I met some lovely bloggers at the #nwbloggersmeetup back in March and have stayed in touch with lots of the girls since. On Sunday I met up with Emma and Sophie for a catch up over Brunch at Moose in Liverpool.

I had absolutely no idea where it was but when we did finally stumble upon the right street we then had to find the right place. In the distance I could see loads of people queuing outside a venue and of course...that was where we were going!  We put our names down and actually only had to wait around 25 minutes which was soooo worth it...just you wait!

                                            

Moose is known for its extensive menu of American/Canadian breakfasts.

I had no idea what to pick as everything sounded so delicious..but me being me, had already googled the menu days before we were going and managed to narrow down my choices to two; either the New Orleans Moose or Apple Pancakes with Salted Caramel sauce...

Tea was the obvious choice of beverage! All three of us were a little chilly from the wait outside but this did the job at warming us back up!

Just LOOK at the food!!!!! Yep, I went for the New Orlean's Moose, which is pulled pork on a bagel with egg's benedict! I have never tasted anything so good!

I was actually a little disappointed that I'd only just discovered this place..

Emma and Sophie went for the Bacon and Maple syrup Pancake stack...I actually ended up eating a lot of Emma's as she was so full and I'm such a greedy guts!

We got so many funny looks whacking out our big cameras to take these but I had to document this moment of glutinous heaven!

L-R: Sophie and Emma

Once our little tums were sufficiently full, we headed over to the waterfront for a little walk towards the Albert Dock (my favourite place in Liverpool!)

Everything looks much better in the sun!

We finally stumbled upon the Liverpool Big Wheel...Sophie had to head off at this point..perhaps a wise move

As Emma and I made the spontaneous decision to go on the wheel! Not a great choice for someone with anxiety and for someone with a height of fears..we didn't do a great job at keeping eachother calm as the little car rocked away in the wind at the top!

But the views made it all worth it!

We all had such a lovely day! One of the best things about starting a blog has been meeting fellow bloggers!

Have you met any other bloggers?

12 facts about me :)

1. I speak fluent French thanks to having a French mother :) My writing isn't the best though!

2. I hate seeing the tendon on the inside of my/other people's wrists - there's something about it that makes me cringe and shudder ughhh

3. My perfect meal would include goats cheese, chorizo and sweet potato!

4. Despite studying to be a Vet, I've never owned a cat or dog :(

5. I do however, own a little hamster called Darcey and a terrapin called Squirt

6. I used to do ballet and got up to grade 5 but stopped because it hurt my feet so much when we started going on pointe

7. I own soooo many owl items in my room

8. I blush very easily but please don't test that out, I hate when people do!

9. I found out I was scared of heights when I was hanging off the side of a cliff, abseiling in the Lake District..never again

10. I once ate a customer's food by accident whilst working as a waitress in France. This comes pretty high on my most embarrassing moments!

11. I used to want to be an astronaut but then realised my chances of going to space were slim so settled for becoming a vet!

12. If I'm not eating food then I'm talking/dreaming/thinking about it

Blemish battles

I don't know about you but keeping breakouts at bay really can feel like a battle at time - an ongoing one! I've tried so many different products, so here are my thoughts on the ones I've been using the most in the last few months.

Some of the products were from my #nwbloggers meetup

goodie bag but I wasn't obliged to blog about anything in it and all thoughts here are my own :)

Witch Overnight Skin Clearing Serum // The Body Shops's Tea Tree Toner // Sudocrem Skincare Cream*

Vichy Normaderm Hyaluspot  // Skinetica

I'm going to dive straight in there and start with what is probably my favourite anti-blemish product. I have tried some of Witch's products in the past and found them a bit harsh but this clearing serum is actually gentle on the skin and hydrating, unlike most spot fighting products that dry the skin. One pump gives you a generous amount and is enough to apply to your face and neck. My skin always feels lovely the next morning when I apply this before bed!

This product was sent to me by a PR company but I did choose to accept it based on the love I already have for Sudocrem..you know the big grey tubs?

 Well they have now released a version that comes in a very handy tube that you can pop into your handbag. This is their 'adult' version and it has the same key ingredients but in different proportions. What I love about this is that you can use it not only for spots, but also to calm down rashes or patches of dry skin and it only costs £1.99 which is a bargain! It definitely has a quick soothing effect on spots, calming down any redness....I have to admit though, you do have to give the bottle quite a squeeze as the cream is quite thick!

Vichy Hyaluspot smells gorgeous and is really gentle on the skin despite being a product that helps fight off spots! It comes out like a light gel that you apply directly to spots...but I end up smothering it all over my face so my face smells good! I find it leaves my skin looking and feeling brighter and fresh :)

You've probably came across this toner before..I have mentioned it in a previous post too :) I've grown up knowing tea tree is good for spots and this really is. It leaves your skin all tingly which I like as you can feel the product working. It can dry out your skin though if you use it too often so make sure you moisturise too or just apply it onto breakout areas!

I couldn't get a good picture of Skinetica sorry, but you can see it in the 'group photo' at the top :) It doesn't smell particularly great but I do love using Skinetica underneath my make up so that it can work away at my blemishes despite wearing foundation on top! 

little life happenings

1. Tidy space, tidy mind...I've always been a bit like that. My room looks much better now that I've cleared up my dressing table a bit :) Got to do a bit of spring cleaning when it's April don't you!

2. I'm terrible at hair but I had a little experiment with it and I think it looks half decent for once :) I'm loving braided hairstyles at the moment! Just need to keep practicing!

3. I love that my mum's a teacher because it means she gets long holidays over Easter too - perfect for nipping out for quick coffee breaks! This peanut butter blondie was to die for - anyone got a recipe?

4. I recently bought Cameron Diaz's Body Book, mainly because I love how down to earth and funny she is whenever I see her interviewed. That bubbly personality definitely comes across in her book :) She covers all things health - a lot of it is quite basic if you've studied physiology, but it's a fun read with pretty illustrations. I got mine new on Amazon here for much cheaper than it's selling for in the shops!

5. One of my new year's resolutions was to read more. Okay, so haven't been doing great with this one (in fact with any of them!) but I have reading phases and I'm currently in one. The other night, it started to rain as I was reading in bed and it was absolute bliss!!

6. I bought myself these flowers the other week when I was down in the dumps. They were only £1.50 in Tesco and they are still going strong!

7. I always crave fresh fruit as it starts to get warmer...okay so yeah, it's still freezing out there but the days are getting lighter and longer...proper Spring is definitely on its way.

8. This Fairy Dust candle from Lily Flame smells gorgeous! It's my favourite candle at the moment. It has such a subtle pretty fragrance that freshens up the room!

9. I go for afternoon tea too much, I do realise this, but I can't think of a better way for a girly catch up and this time it was at a cute little tea room which had bunting and all other kinds of pretty decor!

10. Mum made these delicious hot cross buns for the Easter weekend and they tasted as good as they look! Glazed with apricot jam mmm...

11. Mum also made this spectacular pavlova, filled with passion fruit and limoncello cream and topped with fresh mango chunks..to make it healthy.....

12. Did you know Ferrero rocher did easter bunnies?! I didn't and I can't wait to try this one. I also got this cute little white chocolate house which is filled to the top with lots of tasty sweets! They both look very pretty in my room but I don't think they'll last long!

13. My aunty got me this beautiful card with little birds in that have bendy wires attached to them so you can wrap them around the house :)

14-15. I perched some on my bed..

16. ..and this pretty pink fella on my dressing table mirror

Skinny Herb-crusted Pork with Apple Mash

Since coming home from Uni, I've tried to eat a little healthier to avoid piling on too many of those inevitable Easter pounds! My mum has been doing Slimming World since September and looks amazing because of it! In a bid to support her new healthy lifestyle, I decided to cook for the family using a Slimming World recipe, and believe me, it may lack fat but it does not lack taste!!

For 4 people you will need:

1tbsp dried mixed herbs

80g of wholemeal bread (2 slices will do)

2 crushed garlic cloves

4 pork loin steaks

low calorie cookingg spray

salt and black pepper

1kg potatoes

2 red apples

Pssstt ...if you're following the Slimming World plan, then each serving is 4 syns on Extra Easy, 13 syns on Original and 18 syns on Green

 (For the Pork)

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius/Gas mark 6

2. Toast your two slices of bread

3. Put the toasted bread, herbs and garlic cloves into a food processor to blend until crumb-like and then tip out onto a plate

4. Remove all visible fat from your pork loins, spray each side a few times with your low calorie spray and then push both sides onto the plate of breadcrumbs

5. Season and cook for 15-20 minutes

(For the Apple Mash)

1. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes into chunks

2. Cook for around 15 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water

3. Drain out the water and then return the potatoes into the pan

4. Grate the apples into the potatoes, season and then mash

You can serve this with vegetables of your choice! I went for curly Kale and Celeriac mmmm :)

Eating healthy does not mean you have to eat 'rabbit food'