Rose jam / Fishless fingers

img_1433ROSE JAM
I love everything with the smell of roses! The bubble bar Rose Jam is for that reason my absolute favourite bubble bar from Lush! When I was in Bath, last year, I treated myself to one. That was the last time I enjoyed a bath with this magic product and I need to do it again soon. I definitely need a bath in my future house, because I need to treat myself a lot more to this amazing product. First of all.. the smell is intoxicating! It’s smells like my favourite Lush product Ro’s Argan, but then you can take a bath with it. The bath water turns into a perfect pink (I mean.. who’s doesn’t want that?!) and you just don’t want to get out. Second.. it leaves your skin so soft and incredible. This is such a GO & TRY product! You can go to your nearest Lush shop to get one of course, but you can also order it online.

img_6726FISHLESS FINGERS
I don’t know where to start, because I have a very double feeling with these fishless fingers from Quorn. I want to say: they taste too good! Though, then I’m saying that they’re the perfect imitation of a dead fish’s body. I have the same with burgers which taste too good. Then again, I can’t change the fact that I used to be a meat eater and that I loved the taste of it. I also loved fish fingers, it’s something we often ate on a Sunday at home, with mayo and ketchup on a white sandwich. So it gives me good childhood memories too. I think, just img_6983because we love this taste, it’s alright to imitate and enjoy. I definitely think it’s perfect for the people who are having a hard time to make the transition because of taste. These days they can imitate so good and these fishless fingers the big proof of that. They taste exactly the same as I remember. Like 0 difference. It’s like you’re eating fish. So if there are huge fish (finger) lovers here, you have to try these. I ate them with some potato waffles (sorry, I looooveee these) and grilled some huge asparagus with them. Oh and + some yummy mayonnaise of course. It was a perfect meal. The next time I make them, I’m going to put them on a white sandwich and make them they way my dad used to make it. Yay!

Did you already know these products or are you going to try them after reading this? Please let me know or show me on Instagram by using #PlanetManel. Would you like me to test and review your product(s) or do you have any suggestions? Please send me a message via CONTACT! It can be anything (food, drinks, beauty..) as long as it’s vegan. Thank you! X

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Have a Lush Xmas!

img_3280Did you do all your Christmas shopping yet? I just finished last week. What means that there is one thing to stress less about, haha! I love getting presents for everybody though, it just takes quite a lot of time before you found something the person really likes and when you have to get presents for 15 people (like me), it’s wise to start early. I luckily did. I started in October, yes really! Whenever I get presents it’s quite obvious that there are some Lush products involved. This year it’s no different, because, getting something from Lush is always a pleasure, am I right? Lush has so many nice things and when it comes to Christmas they even have more things to choose from. In case you’re not finished your Christmas shopping yet and you need some inspiration I made a list of Lush it’s most wonderful Christmas products! You can add a bath bomb to anything you already bought.. or when you’re getting something for the bigger Lush fanatics, there are great looking Christmas hampers with lots of goodies, in any price range. You still have some time to head to one of the amazing smelling Lush stores to get your things, but if you’re too busy or you live somewhere without a Lush nearby, you can always order their products of their website!

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JOLLY HOLLYDAYS – 200 gr ‘Fizzbanger’ bath bomb / 100 gr ‘Bubbly’ shower gel / 100 gr ‘The Christmas Penguin’ bubble bar / 100 gr ‘Lord of Misrule‘ shower cream / 190 gr ‘Satsuma’ bath bomb / 120 gr ‘Fireside’ soap – £29,95

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LITTLE SNOW FAIRY – 100 gr ‘Snow Fairy’ shower gel / 100 gr ‘Snow Fairy’ fun – £9,95

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MERRY CHRISTMAS – 200 gr ‘Golden Wonder’ bath bomb / 100 gr ‘Snow Angel’ bath melt / 200 gr ‘Shoot for the Stars’ bath bomb / 200 gr ‘So White’ bath bomb – £ 19,95

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RUDY – 90 gr ‘Butterbal’ bath bomb / 200 gr ‘Shoot for the Stars’ bath bomb – £11,95

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NOEL – 100 gr ‘Lord of Misrule’ shower cream / 180 gr ‘Papa Noël’ face wash jelly / 55 gr ‘Smuggler’s Soul’ shampoo bar / 120 gr ‘Fireside’ soap – £28,95

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JOY TO THE WORLD – 45 gr ‘Dream Cream’ body lotion / 120 gr ‘Santa’s Postbox’ soap – £9,95

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CHRISTMAS BATHTIME FAVOURITES – 200 gr ‘Golden Wonder’ bath bomb / 90 gr ‘Star Dust’ bath bomb / 200 gr ‘Shoot for the Stars’ bath bomb / 180 gr ‘Northern Lights’ bath bomb / 200 gr ‘Mistletoe’ bath bomb / 200 gr ‘Luxury Lush Pod’ bath bomb / 75 gr ‘Butterbear’ bath bomb / 200 gr ‘Father Christmas’ bath bomb / 190 gr ‘Satsuma‘ bath bomb – £39,95

img_3278Of course you don’t need to give everything away.. because you obviously need some things yourself to get Christmas-ready. The day before Christmas.. take a nice hot bath with ‘Golden Wonder’, a ‘Rosy Cheeks’ facial mask in the meantime and cover yourself with ‘Ro’s Argan’ after. Use your favourite shampoo bar to make your hair look amazing and get your red nail polish ready. You’ll feel so festive and I’m sure you can handle anything Christmas throws at you.. like roasted veggies, stuffed sweet potato and cinnamon rolls! (..recipes which will come soon!)

Are you a big Lush fan, like me? What are you getting for Christmas? Please let me know your Lush-plan in the comments below or show me on Instagram using #PlanetManel. Thank you! X

UK – Bath

roomFor work I had to go to Taunton. After that I was off and because Bath is quite close, I decided to go to Bath. I always wanted to go there, because everybody always says it is such a great city. I was very excited to go. When I got out of the train it was already dark, but when I was heading to the AirBnB where I was staying, I already starting to love Bath. The lights shining on the old buildings, the Bath Abbey, the water. It’s so beautiful! I couldn’t wait to see it by daylight. I arrived at my AirBnB 10 minutes later than expected, but the hostess was very lovely and welcoming. She also had a very sweet and brave dachshund and I was just delighted to be in a house with a pet. The hostess showed me my room and it was so perfect. Within 2 minutes I knew it was going to be hard to leave, haha! The room was very stylish and the bathroom very modern, I loved this surprising combination. She gave me the key, we had a little chat and then I left again to have dinner somewhere. I say ‘somewhere’, because for the firs time I didn’t plan every minute of my trip.

mcI really enjoyed walking through Bath, even while it was dark. It was quite busy on the streets, probably because there was a rugby game going on. I walked and walked until I saw the Odeon cinema. Then I thought it would be nice to watch the new ‘Bridget Jones’ movie. So I quickly popped in and it turned out I had a good half an hour to find something to eat before the movie started. Not too far back I saw a Mexican place, called ‘Mission Burrito’, so I went there and asked if they could do something vegan. You could choose whatever you wanted and so it was possible. I chose a rice bowl. What is rice and all the (vegan) toppings they had, what meant: black beans, vegetables, salad, guacamole and a dressing. The presentation wasn’t great as it was all hsjust thrown into a plastic container, but I must say that it did taste nice. The rice was perfectly cooked and the whole combination was rather delicious. It was a perfect meal before the cinema, because there was still some space left for popcorn. YUM! I love popcorn! When I was sitting in the cinema I heard Dutch people behind me and I had a little chat with them. They just moved here. How great! The movie started and I was very looking forward to it as I heard it was hilarious. And it was! OMG! I laughed so much, it was a very good movie. It’s been a while since I laughed about a movie this much. I’d love to watch it again. When I got back to my BnB I took a quick shower, listened to some music, decided where I wanted to have breakfast the next day and then fell asleep in this most fantastic bed. It was like sleeping on a cloud.

rcThe next morning it was only a short walk to ‘The Green Rocket Cafe’, but on my way I discovered this really nice shop, called ‘Grasse’. It has a lot of unique stuff and it’s really worth to take a look inside. It was a lovely walk to the cafe, as it was a beautiful sunny day. ‘The Green Rocket Cafe’ is a super nice vegetarian cafe, with lots of vegan options. I chose the English breakfast (vegan option) and a cleansing juice with beetroot. It was so tasty! Very filling as it was quite a lot, but it was a very good start of the day. Like I said before, I didn’t plan anything and I didn’t do too much research before I came here. I robadecided to just go with the flow and see what it will bring me. I started walking and went into some lovely little shops. I especially liked the art gallery ‘Imagianation’ (beautiful art!) and ‘Arcania’, with the salt lamps, buddha’s, incense and much more. The shops led to the Bath Abbey and I took some lovely pictures. Behind the Abbey there were the ‘Roman Baths’ and I went inside to look at the ticket prices. They were £15 and I knew this was going te be something I will really like. It wasn’t busy at all and so queued up. I was right, I had a lovely time over there! I loved to learn about the baths and their history. In the end you could also taste the water. It wasn’t very tasty. It was warm and had a very strong taste. A bit earthy or something. But the minerals were very high, so I drunk 3 cups! Haha! I spend 2,5 hours in the Roman Baths and I can say that this was really a highlight of my trip.

waAnother great thing about Bath (and I think that everybody who visited this city already agrees with me), it has an amazing shopping centre. It’s very divers. There are big streets, little streets and narrow alleys. Full of shops, common high street shops, local shops, hand-made stuff, it’s like there is no end. I popped into FatFace as they are an ethical shop. (If you want to know more about this, please take a look at their website.) I saw very cute pig socks and whenever I see socks with pigs on it, I buy them. So I did. A little later there was a man raising money for the ‘Bath Cats & Dogs Home’. An organisation who caferescues and re-homes cats and dogs. I gave him some money and had a cuddle with the adorable Golden Retriever who kept him company. The man gave me some treats to give her and it was so lovely, it made my day! Not much later I bumped into a sign what said ‘Art Cafe ->’. I remembered I read about this cafe and that they did some vegan things too. I was really craving a cup of tea and so I went there to get one. It’s a cafe under a chapel and it very nice. I chose a chai tea with soy milk on the side and a yummy looking piece of chocolate cake. And it was yummy! I had a lovely little break there before I did some more shopping. I got some donice things and also I did find some very good Xmas presents for family and friends. Of course I had to go into Lush (did you notice that I’m a fan?) and I bought my favourite bubble bar, ‘Rose Jam’. Then I headed to a health shop I read about, called ‘Harvest Natural Foods’. A very nice health shop you can compare with ‘Portobello Wholefoods’. I bought a new shampoo and  conditioner and some chai tea. On my way back I discovered an amazing department store, called ‘Rossiters’. You have to go here! You can buy so many amazing things here. Lovely gifts, cookery stuff, dishes, interior things and só much more! I found a very sweet and soft little bag with a dachshund on it and I bought it for my hostess. I wanted to thank her for a lovely time, for being a beautiful and kind person and for being one of the best AirBnB’s I stayed in.

acI wanted to have dinner in the ‘Acorn’, what apparently is the best vegetarian restaurant in Bath. Every time I mentioned I was visiting Bath for my blog and hotspots, the restaurant ‘Acorn’ came up. When I found it, it wasn’t open yet, so I decided to wait in Starbucks and have a small tea. When I then walked into the ‘Acorn’ I  must say I had a very good first impression. The atmosphere is great and it all looks lovely. Luckily they still had some space for me and I ordered a cauliflower dish and a chocolate cake. They gave me very nice complimentary bread with olive oil and a seed dip and it was very very delicious. Just like the rest baof the food. The chocolate cake was possibly the best I’ve ever had. It was very filling, but the taste was just define! As it was Bonfire Night I was just in time to watch the fireworks outside. It was very cold and though the fireworks were quite nice, I didn’t think it was that spectacular. When I got back to my BnB, I made myself a cup of tea, put on some music, run a bath and popped in my RoseJam bubble bar. I had the loveliest bath ever. It was so relaxing and I just felt so happy about my weekend. Everything was going so well and I just had such a good time. This bath in Bath was a perfect end for an unforgettable day.

brThe next day it was hard to get out of bed, knowing this was the last night. I really appreciated this BnB, a lovely break from daily life. I thanked the hostess and gave her back the key. I had breakfast at ‘The Green Rocket Cafe’ again. This is definitely my favourite breakfast-hotspot in Bath. This time I chose the yogurt with granola and a green juice.. it was perfect. After that I thought it would be nice to learn a little bit more about Bath by going on the HopOnHopOff bus (so touristy, I know..). There were 2 tours for 1 price. I paid £14,50 to go into the hills and overlook Bath and to go around Bath busitself. It was quite cold that day, so I pulled my hat so far over my head that I was just able to see something. I still don’t know how I survived being in an open-top bus though. It was freezing! It was also very nice. Those buses might be touristy, but I think it’s a fun way to learn about a city. When I got off I started to walk to ‘Beyond Kale’, but on the way I bumped into some other lovely shops. ‘Timber Treasures’, where they sell hand-made wooden gifts, which are ethically and sustainably sourced and ‘Pink Art’, a lovely gift shop with so many nice things.

bkI was very happy when I could warm myself up in Green Park Station. This used to be a train station, but now it’s a place with different markets, events, shops and cafe’s. To see what market is on, on what day, click here. One of those cafe’s is ‘Beyond Kale’. This is a 100% vegan cafe and it is amazinggg! I chose to have the tortilla, what came with al sorts of incredible salads. As I was so cold I chose to have a chai latte too and it was the best I’ve ever had. I know I said that about the chai latte in Rotterdam as well, but this one was just perfection. For dessert I had a little peanut butter cake, yum yum! It was all so tasty, I really loved my lunch. A good end to my Bath adventure, because after this incredible meal, I headed to the station, back home to London.

HOTSPOT LIST:
AirBnB Click here for tips on how to find your perfect AirBnB accommodation!)
Mission Burrito – 4 New Street, BA1 2AF
Odeon cinema – Kingsmead Complex, James St West, BA1 2BX
Grasse – 3 Argyle St, BA2 4BA
The Green Rocket Cafe – 1 Pierrepont St, BA1 1NY
Imagianation -5 Terrace Walk, BA1 1LN
Arcania – 7 Orange Grove, BA1 1LP
Roman Baths – Stall St, BA1 1LZ
Chapel Arts Cafe – Lower Borough Walls, BA1 1QR
Lush – 8 Union St, City Centre, BA1 1RW

Harvest Natural Foods – 37 Walcot St, BA1 5BN
Rossiters – 38 -41 Broad St, BA1 5LP
Acorn – 2 North Parade Passage, BA1 1NX
Hop On Hop Off bus
Timber Treasures – 5 Abbey Green, BA1 1NW
Pink Art – 9 York St, BA1 1NH
Green Park Station – Green Park Road, BA1 1JB
Beyond Kale – 4 Green Park Station, BA1 1JB

selfieI had one of my best weekends ever in Bath and I’m sure you will have an amazing time there too. Please let me know if you decide to go there or to tell me about your experiences with Bath. You can do this by leaving a comment below or to show me on Instagram by using #PlanetManel. Thank you! X

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Roman Baths!

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Roman Baths!

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Lovely streets, parks and shops!

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Autumn in Bath!

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Roman Baths!

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Green Park Station, Antique/Vintage Market!

Orange Orange Orange

13090606_1139272872783481_1929926087_oAs you (all?) know, I’m Dutch. And in Holland we celebrate ‘King’s Day’! For years and years (and years) that was ‘Queen’s Day’, but since the 30th of April 2013 we have a King. King Willem Alexander! ‘Queen’s Day’ used to be on the 30th of April, but Willem Alexander changed that to the 27th of April, because that is his birthday. That day, everything in Holland is orange. It’s a big celebration. There are a lot of activities planned(games, festivals) and it almost looks like Holland changed in one big market. Really lovely! Children and adults selling their old stuff on the streets of the cities(or villages). It’s a nice atmosphere and everybody is excited.

When it was still ‘Queen’s Day’ the whole royal family visited a few cities or villages that day. That city or village prepared a whole route for them and there were (dance, theatre etc.)performances and little games. It was nice because it was so interactive. The queen herself and all the other royal family members were playing games or were asked to do things and they always did. Very unique for a royal family to interact with the people like this. But unfortunately since Willem Alexander is king it’s not like this anymore. He changed some things. Now all the schools are doing ‘Koningspelen’. What means that on the last day before the May-holiday all the primary schools are playing games. This is to promote exercise and health. Which I think is a good initiative, but I do think it’s a shame that the tradition of them visiting places in Holland is gone.

Anyway, I thought for ‘King’s Day’ it’ll be nice to do something orange. So I went to Lush and looked for orange. Because after a long day of looking for cool vintage stuff on the markets and dancing on festivals, I think it’s time for a nice hot bath and relax! And why not take a bath in King’s style?!

13090624_1139197852790983_496354265_o  ORANGE BLOSSOM – luxury bath oil – £2

13090799_1139197836124318_835377227_o  THE ROUGH WITH THE SMOOTH – scrub – £5,95

13062729_1139197889457646_770505164_o  YOGA BOMB – bath bomb – £3,95

13090859_1139197866124315_385392291_o  HAPPY THOUGHTS – luxury bath oil – £2

13062606_1139197842790984_1801946372_o  ORANGE FUN – bath play dough – £5

Enough to choose from! My personal favourite out of these products is definitely the Yoga Bomb. It has a subtle, but lovely smell and makes beautiful colours in the bath. The luxury bath oils make your skin super soft, just as the amazing scrub. I think the last one is very nice for kids. Play and wash.. so much fun!

So quickly rush to a Lush store to get some orangeeeeee.. or choose for a next day delivery via the website!

Are you going to celebrate ‘King’s Day’? What are you doing to celebrate? Are you going to try these products or do you have an orange favourite? Please let me know or show me by using #PlanetManel on Instagram. Thank you! X