Nails inc Manicure

 

I was very kindly invited to visit the Nails inc bar in Debenhams (Churchill Square shopping centre) Brighton at the weekend for a manicure. Now I was meant to be having the denim mani, which looks like this:

However once I had chatted bumps/genders with one of the technicians and sat down next to the huge array of other colours, like a magpie my eye was drawn to some glittery colours, and when the lovely Katie said 'you don't HAVE to have the denim mani...' I went for holographic nails with blue glitter, from the 'bling it on' range.... First my nails were filed down to the same length, then buffed to get rid of a few ridges then the 'Kensington Caviar' flawless base coat was applied, which is fast drying and helps to provide a good base for your main polish. 

 

Westbourne Park (an amazing silver holographic with smooth glitter, no chunkyness to be seen!) was applied to all but my fourth fingers, it's so densely packed I think one coat would've done but 2 were applied! Then the fun (& messy bit) was the application of the glitter from the 'bling it on' set (the blue comes from the neon set but you can view the range here.

  

My nail was coated in the white 'Floral Street' and then pressed into the glitter which had been poured into the handy little tray that comes with the set (you can pour any unused glitter back into the bottle!) and then Katie used the application brush to get rid of excess glitter.

A top coat was then applied to all my nails, which was the Albert Bridge wet look polish, which dries in 45 seconds and left all my nails with a really high shine, and stopped the glittery nails from being too rough to the touch. At the time of typing this (Tuesday afternoon) only one of the glittery nails has chipped ever so slightly on one corner, all the holo nails are still looking perfect, this is after 2 baths and a shower, baking a cheese cake and a LOT of typing at work & home, so I'm actually pretty impressed and will probably switch to this when my Seche vite runs out/starts to dry up, as I have been promised that this top coat doesn't dry up in the bottle like Seche Vite does!

For a final touch Katie applied the Vitamin E Cuticle nail pen (which has a nice brush to apply, and you just twist the end for more product, so no fuss application) to hydrate and nourish my cuticles.

I then surprisingly managed not to bump into anyone on my way round town because I was too busy admiring my nails in the light! You can see all the services available at the Debenhams Nails Inc bar here. To book an appointment call 01273 206775.

In which I eat lots

Over the last few weeks I’ve been sent a few foodie things to enjoy & review, and went to the Foodies Festival, so if you’re peckish read on!

Bacon salt is a seasoning that tastes like bacon, funnily enough! However it is super healthy - it's low sodium, zero calorie and zero fat,  it's  suitable for vegetarians too. So far I've tried it on chips (tasty) and sprinkled on top of macaroni cheese, which was bloody awesome and to flavour steamed veg (pictured) You can also get peppered, hickory and natural too (the latter being gluten free!) for added variety! A brilliant alternative to regular salt too as it is calorie free and lower sodium. There are lots of recipe ideas here and I think I'm going to try the pulled pork one next!

 

 

  Love Tea: I really enjoyed the tea sample I was sent, which was Wild Excelsior Oolong, which came in a sealed vacu-pack, along with some empty teabags for infusing, which is best done for 2-3 minutes with 85 degree water, (as told on the label!) and smells amazing! The taste was delicate but unusual, but then I’ve not had a proper black tea in a while, I enjoyed it, especially with a scone!

 

LoveTea have generously offered my readers 40% off their first months subscription (they are no commitment & you can see the packages here, or get a £2 sample pack!) with the code BELLEDU40 entered at checkout.

 

 

Popchips sent me a lovely variety box which was very welcome half way through a busy day at work this week! It included a handy bag-clipper for when you can’t quite finish a bag!) and I admit that most of the bags got devoured within 2 days of arriving, BUT at under 100 calories per serving it doesn't really matter! Popchips are not baked and not fried, simply ‘popped’ so have no cholesterol and 0 grams of trans fat, with nothing artificial added either. Scrumptious, they have a similar (but still slightly different, they’re loads thinner) texture to snack-a-jacks for want of a comparison! My favourite flavour is Salt & Pepper, closely followed by Barbecue!

   

And finally catching up to last weekend…

            

On Sunday I spent a pleasant few hours strolling around the Foodies Festival on Hove Lawns. Amazingly the sun came out (and I got a bit burnt, I clearly didn't learn my lesson last year!) but I managed to fill myself up with some scrumptious food and drink nonetheless!

We watched a couple of demonstrations, (mostly pudding related, chocolate & cheesecake more specifically!) and then perched with our food and did a spot of people watching too, with a background of live music.

  

It took a while (and a circuit and a half!) to decide on what exactly to have for lunch, but I had a honey and mustard chicken burger from Gaucho, followed by a Salted caramel slice and then some Dorset (?) ice cream, and the tiniest sip of my friend Jon's scrumpy cider...

 

After we'd re-fuelled we wandered up and down the retail stands, sampling everything from gourmet sausage rolls to oils and vinegars. I bought some flavoured chai tea from the drink me chai stand, peppermint and green tea, neither of which I'd tried before, but I've been making myself a chilled chai when I get in from work every day since!

There are more Foodies Festivals happening around the country, for a full list and to buy tickets visit their website, and there is one at Hampton Court Palace on the bank holiday weekend if you were planning on being in/around London!

  

 

That’s it from me foodwise, and unfortunately today I am feeling pretty awful, and at half three have just managed to get out of bed, and am hoping that the husband will get back from work in time to make me some dinner as I don't have the energy to even think about it, and if he doesn't it’ll be a bag of pop chips and a bowl of cereal! This week I need to get thinking about stocking up the freezer with ready-cooked meals in easily microwavable containers for when the baby arrives and nobody has the time or inclination to cook!

What’ve you been cooking/eating lately?

The Ladyboys of Bangkok

 

On Tuesday night I strolled waddled down to the Sabai Pavilion, which hosts the Lady Boys of Bangkok and is slap bang in the middle of Brighton from now until June 1st. I’d not been before but I bloody well would go again! Luckily they come to Brighton every year as part of the festival, so I'll plenty of chances! The theme for this years show is ‘Glamorous Amorous’ and they certainly lived up to their name! When we arrived we had a Thai curry from the food bar, and sat outside soaking up the atmosphere (and the 80’s music, winner!) before heading in to find our table, (no boring lines of seats, instead there are tables of around 8 people spread out around the stage, so it feels really relaxed and open) and settling down to watch the show. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but basically imagine a cabaret performance, with current songs, show tunes and some disco classics flung in for good measure, plus a few comical songs (50 shades of grey, anyone? and one that was pretty apt for me being a mum-to-be, based on post baby happenings!) along with the most hilarious dwarf guy for added amusement… It was completely vivacious, amazing energetic and very VERY entertaining!

After the second number I stopped thinking ‘they’re guys! how amazing are their legs/boobs/abs’ and got completely engrossed in the show, although I am still VERY jealous of their slim physiques!

You can buy tickets to see the Ladyboys here, and take note that tickets are two-for-one on Mondays! They’re heading off round the country after Brighton so you can see where else they’ll be performing here, and of course keep up to date with their facebook & twitter.

In which I don’t give a hoot…

 

 

Owl print Dress: Newlook Maternity. Bag & Shoes: Barratts.

Bow trim patent Ballerinas (available in black and cream too)

 

Anna Smith Oilcloth Owl Satchel 

And the theme for this outfit is owls, quiet clearly! Barratts offered me the chance to review something from their website, and although I really wanted to get some outrageous shoes like this sparkly pair, I would barely be able to  walk in them and thought a nice new pair of flat burgundy shoes to replace my current pair that have holes in the soles would be a good plan. Then I was browsing the bags and spotted this amazing Owl print satchel by Anna Smith (you can view all her bag designs available on the Barratts website here) and had to have it, partly because it matches the owls on my dress (which has become a staple work dress partly because its now one of only 3 that still fit comfortably, but badly fitting maternity dresses are for another time!)  and partly because we’re thinking of Owls as a potential theme for sprogs nursery, so could perhaps use this bag as a changing bag, it has enough pockets, and being wipe clean is a bonus too! But for the moment it is my new handbag and I love it enormous amounts as it is light weight, and I can wear it across my body when waddling too and from work!

The shoes are the kind that look a bit weird when they’re not on, due to the elasticated sides, so they kind of bend together, but as soon as they’re on they stay snuggly on the foot and there’s no walking out of them! I think patent wears better than faux leather too, as they don't scuff or mark half as easily! Plus the inner lining is pretty, not that that matters when you’re wearing them but its a nice touch!

Currently if you spend over £30 on the Barratts website you get free delivery too, enter FREEDEL at the checkout, bargainous!

I’ve got a nice stressful two days at work today and tomorrow, with a load of company directors floating around and generally causing a nuisance, plus a midwife appointment, a doctor appointment AND husbands dad and sister visiting, along with the hot weather causing all manner of extra strain on my poor pregnant self, but I hope everyone is getting to enjoy the sun and not working too hard!

Tintagel Castle & an outfit

   

This is what happens when I ask Sam to take pictures… bump shots. Top H&M (not maternity, just bigger sized) and Skirt H&M Maternity. Shoes Peacocks. Also check out the trout pout on the right picture, it’s the only reason I left it in! This is what I wore when we ventured to the North coast of Cornwall, we visited Newquay (I didn't really like it, it reminded me of the 70’s… in a bad way! but the beach was pretty as it was empty!) Padstow, and Tintagel Castle.

Newquay Beach, the only part worth photographing in my opinion (sorry Newquay!)

 

  

  

Padstow: I asked for a battered sausage in Rick Steins fish & chip shop. Denied. Ended up with a halloumi Burger. We also saw creepy little lobsters that were almost see through.

     

 

Tintagel Castle. It’s amazing, the castle is high up on a piece of land separated from the mainland with access via a man made bridge, and about a gazillion steps, which seemed like a good idea at the time! (the ticket lady said I could have a refund if I couldn't manage the steps, but being a trooper and not wanting to wait on my own for the others I made it right to the top of that bloody island, hence!) Tintagel is also the home of legendary Merlins Cave and has a whole heap of history attached to it. Definitely worth a visit, it was such a misty day that day (As with most of our week, to be honest!) so it would’ve been nicer to get clearer pictures, but it was quite atmospheric anyway!

I’ll get up some more Cornwall-y posts soon.