review Archives - Megan Taylor

AMAZON PRIME TV PICKS

Hi all, I am just popping by with a quick list of what to watch right now. The last Netflix Picks I wrote was November last year! I have been in love with Amazon Prime lately and have found so many incredible programs which I want to share with you. (All of these shows are free to watch within the Amazon Prime subscription). I have picked shows for the family, for the girlies and for the adults. A lot of the shows have actually won many many awards. Let me know what you have been watching lately because with all of this snow I am going to need some new goodies to binge watch. Little side note…I always struggle with finding a feature image for my Netflix/TV picks so I picked this little less seen image of me and Liam watching my phone…who knows, we could have been watching TV…mid event…hmmm…

THE BOLD TYPE

Oh wow this TV is incredible! If you are someone who loved Gossip Girl and Sex In The City then this is what you have been missing since their endings. The show follows a few girls working at a magazine and making their way through relationships. They are all so determined. It’s a program that makes you want to go out and conquer your dreams.

LIFE IN PIECES

This show has made me laugh out loud with every episode. Every actor is incredible but Zoe Lister-Jones is my absolute favourite!!!! The show is based around one family and is split into four separate stories which are all interlinked. This program is perfect for that quick sit down and laugh comedy.

THIS IS US

Oh, wow, I think I have cried whilst watching every episode. This show tugs on your heart strings like no other. It is a drama which flashes back between the 70s and the present day. You get to see the parents and the children during different stages of their lives. Mandy Moore is amazing in it. I adored her as a pop star in the early 00’s and can’t believe how amazing she is as an actress. A must watch.

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Follow a Jewish girl in New York trying to make it as a comedian. Classic! Hilarious! I love this show and clearly others do too because it has won numerous awards already. It is set in the 1950s and the costumes are stunning. Mrs Maisel, played by Rachel Brosnahan (won a Golden Globe for this part) has many hilarious quirks and works so hard at being the perfect housewife. If you want a thoughtful laugh then this is the one for you.

A couple of other programs on my watchlist are The Collection and Good Girls Revolt but I haven’t had time and they are more me than Liam programs, so ones for me to watch when I’m alone. What have you been loving on Amazon Prime? Is there anything I have missed off the list?

A Romantic Trip To Soho Farmhouse

Last week Liam and I decided to book a couple of days off work to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary. After reading about Soho Farmhouse in a magazine last year it has been on my list of places to go ever since. Keep on reading for my review of the venue and what you can expect if you visit.
Trundling down a couple of miles of well preened country lanes we knew we had arrived on Soho Farmhouses’ soil. From the moment we drove into the front entrance to the moment we left we were living in a relaxing bubble. Literally nothing compares to the experience we had here. Some people want to compare Soho Farmhouse to Disneyland for adults or Centre Parcs but once you have been you will realise its not the same as anywhere else that you have been.
Once your booking at Soho Farmhouse has been confirmed you will be sent your itinerary along with the house rules…these house rules include not taking too many pictures around the social areas. Our farmhand explained this is just so that you don’t snap shots of celebs boozing or sunbathing in the background. Even as a non-celeb I kind of love this. The lack of photo taking meant that I didn’t constantly have my phone glued to my hand ready to Snapchat each breadcrumb that I was about to nibble on. This being said, I still documented some of our trip for prosperity. Another rule was to not chat on the phone in the social areas, again this added to the pure relaxing vibe the venue oozes.

ACCOMMODATION
There is a choice of a studio cabin, group house or tepee style glamping tent. We had a studio cabin which was equipped with the biggest, most comfortable bed on the planet, rainfall shower, bathroom, outdoor bathtub, umpteen Cowshed beauty products, wood fire, kitchen and a TV with FREE new release films!!
(We stayed in cabin 5)

ACTIVITIES
Where do I start? We were there for 48 hours and struggled to fit everything in. Some of the activities are…
rowing boats, swimming pools, gymnasium, sports classes, cookery classes, cocktail bar(s), restaurant(s), cycling, cinema, horse riding, football, air hockey, snooker, ping pong, massages, treatments, foosball…and so much more.

HIGHLIGHTS
☆ Converted milk floats which transport you around from location to location.
☆ Insanely high internet speeds even when you are in the fields…do they have wifi hubs located under the grass??
☆ Some of the converted milk trucks are actually mini cocktail bars and you can book a time slot to have them come and hang out outside your cabin to give you quality uninterrupted cocktail barman time.

☆☆☆

There is so much more that I want to tell you but I don’t want to ruin the whole mystery of the Farmhouse illusion. You must book to go as soon as you can, you will, without a doubt have a fantastic time. Also, if you live South of Oxfordshire I highly advise a pitstop to Bicester Village on your way home for a spot of discounted designer shopping and some top nosh at the Farmshop which is in actual fact also under the Soho House umbrella.
Let me know if you go x

My Latest Make Up Obsessions

I am having a bit of a love affair with make up lately and have recently stocked up on plenty of new goodies so expect a lot more make up obsessions to be coming soon to my blog. The pieces I have selected to show you today are from Too Faced, KIKO and Make Up Forever. I hope you enjoy my latest make up obsessions.

KIKO eyeshadow brush
I love KIKO. Everything they sell is affordable so you can try out new products without breaking the bank. This make up brush has been perfect for a bit of precision eye shadow blending.

Make Up Forever eyeshadow brush
This brush is a little chunkier than the KIKO brush which makes it great for an easy application of a large expanse of eye shadow.

Make Up Forever Eyeshadow – Platinum
This eye shadow is absolutely beautiful, it is like a zillion stars clustered together into a little pot. With just a small brush of this on your eyelids when you are on holiday you will be all set to go for your evening ahead.

Too Faced Smokey Eye Palette
I have been a lover of Too Faced for a while now. Their packaging is always very enticing. This Too Faced palette is wonderful. All of the colours are wearable with no eyeshadows that are too “out there”. I normally find that with an eye shadow palette there are colours that I never use but that is not the case with this one. ‘Firefly’ and ‘Cloves’ are my favourite colours to use for a day look and then build it up with the darker colours and the silver ‘In A Flash’.

What make up have you been loving lately?

Christmas Theatre Trips

Every year I try to book tickets to the theatre at Christmas.
There’s no better excuse to get dressed up and drink cocktails than going to the theatre in the West End at Christmas time.
I have recently been to see Elf and Funny Girl.
Elf was very festive and perfect for this time of year while Funny Girl would be perfect all year around.

ELF

Stars: ***
Where we sat: Circle. Row G. Seat 32
Ticket Price: £78.50
Tube: Tottenham Court Road
Buy Tickets

As many of you know Elf is my favourite film. As soon as I heard the musical of Elf was coming to the West End in London I jumped at the chance to buy tickets.
There was a lot of press regarding the extortionate price of the tickets for Elf but there were definitely a few average priced tickets available.
When you are in the Domion theatre you can see the stage pretty well from all the seats.

Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud played the part of Jovie. I was really impressed by her vocal abilities in her solo number. She definitely didn’t get the chance to show that off whilst in Girls Aloud!
Ben Forster played Buddy the Elf and he picked up on loads of Will Ferrell’s Buddy-isms.
Special credit goes to Joe McGann playing Walter Hobbs who perfected James Cann’s voice and mannerisms immaculately.

I feel the story was well adapted for the stage but as no one knew any of the songs it didn’t create the normal musical theatre atmosphere of the audience humming along.

The magical ending was perfect for kids and adults. There was snow falling from the ceiling and Father Christmas somehow flew over the stalls like a One Direction concert!
The majority of the audience were in their late twenties, early thirties but the show was definitely aimed at the kiddies.

FUNNY GIRL

Stars: *****
Where we sat: Row B. Seat 15
Ticket Price: £40.00
Tube: Southwark / London Bridge
Buy Tickets

I have never seen the movie of Funny Girl but I know a lot of the songs, having sung them in singing classes as a kid.
We were lucky enough to go to one of the previews of the show.
It is currently running at the Chocolate Menier Factory in Southwark before going to the Savoy next year for an extended run.
I was so pleased to have seen it at the Chocolate Menier Factory.
It is a lovely small theatre and I got to sit in the second row, making me feel as if I was part of the show.

Sheridan Smith and Darius Campbell played the leads and were wonderful.
Darius has come a long way since the days of Pop Idol.
He executed a heartfelt portrayal of Nick Arnstein.
If Sheridan doesn’t win an Olivier Award next year I would be shocked.
Smith played the part of Fanny perfectly. Her voice was wonderful and hit all the big notes. Her rendition of Don’t Rain On My Parade was fabulous.
I don’t quite know how she managed to tear up in so many scenes…such an incredible actress.

Tanya’s Cafe {Review}

After a long day of filming my husband came and met me for dinner in London.
He took me to Tanya’s Cafe.
I have been vegetarian since I was nine and always had an incling to try out being plant based but never thought it would be possible.
When I found out about Tanya’s Cafe I immediately put it on my list of places to go.
We have Tanya’s cook book and regularly follow the recipes.

We arrived at 7pm and it was fairly quiet, about 50% full.
The atmosphere was lovely and chilled.
The restaurant is set within My Hotel, nestled somewhere between the Kings Road and Fulham Road.
By the time we left at 9pm the restaurant was full and buzzing.
We could have stayed there all night drinking cocktails and nibbling on kale crisps.

While we decided what we were going to have for dinner we ordered a cocktail each.
They were the healthiest and freshest cocktails I have ever had. They were really delicious.

What we drank: Passionate Crush, Mango Mexicana, Sweet Burn and Top Gun.

We couldn’t decided what to order so we shared an array of random dishes.

What we ate: Pad Thai , falafels, kale crisps, carrot sticks with red pepper hummus and an aubergine dish.

The pudding (pictured above) was my favourite dish of the night. The cake was a chocolate and date puree slice. I would go back just for that slice alone. Tanya…please put the recipe for this in your next book.

I would highly recommend this restaurant. Everything is raw and vegan.
My husband thought he was going to be hungry after our meal but he was completely full.