Cardiff's Peppermint Bar and Kitchen Review

After a rather unpleasant experience in Zinc on St Mary’s Street a fair few months ago, I was delighted with its replacement; Peppermint Bar and Kitchen. Already well established in Swansea, Peppermint offers a fresh, stylish and classy venue, with a selection of classic and signature cocktails, a great shooters menu and lush fish-bowls! Fridays promote classic RnB music which guarantees an "Oh I love this song!" moment, every time the song changes, whilst Saturday plays all the current chart songs.

On my bank holiday booze-fest in Cardiff the other weekend, I was ecstatic to finally find a bar which not only serves tasty cocktails, but a place where I could enjoy a chilled night out with my friends without having to hit the clubs, and not have the ‘undesirable’ company which graced Zinc with it’s presence before, ruining the atmosphere.

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Whilst I was there I sampled a few (take that as you will) of the cocktails. My favourite being the Banana-Colada; a banana take on the classic Pina-Colada, obviously. Delicious and easy to drink, but doesn't mix well with a few double Vodka Redbulls beforehand! Some of their signature cocktails were jam based; and even served in a jam jar! Unfortunately due to my peculiar and rather annoying allergy to raspberries I am limited to what I can try, but I have a couple of reliable sources who say their cocktails were just as luscious too!

The bar staff seem friendly and know what they’re doing, and are quick to serve you. Even the bouncers are sociable creatures! The only downside, is the size. It is rather small place and doesn’t really accommodate for the sudden urge to show everyone that it was you that taught Beyoncè everything she knows, after about four, easy to drink cocktails. Nevertheless, you can always find somewhere, whether it be the floor, a chair, or a table (I wouldn’t recommend the latter two) to make a fool of yourself on.
So to anyone who is looking a change to from the usual Lloyds Bar, Fat Cats, or Varsity, and wants some good times, some good drinks, and a good atmosphere, then I suggest Peppermint. It's free to get in and the drinks prices are fairly reasonable too! I enjoyed it so much, that I spent my whole three day bank holiday weekend going to there every night! I need to try it in the day time too, so if anyone has gone there I'd be interested to hear what you think about it!



But in the meantime......Mine’s a cocktail if you’re buying ;)

Designer Boot - Cardiff

Monday saw the return of the Designer Boot in Cardiff; a quarterly event that gives ladies a place to sell on high quality clothing, shoes, jewellery and accessories and also a perfect opportunity to pick up a bargain.

I had never been to one before so I was excited to the prospect of finding a gorgeous designer piece at a fraction of what it was originally bought for, plus I just can’t resist a bargain!

Hosted at The Potted Pig and tickets costing £5 on the door (£3, if you get your name on the guest list), Designer Boot offers an avenue for ladies to streamline, and de-clutter their wardrobe, and thankfully for them, I was there to take some of their items off their hands!

With rails filled with beautiful designer dresses, tables laced with elegant jewellery pieces and shoes screaming to be filled with my feet, it was literally a haven for anyone who can appreciate beautiful clothing.

Also, there was a chance to have a bit of pampering too, courtesy of Liberty Spa, who were offering threading, lash extensions, manicure, pedicure and eyebrow shaping, all at discounted rates! :)

After getting a glass of wine from the bar, myself and my friend made our way around the sale and began to discover how inexpensive these pieces were, and couldn’t quite believe why they wanted to sell such lovely items!

After trying on masses of clothes, I decided I had to be sensible in what I decided to buy… otherwise I think I may have bought everything in sight! In the end I decided on the three fab pieces;

A striped Nicole Farhi cowl neck top (something which I have been looking for anyway!)

A Rod Beattie beach cover up (although, with the right accessories could be warn as a cute day dress too)

And a gorgeous, and probably my favourite Opera Prima feather clutch bag.

 All for a staggering price of £15! Amazing.

I cannot wait until March when the next Designer Boot hits Cardiff again. I highly recommend attending one, because you are sure to find a little treasure and it won’t cost you the earth either.

Here are a few pictures from the evening…

Beautiful Bags

So many rails of gorgeous dresses like these

Liberty Spa beauty corner!

Sparkles!

Just in time for Christmas :)

xx

The final pictures can be found on Designer Boots facebook page.. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Designer-Boot/221342011232293 as they own these images.

Site Launch - Designer to the Rescue!

Design has never come easy to me, so when it came to designing my new blog, I stumbled at the first hurdle. With platforms such as Twitter though, I was able to find a number of people who were will willing to help me design my blog for me. However, this obviously came at a hefty price.

I work alongside graphic designers, and so know how talented these people are, and how much effort they put into their work. I suppose I could have asked one of them to do it for me, but with the lead up to Christmas, work is absolute manic, and couldn’t bring myself to ask them to do even more work, outside office hours!

Nevertheless, there was one company who was prepared to help me out. Found through Twitter, Site Launch is an American company based in Atlanta GA, which was founded in 2011 to help individuals and small business build professional websites. After a few emails, Nathaniel Deal, company owner, was able to track down a few sites for me with pre-made templates which fitted my criteria I sent to him.

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This gave me plenty to look through, and it wasn’t long before I was making lists of all the designs I liked. I finally managed to narrow it down to the one you see now. However being the complete technical dunce that I am, I had no idea how to upload it!

Fortunately Nathaniel was there to my rescue, and within minutes uploaded my design for me. Now, I have a beautiful looking blog (which I hope you will all like!).  

Site Design say “Our sites are custom designed for the client and are optimized for search engines; which means that a site designed by them has a far better chance of attracting new visitors and customers. We also take the time to help bloggers and start ups establish a presence on the web even if they have little money. We love to give back to the community whenever possible.”

I am very grateful to Site Launch and particularly Nathaniel for the effort he made, to help an amateur like me, start up on my blogging venture. It just shows, that it doesn't matter where you are in the world, help is always at hand :) 

Website http://www.site-launch.com/

Lazy Sundays

 <3

xx

Crabtree and Evelyn Save the Children Christmas Event - Cardiff

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Crabtree & Evelyn will be hosting a Christmas event on 6 December, in aid of Save the Children.

It should be a fabulous

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 evening, with festive fizz, nibbles, and pampering. And if that wasn’t enough, there's a chance to do a spot of Christmas shopping with 15% off Crabtree and Evelyn's products on the night!


The team is hoping to raise over £500 for Save the Children, so head down to help support them. 

Tickets are £5, so pop in store to find out more about it! :)

And if you need any more persuading, check out my product reviews below, and maybe you might find something you might like :)

Crabtree and Evelyn Product Review

Christmas shopping is one of the most stressful and daunting things I have to do all year. Not only do I have to contend with the hustle and bustle of fellow shoppers searching for that perfect gift, but I also have to think about what it is I have to buy! Every Christmas it gets harder and harder, as I seem to see the same gift ideas appearing every year.

This year, I decided I wanted to look for something special, something that would actually be wanted and used, rather than tucked away in a cupboard to be found in a year’s time after a spring clean.

Crabtree and Evelyn has always been a store, I would walk past and admire from outside but never actually ventured in, despite all the beautiful displays.

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I decided to do a spot of research on the company to find out a bit about them, as they seemed a bit of a mystery to me. I soon discovered that Crabtree and Evelyn was founded 40 years ago, and was originally a family run business, and has evolved into a international company with over 500 stores worldwide!

As part of my research I was extremely lucky to have an opportunity to review some of Crabtree and Evelyn’s products. So, last week I went to the Cardiff store and picked up my goody bag, and was delighted with my gifts J

Inside was a Crabtree and Evelyn Caramel Lip Tint, 60 second fix for hand moisturiser, Iris Bath and Shower gel, Strawberries and Cream biscuits, Organic Blueberry Preserve, and a £5 gift voucher!

My goody bag!

  I couldn’t wait to start using all of my products, and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to write a blog to help give a few ideas for your Christmas shopping; or maybe a little festive treat for yourself ;)

Caramel Lip Tint

First off, and probably my favourite is the Caramel Lip Tint. I love make up, but I have never been a fan of lip colour and always stuck to clear gloss. However this subtle lip tint is perfect for me, and anyone else who prefers a natural lip colour. One of my major issues with glosses, is the sticky texture they tend to leave, making you think you’ve applied super glue rather than lip gloss. Thank fully, this deliciously smelling glossy lip tint does no such thing. Making my lips feel smooth and soft, whilst giving me the pout-factor, is exactly what I have been looking for.

Hand Recovery and Hand Therapy

Next was the 60 second fix for hands. This product is aimed towards those with green fingers; and by that I mean gardeners. To be honest, you’re more likely to see pigs fly than see me out in the garden, but my hands are always in need of a good moisturiser. Smelling of cinnamon, this great moisturiser pack comes with two tubes; Hand Recovery and Hand Therapy, complete with an instruction leaflet. At first I found that odd, however once reading it I found out why. Applying the Hand Recovery requires a system of applying, washing, drying and applying again. The results were fabulous as my hand were so soft and smelt great, however not much an efficient product if you’re out an about. Probably best to leave this one at home for a little hand pampering session one evening ;)

Iris Bath and Shower gel

My Third product was the Iris Bath and Shower gel. Personally, I am not a fan of flowery smelling products, and so was not particularly fond of the aroma of the product; nevertheless, this is just my personal taste, and I know a lot of people who would definitely love this (My mum being one!) I tried the product, and it does exactly what it says on the bottle. As a sufferer of sensitive skin, I have to be careful of what I use, however, this product seemed to react quite nicely to me, and I was rash free after use. Result!

Completely unaware that Crabtree and Evelyn also sold food, I was surprised to see the biscuits and blueberry preserve in my pack. I’m not going to deny I was dubious about the biscuits, as many companies which tend to specialise in one area of the market, seem to fall flat on their face when they venture into a new.

Delicious Strawberries and Cream Biscuits

My theory was wrong. Well in this case anyway. I can honestly say, the Crabtree and Evelyn Strawberries and Cream biscuits, are one of the most deliciously more-ish biscuits I have ever had. Filled with small pieces of sweet strawberry, with a creamy shortbread biscuit, I literally couldn’t stop eating them. Heaven. Presented in a cute pink tin, with the trademark Crabtree and Evelyn style, I would say this is a perfect accompaniment to any cup of tea J

Overall I was absolutely delighted with all my goodies I received, and shall definitely be returning to the store, to do some of my Christmas shopping; I know my mum will LOVE something from them for Christmas. I may even have to stock up on the Strawberries and Cream Biscuits too! 

 I would highly recommend each and every product, but don't take my word for it, go in and see for yourself!

Happy Shopping :)

xx

Welcome

Hi!


Welcome to my brand new blog! 
Some of you may have followed me over here from my Wordpress blog, and so will know that I have recently moved back to Cardiff, to start a new job, and a new life. 


It's been a hectic couple of months, and I am slowly getting into the swing of things! 


I have been meaning to set up a new blog for so long now, but finding the time has been an absolute nightmare, but here I am; I finally made it! 


I hope you enjoy Drops of Jupiter, and if have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave me something. I always enjoy hearing other peoples thoughts and opinions; good or not so good! 


Happy reading :) 


xxx