Afternoon Tea at Patisserie Valerie

Fraser and I have wanted to go for Afternoon Tea together for a long while but neither of us had much experience with it. I'd only been one other time and it was so incredible that I wasn't sure how we'd follow it.

When a friend pointed out a voucher on Amazon Local for an Afternoon Tea For Two at Patisserie Valerie priced at just £19, I decided we should take advantage of the offer. You simply purchase the voucher and visit almost any Patisserie Valerie with the code. We chose to visit the Covent Garden branch at around midday.

The staff were friendly and we were seated right away. It wasn't long before our Afternoon Tea tray arrived and it definitely wowed straight away. There was so much food!

It comes with:

10 x Finger Sandwiches in Salmon & Cream Cheese, Chicken & Pesto, Ham & Mustard, Egg & Watercress, and Cucumber

2 x Mini Bell Pepper Quiches

4 x Scones (2 currant, 2 normal)

Clotted Cream

4 x Pots of Tiptree Jam

2 x Mini Eclair

Mini Victoria Sponge

Carrot & Walnut Cake

Summer Berry Mousse Cake

Chocolate Cake

It was incredible! The scones were our favourite as they were fresh out of the oven and still warm. The quiches were warm too. 

The mini Victoria Sponge was lighter than air. I picked up my half after Frase cut if and my fingers had dented the sponge with only the slightest touch. It was like touching a cloud and it tasted phenomenal.

The sandwich fillings were very generous and delicious. The bread was little bit old, like the sandwiches had been made first thing this morning but neither of us minded.

I would highly recommend this afternoon tea experience for a traditional feel with quality cakes :-)

Birchbox | October 2015

I don't think I have ever been so disappointed in a Birchbox in all the time I've been subscribed. 

This month's theme is "Back to Basics" and I think that's the problem with it. I don't sign up to £12.95 a month in subscription fees for "Basics". I sign up for a treat to myself, a surprise, something to get excited about. This box fell short on so many levels.

There it is. In all its disappointing glory.

Birchbox October 2015 Contents:

Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner | £12

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat | £9

Bioderma Hydrabio H20 | £10.20

Regenerate Enamel Science Toothpaste | £10

Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturising Shampoo | £11.50

Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturising Conditioner | £12

Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner

This could have been great but it's far too big for me and ended up colouring my whole lid with one stroke. The colour was long lasting and as strong a black as a gel liner though so that was good. I just prefer a thinner nib.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

A colleague of mine assured me this is a great quality brand but a top coat polish falls a bit flat in my opinion. I've not had a chance to try it yet as I'm almost always wearing gel nails right now - perhaps I'll be wowed then.... I highly doubt it.

Bioderma Hydrabio H20

Oh wow. Another cleanser to add to the litre of micellar water I have on the go. Thank goodness, I was so worried I would run out in 10 years time. 

Regenerate Enamel Science Toothpaste

Tooth.....toothpaste. You read that correctly. I really wanted to give this a fair chance so I tried it this morning hoping that it might be so incredible that I forget the awfulness of this box. It's not even as good as the Colgate on my shelf. It didn't leave my teeth feeling clean- just a little fuzzy and less minty than usual. 

Beaver Professional Shampoo and Conditioner

First of all, the conditioner satchets look like something out of a magazine so I felt like that was pathetic. Next, I tried the shampoo and I can honestly say that it made zero impact on my hair. Not only did it fail to lather up more than a spit bubble's worth, but it also had the faintest whiff of a scent to it that I've ever experienced. Perhaps it's just me, but I like a shampoo you can smell with a hair swish far more than a shampoo you have to inhale hair into your nostril to catch a whiff. Disappointing and not worth the price tag.

All in all, a horrendous box that got me so wound up that I hovered over the cancel subscription button. Were it not for my goal of posting here four times a month and needing material, I probably would have gone through with it. 

My Little Box arrived late this month (my Graze box disappeared too so I'm thinking the Royal Mail in my area are suffering some issues) so I've only just received it today. It was equally disappointing so I'll get some pictures together and post on that this week. Not a great month box wise :-(

Sorry for the phone-written post and if the picture quality is low - hoping to restore my laptop soon!

Tabitha

Xx

Disaster Strikes

So I decided to upgrade my laptop to Windows 10 and now every time I log on the screen goes black :-( 

I'm working on fixing it (somehow) but it means I am struggling to complete my blog posts this month.

I'm going to post them but please forgive the low photo quality as I'm uploading from the app and it's had terrible photo upload quality in the past. 

Beauty Discovery | Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter

I mean, just look at it. It's stunning.

I was in Superdrug checking out the Revolution stand after an old friend (holla, Charlotte!) SnapChat me asking if their brand was any good. I spotted this little beauty and after a quick swatch I fell in love.

This is the Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights and it is £3 from Superdrug or the Revolution website itself. The shimmer on this is actually stunning and I would pay a lot more than £3 for it. It is just gorgeous so I had to write a post to shout about it.

I haven't stopped wearing it since I bought it and even looking at it on my shelf makes me happy. I thought their Iconic Pro palettes were impressive enough so seeing this be such a winner too makes me want to go out and buy their whole range. Especially given it's so cheap as well.

10/10 forever - highly recommend!

My Little Box | September 2015

Ah, My Little Box - you never let me down. Every month, this is the box that I look forward to receiving most. If memory serves, they've been available in the UK for about a year now and in that time the contents have just got better and better.

This month's theme is My Little Fashion Box which ties in nicely with London Fashion Week here in the UK.

My Little Box September 2015 Contents:
Kerastase Couture Styling Spray a Porter | £21
La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream | £15
Alfa-K Nail Decals | £4.35
American Vintage Scarf | £17.69
My Little Beauty Red Dingue Lip Colour | £16.21
Cointreau & Recipe Book

Kerastase Couture Styling Spray a Porter
I used this on dry pin-curled hair to try and help hold a style for longer. I'd say it definitely made a difference and the spray smells gorgeous too. I've yet to try it on damp hair which is mostly because I've been seriously un-arsed to wash my hair lately, but it promises effortless beach waves without the stickyness.

La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream
I'll admit that I groaned a little bit when I saw a BB Cream in here. It's been a good few years since the BB cream trend really kicked off over here and I've yet to find one that isn't too orange on my paper white skin. However, I gave this a swatch and it seemed to blend really well. I tried it on my face yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. It applies like a dream and the shade - while orange against my skin initially - blended beautifully. Obviously its not designed to be a full coverage but it just evened everything out so effortlessly. Plus its SPF 20 so ideal for protecting my skin too. Definitely a convert to this.

Alfa-K Nail Decals
These look really cute. I haven't tried them yet but next time I'm feeling a bit creative I'll give them a go.

American Vintage Scarf
I love this scarf! Simple design but it will match most outfits that way. The quality of the fabric is really lovely too. It's a square scarf so perfect for warmer Autumn days or coming into Spring next year.

My Little Beauty Red Dingue Lip Colour
I always love the My Little Beauty additions and this month was no different. The lip colour is a perfect match to my skintone and it applies beautifully. It dries matte so lasts quite a while though it did start to flake off a little bit after 5 or 6 hours. Not on the lips as much, but onto cup rims etc. It reapplied really nicely though so that was a bonus.

Cointreau & Recipe Book
Legitimately. They sent Cointreau.
How much cooler can a monthly beauty box get? The little recipe book that comes with it is filled with fizzy Cointreau cocktail recipes which is a really nice touch. But lets be honest, I'll be pouring this into hot chocolates and getting tipsy in front of X Factor until Christmas.

I know I say this every month, but I already can't wait for next month's box to arrive. New post tomorrow on an AMAZING new highlighter that I've discovered so check back then. Otherwise, hit the subscribe button on the top left of the page and be my best friend forevz.

Tabitha
Xx

Birchbox | September 2015

First of all, where the f*ck has September gone? I'm either too busy at work to notice time flying by or just getting older and appreciating the moments less. Either way, I'm losing.

I received September's Birchbox a couple of weeks back now. So long ago that I've lost the information leaflet - or else I chucked it out with bitter disappointment that I (yet again) did not receive the box design of my choice. At least it's been long enough that I've had a chance to use most of the samples I received this month.

Birchbox September 2015 Contents:
Laura Mercier Face Polish | £26
John Masters Organic Citrus & Neroli Detangler | £16
Benefit Porefessional License to Blot | £15.50
Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser | £8
Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Cray Cray | £16.75
Birchbox Birchbrush | £5.99

Laura Mercier Face Polish
Being a massive fan of the primer from Laura Mercier (which is close to running out - kill me) I was very excited by this sample. I tried it out and it's just as amazing as I'd worked it up to be. It's so rare that expectations are met like this. The scrub itself has a very tiny exfoliate in it which makes it feel like a luxurious liquid sandpaper. Aggressive as that sounds, it's exactly what my oil-slick skin needs and I was gutted when the sample finally ran out. I would pay £26 for the full size of this once I marry rich and can afford to.

John Masters Organic Citrus & Neroli Detangler
I've been using this as a leave-in conditioner rather than rinsing out. According to the bottle you can do either. I can't say I've noticed it makes any kind of difference to my tangled hair but it definitely makes it smell nice. Equally though, a bit of Tresemme would do the same so I wouldn't be buying this.

Benefit Porefessional License to Blot
I'm still not sure what this product is supposed to do. Perhaps the information leaflet had some kind of magic instructions or my skin is just too greasy for it to cope. I am definitely still oily and can't say that this 'mattifying' product made a lick of difference. Likely going straight in the bin the next time I have a product cull.

Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser
I enjoyed this body wash as is definitely smelled good. Usual complaint about the packaging this company use being such hard plastic that you can't squeeze any product out though. Lovely change to the current Grapefruit Body Wash from Body Shop routine but I don't think it's worth £8 a bottle.

Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Cray Cray
Loved the colour of this and the formula goes on great. That said, it didn't last very long on my lips and I ended up with a coral outlined lip and nothing else. Good if you're used to applying lip colour back on regularly, but I prefer a longer lasting product personally.

Birchbox Birchbrush
I love my Tangle Teezers so I was really excited to see this addition to the box. Particularly as I've been considering a handbag sized Tangle Teezer purchase and this has saved me about £13. Perfect compact size and non-tug bristles make this one a win for me.

There was definitely a good range of products in this month's Birthday themed box. It's a shame that most of them didn't suit my tastes but there were a few highlights so not a bad box.

I've received My Little Box in the last couple of weeks too so be sure to come back tomorrow when I'll have a post on that one. Subscribe using the link to the top right if you want alerts of all my new posts.

Tabitha
Xx

Haul | Primark Homeware

Living near such a big Primark is both very convenient and very dangerous for my purse. Right now, Primark is having a "Home Event" and the homeware stock has taken it up a notch as a result.

I've always loved Primark for my basic home essentials like a candle or some simple bedsheets. Lately though, there's a section bigger than my apartment dedicated to their homeware range and I've been unable to resist picking up some decorative bits.

My favourite purchase has to be the big LED star light. It's battery operated which is a bonus to me and the star itself is a dark shiny metal material which makes it look so much more expensive than the £10 it cost. I wasn't expecting a lighting miracle from it, but I popped two AA's in it and actually the lights are quite bright!

I also spotted that Primark have partnered with YouTube's Gabriella (@velvetghost) and have a brand new range in store with her. It's (unsurprisingly) cat themed and very cute. I'd have bought it all if I had the space but decided on this adorable mug with the little cat whiskers on it because you can never have too many mugs.

Primark also have a range of new frame designs which I loved. Lots of rose-gold and copper themed frames but I fell in love with the one pictured above. It's the perfect sized frame and I love the 3D geometric type design. I bought two of these and they were an absolute bloody steal at just £2 each. Near these were a range of canvas prints so I picked up the "Today is going to be a good day" one for £3.

Of course, I couldn't come out of the Home section of Primark without picking up some candles. The first one I picked up was the Lime scented one from their 'Soda' range. I had purchased the Orange Soda candle for my sister a few months ago and loving all things lime-scented, I had to buy myself this one. It smells like a lime mojito and comes in a glass jar with a lid. It was £3 for something that is going to burn for 30+ hours so definitely a bargain.

Still on the candle front, I also picked up a little tealight holder with an Earl Grey design. I just thought that a tea-themed tealight holder was too cute and at £2.50 was another amazing bargain. Especially since it comes with a tealight inside it.

Finally, I spotted a little glimpse of upmarket Primark with the candle pictured in the centre (above). It's a frosted glass jar with a wooden top and inside is the most amazing smelling White Cardamom & Sage candle. It smells like something you could buy at Jo Malone but at a fraction of the price. This one was £4 but I could easily have spent triple that with how good this candle smells!

All in all, very impressed with my local Primark stock right now. It was always a gamble as to whether you'd find good stuff in there before but lately they have been stepping up their game. It's like they've had a re-design and become a new shop altogether. I look forward to future homeware purchases from Primark going forward :-)

Tabitha
Xx