Doing my friends nails - Robin Nail Art

Last week my friend came around for a girly Christmas evening to exchange presents. I cooked sausage casserole, we watched a Christmas film and I painted my friends' nails! I showed her the robin from She Who Does Nails' Christmas Advent and she thought it would look cute. How right she was...

It is much easier to do nail art on another person's nails as you can see from this perfect robin accent nail. I am really pleased with how this turned out and I think my friend liked it too!

What do you think?

Manicure Monday - Trying out some Christmas nail art

On the build-up to Christmas, Laura from She Who Does Nails has been creating a nail art advent calendar in which every day she posts a different Christmas themed nail art tutorial.

I attempted her Christmas lights nail art and my results did not look half as good as hers!

P.s sorry for the messy nails, I took the pictures a few days after I'd done these.

The hard part about doing this nail art is getting a thin enough black 'wire' so that it doesn't look too weird. Also what I did wrong with this manicure is not leaving the little black 'prongs' that the lights would be connected to. Instead, I painted over them... Also my lights aren't really light shaped. I did try though!

I also tried out the Christmas pudding nails! I think my nails might have been the wrong shape but they still look cute!

What do you think? Did I do a good job?

My nana knows me so well...

Everyone that knows me knows that if they buy me something gingerbread man related I will love it. My Nana recently found these gems in her local shop in Markse and I've fallen in love with them.

As you can see she bought me a tea pot and two mugs from the same collection. These were from a shop called Coopers Gifts in her local village.

I can't wait to use these and display them when I get a house!

Red's True BBQ Restaurant, Leeds

The day after we went to Whinstone View lodge we set off for Leeds to do some shopping and see Haim at Leeds University. We always seem to be really lucky when looking for somewhere cool to eat and this was no exception! We came across a place called Red's True Barbecue which sounded right up our street.

The selection of food on offer was at first very daunting and confusing but after a while of reading the menu, I got to grips with it and picked what I wanted. I decided on the smoked brisket & BBQ gravy sandwich which consisted of 'thick beef slices smothered in gravy on a hoagie topped with crispy onions and sweet dill pickle.' Matt chose the Texas smoked sausage hoagie which consisted of 'house recipe spicy pork and beef sausage topped with pit beans, chilli con queso, jalapenos, American mustard and white onion.' It looked massive and he had that with sweet potato fries which I can confirm were yummy.

My sandwich was very nice with the meat and gravy combo being delicious. If I had a criticism it would be that I could have done with more gravy. It was soo filling that I only ate half but managed to polish off my fries.

After we had our food I think myself and Matt could have done with a nap, it was so nice and filling. I'd definitely recommend Red's if you are in Leeds and a meat lover!

Have you been before? What are your thoughts?

Whinstone View Bistro Restaurant Review, Great Ayton

Whilst staying at Whinstone View lodges we ventured over to the onsite bistro for tea, and also breakfast in the morning which was included in our nights stay.

It happened to be steak night on a Thursday so we got two steaks with all the extras and our drinks for £32. We both got a 10oz sirloin steak with chips, salad, mushrooms and onion and then I got a Diane sauce and Matt got a peppercorn. These were quickly polished off and we moved onto dessert.

All the dessert options looked amazing but in the end, Matt chose an apple tart which came with cinnamon ice cream and I chose chocolate orange cheesecake which was very nice. I didn't realise until I looked back at the pictures that they had done the sauce in the shape of a Christmas tree on my plate. How sweet!

In the morning we had a choice of continental breakfast options such as cereals and yoghurt or a hot breakfast, or both if you're greedy. We both had some toast and then asked for the breakfast items we prefer. I went for sausages, tomatoes, beans and mushrooms whilst Matt went for fried eggs, sausages and mushrooms. We both then had a cup of tea and some juice.

Both meals we had at the bistro were exceptionally good and we would love to go back again.

Have you been to Whinstone View Bistro before? What did you think?

Whinstone View Luxury Lodges, Great Ayton

For a little treat before Christmas my very thoughtful boyfriend booked us into a luxury lodge for the night near Great Ayton. This happens to be our second visit to the lodges after visiting last year for my birthday however this time we stayed in a different lodge called the Zoffany.

At Whinstone View there is a collection of luxury lodges to hold from two people up to six people. Almost all the lodges have a hot tub, except one of the larger ones but that one has a fire pit instead! How cosy.

The lodge is quite basic with a bedroom, space for hanging clothes and a bathroom. The lodge has a very snazzy tv/sound system so you can listen to their selection of music or bring your own CDs/DVDs. There is also a fridge, tea and coffee making facilities, a hairdryer and an iron in case you need them.

The lodge is pretty much entirely made of wood which gives it a really cosy feel. The bathroom is very fancy with a walk in shower which is very powerful. Whilst we were at the cabin we watched a lovely Christmas film (Rise of the Guardians), went for a meal at the bistro on site (post on this tomorrow), and jumped in the hot tub. The hot tub is on all the time so whenever you fancy hopping in you can, just turn on the lights and jets for a little extra fun.

Although the lodge is £220 per night it is a lovely getaway. Check in is from 3pm so if you go early you can definitely get your moneys worth. Breakfast is also included for that cost.

Have you been to this lodge before? Have you been to somewhere similar? We'd love to know of other lodges we could visit!

Mariah Carey for OPI - Christmas Collection Polish - It's Frosty Outside

Following on from my first Mariah Carey Christmas polish swatch I have recently tried out the other I bought which is called 'It's Frosty Outside'.

This polish is like a glitter ball all over my fingers. The silver grainy polish coupled with the little glitter pieces make this polish so amazing to look at. For a Christmas manicure this would be amazing. I can't get enough of it and it seems to have stayed on much longer than the other Mariah Carey polish 'Kiss Me at Midnight' did.

What do you think? Do you like it?

Chilli Cake Deli Review - Baker Street, Middlesbrough

I love eating out, probably just as much as I love cooking. It is so easy, and fun to try out new places and new foods. A few weeks back myself and Jen decided to check out Chilli Cake Deli on Baker Street in Middlesbrough.

Chilli Cake Deli is located at Zero Baker Street and sells a collection of yummy deli treats!

Jen had the grilled halloumi and giant spicy couscous salad whilst I had a sandwich called the truffle man including hot chicken, watercress & mustard mayo drizzled with truffle oil (it does come with Doreen's black pudding but I passed on that).

The place itself is very easy to find, small inside but lovely and cute. There are four stooled seating areas and one sofa area with the deli counter at the back of the room. You can see the kitchen over the deli which is a nice touch.

We ordered our food and sat down and they brought our food and drink to the table. I thoroughly enjoyed my sandwich and I believe Jen really liked her salad too.

I don't really have a bad word to say about this place as they have a quaint location, lovely staff and a great selection of food. If you fancy some lunch in Middlesbrough then I would suggest trying out the Chilli Cake Deli!

Have you been before?