Collaborative / Partnered Post - Coffee, Camping, Or Cat-Opoly ? Budget Friendly Activities To Do With Friends*

Over the last year or so, one of the things that I've really missed is spending time with my friends. Socially distanced coffee dates, and talking through a gap in the door just didn't cut it at all. Thankfully though, fingers crossed, with an increase in vaccinations, hopefully 2022 is the year when we can start spending more time with our families and friends.

I do enjoy a good coffee or ice cream date, or even a shopping trip with my friends but have you ever fancied doing something just that little bit different? Engaging in a specific task or activity with your friends is always a great time to bond and create memories. It is also great the chance to learn things together, to work as a team, and to have some fun along the way

As much as I'd love to go on a city break or to a luxury spa with my bestie, finances often get in the way, and some of activities and things that you'd love to do with you bestie are just too expensive to do on a regular basis. Whilst your saving up though for that luxury break though, you don't have to just stick to a cheap coffee date or an afternoon window shopping there are a few more budget friendly activities that you could try instead

Play Board Games

Sometimes looking back to the things you used to enjoy as a child can be a gateway to having fun as an adult. Once seen as a bit passé board games are trendy again with new versions of older games such as Monopoly ( Cat-Opoly anyone?) and Scrabble as well as newer game such as Catan flying off the shelves

In moments such as now when we're just starting to rejoin the real world again board games such as Chess, and Scrabble aren't just games - they stimulate your brain by encouraging you to solve problems, and to create winning strategies. Puzzle games and quiz games like Trivial Pursuit, will also get your brain working and create some healthy banter between friends, but remember it is just a game and you're supposed to be having fun so try not to take it too seriously ;)

Skating

Now this one isn't probably the cheapest option but it doesn't have to be expensive, and again it's returning to something that you probably enjoyed in your childhood, skating!

Obviously you could take a few lessons, but you don't need to, to have some fun, so grab yourself some skates and start moving! Whether you choose roller skates vs inline skates for exercise reasons, for enjoyment reasons or even practical reasons (I have the worst balance so I'm a retro roller girl!), the most important thing is you're getting out there and having some fun and who knows, if you really enjoy it, you could maybe join a roller derby team, or organise a roller disco, competing, networking and making new friends.

Learn Some Beauty Hacks

Next up, something close to me heart, and something for the less active amongst us, something that you can do alone or with friends is stick on a You Tube video, or open a blog and learn some beauty and fashion hacks.

Even if your circle of friends are not into the latest trends, you can guarantee that there is always something beauty or fashion wise that they've wanted to learn how to do. It could be how to style their hair, how to create a capsule wardrobe, how to apply false eyelashes, or how to contour.

Grab a few drinks and some snacks get creative and learn some beauty and fashion tricks together. There are millions of YouTube videos you can watch together and learn, so grab your make up, and give each other a make up, or even make your own, my best friend does my make up video. It doesn't matter if it goes wrong make up is all about having fun and it shouldn't be taken that seriously!

Go Camping

Now this one is another suggestion that could be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. I must admit the idea of being in a tent, cold and without a proper toilet slightly fills me full of horror, but I've been watching a few glamping and van life videos lately and the freedom of being out in the open definitely appeals!

If your friends love adventure and nature, then camping is the activity for you. It can be a cheap way to go away from home, bond with nature, unwind, and rest. If it's your first time then you can probably borrow the basics, and even with possible, camp site fees, you'll just need to pay extra for food and drinks, and transport, even one night away from the same four walls can make a real difference to your mood, and spending time with a friend with no real distractions sounds ideal and a great way to cement a relationship.

Road Trips

If you're lucky enough to have a car or you have a friend that does, then going on a road trip is another excellent potentially low budget activity that you can engage with your loved ones to have a good time. Obviously, all of you will need to budget for fuel, and for food and drink on the way, and some money for when you get to your destination but depending on where you're headed it doesn't need to be an expensive day out.

Even if you're just going to the seaside to eat ice cream, stick on some tunes, follow the rules of the road, and spend some quality time with friends or family

Spending quality time with friends and family and making memories doesn't have to be expensive, yes you can grab a coffee together but mix it up a bit as you can see here there are loads of new and different hobbies and activities that you can try to keep those relationships fresh.

What do you do when you meet up with your friends? Do you go for a meal, or shopping, or do you go a fitness class? Whatever you do I'd love to hear from you so let me know your favourite things to do with friends in the comments x

*Collaborative / Partnered Post

Coffee With Currys And Joe Blogs Blogger Network

Up until late last year I wasn't much of a coffee drinker, I'd have the odd mug or a  speciality coffee when I was out, but at home I was very much a tea fan. Fast forward 6 or 7 months though and thanks to my mum's purchase of a Tassimo machine, I now can't live without my morning cup of coffee.

Last week I took advantage of my coffee obsession to spend the evening with some of my lovely North East bloggers and the fabulous Joe Blogs team, for an event entitled Coffee With Currys.

The event took place not in a coffee shop but in one of most luxurious bars in Newcastle City Centre, Revolution, Set in a former bank ,the bars opulent interior features 30 feet high ceilings, marble pillars and classic wooden moldings.

On entering the bar. we were escorted to a reserved section set aside for the event, and we were welcomed with a delicious Salted Caramel Latte cocktail.

In case you haven't gathered this event wasn't about coffee in the conventional sense, it was about coffee as a cocktail ingredient and the highlight of the evening was a cocktail making masterclass from two of Revolutions fabulously fun and patient employees, Rory and Josh.

Obviously it would have been impossible for all 30 of us to fit behind the bar at once so we divided ourselves into three groups and we each made a different cocktails.

I think I ended up in the wrong group because the cocktail I was going to make was a drink themed around cherries and amaretto - yuck -  As you I'm not a fan so yes, I was Miss Awkward but the guys were fabulous and helped each of tailor our own cocktails depending on what we liked and disliked. Basically mine ended up being a combination of a tiny bit of cherry vodka, some Chambord raspberry liqueur, some gomme (sugar syrup), some cream and some espresso.

It was really good fun and it really tested my hand, eye coordination to the max, pouring the right measures, shaking my stuff with the cocktail shaker, and trying to balance the strainer without throwing my cocktail all over the floor!

I have to say my cocktail was yummy, a combination of sweet tart fruit, strong coffee, creaminess and of course alcohol. Next time I think I'd use a raspberry vodka instead of the cherry but it's definitely something I'll try at home :)

The final group went up to make the cocktails while my group got stuck into theirs and then it was show time, with Rory and Josh doing a full array of tricks that put Tom Cruise to shame. The glasses were then distributed amongst the group and we got to enjoy one of the bars numerous flavoured vodka shots, nestled in a glass of lemonade - mine was a lovely tropical pineapple flavour - yummy!

We then returned to our private booth for a fabulous buffet including pizzas, wedges, salads, and cones of french fries before, some competition winners were announced and then the evening sadly came to a close, and we all headed into the night feeling a little bit merrier than we did before.

If you want to find out more about the event you can read this post courtesy of our event sponsors Curry's .x 

This was my second Joe Blogs event and I have to say they are some of the most fun events I've been too. I've met new people at every event and I've really enjoyed the activities and spending time with some fabulous people x If the Joe Blogs team are in your area, get yourself down there no matter what they're doing and have some fun and meet some new friends x 

Festive Fun With The Body Shop, A Discount Shopping Opportunity And Some Mini Reviews*

If you're a regular reader of my monthly empties posts then you'll already know that I'm a tiny bit obsessed with The Body Shop. I've been shopping there since my early teens or is it tweens that they say now? From White Musk fragrance, to Japanese Washing Grains, Kiwi Fruit Lip Balm and Dewberry everything, some of my earliest beauty memories are associated with The Body Shop. 

Although most of my old favourites are long gone, lots of new ones have taken their place, I'm a huge fan of the Tea Tree skincare line, and you'll always find at least one of their Cocoa Butter products in my bathroom cabinet. As I've mentioned on numerous occasions though, my real love is reserved for their limited edition Christmas scents, from Sparkling Ginger, to Rich Plum, Cranberry, and Vanilla Spice, I've probably tried it, loved it and then bemoaned it's demise.

Last Friday along with lots of other North East bloggers I was invited along to an evening of festive fun at The Body Shops, Eldon Square branch, right in the heart of Newcastle city centre. Normally I wouldn't have considered going shopping on Black Friday but I braved the crowds and the nightmare that was public transport and headed into town.

The store was still open to the public and given the day and the time of year it was busy, but the staff welcomed us with open arms and couldn't do enough for us. After welcoming us with soft drinks and mulled wine we were given the chance to explore the store and a chance to try out some of the new festive items. Members of staff were on hand to answer any questions that we had, and we also were given the opportunity to have a mini makeover (this is the lovely Becca having here make up done), or a hand massage.

As per usual The Body Shop have got it spot on when it comes to Christmas. Although I wouldn't say no to any of their products in my stocking, they have a fab range of gift sets and gift items ranging from just £4.

The highlights as per usual are their Christmas specific fragrances. Available in both gift sets and as individual items, this years fragrances are Glazed Apple, a sweet, apple fragrance, not dissimilar to Apple Sourz, Frosted Cranberry, a sweet yet slightly tart fruity fragrance and finally the one that's stolen my heart this year, Vanilla Brulee.

I'm a huge, huge fan of Costa's White Hot Chocolate and to me that it the smell of Vanilla Brulee. It's sweet and creamy, with just a hint of burnt sugar. It not as spicy as some of their previous vanilla festive lines, but it was love at first sniff.

I was one of the bloggers that was lucky enough to have a hand massage, and the festive scent that I chose was of course Vanilla Brulee. The assistant did the one hand challenge. My hand was soaked in the Bath Jelly, then massaged with the Body Polish, before being gently dried, and then massaged with the Hand Cream. Finally my hand massage was finished off with a squirt of the Vanilla Brulee Eau De Toilette. My hand literally felt like heaven and I just couldn't stop sniffing it!

It's no surprise then that I bought a couple of Vanilla Brulee items. Given the mountain of bath products that I have to use up and the increasingly tight timescale I couldn't justify the Bath Jelly so instead I went for the Vanilla Brulee Shower Gel which retails at £4 for 250ml

To accompany it I went for the body butter, I'm the hugest fan of The Body Shop Body Butters, and this one is no exception, crammed full of vanilla extract and cocoa butter it smells like something you want to dig a spoon into. Their body butters aren't the cheapest but they really do last. You can get a mini size gift set but the Vanilla Brulee Body Butter in this 200ml size retails at £13.

I have to say I was really good and only made one other purchase. You might have seen him earlier but I just couldn't resist.

I loved last years Gingerbread Man and I couldn't resist this Bob The Polar Bear Bath Sponge. He's just £4 and the Perry The Penguin variant is £5. Either of them would make a lovely stocking filler or even as  an extra large tree decoration.

As well as the things that I bought, the lovely people from The Body Shop also kindly gave us a bag of goodies, including some very festive shortbread and candy canes,

and a little wrapped Christmas pressie. I know some people have opened their parcels but I'm going to try and be good and keep mine for the big day :)

We also received a lovely cellophane package containing four products from some of their newest, and some of their most popular lines. I've had a little play with some of them so I thought I'd let you know my thoughts so far.

Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream -  30ml - £5.00

If you ask me The Body Shop Hand Creams are ridiculously underrated, in fact my mum actually prefers their rose scented one over a certain French brands equivalent

Absinthe has an almost cream, gel texture, that sinks into the hands incredibly quickly  and leaves them smooth and soft. It has quite a strong, herbal scent and whilst it could be too much for some people, I actually quite like it. It does linger on the skin, and even after chopping onions and garlic, I could smell it and not the food odours. So far so good this cream does indeed leave your hands soft, and clean.

Vitamin E Cream Cleanser - 200ml - £8.50

I'm going to hold my hands up and say that this is the only product that I haven't had the chance to try. Both me and Mummy Lou have used products in the Vitamin E line in the past though and we've both been pretty impressed.

One of their oldest skincare lines and suitable for all skin types most products in the range are characterised by that light floral, almost rose scent. This cleanser feels creamy, yet non greasy on the skin and it'd definitely something that I will be trying out soon.

Vanilla Lip Gloss - 12ml -£7.00

Although I'd fell out with lip gloss over the last few months I seem to be using it more now the colder weather is here. As the name suggests this one has a lovely vanilla flavour and scent.

It's quite sheer but it's crammed full of sparkle making it ideal for the festive season. It would look fabulous on it own for a more subtle look but personally I'll be wearing it over colours for a full on dramatic, sparkly look.

Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt - 300ml - £8.00

My name is Louise and I hate honey with a passion. The word honey had put me off this range before I'd even seen it in the flesh, I'm going to hold my hands up though,I was wrong and in this case I've saved the best till last.

To me Honeymania doesn't really smell of honey, instead it has a sweet, rich floral fragrance. Swirl a bit of this sticky gel into a warm running bath, and you get a bath full of bubbles with an intoxicating scent that literally filled my house. It  only goes to show that you shouldn't judge anything on it's name alone. I'll definitely be taking another look at the Honeymania range next time I'n in store.

As you can see this goodie package really does have a little bit of something for everyone and it could very easily be divided up into 3 or 4 gifts. These four items are of course available individually but if your a fellow North East beauty lover then keep on reading!

On this Thursday and Friday (the 4th and 5th December), the Eldon Square, Newcastle branch is holding a Love Your Body members event. I'm a huge fan of the scheme, you pay £5 to join, which entitles you to 10% off your purchases as well as special discounts on event days and free gifts. Shop in the Eldon Square store this Thursday or Friday and whether you're a new or an existing member you will be able to get 40% off everything and if your total spend is more than £30 after you discount is applied then you will get a free gift worth over £28. Whats in the free gift? Well it's the four products that I've just talked about. Not only that if you mention me, aka Louise, LouLouLand or LouLou699 then you will also get an extra mini goodie bag, and extra special service.

Unfortunately (sob) I'm not going to be able to make it into town this week but last weeks event has ignited my love of The Body Shop to new heights, and I'm definitely going to be stocking up on some more festive goodies before they disappear for good. Are you a fan of The Body Shops festive ranges? Leave me a comment and let me know x 

(*This Post Contains Goodie Bag Contents And Products Purchased With A Discount)

Getting Sparkly With Candy Rocks Jewellery

I love jewellery and I love blogger events, and this week I had the opportunity to combine the two courtesy of a local North East based company Candy Rocks Jewellery.

So on Thursday night along with several other lovely bloggers, I headed to The Town Wall, a pub not to far away from the Central Station in Newcastle city centre. The event took place in the Secret Cinema Room, an intimate, and cosy below ground room, with a bar and lined with sofas, and tables and chairs. 

Upon arrival we were greeted with sparkly fruity, drinks from one of the event sponsors, Glo Worm, who produce a range of fruity, caffinated drinks, that are ideal for use as mixers, we had the raspberry one which I would thoroughly recommend! 

The main purpose of the event was to showcase Candy Rocks, newest range of jewellery. Unlike a lot of jewellery brands they just focus on necklaces, and in particular statement necklace. Huge, statement pieces are everywhere at the moment and as you've probably already realised I'm a big fan, so this really was a match made in heaven. 

Excuse the ridiculous amount of pictures but I can honestly say I wanted everything, they had everything from huge, heavy sparkly in your face pieces, to slightly more delicate brights, with just a touch of sparkle.

After having a chance to have a look at some of the pieces, and a welcome from Lisa, it was time to kick back and have some fun. Some of the girls from local salon Glitz N Glamour Hair And Beauty, were on hand to show off their hairdressing skills and quite a few ladies got their hair done -  Chloe from New Girl In Toon, had some gorgeous curls and waves put in

and Becca from Polka Dot Notebook Blog, had the most fabulous up do done, it was stunning, and would be a perfect bridal do .

Talk about sods law though I'd only had my hair done on the Thursday morning so it seemed a bit pointless to get it done after I'd already paid for a blow dry, after seeing Becca's though I was really tempted to change my mind.

As well as having sweeties and lollipops on the tables, we were also treated to some vanilla cheesecake shots courtesy of local company Simply Cheesecake, they were so nice and I'm ashamed to say I ate the crumb too, they weren't that big honestly ;)

After the cheesecakes it was quiz time, I don't think we did particularly well on my table but it was a good laugh. We also had the opportunity to name and win a necklace and of course there was the raffle.

There was a small charge for the event but all the proceeds went to a fabulous charity Head Start For Babies, which raises awareness of plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. A raffle ticket was included in the ticket price, but once everyone saw the prizes, we nearly all bought more. The fabulous prizes included items from Tare, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Benefit and more.  I wasn't lucky enough to win anything this time but lots of ladies went away with some lovely goodies x 

10% of all jewellery sales on the night were also donated to the charity so it would have been wrong not to pick a few things up. It was so hard to choose, and I'm still longing for one of my rejects but I'm really happy with the two necklaces that I got. They are both in exactly the same design but in a different colour. These are probably the most delicate pieces that they had, but that doesn't make them any the less statement or eye catching.

I love the gunmetal chain and setting on both of these necklaces, it's really unusual and not something that you see a lot in jewellery. The first necklace is almost orange / red in colour, and is scattered through with sparkly crystals.

The second necklace is almost rainbow / neon in colour, and contains lots of multi coloured acrylic stones, and crystals again set in the gunmetal effect finish. This is much brighter than it's showing here, my camera has really washed this one out. 

All of there jewellery would be great for evening wear, or even for a special occasion, but I also think that they would work with a shirt, t-shirt or something plain. I love how people seem to style necklaces like this, even with a plain white, t-shirt and pair of jeans, you can create a stunning, individual look in minutes.

Like all good events the lovely people at Candy Rocks made sure that we didn't leave empty handed. We each got a lovely goodie bag crammed full of sweeties, beauty samples, and more Glo Worm drinks. The samples were largely from US and high end brands, and I was lucky enough to get some Make Up Forever, NARS, and Peter Thomas Roth goodies to play with. You'll definitely see some of these bits popping up in a new series I have starting soon on the blog Sample Saturday x 

As well as the goodie bags, we could also chose a necklace to take home, there were four different options to choose from and I went for this one.

It was very different to anything else that I bought, and again I love the gunmetal chain and setting, and I love the combination of the purple/ lilac, the yellow and the pale blue, with the almost champagne coloured crystal. Again the colours are a bit more vibrant irl x 

I would like to say a huge thank you to the ladies at Candy Rocks, and everyone else involved for having me. I had a really nice evening, and got to indulge in one my favourite things, no not cheesecake - jewellery! You can find out more about Candy Rocks, and purchase from either their facebook page, or their instagram page and you can also find them on twitter. If you like something though go for it, the pieces are often available in quite limited quantities. Are you a fan of the statement necklace? Leave me a comment and let me know x