Thursday 29 May 2014

Foodie Faves!



Heyyyylooooo!
This is a slightly different post from me than you're probably accustomed to! But Manchester has such a great range of restaurants, and these places deserve to get a shout out! I always prefer individually owned or restaurants that aren't part of a chain! Nandos etc are good when you want something easy that you don't have to think about, but when you want something exciting and interesting I think it's always best to spend your money in somewhere that isn't owned by the 'big man'! I'm gonna run through a few of my favourites!

If gluttony, bacon, burgers, unbelievable flavours, and seasonings are your thing. Almost Famous is the place for you. The burgers and cocktails are to die for!! They're so over the top, everything about them is HUGE, the size, the flavours, the random mix of ingredients (i.e. frazzles, salt and vinegar chipsticks etc. Read: effing delicious) and the overall atmosphere of the place! You will have to wait for a table, there's no bookings, and at busy times it can be a 2 hour wait. But trust me, it's worth it! This place is where dreams are made and obesity happens! My recommendations are: The Baddaboom burger (double cheeseburger, garlic butter brioche, bacon, chorizo, onions, marinara, famous sauce, frenchs, parmeasan and chilli) and bacon bacon fries (a mix of house seasoning fries and sweet potato fries covered in bacon bits and baconnaise) all washed down with either a Bitch Juice or a Dirty Grape Soda cocktail. Unbelievable. Based at the Great Northern!

River Phoenix Burger & Bacon Bacon Fries
BBQ, BBQ ON EVERYTHING, BBQ OVER AND ON EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. Basically think American classics, think Pulled Pork, think Brisket, think sliders, think lots of deep fried things! Ahhhhhmaaaaazing. Based in Spinningfields in one of the nicest areas of Manchester, but the price tag isn't reflected at the restaurant! Everythings SO reasonable. Plus there's 20% off for students all the time, amazing! I chose the Sliders, which is one hamburger, one pulled pork and one brisket burger. All which were delicious! I also had deep fried pickles. HOLY MOLY. I thought I loved pickles before, I love them more when they're deep fried! Southern 11 have a huge cocktail list as well, some of which you can even shake yourself, I would definitely recommend trying it! So much fun! 

BBQ Sliders with Fries

The cutest little tea shop in Manchester, it's adorable. And they have the WIDEST range of tea you can possibly think of, plus you get to pour your own and everything! So much fun! It's based in the Northern Quarter and not have they only got tea, they also have cake (lots of cake) and delicious food! I went and I had the Sourdough Toast covered with Smokey Bacon Beans. Posh beans on toast with bacon and pancetta bits. Wowowowow. And to finish it off I had a slice of their delicious Rainbow Marizpan cake! Well worth a visit, even if it is only for the cute little teapots! 

Teacup's NQ Brew
Rainbow Marzipan Cake

Another absolutely adorable place based in the Northern Quarter. It sells food, coffee and cake and its adorable with all of it's mismatched furniture! It's a little bit pricier than your normal coffee shop but trust me it's worth it. The pulled pork is off the chaaaain, and according to my friend Lizzie, so are their El Bennie Macho eggs benedict! They have a range of milkshakes, cocktails, craft beers and ales and wines. It's just such a generally nice place to eat in! The cake is off the chain and honestly it's the most crazy collection of cakes you've ever seen! There are no normal cakes, there are huge multicoloured cakes adorned with pictures of Doge, icecream cones filled with peanut butter buttercream, sweets from our childhood and the craziest flavour concoctions! It's worth a visit for the cake alone, never mind the food but I suggest you try them all together for an unreal experience! 

Pulled Pork Pile Up
Bubblegum Party Cake


Saying cheers to exams with a BucksFizz!

It does what it says in the name, they sell hotdogs and they sell pizzas. And what they sell, they sell it well! This is alongside the pitchers of Budweiser, other beers and a list of cocktails longer than your arm! It's just off Albert Square in the city up a sneaky little side street and what's hiding down the street is worth hunting for! They have specials every week that they advertise on Twitter and the flavour combos are delishhhh! 

The ADB Dog & The Hunting Dog.
That's just a quick collection of my favourite places to eat in Manchester at the minute!
Have you tried any of these places?
Did you like this post for a little bit of a change?
Let me know!
Rachel xx

Monday 26 May 2014

Post Exam Treats!

Helllooo!
My exams are over, and as many of you probably know, I love nothing more than a little bit of online shopping to celebrate such achievements :) Have a little looksy below at what I bought! 



This time I knew what I wanted whenever I finished my exams, I'd had my eye on the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade for so long, and a few days before my exams finished, Cult Beauty sent me that delightful email to tell me it was back in stock again! However by the time I got there, the shade I wanted 'Dark Brown' was already out of stock AGAIN (this is the 3rd time it's happened!!). I made my way over to Beauty Bay in the off chance that they would have it in stock, and thankfully they did! So as soon as I seen it, it was straight in my basket alongside the Anastasia Beverly Hills Angled Cut Brow Brush. I felt it was justified to buy the brush as well because I wanted the Pomade to be my perfect brow so I needed the perfect brush to apply it! The Dipbrow Pomade retails at £15 and the brush is £13. Swatches can be seen below. 

Anastasis Dipbrow Pomade 'Dark Brown' and Angled Cut Brow Brush. (Apologies, I'd already used it!) 

On Beauty Bay, you also have the opportunity to pay an extra £1.95 for a premium sample product to be sent with your order, and it also means your delivery leaves the warehouse slightly quicker than the standard free delivery that Beauty Bay offer! You get to choose your own sample so it's not like you end up with a dodgy one you're maybe not fussed on. My choice was the Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser which for the full size retails at £34.99. This cleanser is AMAZING! It's a godsend, I've really been struggling with dry skin around my nose recently and its not been giving me a very smooth finish on my foundation! One application of this cleanser and that was GONE. You put it on, rub it in, and then wash it off. Easy peasy lemon squeezy and it gives GREAT results. I love it already, but £34.99 is a lot for a the full size so I would have to have a think about it when I've used it all up!
MAC - Eyeshadow in 'Cranberry'
Finally, the last thing I chose to buy myself was an eyeshadow I've been lusting over for years, since Becca bought it and used it on me I've been obsessed! Looked at it everytime I dandered through Selfridges or Duty Free, and finally on Wednesday 14th May it entered my life. And that eyeshadow is MAC's 'Cranberry' Eyeshadow. It's an amazing reddy plum shade with glitter, and it looks amazing on the lids! Beaut. Beaut. Beaut. I loveeeeeeee it. I've worn it so much already and I've only had it a week and a half! Check out the swatches of both Cranberry and the Dipbrow Pomade below! 

L-R Dipbrow Pomade in 'Dark Brown' and MAC Eyeshadow in 'Cranberry'
Both of my exam treats made it onto my face for my night out after my exams, and I absolutely loved the result! The Dipbrow was perfect and made my brows look great, it's a bit dark but perfect for nights out.. It's kind of like a tint, so it lasted the whole way through the next day, even after a shower and washing my face!!


















Have you tried any of these products?
Let me know if you have!
Lots of loveeee 
xxxx

Thursday 22 May 2014

Topshop SS14 Collection Makeup Haul

Holaaaa!
Summer has arrived, the sun is shining (for now anyway in Manchester) and it's so nice to be able to wear bright clothes and fun makeup and be tanned (even if it is from a bottle)!

Topshop have released their Spring Summer 2014 makeup collection and you can view the whole thing here! It's exciting, fun and includes both summer brights and spring pastels in nail varnishes, lip products, eyeshadows and eyeliners! And it's all very reasonably priced at between £5 and £10!

When I was at home for Easter my mum and I went to Topshops flagship store in Northern Ireland in Victoria Square in Belfast! They have the biggest range of stuff and generally a better size range than smaller stores. 


What I bought!

The main item I went to purchase was the Eye Duo in 'Long Weekend' after my absolutely gorgeous bestie Becca at http://www.rebeccadurrans.blogspot.co.uk/ bought it! It's such a warm corally orange and a goldy brown duo! The orange is absolutely stunning and makes such an impact, it's perfect for sunshiney days! The orange has such a good colour payoff and it really does come out the same on the skin as it looks in the packet! The same can't be said for the goldy shade, it's pretty much invisible and has no colour payoff! I have hardly used it except for a little bit in the crease, but it's nothing special! Swatches can be seen further below! But here's how I wore it a few weeks ago for a family day away :)

Long Weekend Eye Duo - Topshop ft Peaches Lashes
 The second Eye Duo I bought is called 'Time Off' and it's a blue and slate grey combo. The blue is the same as the orange, and is a gorgeous baby blue colour! These eyeshadows are so easy to blend in! The grey has more colour pay off than the second shadow from the Long Weekend set! I absolutely love both of these kits and for £6 they're an absolute bargain! 

Swatches - Long Weekend and Time Off Eye Duo
After recommendations from Becca, I also purchased the Lip Varnishes which are a combination of a lip gloss and a lip stain! They are gorgeous on and the colour is as true in the tube as it is on the lips! They're glossy on the lips and they last for ages! Like seriously, almost all night long even on a night out! I was amazed at their staying power! They're £9 each, and I love them all! I bought 'Field Day' and 'Merry Go Round' and you can see the swatches below :)

On the day that I purchased the things from Topshop there was an offer on that resulted in a free Lip Cream when you spent over £15, as I definitely spent over £15 (oops) I chose the Lip Cream in 'Double Take'. Lip creams are highly pigmented glosses that are really comfortable to wear!

L-R - Double Take, Field Day and Merry Go Round
I absolutely love everything I bought and the thing I love about Topshop makeup is that you still get Student Discount on everything! And even better when I bought these things the discount was 20%! 

What do you think of Topshop's makeup range?
Let me know!

Rachel xxx 

Sunday 18 May 2014

Crownbrush UK Makeup Brush Haul!

Hello everyoneee!
I've finally made my first Crownbrush UK purchase, after a lot and a lot of deliberation I chose to go with the Infinity brushes that I seen reviewed by the lovely Zoe Newlove over HERE! She loves the brushes so much so I decided that it was finally time to treat myself after a long Lent of no makeup purchases! I bought these on St George's Day so the lovely people at Crownbrush were offering 20% off everything! 


I bought 7 brushes from the Infinity range in total, and another individual one that I'll pop in at the end of the post! The Infinity brushes are designed to give a flawless HD finish to makeup, perfect for blending and creating that celeb look! They all have black patent handles and a silver top! And honestly, these brushes are all SO SOFT! I couldn't believe it when I opened the delivery and put them to my face, they are delightful on the skin!! The bristles of the brushes are synthetic and vegan, which means they are affordable for vegans and cruelty free! The only thing I have noticed that the bristles have been shedding slightly since I started using them, mostly in the larger brush I purchased! But for their pricetag I can accept that.

C452 - Flat Foundation Brush
C454 - Angle Contouring



















I love Flat Foundation brushes for applying my foundation, they glide on so easy and buff in the product so well so it gives such a great application! This brush is almost 100% identical to my Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki, which I love. However the Sigma brush is £18.75 compared to Crownbrushes £12.99, for an almost identical purchase. I will definitely repurchase the Crownbrush version over the Sigma one in future!


I love a bit of contouring now I've figured out how to do it (The ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzer Powder in St Lucia combined with the Real Techniques Duo-Fiber Contour Brush), however my problem for contouring is the Real Techniques Contour brush is too big for my nose, and generally I end up with bronzer on the front of my nose, making it look bigger rather than smaller! This brush is perfect sizewise, its far smaller and really gets the product exactly where I want it! Perfect for chin contouring too to make your bottom lip look bigger! This brush is £4.99!

C457 - Round Blender
C456 - Pointed Blender



















My new go to concealer brush! It gets the product exactly where you want it, I'm loving using it under my eyes and my nose as well, where I have a lot of redness. It works the product in so well and its so comfortable to use! Retails at £5.99!


This brush is huge for my eyes, especially with my little hooded lids, I've been using it for applying an all over base to my eyeshadow, as it covers such a big area in only a few sweeps! It's great for blending out eyeshadows in particular areas too as it's big but it's stiff so it can still target specific areas! Only £4.99!

C460 - Infinity Blending Fluff
C461 - Infinity Precision Crease



















I love blending brushes, they are my favourite brushes in the whole wide worrrrrld. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! It is the perfect shape for my eyes, and it actually helps me to get my eyeshadow equal (my eyes are different shapes and no joke it's so hard to do!) It really works the product in well and it gives such a good finish! I definitely want more of these, and to try it's big brother version the C433 blending brush! For me it worked just as well as the MAC 217, but for a lot cheaper at only £4.99!


This brush has already got a lot of use from me already, it's great for putting shadow underneath your eyes, and also great for inner eye highlights! It's getting used alongside 'Shell Shock' a metallic silver from the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette, which is unbelievable on. It lasts all night and glows out so strong, I love it! The perfect combination :) And the brush is only £3.59, bargain!

SS024 - Syntho Precision Powder
C463 - Infinity Angle Liner



















I struggle so much with eyeliner on my upper lid, hooded eyelids usually result in either it all being smudged off or a line forming on the top of my eyelid where they've creased together! I am forever in the ultimate hunt for either a brush or liner that won't do this. Unfortunately this brush isn't the holy grail! But it has made a home in my life for the brush I'm using around my brows with concealer for the perfect brow! It glides on and all the product doesn't end up staying on the brush.. It actually ends up on my face, hurrah! £2.99!


Now this is the brush that isn't from the Infinity collection, however it is extremely similar in design and quality! I chose this brush alongside the Infinity brushes as it's tapered design enticed me! I love the Real Techniques Blush Brush and the shape of the brush, so I wanted to try the Crownbrush option to see if I love it just as much! And I do! It is a little bit more expensive at £11.99 but it's so much softer that the RT version! It's the perfect shape for putting blush on my little chubby cheeks!

I've been so impressed with all the brushes that I purchased from Crownbrush, such good quality and all at a relatively cheap price tag! Definitely going to consider purchasing from them in the future whenever I need a few more additions to my makeup brush collection, which is apparently ever growing! Crownbrush's customer service is brilliant, they're present on all social media platforms and it's so easy to get in contact with someone if you need to! Definitely worth giving them a follow on Twitter, and Instagram as this is where I found the 20% discount code on St Georges Day which brought my total from £53.24 to £42.93! Which for 8 makeup brushes in my opinion is a bargain!

All the brushes I've spoken about in this post are individuals and therefore you can choose which ones you want rather than in a set when sometimes you don't want all of the brushes in the set! It's completely up to you what ones you want to buy!

Hope you enjoyed reading this guys!
Give me a follow over on Bloglovin' at http://www.bloglovin.com/vennardr :)
Have you purchased from Crownbrush before? Tell me what you think in the comments below!

Lotsaaaa love xxx

Thursday 1 May 2014

Exam Season FOTD.

Helloooooo. 


So it's well and truely into exam/deadline season, Easter celebrations are over and people are starting to drown in assignments, revision and coursework! 

I generally am extremely lazy when revising, I enjoy pyjamas, endless cups of tea and endless chocolate biscuits to accompany my tea. I can't be bothered with getting up and putting on a face to sit in my living room and stare endlessly about the benefits of Physical Activity on Health, or the range of common Autoimmune Diseases in the UK. (My degree sounds so fun when you put it like that doesn't it?) 

I am usually rocking a 1cm ponytail (short hair problems), a plaited fringe and no/or very little makeup! 

Whenever I can be bothered with makeup for a little extra bit of revision motivation I stick to the basics: 
- concealer (to hide my dark circles!)
- foundation 
- blusher
- bronzer 
- mascara 
- and dark brows!!

A few years back this would have been A LOT of makeup to me, but now this is the music of the basic! Check my makeup FOTD below! 

And finally, the thing that tops off all of my FOTD's and OOTD's around exam time are my glasses! They're French Connection and cost me £125! (Ouch!!) but I really need them, I literally cannot concentrate without having them on..! I'm hopefully getting new ones soon because I stupidly sat on them and I've bent a leg of them so they're super wonky on my face! :-(

Check them out below! 


What are your makeup essentials in and around exam times? Let me know!

Chat soon!
Rachel
Xxx