My First Boxing Lesson

Genesis Mind and Body

For my first boxing lesson, I visited Chris in his studio.

"Genesis is a holistic wellness centre located in Shepherds Bush, West London. Our services include personal training, expert nutritional advise, physiotherapy and life coaching.

We provide a fun, friendly and inspiring environment to cater for all of our clients goals."

For more info see below:
Website: www.genesismindandbody.co.uk click here
Enquiries: Chris.davies@genesismindandbody.com

A few words from Chris himself:

"Hi guys, 
I'm Chris Davies.

I am a highly experienced personal trainer and co owner of Genesis mind and body. 
I have worked in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years and I still retain the passion and enthusiasm I started out with.

I would describe myself as someone who likes to inspire and motivate others to be the best version of themselves both inside and out."

My Initial Thoughts of Boxing

Prior to speaking to Chris, I had never really given much thought to boxing and when he suggested boxing, I was a little sceptical about it. For some reason, I have always associated boxing with violence... However, since becoming more passionate about leading a healthy lifestyle and wanting to try out new things, I thought why not?

Having always been a girly girl, I'm sure my friends and family would never have imagined me putting on boxing gloves and punching away at some pads! Nevertheless, having had my first encounter with boxing, I now think about it as not only being a different type of exercise but also a fun way to exercise. More and more personal trainers are incorporating boxing into their workouts with clients which have been incredibly effective!

I decided to film part of my lesson to show you guys! Enjoy!

First Impression

My first impressions of having my hands wrapped and having boxing gloves put on my hands, I thought ohmygod what have I got myself into. My advice is not to have long nails when you're going into a boxing lesson/class! Trust me, it hurts when you punch!! Being a fast learner, I was able to pick up the stance quickly and then the names of the moves. In just a short amount of time, I learnt a combination and now know how to punch!! My favourite move is the 'hook'. According to Chris, I have a mean left hook so guys, watch out! Only joking....

The boxing lesson was incredibly fun and it definitely helps if the lesson is with someone who is fun!! Chris is a great trainer to be able to deal with me as I''m so hyperactive and impatient when it comes to learning new fun things!

Having really enjoyed my first session boxing, it is something I definitely want to continue with. 

Chris praying I don't accidentally punch him in the face!

Teaching me some new moves!

Would I Recommend Boxing?

Absolutely.

I think boxing would be perfect for those who want to have fun and exercise at the same time or for those who get stressed and/ or angry because you can relieve your stress/anger on a punch bag!

I would really urge those who have never given boxing a try to go and try it out! Go take part in a boxing class or simply book a one-on-one lesson (this can be done with Chris at Genesis).

Thanks Chris for giving me my first boxing lesson!

My Fitness Journey

Intro

I recently embarked on a fitness journey after eating so much fried food when I was living in London and not exercising because I was going out clubbing and consuming large amounts of alcohol. I realised my lifestyle needed to change because I was incredibly unhealthy!

As I am really serious about changing my lifestyle, I have got myself a personal trainer and train with him once a week and working towards losing some body fat and achieving a nice toned body!

I thought I would show you a few photos I took of myself quite early on in my journey. I'm still in the early stages so there hasn't been that much physical change in my body. However, after 3 weeks, I've lost 2kg. I know that my physical appearance will not change straight away as it takes time so I am being patient!

If you want to follow my fitness journey, follow me on Instagram: click here

Day 13

Day 20

Day 25

This top is everything. It's how I feel most mornings but I still get up and get going with the rest of my day and ensure I exercise as I want to achieve my goal!

I bought these beautiful Nike trainers as soon as I joined LA Fitness to motivate me!

Diet

This is something that needed to drastically change as I am addicted to everything junk food related and love fried food! When I was in London, I would skip breakfast and just snack until lunchtime on junk food like crisps and chocolate. For lunch, I would get one of those lunch deals from Tesco where I would have a chicken mayo sandwich, a pack of crisps and a Tropicana Orange or a Fanta. I was also getting into the habit of going for lunch in a pub with my friends and consuming unhealthy burgers and chips with a plate of onion rings on the side and a fizzy drink. For dinner, I had cheesy pasta, chicken and chips or I would go dine out with friends and have fish and chips, pizza or some other fried food! Obviously, if I carry on eating this way, I think I would die!! My heart would not be able to handle all the fast food and junk food! Also, to make things harder, I really do not like vegetables and I am an incredibly picky eater therefore I really have to force myself to eat vegetables now and to not be so picky with food!

Myfitnesspal App

Now that I have embarked on my fitness journey, I was recommended by my personal trainer to download the app 'Myfitnesspal' which has helped me massively. This app allows me to keep track of the food I'm consuming and help keep track of the calories, nutrients and macros. I also bought scales to weigh my food so that it's more accurate!

Breakfast

For breakfast, I usually have Greek Style yoghurt, the original flavour. With the yoghurt, I add a selection of berries, banana and granola as seen in the photos below. In one of the photos, the yoghurt is slightly pink because I decided to mix it up a little and put the yoghurt in my Nutribullet and blended the yoghurt with some berries and banana. However, I didn't do this again as it didn't taste as nice! Also, that way, I was consuming far too much sugar according to Myfitnesspal! My personal trainer actually told me to eat Natural Greek Yoghurt and I tried the one by Yeo Valley and it made me nearly sick! It was far too strong in flavour and extremely creamy. I absolutely hated it and bought a huge tub which is so annoying but oh well. I'm going to stick with Greek Style yoghurt as I way prefer the taste.

An alternative breakfast option is Oat So Simple. I get the original flavour which has individual sachets as I find it easier to measure portions. I add semi-skimmed milk to this and warm it up in the microwave then add honey when it is hot. I also like to add a selection of fruit to my porridge as I think it tastes a lot better and makes me more full so I don't snack. This is a great breakfast option as porridge is not only good for you but oats are high in fibre and naturally contain beta-glucan which helps lower cholesterol! 

Sometimes when I'm in a rush and don't have time to make breakfast, I grab a banana and a Special K cereal bar. This isn't as good but it's better than nothing!

Blended the yoghurt with a selection of berries and some banana then added the fruit on top. This is actually far too much sugar for your daily allowance so I wouldn't really recommend it. Also, it didn't taste as nice!

Oats So Simple porridge with fresh strawberries and a banana

Lunch

I tend to mix it up for lunch. When I'm in lectures all day, I pack myself a salad for lunch containing chicken, egg, mixed salad leaves and some charlotte potatoes like in the second photo. When I'm not out, I will have either risotto that I made from the night before containing chicken, broccoli and cauliflower and add some mixed salad leaves. Sometimes, I even have salmon, sweet potato and some mixed salad leaves. I try and keep lunch quite simple.

Risotto, chicken, broccoli, cauliflower and mixed salad leaves.

Mixed salad leaves, chicken, boiled egg and charlotte potatoes

Dinner

I enjoy cooking but I find it takes up so much time and sometimes I just don't have the time to cook therefore cook in big portions then have them as leftovers in a box and put it in the fridge for the next couple of days.

For dinner, I always incorporate some veggies now like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, sweet potato and peppers. I always have some sort of meat like salmon, chicken and steak. I absolutely love meat and having a lot of protein is good for you as it makes you feel more full and means it will limit the chances of you snacking!

Okay the last photo there are chips in it but I never really have chips anymore as it is bad carbs. I only had it that day as I was rewarding myself for maintaining a good diet oh and it goes well with steak!

Snacking

This is probably the hardest for me as I love snacks! However, obviously with my fitness plan, I'm not meant to be eating junk food! I have a nutribullet so nowadays, I do blend a lot of fruit and water to make myself a juice. 

My go to juice has been my 'green juice' which includes lots of spinach, a banana, one apple and a handful of strawberries. It tastes absolutely delicious! I sometimes don't use apple and add mango and pineapple instead.

Types of Exercises I do

Most of my workout incorporates weights as my aim is to tone up and lose a bit of weight as I have a high percentage of body fat.

For every exercise, I do 3 sets of 15 reps and add weights whenever I can. I warm up by doing 5 minutes on the cross trainer and stretches.

Examples of the exercises:

Squats - 10kg 

Lunges - 3kgs

Chest Press - 15kg

Leg Press - 40kg

Pull Down - 25kg

Seated Row - 15kg

Slam Ball - 8kg-12kg

Kettle Bell Swings - 12kg

Vsit Rotations - 6kg ball

Sit Ups with Shoulder Press - 6kg ball

Vsit - 30 seconds hold

Plank - 30 seconds hold

Burpees

Leg Raises

Cardio:

10 mins Treadmill

10 mins Stepper

15 mins Rowing

I've also been participating in some exercise classes like conditioning where it's basically circuits containing exercises like press ups, kettle bell swings and using a rope.

I absolutely love playing with gym equipment as it makes exercise a lot more fun! I do not enjoy cardio as I find it so boring.

Also, when I feel like I'm going to skip a gym session, I go on the internet and buy myself some cute gym wear to motivate me again! Try it if you feel the same way!

Back to Blogging

Hello all!

For the past 6 months, I've been extremely busy due to work commitments and also went a little crazy with my social life! Anyway, now that I am back to being a university student (final year), I have a little bit more time so I can finally blog again! Some of the upcoming posts will be about my new fitness regime as I really let go in the summer, my life in London over the summer including some tips about London property and my recent holiday to Greece, Italy and Turkey. I'm really excited to share these with you!

Just a little update

Over the summer, I lived in Kentish Town (northern line) throughout the summer which I really enjoyed! I worked at a bank and made loads of new friends on my internship that I went out so much, probably about 3 times a week and spent barely anytime actually in my flat in London! I ate out all the time which I absolutely loved!! However, this really was bad for my diet as I started to get fatter! I tried to go for a run every so often but this was like once every 3 weeks and the run didn't last long....

When my internship finished at the beginning of September, I went on holiday with my parents and sister on a cruise around Greece, Italy and Turkey which was really fun. We actually decided to try Celebrity Cruises again even after the disaster from the last Celebrity cruise we did back over Christmas and New Year. However, this time the ship was a lot better and so were the staff which made it more enjoyable although the entertainment was still really poor. I will do a review of this cruise in a post soon!

I'm now back at Loughborough University in my final year studying Banking, Finance and Management. I also have a graduate job lined up which I am so happy about as this means I have more time to myself as I don't have to apply for jobs like crazy! I've been hitting the gym 5-6 times a week as part of my new fitness regime and meet with my personal trainer once a week for a session! I am absolutely loving the new healthy me where I eat more healthily, TRYING to stop snacking on chocolate and crisps but it is definitely proving difficult for me! I just can't resist!!! You can track my fitness journey via my Instagram account click here. A blog post on my fitness journey so far will be posted this weekend!!

Quote of the Day

"If you can dream it, you can do it."

- Walt Disney

My Allergic Reactions - Sensitive Skin

Quick Intro

This is a very difficult topic for me to talk about. I didn't really want to upload photos on the internet of my allergic reactions because they really are ugly. However, I think it is extremely important to send a powerful message across to everyone regarding products you're applying to your delicate skin.

Please do not just apply any product on your skin! Research and speak to people about the products or you may suffer long term damage to your skin!

This blog post is about a recent experience with a brand that has caused long term damage to my skin. I'm going to be telling you about my skin before the incident, a bit about the brand that caused my allergic reactions and finally my skin now.

As a result of my severe allergic reaction, I was prescribed steroids, antibiotics and given two different creams.

BEFORE

My skin type was combination and my skin was not sensitive. I also had clear skin luckily and never really had a big outbreak of spots. Sometimes during my period, I would get the odd spot.

This is me make-up free. I had just got my hair dyed red so you may see red around my forehead! Haha

Arbonne Incident

Back in October 2014, (one year ago) I was given the opportunity to try some skincare products from Arbonne and I took that chance to trial the products for a few days. I absolutely loved trying different products from different brands and basically thought my skin could handle absolutely everything as I didn't have sensitive skin.

Unfortunately, the experience was absolutely awful which resulted me being severely allergic to the products and now I am suffering long term damage to my skin as a result of the products. Please note that the products will not affect everyone in the same way. I did a review on my horrific experience using Arbonne skin products so if you wish to have a read of my experience, please click here. 

I'm still really unsure why my skin has reacted this way but my guess is that the products that were given to me to trial were already opened and could have been contaminated. I was stupid enough to still apply the products to my skin but the way I see it, when you go into shops and there are samples there for you to try, they are already open. I never had an allergic reaction from sample products from shops so I didn't think anything of it when I applied the Arbonne products to my skin.

The Arbonne skin care range I tried.

After

My skin type is still combination. My skin was not at all sensitive before the Arbonne incident. However, ever since applying Arbonne skin products, I have been suffering from random allergic reactions which have been so bad that I had to go seek doctors advice. My skin is now also incredibly sensitive which is really upsetting as before I didn't need to worry about what I was applying to my face. Now, I have to be extremely careful with products I pick up and try.

The photos I will be showing you really don't show how bad my skin was when I had a severe allergic reaction which is really annoying. My doctor has now arranged for me to go see a dermatologist however I have to wait a couple more months before my appointment.

Products I used in the past, I can no longer use including Johnson's face wipes (moisturising for dry skin) which I used all the time before. They are now too strong for my skin so now I have to use Simple face wipes and Johnson's extra-sensitive face wipes. I also have to look for products that are only suitable for extra sensitive skin which really limits the amount of products I can use.

The photo below shows the random severe allergic reaction I suffered. I have a feeling this was due to using the Johnson's face wipes (moisturising for dry skin) as it really felt like my face was burning when I wiped my face with it. I suffered from redness and extremely dry flaky skin for about 2 weeks before my skin got progressively worse. My face and neck started swelling up and the redness got worse and eventually my face and neck swelled so much that I could barely open my eyes and my face stung so bad. My neck was also infected from me scratching because the reaction was incredibly itchy so I scratched during the night when I slept. My face was burning so much that I went to grab ice and I iced my face and neck but the next day, my face and neck were so bad I had to go see my doctor. I actually looked like someone who had suffered from burns to my face and neck because my skin was that red raw. Unfortunately, the photos don't really show this.

I was living in London for work and my doctor was all the way in Sussex. Unfortunately, this came at the worst time as there was a tube strike in London therefore I had to get an Uber to Victoria station and of course I did not want to be seen by anyone in the state I was in so I wore the biggest sunglasses in an attempt to hide my face and neck! The journey took 3 hours to see my doctor.

Severe allergic reaction to my face and neck. You can see my face is really swollen and I can barely open my eyes.

My mother picked me up from the station and was absolutely shocked when she saw my face. Likewise, my sister was scared when she saw what I looked like. She said I didn't even look like myself. When I saw my doctor, she immediately knew it was an allergic reaction and was feeling really sorry for me.

Due to the severe allergic reaction, I was given steroids to take for 7 days along with antibiotics for my infected neck and cream to apply over my face and neck. I have now been referred to a dermatologist.

Luckily, my skin got better after about 4 days of taking the medication.

However, my skin has never fully healed. I have been suffering from random allergic reactions but luckily they haven't been as extreme as above.

Reaction on my cheek.

Redness above my eye and on my cheek.

Conclusion

Now that you've seen photos of my allergic reactions, please do not just apply anything to your face. Really research products and speak to people about the different products.

I have to be extremely careful with what I apply on my face and neck now to reduce the chances of suffering from another allergic reaction.

Also, if you have an advice for me, please post a comment or send me a message as I'd love to hear from you if you know anything about skin :)

Glam Make-up Look

Products Used

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Ex1 Foundation in F300 and F400

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Medium

Clinique Stay-Matte Pressed Powder in Stay Honey

The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer

BH Cosmetics Glamorous Blush (matte dark pink shade)

The Balm Maryloumanizer 

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate

Inglot eyeliner in black (77)

No 7 Exceptional Definition Mascara

Mac Extended Play Gigablack Lash (bottom lashes only)

Nyx High Definition Eye Shadow Base

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette: 

- Salted Caramel in the crease

- Semi-Sweet in the outer v and bottom lash line

-  Creme Brulee on the lid

- Champagne Truffle in the inner corner

Lashes from Hong Kong but any pair will do

Nyx Red Retractable Lip Liner

Nyx Lip Smacking Colours in Eros

The focus of this look is on the bright red lips and lashes. This look can be worn to an event such as prom, formal dinner or even a dinner date. This look isn't too heavy on the eyes as I want the focus to be on the lips.

If you are going to be taking photos, remember to try and use a foundation that contains no SPF to ensure there is no flashback in photos! You do not want your face to look white compared to the rest of your body. Likewise, make sure the setting powder you use also contains no SPF as that too can cause flashback in photos.

You can opt for a lighter concealer if you want the more "highlighted" look to brighten up your face but I decided to use a concealer that is quite close to my foundation colour.

I also opted for a very flirty blush colour, a dark matte pink because I wanted to get that "flush" of colour on my cheeks.

Also, remember to use a highlighter on your cheekbones so that when the light catches your face, you are glowing! You can also use highlighter on your cupid's bow, your nose and above your eyebrows.

For my eyes, I first applied my mascara, eye liner and lashes because this is the process I like to do but everyone does their make-up different so don't think you need to do it my way. I then applied an eyeshadow base, the NYX high definition eyeshadow base is a very good one to use and I've been using this one for ages and it seems to work very well! I decided to use my chocolate bar palette from Too Faced. Too Faced are such an amazing brand and I love the packaging of their products. I especially love their eyeshadows and my chocolate bar palette actually smells like chocolate! I used salted caramel in the crease so that it enables my eyeshadows to all blend together nicely. I then applied semi-sweet which is a dark brown in the outer v and bottom lash line. I blended semi-sweet out with salted caramel and smoked out the bottom lash line by blending it so it doesn't look too harsh and opted for a brown rather than black so it too doesn't look harsh. I used creme brulee on the lid and this shade is a metallic gold colour and it is so beautiful! I do not think the photos do this look any justice to be honest! The final shade I used is champagne truffle in the inner corner to brighten up my eyes.

NYX is one of my favourite brands because of how affordable the products are. The lipsticks are so creamy and buttery in consistency that it glides on so easily. Unfortunately, not all drugstore products are like this! Anyway, I lined my lips with the red retractable lip pencil so that it prevents my lips from "bleeding" red from the lipstick. I overlined my lips because my lips are generally quite thin and this is easily done by just following the outline of your lips. It is only slightly overlined though otherwise I think I would look silly if I went overboard! I then applied the lipstick in eros by NYX. The lipstick is quite glossy so I decided not to apply a lip gloss over it but if you want your lips to look extra glossy, go ahead and apply your favourite red lipgloss!

To finish off the look, you can apply a facial setting spray. Usually, I use Mac Fix +.

Big Easy | Restaurant Review

About Big Easy

Big Easy is an American diner located in Covent Garden and Kings Road in London. Big Easy is best known for their lobsters, steak and ribs. To view their website, please click here

Big Easy gets busy very quickly so try and make a booking if you can! Also, Big Easy is known for their daily specials. I've got a link to the daily specials at the end of my blog so definitely go check that out if you wanna pay a visit :)

My Experience

I visited the Big Easy in Covent Garden on Sunday at 7pm. We made a booking for four to celebrate my sister's birthday. The restaurant itself was quite busy at that time so bare that in mind when reading this review!

The Menu and Pricing

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the menu was. There is a large selection of starters to choose from followed by 'Real Pit-Cooked FRESH Bar.B.Q', 'Fresh Seafood', 'Steaks', 'Speciality Sandwiches' and 'Homemade Side Dishes'. 

I decided to go for the 14 oz sirloin steak because I'm a massive fan of steak with fries. My sister, mum and dad decided to go for the lobster fest. 

14 oz sirloin steak and fries = £30.40

Lobster fest = £20 (includes fries and a Slushie Cocktail or Schooner of Ice Cold Craft Lager or Ale. 

As you can see from the prices above, the steak is very expensive but definitely worth it! The lobster fest in my opinion is very cheap for what you get. 

The Food, Drink and Service

I cannot fault the food, drink and service at Big Easy. My steak was so delicious and I really enjoyed the fries. They were very crispy which is how I like it! I really struggled to finish the steak though because the portion size was quite large for me. Perhaps, for a guy eating the steak, it would be the perfect sized steak. My mum had a cocktail which contained a lot of vodka which got her very drunk as she does not usually drink alcohol which was absolutely hilarious. She really enjoyed her drink though and my sister enjoyed her lemonade. My parents and sister really enjoyed their lobster fest. They thought it was a very good sized lobster and the fries were nice. The only problem that occurred during the meal was how difficult it was to get the shell off the lobster. Big Easy provide you with utensils to do it yourself but we needed assistance from the waitress. The waitress we had for our meal was very attentive and polite which we were very grateful for. 

The Atmosphere

This restaurant was right up my street. Great atmosphere, lively and vibrant with great décor and a live band playing downstairs.

Overall

I would 100% recommend this restaurant. I really enjoyed it here and would definitely return again. It is a little on the pricey side but definitely worth it. The staff are attentive, great atmosphere and fantastic food. I would only suggest you avoid this restaurant if you are after a quiet meal because it is more on the lively side. 

If I had to rate this restaurant, I would easily give it 9/10. Book a table if you can to avoid disappointment. Also, Big Easy have daily specials so check it out here to get a good offer! 

Honest Burgers | Restaurant Review

About Honest Burgers

There are 5 Honest Burgers located around London: Brixton, Soho, Camden, Portobello and Kings Cross. There is a small selection of burgers available on their menu as seen in the photo below. To access Honest Burgers, please click here

Drinks Menu

My Experience

The Queue

I went to Honest Burgers on a Thursday evening about 7:30pm in Soho. The wait to get a table was incredibly long. We were initially told the wait would only be around 30 minutes so we went to get drinks at a nearby restaurant/bar. We returned to the restaurant after 30 minutes to be faced with a further 40 minute wait. I understand that timing does depend on how long people take to dine but the accuracy of timings given to us was completely off. They should have a good idea of how long it should take because they know the number of tables they have and the number of people on the waiting list for a table. I believe Honest Burgers should be HONEST with timings instead of worrying that customers will choose a different restaurant that has no waiting time or a shorting waiting time. I would happily wait an hour if they had said it will take approximately an hour for the table but for us to wait DOUBLE the time we were told, I was not a happy bunny! We could have had another drink instead of waiting outside the restaurant along with other unhappy customers!

The Menu and Pricing

For a small restaurant, the menu is was okay. I went for the chicken burger (free range chicken breast, lettuce, tomato and mustard mayonnaise). I specifically asked for no mustard mayonnaise but when the food arrived on our table, it was clear the waitress did not pass the message on to the kitchen staff or the kitchen staff just 'forgot'. Anyway, all burgers come with fries so at £9, it wasn't too extortionate. I also ordered a Sauvignon Blanc with my meal.

The Food, Drink and Service

This was all so disappointing. There was nothing good about the food and drink and I was extremely annoyed at how long we waited for a table to be faced with food that was very poor quality. The presentation of the food was pretty bad and it just did not look appetising at all! To be honest, it just looked like a sloppy mess in front of me. I also want to mention that between the two of us, we were given one knife which was on my plate. This shows a lack of care towards its customers by not offering a knife and fork with the meal. I do not expect to walk into a restaurant to eat with my fingers! Our drinks did not arrive and we had to ASK the waitress for our drinks after our food arrived which again shows how poor the service was. I took a sip of my wine and my gosh, it was one of the most foul tasting wine I have ever had! It left the worst after taste. Also, the wine was served in a little cup, not a glass which did not amuse me at all. I was not impressed whatsoever with anything that this restaurant had to offer. The chips were over cooked that when I tried to get some on my fork, it would just bounce away because of how overly crispy they were. The chicken burger was a disappointment. This is the type of meal that should have been sent back to the kitchen because of how poor quality it was. I just wanted to get out of the restaurant as soon as possible because of how bad my experience was.

The Atmosphere

This was the only good thing about the restaurant. The music choice was appropriate and the volume of it too was also appropriate.

Overall

I had a very poor experience with this restaurant and I will not be returning. Most people seemed to enjoy this restaurant according to trip advisor but I have to say, it was nothing but a disappointment. Perhaps I visited this restaurant at the wrong time or they have just changed the chef. To be honest, McDonalds is a better choice than this... and that is saying something. 

If I had to give a rating for this restaurant, I would give it 4/10. This is below average because of the poor customer service, poor food and drink and because we were not given an honest answer when we asked how long the wait would be. I have been to restaurants where you cannot book and just have to wait like Flat Iron and I would happily wait for a table.

Update 04.04.15

Realised I haven't done an update for a while!

Work has been pretty busy lately which has been quite good. I finish my placement at the end of June which is sad as I've really enjoyed working with people at the company. 

The last update I did, I mentioned I was going to vlog my holiday around Asia. Unfortunately, I have decided I won't be posting this online due to not enjoying the cruise as much as I thought I would. I was really disappointed with the cruise ship although the port of calls were decent. The vlogging was pretty negative and you can tell I wasn't enjoying it therefore it's not fun to watch someone complaining! Also, I felt quite awkward vlogging in public haha. I did write a review on Celebrity Cruises instead though so if you want to have a read, please click here and if you want to see what I wore, please click here. 

I recently rearranged my bedroom. I wasn't happy with how it looked for a long time so I finally did something about it. I bought a new bed, moved the furniture around and rearranged my make-up. I think I'll do a blog post about it soon!! 

Also, some very exciting news! I became an auntie 3 weeks ago and literally adore this baby. I love babies so much and just children in general so I cannot wait to see him grow up!! 

Anyway, not much else to update you with now but stay tuned and you will see some make-up looks, more restaurant reviews and more exciting things on my blog :). Hope you all have a lovely Easter.

The Slug and Lettuce | Restaurant Review

What is Slug and Lettuce?

Well, Slug and Lettuce is a large chain of bars that operate in the UK, with the majority located in London and the South East. The atmosphere is very pub like which is nice as it is very relaxing!

The bars are apparently designed for a more youthful clientele and I definitely got that impression when I set foot in the bar/restaurant.


All Slug and Lettuce outlets serve food throughout the day. The type of food on offer are sandwiches, burgers, pasta and salads. Basically, they offer what all pubs usually offer!

Please click here to access their website.

10oz rib-eye steak (matured for a minimum of 35 days, char-grilled. Served with chips, onion rings, watercress and cherry vine tomato. Price £15.45

My experience

I went to The Slug and Lettuce after work on a Wednesday evening. It was not even my intention to go to The Slug and Lettuce but I wanted to go to a restaurant close to my office so decided to try The Slug and Lettuce in London Bridge. Luckily, we were able to get a table for 2 at around 6:30pm but it was getting busy!

I really enjoyed myself t at The Slug and Lettuce and I can't believe that it was my first time going a few days ago! The atmosphere in the restaurant was really nice and chilled. The waiters and waitresses were polite and attentive and for once, I have nothing to complain about!

I had a difficult time picking what to eat because there were quite a few good options to choose from! Of course, if you read my blog posts, you must know by now that I have some sort of obsession with steak. Therefore, because I love steak, I decided it would be a safe option to choose it! The steak came with chips, onion rings, cherry vine tomatoes and watercress. For £15.45, I thought it was pretty reasonable AND I didn't even end up finishing my steak because I was so full!

The service was great as we only waited about 10 minutes for our food so I was pretty impressed seeing as I have waited a long time at other pubs for my lunch when the pub is pretty much empty!

Would I recommend The Slug and Lettuce?

Absolutely. The Slug and Lettuce are always having promotional offers so if you haven't been before and want to try it, go and check out the offers! Hopefully, you will not be disappointed but I do find restaurant experiences vary according to time and the location of the restaurant.

I really enjoyed my experience and I would definitely return at a later stage!

If I was to rate my experience, I would give it 8/10.

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows & Swatches | Review

Makeup Geek

Makeup Geek website: click here

If you are reading this review from the UK or outside of the US, you may be thinking what is this brand, I've never heard of it. Well, Makeup Geek is very well-known in the US and if you watch beauty videos on youtube, you may have heard of it too! I think Makeup Geek is a great dupe for MAC eyeshadows. 

I am not exactly sure how long Makeup Geek has been around but I'm gunna guess it is around 2 years? They offer a range of different products and the collection is constantly growing!

I bought my eyeshadows just over a month ago, however only just received them. I will go into detail later about my experience with the shipping from the US. 

The Eyeshadows

I ended up buying 18 eyeshadows from Makeup Geek. I have heard so much about Makeup Geek from the beauty gurus I watch on youtube in addition to the instagram makeup posts I see of people using the products. 

I bought two different types of eyeshadows, foiled and normal eyeshadows.

** I don't think the swatches do the eyeshadows any justice. They look so much better in reality.**

Top row: in the spotlight, grandstand and flame thrower
Middle row: mesmerized, country girl and glamorous
Bottom row: prom night, shimma shimma and drama queen

Left to right: in the spotlight, grandstand and flame thrower (all foiled eyeshadows)

Top to bottom: flame thrower, grandstand and in the spotlight

I bought 4 foiled eyeshadows: in the spotlight, grandstand, flame thrower and mesmerized. These are foiled eyeshadows are so pigmented and creamy. Just a tiny swatch and what is shown above is what you get out of it! You only need a tiny bit of product and that will go such a long way. I love these foiled eyeshadows and I think they would be perfect for a special event like a wedding and even for a night out! 

Left to right: mesmerized, country girl, glamorous, prom night, shimma shimma and drama queen

As mentioned earlier, mesmerized is a foiled eyeshadow. Shimma shimma would be the perfect shade for an inner corner highlight. Country girl is a great crease colour and drama queen would be great for the outer corner. 

Top row: peach smoothie, unexpected and frappe
Middle row: creme brulee, cocoa bear and mocha
Bottom row: mermaid, mercury and corrupt

Left to right: peach smoothie, unexpected, frappe, creme brulee and cocoa bear

Peach smoothie, frappe, creme brulee and cocoa bear are great shades for the crease and building colour to get a very blended out look and sculpting the eye. Cocoa bear would also be a very good outer crease colour . Unexpected is a very nice matte lid shade. Peach smoothie would be the perfect crease shade for you if you have a lighter skin tone. It doesn't come out as pigmented on me because of my skin tone.

Left to right: mocha, mermaid, mercury and corrupt

Corrupt is such a pigmented shade and I did experience a little fallout with this. However, I have never come across a matte black that has not had fallout so it was to be expected. Mermaid is such a beautiful shade. Mocha is another great shade for the crease and outer corner.

Note: These eyeshadows will come out differently on different skin tones. E.g. the lighter shades like creme brulee hasn't come out that pigmented on me, however it is really pigmented when applied on someone who has a lighter skin tone.

What I think of Makeup Geek

I am incredibly impressed with these eyeshadows, especially the foiled  eyeshadows! They are very affordable although they are a little difficult to get hold off due to the store being located in the US.

I own a few MAC eyeshadows and I definitely prefer these eyeshadows. They are very similar in size and MAC's eyeshadows are £13 each which I think is very expensive for just a small single eyeshadow.

I will now list the prices of the Makeup Geek eyeshadows. Due to having the products shipped over to the UK from the US, I did have to pay custom charges so I will list the approximate price for if you are shopping from the UK in addition to the US prices.

Makeup Geek Prices:

Foiled eyeshadows: US $9.99 UK £8 (including 20% tax)

Normal eyeshadow pans: US $5.99 UK £4.80 (including 20% tax)

Z Palette (black): US $14.99 UK £12 (including 20% tax)

Z Palette (pink): US $14.99 UK £12 (including 20% tax)

Would I recommend Makeup Geek?

I highly recommend these eyeshadows if you are a makeup artist or just enjoy wearing makeup. They are so affordable and great quality. I definitely prefer these eyeshadows to my MAC eyeshadows and they are a fraction of the price which makes it so much better!

**NOTE: I had trouble having these shipped over from the US because Makeup Geek use Royal Mail and unfortunately, I never received the note from Royal Mail saying that I had to go to the post office to pay my custom charges. I have ordered from the US before (BH Cosmetics) and never had any trouble. I think Royal Mail just made a mistake or the slip got lost in the post. I don't think this happens often so please do not think Makeup Geek aren't reliable because they are. I just had trouble with my order.