Tuesday 22 November 2016

Living For: Rock n Rose


Way back in the days of 2010 I discovered Rock n' Rose, I even worked with them on a DIY and featured their products in outfit posts

Since then they have grown into a mega brand that is huge online and also stocked on ASOS. They have grown so much and it's been so awesome to follow along with them! Recently they launched a gift shop section on their site which I have completely lost my MIND for! 

Here are a few of my absolute faves from the collection (plus a few of their famous rings n' thangs):

Leilani Head Planter.
This also comes in a David head and I just think
they are both so fabulous! The colour would look for gorgeous
with some beautiful blooms in them.

Shit Happens Embroidery Hoop
Not only is this gorgeous it also has a very wise life lesson that everybody should live by!

Capricorn Zodiac Ring
Um I'm obsessed with anything Capricorn and the way these rings sit are just beautiful.

Saint Stevie Knicks Candle
I adore Saint candles and this one of my Queen and namesake Stevie Knicks is incredible. Also comes in a Britney who anyone who knows me for more than 2 minutes knows she's my God(ney).

Birthstone January Ring
Never had anything with my birthstone on before and I'm really into this.

Botanical Wall Hanging 
This is just so simple and beautiful, it would look perfect in my house! 

I urge you to check out the rest of the site as there are so many great gifts/presents for yourself on there - I feel like I could literally buy everything on there!

X

Monday 21 November 2016

Ladies Who Lodge at The Celtic Manor


Oh Hey!

A couple weeks back I was so kindly invited to visit the Celtic Manor just down the road in Newport to visit enjoy an event with them in one of their famous Hunter Lodges. I've heard so much about these lodges (President Obama stayed there...yeah) which were made especially for the Ryder Cup back in 2010, they sleep upto 8 people, have an indoor sauna, an outdoor hot tub and breathtaking views. The lodges are so far away from the main hotel etc that it does feel like you are on your own little isolated lodge.

As expected the lodges have gorgeous wooden interiors with a open plan kitchen/living room and log fire, the whole set-up was Christmas - a massive tree, outdoor lights, wreaths and Xmas pudding making! We also had Christmas cocktails made by their top mixologist (my fave by far was the eggnog) and canapes made by their head chef.


Being the novice I am I forgot to take my camera to the actual lodges so I only have a select few iphone snaps which will never do them justice. The lodges are truly an experience and would be perfect for a cosy Winter break or a Summer stay. 

The event was lovely and afterward myself and some other bloggers hit up the Merlin bar inside the resort hotel for a few drinks and a chat. I was invited to stay the night in the hotel itself as the event went on until 9, obviously I couldn't say no to saying in a 5 star resort and I've never stayed in a hotel by myself before so this was such an awesome experience personally too. I was put up in a deluxe room which had a little living room, stunning view from the front of the hotel and a gorgeous marble bathroom.


When I arrived and checked in, I got comfy, did a face mask and made myself a bubble bath. Then took my time getting ready with the TV on in my slippers and robe. The bed was the bed of dreams, the room was cosy warm and I just really really loved being there.


In the morning I went down for the breakfast buffet which obviously I went for two round of. They had everything so I couldn't not get my fill - there isn't anything in this world more wonderful than a breakfast buffet! After breakfast I was booked in for a back and shoulder massage which was very much needed and then took a little stroll around the grounds.

The Celtic Manor is such an experience and if you are looking for a night away I highly recommend it, I enjoyed the luxury of it so much I am 100% going back there!


Friday 18 November 2016

Growing Up Slowly.


Oh Hello!!

Once again my spare room is being inhabited by a feral kitten (she's not feral now and actually going back to work tomorrow - cue heart breaking instagram posts) so I've been slacking on the ol' blog. I think this will be my last kitty for a few months as kitten season is OVER! HOORAYY! haha. 

Anyway this post you may have noticed is about growing up, and my version of growing up is buying myself a pair of boots that have a slight heel to them! I know, I'm almost 27 and I've only just managed it. I only own one pair of slightly high platforms which I've worn to death. I'm so used to wearing hiking books or little flat pixie boots that it was time to grow up and branch out. 

The moment has hit a few times when out with friends and even though I'm dressed up etc their outfits are always just a little more completed with a slight heel which automatically made me feel under-dressed. I cannot walk in heels, they hurt and I feel like Bambi after a single drink so I've opted for the small heeled boot and as shown in my purchase above - a slight platform. 

My pal Nina helped me out (as a heeled boot pro) and I settled on the ones above from New Look. I love them! I love how they are half suede and half pleather with a nice chunk of platform. I thought I would share with you a few other boots I've fallen in love with via various internet stores that maybe once I'm comfortable in my new shoes I can branch out with: 

star cowboy boot
These beauts I LOVE. They are from Daisy Street via ASOS and although I wouldn't know what the hell to wear them with  and I'd probably just sit looking at them - I think they are awesome!


These gorgeous western style boots are incredible. They are from New Look and I def have my eyes on them!

These Office glittery babes are more my height. I just think they are magical.

So there is my little slice of growing up slowly, as sad as it may seem I felt so good purchasing and wearing my new boots :)

X

Monday 31 October 2016

Dirty in the 'Diff

Dirty Martini welsh cocktails

Hello!

Today I'm making cocktails (well not today because it's 2pm on a Monday) but this cocktail is special as it's been designed for Dirty Martini's Cardiff opening!

Dirty Martini opened it's doors to us here in Cardiff in an exclusive opening party on Friday night, the place itself is pretty nice inside, I'm not one to go out-out, I rarely do dressing up and can only walk in flat shoes so it's probably not a place you'd find me haunting regularly. The music was a little too loud for me because I'm secretly an old lady who likes to be in bed by 9pm most nights but the drinks were good!

We were offered complimentary drinks until 8pm but due to it being crazy busy I actually only got to try one of the Cardiff Cocktails (one of any of the cocktails on offer actually) made especially for us here in the 'Diff and it was the one which I was sent the equipment to make for myself - Red Dragon. It's a good cocktail so no real complaints ;)


Dirty Martini welsh cocktails red dragon cardiff

Red Dragon is a martini made from Brecon Botanical Welsh Gin (keeping it local - I likeeee) and Hibiscus liqueur, with teapot bitters, gomme syrup and blood orange syrup, topped off with a snap dragon flower. I was given what I needed to shake and stir my own Red Dragon but was meant to add fresh raspberries, lemon juice and egg whites (nope).

I added lemon juice but couldn't bring myself to chuck an egg white in there, but when I tried the Red Dragon professionally made in Dirty Martini it didn't bother me at all, it just gave it the little foamy top that it was meant to have.

Dirty Martini welsh cocktails red dragon cardiff

Well... I don't own any sort of cocktail glass so i made mine in a tiny glass tea cup! Ha!

I had tons of fun making my own cocktail at home but the Dirty Martini crew definitely make a better one than me!

Thanks for Dirty Martini for inviting me to the opening night, I wish you every success here in Cardiff and maybe I'll be back in sometime because I HAVE to try a Merlins Cup ;)

X

Monday 24 October 2016

LUSH Spooktacular!


Hey,

I've pretty much shared LUSH Halloween things on my blog every year since I first moved into a place where I actual had a bath I could bathe in (houseshares + bathing = ew no thx) and why should this year be any exception? My Hallowe'en house decor is all up and I'm prepping for a weekend of classic and cheesy horror movies.

As soon as the LUSH website had to Halloween treats up I immediately put in a big purchase:

2 x Autumn Leaf
2 x Lord of Misrule bath bomb
1 big bottle of Lord of Misrule shower cream (my ultimate fave thing ever)
1 Mosters Ball (which I've already used and forgot to photograph - oops!)
1 Pumpkin and 1 Sparkly Pumpkin
1 Boo bath melt
and finally a chunk of the Fireside soap!

I avoided the Magic Wand soap as I'm not massive on orangey scents and the Fireside sounded more appealing to me. I also avoided the Goth Fairy shimmer bar as I would def never use it and it was pretty expensive for a teeny tiny little bar.

Autumn Leaf - this is by far my fave product out of the whole range! Alot of people describe it as a 'cut grass' smell but it totally don't get it. To me it is bergamot and that is just my fave smell ever. Please don't ever leave leafy!  

Sparkly Pumpkin - I wrote a Sparkly Pumpkin review 2 years ago , it has a little cinnamon stick piece on it. I actually got gifted on of these by LUSH aswell at an event and they are perfect for breaking in half and getting 2 uses from.
Boo - this little dude is actually part of my Hallowe'en decorating this year and is sat on my fireplace (it's inactive so he won't be sliding down it!). I'm incredibly excited to use him - but after the 31st!
Pumpkin - this bathbomb I've used now. It's a fast one and fizzes off almost instantly. 
Pumpkin bath bomb - the water, as you can see, is left a beautiful bright orange and the actual scent was vanilla/cinnamon - my whole house smelt amazing even until the morning!   

Fireside soap + Lord of Misrule shower cream - I'm actually using Fireside as a little mini fake-fireplace in the bath. The smell wasn't anything to shout home about it's just vanilla to me but it looks wonderful! And LoM is my fave scent ever from LUSH and I am just so happy that this is being kept on sale until Christmas. If you love herbally, incense type smells then I urge you to go and pick one up! 

What do you think of the new LUSH range? Have you tried any? I've picked up a bunch of the Christmas range too which I will be sharing next month so stay tuned!

Our LUSH here in Cardiff is actually reloactin up the road to a bigger premises where it will have a LUSH Spa! I am SO excited - gotta start saving the pennies to treat myself to one of them!

X



Monday 10 October 2016

Destroy Your Denim.

stay home club back patch

Oh Hey!

It's getting pretty freakin' chilly outside now, I absolutely love Autumn weather where the sun is low and shining, the sky is blue but it's cold outside.

Earlier this year I went to a Vintage Kilo sale, these are where you pay £15 for a kilo of clothing and everything is in massive bins and on huge rails. The place is packed full of people and it's basically a fight to to find something half-decent. It's described as 'vintage' but it's mostly stuff from 2003, the queue to pay is so long that you slowly lose alot of interest in things you picked up and promptly dump them along the sides. I did however manage to grab myself a lush little Levis ladies denim jacket from either the late 70's or early 80's which had a gross stain on it. I managed to somewhat get most of the stain out but the fit is great and I've been after one since forever so I was in. It was the only thing I picked up and came to just under a kilo so I got it for £13.

stay home club back patch denim jacket

Sure enough after it's first wash I had sewn my Stay Home Club back patch onto it. Granted it needs an iron out but I love it and it looks pretty swell to me! 

vintage levis jacket
bobble hat winter look

Even though it's cold I pretty much still only live in dresses but now I just wear tights and boots instead of trainers and bare legs. I do love a good layer up with chunky knits, scarfs and a bobble hat - I got this cute little peach one from H&M for £4.99 last year.

X

Friday 7 October 2016

But Why I Love You I'll Never Know.

You could say I've fallen out of love with blogging.


I started doing 'cowbiscuits' in 2010 after a 'bout of scrapbooking left too much mess and I discovered I could do it mess-free online. I inistantly loved it, I religiously posted every 2 days, I went over every post looking for grammar and spelling mistakes and (without being one of those people) not many people were doing it and I was inspired! I gained a fair few 'followers' and felt awesome about the whole thing! In 2011 my whole life turned around when I moved to Cardiff, I was left for 2 months with no internet and began working a job that left me physically and mentally incredibly exhausted. I was officially out of the blogging loop and fell behind as the blogging world grew.

In 2013 I started 'cowbiscuits' back up and realised how much I missed it and loved it and continued pretty solidly until last year where I flitted in and out or writing posts, making VERY poorly made videos on Youtube and felt very sluggish in a fast-paced world where blogging is all about editing perfectly crisp photos, page views using click-bait titles and how much money and free shit you can get. No tea, no shade but this is not for me.

I don't get involved in any 'blogger chats', I pretty much detest the term 'blogger' - it makes me cringe (sorry 'bout it). I do miss MY blog - not because I think I'm class, or because I think any of what I write about is worthy of anybody bothering to read but I miss being able to vent onto a page wether it being able to just copy and paste some pics of things I love from Etsy or post about my fave facemasks - I miss my little scrapbook.

I fucked up college pretty heavily and went right into working but at school my favourite subject was English Language and I went on to do my AS level of this at college where I got a B - but due to enjoying partying a little too much and not being arsed to even attend most lessons, I quit. I'm not bitter about it at all, I am SO thankful for the way my life has panned out, I've gained alot of working experience from shit jobs which has furthered who I am today and what I do today - I just actually enjoy writing! It makes me happy, it is a little hobby which sadly I've left behind. I want to do it, I can't always be bothered to do it but I know it makes my soul a little happier.

This whole Summer I've had feral kittens living in my spare room where I take most of my blog pictures, write my posts on my iMac and generally have an officey vibe. The little monsters have DESTROYED my spare room so I'm blitzing it and semi-re-decorating it now I've (hopefully) finished fostering until Spring. Don't get me wrong I LOVE doing it but damn those tiny kittens are messy! I'm hoping this will help me get back into my writing mojo, having a clear space to do it (depsite this post coming to you live from my laptop while I'm in bed after a 4 hour day-time nap).

So basically what I'm saying is: I'm sticking with you cowbicuits, I was just having a breather from you.

If anybody reads anything I write then I'm truly flattered but this is my little getaway and I'm feeling content just by writing it :)

X

Wednesday 13 July 2016

Boots Beauty Haul - video!

Hello!

Today I have a video for you, it's my recent Boots beauty haul, I've been feeling ill and also having a tough time the past week so went out and splashed out!




I have some more videos coming soon and if you havn't already then please check out my previous videos :)

Take care 

X

Sunday 10 July 2016

Sanrio My Melody Bath Bomb


Hello!

Had a little break from the ol' blog due to feral cats taking over my spare room where I have my computer set up ready to upload pictures etc. I've had a brief break in fostering (1 week) and now there is a new 'feral' kitten living in the spare room (see my instagram/snapchat for more - username: cowbicuits ) so I managed to get a hot minute in to upload some pictures to write a little!

Carrying on from my last post I thought I'd share my other Sanrio bath ball with you guys that I got in my Asian Beauty Haul which was the My Melody bath ball. Sadly Yes Style have sold out and my dreams of ever visiting Japan are far far away.


Just like the Hello Kitty bath ball this one also has a surprise figure inside! Although as I do not read Japanese I have literally no clue if this ball was supposed to smell or be 'flavoured' of anything and when I put it in the bath I didn't really notice any particular scent other than 'clean' - if that makes any sense?  


There were no bubbles, just a little foam and no colour either so I'm guessing these are literally just a fun thing for kids to get a little surprise toy out of. They fizz up pretty fast aswell and the My Melody that surprised me was...



... shocked little cutie My Melody! I love how she popped out looking so surprised floating about the bath!

If I see anymore of these online I will probably pick them up just for the novelty or if anybody knows where I can get some other characters ( I've seen Gudetama and Rilkakuma knocking about) then holla at your girl.

I hope you are having a lovely Sunday, I've just ordered my first ever Deliveroo! Until next time...

X

Monday 23 May 2016

Sanrio Hello Kitty Suprise Bath Bomb


Hello!

You may remember my video of my Asian Beauty Haul (click there if you haven't seen it yet!) from YesStyle, in which I was super excited over a couple of special bath bombs I had picked up.

The bath bomb I'm going to be showing off today is the Sanrio Hello Kitty bath ball in 'Strawberry Milk'.


As I mentioned in my video I actually just picked these up as I love all things Hello Kitty and only discovered upon it's arrival (and through guessing via images) that the bath ball actually contained a little Hello Kitty mystery charm! 


I was SO excited by this so in she went!


And here she is!


I got the little HK sat in a teacup - how cutie!

As far as the bath bomb itself, it had a faint strawberry smell and left a light foam in the bath with a pinky tinge to it. I think it's definitely mean't for the novelty factor of getting a little charm in it so I added my own bubbles to the bath aswell.

I loved my little surprise and sadly they are no longer available on YesStyle so I think I was lucky to be able to try this beauty out by total fluke but I hope in the future I get to try my luck with another one.

X

Tuesday 17 May 2016

Blind Box Unboxing Video - Kid Robot and Pusheen

Hello!

I've made a new video (well it's old I recorded it last month) I havnt had any time to edit it until this morning when I spent a while editing it only to find out I actually edited it the same day I recorded it... DUH!!

Anyway I've recently been really into blind boxes and blind bags and watching other people opening theirs on their YouTube channels. My faves at the moment at ToyBoxCollectables as the husband and wife duo are so cute and their office space is incredible. Also I totally fan girl Bunny at grav3yardgirl has a few videos of her doing them and as much as I shouldn't enjoy her I CANNOT help myself! SO basically I decided to do my own video too!

I picked up some Kid Robot blind boxes in Ferals, Lore of the Labbit and Tricky Cats. I also got a Pusheen Plushie blind box too which I was super excited about as I'm a HUGE Pusheen fan!

Here is the video, hope you enjoy and I've already got some more Blind Boxes on order so will do another video of them being opened too - like I say I LOVE the thrill!



X

Thursday 12 May 2016

Stay Home Club Haul.


It's no secret I'm a HUGE Stay Home Club fan. I own a few of their pieces and recently they bought out so many more awesome things that I just had to have! 

So today I am sharing what I bought in my most recent purchase from them:

Stay Home Kitty Box Tee
This is a super soft box t-shirt which is mid-length. It is really lightweight and looks awesome with some high-waist jeans. Already covered in cat hair of course! 

Panther T-Shirt
This super awesome print is by a Korean tattoo artist named Jiran. It is a unisex shirt so comes down quite long which I like and I just roll the sleeves up a little. 


Full of Grace Patch
This patch is pretty big and I've just bought a sick bomber jacket that this would look amazing on! It also came with a matching sticker which I was stoked about. It's an iron on patch but I will probably sew it a little for extra security.

There was so so much more I wanted to get, so many pins! Sadly I do have to pay customs charges on these as they are being sent from overseas but if I save up a little then I'm sure I can make another purchase in the near future ;)

What do you think?

X

Monday 25 April 2016

Prince: a Tribute.


On Thursday evening I came home from work and did my usual routine, fed the cats, got changed then sat while they fussed over me and scrolled through social media. Somebody had posted a picture of Prince on Instagram and i instantly liked it... then I saw the caption was of a broken heart. I was confused, obviously checked Twitter (the hub of breaking news) and saw the rumours that there had been a death at Paisley Park. 

I became panicked but also they were just rumours right now. The rumours, within minutes, became reality and it was confirmed the death at Paisley Park was Prince himself. 

I sat on the floor in my spare room under the window, I was in shock. I started to say aloud things like 'no' and 'oh God!' and then my hands began to tremble and heart began to hurt. The tears started small but grew into hysteria. I text my mum, she was also a big fan, and she knew exactly how I was feeling, her idol Marc Bolan died suddenly when she was a teenager and her heart broke just like mine. 

I sat there still or about an hour, an influx of messages from friends who knew how I'd be feeling came through but replying was hard. I eventually went downstairs and put CNN news on the TV and watched as people were interviewed who knew him and fans who had flooded to Paisley Park to see what was going on. Songs played in intervals but I was sat in silence as I just watched, my hands still shaking. 

I managed to eat about 8pm, I made some chips and dipped them in Hummus. Comfort food. About 9pm I sat in candlelight and put the radio on, the Radio 1XTRA DJ was playing non-stop Prince and after a few slow ones he played some hits and favourites. I noticed that I was bouncing about in my seat and even smiling as I sang my heart out. THIS is what Princes music was to me, it made me feel happiness like no other music has done.

A celebrity death has never affected me like this. Obviously I feel sad, earlier that day I found out that Chyna from WWF wrestling back in the days where I was obsessed with it has died and I was sad, I felt sadness. I cried when Whitney Houston died. But this was another level of sadness - this was heartbreak. Thankfully the next day I didn't have work, I mourned all day. I stayed in bed until about 5pm and then I cooked. As I cooked I decided to blast some Prince tunes to get that happy feeling back and it worked as it always had done before. 


When I got a little 8-week old kitten there was only one name he had to have - Prince. In his namesake he always wears a purple velvet collar, he used to have a little Prince symbol dangling from it before he lost it in, and he has a tiny Cloud guitar which still sits on my bookshelf. 

After a night watching Purple Rain with my old housemate, the next day he tattoo'd the Prince symbol (in purple of course) on my ankle. 



In 2014 I got to see the man himself in concert. I skipped work in the afternoon and drove 2.5 hours to Birmingham. I wore a paisley dress and danced and sang until my throat didn't work. This video is the only video I took and it was almost at the end of the show, I didn't pay attention to taking photos of videos as I was too wrapped up in seeing this tiny man, dancing on stage like he was still 21, playing guitar and piano like a musical God, his vocals like a record, never missing a high note.







 A mysterious genius, an icon of never being afraid to be nothing but himself whenever and however he wanted without care of what anybody else thought, so sadly died at 57.

My heart is still heavy but everytime I put on any number of my favourite songs by him I feel my heart lift slightly and I can't help but feel happiness.

Sleep well Beautiful One.

X

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