Saying Boo To Boring Bath Time! | Lush Boo Basket (GIFTED)

 Hey everyone! 

I was recently kindly gifted a strange and spooky Boo Basket from Lush and I thought that today I would talk to you all about it. 

Who doesn’t love all things Halloween and Spooky Season? Lush  have released their Halloween 2024 Range which includes a plethora of bath, shower and other beauty goodies that will help you to get in the mood to be spooky! This Halloween, Lush is encouraging everyone to get freaky in the bathroom and to be your true authentic strange self no matter what! 

Handwoven Basket:

These handwoven baskets are made from organically grown sisal fibre from the agave plant, and are handmade in Kenya. Lush is working in collaboration with The Basket Room which is a business bringing together women's basket-weaving and showcasing traditional weaving and dying techniques.

Both sizes of this beautiful basket can be used to curate your own gift such as a personalised Boo Basket for a loved one, this can also be used as a great container for any brand new Lush products that you may buy to treat yourself during the cold weather that we are having right now in the UK or this basket can be used around your home to give houseplants a new lease of life!

Honestly I didn’t know that the material of this basket came from the agave plant. I was really surprised! As bad as this sounds, the main things that come from agave that I know of are Agave Syrup and Tequila… 

I love this basket! I know that I’ll be using this basket for many things such as storing all my Lush products and for when I need some storage for when it comes to travelling. 

Frankenstein Bath Bomb (£6)

Sometimes Monsters need baths too! 

Ingredients:

Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Alcohol Denat., Perfume, Galbanum Oil, Pine Oil, Geranium Oil, Fir Balsam Resinoid, Water (Aqua), Cornstarch, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Eugenol, Limonene, Colour 47005:1, Colour 47005, Colour 77499, Colour 45350, Colour 59040, Colour 42090:2, Colour 19140, Colour 19140:1

This Frankenstein Bath Bomb contains Galbanum, Geranium and Pine Oils alongside Fir Balsam Resinoid. When I saw this mixture of ingredients for a Halloween product I was quite intrigued as it screams Green and Spring to me however when I smelt it I was very much put in my place that this is definitely a scent made for Halloween. To me, this Bath Bomb smells like you’ve walked into a forest, plucked some leaves and took it home to make into a concoction to help you during the cold months. This scent is very green but it’s not Spring at all. The Fir Balsam gives a sort of woodsy note that compliments the herbal notes so well. Weirdly I get a bit of a Bay scent from this which may be from the Fir Balsam too? If you are a fan of Toil and Trouble from Lush then I think that you will enjoy this Bath Bomb a lot. I can’t wait to use it whilst the outside is dark and grey and I can’t feel like a true luxurious forest monster.

Bubble Lugosi Bubble Bar (£8)

Bubble Lugosi is back with a bang but be careful or they’ll get you with those fangs! 

Ingredients

Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Luminescent Zinc Sulfide, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Olibanum Oil, Glycerine, Water, Cornstarch, Titanium Dioxide, Tragacanth Gum, Talc, Alcohol Denat., Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 77499, Colour 15850:1, Colour 17200, Colour 42053, Colour 77491.

Bubble Lugosi is a Bubble Bar that pays homage to Bela Lugosi. Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian-American actor known for playing Count Dracula in the 1931 film ‘Dracula’. 

This Bubble Bar contains Bergamot Oil and Olibanum Oil. These two ingredients combine to me to create a truly fruity yet deep resinous scent that screams Autumn to me. To me, it smells a bit like the smell on your hands after you’ve spent the day picking various fruits such as Blackberries and Plums. If you are a big fan of Lush then you may recognise the scent of Bubble Lugosi if you have smelt it via the Soap Of Sultana/Sultana Range from Lush. 

Fun fact about this Bubble Bar. This Bubble Bar contains Luminescent Zinc Sulfide which means that this Bibble Bar can glow in the dark. You can do this via charging the Bubble Bar in sunlight to make it glow.  I can’t wait to use this in the dark for an ultimate spooky bath! 

Ghostie Bath Bomb (£5)

I mean you can’t have a boo basket without a little boo. This ghost is definitely saying boo to boring baths!

Ingredients

Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Titanium Dioxide, Lemongrass Oil, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Persian Lime Oil, Cream of Tartar, Water (Aqua), Talc, Cornstarch, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Dipropylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Propylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42090:2, Colour 77491, Colour 42090, Colour 45410:2, Colour 45410, Colour 45410:1, Colour 15850:1, Colour 17200, Colour 77499.

 This bath bomb not only looks amazing but smells amazing too as this little Ghost contains Lemongrass Oil, Sicilian Lemon Oil and Persian Lime Oil. This combination of Oils creates a zesty uplifting scent that will get anyone and everyone feeling amazing during the cold and spooky days. This cute ghost also contains Popping Candy and a rainbow of colours on the side of them which helps to create truly amazing bath art! I love this Bath Bomb and can’t wait to use it before a day of going out and being strange! 

Scan Me For Scares Shower Gel (from £9)

Better lock your bathroom door before you treat yourself to this spooky Shower Gel! 

Ingredients

Glycerine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Cranberry Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Calcium Lactate Gluconate, Fine Sea Salt, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Corn Syrup, Lactic Acid, Cedarwood Oil, Vetivert Oil, Almond Essential Oil, Water (Aqua), Titanium Dioxide, Propylene Glycol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Tin Oxide, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 17200, Colour 45410:2, Colour 14700, Colour 77491. 

This Shower Gel contains Fine Sea Salt. Cranberry Infusion, Corn Syrup, Cedarwood, Vetivert and Almond Essential Oils. This to me smells like a fruity Cake that’s topped with Marzipan that’s being sliced up for everyone to share at a Party! If you have been a fan of Lush for a few years then you may remember the Buche De Noel Cleanser which has been released for Lush’s Christmas 2024 Range that shares the same scent as Scan Me For Scares Shower Gel.  

This Shower Gel is inspired by the famous Shower scene from the Hitchcock  film ‘Psycho’ via the ingredients. When Psycho  and other horror films was being made, the film industry used a mixture of Cranberry Juice and Corn Syrup to create fake blood. Lush have paid homage to this by including a Cranberry Infusion which gives this Shower Gel a blood like colour and Corn Syrup to give this shower gel a lovely texture. 

This Shower Gel contains a QR on the label. When you scan this label, it will send you to an audio experience that Lush have created to go along with the Shower Gel to create a truly terrifying experience that will make you want to ensure that you’ve locked that bathroom door… 

Thanks again to the Community Team at Lush for sending me this amazing Boo Basket full of Lush goodies. I am super grateful that Lush kindly sent me these! I’ve noticed that all of these are big nods to films and tv shows that scream spooky vibes which as a massive media fanatic makes me even extra happy! I can’t wait to get freaky and enjoy an amazingly spooky bath time! I am travelling soon for a few days so I’ll definitely be taking Scan Me For Scares with me so I can have my own thrilling Shower experience at the Hotel! 

Have you tried any of the products mentioned in this blog post? Are you creating your own Boo Basket to give to a loved one this year? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Products on this blog post were gifted to me . All views, opinions and ramblings on this blog post are my own and are not affected by being gifted products mentioned in this blog post.

Going For A Leisurely Walk For Fun | Bradford Leisure Exchange Bloggers Night (Gifted)

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I was invited to check out the Leisure Exchange in Bradford, via, their Bloggers Night and I thought that, I would talk to you all about what happened at it today.

Before the event, I arrived in Bradford after coming from Leeds after doing some University based work. I met up with Luke, and, as I had some time to kill. We decided to go to Costa to try some of their new Festive products, as I am creating some posts about Festive Food that is on the high street. We made our way to Costa and decided on getting, Irish Velvet Hot Chocolates and a Terrys Chocolate Orange Muffin to share. If you want to know my opinion on the above, then stay tuned for my Costa Coffee Festive Menu blog post.

After trying these products, we made our way up to the lovely Leisure Exchange. When we got there, we met with the lovely PR member of staff, Laurissa, who had made the night possible. We started off the adventure around the wonderful complex, at, Nando's. Most of you will know what Nando's is, but for those of you that don't. They sell Portuguese food and focus mainly on the Peri Peri phenomenon that has now become a staple in most of the worlds, and, especially England's cuisine repertoire. We decided to stick with non-alcoholic drinks for most of the night, so myself and Luke decided to have a Coke. As we were only having starters at Nando's, I decided to go for the Halloumi, whereas Luke decided to go for Hummus and Pitta, due to not liking most Cheese's unless they are melted.

I love Halloumi, yes it is squeaky, but it is so delicious, and it definitely didn't undeliver when I had it at Nando's at the Bloggers Event. I could;d eat Halloumi all day and all night! It came with some Chilli Jam, which cut through a lot of the creaminess of the Cheese and added a bit of freshness to the Halloumi. I could have this dip on absolutely everything!

After chatting for some time and finding out about some of the other events that Laurissa is helping to create, we decided to move on to the next location. (If you're in Manchester then I urge you to check out, Lightopia at Heaton Park. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet due to Uni, but I can't wait to see all of the amazing lights, the next time I'm in Manchester!)

The next location that we headed to was, Pizza Hut. I honestly couldn't wait. I realise that sounds so weird, but I physically haven't had Pizza Hut in years so I was looking very forward to it! We wandered in and sat at a beautiful table. Again, as we weren't drinking loads, especially as I had University in the morning, myself and Luke decided to get Pepsi's. Pizza Hut, are doing a Christmas Deal where you get a drink, a starter, a pizza and salad for £15, so I decided to get that as it sounded amazing!

I started off with Jack 'N' Rolls, which are completely Vegan. These contain, Sweet Chilli, BBQ Jackfruit and Vegan Cheese. I loved these, but honestly thought that they were going to be more of a crispy Spring Roll rather than a Pizza Roll sort of thing. I loved the Jackfruit and I loved the Cheese. These are a perfect light bite to start a meal off with.

After the starter, I had decided to go for a Cheese Stuffed Crust Texas Meat Meltown. This contains, Spicy Pork, Chorizo, Chicken Breast, Pepperoni and a BBQ Sauce Base. First of all, Cheesy Stuffed Crust is always the best way to go when it comes to Pizza. I did order this just from the title alone, so, I was surprised when I actually bit into it. I wasn't expecting that much spice, but I love the spice from Chorizo so I knew that it was a familiar spice when I tried it. I love anything with a lot of meat, and oh honey, Pizza Hut didn't let me down as this was crammed with juicy meat galore! If you want to find out what Luke had from Pizza Hut, then, make sure to check out his postQ!

Sadly, we were approaching our final stop! We then went to Hollywood Bowl, to enjoy a spot of bowling. I love bowling, but I have to have the bumpers up, because, well, I suck at bowling without them. We enjoyed a game of bowling, which involved Luke nearly wrecking the lane, in true Luke style. I got a couple of spares and I think a strike at one point! During the game, I had a cocktail. This cocktail was called, Strike (For some reason, the website won't work, but I remember that it had Passion Fruit and Vodka in. I mean I love both, so I knew that I was going to love it!) it was also neon Green which looked awesome under the light within the bowling alley. I also received some Nachos during the game, but, honestly I was full from all of the other food so I didn't have that much of the Nachos. I didn't win but I did have an amazing time!

Check out Bradford Leisure Exchange! Have you ever been? If so, then let me know about your experiences there in the comments section down below!

I hope that you have enjoyed this post! Thanks to the staff at Nando's, Pizza Hut and Hollywood Bowl for having us, and, thanks to Laurissa for inviting us to an amazing event!

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

This post was in return of free food and bowling at Leisure Exchange. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own. 

Shoving My Face Into All Of That Cake | Cake'ole Bradford

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new post! I tried out Cake'ole in Bradford a while ago, and I thought that today, I would talk to you all about my experience there.

Cake'ole are an LGBT+ establishment that offers different cakes and treats on a daily basis to keep their minds and customers on their toes. They also offer a range of drinks, milkshakes and even an afternoon tea. Cake'ole is located in Centenary Square, in Bradford, which is known for many attractions including the Mirror Pool and City Hall

We walked into the excellent establishment, took a look round, and, decided to choose a table to sit down at. The building itself has a slightly cosy and relaxed aesthetic to it with chairs and large tables dotted around. We looked at the menu for a couple of minutes and chatted about the drinks that we wanted. When myself and Luke had decided on what drinks we wante, I got up and checked out the cakes of the day and then ordered.

Luke had decided to get a Black Forest Twisted Shake, whereas I decided to choose a Salted Caramel Twisted Shake. If you follow me on any form of social media, then, you will know that I have a little bit of an obsession to Salted Caramel. These Shakes came in sort of glass mason jars and were filled to the brim! My Shake came with Whipped Cream, a salted rim, and caramel sauce. (I love a good coarse salted rim!) The drink was creamy and had an authentic caramel taste to it. By this, I mean that it actually tasted of Caramel and not the sort of artificial Caramel that sometimes Caramel based drinks taste of. The rim cut through all of the sweetness of the shake, the caramel sauce and the cream which made the drink morish instead of sickly. I love a good salty sweet moment! There was even more salt at the bottom of the drink which meant that you weren't left feeling sick at the end of the drink. Honestly, I would go back just for this drink along as the contrast of smooth, crunchy, salty and sweet was amazing! Luke loves his drink. He loved the contrast between the sweet cream and the slight fruitiness from the Black Forest Shake. He also loved the slight decoration of Black Forest Cake pieces that were on the top of the Shake as this added to the contrast of textures.

We then got two slices of cake to enjoy. The first one that we got was Mocha. A chocolate sponge with Coffee Buttercream. This one was nice, but I didn't get much of a Mocha flavour from it. I loved the contrast of the fluffy sponge against the rich smooth buttercream though. We also decided to get a slice of Blue Raspberry. What made it Blue, you ask? Well the colour of the cake, of course! The cake was super moist, the icing was slightly sweet but the raspberry flavour was still there. Again, this cake had an authentic Raspberry flavour to it. I loved the contrast between the slightly sweet flavour of the icing against the sharpness of the Raspberries. I would definitely come here again!

We finished our drinks and cake, chatted for a bit and decided to do a little bit more shopping around Bradford before going home.

Check out Cake'ole.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Ripped To The Max | Boohoo Man Haul

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new blog post. Boohoo Man sent me a few items of clothing (that I chose) including a few things from their new Big and Tall range and I thought that I would talk to you guys about them today. I know that I'm not completely Big or Tall but I definitely end uo in the category of being too big sometimes for commercial items and too small for specialist clothing stores so I wanted to see what Boohoo Man's clothing was like.

The first item in this shopping haul comes outfit of the day post is the Boohoo Man Big and Tall Short Sleeve Checked Shirt in Charcoal. I love a good checked shirt as you've probably guessed in past fashion posts or on my social media. This checked shirt is a dark sort of charcoal and grey mix which is a bit different as you normally either get the sort of bright grey checked shirt or the typical red lumberjack shirt. The fabric is sort of a thick flannel which I think means that it would be a great shirt for layering at this time of year when its still a bit warm in the morning and cold in the afternoon. I also think that its a great piece of clothing to wear buttoned up for a more smart ook but also to pair with something else to give off a more casual vibe for the day.

I like the Big and Tall range from Boohoo Man as it ranges from an XL to a XXXXL which means that you should hopefully be able to find something that fits you no matter what shape or size!

The next item is Big and Tall 2 Pack Basic Crew Neck T-Shirt in Black and White. The fabric of this product is so soft and I believe that everyone no matter what shape, size, gender, etc should have a good staple tshirt that they can wear for well anything really. If you team it up say with something like a leather jacket or a bomber then it would make a great night out outfit or it can always be used with a pair of joggers for lounging around on those lazy weekends. You could always pair the shirt above and one of the tops to create a sort of smart casual look.

The next item that I got is the Black Ripped Knee Spray On Skinny Jeans. I got these a size up just because my legs are more towards the tree trunk side of things than anything else but I love these. I think that the knee rips give it a slight bit of edginess and add flare to any outfit that you wear and I think that black are the best colour when it comes to jeans as they will go with anything. I definitely think that they will be an Autumn staple for myself!

Shoes are from Vans a while ago as I love a bit of Disney and I think that again they add a bit of personalisation to the outfit as it shows that you like Disney and all things film.

Thanks to Edd who took these photos of me. If you want to see any of his work then please go and check out his Instagram.

Thanks to Boohoo Man for sending me these amazing products! Please do go and check out their new Big and Tall Range.

I hope that you have enjoyed this Fashion based blog post and I hope that you come back next time for another blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

This blog post was in collaboration with a brand/business and was in return for goods/services. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own! 

Let's Get Spooky | The Addams Family Musical

Hey!

Welcome to another blog post! I went to the Alhambra last week to see The Addams Family Musical and I thought that I'd talk to you all about it as I love a good musical!

There will be no spoilers within this post except for the description of the musical but its not really spoilers.

The background of this musical is that the family have grown up and Wednesday has found a boyfriend and Wednesday thinks its a great idea to bring the other family around for dinner but of course it's never easy meeting The Addams Family for the first time.

We arrived at the Bradford Alhambra and slowly made our way to the stalls section as the seats that we had booked were within the stalls which personally I think are the best when it comes to musicals. I know that they can be a little bit more expensive but they're definitely worth it. We found our seats and waited for it to start via The Hand getting us to clap along to the theme tune.

We watched the musical and enjoyed the songs which fitted well with the slightly macabre yet slight yet comedic family that the world has become well established with.

I'm not to going to mention every member of the cast.

Samantha Womack is well known for being Ronnie Mitchell on the BBC soap EastEnders so I was bit hesitant on how she would portray Morticia but she lived up to it! It was very obvious that she had researched the role very well. She sung the songs perfectly and I honestly thinl that she would be great if she was to just do West End for the rest of her life.

I already knew that Carrie Hope Fletcher would make an amazing Wednesday and she did. She screamed Wednesday Addams realness and killed it with all the songs. Carrie can seriously do anything even pull off an American Addams Family accent.

Les Dennis was great as Uncle Fester as he pulled off the kookiness of Uncle Fester but as Uncle Fester's voice is quite high it was a bit difficult to properly understand what his accent was but he was great nevertheless.

Last but not least, Oliver Ormson played Wednesday's beau., I loved him. He played the character amazingly and he sung the songs beautifully and I think that he should be in every musical going which sounds a bit over the top but Oliver was seriously amazing.

Have you seen The Addams Family Musical? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading this post. I hope that you've enjoyed this theatre based post and I can't wait to see you next time for another blog post.

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Feeling Very Ready For Veri Peri

Hey!

Welcome to another blog post! The wonderful guys at Veri Peri invited myself and Luke to come along to their Bradford branch and try out some of their fabulous food from their marvellous menu.

The photos within this blog post were shot via my phone so apologies in advance if they're aren't great. I had my DSLR on me but the glare from the warm weather was making me unhappy with the photos via the DSLR. 

We entered Veri Peri and was greeted by a wonderful member of staff. They took us to a table, gave us two menus and asked us to take our time and choose whatever we wanted. Myself and Luke decided to peruse the menu for a few minutes and then decided on what drinks we wanted. The waitress came to our table. We both ordered a Sunshine Mocktail which consisted of Orange, Pineapple and Mango. It was refreshing and a drink that you definitely need in a morning.

We had another look at the menu, ordered our food and took some photos of the restaurant.

The first dish that we had was Hummus which was garnished with Pitted Olives and Pitta Bread. I love Hummus no matter what but sadly neither myself or Luke like Olives so we just ate around them. The Hummus was lovely and creamy with a slight acidic kick. I loved the warm pitta bread against the hummus as it was a mixture of textures. I think that this would be great to share with others with some more pitta bread and drinks.

We also ordered a Value Platter which consists of Chicken Picatta, a Whole Chicken, 2 sides and 2 drinks.

The Chicken Picatta consisted of sliced Chic\\\\ken Breast coated with Egg Yolk and pan fried in Olive Oil. The Chicken Breast was tender in the middle but crispy on the outside which I loved. There was also herbs on top of the Breast which made it flavoursome and I think that this would be great on it's own with fries and coleslaw or something of that sort.

The Whole Chicken was marinated and covered in Lime and Coriander. Lime and Coriander is one of the many sauces/rubs that you can get on your food at Veri Peri. The other flavours include Garlic, Lemon & Herb, Hot, Extra Hot and more. I loved the crispiness of the Chicken but I did wish that they included some boneless meat just because taking out bones does get messy. I loved the flavour. The lime cut through the sweetness of the Chicken and the Coriander added a bit of depth to the Chicken.

You also get unlimited drinks with the platter which I think is needed just to refresh the palate from time to time.

Myself and Luke then ordered a burger each. Luke will let you know what he ordered on his blog post when it's up but I ordered a Beef Burger which consists of a Freshly Minced mixture of premium Beef which is marinated in a special dry rub. The pattie is then grilled and sandwiched with Veri Peri signature sauce, Tomatoes, American lettuce and Cheddar cheese. I loved the beef patty as it was moist but also slightly peppery which I loved. The Lettuce which gave the whole dish a refreshing hit of flavour.

This came with Mozzarella Sticks and Fries. I love Mozzarella Sticks no matter what. Crispy on the outside and gooey on the middle. I wouldn't normally put them with Burgers as a side but they were amazing. The fries were crispy but fluffy on the inside and when paired with Garlic sauce they were so great! I will have to put Garlic Sauce with my fries more often!

I then ordered a Sizzling Brownie with Ice Cream. Luke was hesitant about ordering dessert but honestly I will never turn down dessert and I love Brownies so this was perfect for me. Luke shared it with me due to us both being quite full. The whole point of this Sizzling Brownie is when the waitress pours the sauce over the dish it sizzles which it did. I thought this was brilliant! The brownie was gooey on the inside and crisp on the outside. The perfect Brownie! And with the hit of that fresh Vanilla Ice Cream just hit the spot. Perfect for the end of a date. .

All in all, I loved Veri Peri, I do think that the tables could be slightly spaced out just in case theres a group of people using the refill drinks station. I do love the fact that they boxed up food for us and that you can order from Veri Peri via Deliveroo depending on the location of where you live.

If you're in the Bradford area then I urge you to try out Veri Peri.

What's your favourite Chicken dish below? Let me know down below!

Thanks to the staff and PR over at Veri Peri for inviting us and looking after us during the day!

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

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

This post was in collaboration with Veri Peri. This post was in exchange of food. All views and opinions are my own. 

New City Soul | The Broadway Bradford VIP Opening

Meow!

Stage setting up before the talks.
Has The Broadway all over so made sense for the feature image.

I was invited to the VIP preview launch of The Broadway Shopping Centre in Bradford a few hours before it opened to the public and I thought I would tell you guys about it.

The Broadway is a shopping centre that has took various years to build within Bradford due to many reasons such as the recession. The Broadway finally started construction over a year ago and with the commitment of builders has become a hub for many shoppers within Bradford and West Yorkshire. It has cost around £260M to create and will be the one of the central features of Bradford for many years to come. It contains stores such as H&M, Next, shops from The Arcadia Group (Topman, Topshop etc and many many more.

When I got the email saying that I had been invited to the VIP event I was excited not just because it was to a shopping centre but more to the fact that I live in Bradford and I spend Monday-Friday in Bradford Town Centre due to going to college there so being invited to the most anticipated and talked about thing within Bradford made me very excited to go.

When myself and Luke arrived, we talked to the security staff that were outside. We explained that we had been invited and were escorted throughout the centre to a place where we were given a map and a Press badge. We then decided to roam around the shopping centre taking photographs of most of the stores. They were shut as they were getting final things ready so they could release the store to the public. (I did go in after college as well so when I go a bit into detail about stores then its because I went in then as well as before it opened to the public.)

Debenhams is the first store that we passed due to the stand with the press badges were outside the store. The store is one of the anchor stores within the shopping 'mall' which means that it's quite a large store. The first floor that you can enter is massive and contains beauty stands such as Bobbi Brown, Illamasqua, MAC and many many more. I can imagine that on a Saturday this floor will be full of people getting their beauty product favourites for the months ahead. The second is more clothing which at the minute contains everything festive from casual jumpers to party dresses. The third floor contains more home things such as cushions etc, gifts including food gifts from brands such as Nandos and others, kids clothing and a restaurant. I can imagine Debenhams doing very well on it's very first store within Bradford.

The second store that I'll talk about in detail is H&M. If you have seen my latest hauls or anything like that then you will know that I love a good look in H&M. The store looks massive even though it's not one of the anchor stores. The lighting is amazing and I only had a look for a couple of minutes so sadly I couldn't see if they had the new Balmain collection. The mens stuff is upstairs and I can see myself popping in now and again to have a look/a naughty purchase after a long day at college.

We then passed the food court after passing the cinnamon scented stall which is Mr Pretzels which is on the other side of the centre. The food court contains some massive franchises such as Subway, Burger King and Taco Bell. It's the first time that Taco Bell has even been in Bradford/West Yorkshire as the nearest one is Barnsley from what I know. The court has sectioned out seats for different vendors and has a casual attitude such as Trinity Kitchen does within Trinity Leeds. I can see myself going in for a Burger King when I need a fix of food after college or something like that.

After having a roam about and finding fellow amazing blogger friends Kellie and Laura, we were told to go to red carpet section within the centre. We were then treated to speeches from the CEO of Westfield, Councillor David Green and the Lord Mayor Of Bradford which were exquisite and interesting to say the least. We were then also treated to a casual interview with X Factor & The Bodyguard Musical star Alexandra Burke who then cut the ribbon of the shopping centre and sung for us. She's an amazing singer!

Myself and Luke then rushed to Costa due to their Christmas range coming out earlier that day. Luke was obsessed with the Black Forest Hot Chocolate so he knew what he wanted and due to myself having no clue what other drinks they had brought out I decided to go for the same. Costa Hot Chocolate with an added shot of Blackberry flavoured syrup, topped with cream, cherry sauce and a sprinkling of chocolate curls.

There was a friendly barista at the door that greeted us which I loved. I ordered, paid and then found some seats which I sat myself and Luke down at. I brought the drinks over and realised that behind every chair there was a tote bag embossed with a message from Costa and their logo which I was allowed to take. We chatted about our thoughts of The Broadway whilst being disappointed that there was no Wifi accessible within Costa which felt weird due to the general coffee shop stereotype of typing things up whilst drinking an artisan coffee. I drank the drink which is amazing. I'm not a big fan of Cherries but the Blackberry syrup made the cherry flavour a bit more subtle and kind of reminded me of The Comforter within a drink. Sounds odd but was delicious. There was also another barista that came round to ensure that everything was great. I doubt that they will do this often but its a great feature for an opening day thing. He was kinda cute and was interesting as we had a conversation about the fact that the drinks had changed this year including the Black Forest Hot Chocolate.

We then went around and had a look at the inside of The Body Shop and Boots as I have a feeling that I will be in there a lot after college or when I need something beautywise and then we headed home as I had to get ready to go back out to college and then go back to The Broadway with friends

I think that The Broadway will do well in Bradford and bring in a lot of customers and income especially with shops that used to only be in Leeds such as Debenhams making it an easy pit stop for people who live in Bradford and want to grab something. I think The Broadway will do well and even though the wait has been long and anticipating it was completely worth it when I was there on Thursday.

Have you been to The Broadway since it opened? If so then let me know down below! I hope to see you next time for another blog post! Thanks to the staff who invited me to the event!

If you want to check out The Broadway Bradford's New Website then click here.
If you want to check their Twitter then click here.

Meow!
Jamie x