The Midweek Treat | Haul & Monsters Ball review

Anybody who has followed my blog since the old Bo Blab days will know I absolutely love a good Lush bath bomb. And if I'm going to take any leafs from that book, it'll be a regular midweek treat. This week I picked up a couple of  Halloween and Christmas goodies from the Lush Liveprool branch and I can't wait to share my thoughts on some of the products i chose.

Monsters Ball | Snow Fairy | Worlds smallest disco | Sugar plum fairy scrub | Shoot for the stars

To start things off I decided to try the Halloween limited edition Monsters Ball. A Bright pink and blue Monsters Inc looking bath bomb which smells zesty and sweet with a slight woody aroma. 

What Lush say;

"You are invited to a specdracula event; get set to put a spell on all things that go bump in the night and boogie on down to your bathroom for a monster mash of uplifting oils. Run your bath and thriller up, then revel in the frightful fizzes of mood beasting neroli. Bathe in gory, with skin softening Himalayan salt and olibanum oil but don't forget to keep your ghoul with zesty, energising lime oil. You'll be dancing 'til dawn and the ghast one standing."

I love any bath bomb that shoots brighter colours across the water, and this one didn't disappoint. Not only was the smell delicious, but it was also a treat for the eyes. Spiked with glitter, the pinks and blue eventually merged together to leave me with a deep purple water that glistened silvery every time I moved. My skin felt super soft afterwards too, another reason why I love Lush bath bombs, they never fail to leave me smelling great and feeling silky smooth. 

I also picked up a few other treats for this month, including a couple more bath bombs which I will review later this month. But I also took advantage of the early release of the Snow Fairy shower gel - because lets face it, this is hands down one of the most iconic and best products Lush sell! If you've not yet tried this amazing product, you absolutely should. The scent is like sweets and candyfloss and sticks to your skin for hours after use.
Also from my Christmas themed mini haul I picked up some sugar plum fairy lip scrub, which is absolutely delicious and almost has a parma violet taste despite being predominately made with orange oil - I love the Lush lip scrubs, they're particularly good for using before you apply lipstick for a more even application and I think this one has taken top spot for my favourite flavour.


Okay so, winding up this review, I think Monsters Ball was a definite thumbs up from me. The colours were exciting and vibrant, the smell was delicious and it left me feeling super clean and soft skinned. So I have no choice but to give this bomb a fat 5/5! - Excellent

Monsters Ball is a limited edition bath bomb only available for Halloween, so if you would like to give this cute lil' monster a go, get online or to your local branch before they sell out!
& also stay tuned for more Midweek Treats coming up later this month where I'll be reviewing "The Worlds Smallest Disco" & "Shoot For The Stars"

What are your favourite Lush products?

EasyHotel & Yee Rah | Liverpool

Sunday nights in Liverpool are a steal for hotel bookings, with many offering rooms for less than £40 a night. Living just half an hour from Liverpool, we often take advantage of the low price rooms whenever we can get a Monday off work for a cheap date night. 

The easyHotel is a fairly new addition to the budget hotel scene in Liverpool. Classed as Super Budget, you can book a room here for as little as £9.99 per night. 

What easyHotel say;

"Just a two minute walk from James Street train station and a 10 minute walk from the Albert Dock’s museums and restaurants, this modern budget hotel is an ideal city location in Liverpool’s financial district, perfect for business and leisure travelers who want to be at the heart of this vibrant northern city."

This isn't the first time we've stayed with easyHotel, we have in fact stayed at their Liverpool and Manchester branches previously pulled in by their super low prices. On this occasion I paid £30 for a standard double room with a window although we have booked rooms in this hotel for less than that during previous trips.   

Firstly, you should know that the rooms are this cheap because of how basic the accommodation is, each room is small with an en suite and towels provided. However there are additional daily charges for things such as Wifi, use of the television, luggage storage etc. The hotel is even pet friendly for an additional £10 charge per night.  So you get an idea of how the charges could potentially add up if you took advantage of all the amenities. 

Our room this time was surprisingly larger than anticipated. Our first stay in easyHotel earlier this year was in a small double room without windows - In which we had barely enough room to move and we had issues with the bathroom plumbing. - Not great.

I must say though the beds are very comfortable and the location is spot on for anyone wanting to visit the Albert Dock or shop in Liverpool One. 

In summary I think this hotel is perfect for a one night stay for anyone needing a comfortable crash pad. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to someone looking to stay in Liverpool for a prolonged period or looking for luxury, unless they weren't planning on spending much time at the room. But it is perfect for a 1-2 night break for a sight seeing getaway or a night out crash pad. 

We booked though booking.com but you can visit easyHotels website direct here.

Yee Rah is an Asian inspired wok & grill restaurant located at the top of Liverpool Ones shopping centre. Offering 2 for 1 across all classic cocktails all day Sunday - Friday the drinks menu is great value for money. We opted for a classic Bellini, but couldn't decide between peach or strawberry, however the bar staff kindly let us have one of each of the flavours without having to order 4 drinks. 

I love Asian inspired food, so the menu at Yee Rah was a mine field of tasty sounding dishes. Eventually however  we settled on some spring rolls to start (which were eaten before I could get a photo!) a side of bread, balsamic and oil - which I know isn't very asian but.. I just love carbs ok? 

For my main I ordered the Sea bass choo chee, "a Sea Bass fillet cooked in a light crispy singha batter covered with an aromatic thick curry cream sauce and a sprinkling of shredded kaffir lime leaves and pac choi. Served with jasmine rice or fries."

Ok, so what I got wasn't exactly what was described above, I ordered mine with chips (wanting the carbs of course.. and to soak up the curry sauce) but I was brought rice, which is fine, I like rice too and the staff were more than happy to get get the chips for us. The sauce was absolutely delicious too, but I wouldn't have described it as a thick curry cream. It was more like a thin Thai red curry, very fragrant and light. I also didn't get any pac choi, this was swapped out for a few pieces of broccoli underneath the mammoth piece of thickly battered fish. Now here's where it all went wrong, I can only assume that the fish had been cooked in oil too hot for the thick coating of batter, as the outside was crisp but inside were large chunks of what felt like just cooked spongy pancake. I ended up pulling the soft sea bass from the batter and eating it separate. 

Basically I feel like I didn't exactly get what I ordered, I do like broccoli and the sauce was good, but it was essentially a different dish to what I ordered and the fish was just disappointing. A real shame because the chicken and beef teriyaki fajitas my partner had were insanely good, as were the starters. 

The staff at Yee Rah were great though, very friendly and happy to help when I asked about the missing chips - So I can't fault the service. I think I would go back to Yee Rah based on the fact the fajitas and drinks were delicious and great value for money. But I wouldn't order that sea bass dish again. 

You can visit their website here

Have you ever been to Yee Rah or stayed in an easyHotel?

Tiger Rock Liverpool | Restaurant review

Image source

Tapas style dining is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine. For the people out there who, like me, look at a menu and struggle to choose, tapas is the perfect way to try multiple things in one sitting without going overboard. 

Recently I visited Tiger Rocks North John Street branch for lunch with a friend. From 12pm - 5pm everyday small bowls & plates are 2 for £9 or 3 for £13.50  which after seeing the portion sizes is fab value for money!

What Tiger Rock say;

"Tiger Rock – driven by our passion for delicious fresh East Asian cooking, offers the best in Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Vietnamese, Laotian dishes served with a twist. To accompany the small plates and bowls, we have a gin menu, a couple of bellinis and also some delightful wines and beers.

Come and enjoy Tiger Rock’s friendly casual atmosphere combined with great tunes and an array of amazing flavours from the East continent."

We ordered a couple of small plates including the pork and king prawn Shumai and soft shell crab pictured above. Not pictured was a portion of delicious spring rolls and a very generous bowl of pad thai. 
Firstly lets talk about the soft shell crab.. I don't know why it's taken me so long to try this but my god it was excellent. I understand this won't be every ones cup of tea, but if you're a seafood fan trust me, try it. Crispy deep fried crab lightly spiced with stir fried veg and salad - Delicious! 

The pad thai and shumai were also great. I love a good steamed option whenever I eat Asian food, and shumai is my go to dish every time. The mix of pork and prawn together with the crunch of water chestnuts is a firm favourite of mine, and Tiger Rock didn't disappoint. The pad thai was the perfect balance of sweet, savoury and sour with the crunch of nuts and a generous helping of veg, noodles and chicken - Whats not to like?

 The drinks menu at Tiger Rock has something for everyone, whether you fancy a cup of tea or a fancy cocktail.   We opted to wash our meals down with a couple of cheeky Bellinis, which were a refreshing take on the norm. We sampled the Gin Rose Bellini and the Pomegranate Elderflower Bellini and I would absolutely order these again. 

It was on the recommendation from my friend that we strayed away from our usual lunch date spot (Nandos - sorry not sorry) and tried Tiger Rock, and I would certainly go back again. For those of you local to Liverpool, there are even two branches open, the City Centre and Smithdown Road too. 

3 Photos above directly sourced from Tiger Rocks website | Click images for website 

Overall I was really satisfied with my visit to Tiger Rock. The food and drink quality were excellent and there are several things on the menu that I can't wait to go back and try next time. In the end we didn't order from the great value lunch menu and instead ordered from the main menus. Because of this we did spend a little more than the 3 for £13.50. The bill came to just over £50 for the two of us, but bearing in mind that that included cocktails, I would still argue that value for money was really quite good. 

Your thoughts on soft shell crab?
& Have you ever been to Tiger Rock?

Beauty disasters | Why I won't use semi perm eyelashes

Like many girls, even the ones who may not want to admit it, I'm pretty hung up on my looks. The constant battle with my self image has been something I've struggled with since the age of  14, and not just weight issues, but with cosmetic issues too. I've always longed for long lashes, years of watching Maybelline adverts and being envious of my dark haired friends for having such naturally dark and lustrous lashes was something that secretly got me down for years.

Since then I've been on the hunt for the perfect solution in a bottle, I've tried every potion under the sun, every home remedy and exhausted the drug store mascara options to no avail. My eyelashes are naturally white, as you can see in the left photo on my bottom lid, so unless I smother my eyes in mascara, of which usually weighs them down, my lashes just lack impact. 

Whilst at Mango, A few of the beautiful ladies I worked with were regular users of semi-perm lashes, they looked thick, beautiful and made their eyes look so god damn gorgeous! - & I was sold. It seemed like I'd found my answer, so on payday I went to a local salon and got some semi-perms for myself, over the moon that I might have just found the solution. 

Ok, so first off, my eyes watered like hell for days afterwards. Its normal for your eyes to water whilst the lashes are wet with glue. The fumes are pretty intense and a little irritating, however I experienced uncomfort for several days after them being put in place. - Not great. However, I was so unbelievably happy with how they looked, I just blotted the tears and continued to flutter my newly framed eyes. 

Then, Not a week into having the lashes on, the corners of my eyes began to ache, closely followed by a splitting pain when ever I closed my eyes. It was time to get them off. Rather than taking them off myself, I went back to the salon to have them taken off professionally. They covered my eyes with a serum, and shortly after began picking them off.

I have genuinely never felt such pain. I don't know whether they used the wrong glue, if the lady who removed them was new, or whether they didn't leave the removal serum on for long enough, but as she began pulling the false lashes off, she took my own ones with them too, leaving me with several half length stubby lashes and only a handful of longer ones. As you can see from the right photo above, a large patch of lashes are missing, and it's the same on the other side too. 

I can safely say that no amount of insecurity would be worth going through that again. I went through a period after the removal feeling utterly disgusted with myself, I genuinely felt lower than I had in a long time. But I've picked myself up and began the painstakingly slow process of trying to grow them back. My only solution is to wear more black eyeliner to compensate for the lack of impact, whist I wait for them to return.

I would however like to point out that although I had a terrible experience, many friends of mine have had positive treatments, so I by no means want to tell you that semi-perm eyelashes are dangerous. I'd also like to thank some of the girls on twitter for lending a hand and reassuring me that this isn't the norm and eventually I will have my natural lashes back. 

Have you ever had any beauty related disasters?

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Cocktail master class | The Botanist (*)

Ever since being invited to The Botanist blogger tea party earlier this year, I have had a little obsession with the restaurant. I've been back with my family as well as Creatures family and it's always been met with amazing compliments for the food and the great range of drinks.

A few weeks ago myself and 4 other bloggers were invited to The Botanist for a cocktail master class to learn how to make 3 of The Botanists yummy cocktails. As you can imagine this event was right up my street, and not only were we invited to free pour our own delicious alcohol but also treated to a selection of bar snacks mid way through the evening. - Bonus!

Cocktails have never lost that air of glamour for me, I'm still a beer girl through and through but when I do occasionally swap my Peroni for an elegant martini glass, I like those cocktails to actually taste substantial. There is nothing worse than a cocktail that literally just tastes like bog standard fruit juice. However at The Botanist their cocktails not only taste delicious but also so very alcoholic!

What I particularly enjoyed was the fact they use amazing and unusual ingredients in their drinks, whilst we were sipping our hand made Mojitos packed full of fresh mint and watching our next cocktails demonstration, Adam our teacher for the evening began filling his tumblers with baby rose buds! In today's cocktail culture it isn't enough to just have a great tasting drink, it must look the part too, and boy do The Botanists cocktails look pretty!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Botanist, I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly how I to make those cocktails for yourself. I can however vouch that not only will you have a crackin' time 'learning' how to make some of The Botanists signature drinks but you'll also get wickedly drunk.

You can find out more about The Botanists cocktail master classes here

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Lush Kitchen Demo | Granny takes a dip

 



For weeks I watched on Instagram as people got their hands on this exclusive bath bomb before they hit the shops. If you've kept up with my #MidweekTreat series you'll know that colouring and theatrics in Lush bath bombs is an important factor I always rate products on. So naturally after seeing the rainbow effect of Granny Takes a Dip I was desperately trying to hunt down one of my own.

 

It took me a week, but I picked up my first Granny in my local Leeds branch & luckily it was the last one in store after a surge of sales over the bank holiday weekend. So I skipped out merrily with my bomb & straight home to the tub to test it despite the recent heat waves. I fear in the next few weeks I'm going to have to retire from bath bombs as showers become more comfortable. However I plan on trying some fresh facemasks and even make some of my own instead.

 

My Granny did not disappoint. The colours were magnificent, slowly spreading a rainbow of colour around my bath. Unlike Lush ballistics, Granny Takes a Dip fizzed for around 5-10 minutes before it disappeared leaving pockets of rainbows over the top of a rich purple tinted water below.

 

Lush say; "This ginger, pepper and lemon-scented bath bomb turns your water psychedelic and puts some colour in your life. Simply drop into a warm bath and watch as its fizzing centre dissolves into multi-coloured waters. Its spicy, citrusy scent will pep you up: lemon oil boosts the mood, while ginger and pepper are warming"

 

I love citrus scents, and the lemon oil combined with the ginger spice was divine, it lingered in my bathroom and on my skin for hours after my bath was emptied, and I was that impressed that I returned to Lush the following week to get another Granny. This bomb has been by far one f my favourites to date, even taking over Space Girl.

I was pleased to find also, that the deep purple did not stain my tub like Phoenix Rising despite the obvious high dye content, nor did it dry out my skin. I in fact left that bath feeling silky soft and smelling citrusy, complimenting my usual CKin2u perfume.

 

Colour 10/10 | Smell 9/10 | Skin 9/10

I would have given this straight 10's but I have had bombs previously whose smell and skin softening properties have been longer lasting, however Granny Takes a Dip is definitely my new favourite bath time treat.

 

Have you tried Granny Takes a Dip yet?
See my Demo video on instagram here



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The Midweek Treat | Phoenix Rising bath ballistic

 

 After last weeks disappointment with Sakura, I picked the very pretty and brightly coloured Phoenix Rising bath ballistic as this weeks midweek treat. Firstly I love the colour and shape, it just looks a little more special that your average bomb, and you can already see that the colour is going to be a big impact in the water. - Whish is exactly what I've come to expect and love from Lush bath bombs.

Lush say: "A mystical, shimmering purple and green layered bath bomb that rises in the water on a cloud of exotic spice fragrance. When your skin is feeling over-cooked and in desperate need of hydration, the luxurious blend of cocoa and shea butters will have you rising out of the bath with soft, luscious skin. Its rich, cinnamon fragrance will also lift your mood if you’re feeling out of sorts."

The smell of this bomb is incredible, although more of a winter scent, the cinnamon is really strong and delicious. This bomb has been sat in my bath bomb bowl for the past few weeks, keeping the room smelling lovely, which is always handy when living with a boy!

Now, this bomb is supposed to be a bath ballistic, however it took its time to make any impact on the bath. And around 5 seconds under the water before it actually fizzed or melted at all! (See my demo video here) I left the bathroom numerous times in the space of 5-10 minutes & in that time it had hardly fizzed at all despite the bath being hot. So I decided to crack it open with my hands revealing the green centre. It was then that the bomb began to fizz a little faster.
The bath water was a gorgeous shade of purple by the time the slow fizzing was through and the creamy tones on the top made my bath look like a tie-dye, which I love!

On other reviews I've read I was a little concerned that my nails would be dyed purple. the colouring in this bomb is very strong, and whilst I can say in confidence that I emerged still lilly white & nails intact, I can't however say the same for my bath. I was forced to scrub it with bleach after tide marks of purple were stained up the tub!

My skin didn't feel as soft after this bath as it did with Sakura, however it was a much more satisfying in colour and overall effect. I am a little concerned about the staining of the tub, which would usually make me reluctant to buy again, however my skin really did smell beautiful all night so that sways it for me. I rate this bomb 4/5 - Great smell & colour, but high dye content so invest in some good quality bleach.

Have you tried the Phoenix Rising bath bomb? 
 

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The Midweek Treat | Sakura Bath Ballistic

 

Truth be told, I tried this little bomb last Friday after I'd handed in my dissertation, practical project and investigative journalism pieces. So less of a midweek treat, more of a 'I've had 1 hours sleep and need to wind down' treat. But that also means I'm one assignment away from finishing Uni for good, and you wouldn't believe how relieved I am to be out of higher education!

 

Ok, for those of you don't know, Sakura is a bomb that has been brought back into production, it was discontinued a while ago but it's been re-launched (apparently) by popular demand. I like to try a new bomb, where possible, every week so when skipped into Lush Leeds I was really drawn to Sakura. I'd never seen it before, and thought the almost druzy stone like appearance of it's top was just too pretty!

 

Lush say: "This is a celebration of spring in a bath bomb, bursting into a floral fragrance. Inspired by the cherry blossom in Japan, this pretty bomb is designed to evoke the burst of optimism the first sign of spring brings. We've used calming mimosa and jasmine oils complemented by lemon oil and orange flower to bring to mind the smell of this colourful season."

 

Smell wise, you can definitely pick out the citrus. I LOVE citrus scents, especially in the spring/summer, so as you can imagine, I was really excited to pop this in my tub. However, I was a little underwhelmed.. I assumed, with the pink and blue pretty speckles, that this bomb would have a little bit of colour to it, but how wrong I was. It was a very low impact bomb if I'm honest, I mean the creamy look of the water is ok but c'mon Lush I want some excitement! Sakura just didn't make my bath look as inviting as say Rose Queen or Secret Garden.

 

It's not all doom and gloom though, Sakura was a deeply nourishing product, and instantly after plunging into the water, I could feel how soft my skin was. I'd exfoliated a day earlier, and this bomb just made my skin feel like butter thanks to the essential oils. Not to mention the scent was so strong that it lingered on my skin for the rest of the day.

All in all, I wasn't completely sold on this bomb. I've come to expect fireworks with Lush bath bombs and this doesn't really step up to the mark. However I did enjoy the smell and how great it made my skin feel. So with that taken into consideration I'm scoring this apparent Lush favourite 3/5.

 

Have you tried Sakura?

 

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The Midweek Treat | Immaculate Eggception review

It's another smash & grab! You may have seen my Love Locket review from a few weeks ago in which I failed miserably at attempting to cut into the bomb with a knife as recommended. So Instead I opted for smashing it on the floor, turning my bathroom into a pink sand desert to reveal it's centre!

 

This week I've been smashing the Immaculate Eggception in an attempt to find my hidden chick or bunny. Much like Love Locket The Immaculate Eggception had a hidden secret inside & mine revealed a little yellow chick. This amazing bath bomb comes in two different colours; yellow or pink. They both share the same delectable fragrance, with zesty lemon oil to tone the skin, refreshing grapefruit oil and sweet and comforting Fair Trade vanilla absolute from the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda.

 

You have two options with this bomb, you can use the smashed outer, spreading it out between 2 baths. However you will get a slightly weaker scent. & then use the inner bomb for another separate bath (you can get up to 3 baths from this one bomb). Or like me, you can be greedy & throw it all in together and have a super scented bath!

 

With this one I absolutely LOVED the colours. I adore it when Lush bath bombs create a sort of tie dye effect across the water, & in fact if you read my Love Locket review you'll see this is exactly the kind of effect I wished I would have got after being slightly disappointed with the lockets papery hearts. I was however expecting to see a little more blue with the outer showing blue tones, but they disappeared immediately as it hit the water.

 

So I am absolutely won over by The Immaculate Eggception, I love the smell, I love the colour effect & my skin felt amazing after leaving the water. Smooth, nourished and smelling wonderful.

 

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Gaucho | Restaurant review

 

For me, a perfectly cooked medium rare steak is just ambrosia. & Gaucho Leeds as fast become mine and Creatures go to place on payday for a blow out meal of awesome proportions.

To begin, if you've not been to Gaucho before & like me, find the menu a little daunting, the staff will bring out a large wooden board adorned with the meat selections & take you through your options. Being a medium rare fan I found I can pretty much choose any of the steaks on offer, which really didn't help my choice!

So in the end I chose the Bife de Lomo fillet, hoping for a soft, melt in your mouth steak whilst Creature went with a steak marinated in garlic and herbs. With each steak you get the choice of a complimentary salad or chips, I can vouch that both choices are great. The salad has a lovely clean lemon and oil dressing & the chips are chick cut & perfect to dip in your chosen sauce.
Sauces are extra but I always need something to smother my meat and chips in, on this occasion I went with the smoked garlic hollandaise, & Creature chose his forever favourite peppercorn.

Before your meaty assault can begin, each meal spent with Gaucho is begun with a complimentary bread basket. Now for me, this is perfect, I have an absolute obsession with breads & discovering new favours, textures etc. So when I was first introduced to Gauchos bread selection, I was in heaven.
My favourite of the 3 breads on offer would be the warm lightly cheese flavoured balls. Gorgeous, melt in the mouth, cheesy balls of bread. It took a while, but I eventually figured out that they are called Pao de Queijo and found a recipe . These balls also go fantastically with the chimichurri dressing served on the side.

Gaucho make a pretty bold statement about how tender their steaks are, when you're given what can only be described as a butter knife to cut your meat. And I was sceptical at first, but my steak seriously did cut like butter & I have been blown away by all of the steaks I've sampled since discovering the Argentine restaurant. This most recent visit was by far the best steak I've had to date, the meat was seriously tender, perfectly cooked & the smoked garlic hollandaise was incredible!

So after my belly was full, my gin & tonic cocktail almost slurped, our waiter for the evening returned with the desert menu. & of course I couldn't refuse. I chose the smallest pud on the menu - A selection of truffles, which consists of 5 individual chocolates topped with, chilli, orange, salt, cocoa & coffee. I was a little taken back by the idea of salt or chilli with sweet chocolate, but I can whole heartedly say I enjoyed each and every truffle, by favourite of course being the coffee.

As you can tell from the review, I am 100% a Gaucho fanatic. However there is no escaping the fact that it is an expensive place to eat. The cheapest steak is £18.50 and with prices creeping up to a staggering £148. Gaucho is not somewhere you're likely to visit a lot. However as a payday treat or a place to celebrate a special occasion, Gaucho is my go to place!

Have you ever visited Gaucho?

 

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