Baowow, Bristol

Posted on March 29, 2014 by

We just cannot get enough of Asian food at the moment.

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Hot on the heels of our trip to Yume, myself and Tom had a cheeky Friday after-work dinner at Baowow on Baldwin Street. I had seen a picture of it’s treasures on good blog friend Sophie‘s Instagram, and had to taste it for myself.

It’s a teeny tiny little shop tucked away near the steps to the market, next door to Snappy Tomato Pizza Extra (best pizza shop name ever?). It’s a stylish clean interior with white tables and stools, the amazing menu chalked on one wall, while another is made of grass! I was also pretty transfixed with the logo on the soy sauce bottle, don’t ask me why.

I had pork pho, which turned out to be amazingly tender and tasty pork atop a mountain of rice noodles, with pak choi and spring onions in a clear broth. Tom had a kimchi beef and cheese burger – the messiest cheese burger I have ever seen, with Korean spicy coleslaw stuff (sort of) and chips coated in some variety of savoury awesomeness. He snaffled all of his before I could take a photo though!

Needless to say, both dishes were absolutely amazing, and what’s more, the whole bill – a massive bowl of noodle soup, a massive cheese burger and chips, and two drinks – came to just over £16. Plus they do a lunch deal which is only a fiver! We will definitely be visiting again.

Summer Clothes for Fat-Bottomed Girls

Posted on March 26, 2014 by

Hey, don’t take offence at the title of this post. I am, of course, referring to myself as much as I am referring to anyone who dreads the return of summer because it means revealing the lower half of their body.

I have never been a thin girl. Even as a toddler I had ‘thunder thighs’ – my legs coupled with my larger-than-average sticky-out bottom seem to be my defining feature, and something which people seem to think can and should be publicly commented on (on several occasions). As if I didn’t realise, or something?!
I chose to glumly accept this fact that this is just what my lower half looks like, living in tights and leggings and shunning anything that could vaguely accentuate my bottom half. Playing roller derby has certainly not helped in the thundery thigh department, but hey, on a positive note, it makes me sound like some kind of female version of Thor, and I could probably beat you in a squat-off. These bad boys are STRONG.

I have always hated summer, not least for the hot weather it brings (I am pale of face), but also because it means I have to find something vaguely comfortable to wear during the heat wave – tights aren’t allowed – and for the last 24 years of my life, I have completely failed. Well, NO MORE.
I’ve been trawling the internet for the last few weeks as the sunshine has reared its head in search of comfortable bottom-wear which promises to flatter my exaggerated pear-shape. Here are some of my favourites:

From top to bottom, left to right: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

Now, from all my internet super-sleuthing, I have deduced that there are a few clothes shapes which you can trust when looking to flatter the lower half of your body. It’s all about accentuating the parts which you are happiest with (ie if you have a small waist or dainty delicate ankles) and skimming over or cleverly disguising the unhappy parts. However, there were a few rules which I have merrily disregarded, simply for their plain stupidity – chiefly, that you are not allowed to wear prints on your lower half if you are pear-shaped. UM, NO. Some of these colourful beauties were too good to pass up.

Now one shape which we all know flatters any figure is a good old skater dress. This coral-coloured beauty from American Apparel may be pricey, but just look at that buttony detailing down the back! Ah, summer dress heaven.

Next are these adorable horse-print peg leg trousers from our good friend ASOS. Peg legs are supposed to be good for pear shapes, as they are nice and baggy at the top and taper down to draw attention to the ankle. Plus these have horses printed all over them. Yay!

UGH. If there is one pair of trousers that I have well and truly fallen head over heels for it’s these pale yellow cigarette trousers from Topshop. Just look at them. Straight legged items are good for any body shape, so rest assured us fat-bottomed lot will look just as fabulous (if not more) than anyone in these bad boys. Plus, they are only £30, which for the look of the quality, is not too shabby!

I’m not quite sure why palazzo pants are back in fashion, but I sure am glad of it. Just imagine strutting into your workplace like a Milanese fashion designer with these hanging off your hips, a massive pair of wedge sandals and a chihuahua ‘neath your arm. Like a boss.

Next is an explosion in the pattern factory! This wonderful New Look skirt reminds me so much of a Barbie I had for my 5th birthday, she had a Hawaiian print bikini and absolutely reeked of something which was supposed to smell like sunscreen. I imagine this will bring back those cheery memories in every skip and step.

MOAR COLOUR! Now Zara was something which used to pass me by. But this spring/summer it has been my go-to for new clothes shopping (mainly just to drool at their gorgeous website). These egg yolk yellow trousers work in much the same way as a peg leg trouser – baggy at the top, skinny at the bottom – plus I do believe you will put everyone you pass in a good mood, just by looking at you.

A-line is a term which gets banded around a lot when talking about dressing for a pear-shaped figure, as it accentuates the waist and skims over the hips. I couldn’t have a pear-shaped round up without having at least one in there, and this charming little number is crisp, elegant, summery and not too pricey.

Last but not least is this mental offering from the trouser gods offered up by another go-to for well-priced wardrobe staples, boohoo.com. I did a little squeal of joy when I found these; they are probably the only pair of trousers which tick all the boxes for fat-bottomed ladies – nipped in at the waist, baggy leg, and tapered to a skinny ankle. Covers a multitude of sins and makes your pins a big cheery mess of monochrome leopard print. Win.

Now obviously I’m not an authority on the subject, and these are simply suggestions based on what I would buy for myself. At the end of it, fashion is a bit of fun, so let’s not take anyone’s rulebook about what we should and shouldn’t be wearing too seriously, and go forth and live this summer in a blur of glorious colour and fabulous prints. After all, “we make the rockin’ world go round”.

March Birchbox Review

Posted on March 23, 2014 by

I know I probably say the same thing every single month, but where the hell is this year going?! I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of March already. I’m measuring the months by when my next Birchbox will arrive through the door – and it was difficult to miss this one!

To say the packaging on this box is fabulous is an understatement. Birchbox have teamed up this month with the ever-wonderful Lulu Guinness, who has hand picked some of her favourites, one of which is inside the box!

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Inside my box this month was:

Benefit Stay Don’t Stray – full price £20.50, sample price £5.10

Dr Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner – full price £39, sample price £9.75

Korres Citrus Body Milk – full price £9.50, sample price £2.40

Molton Brown Rhubarb & Rose Replenishing Hand Cream – full price £10, sample price £1.75

English Laundry No. 7 For Her – full price £47, sample price £2.15

Lifestyle extra – Candy Rock (in Lulu Guinness stripes!)

The first thing I plucked from the box was the rather large sample of Dr Brandt’s Pore Refiner. These products seem to be ‘de rigeur’ at the moment, and long may it continue – I don’t have the best skin, and large pores are just the first of my worries. I have been using the Porefessional (from January’s box) which is almost running out, and so was pretty grateful for a new pore smoothing sample. This differs to the Benefit product in a few ways – on first impressions it appears to be more tinted, which I quite like, as it means you can get away with wearing the product by itself. It also has a smoother and less cakey texture, and the smell is absolutely wonderful. This may have something to do with the fact that it contains tea tree, meaning as well as banishing shine and creating a smooth complexion, helps to soothe the skin with its antibacterial properties.

I was also rather grateful for my sample of Korres Citrus Body Milk; my skin has been noticeably drier recently, most probably due to the weather changing its mind every five minutes and plunging us back into miserable coldness again. It has a light and creamy texture, and a very grown-up almost herbal smell, which lingers delicately on the skin. Likewise with the Molton Brown hand cream – who would have thought that the combination of rhubarb and roses would make such a heavenly scent? Apparently the inspiration was “… high-end desserts featuring tart rhubarb with delicate rose – unexpected, evocative and deliciously balanced all at once”, and it really is all this and more – it is delicious. I am forever having to moisturise my hands, I have proper old lady skin which is in constant need of hydration. This sinks in beautifully and is the perfect size to pop in my handbag. Win.

Speaking of scents, I am always a little nervous when in receipt of a perfume sample, as I can be a right old scent snob. I have a bit of a blokey taste in perfume, shunning anything remotely sweet or fruity smelling. I was a little apprehensive on first smell of English Laundry No 7, as the initial scent is both of these. However as it settles it becomes muskier, but still retaining it’s light and fun scent. I’m not sure if it would be a go-to scent everyday for me, but it certainly could come out on date nights, or when I’m attempting to feel more feminine.

Finally, we have Lulu Guinness’ pick for this month – Benefit Stay Don’t Stray. This isn’t the only pick from Lulu, you can see the full range on the Birchbox website. I have to admit I haven’t had a chance to try this properly yet, but I am rather excited to do so, as I am an everyday eyeshadow wearer. On first impressions it is a pale and creamy liquid which glides on and blends in rather nicely, with the promise that it won’t clog the delicate eye area, and helps concealer and eyeshadow stay on all day. Let’s see how we get on with that one!

For full details on Birchbox, including how to sign up for their very reasonable monthly subscription, head on over to their website.

DIY Flower Fairy Lights

Posted on March 20, 2014 by

fairy lights

A craft, yay! It seems like an absolute age since I have done anything creative, so when I was contacted by a lovely lady on behalf of Country Baskets, asking if I would like to write a tutorial, how could I say no?

I had a few ideas, and had exhausted my trying to think of a quick and easy project. I had seen a while back, and thought it a genius use of cute cupcake cases – imagine the possibilites! I also liked the idea because shortly before the new year I had been eyeing some gorgeous paper flower lights up in a shop in Bristol, then winced slightly at the price (about 40 of the Queens). I began some research into other ways in which people had interpreted this simple idea, and set about creating my own. This honestly is the most straightforward and quick DIY to jazz up those old Christmas lights.

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I have been in a bit of a peach-and-orange mood of late, and have found myself drawn to these particular colours (such as my mental but completely awesome orange Lime Crime lippy) and so chose two rolls of tissue paper to complete my craft – Orange* and Peach*. I have to admit I was pretty stunned at firstly how many colour options are on the website, but also how quickly they arrived; I was a bit confused when I had a note saying I had a parcel the day after I ordered it!

The price was also incredibly reasonable – a massive roll of 48 sheets is only a mere £2.37 – and these two rolls strung a 100 string of fairy lights and I still have loads left over. As well as a vast selection of coloured papers they have quite literally hundreds of other bits and bobs at wholesale prices – if you’re a crafty bod you don’t really need an excuse to stock up your craft cupboard!

diy flower lights you will need

To complete this craft you will need:

Tissue paper (either one colour, or a multitude of colours)
Old fairy lights (mine were from Asda, about £9)
A glue stick
Scissors
Tape (I used washi tape, but you don’t have to)

Step one is to cut a few layers of your tissue paper into squares, approx 4×4 inches. If you’re anything like me, you don’t have to be mega precise with this, I just did it by eye and I think it adds a nice rustic charm to the final piece. However, if you want to get a ruler out and be precise, then that is also fine. This size determines the size of your flower, so if you want to have a play around then feel free – ginormous ones might look quite awesome!

When you’ve got a few bundles of tissue cut into squares, take one pile and fold in half to make a rectangle, then half again to make a square, then join the straight edges so you have a triangle, such as the one above. If you find the tissue is a bit difficult to fold into this shape you most probably have been a bit too keen and have got too many sheets in your bundle, thin it out a bit and you should be peachy (ha!).

Next, we take our scissors and snip snip the top away in a curvy shape to make the petals. Again, feel free to experiment at this point – I accidentally made a bit of a pointy petal edge and it turned out pretty well, it looked like a lotus flower or something of the sort.

When you have made a curve, snip the point of the triangle off but not too much! This makes the hole which your light will poke through – it’s always better to keep it small as you can always make it bigger at a later stage, but if it’s too big to begin with then we are back to square one!

Open ‘er up and you will have a lovely bunch of little billowy tissue flowers! Smashing.

The next phase is the time consuming one. But fear not, you will have a lovely beautiful hand made thing at the end of it, so it’s best to persevere, I promise. Thread your lights through the little hole, making the hole a little bigger if you have to. My lights are fairly slender, but if you have the green Christmas tree variety they might need a little more persuasion.

At this point, if you have chosen to use two colours like me, or doubled up your tissue paper, you might want to add a teeny dab of glue between sheets just so they have something to cling onto each other with. Try not to get any glue near the lightbulb, stick it in the middle if you have to.

Flip the flower over so you can see the underneath and give the tissue a little pinch and a twist – it helps to keep things together, makes it easier to tape, and also makes a nice flower-y shape when you open it out.

Tape it up using a slender piece of whatever tape you desire – I didn’t happen to have any clear tape in the house, but I think the grey works really nicely with the orange! (Please excuse my chipped mani.)

Repeat for all lights – this is where a shorter string of lights will work in your favour, if you are impatient like me! I split my craft over a couple of evenings, and actually found it pretty therapeutic when I had worked out a system of cutting, shaping, snipping, poking, twisting, taping…

fairy lights

Et voila! You have a lovely inexpensive and beautiful hand made addition to your living room (or wherever takes your fancy). I love the fireplace in our new house, and have used my new fairy lights as an excuse to show it off!

Don’t forget – it’s Mother’s Day at the end of this month, and what better way to say ‘thanks for all the dinner money and lifts to the pub and looking after me when I’m pretending to be poorly from school’ than a nice homemade present? These lights don’t cost the Earth, and I’m sure any mam would appreciate them.

A whole week of Primark

Posted on March 17, 2014 by

I’ve been meaning to write this post for absolutely ages. A few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to do more outfit posts, and as I had recently been on a bit of a spree in oh-so-glamourous Primarni, I organised a few outfits (five, to be precise), got an early bus into work each morning, and took a snap of what I was wearing that day.

Now, like most other people, I have I bit of a love/hate relationship with Primark. There is the obvious ethical argument, (which I won’t go into for fear of being sidetracked, and more likely contradicting myself massively) but there is also the deep-rooted psychological fear of abandonment; of being stranded in a strip lighted nightmare all by myself on a Saturday afternoon, elbowed out of the way by some hungry bargain-hunter with nothing but towering piles of discarded jersey basics for comfort. That is my real fear.

I’m not the best when it comes to shopping anyway, preferring to do most of it in the comfort of my living room over my good friend the internet. But a few weeks ago my lovely lady friend Lisa and I went to get our nails done, and she tempted me to break my 18-month avoidance of Primark with the promise she would help me pick out some new clothes. Here is what I came back home with.

(WARNING: you are about to see a lot of pictures of my chubby face, pulling lots of stupid expressions)

// MONDAY //

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Shirt – Primark, £6 // Skirt – Primark, £3 // Shoes – Dr Martens

I hate Monday mornings. I am still in weekend mode and would rather slouch off to work in my pyjamas rather than bother to get dressed. I chose the next best thing – grey cotton might just be the most comfortable material in the universe, and when it has the Jurassic Park logo emblazoned across the front, it might just make the most awesome T Shirt in the universe. I don’t think I have properly introduced you to my shoes, seeing as I’m not the biggest fan of outfit posts. I bought these in January and they have not left my feet since. If only it would stop getting warmer, I could wear them all year round.

// TUESDAY //

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Dress – Primark, £3 // Necklace – // Lipstick – MAC ‘Please Me’

I liked Tuesday’s outfit. I like the opportunity to dress like a girl; I often don’t feel very ladylike and so when given the opportunity, such as this ALMIGHTY BARGAIN in the form of the most ridiculously cute dress I have ever seen for a mere £3, I jump at the chance to prove my femininity. I even managed to do a mini beehive, and put some lipstick on. Go me.

// WEDNESDAY //

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Shirt – Primark, £5 // Jeggings – M&S, £19.50 // Lipstick – Lime Crime ‘Cosmopop’

AHH! JEANS! Jeans are my nemesis – I have yet to find a pair of jeans in a high street shop which fit correctly. These are what the young folk call ‘jeggings’, and are an exception to the Primark rule, having come from that old favourite, Marks and Sparks. This daisy print beauty is from Primark, and was one of those sod-it-I’ll-buy-it-even-if-it-don’t-fit moments, as it is a size 20, but I think it looks better oversized, anyway. The reason I am stroking my face like a bit of a nutter is because I liked the colour combo of my fabulous orange lips and my spring green/pistachio nails (in case you were confused) – the lippy is Lime Crime, and the nail colour is Butter London.

// THURSDAY //

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Corduroy pinafore – Primark, £5 // Nikes – eBay (fakes) // Shirt – Superdry (old) // Necklace – New Look

Much like my hatred of jeans, I also feel a little uncomfortable about coloured tights. I reckon they look awesome on other people, but I get a little ‘chubby knee’ conscious whenever wearing them, although I do enjoy the weird looks people give me on the bus. I teamed my mustard legs with bright purple fake Nikes, an old Superdry shirt and this black cord pinny dress from Primark, which was a mere £5.

// FRIDAY //

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Dress – Primark, £5 // Shirt – Threadless // Shoes – Urban Fox, Bristol // Lips – Lime Crime Velvetines

Yay Friday! I like to use Fridays as an excuse to dress as ridiculously as possible, and on this occasion I chose another pinny-like denim number from Primark, with my favourite cat T Shirt (alas, you cannot see his face), the best vintage shoes I have ever found, and bright pink lips courtesy of Lime Crime Pink Velvet. Sometimes I think I should probably stop dressing like a child, and then I remember that that’s no fun.

So, I think what I have learned from this valuable life lesson is that Primark isn’t as scary as it seems, and once I get over the fear of the large open space, the seemingly endless queues and the bags which have no structural integrity when it rains, there are indeed bargains to be had. And it takes a brave woman to find them. But when I overcome the initial fear of entering I’m as giddy as a kid in a sweet shop, and exit on the other side with a whole weeks’ worth (and more!) of outfits.

#BrizBlogMeet

Posted on March 11, 2014 by

This post is a little overdue; I feel like a bit of a bad blogger. I also only managed to get four pictures from the whole event – definitely minus blogging points for me!

The Sunday before last I had the privilege of attending the Bristol Bloggers Meet – aka #BrizBlogMeet, hosted by the lovely Emily over at Pretty Please. I had had an inpromtu night out the evening before, and the day after I was feeling a little delicate to say the least. Nevertheless, I drank about a million cups of coffee and headed on down to the event at Vodka Revs in Bristol city centre.

#brizblogmeet

I have to admit, that this was the perfect antidote to any hangover. I didn’t realise that Vodka Rev has a lovely upstairs balcony bit, and with the sunlight through the windows in the ceiling and a cocktail in hand it wasn’t long before I was feeling better. I whiled away the afternoon with SJ, Hayley and Lyzi, and caught up with lots of other lovely blogging pals. I even had a chat with the friendly Lush lady, although sadly I didn’t have any cash on me – note to self, stop at a cashpoint before next blog event…

#brizblogmeet

I was even lucky enough to win a prize on the raffle! What an awesome afternoon this was turning out to be. I picked a custom set of nails as my prize, as y’all know how I feel about well manicured fingernails. There seems to be a wealth of interesting designs on her site, I’ve just got to make my mind up and choose my design!

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I’ve pinched these last couple of photos from Emily, as you can see there were a fair few bloggers who descended on Vodka Revs that afternoon!
We were also each handed an absolutely IMMENSE goody bag at the end, I always feel lucky to receive freebies at events like this, and this one will keep me going for months!

All that remains is to thank Emily and also her lovely chap Phil for organising and hosting such a great event!

Mathilda’s Chilli Bar, Bristol

Posted on March 8, 2014 by

Well waddaya know?! The second time we have dined out in as many weeks. This documented trip is testament to how often we eat out, which is a habit we are trying to curb, but with so many excellent restaurants popping up around Bristol, we just can’t help ourselves! Wednesday evening we took a trip down to the deepest darkest corner of the bearpit in search of Mathilda’s chilli bar.

I stumbled upon this rather excellent venue via their twitter page, and with the promise of free beer with every meal on a Wednesday eve, who could resist giving it a go.

Mathilda’s is located in the small area of shops towards the back of the bearpit, nearest to the bus station. I bet you didn’t even know these existed, me either! Well they do. There is a Chinese restaurant visible from the road; this fine chilli bar is directly opposite, underneath, down the stairs.

We were greeted by a very friendly lady and shown to our seat, and immediately presented with a little bucket of popcorn, which lasted all of about 4 minutes. The place itself is a chic and minimalist environment, with what looks like old school tables and chairs, and a pretty sweet salmon pink bathroom suite (I’m pretty jealous, it is rather excellent).

We each got a free can, and ordered two bowls of chilli – half and half for me, all meat for Tom – and some of the pickles with blue cheese sauce. That, as Kevin Bacon would say, is a no brainer.

WELL.

The chilli was fabulous, big lumps of brisket, homemade guac, and above all, it was god damn SPICY. I like to think I have a pretty high spice tolerance, and it disappoints me when I order spicy dishes from menus and they turn out to be pretty tame. Well this was not one of those occasions. It was hot without comprimising on flavour, and packed with meat and beans.

But the absolute star of the show for me was the deep fried pickles. I have never been to a restaurant where the side has eclipsed the main event, especially when you are talking about a mountain of chilli. But these pickles were so, so good. Even better was the homemade blue cheese dip which was tangy and creamy and really really blue all at once. If I had one criticism it would be that there was not enough of it; I would have quite liked to smother my face in it if I could.

So there you go! If you are travelling in the centre/bearpit/stokes croft area and you fancy a bowlful of comfort and some heavenly gherkins then Mathilda’s is your place.

February Favourites

Posted on March 3, 2014 by

Well, I know February is a short month but it really does feel like it’s flown by. I like doing these round up posts; it reminds me that I do actually have a whole month full of fun things that I enjoy doing, even if it does feel like time is moving too quickly to appreciate it. I’ve recently signed up for the #100happydays challenge so I’ll see how I get on with that – next month is going to be a mammoth round up post!

I knitted a little house for Briswool // I fell in love with a crepe // I bought two new lipsticks and took a lot of pictures of my face // Valentines weekend was full of dog lamps and cupcakes // MOAR BAGELS // Yellow legs and Nikes // We ate some Japanese food // Tom proved he is a better wife than I am // We moved house! // and finally, this weekend (technically not February) was the #BrizBlogMeet, expect a post very soon!

Can’t wait for the weather to pick up so I can start appreciating spring more, I think March just might be my second favourite month.

Lily Doughball

Bristol-based fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog

Monthly Archives: March 2014