The beauty buzz

Recently I applied to trial the Burt’s Bees line of radiance enhancing skincare products.

I didn’t get picked – that honour went to stunning 26-year old model Rebecca Pearson (who appears to be vlogging on her work-related travels!) – but the company were kind enough to send me some treats anyway!

The Overnight Bee-uty Bag!

I’ve already got a larger tin of the lemony cuticle cream (which I, quite literally, always keep to hand). I’m addicted to anything that smells lemony and I’m also a fan of coconut and honey so this stuff is ‘the bees knees’ for me (apologies for the terrible puns!)

As the products are mostly little sample sizes I doubt that the peach kernel scrub, honey and milk body lotion or coconut foot cream will last too long, particularly as my body has taken to them rather quickly and I’m a huge fan of all the scents. The scrub left my face a little red for a few minutes but I could see a glow instantly that pleasingly lasted until the next morning without looking oily (something that might be down to the inclusion of willowbark amongst the ingredients). The honey and milk body lotion absorbs easily, scents the skin and moisturises for ages, with my only complaint being that I now need more! I’m also glad of the foot cream, which actually smells more of peppermint than coconut. I popped it on my feet after grappling with the hills of Lipton Spout at the weekend.

Beauty the natural way!

I’ve always wanted to invest in a Burt’s Bees lip balm so I was delighted that this kit provided me with two. I’m currently using the Replenishing Lip Balm (purple lid) which features pomegranate oil and as expected, smells lush. I shall save the classic version for another day, but I’m sure I’ll break into it soon – I get far too excited about lip balm!

All in all, I’d say I’m rather impressed by the Burt’s Bees range of products. I’m definitely going to check out more of their stuff – I’m currently on the look out for some new hand cream to use alongside the cuticle butter (which I use as a multi-tasker on rough patches such as my elbows.) I’m also going to pop into Fenwick in Newcastle to seek out some more of the honey and milk scented body lotion as I’m officially declaring myself a convert!

Any natural beauty product suggestions for me? Leave them in a comment below…

For listeners

As my Amazing Folk Roots show was due to be on Amazing Radio tonight, I thought I’d better write something to explain why it won’t be!

Yesterday my contract was terminated by The Amazing Media Group, so my show has been cancelled with immediate effect.

I have been told that there is no shame in redundancy, so I hope to find work in media again sometime soon. What is sad is that everything was so instant, so sudden, that I didn’t get to do a final show – my show for tonight has already been broadcast once, but they didn’t want to broadcast it again tonight. If there is no shame in redundancy, then why has work been so swift to erase me?

I am no longer Producer Frankie on Amazing Afternoons and Kyle will be carrying on solo, which will be fine (so afternoon listeners please don’t worry!) Amazing Radio is a fantastic idea. I’ve worked with hundreds of bands, lots of talented music writers and bloggers and met some fantastic people. The team I have worked with have been brilliant. They are young, fresh and talented – and held together by the equally brilliant Operations Manager Kevin, who truly is the heart of Amazing Towers.

However I feel now, I know that I should look back and be proud of my time with Amazing. I recorded my first show for the station when I was 20, making me the youngest presenter on national radio. I put together The Afternoon Show (as it was originally called) before I graduated from university, recruiting Kyle to present and developing features that came and went before settling on ideas that I was happy with, such as Matchmaker and the New Music Tour. The show itself was deemed strong enough to be live, but I became a victim of this success as I have constructed the show in such a way that it can survive without me, and I really hope it does. There were many things I did for the company and I’m not sure what will happen, but I hope it grows without more people needing to lose their jobs.

There have been many people who have helped and supported me in the past few years that I’ve not really stopped. Waking up this morning, therefore, was a very surreal feeling, and one I didn’t like very much!

Now I need something to do, and all ideas and offers are much appreciated!

Made in Maidstone

My friend Brendan Kearney is currently having some of his amazing illustrations exhibited at County Hall in Maidstone.

He’s currently on the second year of the illustration course at Plymouth University and is quickly gaining a loyal following over on his (rather charming) blog.

When I visited Brendan recently he gave me a copy of this watercolour, which is now proudly displayed on my bedroom wall in Newcastle.

Print by Brendan Kearney

I actually still have a few doodles ‘from back in the day’ that Brendan gave me, so it’s quite nice to see him ‘go pro’, so to speak! I really want the illustration below too as I think it will look nice on the wall next to the work that Brendan has already gifted my way!

Watercolour by Brendan Kearney

I’ve not been able to ‘collect art’ before because I’ve not had much of a solid base and because I spent the last three years studying and moving around. I loved working in the Created in Birmingham shop last Summer so it would be brilliant to follow some of the artists we sold while I was there and hopefully collect some of their pieces too. I have to confess that I pine constantly for a lottery win and the flat I would buy soon after! (I’d either dedicate different rooms to different artists, or a set of artists such as the artists collectively known as ‘Girls Who Draw.’)

How cute!? (Again, by Brendan Kearney)

If you’d like to invest in Brendan and his artwork (remember, he’s still a student so you know, needs to pay for artwork and that), then you can catch his cat-focused work on sale at Maidstone’s County Hall until the 24th of March. You can also take a look at his Etsy shop. The artwork shown above is currently on display at the aforementioned exhibition and will be available through Brendan’s Etsy store once the exhibition is closed, although you can address questions and questions directly to Brendan himself by emailing brendankearney@live.co.uk.

Who are your favourite illustrators? Let me know!

Dressing up for Spring

Tomorrow the temperature is forecast for 14 degrees!

(Yeah all you Southerns who scoff about Northern weather! Suck it!!!)

Over the past few weeks I’ve been biding my time, getting ready to unleash my inner lady. I’m looking forward to being able to wear dresses in the day, not just in the evening when the public love to throw JD and cokes on me (like someone did when I was wearing the white dress pictured below).

White dress, £22.99 by Forever 21, Bambi necklace also Forever 21

I had to wear this dress with a modesty-sparing nude camisole underneath because the fabric is so unwearably sheer! To protect my lower half I donned tights and a tutu that I bought from the kids section of H&M a few years back. It makes the skirt look huge, but I quite like how that takes the outfit from overly demure into something curious for the evening.

Bag from Tynemouth market, tights by Topshop

I also love the detailing on the dress. Lace is still big for this season, with coloured lace being tipped for popularity, but I like more interesting and/or subtle alternatives such as the netting on this dress (and this ‘teacloth pattern’ shift dress I own from Topshop, who currently stock an amazing array of shift dresses).

The only issue I have now is finding a slip short enough to go under the dress! M&S slips I’ve tried thus far have been woefully long so I’m considering a trip to BHS sometime soon. When I wore the dress before (to a Little Comets and Vinyl Jacket gig), it was with the tutu underskirt, biker jacket and lashings of smokey eye makeup. Next time I want to take the look in an entirely opposite direction, with a fresh face and girly accessories. (Tips for slips much appreciated!)

Today I took my first ‘Spring look’ out on the street, hitting the BALTIC in Newcastle to check out the new exhibitions by George Shaw and Lindsay Seers. I thought I’d match the everlasting Summer staples – florals and nautical inspiration. I also thought I’d cling onto the Mad Men trend before the hysteria dies down.

Rose silk alice band by Stone Bridge, sailor cardigan £10 by Primark, Bag from Tynemouth market, Dress and shoes by Peacocks. Necklace handmade by me!

I’ve done ‘Mad Men’ with the demure nude kitten heels and vintage bag, nautical with the cardigan and necklace (which I made from an old keyring) and florals with the dress and the beautiful rose silk alice band that I was sent by the lovely Melissa and Claire from luxury hair accessories company Stone Bridge. I wouldn’t normally throw so many things together, but I haven’t yet found a jacket to go with the dress so I settled for the cardi and thought I’d try and – in the words of Project Runway’s Tim Gunn – “Make it work”.

I’ve decided to try and get other people to take outfit pics for me when possible so I can get some shots outside – and out of my room. The other day my manager Kevin said that my tripod shot photos from my room ‘made me look like a kidnap victim’. Volunteer photographers out there get in touch!

Oh, thought I’d post this picture because it made me giggle. The BALTIC shop has tons of amazing cards, including designs by cult T-shirt shop Lazy Oaf (and some similar independent designs that the latter also stocks online).

Card, £2.50 from the BALTIC shop

Heehee!

Frankie’s fish pie

I was recently sent this fish pie recipe by one of the listeners of my Amazing Radio show.

I decided to have a go at the recipe, (which was rather adventurous for my usually fish-adverse culinary habits), but gave it a bit of a twist by exchanging and/or omitting a few of the ingredients.

Here’s what you’ll need:

500g white fish (I used pollock), 2 hardboiled eggs, couple handfuls of frozen peas (defrosted), sachet of cheese sauce (powder mix), couple cloves of garlic, couple of bay leaves, 300g milk (plus a dash more for mashing), 800g sweet potatoes, salt and pepper for seasoning.

Gently simmer chopped garlic, bay leaves, 300ml milk and the fish in a large pan for 15mins. Add a knob of butter if desired
Strain out the milk mixture and keep handy. Break fish into small pieces once cool enough to handle. Remove the bay leaves.
Mix the cheese sauce sachet with the milk mixture before adding in the fish, peas and chopped hardboiled eggs and pouring into a dish for baking. Season with salt and pepper

Peel, chop and boil sweet potatoes for 15 minutes before mashing with a dash of milk
Top the baking dish and mix with the sweet potato mash. Sprinkle on a little cheese if desired and season with salt and pepper

Bake in a preheated oven for 180 degrees for 40 minutes or until suitably golden

..And then Serve! (I’m rubbish at final serving pictures). I’d recommend serving with a side of steamed broccoli and spinach.

Thanks to Ade for the original recipe!


“And square one’s looming dangerously”

Today I received my copy of Frankie & the Heartstrings‘ debut album Hunger in the post.

The album, released by the indie label Wichita, cost a mere £4.99 (inc. postage) from HMV.com and seemed a worthy buy, particularly as the band managed to get into the Top 40 last weekend.

Apart from wanting a hard copy of Frankie & Co’s summery Pop tracks, I felt duty bound to buy the album as guitarist Mick Ross once made me a spectacular tofu curry. Plus, at less than a fiver the album is cheaper than a lot of gig tickets (but longer lasting, for the materialist out there.)

However, I have another reason to campaign for the band’s mainstream chart success. Back when I lived in Birmingham I became acquainted with a band with a fantastic guitar Pop band called Envy & Other Sins. After seeing them at a gig (one of the first after their T4 mobileAct Unsigned win) I became quite taken with their sound, which was a refreshing return to a form of more traditional, unpretentious Pop.

The band had won a £60,000 record contract with Simon Gavin at A&M Records, yet the expected promotional drive for the album, the brilliant We Leave At Dawn, never came. Although keeping venues busy on tour, the album lacked the support a competition like mobileAct Unsigned seemed to guarantee. Eventually the band split up (although singer Ali and drummer Jim are now musically reunited as the brilliant Malpas).

I still listen to We Leave At Dawn. For me the album is sheer pop brilliance, packed with catchy tunes and credible lyrics that never fail to raise a smile. It’s not all fun and lightness however – a deeper sense of shade is provided by tracks such as my personal highlight Don’t Start Fires.

The abundant joy of Frankie & the Heartstrings’ tunes remind me of the Envy & Other Sins sound. They’re different in the sound of their tunes, with the former being more fifties influenced and sparsely produced by Edwyn Collins, but they have both produced Pop independently before taking it to a national level. Frankie & the Heartstrings have worked incredibly hard, building a fanbase with stellar live performances and their own Pop Sex Ltd. imprint.

I feel a bit like preaching along the lines of ‘The People’s Supermarket’ right now (i.e irritating) but I do feel it’s a bit of a ‘use it or lose it’ situation. In other words, support your favourite bands, or mourn their loss a little earlier than expected. It kind of reminds me of the Envy & Other Sins lyrics from their debut single Highness – “Square one’s looming dangerously”

You have been warned. Got £4.99 to spare?

 

Celebrate ethical fashion

With Livia Firth’s Vogue ‘Ethical Red Carpet Fashion’ challenge winning plaudits from both fashion and wider press circles, it seems that the time is right to give ethical fashion a push.

I received an email a few days ago from Melissa of Stone Bridge, the ethical luxury hair accessories company who have been sending me samples of their beautifully intricate alice bands and hair clips.

Rose silk corsage alice band by Stone Bridge

Melissa’s going to be present at tomorrow’s ‘Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity‘ event at the V&A Museum of Childhood in London’s Bethnal Green. The event, which is free for all and open for you to stop by between 6 and 9pm, will:

“Uncover hidden workshops, live music, performance, panel discussion and craft stalls set amongst the Museum’s childhood collections. Celebrate the rise of ‘slow fashion’ as London’s leading eco-journalists, green stylists and ethical campaigners come together to discuss the key issues surrounding this growing social movement.”

Melissa herself has posted a blog about the event, which also reveals a bit more about Stone Bridge as an ethical trading company and who they purchase items from, as well as why they are priced as they are. Melissa is also offering to bestow VIP status on attendees who email her at Hello@Stone-Bridge.co.uk (apparently this means freebies!)

I wish I could go but I’m up here in Newcastle… so go and represent for me please!?

Step-by-step: Frankie’s chocolate raisin cheesecake

I’m obsessed with chocolate raisins…

I had intended on making a reliably delicious double chocolate cheesecake for Sunday dinner  but disaster struck when the dark chocolate burned in the microwave… I decided to ‘change things up’ a bit by adding a couple of handfuls of raisins and giving the cake an extra chocolate kick with a layer of cocoa dusting.

So here’s some easy step-by-step instructions incase you fancy treating yourself sometime soon! You will need a packet of digestive biscuits, 300g chocolate, cocoa powder (for dusting), a couple of handfuls of raisins, 200g mascapone cheese, 300g cream cheese and butter.

Take one happy assistant and ask him to crush 175g of digestive biccies
Melt 50g of butter and mix with the finely crushed biscuit crumbs
Push the biscuit and butter mix into a loose-bottomed cake tin
Mix 300g cream cheese with 200g mascapone cheese
Gently melt 300g milk chocolate over a pan of simmering water
Mix the melted chocolate with the creamy cheese mixture
Add a couple of handfulls of raisins
Top the biscuit base with the chocolate mixture
Lightly dust the cheesecake with cocoa powder and pop the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours to set, or chill overnight
Enjoy your chocolate raisin cheesecake!

I think I might be making this again, don’t you?

Frivolise me!

I began a game in the Amazing Radio office the other day called ‘Frivolise Me!’

This essentially involves deciding to embark on an activity and then making it decidedly more ‘frivolous’ – for example taking a taxi instead of a bus to town, or buying a fancier product than you usually would. It’s a rather materialistic, entirely unserious game, but one that’s worth a giggle. It was only when my colleague Stevie B replied to one of my tweets that I realised that I had been playing the game without realising!

I headed into Newcastle city centre after work fully intending to try and find this pair of ‘rusty’ paperbag waist shorts from Miss Selfridge ready for Spring, or at least a similar pair for a cheaper price. I decided to try Primark to see if they stocked such a style.

Bag from charity shop

It turns out that they didn’t… but they did have a pair of leather look shorts that I noticed on my way out of the store! Naturally I grabbed a pair in my size, rushed to the changing rooms and had a go with them! Probably not an item on many fashionable Spring ‘must-have’ lists, but an item I gladly bought in place of the ‘safer’ Miss Selfridge option.

Shorts £10 by Primark, pussybow blouse (vintage) from Oxfam, heels by H&M

I do already have some leather look brown shorts from Zara, and fake leather skinny trousers from Topshop, but I couldn’t resist adding these to my growing collection. There’s something I can’t resist about this fabric. It’s less obvious than denim – especially when worn during the day – and  can be dressed up as in the photo above or dressed down as in the photo below.

Headband by Topshop, tee £9.99 by Zara, bag £10 from Tyneside metro market

(As you can probably see for yourselves, I’m sticking my tummy out in this photo, delightful eh!?)

I blogged about this Zara tee in my last post. It’s oversized and rather short which means I’ll probably wear a vest top underneath it if I take this outfit further than my bedroom. The headband is a couple of years old. I got in from Topshop in a bid to disguise my unruly hair as a ‘deliberate statement’. It wasn’t deliberate in this photo either, but I have been experiencing a minor revolt from my barnet today! The bag was a wonderful vintage find from Tyneside’s Saturday metro market last Saturday. You can’t tell from this photo but it’s a gorgeous, inky hue with an almost marbled effect. I’m attempting to work more ‘ladylike’ pieces into my wardrobe, and have bought a couple of waist-focused black pieces in the past couple of weeks; a shift dress from Topshop’s sale and a black, elasticated waist dress from Zara that I’m planning to debut at a Little Comets gig this weekend.

So what have you ‘frivolised’ recently? And which do you prefer, denim or leather?

Tourism in Tynemouth

On Saturday I headed out to the North East coast to check out the lovely town of Tynemouth.

Without realising, I’d actually had some chips in the area before when visiting friends before making the move proper to Newcastle. However, I didn’t really get to explore the many kitsch giftshops or the Metro station market. My friend Matt was quite shocked at this, and defying the grey skies and miserable rain, gave me a guided tour that began with roasted med veg and goats cheese paninis at Hugo’s bar/restaurant.

I kind of forgot to be ‘touristy’ and make like Pete Hall (ie take the hallowed foodie picture) so you’ll have to make do with a sample of the leftovers!

It came with chips too!

After lunch we went to Gaf, which stocks one of my favourite t-shirt brands, Lazy Oaf, plus loads of other delights such as scented candles, solid perfumes and cards. I even tried on some glasses, but they certainly weren’t as pretty on me as their rosy tint suggested…

Gaf - marvellous and fabulous in equal measure
Rose-tinted Yoko glasses are not a good look on me!

After Gaf we headed over to Raspberry Bazaar, which reminded me of a shop called Salamander in Maidstone – all mirrored trinkets and wooden beads (with incense on the side). Aside from the hippy clothing department (featuring festival-staple label Rico) the whole shop is arranged not by item but by colour… it’s quite a dazzling effect as you walk around the store as if walking alongside a rainbow! I bought a new piggy bank to replace the one that smashed during my move to Newcastle from Birmingham last June.

After Raspberry Bazaar we headed over to the Green Ginger Shopping Arcade which is actually a converted church filled with shops (including a hair salon and a cafe).

Matt modelling one of Raspberry Bazaar's hippy cardigans

Out by the arcade ‘conveniences’ I found a detailed history of the church including a wonderful description of the remaining congregation before the church was converted.

"a congregation composed largely of elderly ladies"

I bought some of my favourite incense from one of the shops and marvelled at a specialist cake decorating shop too. There was a few antique shops as well, selling furniture and smaller items of jewellery.

I think my favourite bit of my camera-touting trip was when we headed over to the market held in Tynemouth Metro Station. The market, which held stalls on both sides of the platform, featured both food and less ‘vital’ bits and pieces, from second hand paper books to vinyls and vintage furs. I snapped up a bow broach for a pound and a small structured handbag with gold detailing and a gorgeous inky blue hue (I’ll feature it on this blog soon).

Tynemouth Metro Station
Some of the lush vegetation on display!
I have no idea what this strange elf is in the above photo but thought it looked curious!
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of football memorabilia with literature on gangs and hooliganism!
Also, there were loads of 'Good luck from...' vintage postcards featuring cats and touristy photos? I have no idea why (answers on a postcard please!?!)

We bought some olives to satisfy my cravings for all things Mediterranean and Matt got some Kate Bush and Joe Jackson to listen to in vinyl format. All in all a rather satisfying trip, culminating in a bubble gum blowing display…

Hubba bubba...

(Please note that the scraping back of hair was just to stop gum getting caught, rather than a permanent ‘look’!)

Where should I go next in the North East?