Review: Galvin La Chapelle

It isn't often that I have a meal, sit back and think 'wow!' but today was one of those days.  As a late birthday present, my boyfriend booked us in the Galvin La Chapelle, the third restaurant to be opened by brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin, already boasting a Michelin star despite only being open since 2010.  Nestled amongst the bustling streets surrounding Spitalfields market, the restaurant is timelessly elegant and, I assume, housed within what was once a chapel. (hence the name!)

As you can see the decor of the restaurant itself is absolutely stunning.  The high vaulted ceiling and the original beams are particularly effective with the beautifully simple lighting.  The room is light, airy and comfortable.

My boyfriend and I both ate from the Prix-fixe menu which at £26.50 each is unbelievably reasonable for the outstanding food that you receive.

I started with the pickled mackerel with shaved fennel, apple and cucumber condiment, followed by seabass with potato, samphire and saffron aioli and finished with the orange panacotta with confit kumquats and biscotti.  With the bill we were given an orange macaron and boozy chocolate truffle each.

Everything I ate was absolutely delicious, perfectly cooked and beautifully assembled.  My personal favourite was the pannacotta, the orange jelly on top was beautifully tart whilst my boyfriend wouldn't stop raving about the macarons, despite being so small!

The service was fantastic, as you would expect, very attentive without being intrusive or annoying.

All in all, a fantastic lunch was had, topped off with a wander around Spitalfields market, a day out I would recommend to anyone!

Where's your favourite place to eat or treat yourself?

Rituals Salt Scrub

As you may have seen I, like many bloggers, have succumbed to the beauty box.  My box of choice is the Glossybox and it was in one of my monthly arrivals that I first came across Rituals.  I had seen the brand before but had never purchased anything from it so the foaming body wash was quite a treat!  IT SMELT INCREDIBLE.  I was raving about it to anyone who would listen.  Unfortunately on the 3rd day of it's existence in my life I had a slight accident whilst on a trip to Bath...

I can still smell it....

So! Despite this, I had slightly fallen in love with it and went to my local House of Fraser to replace it sharpish! Whilst there I also picked up the Himalaya Wisdom salt scrub and was similarly impressed.

Now I don't know about you but the idea of a basil and mint scrub doesn't immediately start me jumping for joy but let me tell you, it works!

The scrub is thick without being uncomfortably abrasive and leaves my skin feeling suitably moisturised and gorgeously fresh.  Having used it for a few weeks now I can definitely see the difference.  I have always had dry bumpy skin on the tops of my arms (common in a lot of girls but SO ANNOYING) and this has definitely helped to reduce it.  I just love the tingly feeling and the scent it leaves on your skin which I think has helped me to remember to use it at least once a week and keep up the good habit of exfoliating!  Despite using it quite frequently the pot is a great size and I have barely made a dent in it.  I know it will last for a really long time.  My love affair with Rituals is slowly developing...!

Rituals Himalaya Wisdom scrub salt is available from House of Fraser or online here and costs £12.90

Have you tried any rituals products? Are there any you can recommend to me?

Illamasqua Skin Base Review

If you are an avid blog reader like myself, you'll have had to be living under a rock all year to miss the hype surrounding Illamasqua's latest offering, their Skin Base Foundation.  I have finally managed to get my little mitts on it during my trip to Manchester...

Here's what Illamasqua have to say about it:

"Inspired by the cult Asian market Beauty Balm creams, Skin Base Foundation is a brand new, refined formula unlike anything on the UK market. Easily blendable, it effortlessly creates a perfect complexion, and like the entire Illamasqua foundation range, is undetectable in a professional HD environment. Suitable for all skin types, it smoothes, softens and conditions your skin whilst providing natural, buildable coverage."

First of all, I really like the packaging.  I've been using Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC25 for the past 5 years and it is refreshing to have a squeezy bottle rather than faffing about with pumps which inevitably caused me to use more product than I needed.  Good start Illamasqua!

The foundation itself is more fluid than Studio Fix Fluid which is one of the reasons I decided to try something new.  This spreads like a dream meaning you barely need to use any of it.  I also felt that it blended to and matched my skin tone all over my face.

I'm using SB06

So, here is a little before and after shot! (The light is brighter in the second photo, I haven't gone three shades paler!)

As you can see the coverage is natural and super flattering.  It evens out all my blemishes and red spots as well as giving a gorgeous healthy sheen. I. LOVE. IT!

It feels soft on my skin and has a pleasant smell when applying (small joys!).

As I occasionally get an oily T zone I set the foundation with a little powder on my forehead but otherwise it wasn't necessary.

If you're not lucky enough to live near an Illamasqua counter then you can buy it online here.  And they also offer a really handy Shade Comparison Chart with other Foundations on the market, here.

Overall all I can offer is a positive review (as one might expect from every blogger known to man making this their foundation of choice...!).  And here's the full effect + my usual day to day makeup...

Just another quick note, I purchased my foundation at Selfridges in Manchester and the girl who served me was just so lovely and helpful and even popped it on plus some blusher for me, go and give her a visit!  (Hi Sophie and thank you!)

So, have you given this one a go?

Boxing Day and Review: Enrapture Encode Totem Styler

I am currently writing this filled to the brim with food and drink, sat by the fire and surrounded by family...  HAPPY PLACE!
In my family, Boxing Day is almost more important than Christmas day as it's the day when the whole of my dad's family comes to visit.  Because of that I always make an extra effort to look smart and ready to entertain!

Dress: Urban Outfitters
Boots: Miss Selfridge

This dress is my absolute favourite recent purchase!
After singing at a wedding I had 2 hours to kill in Bath and, being me, decided to do so in the city's shopping centre!  Since there's no Urban Outfitter in Nottingham or in Ye Olde Countryside, that was my first port of call! And there it was.
I really love the colour of this dress.  The print is discrete and the shape is ladylike but also fun with the cut out panels in the back.  I paired it with opaques and my black Acne style ankle boots from Miss Selfridge (I wear these TO DEATH) to keep it reasonably casual but it could easily be dressed up with bare legs and peep toes.  I know I will be wearing this again at the first possible opportunity!

I kept my makeup simple with my usual day to day look, a a little bronzer, a little blusher and some added High Beam (highlighter) to give my skin a dewy glow.

It's also the first day I've been able to play with my Christmas goodies!

I went straight for the Enrapture Encode Totem Styler.

EXCITING.

I have been looking for hair curlers for a while but when I read about these online I knew they were the ones for me!  The unique barrel tong has three sections which can be set to different temperatures to create the perfect curl, as loose or as tight as you'd like them to be!

Just spin the dial to set the temperature of your choice.  I opted for 1-2-1 giving me a defined curl that starts and ends gradually.  I used the flipper to clamp my hair at the bottom and curl it away from my face and held it there for about 10 seconds per curl.

As you can see, I'm really quite pleased with the result!  I curled my hair at around 10:30 this morning and as I am typing this 12 hours later my curls are just as defined and bouncy!

Overall I am really pleased with these curlers.  They heat up quickly, the flipper holds the hair in place unlike other curlers I have used in the past and the results are just what I was looking for.  I can't wait to try out different combinations and styles, I'm sure I'll be posting again.

Have you used these curlers before? Or will you be buying them in the future?

Hope everyone has had a lovely Boxing Day!