Lipstick Courage

We’ve all had days where we wake up feeling a little less than desirable. Sometimes your hair isn’t doing exactly what you want it to, or sometimes you feel that crater of a zit brewing on your chin just to remind you how attractive you truly are - How do you save the day? 

I’m going to let you in to my secret; lipstick. 

I’ve recently discovered my love for MAC Lipstick. I’ve loved MAC for a while now and quite early on in our courtship I bought the MAC Chromacake in Landscape Green (that’s another story) but since that purchase, my forays into the world of MAC have been predominantly lipstick based. 

Ruby Woo came first and I remember exactly when, where and why I bought it. During my last year of University, we had our Great Gatsby themed Summer Ball - I went for a Jordan Baker type flapper girl, sporting mainly black, white and red. Ruby Woo with her super matte, reddish-blue tint worked perfectly for the occasion and the look I was going for. On a trip to London with my boyfriend at the time, I popped into MAC on Foubert’s Place off Carnaby Street and my first, real, grown-up MAC purchase was complete. 

Faux came next, from a slightly more comfortable-to-wear range, Satin by MAC. A mauve-pink toned lipstick that’s ‘my lips but better’. Perfect for those days where I don’t want to wear a lot of make up and I just need a little something-something. Faux gave me the courage to wear less make up whilst at the same time inspiring me to do more of what I want with my aesthetic - I know that sounds silly but this is where my ‘Lipstick Courage’ started.
Putting on this lipstick seals the deal for the day and just makes me feel ‘ready’. It might seem petty to some, but if doing something small like wearing a slick of lipstick makes me feel ready to take on the day, why the hell not… 

A little more daring with my next MAC lipstick, friends Hayley and Nikita chose me Taupe for Christmas. A little darker than Faux with more brown tones, Taupe inspired me to go for darker eye makeup and just generally makes me feel a little more badass. The perfect colour for grungier winter days, long sleeves and messy hair. 

I like the idea of having a lipstick for a particular occasion - like Ruby Woo for The Summer Ball. 

When this year’s Valentine’s Day rolled around, I got a little bit carried away, so it seemed only right to continue on with the theme and choose a lipstick from MAC. Craving, which MAC describes as a burst of plum in their Amplified range, when you first apply is fairly strong and really pigmented; I like that I can choose to wear it like this, or when it’s just dabbed on with a little less precision Craving works really nicely as a hint of pink for a perky pout. My friend Canadian Christine came with me when I picked this one out, and she has one of the opinions that I have learned to always trust; she’s golden that one. 

But now that I’ve wittered on about my favourite lipsticks, I hope that you understand the idea of Lipstick Courage. The idea that, on a day when you’ve been wearing just your sweats and not a scrap of make up, you can put on a little lipstick and suddenly feel a whole lot more comfortable watching The Voice with your boyfriends Mum (who you’ve only just met), even if you don’t look dramatically different. It’s amazing how much something small, like putting on lipstick, can change your attitude and confidence for the better. 

Occasions when it is appropriate to let your Lipstick save the day:

1. You spent too long on your hair, then it rained. 
2. You woke up feeling a little ‘meh’ - no rhyme or reason. 
3. You’ve just remembered that you’re still not Rita Ora. 
4. It’s only Tuesday.
5. You’ve got too much month left at the end of the money. 

Soft Launch at Waterstones West Quay Cafe!

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to the soft launch of the brand new ‘book-cafe’ opening downstairs in my local Waterstones. They’ve ripped out their old Costa concession and put in a beautiful, little indie cafe and honestly - I couldn’t be more excited about it. It’s going to be my new lunch-and-writing spot. 

Sam and I arrived straight after work and there was already a large group, buzzing around the cafe. We were provided fancy, almond milk coffee and then glasses of wine, then a tour of the cafe - whilst it’s not a huge addition to the store in terms of size, the lower ground floor of Waterstones has completely changed - for the better. 

Booths that you can nestle away feature all the way along the far wall, each table sporting it’s own framed book-cover and table name. I spotted the perfect looking sofa tucked away in the corner for melting into when the day feels extra long that I’m quickly going to ‘bagsy’ as my spot, as well as a booth picked out for me by the lovely Alex; the perfect distance away from the kids section (which whilst beautiful, is obviously full of over excited children) but not too far away to miss out on perusing the vast section of cakes and snacks on offer. 

During the evening at the launch, Sam and I got to sample a bunch of different cakes all of which cater for some kind of dietary requirement, so if you’re vegan, gluten/dairy/other free, then this Waterstone’s cafe has got you covered, thanks to Nathan and the team for working to support local businesses by sourcing local ingredients and preparing most of the snacks in-house.
This is possibly one of my favourite things about the cafe; everything feels very ‘home-grown’. Nathan, the cafe manager, used to run their Costa concession so he knows exactly what he’s doing and it shows effortlessly in the way that the cafe is put together - far enough away from the monotonous Costa-way, whilst still professional enough to be business savvy and easily marketable. 

Plus, when you’re wandering around bookstore like hours for I am, surely all you need is a little sit down and some cake? Exactly. 

I’ve snapped some pictures so you can check out the cafe and the menu - hopefully you’ll be as excited about it as I am! 

books + coffee + good food + friends = Happy Lex :) 

You can follow Waterstones West Quay on Twitter, Instagram, as well as Facebook so head over and show them some love.

How To: The Best Guacamole (Ever)

Ingredients, based on one Avocado, serves two: 

1/4 Red Onion (finely chopped)
1/2 Yellow Pepper (diced) 

Tsp of Olive Oil

Two squeezes of Lemon (or one tsp, ish) 

Sprinkle of salt

Tsp of Garlic Puree

One Avocado

Method:
Mash avocado, and mix it all up together. Depending on the firmness of your avocado either serve as is or whack it all in a blender for a little. That’s pretty much it. 

The wonderful thing about this guacamole is that it’s actually super cheap to make. Today's post comes to you from a week in my month where I am very, very poor however I did manage to make hummus and guac, from scratch, and serve by only spending 55p on pitta bread and 30p on a lemon. Who knew Lemon's were so expensive!?

I know that some of you will be looking through the ingredients list with a judgemental eye, but trust me. Don’t judge it till you’ve tried it; with the bitterness of the red onion countered with the sweet yellow pepper - it just works. 

I like my garlic, so some people may prefer to add 1/2 a teaspoon but use your noggin and adjust these things to your personal taste. 

Time for Tea!

Deep in the winding streets of seaside Brighton, is the most perfect hideaway for the tea-addict within you. Many seaside towns can be described as sleepy or quaint - Brighton doesn’t fall into either of those categories. Brighton has always been fashionable and now more than ever. 

The Bluebird Tea Company is a small shop nestled into the North Lanes. It was there that I met, the absolutely lovely, Hannah and her enthusiasm for all things Tea related. Hannah is a teabird, or a mixologist in the Brighton store. 

Everything about The Bluebird Tea Company screams out to me with notions of things that I love; small, independent businesses who are succeeding and kicking ass in the mean time. The Bluebird’s website tells us that ‘they have so far built the company from scratch with little outside help, from packaging design to packing tea, everything Bluebird is developed by Krisi & Mike’s own hands…’ and this is so evident when you’re in the store - the store feels like a comfortable, safe place where you can marvel at the hundreds of Tea flavours, have your mind boggled by the staff’s vast tea-knowledge and learn about the stories behind the creation of all the separate teas. 

If Lush (where I currently work) were a Tea company, we would be Bluebird. Ethical, eccentric and easy going… 

One of my favourite things that I’ve learned from their website, is that they’re called The Bluebird Tea Company after the dreamy idea that a cloudless blue sky day is called a Bluebird day. Having tried their tea and been in the company of the staff, for even just a short period of time, I can say that the vibe transcends their creation and trickles right down into store. 

The Bluebird Tea Company & Mixologists - spreading happiness, one cupful at a time! 

Initially, my friends and I visited Bluebird simply to get a tea to-go, but soon after perusing their in-store menu I was intrigued. Having spoken to Hannah for a short consultation she realised it was our first time at Bluebird and was more than happy to talk us through some of her favourite flavours. 

“What’s your fruitiest tea, I think I’m more of a REALLY fruity tea kind of person?” I asked. 

The loose leaf teas are all kept in giant metal canisters up on the wall behind the counter and some  of the names could well have come from the inventive minds at Lush HQ. One of my personal favourites and I think slightly illustrative of me, was a tea called Dozy Girl (lavender and rose infused tea that helps you settle off to sleep at night - as if I need help doing that!) 

Every time Hannah suggested something new, I couldn’t help but gasp with excitement and hurry to give the tea a good ol’ sniff. In the end, I settled on buying some sample packs which come in at around 20g/about six cups of tea, I reckon and they cost me £3 per sample - or something super similar. 

I went for… (see if you can sense a theme): 

Candy Floss:
‘Join us at the fair with this sweet and scrumptious Candy Floss white tea…’
Ingredients; Chinese White Tea, Hibiscus, Apple, Elderberry, Rosehip, Pineapple, Sprinkles (contains Soya Lecithin), Cornflowers, Stevia and Strawberry flavour. 

Three minutes, without milk. 

Strawberry Lemonade:
‘Bluebird’s best selling fantastically fruity infusion…’
Ingredients: Hibiscus, Rosehip, Apple, Lemon, Orange, Strawberry, Elderberry, Sunflower Petals and flavour.
Four minutes, without milk. 

And just when I thought I was done, Hannah offered another. 

Enchanted Narnia:
‘Turkish Delight brew with magical rose and creamy cocoa…’
Ingredients: Rosebuds, Cocoa Shells, Rose Petals, Lemongrass and Raspberry Leaves. 

Four minutes, without milk. 

A sucker for anything with a literary reference, an ode to my childhood and my love for Turkish Delight and I am sold! Having been home with my samples a while now, I think I’ll say Candy Floss is my current fave, which smells just like strawberry laces, although I’m intending to explore them all properly. I haven’t tried Enchanted Narnia yet, as I feel I might be saving the best till last. 

Sam and I had an iced Strawberry Lemonade in store, and it was lovely. Slightly reminiscent of the Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks US but all the better because it was from a tiny independent store in the heart of Brighton! 

Whilst Brighton is quite far from where I’m living at the moment, a lot further than I thought actually, Bluebird Tea are active online and will deliver, which I am more than excited for. I’m also looking forward to more seasonal tea from them - I missed out on trying February’s Love Potion which looked amazing, but I wait with baited breath to see what the summer brings! 

(Hopefully, more sunny trips to Brighton with great friends and amazing tea!) 

Thank you to Hannah for being so damn lovely and being as enthusiastic as we were (we love tea, she loved Lush, it was a win-win) and thank you to my girls Lucy and Sam for such a lovely day out!