Dining at Parkers Tavern in Cambridge

A few weeks ago I dined at Parkers Tavern in the University Arms Hotel. Courtesy of me finding one of Tristan Welch's PT Easter egg hunt which won me dinner for two and one of his fabulous Easter eggs! I've been to the restaurant two times before but this was the first time I'd indulged in three courses and cocktails.We started off with a Bloomsbury Boozer The Bloomsbury Set was a formidable group of writers, academics and intellectuals who met at Cambridge during their boozy student days. Made up of The Botanist gin, elderflower cordial, lemon, raspberries, raspberry foam. For starters I had the Tempura Purple Sprouting Broccoli  and Debs my dinner guest had the Spring Truffle Risotto.  They were certainly generous portions for starters. Thew drizzle of honey, cider vinegar and black pepper really gave a new level of flavour to the broccoli that I never would have thought of. 

For our main courses it was a tough decision with so many tasty looking options to choose from. I went for the Roasted Lamb Rump served with garlic and rosemary fondant potatoes. The lamb was so melt in the mouth and cooked to perfection. It came served with a flavoursome sauce and some greenery which just brought it all together to create a beautiful dish. I had previously had their Sunday roast beef and that was also cooked perfectly so if you are a meat fan like me you are in for a treat here.



For dessert I couldn't resist the Valrhona Dark Chocolate bar and Debs had the Rice Pudding Soufflé. I'm not usually one for dark chocolate but the balance between chocolate and salted caramel ganache just lifted the dessert and was so rich and moreish. Debs impressive soufflé came accompanied by raspberry ripple ice cream and certainly didn't last long so I can imagine it was also delicious.



Aside from the food the decor of the building is super swish with a fluid sense of old and new, of a classic brasserie full of marble, pewter and shades of Cambridge blue. I have to add that the bathroom is also very instagrammable with minimalist tiling and a different audio book in the background. If your in Cambridge you must stop by, even if just for a coffee because its such a wonderful atmosphere to be in.

Revlon PhotoReady Candid Collection

I'm always on the lookout for new products hitting the beauty shelves, especially on my hunt for the best base products. I was watching This Morning with Sunday Times Beauty Director, Sarah Jossel  mention the new Revlon Photoready Candid Anti-Pollution Foundation * as a good under £10 new product and decided to investigate further. When I went to pick it up from the shop I also picked up the Revlon Photoready Candid Anti-Pollution Concealer *, they also had Revlon Photoready Candid Anti-Pollution Setting Powder* which I decided not to pick up as I'm not much of a setting powder gal. The setting powder was available in three shades; Translucent, Deep and Medium, which I thought was good that they had options.



The Revlon Photoready Candid Anti-Pollution Foundation * comes in 31 shades which I think for a high street brand is good going, including a variety of different tones and shades with different undertones. It is a natural-finish medium coverage foundation that feels very weightless on your skin. It boasts a skin-protecting formulation that blends anti-pollution, antioxidant and anti-blue light ingredients, preventing further signs of fatigue and dullness. Also it claims it feels better without: oils, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and harsh fragrances.



The Revlon Photoready Candid Anti-Pollution Concealer * with medium coverage (available in 18 shades) camouflages dark circles and puff, with a jolt of caffeine to help wake up tired skin. Like the foundation its formula includes a protective antioxidant, along with anti-pollution and anti-blue-light ingredients and feels better without: oils, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, or harsh fragrances—making it ideal for delicate under eye skin and a great concealer for sensitive skin! It also has a really nice flexible doe-foot applicator which makes it so easy to apply, I find blending with either a brush or my fingers is super simple. 

Here is a quick picture of me using the foundation and concealer. It was super easy to use and I think it looks really natural. I used shade 250 Vanilla foundation and shade 010 Vanilla concealer. If I had gone online I may have ordered a different shade foundation but I went for the closest match that was available in the store I bought it. It is certainly a buildable formula as you can see I did not use much to cover my face in the picture, but I could add more coverage if I wanted. 


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d'Arrys has been "Stolen"

d'Arry's restaurant and loft on Kings Street in Cambridge has undergone a transformation after being "Stolen" by the Owners son Charlie. 



Charlie’s idea is to ‘steal’ the best food and ingredients from around the world and bring them together in an all day menu of stretched sourdoughs, grills and salads: from Sea Bass, to pesto, to hoisin duck and wasabi. There are so many combinations on the menu including options for meat lovers, vegetarians and vegans. 



With space for private parties available with walls lined with back lit empty wine bottles its perfect for any gatherings.



The Liquor Loft has over 100 gins on offer, as well as barrel-aged cocktails. If wine is your tipple they also have plenty on offer. This quirky space hosts live music nights and open mic nights on top of happy hour days so its the perfect place for an after work drink. 



After a fire in the building in 2008 they discovered parts of the building they never knew were there like the brewing equipment. They've made this a feature point for the loft and it really adds to the quirkiness of the aesthetics and the history of the restaurant. They have also started brewing their own small batches from its own craft brewery in Bury St Edmunds The Old Cannon Brewery.



Debs and I were kindly treated to a tour of the restaurant and loft by Charlie, as well as being able to try the sourdough and drinks. I tried a Bramble cocktail and Debs had a G&T and they certainly were delicious and perfectly presented. The building is also all covered by art by Samuel Harris which you must go check out his "stolen" ideas dotted, adding some lively colour to this cool hangout.



 I've also found my new favourite way to eat cauliflower as coronation cauliflower was super delicious. We sampled some of the sourdough and salads and there was so much flavour and colour to these dishes. I must go back and try out more combinations!

*Press opening night - the food and drink was kindly gifted

Lush Easter 2019 🐣🐰

Hey chicks, its time for another Lush launch! Easter is round the corner and I've got a round up of this years new products to show you!



Lamb Bomb Bomb and Bunny Bomb Bomb are hopping into your bathroom this Easter with two baths worth of fun. Lamb Bomb Bomb is a mint chocolate scent with peppermint oil and cocoa absolute, leaves a less colourful more milky soft bath waters. Bunny Bomb Bomb has much more of a spring in its step with popping candy livening up your bath water and transforming it into a citrussy pink dream with bergamot and Brazilian orange oil. Two baths worth of joy out of both of these, plus their super cute design has to be a go-to this Easter. 



Hatching this year are four new fun eggs; Bunny Fun Egg, Chick Fun Egg, Brontosaurus Fun Egg and Stegosaurus Fun Egg. Again as with the Bomb Bombs you get more than one bath out of these bath bombs; up to three to be precise! The fun animals inside the bath bomb eggs can be used in multiple ways, it is a 4-in-1 product can be used as a solid shampoo, bubble bar, soap, or even just to play with. The Bunny and Chick egg have the same scents of geranium and peppermint and the Brontosaurus and Stegosaurus egg smell to me of a citrus sherbet sweet smell with grapefruit  and bergamot.



On the theme of carrots Lush have given us the Carrot Cake Lip Scrub and Carrot Shower Oil. The Carrot Cake Lip Scrub is now top of my list of Lush's lip scrub scents and flavours. It has a moreish maple-syrup-esque flavour that is almost as satisfying as eating the cake itself, made from key ingredients of caster sugar, cold-pressed carrot seed oil, walnut oil and fair trade organic cinnamon powder. To keep your body and smooth and soft as you lips will be after the scrub the new Carrot Shower Oil. This product is a new invention for Lush and is sulphate and palm-free shower cleanser. Fair Trade organic cocoa butter and shea butter help moisturise your skin as well as the cold-pressed carrot seed oil and fresh carrot in sunflower oil help protect and soften skin. It has a sweet smell of caledonian sandalwood, grapefruit and geranium flower for a floral finish.



Two new body scrubs have also been added this Easter; Cocoa and Coco. Cocoa Sugar Scrub is the answer to a vegan (non-edible) chocolate bunny. Granulated sugar, cocoa absolute, cocoa butter and vanilla absolute help exfoliate and moisturise your skin. Coco Sugar Scrub is full of lovely organic virgin coconut oil, vanilla absolute and vetivert oil for a shower of coconut dreams and silky soft skin.



And finally to leave you smelling of roses the Rose Bombshell Egg is here to save the day. This pretty pink bombshell will set you back £12.95 but it is a show stopper. You could use it over two baths or use it all in one to have a super luxurious rosey bath. Encased between two bath bomb halves tied together with raffia, cleansing sea salt and dried rose petals. Scented with damask rose absolute and rose oil from Turkish fields, rose-jam perfumed bath is perfect for rose jam lovers. 



Thats my Lush Easter round up for this year! Any of these products hopping into your bathroom any time soon? Let me know if you have tried any!

Brighton Seaside Retreat⚓️

If you follow me on Instagram (@mycopperhaven) you will have seen my little trip to Brighton back in January. I had a really great time on this little trip so I thought I would share the places I visited while I was down there with you.  The trip was booked at this particular time of the year as I had tickets to see The 1975 at the Brighton Centre, that being my main reason of my trip. I had booked my hotel back in the November during the Artist Residence* Black Friday sale. I've stayed there on a previous trip with my mum and fell in love with the hotel. The Brighton branch of the group of eccentric boutique hotels has really good location on Regency Square that overlooks the sea, West Pier and i360 tower.



The rooms are super cosy, the particular room I stayed in was the Tiny Sea View which had murals on the walls, en suite, and mini bar stocked with locally sourced goodies. The en suite is also fully stocked with organic products from Bramley Products which I've used over the stays in their hotels and they are the best a hotel could provide so much so I bought some to use at home!



Our first stop after the hotel was to grab some food and a hot drink to warm up. We headed through the lanes to search for our brunch and came across The Breakfast Club which is an 80s haven which serves breakfast dishes all day. I had the All American, with fried potatoes, sausage, pancakes with maple syrup and eggs  (I swapped eggs for beans). It was a super cool place to have brunch and you certainly didn't leave hungry. Though we did have to wait to get a table as it was super popular so we left our details so they called us when they had a table and got a drink at The Plant Rooms espresso bar and deli. They specialise in speciality coffee from New Zealand and vegetarian and vegan snacks, pastry and cakes. This was the perfect pit stop during the rain so just sit and enjoy a drink surrounded by so many lovely green plants and succulents, certainly made good drinks too!



The next morning we spent ages looking for somewhere to get breakfast and settles on The Ivy In The Lanes, because there are just too many options of good breakfast places! The restaurant had the most beautiful interiors, with plenty of art on the walls and luscious green velvet and burnt orange leather seating. We had a really nice peaceful breakfast as it was quite because it was early and midweek we were one of four parties of people in the whole place. So if your looking for more sophisticated breakfast venue this is the one to go for. We enjoyed it so much in fact we came back for cocktails later in the evening!



After a morning of exploring the lanes and a bit of mooching around charity shops and some of my favourite shops (Posh Totty and Abode Living are go-to shops) we decided to get the bus out to Kemptown to go to a particular cafe I had seen on instagram and GloBalls.  Cafe Marmalade on Eastern Road was super dreamy. We stopped by for lunch to fuel us for mini golf and boy did we eat. This bohemian style cafe has so many food and drink options it took us a while to decide what order, but I settled for a sausage roll, chocolate brownie and hot chocolate. There were so many other things I could have ordered and will certainly head back if I'm in Brighton again soon.



Fully fuelled we walked down the coast to Brighton Marina and headed into GloBalls. There are two courses of 12 holes of a choice of theme of Jurassic or Tropicana. We sped through the first Jurassic course so decided for round two round the Tropicana course. I think its safe to say I whooped Emily on both courses coming out top.



After getting back into the centre of town decided as it was our last night we got dressed up and headed out for a night of cocktails and good food. We started at Franco Manca for some fresh sourdough pizza. If pizza is your thing you have to try out one of the Franco Manca ones, super fresh and good ingredients sources from both the UK and Italy. Then full of pizza headed back to The Ivy In The Lanes for cocktails. The atmosphere has much more of a buzz there in the evening, its certainly not a cheap place to go for drinks but they were really good!



Plus the bathrooms at the Ivy are the best for good selfies haha. So that brings me to the end of my roundup of a few places to visit in Brighton. Let me know if you have any other suggestions for when I head back again! Brighton is just such a nice place to visit and I thoroughly recommend you do go.

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My Clarins Skincare 🥥🌸

My Clarins is the latest collection to be produced by Clarins and it certainly caught my attention after seeing Caroline Hirons video (also meeting the amazing woman at her Clarins event at the store I work at!). This new line is aimed at 18-25 year olds, but of course that's only a guide at its demographic so everyone can use elements of it still. It is also one of the first of their ranges that is 100% vegan and have made the commitment to only be available in markets that do not require animal testing; so if you are looking to make your skincare more vegan friendly this is a good place to look. Its also a good introduction to a premium skincare routine but for a more budget friendly price.    

I decided to test out a few elements of the collection out for myself and picked up the RE-MOVE Micellar Cleansing Milk*, RE-FRESH Hydrating Beauty Mist*, RE-BOOSTING Comforting Hydrating Cream* and RE-CHARGE Relaxing Sleep Mask*. 



RE-MOVE Micellar Cleansing Milk* was the part of the collection I was most interested in trying out as I have been using micellar cleansing waters for year but not tried a milky formula before. This is one of the simplest things to do in a skincare routine and takes seconds to sweep this across your skin on a cotton pad. If you are lazy with your routine this is the perfect way to start without reaching for dreaded facial wipes (trust me see Caroline for more on this). It gently cleanses and removes make-up to leave your skin still feeling hydrated and clean. Moringa extract helps cleanse the skin's surface and remove traces of pollution while Fig extract has a super moisturising to leave your skin feeling comfortable. It retails at £17 but a little goes a long way so it will last you a while!  



RE-FRESH Hydrating Beauty Mist* is slightly less of as necessary step in a basic routine but a nice one to add in for that extra boost of hydration. This lovely glass bottle contains a floral, fruity beauty water to help moisturise, promote radiance and prep skin for the day or night. With Clarins Healthy Skin (In&Out) Complex: coconut water and Alpenrose extract to help rebalance and boost your skins radiance. Fig extract is also in this mist with its moisturising power, acerola seed for a fresh complexion and robinia flower water to soften skin, and to top it off its alcohol free! Its suggested use it on cleansed skin before your moisture but you can use it whenever you feel the need for some extra hydration. I'm a big fan of mist just for that extra boost so this has joined my vanity! The spray on the nozzle is also really nice and even.      



RE-BOOSTING Comforting Hydrating Cream* has been my moisturiser of choice in the mornings. It has a light whipped cream texture and a little goes a long way.  With 95% natural ingredients its super charged with coconut water and Alpenrose extract to help rebalance and boost radiance. While goji berry extract gives skin an energy boost, fig extract with super moisturising power, shea butter to comfort and sooth skin and finally acerola seed extract and tamarind pulp acids for a fresh, rosy complexioned smooth skin texture. I found my skin still felt hydrated at the end of the day which I haven't found with a lot of other products I have tried over the years and feels plump and refreshed so I'm really impressed.  



RE-CHARGE Relaxing Sleep Mask*has a really light texture but its still just as powerful. Again it is infused with the Healthy Skin (In&Out) complex of coconut water and Alpenrose extract. It also has acerola seed extract, fig extract and huang qi extract to help detox and hydrate overnight. This product can be used as a super soothing night cream or 1-3 times a week as a sleep mask. This is the most expensive part of the collection but again for £24 I don't think that's bad for a product that's 93% natural ingredients and lasts as a little goes a long way. I love putting this on before bed because it not only smells amazing, I also wake up with soft, hydrated skin in the morning!   

I've really been enjoying adding these to my skincare routine and can say they'll be staying there for a while! Obviously the products I wrote about are what my skin needs and there are a few more in the line for if you have more of an oily complexion that they offer. They also have a CLEAR-OUT Blemish Targeting Gel* and PORE-LESS Blur and Matte Stick* which are more targeted treatments for oilier complexions. Along side a RE-MOVE Purifying Cleansing Gel* and RE-BOOST Matifying Hydrating Cream for Oily Skin*  which are all more suited to oily skin. All of the products range from £15 to £24 which I don't think is bad for a premium brand.  Let me know if you have tried any of these new My Clarins products!

*Affiliate Links 

Lush Mother's Day 2019👩‍👧

With Mother's Day coming up this month Lush have launched their new collection of Mother's day gifts. Perfect for treating any mums or mother figures to a pamper day from home there's something for everyone.

Let's start off with the GRL-PWR Bubble Bar. This instagram worthy bar goes the extra mile at bath time by lasting up to four baths depending on how you divid it up. The pink and blue creates a pretty purple super bubbly bath.  Sink into this relaxing bath with scents of ylang ylang and cedarwood. Bergamot uplifts as benzoin resinoid comforts and creates a thin protective film on skin, preventing it from losing moisture. This is used for its warming qualities, believed to stimulate blood flow, ease aching muscles and to give skin a sweet, lingering vanilla and balsamic aroma, so perfect for a relaxing Mother's Day bath!



They the brought out four different flower bath bombs; Jasmine Flower, Marigold Flower, Chamomile Flower and Iris Flower. You can say it with flowers, or you can say it with a message by removing the yellow scroll, write your message and pop it back inside the bath bomb, before presenting them it.  These are super fragrant and pretty when you put them in the bath. The perfect way to give a floral bouquet of flowers to those bath lovers. 



Flutter into your bathtub with a butterfly friend. Three butterflies of different patterns and colours join the Mother’s day collection this year; Wild Butterfly, Lemon Butterfly and Rose Butterfly. Each with very different scents and creating different marble coloured baths there's a scent for everyone.



Floating flower takes you back to nature as this fragrant blue bath bomb fizzes away, a chrysanthemum dipped in hydrating Fair Trade cocoa butter and almond oil floats to the surface and gently infuses the bath water. Lavender oil and Almond essential oils create a calming and sweet smelling water for you to wash those blues away and sink into a relaxing nights sleep afterwards. 



More Tea and Sympathy Tea Pot bath bomb is one of the cutest designs of the collection this year. This is a very soothing, cleansing soak perfect for any tea lovers! An Earl Grey tea bag emerges from the bright pink fizzing teapot that releases a feel-good bergamot and neroli fragrance and a handful of blue cornflowers. With green tea to clarify and cleanse the skin, while the blue cornflowers soothe. Brew your self a bath and get yourself a nice rich tea biscuit for the side (No dunking in this bath though!).



Mamma Mia is a rich, creamy shower scrub perfect to brighten your skin. Refreshing pink grapefruit, cleansing rose clay, and exfoliating Himalayan salt combine to give you a glow all day and night ready for the dance floor. Topped with a luxurious, baby powder-esque vanilla and rosewood perfume, you’re sure to feel buffed and smell beautiful. Plus the name is just great for all those ABBA loving people out there.