April 24, 2019

Instagram Hair on a Budget! With Duck and Dry Express & the WORLD'S BIGGEST PRIMARK!

Instagram worthy hair on a budget? You heard that right! With the opening of the world's biggest Primark in Birmingham, UK; I was super lucky and got invited to the store preview before the doors were opened to the public. The store is literally the size of a shopping mall, there are 5 floors of endless shopping, 3 cafes to recharge (1 of them is Disney themed!) and even a beauty studio to pamper yourself.

Primark has launched a sister brand Duck and Dry to provide an in-store pampering service to take care of your hair, nails and brows all in one destination. Duck and Dry beauty studios are set to be launched in 40 stores across the UK. Keeping reading as I show you the branch in Birmingham.

The beauty studio is split into 3 different stations.

► Duck and Dry Xpress:

Xpress is where you can get your blow dries and updos. I like how they display all the different styles on the wall so you can get inspired to try something new.

► Duck and Dry File:

File is where you can get your nails done from a simple file and polish to a gel manicure. The interior of the nail bar is so aesthetic and spacious.

► Duck and Dry Pluck:

Pluck is where you can get your brows and eyelashes services. My eyebrows are microbladed, so sadly I won't be stopping at the Pluck station anytime soon.

► Braid-a-licious Updo:

I decided to get my hair braided since my hair has been previously bleached, I'm trying to reduce my heat usage to prevent further damage. There are 3 braid styles you can choose from and all they cost £13 each. You can add on extras like glitter for an additional £5.

I went for the style Braid-a-licious, which is a whimsical half updo. Such a stunning updo! I'm so happy with the results and I wish could braid my hair like this every day, it's definitely inspired me to experiment more with my hairstyles. BUT don't get confused like me, the updo options will only braid your hair, it doesn't include hair curling. I thought the ends of my hair would have been curled like the model's photo. I think you will need to ask for curling as an extra.

I curled it with some straighteners the next day anyway to live that full Instagram Coachella hair fantasy.

Have you checked out the new Primark yet? It's such a Birmingham thing to own the biggest Primark; we already have a super extra train station, what's next? I heard they're planning on renovating the House of Fraser building into a 9 story complex!

*Disclaimer: Updo was complimentary by Duck and Dry Express

April 15, 2019

The Best Pizza In Birmingham! | @Pizza Grand Central Restaurant Review

New kid on the block spotted in Grand Central, Birmingham! I'm always on the hunt for new food places and thank god Birmingham the foodie city is never short of places with restaurants constantly coming and going. At Pizza recently opened a few weeks ago and I'm buzzing there is a brand new pizza dedicated restaurant with a fresh twist on it. Me and Sian Victoria checked it out as they were having an offer for the Bulling Shopping Affair event, keep reading to see all the goodness!

► Service:

The interior is right up my alley, the dark walls and bright neon lights are perfect for taking Instagram worthy photos and they give off a modern chic atmosphere. I absolutely loved the service there, the staff were all super friendly and hilarious. Personally, I love it when the staff have conversations with me as it makes the experience more welcoming and memorable. The layout of the counter reminds me of Subway, the ingredients are all laid out in the open so you can easily select your toppings.

► Drinks:

I forgot to take photos of the drinks individually, so you're going to have to deal with me posing cheesily with one. They have a soda machine with 6 carefully crafted unique flavours. In my hand, I'm holding my personal favourite one which is Mango and Blood Orange. Lightly fizzed, refreshing and not too sweet. The Peach and Honey Ice Tea is also to die for! The iced tea is a still drink but the other 5 flavours are fizzy sodas.

► Pizza!

Time for the star of this post, THE PIZZAAA! You can design your own pizza at the fixed price of £9.95 with as many or little toppings as you like. It's so much fun and perfect for indecisive eaters that want to devour everything like me! If you don't want to design your own pizza, they also have 7 set ones on the menu.

For my custom pizza I started off with a sourdough base, the superior pizza base, change my mind. I dare you! For the sauce you can pick one or two of your choice, I went for half roquito pepper sauce and half garlic and ricotta. The ricotta was so creamy, my mouth is literally watering thinking about it right now. As for cheese, I opted for the veganarella which surprisingly had a slightly stringy texture just like mozzarella! I love that they have an option for vegans. Whilst I'm not vegan, I'm lactose intolerant so its amazing @Pizza accommodates for people with all sorts of different dietary requirements. It was so hard choosing the toppings because I just wanted a bit of everything. In the end, my indecisive mind went for some pepperoni, fresh jalapeno, grilled red peppers, grilled red onion and kalamata olives. The ingredients were top-notch quality, fresh and flavourful. For the finishing touches, I added some sriracha sauce and garlic mayonnaise. You could be super healthy and finish it off with some salad or some more cheeky cheese, there are so many options for you to come up with some quirky combinations.

► Dessert:

It was a challenge tackling that pizza but there's always room for dessert. We had a Tropococo sundae to share as the portion is quite big. It's made of mango and coconut menodiciotto gelato, pineapple, coconut, mango coulis, icing sugar, mascarpone, crushed Bischoff. This is perfect if you want something light and tropical, it reminded of Raffaello chocolates. They also have dessert pizzas, if you fancy having some more carbs. ^.<

► Overall:

It's safe to say @Pizza has the best pizza I've tried so far in Birmingham and I am definitely going back for more! It's such a nice restaurant to chill out at after shopping, the atmosphere is great and it does not feel like a fast food restaurant whatsoever. Making the custom pizza so was such a fun and personal experience. The food is top notch quality, I and Sian were saying how we felt healthy eating a pizza haha. I would go back for the Tropococo sundae alone.

► Restaurant Info:

If you would like to check out @Pizza for yourself, you can find them at:

Location: UNIT 33 GRAND CENTRAL BIRMINGHAM, B2 4BF

Site: https://www.atpizza.com/birmingham

Instagram: @at.pizza
Menu: Link

What are your favourite pizza toppings?

_________________________________

*Disclaimer: Meal was complimentary however it does not affect my opinions and I was under no obligation to review it (but I genuinely love the restaurant so I wanted to share and recommend them).