Detoxing a Different Way

So we've all tried the teatoxes, shakes and juices. Let's be realistic. They make you feel like you should be losing weight, when in essence all they really do is make you poop more (TMI) so you think you don't have to eat any different. 

I've tried both The Skinny Tea Co. and Bootea before, both of which tasted alright, but both of which I gave up on pretty quickly. It's just green tea with herbal laxatives in, and to be honest I think I'd rather just drink the green tea! 

However, last week I spotted The Skinny Coffee Club with a discount offer on for 20% off, and thought that for the sake of enjoying a good coffee first thing in the morning I'd give it a go. 

For starters, the packaging is actually pretty cute. A small resealable pouch with a cute pink label on that tells you the basics of what you need to know. The idea is that you use a cafetiere or tea strainer for one cup of black coffee first thing in the morning, and only drink green tea and water for the rest of the day. 

Essentially it's just a booster as your first drink to kick-start you, however there's very few uncommon ingredients in it. They are as follows:

Ground Coffee

Ground Green Coffee

Siberian Ginseng

Spirulina

Green Tea Extract

Garcinia Cambogia

I've done my research, and found out what the 'odd' things do. Siberian Ginseng strengthens the body and prevents daily stress, Spirulina is a form of algae that is high in protein and full of antioxidants, and Garcinia Cambogia is a tropical fruit that boosts fat burning and suppresses appetite. 

It's recommended that you drink this black with no sugar or milk, but I can't help but throw a sweetener in - I'm just not sweet enough! It's really mild and tasty, and 1 teaspoon (the recommended to make it last 28 days) is just enough for a personal cafetiere full. 

So far I've been drinking it for 5 days, and I'm loving it. It's encouraging me to drink more hydrating liquids and is actually really nice to perk you up first thing on a morning and give you energy. As for weight loss, I couldn't tell you just yet. But stay tuned for an update!

Have any of you tried this?

Alice x

Mini Homeware Haul

After moving home last year (thanks uni for skinting me out) I've been really negligent to my bedroom. I never spend any time here, so have never really felt the need to make the difference and put in some homely touches. 

*Cue the recent discovery of H&M home to spur my inspiration.*

Currently as you may have noticed, everything, everywhere is grey and copper. Beautiful if that's what you're going for. But when you're working with white, duck egg blue and champagne it doesn't really set your creative juices. However, H&M really caters to so many different themes, mine actually being one of them for once!

[H&M: Cup £3.99, Saucer £3.99, Tray £8.99. PRIMARK: Box £5] 

Initially, I was looking for some form of decorative tray to take blog posts on. I no longer have my shiny white IKEA desk with a removable top to go and hunt for decent lighting, so I'm having to be creative with the ideas I come up with. I found this lovely matte feel duck egg tray for £8.99 lurking under a stack of gold ones, and realised not only is it what I was looking for, but it would also sit perfectly with trinkets on my windowsill. 

Next I spotted this amazing duck egg and gold striped cup and saucer set. The picture doesn't do it justice with the reflective gold stripes, but it really is the most gorgeous little combo that looks so fancy. Truth be told I don't think I'll be using it to drink from, but it does look rather cute perched on my white chest of drawers to add a burst of colour. It was £3.99 per item, which for me was a little steep for a cup (yes I'm stingy sometimes), but it was so perfect I got over-excited and couldn't resist!

[PRIMARK: Faux Plant £2.50, Double Bedding Set £11, Square Foil Cushion £3, Heart Shaped Cushion £3. THE RANGE: Circular Cushion, around £5]

Following my success and inspiration in H&M Home, I thought I'd have a quick browse in Primark as well, as why not when it's cheap as chips! And to my great surprise, apparently champagne and hues of greeny blue are blessing their shelves as well. Bingo!

I picked up this basic yet beautiful bedding set for just £11 which is such a bargain! I'd been meaning to get another one for ages as my previous one had lost its shape and began to annoy me in my sleep, and this one is just perfect. I also picked up a couple of cushions to add to the stack I've started. The champagne and heart shaped ones were £3 each in Primark, and both the circular blue and square grey pillows I had previously. The grey one I couldn't possibly remember where it's from, however the circular one is from The Range for around £5. 

In addition to this, I also picked up a few decorative items. I spotted a glass/mirrored jewellery box for £5 which you can probably spy in the first pic. Being see through, I'm not quite sure whether I'll actually fill it as I hate things looking untidy, but I love it all the same! Next I grabbed a VERY obviously fake mini plant for £2.50, and a champagne Buddha tealight holder for £4. Both can kind of be seen in the picture, but I think I just about managed to skip them out. Whoops!

It's so nice to actually get excited about decorating my bedroom, and it really has made such a difference sprucing it up and making it my own. If you haven't checked it out already, I'd definitely recommend H&M home. Although more expensive than Primark (obvs, where isn't?!), it is very reasonably priced for homeware, and they really do have some beautiful pieces!

Happy valentines day guys and gals! 

Alice 

Treated Like a Queen

As you may or may not (almost definitely not) know, it was my birthday on Thursday - the big ugly 23. It's not even an even number...ugh!

Every birthday, me and my two best pals Sammy and Mikhaela take it in turns to surprise each other  with a cute planned day that the bday gal has no clue about, and this time was my turn. I'd been pesting them for days trying to pick out clues to work out what was going on - what time did I need to be up and ready, what did I need to wear, was it indoors or outdoors? But not once did they let on. 

On the Saturday morning I was woken up by the door going with a HUMONGOUS bunch of the most bright and beautiful flowers with a card that read:

'Dear Alice, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We will pick you up at 1pm and will be off to Bath. Wear something delightful! Lots of love Sammy and Mik xxx'

[Please ignore my pyjamas and morning stance. I had to crop my face and hair out as nobody needs to see that...]

How adorable is that! My two best pals putting boyfriends everywhere to shame. 

So I got ready and attempted to look delightful. Please find a lovely and moody picture of my face below for reference. I used my Naked Basics eyeshadow palette and the lippy was a combo of Gerard Cosmetics Hydra Matte in '1995' with a cheeky bit of Limecrime Velvetine in 'Bleached' in the middle.

We got the train to Bath, all paid for by the best pals ever! It was actually lovely to go via train, it's something that I haven't done in years and it was so nice to be able to take in the scenery as you're going past. That is despite the fact it was the countryside through the windows - we all know I'm a city gal! 

 [Sammy and Mik looking fabulous]

We arrived in Bath on what must have been the most beautiful day of the year so far which was so lovely as it meant that we could stroll around in the sun and not be shivering and soaked in rain. Luck was definitely on our side for that one!

The girls took me to Browns just next to the river for an amazing cocktail afternoon tea and it was bloody delish. Apologies for the lack of editing on the pictures, but I'm sure you can still appreciate how yummy it looks!

 There were mini brioche buns full of chicken and avocado, egg mayo, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. For some unexplainable reason the savouries are always my fave in an afternoon tea, and these definitely did not disappoint!

The sweets were also divine, and v. v. fancy. Lemon and earl grey cake with petals on, espresso layer cake, salted caramel profiteroles and some weird purple thing (none of us had a clue what it was!). And obviously the classic fresh warm scones with clotted cream and strawb jam. Yum!

The cocktails were blimmin' lovely and also surprisingly so was the tea. Usually you just get a pot of English Breakfast with a teabag, but this was looses leaf with your own mini sieves and all. 

In addition to the treat of a fancy afternoon tea, they also spoilt me massively with a whole heap of the best birthday gifts ever. You can see a vlog of the whole day including the unwrapping of all my gifts on Mik's youtube channel here.

[So many beautiful things!]

[Bobbi Brown Cool Dusk eye palette and Urban Decay Vice lipstick in 'Violate']

As you can probably tell, the pictures of my prezzies were taken slightly later on when I got home. I'm not going to write about every single one of them because look how many there are! I was well and truly spoilt!

We wandered around the shops in Bath afterwards, and got the train back at the end of a lovely day full up and pretty damn knackered!

Such an amazing time with the best pals anyone could ask for. Thanks gals for spoiling be rotten on the most fabulous surprise birthday day!

You guys are lucky if your friends are even half as good as mine. 

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Alice 

Things I Didn't Learn in January

So, throughout this past month I've been inundated with posts about how to stick to your New Year's resolutions, how to keep motivation, and how to generally to make sure that you start off 2017 in the best way possible. 

Truth be told - I've not taken any notice...whoops!

It's always been a 'thing' of mine not to make New Year's resolutions. I never stick to them, and I always beat myself up about it when I fall off the beaten track. So what's the point? Who says that because it's a New Year you need to make loads of sudden changes to your lifestyle?

We're now over one month in and although I have goals that I'm generally hoping to achieve over the next year, I'm really doing exactly the same thing that I was come the end of 2016 (enter sassy emoji). 

I'm still spending all of my money on clothes, makeup, trips and social events. I still don't go to the gym as much as I should.  I drink too much coffee. I still spend my time stalking people on Instagram and Youtube. I still never get enough sleep. And despite eating healthy I can't help but give in to a sneaky packet of crisps every now and again.

But you know what? I'm cool with that. 

In a grand scheme of full time job land, I have little energy left come the end of the day and I'd rather spend that time with my friends doing fun things than slaving daily in the gym. As long as I go at least 1-2 times a week its still more than I was doing. 

I like being able to afford nice things for the first time. Being a student was hard, but I'm enjoying being financially sound. I also shouldn't feel too guilty as I've paid off my student overdraft. 

And I think it's fine that I'm giving in to occasional cravings. I'd feel so restricted if I didn't and at least it stops me going crazy!

New Year doesn't necessarily mean you need to have a new 'me'. Minor adjustments and baby steps mean its easier for you to love what you're doing for yourself. Plus if it's sustainable you'll build any changes up over the year instead of falling at the first hurdle. Anything is better than nothing, you've just gotta keep working on it!

Alice x

I'm Back Bitches!

It's been a long time. Okay, a REALLY long time. Around a year and a half if we're going to be honest about it. I've failed miserably, I get it.

Initially I stopped blogging because I knelt on my laptop and smashed it, so I was lappy-less for 3 months. Then when I got a new one, I really had no excuse for my lack of blogging. Third year at uni got the better of me I guess. Constant essays, exams, and a severe lack of money. You know the drill.

HOWEVER...

I think it's time that I got back on the bandwagon. I used to love the whole taking pictures, uploading posts, browsing other blogs and getting some amazing ideas for things to do. Truth be told I'm just really nosy and love to see what people do and how!

I'm now in a completely different situation from before, which may add a different spin on things for my blog! For an update, I graduated from Cardiff University with a 2:1 in History and Sociology back in July and moved back to Bristol. No less than a week after my graduation I began my first proper job (as believe it or not working part time in Tesco just doesn't cut it for a steady income). But although I have a lot less time due to completely adulting, for once I actually have the money to be able to do and buy things, which makes life 10x easier and less stressful!

I'm not quite sure just how I'm going to play this, but I'm going to spend the next week or so planning ideas and getting organised so that I can hopefully create some fun content that I enjoy writing about. I've missed it too much!

This probably means a complete overhaul of my blog, so hold fire. Good things will be coming this way.

Alice x

Bloggers Beauty A-Z with VoucherCodesPro

Remember a while back I mentioned that I had some exciting stuff coming up? Well wait no more, because the cat is now officially out of the bag!

I teamed up with VoucherCodesPro - a money saving 

website full of discount codes and handy blog posts - along with loads of other fabulous bloggers in order to create an A-Z glossary of beauty tips for lots of handy tricks and recommendations to share. And it's finally gone live today! 

You can check out the A-Z of Beauty Glossary here to read up on all of the amazing tips that bloggers from around the globe have given, and you can find me hiding under the letter D, giving my tips and tricks in place of dry shampoo. 

[Sneak peek here...total giveaway!]

Take a few minutes to have a quick look, it's taken a lot of prep and work from everyone involved, and it's turned out incredibly well. Also let me know if any of you were in it too - it'd be interested to see more of those who got stuck in as well. Enjoy!

Alice x

p.s. follow me on bloglovin' here!

Current Lip Loves

I've never really been one to follow seasonal trends with my makeup. If it so happens that one of my favourite looks comes into fashion as I'm really loving wearing it then it's a bonus - but completely by coincidence. Just a stroke of luck I when it happens I guess!

But I'm currently not having one of these coincidence periods, and am going completely against the bold, bright eyeliners and glossy lips that are all the rage at the moment. Call me a creature of habit, but I'm still loving my trusty matte lips a la Kylie, and I'm also starting to develop a new favourite brand in the Topshop range to keep the full and neat look that I loooooove.

I first picked up one of these liners a really long time ago, and by that I mean I actually can't remember when I've had it so long. I think I liked the idea of using a liner, but really wasn't very skilled in applying it, so kept away from it for a while, letting the dust collect on it in the bottom of my makeup bag. UNTIL...I finally decided that I wanted to play around a bit more. 

Once I started using liners generally, I found that the texture and consistency of the Topshop liner that I did have was actually really nice on my lips, and it didn't dry them out in the way that many liners can. Que the extra spending in Topshop to pick up some more!

[Bottom to top - Deception, Beestung, Ceramic]

I now have these liners in three colours - 'Deception', 'Beestung' and 'Ceramic' - and I'm using them almost daily now they're so good! And only £5 per liner, which when you add things like student discount (sorry if you don't have it!) makes them really quite a steal.

[Left to Right - Deception, Beestung, Ceramic]

Deception

This was the first colour that I owned of these liners, and if I'm brutally honest I'm not even sure that they do it anymore it's been that long! But it's the perfect pinky-purple to accompany any plum colours or vibrant pinks to help create really bold looks and the odd ombre effect. 

Beestung

My newest addition to the growing collection that has quickly become my favourite! It's been reviewed online as a pink liner but I seem to find that it's more of a light red/terracotta? It does have a pinky undertone to it that keeps it light and girly, but I find that it's best matched with the odd red accessory. And this all makes it the perfect red for a summery look - not as bold or vibrant as a bright lipstick, which is absolutely perf if you ask me!

Ceramic

I got this one to try and expand my nude selection, and it really doesn't disappoint. I don't use this all over my lips, but instead just for liner as it blends in with so many of the different nudes I have, which makes it really versatile! It's also pretty much identical to the MAC Nice'N'Spicy that I have which is an added bonus - the same look for 1/3 of the price! Just what I like to see. 

One of my favourite looks at the moment is a full lip of 'Beestung' with a teeny bit of 'Ceramic' in the middle to lighten it all up a bit. My lips always feel nice and soft and it seems to last all day without the need for touch ups! Unless I've been eating a lot of course...

I'd definitely recommend these liners if you haven't used them already, especially for a big juicy lip! You can check them out or order them online here, which I personally find to be better as my local store never has them in which is annoying. 

Do any of you have any favourite makeup looks that you just can't shake regardless of the trends?

Alice x

p.s. follow me on Bloglovin' here!

Mini Makeup Haul - Treats From me, to me

When I first started my blog, one of the things that I would go on about is the fact that I always managed to get more for less when it comes to makeup. But after just a few months on the blogosphere I can't help but be drawn to the quality of slightly more expensive brands, and I'm getting into the habit of spending that little (lot) bit more to treat myself. 

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE by budget drugstore brands, I'm currently even trying out the L'Oreal Infallible 24h Matte foundation in a bit to curve my need for MAC Studio Fix Fluid. But, recently I let my excitement get the better of me when I went to the Benefit contouring event in Bristol (you can find my post about it here!). Thankfully though there was a 10% off beauty event at Debenhams that day, so it hurt my purse a little less...

Being a little bit early and seeing the 10% off posters got me way too trigger-happy whilst lurking around the MAC counter, and being the lipstick lover that I am you can tell what I was instantly drawn to. There's a few shades that I've been looking to get for a while now, but with the transition from spring to summer looming I thought it would be nice to go for a lighter, happier colour than all of my deep reds and pinks so that my makeup would look lovely and fresh!

I opted for Patisserie, which is definitely a 'your lips but better' shade. It's actually a lustre lipstick, which is a finish that I tend to avoid because I absolutely hate glittery or shimmery lips, but it really is so subtle that you don't even notice! It just looks lovely and glossy and feels fab too. 

In all honesty, after trying the lipstick on myself at home I do really like it, but as I have fairly dark lips it really is just a shiny version of my own lip colour. It's always nice to put on to finish a neutral face, but it almost looks as if I just have a glossy or creamy finish on. Still love it though!

With the Benefit contouring class being blogging event, I'd already looked in advance to see if there was any goodies that I might want to get, because I don't know about you, but when I go to an event I always feel obliged to buy something? But maybe that's just me. I know that the first one I went to at Lush only gave you a goodie bag once you'd purchased something, so I've probably just taken that as a hint. 

My blusher for the last 2 months or so to keep me going after my Benefit Sugarbomb ran out has been a £1 fab budget buy from MUA, however it's really very bright with an almost fluoro hint to it? So you have to be really sparing when you use it so you don't look like you've been slapped! After loving my last Benefit blush, and also adoring my Hoola, I knew that I wanted to get a new blush from Benefit.

After having my face done for me at the counter I was torn between Dandelion, which is quite a pale blush that Brooke used on my cheeks, and Hervana, which looks like a slightly more berry toned blush. In the end I went for Hervana, partly because it's comprised of four shades rather than one (always more exciting), and also because one of the shades within it is almost identical to dandelion anyway!

Hervana is actually PERFECT for my pale skin as it's a really subtle, natural matte shade when you combine all of them together, and the brush that comes with it is really soft and perfect for a gentle application that finishes your face off really nicely!

The last thing I got was OBVIOUSLY the Roller Lash mascara, which at £19.50 I have no idea why I even considered it, but after (like every other blogger) using my Elle travel size to death, I just knew that I have to have it. Although I do still use my eyelash curlers, the mascara really holds onto my curls and looks so good! The only problem I have with it is that it never seems to fully dry? I don't mean to touch as such, but really that I'm one of those people with the awful habit of picking off mascara, and this one is never hard enough to do that with! My eyelashes will thank me but my bad habit won't!

It may not seem like much, but for me who always gets as much as I can for as little as I can, this is definitely a bit of a splurge for me! At least the 10% off helped to soften the blow. 

Thanks Debenhams!

Do any of you recommend any products for a fresh face for the transition into summer? I'd love to know favourites!

Alice x

p.s. follow me on bloglovin' here!

Contouring Like Kim K at Benefit Bristol

Going to more blogging events is something that I've definitely been trying to do in the last month or so since my first one. In all honesty, I'm a bit too busy to be going to as many as I'd like. HOWEVER, on Thursday I was lucky enough to go to a contouring masterclass event at the Benefit Boutique in Debenhams Bristol!

Personally, I LOVE Benefit makeup, and its one of those brands that I seem to have quite a lot of each year. Particularly as Pappa Phillips takes a trip there every christmas to stock me up for the next few months. So as you can tell I was pretty excited after getting invited post-twitter chat. (Top tip here, really get involved in the twitter chats. You make so many connections with like-minded bloggerss, and loads of opportunities pop up for you!)

Luckily for me, Bristol isn't too far from Cardiff. So it was really easy to pop back to my home city for a few hours.

As it was held in the middle of Debs whilst the store was still open, I wasn't really sure what to expect if I'm honest. This Benefit counter is quite a lot bigger than the others I'm used to, with a brow bar and waxing facilities along with all of the usual candy pink desks and pretty products!

As we arrived we were greeted by the lovely Kirsty who's the manager of the counter, and she was super friendly and chatting away with everyone whilst we were arriving. It makes you feel so much more at ease when you can have a chinwag - makes you realise that you're there to actually have fun!

With drinks and nibbles dotted around, Kirsty started off her contouring masterclass using one of the other Benefit gals Brooke (who believe it or not is only 16?!) who was also really lovely and chatty. She was incredibly tanned too as they'd had a spray tan training day before we got there - perks of the job eh?!

Using the Boing concealers, Kirsty showed us how to highlight and contour the face, painting Brooke in war paint to show us the bits that needed lightening, and also the bits that needed shadow. Both of them also flew a lot of top tips our way too as they were going along (if you didn't already know, don't use bronzer with shimmer or warm tones, because both can end catastrophically!).

To actually blend the contour, Kirsty used some soft little white sponges, continuing on with her movements until it was all worked in properly with no sharp edges. Apparently, it's one of the best ways to get a blend as you can keep dabbing it and working it without taking all of the product off - I think I may have to invest in some beauty sponges now!

The actual 'theme' almost of the night was a focus on their Hoola bronzer, which I've been an addict to for a few years now and love, love, love! So to set this strong contour look, they used a powder for the highlight, and hoola to go over the darker areas to set everything. They finished off with one of their highlighters (I can't remember which - don't shoot me!), and the finished look was amazing. I think it worked even better with her spray tan as she could really go for the strong contour look!

After this (with a lot of pictures from everyone), the two lovely ladies swapped round so that Brooke could do a softer contour look using just the Hoola bronzer. They talked us through every aspect, telling us how to pop it on in the shape of the number three on the side of your face, starting at the edge of the forehead, coming in just under the cheekbones, and then finishing under the jawline. It's literally so easy when you know the tips of the trade!

Excuse the awful picture, it looked decent quality on the small screen of my phone, but apparently I need glasses because it's really blurry! My bad...

The finished look was so soft and easy for everyday. In contrast to the cream contour look with concealer which is really just for nights out, this one looked so natural and was really quick to achieve!

Each of us had our own little station complete with everything we needed to recreate what they'd just shown us, with cotton buds, makeup sponges, cute Benefit mirrors, and also ALL of the other Benefit products at our fingertips incase we wanted to have a play!

Kirsty and Brooke also came round to help us and give us advice for our own face shapes and skin tones, which was super helpful!

I went to the event with Abi Street, who's blog you can find here, and you can see from the pictures that she opted for a soft Hoola contour on her face, particularly as she doesn't tend to wear bags and bags of makeup. It really bought out her cheekbones, and Brooke finished it all off with highlight (possibly High Beam?) and the Havana blush, which is so nice I actually bought one...whoops!

I asked Brooke for some help with a cream contour though - particularly finding one that isn't too drastic for my really pale skin. I've made the rookie before of using contour for people with not-so pale skin, and it's ended up with me looking a bit like I'm in drag in pictures of my night out. Not a great look for me!

She went on top of the makeup I already had on, using Boing in the shade 01 to highlight, and 03 to contour so that it was really subtle. It really didn't feel like I was wearing a lot of makeup either. She set it with Hoola, finishing the look off with High Beam highlighter (for definite this time, I can 100% remember this bit!) and Dandelion blush, which is a really soft pink perfect for spring!

All in all it was a really nice event, and ended in somewhat of a massive group chat with the two girls and all of the other bloggers. Really chilled out with a really nice atmosphere! I picked up some amazing tips from the two lovely ladies that took it, and also managed to pick up a few bits and bobs as well (naughty!) which you can look out for soon. It's killing me not being able to use them yet because I haven't taken pictures - the joys of being a blogger!

Kirsty also mentioned at the end of it that within the next few months there should hopefully be a few more blogging events at their counter as new products are released - think They're Real push up liner in different colours, along with a liquid version of the Hoola bronzer! Definitely deserves another contouring masterclass! So if you're interested get in touch, because she'd love for there to be a few more lovely bloggers there to have a good time!

The Hoola bronze is 100% a makeup staple for me, what kind of products do you guys use for these looks? I wonder if Hoola's a must for any of you as well!

Alice x

p.s. follow me on bloglovin' here!

Ice Cream Heaven from Sundaes Gelato!

Do you ever get those food places that ALL of your social networking friends seem to have been to that you feel like you're desperately missing out on by not having visited? Well, Sundaes Gelato in Bristol City Centre was one of those places for me, and with a constant flow of instagram posts being waved in my face, it didn't take long for me to finally cave and give it a go over the easter break at home.

The first thing I found out about this place when I looked it up to find out where it was is the absolutely ridiculous hours that it stays open! And by ridiculous I don't mean bad ridiculous, I mean ridiculous as in that they are open from 7:30am right through until 11:45pm. They must be crazy! But all the better for people like me who'll probably need to combat some form of sweet craving at an ungodly hour!

It's tucked into a row of shops and doesn't really have any big glowing signs poking out from it, so unless you know exactly where it is, it's not necessarily somewhere that you'd pick out from a distance. 

Inside it's actually really roomy, and almost like an American diner? Or that was the vibe I was getting from it anyway, but i wouldn't take my word for it as I've never actually been to an American diner. Apart from Ed's but I don't really know if that's a legit comparison!

Obviously being a gelato place (the clue is in the name unless you hadn't clocked on) there was going to be a lot to choose from, but I really didn't realise how much there would be until I got there! There were four different units filled with so many different flavours. From fruit sorbets to classic Stracciatella gelato, and others like lemon meringue pie, there really was something for everyone! (ignore the cliche)

However, the bit that I was drawn to was the chocolate section, which I've shown above as it was by far the best bit! All of your favourite chocolate bars made into the scrummiest ice creams ever. Even though I'd seen from my insta-stalking that gelato wasn't all that was on the menu, I was drawn to the idea of the Daim Bar flavour, and it was 100% my first choice. 

It's generally not as badly priced as I think I presumed it would be. It tends to be served in scoops, be it in a cone or cup, with the smallest being £2.50 for one scoop, and the biggest for £4.50 with three scoops. Obviously you can have additional toppings on it like fudge and smarties, but I didn't want any of these so I didn't think to check!

In the end I went for a 3 scoop Daim, Kinder Bueno and Toffee Crisp cup, and it was absolutely HUGE. When they say scoop, they really mean shovel as this thing was definitely piled high! Oli went for Toffee Crisp, Daim and Malteser I think? So I got to try a bit of the malteser too!

On my recommendation, I have to say go for the Kinder Bueno and Malteser and avoid the Daim and Toffee Crisp. They really didn't taste like the chocolate so I was a bit let down, but the Bueno one especially tasted exactly like the bar and was to die for!

I definitely overestimated the serving size, and ended up giving 2/3 scoops to a homeless man in the centre, as it was a lovely day and I felt so horrid leaving so much when someone else could have enjoyed it! So if you do visit this place, definitely downsize rather than step it up because it's a treat!

I think that next time (and there definitely will be a next time) I might order something from the hot menu instead. Although this place is all about the ice cream, they have a pretty funky menu of waffles and crepes covered in chocolate sauce, M&M's and the like that are all around the same price range if I remember rightly. I should have taken a picture of the menu to be honest but I was too preoccupied with my mountain of ice cream! Some girls next to us had an M&M crepe, which I think is why it springs to mind as an example, and it looked absolutely incredible!

If you're ever around Bristol city centre, pop round to Baldwin Street and have a look! It's almost certainly going to be open whatever the time!

Have you got any sweet spots to recommend?

Alice x

p.s. follow me on bloglovin' here!

Exciting things to come! (Welsh and South West bloggers get involved!)

As you may (or may not, awkward if it's this one though..) have been able to tell, the past few weeks I've been a bit AWOL, with a lack of posts and involvement in the blogosphere. BUT, I haven't forgotten about you - I PROMISE!

There's been a bit of a bad combination going on for me recently. My laptop gave up the ghost just as we came into the easter hols, so I've been without possibly the most necessary tool for blogging for the past few weeks, and that combined with the stress of four looming university deadlines and I was not in a good place. 

However, there are lots of exciting things coming up! 

First off is events, and there is one in particular that I'd like to share. As you can tell from the Welsh and South West mention in the title, there's a little something going on in Cardiff on Tuesday the 28th April. It's called Fashion A La Mode, and it's being organised by a few people including my pal and fellow blogger Abi Street. 

It's from 6-11 at The Wharf in Cardiff bay, and it's basically a fashion and beauty event for charity, which should be really fun.

If you're interested at all then there's more info on Abi's blog post about it, so get involved!

There's another few lined up, such as a Benefit event in Bristol (it's handy having your home city so close by!), so keep an eye out for a post on that too!

Lastly, and one of the things I wanted to mention the most is actually a sort of collaboration that I've been doing with Voucher Codes Pro. After a Boots twitter chat a few weeks ago about our top beauty tips (I think it was #giveitago) that was hosted by A Little Obsessed amongst others, one of the girls from the Voucher Codes Pro team contacted me via my blog email to see if I wanted to get involved with an A-Z Beauty Glossary that they were compiling. 

Obviously my answer was hell yeah! And although all of the best letters went pretty darn quickly, I snapped up 'D' to give my top tip about dry shampoo. Hopefully they should be posting it soon, so as soon as they do I'll let you know. But here's an awkward action shot for you to keep you going in the meantime!

As soon as my deadlines are done I'll be back to my full undivided attention - until then keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming posts about what I've been up to and the events coming up!

Much love, 

Alice x

p.s. follow me on bloglovin' here!

Nail Fun - The Basics

Something that I don't think I've mentioned at all yet on my blog is the fact that I love playing around with nail varnishes. Nails were my first love waaaay before I even started to get so into makeup products.It's actually so easy and fun and it really does make a difference to how your hands look - think a lovely manicure with something a bit more exciting thrown in. 

(Mega apologies for the state of the pictures, I ended up having to print screen all of them from instagram after a phone reboot, and so the quality and editing is absolutely awful! Plus my hands look kinda gross. Please dont hate me...)

To make any kind of nail look extra special, there's literally only 4 essentials that you need:

1. Nail Varnishes (obviously, but different colours)

2. A Clear Topcoat

3. A Black Nail Art Pen

4. A White Nail Art Pen

If you don't have any nail art pens, really thin brushes will do with normal black and white nail varnish, but it's just an absolute mare to clean and you never get quite the same effect! Just make sure with the pens that they have not only the thin nib, but also the super thin long brush inside for easy stripes!

I just thought I'd include a few examples of things that I've done in the past for some inspiration of just what you can do! The colours other than black and white that I've drawn on are just blobs of normal nail varnish tactically dabbed in the right place - the flowers really are so easy!

These nails were inspired by one of my friends who had nail extensions done with a similar pattern. I put a matte topcoat on the white, and blobbed different pinks on some of the nails to come up with a sort of rose pattern? If that's what you can call it. With dabs of green around the outside, and neat monochrome stripes on the rest of it done with a steady hand and my nail art pen! (I currently use the WAHnails pens!)

The nails in the above picture were actually really hard and my right hand looked nothing like this - I'm not ambidextrous although I wish I was! These were some really old ones that I did for glastonbury, with coloured shapes outlined to make floral patterns on a plain white background! Believe me, white and black varnishes will forever be your best friend - both as a base and a pattern. Monochrome forever!

Another thing you can do, which admittedly I've given up on as for me they ALWAYS seem to fall off the next day, is stick little gems on in pretty places for a 3D effect. The blue with the paisley was my favourite, and paisley is actually so easy to do! I've seem similar prints with more angles in which is more of a scarf pattern, but I'm still yet to try that one!

What I'm really trying to say is that with sunnier weather coming up and tootsies and spring colours coming out, it's the perfect time for a play around! It's so simple, and even if you don't have a steady hand, teeny changes like dots or a cute rhinestone can make all the difference. 

I've replaced my nail pens so many times (particularly the black!) as I can use it on almost any lighter base colour, and the more you play the more you want to do!

Do any of you ever have a go at nail art?

What do you think?

Alice x

p.s. follow me on bloglovin' here!