Coffee and Cosmetics…

Happy Saturday everyone, welcome to the weekend.

I thought I would give you a little glimpse of what I have been getting up to today; especially since my adventures involve coffee and make-up…

Kiko Make-up…

Earlier in the week I had mentioned to a college friend that I needed a new autumnal lip stick and she told me about a relatively new shop that had opened in the “Intu Victoria Centre” in Nottingham called “Kiko” so of course, like any make-up lover would, I went to check it out.

Upon entering I was actually really impressed with the layout of the shop, the walls were pink and purples which were complimented perfectly by the white lighting and I loved the fact that the display units and furniture was so modern and sleek.

I particularly liked the funky little make-up bar which allowed you to sit and apply make-up. It had two huge mirrors in front of it and was fully equipped with cleanser, toner, moisturiser, tissues and cotton wool pads for removing make-up. There was also nail varnish remover on hand.

The girl that served me was lovely and couldn’t do enough to help, she really was a credit to the store; in fact once she found out that I was doing make-up at college she told me about some Christmas job vacancies and asked if would be interested in applying. I thought this was really thoughtful of her and I would love to work alongside people like that. If I weren’t so busy doing so many different things at the moment I may have considered sending in my CV. So customer service gets a big thumbs up from me.

Anyway let’s get to the important bit, the quality of the make-up. I really love the packaging of Kiko products and think that all of their products are really simple looking yet classy which you can see from the pictures below.

My favourite piece has to be the lip stick. It goes on really smoothly, looks amazing on and it is really nice to hold too. My husband actually chose the lipstick for me as I was really unsure which colour to choose as I don’t suit dark shades. My make-up expert hubby advised me to go for a pink autumnal shade instead. I think he did really well and I love the one that he picked out for me.

My new Kiko Products

When I got home I tried the highlighter and concealer without any make-up on. So far I am happy with the way they go on and how they look on my skin but I shall have to see what they look like when I actually incorporate the products into my everyday make-up routine and use them alongside my other products.

Eating out…

As we were parking the car when we first arrived in town, we spotted a new restaurant opposite the car park called “Hoffs“. It looked really welcoming from the outside (it actually reminded me a bit of the clothes shop “Urban Outfitters”, which I love) so we said we would pop in on the way back to for some coffee and a bit of brunch.

The decor inside is really trendy yet it has a traditional/industrial twist which has been incorporated with signature pieces of furniture and funky accessories. They serve hot and cold international classic dishes, breakfasts, coffees and cakes which I think are all reasonably priced.

All of their food is available to eat in or take away which is great if you are popping out of work for some lunch or if you just want to grab something quick to take home with you. The guy who served us (the manager) was really friendly and had a great sense of humour which always make the dining out experience more enjoyable.

We ordered two Americano coffees which I couldn’t fault and for our food we ordered some Mac ‘n’ Cheese with bacon and croutons. I have to say it was absolutely delicious and really flavoursome which makes a nice change because sometimes I find Mac ‘n’ Cheese a bit bland; this was like Mac ‘n’ Cheese with a twist and was spot on. Hoffs also offer student discount, so if you are ever in Nottingham it is well worth a visit.

Keep your eyes peeled for my next blog about my trip to “Serenity Retreat” in Nottingham where I had a Dermalogica facial…