Eating in London: The Trading House

I'm always up for trying new places in London, especially when they're newly open. It's exciting heading into somewhere that hasn't been open for long and seeing what it's all about and so when The Trading House* invited me along to try out their extensive food and drinks menus I happily obliged. We headed to Bank station and we were told we'd be picked up... Little did we know that was by an amazing horse and carriage and we'd get to see the area Bellini in hand. It was incredible and we felt like celebrities with so many people taking snaps of our ride!

On arrival at The Trading House we were sat at the bar for a cocktail or two, I went for the Blueberry and Passionfruit Martini to curb my passionfruit martini obsession, and it really didn't disappoint and my friend Michaela went for a gin and tonic from their incredible list. She went for The Botanist gin infused with Orange Zest and Mint with the Fever Tree tonic as recommended by the bar tender and it was great. We sat chatting at the bar and listening to the live music and just taking in the whole atmosphere, it's super fun and the place looks amazing. 

After our drinks we headed to our table, and I got a Raspberry Amaretto Sour cocktail while we decided what food we wanted and Michaela finished her G&T. For starters we got the Salt and Pepper Onion Petals (as pictured first) and the Home Made Houmous board with crudités.  Both were amazing but the Salt and Pepper Onion Petals won, they were incredible. The right amount of crispy deep fried goodness but still packed a punch with flavour. I'd go back just for these!

We then got one of their deli boards and went for the olives (Michaela loves them, me not so much - I wish I did though!), four bean salad, poached salmon fillet and the camembert. A bit of an odd mix but it was so yummy as we picked all of the things we loved. You need to try the four bean salad, I loved it!

For mains I was totally torn, there was so many that we both could have gone for. After a while deciding and sipping on ANOTHER cocktail, I went for the Pineapple and Coconut Mojito where as Michaela went for the Peach Melba Bellini, both incredible, we finally decided what we wanted to order for our mains. I went for the Pan Fried Sea Bass Fillets with Spinach, Tomato and Piri Piri dressing while Michaela went back to her northern roots with the Lamb Hot Pot Pie. We added a few sides and went for the Cheesy Chips (these were amazing and the cheese was layered throughout instead of being plonked on top, yum!) and the sugar snap peas which were actually my favourite thing of the whole meal, so so delicious. 

As if we weren't already full and satisfied enough, we had to try their deserts and Michaela went for the Warm Chocolate Fudge Cake while I chose the Strawberry and Marshmallow Kebab as I just had to see what it would be like! They both tasted incredible and we'd totally have them again. 

We both had the most incredible evening and spent so much longer there than we have done anywhere else. It's the perfect place to start your night with cocktails and dinner before moving onto somewhere else. Michaela is thinking of taking her family there for post-graduation dinner and drinks and I can totally see why, I'm definitely thinking of it too! 

Lorna x

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Fashion and Beauty Summer Wishlist

I've been finding every excuse to order things online lately... My shopping addition has come back again in full swing and I just can't find a way to stop it, so what the hell, I might as well embrace it right? I'm putting it down to Glastonbury next week and all of the last minute shopping you could probably imagine (and a whole lot of returns to boot too!) but you know, just because I've been doing more shopping than normal, it doesn't make me want to shop any less! In fact it has the adverse effect and makes me want to shop more. Does anyone else find that? I can go for months and months without needing to buy much but then once I do, I want to buy it all. So these are the bits I'm eyeing up at the minute and I just can't quite get them out of my head...

First up are the two dresses. The Kaleidoscope Floral Print Silk Dress by Topshop Boutique, totally out of my budget but it's the most beautiful thing and I need it in my life. I've got a thing for dungaree style things ever since I picked up these black dungarees from Topshop, obsessed doesn't quite cover it and so I've been eyeing up all of the denim dungaree style dresses on the market recently and this Petite Denim Pinafore Dress from Topshop is exactly what I'm looking for. I love the idea of layering pretty pieces underneath to change the look of the outfit. So many uses out of dungaree style things and that's completely why I love them! 

This Cream Lace Long Sleeve Shirt from River Island is just gorgeous. I could totally see this being layered underneath the Topshop Denim dress and just worn on its own. The detail is beautiful! 

I've fallen in love with blue toned mirrored sunglasses, they are incredible and I've got a little bit of a story that goes along with these LIVNOW Sunglasses by Quay via. Topshop. I saw them when I was in the Topshop on Oxford Street while I was killing a little bit of time before a meeting and fell in love but at £25 and after the amount of money I'd been spending lately alongside Glastonbury coming up I wasn't quite sure if I could justify it but I knew I was coming back later in the day so decided to let fate decide, and if they were still there, I'd buy them. So after my meeting, I headed back to Topshop and ALL I could think about was the glasses. I get a little crazy over things like this. I was meant to be hunting for a graduation dress, but the glasses had taken over my mind. I needed them. But they weren't there, they were gone. MY HEART BROKE. And I needed them even more. So I browsed the internet and found them online on the Topshop site so decided I'd have to buy them on there... but I wanted them right away. I literally couldn't wait for them. But like I'd said before, if they weren't there when I got back then surely it was fate and I didn't need them, right? Wrong. I did need them. But I went on the hunt for a graduation dress anyway but I just wasn't in the right frame of mind (and every dress I tried on just wasn't right), so eventually I just decided to go home. I decided to have one last look for the sunglasses before I left and they were sitting there. So I grabbed them, tried them on and stupidly decided I wasn't sure if I liked them anymore, so I left them. Now, I'm completely thinking that I should have got them as they've still been on my mind since. I just want a gorgeous pair of sunnies with a blue mirror detailing, is that so much to ask?! 

Onto the makeup, and as I mentioned I'm heading to Glastonbury next week and I cannot wait. I've picked up this Glitter Pot in Periwinkle from Topshop and the Facial Glue to keep it stuck on but now I've been thinking about this shade. The Topshop Glitter Pot in Flash is just gorgeous and I'm thinking I may have to take a trip back to pick one up. 

Onto Lipsticks and of course they're from NARS. Does my obsession with them ever stop? I don't think so! I'm eyeing up the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils in Cruella and Train Bleu. Both gorgeous statement lip shades and these too would be perfect for Glasto as I've heard what great quality they are. Super pretty! Last but not least is a brush from NARS and I'm talking the NARS #44 Precision Contour Brush, it looks amazing and perfect for those detailed eye looks I can't quite seem to nail down because I've not got the right brushes. This would be the perfect addition to my brush collection and I think I may just have to bite the bullet and pick one up. NARS brushes are great quality so I know I won't be disappointed. 

I don't think there's anything in this list I can't see myself not getting. I need them all! I do however always make sure to check out Fashion Beans for any discount codes. I'm a discount code fiend and it always helps me to justify the spending, every little helps right? That's my justification anyway. 

What are you eyeing up at the minute? 

Lorna x

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Game Changing Fragrance

I've always been a Marc Jacobs Daisy Fragrance kinda gal with its sickly sweet scent and although I do still love that, this Liz Earle perfume entered my life and it changed everything about fragrance for me. 

The Liz Earle Botanical Essence No.15 perfume* is incredible. With fresh and spicy notes of pink pepper, cinnamon and bergamot complemented with damask rose, cypriol, indian sandalwood alongside tonic bean and bourbon vanilla. I'm terrible when it comes to describing scent, but this is the perfect mix of sweet and spice. As you can tell from my usual love of the MJ Daisy I usually opt for something on the sweeter side and always used to steer clear from anything with a spice scent but this changed that and now I'm obsessed. I always get compliments when I wear this fragrance and everyone always wants to know what it is. They're always shocked to find out it's Liz Earle as it's not really a brand you think of going to for fragrance. I love the brand as a whole, their skincare is incredible and I'm probably one of their biggest advocates for that reason.

If you've not tried anything from the Liz Earle skincare range, then what are you waiting for? And don't forget to pick up this fragrance while you're there. It's unlike anything I've ever tried before and you need to add it into your fragrance wardrobe stat!

Lorna x

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Degustabox May 2015

You might be able to guess from my recent re-jig of my content that alongside being a total beauty obsessive, I'm also a total foodie too. It's always been my dream to post recipes and that sort of thing, so one day I'd expect to do that but for now, while I'm living in a student house of 6 (and as you can imagine, it's totally not Pinterest worthy and I just wouldn't fancy putting pictures up of it), my foodie posts will have to stay to eating out... That was until I heard about Degustabox, a subscription service, much like Glossybox, Birchbox & My Little Box, but for food. How awesome is that? 

I was sent the Degustabox May 2015* one last month and I've given it a little while to see how I got on with it and gather my thoughts and I think it's genius. The difficulty with subscription boxes is the lack of knowing what you're going to get and whether you'll like it and I think with beauty boxes it can be a little harder to pass something onto someone else if you don't want it but with this, everyone has different tastes and so there's bound to be someone in your household that will like what's in the box. This box was a perfect example, I kept some of the bits and passed others on to my housemates and family. 

Now you're probably wondering what's in the box and if you couldn't already guess from the snap above, I'm going to talk you through it! 

There were a few marinades in the box; the Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ sauce, this looks incredible and so authentic. I passed this onto my parents as I could totally see them smothering this on a rack of ribs or over some chicken wings. Alongside this there was the Schwartz Grill Mates Marinade in a Bag in Honey and Soy and this is such a nifty idea. Pop your ingredient (meat, fish or vegetables) into the bag and bake - easy, simple and so tasty! 

I am such a fan of balsamic vinegar  I use it so much so I was super happy to see one from Sarsons in the box. It tastes great and I love drizzling it onto salads or mixed into a marinade. I've seen the Maggi So Stir Fry packets advertised so it was nice to see those in there. It's always good to have the opportunity to try something you've heard about right? These were chicken flavoured though so were passed onto my parents alongside the Slim Pasta Lasagne who I know will enjoy them! 

My mum is a total ginger beer lover so I was really excited to see a Fentimans one in there. Great brand and such a nice addition! The Fuel 10K protibrik protein biscuits were passed onto my brother as that's not my kind of thing and I know he takes protein. 

Last up, a few more of the bits I kept for myself and I'm talking the Green Coco Coco Juice and Banana (I'm not usually a banana fan but surprisingly liked this), the Daelmans Stroopwaffles (waffle biscuits with a caramel filling that you can warm up over the top of your cuppa - genius!) and my favourite of the bunch - the 9Bar Fruity snack bars (these are coated in chocolate and surprisingly kept me full for so long!). 

I love the idea of this box, it's perfect for if there's a few of you in your house with different tastes or if you live with family or friends. I loved passing the bits onto my friends and family as they were so excited about trying new things and that's part of the fun of it all I think. Caring is sharing and all that right? 

What's your favourite subscription box service? 

Lorna x

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Eating In London: Rocket Holborn

Rocket* is the perfect pre-night out dinner and drinks spot. If you're after a buzzing bar/restaurant with great atmosphere and food/drinks then you need not look any further. 

I was really excited to be invited down as soon as I heard there was Pizza on the menu. Hello Pizza obsessive! And on that, I just assumed it was a pizza joint... but I was so wrong. On arrival, I shortly realised that this was more than just your usual pizza restaurant. It's a gorgeous place, perfect for catching up with an old friend as I did, for date night, or like I mentioned before for your pre-night out festivities. Families stay at home for this one. 

We started off with a couple of cocktails as I'd heard good things, and you know, it was a Friday. We went for an Amaretto Sours and a Strawberry Daiquiri, both were great and I know I'll be wanting to go back for more soon! Onto the best bit though, the food. For starters we went for the Fried Spicy Baby Squid and the Crab Cakes. Both were amazing but the Crab Cakes were the star of the evening. These were INCREDIBLE. You need to try them if you go! They were served on top of a mango, chilli and coriander salsa and were unlike anything I'd ever had. I could have eaten plates and plates of them and I'm completely salivating just thinking about them. 

For mains I had to go for a pizza, you know, to curb the obsession and all that, and so I opted for the Chorizo, Halloumi and Butterfly King Prawn Pizza with mozzarella, spring onion and chilli's - minus the chorizo and I added roasted tomatoes instead. Really great pizza and I loved the idea of helium and prawns, yum! Danielle went for the Harissa Lamb, Courgette and Sweet Potato skewers with cous cous and loved it. Course I couldn't try it, but she'd definitely recommend! 

As if we weren't stuffed enough already, we went onto desert as we'd been eyeing up a couple from earlier in the night and we just couldn't turn them down. Danielle went for the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Salted Caramel Ice Cream and said it was amazing, though a little too sweet for me which was why I went for the Key Lime Pie and honestly, this was game changing. I'm not much of a desert person, but this was incredible. 

I couldn't recommend Rocket in Holborn enough - great food, great service, great ambiance! No complaints at all. 

Can I just have a couple more plates of those crab cakes and key lime pie though please? Thanks... 

Lorna x

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Sponsored Video: #ENDEMBARRASSMENT

I for one am probably the worst when it comes to what I'm talking about today. Talking about intimate things sometimes even with a Doctor is a total no go area for me which I know is probably one of the worst things, such a bad idea and something I know I totally need to put behind me, which is why I decided to work on this post with Vagisil, as I just know there will be a few of you in my position too! 

Vagisil spoke to 2,000 women and nearly half said they were embarrassed to talk about the subject. Hands up who's with them? I certainly am! This is something we all need to address and that's why Vagisil have started their #ENDEMBARRASSMENT campaign to help us ladies a little bit along the way to feeling more confident about our bodies. 

I guess it's one of those situations where we just have to think, well we're all the same, we all have the same issues and with the whole doctor sitch, well they've definitely seen it all before and won't be thinking about it half as much as you will be. So just take a deep breath, and just do it. It'll be worse in the long run if you don't. 

Vagisil has so many bad connotations, I guess it's one of those product that everyone hears about just for that reason and I for one will put my hands up and say that's what I thought too. But their survey revealed that more than half of the women they asked used intimate health products like their own for personal hygiene and not just for the specific issues we relate these products with. So actually it's not quite as daunting as we thought in the first place right? We need to stop thinking about these things with these negative connotations as it can really affect people. 

Let's do what Vagisil are suggesting and #ENDEMBARRASMENT, who's with me?

Lorna x

*Post sponsored by Vagisil

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The Repurchase: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

It's rare I repurchase something as I'm a serial product user and am always trying something out, so it really takes something amazing for me to not be able to be without it. Enter the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly and I've been obsessed ever since. It's perfect for my pale skin as it's actually pale enough for a colour match. I thought maybe I wouldn't get any use out of it now I've caught the sun a little as it's slightly too light to use all over but it's perfect as I can finally achieve the whole highlighted look using a concealer lighter under the eyes. Perfect! 

The texture is super creamy, unlike anything I've tried before and it blends perfectly into my dry skin something that many concealers don't do. It doesn't leave my skin looking cake-y but gives a high coverage, covering everything I want it to. 

It's incredible and I totally see why everyone loves it and hypes it up. If you haven't tried it yet, you need to and I bet you'll end up not being able to live without it like me! 

What product do you alway end up repurchasing? 

Lorna x

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