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Wednesday 30 October 2013

Chobani Greek Yogurt - Bloggers Dinner - Glasgow


Last night I had the pleasure of being invited to a gorgeous dinner
courtesy of Chobani Greek Yogurt

Chobani is a brand that hasn't long been released in the UK
but has been a massive success across the pond
When their founder first released the product there was no big marketing budget 
so the majority of the brands success came from people just like us, bloggers and social media lovers! 
Therefore the blogging community is very close to their hearts 
which is why a lovely bunch of us Glasgow bloggers were invited down to The Corinthian to try out some of their products! 


I am currently on a fitness journey and doing a lot of weight and strength training 
So right now it's really important for me to pack plenty of protein into my diet
It really appeals to me that Chobani yogurts actually contain TWICE the amount of protein than in a normal yogurt!

 Chobani worked with the chefs and mixologists at The Corinthian to come up with a unique food and drinks menu where every course contained some of the Greek Yogurt.
I would have never considered adding yogurt to a cocktail but it really worked!
infact it went down a bit too well! 


After a very meaty meal last weekend 
I decided to change things up a bit last night and go for the Vegetarian options on the menu


I had the risotto to start which was lovely 
The yogurt gave it a really thick creamy texture 
and for someone who isn't a pea lover I polished off the lot! 


Now I know I was slating polenta in my last post 
but I decided to give it another chance and I'm glad I did 
It was really lovely and perfectly set off by the Yogurt which acted as a sour cream dip for the polenta cake
The peppery rocket and red pepper salad was a lovely finishing touch


For dessert I went for the Creme Brulee 
which had a gorgeous thick consistency 
and the caramel gave it a lovely sweet flavour
I made a complete mess all over the table with the crumbly shortbread! 
(Can't take me anywhere)

Usually the only time I eat yogurt is with fresh berries for breakfast
but I will definitely be trying to incorporate it into my meals more often 
especially when I'm trying to increase my protein intake.


Here are the two gorgeous ladies that made it happen 
Christine and Amy were such lovely hostesses running around after us all night! 
They both even have their own blogs 
Christine - Little Swallow
Amy - Yummei


 Of course the best part of the whole evening was getting to see some of my lovely blogger friends like:


Have you tried Chobani yet?
Do you have any good recipes using Greek Yogurt?
Jen xx

Friday 25 October 2013

Glasgow Eats: MEAT Bar


Warning! This post is for the Carnivores among you
Personally I don't think I could ever go Veggie, I like the principle behind it 
but I just love meat too much!
(Insert your own dirty joke here)

As soon as I heard that MEAT bar had opened I knew I had to go ASAP
Situated in West Regent Street I loved it as soon as I seen it 
The dazzling neon sign drew me in straight away
We went downstairs to the basement bar, with its low ceilings and atmospheric lighting made for a really cosy setting.
We were seated right at the back of the bar
which was full of after work revellers many of whom were at the bar enjoying the vast cocktail list! 
some of which actually contain meat...seriously!
Unfortunately I couldn't try one as I'm taking part in Sober October 
but they certainly looked interesting!

Anyway on to the food.
We skipped the starter and went straight for the mains 


I knew exactly what I was going for as soon as I seen it
''The French Dip"
with a side of Triple Cooked Chips 


I had to tackle this beast in two halves 
The brisket was so juicy and tender, the onion rings perfectly crispy
I was delighted to find gherkins inside which are some of my absolute favourite things 
and it was all set off perfectly by the Swiss cheese.
I have been trying my hardest to resist chips recently as I am an absolute carb fiend 
but I couldn't say no to triple cooked chips and I'm glad I never.
I'm pretty sure Craig was scared to touch them in-case I bit his hand off !
I seriously could not recommend this meal enough it was absolutely delicious 


Craig "The protein king"
opted for the Tasting Smoked Plate 
where he basically got to try a bit of everything from the smoker! 
He must have enjoyed it because I hardly got a word out of him the whole time! 
I managed to sneak a little bit of pulled pork off his plate which was juicy and delicious
and also a little bit of the chicken wing which had been marinated in some spice which definitely had a kick to it!


He also ordered a side of Polenta Bricks
I'm not a polenta lover purely because I don't really enjoy the grainy texture
but he said they were lovely.

Now for the piece de resistance
DESSERT!


Peanut butter shortbread topped with salted caramel ice cream
I've never heard such beautiful words in one sentence before!
As a girl who will happily eat peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon 
I was unbelievably excited to see this on the menu
(Only made better by the fact that Craig hates peanuts and couldn't have any :) )

It was without a doubt up there with the best desserts I've ever had.
and I savoured every little mouthful.

For this lovely lot including soft drinks our bill came to just under £40
which isn't bad at all considering how much we enjoyed it 

P.S There are Vegetarian options available on the menu so please don't feel like you can't pay them a visit if you are not a meat lover! 

Have you been to MEAT yet?
Is there anywhere else I have to try soon?

Jen <3 

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara: Review


What's that? I'm late to the party again?
Yeh yeh I know this has been about forever and everyone and their granny has tried it!
but of course I am just getting around to it 
It's not that I didn't know about this mascara 
I'd seen many a guru rave about it and it was always popping up on Tanya Burr's channel 
I just had quite a few mascaras that I needed to use up 

I had been getting a bit fed up of all the ones I had 
Soap & Glory Thick n Fast
and Loreal False Lash Telescopic 
had been floating around my makeup drawer for a while but neither of them were really doing it for me

So I decided to finally pick this up and have a go
I've got to say I wish I had done it sooner
When I first opened it I was slightly sceptical about the wand
I'm quite picky when it comes to mascara
I like a brush not a comb and I like them to be straight and sturdy
So when I seen the bend in this I wrote it off immediately


Turns out I was wrong 
*GASP*
I actually quite like the bend
It makes for a much quicker application and for some reason I feel like it makes the mascara hold my curl better
It separates my lashes brilliantly and really adds thickness to them
I think what I like most about this mascara is how nice it looks on my bottom lashes 
I was just about to buy the Clinique bottom lash mascara 
but I think I'll just keep going with this just now! 

I have just finished Maybelline The Colossal
and have got to say I much prefer this! 
It will definitely be a repurchase.



What's your favourite mascara at the moment?
I think I'll be purchasing Benefit They're Real soon as I've heard great things 

Jen <3 

Saturday 19 October 2013

TGI Friday Instagram Launch Party



So on Thursday night I was invited along to TGI Fridays in Glasgow 
for a little party to celebrate them launching their new instagram @TGIFridaysUK
and also a new range of their delicious cocktails!

Normally I would be thrilled to be invited to an event that involved alcohol! 
(not that im a drunk...) 
This month however my inner philanthropist has came out and I am participating in Sober October for Macmillan. So really this event couldn't have came at a worse time! 
I tweeted TGI beforehand to explain my predicament and they assured me that their lovely bartenders could mix me up some delicious mocktails or smoothies! which was really nice of them! 

I arranged to meet up with the lovely Melissa from Stylish Kids
for dinner before the event 
we went to Zizi's in Royal Exchange Square 
I've not been to this branch before and I was seriously impressed 

image from Zizi website 

It's in such a beautiful building 
and I was greeted with the worlds biggest pizza which was sooo good! 
I also noticed some 'skinny pizzas' on the menu if you are watching the lbs
which clearly I wasnt...


When we arrived at TGIs we were given our pick of some delicious drinks
I had the non alcoholic Strawberry Fields which tasted like a daiquiri 
and Melissa had a drink with Vodka and Amaretto which looked really lovely 

Us bloggers were sectioned off in our own little area to enjoy the fun activities that had been laid on 
There were some amazingly talented artists there, showcasing their talented with some cocktail themed masterpieces 


We could have a go at being artistic ourselves by painting our own shopping bags 
Mine was actually embarrassingly bad so I won't share it with you! 

You could also have your nails painted 
However mine were in such a shocking state that I couldn't bring myself to go over and get them done 
(Bad beauty blogger!!)

I had such a fab night and got to catch up with some lovely bloggy friends that I hadn't seen in such a long time! 


This little collage was on the TGI Facebook
Do you recognise any bloggers you know?

What's your favourite TGI cocktail?
I think mine would have to be the Pornstar Martini!! 
Jen xx



Sunday 13 October 2013

FOTD - The Halloween Edition - Sugar Skull


So if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen I posted this pic last night! 
(If you don't follow me and want to my username is @biggins89)

I decided to have a bit of fun with some facepaint! 
as you do on a Saturday night...

Sugar skulls seem to be everywhere right now 
They are actually associated with a Mexican holiday to celebrate the lives of friends and family that have passed away, but due to the intricate designs and bright colours they have become a popular costume idea!

You can have so much fun with these 
Using whichever colours you want and coming up with different designs 
You can also add glitter or jewels to make the design even more elaborate.

As you can see I went for a pink theme for mine and here's what I used and how I acheived this look 

As a base I used 
White Face paint - Snazaroo 
I applied it with a stippling brush and as it is quite thick I only needed one layer. Go over this with a white or translucent face powder to ensure it lasts all night.

For all the black areas around the eyes, on the nose, and to create the teeth and cobwebs, I used
Collection Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner
I applied this with a really thin eyeshadow brush
You could also use black face paint to achieve this look but I think the eyeliner would have far better staying power if you are on a night out! 

For the petal details around the eyes and the hearts on the chin I used
MUA Lipstick in Shade 3
This is a really bright pink lipstick, I applied it using a lip brush for these areas 
but I then put some on my cheek bones and temples to create some contouring.

My pink bow is from American Apparel 
but I think this would look really great with one of the flowery crowns that were at all the festivals this year! 
It would also look really good with a coloured wig! 


I hope you liked this look! 
Let me know if you would like to see some other posts like this in the run up to Halloween!
What are you all dressing up as this year?

Jen <3