An Evening At Wildwood Restaurant & Deli, Plymouth

Last Wednesday I was invited down to Wildwood Plymouth for an evening of drinks, nibbles and a spot of networking. Wildwood is one of my favourite places to head to for dinner, it's located in the historic setting of The Royal William Yard in the old slaughterhouse which has been beautifully restored, whilst they offer a mix of Italian and American style food. But ultimately, the whole dining experience there really does lend itself to the industrial styled interior and eclectic set up. We are lucky enough to have 2 Wildwood restaurants in Plymouth, with the newest one in The Royal William Yard which has been open for just under a year (it's also my favourite of the two!). It was possibly the best evening of weather for the year, and there was no shortage of food and drink top ups during the evening... 

I took my parents along for the evening as I very rarely get the opportunity to bring them along to events, it also didn't matter if I left them both for a while to wander off and take some pictures! Upon arrival we were greeted with wine, beer, prosecco or orange juice for the designated drivers and teetotallers like me!

I've mentioned The Royal William Yard SO many times on my blog in the past, and the historic buildings give all the restaurants in the yard this fantastic industrialized look that makes any interior look fantastic. Some of the Wildwood branches are just restaurants, but this one benefits from a deli too which offers fantastic selection of fresh salads, conserves and sweet treats that are all perfect for an impromptu picnic or a little gift!

Whilst we were waiting for the main food of the evening, there was lots of delicious breads and chutney, chocolate and other nibbles to get our teeth into!

After speaking to some of the other Plymouth bloggers and having a browse through the deli, it was almost time for the food to come out...

The sight of a pizza oven makes me very happy!

There's so much seating in Wildwood both inside and outside which is a real asset to the restaurant. As I'd come straight from work I was super hungry, and it was time to find a table and get ready for the food to be brought out!

The drinks were on tap...

The food just kept coming, deep fried mozzarella sticks and the cutest mini beef burgers!

The selection of food for the evening was so impressive, and it was refreshing to get a chance to try a lot of different dishes, as I'm always the fussy eater in the group who opts for the same meal every time! There was pizza, risotto, garlic bread and deep fried mushrooms to name but a few of the delicious foods from the evening. 

If there's one motto I have in life it's that 'there's always room for dessert'. No matter how much you've gorged yourself on starters and main meals, as soon as a plate of sweet food emerges you just 'somehow' make some room for a helping of it (in this case brownies!). This brownie sharing platter was what dreams were made of, gooey melt in the middle warm chocolate brownies, chocolate sauce to dip and strawberries and cream, perfect for sharing (or for yourself!). 

The chocolate brownies didnt hang around for long....

Full to the brim, I did another round of pictures and a bit of networking before I left for the evening. I always find it so interesting the different types of people you meet at events that you're connected to in a strange way. It's also always the times I meet the most people that I forget my business cards, but there's always next time...

We also got to leave with the most adorable little boxes filled with goodies from their Deli, with delicious pieces of fudge, biscotti and chocolates, I'm almost certain that I'll be popping back to the deli soon for some more treats!

I'd like to say another thank you to the team at Wildwood, Plymouth (& Onshore Media) who invited me down for the evening. It was a great night of food, drink and finding out more about Wildwood, and the staff were so welcoming and attentive throughout the whole evening! You can find out where your nearest Wildwood restaurant is here!

Have you been to a Wildwood restaurant before? Would you like to visit one?

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OOTD | Hello Summer

Top - Zara

Shorts - Primark

Bag - Primark

Sandals* - Asos

Sunglasses - Zara

It's evident that I was born to live for the summer, there's nothing like feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin after a cold winter and being able to go outside without having to wear layer upon layer. It seems like the summer is finally here and I'm trying to make the most of soaking up the sun when I can, you can't begin to believe how hard it is when you work in an office 9:00-5:30 Monday-Friday. But it's always a treat to be able to enjoy longer and lighter evenings like this when you can go out in shorts and a top without feeling cold.

On Wednesday night I headed to the Royal William Yard in Plymouth for a delicious evening of drinks and nibbles at Wildwood Restaurant (more about that in another post!). As the location is one of my top choices to head to in Plymouth I couldn't pass up a chance to get some outfit shots when the light was just right and I could admire the sunset from a distance too. There's something so therapeutic about watching the sun go down, I wish I could bottle that 'calm' feeling for a lifetime.

I wore my favourite new Zara off the shoulder number for the occasion, frills, off the shoulder, blue and white stripes, could it be any better? If you like off the shoulder tops then you're going to love Zara this season, their collection is so on point! I teamed it with my new Primark shorts which were a bargain, white shorts are such a classic staple for summer wear, as they literally go with everything. Yes, it is another novelty bag... I just can't help myself where they're concerned, this is an almost identical dupe to the Skinny Dip London shell bag too, for only £9 I know which one I preferred!

What do you think of this outfit? Which season is your favourite? Do you like watching the sunset?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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Rimmel Volume Colourist Review & Filming In London With The Mail Online

For the last 6 weeks I've been taking part in a really exciting project with Today I'm Wearing (Mail Online) and Rimmel, taking part in a 6 week trial testing our their new Rimmel Volume Colourist mascara, which claims that it will tint your lashes gradually over time with the lash tint complex and natural colourants that are included in the formula. The release of this mascara perfectly ties in with summer holidays, giving you that confidence to go bare by the pool or in the sea without having to worry about panda eyes! I have been using this mascara for 6 weeks now, doing vlogs about the mascara throughout and which culminated in a really exciting trip to London two weeks ago where myself and 4 other bloggers were invited down to The Mail Online studios (London) with Rimmel where we were each individually filmed about our experiences with the mascara, the footage is currently in the process of being edited and compiled which will be featured on the mail online website for about a month, its all super exciting and a real pinch me moment, and I can't wait to see the finished result on the website this month!! Keep an eye out on my twitter in the next few weeks for a sneek peak! But in the meantime, did the mascara really tint my lashes over time?

I've really enjoyed using this mascara and it's definitely become a makeup bag staple for the summer as it's incredibly easy to apply, it doesn't tug or hurt my lashes and it delivers a dramatic, dark look in as little as one coat. It isn't as dramatic as one of my favourite brands, but it's perfect for that everyday look when you want as natural makeup look as possible. Asides from the fact that it can tint your lashes over time, I absolutely love the fact that this mascara is so easy to remove afterwards. I suffer from eczema on my eyelids which is made worse by using a lot of eye makeup remover, unlike other brands where I'm scrubbing my eyes for about 10 minutes, it only takes a bit of gentle rubbing and my eyes are free from any scraps of mascara. Now let's get to the main selling point of this mascara, and whether it really does tint lashes over time.

I firstly absolutely love the concept of this mascara, there is nothing like this on the market already and I love how you can do both at the same time, use it in your everyday makeup routine for voluminous lashes and also tint them over time. This is a much more cost and time effective method than going to the salon to tint your lashes, and this mascara only costs around £7.99 so it's definitely worth anyone giving it a try! It's difficult to tell from looking in the mirror when you look at yourself every day so I took pictures of my lashes with 3 week intervals so I could get a proper look at whether my lashes were gradually getting darker. I naturally have very long eyelashes, but the ends are incredibly blonde so wearing mascara is normally a must for me. Below are the pictures of my lashes before starting the trial, at 3 weeks, and at the end of the 6 week trial.

Whilst the results aren't completely obvious, I have definitely noticed the blonde ends look slightly darker than before which is more than I ever expected, and the lash line appears a lot darker. I never expected the results to be super dramatic anyway, as one does wonder how it's possible to keep them tinted, and it's a semi-permanent solution to tinting your lashes so you will have to keep using it to retain the result. I also swim a lot, and chlorine tends to strip hair of colour so I think it has probably had a similar impact on my lashes. But, above all I love it as an everyday mascara and will continue to use it as an everyday mascara throughout the summer. I don't care about going bare this summer now that I'm using this mascara, and I'm looking forward to more makeup free days without having to use mascara, or worry about panda eyes by the pool...

I also got to take home the most AMAZING goodie bag from my day in London with me which was filled to the brim with lots of lovely Rimmel makeup goodies and some branded Mail Online products which are such amazing things to keep, and a gentle reminder of some of the fantastic experiences that I have had through blogging! I would recommend anyone to try this mascara at least once, to see if you notice a difference to your lash colour over time too!

Have you tried the Rimmel volume colourist mascara? Have your lashes tinted over time? Would you like to give it a try?

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OOTD | Feelin' Fruity

Top* - Kiss & Tell via Asos

Skirt - Topshop

Sandals - Asos

Watch - Olivia Burton (own watch strap)

Sunglasses - Zara

Phone Case - Skinny Dip London

Yesterday the sun was shining, I didn't have work and I met up with some of my lovely blogger babes in Plymouth, I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday! After a spot of brunch at Boston Tea Party, we made some time to take outfit pictures of each other on the back streets of the barbican which was really lovely (Thanks Alice!).

I went for a fun and fruity look yesterday, wearing another killer tee from Kiss & Tell, they really do have the best selection of novelty/slogan tees, crop tees are ideal for wearing with high waisted shorts and skirts in the summer, making it super versatile. I also picked this Pineapple phone case up from Skinny Dip in London last week, I felt it was about time I got my phone ready for summer too, it's nothing short of perfect with googly eyes and glitter galore! Let's hope the sun is here to stay so I can get more of my new summer wardrobe out...

I hope you're all enjoying the sunshine this weekend! What do you think of this outfit? Do you like this fruity tee?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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