Showing posts with label southampton bloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label southampton bloggers. Show all posts
I was recently invited to visit Beaulieu as a blogger on their opening night and took my Mumma as my plus one. We had a really nice evening wandering the grounds looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights. The tunnel pictured above was by far the highlight for me, it was beautiful. The only criticism we had was there wasn't enough music... If you're after an all singing, all dancing festive experience, this isn't the one for you. If you are, however, after lots of photo opps and a nice, classy evening stroll, then this is ideal.
A few weeks ago I visited Bath Christmas Market and it was PACKED. To be fair, we did go on opening weekend, so what were we expecting, but from what I've heard, it's busy all month. The city of Bath itself is so so pretty, so throw in a load of Christmassy stalls selling delicious food and homemade gifts, and it only gets better. The shopping in Bath is also incredible, so if you're looking for a proper day out then Bath is the one. Be prepared for the crowds though, everyone and their brother is planning a trip.
I was recently invited to experience the Southampton Christmas Market with a few other local bloggers and it was a really nice evening. We sampled alllll of the market food, and let me tell you, the crepes are INCREDIBLE. We had mulled wine in the balcony bar overlooking the entire market and chatted all things blogging. My favourite thing about Southampton at Christmas is by far the huge German bar with alllll the Christmas music playing. The market shopping isn't as good as some of the others I've been to, but if you're after good food and festive music, then this is the one for you.
Winchester at Christmas is a lot like Bath. It's a really pretty city and its Christmas market is always really well thought out and organised. That being said, compared to Bath there isn't an awful lot to see and do in the city generally, it's just a nice place to wander around. So, if all you're specifically after a pretty market, and not fussed about it being a full day trip, then this is the place to go.
It's fair to say Bournemouth is a bit of a Christmas hub at this time of year... There are all sorts of things going on, from two ice skating rinks, to the lights in the gardens, the Christmas markets and the bar in the square. I've also heard there's a hot chocolate stand that is next level, so if I get the chance to check it out I will definitely report back on my thoughts... The Christmas trees that have been put up in the gardens really are pretty and are nice to wander around if you get the chance. They're also free, obviously, so a nice budget friendly option if you're out and about in town and don't want to pay for entry to something!
And there we have it, Christmas on the south coast wrapped up and rated...
Have you been to any of these spots this year?
Which is your favourite Christmas market?
I was recently invited to visit Beaulieu as a blogger on their opening night and took my Mumma as my plus one. We had a really nice evening wandering the grounds looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights. The tunnel pictured above was by far the highlight for me, it was beautiful. The only criticism we had was there wasn't enough music... If you're after an all singing, all dancing festive experience, this isn't the one for you. If you are, however, after lots of photo opps and a nice, classy evening stroll, then this is ideal.
A few weeks ago I visited Bath Christmas Market and it was PACKED. To be fair, we did go on opening weekend, so what were we expecting, but from what I've heard, it's busy all month. The city of Bath itself is so so pretty, so throw in a load of Christmassy stalls selling delicious food and homemade gifts, and it only gets better. The shopping in Bath is also incredible, so if you're looking for a proper day out then Bath is the one. Be prepared for the crowds though, everyone and their brother is planning a trip.
I was recently invited to experience the Southampton Christmas Market with a few other local bloggers and it was a really nice evening. We sampled alllll of the market food, and let me tell you, the crepes are INCREDIBLE. We had mulled wine in the balcony bar overlooking the entire market and chatted all things blogging. My favourite thing about Southampton at Christmas is by far the huge German bar with alllll the Christmas music playing. The market shopping isn't as good as some of the others I've been to, but if you're after good food and festive music, then this is the one for you.
Winchester at Christmas is a lot like Bath. It's a really pretty city and its Christmas market is always really well thought out and organised. That being said, compared to Bath there isn't an awful lot to see and do in the city generally, it's just a nice place to wander around. So, if all you're specifically after a pretty market, and not fussed about it being a full day trip, then this is the place to go.
It's fair to say Bournemouth is a bit of a Christmas hub at this time of year... There are all sorts of things going on, from two ice skating rinks, to the lights in the gardens, the Christmas markets and the bar in the square. I've also heard there's a hot chocolate stand that is next level, so if I get the chance to check it out I will definitely report back on my thoughts... The Christmas trees that have been put up in the gardens really are pretty and are nice to wander around if you get the chance. They're also free, obviously, so a nice budget friendly option if you're out and about in town and don't want to pay for entry to something!
And there we have it, Christmas on the south coast wrapped up and rated...
Have you been to any of these spots this year?
Which is your favourite Christmas market?
On Wednesday evening I headed to another blogger's event with the lovely @Sotonbloggers. This one was hosted by The Body Shop, at West Quay, and was to showcase a few of their newest products. Now, I'm going to be honest here, The Body Shop isn't somewhere I ever pop into and I can't even tell you the last thing I bought from there, perhaps a solid perfume back in '09? Every Christmas and birthday I'm fortunate enough to be absolutely swamped with new toiletries to use, so much so that in my twenty years of life I don't think I've ever bought myself a bottle of shower gel. So, popping into The Body Shop just isn't something I ever find myself doing, as prior to this event, the only things that came to mind when I thought about them were shower gel and body butter. Two things this girl certainly doesn't need any more of... But, this event really changed my opinion of the brand, and I think I could be a convert, particularly to their skincare.
The event itself was to showcase all of their newest products, particularly the body yogurts and face mists. Both are 100% vegan, which, whilst I don't live a vegan lifestyle myself, is never anything but a good thing. After we'd all arrived at the store, we had a little wander around and then were given a talk through of the products in question. Of all of the mentioned ones, the yogurts were the ones that interested me most. They're body moisturisers with a gel consistency and The Body Shop claim they sink in within 15 seconds. Which, can I just say, if it's true could absolutely revolutionize my skincare habits. So much so, that I knew I had to buy one on this premise alone.
They've launched six scents in the yogurt but my favourite by far was the Almond Milk one. It smells really clean and fresh, and isn't overpowering in the slightest. From what I could see, the Almond was the most popular scent at the event by a country mile, so if you're looking at getting one, that seems to be the blogger's pick. They retail for £8.50 a pot, and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to expectations.
They've launched six scents in the yogurt but my favourite by far was the Almond Milk one. It smells really clean and fresh, and isn't overpowering in the slightest. From what I could see, the Almond was the most popular scent at the event by a country mile, so if you're looking at getting one, that seems to be the blogger's pick. They retail for £8.50 a pot, and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to expectations.
During the event I also had a skin consultation. I was looking at the plethora of skincare bits in the shop (including a terrifying-looking metal blackhead remover) and didn't really know where to start. After a couple of tests with some interesting devices, it became apparent that my skin was very very dehydrated (note to self: get swigging that H20), and wasn't anywhere near as oily as I thought it was. I was also told the importance of toning, which is something I've never thought was that much of a big deal and hence haven't ever really done. Not toning is apparently, and I quote, 'like washing dishes in soap and then not rinsing them'. Oops. My poor skin.
I was recommended a whole routine's worth of new products but decided I'd start with the toner and take it from there. My skin can be pretty temperamental, and bombarding it with a whole routine's worth of new products is a bit of a risky move that would only ever end in tears. The toner I bought was the Chinese Ginseng and Rice one, which claims to brighten and smooth the skin. Two things that my acne scar ridden cheeks are always screaming out for. I've used this a couple of times already and I'm actually quite impressed, my skin feels lovely and looks a bit brighter. This retails at £9.50, and could very much be a skincare game changer for me if I keep loving it as much as I do currently.
We were lucky enough to be gifted a few products to take home with us, one being one of the new face mists. There are five different mists, all targeting different skin types and qualms, and personally, I chose the Mint one. It's the mattifying one, which, in the summer I think is going to be ideal. A fresh scented, mattifying, refreshing facial mist? Sounds good to me. These can be used both on top of and underneath makeup apparently, but don't work as a setting spray, so won't prolong the duration of your makeup. I haven't used this yet, but when I have I'll certainly be reporting back. The other bits in the goodie bag were a British Rose Shower Gel and a Strawberry Conditioner - neither of which I have used before, but both are fully vegan too! Which, as always, I'm sure you'll hear all about once I've tried them.
Thank you for a really nice evening The Body Shop, I'm sure I'll be back soon to pick up the rest of the skincare bits I was recommended and maybe another yogurt or two...
Southampton Bloggers: The Body Shop Event & Haul
4.5.18 • beauty, bloggers event, event, skincare, soton bloggers, southampton bloggers, the body shop
On Wednesday evening I headed to another blogger's event with the lovely @Sotonbloggers. This one was hosted by The Body Shop, at West Quay, and was to showcase a few of their newest products. Now, I'm going to be honest here, The Body Shop isn't somewhere I ever pop into and I can't even tell you the last thing I bought from there, perhaps a solid perfume back in '09? Every Christmas and birthday I'm fortunate enough to be absolutely swamped with new toiletries to use, so much so that in my twenty years of life I don't think I've ever bought myself a bottle of shower gel. So, popping into The Body Shop just isn't something I ever find myself doing, as prior to this event, the only things that came to mind when I thought about them were shower gel and body butter. Two things this girl certainly doesn't need any more of... But, this event really changed my opinion of the brand, and I think I could be a convert, particularly to their skincare.
The event itself was to showcase all of their newest products, particularly the body yogurts and face mists. Both are 100% vegan, which, whilst I don't live a vegan lifestyle myself, is never anything but a good thing. After we'd all arrived at the store, we had a little wander around and then were given a talk through of the products in question. Of all of the mentioned ones, the yogurts were the ones that interested me most. They're body moisturisers with a gel consistency and The Body Shop claim they sink in within 15 seconds. Which, can I just say, if it's true could absolutely revolutionize my skincare habits. So much so, that I knew I had to buy one on this premise alone.
They've launched six scents in the yogurt but my favourite by far was the Almond Milk one. It smells really clean and fresh, and isn't overpowering in the slightest. From what I could see, the Almond was the most popular scent at the event by a country mile, so if you're looking at getting one, that seems to be the blogger's pick. They retail for £8.50 a pot, and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to expectations.
They've launched six scents in the yogurt but my favourite by far was the Almond Milk one. It smells really clean and fresh, and isn't overpowering in the slightest. From what I could see, the Almond was the most popular scent at the event by a country mile, so if you're looking at getting one, that seems to be the blogger's pick. They retail for £8.50 a pot, and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to expectations.
During the event I also had a skin consultation. I was looking at the plethora of skincare bits in the shop (including a terrifying-looking metal blackhead remover) and didn't really know where to start. After a couple of tests with some interesting devices, it became apparent that my skin was very very dehydrated (note to self: get swigging that H20), and wasn't anywhere near as oily as I thought it was. I was also told the importance of toning, which is something I've never thought was that much of a big deal and hence haven't ever really done. Not toning is apparently, and I quote, 'like washing dishes in soap and then not rinsing them'. Oops. My poor skin.
I was recommended a whole routine's worth of new products but decided I'd start with the toner and take it from there. My skin can be pretty temperamental, and bombarding it with a whole routine's worth of new products is a bit of a risky move that would only ever end in tears. The toner I bought was the Chinese Ginseng and Rice one, which claims to brighten and smooth the skin. Two things that my acne scar ridden cheeks are always screaming out for. I've used this a couple of times already and I'm actually quite impressed, my skin feels lovely and looks a bit brighter. This retails at £9.50, and could very much be a skincare game changer for me if I keep loving it as much as I do currently.
We were lucky enough to be gifted a few products to take home with us, one being one of the new face mists. There are five different mists, all targeting different skin types and qualms, and personally, I chose the Mint one. It's the mattifying one, which, in the summer I think is going to be ideal. A fresh scented, mattifying, refreshing facial mist? Sounds good to me. These can be used both on top of and underneath makeup apparently, but don't work as a setting spray, so won't prolong the duration of your makeup. I haven't used this yet, but when I have I'll certainly be reporting back. The other bits in the goodie bag were a British Rose Shower Gel and a Strawberry Conditioner - neither of which I have used before, but both are fully vegan too! Which, as always, I'm sure you'll hear all about once I've tried them.
Thank you for a really nice evening The Body Shop, I'm sure I'll be back soon to pick up the rest of the skincare bits I was recommended and maybe another yogurt or two...
Last night saw me attend my first event with this blog, Becc4, and it certainly set the bar for future events extremely high. It was hosted by the lovely @sotonbloggers (not to be confused with @soton_bloggers which is a whole other story. You can read about that here) and Supermarine in Southampton.
The lovely Rosie drove Nicole (on the right and left of the first photo, respectively) and I to the event, which if you're local to Southampton, was the other side of the Itchen Bridge in Woolston. (Sidenote, I actually met Rosie many moooons ago at another blogging event, when I was more awkward and not legally old enough to do anything, so it was an absolute blast from the past seeing her again.)
When we arrived, I was blown away. The restaurant was beautiful. Gorgeous Moroccan tiles, low hanging lights, fresh flowers, and marble tables. The absolute bloggers aesthetic, right? We were offered drinks when we arrived, wine, cocktails, the lot and all sat at a long table chit-chatting away about everything under the sun. I won't mention what, it's perhaps not wise considering my parents are avid readers of this blog...
Anyway, we ate so much good Italian food including cured meats, crostini and olives to start. The highlight of those three for me was the sausage and mozzarella crostini, it was delicious. I'm not an olive person at all, the last time I ate one I was sick on our dining table, but the other girls said these ones were really good. Two of the girls I was sat with were vegan, and there was plenty on the menu for them to eat, so that's a thumbs up from me.
But, onto the main course, the part we'd all been thinking about all day. The pizza. I say we, that might just have been greedy old me. Supermarine use a wood-fired pizza oven, and can I just say the pizzas were incredible. I tried one with lots of different meats on and it was really really good. The base of a pizza, for me, is always make or break, but this one was really soft and doughy, a definite pass with flying colours.
For dessert, we had a nutella and strawberry pizza ?!?? Which, can I just say, was just as confusing for my brain and taste buds as it sounds... It was tasty, but not something I'd have again. Pass me a cheesecake or some ice cream, something a little less strenuous on the old brain.
The lovely Rosie drove Nicole (on the right and left of the first photo, respectively) and I to the event, which if you're local to Southampton, was the other side of the Itchen Bridge in Woolston. (Sidenote, I actually met Rosie many moooons ago at another blogging event, when I was more awkward and not legally old enough to do anything, so it was an absolute blast from the past seeing her again.)
When we arrived, I was blown away. The restaurant was beautiful. Gorgeous Moroccan tiles, low hanging lights, fresh flowers, and marble tables. The absolute bloggers aesthetic, right? We were offered drinks when we arrived, wine, cocktails, the lot and all sat at a long table chit-chatting away about everything under the sun. I won't mention what, it's perhaps not wise considering my parents are avid readers of this blog...
Anyway, we ate so much good Italian food including cured meats, crostini and olives to start. The highlight of those three for me was the sausage and mozzarella crostini, it was delicious. I'm not an olive person at all, the last time I ate one I was sick on our dining table, but the other girls said these ones were really good. Two of the girls I was sat with were vegan, and there was plenty on the menu for them to eat, so that's a thumbs up from me.
But, onto the main course, the part we'd all been thinking about all day. The pizza. I say we, that might just have been greedy old me. Supermarine use a wood-fired pizza oven, and can I just say the pizzas were incredible. I tried one with lots of different meats on and it was really really good. The base of a pizza, for me, is always make or break, but this one was really soft and doughy, a definite pass with flying colours.
For dessert, we had a nutella and strawberry pizza ?!?? Which, can I just say, was just as confusing for my brain and taste buds as it sounds... It was tasty, but not something I'd have again. Pass me a cheesecake or some ice cream, something a little less strenuous on the old brain.
The staff in the restaurant were extremely welcoming and friendly, and with pizzas being between £8 and £13, it's definitely somewhere I'll be visiting again.
Southampton Bloggers Event: Supermarine Woolston
16.3.18 • bloggers event, event, food, lifestyle, review, soton bloggers, southampton bloggers
Last night saw me attend my first event with this blog, Becc4, and it certainly set the bar for future events extremely high. It was hosted by the lovely @sotonbloggers (not to be confused with @soton_bloggers which is a whole other story. You can read about that here) and Supermarine in Southampton.
The lovely Rosie drove Nicole (on the right and left of the first photo, respectively) and I to the event, which if you're local to Southampton, was the other side of the Itchen Bridge in Woolston. (Sidenote, I actually met Rosie many moooons ago at another blogging event, when I was more awkward and not legally old enough to do anything, so it was an absolute blast from the past seeing her again.)
When we arrived, I was blown away. The restaurant was beautiful. Gorgeous Moroccan tiles, low hanging lights, fresh flowers, and marble tables. The absolute bloggers aesthetic, right? We were offered drinks when we arrived, wine, cocktails, the lot and all sat at a long table chit-chatting away about everything under the sun. I won't mention what, it's perhaps not wise considering my parents are avid readers of this blog...
Anyway, we ate so much good Italian food including cured meats, crostini and olives to start. The highlight of those three for me was the sausage and mozzarella crostini, it was delicious. I'm not an olive person at all, the last time I ate one I was sick on our dining table, but the other girls said these ones were really good. Two of the girls I was sat with were vegan, and there was plenty on the menu for them to eat, so that's a thumbs up from me.
But, onto the main course, the part we'd all been thinking about all day. The pizza. I say we, that might just have been greedy old me. Supermarine use a wood-fired pizza oven, and can I just say the pizzas were incredible. I tried one with lots of different meats on and it was really really good. The base of a pizza, for me, is always make or break, but this one was really soft and doughy, a definite pass with flying colours.
For dessert, we had a nutella and strawberry pizza ?!?? Which, can I just say, was just as confusing for my brain and taste buds as it sounds... It was tasty, but not something I'd have again. Pass me a cheesecake or some ice cream, something a little less strenuous on the old brain.
The lovely Rosie drove Nicole (on the right and left of the first photo, respectively) and I to the event, which if you're local to Southampton, was the other side of the Itchen Bridge in Woolston. (Sidenote, I actually met Rosie many moooons ago at another blogging event, when I was more awkward and not legally old enough to do anything, so it was an absolute blast from the past seeing her again.)
When we arrived, I was blown away. The restaurant was beautiful. Gorgeous Moroccan tiles, low hanging lights, fresh flowers, and marble tables. The absolute bloggers aesthetic, right? We were offered drinks when we arrived, wine, cocktails, the lot and all sat at a long table chit-chatting away about everything under the sun. I won't mention what, it's perhaps not wise considering my parents are avid readers of this blog...
Anyway, we ate so much good Italian food including cured meats, crostini and olives to start. The highlight of those three for me was the sausage and mozzarella crostini, it was delicious. I'm not an olive person at all, the last time I ate one I was sick on our dining table, but the other girls said these ones were really good. Two of the girls I was sat with were vegan, and there was plenty on the menu for them to eat, so that's a thumbs up from me.
But, onto the main course, the part we'd all been thinking about all day. The pizza. I say we, that might just have been greedy old me. Supermarine use a wood-fired pizza oven, and can I just say the pizzas were incredible. I tried one with lots of different meats on and it was really really good. The base of a pizza, for me, is always make or break, but this one was really soft and doughy, a definite pass with flying colours.
For dessert, we had a nutella and strawberry pizza ?!?? Which, can I just say, was just as confusing for my brain and taste buds as it sounds... It was tasty, but not something I'd have again. Pass me a cheesecake or some ice cream, something a little less strenuous on the old brain.
The staff in the restaurant were extremely welcoming and friendly, and with pizzas being between £8 and £13, it's definitely somewhere I'll be visiting again.
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