Diary Of A Meowing Lushie | Double Comforter Cocktail | The Comforter Shower Gel & Bubble Bar Review

Meow!

Welcome to a new series. Yes! A new series!

This series is going to be all about Lush. I know this doesn't surprise anyone but as I have enough Lush products to create my own little branch within Bradford I thought it was time to create a series so I can tell you guys all about what I think about certain products and other things such as what to use when going to an event, what to use depending on your skin type and other things. I know I'm not a Lush member of staff but I've used enough stuff to say at least something so even if I don't fully know what can help you personally then I'll always advise going to Lush and asking them due to them having training and such. 

'Dear Diary,

Today I had the bath that dreams may be built upon. 

Fuchsia tinted water with a sweet sweet scent.'

 When I went to Oxford Street, I decided to pick up some The Comforter Shower Cream. I knew that it wasn't a Ox St exclusive any more but I knew that I wanted some of it and as I was in the middle of the lush universe at this point I felt it was right to purchase some. 

The Comforter Shower Cream contains Almond Oil which is nourishing to the skin. There is some other ingredients that add to the Oil which make it into a cream but the shower product contains Cassis Absolute, Bergamot Oil and some other things which give the product a heavy Blackcurrant and Vanilla scent if you haven't tried The Comforter before. The shower cream does have a silver snowflake like lustre so if lustre is a pet hate then it's up to you if you want to cope with it or not.

There is the bubble bar which doesn't have lustre but creates bubbles and is meant for the bath and not for applying directly onto your skin. The way to use a bubble bar is to crumble it up and run it under hot water. This works perfectly but the best way to use it is to crumble it and put it into the bath and then let the water run. The bar contains the same sort of ingredients and scents but isn't as nourishing as the shower cream. The bar has been going for many years and is priced at £4.95 which is slightly expensive but is worth it as you can get up to eight baths out of it.

/The way that I created the bath cocktail was was crumble the bar in the bath and then squirt some of the cream into the tub and then I ran the water. When it got to halfway about where I wanted it to be I squirted a slight touch more cream to the bath to ensure that it was creamy enough. If you wanted to make it more luxurious then you could add either half a Twilight bath ballistic or maybe using a Dreamtime bath oil/melt. This would make it more relaxing.

The outcome of the cocktail? The bath felt luxuriously soft and was filled with bubbles. The blackcurrant like scent wafted from the room and literally lured you into the bathroom as it was that strong, The bath had a wonderful colour to it and the bubbles felt as light as a feather. The scent lasted on my skin for quite a while which I loved and I will be making this cocktail again for when I want a full on soaking treat.

Have you used The Comforter before? Have you bought any of the new shower cream recently? If so what is your opinion of it? Did you enjoy this blog post? I hope you did as I shall hopefully be doing these posts once a week which will include reviewing products, talking about Lush in general, talking about what products suit certain skin types and much more.

I hope to see you soon for another post from this meowing Lushie!

Video of this post: https://youtu.be/ZXD8vfG2Vfw

Meow!
Jamie x 

Are We Lucid Living During The Whole Of Our Lives? | Seafoal

Meow!

So lately, I have been listening to an amazing artist called Seafoal and I thought I would tell you guys about her just in case you're not listening to her as this post may slightly persuade you to listen to her.

Seafoal who's actual name is Siana Sweeney (lovely name, right?) is an artist who sings mainly ambient folkish music if you were to put it into a genre. Her influences when writing music include Bon Iver, Johnny Cash, Radical Face and many others. Seafoal. Her music is the sort of music that you could just listen to and feel better instantly from. I listen to it most of the time when I'm doing a blog post as it's so calming and soothing.

Seafoal started writing songs when she was 10 and starting playing the guitat at 11 which is pretty impressive in my opinion. Seafoal also self taught herself to fingerpick when she was 17 which is also bloody impressive. She finds this technique a lot easier than strumming which makes a lot of sense because everyone is not the same when it comes to learning a particular thing. If you can even play the guitar then in my eyes thats pretty impressive but that's just me.

Seafoal may be most known for her hits via YouTube as her cover of Drown by Bring Me The Horizon went slightly viral as it has over a million views to this day. The channel also boasts an amazing acoustic cover of Dance Dance by Fall Out Boy which has over 80,000 views. The channel also has a Linkin Park cover which I love and also a few videos showing us what actually happens when artists go on tour. She uploaded her latest tour diary yesterday which I shall link at the end of this post as you all should go and watch it.

Seafoal released her first EP in 2013 which was titled Komodo which may still be somewhere within the internet world. In 2014, she came back with a clean slate and released an EP called Lucid Living ( which was released via Negative Reaction Records.) This EP contains 4 amazing songs. Fading which has been released onto Seafoal's YouTube channel, Read It And Weep. This song reminisces about her past but also compares with her current life and how much she loves. This song is also on her channel within a tour diary, Talulah and Soulsick.  RIAW has a very upbeat tune compared to Fading which has a more relaxing tune. All songs are amazing individually especially Talulah and Soulsick which I'm not going to talk much about as I want you to find out what they're like!  Hopefully more songs and EP's will come out within the future as her music is amazing!

Seafoal went on her own tour this year making her a fully accomplished artist in my eyes. She travelled up and down the country and made a tour diary of it which I've mentioned above. The tour consisted of 8 dates which varied from Manchester to London. She also came back this month to do some dates which also included Ghostfest which had two dates. One at Leeds Student Union and one in Bristol which consisted of many artists but also ensured her that she could show off her true talent and show the audience her music.

Seafoal is an amazing artist and I hope that you listen to her. She's everywhere! Follow her on Twitter or find her on other social media outlets such as Facebook. Listen to her music on Spotify or buy her EP from the Negative Reaction Records website.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post! Have you listened to Seafoal before this blog post? If so then comment down below with what you think as I would love to know! If you haven't then I urge you! I may be starting a new series tomorrow on my blog so look out for that especially if you love Lush products!

Seafoal's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/seafoal
Seafoals Latest Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Djm5E4iLg
Buy Lucid Living Here: http://bit.ly/1LFxVae
Listen To Seafoal On Spotify Here: http://spoti.fi/1KKhOUE

Meow!
Jamie x

Being Knocked Down By Postman Pat | Why I Took A Slight Break From Blogging Rant

Meow!

This is going to be a short post as I just want to tell everyone why I stopped blogging for a while. I hope you don't mind this post and I shall be back tomorrow as I'm doing a post a day this week with something very beauty/food based. 

So I recently took a week off from blogging due to many reasons but the first one is that I ended up flying over the bonnet of a Royal Mail van. I'm fine now by the way.

It was on the last week before I was going back to college but I went to go get something to eat being the student that I am so I decided to go to my local fish and chips shop for a treat. When I got there, I ordered what I wanted and made my way back to my house but I have to cross a zebra crossing to get back onto the path that leads back to my house.

A car was waiting for me to cross so I did. As soon as I started to walk, a van came out of nowhere and the next thing you know I'm on the floor after falling. The man who was behind the wheel came out to ensure that I was okay but as I was so shaken up I just said yes and made sure I got my stuff and walked off. I know I should have got the registration number but I was shaken up I just wanted to get home.

After general bruising, I realised that my hip, knee and ankle were hurting which meant for the next week it was quite frustrating to sleep and do certain things as I sleep on one side. It also meant that I was hobbling about and as my body was hurting so much I just couldn't get round to actually writing a blog post.

People should realise that crossings are where people cross and not where you can just drive. I'll never be able to drive due to my eyes but I'm pretty sure that you have to wait at crossings and not drive on even if someone is crossing the road.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post. Have you ever had any incidents whilst walking or have you been involved in anything on the road? Let me know down below and I hope to see you tomorrow for another blog post.

Meow!
Jamie x

This Is Music To Watch Boys To! | Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon Review

Meow!

If you know me at all or if you follow me on any of my social media accounts then you will know that I adore Lana Del Rey. Lana released her third album called Honeymoon recently and I thought that I would review it which might inspire you all to listen to it.

Lana Del Rey has made herself known via her many songs and albums. She has an Ivor Novello, 2 Brit Awards and many other awards under her belt. She has also been acclaimed the most listened alternative female artist on Spotify. With her new album Honeymoon out, I thought I would just go through what she has created to make her stamp on the world last as many artists nowadays make one hit wonders and then disappear off the face of the world.

Born To Die was Lana's first album which showed us the slightly alternative yet cinematic music that Lana would be recognised for with songs such as Born To Die, Video Games and Summertime Sadness. Video Games was her first ever single and made her well known throughout the world with it's very Autumnal tune and authentic made video.

She then released an extended version of Born To Die which was called Born To Die : The Paradise Edition. This album showed us how different Lana could go musically without straying too far from the ethos and influences that crafted Born To Die with such songs as Cola, Gods And Monsters and Blue Velvet which went on to be featured in H&M's very well known Christmas adverts.

Tropico was then released. Tropico was the short film that Lana created which went alongside certain songs from Born To Die : Paradise Edition. Tropico shows us what can go on within the world and that the Garden Of Eden still exists to this day. With bubbles, apples, Marilyn Monroe and much more it makes it the only musically influenced short film that you will need to watch as soon as possible.

Lana then released Ultraviolence. Ultraviolence showed us that life can be glamorous just like Born To Die does with such songs as Million Dollar Man, Diet Mountain Dew and other songs but Ultraviolence shows us that there is darkness within life and life can be gritty. Songs such as Sad Girl and Cruel World tell us that the world is always moving but sometimes your sugar daddy based relationship can be troublesome. (I like your candy and your women. I'm so happy now that you're gone.) This now brings us to Honeymoon. (I'm sorry if I'm butchering your love for Lana via my words but I shall hopefully create a poem within my words just like Lana does with her songs.)

Lana who's real name is Lizzy has showcased the idea of the Stepford glamour that America is sometimes known for within all of her albums but with Honeymoon it takes a backseat slightly. It's still mentioned in songs like The Blackest Day and Music To Watch Boys To but Lana (real name Lizzy Grant) plays on the fact that the world is a better place on her own and plays the noir femme fatale in most of the album with her mixture of angsty 'fuck it' songs and her I need you songs such as 24 and Terrence Loves You. She's still searching for her man but also shows that the world isn't the most glamorous place but herself is.

Within this album, Lana wants everyone to not misunderstand her and take her as she is. Critics scrutinised Ultraviolence and this may be a slight dig at them with lyrics such as we both know its not fashionable to love me. This may be slightly nudging the critics and fans?

There is quite a good chunk of sadness on Honeymoon just like there is on Ultraviolence but there is also rage (High By The Beach where Lana just wants to be by the beach), violence, madness, bitterness to her ex which she slyly mentions and comedy. There is hints of comedy in such songs like Salvatore where she states catch me if you can, working on my tan which makes you want to slightly giggle.) There is also hints to living another life on such songs as Terrence Loves You where she just wants to go back to her other life where no one knows her,

Honeymoon is cinematic and has hints of noir which is typical Lana but its nothing like her other material. It slightly shows some positive within the world and makes you feel like you're going on a honeymoon with her music which may change due to the weather or something silly like that which happens on your honeymoon. It's so relaxing but catchy especially with songs such as Music To Watch Boys To and High By The Beach. The Nina Simone cover Dont Let Me Be Understood sums up what Lana is. Different, unique, cinematic with a hint of R&B and jazz. It's just an amazing album and I would give this a full 10/10.

I hope that you've enjoyed this post. I know its a bit different. If you've listened to Honeymoon then let me know what you think down below. I hope to see you next time for another blog post,

Listen to it on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5Y0viLQMeeXfwRh2Blx3BG

Meow!
Jamie x

Let Loose In Liverpool | What Happened At NW Meet

Meow!

Nobody will want to use my pictures so I don't think that I need to really put a warning about using my pictures without my consent or without at least linking back to me.

So a few weeks ago, I was invited to a bloggers event in Liverpool and myself and Luke decided to go. We made our way to Leeds on the day and got on the train which was the first travelling points for the day. Once we had arrived at Leeds train station, we got our tickets and made our way to our train which would take us to Liverpool.

When we had gotten onto the train, a guy decided to give up his seat so I could sit down. He moved to the seat opposite us and I was honestly so thankful for that. We spent our time basically just looking out of the window and chatting due to the train not having WiFi. Once we had arrived in Liverpool, we made our way over to the ticket bit and got our tickets to the venue place. We got on the train and made our way up to the venue. I got lost which happens at basically all of the events that I go to and once I realised where the venue was, I made my way to the venue.

Arriving fashionably late (so late that we had just missed the Lush demonstration), we made our way to the floor, we were greeted by the lovely two ladies who were running the event (Katy & Sammy) we were then handed a raffle ticket and several moments later were the results of the raffle. I didn't win but this gave me ample time to wonder around and take a few photos. I wandered around and chatted to a few bloggers and placed my things down in a corner. I chatted a bit more and then chaos kinda happened.

There was a table where there was cupcakes, drinks and food from several brands. I wasn't sure what was happened but a calm serene Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir candle burning in the middle of the table which scented the room. Within a few moments, the candle was removed and everyone went round to the table. I had no clue what was happening and a few of the fellow bloggers didn't either. With a blink of an eye, everyone was grabbing things off the table which meant that the table was full of food and drinks for us lucky people to graze upon during the day but as we were all hungry and as it was quite sunny we all grabbed one of everything at least which made it slightly manic but fun at the same time. There was several items of amazing food and drinks which I'm going to talk about in another blog post as I class it as a part of the amazing goodies that I received!

I had to sort my bag out as things weren't going in but once I had done this, we made our way out to the terrace where everyone was relaxing as the weather was amazing. We all chatted about anything. I chatted quite a bit to Laura and Jemma who are amazing! (Links at the end of the post.) We just spent time there as it was just such a relaxing place. There was even a dog running about.

I went back inside after a while and talked and took a few more photos. We were then all gathered to take part in the raffle that was happening. Luckily after quite a while, one of the bloggers let myself choose something which ended up being a mug, card and keyring from the Manchester Bee Company. Luke was also given a free voucher for Boomf which is the design your own marshmallows business but due to his eyes and him having a slight tea obsession, I thought that it would be a lot easier to swap our prizes over as he would use the mug a lot more and I've heard interesting things from Boomf.

We then decided to chat some more. I checked on my bags just to ensure they hadn't collapsed as sometimes they like to do that. (Summer In The City is all I need to say.) We then was asked to go round to some chairs where there was some jewellery laid out. (Please don't judge if I skip on some details here due to me being somewhat tired at this point.) The two amazing people that were standing and talking to us were from This Material Culture, They make awesome yet unique items on their website and they work with bloggers quite a bit so they talked about their experience with bloggers and other things. They then let us have a look at their products and oh my god they were bloody amazing. There was even a cookie monster ring!

Once this bit had died down and once I had grabbed a business card so I could email them when I got in, I decided that it was time to get home because of how long the train takes from Liverpool to Bradford and because my body was aching from various things. I grabbed a Burger King within the train station as Whoppers contain no lactose and Luke was slightly hungry. I noticed that the BK vendor did certain deals such as a football one which seemed quite cool! We went home with about 5 bags at least but we had such an amazing time and I can't thank Katy and Sammy enough for inviting us to the event!

I hope that you have enjoyed this post. Is there anywhere in Liverpool that you would recommend if I went there again? I hope that you check out the blogs below! Look out for my blog post about the goodie bag which shall be coming very soon!

Katy: http://www.thelilacscrapbook.com/
Sammy: http://www.littlefickle.com/
Jemma: http://www.dorkface.co.uk/
Laura: http://insidelaurashead.com/

Meow!
Jamie x

Drinking The Freshest Of The Fresh | Scheckter's OrganicEnergy Review

Meow!

When I was at Summer In The City, I was emailed and asked if I would like to review some energy drinks. Now if you've read any of my blog posts before then you may know that myself and caffeine don't get along most of the time but I thought it might be different due to it being organic so I said yes.

The energy drink was created in 2010 by Toby Scheckter who is a former racing driver and the son of the formula legend Scheckter. He also spent years working on his familys well known Organic and also Biodynamic farm which slowly led to him develop his ideas which also led to him creating the worlds first organic, vegetarian and fairtrade certified energy drink which is definitely something to be proud of. It was launched originally in the UK but is now in many countries including USA, Russia and many other countries. It is available to purchase from their site which I shall link at the end or available from Holland & Barrett

I used the cans a couple of days after I came back from Summer In The City as I literally ended up having an interview for something and then spending two days in Leeds back to back for things so I knew that I would need them. Scheckters sent me two cans, a leaflet and a bag.

I tried the original one first and it had a quite berry heavy aroma. The cans contain Sicilian Lemon, Pomegranate and Elderberry so I think that the mixture of the two with the acidic tang of the lemon juice which helps preserve the drink creates a sort of berry like taste. The sweetness of raw cane sugar which is added may also contribute to this. It made me feel a little bit more perked up but not to the point where I felt I was going to be in overdrive which would cause an attack. I'm not sure if it was because the drink was organic or because it had fresh ingredients but I could handle this a lot more than when I used to drink the odd energy drink which would instantly trigger an attack. I was also given a Lite can which contains the same fruit but has agave nectar within it therefore it makes it slightly healthy for you.

The can is brightly coloured which catches your eye which helps you desire it especially within shops but its something new as most of the energy drink cans that I have passed within shops have had some sort of colour to them where you have to squint slightly at the writing to find out what is exactly in the product whereas this energy drink lets you see what you're drinking due to the simple yet modern blankness of the can.

I would give this an 8.5/10 due to not being a great fan of energy drinks but the fact that it's organic and technically healthy for you. The flavour of the drink could be improved slightly or another flavour could be brought out where it is mainly more citrus. The cans design and colour are different and vibrant but its sold at a prime location which is specialist health shops. I would drink this every now and again but it wouldn't become my ultimate drink like water is to a fish.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. Would you try Scheckter's OrganicEnergy? Do you not drink energy drinks? Are you a stereotypical student who lives off energy drinks? Let me know in the comments below.

Check Scheckter's OrganicEnergy over at: http://schecktersorganic.com/

Meow!
Jamie x

What Clothes Do I Need For University?

Meow!

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/sep/27/survive-london-university

So, that time of year has came back around where students are frantically trying to sort everything out as they are still shocked about finally getting into university, leaving home and fending for themselves. I thought that I would advise you on what to take with you to uni so you don't instantly end up wearing everything you have in the first week.

The pictures aren't mine and like per usual, they're from google with links or from old blog posts. Thanks.

Shirts: 

I already expect these to be somewhat of a staple in any persons life but if they aren't then thats fine. Shirts are one of the best items of clothing to take to university as they are pretty versatile. You can purchase them in many different colours, patterns and fabrics. You can wear one buttoned up to go out in, you can wear a long sleeved one with the sleeves partially rolled up if you want to be a bit more casual or if you want to go completely casual then you can wear one with a baggy top to your first ever lecture.

Jumpers: 

Jumpers are more of a clothing item when it comes to Winter but as we're in England they can be for any day of the year. Again, jumpers are so versatile but they can help you be warm which is a big bonus in university due to the cost of heating. They also give a simple outfit that something that is lacking. A baggy jumper could be layered with something like a general top or maybe a polo shirt with jeans to give a smart casual look which could be for drinks, shopping or much more. I think if you're going for a bright jumper then keep everything else simple.

http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/product/clothing-140502/mens-jumpers-cardigans-140513/black-essential-crew-neck-jumper-4477575?bi=0&ps=20

Hats: 

This simple item of clothing can do wonders. It can help you keep warm in the colder months, can make an outfit really sing or keep you looking good. Hats have been known for either Summer or Winter, In Summer, five panel caps make a grand entrance adding a touch of urban influenced style to your outfit but in Winter beanies are usually seen to keep your head warm or to add something to an outfit which will be great if you're shopping in that Winter sale for maybe something to wear when you're back at university after the holidays.

http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/product/shoes-and-accessories-1928527/mens-winter-accessories-4691225/thfkdlf-script-badge-beanie-4685354?bi=0&ps=20

T-shirts: 

Everyone has a massive collection of t-shirts but they are the ultimate thing that you need to take to uni with you. They can be used for lounging about in, to cook something in, for lectures, shopping, socialising and much more. Wear them on their own with jeans for a quite casual look, layered with cardigan to give a more seasonal look or even with pj bottoms for when you really want to be lazy. They're pretty cheap which means that you can bulk up on a lot of them and still have money left for other things that you need or for when you want to go out for the night.

http://www.hm.com/gb/product/43757?article=43757-A

Shoes: 

This sounds like such an obvious one but just hear me out... Shoes can either make or break an outfit, I mean you don't see people wearing a suit with slippers on, do you? Try and make sure you bring shoes with you that fit what you're going to be doing so maybe at least one pair of smart shoes, one pair of trainers, some slippers and maybe another pair if needed? Also when taking shoes to university, make sure to check the durability of them. If they aren't that durable then will they last long in your life if you're going to be doing a lot of walking etc? It will help you in the long run.

I hope that these words of advice will help you if you're going to university this year and I hope that you don't murder your body via Freshers. I hope you have enjoyed this advice post and I hope to see you next time!

Meow!
Jamie x

Stop The Labelling. I'm Not A 'Male Blogger'! I'm A Person | Rant

Meow!

http://www.porscheclassy.com.ng/2014/12/ladies-read-16-benefits-dating-blogger-must-read/

So, this is a rant post and I'm going to try and keep it as less rambly as possible but I've felt like I've needed to write about this for quite a while and I don't know how well this is going to go but it needs to be talked about and even if I'm behind on loads of posts this needs to published and known as soon as possible. I hope you stay for the full of this post. Oh and sadly the picture isn't my own picture of someone...

A male blogger is obviously someone who has a penis and blogs. They share ideas on their blog and might review things just like any other blogger but instantly aren't a blogger, they're a male blogger and seeing as I have a penis sadly (I wish I had no genitals so I could just be a human being) I am labelled and told that I'm a male blogger. I'm not a 'male' blogger. I'm just a human who likes to write his ideas and opinions down and shares them with the world because he has no one else to do that with and I honestly love doing that.

I'm confused with why people who have a penis and who blog are put into this label as a 'male blogger'. I mean, are they a rare endangered specie? Are they different to everyone else in the world who blogs? I know guys who blog about beauty, fashion and everything else and yet they're a male blogger but when a female does the same thing they're not a female blogger, they're just a blogger? I see more and more bloggers and I honestly think that this slight divide of putting people within a label and means that people might not be that up for sharing ideas which also might affect events as it may make an event more awkward which is making the people who have put the event all together feel like they've wasted time, money and effort. This also works two ways though. Brands also define 'male blogger' and may think that they shouldn't be at the event that they've put on. I don't care if the event is for dresses or makeup that I'm never going to use. I have people who have a vagina who read my blog who may want to read my opinion on a makeup line. I honestly find makeup interesting when people apply it and I'm happy to talk about it so don't exclude me just because I'm a 'male blogger'.

If we all just said we're people who like to express our opinions on the internet and stop using every label that there is to do with blogging/writing then I think we would become a better community and more equal within the world and in some way it might hinder your writing or whatever but it would definitely help it.

I'm sorry but I just felt like I needed to rant slightly and I know it made no sense whatsoever but I'm a person not someone who is solely doing it for the money or to create a business where it's just going to solely benefit myself or get to a point where expressing my opinions becomes a bore because of other people because then theres no point in doing anything which is creative such as this.

I hope you don't mind me ranting and making no sense from time to time and I hope you've enjoyed this blog post. I think in the end, I'm saying stop gendering people. Just because people have a penis or a vagina it doesn't mean that they shoved into a box or labelled as anything especially when it comes to writing and such forth.

Oh yeah, thanks to people like Kellie, Georgina anybody else who writes and expresses their opinion for showing me that it's great to basically not give a fuck and write what you want to write.

Kellie's Blog: http://www.bigfashionista.co.uk/
Georgina's Blog: http://www.shemightbeloved.com/

Meow!
Jamie x

Something To Soothe Everyone | Seed & Bean Dark Chocolate With Lavender Review

Meow!

So due to things happening, I'm taking things easy at the minute. A schedule may happen or posts may go up randomly but I'm not that sure yet but as I have a good few posts that were meant to go up a while ago, I thought I would try and get them up as soon as possible.

When I went down to London, I bought some chocolate from Whole Foods and I thought I would do a review all about it as it's different and it might be something that seems interesting.

The chocolate that I chose after uhming and ahhing for a good ten or so minutes was a Dark Chocolate with Lavender bar from Seed and Bean.

Seed and Bean was created in 2005. The company's aim is to create an ethical range of confectionery (fair trade, organic, friendly to the world.) Seed and Bean have a variety of flavours out which are there to interest and slightly shock you. They're in a few places including Selfridges and Whole Foods. They also do other flavours such as Lemon & Cardamom, Coconut & Raspberry and Chilli & Lime. 

I picked out the lavender chocolate mainly due to its colourful vibrant packaging but also due to the fact that I like the scent of Lavender so in theory before purchasing I knew I was going to like it. The other reasons that I mainly bought it was due to the ethical organic label on the packaging but also because it said vegan on it. I'm not one of those Vegan preachers as I eat meat but I have veggie days when I can and stuff but when it comes to chocolate Vegan seals the deal for me and the reason why is because vegan means that there is no lactose within the bar thus making it something that I can eat and not worry about afterwards. I had also only tried vegan chocolate in the form of cacao nibs which are raw chocolate so I wanted to see the difference between that and a bar.

I eventually went home the same day and later on in the week decided to open the bar. The bright packaging smelt strongly of lavender. When I eventually got into the chocolate, I snapped a row off and ate it. The dark chocolate which was slightly bitter worked quite well with the sweet floral like lavender and created an interesting bar which made me ooh and aah at the beginning because it was different. When I do buy chocolate I like to stick to old favourites which means the most interesting I get is Salted Caramel so having a floral ingredient which is used to help you relax within confectionery was different. I also used a bit of it within a hot chocolate. I just put a few chunks into a mug of warm chocolate oat milk. Warm chocolate oat milk is great on its own but it just made it that little bit more elegant and soothing.

You can tell how natural the bar is just from looking at it. From the sheer on the chocolate showing that its got a high quality cocoa percentage to the smell confirming that it's natural. There is also flecks of the herb within the actual bar which tells you exactly what you're eating!

I would give this a 9 out of 10. It's quite strong so if you're not a fan of dark chocolate or lavender then it will either not be up your street or may take a while to eat if you've purchased it. Seed and Bean do other flavours and some milk chocolate bars so there is a bar for everyone. The lavender is quite relaxing so I'd try and enjoy it at its best when you're relaxing after work or at night etc. It's one of those bars that you indulge in but you learn about whilst you're eating it. I'll hopefully enjoy this one again if I can get my hands on to give to someone as a present as I know some people who would love Lavender Chocolate or I'll try one of the other interesting flavours.

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post and I hope you try some of Seed and Bean's chocolate. If you do then let me know what you think about it. I hope to see you next time for another blog post!

Check out their range here: http://www.seedandbean.co.uk/

Meow!
Jamie x

Melting In A Mesmerising Massage | Molton Brown Victoria Quarter - Leeds Event

Meow!

NB: I did have pictures but I can't find them so the ones on the post are obviously not mine. This was meant to be up ages ago but I forgot I had this post written and stuff... Sorry. 

I was invited to an event in Leeds last week and I thought I would tell you all about it. I didn't take my camera so I didn't really get any pictures as we went in mainly to do some shopping and went to the event when we had to.

Molton Brown are a beauty/bath and body store that have perfected their style over time. They are well known for their bright and bold packaging and unique scents such as Pink Peppercorn candle. They originate from London and have been going since 1973. They are slightly higher priced than high street bath and body products but they are worth it if you want something indulgent to soak in.

When we walked into the store, we wandered around the store to see what things they actually sold as I only knew about the Pink Peppercorn candle before hand but we had a look and found out that they do a lot of exotic scents including one called Caju and Lime which smells like a beach in my opinion.

We slowly made our way over to the station where there was sinks and counters which were for massages. We were asked to smell four different scents and choose the one that we wanted massaging onto us. There was the choice of either Eucalyptus, Gingerlily, Ylang-Ylang and Pink Peppercorn. Luke chose Eucalyptus as he liked the fresh citrus scent but he also liked that it was meant to be uplifting and I chose Ylang-Ylang due to the sweetness of the scent but also because it is a comforting scent.

Once we had chosen our scents, we sat down where we had our arms softened via water within the grand sinks that were in store. The body wash of our scents were then applied and then massaged into our arms and hands and then rinsed and patted dry with towels that were a bright yellow which slightly added to the brightness of the whole massage.

Whilst Luke was having his massage provided by Olivia, I chatted with Isabella about everything beauty wise such as the products in store, the scent I had chosen, Lush, Jo Malone, Harvey Nichols, blogging and magazines which was fun because sometimes you might feel slightly awkward when being massaged so chatting to someone about things you enjoy may help the experience.

The new body polishers were then applied. This is what the whole massage was based around from what I remember. The Eucalyptus one contains sugar particles which get into the skin to remove dirt and get into all the pores. I didn't use this one so I can't say much about it. The Ylang-Ylang one contains Black Vanilla grains which tone the skin and get into the nooks and crannies of the skin. This scrub also gives off such a comforting yet sweet scent which reminds me of baked pastries weirdly. The grains scrubbed at the skin but didn't give a harsh feeling to the skin which is good within a scrub because sometimes they can be a bit harsh and then your skin will feel irritated and you're trying to help it recover for the next few weeks.

We then had the body lotion applied to us. Luke's scent didn't have a body lotion and he can't remember the scent it was but he liked it. I had the Ylang-Ylang body lotion massaged into my skin to fully echo the scent. I loved it as it gave off such a powerful scent but I also liked how it sunk into my skin pretty quickly and the texture of it was quite light so I could apply it after a shower and then go off and do what I need to with my day.

I was still talking to Isabella at this point and she recommended that I tried out the Oudh Accord and Gold Fragrance. I smelt it and it reminded me slightly of a really dark wood scent that I had smelt somewhere before but I loved it as it still had the vanilla in which made it slightly sweet. She spritzed a bit onto my wrists which completed the massage.

Whilst the massage was going on, we were offered some orange juice to go with the healthy feel of having a massage but also to go with the fresh scents that surrounded us such as Caju and Lime and to compliment all of the bright colours. We were also offered some brownies from Filmore & Union which I have sampled before at the Jo Malone event. I had the vegan brownies which were amazing. Dark and nutty but very moreish. We were also given a discount card for Filmore & Union on that day.

We were given a little goodie bag which contained two body lotions which I may use soon as the scents are strong and I feel like they would be perfect for a busy day which may include shopping, blogging, travelling... Who knows? The bag also contained a freshly scented shower gel which I shall use when I want something invigorating.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post and I hope to see you next time for another blog post. Have you been to Molton Brown in Victoria Quarter in Leeds? If so then comment down below with what you think of the store and their products.

Meow!
Jamie x

Visit MB's Website Here: http://www.moltonbrown.co.uk/store/index.jsp

ET Phones Home Up At Last | I Went To Lush Oxford Street

Meow!

I went to London and as I said in my London post, I was going to do a blog post about Lush Oxford Street so this is what this is. I'm planning on doing a Lush series due to the amount of products I h

On the Sunday of the London weekend, I decided to do some shopping... Some is probably an understatement. I went into several places such as Whittard Of Chelsea, H&M and other places but the main shop that we spent most of our time in on that day was Lush as the store on Oxford Street is the flagship store for the whole of England deeming it a superstore.

I entered the store and was welcomed by a lovely woman. She told me to enjoy every moment of the Willy Wonka-esque store. I asked her if I was okay to take some pictures. I didn't take that many in the end due to wanting to enjoy the store and not be that person who wanders around a store awkwardly not picking up anything and just taking pictures...

On the first floor was the hair lab, hair care, skin care, shower, make up, lip balms and toothy tabs. On the ground floor was a selfie booth which I didn't have time to go into, candles, massage bars, Gorilla Perfumes and the top floor consisted of bath ballistics, bath oils, bubble bars, gift sets and FUN.

I wandered around the ground floor until a sales assistant came up and told me about the new bath bomb that is for charity which was the Skylander at the time. It reminded me of May Day and once we saw what it did, we slowly walked on. Another member of staff asked us if we were okay and told us a little bit about the layout.

We made our way over to the hair section where we saw many bottles and lots of different portable products which turned out to be solid shampoo and conditioner bars including Seanik, Soak & Float and many many more. I kept wandering on until I found exactly what I had been looking for which was the Hair Custard which is a new 'Hair Dressing' which is just a multi purpose hair product but this one had the colour and scent of creamy vanilla custard. It fights static and adds moisture to the hair giving it a lovely shine. It can be added onto wet or dry hair and contains Argan Oil, Egg White, Honey, Strawberry Juice and many other oils but isn't vegan due to the Egg White and probably the honey depending on your opinion of it. Priced at £12.95

We walked past the skincare section and saw the iced shelves which face masks laid upon. A lovely member of staff who was sat down at the iced shelf came up to me and asked if I had tried out the new masks? I hadn't but I had brought along my five tubs to get a free fresh face mask. She sat me down and talked about all three face masks and then went to go get a plate where three patches of the different face masks were smeared upon.

The first one that was demo'd on me was Don't Look At Me. It's one of their new exfoliating masks which has murumuru butter within and has a aqua blue colour to it. The murumuru helps moisturise the face whereas the ground rice scrubs into the skin which gets rid of dirt and whatnot. The rice milk also adds to the moisurisation. This mask also contains lemon juice which tones your skin. This face mask contains some other great things in it but it is one of the most moisturising products from Lush which has a great citrus scent. Priced at £6.50.

The next one that was tried on me was the Prince Of Darkness. The other two will slowly be coming into regular stores but this one won't. This one contains Fullers Earth, Powdered Charcoal and Lavender Oil just to name a few so it scrubs into your skin but makes it soft at the same time. Charcoal has been proven to benefit the skin and help with things such as spots. The colour is dark therefore it might put a bit of people off but its only slightly darker than Cupcake and has been influenced via Ozzy Osbourne.

The last mask is The Man In The Mushroom Mask. The name is from the late Michael Jackson from what I can tell. This one from the title obviously contains mushrooms but it also contains turmeric and avocado which brighten up and moisturise the face which gives it a sweet scent more than anything else. The turmeric brightens the skin up which may look a bit scary due to the colour but it washes off just like the other masks.

We then saw the hair lab as Sylvia told us about is so I decided to ask if I could have a demo and I did. I was asked various questions about my hair and I told them all about it such as how many times I've bleached and dyed my hair, how much I damage it via heat on a weekly basis and other things. I was then showed what products were the best to use with my hair and those turned out to be Hairy Mcclairy and American Cream. I was asked to put a barber style cloth thing which I slipped my arms and then got the member of staff to secure the velcro around my neck so nothing would affect what I was wearing. (It felt like silk!) I then had my hair washed and was told that my hair wasn'r damaged. The products were applied and rinsed and my hair felt and smelt amazing. The conditioner was applied and rinsed. American Cream left such a sweet scent which made me want to lather the conditioner on my hair 24/7 which may not be the best thing in the world to do. I was then recommended the tangle Hot Oil Treatment mainly as my hair wasn;t damaged so the Damaged Hot Oil Treatment didn't seem right for my hair. I was also given Odango compared to Hairy Mcclairy which has a slight floral scent to it... In the end I was given a little lush bag containing the shampoo and conditioner that the lovely member of staff had used on my hair and was told if I needed to blow dry or style my hair then I was absolutely free to. I blow dried my hair and thanked the lovely staff member and wandered off to the soap bar.

We spotted the soap bar from afar and wandered how many new bars of soap there were in total/ We made our way towards the bar and glared at all the wonderful bars of soap. We instantly saw Layer Cake which has five different fruits, colours and scents within the soap so every slice might be different as you may get a different xcent. The base of the soap has been made to be more environmentally friendly via the use of no palm oils and instead fresh organic Coconut and Rapeseed oils which gives it a more luxurious feel. We saw Sea Salted Caramel Soap which is amazing, Cream Of Tomato Soap which is so different, Sticky Banana Soap and many other soaps. Instead of other Lush stores where you can either buy the prewrapped ones or take the whole block up and then ask, at the soap bar all you do is ask the member of staff who is happy to cut you a piece of soap for you to take home. Luke bought quite a few for some presents but I personally bought the Sea Salted Caramel as I instantly fell in love with the scent. It's sweet yet smoky... It's just mmm...

We then glanced at the shower gels and I instantly saw The Comforter Shower Cream. Now I know that it's available in all stores now but Oxford Street do 1 litre bottles of all your favourite shower gels and creams and it looked like a gas canister from heaven with its fuchsia glow. I was very tempted to smuggle five of them out of the store but I didn't. I wandered on and found Beautiful, Lord Of Misrule shower cream. Don't Rain On My Parade and Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair. I also found the Wash Sheets which are essentially soap but in paper form. The whole concept of them is that they have lyrics on which you sing in the shower whilst you rip a bit off and wash yourself with it. If you rip it by accident then it's fine as it's that pliable that it goes back together.

We made our way to the top floor via the lift due to Luke and cane. The lift was one of the best things in the world. The glass encased space had such a soothing voice that told us which floor we were on and the little birds calling and tweeting which echoed the space just created such a calming feeling and then you went back into the hustle and bustle of the shop floor.

We entered the top floor to all of the gift sets within the world which looked like an absolute masterpiece. We walked on and saw all of the bath bombs which were stacked into neat wooden like storage sort of boxes which made them slightly look more like they should be in a florist. We saw the new ones which include Cyanide Pill, Frozen (in all stores), Experimenter (all stores) Golden Wonder and a good few more which were sitting next to familiar products such as Fizzbanger, Twilight and Dragons Egg. I wandered and after quite a lot of time decided on getting a Guardians Of The Forest and Cyanide Pill...

We walked over to the bath oils. The bath oils are a new concept for Oxford St but a already existing one for Lushies. Bath oils are kind of bath melts but slightly smaller and with a more vivid colour and stronger scent to them thus making them a smaller cheaper alternative to the bath ballistic instead of using them along with a bath ballistic for the nourishing properties. They're set out to look like Pick & Mix bonbons within the store with bags at the side to pop them in. They literally look like sweets so it's tempting to grab more than you probably need for the minute... I decided to get five which seems excessive but ah well.

We then decided to go downstairs even though I missed where the new Purple (The Comforter scented) FUN and other new FUN's and the bubble bars. We wandered around the shower products and the lip products and decided to get a few things and headed for the tills. We would have explored more including the bottom floor with the spa and new products such as the Dreamtime Temple Balm but as it was a Sunday everything shuts earlier and I was on the hunt for a bag.



All in all, Lush Oxford Street is an amazing place especially for Lushies and now the novelty has calned down a bit with only a selection of products being exclusive it's an amazing place to spend a few hours of your time. The staff are amazing and it's an interactive store with things such as the Hair Lab. The staff are amazing which is the same with all stores but you can tell they relish in working there, If you're going to London then go there but don't strain yourself if you can't and you want to go just because it's Lush. I have a feeling a few more stores like this may pop up in the future but when I'm next in London I shall be returning there.

I hope you've enjoyed this post. It was meant to go up a while ago but I have had personal things that made it impossible to get this out when I wanted. Sorry. If you've ever been to Lush Oxford Street then let me know in the comment box below. I shall see you next time for another blog post!

Visit Lush Website For Oxford St Exclusives on there: http://www.lush.co.uk/

Meow!
Jamie x