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My Trip to The Organic Pharmacy

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What do you do when a lone parent visits you in London and demands entertainment? You take them to be
pampered of course!

I had only told my mum about my secret plans the night before, but her excitement had reached fever pitch by
the time we arrived at The Organic Pharmacy’s Covent Garden store. We were greeted with green smoothies – my favourite! Our invitation? A morning of facials, health consultations and makeovers.
After we were introduced to the staff, my mum was whisked away for her first treatment. Although she was slightly embarrassed to admit it, it was her first facial. I could hear her giggles (a family trait) from the other side of the treatment room door, but they soon subsided as she fell into a pleasantly relaxed state (I was told after). It was around this time that I went in to have my health consultation. My consultant was named Ursula – a lovely lady who made me feel completely at ease. I was to have a treatment to gauge my vitamin and mineral levels. This meant having various wires and straps attached to me – I felt as though I’d been given the starring role in a sci-fi movie. Thankfully nothing untoward happened, and it turned out that my levels were pretty spot on, apart from a couple that needed to be worked on. However Urusula told me that I could combat these by eating certain foods, and taking particular supplements. After our consultation she handed me some notes about my results, with recommendations on products and
techniques for me to try out. I left with some tablets and a view to start meditating again.
As my mum went for her makeover it was my turn for a facial, and it was every bit as relaxing as my mum’s. After a good exfoliation, cleansing and moisturising treatment I was ready to fall asleep. I have a habit of falling asleep during massages, facials…even whilst getting lash extensions! Luckily I didn’t embarrass myself this time. Instead I left feeling relaxed and refreshed. The lovely make-up artist had left my mum with a glow. Naturally I was eager to see what he had in-store for me. I shuddered as he picked up the pink metallic eyeshadow…anything but pink, I screamed internally. Yet with a wave of his wand brush he created a natural look that left me eating my words. The make-up was nice, but I could feel it on my skin for the whole day. I found it a bit odd as the MUA had said that this wasn’t the case with their make-up, so I’m putting it down to having sensitive skin.
My trip to The Organic Pharmacy was enlightening, not only for my mind but for my skin also. I’m always up for finding new brands and products, especially if they are natural/organic. Thank you to Get The Gloss and The Organic Pharmacy for a lovely pampering session.
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Baking Beautiful with Eric Lanlard and Cake Boy

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Thanks to the popularity of TV shows such as The Great British Bake Off I’m sure that most of us would love to have a top patisserie chef on-hand to bake sweet treats whenever it takes our fancy. Unfortunately that isn’t a reality for most people (and if it is for you…can I borrow him/her for the day?), but last week I was invited to a private event at Cake Boy for a masterclass in baking with Eric Lanlard.

Joking aside I’d much rather learn how to bake than have someone do it for me, so I was over the moon when I received my invite. After a champagne reception we were sat down in the Cake Boy kitchen, where owner Eric Lanlard walked us through how to make his Red Velvet Cheesecake and West Indies Chocolate Tart. Along the way he gave us some handy tips for baking, and more than a few laughs. He told us how a red velvet cake should never be bright red, and if it is then it’s probably just a regular sponge with food dye in it (a sneaky trick used by a lot of supermarkets) – a top tip for those who like to source their cakes outside of their own kitchen. As for those who prefer to bake at home, Eric dispelled the age old myth of not opening your oven door whilst baking – good to know. Although my favourite tip of the night was when Eric explained that when baking with chocolate it should always be served at room temperature, “like a red wine it needs time to breathe.” Afterwards we were given our own mini (read: adorable) red velvet cakes to decorate with white chocolate butter cream. After a bit of a kerfuffle with my piping bag, I think it’s safe to say I won’t be leaving blogging for a career in baking anytime soon.

We left the event with a signed copy of Eric’s latest cookbook Totally Chocolate and a 9-Speed Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer so we could create our own beautiful bakes at home. I had a lovely evening and it has really inspired me to get back into baking, in fact I already have some cookies in the oven.

For more of Eric’s tips on baking head over to the Curry’s blog.

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ASOS #BeautyChat and AW14 Beauty and Fashion

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ASOS know how to throw a party. The HQ building itself (a glorious combination of art deco and cats) is the perfect indicator of the decadence awaiting you inside. I headed there with Brogan. Walking into the beautiful building we were greeted with cocktails and nail art (by Reecey Roos) – thanks to the lovely ladies at ASOS. As we headed further in we bumped into some of the people behind Google Glass. Combining tech and beauty is a sure fire way to get my attention, so of course I had to pop a pair on and have a go. I think the glasses have a little way to go before the consumer will fall for them, but I like the idea. After staring at one tiny screen it was on to another as I snapped away at the beauty products and fashion that will be on offer this Autumn and Winter at ASOS. I was excited to see some opulent accessories sitting alongside some divine beauty products. I can’t wait for everything to hit the site. Finally it was time for the beauty chat! We gathered around as Patricia Bright took to the adorned stage and answered our questions and gave us some beauty tips. The first question of the night? From yours truly of course! Watch the video below to see what I had to ask Patricia.

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Japanese Fashion and Cosplay at Hyper Japan 2014

The always fabulous Dodo
Mayu and Chihiro Ishiguro (Voice actress/Vocaloid)
The lovely Pearlie Cute wearing Angelic Pretty – She told me this was her dream dress.
Plasticskittles and Little Marquis – They told me they’ve been dressing in this style for 4 years.
 Aerith Harajuku – She told me she made this dress herself by hand.
 Holly – Her cosplay was definitely the cutest of the day.
Emma & Eri Tanioku and Yura – Street style models
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Celebrate the Spirit of Summer with Rekorderlig

Rekorderlig have been bringing us a tiny piece of Sweden for a couple of years now, surprising isn’t it. It feels like this amazing brand of premium fruit cider have been around forever. They’re my staple drink when I go out (and I don’t fancy a cocktail). This Summer they decided to bring a touch of Scandinavia to Brixton at the Grand Union’s cider garden.

The event was open to the public, and you may have noticed me tweeting about tickets during the lead up to it. That’s because I felt that it was the perfect way to spend a relaxing Summer weekend with friends. We went along on the Saturday and were greeted with some coupons for food and drink (which came with the ticket). Heading straight to the bar we decided to grab a couple of bottles – Wild Berries for me. Grabbing seats in one of the floral shacks, we sipped away as we chatted and people watched. Then we were treated to a pair of sunglasses and a floral crown. To complete the look, Lucy (the MUA at the event) painted some flowers on my arm; to represent the Swedish myth that placing seven different flowers under your pillow will result in finding your true love. Whereas I’ve already found mine, it was fun to take part.

The drinks were great, with several of Rekorderlig’s best sellers on offer. There were cocktails too, and I do love a good Rekorderlig cocktail, but at £25 a pitcher it seemed a bit pricey. Instead we used the tokens given to us to grab a couple of bottles and some nibbles. There wasn’t much food going round for some reason, and we kept getting the same dish come round to us but it didn’t dampen any spirits. I think the food was so good at Rekorderlig’s Swedish Forest event that I constantly compare it at all of their events. I know, I need a slap on the wrist! Overall we had a really nice time and it was a great way to spend my Saturday afternoon.

You can recreate your own Spirit of Summer at home with Rekorderlig.

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A FEAST for The Eyes…and Mouth

For the last few years I have dreamt of visiting the handful of food festivals that pop up around London every year. However I was never able to because of work etc. So when I was offered tickets to FEAST (thank you Nuffnang) on a free weekend, I knew I couldn’t resist. FEAST features the best of street food, restaurants, marketplace and bars all cozied up in East London’s renovated Tobacco Docks.

I arrived with Alex around 12, ready for the Friday morning/afternoon slot. We were greeted by a small selection of stalls outside, such as: The Breakfast Club and Primrose Bakery. Nothing new, but still some tried and tested favourites. As we ventured inside we spotted even more restaurants and street food vendors, offering up a selection of tasty looking grub. It was a little bit of a ghost town but we had secretly been hoping this would be the case, as we wanted to make the most of our time there.

Alex and I didn’t need much convincing which stall to stop at first, as we spotted The Frenchie. I’ve been dying to try their confit duck brioche burgers, and I was not disappointed. I can’t describe how delicious it was, but I can tell you that I am now addicted. Next stop was Anna Mae’s Mac & Cheese, and although the portion was ridiculously large (we couldn’t even finish one between the two of us) we enjoyed the bacon and basil oil combo. After filling up on cheese, we decided that we would lay off the food for a bit, which is how we ended up at Comins Tea House for a tea masterclass. Being tea lovers we couldn’t resist it when we saw the amazing collection of loose leaf tea available. We sat down with Michelle and she talked us through a variety of teas and their origins. It was lovely to meet a fellow tea enthusiast, and one who has created a career out of it too. I really hope I can visit the Comins Tea House one day. After quenching our thirst we stopped by The Marshmallowists so I could buy one of their matcha coconut marshmallows for later, then it was off to Hutong for some tossed buckwheat noodles. I needed to cool my mouth down after enjoying their spicy and sour noodles, so we ended with a visit to Black Vanilla for some salted caramel gelato.

As a foodie I adore the idea of tons of street food vendors, small business and restaurants under one roof. However the concept of paying to enter FEAST (although my ticket was gifted) seemed a bit silly. Why would I want to pay to enter a venue where I have to spend money? The food we did try was amazing and I saw so many other dishes that I wanted to try, but my belly (and wallet) couldn’t handle it – I’d love to see cheaper bite size portions next time. There were a few stalls that were stated as attending on the website that weren’t actually there on the day, such as The Brulerie so I definitely need to track them down sometime. The vendors at FEAST were in abundance and they invited some really great companies to take part, many of whom I can’t wait to visit again. I certainly can’t pretend that I wouldn’t consider spending £10 to enter next time. Myself, and my stomach, left satisfied.