Tag Archives: Birmingham

Heaven Sent Lichfield Review

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It’s not often that I get time to pamper myself, so I set it as my new years resolution for 2020 to start giving myself the pampering I deserve! There’s nothing better than having a relaxing massage or facial after a hard week at work and in late 2019 I discovered the newly opened Heaven Sent in the charming cathedral city of Lichfield, located in Staffordshire.

Heaven Sent is a luxury salon spa located in a beautiful listed building on the scenic cobbled streets of Lichfield. Already having a branch in Sutton Coldfield, Heaven Sent opened the Lichfield branch in December 2019 offering an array of skin and beauty therapeutic treatments. After visiting the salon in December when it first opened, having an amazing facial and massage treatment, I couldn’t wait to come back. Eager to visit again I returned this month to try out the ‘Lichfield Luxury Ritual‘.

Upon entering the salon you’re greeting by the bright fresh chic interior and friendly staff who show you to the stylish seating area to relax and enjoy a drink whilst you wait for your treatment. After a few minutes I was then shown to the ambiently lit treatment room where the ‘Lichfield Luxury Ritual’ would be taking place, which had amazing heated massage beds and candles lit to set the mood. I was so warm and cosy that I could have nodded off! The treatment started off with some relaxing inhalation’s of lavender and vetiver to bring a calming feel of tranquility to the experience; this is something I’ve never done before but it really relaxed me!

The ritual then proceeded which started off with a well needed soothing foot exfoliation for my tired feet. My feet were then wrapped in warm steamed towels whilst my back was coated in a cleansing body lather that contained olive grains to exfoliant and cleanse my skin. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, a soothing mask was applied to my feet, followed by amazing heated booties. I was in heaven! To finish the ritual my whole body, including face and scalp was massaged with luxurious body oil followed up with sleep well nourishing body cream.

The whole ritual took about 80 minutes and I was left feeling a new level of relaxation I’d never felt before, with super soft skin! After my treatment I was able to return to the stylish waiting area where I chatted to the lovely staff and helped myself to the drinks on offer for clients. After a tiring January at work this was just what I needed to revitalise myself! After the treatment I returned home and had one of the best nights sleep I’ve had in a long time. Heaven Sent go above and beyond to make sure your experience is one to remember, from the beautiful interior to the attention to detail to goes into perfecting every treatment. Kelly and all the team at Heaven Sent really know how to make you feel special and this is reason why I will be returning again and again for the fantastic treatments they have on offer!

If your local to Staffordshire or the West Midlands I’d definitely recommend visiting Heaven Scent, you certainly won’t regret it! Whether you’re tired and worn out, or just need some pampering, Heaven Scent has a treatment to fit your every need and bring you back to feeling like your best self! You can find out more about what they have to offer on their website here.

When booking you can use ‘LAURA15’ to gain 15% off the price of any treatment!

What’s your favourite spa treatment?

Laura 
♡

Disclaimer: I was gifted this treatment, however all opinions are genuine and my own.

 

The Envy Facial at Dermoperfection UK

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Over the festive period whilst we eat, drink and be merry, the partying and over indulgence can really take a toll on our skin. Thinking there’s no way to rescue your skin? Dermoperfection in Birmingham has come to the rescue with the ENVY Facial!

Dermoperfection is a medical aesthetics clinic that opened in early 2019 within Birmingham city centre and is now the first establishment in Birmingham to offer the ENVY facial. If you haven’t heard of the ENVY facial as of yet I’m sure you will be hearing much more about it soon, this celebrity favourite facial helps you achieve the skin of your dreams leaving your skin red carpet ready in under an hour!

How does the ENVY facial work?

Photo credit: Dr Nyla Raja

The ENVY facial, created by ENVY medical cleverly utilises a 3-in-1 skin resurfacing treatment carried out by a patented diamond tip hand held device, which exfoliates and extracts dead skin, blackheads and impurities, whilst infusing your skin with serums all one one step. The ENVY technique allows the serums to fully penetrate your skin, absorbing into the layers where they’re most needed.

The most exciting thing about this treatment is that it’s completely customisable, which the choice of different serums targeted to specific skincare issues. But as many of you know most people have more than one issue with their skin and the founders behind the ENVY facial understood that, creating a device that can infuse two separate serums into the skin to target your different concerns.

Interestingly at the end of the facial you are actually able to see what impurities, dirt and blackheads were removed from your skin. If you book a course of facials you will be able to see that over time your skin will improve with each facial and less impurities will be present in the jar at the end. Not only does the ENVY facial reduce the appearance of wrinkles and plump up the skin, but it also has been shown to be very effective at treating other skin concerns such as acne, hyperpigmentation, rosacea and large pores.

My Experience

Upon entering the clinic I was greeted by Stuart, the friendly and knowledgable owner of Dermoperfection. Stuart showed me to the treatment room where I had my consultation and skin analysis during which it was decided what serums would be best for my skin. The ENVY facial offers 4 different serums to chose from:

  • Pro-Infusion Ultra Hydrating serum
  • Pro-Infusion Vitamin C serum
  • Pro-Infusion Skin Brightening serum
  • Pro-Infusion Pore Clarifying serum

Each facial uses two serums and with Stuart’s advice I decided to opt for the Pro-Infusion Pore Clarifying serum and the Pro-Infusion Vitamin C serum. The pore clarifying serum contains salicylic acid, bakuchiol and Origanum Vulgare leaf oil, which work together to target bacteria, unclog pores, reduce surface redness and prevent future outbreaks. The vitamin C serum contains vitamin C, vitamin E and grape seed extract which work together to help the production of collagen synthesis, protect against free radicals caused by oxidisation from sun exposure and helps the skin to retain moisture by preventing transepidermal water loss.

Next my skin was cleaned, followed by the serums I had chosen then being placed into the ENVY medical dermal infusion device with the facial then taking place shortly after. During the facial you feel a slight scratching sensation and pressure as the device is applied to your face, which is due to the diamond tip exfoliating the dead skin away. It was not painful in the slightest and the pressure applied can be altered so even the most delicate areas of your face such as your under eye area and lips can also be done. The facial itself took under half an hour and I was left with dewy glowing skin! My skin looked radiant and had no redness after, so I was able to leave the clinic and carry on with the rest of my day. However the best results from the facial appear 1-3 days later after the serum has been able to get to work , which is when my skin began to look even more radiant and youthful.

For me the best part of the facial is the jar of ‘junk’ you get at the end of it. This jar contains all the dead skin cells, blackheads and impurities that we’re extracted out of your skin and it really is a shock to see how much grime can be extracted from your face even if you have a brilliant skincare regime! Below is a photograph of my before (left) and after (right) jar.

I’m not sure if it was satisfying or disgusting that I was actually able to see the dead skin and blackheads floating around within the mixture extracted from my face which can be clearly seen in the photograph below.

I believe the ENVY facial is the perfect treatment to get your skin in tip top condition again without having to use invasive techniques. What’s also brilliant is that the ENVY device can be applied to any area of your body, so if your suffering from back acne or maybe want a glowing décolletage then this might be the perfect treatment for you. It’s really exciting that Dermoperfection has become the first clinic in all of Birmingham to start offering this revolutionary treatment and I can’t wait to see what other groundbreaking treatments Stuart and the team will be offering in the future! No other facial technique is able to carry out the 3-in-1 technology and infuse serums deep within the skin like the ENVY facial does. So what are you waiting for, 2020 calls for a new beginning and what better way to start it than having an ENVY facial at Dermoperfection!

Will you be trying you the ENVY facial?

Laura 
♡

Disclaimer: I was gifted this treatment, however all opinions are genuine and my own.

 

My First Experience With Microblading

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I’ve always dreamt of having the perfect eyebrows, but brow pencil just hasn’t quite cut it for me. Whether it’s my technique or the products I’ve been using, I’ve never been able to get my eyebrows to look just how I’d want to them to; I’m sure every girl understands this struggle! For a long time waking up with ‘fleeky’ eyebrows was just an unachievable dream for me until I discovered the new latest trend – microblading.

What is Microblading?

Microblading is a semi-permanent tattooing technique that uses a handheld tool to make small superficial incisions into the epidermis layer of the skin, depositing pigment under your skin. Microblading strokes are finer and look more natural than a traditional tattoo. Additionally, techniques can also be customised to include a combination of microblading and tattooing to create more defined brows.

Picking the Right Artist

After trawling through Instagram for hours, days, weeks, account after account, I finally found the artist I was looking for – Chelsea Brows! During my search I’d come across a lot of shoddy work and ‘back street’ practitioners advertising their work on Facebook marketplace without having proper training. It’s really important to research the person you’re going to, because they are literally giving you a tattoo on your face which will take a lot of time and money to remove if you don’t like it. Even worse you could end up with a nasty infection and scarring if your practitioner isn’t trained in aseptic techniques.

The Procedure

I’ve always been someone who’s a bit of a wuss and terrified of needles, so the thought of having my eyebrows microbladed terrified me. But beauty is pain right? After hearing some horror stories from friends telling me that the procedure was extremely painful I headed towards Chelsea Brows in Birmingham afraid of what lay ahead of me. Almost certain that I was going regret my decision to get my eyebrows microbladed when I discovered how painful it was I lay down on the table awaiting my fate. My microblading artist, Chelsea, was lovely and assured me it wasn’t going to be as bad as I expected it to be and after the first stroke I felt stupid that I was even scared! The pain was no where near as bad as I expected it and strangely enough I quite liked the weird scratching noise the microblading tool made as it created the strokes. Yes it was a bit sharp, but no where near the pain level I was expecting after reading other people’s reviews of their experiences online. I’m the type of person who faints whilst having blood tests so if I can do it then anyone can!

After the first initial strokes Chelsea applied a numbing cream which meant I could hardly feel anything after and the experience was quite relaxing. I opted for the ‘combination brows’ which was a combination of microblading strokes and shading using a tattoo gun to create more defined look whilst still looking natural. After Chelsea had finished she showed me my eyebrows, to say I was shocked would be an understatement. They were better than I expected, they were the eyebrows I had always dreamt of! I had envisioned in my head exactly how I wanted them to look and she had created that vision perfectly.

The Healing Process

This was definitely the most annoying part of having my eyebrows microbladed. It was amazing having perfect eyebrows but I had to keep them from getting wet for two whole weeks, which resulted in me having to shower in some very unusual positions to keep my eyebrows dry. After the first week and a half my eyebrows started to scab up and itch, which is completely normal but it took extreme concentration to prevent myself from scratching my eyebrows every time they got itchy. Prematurely pulling off scabs instead of letting them fall off naturally can pull out the pigment and leave you with patchy eyebrows so it’s really important that you don’t do this! After 6 weeks when my eyebrows had eventually healed I went for my microblading top up session which was included in the price of my initial session. The purpose of the top up session is to re-shade areas which may had faded during the initial healing process and make sure your brows are looking perfect as they can fade slightly after the first session. After the top up session I had to repeat the whole healing process once again but at least this time I knew what I was doing!

Is Microblading Worth it?

Following my top up session when my eyebrows had finally healed I was left with the eyebrows I had always dreamt of. It’s crazy how a tattoo can look so natural! Everywhere I’ve been going I’ve had compliments on them which is a definite confidence boost. The best thing about having microbladed eyebrows is waking up in the morning with perfect brows and being able to stroll out the house without the stress of trying to draw them on. I even had a man ask me how I manage to draw my eyebrows on so perfectly, Chelsea Brows is how!

That’s it now, I will be hooked for life on having my eyebrows microblading. How could I ever go back to drawn on eyebrows when I could have beautiful natural looking eyebrows from microblading. It’s safe to say I won’t be picking up the eyebrow pencil anytime soon! For more information and pricing details for where I got my eyebrows microblading you can visit the Chelsea Brows website here.

Have you ever contemplated having your eyebrows microbladed?

Laura 
♡

Disclaimer: I paid for the treatment in full, all opinions are genuine and my own.

 

The Victoria, Barnt Green Festive Menu Review

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My favourite part about Christmas isn’t the presents but the food. There’s nothing more that I love than a delicious freshly cooked roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings. I can’t forget the mince pies either! Now it’s reached November it means the festive menus have started appearing at many places, great news for me then! There’s nothing better to do on a cold winters night than divulge in some delicious heart warming food, so I headed to The Victoria in Barnt Green to sample their new festive menu.

Located in Bromsgrove, just 10 miles south from Birmingham city centre, The Victoria is a quaint village pub that hosts a warm homely ambience with a touch of luxury. Upon entering the pub I could see it had been tastefully decorated for Christmas and friendly staff promptly seated me at my table, next to a crackling open fire. There are three different choices with the festive menu currently on offer at The Victoria:

  • Three course classic festive menu – £26.95
  • Four course indulgent festive menu (choice of premium dishes), with a glass of Prosecco on arrival and luxury chocolate truffles to finish – £33.95
  • Five course extra special festive menu (choice of premium dishes), with a glass of Moët & Chandon champagne on arrival, rustic breads and olives, and a cocktail of your choice – £48.95

I opted for the three course classic festive menu, as well as one of the the special festive cocktails! I chose the festive pornstar martini, which was a standard pornstar martini with the added twist of winter berry syrup to give it a lovely spiced festive taste which didn’t overpower the drink. My partner chose the festive espresso martini, which like my drink, also had the addition of the winter berry syrup with complimented the coffee aroma perfectly.

For my starter I opted for the ‘duck liver & port parfait served with toasted walnut & raisin bread and a spiced fruit & sloe gin chutney’. Duck liver parfait is a classic Christmas favourite of mine so I couldn’t resist choosing it and I definitely made the right choice because it was delicious! Even though I’m not a fan of port, it perfectly complimented the rich creamy flavour of the parfait, with the spiced fruit and sloe gin chutney really giving the dish the festive feeling it needed. Spread over the warm toasted walnut and raisin bread this dish was to die for! My partner opted for the ‘creamy garlic mushrooms on toasted sourdough topped with Blacksticks Blue cheese’, I managed to steal a forkful from him and even though I’m not a big fan of blue cheese I found there was just the right amount in this dish for me to enjoy it and not be too overpowered by it.

Our mains arrived not long after our starters were cleared and WOW were we impressed! Laid before us was a feast fit for a king and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in. I opted for the ‘maple pork belly and pig cheek, on Dijon chive mash, cavolo nero, crisp prosciutto and a red wine & sage jus’, although apprehensive as I’ve never tried pig cheek before I was assured by the waitress that I’d love it. The pork belly crisp but juicy too, being cooked to perfection with the maple glaze browning at the edges giving it the perfect caramelised sweetness. The Dijon chive mash and cavolo nero was equality as tasty. When I was feeling brave enough I tried the pig cheek for the first time and was surprised that it wasn’t like anything I’d tasted before. It was deliciously tender and melted in your mouth, overall bringing a unique twist to the dish. My partner opted for the ‘roasted turkey with fluffy beef-dripping roasted potatoes, a honey mustard duvet and pork & clementine stuffing. Served with red wine gravy and bread sauce’. I didn’t personally try this dish but my partner told me everything was all cooked to perfection; usually turkey can be quite dry but it was flavoursome and moist. I was also extremely jealous that he got pigs in blankets as I adore them! Both meals came with an accompaniment of seasonal vegetables which consisted of sprouts, carrots and roasted parsnips coated in a tasty seasoning. The pictures don’t do the meals justice as the portion size was so plentiful for both the meals and the accompaniments, with it all being seasoned to perfection. Me and my partner both agreed that this festive meal was one of the nicest that we’ve ever had. The attention to detail with every aspect of the meal, making sure everything was seasoned and glazed accordingly, really excited my taste buds putting The Victoria up there as one of my all time favourite places for a heartwarming festive fayre.

I was pleasantly full after the first two courses, but as they say ‘there’s always room for dessert!’. Fancying something a bit fruity I opted for the ‘apple and plum crumble topped with a demerara sugar crumb, served with custard’. Served in its own mini saucepan the crumble was just as delicious as I expected it to be, tart and heartwarming balanced perfectly with the vanilla custard. The perfect way to end any meal! My partner being a chocoholic chose the ‘chocolate brownie with Belgian chocolate sauce, honeycomb ice cream and a brandy snap crumb‘. He couldn’t get enough of this decadent dessert and only wished he could eat another! He’s tried many chocolate brownies in his time but he did comment that this one was gorgeous compared.

Christmas is a time of the year best spend enjoying yourself and I can’t think of a better way to enjoy yourself than divulging in the gastronomic delights that The Victoria has the offer. From fun festive cocktails to the heartwarming food than you can eat next to a crackling fire, you can’t go wrong with The Victoria. You can check out their festive menus and full menus here.

What’s your favourite food to eat at Christmas?

Laura 
♡

Disclaimer: the food I received was complimentary however all opinions are genuine and my own.

 

The Village, Moseley

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In late October one of Moseley’s best eateries, The Village, opened its doors after an exciting refurbishment seeing in a whole new menu and fresh modern interior. Located in the heart of Moseley, The Village has always been a favourite of mine due to its friendly, laid back vibe and heart warming food. Their new decor has given the whole place a face lift, with a vibrant chic finish but still maintaining its warm friendly feeling. Not to forget there is now a log burner, perfect to relax by on those cold winter nights!

Photo courtesy of The Village

Not being able to resist the sound of their new menu, me and my partner visited to try out the new offerings. For starters I opted for the Chilli & Garlic King Prawns, a favourite dish of mine that I’ve had in many restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was compared to others I’ve had in the past. It was just the right spice level but was also bursting with flavour; the garlic and ginger complimented this dish just nicely. Not to mention the delicious warm bread it came with which I could have ate twice over!

My partner opted for the Chicken Wings doused in cola BBQ sauce served with coleslaw. I was cheeky and managed to steal a few off him, but I wish I could have eaten them all. The cola BBQ sauce was sweet and sticky, just how I like it! The wings themselves were cooked just right so they were juicy with a little crispness on the outside. The coleslaw was crunchy, flavoursome and tasted homemade, the perfect accompaniment to some sticky BBQ wings.

Our mains arrived not long after finishing our starters. I had chosen the Fish & Chips, which to my surprise consisted of not one but two large pieces of beer battered Cod. This was accompanied by chunky chips, crushed peas, green olive tartare and a lemon wedge. The portion size was enormous! I couldn’t believe how much you got for the reasonable price of £12. I love fish and can always tell when the fish cooked isn’t fresh, but this wasn’t the case at The Village. The perfectly white fresh cod was coated in a delicious crispy batter that was to die for. I was apprehensive over the crushed peas as I’d never tried them before and assumed they would taste similar to mushy peas (which I hate) but I was surprised to find they were quite delicious! Everything with this dish was faultless.

My partner opted for the Halloumi Burger. This consisted of a crisp battered thick slice of halloumi on a brioche bun, accompanied by fresh salsa, jalapeños, burger sauce, lettuce and tomato with a side of skinny fries and coleslaw. The burger itself looked amazing and my partner said it tasted amazing too, with the flavours flawlessly complimenting each other. I wasn’t able to try it myself because my partner said it was too good to share but I’ll have to take his word for it!

No matter how much food I eat I always have room for dessert, so I opted for the Pavlova, which was different to any other pavlova I had tried before at it contained poached peaches which were delicious! It was the perfect light fruity dessert to finish off with; not too heavy but just as delicious.

One aspect that really stands out to me about The Village is the value for money. The food itself is fantastic and you get so much if it too for the cost. It really is great quality food and you also get a great quantity; it’s rare to get both of these aspects when dining out, usually the food is good quality but small portions. After having such outstanding food for a reasonable price I can’t wait to return to The Village to try the other offerings on their menu, especially their famed Sunday roast.

Photo courtesy of The Village

One thing I noted on my visit was the fantastic range of daily offers they have, including a pizza and quiz every Tuesday which sounds like my perfect kinda’ night!Their modern chic interior and friendly welcome makes The Village the perfect hangout or place to go when your in the mood for some delicious expertly cooked food. No matter what you’re after, you’ll always feel home from home at The Village. To check out their weekly specials, live music and the menu you can visit The Village here.

Have you ever visited The Village?

Laura 
♡

Disclaimer: the food I received was complimentary however all opinions are genuine and my own.