Neroli whhich means that your bath will be relazing and de-stressful. This also contains different colours which means that you will get a different mixture of colours in your bath depending on how you crumbke the bar up. (Please, don't crumble the bar and use it in one go as thats not how Bubble Bars are meant to be enjoyed.)

A triangular shaped horn purple coloured bubble bar with streaks of pink and yellow running hroughout with purple candy stars on the side of the bubble bar on a white background.

Whole Lotta Love

Do you have a Whole Lotta Love for anyone? Yes? No? Well, Lush has a Whole Lotta Love for you. This year, they're showing their love via a Bubbleroon. If you don't know what a Bubbleroon is then, imagine two bubble bars sandwiched together with a moisturising buttercream that helps to keep skin super soft. This reminds me of Fizzbanger and I think it has the same ingredients as the forever loved Fizzbanger, but I could be completely wrong. This contains Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter and Murumuru Butter to ensure that the skin is soft. It also contains

Two bright red heart shaped bubble bars sandwiched between a gitter covered bright gold heart shaped cream on a white backgroubnd.

Heart Of Enlightened Expectation Bubble Bar Melt

This is an interesting product due to it being a bit like a Bubbleroon but instead its just a cross between a Melt and a Bubble Bar which means that you dont get two but the bubble bar is normally quite big. This product contains Bergamot Oilm Geranium Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Rose Absolute, and Ylang Ylang Oil which makes the product super floral but slightly sweet so if you love that sort of scent then you will love this product.

A gold and orange coloured heart bubble bar laid down on a white background.

Soaps & Shower Products

Kiss Me Quick Wash Card

Kiss Me Quick has returned for 2018 but in the form of two lips, so you can literally kiss it quick or put it over your own lips to get someone to kiss you quick. The way that these cards work, is that, you take a piece off, submerge it in a bit of water and rub to lather, massage the creamy lather into your skin and then rinse. This product contains Fresh Apple Pulp which makes the paper of the Wash Card, Clove Bud Oil, Mimosa and Tonka Absolute which gives the Wash Card a sweet but fruity scent which reminds me of Prince Charming in a way.

A bright red lip shaped wash card thats on a white background.

Tunnel Of Love

Tunnel Of Love is a brand new soap for 2018, especially as it has a hard exterior but a soft and squidgy interior. This contains Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil which makes the interior so soft. It also contains Kaolin which gently cleanses the skin, Sweet Wild Orange and Lime Oils which make this soap very zesty!

A dome shaped light pink solid soap with a bright white love heart in the middle of the soap on a white background.

Tender Is The Night Naked Shower Cream

This is a brand new product for VD 2018. Sadly, Prince Charming Shower Cream isn't available, but instead Lush have released Tender Is The Night, a well known Massage Bar, into a Shower Cream that's naked. This means that Lush save on packaging due to it being solid. It works exactly like a Shower Cream, just that its in a solid form. This contains e Flower Infusion, Ylang Ylang Flower Infusion, Fair Trade Shea Butter,  Jasmine Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil and Vanilla Absolute, which will give your skin a soft feeling but it also means that this prodduct will smell very floral. If you love floral scents then this will be for you!

A large brioght baby pink bottle shaped Shower Cream with a cylindrical black plastic lid on a white background.

Others

Cherryish Body Scrub

Cherryish is a Body Scrub that will change your life. You will wanrt to use it to scrub anywhere and everywhere. This scrub contains Murumuru, Illipe and Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butters to nourish the skin, Dried Cherries, Ground Cherry Stones, Vegan White Chocolate, Almond Essence and Fine Sea Salt which scrubs the skin. The scent of this scrub reminds me of the Black Forest Hot Chocolate from Costa and it makes me want to scrub everywhere just so I can have that scent on my body.

A purple heart shaped body scrub filled with bits of white sugar with a red cherry engraved in the middle on a white background

Melt My Heart Massage Bar

Shouldn't everyone have a little massage, every now and again? Melt My Heart is the perfect massage bar to use on yourself or whoever you want to at this time of year. If you don't know how to use them, then glide the bar over whoevers skin until it melts a bit and then use your hands to massage that into the skin. This bar contains Orange Flower Oil, Violet Leaf Oil and Olibanium Resinoid to create a deep citrus scent which reminds me of tropical beaches. It aso contains dried rose petals which add texture to the bar.

A rectangular white massage bar filled with bits of yellow rose petals on a white background

The Kiss Lip Scrub

In need of a good lip scrub to make your lips irrestible for kissing? The Kiss Lip Scrub has got you! This lip scrub is completely edibke due to the Caster Sugar and Fine Sea Salt that makes up the bulk of this product, which means that you can scrub and then lick off the excess. This product also contains Fair Trade Cocoa Butter to ensure that lips are soft and Sicilian Mandarin Oil to give the scrub a zesty scent.
A pink solid circular lip scrub filled with little grains of sugar and salt topped with small red candy love hearts on a white background.


The Kiss Lip Gloss

This Lip Gloss goes along with the Lip Scrub as they're both named the same. This Gloss contains Guarana Seed Powder which helps the lips tingle to give you a natural enhancer. This product also contains a plethora of oils and butters to keep the lips soft, and to stop them from drying out. It also contains Organic Agave Syrup to keep it sweet, and the Sicilian Mandarin Oil mentioned in the scrub. It gives the lips a slight tint of pink.

A bright pink shimmery liauid lip gloss in a circular splodge on a white background.

Have you checked out any of the new Valentines Day products from Lush? Let me know down below! 

Check out Lush.

Thanks for reading my beauty based blog post! I hope that you come back for the next blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 


Monday 22 January 2018

Alpro Dessert Moments Chocolate & Hazelnut

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Today, I thought that I would talk to you all about a delicious product that I tried last week. This post isn't sponsored before you ask. I just like the product, that much, that I thought that I would blog about it. I also have been away for the weekend, trying to recharge my batteries, so I thought that I would start the week with a short and sweet post.

A light blue logo with alpro in white bold font with greem leaves at the bottom of it on a white background.



Alpro are known for their plant based food products including yoghurts, desserts, ice cream, milk and so much amore Alpro are all about sustainability and believe that a plant based lifestyle will help the world and ourselves a lot more. Due to being plant based, Alpro cater for those who cant have milk/dairy for reasons including allergies/intolerance's.

The description of the chilled lacto free dessert states that the product is: A soya dessert with hazelnut and chocolate, with added calcium and vitamins.Calcium and vitamins are mainly added, just like most dairy products, to ensure that the body is getting what it needs. Although, Calcium is mainly associated with animal based milk, but Calcium is also found in greens, such as Collard Greens.

To say that these desserts are completely lactose free and vegan, these desserts are very creaamy and rich, which is what you want within a dessert, I love the Chocolate and Hazelnut combination as I love Nutella so having a dessert that basically tastes the same, but without hurting my stomach is the best thing that I could have.

I think that these are great for a mid afternoon snack or as a light evening dessert, if some Sea Salt was sprinkled over the top of it, especially as it heightens the taste of the Chocolate and the Hazelnut.

They're on offer at Tesco's at the moment for £1 which is how I found out about them.

Have you tried any of Alpro's products before? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading this short food based blog post and I hope that you come back next time for another blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Wednesday 17 January 2018

Bringing The Joy Out In January | McArthur Glen York Designer Outlet

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I went to York Designer Outlet last week and I thought that I would talk to you all about it.

York Designer Outlet is owned by McArthur Glen. McArthur Glen is known for their designer outlet shopping centres where you can snag an amazing product for a discount of the price that you would find on the high street. They have quite a few stores including York, Nottingham and many more. The stores in the York Outlet include Nike Factory Store, Levi Jeans, M&S Outlet and many more.

A square store with a black bar at the top with Vans in bold white writing with rectangular glass windows with a red rectangular poster saying Up To 50% Off in bold white font on a bright background. 


We entered the beautiful building, and slolwy strolled towards the first store on our list, which was Lindt. Lindt are a luxurious swiss Chocolate brand who are famous for items such as the Gold Bunny and the Lindt Lindor. Myself and Luke entered the store due to seeing on the window of the store, that there was a sale going on, so we thought that it would be worth a wonder in. We perused the stands and decided to purchase a Gold Reindeer a piece due to them being only 99p. We then decided that we would treat ourselves and get a Lindor Pick and Mix bag. If you haven't heard of this before, then the concept of it is, that you grab a bag and choose the amount that you want which equals to so many Lindor truffles, then fill with varied flavours of Lindor truffles to your hears content. These include Irish Cream, Strawberries and Cream, Hazelnut, Cappuccino and many more. We paid and swent on to wonder at more stores.

A black square store with a blue front with Lindt in bright gold cursive font with an array of bright gold packaged chocolate reindeers on a black rectangular shelf on a bright background. 


After Lindt, we wandered on over to Cadburys to carry on the chocolate fix. We had a look around and ended up coming out with some stuff for Luke. I did nearly get something but I wasn't really sure on what I wanted. I did like the fact that they had Cadbury printed cushions on sale.

Carrying on from the shopping front, I had to pop into the Vans store, as that it always a must when myself and Luke come to the Outlet. I had a browse, and after a while, I decided to buy a light blue Snapback, as I have slowly being digging these more and more at the moment. I'm probably far too late to the trend, but ah well.

A square store with a black bar at the top with Vans in bold white writing with rectangular glass windows with a red rectangular poster saying Up To 50% Off in bold white font on a bright background.

We then wandered on through to Levi's, Molton Brown and Gap Outlet to have a look, but we didn't find much, and honestly myself and Luke needed food. We made our way up to the lavish food court, which is filled with restaurants such as, Wagamama, Patisserie Valerie, Pizza Express, Ed's Easy Diner and much more. We decided to go for a McDonalds just due to it being quick and easy to order and eat.

Once the food was demolished, we made our way back down to the plethora of shops. The next two places on our list were Whittards and Yankee Candle. I was looking for the new Blueberry Cheesecake Hot Chocolate that's available at the moment, as I love Blueberries and I love Cheesecake, so I wanted to see what it was like in Hot Chocolate form. Luke loves Yankee Candle, but sadly the main store was closed due to refurbishment, but luckily there was a pop up Yankee store, so we had a look and sniffed a few of the candles. Sadly, none of the candles were screaming out to Luke but we had a good time sniffing and looking.

Next was Dr Martens, Penhaligon and Clarks, We popped into these three to mainly have a look. I nearly bought something from Dr Martens, but I think that with the Docs Outlet store, you have to know exactly what you want. I think the next time that I'm in, I'll make sure I know what I'm looking for. We popped into Penhaligon mainly to check it out as its a cute luxurious beauty business. I think that again, I needed more time to check it out, instead of worrying about other shops and the train home. Clarks was a visit due to them having a sale but sadly neither of us found anything that we wanted.

A black rectangular store with a black headboard saying Dr Martens in bold white font with an array of different coloured boots and shoes at the front of the store on a bright background. 

Last on our list was Sunglasses Hut. This is the main reason that Luke comes to the Outlet due to them having designer sunglasses at a discounted price. We browsed the store, and after trying on a few pairs of sunglasses, Luke decided on a nice pair of sunglasses. Whilst that was happening, I decided to try on a few, including a beautiful pair of aviators from Polo Ralph Lauren. One day, maybe.

A selfie of a white young male with medium brown hair with a beard and a silver lip ring wearing a pair of dark metal aviators with Polo Ralph Lauren in small white font wbilst wearing a khaki trenchcoat on a bright background. 


Have you ever been to any of the McArthur Glen Designer Outlets before? Let me know down below! 

Check out York Designer Outlet.

I hope that you've enjoyed this shopping based blog post and I hope to see you next time for another blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Spinning Into Your Ears | 12 Inches Of Vinyl

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today, I would talk to you all about a new music
blog that I want to promote.

A large circular black vinyl on a record player with a dark needle on the record on a dark background. 


As you can tell by the name of the blog, 12 Inches Of Vinyl talks about everything there is about music and well vinyls. The blog is founded by two close friends, Nate and Luke. They will be both sharing creating content on both social media and the blog. The blog has been created due to the two friends having an avid passion for music of all genres, but like ourselves, they both have a favourite type of music. Nate loves the classical rock genre includiong artists such as, Metallica, AC/DC and Def Leppard whereas Luke prefers the metal genre and if you have him on Snapchat, like myself, then you will know that he also loves cheesy pop music. (He's also told me as Nate and Luke are good friends of mine, to tell everybody that he's the best looking of the two... If 12 Inches Of Vinyl decide to go to publish their content onto Youtube, then you can decide for yourself...)

The main focus of the blog is to talk about all things vinyl and music, due to both of the founders having a big love for music and a huge collection of vinyls but to also talk about music as a whole especially the genres that they love to listen to. They also want to create blog posts with the music community in the mind via talking to them on places such as social media platform Instagram etc.

12 Inches Of Vinyl are based around the Yorkshire area so expect blog posts that are based around that area, including their second blog post, Leeds Record Fair which talks all about what they got up to at the Record Fair that is based in the beautiful listed building that is Corn Exchange.

What music do you love to listen to? Do you collect vinyls? Let me know down below! 

Click here to check out their blog and click here to check out their Instagram.

I hope that you've enjoyed this music based blog post! I hope that you come back next time for another blog post from me.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Friday 12 January 2018

Pies, Pork & Much More | Trinity Kitchen January 2018

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today, I would talk to you all about the new vendors that are at Trinity Leeds at the moment!

Trinity Kitchen is an open plan food court that is situated within the heart of the well known shopping centre, Trinity Leeds, which has a plethora of stores ranging from beauty to children's clothing. Trinity Kitchen has a range of vendors that are full time residents such as Tortilla, Pho and Chicago to name a few, but TK also bost a range of independent vendors that stay for a time period to showcase their food to the people of Yorkshire.

A square bright yellow cake in a rectangular white on the inside, light blue on the outside box with a coffee cup filled with light brown tea on a light golden brown wood rectangular table on a light background. 

The first vendor that I tried out was Mr D's Magnificent Pie Machine. This vend or already sounds like a savoury sub-company of Wonka just from the name and they don't disappoint when it comes to their food. Mr D's serve delicious Pies but ensure that they are all jelly-less, which I love due to finding that some mass produced Pies end up being gelatinous which then puts me off the pie a bit. Mr D's offer a plethora of flavours ranging from the humble Sausage Roll all the way to luxurious Game Pie. I also loved that they had quirky flavours on offer such as Pork and Black Pudding and Pork and Chilli. I decided to go for a jellyless Pork and Apple Pie. I made the right decision doing this, I love Apple and Pork so I knew that I was going to like it, but oh my god I took that first bite and I was in heaven. The pastry was slightly flaky but crunchy around the crust which is the best type of pastry. The filling was packed full of meat and chunky Apple Sauce which I loved not only for the taste, but for the texture, as the flaky pastry against the bits of meat against the flowing sauce was just amazing. I'd definitely get one if you're in Trinity Leeds as they're delicious as a light snack or a meal with some of the sides that they offer. It's hard to find a pastry business that makes me want to scream that I'm from Yorkshire, without mentioning a certain name that ends with egg, but these definitely make me want to scream that I'm from Yorkshire.

Two semi circles of light golden brown pastry containing  pieces brown cooked Pork with a pale green Apple Sauce all on a white rectangular plate on a golden brown wood table on a light background. 

After the amazing pie, I made my way to the Trough Foods vendor to try some of their amazing food. They focus on all things meat ensuring that the best is going into your mouth. I tried a Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese topped off with Apple Sauce. I thought that i might as well as carry on the theme! I rarely eat Mac & Cheese due to my lactose intolerance, but I thought screw it I might as well! The sauce was creamy, thick and tasty but not too Cheesy as sometimes in Mac and Cheese, it can make the dish a little bit sickly. The meat was fall off the bone tender and I adored it in the Mac & Cheese, as it just gave a different taste to the dish as a whole and the apple sauce was amazing. It just cut through the richness of the meat and sauce and just lifted the dish to another level.

A cluster of bright yellow Macaroni and Cheese with dar brown pulled pork layered on top with a pale green dollop of Apple Sauce all within a light brown square takeout box on a light brown wooden table on a bright background. 

The last vendor that I decided to check out was Meli Patisserie. i have talked about them before on the blog, but I wanted something sweet to round off the lunchtime meal so i decided to pop around and enjoy a Lemon Cake as their cakes and patisserie products are to die for. (They do a range of cakes and sweet treats including everything from Baileys Cake to a Strawberry Tart.) The Lemon Cake consists of a deliciously sweet White Chocolate Mousse, with a layer of smooth Lemon Cream which is all draped in a zesty Lemon glaze. I chose this one as I wanted something refreshing due to the slightly drab weather that surrounded Leeds. i received a complimentary cup of tea with the cake, which is always an amazing thing in my opinion, as I grabbed it once I ate the cake and drank it around Leeds City Centre. If you love Cake, Tea or anything sweet then check them out!

A square bright yellow cake in a rectangular white on the inside, light blue on the outside box with a coffee cup filled with light brown tea on a light golden brown wood rectangular table on a light background. 
Have you tried any of the vendors, old or new, from Trinity Kitchen before? Let me know down below! 

Thanks to Trinity Leeds for inviting me to come down and try the amazing new vendors at Trinity Kitchen. Please do check them out if you live anywhere near Leeds.

I hope that you have enjoyed this food based blog post and I hope to see you next time for another blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

This post was in return of goods or services. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own. 

Wednesday 10 January 2018

Wake Me Up Before You Go Go | Superdrug Coffee Face Mask VS Lush Cup O' Coffee Face Mask

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today, I would talk to you all about two face masks that I've been using to sort my face out during the Winter months.

A birds eye shot of a black cosmetic tub with a black label with Lush in bold black letters with Cup O' Coffee in black informal font with Face and Body Mask in small black capital letters on a white background.

Coffee Face Masks have slowly become a big trend within the beauty/cosmetic industry within the last year due to many reasons including the fact that it helps to wake you up in the morning via its smell, that the coffee beans that are in the product help to exfoliate dry skin and that the exfoliation helps to regenerate new skin.

I love Cup O' Coffee from Lush especially as it contains a Coffee Infusion, Caffeine, Agave Syrup and Roasted Cocoa Extract which gives the product a sweet smoky scent whilst still containing Caffeine to give yourself and your skin a glow. The smell of this product reminds me of when you walk straight into a coffee shop. The beans help to really scrub wherever you use it which makes it a great product for the Winter season. The only problem with this product for me is that its slightly expensive so when I found out that Superdrug had brought out a dupe of this product I knew that I had to try it.

Superdrug's Coffee Face Mask contains Coffee Beans and a plethora of other amazing goodies to get into the skin and ensure that it is awake and clean for the day ahead. The texture is quite creamy with a fine scrub and smells more of when you open a jar/tin of coffee compared to when it's been brewed like Cup O' Coffee. I also think that it would be great for the Winter period due to the creaminess of this product, and the smell doesn't last for too long which means that you can put something on top eg moisturiser or anything like that. I do think that to get the full potential.

As the Superdrug is a cheaper version, it is probably the better one for those who don't want to spend a lot on a face mask as Superdrug always have offers such as buy one get one half price or just half price which makes these face masks even cheaper but if you love Lush or stand by their ethics then Cup O' Coffee may be best but I do think that the Superdrug is also better for a more everyday sort of use as a scrub within the Winter especially due to it being a little bit more moisturising to the skin.

The Superdrug Coffee Face Mask costs £4.99 for 75ml.

The Lush Cup O' Coffee costs £7.25 for 150g or £13.95 for 325g.

Have you tried either of these Face Masks? Are you using any particular Face Masks at the moment? Let me know down below! 

Thank you for reading this beauty based blog post and I hope that you come back for another blog post next time.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Monday 8 January 2018

After My First Semester At University

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I thought that today, I would talk about the first semesster at university. I know that this may/may not interest some of you but I thought that I would talk it about anyway.

A white marble slab with the word university engraved into it on a grand building with rectangular glass windows above and below it. 


The course that I'm studying at Leeds Beckett University is Media, Culture and Communications. I know that sounds like a moutful to say, and honestly it is but I love the course. To sum it up, Media, Culture and Communications is all about the media of today and what surrounds it. It's about how nedia has been intertwined with the cutlure of the past and present and much more. For example, how blogging has become a platform for an audience that can span over different countries and how sponsored posts can influence the said audience to check out and buy via their trust and loyalty or the blogger, but also by the brand that is sponsoring the post.

The first semester consisted of three different modules, which were Cultural Studies, Media Interactions and Interpreting New Media.

Cultural Studies talked about culture itself, including breaking down the definition/definitions of culture itself and the expectation of categorising culture into either low-brow or high-brow and the representation of different subcultures such as the chav and the hipster and different minorities such as LGBT+ and people of colour within media.

Media Interactions talked about, well, interacting with media via platforms such as vlogging, social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram and much more. Media Interactions also talks about how we interact with the platforms such as getting hooked on social media via the constant pings on your phone which keep you glued to your phone or the fact that you get likes on just the aesthetics of something that you post on Instagram which can be yourself or something else which boosts your self worth and sometimes your self image which makes you come back again and again just to get another shot of it to feel 'beautiful' in the eyes of society via a digital screen.

Interpreting New Media talked about how different people interpreting new media which includes things like the internet, YouTube, Social Media, On Demand services and much more. This includes the background of new media and what happens within these forms o new media such as discrimination within football thats shown online and why an audience might decide to stick to say a streaming service instead of watching via YouTube.

At first, it took me a while to get used to things such as going from different campus buildings, knowing what was in each building, and getting into a completely new schedule, but after a while I knew where I was and I knew what was what but that happens everywhere really. I did get ,lost a lotn but at the end of the day, an adventure is an adventure.

I instantly thought that I might have a few problems with having a physical disability and an invisible disability in the form of mental health problems but my lecturers were fine with it all when I told them and ensured that if I had any problems with anything to do with it then I could email them confidentially which I thought was great. The waiting list for student wellbeing can be a bit of a weird one but I think that's the same for anywhere really.

I actually got my essays done the week before the deadline instead of the stereotypical every student does it the night before the deadline and I actually had quite a bit of help when it came to sorting out essays including going through and asking questions about bits I wasn't sure of. I also got to rehearse presentations which calmed my anxiety down a bit compared to not knowing what I wanted to say on the day of the presentation.

All in all, I had a better first semester than I thought I was going to have and hopefully I'll keep trucking along and get through Semester Two and my first year at University.

Let me know what your first semester at university was like. 

I hope that you enjoyed this blog post and that you come back for the next one!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x