Eats: Burger and Lobster

I recently revisited one of my all time favourite casual eateries and it was just a delicious as ever.

If you've ever dreamed of ordering a decadent and juicy whole lobster covered in Lemon butter with a side of chips for just £20....Well I know just the place to go!

Burger and Lobster has been around now for about 3 years and it just seems to keep getting more and more popular and I thin

k that is all down to the uniqueness of the place.

There are no menus at all here to ponder over, you can either have burger or lobster....get it?! It’s as simple as that!

If you want lobster you are given the choice between a HUGE whole lobster grilled or steamed served with lemon butter or a mouth wateringly tasty lobster roll. The burger is well...just a burger, served in a brioche bun and covered in melted cheese...equally as delicious!

All main meals are served with a side salad and fries....considering there isn’t a menu. There really is something for everyone!

I think I have been to pretty much all the Burger and Lobster’s across London, with the Mayfair branch being my favourite. This time my cravings for some lunch time lobster took me to the branch on the Fifth Floor of Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge which has recently celebrated its first birthday.

I absolutely loved it in here, 

I couldn't think of a better way to relax during an afternoon of shopping than to take the escalator up to the fifth floor of my favourite department store and enjoy some gorgeous food and a glass of Prosecco!

I couldn’t recommend Burger and Lobster enough, if you are looking for a quick bite to eat as you are dashing around London or a relaxed dinner with friends, this is the place to go!

I bet it won’t be too long before these eateries start cropping up across the entire country....I can’t wait..!

My new lip obsession....

Ok I have to admit....I've never really tried any Barry M products other than their nail polishes. 

I am always on the lookout for a bargain so it certainly wasn't the price point that put me off the brand – as fickle as it sounds I think it was the packaging that always put me off....and maybe the adverts.

I have been hearing so many good things about Barry M’s products recently so I thought I would head to a counter and take a look....and I am SO glad that I did!

I picked up the lip gloss in the shade 'Coral' last week and have worn it every single day since. It is the most gorgeous coral/peachy/pink shade and it instantly lights your face up whenever you slick it on to your lips. 

The Barry M 'Lip Gloss Wands' are priced at a very reasonable £4.50 each....but they are currently available on ASOS.com for £3.50.

The formula isn't sticky at all and the colour is lovely and sheer, so there are no issues with patchiness at all. The doe-foot applicator picks up exactly the right amount of product as well, there is nothing worse than a wand that picks up too much product at once.

Staying power is also reasonably good, I would say this lip gloss lasts a good two hours before you need to reapply – in my book this is great for a drugstore, sheer lip gloss. 

I urge you ALL to head to your local Barry M counter as quickly as your feet will carry you – this lip gloss is GORGEOUS.

Charlotte Tilbury - Matte Revolution Lipstick - Lost Cherry

 Charlotte Tilbury is a lady I have long been interested in. I have loved her and her make up looks for years, so when I heard she was bring out her own make up line, I was very excited to say the least.

I had heard a lot about the matte revolution lipsticks on various beauty blogs and YouTube videos over the past few weeks and I just knew I had to try them.

I suffer from quite dry lips so I had always assumed that 'matte' lipsticks weren't for me...I have difficulty wearing the likes of MAC Ruby Woo, but after reading the reviews on these lipsticks they seemed to be the perfect mix of matte and long-lasting yet moisturising.

I settled on the colour 'Lost Cherry' after seeing it on the gorgeous 'Vivianna Does Makeup'.
I had been on the look out for a perfect orangey/red/pink lip colour for quite a while and this looked like the perfect mix of both.

The reviews I had read online were right, this lipstick is not drying in the slightest and slides on to the lips with ease. Non of the dragging and pulling you get with some really matte lip colours.

I would say this lipstick provides a slightly more velvet finish than chalky matte, but that is definitely a pro and not a con in my book...and boy does it have lasting power as well. I would say this lipstick lasts around 5 - 6 hours on the lips - could you really expect any more from a lipstick?

What appeals to me the most is the colour, it just completely wows me, it is so unique and like nothing I have seen before, the absolute perfect mix of orange, pink and red....is this even possible?!

The packaging of this lipstick is just beautiful, I absolutely love the gold casing...I always feel extremely glamourous pulling it out of my handbag!

The only draw back I have with this lipstick is the shape of the bullet, I actually find it quite difficult to apply the product straight to the lips using the actual bullet....I guess this is just something I will get the hang of in time!

Now the only thing I'm left thinking is which colour shall I get my hands on next?!

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

I don’t know about you, but I am constantly on the never ending quest to find THE perfect neutral palette. When I saw the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette, I thought I may have found it.

This palette is made up fourteen lovely shades, seven matte and seven beautiful shimmer shades, they range from shimmery, nudes perfect for a wash of colour on the lid to deep matte blacks, perfect to double up as a liner. It ticks all the boxes for me so far. 

This palette has had a lot of hype surrounding it and I completely understand why, before you even try it, it looks absolutely beautiful! Everything from the sleek matte black packaging with it’s huge mirror, to the shade choice, to the double ended brush which accompanies it, it looks like this palette is set to be the holy grail in all neutral eye lovers make up bags. 

I bought this palette just before I headed on holiday a few weeks ago and I had the greatest of intentions of packing light and only take this one palette to keep me going for the whole 10 days away…but at the last minute I panicked and snook a few MAC eyeshadows into my make up bag and I am very sad to say that I am SO glad that I did! 

The shimmers in this palette have little or no pigment at all and just deposit a strange sparkle on to the eye lids…which I would have loved in my early teens, but not mid twenties. The beautiful colours which appear in pan just do not translate at all when they are blended on to the lids, they almost appear chalky and just disappear. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. 

The mattes on the other hand are absolutely beautiful, they are gorgeous and buttery soft, but not too soft that they slip half way down your face after an hour or so’s wear. They blend so beautifully and do not look chalky or dry at all, which is a problem I have had with some matte shadows in the past. 

If Smashbox brought out an all matte palette, I wouldn’t think twice about buying it, but they really need to improve the formula of their shimmery shadows before I commit to buying one again. 

At £36 I do still feel that this palette is pretty good value as you do get 7 beautiful matte shades along with a great blending brush…so it’s still definitely worth taking a look at. 

But I am afraid my hunt is still ongoing to find the perfect neutral all in one palette. 

The low down on...Isabel Marant Bekket Sneakers

After seeing all of my favourite fashionista’s rocking a pair of ‘Isabel Marant’ Bekket sneakers, I had that “every outfit I own would look so much better if I was wearing THOSE shoes” feeling, so I was absolutely desperate to get my hands on them.

The desperate and daily search of checking Net-A-Porter, Selfridges, Harrods etc to see if they had had a recent deliveries went on for about 6 months, it proved quite tricky to be able to find a pair in EU size 41 (Yes, I have big feet.) My search can to an end when my boyfriend managed to find a pair and very kindly bought me them as a very generous gift.

I have had my beloved shoes for around 6 months now and I absolutely love love love them! I decided to go for the all black pair as I thought they would go with absolutely everything and I was right.

My Isabel Marant Bekket’s have been in my life for about 4 months now, so I feel like I have had them long enough to give a true review on them.

They are as gorgeous as ever and show no wear and tear to them what so ever, I personally think they look as good as new, even after many wears. I know a lot of people will think that £385 is an awful lot to spend on a pair of ‘sneakers’ (and it is) but they are made of the most gorgeous suede and the leather is absolutely buttery soft, the quality of these shoes are second to none.

I was really unsure of what size to get these shoes in, I wasn't sure if they ran big or small, or wide or narrow. I got them in an EU size 41, UK size 8, and they come up extremely small, if Isabel Marant made these shoes in an EU size 42 I would have exchanged them. So I would definitely encourage anyone who is about to buy a pair to size up!

I had heard quite a few people say these shoes are their “safe shoes” and “the most comfortable pair they own”, I am afraid this is something I have to disagree with. I wished with all my heard that these shoes would be the most comfortable shoes in the world but I am afraid, for me, they weren't. I am pretty sure this may have something to do with the sizing issue, so as I said, I would definitely recommend to size up when ordering a pair.

The slight uncomfortable-ness of these shoes does not put me off at all, I still wear them on a very regular basis and absolutely love them!

My next question is just....which colour should I buy them in next?

Kenzo - The Hype

As much as I love Kenzo at the moment and the new direction it’s design duo Humberto Leon and Carol Lim are taking it into, I can’t help but think, “All this success, just because of a sweatshirt?”

It’s been over two years since the duo’s first collection hit the catwalks back in 2012 and this is the first glimpse the world saw of the iconic ‘Kenzo’ jumper, and it looks like their popularity has only grown and grown since then.

Kenzo sweatshirt’s seemed to catapult into every budding fashionista’s wardrobe around the world and became one of fashions hero pieces almost overnight.

It is the well known ‘Tiger’ jumper which has proven to be a consumer favourite, but all of the Kenzo emblazoned jumpers are a huge hit with the fashion set.

Humberto Leon has been quoted saying: “The statement sweater was never supposed to be a “statement” sweater, it is just something that was part of this collection.” Carol Lim went on to say, “We’ve already moved on, I think it’s great that the sweater has become so iconic but there are other things happening.”

Am I the only girl in the world who remembers being dragged around Kenzo as a child and hating all the bright colours and dungarees....I'm sure there were dungarees?! 

What about the poppy perfume? If I would have got a bottle of that for Christmas I wouldn't have been best pleased. It is amazing to see how this brand managed to swap from drab to fabulous at a click of a finger.

I can’t deny, I have become victim to the hype and own two Kenzo sweatshirts myself, the famous tiger head and also one with the Kenzo logo across the front. I do actually love them both very much.

I hope the Kenzo ‘sweatshirt’ doesn't just become a fad and something people no longer want to wear because ‘everyone’ has one.

I am sure Leon and Lim have the next big thing sketched into their note books and ready to hit the catwalk soon.

Estee Lauder - Double Wear Foundation

I have been on the hunt for a medium to full coverage foundation with fantastic staying power for quite a while now but have never been able to find ‘The One’.

I have tried everything and anything to try and find my perfect match but have always been left feeling underwhelmed by other foundations.

I had always heard great things about Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, but have always been quite hesitant to try it, especially as one of my friends once described it as being “like clay”.

But a few weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and to give it a go. I headed to my nearest Estee Lauder counter and picked out my shade which was pure beige. This is slightly darker than my natural skin tone but I wanted this foundation for predominantly nights out, so I didn’t have a problem with that at all. There are a lot of shades available, yellow, pink and natural toned so it was quite easy to find a match.

This is marketed as a “stay in place, transfer free, mattifying, oil and shine free foundation”, so it really does have a lot to live up to.

I tend to steer away from “mattifying” foundations as I do tend to get extremely dry skin, especially around my nose and chin, so I was really intrigued to see how this foundation would look and last on my skin.                 

Double Wear is quite a thick liquid foundation, thicker than I am usually used to. I first applied my normal moisturiser and then used the ‘Real Techniques’ buffing brush to buff this foundation into the skin and I have to say I was absolutely overjoyed with the results.

I would say the coverage is medium to full, I wouldn’t describe this foundation as totally full coverage, which I like. It isn’t overly matte either, as I had presumed it would be, it has an almost satin sheen to it, which looks really lovely on the skin.

As for the staying power, it’s one of the best I’ve seen. I wouldn’t say it lasts for 14 hours, but it certainly lasts longer than any of the current foundations I own. You certainly wouldn’t feel the need to reapply half way through a night out or a day at work.

The price is £28.50 for 30ml of product, I do find this price quite reasonable for a luxury/high end foundation, especially as it is in a gorgeous glass bottle, which would look lovely on your dressing table.

As a gift with purchase I also received a Estee Lauder lip gloss in, Pink Kiss, and a double wear concealer in the shade - 02 Light Medium . I have got to say I absolutely love both of these products! The lipgloss is not sticky in the slightest and is a gorgeous pink shade with gold shimmer, it is quite reminiscent of the ‘Nars’ Orgasm lip gloss...without the stickiness.

The concealer is creamy with a high coverage, these are the two things I love to see when searching for my perfect concealer.

It’s not often I absolutely rave about foundations, I can always tend to pick a fault somewhere. But I can honestly say this foundation has headed straight into my top 5! I absolutely love it!