Three Essential Accessories For The Modern Gent

Hi,

Today's post is well about the top accessories that I think the modern gent needs in their life.

I couldn't find a stock image of a modern gent and I'm too tired so heres one from Pinterest instead.
https://www.pinterest.com/offthecuffldn/shoreditch-gentleman/

1: Sunglasses. 
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I know that this sounds like just a summer based idea but it is not. Sunglasses can be used for various things. They can help you hide from others noticing that you came straight from the night before, they can help you fight UV rays from the sun and they can help add some much needed personality to your outfit especially if its a Monday morning dark and bland suit for the office.

2: Watches. 

Tick, tock! Watches add an element of elegance to any outfit casual or smart. They can help add another dimension to your suit with the metallic details of the object or could add a snazzy element to a casual outfit (say checked shirt, jeans and casual shoes). They also obviously give you the time for things which means that you have no problem getting to a meeting, interview or any event really at an unfashionably late time!

3: Rucksacks

Okay, so any bag will really do here but I love a rucksack so I thought I would suggest a rucksack. I mean they're portable and can be used for both casual and formal things whereas a briefcase might look a bit weird for things that are casual such as a Sunday brunch with the friends. You can get them in many colours so theres a good chance that they will go with your outfit. A rucksack normally has a few pockets so you can fit everything that you need in them. I just think that rucksacks are an amazing accessory!

I hope that you've enjoyed my little accessories for the modern gent/gentleman. I hope that you're having a great day and I hope that you come back for another blog post!

Jamie x

3 Little Tips To Help Out Money Saving Students

Hi,

If you follow me on any social media platform then you will know that I am always getting some sort of offer or deal so I thought that it was time to reveal how I find these deals especially as I know that soon people will be going to university and you may need these tips!

All rights of photo is O2's. (http://www.o2.co.uk/) 

1: Being A Student.

This may seem obvious but some people forget that simply being a student will get you a discount on certain stuff. If you sign up to UNIDAYS online then you can instantly get discounts on places online which will help when you have an online shop to do or when the student loan comes in and you head for online shopping! The other thing to acquire is an NUS card. This will come in very handy during your time within university. Simply showing this within a store can get you some sort of benefit such as free food or a discount. (I'll link the site on the words so you can go and find out more!)

2: O2 Will Become Your Best Friend.

I honestly can't thank O2 enough. I'm not advertising them but they will help you out quite a lot if you're a student and you're on their network. If you don't want to go onto their network then that's fine. The Priority App thats available to O2 customers will help you out so much. Theres normally something cheap or free on there within the week so if you need something to help you out then you can check the app and then go and get it. There's a reoccurring Caffe Nero free drink offer on every Tuesday at the moment which means you can have a pick me up on Tuesday if an essay deadline is on a Wednesday or within that week or a catch up with a friend over a free drink. It has helped me out so much this year!

3: Oops. It Will Help!

Go into your store. I'd say quite lateish (unless you want a good sandwich offer from Boots then go around 4ish?) and search around to see if there is anything on reduced. Reduced may seem icky but it works and honestly it will help for when you're getting sick of eating the same thing but only have a couple of quid for something to eat.

Do you do any of the above? Let me know down below!

I hope that you have enjoyed my three little tips for surviving for when things get tough on the money side within college/university/whatnot. I hope that you come back for more posts!

Jamie x

Transitions Of Genre Via Artists Within The Music Industry

Hey,

I thought that I would do a different sort of post today. This is a little sort of ramble post I suppose. I mean at least it shows that my blog isn't all about reviews and events and I actually have thoughts about things.

I'm not a member of the music industry but as a consumer, I have seen many things happen within the last couple of years and I just thought that I would have a little talk about them. There is one main point that I want to try and compress into an understandable statement.

Within the last few years, a lot has happened within the music industry, we've had break ups, reforms (mainly for an anniversary of some sort), surprise albums and everything in between. The main thing that has happened though is that a lot of music artists have transitioned from one genre all the way to another within the space of an album and I just think that it's quite a bold move to do.

To start off with, Iggy Pop (real name James Osterberg) used to play for a blues band. Whilst on tour with said band (Prime Movers), he slowly decided that it was time to create his own band and incorporate the things that he loved and slowly became 'Iggy Pop'. Other cases of bands separating so one of the members can rebrand themselves and become well known within mainstream music is Gwen Stefani. The blonde bombshell used to be within the band No Doubt which created music that had quite a punk themed element whereas when the band member decided to go solo when No Doubt decided to call time on their creations Stefani decided to completely change the genre of the music that she wanted to create. She went from punk all the way to mainstream pop with hints of R&B.

Lady Gaga and Rihanna did albums where they decided to completely change the genre of their music. Lady Gaga did this via going from dance influenced pop which has made her win awards for hit after hit whereas her latest album is mainly jazz based with covers of jazz classics such as Cheek To Cheek and Anything Goes. Was this so she could attract a more mature demographic? Was this so she could show to others that she isn't just a one trick theatrical pony or was this just a compassionate album showing that she likes to incorporate other genres into her music? Rihanna did a similar thing with her album via going from mainstream pop/R&B to more soulful inspired music. She also decided to cover a track from Tame Impala on her latest album ANTI. Tame Impala are a psychedelic rock based band. Is Rihanna trying to do a same thing? Taylor Swift has also been known to do this via going from country all the way to pop within moments of time.

I think the point that I am trying to make is that the world is changing and developing via technology but should the same be happening via culture and genres of music. Will we see a millennial future within the music industry where hybrid genres and the intertwining of genres will be the main focus within music? Let me know down below.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and that you come back to read more!

Jamie x

Sweetening Life Up | Forza Stir It Slim Meal Replacement Review

Hey,

I was sent a parcel from Forza a while ago and after being a tad ill and busy, I thought that it was time to finally tell you guys what I think of the Stir It Slim meal replacements!

Stir It Slim are a range of meal replacements from a brand called Forza. The concept of them is that you drink them and feel full up to the point of needing said meal and can get on with the day feeling great. They help control weight and come in a few flavours such as hot chocolate and caramel latte. You get three sachets in a packet and they cost around £18 from what I can recall. Click here to find out more about them.

I received Caramel Latte and honestly I was a bit hesitant about trying these as I normally always have some sort of food near me for when I'm hungry. I was a bit hesitant as I wasn't really up for drinking Caramel Latte as a meal. When I received them, I used one as a breakfast replacement as I thought that it would be the best time to use them as coffee and such. The drink was sweet but not too sweet and you could tell that it was caramel from the flavouring within the drink.

I did feel full for quite a while and felt that they sufficed as a meal. I think that they're best for someone who is busy and on the go quite a lot. I would probably use these for when I'm busy with work and such. I could instantly tell that it was caramel just from the flavouring so I'm guessing that the syrup in it is strong. I'd love to see what the hot chocolate one tastes like. I had a good chunk of energy for a while but I did end up having the energy crash that most people have, a few hours later.

I am a bit iffy with the price but they are worth it if you're wanting to lose a bit of weight or want a more convenient way of having a meal. I would definitely recommend these for someone who is on the go a lot and doesn't want to skip a meal. I'd definitely like to try the hot chocolate one to see how they compare. On a whole, I give these an 8/10. They're great but I do think that I would rather stick to solid foods unless I needed something in a flask for on the go.

I hope that this has been an alright blog post. Don't forget to check Forza out. I hope to see you next time for another post.

Jamie x

Creating The Ultimate Pizza | MOD Pizza Cardigan Fields Review

Hey,

So like every other restaurant tasting, this one started with myself and Luke getting the train into Leeds. We decided to then get a train to Burley Park and then an Uber to MOD Pizza as I sometimes have a bit of difficulty locating where things are if I have never been there before so it just seemed easier to finally use Uber and get there quickly and safely.

Once we got to our destination, we were greeted by a great guy outside, we had a little discussion about things such as Disney and then we made our way inside. We were greeted by a host and the great guys behind the guys behind the counter which is an amazing feature in my opinion. It just makes the whole place feel more welcoming compared to any sort of Pizza place where you feel a bit uncomfortable because they write the food down, bring the food and thats it.

MOD Pizza is a pizza company that originally started within Seattle just like the very well known Starbucks did... MOD actually stands for Made On Demand and sums up the company very well because thats the concept of the pizzas. They're made on demand of yourself so you can have your pizza however you like it. At the same time of making the pizzas personalised, MOD wanted to make them affordable so families could come and enjoy a pizza and have a great time therefore all pizzas are £7.77 (I think... I know that they are £7 something.) You can even get them ordered which is amazing in my opinion. They have only just set up shot within UK via coming straight to Leeds but they will soon be setting up Brighton. I'm honestly expecting MOD Pizza to take the UK by storm.

We were then greeted by a woman called Celise who told us all about MOD Pizza and basically told me what I have told you above but in a bit more detail. We then chose a table, the manager of the new Leeds store then came up and said hi to us and then told me that I had somehow chosen the only dirty table in the restaurant and then cleaned it straightaway. I mean I chose there because there was a massive window behind me therefore any pictures would have a good chunk of natural lighting but hey ho I pick good tables!

We then discussed what we wanted because there is quite a lot of choice at MOD. Luke finally decided on a Caspian pizza but wanted one of the things changing (thats the great thing about MOD, you can have one of their already combo'd pizzas and change something if you don't like it or build your own) and I decided that I would build my own! Celise then asked if I wanted any milkshakes as I was browsing the milkshake board. I decided to go for an Oreo one as I love Oreos and I chose a Strawberry one for Luke.

When you go up to order your pizza, you are presented with a Subway sort of counter where you tell the person how many pizza's you want etc and then if you want to build your own etc, they write your name down and you move along to create your own pizzas etc. You're presented with sauce, cheese, meat, vegetables and extras. I went for a tomato sauce base because I wanted to let the toppings do all of the talking. I then went for lactose free cheese because I wanted to see what the cheese was like and because well me and lactose don't get on sometimes to put it politely. I then decided to choose Grilled Chicken, Bacon and Chorizo... I love Chicken, I love the crispiness of Bacon and I love the heat of Chorizo! I then decided to go for Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Red Onion and Pineapple and then topped it off with Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus. Yes, you read right! I also got some Garlic Strips with Ranch Sauce because I love garlic bread and Ranch sauce!

Making of pizza

The Garlic Strips came out first. They were amazing. They were topped with Parmesan which made them slightly salty but it was nice in contrast to strong Garlic. The garlic was pretty strong but I love it when Garlic Bread is extra Garlicky. I'm not sure why but I really do so it was amazing. The base was crispy on the edges but soft and served quite well as a starter/side. The Ranch sauce was to die for. It was slightly tart which cut through all of the garlic. The dip was also quite cool which contrasted really well with the hot temperature of the strips and made it quite refreshing to eat. If I was with a lot of friends then I'd order some drinks and a couple of these and just chat away.  These get a 9.5/10. The only problem is that I had to share them!

The drinks then came. They were amazing. If you go onto over to Luke's post (I'll link when its live) then you'll be able to find out more about the Strawberry milkshake! I had a little sip and I loved it and I'm not a fan of Strawberry flavoured milkshakes. The Oreo one was too die for! I love Oreos! Sometimes when you ask for an Oreo Milkshake they just sprinkle some oreo crumbs on top but this one had Oreo running all the way through it and as it had a Vanilla base it literally tasted like the cream and biscuit bit of an Oreo. I mean my stomach doesn't agree that much with dairy but oh my god I would have these again and again and suffer the consequences. 9.7/10. Anything Oreo based could always do with more Oreo added... There's never too much Oreo!

Luke's pizza came out and I had a slice because well it would be rude not to... I did go up and order it and I did make an adjustment to it (removing Blue Cheese and adding Bacon) so I wanted to see if my adjustments were a good move and they were! It was so good! The Chicken, Bacon and Onion together were just amazing and that BBQ swirl made it a tad messy but definitely worth it. I mean you might want to have a few napkins at hand for when eating this. 9.5/10. If you want to read a more in depth post about the Caspian pizza then go and read Luke's post.

My pizza came out! It was delectable! The base was soft in the middle but crunchy on the edges, you couldn't tell the difference in the taste of Cheese from the Mozzarella to the Lacto Free. The succulent Chicken against the crispy Bacon was so good and then the heat from the Chorizo came afterwards. It was a gentle heat which was quite nice! I love Pineapple on a pizza mainly because I love Pineapple. It worked well against the saltiness of the Bacon! The roasted peppers and onions added a bit of softness to the dish which was different. The Roasted Cauliflower was also slightly different. I would never think to put Cauliflower on a pizza but it really worked. It added a slight sweetness and again added that bit of softness to the crunchy Italian dish. The Asparagus added a bit of crunch. All in all a great pizza! 9.8/10. I like to not give anything a bang on 10 because theres always things that can be tweaked with.

I then had one of their homemade drinks. Celise was telling me all about how she had made the Strawberry Lemonade so I decided to go with that whilst Luke went for a Traditional Lemonade. The Strawberry Lemonade tasted like Pink Lemonade Lucozade but more zingy. You could tell that it had been homemade and that it was made with love. It just tasted like Summer within a drink! 9.8/10.

All in all, MOD Pizza serves delicious food and drink at a great price. The restaurant has a great vibe especially with the staff shouting hi and bye when you enter/go. I will definitely be coming back to have more pizza and a good few more drinks. (They also have a Coke shots machine so you can have unlimited drinks which is great for when its really warm or if you've got young ones coming along.)

If you haven't been to MOD Pizza within Cardigan Fields within Leeds then I would urge you to go straight away because it is completely worth it!

I hope that you have enjoyed this post! If you were to make your own ultimate pizza then what would be on it? Let me know down below!

Jamie x

Advertisement

Hey,

I've decided that I'm going to do advertisement on the blog starting from next month. I suppose that I have been doing advertisement on the blog for a while via advertising brands in the form of sponsored blog posts but I now want to advertise you lovely lot! There's no picture for this post because frankly its not needed.

A lot of blogs do this and I've decided to start doing this now as I've always felt that my blog isn't as great as other blogs that I read but I honestly think that now is the time to srart doing this as I will get a tad bit of income from doing this which will probably go back into the blog via travel to events and things like that but I also get to promote amazing people!

So here's how it's going to work! 

I'm going to test out the following for two months and then reassess how the advertisement packages have been going and change them accordingly to the demand of people wanting to be advertised on my blog.

The first package: 

An introductory Facebook post, Tweet & Instagram photo (if you send over the photo that you would like to be featured.
2 Tweets of your posts/your work (eg photos/general website) within the month.
2 RT's/Facebook Shares of your work onto my Facebook Page per month.
2 #FF's on Twitter during the month.
A button on my sidebar. It's shrinks to fit due to Blogger wanting to be Blogger which will link to your website so readers can instantly get to your work.
A mention in a post during the month.

There will be three of these per month and they will cost £5.

The second package: 

An introductory Facebook post, Tweet and Instagram photo (if you send one over.)
A button on my sidebar which will be linked to your website so readers can access your work instantly.
4 RT's/Facebook Shares of your work during the month.
4 #FF's on Twitter during the month.
A mention in a post at the beginning of the month.

This costs £10. It's not double on everything because this would tire me out but there is only one of these per month so as soon as it's gone. It's gone.

My Stats are:
Total Pageviews 33.519
Pageviews Per Month: 2700
Facebook Likes: 74
Twitter Followers: 1,789
Instagram Followers: 333

Advertisement starts on the 1st of July 2016. 

If you would be interested in advertising on Jamie Sowden then you can send me an message over at jamessowden@outlook.com with:

Your blog/business URL
Your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram handles
Which package you would like.

Once you have sent me this across, I can then send you through payment details.

I know that this has been a bit of a weird post but I hope that starting advertisement on Jamie Sowden will be a great thing. I'm going to be sticking to hey from now on for several reasons.

Jamie x

Packing Up For The Summer | Trinity Leeds Pack Your Bags Competition

Meow!

If you have been reading this blog for a while then you will know that I am normally within Trinity Leeds every so often so when I saw that they were doing a competition on their website I had to apply!

The way to enter is via going onto their website, filling out a few details and then choosing from an array of amazing fashion items, you pick a top, bottom, shoes and accessories to put into your bag so in essence you pack your bag for a chance to get what you packed inside the bag and a trip to Dubai.

The top that I chose was a floral short sleeved shirt from H&M. I love anything floral and I quite like the shirts that are on offer at H&M. I honestly think that floral sums up Summer in a design but floral can also be worn any other time of the year to add a pop of colour to the outfit.

The bottoms that I chose were Mid Blue Skinny Fit Shorts from River Island. I honestly don't own any shorts so thats the main reason why I chose these but also because everyone needs a good pair of shorts in their life and if its a general colour then they can be worn day or night.

The shoes that I decided on were some Converse Chuck Taylor All Star 2 hi knit trainers. I mean I love Converse and although they don't seem like a good holiday shoe they are robust which means that they are made for anything! I prefer these over sandals any day!


So thats the main parts of the outfit sorted, now onto the accessories! Within the competition entry, you can choose two items. The first item that I chose was a backpack from Jack & Jones. Everyone needs a good bag when it comes to going on holiday especially if you're going anywhere thats a little bit hilly etc. It's good to have a bag for when you need to shove things in such as suncream and things like that!

The final accessory that I opted for was an Apple Watch. I know this may seem a bit flashy but I've been wanting one for ages and it would mean that I wouldn't be that far away from all my digital necessities. This one comes with a 38mm gold aluminium case and a gold/red woven nylon strap. I love the sound of the strap on this one and it just sounds amazing!

What one outfit would you pack in your bag? Let me know down below!

If you want to enter the competition then click here! I hope to see you next time for another blog post!

Meow!
Jamie x

Gimme Some Lovin' | What i've Been Loving At The Moment

Meow!

I've had one of those weeks where I've been away from the blog so I thought that it might be good if I did a post just talking about a few things that I've been loving at the minute. 

Let's start off with a beauty product because well I love a good beauty product. This little number is called the Puriskin Resurfacing Cream. This product has a calm yet soothing formula to help normal/dry skin with almost anything! It helps blemishes, scars, acne, Chamomile gives a soothing yet antibacterial benefit to the skin therefore it helps the healing process if treating any of the above. I've been trying this out for over a week and it has helped out my skin so much! I suffer from severe breakouts and scarring a lot and it has calmed both down quite a bit. It has also helped my face out when I've not been completely careful when shaving and has made my hands so damn soft! I was a bit weirded out by the setting of the cream when first applying it but as soon as you get used to it you forget that it's even setting!

The next item that I have been in love with at the moment is Pretzel M&M's. I know that this may seem like a cliche thing to talk about within a blog/a video really due to big media artists always loving American candy but I honestly love pretzel M&M's. I used to be about the Mint ones that you can get within American candy stores but the pretzel ones are just amazing. The salty pretzel against the sweetness of the chocolate with the crunch added via the pretzel is just so gorgeous. I normally get them from Candy Hero within Leeds but there is other candy stores available. 

I've also been adoring the new look bath truffles from Yorkshire Soap Company. Bath truffles are literally balls of goodness in the form of natural oils etc which have been made to look like chocolate truffles. The old ones have a sort of paper casing to them which I love but at the same time I think it confused a few of the customers as this was dissolvable whereas the new ones without the casing make not confuse customers as much. There is a new scent which has been dubbed Totally Tropical and it smells like holidays. It smells of pineapple, orange, mango and coconut but the coconut isn't too strong that it overpowers everything. It's one of those products that you want for when the suns shining or when its miserable and you want a pick me up. 

The last thing that I have been loving is quite different to the things that I have mentioned above. I have been digging some slightly different music lately. I love literally any music genre but lately I've been in and out of slightly jazz based music. I mean I have also been loving alternative music as well lately due to building myself up for Slam Dunk which I'll save for another post but jazz has been quite a good genre to listen to at the moment. I've particulary been loving Marco Piccioni Trio lately. They're a mixture of rock, jazz and blues. Their album is amazing and they're a good band to listen to when you're not sure what you're in the mood to listen to. 

What are you loving at the moment? Let me know down below! 

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and that you come back next time to read another post!

Meow!

Jamie x

This post has been in collaboration with a PR company who have given me previews/samples of the things featured within this post. All opinions are my own.