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House Of Smith Bar In Newcastle

Newcastle Nightlife
Thursday, 27th February, 2014

House Of Smith, Newcastle Bar Review

Think of 50s style, glitz and glamour and you are thinking of House Of Smith. It’s located on Collingwood Street aka The Diamond Strip, close to the Central Station, and like the bars in this area is more of a trendy style of environment. If you’re looking for a nicer, higher class of bar with table service, this is a contender. House of Smith is owned by The Apartment Group, who also own Floritas and Madame Koo which sit next door to HoS. It used to be called Baby Lynch, which was “The neighbourhood bar in the city” but they decided to change it to a trendy cocktail bar, much like the other bars on Collingwood Street.

The Crowd & Music

The crowd and music is much like you find throughout the Diamond Strip. As these bars are all next to each other or close by, you’ll probably find yourself bumping into the same people in bar after bar, if you’re going around these bars as that’s what a lot of people do.

Nightclub Nights

House of Smith is home to several nights including Club Tropicana, Waikiki, Pin UP, Jungle, Press Play, S@S and Say The Word.

Dress Code

You should dress up fairly smart, especially if you’re going at the weekend. A shirt and smart jeans will be fine, a jumper, smart T-shirt or

Drinks

A large selection of drinks, with cocktails starting at around £7.50, or if you’re feeling extravagant go for a full bottle of champagne or spirits including vodka, tequila, rum and whisky. Drinks prices are quite high, even for the average price of the area.

Hit Or Miss?

House Of Smith can cost £10 to get in at the weekend, and once inside the prices are huge. If you want a VIP night and want to pay for a booth and bottle service, once again this is higher than most places. Since it does not really offer anything other bars on the same street does better, I have to say you should give House of Smith a miss. It is not terrible and not the worst place to end up on a night, however there are better alternatives. Going for one drink could be feasible, but not if you have to pay for entry.

Information

House Of Smith, 26 Collingwood Street, Newcastle, NE1 1JF

Opening Hours – 7 Nights a week. Till 3AM (weekends)

Weekend Entry – £10

Dress Code – Smart Casual

Music – Comercial House/Chart/RnB/Hip Hop

Recommended Age – 20 – 30

Guestlist/VIP Service – YES

Bottle Service – YES

Food – NO

Stag/Hen – Dress Smart

Nearby Bars – Floritas, Revolution, Madame Koo, Perdu

Beluga Vodka Review

Lifestyle
Wednesday, 26th February, 2014

Beluga Noble Russian Vodka With Glass

I have tasted and bought some of the best and most premium vodkas which you can buy; From household names such as Grey Goose and Belvedere, Ciroc, Russian Standard and Stolichnaya, to lesser known premium brands such as Crystal Head, Roberto Cavalli and Wyborowa.

My latest is this Beluga vodka, and this is it. You can get a pack which includes a glass, something great in itself. The glass is a heavy, thick glass, with a metallic Beluga fish on the glass, which is trimmed with metal at the bottom and finished with the Beluga branding. The vodka itself is brilliant. It’s so smooth and crisp, you can taste it without a horrible aftertaste, it’s a very fine vodka. It’s probably the smoothest I have tasted, and I was so confident of the taste I tried a little neat, something I have ever really done with vodka, and it went down well.

About the vodka

Produced in 2002 in the world famous Mariinsky distillery, it’s a classic Russian vodka. Refined and rich taste is made from malt spirit and the purest of water from the Siberian artesian wells. You can pick up a bottle of Beluga Noble Russian Vodka for around £45.

In my opinion it’s better than Grey Goose and Belvedere, it has a much smoother taste but maintains the kick you want from a vodka when mixing your drinks. If you are looking for a premium vodka, then this should be near the top of your list.

90s Fashion Rewind – Remember Kappa?

Fashion
Friday, 21st February, 2014

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This is one for the kids who were born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s…

If that sounds like you, you must remember Kappa? The younger kids will associate it with Vicky Pollard, Charvas and the like, but Kappa was huge, popular, on trend and one of the things to wear back in the 90s.

From sponsoring huge global football teams such as Ronaldo’s Barcelona and Del Piero’s Juventus, Kappa became one of the trendy 90’s brands. If you did not have Kappa you had nothing! 😀 Then came the eventual decline, in the UK at least, as it did with a lot of similar sportswear companies.

But I loved my Kappa, and if you’re honest you did too! 90s fashion trends are huge now, not so much the brands and labels, but the styles. 10 years ago there was the 80s trends, 80s themed parties and all things 80s nostalgia, and now it’s the turn of the 90s, obviously the best ever decade! 🙂 No matter what the trend retro will always be popular, it reminds us of a time we loved.

Several months ago I heard about Kappa selling their old style tracksuits, and I was hesitant about getting one. Sure, once they were cool, but now, not so much. But they are nostalgic, they remind you of a time when they were cool, which sort of makes them cool again. Not to mention I really wanna go to a 90s themed party, and if I do, I have my outfit sorted 😉

Yes, I have bought a Kappa tracksuit! :mrgreen: Almost the same as the one I used to own, except mine had red track stripes, this navy blue piece of genius brings back memories of my childhood.

I got it direct from Kappa, sent from Italy, and they hardly had any stock…In fact I had to buy a small rather than a medium, it’s all they had in this classic colour. The bottoms fit fine, they jacket, a tad small and fits where it touches.

How amazing does it look? Almost the same! 😀

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Newcastle Fashion Week 2014 Announced

Newcastle Fashion Week
Tuesday, 18th February, 2014

Newcastle Fashion Week 2014

Newcastle Fashion Week 2014 has been announced. Now in it’s 4th year, the events will take place from 9th – 17th May and will once again showcase the fashion industry and retail in the North East including from the fashion institutes at Newcastle College and Northumbria University. The weeks events will be announced soon, and this year will see a model search for the first time, with the person being the face of the event.

Newcastle Fashion Week 2014 Schedule

Search For Newcastle’s Most Stylish
10th April – 3rd May

The search for Newcastle’s most stylish has already begun around the city, and are looking for stylish people in town. Photographers and scouts will be in and around Newcastle including Northumberland Street and Eldon Square. Thursdays from 17:30 – 19:30 and Saturdays from 12pm – 14:00 The photos will be seen on the official Facebook page, with a chance for the winner to bag a £500 shopping spree at Cruise and a weekend hire of a Mercedes Benz convertible.

Newcastle Fashion Week Official T-Shirts
On sale from 28th April

This years official t-shirts have been designed by DR Martins and Prefab 77 and will be on sale in Fenwick for £10 with all profits going to Cash For Kids.

Friday 9th May
Newcastle Fashion Week Launch Party
Where – Bonbar

The official Newcastle Fashion Week 2014 launch will take place at Bonbar, one of Newcastle’s newest establishments (The old assembly rooms).

Saturday 10th May
Company Magazine Presents NFW
Where – Bonbar

A day filled with catwalks, Company Magazine and Carlene Thomas-Bailey and Alexxia Elizabeth have teamed up with NFW. Showcasing the fashion alphabet A – Z with 2 shows at noon and 14:00. The daytime catwalk events are ticket only which are priced at £3.

In the evening Company will present Vivienne Westwood with Cruise at a VIP invitation only event at 20:00, with an after party at Bonbar.

Sunday 11th May
Clueless Class of 2014
Where – House Of Smith

Enjoy a lazy Sunday at House of Smith with a screening of the classic 90s film Clueless. Dress up like Cher Horowitz, Dionne Davenport, Tai Frasier or maybe Murray Duvall and Travis Birkenstock for a day of 90s fashion. The event starts at 14:00 with prizes being awarded to the best dressed. This event is FREE.

Monday 12th May
Martini Manicure Monday
Where – Fat Buddha

A spring/summer catwalk show from Van Mildert, free mini manicures courtesy of international nail art winners, Spoilt for Choice, Nail & Beauty Lounge and cocktails by the Cocktail Project.

Tuesday 13 May
Northumbria University: Fashion
Where – The Baltic

The Northumbria University Catwalk Show at The Baltic showcasing the latest design talent from the university.

Wednesday 14th May
Fashion Front Row
Where – Tiger Tiger

Luxury lingerie, Tallulah Love will take centre stage in this year’s showcase for North East design talent, Fashion Front Row. Entry is free with donations welcomed for children’s charity Cash For Kids.

Thursday 15th May
intu Eldon Square’s Fashion Frenzy – Exclusively Eldon Garden

The fashion frenzy shopping event will happen across Eldon Square with activities in stores from noon until 20:00. Eldon Garden will be hosting catwalks from it’s own retailers and emerging talent from Newcastle College with shows at noon and 18:00

Friday 16th May
Rox Royalty in association with Luxe magazine
Where – Rox Jewellers

A VIP ticket only event at Rox with cocktails and entertainment will be happening from 20:00 – 22:00 for those fortunate enough to be there.

Saturday 17th May
Official NFW Closing Party
Where – Tup Tup Palace

It all comes to a close on Saturday night at Tup Tup, with the official closing party for Newcastle Fashion Week. Dress to impress.

Z Zegna By Ermenegildo Zegna

Men's Grooming
Sunday, 16th February, 2014

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One of my old fragrances I have is Z Zegna by Ermenegildo Zegna. It’s a few years old now, but I have been using it again for a week or so, and I really love it 😀

As you will know if you read my blog I have so many fragrances, so wearing the same one a lot does not happen much, and I usually wear my favourite 10-15 all the time. That’s a big number, so when there are 50 or 60 more in my collection it’s really hard to decide which to wear and most of the time I just keep referring back to my favourites.

I decided on giving Z another chance, I remembered it was a pretty nice scent, so went back to it, and of course it is. It’s a refined, warm and inviting scent, probably best to wear at night, but works equally if you want to wear it through the day, a great choice for the office. It’s a classic masculine style of scent, not too woody but more of a fresh, youthful type of scent.

It’s definitely something I’d recommend, and if you want an individual smell which nobody else will be wearing, this is a great choice. It’s quite a few years old now, but still a great choice.

Floris No.89 & Floris Elite Eau De Toilette Review

Men's Grooming
Thursday, 6th February, 2014

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Floris had their winter sale recently, so I decided to pick up a few bottles to see what they have to offer. My first experience with Floris was Santal. I was looking for a replacement for my beloved Gucci Envy, heard about Santal, got a sample, loved it, and bought a big bottle. I love Santal, it’s one of my favourite scents now that I can’t get Gucci Envy anymore, so I though I’d see the others Floris has to offer.

The Floris sale contains their fragrances which are bottled in their older packaging, so they sell them off cheaper. I got No.89 and Elite, which were £17.50 each, for 30ml bottles, the perfect size for just trying a scent out.

This is their older packaging, but I have to say I quite like it. I like the way you can take the box apart, and have the bottle sitting in the bottom half of the box, I think it looks pretty nice if you have your bottles out on display.

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No.89

Top Notes: bergamot, lavender, neroli, nutmeg, orange, petitgrain
Heart Notes: geranium, rose, ylang ylang
Base Notes: cedarwood, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood, vetiver

Elite

Top Notes: bergamot, cedar leaf, grapefruit, juniper berry, lemon, petitgrain
Heart Notes: bay, fir balsam, lavender
Base Notes: amber, cedarwood, leather, moss, musk, patchouli, vetiver

Both scents are actually quite similar, with No.89 being the more citrus and Elite being a little more woody. Elite is very citrus when you first put it on, but on the dry down it calms down and turns into a more refined woody smell. No.89 retains more of the citrus smell, with a hint of freshness.

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Other Floris Fragrances

Which Vanilla Vodka Is The Best? My Favourite Vanilla Cocktail Drink

Lifestyle
Saturday, 25th January, 2014

vinalla-vodkas

I never used to be much of a vodka flavour drinker, apart from when you buy racks of shots from places like Revolution which was always fun. A good few years ago I tried vanilla vodka, and since then I love it!

I usually keep it simple, with just a vanilla vodka and Coke, and it is really good. I am actually surprised that when I go out most bars have the vanilla flavour, and over the years I’ve bought or drank a few different brands of the stuff, but the question is, which is the best?

As with all vodkas they are around 37-40% in alcohol, but the price differs quite a bit depending on what brand you go for.

Absolut Vanilia

Absolut Vanilla “Vanilia” vodka is most well known and loved vanilla flavoured vodka out there. It was the first one I had, and I have to say, it is the best. Absolut is known for making high quality vodkas, and this is yet another.

The scent is alluring, and the taste is very pleasant and sweet, but strong enough to know you’re still drinking a vodka and not a non-alcoholic drink.

The price varies around £20 – £30, and it’s worth the money. You can get Absolut Vanilla in 70cl and a larger 1L bottle, which is worth the investment.

BUY THIS AT AMAZON HERE

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Ciroc French Vanilla

One of the newest vanilla vodkas on the market is Ciroc French Vanilla, and it’s one which I got back in 2017. Ciroc is famous for it’s premium vodka, and this one is no different. The taste is very smooth, and it is a really nice vodka.

If you’re looking to create a wow factor with friends or at a party, this is possibly the one to go for. A standard 70cl bottle will set you back around £26, and it is a good vodka, but not necessarily better than the rest.

Grey Goose Vanilla

With the Grey Goose label, you know this is going to be a premium price. I got a bottle for around £45, however this was a 1L bottle rather than the standard 70cl. Having said that, it’s still the most expensive, around 3x more than the Absolut Vanilia. It has quite a nice taste to it, but is less sweet and “candy like” than the rest, and the taste of vodka does come through quite a bit.

Smirnoff Vanilla

Probably the most known brand name for plain vodka, Smirnoff do a vanilla but it can be hard to find. I did find some, tried it, and yes, it’s pretty nice. You can pick this up for around £18, so it’s a good price for a well known brand.

BUY THIS AT AMAZON HERE

Stolichnaya Vanilla

I have had Stil Vanil quite a few times, but never bought a bottle. A few bars I go to used this as their standard vanilla vodka, and I have to say it’s really nice. It’s probably the most sweetest “vanilla tasting” of the four, and there’s no unpleasant aftertaste. You should be able to pick up a bottle for under £20.

The best vanilla vodka

I have to give this to Absolut. It is that much better than the rest, and at less than half the price of the premium Grey Goose brand too. The Stoli and Smirnoff come in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

As mentioned, my drink, is the simple but lovely Absolut Vanilia vodka with Coke. There are quite a few cocktails you can make with this flavour vodka, such as a Cookie Monster, Absolut Monster, Absolut Vanilia Passion and a lot more.

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Simple, but it tastes really good! 😉

*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

Tom Ford Noir Eau De Parfum For Men Review

Men's Grooming
Wednesday, 15th January, 2014

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A new fragrance I recently got was Noir by Tom Ford. This is the EDP, which was released in 2012 so is a relatively new scent, but Tom Ford also released an EDT with the same name, Noir in 2013 which I liked, but is a different scent to this. Both bottles are the same style, however the EDP is a black bottle, and the EDT is a frosted clear bottle.

Once you smell Noir you’ll notice it’s a really warm and inviting scent straight away. It’s a very masculine but in a modern way which is not musky like an old classic fragrance. I would definitely recommend this for a night, and would suit any type of situation, whether going to a posh formal night, having a night out with your friends or taking a girl out, this is perfect for any evening.

Top notes: Italian bergamot, verbena, caraway, baie rose (pink pepper), violet flower.

Heart notes: black pepper, nutmeg, Tuscan Iris resin, Egyptian Geranium, Bulgarian Rose, Clary Sage.

Base notes: Opoponax, amber, Indonesian patchouli, vetiver, civet, vanilla

It is a little on the expensive side, but this is an EDP rather than an EDT. That means it’s a stronger in terms that you’ll need to apply less, it will last longer on the night, and it will last longer when you keep it. The cost for a 50ml bottle is around £60, and you can get a 100ml bottle for around £78 which obviously is a better value.

Take Me Out 2014 – Series 6 – Bring On The Girls Photos

Lifestyle
Wednesday, 1st January, 2014

Take Me Out Series 6 girls

Bring On The Girls!

It’s 2014 and the start of a new year, and everyone’s favourite dating show is back on ITV! Warm up to your Saturday night with the flirty 30 in your living room along with the man with the catchphrases, Paddy McGuiness.

Once again it’s a case of no likey no lighty, but this year there is a brand new twist to the show. If a guy has 1 or two girls left after the end of the final round, he’ll be asked if he’s feeling frisky or risky, with the option of choosing a 3rd, mysterious girl instead, based solely off the sound of her voice. The lad will have to choose what to do, he won’t be able to see her and she will be hidden in the love lift, is there a boy who will take the risk?

Who is your favourite? Here are the pics and bios of all the 30 girls who will be kicking off TMO this Saturday night!

Check out the Take Me Out 2015 Girls Photos here.

Take Me Out 2016 Series 8 Girls Photos

Check out Take Me Out Series 9 photos for 2017 here!

UPDATE: Check out the Take Me Out 2019 Girls for Series 11.

Read More

Fenwick Christmas Window 2013 In Newcastle

Lifestyle
Thursday, 19th December, 2013

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Better later than never! :p Each year for the past few I have featured the infamous Fenwick window on my blog, and this year is no different. This year’s theme is fairy tale forest, and as usual there is the reflections aka free advertising for the shops across the road 😉

Fenwick Christmas Window Through The Years

2015 | 2014 |  2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010

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