Category Archives: Life & Style

Meat Porter Online Artisan Butcher Review

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Meat Porter Online Artisan Butcher Review

 

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Online shopping has really taken off in recent years. Now, finally, food has caught up with the trend. Our busy lives demand convenience and our good taste demands quality. Enter Meat Porter. An online artisan butcher who source their meat from the same place as the high end restaurants in London. High end meat delivered straight to your door, sounds good to us.

I can’t pretend I wasn’t excited when our box of meat came. I was even more excited when I opened the box. The meat comes in an insulated box and in the box is a good range of well-packaged meat. There is also a sheet of paper with lots of meat tips on.

Now for the meat: it is delicious. It keeps us going for weeks and is very high quality. The burgers are sublime, the sausages tasty. There is chicken in a delicious sauce that makes everything easy; some glorious rump steaks and some diced pork and pork belly to round it off. There are a number of different boxes to choose from on the Meat Porter site, or you can make up your own. They even do gluten free options.

The box that we reviewed was their BBQ box which costs £50 and has 30 serving. It contains

  1.  

    I cannot recommend Meat Porter enough. The idea is brilliant, the website is easy to navigate and the food is delicious. It may seem expensive but the meat is free range and the price is very reasonable if you consider it on a per meal basis. Get shopping, now.

There is a lot of great recipes on their website.

Meat Porter. www.meatporter.com

 

 

Chilled Salmon, Cucumber and Dill Soup

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It’s summer and I’m thinking of soup, not thick heart warming, winter wonders, but something light, delicate and chilled. You have probably tried Gazpacho the rich, Spanish blend of tomato, day old bread and good olive oil or Vichyssoise the classic cold combination of leeks ,potatoes, chicken stock and cream, but my recipe today is Chilled Salmon, Dill and Cucumber Soup. This is a lovely starter for a relaxed summer dinner party or a fabulous light lunch, particularly with a nice glass of chilled Riesling or a crisp ,New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Chilled Salmon and Cucmber SoupChilled Salmon, Cucumber and Dill Soup serves 4

Around 400 gr Salmon Fillet, skinned, boned and cut in one inch cubes

( ask your fish monger to remove any of the dark flesh from underneath the fillet )

2 large English Cucumbers, peeled

1 bunch of Spring Onions, washed and trimmed, cut in 1 inch slices

750 ml quality Fish stock

150 ml Double Cream

50 ml Pernod or Vermouth

100 gr Butter

60 gr Plain Flour

A good pinch of English Mustard Powder

Juice and zest of 1 Lemon

A handful of fresh Dill

Sea Salt and fresh ground White Pepper

Remove the seeds from the cucumbers and reserve until later, then cut the cucumbers into half centimetre dice. Heat half of the butter in a medium sized, frying pan and quickly sauté for two minutes. Lightly season and pour on the Pernod and remove from the heat and leave to chill. In a medium sized pan bring the fish stock to a gently simmer and remove from the heat. Heat the remaining half of the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan and add the spring onions. Cook for five minutes without colouring then add the flour, cook out the flour for two minutes, over a gentle heat, stirring continuously to prevent sticking and browning. Add the hot stock, stirring all the time and bring up to the boil. Turn the heat down and add the salmon pieces, lemon zest and cucumber seeds. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for fifteen minutes regularly stirring to prevent the soup sticking. Add the cream and cook for two or three more minutes.

When the salmon is poached in the soup base remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the lemon juice then using a hand blender or food processor blitz the soup. Pass the soup through a very fine sieve into a bowl and stir in the cucumbers and Pernod. Finely chop the dill and add to the soup. Check the seasoning, remembering when chilled the seasoning will be less prominent. Cover and thoroughly chill. Serve in bowls garnished with a little more freshly chopped dill and some salmon pate on toast.

Nu Skin Galvanic Spa Review

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I have used the Nu Skin Galvanic Spa for the last 4 weeks and it has really changed my skin for the better. At the cost of 2 professional salon visits it’s well worth the hype. I now can see amazing results in the comfort of my own bathroom. It’s lifted my jaw line. My cheeks, around my mouth and eyes have really been smoothed out. Also my pores actually look like I have spent a fortune on weekly treatments. The fine lines are around my eyes have all but vanished. it looks like I have expensive spa visits. It’s a little like ironing out the skin. The more you use this device the better the results. What’s great about this is that I found it actually works much like a professional Galvanic machine. These work by sending a current through the skin and enable products to be penetrated deeper into the underlying cells. And also to cleanse the skin to allow the new podcast to be introduced. It will create a slight metallic taste, this is completely normal and professional services do just the same.

Nu Skin Galvanic Spa Review
I use the Nu Skin Galvanic Spa (incredible little gadget) around 3 times a week for 5 minutes a time for each gel stage that comes with the kit. I just pop it into my regular nighttime routine and I’m sorted.

Nu Skin Galvanic Spa Routine

  1. I take off my makeup with an oil based lotion. This will get rid of stubborn eye makeup and daily build up of London life.
  2. I then cleanse with my skin with Caudilie facial foam. I will do a full review of this very soon!
  3. I then chop off the end of the pre gel treatment and apply 1/2 of the tube all over my face.
  4. Then I damp my hand under the tap and place my fingers on the metal pad at the back.
  5. Turn on the machine to No1 and start to gently use upward motions, a bit like a facial massage. You will hear the machine beep and this tells you its working.
  6. I do this for about 2 1/2 minutes then move onto the other side. This stage is the deep cleansing stage where its having a souphficaton effect. This means its turning the grease and grime into a soap like substance that can be washed off.
  7. Then it time for the treatment mode No2. Cut open the treatment tube and add 1/2 to the entire face and just repeat the movements from before.
  8. If I am doing my weekly mask I would apply this now for about 10- 20 mins while relaxing in the bath.
  9. I then lightly remove any excess and apply a pea sized amount of Nu Skin night cream.
  10. I always follow this with my Hydropeptide eye cream! Check out my article here on some other incredible products.

Nu Skin Galvanic Spa Review

 

When I used the Nu Skin Galvanic Spa for the first time I decided to do just one side of my face! It’s truly amazing and I suggest if you purchase this bathroom anti ageing buddy that you do the same!! I get told all the time that I have amazing skin and regularly get asked for ID! I think this really has helped loads over the last few weeks as my skin hasn’t looked this great in months.

Once the skin has gone too far with the ageing process we can only maintain what we have. Their is no miracle cure and its all down to upkeep. You need to know that the effectiveness of expensive salon facial electrical treatments are not miracle workers but they will assist to help keep the skin in good condition. But also you need to have regular treatments going forward or the effects will be lost and your money just wasted. I have had this little device for over 6 months and annoyed I didn’t start using it sooner. I am now converted and happy to have this little baby sitting on its stand taking pride and place on my vanity unit!

Head over to their website for more information HERE. 

Follow me on Twitter HERE

Check out my blog HERE! 

And for any Photography or information regarding images please check out 2boxes.co.uk 

Heyland & Whittle Green Tea & Grapefruit Candle Review

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Heyland & Whittle greenteaandgrapefruitcandle

British bath, body and home fragrance brand Heyland & Whittle have had a website refresh. The new and improved site offers customers a more enhanced navigation and overall shopping experience.To celebrate we reviewed their Green Tea & Grapefruit candle. 

First of all, presentation. The candle comes in a beautiful box and slides out. The candle itself is in a glass container. So far so sophisticated. The scent of the candle hits you as you open the box, and it is glorious. It is a fresh smell with just the right amount of citrus.It is an uplifting, feel-good fragrance that will brighten any room. Even the notoriously fussy people at Frost love it.

Established in 2003, award winning Heyland & Whittle create outstanding natural products with style and authenticity in a variety of exquisite fragrances. The quintessentially British brand make all their products by hand and are expertly cut, filled and decorated for the most beautiful and superb products.

Famous for their soaps, Heyland & Whittle are the largest manufacturers of cold-processed soap in England. Using only the very best natural ingredients, essential oils, herbs and spices, they are combined to create their sulphate and paraben-free range.

Favourite summer scents include Cherry Blossom, Citrus & Lavender, Neroli & Rose, Green Tea & Grapefruit, Sandlewood & Oud and Coconut Vanilla & Black pepper.

Heyland & Whittle products are available at JohnLewis.co.uk nationwide, Fortnum & Mason and online: www.heylandandwhittle.co.uk

Candles in Glass £24

One Of The Summer’s Essentials… Cartier Parfums unveils Must de Cartier Gold

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Cartier Parfums has announced the launch of its Must de Cartier Gold fragrance.

Inspired by the brand’s debut Must de Cartier ever green oriental essence, the brand’s in-house perfumer Mathilde Laurent worked with Givaudan, the fragrance company that created the original, to create a new scent with a variation on jasmine, brightened with a burst of osmanthus.

The fragrance will be available nationwide from 31 August, priced at £75 (50ml) and £105 (100ml).

Bleach London To Open New Salon In London’s Soho

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11856533_960934037303864_2371061869811885591_oFollowing the success of its Dalston Store, hair salon Bleach London has announced the opening of its new SOHO salon, opening tomorrow (13 August) at 2 Berwick Street.

Bleach was founded in 2010 by hairstylist to the stars, Alex Brownsell, and best friend Sam Teasdale in Alex’s kitchen, who have an extensive celebrity client list including Lily Allen, Georgia Jagger and Pixie Geldof. Bleach specialises in the bold and bright dye-job that built their reputation.

Colour in-store costs £80 and a cut and blow-dry £60.

Customers can also get their hair styled at a price of £1 a minute or purchase one of the brand’s Do-It-Yourself products including Dip Dye kit, a salon-standard Total Bleach and a White Toner for removing yellow tones from blonde hair, as well as wash or paint-in colour creams.

With late night opening hours (until 11pm), the space can be booked for private “Colour” parties – open seven days a week.

The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition… Closing Soon

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Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

8 June-16 August 2015

The largest open submission exhibition in the world

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Held without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition displays works in a variety of mediums and genres by emerging and established contemporary artists.

The works are selected and hung by Royal Academicians, and entry is open to all artists.
In 2013, nearly 70% of the exhibits were by non-Academicians, £70,000 worth of prizes was awarded and over 5,000 works were sold.
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An unusual mix of celebrities –  Una Stubbs by Grayson and Measles, Harry Hill by Damien Hirst and Simon Cowell by Jenny Samtula
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The staircase and the Central Hall are alive with colour, enticing the visitor in.
Dominating the Central Hall is Matthew Darbyshire’s  Captcha No.11 (Doryphoros)  with Liam Gillick’s Applied Projection Ring.
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Grayson Perry’s amazing supersized tapestry, Julia and Rob.
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Jim Lambie’s kaleidoscopic stairs lead you up to the Main Galleries

 

At one time the show was known simply as ‘The Exhibition’, where the likes of Gainsborough and Reynolds, Turner and Constable sharpened their skills against each other.

Nowadays, although there’s a plethora of art fairs, commercial galleries and contemporary exhibitions to choose from, the galleries at Burlington House make an unrivalled setting for artists to display and sell their artworks.

For all of the works displayed, the artist is the seller of the work and the Academy takes a 30% commission on all ‘Offers to Purchase’, the proceeds going towards the RA Schools and their diverse programme of exhibitions.

The array of works and the celebratory atmosphere of the exhibition make for an unique experience where visitors can browse, buy and discuss the works on show.

Latisse Eyebrow Growth Review

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You might recall my first ever article for Frost Magazine? Well it was a very long time ago! I was asked to write about a new way of using the product MyLash or Latisse ages ago and just totally forgot to give it a go. I love to road test all sorts of beauty crazes for all of our readers. So here is my Latisse Eyebrow Growth Review.

Do you long for stunning, beautiful thick and enviable brows? Eyebrows really frame the face and they can take years off someones appearance if they look luscious, shiny and in beautiful condition. When they look thin, uneven and sparse they can add years to what could be a stunning and pretty face. Latisse for eyebrows could be the answer to many girls problems. My Latisse eyebrow growth review has turned into a new way of loving this product. If you desire to look even a little like Cara Delevingne the model known for her distinctive eyebrows, you need to keep reading. Or if your brows just won’t grow after years and years of over plucking. If your getting a little older and your noticing hair changes like thin brows. if you have been enthusiastically removing a few too many hairs, or even if you crave those Cara brows that are so in fashion right now, then this could well be your next best friend.

I have had a long suffering relationship with my eyebrows. They where sparse, thin, pale and naturally a very odd shape. I used to get by with just regular biweekly HD brow treatments, eyebrow pencils, setting gels of all different descriptions, clear, brown, red or black depending on what colour my hair was one week to the next. I have tons of eyebrow shadow and I dye the life out of them in hope that one day I will wake up looking like Cara.Latisse Eyebrow Growth Review

You all know I love MyLash or Latisse as its known in America and its going down a storm over in the states. Latisse eyebrow growth treatment is simply brilliant and why I haven’t I tried it and written about it before I will never know. Better late than never hey! Latisse eyebrows I predict will be the next big beauty trend. The use of Latisse on the brows started in America about 3 years ago and they are loving the product so much. Well I decided to give this a go after being sent a top up of the products recently. I am their Ambassador when it comes to the lashes as I swear by the stuff.

I have been using it religiously for a few weeks to see what happens. Well I’m delighted to tell you my brows are not what they once where. They are plumper, thicker and more glossy than ever. They need to bottle this stuff and make it into a scalp serum! Then every girls dream of longer and thicker locks would come true! I have only been using it for short time and already I can see a great change.

The reason I decided to try this after years of using it on my lashes (can’t live without it) was because I was about to get my brow tattoo redone, but to be brutally honest with you all I couldn’t go through with the pain ever again. Looking back I fooled myself in thinking it didn’t hurt and that they looked amazing, but in truth they actually looked fake. So now my semipermanent brows have faded (thank god) and what was left needed some natural attention.

So a few weeks ago I grabbed my bottle of MyLash and set about giving this a trial. Before I went to bed each evening and at the same time as I brushed my teeth it was brow rehab time. Fast forward to today and my once nasty thin and patchy eyebrows have been restored with fresh new hair all thanks to MyLash. The bald patches have been replaced, the gaps have been filled in and I feel fresher due to it being my own real hair. Can I dare say a little younger too?! When they where primarily tattooed in they looked a little too thin and very…well block like. Very ageing when I look back at close up shots.
I’m so thrilled to have naturally thicker eyebrows for the first time in years. All down to MyLash or Latisse as its know in the U.S.

 

How to apply Latisse eyebrow

  1. I do this once a day, normally before I go to bed. I apply the serum to my lash line at the same time for the most incredible long lashes. Read my full review of MyLash here to see photographic evidence that this little product is mind blowing and magical. You will be amazed I promise you.
  2. Cleanse and tone the skin.
  3. Moisturise but leave out the brow area as you want the make sure the product sinks into the skin.
  4. Use one of the little applicators to apply one drop of the eyebrow growth product to each eyebrow. Now rub it along the hair follicles that are already there. Then apply it where you would like them to grow.
  5. Have patience as it can take up to 4/6 weeks to see new hair appear in places where their hasn’t been any for years. The hair that’s already there will start to look thicker, darker and glossier within 2-4 weeks.
  6. If it drips down don’t worry your not going to get a hairy face! It needs to be repeatedly applied over a few weeks to see growth.
  7. While growing brows use it once a day and when you have grown them out. Use it around 2-3 times a week to maintain the thickness.

I’m so happy with my new thicker, stronger and more beautiful brows. I get asked all the time about my age and I really do think good brows have a lot to do with looking younger. If your face is naturally framed you don’t need to cake tons of ageing makeup on either. Just a buff of mineral foundation, a cream blusher, a little black eyeliner flick. One or two coats of mascara on your longer and now stunning lashes. All this framed by those perfect brows that even Cara would be proud of!

Here are some before and after images I have found on the internet of Latisse helping others. I haven’t documented mine stage by stage as my brow tattoo has faded and looks kind of weird. My brows are gradually growing over the old now grey looking hair stokes. They have improved so much i can’t wait to see what they will look like in a few weeks.

Nip over to their website Here to order yours today!