Sugar Junction, NQ Manchester - chloescorner

Apologies for the lack of posts guys! I've been trying to spend as much time with my friends before they all leave for Uni as possible which unfortunately meant my blogging taking a backseat for a lil bit.

I'm a massive sucker for cakes, chocolates... in fact anything sweet and I'm all over it! (much to the dismay of my figure - oopsy). So as my bestfriend is leaving for Chester tomorrow morning to start her course at uni we decided to head out to Sugar Junction in Manchester (Northern Quarter, Tibb Street) for Afternoon Tea. I've always seen posts of the delicious meals people have tucked into there but never really had the opportunity to try it for myself. Safe to say I've well and truly been missing out! 

PS - I do apologise for the not so great quality photos, I didn't want to be carrying my DSLR around on a casual day out although I don't think my Iphone did too bad of a job!

Right from the get go we knew that this place was something special which was evident in the small que that was forming on the outside although the tentative staff made sure we were seated as soon as possible. The little cafe has a vintage theme throughout. From pretty little glasses, intricate details on the napkins, beautiful china plates - it truly is stunning and unbelievably photogenic! There is a huge selection of different dishes so even if you're not particularly hungry they have light bites to eat too. 

The Traditional Afternoon Tea is £15.50 per person and comes with a selection of 3 sandwiches each (out of a possibility of 4), Scones with Jam and Clotted Cream and several other luxurious treats and cakes - the menu differs daily to the sweet treats they're serving that day. Me and Paige were given the options of the following; Sandwiches - Ham and Salad, Salmon and Cream Cheese, Brie and Cranberry (which I surprisingly loved!) and Egg Mayonnaise. A little Strawberry, Blueberry and Cream filled tart each. Cakes - A slice of Chocolate and Guinness Cake and A slice of White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake each. Each Afternoon Tea is served with your chosen tea out of the 17(!!!) choices although neither me or Paige like tea so we opted for the soft drinks which they included in the price instead.

To say that our eyes were bigger than our bellies was an understatement - I managed 2 Sandwiches and a Scone before I was ready to pop although you can ask the lovely staff for a box to take whatever you don't manage to finish home with you. As you can see I didn't manage to gracefully place mine in the box and ended up making quite a mess haha.

All in all I couldn't recommend this quaint little cafe enough! If you're local to Manchester or thinking of visiting I highly recommend giving Sugar Junction a visit even if it's only to indulge in a heavenly slice of cake.

http://www.sugarjunction.co.uk/menu.html Here is the menu for you to have a little nosey at! 

All my love,

Chloe xo

The on-going journey of a braceface - chloescorner

I've been a metal mouth since the age of 14. I have a really small mouth and at the time had really overcrowded teeth so was referred to an orthodontist at the age of 12 (the waiting lists for orthodontic treatment are unbelievably long!). I was initially referred to an Ortho in Salford where the orthodontist had suggested that I would have a retainer for the first year on my top teeth and then traintracks on the bottom. After the first year the top would be changed to traintracks also. At this point I still had baby teeth so had to have them taken out at my local dentist which wasn't a problem. I had all my x-rays, moulds (the most uncomfortable experience ever!) and regular check ups and was pretty much ready to have my brace put on.

Before putting the brace on the orthodontist wanted 4 of my adult teeth taken out at the back of my mouth so that there was more room for the procedure so I went to my local dentist to have this done. My dentist refused to take these teeth out as they were 'healthy adult teeth' and he felt that the procedure could occur without the removal of these teeth - he claimed to have 'orthodontic experience' and suggested that he took over the procedure which at the time seemed like the better idea as it was closer to home and meant that I didn't have to have teeth removed - Bonus!

A few weeks later my dentist put on traintracks on the first 6 top teeth to align them. This meant that the metal was free on the ends and often scratched against my top lip causing uncomfort and a lot of bleeding - the wax given to help this was no help and often fell off within the first few minutes of application. The pain was honestly unbearable half of the time and I struggled to eat properly the majority of the time. This was evident in the amount of weight I lost during the process.. I think I've lost about 2 stone since having braces. I had this brace for almost a year and a half and it did eventually straighten my teeth (only the front ones baring in mind). In the summer of 2013 (aged 16) my dentist all of a sudden decided that he couldn't carry on my procedure, took off my brace without giving me a retainer, and referred me back to another orthodontist. You can imagine how annoying and disheartening this was at the time and despite my teeth appearing straight it didn't take long for them to move back to their previous state which made me even more self-conscious.

Aged 17 (very nearly 18) I was eventually referred to my current Ortho in Gorton who, alike the first orthodontist, told me to have the same 4 teeth removed. 4 teeth down, moulds and x-rays re-taken I finally got my top brace put on (the whole way round this time!). Over half a year later I then had my bottom brace put on which didn't take much time at all to straighten. I currently have one tooth slightly out of line to the others and a spring inbetween the two surrounding teeth to allow it the space to move into line with the rest. This time the pain was hardly noticeable, more uncomfortable after having them tightened but apart from that I don't really feel any kind of pain. No rubbing either.

I still have quite a while left with braces - I have that one tooth that needs to be aligned and then my terrible overbite will eventually need elastics to help fix. I'll then have retainers which I'll have to wear afterwards to keep them in their new state. My brace journey has been quite eventful to say the least and would have been over and done with if I hadn't been messed around in the first place but even so I'm thankful to have them as it enables me to smile confidently which I couldn't do in my younger years. Anyone who has the opportunity to have them should honestly go for it - A good smile is a major confidence booster!

Have you had braces? what're your experiences? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments! I'll try and do a follow up post as my treatment progresses so any questions or tips you want answering just leave in the comments below!

All my love,
Chloe xo

Beginners guide to nights out - chloescorner

Although I've only been 18 for 8 months I feel that I've had enough experience to be able to share some top tips for those first nights out on the town and with Freshers week fast approaching what better time to share them.

Tip #1 - I cannot stress this enough honestly.. wear COMFY shoes. If heels are compulsory then make sure they're something that you can comfortably dance the night away in. I've made the mistake of wearing heels out only to have completely mangled feet the next day - please learn from my mistake!

Tip #2 - Make-up setting sprays are your bestfriend - Urban Decay Setting Spray has been my absolute saviour during sweaty club nights.

Tip #3 - Wearing a lipstick? Try a matte liquid lipstick (my choice of weapon would be the Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipsticks) for a longer lasting finish that will outlast the many drinks that your lips will be meeting because that worn off lipstick look is not the one, lets be honest... Using a lipliner before applying your lipstick will also work a dream.

Tip #4 - PLEASE don't go out drinking on an empty stomach.. I mean I know you don't want that pot belly look in your bodycon dress, I completely understand and feel your pain girl, but you'll regret it later that night or early morning when your head is down the toilet - I'm talking from experience here ladies (or Gents...).

Tip #5 - Now I don't mean to sound like your Mother but honestly do stick together with your friends! It's not hard to get yourself lost in a busy club so always make sure you have your phone on you (again, be careful with personal belongings) just to be on the safe side. The last thing you want is to leave the club with no idea where your friends have gotten to or in an even worse scenario, wandering off with a complete and utter stranger.

Tip #6 - Be wary of your drinks people! There are such characters who like to spike innocent peoples drinks.. Not cool I know, but if you keep your beady eyes on your drink then you'll be good to go.

Tip #7 - Do know your limits. Fair enough it is nice to have a good night out and let your hair down but try and drink in moderation because you don't want to be that paralytic girl/boy who has completely no recollection of the embarrassing events of the night before. Plus if it's during freshers do you really want to leave that impression of yourself with new friends? Think about it.

Tip #8 - Take pictures - lots of them! Before, during, even afterwards if you want a good laugh when you're in a slightly more sober state. You'll look back at these pictures in years to come and smile at the memories you've made with your friends.

So there we have it, 8 of my top tips to enjoy a night out - safely and without making a complete embarrassment of yourself! Have you got any tips that I have missed? feel free to leave them in the comments!

All my love,
Chloe xo

Zendaya inspired make-up look - chloescorner

I really enjoyed the last 'inspired' look I posted on the blog and since following her on instagram I have been in complete awe of Zendaya's make-up looks so I decided to recreate one of her many looks to share with you guys. Zendaya is slowly but surely becoming well-known for her amazing fashion sense and stunning make-up looks such as these ones here:

Utterly flawless!

With the Summer coming to an end (whether it even started in the UK is questionable) I decided to re-create a more Autumn appropriate look with warmer tones on both the eyes and lips like the ones in the photo below. Plus I think that the Cranberry/Purple tones used really emphasise Blue/Green eye colours.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold

Mac Pre-filled Eyes Eyeshadow Palette x9 in Burgandy Times Nine

Sleek Makeup Eye and Cheek Palette in See You At Midnight

I haven't included what I used for my base as I pretty much did the same steps as I did in my Cheryl inspired look (if you want the details for that then see them here on my previous post) although I made my eyebrows slightly thicker to mimic Zendaya's beautifully thick brows and bronzed up slightly more.

For my eye look I started by applying the Maybelline cream eyeshadow all over my lid as a base to ensure that the shadows used on top wouldn't crease - this also helps to make the colours appear bolder. I then applied the cranberry shade numbered one from my sleek palette all over my lid and to then create that darker purple haze that Zendaya has throughout her crease (in a sort of halo effect) I added the shade numbered 2 in my Mac palette to my crease, outer corner and slightly on the inner corner too. The slightly champagne-coloured shade in the Mac palette (the very first one) was then blended to the very inner corner of my eye and my brow bone just to make them pop. To make sure that the two main colours blended well I added a little of my Soap and Glory Solar Powder, I decided to blend this into the crease too to add a little more warmth to the overall look.

Mac Lipstick in Velvet Teddy

I didn't have a shade quite as brown as Zendaya has used in her look but Velvet Teddy is a beautiful brown/pink nude none the less so I added this to my lips to complete the look.

I can never be serious, think the majority of the selfies I took ended like this - oops!

And there we have it, my Zendaya, Autumn inspired make-up look! I really hope you enjoyed the post. If you do try to recreate it then feel free to tag me in your photo's! my username for Twitter and Instagram is @chloecotgrave. If you have any future post suggestions or celebrity looks you'd like me to re-create then leave them in the comments.

All my love,

Chloe xo