So a couple of weeks ago we made the long drive to Scotland from Cornwall, we did manage to stop off for a few days in one of our favourite cities. Manchester holds a special place in our hearts, we lived there for 5 years whilst my husband was at University and we had so many wonderful, happy times there. Whenever possible we like to visit and catch up with friends that still live there.
We are never usually so lucky with the weather but we managed to get four sunny days in a row, so we could really enjoy the city. Another reason for stopping off in Manchester was the fact that one of our favourite bands, Puscifer were playing at the Bridgewater Hall. Puscifer is a band you my not of heard of but it is fronted by the lead singer of Tool (another awesome band) & they put on a fantastic live show. It was the bands first European Tour, so we were so excited to finally see them live & they did not disappoint.
I took full advantage of the great shops, in Cornwall we do lack good fashion & home shops – we don’t have a Zara, H&M, Urban Outfitters or even IKEA (cries). So I spend quite a bit on clothes, I just couldn’t resist. We also visited our favourite coffee shops TAKK, Foundation and Fig & Sparrow, Its nice to see the Northern Quarter flourishing although its such a far cry from how I remember it in early 2000, I just hope it doesn’t become too cool for school & all the character gets lost.
It was lovely to relax in the city before heading up to our final destination in Scotland – next weeks post will have lots of photos from our visit to my home town.
When we are in Scotland we stay with my brother & his girlfriend has the cutest miniature yorkies, Bella & Milo. Bella is the one in the photo and looks like a teddybear. I never had pets growing up, mainly because my dad was in the army and we lived all over the world so it wasn’t very fair to have animals. Also now that I am an adult I rent and its so difficult to have pets in a rental so it was cute having dogs around for a couple of weeks, they’re so tiny and cheeky, now we’re back home we miss them being around. I think another visit north of the boarder is on the cards soon.
This visit to Scotland was quite a stressful one as my dad was in respite care after being admitted to hospital and was unable to go back to his house. So after an ordeal trying to find him sheltered accommodation we had to pack up his house (without him) and move everything to his new place within 2 weeks. His new place is much better and I hope he will feel more settled there and begin to make progress. Every time we are up in Scotland we always make time to visit St Andrews, I love to walk across the sandy beach & get a little wind swept before popping back into the centre to have a brew and relax. Its such a stunning coastal town and well worth a visit.
Admittedly I haven’t been using my planner as much as I’d hoped in August, just due to the lack of time but when I do use it I remember how much I love it. The pages are so bright and the positive messages at the beginning of each month make me smile. I have written a review of my Florabunda Bando Planner if you’d like a more in depth look at it. I carry it around everywhere (yes I am that geek).
I came across a new place to go in Manchester – its a cute kitchen style eatery called Ezra & Gil in the Northern Quarter. It feels like an extension of your home. Its relaxed and has a really good feel about the place and the staff couldn’t be friendlier. I had a beetroot barley risotto and it was utterly delicious, I also had to pretend I didn’t spy all the delicious looking cakes and pastries sat on the till (trying to limit my sugar intake) which was hard as they looked and smelt amazing.
Its reasonably priced and have a really good menu, oh and the part thats even better is it is open until 8pm, so I plan to head back over for dinner one evening & maybe have a cake too.
This Jurlique parcel arrived whilst I was in Scotland and it arrived just in time to cheer me up, inside were skincare treats to celebrate their 30th anniversary & I was happy to celebrate with them. What a beautiful package to arrive on my doorstep. If you want to read all about what was inside click here – Precious Rose Handcream.
Last week I had a beautiful manicure at the newly refurbished Only Fingers And Toes Nail Beautique in Harvey Nichols Manchester. Only Fingers & Toes are a luxe premium nail brand that pride themselves on delivering quality and being 5 free. Which means their polishes don’t contain any Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP and Camphor, and also Phthalic Acid.
O.F.A.T are exclusive to Harvey Nichols and you can find their range both in store and online, they also have a Nail Boutique in the Manchester Store, which offers a wide range of Manicure and Pedicure Treatments to fit everyones budget. The Beautique is located in the Beauty Hall and is sat amongst some iconic beauty counters . Its quite the pamper destination as you have the Umberto Giannini Hair Salon, Elemis Spa Pod and Shavata Brow Studio too.
I had the Classic Therapy Manicure, where you’re treated to a Keratin hand treatment, cuticle care, stress melting hand massage, shape and buff and perfecting polish. My nails were in need of some serious TLC & after they were shaped my hands were given some serious pampering and placed into gloves containing a warm Keratin hand treatment which was so good. It left my hands unbelievably nourished and soft. This is a treatment I would highly recommend.
It took me quite a while to pick my nail polish colour as they have a ‘library’ of more than 65 polishes and the collection comprises four ‘volumes’: Vivid, Molten, Illumine and Lustre, with new seasonal fashion colours released each season. So they are always adding new polishes to the library and extending their range. I eventually picked Sapphire* which is from the ‘Molten Collection’ its a deep purple with a slight metallic finish.
The O.F.A.T polishes have ergonomically designed handles for maximum comfort, usability and to ensure the best possible experience. Brushes have been designed to give perfect 3-stroke, long lasting, lustrous coverage.
My nails look Christmas Party ready & my hands are the softest they have ever felt. Its almost a week since my manicure and my nails are still looking beautiful with no chipping. At £16 a bottle these polishes are what I would consider a luxury but if you’re budget fits or you are a nail polish addict who likes good quality polishes then you will love this brand.
O.F.A.T are the ultimate nail polish gift to give or to receive, they are available in four gift presentations,
The Classic (a single, gift boxed polish) £16
The Trilogy (3 polishes in your choice of shades) £42
The Edit (6 polishes in your choice of shades) £75
The Connoisseurs Collection (24 polishes in a double‐layer chocolate box style set) £275
You can chose from over 60 polishes and they offer something for everyone, from beautiful nudes to more vibrant colours & a beautiful selection of finishes too. You can take a look at the range & gift options here.
O.F.A.T are available to buy at Harvey Nicohls both in store and online with professional treatments available at Harvey Nichols Manchester, Grace in Belgravia, The Private Clinic in Cheapside & their flagship salon in South Croydon.
Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.
Before I went to Amsterdam I’d made a few purchases that I forgot to blog about. So better late than never right. These are the what I bought.
Where I lived before in Dundee they had the worst selection of MUA products on the planet. Its used to drive me mental. I so wanted to see the full collection and instead had to put up with a few things from their £1 range. This did not go down well with me. So you can imagine my delight upon moving to Manchester & discovering the most well stocked MUA stand I’ve ever seen. I was in product heaven & may of even let out a little squeal of delight when I saw it. So excited when I saw this…….
Ok so after I calmed down I picked up two MUA palettes the Undressed palette and the Heaven and Earth palette for £4 each. Both are amazing. I’m sure most of you own them by now. I’m very late to that party. From MUA I also picked up their Eye Primer which I’ve heard lots of good things about which is £2.50.
BarryM had a deal on their nail polish in Superdrug where it was 2 for £5 i picked up the shades Block Orange 301 and Pink Iridescent 264. I had to pick up the orange shade as it was jut such a POP of colour. The pink iridescent is beautiful too and looks great as a glittery top coat. You can’t really go wrong with a BarryM polish.
I also picked up a Accessorize baked eyeshadow in Golden Brown it’s a lovely copper toned colour with a little golden shimmer. It’s quite pretty. I love baked eyeshadow and blushe. I can’t get enough of them.
Then ast but not least was the DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum and i put the blame for this purchase upon Estee of Essie Button as i watched her YouTube video and she said how AMAzing it was and how long her lashes looked after using this & I though how good can this be. So I bought it in Selfridges for £23 and OMG its bloody amazing. It makes your lashes look super long and defined. I will be doing a whole blog on this little miracle worker so watch this space.
So that was my pre holiday haul – like I needed to be spending any money prior to going to Amsterdam! But I’m really pleased with all my purchases. Have you tried any of these things?
