Valentine's Day meal: The Bar: Instow: North Devon

My husband was working during the evening on Valentine's Day, we spent the day together and the I spent the evening with one of my friends. 

We went for a meal and cinema date. We had a set three-course supper at a place called The Bar which is in Instow, North Devon.

For a starter, main and pudding it cost each of us around £20, bargain considering we both went for a steak. 

To start with I had the winter vegetable soup which was creamy and warming. My friend had the trio of brie wedges which I was jealous of but because I am pregnant I can't eat this particular type of cheese.  

For mains we both had steak which came with these huge onion rings, chips, tomato, peas and a flat mushroom. Delicious and filling.

For pudding we both plumped for the creme brulee with passion fruit and brandy snap basket. 

Needless to say we were both full to bursting following our supper but I still found space for  a bag of chocolate in the cinema. 

The Bar in Instow is a brilliant place to eat if you are ever visiting the area, I know North Devon is a popular spot for families holidaying during the summer break from school. The bar area downstairs is warm and friendly while the upstairs restaurant area is spacious with a fantastic view of the beach and estuary which joins on to the sea. 

I think I sometimes take living by the beach for granted, I must go more often, walking along the sand is a great way to clear your head and the smell of sea air is invigorating. 

Colour Chrome Body Tattoos: Models Own

 Wow, I haven’t seen or used temporary tattoos since I was about 13.

So when a press release about these new metallic tattoos from High Street shop Models Own landed in my inbox I was a little shocked.

Models Own said “Perfect for no-fuss glam on the beach of at a festival.” Ok, I agree for a festival, but for the beach? In my opinion, getting all glammed up for a day at the beach is a no, no. I was brought up next to the coast so perhaps I have taken the beach for granted. However, the thought of using these, or any makeup for that matter, on a hot summer’s day at the beach makes me cringe a little.

These are available on the Models Own website for £4.99.

I have to say there is a good selection of designs included in each packet and the price means they won’t break the bank.

I would say these definitely have a place for a festival or fancy dress.

What do you think of the latest product release from Models Own?

"Say crack again" "crack"

Around a year or so ago it seemed the world and his brother were obsessed with crackle top coats. I loved wearing a black or purple crackle polish over the top of a bright base. 

I hadn't worn a crackle polish for months so decided to dust off my Barry M fav for this mid-week manicure.

Here we have two coats of Barry M's Strawberry Ice Cream and two coats of Blue Moon, again by Barry M. 

Some people have trouble with crackle top coats, my advice is to make sure your base coat is totally dry. If you are too impatient and put the crackle on when the base is still tacky it won't work as well. I always put a top coat on over crackle polishes to restore the glossy finish. 

Vampy Flakies

Nail polish fanatics have a huge array of the most amazing top coats to choose from. Crackle polishes, glitters, mattes and one flakies. 

Flakie top coats, in my opinion, are one of the best ways to instantly jazz up any nail polish. I find they tend to work best on a darker base colour.

Even on shorter nails like mine, dark colours and and a flakie top coat look lovely. 

I used two coats of Hanover Square from Nails Inc which was a freebie in Glamour magazine. 

The flakie top coat is called Rainbow by Gosh. I absolutely love it, it flashes between gold, copper, green and yellow. 

What do you think of flakies? Have you come across this one by Gosh?

KiraKiraKawaisa - Japanese inspired jewellery

I love coming across new jewellery designers. Especially ones who have just started out an online shop or market stall where you can clearly see they have amazing talent. 

Jewellery by KiraKiraKawaisa is just adorable. 

The Etsy store stocks handcrafted Kawaii items - cute Japanese inspired pieces. New items are listed regularly and what's more, the owner can make a piece using your ideas or a design you have in mind.

The Etsy store has some lovely, quirky pieces, I love the look of the chunky dome 3D rings. All these pieces will be sure to add a pop of colour to any outfit. 

As the owner of the shops says, stay cute "stay kawaii."

etsy.com/shop/kirakirakawaisa