My Resolutions For 2016

Meow, so as 2016 is coming around the corner, I thought that it would be a good idea to write what I want to improve on and stuff within 2016 therefore I can get to end of 2016 and look back on this blog post and see if I have done any of the things that I want to do. I feel like that is influenced by Bridget Jones which I normally watch every New Years'. I think that it's best if I just put them in a bullet point list and explain what I mean by each one so here is my resolutions for 2016.

Bridget is the face of New Years resolutions.
If you have watched the infamous films then you definitely should know this.

• Sort my mental health out.
  As you all probably know, I have anxiety attacks and other things quite often but I have never actually seen a doctor about it mainly because well waiting for the doctor's makes me anxious which means that I don't want to go in. Honestly, the last time that I actually tried to go to the doctors, I kind of ran out of the doctors and I've never been since.
  
• Lactose Intolerance
  I have realised via many different ways that my body doesn't agree with lactose which is the sugar found in dairy products. I don't really take full notice of this sometimes as most of my favourite things contain lactose in somehow and I've not been strict and ended up doing the whole 'ah well I'll live with the consequences when they happen' sort of thing so I would like to actually cut down on my lactose intake and hopefully replace it with things that my stomach can handle such as the various lactose free milks.

• Laptop
  
  So I got given a laptop from my high school earlier this year due to many reasons and basically since I got it, the mouse has stalled, the laptop has stalled and other things have happened and I have to shut the lid to get them to not do it for five or so minutes which is very annoying when you're trying to look at something such as a link for a blog post and then trying to get the mouse to click back onto the post that you're writing. I haven't had time to send it back to Currys/PC World which I need to do asap.

• Don't give a shit!
  I care about a lot which I need to stop doing. I just need to relax and be how I want to be and not care about what others think a lot. If I want to write a post about something weird then I should do it and if I want to turn up to an event with my hair scraped up in pj's then I should do it. I care a lot about what people will think when I do certain things and I shouldn't to be really honest. If I want to dye my hair bright blue with several other colours within my hair then I should just do it, I did it last year with getting piercings and I don't regret that at all so I should not give a shit a lot more often.

• Sort out my blog a bit.
  I love my blog. It's kind of my baby as I've put a lot of effort and time into it. I just think that it can do with a few improvements such as doing up the layout. Doing more series. Being consistent with said series. I want to finally crack on with my food series, I want to do more beauty posts as I love beauty. I want to do more fashion posts because I love fashion. I just want my blog to be perfect in my own eyes which may mean a bit of improvement...

• Work with more brands.
  
  I love getting perks like any other blogger does. I love it especially when it's a random package and you weren't expecting it to come through the post... This happens a lot with packages from Urika/Lush PR and I love it! I love learning about a brands ethos and why the brand was created and what they want to tell their audience and I love putting that into my own words and I love finding out about a brands product and trying the products out. It may be a brand that I've never heard of but normally I end up loving them and I love telling you guys what I love about said product/brand. I mean I've loved Alpro Soya for so long and I got to work with them this year which was amazing.

• Figure out my future
  I'm at college and any free time I have ends up being spent on blogging and any other time is spent on replying to emails and relaxing but with going to college, I'm meant to have some clue what I want to do after and I slightly don't. I think I want to do Media as it will improve my skills that I've learnt via blogging and such and hopefully create a job that way which may end up in something to do with Social Media, PR, Marketing etc but that may mean going to university and I'm not sure if I want to go to Uni or not yet.

There is probably more resolutiona brewing such as making all that Smashed Avocado on Toast (inside joke to most bloggers even though Nigella does make a good one) and other things but those are the main ones that I want to try and achieve throughout 2016. 

Have you got any resolutions for the new year? Let me know by commenting down below. I hope that you have enjoyed this post and I hope that you have a great New Years Eve and that you don't forget to let your inner Patsy Stone and Edina Monsoon to come out and have a good time. I hope to see you next time for another blog post! 

Meow!
Jamie x 

Bringing The Islands To Leeds | Turtle Bay Leeds Pre-Launch Event

Meow!

I got invited to the preview launch of a new restaurant in Leeds and I thought that I would tell you about it today. If you like spicy food and cocktails then you will love this post that is all about Turtle Bay Leeds.

Turtle Bay is a Caribbean restaurant business that have been going for a few years. The restaurant captures the mind and soul of The Caribbean via serving Caribbean food such as Jerk Chicken, Curried Goat and Rice & Peas, serving cocktails that sum up the exotic and lively atmosphere of The Caribbean and many other things. There is quite a few Turtle Bay's around England ranging from down South in Ealing all the way up to the North with restaurants in York, Huddersfield and now Leeds. 

We started by arriving at the restaurant. As we were invited to a pre-launch event this meant that anyone that was walking past the restaurant probably thought that we were some secret cult setting up shop in Leeds to create a plan and to wreak havoc or something like that whereas the staff at the restaurant awkwardly had to tell passerbys that they could not enter as the establishment was not open yet. We stated that we were bloggers/members of a secret elite cult (I'm joking of course but wouldn't it be fascinating if I was?) and we were allowed into the premises.

A man called Adam and a woman called Bronwyn greeted us and then asked us what we would like to drink. I instantly thought that this could get messy. I mean, free cocktails to drink after 'one of those days' meant I can drink the bar dry in my opinion but anyways back to some relevant information. Adam said there was three to choose from. Tobago Tea. This contains Rum, Tequila, Vodka, Gin, Triple Sec with the addition of fresh Lemon, Mango and Lemonade. Beachcombers Zombie. This contains 4 different Rums, Absinthe, Bitters with the addition of Tropical Juices. Mai Tai. This contains Appleton Special Rum, Orange Rum Liqueur, Apricot Brandy with the addition of Fresh Lime and Pineapple.

Myself and Luke ordered a Tobago Tea. I was tempted to go for the Beachcombers Zombie but I know that I like alcohol and I like mango as I had a phase a few Summers ago where I drank a lot of Mango Juice so it sounded like a good cocktail to go for, You could taste the exotic Mango with a hint of acidity from the Lemon and Lemonade. Myself and Luke slowly made our way around the restaurant and found Kellie who we talked to about many things. We tried a bit of each others drinks. Kellie didn't enjoy the Tobago Tea that much but I loved the Beachcombers Zombie which she was drinking. I loved how you got a hint of the alcohol but it wasn't too overwhelming as the addition of Tropical Juices gave it a sweet edge. (Look at the picture at the top of the post.)

I slowly wandered around the establishment taking pictures and then I found a good spot for Luke to sit down as I felt like it would be better to sit him somewhere and if needed to I could either drag him somewhere or I could bring it over to him. As soon as I sat him down, Adam and Bronwyn asked all of us to come over so I left to him and his own devices whilst I listened and embraced everything that Adam and Bronwyn were saying. Adam is the companies Bar Manager and Trainer from what I remember and Bronwyn does the same but swap the bar for the food. Adam then went on to talk about the Rum's that Turtle Bay served which was very interesting and made me learn a bit more about Rum which is a good thing in my eyes as I can appreciate it a bit more when I'm drinking it.

We were then escorted to a grand elongated table where we told that Colin would be talking to us about the food at Turtlebay and then we would get the chance to try out the delicious food that is on offer at Turtle Bay. We sat down and was offered some Reggae Rum Punch which consists of 126 proof Wray and Nephew Rum, Strawberry Liqueur, Fresh Orange, Lime and Pineapple. I think this was to cleanse the palate per se but was an awesome drink to drink whilst Colin was telling us everything.

He told us about how Turtle Bay made their Curried Goat, what spices were in the dish and then we got to try the dish. It was succulent and delicious and something that I have never tried before. It reminded me of a hearty dish that you would eat at this time of the year.

He also told us about Scotch Bonnets and Plantain. He told us about the Heat Intensity of a Scotch Bonnet and also told us that to make sure the heat intensity is level within the Restaurant, the chefs at Turtle Bay blend up Scotch Bonnets and then use a small amount to ensure that it is the right heat for the dish which is pretty genius in my opinion as it doesn't mean that you have that risk of chopping up and then burning your skin by touching it after touching a Chilli when cooking a dish. He also told us about the Plantain which is similar to a Banana but isn't at the same time. It comes from the same family and whereas Bananas are sweet, Plantains aren't. We got told many things about Plantain including the best tips to cooking them which including making sure the exterior of it is brown before cooking as it makes sure it is ripe enough to cook, I tried it in its cooked version and the best way to describe is a cross between a Banana and a Roast Potato making it savoury but slightly sweet and moreish at the same time.

Colin then told us about the Jerk Chicken, how to cook the Chicken, what spices went into the Jerk Chicken and many other details about Jerk Chicken. We were also served a Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie which contains Smooth Peanut Butter, Banana, Condensed Milk and Cream. I'm a bit of a weird one with Peanut Butter. I can only eat it if it is smooth. The smoothie was sweet but salty at the same time which made it quite delicious but also the addition of condensed milk and cream gave it a luxurious/slightly decadent feel. Colin explained that it was to cool down the heat of the Jerk Chicken as dairy helps a lot better than water when it comes to cooling down your mouth. We then went to go watch the Jerk Chicken being made which was an interesting experience.

I went to go sit back down and realised that there was a drink waiting for me. This one was a Bahama Mama. Koko Kanu Rum, Banana Liqueur with Pineapple and Grenadine. I couldn't really taste the Rum but I could taste the liqueur and the pineapple which made for a fresh Banana taste when drinking the cocktail. The Jerk Chicken arrived at our table. The dish comes with Caribbean Coleslaw and Sweet Potato Fries so we served ourselves them and then made sure that we had a good helping of Chicken each. The coleslaw was refreshing yet had a slight kick, the Sweet Potato fries were crispy and soft. They were just amazing in summary.

We were then told to answer a few questions to see if we had been listening on the night. We had and this resulted in us receiving some Caymana's Rum Cake which was with some Rum influenced caramel sauce. The sponge was light and delicious with Rum running all the way through it which made it that little bit more delicious. We said goodbye and left with a goodie bag which contained some sauces and other things which ended up smashed due to the bag ripping in Trinity Leeds on the way back to the train station. Things like that happen sometimes.

If you live in Leeds and love Caribbean food then wander up to The Light Leeds where you'll be able to find Turtle Bay as you can not miss it with its vibrant lights outside. Happy Hour is also on 90% of the time therefore all cocktails are 2 for 1 so if you were still hesitating whether to go or not then that should have twisted your arm to go as soon as you can.

I cannot thank Turtle Bay, their PR and the staff at the new Leeds branch for inviting me to the pre-launch of the restaurant. If you want to know anything more about Turtle Bay then you can click here. I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and I hope to see you next time for another blog post. If you have checked out Turtle Bay then let me know down below.

Meow!
Jamie x

Let's Check The Time | Watches Gift Guide.

Meow!

I know that's very late to do a gift guide but I thought why the heck not as I know a lot of people do last minute shopping so hopefully this post will give you some inspiration for a festive holiday present or it might be your birthday soon which means you can nag someone to get you something from this post. This gift guide will contain watches for both men and women and everything else between even ones such as second hand Rolex's and maybe even a couple of Michael Kors so if you know someone who loves watches then you better keep reading.

The first watch that I'm going to talk about is the Rolex. Yes, I know that Rolex's are ridiculously expensive but second hand ones aren't that expensive therefore making them more of an understandable gift in your wallets mind for that person in your life who loves Rolex's. The good thing about all watches but especially Rolex's is that it doesn't matter if you're buying for a man or a woman as they cater for both. If you want to check out some of the Rolex’s that I have spoken about have a look at Xupes Second Hand Rolex's.
Xupes sell some amazing second hand Rolexes all at more affordable prices.

I said above, I would talk about at least one Michael Kors watch as I know a few people that are interested in Michael Kors products. I also know that they are infamous within the blogging world for many reasons. The watch is aimed at women. This particular watch is a Rose Gold colour which has been a cult favourite at the minute due to the Rose Gold iPhone from what I know. This is a bold yet sophisticated watch due to the colour and the detail on the watch as it contains crystals surrounding the dial. The watch is also water resistant. If you want to know more then click here.

To counteract the above one, here is a watch that is a designer watch and aimed at men. This one is by Emporio Armani. It's stylish yet functional due to it being waterproof but also by being mainly Stainless Steel with a dash of blue within the dials of the watch which make it instantly fashionable and honestly I would love to have a watch like this as I love blue! The bracelet is polished to ensure that it is the best that it can be. Click here to find out more about the watch.

This next one is mainly for men. This watch is quite cheap for Fossil and has classic yet vintage influence towards it. It is in brown leather and contains roman numerals instead of numbers on the watch which shows the vintage influence as Roman numerals aren't a thing that you see on watches in the modern world. If you want to get a male person in your life a watch but you don't want to spend a very large amount of money on it. If you want to find out more about the watch then click here. (If you live near Leeds then you can always pop into the Fossil store within Trinity Leeds to have a look!)

If those seem out of your budget then I suggest this Silver Rectangle Watch from Dorothy Perkins. This watch contains a rectangular face with rose gold detail, I think that this watch can be worn for both work and pleasure as it is quite profession due to the rectangular face but because of the detailing it gives it a fashionable element at the same time. It's also great for someone who doesn't want something too showy as they may think the suggestions above are a bit too much for them. Click here to find out more about the watch.

The last watch in my gift guide is from Burton to show that a man can have a good watch on a tight budget and at Burton and I think Dorothy Perkins you can get 10% off which means that you can save more on the watch if you want to buy it for yourself or as a present. This watch has a brown leather strap with a crocodile effect on. If you want to find out more then click here.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this post and looking at all the pictures of the watches. I hope that this has influenced you if you're still looking for present ideas. I hope that you're having a great December so far. What's the best present you have received? Let me know down below! I hope to see you next time for another blog post.

This post has been sponsored. I still had complete content control over this post and decided to do a gift guide to tie in with Christmas. All of the opinions are my own throughout this post. 

Diary Of A Meowing Lushie: Oops I Did It Again! | Lush Haul

Meow!

If you have read my last post (if not then read it here because it's an amazing blog post) then you will know that I was invited to the revamp launch of Lush Leeds Spa and what does Jamie do best at Lush? Smell products and then purchase them so I thought it would best if I did a haul post as it means that in my mind I can suffice spending money on Lush products instead of getting people Christmas presents... (Sidenote: I don't think I'm getting anyone any presents because I end up buying stuff for myself instead. Is the presence of myself a good emough present because I'm thinking it is.)

First of all, I think that I'm going to tell you guys about the things that I bought and then I'll tell you guys what I got in the goodie bag. Second of all, I hope you all don't mind being referred to as 'you guys' because thats what I'm going to be calling all of you throughout this post. Third of all, you're probably best off getting some packets of biscuits (yes you read that right, I said packets because a packet lasts me a good ten to fifteen minutes if I'm being good and this post is going to take a while to read) and a good glass/mug of a drink of your choice... The first product that I'm going to talk about is an old favourite of mine which is Shoot For The Stars even though its only been going for two years. It has a wonderful midnight blue colour with golden and silver shimmer running throughout the product. Apparently the product contains Brazillian Orange and Bergamot Oils which I don't detect at all but instead I get the smell of sweet sweet honey which is the same scent that is within Honey I Washed The Kids, Golden Egg, Gold FUN, It's Raining Men and much much more. When dropped into the water, it creates such a lovely galaxy effect with shimmer which makes your bath look like the night sky and honestly I want it as my hair colour. Priced at £3.65

The second product that I bought was Yog Nog. I have a confession to make! I have only smelt the Yog Nog soap twice and I have never used it so when I saw the Yog Nog bomb in store I was very hesitant to buy it but after smelling it and hearing wonderful things about it from Faith, I thought it would be wise to buy it. This product has a lot of oils in such as Coconut & Jojoba Oil which means that it is instantly going to nourish and moisturise your skin but it also has Clove Bud Oil in for scent to give you a spicy sweet note. The bath bomb smells like dark toffee so I can't wait to use it!

 

Number three is Avobath. Okay so this isn't that festive and is the only one from the non Christmas range. I read a Buzzfeed article a while back about Lush which said Avobath being a natural air freshener and the last time I used it I left it for a bit and it did what the Buzzfeed article said so I thought I would do it again because the scent is so amazing. This ballistic does have lustre in but I love it for many different reasons such as the vivid colour, the Lemongrass and Bergamot scent which makes you feel peppy just from smelling it and the softening properties of Olive Oil and Fresh Avocado. Priced at £3.50.

 

The next one that I am going to talk about is Luxury Lush Pud. This one is based around Lavender, Tonka and many other things. If you're a regular lushie then you will know Lavender and Tonka make up a Twilight bath bomb so imagine this as it's festive cousin. The bath product has been made to look like a Christmas pudding to make it even more festive but it also have circles of colour on the side which explode when dropped into the water to create an amazing colour. It's one of those that you have to try. Priced at £3.95

 

The final product that I bought was GW. Yes, you all knew it would be! I fell in love with it last year and I was so delighted when I saw it gleaming at me within the store as I knew it was back for another year. This one contains Lime and Cognac which makes it smell festive yet zesty at the same time. It also turns a sparkly blue/turquoise when slipped into the bath water. There are three layers to a GW and in the middle is a little present of exploding Gold Edible Stars. Fun fact: It takes a full week for just one of these bad boys to make! There is also First Snow Dusting Powder and Celebrate Body Lotion for after the bath if you love it that much... This comes in at £3.95 and it is worth every single penny. (You can also get it as an Alcohol Free ballistic if you want. If you want to have a look at it then click here.)

Now onto the gorgeous goodie bag! The first thing that I am going to talk about is Holly Golightly. This is a bubble bar which smells like Hot Toddy Shower Gel (it was available last year but sadly not this year.) It has that spicy festive smell thanks to Clove Leaf Oil and Cinnamon which you find in a lot of festive things and many Christmassy candles. It also has a sweet kick thanks to the Lime and Sweet Orange Oil. It is smothered in lustre which is fine to me and should be fine to you if you love lustre or want something for the party season. A bubble bar is simply a bar that contains Bicarb and Cream Of Tartar which when mixed with water makes bubbles. Crumble under running water to get these bubbles. The water turns a nice sparkly green. Comes in at £4.95.

 

The next thing is The Magic Of Christmas.This product is like Yog Nog Ballistic in the fact that I have never used it before. This one is a reusable bubble wand which means you swish it under water to get the bubbles and then you leave it to dry and then reuse it. This product contains Orange, Cinnamon and Almond Oil which is essentially the scent of a Mince Pie. I love Cinnamon but I'm not a massive fan of Almond smelling things so I'll have to see what this is like. The fact that this is encased in two different lustres means that you'll get an incredible colour within your bath. I also love how this year it's on a Cinnamon stick as last year it was on a lollipop stick which broke after a while. This also means you can essentially stick the stick in bath water and have a bath with that. This is why I love Lush. You do get more which means it is a bit pricier but it is worth it if you love a good warming scent. Priced at £5.95.

This one may be a bit controversial. It's Candy Mountain! This one shares it's scent with Snow Fairy, y'know that really sweet Candy Floss/Bubblegum/Pear Drops smelling shower gel that is a festive cult classic? Well, here's the thing... I hate it. The scent makes me feel really nauseous after a while so I've had to rehome this one to the wonderful Michelle who loves Snow Fairy and is very grateful for the present. It turns the bath water a very magnificent pink colour and if you like the sound of it then you should go buy it, Priced at £2.95. The last thing in my goodie bag was something that you might love or hate thanks to Emma Blackery and it's the Twilight shower gel. This shower gel is very limited edition and only is available via a gift set. The product contains Lavender and Tonka like Twilight and Luxury Lush Pud. The shower gel is a very vivid purple colour and has lustre running all throughout it which makes it the perfect item for Lavender fans. I've only used it once so I can't say anything yet as you know I won't review anything unless I've used at least a good few times/used the product for a week. I love Lavender so I think that I will enjoy this one but as I have literally smelt it before bed and then fell straight asleep may mean that I won't bulk buy it on Kitchen like Emma did but I will gladly buy one or two bottles when it does come to Kitchen. Lush USA have it as a festive limited edition product which I think the UK should do.

So that's everything that I got from the Lush Leeds Spa Revamp Event anyways. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this. I still can't thank the guys at the store enough for inviting me and putting on such a good event! Don't forget to comment if you've tried the Twilight shower gel or with what's your favourite festive Lush product! I hope to see you next time for another blog post. Meow! Jamie x