Wednesday 31 October 2012

4 VERDICT: The Retreat Spa.

For anyone who read my previous post, you may have gathered that I was slightly panicked at the thought of spending a whole day makeupless, with ridiculous hair and in a swimsuit.

Apart for a few slight hitches (namely my eyebrows melting off and my red hair dye staining the bathrobe) it was an absolutely lovely day and I feel very relaxed and ready for the week ahead!

If you're wondering what my hair and makeup situation was...

It all stayed on brilliantly apart from my eyebrows and I ended up looking a little bit like Voldemort by the end of the day...

The Retreat is based in Leek, Staffordshire and took about half an hour for us to drive from my little village in Cheshire. You get to drive past a llama farm. That in itself is worth it.

When we got there, we were greeted by friendly staff, shown the changing rooms (which were FAB) and given a tour. I have to say, at a first glance it really was beautiful, particularly the spa facilities section which was very earthy with mood lighting and a fancy cave atmosphere. My one criticism would be that the relaxation/conservatory area was a bit haphazardly decorated, with too many random ornaments/pot plants/sofas. It looked like a lovely old lady's living room rather than a classy spa. Saying that, it was cosy and I did nearly fall asleep so it wasn't really the end of the world! It's quite a small spa, with a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, which we used numerous times and were really brilliant. I particularly love steam rooms, I feel like they do wonders for my skin!

They also had free green and fruit tea so obviously I was loving that and had around 20 cups. The food was nice but nothing too fancy (I had a jacket potato with cheese, beans and a HUGE side salad. My boyfriend had a sweet chilli prawn baguette with chips).

Once we had eaten lunch, we had our massages. They were amazing. If I could have a massage everyday, I would. In fact, if I ever get rich I am going to have a live-in masseuse and have one every night before I go to sleep.

I'm afraid I didn't take any pictures as I left my iPhone at home and also, cameras don't tend to work in the jacuzzi SO I've robbed one from The Retreat website :).

Overall I had a relaxing and romantic day, my makeup stayed on relatively well (apart from my eyebrows) and my hair wasn't too ridiculous.

I would definitely recommend The Retreat to anyone who wants a day of relaxation in the Staffordshire area!



Thursday 25 October 2012

18 Romantic spa day with my boyfriend...but what do I wear?!

My lovely boyfriend has booked us a romantic couples spa day at The Retreat Spa in Leek, Staffordshire on Monday. I can't wait. It's going to be amazing! Surprise gifts like this have a place in my life forever.

My back has been aching ever since starting a proper 9-5 desk job in the past couple of months. Although I had an HALF AN HOUR desk chair consultation about how to sit properly (it was hilarious), sitting for 8 hours a day is taking a lot of getting used to! Also, I've been looking for ages for the right career and it's becoming very frustrating and a bit of a worry. It's so nice to know that my other half pays attention when I am whinging about my back aching and not having the job I want!

We're having the Spa Signature Massage, to target the back, neck and shoulders and I can't wait to relieve some of the tension. Our spa day also includes the use of the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna as well as lunch at The Jester Bistro at The Retreat. All sounds great, doesn't it?

OR DOES IT?!

I am a serial worrier/self conscious lunatic when it comes to swimwear. I have bikinis that I ignore every year because I haven't actually started using my Nike Runner app or stopped eating every cake that is offered to me. The only option is a swimsuit really, but how do you look fashionable, on-trend as well as comfortable? I am also quite aware that it is Thursday and I have around 3 days to come up with a solution!

We'll be provided with a dressing gown by the spa, obviously, but if everyone is going to be strolling around looking beautiful and groomed, I think I might hide in the Bistro and have a scone and a large glass of wine.

Realistically, there are a huge list of things to consider:

  • Water proof makeup, lip stains?
  • Keeping hair from leaking red dye.
  • Keeping hair from becoming afro.
  • Do I fake tan?
  • If not, how do I hide wobbles?
  • If I do, how do I keep from staining bathrobe orange?
  • How to avoid irritating my boyfriend by being too self-conscious?!

Am I being neurotic? Definitely.
Do I need to buy a new swimsuit? Probably.

Does anyone have any suggestions in spa attire? How do you cope with the makeup conundrum? How do I keep my hair under control?!

HELP!!

Love
xxxx

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x


Wednesday 24 October 2012

4 Autumn means: BB Cream, lentil soup and a purple cat.

Good afternoon, friends.
Today we are talking about Autumn and some little thoughts and things that pop into my head.



Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love the leaves and wearing coats and fireplaces and walking.
 Last weekend I forced my boyfriend to drive to Statford-Upon-Avon to look at the leaves and also have a hot chocolate at The Real Tea Company. I really recommend checking this cafe out, the range of tea is amazing and it has such a great atmosphere.

TEA aside (I've had 5 cups this morning...it is only 12.33), autumn is the season of soup. I love soup. Everyone loves soup. If you don't love soup, I'm not sure what to say to you. Maybe you need to re-evaluate your soup opinions. Today, I have lentil, bean & barley soup and I can't wait to munch away.

I've also recently bought the Rimmel BB Cream. I've tried a number of BB Creams (mostly low end of the budget scale because I'm poor) and I've not really been hugely impressed. The SPF is a nice touch but I can't say I've seen the 1000000 benefits they claim is encased in a little magical tube of BB. This Rimmel one is quite nice though, it's not too heavy, looks great for work and (so far) has stayed put. I would say it is worth the £6.99 as an alternative for heavier foundation.


I'm going to end this mini-post with a picture of the mug I use at work. It's not particularly classy. It has a purple cat and a chip on it. It has the word "saggy" on it.  It wasn't even for my 18th Birthday. But we've been through a lot, me and my saggy purple cat. And what could be better than something that holds the ridiculous amounts of tea I drink at work? And as a typical teapot...what is better than a cuppa on a cold autumn night?

Love
xxx

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Tuesday 23 October 2012

4 What has been inspiring me today: Ben Howard.

Afternoon pals.

I'm the type of girl who will always be woo'ed by an acoustic guitar. I'm pretty sure most girls are, really. This doesn't mean that when Kanye is played on a night out I'm sat in a corner drinking a healthy glass of Merlot thinking, "I wish I was at home in a candlelit room listening to Damien Rice." No. I will most likely be in the middle of the dancefloor, waving my tequila in the air pretending to be Kim Kardashian. 

BUT. Kim, Kanye and tequila aside, there's very little better than chilling with some folk music and my discovery of 2012 has been Ben Howard. I'll admit, I'm slightly late on the uptake - Howard's album was recorded in 2011 and various singles released since then but I got there finally and I'm absolutely loving 'Every Kingdom'.

The sound is a bit Ed Sheerany but with better lyrics (I'll never forgive him for the "crumbling like pastry" line). The melodies are brilliant, his voice is beautiful and so is his face. 

'Old Pine' and 'Keep Your Head Up' are a perfect soundtrack for autumn walks. 

So for this, I have to say thank you to my boyfriend for introducing me to Ben and I can't wait for anything else he has to do!



Have a listen yourself and let me know what you think!

What I have noticed, however, is that he sounds uncannily like Tracy Chapman!

Love xx

2 The first EVER Teapot Blog post...

Welcome!

I have the great privilege of writing the first ever Teapot Blog post. 
May it go down in history.

So. Why the Teapot Blog, you ask? 
Well in a nutshell, I'm short and a little bit stout (must start running). I drink tea all day with gay abandon. Also, this is a blog.

But don't be fooled! Whilst I will probably write more about tea than strictly necessary, this is a Cheshire lifestyle blog and I plan to cover a range of topics including fashion, beauty, restaurants, cooking, travelling, music and much more!
Stick around for frequent updates about my occasionally interesting thoughts, life and activities.

ALSO: Please follow me on Twitter!

Love,
Me.





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