Sunday 28 April 2019

REVIEW: The Lazy Pig in the Pantry, Chesham



Well, it has been a long old time since I've done a food review, but I felt like I would get back into the swing of things pretty easily. I even joked the day before we went to try out the Lazy Pig in Chesham that I hoped I remembered how to use my DSLR... and then when we sat down, realised I'd forgotten the battery. So that'll learn me not to tempt fate, won't it?

Luckily, the camera on my iPhone isn't toooo terrible and VSCO and Photoshop managed to take care of the rest. But my point is that these pictures aren't quite as good as I usually take, and that's annoying. And down entirely to my stupidity. Anyway! Let's talk about food!

The Lazy Pig in the Pantry is an excellently named new pub/restaurant combo that's recently opened in Chesham. There's steaks, pizzas, cocktails and an exciting array of other dishes on the slightly intimidatingly long menu. We went on a Friday night, and it was buzzing - considering it's only just opened, it was super busy.

Before I get to the food, let's just cover this: it is hashtag interior goals. Instagram fans, take note.
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Monday 22 April 2019

How I became a Lipstick Person

Lifestyle blogger lipstick challenge how to become a lipstick person

I'd always loved the idea of being a Lipstick Person. You know, the kind of person who wouldn't be seen dead without a splash of red lipstick. Who always looks put together and glamorous. It always seemed like people who wear lipstick every day had their life together.

As unlikely as that is to be true, I still aspired to it. But the problem was that lipstick just didn't seem to suit me. Every time I put on red lipstick, I felt like I was wearing fancy dress. I've even visited MAC and Sephora and asked them to help me find my perfect red. Whenever I had my makeup done professionally, they always gave me a strong lip - but I wasn't convinced. Every time I went out with red lips, I'd caught my reflection in the mirror and felt a little startled. I just didn't look like ME.

A little while ago, I made a concerted effort to fulfil this entirely manageable goal to be a Lipstick Person, and I actually cracked it. I've got to the point now where I feel bare without lipstick on. I mean, were my lips ALWAYS this pale? I even did a challenge on Instagram recently where I tried to wear a different lipstick every day for a month (which is what the photos above are from). Not only have I become a Lipstick Person, I've become the kind of Lipstick Person that has enough shades to wear a different one every day for 31 days.

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Sunday 24 March 2019

Hello again.


I have spent a lot of time trying to decide if I've given up blogging or not. A seemingly simple question which was emphatically... not simple. I haven't blogged for nearly seven months, and I couldn't work out if I missed it.

There are some things I don't like about blogging. The politics. The hierarchy. The FOMO. The encouragement to place so much focus on numbers and views. I recently stopped using hashtags on Instagram because it suddenly stopped mattering to me if strangers or bots (mostly bots) liked my photos. I stopped trying to post every day, and just post when I want to. Sporadically. I unfollowed some of the most influencey influencers on my friends list, and focused on people who I found interesting, whose content I enjoyed. It's a nicer place to be.

But there's a lot I like about blogging. I love having an outlet for my thoughts. I love sharing my experience and knowledge, feeling like I've helped someone. I love finding new local places to eat, I love that those new places can find ME, and I love that I can then tell you guys all about them. And I bloody adore the community, that little gang of you who send me messages on Instagram and laugh at my stupid jokes. Because I haven't left social media, I never felt like I left you, which also made me kind of wonder how much I needed this space.

But I like knowing it's there. I like the fact that for the last ten years - TEN YEARS - I've been able to write about whatever I'm most into, without feeling pigeonholed or pressured into being something I'm not. I like knowing that I can always come back to it if I want to, and no one will judge me for taking a break, in the same way no one has hassled me for not posting. There's some joy to be found in not being the person with thousands of followers.

So... no. I haven't given it up. I think I'm back. And I don't know yet what 'back' will look like. I want to talk more about the things that are happening in my life. Some of them are scary, personal things. Some of them are slightly pathetic, I-guess-I'm-an-adult-now things (have I told you about my new washing machine yet? I'm very excited about it). And some of them will be the things you're used to, like restaurant reviews and travel tips and things I want to buy.

I'm just going to see how I go. And that might not mean posting every week. It certainly won't mean posting every other day like I somehow used to do on the regular. But anyway. I just wanted to say hi. And I've missed you guys.

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