I was recently super lucky enough to be gifted a try out of the new menu from one of my all-time favourite restaurants, Revolution If you're from pretty much anywhere in the UK, you'll most likely have heard of Revolution (sometimes heard of as 'Revs'). Being from the party city that is Newcastle, I have always been to this bar for drinks, indulged on their weird and wonderful creative cocktails, and their 2-4-1 offers, but, until the start of the year, hadn't thought of trying their food menu. Now that the food menu has had a re-jig and I got to have a taste of what's new, I could think of a few reasons why you should be checking it out too.
WHAT WE DRANK?
I actually opted for one of the newest drinks on the menu which I've tried before and loved previously. This one is called 'Bird Bath' and contains Bacardi Raspberry, Blue Curaçao, Coca Real coconut, pineapple juice, and lime. Given coconut and pineapple aren't flavours that I would typically opt for, I adore this cocktail. Jamie went for a Roku Gin and Tonic, then we both topped off the meal with a Blank Canvas (Very Cherry for me, Lemon and Lime for Jamie) at the end.
WHAT WE ATE?
Okay, before you go ahead and call us greedy I'd just like to confess that, yes, we are greedy. We ordered a lot of food options here, mainly to try out different things but also because we kind of underestimated how big their portions are.
On our table, we had the Street Food Sharer consisting of two mini cheeseburgers, cajun dusted fries, pepperoni pizza slices, Revs' fried chicken, and 3 different dips. We then had sticky chicken, calamari, and the 'Trio of Fries'. The fries include 3 mugs packed with pesto parmesan fries, cheesy bacon fries, and Cajun and sour cream sweet potato fries.
MY THOUGHTS...
I. love. this. food! Believe me, I live in a city thriving with food culture and yet this chain restaurant still really stands out for me. The way they twist up street food classics and make them so indulgent, as well as serving big portions at an honest, good value price. It's everything you could want for almost any occasion. I actually came to Revolution for food on my birthday last month, I've also taken family, and seen all sorts of groups celebrating all sorts of things around the venue.
My favourite foodie options have got to be the magnificent Sticky Chicken which is fried chicken coated in 'Rib Tickler BBQ sauce' which is a unique flavour developed by The Chilli Jam Man. On top of that is the Trio of Fries which is something I didn't even know I needed in my life until I tried it - pesto fries is a dream come true!
For every cuisine, the weird and wonderful, the classics, and the ingenuity, Revolution is where it's at. Revolution may have invited me down for food with them on this occasion, but it will certainly not be the only time I visit.
Have you ever visited Revolution?
If you're planning on visiting Italy's red city, Bologna, you really are set for a treat. With its authentic culture, friendly locals, and truly classic cuisine, it's 100% a place that I reckon I'll be revisiting in my lifetime. And, of course, if you're anything like me, you'll be doing all you can to research what the city is really like before you get there to ensure you have the best time. In fact, if I had an article like this, explaining what to do and what not to do, to read before I went, I would have been set up for everything - hopefully, you will be too.
THE DOS
DO... BE CAREFUL ON THE ROADS
I read this little pointer before my visit so was sure to adopt it whilst I was there and I was certainly glad that I did. The Italians, like many European drivers, are maniacs on the road - in our time there, there were multiple occasions where motorists drove through red lights or beeped at perfectly placed pedestrians. The thing is, though, nothing really gets done about this so you pretty much only have yourself to rely on. Make sure to exercise that green-cross-code before you head there and keep yourself safe.
DO... DONATE TO TAKE PICTURES INSIDE THE BASILICA
When inside the church that stands proud of place in the centre of Bologna, Basilica of San Petronio, there are one or two signs asking visitors to donate €2 if they wish to take photos. Once I had donated the €2, I was given a bright orange wristband so that other workers around the church could clearly see that I was eligible to use my camera. What I found a bit irritating, though, was the fact that big tourist groups would enter the church and snap away until their heart's delight. When others are paying money that will ultimately only be going towards the upkeep of the magnificent building, I think it's only common courtesy that you join in too.
DO... TRY THE LOCAL CUISINE
Does this just go without saying? Bologna is known as the 'stomach' of Italy so it's surely a given that you have to try their local cuisine. From Ragu (or bolognese to you and I), Tigelle (a flower-shaped flatbread served warm and stuffed), Tortellini, Mortadella ham, Lambrusco wine, and even Lasagne, the city itself is packed full with amazing foods and surrounded by areas such as Parma (for Parma Ham and Parmesan Cheese) and Modena (for Balsamic Vinegar). If you visit Bologna, you'll definitely be indulging on a lot of amazing foods.
DO... FEEL SAFE
On my time throughout the city, I was pleasantly surprised at how safe I felt. I noticed things like locals walking around with open handbags, shopping bags being left outside shops while their owner went inside, and even one guy chatting away to his friend while his brand new Apple Desktop stood behind him in plain sight. Obviously, you must still keep your wits about you, but if you are someone who is sensitive to safety, you should have no problem here.
DO... USE A TAXI FROM THE AIRPORT
A lot of people seem torn between whether to take a taxi or bus into the city from the airport when they arrive but my recommendation would definitely be to get a taxi. The Bus comes in at around €6 each per single journey, and a taxi is around €10 each per single journey. The difference is that the taxi will be able to drop you off directly in the city centre on weekdays as well as being quicker, more private, and generally more comfortable. If I was you, especially if you're taking luggage, I'd just be hopping straight in a taxi.
DO... BE AWARE OF COPERTO
In many, many restaurants across Bologna, there is a mandatory charge per person for service, called a 'coperto'. This changes from restaurant to restaurant, one was €1 and one was €3.50 each but is generally unavoidable. Some say that refusing complimentary snacks as they're brought to the table is one way to avoid it, but others take the coperto as a fee for customer service and/or general restaurant standard upkeep. Whatever you chose to do with the coperto, make sure to be aware that attitudes do differ from restaurant to restaurant so you should be prepared to pay it sometimes.
DON'T... TRY SPEAKING ITALIAN
Okay, I admit, I took a holiday to Italy only actually knowing about 5 words of Italian (aside from my background knowledge of languages) and to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a lot of well-spoken English while I was out there. I'm not sure if it was due to the fact that it's a very student-lead city, with young intelligent people, or just because of the way English is across the world. Either way, I found there's a real great sense of English across the city so you shouldn't struggle too much or feel too intimidated.
DON'T... ASK FOR SPAGHETTI
As spaghetti is a more southern used pasta, and apparently the Emilia Romagna region look down on it a little, you'll probably want to avoid asking for it or even using the word. Unless it's stated on the menu, which I doubt it will be, you'll most likely be served Tagliatelli when ordering a ragu dish. Tagliatelli is thin, long ribbons which tend to hold the sauce a lot better, Bolognese locals seem to love it!
DON'T... CROSS THE PIAZZA PLATFORM
... if you're a student. Local students in the city believe that walking across the raised platform in the centre of the Piazza Maggiore means you'll never graduate. Now, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but either way, we avoided it!
DON'T... SKIP THE QUEUE
All this time, I thought the UK was the queuing nation but, from my observations, the Italians don't seem to like it if anyone pushes in or cuts the queue either. We found this when walking up the side streets covered in vegetable stands - here, if you want to be served, you have to wait your turn. Similarly, some of the more popular shops have a ticket system, making sure that everyone gets a fair wait.
DON'T... RELY ON CARD
It might be a city modernised by its student culture, but it certainly remains a little bit behind with its card system. Being the millennials that we are, we opted to take more money on our cards that we took in cash and ended up having to work strategically, taking into account the fact that not everywhere took card payments. Also, be aware that the maximum contactless amount is €25.
Watch out for more blog posts on Bologna and, if you're thinking of visiting, let me know!
Where should we travel to next?
Rewind to the start of 2019 when I took a break from Instagram to focus on exams and recharge my mind. Now, quickly fast forward to February when I made my return to Instagram and realised that there'd been quite a few changes. Not only was the algorithm issue still waving its gosh-ugly flag, but all my fellow influencers were peppering #ad and #gifted all over the place.
Of course, these hashtags didn't come as a complete surprise to me because, I had seen them floating around the 'gram for years - mostly on big-time influencers or celebrities - and even sometimes used them myself in case it wasn't quite clear that something had been gifted and, to be honest, usually for the pure purpose of being an honest writer with honest readers.
I swiftly began to realise, though, that as of March 1st 2019, including #ad (or something along those lines) on something that was a paid promotion was mandatory for influencers and, if the rule is flouted, there can be a hefty fine. ABC net put it brilliantly and discussed the idea of a grey area which I'm finding myself struggling to settle with on Instagram.
This grey area comes from the whole '#ad' VS '#gifted' thing. Let's say a blogger is sent a skincare product by a brand and the brand purely ask for some coverage on Instagram Stories. But the brand does ask for use of a selected hashtag - let's say #brand. According to the ASA and CAP code, this is classed as 'control'. 'Control' means that the company are shaping the result of the content being created by you. In this case, adding #brand means that they can categorise your content the way they wish. So here, the same applies if you're asked to write a blog post for a gifted product and include specific words - this is control.
However, let's take my own example with my Instagram Stories of the Oy! Skincare products that I was gifted. Alongside the commentary in my videos, I constantly provided the hashtag #gifted. In this situation, I actually could have put nothing at all. And, in hindsight, I probably should have just popped the hashtag on their once or even just briefly mentioned it. This is because there was no brand control of this content. Those at Green People that contacted me simply asking to gift me products for a blog review meaning my coverage on Instagram Stories (alongside no suggested hashtags, words, or comments, nor specification of particular dates for publishing any content) were completely my own doing. In fact, for this content, I could have, even under the prying eyes of ASA, not mentioned a single thing about #gifted and certainly not #ad.
But we do this, and I did it because I wanted to be honest and, frankly, I'm a very humble and proud blogger that jumps at the chance to share my gifted products with my readers.
If you are also wondering what exactly you should be saying, my opinion would be to use #ad for anything according to the ASA standards and using #gifted for anything that has been gifted but with no control. In this case, you are purely using the #gifted for consumer honesty.
Learning about the Influencer Marketing standards in accordance with the Advertising Standards Agency has been something that I feel has helped me breathe a little easier when it comes to applying these hashtags. I'd completely recommend checking out the ASA website and learning about the CAP codes before you use these hashtags and to settle any worries.
What are your opinions on the new #ad rules?
To be honest, it's not very often that I decide to change up my foundation. Similarly, the fact that I waltzed into the store and bought this straight away is also quite unusual for me. I'm usually the kind of person to never 'treat myself' and pretty much never really indulge on material things. This little bottle is quite the exception...
It all started, actually, about a year ago when I was invited to an event at The Body Shop. I was very kindly made up by one of the staff members in a full-face of the Body Shop Make Up cosmetics and I adored the foundation so much that I took a sample away with me.
Fast forward a few months, I finally got round to using the sample. And, like I did the first time I wore it, I was whizzed off my feet by the way it suited my skin and preferences so perfectly. Fast forward a few more months, I was walking past The Body Shop, walked in, asked for a shade match, and thus bought the foundation. A complete whim-buy, for me, but one that I look back at pretty smugly.
So what is so great about this foundation (and what makes it so perfect for the summer)?...
So what is it?
This is The Body Shop Fresh Nude foundation, it's a 30ml, pump dispenser glass bottle. My shade is 015, Kyoto Blossom, and contains Sun Protection Factor 15. According to the website, the product claims to have 24H moisturisation, be light to medium coverage, a semi-matte finish and be suitable for sensitive skin. So, let's talk about that.
- Size, Amount, Coverage
As I mentioned, the description of the product is 'light to medium' and it certainly lives up to that. This is not the foundation for anyone looking for full coverage although, I have found that, with its buildable quality, it is achievable. Speaking of which, it does build well. Adding more layers onto your skin doesn't mean you feel claggier and claggier, you definitely see more of a difference than feel more of a difference - which is only a good thing.
I'm a believer that, in the summertime, my foundation should be many things, but definitely not full coverage. I get uncomfortable in warm weather if I'm wearing thicker foundations or if my skin can't happily soak in a bit of well needed Vitamin D. Therefore, I tend to go for the likes of BB Creams or, now that I'm in the company of this product, a light coverage foundation. I reckon 1 pump of this will give me the base that I need on a hot summer's day to even out my skin tone while letting sun at my skin and avoiding the risk of packing my pores with a thick product.
- Complexion Finish
In relation to the coverage of this foundation, the finish happens to be something I definitely wouldn't reach for usually. It's very dewy, in my opinion, and I certainly wouldn't agree with the claims of it being 'semi-matte'. On the typical highlighted points of my face such as my forehead, chin, and nose, the light really catches the moisture. As a result of this, I do prefer to mattify it with a translucent powder but think that, as the foundation gets time to soak into my skin and stick to the mattifying powder, I don't find myself needing to apply more powder later one.
Which leads me perfectly onto the 24H moisture claim. Firstly, I think the claim itself is already a bit fetching as I don't know a single person prepared to wear foundation for an entire 24 hours but, I have to say, this foundation doesn't cling to the dry parts of my skin anywhere near as much as some of my others do. I did try testing the foundation for around a 9-hour wear and noticed that, by the end of it, it seemed to have pretty much stayed put and my skin didn't feel any sort of tight or dry underneath.
- The Summer Factor
What truly stands out for this product and makes it the ideal item for a travel bag, or a new kind of holiday romance, is the SPF 15. I'm a preacher of the idea that SPF keeps the skin young and I even aim to use an SPF moisturiser every day, even throughout winter, to minimise my skin's exposure to damaging UV Rays. I think there is nothing more reassuring than knowing that you can feel and look your best while not having to worry about adding extra products for extra protection. Essentially, it's like a 2 in 1.
Overall, I'm just delighted that I bit the bullet and got this foundation after thinking about it for so long. Not only does it match my skin impeccably, but it also has all of these wonderful characteristics that are both ideal for me or something completely different to my usual, safe kind of style. I highly recommend this product and can guarantee it's definitely raised my expectations of The Body Shop make up even further.
What foundation are you loving at the moment?
We all know by now that, as of Septemeber last year, I'm a full-time Uni student. I study English Language in a city University, I've moved homes, I've made new friends, and I've already had a bunch of new experiences. From the outside, looking in, you'll probably see my Uni life as a cliche kind of set up - friends, learning, drinking, and just all-around student vibes. And, to be honest, you wouldn't be too wrong because I certainly do wish to embrace these sweet years before it gets serious, but there are definitely some honest truths about University that you don't always get to hear.
1. IT REALLY IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT
If you're heading to Uni anytime soon and you've already got your Netflix subscription lined up, you might want to consider taking it down a tier and just keeping yourself on the standard tariff because there's no way you're going to fulfil your Uni experience by glueing yourself to a screen the entire time. Ok, yes, there will be times when you need those peaceful moments to yourself and, believe me, they're equally as good for you, but you're not going to necessarily achieve lots by keeping the laptop as your only friend.
Doing things like joining societies, saying yes to more things, arranging things, joining group chats, or just simply trying something new can really open your eyes and, if you're lucky, help improve you as a person.
When I started Uni, I said yes to a job that I thought was completely out of my reach, actually ended up getting the job, and now thrive in a position that I love while knowing that this will be great for my CV. Getting up, saying yes, and being your best self is exactly what will make Uni a great experience.
2. £9,000 ISN'T ALWAYS JUSTIFIABLE
Being on a course like mine where the most specialist equipment you possible get is a database for corpora, where others get lab coats, iPads, and whatnot, I can easily have days where I feel frustrated at the amount of money I pay for this experience. Of course, the money is loaned and right now not something I need to worry about, but I'll be delighted when the day comes that different courses are given different loan amounts. At the moment, my course is a hefty £9,000+ and, frankly, it only involves powerpoint slides.
Understandably, I'm paying for the environment and the expertise that I get to work amongst at University, but I just don't quite believe that courses like mine should have to pay the same amount as a course that requires lots of time and equipment.
3. IT'S NOT JUST A PRETTY WALK IN THE PARK
As I mentioned at the start, a lot of people see students as living their best lives, socialising and having fun, but I cannot sugar coat this experience completely. There are moments of stress, a fair amount, to be honest, moments of upset, weakness, or frustration but these are just the battles that you have to face to enjoy everything else and get good grades and memories by the end of it. Just like many things in life, this University chapter is supposed to challenge you - whether for you that is waking up for 9am lectures, finding friends, learning about yourself, or tackling deadlines - at the end of the day, these should be obstacles that make you stronger on the other side.
4. THERE REALLY IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Part of my role as a representative for my University has meant I've had to open my mind to every length and breadth of the University lifestyle. For example, I've had to engage with societies that would normally be of no interest to me, and open my mind to exactly how these niche places are such safe havens for others. I guess you have to put yourself in another person's shoes in some instances. Take my University's Boardgame Society, for example; that's something that wouldn't take my interest but for others has provided a space of safety, friendship, and a sense of belonging. To me, hearing about how joining the society had impacted some of the students warmed my heart because it really gave me the sense that University can bring people together from all stretches of the world and make them feel less alone.
So, basically, if you're thinking of starting University but worry that there isn't something there for you or that you don't know anyone or even where to start, you can pretty much be assured that you'll find something and be accepted as yourself.
5. IT'S REALLY NOT THAT DIFFERENT FROM SCHOOL
... but believe me, I hated school but love Uni. However, I can't deny that you'll still find 'the popular kids', and the ones that never shut up in class, the days where you and friends just can't stop giggling through lectures at completely immature things, the fact that lecturers really can't get you to be quiet, and even sometimes do that 'I'll stand here silent until they notice', and the childish gossip that floats around now and then. These though, are the things that I think actually make it that bit more bearable. I guess it's like a home-from-home or a nostalgia that never left; these qualities are what keep us going, keep us feeling young, and keep us learning.
So, it may not always present itself at face value but one of the best things about attending University is learning about the University experience. Even coming from someone who was doubtful as to whether I'd go to Uni, I would now completely and wholeheartedly recommend it.
What truths about University have you never shared?
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