My Favourite Cafes in Cornwall

July 19, 2017August 12, 2019 - Vicki 6 Comments

There are no shortage of aesthetically pleasing cafes and restaurants in Cornwall in fact I think we’re spoiled for choice down here. Working from home means I tend to spend a lot of time quite isolated and in my own space which can often feel suffocating. So one thing I enjoy doing is taking time out to go to cafes either to meet people or to work from as it gives that much-needed change of scenery and I find I’m quite productive working remotely. It is safe to say I have visited more cafes than I dare admit and when I find one that not only looks amazing but the food and service are on par too I have to tell the world about it & that is how I feel about Loveday’s in Charlestown.

Loveday’s is a fairly new addition to my local village, there has always been a restaurant there for many years (which wasn’t the nicest) but this year it changed hands and there was so much buzz about the renovation which made me very excited. Although it has taken me a few months to actually visit, it was well worth the wait.

My husband & I are Vegan so we often struggle to find anything on the menu that we can order without having ingredients changed and are often left disappointed that the choice is very limited, so when we saw that Lovedays had a wide selection of Vegan & Gluten Free options we were beyond thrilled.

We have both had the Acai Bowl and Homemade Baked Beans on Toast and on every occasion the food has been delicious. Very well presented and the service was fast and so friendly. The waitress was enthusiastic about the menu and knew what options were suitable for Vegans so that put our minds at rest (always have to check those ingredients). They also have milk alternatives so that is good news for us plant-based tea & coffee drinkers.

I like it when everything from the furniture to the crockery has been well thought out and Lovedays felt like it had such attention to detail. The atmosphere was very relaxed and welcoming, they also have a few different seating options so if you want to eat a table or read the paper on the huge sofas they have you covered.

The lunch and evening meal options also sound really appetising and I am planning on visiting soon to try it out as I hear it is a great place for drinks in the evening. Oh & it is dog friendly so dogs are welcome inside until 5pm too which is so cute.

I’m already a regular and have started a Saturday morning Acai Bowl Club with my friends so that makes me one very happy lady. So if you’re ever in my neck of the woods in Charlestown, Cornwall then make sure you pay Loveday’s a visit and let me know how you find it.

Date & Chocolate Energy Bites

January 17, 2016 - Vicki 2 Comments

This is my first ever baking post & I thought this was a great one to start with & also make a confession, I am utterly terrible and useless in the kitchen. Im clumsy and think everything is going to turn out to be a disaster. Since I moved last September in to my new house I have tried to push myself to cook more & experiment in the kitchen. My new kitchen is gorgeous & it would be a shame not to use it more so I am kicking off my first baking post with a very simple no bake recipe!

Date and Chocolate Energy bites

These are the Date and Chocolate Bites and were inspired by a recipe in the January ASDA magazine. I changed it up a little to suit the ingredients I had in the cupboard. So you will need the following ingredients,

100g stoned dates
100g cashews (i used mixed nuts)
25g raisins
40g orange plain chocolate
1tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp boiling water

No Bake Energy Bites

First you add the dates and boiling water to your food processor (if you have one) I don’t so I mixed them best I could in my blender then I mashed them for about 2 minutes in a bowl to get them as smooth as possible before adding in my raisins and mixing them all together for about a minute (again if you have a processor you could blitz them in there).

Then you add your nuts (if you have a processor you can blitz them in there) I bought the chopped mixed nuts because I knew I didn’t have a processor. When you have all the above ingredients in your bowl you add in your cocoa and mix it thoroughly. Mine is quite a chunky mixture but if you have processed your ingredients it will be a little more fine in texture. Chocolate and Date Energy Bites

Then you line a 24cm loaf tin with cling film and add your mixture making sure you really press it down. Then you just pop it into the oven to chill, I left mine about an hour. You can then lift out the mixture and cut it into 6 – 8 squares depending on how big you want them, or if you prefer them even smaller you can cut them to the size you wish.

Then comes the tasty part, melt your orange plain chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and add as much as you like to each square, I layered a tea spoon amount over the top of each bite. Leave them to chill in the fridge and set for about 40 minutes then enjoy.

Chocolate and Date Healthy Bites

I like to have these at hand in the afternoon to combat that slump in energy. Also these are good as on the go snacks and if like me you like to have a somewhat healthy snack option then these are great on the go treat. They’re so moorish and taste delicious, because they’re mainly made up of dates they have a caramel sweetness to them. So they have been my go to chocolate treat of choice these past few weeks. If you want them to be a little healthier you can opt to have no chocolate on top or less of it!

So easy to make and because there is no baking involved they’re simple and quick too. They only take 10 minuets to prepare and they taste so good. Also 100% Vegan.

Let me know if you plan on making them or if you already make a version of these.

No Bake Date & Chocolate Bites

Enjoy!

B. Cosmetics Makeup

March 31, 2015October 16, 2016 - Vicki 5 Comments

B. Cosmetics is a makeup and skincare brand thats sold exclusively in Superdrug, I’ve tried a couple of their skincare products in the past and always been really impressed with the quality and the price. I have been trying out a few products from their extensive makeup collection and have been excited to tell you how I got on.

First up I love using products that give my skin a glow, not make it shimmery but just leave my skin looking bright, fresh & healthy and thats exactly what the B. Prepared Illuminating Makeup Primer* does, it leaves my skin looking fresh and bright. This is such a lightweight non greasy primer, it leaves the skin feeling silky smooth and doesn’t add any slip or shine to the skin but instead it adds a beautiful luminous glow to the skin without any shimmer or glitter. It is a really nice smooth base for my foundation to sit on top of & it helps my makeup last all day whilst adding a healthy glow to my skin. It also has Hyaluronic acid and vitamin E which are great at hydrating skin and helping reduce the signs of fatigue.

I’m a little scared of cream products & very much a novice when it comes to contouring but I have been using this B. Sculpted Contour Kit* and my contouring skills are getting better. This kit comes in three shade options light, medium and dark. I have been using the medium kit and that seems to be a great match for my skintone, I try to keep my contouring as natural as possible and I use a very light hand. I use the matte brown contour powder in the hollows of my cheeks to create the illusion of definition. The powder is so easy to blend and isn’t too dark.

The highlighter in this duo is cream but is still easy to work with, I like to use this on the tops of my cheekbones, brow bone & bridge of my nose. I use my fingers to apply and blend and find that works best. You need very little product to achieve a very fresh, illuminated look. The cream is a little harder to work with, its quite slippy and it doesn’t seem to last that long on my skin but when initially applied it looks pretty & does create a gorgeous highlight without being shimmery. I do have quite oily skin so if you’re skin is less oily it might have more staying power.

The matte contour shade in this duo is really good & lasts all day, it blends beautifully so even being a novice at contouring I was able to apply this without it looking like I had a strip of makeup on my cheek. I use a small Eco Tools brush with this & that fits right in the hollows of my cheek and more importantly doesn’t pick up too much product. Less is more when it comes to contouring! Oh & they include a handy guide on the back so you know exactly where to put the products to create the perfect highlight & contour. Very useful.

B. Longer Lengthening & Defining Mascara* is a tubing mascara and that means it uses flexible polymers that wrap right around each individual lash to make your lashes look fluttery and long. The mascara coats each lash and keeps clumps, smudges and flakes at bay. It wears all day long without any flaking and your lashes still look incredible by the end of the night. To remove a tubing mascara all you need to do is use water, no makeup remover necessary just warm water which is easy & perfect for when I am feeling a little lazy. The packaging of this mascara feels luxurious & looks really sleek, it really does tick all the boxes.

I’m very impressed with this mascara & out of the three products its my overall favourite.

B. Cosmetics is proud to be Cruelty Free & Vegan

Let me know what your B. Cosmetics product recommendations are & if you only try one product from them make sure its the B. Longer Lengthening & Defining Mascara its a damn good mascara.

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.

Nanshy Professional Makeup Brush Set

October 18, 2013August 7, 2017 - Vicki 12 Comments

These Nanshy Brushes* are amazing quality, they feel substantial and very well made. I was so excited to start using them. These brushes are very dense and they do not shed their bristles. The handles are wooden but lightweight and are painted a very pretty pearl colour. I like that they’re quite short but chunky, this makes them easy to hold and they look really luxurious.

I used the Flat Top Buffer Brush to apply my foundation, it picked up quite alot of product but I found it easy to blend and it buffed it really well into my skin and gave me a flawless finish. Be careful not to apply too much product to your brush as you can get away with using a small amount and really buffing it in.

The Round Buffing Brush I used to apply my setting powder over the centre of my face, this is where I tend to get oily. This brush was a good size for applying the powder to specific areas as it is quite small but the bristles are dense and so soft.

The Pointed Brush I used this for my bronzer, because it had a point this was great for being precise and applying my bronzer under my cheek bones and around my temples. I don’t own a brush like this and wonder how I have survived without it. It makes applying my bronzer so much easier. I have also used this to blend my concealer around my nose and under my eye and think it works really well for either function. This may be my stand out brush from the set, I just love it.

Flat Angled Buffing Brush, I found this worked really well for cream blushes, I used it to stipple the cream blush on to my cheeks and the angled effect made it easy to apply and to follow my cheek bones. This brush is a little more stiff than the Angled Buffing Brush. I used the softer Angled Buffing Brush to apply blush and my highlighters. What I like about this brush set is that you can figure out how these brushes work best for you and they have no set use. They are very versatile and amazing quality. I can’t explain to you how soft they are. I am so very impressed with these and think they would highly recommend them.

This 5 piece Nanshy Brush Set is synthetic, vegan, cruelty free and amazing quality. They are versatile and very easy to keep clean. Well worth investing in as I think these will last a very long time. Oh and have I mentioned how incredibly soft they are?!

Nanshy Brushes are available to buy from beautystore4U.co.uk £34.95

Have you tried any Nanshy Brushes?

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My Favourite Cafes in Cornwall

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