Friday 30 August 2013

Gigs by the Sea, in a Tipi, and at the Greenman!

The other weekend I went on a bit of a musical road trip with my Baby, who had a few gigs lined up.

First stop was beautiful Tenby.  It was a lovely evening when we arrived, clear skies and a lovely pink-tinged light was cast over the bay.






I spent an enjoyable hour while the soundcheck was being done having a little wander and then went to my favourite cosy pub (I like to imagine it was part of a smuggling network centuries ago) with a good book and a large glass of wine.  I then headed back to the lovely Cafe Vista for the gig.  I'd never been there before and the people were friendly, the bar well stocked, and the tiny terrace has the most amazing view over the bay.  It seems that they do put on regular music nights, and I'd highly recommend the venue if you're staying in Tenby on a summer break.

The next day we went to Cardigan, back to the Pizza Tipi that I completely neglected to blog about last year.  They'd been busy with more developments to the site - an increased decking area along the river front and a refurbished bar that gave me lots of interior design inspiration!  The people there are lovely, and we enjoyed some fantastic wood-fired homemade pizzas and good ale.  As darkness falls, the firepits are lit, the fairy lights come on, and it's really quite magical to see a gig in the tipi.






On the Sunday we travelled the width of Wales then to get from Cardigan to the Greenman Festival, just outside of Crickhowell in Powys.  It really is the most stunning setting, though I might be a bit biased as I grew up in the nearby town of Abergavenny.

I have to admit I wasn't particularly excited by the line-up this year, and the site seemed to me to be much quieter than previous years.  It was fairly relaxing, and the weather certainly helped.  I wore my wellies just in case, but didn't really need them.  Here's my day in photos - it's not particularly rock and roll.  I'm past that stage.



That fab super-bright bag was part of a 'festival survival kit' provided by the lovely people at St David's - I'm not reviewing it here because I didn't really need a 'survival' kit spending just one day at Greenman, so I'll save my review of that for my holiday in a couple of weeks, as I'm staying in a cabin and it will be quite basic - that's practically camping in my book.







Monday 26 August 2013

All Aboard the 1930's Train!

The day after the recent wedding of our friends Tom and Fran, the wedding party met up again to board the Severn Valley Railway for lunch.  As the carriages we were to be dining in were from the 1930s, we thought it would be rude not to dress appropriately.  My look was more 1940s to be honest, but I did get to wear a hat, and my Baby looked incredibly smart and was channelling Poirot.


Friday 23 August 2013

Kitchen: Spiced Chickpea and Potato Fry Up

I made this recipe from Good Food for tea the other night.  So, so good!  I'm on a mission to use up everything from my fridge, freezer and cupboards presently and hence stop wasting money on food.  I had to buy the coriander and an onion for this (only used one not two), and I substituted purple flowering broccoli (heads only) for the spinach, and Garam Masala instead of mild chilli powder.  I 'tweak' a lot of recipes these days to suit what I have in the fridge and cupboards.

Ingredients

  • 300g potatoes, cut into small pieces
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp each ground coriander, turmeric and mild chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 410g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 200g baby spinach
  • small bunch coriander, leaves chopped
  • wholemeal chapatis, low-fat natural yogurt and mango chutney, to serve

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender. While they are cooking, soften the onions and garlic in the oil in a frying pan for a few mins. Add all the spices, then fry for 1 min more. Stir in the chickpeas and tomato purée with 400ml water, then turn the heat up and bubble for a few mins.
  2. When the potatoes are ready, drain and add to the pan. Cook for a few mins until the sauce is thick, stir in the spinach, then season. When the spinach has wilted, scatter with coriander and serve with the chapatis, yogurt and chutney on the side.

Very quick and easy, and it made three greedy girl's portions (the other two are in the freezer now).  I served it with a mini-naan bread, natural yoghurt, and a dollop of mango chutney.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

In The Shops: New Place to Buy Heartbreaker Fashions in the UK!

I just love Heartbreaker's vintage inspired dresses, but they've been particularly difficult to track down over here in the UK.  I fell in love with the 'Monte Carlo' dress after the Glamorous Housewife featured it on her fab blog, but couldn't find it for sale over here.


Monday 19 August 2013

A Girl Can Never Have Enough Tea!

My tea drawer is stocked up at work.  I like to have different brews, as I go through phases.  Recently I've been enjoying a Chai tea from Marks and Spencer that I bought yonks ago and forgot about.  It may have slipped slightly passed its best before date, but it still tastes nice so I'm going to use it up.


Clockwise from top left: Clipper Wild Berry organic infusion, Lipton Lemon & Ginger, Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice, Tetley Pomegranate Green Tea, M&S Chai Teabags, and Pickwick White Tea Soft Fruits.

I like to look out for specialty teas in bargain places such as Home Bargains or B&M Bargains - that Tetley Pomegranate Green Tea is only 99p a box, whilst the amazing Celestial Seasoning's tea was only 39p a box.  I bought about 5 or 6 boxes at the time, but they've never had them back again so you have to stock up when you see them!

What is your favourite tea to have when you're hard at work?  And do you have a whole tea drawer?!

Friday 16 August 2013

In The Shops: New Collection of Fancy Pants by Rosie for Autograph

Last Autumn I blogged about Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's lingerie collaboration with M&S Autograph with a vintage feel.  The collaboration is back for Autumn/Winter 2013, and as well as re-releasing the best-selling set, the anniversary collection features some new styles.  Read the press release below and have a sneak peek at some of the styles.  The collection is in store now and available to purchase through the Marks and Spencer website here.

I love that teddy!




Wednesday 14 August 2013

A Vintage Plate Makes Everything Taste Better

1930s plate

This lovely 1930's plate is the one that I use in work.  It cost me just 5 pence!

I love throwing together salads with whatever ingredients I have to hand.  This one was pearl barley, radishes, avacado, mint, and a yoghurt dressing.  Super tasty!  Herbs in salads perk them up no end.

Monday 12 August 2013

Wedding Outtakes

My last post showed all of the appropriate and composed photographs from the wedding of our friends Tom and Fran, so here are a few more photos showing the messing about and gratuitous posing that happened too!






Well, when you're all dressed up you have to take as many photographs as possible!

Wednesday 7 August 2013

A Vintage Inspired Wedding & Our Guest Outfits

Everybody loves a wedding!  This weekend I was at the wedding of Tom and Fran, for a vintage-inspired extravaganza!  There were vintage buses, capelet-wearing bridesmaids, peacock feather and newsprint decorations, and of course a beautiful bride and dashing groom.

I wore a cherry print dress that was a gift, the outfit was all vintage inspired apart from the handbag which is early 1960s.

wedding guest outfit
 At the Lych gate with my good friend Jane

Monday 5 August 2013

Book Review: The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

Well, this is another book that I never would have chosen based on the cover, but again it was a nice surprise and I was easily hooked right from the start.  I think they've since re-vamped the cover and re-released it.

"On a summer's day in 1922 Cora Carlisle boards a train from Wichita, Kansas, to New York City, leaving behind a marriage that's not as perfect as it seems and a past that she buried long ago. She is charged with the care of a stunning young girl with a jet-black fringe and eyes wild and wise beyond her fifteen years. This girl is hungry for stardom and Cora for something she doesn't yet know. Cora will be many things in her lifetime - an orphan, a mother, a wife, a mistress - but in New York she is a chaperone and her life is about to change.
It is here under the bright lights of Broadway, in a time when prohibition reigns and speakeasies with their forbidden whispers behind closed doors thrive, that Cora finds what she has been searching for. It is here, in a time when illicit thrills and daring glamour sizzle beneath the laws of propriety that her life truly begins. It is here that Cora and her charge, Louise Brooks, take their first steps towards their dreams."


Thursday 1 August 2013

Summer Make-Up

What's your summer make-up like?  I find I change lip colours and moisturisers, but don't really change dramatically what else I use between seasons.  This is a little overview of what I have been using recently.

 
I rarely bother with foundation, partly because I've never found one that's particularly good, but in summer heat my skin needs to breathe as much as possible, so I skip it altogether.  This does necessitate using a moisturiser that doesn't give too much shine - I use Kimberley Sayer's Ultra Light Facial Moisturiser.

Over the top, I always use a sweep of powder, and am currently using Chanel 'Les Beiges' Healthy Glow Powder (£38), which although pricey, is great for summer.  It's very subtle, but gives a bit of warmth to the skin and looks better than my standard pale translucent powder with the inevitable tan that I get (despite walking around under umbrellas, hats and factor 30 - that's what happens when you are an outdoor runner!).

For lips, again keeping it as light as possible, I would choose a sheer lip colour for everyday such as Poppy King's 'History' for Boots No.7 (£10.95), or why not try Poppy King's offering of 'Medieval' (£20) at her range available at Space NK?  It gives lips a "just bitten" look according to India Knight's review in the Sunday Times.  For evening, summer is a chance for me to break out the really bold colours - 573, a lovely coral pink from years ago by Barry M (£4.49), or Besame's Carmine (£22), or a strong pink such as 'Classic Rose' by Boots No.7 (£9.50) all look chic with a summer wardrobe's tropical colour palette.

Mascara-wise, I try and go for something waterproof that isn't going to start running either with sweat, trips to the beach, or pure heat.  I find that against my ever so slightly darker skin in summertime, the Besame mascara doesn't stand out enough, so I've been using Boots No.7 mascaras (£11-£13), of which there's a huge choice.

I am not very good at applying black eyeliner with the required precision, and eyeshadow just slides off my eyes in any kind of heat (must find a good primer to stop this happening!), and so I tend to use bright liquid eyeliners to give a little slash of colour - a good one is again from Boots No.7, I have it in green.  Unlike black, you don't need as much precision as it will never look as stark.

Hair-wise, I can't bear the heat of curling my hair and so often leave it to air dry, pinning up sections from my face.  Naturally my hair has a wave, so I'm lucky to be able to do this.  I haven't yet found a quick and easy updo that my hair can be tamed into (it's very heavy and would take an army of pins for it to stay put).  For summer nights, I find all you need is a flower hair accessory, and you're good to go!

Here's a typical result from all of the above (excuse the expressions, but you're meant to be looking at the make-up, not me!)



After I wrote the above, I then decided I would like to revamp my summer evening look a bit and headed to the Dior counter.

I asked for a natural looking foundation (always hesitantly when you're asking someone who wears a LOT of foundation!!) and tried out Diorskin 'Nude' (£32).  I really liked the product, it didn't feel heavy at all despite it being a humid day, and I have a sample to try out again before I take the plunge and make a purchase. 

In pursuit of another 'everyday' red I tried out Dior Addict in 'New Look' (£24).   I loved the lip colour, which you could build up from sheer to wow, but the staying power was about the same as the 'History' sheer red I use, at less than half the price, and I also encoutered the problem of feathering for the first time ever with a lipstick, despite having used a lipliner.  I think you can see this a bit in the second picture below.

Eye make-up wise, I tried out Dior Skinflash Pen (£26), which is kind of like YSL's touche eclat, but comes in different hues (pink, apricot) rather than just skin tones.  The make-up artist used it also as a primer for my eyelids, and now sat here at the end of the day with the eyeshadow still in place, I can say that it worked!  The eye-shadow was just a couple of shades from the Dior 5 couleurs palette (£40) - they have them in lots of different colour combinations to suit your skintone.  It's heavier than I would normally wear, but for an evening I think it might be OK.




So, I shall think about purchasing the foundation, but the hunt is still on for another everyday red lippy.


That's it really, sorry it's not more exciting.  Has anyone got any tips for summer make-up looks?  They've got to be better than mine!!
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