#whoisarthur | The Drowning Of Arthur Braxton Kickstarter - Luke Cutforth

Meow!

Photo is Luke's not mine. Not the most recent one.

So today is the 31st of July and Luke Cutforth has just announced after 2 weeks of promotion and speculation what #whoisarthur is. I'm mainly writing this to promote the Kickstarter which helps the project so please keep reading.

Luke Cutforth is a man from Hertfordshire who is most known for being on YouTube. Luke who is also known as LukeIsNotSexy is most known for his video about Fifty Shades of Grey video with YouTuber Bry, A Song About A Girl Video with As It Is member Patty Walters and other videos which include challenges with girlfriend/best friend Emma Blackery. (I did a post about Emma which I will link at the end of this post if you want to have a look at that after this.)

Luke announced #whoisarthur a few weeks ago which led to a website whoisarthur.com being set up which consisted mainly of a countdown until the details were released to the general public. This lead to speculation and guesses all over social media. Some included that it was all about a release of a book, some thought that it could be the name of himself and Emma's non existent baby and so on. The countdown was for today.

On the day of the release, Luke built up suspension via social media telling his many followers and viewers how he felt about telling the world all about his secret. This all lead to a livestream half an hour before with viewers and fellow YouTubers such as lgbtqia+ supporter Gary C and pun making Evan Edinger.

The time had arrived and the timebomb exploded onto Luke's YouTube channel. It was a video of himself talking to his viewers casually yet keeping a form of professionalism. He explained with clips of YouTube videos that he was within meetings and such to buy the rights to the book 'The Drowning Of Arthur Braxton' hence whoisarthur but he needed his viewers help due to companies wanting to cut bits out and not really portray the main themes of the novel which were what Luke wanted to show to the world.

The Drowning Of Arthur Brixton is well the account of Arthur who is a teenager that has suffered pain and trauma and how a first love can transform a dark and maybe the most unhappiest of lives into something wonderful and amazing. The best way to sum it up is a contemporary dark fairy tale.

Luke is slowly planning on making the novel into the film with the help of his viewers via Kickstarter which is a pledge funding site. Anyone can donate any amount of money which goes directly to the project but with pledges that give a certain amount of money comes rewards. These rewards can vary from a follow from Luke via his Twitter account all the way to being an extra on the film and premiere tickets to the screening. Once the goal has been fulfilled there will be an extra goal with more rewards which will make the film the best that it possibly can be.

If you want to participate within Luke's Kickstarter then I'll leave the link below. You definitely should as it will mean that you're helping to create an amazing film and you'll be fulfilling someone's dream of making a film. I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and I shall see you next time for another blog post.

Pledge Money Here: http://kck.st/1IP9aIN
Watch Luke's Video Here: http://bit.ly/1JBbrX3
Check the blog post all about Emma here: http://www.jamiesowden.com/2015/06/is-emma-blackery-saviour-of-youtube.html

Meow!
Jamie x

Filling The Hole That's Inside Us All | Krispy Kreme - Trinity Leeds Opening

Meow!

I went into Leeds on Tuesday as I heard about Krispy Kreme finally opening within Leeds. I had known about this for a quite a while mainly due to the billboards and general advertisement around Leeds which includes handing out free packs of glazed doughnuts in packs of dozen (12) which I tried to hunt down several times and then found them when they had ran out... (If you follow me on social media well mainly Twitter then you will have seen my disappointment in not finding Krispy Kreme as I have them every 6-12 months due to the amount of lactose that are in any of the filled doughnuts...)

For anyone who has being living under a rock (if I could then I probably would), Krispy Kreme is a doughnut store that originally started in 1937 in North Carolina. They were sold in local grocery stores to start off with and then ended up creating a hole in the wall sort of business... Time passed and the business gradually got bigger via delivery vans, stores and then globally. Even though KK are known for their fresh doughnuts at their Hot Light stores they are also known for other things which include coffee and milkshakes.

We entered Trinity Leeds and made our way to the store as I knew where it was as it was a 2 minute walk from Lush. We finally made it there! We saw the doughnut store with its glass exterior and waited outside for a few minutes. One of the staff members embraced us to come inside but I wanted to take a few photos first. They weren't great. We walked through the glass doors and saw the screen which promoted their milkshakes. I took another picture and moved along. I finally found it. The centre to every sweet tooths heart. The counters that encased the doughnuts. The centre to the peace in everyone's heart. The one thing that can fill the hole even if its fluffy yet sticky. We ordered a Original Glazed doughnut mainly as I knew it didn't have a creamy filling but still had the fluffy interior which everyone loved. I took my doughnut and walked elegantly out of the welcoming store. The dougnut was fluffy and soft which was delicious as it tasted sweet yet kind of like it was welcoming and the maple glaze (I think) was sweet yet had a husky backnote. It was sticky but not too sticky which was good for a doughnut. I am planning on getting some more in the future.

If you have a NUS card then you can receive a 20% discount if you show your card within a store. It is only available in stores. If you sign up to be Friends with Krispy Kreme then you can also receive a free Original Glazed doughnut.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. Have you been to the Trinity Leeds store? What is your favourite Krispy Kreme doughnut? Comment down below. I shall see you next time for another post.

Krispy Kreme's Website if you want to sign up to Friends Of Krispy Kreme:
http://www.krispykreme.co.uk/

Meow!
Jamie x

What's Going On In Leeds This Week | The Birra Moretti Gran Tour

Meow!

If you know me at all (even if its just via social media) then you will know that I love Italian food. I love fresh pasta filled with secret fillings to the eye. I love Italian pasta dishes where the pasta sauce gets into the ridges of the pasta. I love fresh Italian pizzas where you can tell that everything within it was freshly made with a little added love. I love the crispiness of the base from the added polenta that is added. I basically love Italian food quite a bit.

I've been invited to the Birra Moretti Gran Tour the night before it's available to all of you amazing people so I thought that I would tell you all about it as I may take a day to sort out the pictures, a day to write it and probably add the pictures and another day if I've been doing a vlog/if I have filmed at the event to edit and upload it onto YouTube so by the time I have actually talked to you all about it the tour would already be over and done with.

It's the first time that this intensely amazing Italian food festival is coming to Leeds which I think is amazing as it shows diversity and shows how cultural Leeds is. The festival is being held within Leeds Town Hall. It starts on Thursday (which is the 30th July) and finishes on Sunday (2nd August.)
You do have to buy tickets to go to the festival but they are only £10. I'll put the link down below.

This £10 ticket may be able to compared to more but you get a lot of bargain for your buck. You will get two Birra Morettis, two dishes from the vendors that are at the festival which means that you get to try out some authentic Italian food and a gelato. In my eyes that's pretty amazing for £10. You will also enjoy live music and masterclasses so you have a chance of learning how to make great food which you can replicate the next week or a year down the line where you can show off your cooking skills! (Taking a part in one could definitely help show yourself off to others if you're going to university this year as well.)

I can't wait for the festival. I shall hopefully vlog whilst I'm there so look out for that and the blog post explaining how it all went as some of you may not be able to come this weekend. You can literally eat your way through Italy within this festival so it's a great way to spend an evening within the weekend this week!

Buy Tickets Here: http://moretti-gran-tour.designmynight.com/

Meow!
Jamie x

Let's Sip Our Creativity | Coca Cola Freestyle & Five Guys In Leeds

Meow, I went into Leeds and went to Five Guys so I thought I would talk about it. There's also a video that shall be at the bottom of the post.

So a few weeks ago, I heard that Five Guys had opened in Leeds so I instantly knew that I had to go. I had heard great things about Five Guys for many reasons but I knew that I had to go for one reason and one reason alone and that is for their Coca Cola Freestyle machine.

Five Guys is a casual restaurant chain that is well known for their burgers, fries and much more. Their headquarters are within Virginia. The first restaurant was opened in 1986 which was obviously within Virginia. They are known for having a sort of retro diner influenced decor but they are also commonly known for their ethics within food as they only make hand formed burgers cooked to basically perfection and hand cut fresh fries cooked in pure peanut oil. They slowly grew which lead them to all over the world with their newest branch being in Leeds City Centre. 

So, I wandered into Leeds and slowly found my way to Five Guys as it's a 3-5 minute walk from the Train Station and is around the same time from Trinity Leeds. I walked past Pieminister and realised that I was there as I could see the bold red from a mile away. It really doesn't take long to get there and you'll know when you're there either from the red exterior or the music that is playing from the interior.

A lovely woman greeted me at the entrance and talked to me a few seconds and handed me a menu leaflet to see what I would like. She explained the ethos a bit to me and talked about the burgers and fries. I think that this was due to it opening only a few days earlier as I went in recently and there was no one at the entrance of the restaurant.

I walked up to the till and requested a regular Coke. She asked if I wanted anything else and I declined as I knew that I would come and try the food some other time. She handed me the cup and my change and then the magic could happen.

I sat down and vlogged for a second and then I made my way up to the machine. I saw the neon red machine and realised that this was an ultimate dream for a person who drinks like a fish. The first drink that I had was a non caffeine Coke Lime and Coke Orange. As I love Diet Coke with Citrus Zest I thought it would be like that but as the lime was at the top it made the orange a bit more subtle but it was still a nice summery fruity drink. I got non caffeine mainly because there is a non caffeine selection at the beginning of the process and me and caffeine sometimes don't go well together due to anxiety.

The next one I had was a mixture of Fanta Fruit Punch and caffeine free Raspberry Coke. This was very summery. I think the Fruit Punch is the US equivalent of Fruit Twist as it reminded me of that but it was very fruity. The raspberry added a slight sour hint which worked well with the sweet fruit punch. It seemed like a summery sort of non alcoholic cocktail but maybe change the ratios and add a slight bit of Schweppes Lemonade.

I then went in a few days later with Luke and we enjoyed a few more due to it being refillable and we needed a drink as it was very warm. We discovered that they did Cherry Coke so we had that. Luke is a massive fan of Cherry Coke. He enjoyed it and thought that it was a bit more fruitier than the Cherry Coke he was used to.

I then went up and had a flick through and realised that there was a Sprite section. Luke loves Sprite and I like it on a warm day as it's very refreshing. I found out that there is such a thing as Cherry Sprite. Luke was in heaven. I also enjoyed it. It tasted more of Cherry Blossom than anything as it had a slight floral note to it. Different but good.

The last one that I am going to talk to you about is Caffeine Free Vanilla Coke & Peach Sprite. I know it may sound weird but keep reading. The peach is very fruity but fresh and reminds me of Peach Schnapps. So refreshing but when you top it up with that CF Vanilla Coke it makes it into more of a drinkable form of an ice cream float which makes it slightly sweet but so good... Mmm...

With over 100 different drinks, it is possible to create whatever drink that you like. I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. Have you been to Five Guys in Leeds City Centre? Have you tried out the Coca Cola Freestyle machine? If so then comment down below and if you have tried the machine then maybe leave your favourite combination? I hope that you enjoy the blog post and I hope to see you next time!

Video: https://youtu.be/ktviw_8xdIo
Five Guys: http://bit.ly/1gKfT59

Meow!
Jamie x

The Front Bottoms

Meow, so today's post is going to be about a band that are close to my heart. There are a group of bands that are close to my heart. It's going to be about a band called The Front Bottoms and I hope that you enjoy it.

So The Front Bottoms are an indie rock band from New Jersey. The band formed and became active in 2007 where it was just a duo but then in 2010 it became a four piece band. In 2007, two friends from college formed a band started playing under the name The Front Bottoms where they managed to record 12 songs so they had a set list which they could perform at local venues around New Jersey At this point TFB released their first album I Hate My Friends which slowly led to them creating more EP's and another album which was called My Grandma vs Pneumonia.

In 2010, a band member out of the trio which consisted of two brothers and a friend decided to leave the band to focus on his education which slowly led to a new band member who slowly left in 2012 due to touring being too much for him which led to two new band members joining TFB. The current line up of members include Brian Sella who has been with the band since 2007 (Vocals & Guitars), Matthew Uychich who has also been with the band since 2007 (Drums, Bullhorn, Megaphone), Tom Warren who has been in the band since 2012 (Bass & Backing Vocals) and Ciaran O'Donnell who along with Tom has been with the band since 2012 (Guitar, Trumpet & Keys).

In 2014, the band decided to bring out an EP called Rose as the idea behind this was to create a grandma series of EP's as one of the band members grandmas. The next one would probably be called Anne to go along with this idea. Rose includes songs that members of the public ask for at shows or songs that the band just can't let go of for several reasons.

The Front Bottoms have a lot going on within this year. They released a co EP with rapper GDP which consisted two songs from TFB and two from GDP. The songs from TFB are amazing and if you haven't listened to them then go and listen to the EP entitled Liberty & Prosperity. They had also signed up to the record label Fueled By Ramen as they are also with Bar/None Records.

TFB have several influences including the pop, punk and rock genres which you can tell if you listen to any of their music which are also paired with witty lyrics which give a quick but a surreal view of the world around them which slightly make more and more people within the general public relate to the music.

So I hope that you've enjoyed this post. I hope that you have found it interesting and different and I shall see you next time for another blog post

Go and check out their stuff on YouTube here: http://bit.ly/1Jt72km

Meow!
Jamie x

A Moment For You | Jo Malone London - Leeds Event

Meow, so I went to an event a good week or so ago and I thought I would talk to you all about it today and I thought I would include a few other things so I hope you enjoy this post.

A few weeks ago just before the Cutler and Gross event I checked out Victoria Quarter website as I wanted to check it out and realised that they have an events tab so the obvious thing to do is to check it out. I did and I found out that there was a Jo Malone London event coming up so just before the C&G event I went into the store and booked a place & a plus one to ensure that Luke could come as I take him to most things due to the easiness, transport and he brings his phone wire along with my Power Bar so if my anxiety kicks off then I can message someone quickly.

We entered the store on the day of the event (after finally finding it in a vast midst of many stores) and was welcomed into a marvellous store full of glamorous beauty products. I was handed a glass of British Champagne (we'll skip the fact that its technically not champagne) and was told to wander and sample the wonderful items. Now when I was looking I noticed that there were labels so you didn't have to do what I was doing which was picking up a random scent and see if you liked it or not.

I picked up and sniffed various products which include Orange Blossom, Saffron (from the Intense collection) Wood Sage & Sea Salt and a various amount of others in various forms which include Hand & Body Lotion, Candles and many more. Whilst I was doing all of this I saw and said hi and talked briefly to Lizi and Jessica (I shall put the links at the bottom of the post.) I also chatted to various other people including Shirene who has an amazing blog and amazing business cards which had an Orange Is The New Black reference on them!

Metal tapped on an elegant glass and the whole store came to a sudden silence. The manager asked us to come over to the demonstration table and then she thanked us and introduced what the event was all about. She demonstrated some of the new products on a lovely member of staff and talked to us all about it.

The event was called A Moment For You. It was to showcase the new Shower & Bath Oils and the new Geranium & Walnut Body Scrub. The oils come in three scents which are Lime, Basil & Mandarin, Blackberry & Bay and Peony & Blush Suede. One of the scents are meant to invigorate, one is meant to refresh and one is meant to relax you. I can't remember which one was which. She demonstrated them on a lovely member of staff called Joanne.  The manager showed that you can either pour it in the bath or you can apply it from the bottom of the body upwards as this technique releases the most dirt and other things from the skin as possible in a circular motion as that helps the blood cells to create new skin and then leave it to soak in a bit then rinse it off in the shower which gets the most scent out of the product as possible. 

We were then told to go over to where Filmore and Union would be making some drinks for us which would be in our goodie bag at the end of the night.
Myself and Luke went over and watched F&U create some wonderful juices which were to compliment the fragrances. The first one was for the Lime, Basil & Mandarin as it contained Cucumber and a lot more other things from what I remember... I can't remember the whole thing and then they brought another one around later on which had Jasmine Tea in to go with Blackberry & Bay I think. We then kept chatting and slowly went for an arm and hand massage.

The massage started out with choosing one of the three fragrances. We were then smothered in whichever shower oil we chose which was Lime, Basil & Mandarin and then our arms were blanketed in the same fragrance body creme and then spritzed with the cologne to ensure the fragrance lasted on the skin for a long while. Max was my masseuse which he explained was interesting as I was his first male customer that he had massaged at the event that night. He made sure that the pressure and everything like that was right for me. He was attentive and lovely.

We were then given a goodie bag and we left. The goodie bag was amazing but we felt a bit awkward as they said that something from Filmore & Union in the bag but there wasn't but we had tried their brownies and juices on the night so I didn't mind not receiving anything from them.

We went in on Tuesday to finish off the massage as they couldnt fit in the Geranium & Walnut Body Scrub massage in at the same time as the other one but the same concept happened. We were massaged using the Walnut Body Scrub which contains little pieces of walnut shell to exfoliate the skin. The scrub can be used every day as it's not that abrasive. It gets rid of dead skin and leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth. The scent of the product is quite fresh but has a slight sweet kick due to the walnuts.

The rest of the massage was the same concept as last time. We smelt each of the three fragrances but this time we chose Blackberry & Bay. Our arms were covered in the shower oil, smothered in the body creme and then lightly rained with cologne. The fragrance is sweet but fresh due to the bay and reminds me of Spring and gardens as it's meant to remind you of Blackberry picking.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. Have you ever tried anything from Jo Malone London? Have you tried any of the fragrances mentioned? Have you read my last blog post? If not then I'll leave it down below. I hope that you've enjoyed this blog post and I shall see you next time for another post! (I was going to bitly the links for the blogs but you may want to cut and paste the blog links for easy access so they're in their true form.)

Lizi: http://speccy4eyes.blogspot.co.uk/
Jessica: http://www.forevermissvanity.com/
Shirene: http://alittlevavavoom.co.uk/

Read My Last Post Here: http://bit.ly/1g99wOa

Meow!
Jamie x

Let All The Pots Sing | Le Creuset - Leeds Victoria Quarter

Meow! So today's video is going to probably be a short one which is different!

Le Creuset. Pronounced Le Crew-say. Le Creuset literally just means the cauldron which sums up Le Creuset. They are a French cookware business known for their vibrant coloured items They are mostly known for their casserole dishes due to them being known as french ovens.

Le Creuset is known for the above but also do a vast majority of different other things ranging from wine cooling sleeves (yeah they're a thing) to mugs to tagine pots... They all come in a variety of different colours to make the items stand out if served at parties etc. It can give your kitchen a pop of vibrant colour which it might be in need of.

We went into the store and saw all of the vibrant items which include said mugs and other things and kettles. Yes they even do kettles. We noticed that there was a sale on which I looked at as there were a few casserole dishes and stuff and I love me some good cookware. I need to get back into cooking and baking and such properly. (Would you be up for a series if I did, let me know in the comments below!)

The price of the items within store are a bit pricey but they look very durable so the items would last a long time. They also have a guarantee on therefore they would last longer so it would mean that you get more than you pay for which is great when it comes to items that you need as sometimes you could buy flimsy items and then you have to replace them and it ends up being the same price over a few times as the same piece but made with more strong materials.

We noticed that one of the staff members Sam had brought some bread out to taste as Le Creuset also sometimes do events ranging from making crepes to a picnic tasting. This event was all about bread tasting. Sounds weird but bare with. The bread was handmade and cooked by Sam and was also cooked within some of the cookware from Le Creuset and was served in more LC items. It brings more customers into the store and gives the brand a homely reputation as I haven't seen a lot of brands do this sort of thing.

One of the breads were a Cheese & Chive Soda Bread. Soda bread is bread which has no yeast within it therefore it doesn't need kneading but rises from the bicarbonate of soda from what I remember. The bread was dense but was very delicious. The texture was different as it had oats in which provided a sort of nutty/nub sort of texture which I loved as it provided a bit of crunch but it wasn't like granary bread where you get seeds in your teeth etc. The cheese was slightly overpowered by the cut throat chives. I loved it but I feel like it could do with a slight bit more cheese but it would be a great bread for maybe some chutney or something along those lines or great bread for a cheeseboard.

The other bread was a Olive and Rosemary Foccacia. I have a massive love affair with foccacia bread which I left some time ago for many reasons so I was excited to see how Olive & Rosemary Foccacia would taste due to only eating Garlic & Rosemary Foccacia... You couldn't really taste the olives which was good as I'm not a big Olive fan but I love Olive Oil (I think I may have a love affair with Italy/Italian food...) The texture was slightly weird on the inside due to the olives but it wasn't a bad texture. The rosemary came through which I loved and ah I could have eaten a lot more of it... We had a massive chat with Sam about things as she was such a lovely person to talk to!

I hope that you have found this blog post about Le Creuset somewhat interesting and I hope to see you for another blog post! I'll leave the link below if you want to check out LC's stuff and if you're local to Leeds then check out their store within Victoria Quarter in Leeds city centre!

Le Creuset's Website: http://bit.ly/1Jf6gM2

Meow!
Jamie x

#tbt | La Dispute - Brudenell Social Club Review

Meow! So every so often, I like to publish posts on my blog on a Thursday where the topic of the post is all about something that happened within the past. This post is going to be all about the time where I went to see La Dispute in Leeds.

The picture is from Alt Press mainly as I took a couple pictures at the gig but they aren't that great. I hope that you understand and the picture isn't mine.

La Dispute are a foursu piece post-hardcore band who formed in Michigan in 2004. They have been creating music for over ten years. Their lyrics are normally complex which adds to their music. Spoken passages/stories are normally intertwined within the songs which shows on songs such as Andria, Woman (Reading), King Park and others. The band has many influences but they normally have one thing in common which is the fact that they are always challenging themselves. The Black Flag's third album influenced their lyrical style.  

I arrived at the venue a few hours before where we waited outside due to the weather being glorious which is a rarity. There was quite a good few people waiting for the gig who decided to sit outside and drink from the venue. 

When the time came, I walked into the venue and found a place to stand. I decided on standing at the front during the support acts set as it felt fitting at the time as I wanted to be up and close near the act so I could see how they perform due to being a band I had never heard of... Two Inch Astronaut were good as a band but they could have just tweaked some of the sound to ensure that it was crystal clear and to ensure no static happened. 

I then moved due to finding friends. We chatted casually whilst the crew setted up and ensured that everything was working correctly The music was perfect. It slightly constructed the atmosphere which resulted in a fun gig. The music fit the genre of post-hardcore. The music within the gig had elements of spoken poetry in which slightly gave the vibe of a more fun and powerful poetry slam and you could tell that everyone felt engaged within the gig via different tempo based songs. I would give this gig a 9/10 mainly for the opening act but the gig was amazing yet memorable. 

I hope that you have enjoyed my first music/gig review. I'm sorry that it hasn't been very fluid but I hope that you have enjoyed it. I'll put La Dispute's Bandcamp down below if you want to go listen to any of their stuff and I hope to see you next time for another blog post. 

La Dispute's Bandcamp: http://bit.ly/1Lg4Wsr

Meow!
Jamie 

The Ultimate Beauty Product For Teenagers & Others | La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Review

Meow! Welcome to another blog post. Today's blog post is going to be a beauty product review. I requested some samples of La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo and I thought that you might want to know what I thought of it.

The picture is via Feel Unique just because I felt that trying to take pictures of little samples would be a little bit silly so I thought putting a picture of the product via a website would be better. The picture is not mine and remains the property of Feel Unique. I'm just putting it out there so everyone knows. 

I saw on Twitter a while ago that La Roche Posay were giving out samples of Effaclar Duo and I thought that I would have to order some due to always being intrigued by it but not really knowing if it is worth the purchase at a slightly high price. I just thought people raved about it due to either being paid or knowing about other products from La Roche Posay...

Effaclar Duo is a product by La Roche-Posay which is an anti-blemish cream which is specfically for blemish prone skin. It's formulated with the companies Spring Water and does amazing things for the skin. Bloggers and journalists have raved about the product making it a cult favourite for the company. It retails for £15.50 at Boots. 

So, fast forward a week and the parcel comes. I open it and realise that there is two little boxes. I instantly thought that it was 2 parts of a product due to duo being used within the name of the product but I was incorrect. There was just two of the same product. I opened one of them and used a pea sized amount onto my face. Now I wasn't really sure what to expect with this product but the texture was creamy but not too thick which is great as I don't really like spending 10 minutes waiting for something to sink into my skin. I massaged it into my skin and left it to do it's magic overnight. (I did this every night for over a week and most days during this time.) T

I woke up and realised what a difference it had made to my skin! It made my skin feel so soft! It had instantly reduced my spots which is a great thing due to getting spots 24/7 from eating lactose. My face felt refreshed and not stuffy which makes no sense but my skin always feels stuffy if I have spots etc. The marks from having spots from lactose etc were instantly reduced and that was just after one night. I can now tell why everyone has raved about it. The company has stated that it's the ultimate teen beauty product and I understand why due to teenagers getting acne. It just clears your face and makes it feel so good.

I would give Effaclar Duo a 9.5/10... I was tempted to give it a full 10 but then I realised that the smell could be tweaked due to it being a bit weird. I tried to put my finger on what the scent was but I couldn't tell. It's also a 9.5/10 mainly due to the price. It is a slightly high priced product for people like me who would need it 24/7 who is also a student but overall it's an amazing product.

So I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. If you want to check out La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo then check out the link below! I hope that you enjoy these beauty products reviews and if you do then tell me what products I should be checking out! I hope to see you next time for another blog post!

Buy La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Here: http://bit.ly/1I33J8F

Meow!
Jamie x

The Pink Cow Brand Mens Nourishing Face Cream Review

Meow! So I got sent a product from the amazing guys at the Pink Cow Company so I thought I would try it out and tell you all about it as I am going through a major moisturising phase at the minute. I hope that you enjoy the blog post and I shall put the links in for the website of the brand and if you want to buy products from them.

The founder of the brand who was an author, research expert, successful dairy farmer (that may be why the brand is called The Pink Cow Brand) and much more searched out to create a completely natural skincare range which would contain none of the nasty chemicals or additives found in most commercial beauty products found in drug stores...

They sent me out the Mens Nourishing Face Cream which I was thrilled to try out as I was loving moisturisers as I had just tried out the Olay moisturiser which I was loving. The moisturiser is meant just for the face and neck but can be used for so much much more such as a leave in conditioner which you rinse out and a post shave balm as it is an all natural product. This product soothes and calms the skin which then soothes and calms if anything has happened such as nicks from shaving which can happen sometimes.

This product is non greasy so it makes sure your face doesn't shine which is great especially if you're like me who vlogs every other week. It also instantly hydrates your skin which is great personally as my skin is dehydrated due to lactose intolerance/outbreaks 24/7 so this particular product helps quite a bit with my spots. I like to put this on at night after I've applied a little Midnight Recovery from Kiehls (I'm still using the sample I got given) to ensure that my skin is hydrated. It's super concerntrated so you only need a little bit. Less is more. The smell reminds me of biscuits which sounds weird but you will understand what I mean if you buy some.

I would give this a good 9/10. There's nothing wrong with the product but the smell does take a bit of getting used to but once you have stopped wondering if you can smell biscuits then its a great product. The packaging is a little bit deceiving as the brand label is upside down so you end up nearly opening the bottom of the box rather than the top but overall it is a great moisturiser that can be used more than a face moisturiser which makes it better for what you're buying if you're sceptical of buying new beauty products due to useage and their price.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. I know that the pictures aren't great but life is all about improving. I hope that you check out The Pink Cow Brand as they are an amazing brand. I'm going to apply some more of this moisturiser as it's amazing. I hope to see you next time for another post!

The Pink Cow Brand Website: http://bit.ly/1Ru7usg

Meow!
Jamie x

I'm Ugly. Get Used To It | Don't Judge Challenge Rant

Meow. Today's blog post is going to be basically what it says in the title. It's going to be a little rant about the trending don't judge challenge that's going on at the minute. I hope that it interests all of you.

The Don't Judge Challenge is where the general public post photos/videos where they Thdraw on unibrows, acne or other facial imperfections and then wipe all of their 'flaws' off to reveal the their natural beautiful selves. This challenge has trended on Instagram, Twitter and various other social media sites. The whole point of this challenge was to try and stop body shaming and accept ourselves for who we are. This was spurred on by several beauty bloggers who removed all of their makeup to reveal their acne which encouraged others to accept themselves. 

This 'challenge' has several flaws. You shouldn't have to do some silly challenge to reveal who you are. If you have self confidence then you should rock your beautiful self even if you have a million things wrong with you. As long as you have self confidence and you want to bare your natural face then that's absolutely great as you should accept yourself for who you are. This leads me on to the trend part of this challenge. You don't need to do some silly thing where you draw on yourself just because everyone else is doing it. If you want to show yourself off to the world then do it even if its just a picture of yourself when you're being your actual self. People hide and act as others when they feel like rubbish or when they feel unaccepted via today's society and seriously you don't need to do that. Go and be yourself even if that means spending all of your time laying in bed watching Netflix or doing sports or whatever.

The challenge is based off drawing imperfections onto your face but isn't this just shaming people who have said imperfections on their skin. You're mocking thousands of people who can't help being who they are and instead of covering it up they are actually trying to embrace it most days. All you're doing is giving the world more reasons to create ideas that are unrealistic. You're also being slightly hypocritical via drawing things on and then instantly removing them because you're not even showing off your natural self but instead you're creating something else which is synthetic which thus means you're covering yourself up a little bit more.

Society has put this ideology in place where everyone has to be perfect and if they aren't then the media can make money off it in many different ways. If you don't have the perfect body then there's a magazine/advert/something somewhere showing off a body size which will have been airbrushed and edited to try and get you to fit into that norm which then makes you feel bad about yourself which then means more money can be made. This is the same for anything. If you have imperfections then a piece of media will somewhere be showing the opposite and will be trying you to get rid of these imperfections and so forth.

Basically, we all need to stop thinking about what's on the inside instead of whats on the outside and without sounding more cliche and cheesy than it can I shall explain what I mean. Our bodys are only a vessel to ourselves. Its what is shown to others, to strangers, to animals etc but we need to stop judging the vessels that we are contained in and judge and appreciate our souls and what we are made of because then we won't care about what someones body is like and body shaming may stop making an appearance within life and thats when society may change for the better. We shouldn't do challenges like this and instead if we want to appreciate the natural beauty of yourself or someone else then show it even if its just a picture or a tweet or something. We need to be ourselves. We need to strip ourselves of all the fakery and just not care what others will think. I have imperfections. I get spots from lactose intolerance which then sometimes lead to scarring, my bridge of my nose grows hairs quite a lot, I have bad eye sight especially when it comes to the dark but it makes me me and I'm proud that things like that happen because my personality and the way I speak and act towards people should matter a hell of a lot more than something on my face.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. Don't forget to comment down below with your thoughts on this as I would like to know your opinion and if you agree with me or not. I hope that you have found this post interesting and I hope you don't mind me ranting from time to time. I shall leave my Bloglovin below if you want to subscribe so you get notified everytime a post goes up. I shall see you next time for another post.

Follow My Blog On Bloglovin Here: http://bit.ly/1HXymuz

Meow!
Jamie x

I've Got That Summer-Thyme Sadness | The Blackhouse/The Grill On The Square Review

Meow, so welcome to another blog post. Today's blog post is going to be a review thanks to the wonderful guys at The Blackhouse/The Grill On The Square. They invited me to try out their menu so I thought I would tell you about the restaurant, food and other things.

WARNING: All of these photos are my own. Please ask permission before using them anywhere else except this website. They're not great so you probably wont want to but this is just in case and I hope that you don't mind me making this warning, They took a lot of time and effort, Thanks. 

As I said within the title, I was invited by the amazing guys at The Blackhouse which is also known as The Grill On The Square to try out their menu which as always I am up for doing. I entered Leeds the day after the two bloggers events and eventually after some wandering around Trinity Leeds we made our way to the restaurant. Thats what we thought anyway...

The Blackhouse are a restaurant within Leeds City Centre who are also known as The Grill On The Square due to their location and the fact that they do quite a lot of grilling... Their main selling point is their steaks which are always served perfectly but they are. This includes the famous Wagu Beef which is massaged daily and fed beer and other things from my recollection. They also do wonderful seafood such as Calamari, Sea Bass & Lobster. 

We made our way out of Trinity and walked along to where we thought and then used Apple Maps to try and show us where to go... Apple Maps also likes to turn the whole map a different way as soon as you turn a corner which slowly led us into going the complete opposite direction of the restaurant until I realised and went in the right direction and within 5-10 of hesitation and attempts of trusting Apple Maps we finally ended up where we were meant to be.

We finally entered the establishment and was greeted by a lovely woman. We told her that we had a reservation which we were fashionably late for (20-30 minutes is fashionably late if you can work it and not look like you've ran all the way there, right?) We were escorted to a table which overlooked the outside eating area as it was in a quiet corner but behind my seat laid a fan which was the best thing ever due to the excessive warm weather.

We talked to the manager Chris who talked us through the many different beer options and how I think they change every so often. He also told us about Lobster Festival which is happening at this very moment. The Lobster Festival is where you can enjoy a full lobster and home cut chips (with either af thermidor sauce or garlic butter) all for £22.50 which is pretty amazing for lobster!

If you're graduating this year then The Blackhouse have an offer on where if 4 or more guests dine then you get a free bottle of Champagne which I don't think its bad. It starts your night off with a bang and let's you celebrate in style! You do have to book a reservation and there is some T&C's to agree to when you book but if this sounds like you then I shall leave the link at the bottom of the post for you. 

We first ordered a cocktail. We both ordered a Spiced Passion Fruit Mojito. This cocktail contained Sailor Jerry Rum, Santa Theresa Rhum Orange (Rum Orange Liqueur) Passion fruit syrup. pineapple juice and lots of other delicious things. It was so refreshing especially in the warm weather which was a surprise for me and Leeds. The alcohol gave a slight strong kick to the drink where as the passion fruit syrup and pineapple juice made the whole drink slightly sweet which made you want more. Sprigs of mint remind me of Summer weirdly so this drink made me feel like I was in a forever lasting summer holiday. I could drink a thousand of them to be honest.

We ordered Spiced Glazed Chicken Skewers with chipotle mayonnaise for our starter. Now personally, I felt like I should have ordered something as well but I felt bad if we couldn't share and there wasn't much on there that we both like due to Luke hating cheese and sea food and my hatred for walnuts if I can detect them. I felt bad if we couldn't share as we were in a more lets share some food and chat/use our phones sort of mood. The chicken was moist and succulent which is a pleasant surprise from the normal dry chicken that has became a norm all throughout the UK. The chipotle mayonnaise had some heat but not too much which meant I had a reason to keep dipping, It would be really good as a dressing for a crisp salad. There were also some crumbs which I think were blitzed up crispy onions but I wasn't sure but I loved them due to the texture they gave the dish as a whole.

We then ordered our main courses which sounded a bit different at a steakhouse. Luke ordered a Pulled Pork Sandwich which came with a portion of home cut chips which were served in a little frying basket with some onion rings whereas I ordered a full rack of BBQ Pork Ribs with home cut chips and coleslaw. Luke said that the pork was succulent, tender and moist. He said that the chips were perfect.

The ribs were so moist it was unbelievable. The meat melted in the mouth and the whole rack of ribs were doused in BBQ sauce. The sauce was smoky but sweet at the same time. The ribs were that nice I couldn't finish it which is a first as I can normally finish any ribs therefore it was that gorgeous! The chips were crisp and fluffy on the inside which contrasted between the textures and the temperatures were contrasting between the meat, chips and coleslaw. The coleslaw was refreshing, sweet yet tangy as I could tell that there was something in the background which helped the taste of the coleslaw as I aren't a big fan of coleslaw.

We also ordered another cocktail at this point. This cocktail's called Summer-Thyme. This cocktail contains Plums, Thyme, Gin and some other great things. The thyme gave it a sort of different dimension. The plum made it somewhat Summer inspired. You could slightly taste the Gin but the fig liqueur took centre stage within this. I liked it but I felt that the cocktail was more for the spring time and I felt like a slight more gin could be used which is just my preference. I also think that if Blueberries took centre stage in this cocktail or Mango then it could be amazing as it would be sweet yet slightly tart.

We then chatted and used our phones for a bit of a while due to Instagramming and other things. We drinked a little bit more of our Summer-Thyme. We were then asked what we wanted for our desserts. We both chose a Raspberry Pavlova due to the weather as Luke was thinking about a Sticky Toffee Pudding but it was weather that was more related to Spain or somewhere near there not England. The only problem with the Pavlova was the seeds within the Raspberries. I may be being a bit picky but I just don't like Raspberry seeds. The pavlova was amazing as it was chewy yet marshmllowy. The cream complimented the meringue whereas the sauce and fruit contrasted due to the tartness of the fruit which could also be said about the colour due to the fruit being placed on a sweet sugary blank canvas. The dish did look like pure art.

We were also offered a liquid dessert but Luke couldn't even finish the pavlova so there was no point for him but I got an Iced Coffee as I thought that the Tiramisu cocktail would be too much even though watching Nigella talk about them on her show whilst she creates a small tiramisu. Chris offered to make one for me which was amazingly sweet. The iced coffee hit the spot as it was sweet but wasn't too sweet and it wasn't too strong either which was great as me and strong coffee don't go well together.

We wrapped up and talked to Chris for a few minutes and talked about what I do with the blog and other things. I had such a great time at The Blackhouse with its professional interior and summery alfresco dining outside, Chris was amazing. He satisfied every need and quiestion and made sure to look after me and Luke whilst we were at The Blackhouse. He even recommended some things such as the coffee and the Mojito, I urge you to go as soon as possible if you can.

I give this restaurant a 9.9/10. Everywhere can do with some improvements and I feel like I have listed them throughout the post. I feel like some of the mistakes were on my preference but I would gladly come back and enjoy more delicious food and thirst quenching cocktails.

I can not thank the guys at The Blackhouse/The Grill On The Square especially Sophie & Chris enough for inviting me along to try out their menu, I loved every second of it. You should go check them out via their website or going to try some of their food in Leeds! I shall be going back very soon and Luke has his eyes and mind set on getting more Spiced Passion Fruit Mojitos... A video of this shall be coming soon! I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. I shall leave links down below but I shall see you next time for another blog post!

The Blackhouse/The Grill On The Square Website: http://bit.ly/1CxDOUg
Book A Reservation For The Graduation Offer Here: http://bit.ly/1mErtoh

Meow!
Jamie

Two Events In One Night?! | Cutler & Gross & Paul Mitchell Events

Meow, so I got invited to an event last week and then ended up sneaking into another event thanks to some amazing bloggers as there wasn't any spaces left for Luke apparently but I thought that I would talk about them to you today.

Me and Luke were invited to an event at the Victoria Quarter shopping centre as within the centre Cutler & Gross were opening their first ever Northern store. On the day, we went into Leeds a little bit early due to not knowing where to go as it was a new store. We ended up going an hour early therefore we had nothing to do for that hour so we decided to wander around and go to The Body Shop as they have a sale on at the minute. We found out that they have brought back some old favourites such as Passion Fruit and Papaya for the sale. We then wandered around Leeds City Centre until we knew it was time for the event.

We slowly walked up to the store where we found a professional looking man holding many glasses of champagne or Prosecco which I think it was. We grabbed a sparkling glass each and then we made our way into the polished store. We looked around and realised that we had entered an elite fashionable establishment. The store had a clear look going on with a monochrome theme due to the white shelves and the black background which made it a blank canvas for the eyewear to take centre stage.

I took pictures of the many products that they had on display within Cutler & Gross. We spoke to a man who was a part of the Cutler & Gross team as he talked to me about travelling up from London and looked heavily involved within the event. We then met Laura (A Forte For Fashion) and another blogger which I can't remember the name of but we made our way upstairs which screamed that the layout had been inspired via a chic London gallery. There was slightly casual sofas, professional photos, flowers and lots and lots of sunglasses and glasses. Myself and the bloggers talked about anything and everything which then resulted in us all trying on different products and taking selfies because well we wanted to capture the moment of trying on Cutler and Gross products and because we were having fun!

We were then treated to some canapes including Pork Belly, Chicken Liver Parfait, Brownies and much much more. Marie Wilkinson who was the host of the event talked to us for a while as she is the Head Of Design therefore she talked to us about what glasses mean to her personally and how she believes that they are slightly more than something on your face as they can define you and show your personality without you even moving your lips. She also talked to us about the new ranges and how certain ranges at Cutler and Gross are inspired by certain things to evoke a passion within the frame. I found it all very interesting and I loved the event.

We then went with the other bloggers to another event which was the Paul Mitchell event at the Quebec Hotel. I was invited but Luke was technically not so we decided to sneak in which sounds bad but it was quite thrilling at the time. We walked in like we owned the hotel. I wouldn't advise it unless very necessary. We were greeted with a hi and an offering of more Prosecco. We agreed to have some more, We walked around the room a bit and took in what was happening. We watched the ending of Kariss' hair makeover which made her look even more lovely. Once her makeover was finished, we talked for a bit and then tried out the male products which were mainly gels as there was a Tea Tree and another range available to try out... I'm not a big fan of gels due to my childhood and having such long hair. I read and sniffed them which then lead me to figure out that the Tea Tree range reminded me of a toned down Tea Tree range from The Body Shop whereas the other range smelt like a slightly toned down version of the Kiehls Midnight Recovery which sounds weird but as they both have quite a lot of Lavender in which I think is why I related the hair products to the skin product. We decided to leave as we had to get home but we were kindly given a goodie bag filled with a few great things.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. I know that I go to quite a few bloggers events but it gives me a reason to be social sometimes and I get to take pictures of products and learn things. I shall see you next time for another blog post. Thanks to Bespoke Beauty for inviting me and Luke to the Cutler and Gross event! Check out the bloggers below!

Laura: http://bit.ly/1CurIeG
Kariss: http://bit.ly/1SdaRis
Lizi: http://bit.ly/1KUsPHt

Cutler & Gross Website: http://bit.ly/1ehpORo
Paul Mitchell Website: http://www.paul-mitchell.co.uk/
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Meow
Jamie x