bloomzy /

House of Cuckoo at Taylor Taylor London

When the invite for a food event at a hair salon dropped into my inbox I almost spilt my tea. If you ever need to get into my good books, just give me a plate of food or the latest beauty product. Anyway, back to the topic at hand! I arrived at Taylor Taylor’s new Portobello Road salon and was immediately reminded of what makes their salons so appealing: the decor. Decadent chandeliers, gold detailing and a peacock so magnificent you have to see it in person. Suffice to say, I was in awe before I was even handed my Bellini – yes this salon also offers cocktails to it’s clientele. I was then shown through to part of the salon where I was greeted by smiling faces and cupcakes upon cupcakes. 
House of Cuckoo is a company run by two fabulous women who happen to also be mums. Chieko and Carolyn wanted to offer their children tasty treats that were also good for them. So instead of battling at meal times, they started baking cupcakes with various vegetables, yes you heard me right vegetables. Since then they have gone on to take the cupcake world by storm and are now selling their cupcakes in select Waitrose stores. Now let me tell you, these cupcakes are really something else. I never thought I’d say I enjoyed pea or cauliflower in a sweet dish, but after just one bite I wanted more! Each delicious morsal convinced me that these two lovely ladies were onto something pretty special. I love trying new things and if you do too, you must check them out. My personal favourite is the Butternut Squash & Almond.
Now I did mention Taylor Taylor before and you’re probably wondering why we were even at a salon in the first place. That’s because we were offered blow dries from a range of styles. I chose a sleek straight look, whilst others such as Jesse went for full on glamorous curls. Ashley did my hair whilst I sipped on a green tea cocktail, and chatted with me about the best burger places in London (she recommends Honest Burgers). My final look left me feeling super stylish and my hair was incredibly silky and shiny. Before I left I was given a hair consultation and some products to compliment my hair type (expect reviews soon!). The staff are brilliant at their jobs and are incredibly chatty and friendly. I must head back soon!
Thank you so much to Sarah from The Prosecco Diaries for planning & hosting the event.
House of Cuckoo can be found in select Waitrose stores and are available for parties, weddings etc. 
If you want something special or just need a trim you can book into one of Taylor Taylor’s salons.
bloomzy /

Recipe: Vegan Mac & Cheese (Macaroni Cheese) – Gluten Free

First off, no I am not a vegan, but I appreciate vegan food. I eat a lot of gluten and dairy free food and I like vegetarian dishes. So when I first heard of vegan macaroni cheese I was very intrigued. I originally came across a recipe a few years ago, from a website that is now dead. Thankfully that doesn’t matter as I have made it so many times that I’ve personalised it. I prefer to use nutritional yeast for this recipe, as opposed to cashew nuts – so it’s nut allergy friendly. Nutritional yeast has a lovely nutty cheese flavour to it and is great for pretty much all diets. It’s nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan friendly – so it’s suited to most people.
This is a quick and easy recipe that doesn’t take long, and tastes absolutely delicious. A lot of people on Twitter were asking me to post it, so here is my Vegan Mac & Cheese recipe!

For reference, I use cups as they’re easier.
Ingredients:
Paprika: 2 Teaspoons
Nutritional yeast: 1 Cup
Dijon mustard: 1 Teaspoon
Gluten-free Pasta: 3 Cups
Rice Milk (or any milk alternative): 1 Cup
Garlic: 1-2 Cloves (depending on personal taste)
Sunflower or Olive Oil (both work fine): 2/3 Cup
Tamari (Gluten-free Japanese soy sauce): 1/4 Cup

Put the nutritional yeast, paprika and garlic in the blender and mix to chop the garlic.
Add the mustard, oil, tamari and rice milk to the mixture. Blend the mixture for about 30 seconds.

After you’ve blended the mixture, cook your pasta in the saucepan. Whilst this is cooking pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. It’s worth mentioning that I like to make the mixture in the morning and leave it in the fridge until the evening.  I find that the sauce seems to be a bit more flavoursome if you do this.
Once the pasta is cooked, pop it in a dish and pour over the mixture. You can optionally add gluten-free breadcrumbs to the top (or regular, if you aren’t on a GF diet). Make sure all of the pasta is covered with the sauce, and pop in the oven for around 20 minutes. Remove from the dish and serve!
This is one of my favourite recipes to make so I’m glad I could share it with you.
If you do have a go at making it, do let me know as I’d love to know what you think.
bloomzy /

A Blast from My Past: Japanese Gyaru Fashion & Life in Japan

A few weeks ago I went back to my parent’s house for a few days. Whilst I was there I decided to raid the attic, and see if I could find my old textbooks. I found myself knee-deep in university papers and old cuddly toys from my childhood. Amongst these were a few boxes of items from my time living (and studying) in Tokyo, Japan. Suddenly my objective was out the window and all I wanted to do was reminisce.
Japanese fashion has been a part of my life for over 10 years now. One fashion sub-culture in particular took up a decent amount of that time – gyaru. With hair high enough to reach the gods, and enough make-up to make an MUA weep, gyaru was an enigma wrapped in a mini skirt and fuzzy leg warmers. I was automatically drawn in, and spent most of my time reading magazines and blogs dedicated to the style. Gyaru is the reason behind me starting this blog in the first place! So you can imagine that finding these magazines and books was something quite special. Memories flooded back: Buying the Ranzuki Hair & Make-up Book in a small conbini in Kyoto. Adding points to my WC loyalty card as I bought everything and anything from the brand. Getting a ‘hair set’ (that has since created perpetual hair envy) with a friend for our joint birthday party. 
I met some amazing people because of gyaru, people who I can now call good friends.  So naturally it will always be a big part of my life and although I’m sure there were bad times, I can only remember the good. Recently I’ve missed my time living in Tokyo, but I do wonder if going back might tarnish those memories. It’s safe to say that things wouldn’t be the same now, but maybe that’s a good thing? Gyaru has faded from it’s origins and seems to be evolving into something all together different. So for now, I’m happy to keep my memories as just that. 
Interested in reading more about Japanese fashion and how my blog started?
Check out my Style Evolution post or browse my Japanese Fashion tag.
bloomzy /

Review: Harper’s Bazaar x Birchbox Collaboration Box May 2014

So soon after the Lulu Guinness box, we have been gifted with another collaboration from Birchbox. This time round it’s with the ever popular women’s fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar. As soon as the email declaring May’s box fell into my inbox, I was giddy with excitement. Back when I bought magazines (before I started blogging) I would always buy Harper’s. The thick glossy pages were always alluring, offering articles in a similar vein to Vogue. Maybe that will help you understand the expectations I had for a collaboration with such a well-known and established brand. 
Inside my box was…
Soigné – Nail Lacquer in Crème au Beurre (full size)
Aromatherapy Associates – Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil
Beauty Protector – Protect & Shampoo/Condition
Thoughts?
Well done Birchbox, my hat goes off to you! I don’t easily profess my love for beauty boxes, so you know that this one has got to be something special. When I first looked inside I was saddened at the lack of a lifestyle product, but then I gazed down upon the contents and my eyes glistened with excitement. Inside were a variety of beauty products that I would be proud to have grace my shelves. In fact I already owned some of them, so I was extremely happy to have travel size versions to add to my collection – I really can’t get enough of my favourites in travel size. The two products I owned already were Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara (what beauty obsessed blogger doesn’t?) and Liz Earle’s Hot Cloth Cleanser (do I really need to repeat myself?). Not only are both products desirable must-haves, they are also a decent size. They went straight into my travel case for the next time I need trusty favourites, but don’t have the space for full size versions. A product that was new to me was Beauty Protector’s Shampoo & Conditioner, which is free of all those nasty parabens etc. and is vegan friendly too! I can’t wait to try these out! But for me, the stand out product in this box is Soigné’s Nail Polish in Crème au Beurre (Buttercream). You know I can’t get enough of nail polish (I have an ever growing collection of about 100+), and this is one brand I’ve been wanting to try for quite a while. The shade is absolutely perfect (there is a selection of 4) and the packaging is très chic! I am so so happy with it, and I can’t wait to get it on my nails!! I have to be honest though, and as much as I love this box I will admit that I won’t use the Aromatherapy Associates Bath & Shower Oil. I’m not a fan of oils although I’m sure this one is lovely. I’ll just pass it on to a friend instead.
Bath oil aside, this has to be the best Birchbox I have received to date. The box matches the theme perfectly in my opinion – higher end established beauty products that you can definitely imagine gracing the pages of Harper’s Bazaar, if they haven’t already. I predict that this box will be a sell out! This has cemented my feelings that Birchbox is the Queen (& King) of beauty boxes. All hail Birchbox!
You can buy the Harper’s Bazaar box at Birchbox.
Using my link will give you (and me) £5 worth of points to spend in the store.
bloomzy /

Sneak Peek: MAC Maleficent Make-up Collection

It’s the moment make-up and Disney fans alike have been waiting for. Finally we are being given a sneak peek at the MAC Maleficent make-up range.
Naturally the products in the range are fitting to the character herself. You’ll find a deep red lipstick (aptly named True Love’s Kiss), a lipglass and a lip pencil, for the ultimate sultry pout. Of course you wouldn’t wear a perfect lip without without a perfect base. MAC know this too, so they’ve included a beauty powder and a sculpting powder (for devilishly sharp cheekbones). A nude eyeshadow palette is complimented by luscious false eyelashes. And if you were always jealous of Maleficent’s impeccably manicured talons, you’ll be able to mimic her style with the 3 nail polish shades (red, black and nude) in the range. Some of MACs known and trusted products, such as the prep + prime highlighter, eyebrow pencil and eyeliner, will complete the range.
As with MACs big collaborations, these are bound to go fast. The True Love’s Kiss lipstick is expected to sell out as soon as it’s launched! If you want to fight fellow fans, visit MAC to sign-up and be one of the first to know when the range is launched.
Source: 1
bloomzy /

Review: Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer

Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer*

I love a good primer, especially one that has added properties. My latest foray into the world of primers is the Witch Anti-Blemish Primer. I have been using it for about a month or two now, to see if it lives up to it’s claims.
What Witch has to say about it:
“This clever, silicon-based primer helps prepare skin for your favourite foundation. 
It mattifies and absorbs excess oils for a smooth, silky base, even application and a long lasting finish, perfect for helping to keep your foundation in place in warmer weather. Ideal for those with oily/combination skin, this primer helps to prevent and target imperfections by protecting skin from the layers of makeup, which can cause or aggravate blemishes. Ingredients include pure witch hazel extract, antibacterial actives, liquorice root extract to calm the skin, and glycerine and Provitamin B5 to condition and hydrate.”

Pros:

+ Nice texture
+ Good application
+ Makeup applies well over it
+ Kept my skin blemish free
+ Makeup stays all day
+ Fragrance-free
Cons:
– Silicon-based
– Didn’t reduce shine
Notes:
I’m someone who goes in between primers often. I usually find that I either dislike the texture of the primer, or it just doesn’t keep my make-up in place. However Witch’s Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer won me over on both accounts. The gel formula applies well (not super easily but I got used to it), and it feels nice. It also sits comfortably on my skin and my make-up applies really well on top of it. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to reduce the shine on my combination skin, but my make-up does stay put for the whole day. The only other concern I have is that it is silicon-based. Whereas silicon does have it’s benefits for your skin, it does also have it’s downsides. It creates a layer on top of your skin, which can keep in moisture and dirt etc. However on that note, you can see why it is good in this product, as it creates a barrier between your skin and make-up, to avoid blemishes. So I’m on the fence about it being used in a product (especially one that I use most days) as I’m just not sure about it as an ingredient. Still those are my only concerns and my general feeling about this is that it’s one of the better primers I’ve tried. It retails at £6.99 which is on the average end of the scale. Ultimately, would I purchase it? Yes. It has kept my skin free from blemishes and it works well as a primer.
You can purchase Witch’s Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer at Superdrug.