Foodie Weekend

Happy belated Bank Holiday Weekend!

I spent my weekend literally walking around like a stuffed penguin after the amount of food I consumed. Friday evening I decided to treat my little sister to Frankie & Benny's so we could indulge a little bit and catch up. The original plan was to go just for dessert and drinks but it ended up being a full blown meal! After the garlic dough balls and a main of pasta AND chips [it was chips or salad so...] I managed to fit a slice of chocolate brownie fudge cake into my tummy [it was literally the size of my head!].

On Saturday I went to Manchester with some of my friends. There was no plan on the agenda apart from catch up and eat...and eat we did! We met up at a Chinese restaurant called RICE and were blown away by the amount of options we had. I settled on a Sweet Chilli Thai Chicken with noodles. OMG - it is officially the best thing I have ever ate in my life! I wasn't able to finish it all because it was such a massive portion but trust me I tried! I was surprised because it was only £7.99! Be warned though - a can of Tango costs £1.50 - WHAT?!

Across from RICE was Patisserie Valerie so we HAD to go inside. We were tempted by this gorgeous cupcakes but we decided on truffles because we were saving room for drinks later.

After getting our munch on, we decided we needed to go for drinks. I recommended a bar that I had been too called Zouks, they make the best drinks! We literally filled ourselves with sugary goodness!

It was nearing half 5 by this point and we decided that we needed to do something a bit more productive in our day out...so we went for cake! There's a little dessert parlour called Treat on Wilmslow Road in Manchester that one of my friends had been to before so we decided to check it out. I tried this bubblegum sponge cake - it was so yummy! We were going to go for seconds but by that time we were all close to bursting out of our clothes so we thought it best that we didn't.

 How was your weekend?

What are your favourite places to eat at?

Benefit Obsession

I have been eagerly awaiting this day and it did not fail to live up to my expectations! As you know, I am a massive Benefit Cosmetics fan, and for the past 2 weeks they have been doing a road show with their head make-up artist, Lisa Potter-Dixon, to promote their new liquid 'Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow' foundation. All across the country Benefit addicts (myself included) were freaking out because Benefit were allowing you the chance to meet Lisa, get a mini makeover, AND be the first ones to try the new foundation. £20 for a 15 minute session with the original BeneBabe seemed too good an offer to pass, so I rang up one of my best friends and we booked for an appointment for today.

We arrived at Harvey Nichols in Manchester for our appointment and were met by a very friendly Lisa. She talked us through all the make-up and techniques she used, and gave us advice on how to apply it. It's been a mad two weeks for her because she has been city hopping like crazy doing this promotion but she was ever so nice and helpful.

After our makeovers, we were given a sample size of the foundation to take away and use before it is released on the 31st of this month. I love it! I am nearing the end of my Clinique foundation so will definitely be getting this one. There are 9 shades to this foundation, it has SPF 25 and it can be layered so you can decide what type of coverage you want. The sample is a large size so I will be wearing this until I buy the full size foundation. 

I was able to use the £20 that I paid for the session and redeem it against a product that I wanted to buy. HOW FRICKIN AWESOME IS THAT?! I decided to buy PoreFessional because I have been dying to buy it ever since the BeneBabes at my local counter introduced me to it. It came to a measly £3.50 because I had paid the £20 for the session in advance. The PoreFessional is a primer for the face but also works at minimising the pores in your face. It's oil free so you don'y get any of that oily residue that you get with some others.

You would think I'd be happy with this...but I wasnt't! I needed to buy something else. If you bought two products then you were given a free eye shadow...so as you can see I HAD to buy another product. Lisa introduced me to a Benetint Lip Balm that I never even knew existed. I normally use Benetint stain but this looks more practical and it means I can use my stain just for the cheeks now. It's a gorgeous balm and leaves your lips feeling smooth but not greasy. At £14 I thought it was a good bargain. It also has SPF 15!

This is the free eye shadow I got with my purchases. It is a creaseless natural champagne coloured eye shadow. It retails at £14 (but I got it for freeeeeeeeeeeeeee).

As you can see I was a very happy girl! I got to meet the lovely Lisa, get a great makeover, some amazing make-up tips, and some great products!

I spent the rest of the day catching up with my friend, window shopping, enjoying the sun and drinking some mocktails (which were yummy).

How has your weekend been?

What is your favourite Benefit product?

Wishing for a money tree...

Letting me loose in Manchester town centre when I have just had my student grant through is the worst possible thing ever! I have a few very hectic months coming up so I thought I'd get a few essentials (and treat myself whilst at it). I spent the day with my little sister smooching around shops and blowing money that really should be kept away from me.

Here are a few of my purchases;

I got this adorable clutch that resembles the Marc Jacobs bag I wanted! I love the bright yellow colour, patent material, the chain handle, and the fact that it over £500 cheaper than the one on my 'wish list'. It was a bargain at just £10.

I gave into temptation and got these Nail Inc Magnetic nail varnishes because they.are.just.too.pretty! I got the green and purple polishes because I felt that they had stronger magnetic pattern to them. At £13 a pop they were expensive BUT it was worth it because....

I got these 10 mini Nail Inc nail varnishes for FREE! There a variety of different colours in the free gift pack. I cannot wait to try these out. 2 magnetic nail varnishes and 10 mini ones for £26 sounded like a reasonable price and completed sealed the deal for me.

I got this bag satchel from Primark for £5. BARGAIN! I have needed a new one for university ever since my leather Jane Norman gave up on me. I hope it is sturdy and doesn't live up to normal Primark standards.

I fell in love with this white lace top the second my gaze crossed it in Primark. I've seen the 'Peter Pan collar' trent in most shops but this is the only top that has really grabbed my attention. I'm planning on layering this over a white shirt and wearing it over black trousers for a smart slash casual look on my new placement. At a mere £6 it was totally within my *ahem* student budget.

I was so happy when I saw this bronzer brush in Primark for £1(!). I was even happier when I got home and realised that the brush was soft against my skin and pretty good quality. I don't like spending too much money on make up brushes because I always tend to lose them or they get ruined.

I also purchased this concealer brush from Boots. It's a No.7 concealer brush and was originally £8 but I got it for £3 because I had one of their £5 off vouchers. Those vouchers are a life saver for me at the moment (I have 3 more) because I get to top up on eye shadows and brushes without making a dent in my bank account.

Even as I'm typing this I can see the money adding up (yikes!) BUT it was worth it (must.justify.this.to.myself). I have heard a lot about felt tip liners on other bloggers pages so thought I'd try one out. I got the one from MaxFactor because it was the ONLY one in store, and then, after finding out that you get a free gift containing a makeup bag, 2 mini nail varnishes, a mini mascara and a mini eye liner if you spend over £12, I decided to add the Creme Puff face powder in Translucent to my shopping basket. I will do a review on these when I get around to trying them out. I am the most excited about the powder because I need something to set my make up especially now that I need to look professional.

I cannot make up my mind about whether or not I like Lipsy; sometimes I find some great bargains in there but other times it just seems a bit chavvy. However, on this trip I saw this cute cloth bag that I have been trying to order on their website (but it's always out of stock) for just £3. It's cute, flirty and funky so I just HAD to buy it.

Being a trainee teacher means that any stationary shop is HEAVEN and that is how I feel about Paperchase. I got the cutest little heart paper clips, cat highlighters, normal 'boring' paperclips (because it's not ALL fun and games), and some star stickers to make marking more fun. I spent over an hour browsing through all their stuff because I wanted to buy EVERYTHING...and it took a looong time to narrow it down to these items...

I am a Glamour girl so was very excited to see that this month's issue came with a FREE Beauty Guide magazine and a FREE hair conditioner. I am looking forward to trying out the conditioner because I'm growing my hair longer and it needs some looking after.

What was your latest shopping spree like?

Culture, Couture and Cake

I had the most amazing day today; I spent it with a friend in Manchester to celebrate her birthday. The day was filled to the brim with funny banter, giggles and memories that will stay with us forever. We strolled around the city centre catching up with what was happening in each others lives, browsed through shops that were filled with things we couldn't afford, took in the buzzing atmosphere of the booming city and absorbed the culture that oozes out of every street that you turn into.

Here are a few of my favourite photos from today...

This Victorian style pub was a contrast to the modern city centre and buildings that surrounded it, but its ambiance drew the crowds in.

We acted like proper tourists so jumped at the chance of going on the Manchester Eye when we came across it. I love this picture, because not only can you see the harsh realism between the man-made metal machine and the open sky,, but it also makes you realise that you only play the main character in your own life and there are so many bigger things out there.

I am an architectural geek! 

I tried on the Nails Inc Magnetic Polish and I LOVE it! As you can see, it comes in a variety of colours and leaves a gorgeous print on your nails. At £13 for one nail varnish I think it is a bit too expensive but it will be a great present or treat for yourself. 

We bought cupcakes from a stall in the market place. After a day of walking, we were shattered, looking forward to resting our aching feet on the train and treating ourselves to these beautiful cupcakes. We were SO disappointed! The cakes were dry, hard and the icing had no flavour to it. However, the company was great and this little incident didn't dampen the spirit. I just wanted to let you see the amazing presentation that conned us out of £5.

How has your weekend been?