Vegan Afternoon Tea

 Today I took my mum for a belated Mother’s Day and early birthday present. It was for afternoon tea at the Happy Teapot in Worthing. They offer vegetarian and vegan options which is amazing because I haven’t seen a little café offer this before. Walking into the café you instantly feel how cosy it is. The décor is super cute with positive signs, quirky ornaments and lots of fairy lights. The atmosphere is peaceful with old music filling your ears and taking you back to your childhood or yearning for a time before you were born, depending on your age of course.

The lady behind the counter was so polite and she knew we were there for the afternoon tea and remembered that it was one vegetarian and one vegan which I thought was so nice. After we ordered our teas, I ordered peppermint while my mum ordered strawberry and mango. I love peppermint and don’t order fruit teas because I never feel they taste like their description, however the strawberry and mango had a lovely taste to it. We went and sat down and waited, in high anticipation, for our meal.

They arrived a short while after and we began to tuck in! The sandwiches were filled with variations of cheese, cucumber, tomato and I think some sort of chutney. They were delicious none the less and although I was quite full I was so ready to taste the array of cakes and biscuits waiting on the tier below. I started off with the scone, coconut cream and jam. I was a bit sceptical of the coconut cream as I’m not the biggest fan of coconut but it tasted SO good! It was thick and sweet with only a hint of coconut. Put it all together and there were tiny fireworks of flavour going off in my mouth! There were also two mini carrot cakes that were so moist and the icing was so creamy. I haven’t had a vegan carrot cake yet and it used to be one of my favourites! There were two mini lemon cakes that were zingy, two little rocky-road-esque chunks, two different shortbread cakes and biccys. It also came with a few strawberries and raspberries which were refreshing to eat between the cakes. There was so much food that my mum and I took a doggy bag, with the treats we couldn’t quite fit in, home.

VEGETARIAN OPTION

VEGAN OPTION 

 

It’s easy to feel rushed in some café’s, like they want you up and out the door for the next customer to come. There was nothing like this, we were left to spend as long as we wanted chowing down on the delicious afternoon tea they had provided. I’m not sure how many days and on what days they offer a vegan alternative for the tea, I’d like to see it available on a weekly basis but I know that this isn’t always possible, however I will definitely look out for the next one to get my fill of having afternoon tea and pretending I’m a stereotypical rich socialite lol.

Overall I was extremely happy with this café trip, from the service down to the food on our plates and all for only £19.90 it is amazing value. I would recommend it to everyone. Keep up the good work Happy Teapot! You can find their Facebook page here.

See you next week,

Catrina x

B. Matte Red Lipstick Reviews

You may have noticed that I didn’t upload a blog post last week. It was the Sunday before my journalism course was due to start and I was just a bit frazzled but I didn’t like going the rest of the week knowing I hadn’t uploaded a blog post since it was one of my new year’s resolutions and it was the first one I had missed so far!  

This week I want to give a review on the 4 new matte red lipsticks that one of my favourite vegan brands have brought out. They are available in Superdrug stores which is so easy for me to go and swatch rather than just ordering online and hoping I like the product. Since all of B.’s products were on a half price special I took the chance to buy all 4 lipsticks to test out.

They come in matte black packaging in contrast to the usual glossy grey finish the usual lipsticks have. I think this gives the lipsticks a sophisticated look. B. lipsticks have a spring loaded mechanism in which you have to press the end in and the lipstick pops out. I think this gives the packaging a unique look by not having a lid as such but I have to say I do prefer the traditional lipstick packaging of a pull off lid.

Alexa Dita Suki Isabella

Alexa Dita Suki Isabella

The four colours are Alexa, Dita, Suki and Isabella. They are highly pigmented and only take a few swipes to get a good colour. They are long lasting however they do dry out your lips a little after a while, nothing a good moisturising primer can’t fix. I would call them semi-matte just because they are a bit soft and creamy but they do achieve a matte finish and feel very lightweight while you wear it! They look lovely and I feel like each colour compliments my skin in a different way, I am pale however I think these lipsticks would look great on any coloured skin.

Alexa:

This is my favourite every day colour of the bunch. It’s very wearable and matches with most of the reds I have in my wardrobe. It’s a little subdued so it’s perfect for any time of the year. It would work well in the winter with dark colours as well as the summer with lighter shades of clothes.

Dita:

This is a lot brighter than Alexa is definitely more of a colour I would wear in the summer or if I wanted to add a pop of colour to my outfit. I would say it’s a little bit more creamier than Alexa but still has a finish of matte that I’m in love with.

Suki:

Suki is very much like Alexa however I would say that Suki is a mix between Alex and Dita not as bright as Dita but not as dark as Alexa. Again it’s wearable but I think if I wanted to make an impact I would prioritise the other colours for a bold statement.

Isabella:

This red is so orange toned it almost can’t be categorized as a red and I cannot wait to wear it in the summer! It’s a bit in your face but on a sunny summers day with the right outfit choice you will be turning heads while wearing it. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I love it! It may even be the key to lighting up your day even when the sun isn’t!

I hope this review has helped to push you into putting these lipsticks into your basket if you were thinking about it or putting these on your ‘to buy’ list and just to be a bolder with your lip colour, it can brighten up the darkest of days. At a usual price of £7.99 and being cruelty free and vegan what else could you want!! 

Alexa Dita Suki Isabella

Photos of the lipsticks taken by my friend Beth, you can find her blog here.

See you next week,

Catrina x

Vegfest and my Crazy Week

Today I visited Vegfest with a couple of my friends who are vegetarian! The vibe of the whole event is so awesome and everyone seems so happy to be around people who share the same values and compassion that they do. It was quite quiet when we got there so it was nice to wander around and be

able to see everything! We arrived around lunchtime so first of all we wandered around trying all the free samples and for lunch I got a donna kebab from Beelzebub which is made from seitan and all the veg. It was so nice! I definitely will be visiting The Hope and Ruin in Brighton for a meal!

After that I got a chocolate and strawberry doughnut from the Pomodoro E Bsilico stand and it was delicious! I’ve never had a vegan doughnut before and this definitely hit the spot! My friend got the boston cream and stated it was equally as gorgeous! Check her website here! I also delved into a strawberry kebab covered in pancake mixture. It was decorated with maple syrup and cinnamon powder. It was like a mini party in my mouth!

Now onto the goodies I picked up!

Edible:

M’s Cupcakes in Jaffa, Oreo, Ambassador-Ferrero Roche and Red Velvet.

My two were the Ferrero Roche and Red Velvet which I took home to share with my family. (I’m just so nice I know haha.) They were delicious the chocolate icing was so rich and creamy while the red velvet icing tasted just like a cream cheese icing! The sponges were light and fluffy which is hard to believe when there is no egg in there! Find their website here!

Raw Pana Chocolate in Mint.

This raw chocolate is so creamy and doesn’t taste crumbly and too dark like some others I have tried. It is so rich and the mint was my favourite flavour because it really comes through! I can also recommend the orange and the cinnamon. Find their website here!

Jeavons Dairy Free Toffees

I love toffee, the harder the better and I have never seen vegan toffee before so this was a real treat! After a free sample I just had to get a bag! It tastes so much like the real thing I think I could convince people that it was! I also just had to get their smootch product which is a vegan version of rolos. The toffee is really nice but I think that the chocolate coating could be a little nicer but it’s not too bad! Fine their website here!

Non-Edible:

Reworked, relived and reloved denim shirt from Viva La Vegan (clothed in compassion) founded and designed by Jay Charlton. I love this because so many people just throw their clothes away. (I either give them to friends or a chartity shop!) And I looove the message on the back of the shirt that has been screen printed on there! I will most likely wear this as a jacket/cover up in the summer to spread the message and just to look cool really. From this company I also brought two patches to sew onto my clothes (I’m thinking my denim jacket and denim skirt) and a cute little pink love heart shaped guitar pick! (I’m trying to learn to play the guitar…trying being the key word here haha) The woman who sold these to me was actually the mother of Jay (she was looking around the stalls) and she was SO lovely, she even let me take a photo of her to show you guys! Their "Message Wear" t-shirts are ethical, eco-friendly, 100& vegan and recycled and they really stand out, you can check them out on 

their website here!

Vegan Beanie from All Glamour No Guts. I love this beanie because it’s a statement. It is clear who I am and what I believe in while also looking fashionable and keeping warm in this awful weather we are having at the minute. All of their garments are ethically made and are environmentally friendly plus 10% of all their profits are donated to Hillside Animal Sanctuary. I wish I brought a few more of their badges because they have awesome statement designs. Find their website here!

A photo posted by Catrina Wilson|Vegan🌻 (@catrinaaustinwilson) on Feb 28, 2016 at 8:48am PST

Jumper from Jade Green Vegan Compassionate Clothing line. I love the cute designs that show one of the main reasons why I am vegan, because all animals are the same and none deserve to be treated the way most are. There is no difference between a dog and a cow or a cat and a pig. We are just conditioned to believe it is acceptable to eat one and acceptable to cuddle the other. For every item she sells she donates £1 to a charity, there is more information available about that on her website here which also features blog posts about her life and lovely recipes! She uses a printer that is toxic-free with completely vegan friendly ink which means you can spread the message, look great and feel good about where your money is going all at the same time.

Badges

From CHIARALASCURA who also has lots of other amazing designs on various items on her website here. This badge is so apt for me because I basically live off of Pizza. Well I would love to haha but I do have it more often than not.

I can’t remember where I got these two cute badges from! They were different stalls and unfortunately I didn’t pick up a card. If you know please let me know in the comments below. This mushroom badge is also so apt for me because I will usually have mushrooms in most of my meals! I’m definitely a fun-guy haha.

These badges came with my denim shirt from Viva La Vegan which was a really nice touch!

This was the end of my Vegfest Experience…for now!

I also wanted to take time to tell you guys about the crazy week I have had!

TUESDAY: My friend Lauren and I went to see Halsey at the O2 Brixton Academy. If you haven’t heard of her go and check her out!! I love her music and the lyrics are so relatable. She is absolutely amazing live and this was one of the best nights of my life I still can’t quite believe that I actually saw her! She owns the stage and her husky sweet voice sends shivers down your spine.

A photo posted by Catrina Wilson|Vegan🌻 (@catrinaaustinwilson) on Feb 23, 2016 at 3:11pm PST

WEDNESDAY: I went to Harry Potter World with my mum, which I have been dying to do for ages!! Since my mum and I are big fans it was nice to go with someone as equally enthusiastic as I am. What can I say, to see all of the real props, sets, costumes etc is magical and there really isn’t anything quite like it. It is a must for any Harry Potter fan, I got a Gryffindor scarf, since that’s my house and I love it. Jade from the Jade Green Vegan stand today said she liked it because it looked like Gryffindor and I got to tell her it was actually from the shop! It was a nice moment to have with another fan haha.

A photo posted by Catrina Wilson|Vegan🌻 (@catrinaaustinwilson) on Feb 24, 2016 at 9:29am PST

THURSDAY: After a driving lesson I quickly got on a train to see Twenty One Pilots, also at the O2 Brixton Academy, with my brother Callum for his 17^th Birthday Present. Their support act was Transviolet who were very impressive. They are doing a tour of the UK in May and we booked tickets straight away as they sounded so good! Twenty One pilots themselves were absolutely phenomenal. Tyler can really sing and the whole set was so full of energy. It’s so amazing to hear songs that you love that mean so much to you sang live it really was incredible.

It was nice to pack in a lot of things before I start my intensive fast track journalism course in a week! Have you been up to anything amazing recently? Let me know in the comments. Hope all of you who went to Vegfest enjoyed it and enjoyed the fun times Brighton can provide!

See you next week,

Catrina x