Amy Rowley Lifestyle - Banana Tree Chelmsford Review

Oh hey! It's me..after what feels like a lifetime I am finally sitting down to write a new blog post and for good reason too! A couple of weeks back I was kindly invited down to review the new branch of he Banana Tree in Chelmsford. As a food lover at heart, I love an excuse for a girly evening with food and cocktails so I jumped at the chance and let me tell you now...I wasn't disappointed. 

I wasn't really sure what to expect as this was the first time I had heard of the Banana Tree but after looking at their website I was suprised to see that their other branches were mainly based in London. With Chelmsford's new addition 'Bond Street' it's safe to say their shopping and dining areas are going up in the world, who else agrees?

When we arrived we were kindly shown to our table and handed the menu. After a long day at work, myself and Zoe ( a fabulous work friend) were more than happy to receive all of the food choices and of course the drink menu, which included a mixture of yummy cocktails that we were keen to try out. We decided to go with the Lychee flavoured cocktail which we ended up reordering several times as they were simply delicious, so that is definitely worth a try if like us you love a cocktail.

Now lets get down to business, with our food choices, as of course that is what you're here to read. We decided to go with a starter so that we could road test as much of the menu in one setting. Zoe went with the chicken dumplings in fresh herb sauce and I decided to try the crispy seafood money bags. Zoe was certainly impressed with her dumplings as before I had even managed to ask to try some she had devoured them all with a big grin left on her face. The seafood money bags were just as good and for someone that normally leaves a little bit of their starter to make room for their main, this time round I couldn't help but finish every single one. The sweet chilli dip was the perfect finishing touch to a super scrummy starter. 

For main, Zoe chose Taramind Crispy Fish with Thai Basil Glaze, which I did manage to take a sneaky bite of and have already mentally noted it down to try on my second visit. I decided to try the Thai Classic Roast Duck Curry. I'm a huge fan of duck and so wanted to try it in a slightly different dish. The waiter informed me that this didn't come with rice but if I wanted to, I could add on a mixed side which at an extra price of £3.95 was the best value side to go with. What I wasnt ready for, was for the side to take up my entire plate, a mix of rice, salad and prawn crackers...It surely was worth the money and worth getting if like me your eyes are bigger than your belly. Of course I didn't manage to finish the entire course, but I did try my best to eat as much as I could as the entire dish was very yummy. 

After seeing social media posts showcasing very cool swinging chairs, I was surprised to see that they weren't there when we visited, after all imagine the boomerang. However I have been notified that they are now up and running again so if you are keen to visit the new branch of Banana Tree you can be sure to have a bit of fun sipping your cocktail in those. 

Overall, my experience at the Banana Tree, Chelmsford was a great one and I will definitely be returning with other friends very soon. If you're in the area for an evening out or shopping and need a lunch break, this is the perfect pit stop and you're sure to be delighted with the tremendous food, cocktails and customer service that I am sure you will be greeted with. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

Amy Rowley Style - Let's Talk Colour

Hey guys, it's me again, of course with a new outfit and some new ramblings that I hope are gonna make just that little bit of sense. Today I wanted to talk about the 'C' word. Noooo not that 'C' word but colour and the way you can inject different colours and shades into your wardrobe in different ways.

Now I know a number of people that seem to be afraid of wearing brighter colours and instead stick to black and white for their entire wardrobe. That is totally okay and if that's want you are comfortable wearing then go ahead, I myself am never opposed to a bit of monochrome! However I think it can be nice to be a bit more playful with your style and inject colourful pieces into your outfits. I have thought of a couple of ways that you can do this, if like many, you tend to stick with 50 shades of grey instead of wearing those brighter shades/

1. Shoes - It's summer and that means you can be overly playful with your shoe game. Use a pair of shoes to inject a bright colour into your wardrobe, by playing with red, blue or even yellow shades. Yes that's right yellow!

Yellow is going to be so big this season, from more pale shades to mustard yellow. I recently picked up this pair of mules from Primark and I absolutely love them. They just make your outfit POP! Perfect for wearing with summer dresses or as done here, with a pair of simple black jeans and white embroidered blouse. I love how the embroidery has very small accents of yellow to help pull the whole outfit together.

2. Accessories - If you still don't feel sassy enough to wear too much colour in your day to day outfits, edge yourself in slowly with a handful of accessories. Tassel earrings are really popular this season, in bright blue or red (see here.) Another way would be to incorporate a colourful bag into your look. Zara and Mango often have a great selection of good value bags that look either designer inspired or simply a lot more expensive. An example, would be pairing a red bag with an all black outfit. Perfect!!

3. Pastel Shades - If you dont want to go for a bright yellow or red, a great way of implementing colour into your wardrobe is to wear pastel shades. Sage green colours, or dusty pinks are slightly softer and not as scary, especially if you don't wear colourful items that often. By wearing pastel shades they will still work well with black, white and grey but just add that something different to your overall look. I love pale pink tones and pale blue. If you follow me on Instagram (@amyrowleyy) you will have seen me wear a baby blue suede biker from Zara to death.

4. Beauty - Last but not least, why not play with your makeup! A bright coloured lipstick or eye shadow will work just as well to create a pop to your outfit. If not, orange coloured nails are a fantastic way to introduce new shades into your summer look. This is also a really affordable way of mixing up your outfits as you can pick up a great lippie for around a fiver!

* Outfit *

Top - Zara 

Jeans - Topshop 

Mules - Primark 

Bag - Vivienne Westwood (No longer available)

These are just four simple ways of injecting some colourful pieces into your wardrobe. I hope you enjoyed this little post, what do you think of my new colourful mules?

Thanks for reading my lovelies x  

Amy Rowley Style - Tips and Tricks to Primark purchases

Primark is a funny one. It's full to the brim of endless clothing, accessories, home bits and even now makeup and beauty. But for me, its all about finding a needle in a haystack. That one gem out of endless amounts of rocks. Some may disagree and this may been controversial, but gone are the days of me coming out with huge bags of Primark pieces, instead I choose wisely with a couple of items at a time. 

Here are my tips for shopping in primark, to ensure you don't waste your money on 'bargains' and make sure you find a staple or fantastic trend piece that you will be wearing non stop through the summer months.

First things first, it's so easy to get sucked in by cheap deals, unbeatable prices and a good ol'bargain, but it's important to be picky nonetheless. I used to walk out with bags full of these fantastic buys only later would I realise that realistically it didn't overly flatter my body or I was only going to wear it once or twice. Choose wisely when shopping in Primarni my loves, take an item and imagine spending a topshop price on it, would you still be tempted to make the purchase at a higher price? Will you wear it more then once? These are the questions that will help you to make a good primark purchase and not end up regretting it later.

That is not to say you can't be adventurous with Primark pieces, in fact I suggest doing so. Take the big seasonal trends, such as gingham or embroidery, the ones you know you won't want to wear forever. Primark is the perfect way to dabble in the trend without forking out a fortune. Take advantage of the cheaper prices for those more daring pieces that you know will be perfect for this season but may not be as popular for the next.

Of course there are those items that you simply can't go wrong with when it comes to primark. Plain cami tops are one and Pjamas are another. If like me, you aren't one to wear silky lacy nightwear on a daily basis and just prefer to be comfortable... Primark is the one!! Their range of themed, cute nightwear has got to be a winner for so many. Am I right people or am I right.

My final tip it to use Primark as a guinea pig. All those expensive items that you think you like the look of, but aren't quite sure, head into Primark to see if you can find a similar piece. More often than not they try to copy designer pieces and follow big trends. Buy a cheaper alternative and if you find yourself loving the item, you will know to splurge on the more expensive option.

When I went into my local Primark a few weeks ago, I literally had all of 5 minutes to spare, which is normally never a great thing. However two things caught my eye. The first, was this gorgeous little gingham dress with flared sleeves. Killing two trends with one stone and at a small price of just £13 I had to pick it up. The other item will be appearing on the blog soon. Another trend item that I thought I would try the waters with, before making a splurge.

Anyway, enough of the rambling I hear you say. I hope this has helped you Primark lovers out there, to get the best out of a cheaper high street store. All I have to say now is... Happy Shopping!!

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

A Short and Sweet Guide to Amsterdam - Amy Rowley Travel

Now this may be a little late, but I still wanted to write about this beautiful city and some of my must see and dos should you ever visit. About three weeks ago I visited Amsterdam with a group of friends for a fantastic weekend of food, exploring and way too much drinking. Nevertheless I came away from the weekend with smiles all round and another of my must see cities ticked off my list.

 So I thought I would do a similar post to my Bruges blog post (read it here) where I talk through some of my favourite parts of the trip and what I would recommend to you, if like me you are eager to see Amsterdam in all its glory. So here are my 4 must sees and dos for the city of dam!

1. First things first walk out of the train station and head to the first cafe you see that serves, crepes, churros, waffles or simply anything sweet. Choose whatever takes your fancy and indulge...start Amsterdam with pure yumminess and satisfaction, ready for exploring and walking as I can tell you now there will be a lot of it. I couldn't have just one option whilst on my trip, so after trying churros, I went back for more with a crepe. Both topped with nutella and strawberries of course and they didn't disappoint. 

While on the subject off food, make sure you have a portion of chips with chip sauce, I missed out on this and its still bugs me to this day, but my friend assures me they are fantastic. 

2. Visit the Red Light District and take it all in. It may seem like a silly recommendation, but its probably one of the most weird yet fascinating things i've seen in my entire life. Its such a normal day to day occurence for so many people living in Amsterdam, that what in my head should seem wrong, was actually rather interesting. Obviously its best to go at night for the full experience. 

One bar recommendation has to be Cafe Remember, I had one of the best nights in this Coyte Ugly inspired bar, dancing and drinking like crazy nutters with friends. If you fancy a fun casual night out, then give it a whirl and let your hair down. 

3. Take an afternoon, to wonder round the back streets and the cute and fancy boutiques. We spent a good few hours on the Sunday exploring these little boutiques and doing a spot of shopping and it was the best way to end the trip. This area of the city was in my opinion the prettiest, of what I saw anyway and not something to be missed. 

There are a variety of shops too, plenty of affordable high street prices and then the more high end and designer items. One of my favourite boutiques was called Wind, I purchased a gorgeous rose gold watch for 19 euros and it was full of cute little gifts, jewellery and clothing items. 

4. We visited many museums whilst in Amsterdam, the Van Gogh museum, the Sex museum, but my favourite had to be the Prostitution museum. You may find this a bit odd but it was just so interesting to learn about the life that so many women choose to live. The reasons behind it, how the system is controlled out there and how that for many choosing to visit a prostitute its simply for companionship.

I definitely think its worth a visit, for me travelling with a group of girls we all found the information interesting to say the least. 

So here are my 4 favourite places to see and things to eat that I did whilst in Amsterdam for a weekend of fun. I hope you enjoyed my little insight and a few of my pretty snaps from this beautiful yet intriguing city and I also hope this gives you a little bit of inspo should you be thinking of booking a trip or even already have one booked. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

Amy Rowley Style - City Break Exploring

So last weekend I was on one of the best trips I have had in a long long time. My work colleagues and I decided to spend a long weekend in Amsterdam and what a weekend it was. When we first booked the trip of course one of the first things I started to think about was my outfits and what I was going to wear. After a super last minute trip into H&M I came out with a bag of goodies...oops. It is safe to say H&M are killing it right now so I would suggest you pop in and have a look. 

*Outfit Details*

Jacket - ZARA

Top - H&M (can't find online)

Skirt - H&M (can;t find online)

We spent the weekend exploring the sights, eating lots of yummy food, consuming way too much alcohol and a spot of shopping. I will talk about this in my next blog post so look out for that. 

Me and a friend snuck out of the hotel while the others were taking vital nap time for the evening ahead, to take some artsy pictures for this blog post. That is blog commitment right there.

For my outfits I wanted to be comfortable but still trendy, which is exactly why I love this outfit. Of course both the T-shirt and skirt are from H&M, and my trusty Zara suede biker which was worn constantly throughout the trip. 

I paired the embroidered slogan tee with a pink denim skirt, which I absolutely love. I think it looks great in this more casual outfit but I also think it would look lovely with a white shirt and some heels for a more smart casual style. The same applies to the t-shirt which would also look great with black high waisted jeans and a coloured blazer over the top to add that little bit of tailoring. 

Both items could be worn in so many different ways, which is what I look for in the products I buy. I'm trying to buy items that will fit into my wardrobe and work all year round. Staple items that I can wear year after year and keep on-trend by adding one fashion statement item to the outfit. 

On this day in Amsterdam, we explored the Van Gogh museum, the sex museum and even devoured nutella  and strawberry covered churros (and yes they were incredible.) 

So there you have my first little insight to Amsterdam, my next blog will be some top tips and places to visit should you want to try a weekend in Amsterdam, which I would definitely recommend. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

Amy Rowley Style - The Trench Edit

Spring has sprung and I don't know about you but this makes me a very happy bunny. Today was the first day in a while I have been on my way back from work smiling because the sun is out and the breeze is just perfect! Anyway cheesiness over and done with, its important to remember that living in the UK it just so happens that these days are few and far between. With that in mind I thought what better focus for this week's blog then the classic trench coat!

Now if I had my way the Burberry trench would be the absolute epitome of perfection, however it's safe to say that is no where near my budget. So I thought I would talk to to you about the PINK trench and yes I am still far from being over my current pink obsession.

I picked this little beauty up from Topshop last year and I wore it to death through the spring months. I'm glad to see that the trend has been bought back this season and there are still plenty of choices available on the market. ( Links will be below) Not only does it give the edge to the classic of the trench but it just injects a little bit of colour to an outfit. Colour in my opinion is never worn enough, so many people get comfortable wearing the grey tones and monochrome outfits, which don't get me wrong I love, but you should never be afraid to wear a little bit of colour. You should learn to be playful with it and instead of wearing a complete outfit of bright colours, use one pop to make your outfit scream fun. You don't have to wear super bright shades either, muted tones and pastels are in fact my favourite.

This outfit was a simple one thrown on for the weekend but i felt comfortable yet a little bit sassy. With International Women's Day just gone it reminds me how important it is to feel great about what we are wearing and embrace it!

Pink Trench Coat

-No1-

-No2-

-No3-

So what do you think? Fancy a little pink trench? I know i will be wearing mine in the upcoming months and continue to embrace the pink shade that a lot of people seem to be going crazy over. I hope your all having a fabulous Friday and just like me looking forward to the weekend. I don't know about you but i'm hoping for a sunny one.

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

'Don't Look Back' Positivity and looking forward

So a week or so ago, i was out shopping with a good friend.  We came across this shirt and both of us fell in love simultaneously, meaning we walked out the shop with two bags not just one. First things first, its stripey. Now my love for stripes is forever strong, especially blue stripes in particular. I think they look very put together and inject a Parisian feel to your outfit, topping it off with a slice of elegance...yes a slice *laughs*. Secondly if you follow me on instagram ( @amyrowleyy) then you will know that my love for captions and embroidery is growing on a daily basis. So the cuteness of the shirt doubled when i saw that it had the words 'Don't Look Back' embroidered onto it. 

When styling the shirt i wanted it to be the key focus of the look, let it do the talking. I paired it with some simple black Joni Topshop jeans, my new favourites although i will admit, the button has to be undone after dinner (high-waisted issues *sighs*). For shoes i chose the boots that i have literally not taken off since i bought them. My slightly pointed leather Chelsea boots from Office. Perfect for everyday wear and they go with pretty much everything in my wardrobe. A staple black boot for your wardrobe. My bag you may have seen in a previous post (here) was a little sale find from Zara, gorgeous grey suede. It is unfortunately sold out, so i won't dwell on it too much but it does just give the finishing touches to the outfit. 

*Outfit*

Shirt - H&M

Jeans - Topshop 

Shoes - Office 

(heads up the boots are now down to £40 !!)

Necklace - H&M

Now moving on from the outfit, after shooting the pictures for this post i thought more and more about the caption and how it fitted so well into something that is one of my main focuses this year. Positivity. 'Don't look back' and dwell on the past but instead move forward and look towards the future and what it holds for you. At the end of last year, i decided positivity was one thing i needed to focus on more, for myself but also others around me. Lets face it, no one enjoys a negative Nancy! I have always considered myself a pretty positive person, but sometimes it's easy to let the negativity surround you and eat you up. 

After moving out last year and spending my first year away from my family, i really had to learn to love myself more. I didn't have the comfort of having my mum at my beck and call, but also i found out that as you grow up and move on in your life, you really start to see where your true friends lie. So here are a few pointers that might help you be more positive in the future.

• Surround yourself by positive people and in turn be positive to others. You need to help each other and push through the negative time's as a team. 
• Don't dwell so much on the past, its easy to get caught up in what has happened or what could have happened, but really it won't help the future you. Look forward no matter what. 
• Try not to let other's opinions get you down. Your life is about YOU and you control it. Don't let other people hold you back after all most of the time their opinion doesn't matter. 

My three small points are just a start of what could be the road to a positive you and a better year, you never know whats round the corner. I hope you enjoyed my little ramble, oh, and the outfit too! Let me know in the comments below, and feel free to come visit me over on my instagram @amyrowleyy or my twitter @amyspoons for more shenanigans! 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

Valentines Day - A Little Something For Everyone

February is among us and without a flash, into every shop that you walk, your surrounded by a sea of fluffy stuffed animals holding hearts, and red lingerie at every angle. For some of us, it's a special day for us to spend with our other half and for some its the complete opposite. A day that we dread, being single on valentines can only make us feel more lonely, which no one needs. Fear not, here are my ideas to keep Valentines day fun for everyone, no matter who you are with, or not with for that matter. 

**Outfit  Skirt - River Island, Shirt - H&M, Boots - River Island **

All Loved up 

Sometimes all you need, is to spend some quality time together. Forget the fancy presents and a la carte menu's, where half the time you can't even read the menu. These things aren't what builds a strong relationship. If you have the money, fabulous, if you don't i have you covered. 

• A Home cooked Meal, can never go down wrong. Unless you burn it of course and then if that's the case, the only thing left to do is to head on over to JustEat.co.uk *chuckles.* But seriously, take a simple menu or even her/his favourite meal and get to work in the kitchen. Throw in a couple of candles and a chocolate fondue for desert, and you are on to a winner my friend. 
• Give your other half a Voucher, entitling them to something you know they want to do with you, have been talking about for ages, or simply something you know that normally you just wouldn't do for them. Have they been wanting to see a snooker game for ages, or a girly soppy film at the cinema that personally you couldn't think of anything worse? Then use this time of year to show the other one just how much you care. 
• Forget Easter egg hunts, how about a valentines hunt. Something fun and silly, that costs next to nothing to prepare. You could make the prizes as simple as a picture of you both, or their favourite chocolate for good measure. The thoughtfulness behind it and time dedicated to it, will be much appreciated.  

Sassy and Single 

As much as this is a time for loved up couples to get all soppy and fancy over one another, utilize this time as a singleton to have fun or celebrate the other loved ones in your life.  Your friends and family.

• Use Valentines day as an excuse to get together with your friends and have a girly night in, pink pj's, heart shaped chocolates, and cute captioned cards, celebrate your friendships in style. You don't have to have a boyfriend/girlfriend to be loved...oh no, sometimes there is nothing better then a friend who has been through everything with you, tears chuckles and more. 
• Treat yourself, you can love yourself right?! Of course. Use the money you would spend on someone else, to treat yourself this Valentines. A bunch of your favourite flowers, aftershave or even a set of sexy underwear (which is more for us then for them i say), and you will be feeling a lot brighter then you did before. 

Something Cute For Everyone 

• This final little idea, is something for everybody. Get your mum and dad involved, your sister/brothers, friends, whoever is with you on valentines day, and have a fort evening. I read recently about a celebrity wedding where it was all built round the idea of the first date, which was building a fort, and well what could be cuter. Gather together all of the blankets, fairy lights and snacks and build yourself the coolest fort you ever did see. If you head over to Pinterest i promise you, you'll find endless ideas and inspiration.

So there you have it, some little cute ideas for valentines this year. What ever you choose to do, or  whoever you choose to spend it with, i hope you share the love and get festive.

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

Gorgeously Gingham

I can already tell that Gingham is going to be a huge trend favoured by all this spring/summer, and i can see why. It is a nostalgic pattern reminding us of our school days in those hideous summer dresses. This time we can wear it our own way. The classic black and white monochrome look, banishing those pastel yellows and dark green gingham combo's. I thought i would put an outfit together showing a gingham outfit still perfect for those slighter colder weeks we have left before the sun starts to make an appearance. If this trend is something you are interested in i can do Head to toe trend blog post so just let me know in the comments below.

* Outfit Details *

Shirt - Mango

Leather look trousers - New Look

Jacket - H&M sold out :(

Bag - Vivienne Westwood 

Boots - Primark (similar from Office)

Necklace - ASOS

The shirt - So of course the main star of the show, is the shirt. The focal point of the outfit and the trend piece. I like to mix trend pieces with classic items in your wardrobe. I feel that this allows you to wear bigger trends in a subtle way, perfect for those catwalk inspirations in a high street way. This little number is a shirt i found on ASOS, but its actually by Mango. It was really inexpensive and perfect for those that love  something a little over sized. It has slightly wider sleeves or balloon sleeves, another trend that seems to be popping up, especially in high street stores like Zara at the moment.

The Trousers - As i said earlier i like to use classic pieces to trends to make them wearable and timeless. These black leather trousers do just that. we are still experiencing that cold weather at the moment so while this is the case, these skinny trousers are perfect. When the climates start to change i would mix up the leather look trousers with a dark grey/black distressed denim skirt for a slightly more edgier look. 

The bag - Now this little beauty is currently my pride and joy. It was a very much welcomed gift from some lovely friends and i could not be happier. It is the Balmoral flap bag by Vivienne Westwood, in this gorgeous dark green forest colour. The gold chain is just the icing on the cake, and this little bag can make any outfit pop. I love the subtle branding on it to, just a small Orb logo, very chic! I think this is a nice way to still be classic but not wear a black bag. I often like to go for something a little different when it comes to my bag collection, and this one is definitley going to stay in mine as a firm favourite. 

The shoes - Now these shoes were a quick emergency buy when i went to London for a day trip, stupidly wearing rather high heeled boots. These little beauty's were from primark, at the price of £12. What a steal! I have wanted some pointed boots for a while. I think they give a classic and quite elegant look to an outfit. I think buying a cheaper option to a product first to try it out is a great idea and is exactly what i did with these. I have now purchased another pair of boots similar but of higher quality and real leather from office, that i literally don't take off. I will link these below as even thought they may be a little bit more spendy, they are currently in the sale and a lot warmer on your tootsies *laughs*. 

Jacket - Last but not least i just briefly wanted to mention the jacket. There are so many similar options to these on the market at the moment, the classic Aviator jacket, that seems to be flooding our screens on instagram. This particular take on the Aviator jacket is from H&M, one of the more affordable styles from the range on the high street at £49.99. Its so warm and fluffy and great to throw on while its still so chilly. 

So there you have it! My take on the gingham trend, that i promise you will be seeing a lot more of over the upcoming months. Hope you liked this outfit, let me know your thoughts. Will you be making a gingham purchase anytime soon? 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x