Glossy treats

Some of you may be familiar with Glossybox. For those of you who are not, it is a beauty subscription where a box of five treats gets delivered to you once a month.

Here are my reviews of my January 2015 products.

The Glossybox January 2015 offering

Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm - A delightful lip balm which smells of Refreshers! Goes on with non-greasy texture and leaves lips feeling soft and pampered. The smell and taste alone makes this lip balm worth buying.

Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm

Nicka K NY Colour Luxe Powder Blush - The packaging is really pretty and attractive and the mirror attached to the lid is a must for any compact blusher. The powder smells lovely and the in-built brush gives good application. It is easy to put too much on though, and people commented on how rosy cheeked I looked... Remember a little goes a long way!

Nicka K NY Colour Luxe Powder Blush - pot

Mirror lid

Application sponge

Kueshi Pure and Clean Face Toner - I'd never heard of this brand but am quite into toners and other facial products. The pink colour looks a little harsh - I think toners should be clear - but it smells lovely. It goes onto skin a treat and gives a really refreshing finish. I would buy this.

Kueshi Pure and Clean Face Toner

Jelly Pong Pong All Over Glow - Jelly Pong Pong is a brand I've used before, although admittedly I can't remember which product. But I know it is a brand which I like and trust and I think their quirky and unusual beauty ideas are really quite novel. Sadly, this gel illuminiser isn't the type of thing I would usually go for, being a pale skinned redhead, but the overall result wasn't one of fake tan (the colour worried me), but more of a healthy dewy glow. It has a nice finish but I feel I had to put a little powder on top to stop myself looking like an extra in a sci-fi movie. I wouldn't buy it, but will enjoy using the rest of the product on foundation-free days and nights.

Jelly Pong Pong All Over Glow

Mememe Eyeliner Pencil in Clay - I've stopped wearing kohl eyeliner in recent years because I'm a massive fan of liquid. Even when I did wear it, I never wore brown, so it wasn't looking good for this product. I have to say, I was right. The application isn't good; the pencil is hard and doesn't feel nice under-eye or on the eyelid. The colour quite suits me once it's on but I wouldn't buy this product.

Mememe Eyeliner Pencil in Clay

  The packaging

The eyeliner on, teamed with Benefit Roller Lash mascara

Stay tuned for a brief review of the latest Benefit product taking the beauty world by storm!

Latest Edinburgh eats

If, like me, you work in an office all day and spend nearly all of your time thinking about food, you might like to read about some of my latest lunches in Edinburgh.

Living on the Grassmarket and working on the High Street means I go home for lunch most days. But this week, because January is a long month and I deserve it, I have decided to have a couple of lunchtime treats around the city. So this is where I've been and what I've eaten, either at my desk or in the comfort of the chosen establishment.

Union of Genius

Website - http://www.unionofgenius.com/

Location - Forrest Road

What I ate - Cauliflower, Mull cheddar and mustard soup with olive bread

Verdict on food - Warming, hearty and satisfying.

Quick review - This is the first time I've eaten food from UoG. I didn't sit in and didn't even enter the cafe; my boss hand delivered it to my desk! But the soup was glorious, unusual and moreish. Not surprising for a cafe that prides itself on its soups. I'll be back.

Union of Genius shop front, as depicted on their website

Caffe Espresso

Website - not sure they have one but here is their Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/Italianonmound

Location - Bank Street

What I ate - "Number 9" wrap, which consists of grilled chicken, rocket, jalapenos and two homemade sauces (taco and smokin') all in a tortilla wrap and toasted to perfection

Verdict on food - Bravo! Bellissimo!

Quick review - Caffe Espresso is becoming a firm favourite of mine. I've only ever eaten the Number 9 wrap (you can get it in baguette, petit pans and salad form too), but I absolutely adore it and could eat it all day long. Freshly made by staff who keep you entertained, too.

Caffe Espresso shop front, as shown on Trip Advisor

Patisserie Valerie

Website - http://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/default.aspx

Location - North Bridge, but with branches also on George IV Bridge and Rose Street

What I ate - Chocolate mousse slice

Verdict on food - A delicious sweet treat, as always, and surprisingly low calorie for what it is (and thank god, given I'm supposed to be on a diet!).

Quick review - If you like art deco inspired design combined with all things sweet, this patisserie chain will not disappoint you. P. Val is reasonably priced and sure to please. Be sure to take advantage of the 4 cakes for £10 deal to get the best for your money. You'll be back, and so will I.

Patisserie Valerie interior, as shown on their website

Next time - a pub crawl around Bruntsfield...

BYOB and BYOD..?

What is BYOD, I hear you ask? In my first post I mentioned that I own and run the Edinburgh Dinner Party Club through meetup.com (a shameless push - you can find us here). Last night saw another event organised through the group. The event was an informal evening in my little city centre flat where everyone brought a bottle and their dish of choice (now you see the BYOB&D) and it all goes on the one table. As more people turn up, a bigger and better banquet is formed! With some good music in the background (although the Birdy Song and YMCA both made appearances) and very pleasant company, the night was a big success. Who knew I could take 20 people in my wee flat?!

A rainbow of vodka jelly glasses

I thought it would be a nice idea to offer guests a cocktail on arrival. I didn't tell anyone, but the cocktail is a tried and tested (by me) Nigella recipe called a Venetian. It is a sweet but dry mix made of :

1 part Rose Martini

1 part dry ginger ale

2 parts pomegranate juice

I say part, I just measure it out in the Martini cap, with 2 caps equaling 1 part. It's also easy to make and there's no need to shake or stir or anything else fiddly. It seemed to go down well. Vodka jellies, as shown above, were dished out throughout the night. They are easy to make too, and I have to say, they go right to your head:

1 packet raspberry jelly

topped up with 0.5 pint boiling water

0.2 pint cold water

0.3 any vodka, but I used a peach and melon combo that my parents brought back from the Canaries

This should be enough to pour into 25-30 little plastic shot glasses. As for food, I encouraged guests to bring a variety of dishes ranging from hot to cold, sweet to savoury and meat to veggie. The delights included beef steak chilli, vegetarian Kashmiri curry, loaded potato skins, a marinated half side of salmon, quiche, vegetable flan, kedgeree, layered salad, Balmoral chicken, rosemary potatoes, brownies, cheesecake, tiramisu, coffee and cheese biscuits and a giant cupcake! It was all absolutely delicious and more than enough to go around.

All that remained for me to do was drink wine, be merry, then tidy up the following day...

Drinks table remnants 

Food table remnants

My poor kitchen

All back to squeaky clean. I do have four chairs, by the way.

Hula, baby

Although on my "Clean and Lean" diet, I sometimes fancy a lunchtime treat. Today was one of those days. One of my favourite cafes in Edinburgh is Hula down Victoria Street/West Bow on the corner of the Grassmarket. I love Hula because the food is delicious, nutritious, healthy and reasonably priced. It also suits a wide range of diets, allergies and intolerances. The staff are lovely. The interior is fun and colourful, and as the cafe doubles up as an art gallery, there is always something new and interesting to look at.

Hula on West Bow

Hula prides itself on its fresh juices, smoothies and other drinks. My personal favourite is a smoothie called "Sunshine in a Cup". I always get it. It is a yummy blend of fresh peach, orange and mango. I'm quite into getting my daily dose of vitamin C, and this is the tastiest way to do it. Along with my favourite smoothie, my visit today also saw me partake in my other two usuals: the Cajun wrap (spicy chicken with some veggies, cheese and rice) and whichever soup takes my fancy. Today they had cream of chicken or pea and courgette. I opted for the former. Delicious, as always.

For my healthy and satisfying lunch I pay only £9.95. Without the juice it is £6.50 to sit in and enjoy the surroundings with an honest plate of food. Blended drinks always significantly increase the bill at any eatery, but in this case I think it is worth it. You can feel yourself getting better as you drink it (if, like me, you have the January plague), and it complements the food perfectly. The food, I always say, is the best cafe food in Edinburgh and I could eat the Cajun wrap three times a day, every day, and  never get bored of it.

I haven't even touched on the delights of their home-baked goods. Next time.

So thank you once again, Hula. I'll be back soon. That's a promise!

Hula's website is here. They are open every day from 8am-6pm.

The sexiness of lipstick...and eggs

On days where you feel like you want to make a statement with your look, I sometimes like to do it not with my clothes, but with my make up. This lipstick is one of my favourite ways to do it.

The colour is a deep dark red, almost wine like. When wearing to work, like I did today, I think it is important to have all your other make up plain and simple, and your clothes all the same colour, preferably black. I wore a black pencil skirt, polo neck jumper, tights and heeled shoes. A bold lipstick makes your professional look a bit more interesting. Statement jewellery with this sort of lipstick at work is a no go, but I think the two combine well on a night out. As for texture and durability, the lipstick has good coverage and doesn't feel too dry. It lasts ages too, even when you're sitting at your desk sipping coffee!

This lipstick - one of my personal favouites - is from the Gothic Glam range by Collection at Superdrug. The colour is called "Revenge" (number 3) and at under a fiver a pop (only £2.99 at the moment), it is well worth experimenting with two or three different colours. I have a vampy deep purple one too. Although I'm unsure if my colours are still available, you can view the full Gothic Glam range here.

And now onto something completely different. You'll have seen from previous posts that I am currently on the "Clean and Lean" diet plan. One of my favourite things to eat in the morning is a poached egg. And guess what? I am allowed poached eggs on this diet. With a little smoked salmon, it makes for a really delicious and satisfying breakfast. The taste aside, I have always thought there is something sexy about a yolk pouring out of a poached egg. Don't you? No? Just me then.

Clean and lean

At the end of my last post, I teased you with my current diet, as well as the horrors of hot yoga. Well, readers, keep reading and all shall be revealed.

The diet I am on is the "Clean and Lean" diet. Essentially, I have started to describe it as a high protein, low GI diet. I am basing it on a book I found in a New Year clearance (who puts diet books in a clearance just after everyone has resolved to lose weight?). The book is by James Duigan and, imaginatively, is called "Clean and Lean". I'm sure you could get it on Amazon if you're interested. 

Clean and Lean diet guide - James Duigan

I have to say, there are some good facts about foods to avoid and foods to go for. But as with all these things, it becomes pretty much self-explanatory after a few days; lean meats and unlimited green veg. Got it. What I do like about this diet is that you can have very filling portions because vegetables are practically calorie and fat free. Having a full tummy on a diet, I'm sure you'll agree, is a pleasant novelty.

Here are some of the things I've conjured up the past couple of weeks whilst on this diet:

Venison grill-steak (around 147 calories), green beans, white asparagus and avocado (which I know isn't the lowest calorie food but it is allowed in the diet)

Jerk turkey salad - 100g grilled turkey in jerk powder marinade, spinach leaves, 4 cherry tomatoes, a handful of sliced cucumber and half a large roast red pepper (around 150 calories all in)

Venison sausages (57 calories each), pickled onions and gherkins, sprouts, sweet potato chips and a little low fat cranberry sauce

If you like your meals without sauces and carbs, I think you'll find this one straightforward and effective. I miss pasta, rice and bread though, I can't lie.

Now, onto hot yoga, or "bikram" yoga as it's actually called. To summarise, it is a 90 minute yoga lesson, but imagine it in the hottest sauna ever! You can burn up to 1000 calories a session. Thus our dubbing of it "hot yoga."

One of my friends from work talked me into this as an easy get fit fad for 2015. A small group of us have been twice - they run a class everyday just off Easter Road (you can find details here) - and I have to say, I'm not sure I'm a fan. I admit the beginners offer of £20 for 20 executive days was appealing in comparison to £11 per session, but I've been twice (it's now day 10 or something) and I genuinely don't know if I'll go back.

The heat is intense. Really intense. 105 degrees at 40% humidity. The first class was hot enough, but we were informed at our second class that the heaters weren't actually working properly and that it'd be hotter. And it was. Within 10 minutes the sweat was pouring off me. Within 20 minutes I had to lie down because my vision went funny, I became lightheaded and thought I was going to faint. It is a frustrating sensation because I know I can do the moves. They are too complicated, but the heat makes it extremely difficult. I find it difficult to articulate just how much the heat hits you in the room. 

"Why do you put yourself through it?", I hear you ask. I have no answer.

Tapas and chartreuse

After so long (at least three days) of talking and thinking about it, I have finally decided to set up a blog of my life in and around Edinburgh. You can tell by the name I am a foodie who is into her fashion. So much so, that I own and run the Edinburgh Dinner Party Club through meetup.com (you can find us here) and I always ensure I dress to impress!

So I decided my first blog post should be on the most recent dinner party organised through my group. It was a Spanish themed evening hosted by a lovely lady in Liberton. The idea was that each guest contributed a tapas style dish and a bottle. My contribution was a chicken, fish and bean stew with a tomato and chilli base. The finished article turned out not too badly. You can ask me for the recipe if you like. It was pretty straightforward but really tasty.

Spanish style chicken and fish stew

A better view of the chicken and beans

Other guests went to a lot of effort, and this resulted in what I can only describe as a Spanish banquet. To mention a few of the dishes, we had stuffed peppers, meat and cheese platters, paella, a black pudding and chorizo dish, patatas bravas, steamed asparagus with grated Spanish cheese, tortilla, a pork and fish based rice dish, baked figs with blue cheese and lots more. Needless to say, I stuffed my face. Not to mention all the sangria and Rioja that was flowing... A truly buenos noches. Excuse my shocking attempt to be lingual.

With the Spanish theme being a fairly colourful one, combined with what can only be described as a dull and dreich (look it up) day, I decided to dress colourfully but classically. I wore an old blue high cut top with new (but vintage style) chartreuse culottes from asos.com. I shouldn't give away my style secrets, but you can find the culottes here. A steal in the sale, I might say. Teamed with classic black sandals, a simple belt and statement necklace, I was quite pleased with how I scrubbed up. The culottes were certainly something different and a few of the guests complimented them.

Statement chartreuse culottes from asos.com

Stay tuned for my next post where I shall tell you about my current diet plan (lucky you) and the horrors of hot yoga.

Au revoir.