Event: Chi Kitchen Launch Debenhams Birmingham

Chi Kitchen is a Pan Asian dining concept that has recently opened in Debenhams, Birmingham. Created by Eddie Lim, the man behind Mango Tree in Belgravia, Eddie even made a special trip to Birmingham to open his latest venture.

Tucked away in a corner on the beauty floor, Chi Kitchen is a breath of fresh air. The swanky yet Asian inspired interior has a distinctly cosmpolitan feel to it, and the sweeping bar is so inviting that myself and Ahmed from Dine Birmingham pulled up a chair later in the evening to watch the chefs at work; mesmerising.

We were welcomed with cocktails and beers at the bar before moving further into the party. Dishes from chicken satay to spring rolls and pomello cups were generously dished out, as well as sushi on steaming platters of dry ice, but we were lucky enough to have a few platters made up especially for us.

The first was a mix of Pomello cups, chicken satay, wasabi prawns, wagyu beef and chicken puffs.

The teriyaki Wagyu beef was a revelation. A sweet, salty and BBQ flavoured sauce over a delectable piece of melt in the mouth beef, this is first on my list of things to try next time I come.

Later on, when we were joined by Ting and Chloe, we were also treated to a huge plate of sushi just for photography purposes.

Eddie Lim gave a speech, and I did clamour my way forward as I'm kind of a big fan... However, I only managed to get a few shots, sorry they're not so good! He talked about the location (Birmingham is great!) and the food (halal, MSG free).

I spent quite a while staring at the chefs. It was almost like therapy watching them work quickly and swiftly, expertly slicing, dicing, grilling and flaming dishes.

I also noticed the authentic grill in the kitchen, perfect for BBQ style Korean dishes.

This is where you'll find me next time; at the kitchen bar. It's honestly more interesting than watching Eastenders.

The chefs also treated us to desserts including mango cheesecake, coconut filled pandan pancakes, a Thai speciality, and apple pie gyoza.

Chi Kitchen is a stylish, contemporary venue for Pan Asian cuisine. Expect no unneccessary frills, beautiful presentation and no gimmicks. I can't wait to visit again.

*With thanks to Chi Kitchen for inviting me to the launch party

Elizabeth Arden Event at Debenhams Bullring Birmingham

Did you know Elizabeth Arden is over 100 years old? That's just one fact I picked up at the Elizabeth Arden beauty event hosted in Debenhams, Bullring last week.

A host of beautiful Birmingham bloggers headed over to counter for some serious pampering. As well as snacks and drinks, Elizabeth Arden provided us girlies with neck massages, skin analysis and more at the event.

Heading over from work, I went straight to the chair for a blissful neck massage from Stephanie on counter, who runs this fabulous blog. Just the thing to help us unwind, I was putty in her hands as she used the famous Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules Youth Restoring Serum on the neck, one area that we all agreed we don't pay much attention to (naughty!)

Here's a picture Chloe from Flying Fox took of me, as well as one of Hayley having a pamper.

My neck massage in progress thanks to Stephanie from Elizabeth Arden

Stephanie working her magic on Hayley from Strangeness and Charm

As if that wasn't enough, we also got to try out an absolute revolution. The Elizabeth Arden Skin Scanner is a genius machine that measures skin moisture, texture, radiance, pigmentiation and elasticity. Free of charge, simply visit the counter and the therapist will hold up the machine to your skin to measure the above. The best bit? At the end, it will also find your perfect match foundation! Mine was Ceramide Lift and Firm Make Up in shade Beige (I think!).

Elizabeth Arden Skin Scanner

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Foundation

It's such a genius idea as it can be a time consuming process to find the perfect foundation, and I'm keen to try this shade out when it comes back in stock.

I also had a look at the products available and my favourite has to be the lipglosses in these beautiful shades.

We had a great evening and it was so lovely to catch up with everyone. Here's a few group shots:

Paige - Paige's Preferences, Hayley - Strangeness and Charm, Tasha - NutellaTasha, Chloe - Flying Fox, Me, Sunny - Wardrobe Mag, Emily - Emily Jayne Image and Emma - Fashion Mommy (sorry if I've got any names wrong!)

Paige, Hayley and Emily.

Big thanks to Kim and the girls at Elizabeth Arden for putting on the event!

Elemis Debenhams Beauty Night

What happens when you put together a group of Birmingham-based beauty bloggers, a full kit of Elemis products and a team of Elemis experts? 

This was the scene last week when Retail Birmingham and Elemis Birmingham hosted a blogger evening to give us a real Elemis experience.

Elemis experts in action!

Turning up in a full face of make up, we swiftly took it all off again to go through a fully guided Elemis facial. Going through many stages and many products, we were given a choice of products to use at every point to suit our skin types. I've honestly never tried so many products from one brand, from the cleanser and toner to face mask, exfoliator, moisturiser, serum and more.

It was a great experience and felt just like a girly sleepover, but with two experts on hand to guide us through the products and application techniques. We also had to wear white headbands and bibs so you can imagine how hilarious we looked! The shoppers in Debenhams must have had a giggle when they saw us!

Elemis products against the Birmingham skyline

Some of the products I tried were the Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm, Rehydrating Ginseng Toner, Gentle Rose Exfoliator, Pro Intense Eye and Lip Contour Cream and Absolute Eye Serum, all of which left my skin feeling AMAZING and I couldn't stop touching it after I left (naughty I know!)

Fabulous Birmingham Beauty bloggers including Chloe from Gastronomic Gorman, Natasha from Nutella Tasha, Natalie from Beauty Baking and Babbling, Charlotte from A Much Prettier Puzzle and Vanessa from The Other VW as well as the very glam Kim from Retail Birmingham

I also managed to get a snap of us all together, and guess what, it's a no make up group shot! Can you believe a bunch of beauty bloggers agreed to this? It must have been the fabulous products though as I think everyone looks glowing!

Thank you so much to the team at Elemis Debenhams Birmingham and Kim Stephens for organising the event.