I only got out of bed just over two and a half hours ago so who knows lol
Corn thins with dairy free spread, cucumber, sun-dried tomato (out of a jar, not those plastic unrecyclable tubs, cheaper too) with oregano, artichoke hearts (again out of a jar) and jalapeños. I did eat a giant handful of salted, roasted cashews before this so protein isn’t an issue, for anyone wondering.
🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤
The reality is not far off 😄….
What do you do to recharge your batteries? Let me know and I’ll quote you in my next post!
🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤
This month I’ve had this blog for 7 years! I’ve decided to have a look through all of my Street View and Street Art posts and some other event posts to make a best-of compilation.
Moss Side Caribbean Carnival held in Alexandra Park
Pride parade
Hulme/motorway underpass
Street art from the Cities of Global Hope campaign, spreading messages of social injustice and hardship
One of the statues created for the Commonwealth Games 2002 held in Manchester, with the Hilton Hotel & Apartments in the background.
Mega Mella held in Platt fields park
By Qubek
The giant maze of wonder that is Afflecks on Tib Street
A tiny staircase in a wall, where a pot rabbit was found sitting a week later!?
An Asian bar with veggie food
Heading toward Oxford Rd from Piccadilly (look left)
John Ryland’s Library
The Predator visits Market Street
Oxford Rd
Stevenson Square
My fave open fronted shop on Church Street for veggie and vegan food.
Tony Wilson ‘Mr Manchester’ the creator of Factory Records and The Hacienda nightclub – by Stewy
I hope you’ve enjoyed my eclectic tour of my hometown and maybe recognised some parts or found new and interesting parts of central Manchester.
Hello my lovely fiends!
Dravulia Shoes – Hot Chocolate
Boo Cats Dress (also available in kids) – Retrolicious Brand
Cobweb Tights (also available in curve) – ASOS
Kawaii Ghost Shirt (unisex) – Em and Sprout
Chrissie V- -V
“You’re vegetarian, gluten and dairy free, so what do you eat then?” I’m often asked this question because lots of people are some of the above but most people aren’t all of those things. So here is my response in photo’s.
I Eat
Crisps, natchos, bombay mix, nuts, seeds, cake bars, sweets, cooking sauces, gf pasta, gf gnochi, rice, soup, daal, chilli, gf muesli, ratatouille, roasted peppers, falafel, smokey sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts in garlic oil, tamari (soy sauce), gf pies, gf tarts, Vitalite, quinoa, lots of pickles, veggie kebab strips, veggie chicken pieces, McCain Smiles (crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the middle), humous, df cheese, curry, burritos, tacos, all manner of fresh veg, garlic mayo, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, salad cream.
I Drink
Strawberry/chocolate protein powder and rice/almond/coconut/hazelnut milk, innocent smoothies, orange/pomegranate/mango/guava juice.
[I’m sorry that some of the photos could be clearer but it’s so difficult taking pictures inside a very deep cupboard and of backlit items in a fridge.]
❤Chrissie❤
I know it takes some people a lot of confidence to really go-all-out for Hallowe’en but that doesn’t mean you can’t Vamp It Up a bit. Sorry, I couldn’t help it!
Deaths Head Moth Pin (print also available in dresses and tops) – Em and Sprout
Jezebel Tote Bag – Vivienne Of Holloway
Zombie Girl Pin – Worn To Death Apparel
Cobweb Tassel Earrings – Boohoo
Chrissie V- -V
These items are the reason I wake up feeling and looking refreshed, rather than trashed. I’m thinking this will come in handy for people who like to have a drink over the weekend too.
Beauty Kitchen Products – Oil
They are an independent UK company who try to be as sustainable and natural as possible. This oil is wonderful for taking makeup off with, to give the face a quick massage with and to nourish skin. No more waking up looking like a dried up Mummy, with curiously puffy eye bags.
Laptop/Book
Before I go to sleep I watch an episode of 90210, Lucifer or You Tube makeup tutorials by Wayne Goss, with the screen dimmed. If my eyes aren’t too tired I’ll read a character driven novel. Anything that’s interesting but not taxing.
Healthy Crisps
I always find I need salty food to soak up the sugary alcohol I’ve had. It also means I don’t wake up starving but too tired to make breakfast/lunch. I find the crunching really relaxing as i carry a lot of tension in my jaw.
Oil Based Lip Balm
Skin needs both oil and moisturiser so I apply this before it’s needed. I’m such a mouth breather at night XoD
Scrunchy
How do people sleep without their hair tied back, how!? When I do that, it wraps around me like a Face-hugger from Alien and then I wake up with it looking like statically charged spaghetti.
HYDRATE! (Waiting for my new flask to arrive)
I always have weak, sugar free cordial (water just goes straight through me) to sip before I go to sleep, throughout the night and before I get up in the morning. This stops me feeling shite, keeps my skin clear and reduces eye bags and ‘desert mouth.’
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Before I started this routine I used to wake up with a really flushed face, crazy hair, bloating, bone-dry skin and feel more tired than when I went to bed! This has made a significant difference to my morning chronic fatigue and mental health; most days I’ll happily get up at 11.00am, rather than dragging my sorry arse out of bed at 1.00-2.00pm like I used to.
❤Chrissie❤
Two funny uplifting books, two modern mysteries and a down-to-earth story with people who dangerously have their head in the clouds. I thought it was time I gave fantasy and sci-fi a rest for a while.
Is It Just Me by Miranda Heart
Similar over the top but very relatable scenarios to her show. This time she’s explaining how she experiences things such as fashion, Dr’s, technology and dating to her younger – rather naive but hopeful – self. Jolly good fun, if a tad awks!
Who Is Tom Ditto by Danny Wallace
Toms girlfriend has left a note to say she has left but not actually left him. Confused? So is he. The more clues he tracks down as to her whereabouts, the more he learns about his girlfriend and himself. He realises maybe he didn’t know as much about either as he first thought and why is there a random girl following him?
Junk by Melvin Burgess
I read this when I was 14 and it was a bit of a reality check compared to Sweet Valley High and Point Horror books! It’s about a love affair between two teenagers, heroin and the quirky group of people they fall in with. It’s about pushing boundaries because you feel you should but not caring where they should end.
Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevingne
Red and Naomi are in a band together until Naomi suddenly disappears. As Red follows the twists and turns of events she realises that it’s not just their friendship at stake but their lives.
The Getaway Girls – Dee MacDonald
Connie has freedom to do what she wants for the first time in decades. She meets glamorous Gill and downtrodden Maggie and they decide it’s time for a change. A tour of France and Italy in a luxury camper van to be exact. They have funny shared experiences but each still have their own story going on including a secret that catches up with them.
Have you read or would like to read any of these? Let me know – no spoilers though!
❤Chrissie❤
On our journey to replace all of our favourite scents, me and the bloke have been trying a lot of samples to the point where we are having to make notes!
The scents the bloke is trying to replace:
Oud by The Body Shop (as they no longer stock it)
1 Million by Paco Rabanne.
Mine are:
Heat by Beyonce
Deep Red by Hugo Boss (I already have a fairly good one from Floral Street)
Burberry Woman (the bloke noticed this on someone and asked what it was)
All uplifting, musky orientals essentially.
Eden perfumes are an independent, vegan company from Brighton who don’t test any ingredient or finished product on animals (they don’t ship to countries who demand testing by law). You can post bottles back to them and they will refill them for you.
The main thing that attracted me to them over other cf perfume companies is that, as well as creating original scents they also sell some highly recommended dupes for existing perfumes. The perfumes have similar names to the original name/brand or you can search by which notes you prefer under the perfume shop tab such as ‘fruity’ ‘woody’, ‘musky’ etc.
The Sample Gift Box (£21.60) contains three 10ml perfumes of your choice and is incredibly useful for figuring out if you’ve made the right choice before committing to a 30ml or 50ml bottle. I find this sample size of bottle to still be handbag friendly but they are far easier to spray than some smaller tester bottles, which are way to fiddly for me.
Left: SHE 060 is a very fresh, sexy scent that reminds me of the best selling unisex scents in the early 2000’s. Centre: TREASURE 019 is an oriental fruity/floral and isn’t meant to be a dupe for Beyonce’s Heat but really reminds me of it, plus it’s lasted all day – 1 down, 4 to go! Right: BERRY BERRY 018 is meant to be a dupe of Burberry Woman but the bloke immediately said that wasn’t anything like the one he meant. I don’t know if the lass just said Burberry and didn’t know which specific one she was wearing or what? Sadly, it also faded incredibly quickly on my skin so was no use as a general perfume even. We’ll have to keep trying…
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In the second gift box I’ve ordered, I’ve included ‘Million Dollar Man’, ‘Oud Wood’ and ‘Virgin Waters’ which is a dupe of Virgin Island Water by Creed which I’ve never heard of but apparently it smells of the beaches in the Bahamanian islands. Sold!
Keep in touch, I’ll let you know how our search goes…
Which scent would you want a dupe for?
❤Chrissie❤
It took me ages to find some cargo pants that weren’t skinny fit or cropped and then I came across these by Stradivarius £20.50 at ASOS. I thought I’d give high waisted pants one more try to define my waist and flatter my podge.
When sitting they come right up to my boobs like I’m an old lady. If I squish them down a bit I look like a horny old man! Oh. Hell. No.
So I untucked my top…
Much better. I think I look like I have bigger hips (so more shape) with this swing vest untucked anyway. So these pants are going to keep my legs cool but my back nice and toasty for Autumn/Spring then, which is quite nice actually.
If you’ve managed to sit down comfortably, and without looking ridiculous in high waisted pants/jeans with your top tucked in or a cropped top, I’d really love to know! Anyone want to help me out here?
❤Chrissie❤
