DUCKSOUP | Soho

After staying in on Friday and Saturday due to a Fibro flare up; I was delighted when Bets asked if I wanted to have a luxury lunch at Ducksoup, Soho as a belated Birthday treat. Of course I did! I browsed the menu on the way to meet her and I was salivating at everything from the cocktails to the main courses!

I've never been to Ducksoup before but I love going to places that Bethany picks because she has the best taste and I trust her with my (food) life. This place is teeny tiny and very snug but even though it was busy; it was nice busy. Bets and I could hear each other easily and playing in the background was a record player that you could play their selection of vinyl on - a nice touch don't you think?

My beautiful babe, Bets and inside the exceptionally cosy Ducksoup

We got stuck in and ordered a cocktail each. I went with a Negroni and Bets had a blood orange and mescal cocktail. They were were pretty small, but certainly packed a punch! The slice of dried orange in mine was a welcome addition and the only negative thing I have to say about them is that they weren't big enough!

Now, considering I love the finer things in life, I have never tried oysters before. I think this might be due to the fact I once witnessed my Mum being verrrrry sick thanks to food poisoning from oysters. As I previously mentioned though, I trust Bets and considering they had oysters on their menu for £2 each - how could we resist? I know lots of people like tabasco sauce on them but I dislike hot stuff so we simply enjoyed them with a little fresh lemon squirted on the top... I AM A CONVERT. I absolutely loved it! I could have eaten tonnes of them!

For starters we decided to pick two dishes and share them. We nibbled on beautiful chunks of Finocchiona (salami) and chewed on their wonderful lamb riblets which were mega tasty. They came away from the bone so easily and the yoghurt and sesame seeds were the perfect accompaniment. I'm annoyed that sadly I didn't snap a pic of these two dishes!

For our mains we picked their Mozzarella, salted anchovies and green beans and also the chargrilled Quail which was served with faro, mint and green beans. Both of these dishes were so nice. Although it seems like we ordered a lot for a lunch; the dishes are all relatively light and great to graze on!

After the cocktail was out of the way we moved onto a nice glass of their white wine and it was bloody tasty (that's my professional opinion for you right there).

Our lunch was such a treat and if you are in Soho and fancy browsing a beautiful, eclectic menu and trying some tasty seasonal dishes; I highly recommend you pop in!

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All Star Lanes | Holborn, London.

A few weeks ago, Callie and I headed to All Star Lanes in Holborn for a Barry M beauty event. The event focused on Barry M's Quick Dry Speedy Nails range and the venue was very fitting. The event itself was held in their private bowling room which included a bar and seating area but after the event we treated ourselves to a meal in the main restaurant.

I've been to All Star Lanes a few times and I always have a splendid time there. I've been there to bowl with my pals and to sip cocktails on a date but this was my first time eating there and I wasn't disappointed.

Callie and I both fancied something naughty to eat and drink and All Star Lanes definitely has some very naughty but nice things on the menu! I picked a Lemonade Float and Callie got a Coke Float and there's something really nostalgic about these kind of drinks. I love scooping the frothy ice-cream off the top and I love how the ice cream makes the lemonade all creamy. I didn't fancy a starter as I knew the main would be hearty and thank god I didn't get one because my Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger was huge and insanely nice! The burger has lime and chilli slaw in it and a chipotle mayo which I didn't fancy as there's something about chipotle that I don't like. There are lots of sides to choose from but I went with sweet potato fries which are my fave. Cal and I shared a pudding and although I prefer savoury food, I LOVED the dessert. We got the Blueberry Cheesecake Jar which is topped with crumbled Oreo biscuit. OMG it was so good!

All the mains are well priced, well below £20 (apart from the whole lobster which is £27.50) and even if you don't fancy going for a bowl, if you want some american style munch - I'd highly recommend going there for a meal.

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Gods Own Junkyard | London Hot Spots

Something I thought I'd feature more of here was lifestyle type posts. Living in London means that I get to go to some pretty cool events, restaurants, shows etc and I thought that it might be nice to start showing you guys what I get up to. Before I start bashing out posts about restaurants and cool, quirky spots in London; is this something you'd be interested in seeing?

I apologise if you answered 'no' to the above question as this post is going to be all about one of my fave spots in London. Gods Own Junk Yard is literally heaven on earth for me. I enjoy tat, vintage stuff and OTT interiors and this place is just the BEST PLACE EVER. Hidden away on an industrial estate in Walthamstow, North London GOJY is basically a big warehouse, full of vintage/retro lights and tucked away in the corner is a wee cafe where you can sit amongst the flashing lights and sip on prosecco/tea/beer. The lights are for sale but they carry hefty price tags; I wish I could fill my house with them!! I'd have them in every room.

I recently went with my best friend for an afternoon drink and obviously I took a thousand pictures of the decor. Who could blame me though? It's just so exciting in there because there's so much to take in and look at!

Here are some of my favourite shots from the day and hopefully they'll inspire you to take a peek next time you have a spare hour or two in London.

I really want to do a proper outfit post here, how good would that be?!

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Barry M | AW14 Shadow & Blush palettes review

Barry M have recently launched some new palettes perfect for AW and I have been lucky enough to try two of them out.

First up is the Starry Eyed Shadow & Blush Palette (Limited Edition)* which is £6.49 and available via ASOS here. Barry M present their shadows and blushes' in cardboard cases and I quite like this presentation method as it means all the colours you need are in one place and you don't have to have a million separate pots cluttering up your makeup drawer. They can get a little battered if you cart them around in your bag however! This palette consists of six eye shadows, a blush for your cheeks and two eyeshadow applicators.

The six eyeshadow colours are divine! From left to right there is a warm tan matte shadow, a stunning midnight blue which is metallic, a rich terracotta matte reddy brown, a cool metallic golden shadow, a rich dark chocolate brown matte and the last shadow is a reddy brown shimmery shadow. At the end of the palette is a fab corally pink blush which is perfect for me as I am trying to move away from always wearing bright pink blushers. The pigmentation, as with most Barry M products is very good, it's well worth the £6.49 price tag and I will be experimenting with these colours over the next few weeks - watch this space for pictures in my future blog posts.

Barry M Starry Eyed Shadow and Blush swatches 

The next palette I want to talk you through is the Natural Glow 2 Shadow and Primer Palette* which is also £6.49 and available via ASOS here. This palette consists of three matte shadows, three shimmer eyeshadows and a yellowish toned eyeshadow primer. The shadows are very pigmented, but also very soft and this can result in a bit of product fall out. Be careful that you keep the shadows away from the primer as the soft cream primer will attract specs of the eyeshadows. From left to right there is a matte yellow cream shadow, a matte light grey shadow, a matte minky mauve coloured shadow, a golden shimmer shadow, a shimmery mauve shadow and a shimmery red/purple brown. At the end is the primer and the yellow tones in this will help even out your complexion if you suffer with a darker eye socket. This palette also comes with two eyeshadow applicators and is the sequel to Barry Ms Natural Glow palette. This is a fab palette if you want to give eyeshadows a go but you aren't into bold colours. The neutrals will be perfect for day time use and you can build on the look with the darker jewelled tones for a night time look.

Barry M Natural Glow 2 Shadow & Primer swatches

Well my friends I hope you found this post useful, let me know if you enjoy my beauty posts as much as my outfit posts - I want to try and do more of them as I adore beauty and skin care and I get quite a lot of questions about my routines so I thought I should try and share them with you all a bit more.

*PR samples

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Totally Tropical | FD Avenue - Tropical Floral Dress Review

Every now and then a brand pops up that I've not heard of before and I see an item of clothing that catches my eye. It's even better when I find out they stock my size and they carry a plus size range.

FD Avenue tweeted a picture of this Tropical Floral Print dress and boy did the print jump out at me! It was love at first sight. You must have noticed along the way that I have a thing for printed body cons right?

When FD Avenue got in touch with me and offered me the chance to review an item,  I was more than happy to say yes and chose this dress. I wasn't sure of their sizing so I sized up considerably and went for the 24-26 although I normally wear a 20; I wanted to make sure it fit. I am happy I did size up as for me, the fit is perfect. It is tight and follows my curves but it isn't too clingy on my belly. (Please note I am not wearing any shape wear in these pictures but in future I will when I wear this dress.

I adore the fit of this dress, the subtle sweetheart neckline, the length, the print and the brilliant white base colour of the dress. The one thing that lets this dress down in my opinion is the straps. I like that they are adjustable and that they are neon pink but they are far too thin and flimsy and they feel like a bit of an after thought. The dress is very well priced at £18.99, they regularly do offers and you can also get this dress in a variety of different prints. Check out the rest of their 'Curvy' range here.

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Glasses | Specspost

I wear lenses all the time and I wouldn't be able to see a thing without them. I sadly can't wear contacts often due to my Fibro giving me dry eyes so I like to make sure I really like my glasses and I tend to pick statement frames.

Specspost kindly gifted me a pair to review and I was excited to get a new pair as I recently sat on my other ones and made them incredibly wonky. The site is easy to navigate and the online form you have to fill in with your prescription details is clear and easy to follow.

I chose this duo tone pair as I used to have a pair like this and loved them. I am dead chuffed with these as the clear part of the frame lets you see more of your eyes and opens them up a bit. My eyes are my favourite feature and I do miss having a frame free face a lot of the time. I tend to take my glasses off for posed pictures but since I have had these, I've left them on a lot more. You can pick the type of lense you want and they also do prescription sunglasses. Can I give you a heads up? The prices are amazing so I highly recommend you checking them out if you are after a new pair of glasses.

I'm glad I can go to my friends wedding next week without having to wear a wonky pair of glasses!

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Carmakoma comes to Evans.

In the last month Evans has introduced a number of brands as part of their Brand Edit. Danish brand Carmakoma is one of those brands and when Evans contacted me and asked if I would like to try some of their pieces I jumped at the chance. Carmakoma has been on my radar for a long time but I've never bought anything from them. I've always seen their clothes on other bloggers and enjoy following their social media pages but for some reason I've never actively gone online to shop their garments.

Now that Carmakoma is available online and in some Evans stores I feel like it's going to be a lot more accessible and I like that I will be able to go into a store and try on the clothes. 

Anyway, on to the clothes! The price points for Carmakoma are a little higher than I would normally pay for clothes BUT if you are after some investment pieces, this is a brand you should investigate. 

I picked this Smudge Print Dress to try and the Lightweight Coat and I am really happy with both pieces. I feel really grown up in this outfit but I can also see myself wearing this dress with bright high heels for a night out with my friends.

The dress is really lovely and light but it doesn't cling to my lumps and bumps like a lot of dresses tend to. The shape is really flattering and you can't really tell from my pictures, but the back hem is slightly lower which I like because when I wear this with my legs on show I like the fact the back of my knees will be covered up.

The jacket, although long sleeved and black is nice and lightweight (as the name suggests) and it'll be perfect for when I go out in the evening and I want to make sure I have a coat with me when I'm falling out of the bar at god knows what time of night ;) The boucle fabric and the popper fastenings on the front jazz this jacket up and I like that although the sleeves are long, I can roll them up my chubby arms. I accessorised todays outfit with my wide fit boots from New Look and an old necklace from H&M which is silver AND NOT GOLD....god, I've changed! 

SHOP MY LOOK 

Check out Carmakoma here and also take a look at the other brands Evans now stock, I love that our options for plus size clothing is forever increasing! 

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Simply Be Jacquard Dress

I've been on the hunt for three outfits that are wedding appropriate and my gosh have I found it tricky. Now, there are plenty of beautiful dresses out there but you know when you have a check list and nothing quite matches up, well this is what I have continuoulsy found. I keep spotting gorgeous dresses online, ordering them and when I try them on... theres always something not quite right about them.

I ordered this jacquard dress from Simply Be as it instantly caught my eye on the site. It's a little more conservative compared to the types of dresses I normally wear but I thought the icey blue colour was really different and I love the fact it looks like a co-ordinating set. I sized up by two sizes and it was the right thing to do. Dresses like this, with no stretch tend to be very clingy on my belly - not something I want when looking at myself in wedding photos! The jacquard fabric is thick and heavy and it looks like a really expensive dress. I stepped into this dress and my Mum zipped me into it, bare this in mind if you are home alone ;)

Now, I LOVE this dress but sadly it is just too short for me. I wouldn't feel comfortable in it at the wedding. It deserves to be worn at a wedding with your legs on show and sadly I am not a massive fan of mine from the knees up. The dress has a slit at the back which also shows off a little too much of the backs of my legs. If this dress was slightly longer... I would have definitely chosen this for one of the three weddings I am attending this summer. If you don't mind having your legs out or you are happy to wear this with tights, this is honestly a beautiful dress worth trying out.

HERE'S HOW I WOULD STYLE THIS DRESS FOR A WEDDING

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Criss Cross

You may or may not know but Boohoo recently launched a plus size range and after attending their launch event (which you can read about here) I was kindly asked to pick some pieces to review.

One of the pieces I chose was this criss cross print swing dress. Being a fan of black and white, this swing dress caught my eye and I thought it would be a perfect jazzy basic to own.

Now, as you will have read from my previous boohoo post, I am a fan of this range. I am happy us bigger girls now have another high street shop to shop in, I am happy it is a very affordable range, I am happy with how this collection looks and I am excited to watch it grow and change each season. I am sadly not entirely happy with this dress.

The print is brilliant. I love the monochrome, un-even painted feel to it. I like that it is a swing dress with long arms, perfect for this time of year when just as the sun comes out, it is covered up by a huge fluffy cloud. I like that the neck line isn't too high. I have a few swing dresses and the necklines are all very high. With this one, I find it is a good shape on me and means you get to see a teeny bit of flesh!

There are two issues with this dress that mean that for me, it's not ideal. The length is wayyyyyy too short and I would 100% not wear this without a thick pair of leggings. The fabric is also a little too flimsy as well. I like that it is cotton and feels very cool on, but being so thin...it shows every lump and bump I have. I sized up in this style, to a 22 and normally that would mean a dress like this would be huge on me, but actually...I could have even done with going up to a 24! I have heard quite a few bloggers discussing the sizing issues so I hope this is something they will take on board as they receive more feedback.

Dress - c/o Boohoo
Boots - old River Island
Bag - old Topshop
Sunglasses - New Look
Necklace - Topshop
Lipstick - Chanel in La Diva

I paired this dress with some patent cut out boots, a bright pink bag, my new clear sunnies, perspex and gold chain necklace and a slick of my favourite Chanel lippy. I am actually reasonably happy with how the photos came out and will continue to wear this dress but I am sadly not in love with it. I do however LOVE the other item I was gifted and am looking forward to showing you that gem! I will find the perfect thing to wear with it and make sure I post about it asap.

Please excuse how few and far between my blog posts have been and I apologise in advance for the lack of posts in the next few weeks (if you are even at all bothered haha) Tomorrow I move back to London so you can imagine how hectic things will be for me. I shall try and post as regularly as possible though!

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Sleek Brow Kit review

In the past I haven't done anything to my brows. They have been the same shape for as long as I can remember and I only pluck the strays in the centre to stop me from having a mono brow and the odd stray ones underneath.

As part of my make up routine, I have always just swept clear mascara over them to tidy them up and set them in place. This previously had always been good enough for me. I have steered clear of getting them tinted, threaded, shaped, waxed and just simply kept them as the bushy beasts they are. I like how they frame my face and I like them to be a strong feature.

I had noticed a fair few brow products on the market and although I'd seen reviews of them and thought they looked great, I'd not tried any myself. This all changed when I was in Superdrug the other day and I spotted the Sleek Brow Kit and decided to take the plunge!

I chose the 'Dark' kit and I can happily say it's the perfect shade for me. They do 'Light', 'Dark', 'Extra Dark' and 'Black'. Included in the set is some setting powder, shaping wax, an angled brush, a blending brush and a mini set of tweezers.

Now, you might read my way of doing things and be like 'erm, Danie why are you doing it that way?' but to be honest.... that isn't my problem ha ha. I've found a way I like using the kit and it's perfect for me and the effect I'm going for.

Firstly I still like to sweep my brows with a clear mascara. I use a cheap and cheerful one from Seventeen. This sets them in place and allows me to see what shape I'm working with. You can use the tweezers at this stage to neaten them up if you spot any strays. I don't love any of the brushes that the set comes with, but they will do until I can afford to treat myself to some better ones.

After the mascara has dried, I then like to use the powder, on the angled brush to create the desired shape that I like. Now, I've seen on other reviews and even the Sleek Makeup site that they suggest you use the wax and then the powder but for some reason I like to use them the other way round. Once I have used the angled brush to draw an outline around the brow, I then fill in the brow with some of the powder. You can use as much or as little as you like to build up the desired look.

Once I have filled the brow in with powder, I then set the hair with the shaping wax. Again, everyone else does it the other way round but I love how mine turn out doing it this way so I shall stick to what I l know. I use the shaping wax with the blending brush and sweep it across my entire brow. The wax slicks the hairs down and voila... they are done.

I love, love, love this kit and it's going to be a staple in my routine from now on. I think the price of £8.49 is great as I can't see it running out any time soon.

What do you use on your eyebrows guys? Do you use a kit like this? Maybe you use the pricier version from Benefit called Brow Zings?

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