Date Night...The Pipe and Glass

So last night was date night and despite still being quite poorly (I am feeling much, much worse today, boo!), I was excited to get all dressed up and try somewhere new! 

I am really enjoying applying my makeup recently as I have expanded my collection and have some lovely products to play with! I tend to always stay quite classic with my makeup. My favourite eras are the 1920s and 1940s so I love to incorporate this when doing my makeup regardless of the occasion! My number one staple is a red lip...I am rarely seen without my trusty lipstick, except when I'm playing with darker shades, but last night was all about a bold red lip. My favourite red shade at the minute is MAC's Satin M.A.C Red! I am also partial to a winged eye most of the time now that I have discovered Soap & Glory's Supercat liquid eyeliner pen. It is so incredibly easy to apply, I would highly recommend!

I like to keep my hair fairly simple when I am off out, so last night just went for no fuss, soft waves like so...

My outfit for the night was something I was incredibly excited to wear! I LOVE monochrome, so I instantly fell in love with this princess A-line scuba skirt from ASOS. It was a pretty little bargain as well for £35! I finished it off with just a plain ivory cami and 20s style sequined clutch bag both from New Look, GORGEEEEOUS strappy sandals from Kurt Geiger (and all of my jewelry that you probably can't even see was from Accessorize!)

My beautiful other half scrubs up well too, whaddaya think??

So gladrags on, and a thousand selfies later, we were on our way! Our destination of choice was The Pipe and Glass Inn which is an adorable little pub slash restaurant in the nearby village of South Dalton. And it's only got a bloomin' Michelin Star hasn't it?!

I've only had one other fine dining  experience on our engagement night, so I was super excited for this!

We drove for a couple of miles through pretty villages in the pitch black and pulled up outside this adorable quaint looking pub...

It even had these cute little pumpkins outside, perfect for Halloween!

 I won't massively bore you with every little detail about our meal...spoiler...IT WAS FANTASTIC...but I'll just share my photos with you! Every course I had was amazing, and I made a point of trying out things that I've never had before cos I might never have the opportunity again! 

 For starter I had a delish watercress and blue cheese soup with some posh mini cheddars and crusty bread, and then for my main course I chose the guinea fowl (which I was pleased to find out WAS NOT guinea pig!), which came with a gorgeous risotto and butternut squash pureé. Everyone else went for the roast beef which looked insane but I was feeling a lot more adventurous than them apparently. And to top it all off I was the only one to order dessert, because, well why not?! I went for the deliciously autumnal chocolate honeycomb and cinder toffee ice cream which was well worth it! 

The only downside to the whole night was that I was feeling cruddy, so I'll definitely have to pay another visit the The Pipe and Glass but I thoroughly enjoyed all of my dinner and the lovely company of course! The last bits I'll share with you are just a couple of interior shots that I think are so lovely, especially the coal fire!

Definitely the best date night I've had in a while, and if you're ever in the Beverley area I'd definitely pay The Pipe and Glass Inn a visit!

As for me now, I have a hot date with a Beechams and my bed, but let me know about any fab date nights you've had recently!

Always, Alice x

Sick Day Routine

My terrible immune system strikes again and I'm having one of those days where you feel absolutely AWFUL. You know the drill...constant runny nose, horrific headache, no energy whatsoever and a the desire to fall asleep every five seconds...yummy. 

After a lot of sneezing and feeling sorry for myself later, I thought I'd turn my current germ-infested state into something productive and share my sick day routine with all you lovely people. It involves lots of coziness and relaxing to revitalise the mind and body and hopefully feel better tomorrow (I'm off for a swanky meal tomorrow, so I bloomin' well hope I feel better!)

1. Run a steaming hot bubble bath...

Honestly I do not think there is a better remedy when you're feeling cruddy, and as they saying goes, you need to sweat it out! Of course bathtime at this time of year wouldn't be complete without something Lush related, so I brought out my Magic Wand Bubble Bar, as I love the scent and find it so incredibly relaxing!

 2. Choose the perfect pamper products...

When I'm feeling rubbish, I normally look a complete mess too! So I always like to pamper myself in some way whether it's giving myself a manicure or a facial. Today I decided I was feeling a little too fragile to spend ages messing around with my skin so I opted instead for a simple face mask. I am loving the Superdrug range of face masks which are super cheap but work wonders. I went today for the Super Berry exfoliating mask as it smells amazing and makes my skin feel AMAZING. I also decided to try out The Candy Jar's Marshallow Hearts shower and bath gel that I picked up from Tesco the other day. It smells so gorgeous and lovely, and was quite fitting with my princess pink bubble bath!

3. Light some candles...

For a super relaxing bathtime, filling the edge of the bath with candles is a must. I am loving the Frosted Blackberry candle I picked up from Matalan recently (£3, and it's massive!), so I had to use that and then popped a few tealights in my adorable vintage tealight holders. Even though it was mid afternoon when I took my bath, it was quite a dreary day today so my bathroom looked so nice and cosy!

4. Lay back and relax...

No explaination necessary really! Just let all your stress and worries melt away and enjoy some 'me' time

5. Put on some cosy PJs...

I love this spotty owl print set that I treated myself to from New Look (my other half reckons I look like a granny, but I love them!) It's important to keep warm if you're feeling rubbish and these are just so cosy and soft!

The 'Could I feel any more sorry for myself?' face...

6. Don't forget the fluffy socks too!

I literally ALWAYS have cold hands and feet, which probably explains why I'm always under the weather as I'd never ever wear socks. So I invested in some fuzzy socks that keep my little trotters nice and toasty...

7. Get yourself a soothing, hot cup of tea...

At the minute I am absolutely loving green tea, and especially Twinings Gingerbread green tea! It literally smells like christmas and gingerbread men and it is so amazingly delicious that you all need to try it ASAP! Plus it's healthy and gives you a little energy boost...perfect! Also how adorable is my little owl mug, just saying!

8. Get snug and relax!

I'm not much of a film person, as I'm almost guaranteed to fall asleep after the first 10 minutes, so I'll get nice and toasty in bed and put on a favourite TV programme like Gossip Girl or Friends that I can watch about 20 episodes in a row of! Or more recently I'll indulge in my favourite Youtubers for a couple of hours before bedtime, yay!

Here's hoping I'll feel better tomorrow as I have an outfit planned that I really do not want to waste!

Let me know your sick day or pamper essentials!

Time to get snug and relax...

Always, Alice x

Product Recommendations...

In the past couple of weeks, I have made a list longer than my arm of all the different beauty and hair products that I am eager to try. These are all based on other blogger recommendations, which means they should be A-MAAAZING right? A few trips into my local beauty departments, and a small fortune spent later, I managed to track down a few of the items on my list, and am excited to share my opinions on them with you! 

Bourjous Magic Nail Polish Remover

I'm sure you've all seen this little pink pot of amazingness before. It's done the rounds of most prestigious bloggers favourites and I am holding my hands up and telling you all that it is just as magic as everyone bangs on about!
It makes nail painting so much less of a chore, and you're not forced to use a whole wad of cotton wool pads trying to get that stubborn red nail varnish off. You just stick your finger the spongey little hole, (minds out of the gutter, people!) wait a couple of seconds and voila! It's as easy as that, and to add to the magic, it smells amazing and leaves your nails and fingers feeling super soft and nourished! I'd give this a million thumbs up any day!

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Again, I've heard such good things about various different brands of Micellar water, and having stumbled upon this little bargain (RRP £4.99, but a cheeky £2.99 in Savers!) I was excited to try it. I've always used makeup wipes, not really tapping in to how gross they actually are, so when I heard about this I was excited to see the benefits to my skin and if it would remove my makeup any better. IT IS AMAZING. You barely need to use any of this to do the job - just a few dots on a cotton pad and your makeup literally melts away, even the eyeliner that normally won't budge. Such a beauty must have, I'll never use another makeup wipe again!

Revlon Black Cherry Super Lustrous Lipstick

Having been pinned as the drugstore lip shade of Autumn, I was interested to leave behind my trusty plum MAC and try this little badboy out for a while. I. AM. HOOKED. It is super pigmented and seems to last a hell of a lot longer than my MAC version, which at a fraction of the price is amazing! I find it doesn't bleed onto the skin around my lips either like some other dark lip shades I've tried. I'll definitely be keeping this in my makeup bag for a long while to come!

MUA Undressed Eyeshadow Palette

A funny story comes with this one, as I've actually purchased this twice. The first one I bought met an unfortunate fate with a bedroom wall after being hurtled across the room by my boyfriend mid-strop. As it was an absolute steal at  £4 I didn't mind buying it again as I was enjoying using it...although this time it is staying well out of reach of my delightful other half. Having been labelled as the budget alternative to the Naked palettes, I snapped it up instantly. It does the job for the amount I've paid for it and some of the colours are super pretty and blend brilliantly! The only criticism I have is that a couple of the lighter shades are fairly translucent and not as pigmented as the rest but I'm just being picky! I'd add this to your wishlists if you can't afford the pricier stuff!

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter

At the same time as buying the MUA palette, I picked up this too, after hearing it was a little treasure in itself. At only £3 it has a beautiful marbled texture and is a lovely colour. I found it is quite hard to apply however, which sounds silly from the likes of a powder. I felt like I was applying loads and loads of this and it didn't really show on my skin! I did notice a slight shimmer though eventually so for £3 I can't really complain. I have recently been using Benefit's Watts Up highlighter instead though and found that was a much pricier product but one with instantly better reviews.

Lush Snow Fairy

As you may have seen in previous posts, I am a recent Lush obsessive. In my second trip there in as many days, I went back to pick up this little baby (and a few other little beauties too!). I've seen many an instagram post featuring this so I wanted to see what all the fuss is about. OH SWEET JESUS. It is the best smell I think I have ever been blessed  to smell. Melodramatics aside, it is rather pricey...this little bottle was £7.50 for 250ml! A bit excessive but nice as a little treat and I've heard it makes its way into the Boxing Day sale so I'll definitely be back for more when it's a little cheaper!


What are your must-have items this A/W? I'd love to try out some more of your recommendations!

Always, Alice x

Little Box O' Blushes

I was seen again lurking around the Benefit concession at Browns, and after reading a few glowing reviews (ha ha!) I decided to pick up this little treat!

The Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes features the full range of Benefit face powders, including the famous Hoola bronzer and the Rockateur blush! It also has a little sample size Watts Up highlighter to try as well!

I've always had a bit of a love hate relationship with blushers and face powders as every one that I try just seems to evaporate into my very pale skin, so I was reluctant to choose just one of these individually in case it was a disappointment and waste of my money, as Benefit is of course expensive! 

I'm very excited by this adorable little tin though, and for £29.50 for the whole set, it was a bargain really too. After hearing rave reviews about the Hoola bronzer, I am excited to try that one the most to see if it can bring me a healthy glow to my otherwise translucent skin.

I'd definitely recommend this palette, even just for it's adorable packaging! If you've seen my previous blog posts, you'll know I already have the similarly designed eye palette and I'll almost certainly be going back for more! They make great gifts too, perfect for that beauty obsessed relative this christmas.

What are your favourite Benefit products?

Always, Alice x

Homeware Wishlist!

As what normally happens on a Thursday evening, myself and my other half develop ginormous cravings for anything and everything that resembles food, so we take a "quick" trip to the supermarket to stock up.

A drive to our local Tesco and a trolley full of sugar and fat later, we were on our way out when I spotted the newest Tesco Home catalogue. I'm a sucker for homeware, so added this to my trolley to have a gander at later. 

I now want everything inside.

The front cover just screams "Rustic Charm" and what better place to get inspiration from than a purse-friendly supermarket? 

The rest of the catalogue is full of autumn colours and fabrics, and everything looks so expensive and luxurious but probably, in reality, it's all actually really affordable!
I'm not fortunate to own my own house yet, but a decade long obsession with furnishing houses on The Sims has me so excited over cushions and candles and all things home related that I can't wait to have my own bit of space to decorate to my liking.

So, for a minute, let's just imagine I have this lovely little house that is crying out for some interior design. Here are my top picks from the A/W collections that I would most certainly add to my home given the chance!

All items shown are current stock available from Tesco

I'd love to hear what homeware collections you are loving this A/W season, as I'm always looking for new inspiration! Follow me on Bloglovin' or Instagram if you'd like to see more of me!

Always, Alice x

Day with mother bear...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day with my MUMMY! I don't get to see her often as we live quite far apart and neither of us are fortunate enough to drive (just yet!) so it was nice to have the opportunity to spend some time with her! 
I met her in Hull, where we popped to Caffé Nero for a scrumptious coffee and cake date and a much needed catch up. How delicious does that Red Velvet cake look?! 
We then did some shopping (inevitably I bought more Lush stuff, I am now obsessed, oh no!) and headed back to my old home, my mummy's house!

It was weird being in the house I grew up in, and feel like a guest rather than a resident. And it got me to thinking how so much has changed in the last two years! I have moved into a lovely town, am engaged to the best person ever, and have a full time job that I absolutely love, so I have a lot to be thankful for and to be honest I owe a lot of it to my mum. 

I grew up on a council estate in Hull, and while it's definitely not the worst area ever, it still has this stigma of being full of chavs and deadbeats. And while me and my little brother didn't live in the biggest house in the nicest area, our childhood was not a bad one, very far from it! And that's all owed to my fantastic mother. We never wanted for anything, and always made sure we had nice things despite not being filthy rich. She's also instilled in us over the years that if we want anything we need to work hard for it and that it's not just going to fall at our feet. We bicker just as much as the next mother-daughter pairings and we are the total opposite of each other in nearly every way, but I will always be proud to call that little lady my mother.

A bit of a random post tonight my loves, but I was feeling sentimental and thought I'd take a break from all the beauty stuff for a day! 

Let me know in the comments what the best memories you have with your lovely mums too, I'd love to read them :)

As for me, I need to get ready for work!
Always, Alice x

Lush Haulin'

Today I had my first Lush experience and lord above, I AM CONVERTED!

I've read countless bath bomb reviews and seen many a vlog hauls, so I thought I'd finally see what all the fuss was about! My local store is only a small one, but it was filled with so many sweet-smelling treats that I filled my basket in the blink of an eye. 

'You're not supposed to eat it!'

I picked up a few bath bombs, some bubble bars and a couple of other treats and I already want to go back! The only bad points were that they were sold out of the 'Northern Lights' bath bomb (which is the one that I wanted the most!) and after hearing brilliant things about the face scrubs I was a bit disappointed to see how small the pots where, so I had to leave that for another day. The staff were nothing but helpful and I will definitely be back for more!

Here is a quick rundown of everything I bought...

'Granny Takes A Dip' bath bomb

This is the one that I am most excited to use! It smells divine and I've heard the colours in it are AMAZING! A bit pricier than the rest but I'll probably chop it in half and save the rest for later.

'So White' bath bomb

This one is understated on appearance but the smell is gorgeous! It smells like apples, and I can only imagine how lovely bathtime will be with this one!

'Magic Wand' bubble bar 

I was a bit dubious about this one at first due to the price but then I learned it was reusable and was sold! It smells so sweet and sugary, and I love the concept of waving it under the running water like an actual fairy wand - SO CUTE!

'Popcorn' lip scrub

All year round I am burdened with horrifically dry lips, so I invested this little pot of magic to help me out! The lady at the till advised me to try it beforehand as it's a bit like the marmite of lip scrubs - you either love it, or hate it - and I bloomin' love it! It's salty and sweet all at the same time, and after one application when I arrived home, my lips have never felt better. You only need to use a teeny amount as well, so this one will last forever!

'Brightside' bubble bar

This is hands down my favourite purchase of the day as it's smell is SOOOO GOOD. It smells so citrusy and orangey which is my favourite scent ever, so I seriously cannot wait to use this one! It's huge as well so it'll last me a few baths at least!

'Candy Mountain' bubble bar

This smells so sweet and lovely and I've heard rave reviews about it. I reckon I can make it last for a couple of baths at least!

'Wizard' bubble bar

Not going to lie, I'd forgotten I'd bought this as I started to go a little crazy and things just fell into my basket...but it looks so cute! Smells lovely too!

'Butterbear' bath bomb 

I picked this one up purely because of how cute it is! It smells like vanilla which is one of my favourite scents, and I don't even know what this does to my bath but the smell alone sold me!

And finally...

'Shoot For The Stars' bath bomb

This was my bath bomb of choice for tonight, it came highly recommended by one of the lovely Lush ladies so I thought I'd give it a try!

It made my bath such a beautiful midnight purple/blue colour with tiny silver sparkles and once I'd gotten out my skin felt so soft and smelled divine!

I've already made a mental shopping list for what I want on my next Lush shopping trip, in particular one of the Shampoo bars!

For tonight though, I will leave you with these recommendations and this maaaassive blog post!

Let me know what your favourite Lush products are in the comments! :)

Goodnight! 

Always, Alice x