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 

Fenwick Of Newcastle Beauty Week - 11th-16th May - Blogger Preview Event

Like most children when I was little I hated shopping, shops were dull, and boring but for me there was one exception, Fenwick of Newcastle. Founded in 1882 Fenwick of Newcastle is the flagship store in the independent and still family owned, Fenwick department store chain. From it fabulous 3rd floor toy department, to it's magical Christmas window, and it's stationary department that seemed to be full of stickers and scented erasers, a trip to Fenwick or Fenwicks as it's known to locals, was one shopping trip that I always looked forward to.

Times have changed but the store is still hear and  it's bigger and better than ever before and although I no longer head to the third floor haven of my childhood, you re still likely to find me drooling over designer handbags and clothing in the famous French Salon, trying to resist the goodies in the Food Hall and sniffing and swatching my way through the Beauty Hall.

With one of the largest selections of cosmetics brands and fragrances in the North East, Fenwick Beauty Hall is the place to go if you're a beauty junkie like me. Today marks the start of the first ever Fenwick Beauty Week, and last week along with several other North East bloggers I was invited along to a VIP blogger preview event.

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The introduction to the event took place in one of the stores many restaurants, the Tivoli. This table service eatery has fabulous views of Greys Monument and the city centre but it had been transformed for our visit with a bar serving Prosecco with passion fruit Pop a Balls and bottles of Fentimans Rose Lemonade, and tables featuring cake stands with tiny strawberry tarts, peach Melba's and macarons.

After a drink and some sweet sustinance we were welcomed to the event by head beauty buyer Lucy Watson and given a small talk about beauty week and about the evening ahead. Basically as bloggers we had a free run of the beauty hall, and were given the opportunity to have several complimentary consultations and treatments at some of the stores top beauty houses. There were so many to chose from, Tom Ford, to Giorgio Armani, and Laura Mercier,the list went on and on, the temptation to just get my make done over and over and over again was strong but I decided to try a few different types of treatments.

The first counter I headed to was Clarins, and no it wasn't for a facial or a make over it was for one of their famous red chair massages.

You've probably seen these almost instruments of torture on a number of Clarins counters but I bet you've never given it a try. Well basically what it is, is the perfect means of giving you a really intense, neck shoulder and back massage. Since I suffer from Fibromyalgia and ME /CFS, I get a lot of muscle pain and stiffness and my neck and shoulders are probably my worst areas. You look a bit silly but I would thoroughly recommend it, my lovely therapist Alison, give me one of the best massages I've had in a long time, and I could really feel my muscles popping. Alas I couldn't take a picture of myself so I took some pictures of the lovely Becca to give you some idea of the experience.

As well as the massage chair, Fenwick also has it's very own Clarins Skin Spa, Alison very kindly let me have a little look round and it was so nice and relaxing and perfect for a real spoil yourself facial, or body treatment. There is a buy one get one free option running until the end of May so if you want to treat yourself if might be worth a look.

Next up was Bare Minerals, I've been a huge lover of the brand for quite a while now and whilst I love their powder and ready range, I was yet to try any of their liquids and creams.

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So I  headed to the counter where their lovely make up artist told me a little bit more about their new Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream SPF 30. She then colour matched me to Vanilla 02 and applied some of the product before giving me a sample to try. It's early days with this for me and I'll definitely do a full review but the colour is spot on and I love how weightless it feels on the skin.

I don't get the opportunity to pamper myself very often but when I do I want it to be special so my next treatment was at Jo Malone. A newer edition to the hall, Jo Malone is almost a store within a store, beautifully and luxuriously decorated, the store showcases all of the brands body products, fragrances and home products in a chic and aspirational way.

The treatment that I'd signed up for was a luxurious hand and arm massage. Greeted with a glass of champagne, myself and the lovely Rosy, were invited to sample their new limited edition colognes, Sakura Cherry Blossom, Osmanthus Blossom and my favourite Plum Blossom before being massaged with Jo Malone's beautiful English Pear And Fressia Body Creme. This indulgent treatment ended with several spritzes of the beautiful Plum Blossom Cologne, and I was left feel thoroughly pampered with soft and beautifully scented skin.

It was a little while before my next appointment so I had a little wander around the beauty hall, chatting with my fellow bloggers, and seeing what was on offer. There is every counter that you would expect and more besides, and as well as the main counters there is also an apothecary section, which features a lot of more general, and some niche beauty and toiletry brands, and candles, including products from Neom Organics, DHC and even Top Shop Make Up.

We were also given the opportunity to have a look around the Fenwicks beauty rooms, which are the perfect place for a facial or a massage, and are beautifully scented with Neom Organics candles and reed diffusers.

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After that I headed to the Kiehls counter - Although I haven't tried a lot from the brand I think
their Drawing Paste is one of the best products ever invented, so I was more than happy to take advantage of their offer of a complimentary facial. I have booked an appointment on the 30th May so I'll let you know how I get on x

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My final consultation of the night was with one of my favourite brands of all time, Benefit. The treatment offered was a contour and brow lesson but to be honest I ended up having a full makeover.

First of all my make up was removed and I was given a full skincare treatment before being matched for Hello Flawless Foundation in Believe In Me, and having my base perfected with Stay Don't Stray in Light / Medium and  Hello Flawless Powder.

Then it was time for the contour, my make artist gave me the option of a strong Kim Kardashian type contour or a more subtle contour - I went for the subtle contour and then had my face sculpted with Hoola, Watts Up and Dandelion. I was surprised at how easy she made it look and since I own all of the products she used I'm definitely going to give it a go myself.

Then she did a quick eye look using Creaseless Cream Shadow in No Pressure, and They're Real Mascara, before giving me the natural brow that I'd requested using Gimme Brow in Light / Medium and finishing off with a quick slick of the Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Lollibop. This picture isn't the best thanks to my iPhone 4S but I hope you can see the strength of my brow game and my cheekbones x

I really enjoyed the make over and how easy and quick she made it look, and I definitely learnt a few tricks of the trade. I've now got a few more products added to my wish list and I would definitely recommend trying out the Benefit skincare range even if it's just for the fragrance.

As a thank you for attending the event we were each given a goodie bag crammed full of samples from some of beauty houses including Benefit, Bare Minerals, Clarins, Molton Brown and more. It was honestly like Christmas when I started going through the bag and I'll definitely be reviewing some of the samples in due course.

I had an absolutely fabulous time and as someone who was previously quite intimated by beauty counters I definitely feel a bit more confident about approaching counters and brands and asking for advice, and hints and tips.

If you're in Newcastle over the next week I would definitely try and head down to Fenwick Beauty Week if you can. From today until Saturday 16th May, there are live demonstrations, gifts with purchase and the opportunity to sample some new fragrances from the likes of Marc Jacobs, Thierry Mugler, Hermes, Moschino and Roberto Cavalli.

There will also be several opportunities to attend exclusive masterclasses and consultations with some top regional, national and international experts at various beauty houses, and some visiting make up artists who include.

Tuesday 12 May
Benefit Cosmetics Regional Make-up Artist - Hayley Pexton

Wednesday 13 May
Chanel Regional Make-up Artist - Alexis Gray

Thursday 14 May
Lancôme International Make-Up Artist -Marc Sinclair
Sisley National Make-up Artist - Paulina Siembor

Friday 15 MayDior – National Make-Up Artist -  Rachael Timpson
Laura Mercier Regional Make-up Artist - Heather Moore
Dermalogica Educator -  Jon Paul

Saturday 16 May
Bare Minerals International Make-up Artist - Jay Miller

Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to be able to get back this week but I would thoroughly recommend making the trip if you can. Oh and if you do go, go to any of the counters and houses that I visited and  just mention my blog LouLouLand to receive a free, deluxe product sample. You can find out more about Fenwick by visiting their website here.

A Small Jewellery Haul Featuring Iced Rainbow, Dreams And Sparkles And More x

Hey Guys x I'm sorry for the lack of posts this week but over the last few days, I've been a busy bee, attending some blog events, testing products, and taking lots and lots of photographs. I've also had a couple of personal issues this week, some of which you'll know about if you follow me on twitter, so I'd just like to thank you for all of your support and kind words. Onwards and upwards though and nothing lifts my spirits quite as well as a haul does, so I've got a little jewellery haul for you.

One of these days I'll actually get round to do a jewellery collection, and storage post and video but in the meantime you'll just have believe me when I say that I absolutely adore jewellery. I love fine jewellery but my true love is costume, fashion and unusual pieces. A handmade and individual brand that I've been loving a lot lately is Iced Rainbow. I've already posted about a couple of their pieces ( read my posts here and here) and I'm a huge fan of Tom's work but one of his Spring / Summer collection Flare and Flourish is just so me. I already have the Monochrome Retro Daisy Charm Necklace but for summer I wanted something a little bit brighter, I love orange so I went for the Retro Art Daisy Charm Necklace.

In the exactly the same style as my previous necklace the only difference with this one is the colour. Instead of the black and white, here the Swarovski crystal, centred daisies and one of the ovals are in an orange perspex, separated by yellow, cut out perspex discs. I love this necklace it's so happy and summery. The necklace that I got was on a silver plated chain and was £20 but you can also get it on a sterling silver for an extra £10.

Another website that does quirky, and unusual handmade pieces is local North East company Punky Pins. Every month on their website they do a special themed Mega Mystery Pack - Lucky Dip Surprise Bag. You can get either a £10 pack or a £25 pack. As I say the packs are themed and last months theme was cats :). They do a lot of cat themed pieces so I couldn't resist and went for a £10 pack.

All of the packs contain a variety of pieces, usually that were either limited  edition or about to be discontinued. I have to say though my pack was well worth the money, I got a cat themed greetings card two necklaces, a bracelet, some pin badges and some earrings. The most impressive piece by far the Cat Lady necklace.

My pictures aren't really giving you an idea of the size of this but hopefully you can get a better idea when you watch the accompanying video of how substantial this pieces actually is. Made of acrylic on a silver tone, chain, the white background features a cartoon cat illustration.

It don't think that it's a piece that you could wear every day but the other necklace that I received is definitely more wearable. Again on a silver tone chain it features, a small wooden paw print pendant. I think that is really cute and I have a real love for wooden pieces so this is something that I know I'll wear a lot.

As well as the necklaces I also received a charm style bracelet again on a silver chain. This bracelet features a similar to design to both the Cat Lady necklace and the greetings card that I received. I features acrylic, pink cartoon cats, fish skeletons and hearts. I have quite chunky wrists but this is a nice fit.

Sticking with the cat theme I also received a set of 3 pin badges. I think I'm going to put these on my old denim jacket to liven it up a bit for summer.

The final that I got in my pack wasn't that cat themed unless you think of Hello Kitty, but since I have a bit of an obsession with bows I don't mind. These are chunky, pink, and white bow design, stud earrings and I love them :)

Unfortunately none of these pieces seem to be available online any more but the site really does have some unusual and unique pieces so you're bound to find something that you like x

The majority of these pieces are quite bold and there does appear to be a real trend for statement pieces of jewellery at the moment, and it's a trend that I'm loving. My thing at the moment is bright, chunky, statement necklaces and I recently picked up this one from Dreams and Sparkles.

Dreams and Sparkles is an online store set up by one of my fellow North East bloggers, Shannon from Raspberrykiss, and as soon as I saw this necklace I knew that I wanted it. I have a lot of similar pieces but the colours and the size of this necklaces makes it different from anything else that I own x

This Rainbow Diamante Statement Necklace is just £4 and features a variety of bright acrylic stones, and faux crystals on a chunky, silver tone chain. It's a real look at me piece, and I love wearing necklaces like this over a plain top. I wore it this week at a blogger event and I teamed it up just with jeans and over a plain black slinky top.

Statement necklaces really are me at the moment and whilst the recent Next Spring Sale was largely disappointing I did get one jewellery piece. This is one big, heavy necklace, it comes on a black and white, fabric rope and features crystal detailing down the side, and three chunky stations comprised of coral, black, and acrylic stones, and almost smokey quartz like, faux crystals. It lovely, strong and well made but I'm not sure I would have paid £30 for it. I paid £12 but it's back up to £30 both online and in Next stores.

As much as I love statement pieces I still wear a lot of smaller, ditsy pendants and this one here from ebay is something that I've wanted for sometime.

I love natural gemstone pieces, turquoise and howlite and whilst I can't guarantee the authenticity of this piece, I love this alternative take on the sideways cross trend. On a gold tone chain, the pendant is really small and delicate but you get that fabulous pop of colour on the neckline. This necklace was just 99p from this ebay seller.

The final jewellery piece that I've bought lately comes from Avon, and it was another item from one of their sale catalogues. Mounted on a flexible wire this wrap round bangle features smokey, faux crystal stones, coupled with a star charm. Unfortunately I can't find this on the Avon site any more but it might worth having a look in their clearance brochures.

So that was my latest jewellery x To give you a bit more of an idea on the sizes of the pieces please watch the accompanying video and of course don't forget to subscribe to my You Tube channel.



Thanks for reading and don't forget to follow my blog to keep up to date with my latest posts x

Alva Naturkosmetik Coleur Baked Rouge - 2 Shiny Pink - A Review For My Pure*

It's been a little while since I reviewed a product from Alva for My Pure but for one of April's reviews I decided to revisit the brand, and try out something that I'm loving at the moment, blusher.

For those of you who are new to Alva or for those you who haven't read of my previous reviews, I'll give you a little introduction. Established in 1988, in Osnabruck, Germany, Alva Naturkosmetik is one of Europe's leading natural brands. They produce a wide range of skin care, body care, hair care and make up all of which are certified organic.

My Pure currently stocks 3 shades of the Alva Naturkosmetik Coleur Baked Rouge, but the one I went for was 2 - Shiny Pink. Baked blushers are everywhere at the moment and I have to admit that baked is one of my favourite formulations. Containing natural pigments, this blusher contains a wide variety of natural moisturising and skin care ingredients, including olive squalene, evening primrose oil, sunflower oil and macadamia oil. 99% of the ingredients in this blusher are from a natural origin, and 10.5% of those ingredients are from organic farming.

The packaging of my blush does vary slightly from the one on My Pure but I wouldn't worry too much about that. It's the product inside that counts and this one is well worth a look.

Shiny Pink isn't as pink as what you would think, it's a warm, almost bronze, coral toned pink, with a bit of both shimmer and iridescence. Baked products can go one of two ways but this one is a good one. Some powders can be gritty but this one from Alva is silky smooth, and feels almost weightless on the skin.

The pigmentation as you can see is excellent, and if I'm being honest you need a very light hand to apply it but it blends beautifully into the skin and leaves a warm, healthy flush, that wears well and lasts.

It's a big claim but I think that this could possibly be one of my must have blushers for this summer and for several summers to come. You need such a small amount and the colour is perfect for warming up the face, and creating a healthy glow whether you have a tan or not.  Alva Naturkosmetik Coleur Baked Rouge comes in 3 shades and retails at £14.35 from My Pure. What's you favourite blusher or cheek colour for summer? Leave me a comment and let me know x

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