THE IVY: LEEDS VICTORIA QUARTER

December 19, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

I had been invited along to The Ivy in Leeds which is a fairly new addition to the ever-expanding Victoria Quarter having just opened up in late September! Having already visited The Ivy before in Harrogate, I was excited to take a look at the restaurant in Leeds to see the layout and to get my hands on their delicious food.

*Please note, this image was taken a week or so after my visit!

I invited my blogger friend with me, Jessica, who I had met at the Northern Blog Awards where we had both just clicked! Upon arrival, the lovely hosts had taken our coats and walked us over to the bar where we had a glass of Prosecco waiting for us. We then got seated at a table just by the entrance, and as I was looking around at the surroundings, the restaurant was rather busy yet had a chilled atmosphere and it wasn’t too loud for me to be able to hear which is something I always take into consideration as I am deaf so restaurants and bars can prove rather tricky sometimes!

The interior and decor of The Ivy was very glamorous with an Art Deco theme running throughout and had that luxurious feel that The Ivy is well known for. We were treated to a three course meal where for starters I had the Prawn Cocktail which came with baby gem, avocado, cherry tomatoes and Marie Rose sauce. The starter was delicious although the sauce was a little sweet for me.

For my main I chose the Chicken Bourguignon which was a flat-iron chicken with crispy skin with creamed potato, chestnut mushrooms and bacon lardons. This was very tasty, however, a rather large portion! There was just a little too much on the plate for me but I gave a good go at trying to finish it all!

To complete the meal, for my dessert I chose the Chocolate Bombe which I had previously seen on Instagram being ‘Boomeranged’ countless of times which entails of a melting Chocolate Bombe with a vanilla ice cream and honeycomb centre with hot salted caramel sauce poured over it… Okay I think I’m going to head back especially just for this ASAP! It tasted just as good as it sounds!

Throughout the meal the staff were very attentive, kind and friendly, even to the point where they had recommended which food we should try out and what their personal favourites were. We also had a bottle of Provence Rosé which went down a treat! By the end of the night it was safe to say both Jessica and I were stuffed and were equally impressed with both the quality of service and food/drink throughout. Thank you to The Ivy for inviting us along!

To view more details and to take a look at their menu, click here! To book book a table, click here.

Have you visited any of The Ivy restaurants before? Where did you go? Have you visited the Leeds restaurant yet? If so, what did you order? What is your favourite part of The Ivy if you have visited? What do you recommend I should try next? Let me know your thoughts below, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

ACQUA DI PARMA - CHRISTMAS 2018

December 18, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Acqua Di Parma are one of my favourite Male Grooming brands with their Ebano fragrance being one of my favourites for this time of year, alongside the rich and aquatic fragrance for Spring/Summer; Cedro di Taormina! So you can imagine that I was completely bowled over when a large ‘Hat Box’ had arrived from one of their Christmas Collections. The box itself was presented with a ribbon wrapped beautifully around it and I didn’t dare spoil it by pulling it apart!

With that being said, once inside of the box there were three items from one of their Christmas Collections which have all been given a Festive touch this Christmas where the packaging has been beautifully designed and illustrated by the British artist, Clym Evernden. Other Collections include;

Colonia Pura
Blu Mediterraneo
Le Nobili
Ingredient Collection
Home
Body Collection
Made To Measure Sets

Fo this particular Festive Gift Set that I received, it contained;

Colonia - Candle
Colonia - Eau de Cologne
Colonia - Hand Wash & Hand Cream

The Colonia Pura scent is bold and citrusy that feels fresh when sprayed upon my skin which is making me yearn for those long, hot Summer days! I will be sure to revisit this fragrance again next Spring for a full blog review so be sure to check back for this. I also love the design of the Festive packaging this year, minimal yet fun!

To view more of the Festive Gift Sets this Christmas, click here.

Acqua Di Parma are currently offering engraving on their bottles in which you can leave a special message for that special somebody this Christmas and please note, there is guaranteed delivery by 24th December on all orders placed by 20th December by 12pm. Only two days left to take advantage of this before it’s too late!

Have you smelt anything by Acqua Di Parma before? If so, what fragrance have you smelt? Which is your favourite from the brand? Do you have your eye on anything for Christmas? Let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

INSTAGRAM CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY: MANKIND

December 17, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Being a part of the Mankind Collective allows me to explore and try out some of the latest launches in Male Grooming and as a way of saying thank you for all of your support this year, I have teamed up with Mankind for a chance to win their INCREDIBLE Christmas Collection Box!

MANKIND CHRISTMAS COLLECTION BOX

Featuring 12 full sized Male Grooming products which have all been selected to create the perfect Grooming routine for you, and worth over a whopping £475, this Christmas Collection Box will allow you to experiment and try out products from brands you may not have come across before!

Inside this box contains;

Elemis - Pro Collagen Marine Cream (50ml) £80
men-u - Facial Wash (100ml) £14.95
Hanz De Fuko - Claymation (56g) £16
Anthony - Shower Sheets (12 Sheets) £22
Korres - Fig Shower Gel (250ml) £8
avant - Anti-Ageing Glycolic Firming Eye Contour Cream (10ml) £99
Argentum - L’Etoile Infinie (30ml) £82
Regenerate - Advanced Foaming Mouth Wash (50ml) £10
Omorovicza - Deep Cleansing Mask (50ml) £62
Jack Black - Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather (226ml) £22
Recipe For Men - Deodorant (75ml) £16
Molton Brown - Tobacco Absolute Bath & Shower Gel (300ml) £20

As you can see, this Christmas Giveaway is pretty astonishing, and for your chance to enter all you need to do is simply:

Follow me on Instagram and Mankind on Instagram
Tag a friend (multiple entries are allowed!)
That’s it!

It’s as simple as that!

The winner will be announced this Thursday 20th December to allow postage/shipping in time for Christmas and this Giveaway is for UK entries only. (Sorry!)

Best of luck, and Merry Christmas!

Have you shopped with Mankind before? If so, what did you buy? What do you think to their Christmas Collection? Will you be entering this Giveaway? What products do you have your eye on? Let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 2018

December 13, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

I cannot believe that this Christmas Gift Guide marks my third one, and that 2018 is almost over! Where has this year gone!? That being said, Christmas is my favourite time of the year and I wouldn’t be classed as a true blogger without bringing you a Gift Guide now would I? This Gift Guide contains many wonderful gift ideas such as skincare, fragrance, and scents for your home!

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SKINCARE

Sunday Riley - Holiday Heroes £100

One of my favourite newly found skincare brands of 2018: Sunday Riley! The Tidal - Water Enzyme Brightening Cream has become a new staple in my skincare routine and I love the fresh glow that it gives my skin and how hydrated my skin feels afterwards! To purchase, click here.

SACHAJUAN - Body Collection £68

One of my favourite haircare brands, SACHAJUAN have put together this special Holiday Body Collection which features: Normal Hair Shampoo 100ml, Hair Repair 100ml, Body Wash Shiny Citrus 300ml and Body Lotion Shiny Citrus 300ml. My personal favourite from this Holiday collection is their Hair Repair as my hair is bleached which means that it can often feel dry and limp, so the Hair Repair helps to restore it back to its natural state feeling healthy again! To purchase, click here.

Nivea - Shower & Shave Gift Set

I find that the Sensitive Shaving Foam from Nivea is the perfect way to ensure that my skin feels smooth without irritation, whilst the Sensitive Post Shave Balm helps to cool my skin down! Both of these products have 0% Alcohol within them meaning that there is no burning sensation and this Gift Set also comes with the 250ml Shower Gel which can be used for Body, Face & Hair. To purchase, you can find this Gift Set at a local drugstore such as Boots or Superdrug!

GLAMGLOW - My Little Pony Glitter Mask £30

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a little bit of camp and sparkle right!? These little Glitter Masks from GLAMGLOW are a fun way of getting all of the benefits of their original GRAVITYMUD™ Firming Treatment and help to make the skins contours look more defined after use. I have had a lot of fun using these with friends as they are a great addition for a pamper night! To purchase, click here.

FRAGRANCES

Jo Malone - Orange Bitters Limited Edition (30ml) £48

When I first smelt Orange Bitters a few years ago, I will admit that it wasn’t my favourite scent and I found the opening a little too sharp for me, but after spraying it again this year on a whim, I fell in love with it! A cosy, warm fragrance that has a longevity of 5-6 hours on my skin with a sillage that feels light-medium and is guaranteed to get you a compliment or two! To purchase, click here.

Jimmy Choo - Man Gift Set £45.50

Containing the iconic fragrance ‘Man’ in both Eau De Toilette (50ml) and All-Over Shower Gel (100ml), this gift set is ideal to splurge out on a treat for yourself or a man in your life who enjoys smelling fresh with a woody twist! To purchase, click here.

Jimmy Choo - Eau De Parfum (60ml) £57

Another offering from Jimmy Choo, this time in the female form! Perfect for the special woman in your life who will feel luxurious by wearing this with the notes of Pear Nectar, Sweet Italian Orange, Tiger Orchid, Toffee and Indonesian Patchouli. To purchase, click here.

David Beckham - Inspired By Respect Gift Set £19.95

This gift set by David Beckham contains the Eau De Toilette (40ml) and the Shower Gel (200ml). The fragrance contains notes such as Bergamot, Cardamom and AmberXtreme which has a sophisticated feel, perfect for an evening! To purchase, click here.

Vera Wang - Embrace Green Tea & Pear Blossom Gift Set £40

An elegant fragrance for an elegant woman that feels fresh and floral with notes of Peony, Orange Blossom which then dries down into a muskier take with the note of Sandalwood finishing the fragrance off on a confident note! This gift set contains the Eau De Toilette (30ml) alongside the Body Lotion (75ml). To purchase, click here.

SCENTS FOR THE HOME

Molton Brown - Festive Frankincense & All Spice (180g) and Fabled Juniper Berries & Lapp Pine (180g) £42 each

Molton Brown’s Limited Edition Christmas candles come in two different scents, the first being; Festive Frankincense & All Spice which contains:

Top Notes: Elemi, Caraway, Pimento Berry.
Middle Notes: Frankincense, Cedarwood, Guaiac Wood.
Base Notes: Vetiver, Patchouli, Sandalwood.

For me, out of the two, this one is my favourite! It just screams Christmas and has a spicy feel to the scent which leaves the room smelling wonderfully festive and cosy! To purchase, click here.

The second scent is the; The Fabled Juniper Berries & Lapp Pine which is a complete contrast to the Festive Frankincense and contains:

Top Notes: Juniper Berry, Violet Leaf, Elemi.
Middle Notes: Pine Tree, Cedarwood, Clary Sage.
Base Notes: Balsam, Oakmoss, Musk Notes.

To me, this candle epitomises ‘Winter Wonderland’ and has a real green, earthy tone to the scent! To purchase either of these, click here.

Anya Hindmarch - Chewing Gum £50

When I first saw the name of this candle, I was immediately wanting to get my hands on this! I carry chewing gum around with me everywhere so this candle felt very apt for me. Anyway! When I first smelt this, the notes of Mint and Pink Pepper were the most prominent and when I lit the candle, the scent became fruity and fresh. Perhaps better suited for Spring/Summer! This candle is ideal for those looking for a gift that’s a little quirky and different this Christmas! To purchase, click here.

Chapter Organics - The Remedy Candle £22

Hand poured, all natural, soy wax candle with a single cotton wick, The Remedy Candle is a fusion of Peppermint, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Essential Oils. This blend of ingredients aims to help those experiencing the symptoms of a cold, nausea, congestion and sickness. I can vouch for this helping to relieve those symptoms as when I was suffering from a cold, due to the being scent rather overpowering and strong, that despite not being able to smell other things, I could smell this candle! The scent lingers in the air long after it has burnt, and I also love that Chapter Organics are based in Boston Spa, just 30 minutes from where I live! To purchase, click here.

Sanctuary Spa - Divine Candle Trio £9.37

This gorgeous little trio of candles by Sanctuary Spa comes in the scents of;

Golden Rose Oud
Signature Sanctuary
Vanilla Gingersnap

All of these are 50g and I have found these to be delightful scents! My personal favourite is the Vanilla Gingersnap, creamy with a spicy kick! To purchase, click here for a list of places to buy from.

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I hope you have enjoyed my Christmas Gift Guide this year as much as I have enjoyed putting it together! All that’s left to say now is, have a fabulous Christmas!

Have you got your hands on any of these gifts mentioned in my Gift Guide? Are there any you would love to try out? Do you have your eye on any of these for yourself? Do you like my choices this year? Let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

CHRISTMAS WITH CLIVE CHRISTIAN

December 10, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Clive Christian perfumes are the epitome of luxury fragrances and home scents! Committed to using a high concentration of 20-25% in their fragrances (other fragrances tend to only use around 15% concentration), they are also committed to using only the very best ingredients from rare and globally sourced naturals.

I had been lucky enough to have worked with the brand on this special Christmas post, in which I will be reviewing their No.1 Masculine Edition fragrance alongside their No.1 candle which contains their top notes from the fragrance.

CLIVE CHRISTIAN - NO.1 MASCULINE EDITION

Both the fragrance and candle come in their own velvet pouches with are beautifully wrapped in the brands ribbons already giving it that added elegant touch. Firstly, let’s just take a look at the bottle of No.1. fragrance. It is simply beautiful, so beautiful in fact, that it was received the UK FIFI Award in 2006 for special packaging.

Top Notes: Thyme
Middle Notes: Lily Of The Valley
Base Notes: Tonka Bean

An oriental fragrance, the opening of No.1 Masculine Edition begins with a citrusy and floral burst that seems a little sharp to begin with but then dries down into a softer, more delicate scent. The fragrance could be seen as rather feminine for what is classed as a ‘Masculine’ fragrance, however with that being said, there is a strong undertone during the dry-down of a woody and earthy scent that blends beautifully with the floral notes which can at times, feel rather prominent.

I find that this fragrance is a contradiction in itself as the journey seems to go in one direction, but ends up completely different! It took around 1 hour for the fragrance to fully settle on my skin at which point I felt that I enjoyed the scent the best.

To wear this fragrance, I would recommend wearing it on a nighttime to make an impact, as its sillage and projection is medium-heavy which will last long into the night! The longevity of No.1 Masculine Edition lasted for 8-9 hours upon my skin, one of the longest lasting fragrances I have tried thus far.

In candle form, the scent is inspired by No.1 and comes in 3 different candles for the 3 different stages throughout; Top Notes, Middle Notes and Base Notes. I received the ‘Top Notes’ candle which features notes of White Peach, Nutmeg and Bergamot. The candle leaves the space feeling warm and elegant with a subtle scent in the air without feeling too overbearing!

As Clive Christian perfumes are created using special and rare ingredients, these of course do come at a cost. The fragrance of No.1 Masculine Edition is available in two different sizes:

30ml for £295
50ml for £450

To purchase the fragrance, click here!

As stated before, the candle comes in a trio and each glass vessel is sprayed in champagne gold, adding that elegant and classy touch! To purchase the trio of No.1 Candle set, click here.

With each purchase you will receive free UK Shipping alongside two deluxe samples with your order!

Have you smelt No.1 Masculine Edition by Clive Christian before? If so, what did you think? Have you smelt any fragrances or candles from Clive Christian? Which ones? Will you be treating yourself or a loved one this Christmas to one of these luxurious scents? Let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

HUAWEI - STORYSIGN

December 05, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Isn’t Christmas just the most magical time of the year? With all of the wonderful sounds of the Christmas Carollers singing the traditional carols, radio stations and stores playing those catchy Festive songs that get stuck in your head for hours on end, the excitable noises children make when they see Santa appear on TV!?

Well, with 32 million deaf children around the world, the sad reality is that many of them don’t get to hear or experience these sounds that many of us take for granted at Christmas time. They also don’t get to experience that close connection with getting lost in a book at bedtime when a story is being read to them, at a time when a child’s mind is the most imaginative.

I recently joined Huawei on a 3 day trip to Lapland where I got to find out more about their latest release; StorySign. When I initially read the invite where it described a little bit about the app and how it aimed to help deaf children globally, I was naturally very intrigued, especially as it is so close to home for me being deaf myself and is a subject I am very passionate about when it comes to raising as much awareness for the deaf community!

After having had our breakfast, we then sat down to a presentation where the StorySign app got demonstrated to us. To create StorySign Huawei enlisted the help of experts;

Mark Wheatley - the executive director of the European Union of the Deaf.
Neil Pymer - the creative director at Aardman Animations best known for Wallace & Gromit.

StorySign is an app in which Huawei want to help create an authentic way for deaf children to be able to interact with stories at bedtime. By using AI (Artificial Intelligence), it also features Image Recognition and Optical Character Recognition. The power of Image Recognition means that the books can be read from a 45 degree angle, creating a natural way to read a book at bedtime without having to worry about the best position of the book for the child to be able to understand. The Optical Character Recognition means that the books can be translated from words into Sign Language giving a more accurate reading, whilst the AI helps power the speed of the turning of pages which enables children to keep stimulated without having to wait too long to find out what happens next.

Neil Pymer gave us an insight into how the app had been created, telling us how each facial movement and hand movement in sign language had all been recorded and looked over at with a fine tooth-comb to ensure that the Sign Language is brought to life in the most natural way. I was pleased to see that facial movement had been translated and considered into the app, as with many deaf people, facial expressions and movements help to get their point across as well being able to lip read to fully understand what they’re saying! They came up with an avatar/character in the form of; ‘Star’. A young, animated girl who translates the words from the pages of a book, into Sign Language onto Huawei’s mobile screens.

Mark Wheatley signed on stage that he hopes that the StorySign app will create an impact in the deaf community and after having seen a short-film of deaf children who had visited Lapland prior to our arrival just a few days beforehand, it was abundantly clear to see that an impact had already been made. The children’s faces when Star appeared signing the words from the pages of the book onto the Huawei mobile screen were all lit up! The video itself was incredibly touching and really hammered home just how important and how much of a difference StorySign can, and is already making.

Once the presentation had ended, we were all then given an opportunity to use the StorySign app ourselves and hover it over the pages from the ‘Where’s Spot’ book, and that initial moment when Star first appeared, was magical! I think I can speak for everybody who had that opportunity of seeing it firsthand that we were all in amazement at how lifelike the animation of Star was and that the Sign Language was incredibly detailed down to the hand movements, and facial expressions.

Going to Lapland to be able to see StorySign ahead of its release was an experience I’ll never forget, and it has emphatically hit home just how important it is for any child to be able to have that special ‘Stories at Bedtime’ routine with their loved ones!

This short trailer below features Maisie who you may recognise from the Oscar Winning Movie: The Silent Child.

For me, I was a little shocked as to how this app has only just come about, and that there wasn’t anything else like this out there before Huawei’s release. It takes 43 minutes on average to read to a deaf child, yet it only takes 31 minutes to read to a hearing child! Deaf children are already at a disadvantage when they go to school, many of them being mainstream schools which don’t have the facilities or resources to be able to support deaf children with their literacy skills meaning many of them get left behind. With StorySign, this can help bridge that gap by improving the literacy skills of deaf children whilst enabling them to feel connected to the story!

StorySign is available from Google Play Store and Huawei’s AppGallery across 10 countries in Western Europe. With the app having only been released just 2 days ago, Huawei have set up the app to be able to translate the ‘Where’s Spot?’ book, but hopes to add to its library once the StorySign movement gets underway. To help expand the library for more books to be translated into Sign Language, simply donate here.

Thank you Huawei for inviting me along, it’s been a magical experience!

Will you be trying out StorySign? Have you already tried it? If so, what do you think to it? Do you think it will make a difference to the deaf community? What other books would you like to see be translated? I would love to hear your thoughts on this as I genuinely believe it will make a huge difference so leave me a comment below so we can continue spreading awareness! Don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button also!

ESTEE LAUDER - GROOMING CONSTELLATION

December 03, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Struggling to find the perfect gift for the man in your life? Perhaps he has a refined taste which is proving rather difficult when it comes to knowing exactly what to buy him for Christmas? Well fear not! If he is into his Male Grooming and only enjoys the best of the best when it comes to skincare, grooming and haircare, then I have the perfect gift idea for you and at the end of this post, I will share with you a very special code just in time for Christmas!

THE GROOMING CONSTELLATION BOX

In this neatly packaged box, you can expect to find top quality products from well-known Male Grooming brands such as:

Aveda - Rosemary Mind Hand and Body Wash (50ml)
Aveda - Invati Men™ 2-Step System
Bumble and Bumble - Sumotech (7ml)
Clinique For Men - Anti-Age Eye Cream (15ml)
Clinique For Men - Moisturising Lotion (15ml)
Clinique For Men - Maximum Hydrator Activated Water-Gel Concentrate (7ml)
Clinique For Men - Charcoal Face Wash (30ml)
GLAMGLOW - Supermud Clearing Treatment (15g)
Lab Series PRO LS - Lip Tech (4.3g)
Lab Series PRO LS - All-In-One Face Cleansing Gel (30ml)
Lab Series PRO LS - The Grooming Oil 3-In-1 Shave & Beard Oil (7ml)
Lab Series - Day Rescue Defence Lotion SPF 35 (50ml)

These little gifts within the Grooming Constellation box are all perfect travel sizes, or getting familiar with a product that you or your loved one may not have tried out before, but have wanted to test the waters so to speak. Or perhaps you’ve wanted always wanted to try a product from one of these brands mentioned, but just haven’t had the chance to!

The Grooming Constellation box is worth £114 and is available to purchase here for just £39! I also have a special code to share with you all! Simply type in CONSTELLATION18 to get 15% off your order when you spend over £30 at any of these websites:

Clinique | Lab Series | Aveda | Bumble and Bumble | GLAMGLOW

(Please note, this code cannot be used in combination with any other offer, or against giftcards, ecards, or gift set purchases such as this one and can only be used once per website and is available to UK residents only.)

Have you tried any of these products before? If so, which ones? Are there any you’re keen to try out? Do you have any favourites? Will you be treating yourself or a loved one to this gift this Christmas? Do let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!