Boozy, Bottomless, Brunch

"How do you like your eggs in the morning?" - Dean Martin

Long, lengthy and alcohol-fuelled brunches have long been the favourite pastime of the residents of the Upper East Side in NYC. Blair Waldorf is the epitome of a perfect brunch hostess, and leaves me gasping for a Mimosa. However, the trend is spreading across the world. For example, in Qatar and Dubai, traditionally dry/non-alcoholic states, ex-pats can often be seen eating opulent, five course brunches whilst sipping on Champagne. Us Brits on the other hand, have traditionally always been more likely to wake up to porridge or a bacon sandwich, and are far more likely to want a huge cup of tea, milk and two sugars, with our all-day breakfast. 

So imagine my joy when I discovered that FORGE & CO on Shoreditch High Street have started doing a bottomless brunch, i.e free refills on Prosecco throughout your meal! Hells yeah! My BFF came to stay this weekend, so we strolled down there on Saturday lunchtime. I would definitely advise booking a table as it was pretty busy, but with bottomless Prosecco for £10, its easy to see why. 

The menu was of a good standard, with sweeter dishes such a Eggy Bread with Mixed Berries & Mascarpone, and an Elderflower Fruit Salad, to dishes such as an Oxheart Burger and a Full English Breakfast (which came as a vegetarian option too). I really really wanted to have the Smoked Mackerel, Poached Egg and Potato Salad, so I was disappointed to find out it was sold out! Sacre Bleu! So I did the classic menu panic and went for the old faithful Eggs Benedict. 

I feel like they could definitely have improved the appearance of this, as it was a little underwhelming for £8, considering how good the Hoxton Bar and Grill is, just round the corner. It felt a bit unfinished. However, it did taste great and probably one of the best Hollandaise sauces I've tried in a while. The free Prosecco refills deal only works when you have food, so clearly we ate slowly and ordered a dessert to get our moneys worth! 

To be honest, I think I actually preferred the dessert to the main, it was sooo gooey and chocolatey and yummy (maybe that was due to being on my 8th glass of Prosecco...) My advice? Order the Full English Breakfast, I had major food envy of the girls next to us.

On the Sunday, we stayed local and headed to BLIGHTY COFFEE, on Blackstock Road, round the corner from my flat in Finsbury Park. We were feeling slightly jaded due to the 12 hours of drinking the day before... 

This is a super cute cafe, serving proper coffee and proper breakfasts in the heart of North London. There are various levels to sit at, from stools and tables in the entrance room, upstairs with vintage style sitting room and sofas, and a surprisingly large garden with a decked seating area and a ping pong table. 

I started with an Orancino - a latte with orange zest and chocolate. It was ridiculously tasty, and had a tartness that stopped it from being too sickly. I've been thinking about it ever since tbh. 

My friend chose the Bacon Butty and I chose the Sausage Sanga. We were just expecting a basic sandwich, so you can imagine our delight when we were faced with these bad boys... 

Fresh bread rolls, perfectly cooked herby sausage, crispy bacon, lettuce and tomatoes made this a very satisfying breakfast. They were served on individual wooden boards which was a nice touch. So yum...

I thought I'd share a couple of my recent eggy recipes, as you know I just can't get enough of those delicious ovals of joy... Anyway, something I rustled up in 5 minutes after a long day at work was guacamole, bacon, and a poached egg, on wholemeal toast. It sounds simple but it was so effective, and the guac gave it another dimension as opposed to using plain avocado. Definitely try this at home. 

My second eggventure (sorry) of the week was carb free, in order to pretend that I'm going to be beach body ready (hate that phrase) by August.

So, I had a poached egg, fried mushrooms, bacon lardons, and spring greens sauteed in garlic. I wanted to use mushrooms as my friend suggested it, and I had never really thought about using them. It was ever so quick and easy, perfect after another long day at work...

That's all from me this week, have an eggcellent weekend!

Don't forget to check out my Instagram for more frequent posts: @yaasica_lucia :) 

Lots of Love, 

Yaasica Lucia XXX

Smooth(ie) Operator

"Blue days, all of them gone,

Nothing but blue skies from now on" - Ella Fitzgerald

Haven't the past few days been glorious?! Spring has sprung, the evenings are getting lighter and I'm even able to walk home from work through Highbury Fields. Heaven. However, over the Easter weekend I went a little overboard on chocolate. I also revisited my old favourite of smoked crispy bacon in a toasted hot cross bun - amazing but pretty unhealthy.... 

Therefore I've decided to have a metaphorical spring clean of my daily routine. I've been trying to go to bed earlier (which is tricky as I suffer from insomnia when busy and stressed, often still awake at 2am) and trying to wake up earlier, making time for breakfast. I've also tried to give up coffee, as I normally drink at least 4 or 5 cups a day at work. I've been clean and coffee free for 6 days now, let's hope I can keep it up!

I've been starting the day with a fresh fruit smoothie and bowl of porridge with berries and a squiggle of honey. 

The first contained: 1 banana, 1 pear, 5 strawberries, a handful of blueberries and a glug of skimmed milk. Is a glug a measurement? Enough for 2 cups of tea. This actually served two, so I shared it with my housemate Katie, who constantly inspires me to eat healthier and move around a bit more. I had to steal her insta-snap... 

The nail varnish is a Barry M Gel Shine in Blueberry for all you nail varnish lovers. 

My next smoothie was delicious and even better than the first. 

It contained: 1 banana, 5 strawberries, a handful of blueberries, some cucumber slices, and a splash of apple juice. The cucumber adds such a lovely freshness and really woke me up. 

Katie also bought a huge bunch of tulips for the living and dining area which really brightened things up. Flowers always give me a warm fuzzy smiley feeling, you know? 

I just la la love bright colours. Although conversely, I love wearing black, and as VBH said, I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker colour. At the moment my favourite colour for accessories is yellow. I went shopping with a friend and literally wouldn't shut up talking to him about finding a yellow bag (still looking).  However, I did manage to pick up some gorgeous items in Primark last week, both with a perfect, lemony, juicy Mediterranean print. 

The first is a toiletries bag for £3 that I'm using for my every day makeup (the rest is kept in a wicker picnic hamper, no joke). 

The second item is one I'm still unsure about. It's a clear Perspex bag with a gold chain strap, and there's a lemon print pouch inside, for £6. I'm not sure whether it's wonderful or hideous, and if it is indeed wonderful, I'm not sure I'm cool enough to pull it off. I think I'll be pairing it with a white cotton sundress and blue denim jacket, with gold accessories, once the weather gets warmer. The photo doesn't really do it justice... 

Where there is light, there must be dark. I am loving all the snakeskin (fake, obvs) popping up this season, and Topshop have smashed it for me. These slip on sneakers have nailed the sports luxe and monochrome trends as well as snakeskin.  I can't wait to wear these with the Topshop Joni jeans now, and then with black or white dresses and colourful accessories in the summer. 

Thats it from me today, but I'll be back soon with more of my everyday ramblings. 

Love, 

Yaasica Lucia Xxx 

Are You Ready For Your Close Up?

“I woke up like this… flawless” – Beyoncé

I would say that I’m not alone in thinking that it is pretty impossible to wake up flawless. That does not mean to say that people cannot look flawless, after having a personal trainer, make up artists, facials, spa treatments, expensive hair extensions, a private chef and millions of dollars. However for me, the way I look when I wake up is pretty different to how I look when I leave the house for work, and immensely different to how I’d look on a night out. Further, as a self confessed selfie taker, I know that good angles, good lighting and good filters can transform a girls face, sometimes beyond recognition. Therefore I’m always on the lookout for products that at least try to give the illusion that I’m edging towards flawless, in real life as well as on Instagram.

One thing I am happy with beauty wise is my skin. However, it is not merely Luck or Nature, and there are various lotions and potions that I use in order to create a smooth canvas. 

I start by exfoliating my face in the shower (but using a sink of warm water can work too). One of the best exfoliators on the market is St Ives Apricot Facial Scrub, costing around £3.

There are a few varieties but my favourite is the Naturally Clear version, and although it may sound obvious, there is a LOT of ‘scrub’ in there – my pet hate is using an exfoliator that feels like a face cream with a few bits of sand and stone mixed in (I’m looking at you Superdrug Vitamin E Scrub). It always leaves my skin feeling smooth, soft and fresh.  If you want something a bit more gentle for everyday use, I recommend Flake Away  by Soap & Glory which I reviewed HERE. Having dry/combination skin means having to use a thicker than average moisturiser before applying foundation. Otherwise, the foundation can emphasise dry patches and can even make them worse. I personally swear by Nivea Visage Rich Moisturising Day Cream. 

Choosing the right make up brushes is also key to achieving a flawless look. I love using the Real Techniques brushes. They are quite expensive to buy individually so I suggest buying a set for value for money. I chose 'Sam's Picks'. 

L-R - multitask face brush, contouring brush, buffing brush, pointed foundation brush, eyeshadow brush, liner brush.

The buffing brush is fantastic for putting on foundation, using light, circular motions. I recommend putting blobs of foundation onto your skin and then buffing it in, rather than picking it up with the brush.

The buffing brush works so well with one of my favourite foundations, Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24hr. It's well worth the money and lasts for ages. I normally save this foundation for going out in the evenings.

Maybelline has always been my go-to drugstore brand for daily wear foundation. Their newest product, Dream Flawless Nude, has had mixed reviews.

Some people love the light matte finish whereas others have slated it, especially those with dry skin. However, I really like it. Its super fine, and you are meant to apply it by letting drops fall off the applicator onto your finger. Clearly I have no time for that, so I normally just blob the applicator onto my forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. As long as you exfoliate and moisturise properly, and apply it to the drier areas first (with fingers, nothing else will work) then you can get a great finish. This will be a great summer foundation.

Another great Maybelline foundation with fuller coverage is their Superstay 24hr Better Skin foundation. 

This one works well when applied with the Real Techniques buffing brush. It does take a while to 'settle' into your skin and can look streaky at first. I applied a layer of Maybelline 'Fit Me' face powder with the Real Techniques multitask brush and it did give great coverage. It can feel slightly heavy for everyday use, but it depends on what you're used to.

Not entirely sure of what my face is doing here, but #nofilter

I went shopping with my friends on Friday and was amazed to discover that Primark have been doing some fairly decent makeup. While I would never wear their foundation, the eye palette and swirled bronzer (worn above) are gorgeous, and at £3 each are way cheaper than any other brand.

Talking of inexpensive brands, Make Up Academy London(MUA), available in Superdrug, is quickly becoming one of my favourites. Their eyebrow pencil is amazingly waxy and lasts forever. Most recently I picked up their Velvet Lip Lacquer, an amazing lip product that goes on like a gloss and dries matte, with intense pigmentation and long lasting staying power, even after food and drink.

The colours I chose were Reckless (the bright red worn above) and Dare, a deep pinky purply burgundy. 

I really would recommend all of the products I have written about in order to achieve a flawless, insta-ready look.

Lots of love,

Yaasica Lucia Xxx

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe