Outfit: City Chic (Featuring my friend, Kayla!)

 Suit Jacket and Bottoms: Lavish Alice | Vest Top: Primark | Boots: Glamorous | Sunglasses: C/O Firmoo* | Neckace: Topman | Bracelet: Rock 'N' Rose | Watch: Michael Kors.

I must say, I am enjoying this new "on-location" approach that I have been taking for my outfit photos. I am loving how the pictures have been turning out when I take to the streets, despite having to endure a good twenty minutes of being stared at by passers-by who probably think I am just some vain wannabe model. But hey- It's all part of the fun! What do you think?

Anyway, this is what I wore for an event that I attended at The Metquarter in Liverpool yesterday (I'll be writing a post on that tomorrow) and my- what a hit this suit was! I had three people stop me to ask me where I got it from. I actually scooped it up at a sample sale that Lavish Alice were at a few weeks ago. Originally, both pieces should have come to around £90 in total, but I got the set for just £27.00- Bargain! I believe you can still scoop it up in their sale for £46 (links above). I absolutely love the monochrome paisley print and teamed with my heeled boots and sunglasses I think it makes for a very city chic outfit!

I brought one of my non-blogger friends, Kayla, along to the event and managed to persuade her to feature on my blog, so here's what she wore! Who thinks that she would make a fabulous fashion blogger, too?! ;)

Blazer: Primark | Top: H&M | Jeans: Topshop | Shoes: River Island | Bag: River Island | Watch: River Island

I hope you like our outfits! :)

*DISCLOSURE: Starred items are PR samples.

Review: Barburrito.

If there's one thing that anybody who meets me will soon find out, it's that I. Love. Food. I'm always hungry, it's a wonder I am able to maintain a small waistline haha! So when I got offered some free Barburrito vouchers, naturally I said yes! Barburrito was a place that I had heard of and had wanted to try out for a while but it was something I had just had never got round to doing as there isn't a restaurant in my town. The vouchers gave me that extra incentive to go, however, and me and a friend hopped on a train to Liverpool to check it out.

The best way I can think to summarise it is that it's a lot like a glorified version of Subway (my usual fast food place of choice), in that you choose what you want and then pick your "add-ons" whilst the person behind the counter puts together your food. At Barburrito you can choose between a burrito (orly?), soft or hard shell tacos or nachos, with a topping/filling from a choice of chicken, steak, pork and more, brown or white rice depending on your preference, plus lots of extras, like beans, salsa, mushrooms and guacamole. I went for a burrito filled with steak, brown rice, spicy beans, pepper and onion and hot salsa, plus a side of tortilla chips with cheese sauce. Sound good? It was!

I personally really enjoyed it. It was filling and it was a nice change from the usual lunch choices of a sandwich or a burger and chips. It is, however, a little more expensive than most other fast food chains. A burrito can cost you anywhere between £4.80 to around £7.00 depending on your fillings and a side of tortilla chips is 75p; a little more if you want salsa, guacamole or cheese. Despite this, I would definitely go back, and recommend anybody to try it if they're after something a little different with a Mexican twist. You can check out the menu here.

Have you tried Barburrito?

*DISCLOSURE: My meal was partially paid for. All opinions expressed are still 100% honest and my own.

Review: Debenhams Birthday Flowers.

Raspberry Birthday Delight Bouquet: £31.99*

If there is one thing I am a sucker for, it is those cute, traditional gestures of kindness. I love hand written notes and being taken for dinner, and I had always envied people who received bouquets of flowers from their loved ones, even more so than those who got shiny new cars haha (now, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't turn down a car if one turned up outside my house :P). I've been a very lucky lady this year, as not only did my grandparents buy me a HUGE bouquet for my 21st birthday, but a few weeks ago Debenhams got in touch asking me if I would like to review something from their Birthday Flowers range- How could I say no?

There are so many different bouquets to choose from- I am in love with these Vintage Roses but I decided to go for something that would add a pop of colour to my room and settled for the Raspberry Birthday Delight, which is full of red and pink roses, burgundy and green carnations and red and cerise germini, and it also came with a mini birthday cake too (a lot of the bouquets come with an extra little gift, such as a cake, chocolates, a mug and even skincare products- There's something for everybody!).  

The bouquet was delivered to my door the day after I made my choice which I was very impressed by. I wasn't expecting them to come in a box but it avoided mess and I think it would add to the surprise should the recipent not be expecting them. There was a little card with a message inside and on the website you have the option to select additional add-ons such as a vase or a balloon at an extra cost.

The flowers were beautiful, vibrant and in perfect condition after their journey. They came with care instructions that helped keep them fresh for about a week and a half.

If you would like to surprise somebody with a pretty bunch of flowers for their birthday, make sure to check out the Birthday Flowers at Debenhams. They have also been so generous as to offer my readers 15% off with the code bdayb15, which expires on August 31, 2013.

Are you a sucker for receiving flowers like I am?

*DISCLOSURE: PR sample. All opinions expressed are still 100% honest and my own.

Blogger Shenanigans: Get The Label Reunion Part 2: Liverpool.

As I mentioned in my blog post about our Manchester outing the other day (read it here if you missed it), one evening of great food and blogger chit-chat just wasn't enough for us, so the next day, Laura (Heroine In Heels), Lola (The Pastime Bliss) and I hopped on a train to Liverpool. I was especially excited as Liverpool is my favourite place ever- Maybe I'm just biased as I went to University there, but I think Liverpool is far underrated to Manchester; it's such a beautiful city with lots of history and hidden treasures. Laura and Lola had never been so I was excited to show them around.

The main purpose of our trip was to head to Debenhams to check out an event that Urban Decay were holding. Admittedly (I have to be honest), we got there and it was a little confusing- We had no idea what products were being promoted and we were told that we weren't allowed to take photographs  (which we were especially confused about since we were told it was a blogger event... it's what we do!) but I managed to sneak a few before I was told to put my camera away. On the plus side we got given little mini makeovers which was nice; I have always loved Urban Decay eyeshadows and I loved the lipstick they used on me (second from the right on the top picture- I couldn't tell you the name, sorry!).

After we were all made-up, we decided to go for a light lunch. I had always heard good things about Leaf on Bold Street but had never had the chance to go, so we decided to check it out. It came as no surprise that it was busy but we managed to find a table to sit at, grabbed a clipboard menu and took in our surroundings. Leaf is very much one of those cafes that you would perhaps relate to artsy individuals who love music and reading a newspaper with a cup of tea and cake. The interior is very rustic-looking with wooden bench tables, flowers in glass jars, vintage lampshades and bunting. I loved it- For some reason I have recently gained a fascination with all things quaint, traditional and overly-British. From the menu I opted for the chicken salad sandwich with tomato and red pepper soup, which definitely hit the spot. I resisted the urge to get a slice of their seriously yummy looking cake afterwards, although I did treat myself to some Thorntons ice cream later on- The sun has that effect on me.

We headed to the Met Quarter afterwards for a mooch around- The Met Quarter currently has a fabulous competition on, where if you tweet them a picture of your favourite item with the hashtag #snapwinwonderful, you are in with the chance of being a weekly winner of the item you chose! I snapped a picture of the Illamasqua Freak perfume that I have been lusting over forever!

Finally, we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and beautiful scenery and wandered down to the docks to take some outfit photos. We got lots of weird stares from people but we are now considering ourselves "legit" fashion bloggers for being brave and posing for our pictures in a public place ;)

Vest: Primark | Skirt: River Island | Sandals : Matalan | Sunglasses: C/O Firmoo* | Belt : ASOS | Bracelet: C/O Miss Gee Kay* | Watch: Michael Kors

Overall, it was a really lovely couple of days catching up and getting to know the other girls a bit more- Make sure you check out their fabulous blogs :) Here's to many more blogging adventures! <3

*DISCLOSURE: Starred items are PR samples.

Review: Troop London Holdall from Bagable.

Troop London Classic Large Hold-all Bag: £45.00*

My bag collection has somewhat grown since I started blogging, as has my shoe collection, my jewellery collection and my whole wardrobe (in correlation to this there has been an opposite effect on my bank balance). However, I have always leaned towards handbags and cute little purses, and have never really owned anything practical for lugging around more than my wallet, my phone and all my other every day essentials. This is where Bagable came to my rescue. Bagable is an online retailer that sells a huge range of bags, from handbags and purses to backpacks and luggage. They kindly let me choose a bag to review and  I decided on this hold-all by Troop London. It is much bigger than I expected it to be (dimensions L 54 x H 35 x D 24cm) and I won't have any trouble fitting a couple of night's worth of clothes in there, should I take a weekend away (I photographed it with a pair of boots inside so you can see how roomy it is). 

I love that it is still quite stylish, which is something that I find difficult to find in larger bags. It takes on the shape of an oversized vintage doctor's bag with it's leather detailing. I got the black version but it also comes in a lovely khaki and brown combination which I actually prefer but it was out of stock when I ordered it! It comes with a longer strap too, which is always handy.

This bag costs £45.00, which I don't think is half bad  for a bag of this size. The quality is also decent, with its durable canvas exterior and fully lined, waterproof interior, which also has a zip compartment and phone holder.

If you would like to check out the other bags that Bagable has to offer, check out their website here :)

*DISCLOSURE: PR sample. All opinions expressed are still 100% honest and my own.

Blogger Shenanigans: Get The Label Reunion Part 1: Manchester.

One of the things that I have loved most about blogging is the new friends I have made along the way. A problem that I have always had is that none of my local, "real-life" friends share the same interest in fashion, beauty and writing as I do, and I am very much the odd one out in that I have long grown out of venturing in to town every Saturday night and spending all my money on alcohol only to feel like utter rubbish the next day. So, I am more than thankful that blogging allows me to attend events where I can mingle with like-minded people. The lovely Laura (Heroine In Heels) piped up with the idea for a bunch of us bloggers who attended the Get The Label Urban Party event back in May (read my post on that amazing event here) to have a little reunion, and after a little bit of organising, we met up at Dough Pizza Kitchen in Manchester on Wednesday and what a lovely evening it turned out to be.

Unfortunately, there only ended up being four of us; myself, Laura, Lola (The PastimeBliss) and Rosy (Ro's Tinted), but this didn't make it any less of a good night. Upon arrival at Dough we were surprised with two bottles of the blogger's classic beverage, Prosecco, that Get The Label had secretly organised for us. How lovely?! We were so taken aback and spent a good amount of time discussing how much we love the Get The Label team whilst we poured ourself a glass ;) After a brief catch up with one another it was time to order food. The menu was a little bit too much for my indecisive little brain; I had spent the train journey to Manchester convincing myself that I was just going to settle for a classic pepperoni pizza, but after looking at the incredible gourmet pizza topping combinations I decided it would be a shame not to go for something different. After much deliberation, I went for the Paella Pizza on a wholewheat base (I loved that they had this option- I'm a bit of a health freak and if I can make my indulgences a little healthier then why not?! :P ), which was topped with mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, garlic squid, chicken, king prawns, chorizo and peas. Me and the other girls ended up doing a little swapsy and traded a slice of each of our pizzas to try- I fell a little bit in love with Laura's Moroccan pizza which was topped with amazingly succulent spicy lamb, dried apricots and honey yogurt. Definitely one to have next time!
Being a small girl with a huge appetite, I managed to finish the whole pizza no problem, and Laura and I even found a bit of room for dessert, despite the fact that we were the only ones who completely demolished our pizzas! We both opted for the Chocolate Brownie and Peanut Butter Blondie topped with Vanilla Ice Cream- Lush! Overall, I loved my experience at Dough Pizza Kitchen and I definitely want to go back and try another one of their amazing pizzas- I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for a place to eat in Manchester, the service was wonderful too!

After the meal, Rosy sadly had to leave us, but the rest of us decided to find somewhere to enjoy a cocktail or two- We settled for Dry Bar as it wasn't too loud and busy so we would be able to have a nice chat. It was a lovely way to finish off a great evening, sipping on my Starburst cocktail (which did, in fact, taste like Starburst!) whilst discussing all things blog and life-related. Before we headed off home, we decided we wanted to meet up and venture in to Liverpool the next day. I was going to squeeze both days in to one blog post but there are so many pictures and I think this post is already getting a little bit long haha, so part two will be up in the next couple of days!

It was so much fun having a catch-up with some blogging girls outside of a blogger event- Make sure you check the other girls' blogs out if you haven't already- They're all fab! I hope that we get to do this again soon, and maybe the lovelies from Get The Label will be able to join us too?!