I have so many Newcastle bar reviews, I thought it was about time I finally wrote my review of Livello. It’s now been in the town for a number of years, and is located on the way down to the quayside in Newcastle.
It’s a one which a lot of people talk about, both from Newcastle and far and wide, and is part of the same culture as the bars on The Diamond Strip, although not actually on Collingwood Street.
I have never been the biggest fan of jewellery on guys, and I’ve never really owned very much in terms of jewellery either. I did used to wear a gold chain back in the day, but that was always hidden away underneath clothing, and I’ve never been a fan of rings or earrings either. However something which I have been interested in getting for a long time is a cuff, which I think look quite stylish, but only the right one.
I think men get a pretty raw deal in the jewellery department; Maybe that’s because most guys are like me and don’t really buy or want to own jewellery, so not much is made or sold. Then when you find some, it’s all really horrible. It’s patterns of this and that, things like tribal patterns, links, ugly rope, beads…Nothing really classic, classy, simple and elegant. What I wanted was a plain and simple cuff; A cuff, bracelet or bangle actually, but after thinking about it, I opted for a cuff, I think they’re more fashionable and generally stylish for men. It was actually really difficult to find one, I narrowed it down to three different brands, two made from steel, and one of silver.
I got a Thomas Sabo Sterling Silver cuff and then decided it wasn’t for me. I was incredibly underwhelmed when it came, I know it’s supposed to be just a simple cuff and that’s exactly what it was, but it was £125 and just did not seem worth the money. Then there’s the fact I really think I will lose it which doesn’t fill me with confidence of spending too much money either. It was also too small for me, I did not like the fit, so decided for all these reasons I was better off sending it back.
I ended up having another look around, and eventually found something which I like, and here it is. Just a plain and simple cuff, however this one is made of brass and was far cheaper, in fact only £10!. I really like this, and to be honest, in terms of looks, there’s no difference, obviously the biggest difference is the material; Sterling Silver vs brass. The fit is better, it’s on the larger size, and I should try to resize it for a better fit so it’s more difficult to fall off.
If you are looking to get yourself a cuff or bangle and you’re like me and have not tried one, I would advise going and seeing them in person if you can, and trying one on, or you may be having to send it back or not liking it first time round.
What do you think of the cuff for guys? Let me know 🙂
I finally got myself some Reyka vodka!
When I was in Iceland I only actually had 1 vodka, it was pretty expensive, especially when you’re mixing it with Redbull, it’s expensive here in Newcastle in bars, so you can imagine the prices in Reykjavik. I’ve seen it in the shops for a long time, and always not bothered getting it, but as it was Christmas I decided that I’d go ahead and get a bottle.
It’s not the cheapest vodka, with the bigger, more well known brands like Smirnoff and Absolut much more affordable, but I do like vodkas and have owned so many over the years, from Beluga to F:Fashion Vodka, Roberto Cavalli, Danzka, Wyborowa Exquisite and the others. In the vodka price range it sits around the premium price level, similar to Grey Goose, Ciroc and Belvedere, and cost me around £26.
They say it’s a small batch vodka hand crafted in Iceland, made from Arctic spring water with lava rock filtration. Iceland certainly has the natural resources available like no other, so how does it translate into a vodka?
It’s a really nice premium vodka, smooth and goes down well. It is very clean and crisp, which is something you’d expect when you talk about Iceland and their water. You can tell the difference from this premium vodka to a cheaper alternative, and know where the extra money goes. Where cheap vodka is sharp and uncomfortable to drink, Reyka is strong without being overbearing and easy to drink.
If you are looking for a premium vodka and want to try something a little different to the more commercialised options, I can recommend Rekya vodka.
Did Someone Say Hygge?! 😉
For so long now I have needed to buy a new duvet for my bed, and I wanted to buy a good one. For the past year or two I have talked myself out of getting a new one, my (now old) feather and down duvet was still pretty OK, but had lost it’s “fluffiness” and was quite flat. I had to decide not only which duvet I wanted to get, but also what tog rating I wanted. The TOG rating is pretty simple to understand, the bigger the number the more warm it’s supposed to be; So 4.5 for the summer, and 13+ for the Winter. The fill is also important, there’s natural fill like feathers and down, and synthetic too.
I wanted to get a natural filling one again, so that took one of the options out of the equation. But then it goes further; There’s different qualities of natural fillings too. These are such things like standard goose feather & down, Hungarian, Canadian, Siberian…All different qualities and all at different price points of course. Since this is somewhat of an investment (I don’t buy quits everyday!), I decided to go for something a bit expensive, and got myself a Hungarian Goose Down Duvet.
I could not remember what the tog rating was on my original duvet, I think 13.5, and I was torn between a 10.5 and 13.5 version, than I found a 4.5+9 tog duvet, which is actually two duvets you can clip together to make one. The good points is that it is supposed to keep you warm in the Winter, then in the summer you can put the heavier one away and use the lighter one; It’s like 3 in 1! But you do pay more money for this pleasure, this cost £190 which is pretty expensive, a similar standard goose feather & down only costs £68 for the same 4.5+9 tog set.
I have to say though…This duvet is so warm! It’s been really cold in the past couple of nights, and it’s kept me really toasty. It’s pretty lightweight, but the quality of the fill means it keeps you warm while being light.
The two quilts are easy to put together, and are fixed using 12 clips. Once the duvet is in a cover, it does not move around at all, which is something I was worried would happen.
Overall I am happy with this, and look forward to the hot summer and using the thinner one when we get our amazing hot Summer of course 😉
The two duvets clip together at the corners and all around the edges of the duvet like this.
I think that last year we saw so much good TV. I have always loved watching TV shows, I do enjoy watching a film every now and then, but TV shows have always played a far bigger role in my life. In 2016 there were so many great shows, some were new, others new to me and more classics which I’ve loved.
Plenty are back for 2017, here’s what I am looking forward to on the telly this year.
RELATED: The Best Box Sets To Binge Watch Right Now
What a year 2016 was!
For me personally, 2016 was a great year, it did feel like it at least. We did have a lot of sadness with so many celebrity deaths, lots of controversy and bad things going on in the world which just seems to be the norm now, everyone in the country got political with the UK leaving the EU and Brexit, then everyone in the world got political when Donald Trump won the U.S. election. For one reason or another, it was memorable, but I look back on a couple of the highlights positively and think it was a good year for me.
Let the Santa, see the milk and cookies!
Take Me Out is back for a celebrity special! It will see 30 girls from the older series come back to get a chance to go out with one of the celebrities and jet off to the isle of Fernandos! Previous celebrity guests include Jo Swash and Keith Lemon, and this year Paddy will be looking to get one of the celebs a date with someone from the flirty thirty.
The celebrities looking for a date are model and former rugby international Thom Evans, presenter Roman Kemp and Ritchie Neville from the boyband 5ive. You can watch the show on ITV1 at 8PM on Saturday 31st December 2016.
It’s time for Fenwick Christmas Window! 2016 see’s this year the window theme is 150 years of Beatrix Potter, and takes inspiration from the classic books and characters within them. The window includes The Tale Of Peter Rabbit, MRS Tiggy Winkle, Two Bad Mice, Kitty In Boots, Jeremy Fisher, Samuel Whiskers and The Tailor Of Gloucester.
Check out the images below, and you can also find the previous Fenwick Windows which I have covered here on the blog 🙂
It’s Christmas Jumper Day today! If you’ve been reading my blog over the past couple of weeks you’ll have already seen the best Christmas Jumpers for men this year, so hopefully you’ll already have yours 😉
I have got quite a collection going now, here’s a couple of my favourites. You can find out more information on the reasons to wear one today on the official site here, and you can donate to Save The Children on there too.
Among my favourites are my Santa Claws jumper, the Happy Birthday Jesus design, a smarter knit and the latest which is the DJ JC design. All I have worn all week has been these jumpers, I am really getting my wear out of them 😛
Have fun!
How time flies!
I can’t believe that it’s exactly a year ago when I visited Copenhagen for the first time! I’ve always wanted to go, and it did not let me down, it was great. It is of course Christmas time, with Christmas markets and the city was so Christmassy, definitely the place to be and probably the best time to go with so much to see and do. I thought about doing another Christmas Market this year, and looked at Munich, but decided not to go. Munich could be cool, but it’s not a place where I’ve always wanted to visit, not that I’d never go, but it’s not high on my list of places I want to go to, so decided to not bother.
Michael 84 is often named amongst the best mens fashion bloggers in the UK and the world.
Please let me know if you have featured me in your blog, magazine or publication and I will add your button. Check out my Press Page here
