Recent Skincare Additions

My skin has taken a (big) turn for the worse recently. I thought it was getting better; my scars were fading and I had less breakouts. But I was being lulled into a false sense of security and now my acne looks like something you would see on an episode of embarrassing bodies. As soon as all this cold weather came around my skin was like BAM.. here you go, have a few more spots. It probably doesn't help that I'm only getting around 4 hours of sleep a night and my stress levels are through the roof atm. I'd love to be brave and show you how bad they actually are at the moment, but I'm sure if you Google image 'severe acne' you can imagine my skin is somewhat similar to the less severe results that come up *cries*. You can tell they're bad as I've been popping out to the shops with at least 2 layers of full coverage foundation on, and you know that usually I'd just bob out makeup free (or with a dash of light concealer at most)! 

With my usual products failing me, I began scouring the shelves for some products that would help calm things down a lot a bit. And with the help of the trusty blogging community, I picked out a couple of products that had seemingly 'worked miracles' for other people, in the hopes that they would too help out my skin! 

First up I picked up the incredibly hyped up Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask, which aside from the antibacterial properties, was meant to really help calm skin down whilst keeping it hydrated. I'd wanted to try it out for a while but was always put off by the price tag. But it has gotten to the point where, if someone would work, I'd pay ££££ for it! But when Feelunique.com had a little offer on (which was well timed with my breakout), I decided I had to pick it up to see if it would sooth my skin. The moment it arrived I ran upstairs to the bathroom, ran a hot bath and slathered my face with a thick layer of the stuff. It smells amaaaaaaazing and is so so so relaxing. It has calmed by skin down a hell of a lot over the last couple of weeks, and I can noticeably tell a difference after using it. 

At the same time I picked up the La Roche-Posay Serozinc spray which is targeted at blemish prone skin. I'm not sure if it has had a difference on my skin, but when I first used it alongside the mask - my skin looked tonnes better by morning! I really love that it is slightly mattifying as I noticed that my makeup seemed to stay on a little better throughout the day. However after finally buying the Pixi Glow Tonic last week, I have been using the Serozinc less and less. After Caroline Hirons (goddess of all things skin) mentioned it last year (?) the blogging/youtube world went crazy for it. I was going to jump on the bandwagon then, but as always I was a little skeptical about the claims. In a brief moment of online-shopping-weakness, I bit the bullet and bought myself a bottle. And what can I say? WHY DID I NOT GET ON THAT FLIPPING BANDWAGON?! It is working wonders on my skin. I never thought my skin looked particularly dull, but this has really added a glow to my skin. It has smoothed it out beyond belief and is really helping to reduce the number of blemishes. 

And finally! I've been trying out the new Claudia Louch Mint Exfoliating Facial Polish* which so far I am really liking! Claudia Louch is a relatively new brand to me and this scrub is a little different from my usual face scrubs in the sense that is a more gentle (but still effective) with larger grains of sugar. It is also unusual, as you use it on dry skin rather than damp skin. It is 94% natural and packed full of plant extracts, it is incredible for a deep clean without drying out your skin. 

And they're are my recent skincare buys! 

What is your one holy grail skincare product?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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The Claudia Louch Mint Exfoliating Facial Polish (RRP £59) was kindly sent to me by Claudia Louch for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here. 

Cocktails and Canapés: Revolution Relaunch Party

Hello everyone! Last week I was invited down to sample the new food and drink menu at Revolution in the Electric Press, Leeds. They have just reopened with a brand new look and a revamped food and drink menu. I like to drag my friend Fern (Hi Fern!) along as my plus one to these events as (honestly we just like the free cocktails) we use them to catch up with each other! 

When we arrived, it was absolutely chaos! Aswell as it being a press/blogger evening, it was also open to the general public. They had what I understood to be a designated area for those, like me, sampling the new menu - but were so many people crammed into this area that it soon became difficult to move around. It was also a Friday night, so everyone (and I mean everyone) was out! Once staff had realised, they began asking people to leave their tables so they could be packed away. Meaning there were no seats for anyone. Fern and I eventually found a table with a lovely couple sat at it, and they offered us the spare seats. Once we had found somewhere to sit, we began sampling some of the delicious cocktails on offer. 

As soon as we walked though the front door, we were given the choice of two different cocktails (sorry, they were inhaled before I had the chance to take a photo). I opted for one with strawberries and gin (GIN ALL THE WAY, AM I RIGHT?), which I believe was called 'Gin N Juice'. We decided to buy a cocktail each as it was the end of happy hour with two-for-one cocktails. We both got a 'Bramble' (see first picture), which I ended up drinking both of because Fern gave up! We were then brought a shot glass sampler of the 'Caribbean Passion', which again, I drank both of. That was it really for cocktails, we had both had enough, especially considering that we had taken up on the two-for-one offer at Slug and Lettuce on the walk up from the train station! #cocktailaddict

 The food was absolutely delicious! I didn't realise that Revolution did food, but I will certainly be popping back after sampling some delicious items of the menu! One of the first things we tried, were these little goats cheese balls with red chilli and cucumber. We had quite a few of these as they were so yummy! I wish I had caught my reaction of eating the chill, I really didn't expect it to be so spicy! I believe they are a side to some of the new main dishes on the menu, but I'm not entirely sure!

Mini hotdogs on sticks!

The mini hot-dogs (I think they actually called them dough-dogs), were my favourite! At first I thought it was a spring roll (stupid Charlotte), so when I bit into it I was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed at the same time. All of the things we tried we part of some new sharing platters, the 'Deli Crate' and the 'Street Food Crate', so I know what I'll be ordering next time! Whilst we were eating, a lovely gentleman came round and asked if he would be able to draw us. My first reaction was 'Oh God, how much is this going to cost' but to my surprise it was free! He was so lovely and we noticed a couple of people going round with rolled up drawings. I thought this was a lovely touch, and a bit different from the usual nightclub photographer. I'm not sure if he goes regularly, of if he was just there as a one off. But his drawings were hilarious! I loved them!

Also! I attempted to vlog the evening! So if you fancy watching it….

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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VIP Press Launch: Leeds Food And Drink Festival

Hello lovelies! Last night, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the VIP press launch of the 10th annual Leeds Food and Drink Festival hosted by Epernay Champagne Bar and Almost Famous Burgers.  I was so excited to go that I was actually there an hour and a half early (haha) so my friend and I decided to pop into Browns Bar and Brasserie for a pre-cocktails cocktail. I opted for the Lime Daiquiri and oh my goodness it was like heaven in a glass. My friend Fern chose the British Royal, which I also tasted and it was equally as good! We had planned on getting a coffee, but who could turn down the opportunity for cocktails?

As the Leeds Food and Drink Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, it promises to be the biggest and best the city has ever seen. This year, the festival is part of 'Leeds Food Month', a celebration of Leeds' vibrant, ever-evolving food and drink scene and the first event of its kind. The festival spans over four weeks and there are countless events taking place all over the city between 22nd May - 7th June. There really is something for everyone - from the World Feast on Briggate (24th May) inspired by street food from all over the world, to the Thai Cooking Class being held at Chaophraya (30th May). 

The launch night for the festival took place at Epernay in The Electric Press on Great George Street in the city centre. As soon as I arrived with Fern, we were greeted by quite a bustling environment, with cocktails being handed to you from all directions! From the door I spotted Bridie (Upon My Sleeve) and headed over to say hello! Soon we were joined by Rhianna (Robowecop) and we spent a moment chatting whilst people started arriving. Within minutes of arriving, we were handed some sort of prosecco based cocktail (pictured above in the tall stemmed glasses). Almost as soon as we sat down, waiters and waitresses began bringing round trays of drinks and before we knew it, we had about 4 on the go at once. 

Half way through the event, Almost Famous popped over the street with trays of miniature burgers for everyone to sample! I tried this one and OH MY GOD IT WAS AH-MAZINGGGGGG! It had pulled pork and coleslaw in it, as well as the burger patty! I may go as far to say it was the best burger I have EVER had!! So good I'm planning on taking a trip there very soon!

 As you can see I was really making the most of the complimentary cocktails - I had three on the go at this point! The one pictured is the Bramley Apple cocktail and this one had to be my favourite of the ones I tried. I think the waitress mentioned it had creme de menthe in it, which is something I'd never tried before until last night. As I was heading out to head back to the train station, I spotted Kayleigh (Very Berry Cosmo) and Alex (Clouds In The Violet Haze) sat around a table and we sat talking for a moment before I had to dash off. 

I had a lovely evening spending the night catching up with my friend and chatting to a few fellow bloggers from the Leeds area. If you are interested in going to any of the events running over the next month, you can take a look at the Leeds Food Month website for a schedule. There are quite a few that I'm interested in, especially the world feast on Briggate!

I hope you are able to check out some part of the festival, it sounds like it is going to go down a storm this year!
Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x