Minimal Instagram feeds, retro cameras and steamed venison buns: The Indy/Life Loves List
Our weekly round-up of the Independent lifestyle desk's favourite things
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Your support makes all the difference.Minimal Instagram accounts
There’s something oddly exciting about accounts brave enough to have nine, or less, carefully curated photos, with no interest in leaving a trailing digital footprint. That's how the coolest teenagers are doing it, apparently. We've had the Story function for long enough now that Instagram accounts don't need to be crammed with thousands of photos that are blurry and barely distinguishable. Extra marks if there is a clear colour scheme.
Queuing for gelato
There was a time when the soft swirls of a Viennetta signalled that your mum had forked out for the ‘posh’ ice cream. For better or worse, those days are long gone, and artisan gelaterias are cropping up across the land.
Would we queue for a Mr Whippy with a flake? Well, probably for a minute or two. But creamy and intense pistachio gelato? Definitely.
Retro cameras
Feeling snap-happy? Then why not invest in the retro-inspired Fujifilm Instax Mini camera for your summer holidays Not only does it looks great, but it’s also packed with a host of features that make it great for novices and photo enthusiasts alike.
Designed with a built-in flash and a range of different shooting modes so you get more control over the final image, it even has a handy mirror-like shutter on the front so you can take the perfect selfie.
A whimsical SE Asia hotel
This new JW Marriot hotel on the southern Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc is totally bonkers – in the best possible way. Instead of uptight elegance, this super-luxe five-star hotel was created by maverick designer Bill Bensley to resemble a colourful, Disney-esque university, with a dollop of Alice in Wonderland whimsy thrown in for good measure.
Each brightly-coloured building has a different university department theme, from the Department of Conchology (covered in detailed drawings of shells) to the Department of Chemistry (aka the hotel’s cocktail bar, complete with beakers and copies of the periodic table).
Fancy clay masks
Summer has finally set in – hooray – but the stifling temperatures that come with it can wreak havoc on our complexions. As such a good clay mask can go a long way to drawing out impurities and our favourite is, without doubt, Charlotte Tilbury’s Goddess Clay Mask, which costs £38.
A glow-giving formula, which combines Spanish clay and Sweet Almond oil, this mask is ideal for all skin types but specifically those that are dry or problematic. It promises to “visibly lift, smooth, brighten and tighten pores for baby skin” and, surprisingly, it really does.
Hot yoga in summer
Interest in Bikram yoga - in which you power through 26 poses in a humid 40C room - peaks during the coldest months. It's presumably a quite enticing way of getting away from the bitter chill for a while.
But to those who avoid it in the baking summer months - perhaps seeing it as a busman's holiday - we say 'pah'. The stifling summer heat feels positively icy after
Steamed venison buns
We like pairing whisky with lots of things; mature cheddar, some nice smoked mackerel, Christmas cake, and of course - haggis. But, for us, nothing quite comes close to the pairing Scottish-themed restaurant pop-up Dram & Smoke conjured up with the Balblair whisky guys.
A charcoal steamed bun - looking like a lump of coal on the plate - filled with a rich, gamey venison ragu, complete with a pipette of bramble jelly to inject into it. In the words of Dylan Moran, we didn't know wether to eat it or book a room with it.
They paired it with a zingy whisky sour made with Balblair 2005, some heather honey and thyme - but it slipped down even better with a glass of the neat stuff, which was light, fruity and refreshing on a summer weekend evening.
A golden oldie fragrance
A scent that sums up the smell of holidays, Estee Lauder has brought back its cult classic Bronze Goddess fragrance (£57) for another year and we couldn't be happier.
An oldie but a goodie, this signature scent instantly transports you to the shore with a fresh from the beach whiff – in a good way that is. Think coconut, jasmine, pina coladas and a very slight hint of sun cream.
Farm-to-table Ibizan food
Opened just six weeks ago, El Portalon is an understated farm-to-table restaurant in Ibiza’s upscale Old Town is already developing a bit of a buzz. The brainchild of Anne Sijmonsbergen, an American who’s at the forefront of the island’s sustainably-sourced food movement, El Portalon was used as a filming location for structured reality show Made In Chelsea at the end of June. But don’t let that put you off – the menu, which changes frequently depending on what’s in season, is the real deal.
Dishes draw inspiration from Sijmonsbergen’s first book, Eivissa: The Ibiza Cookbook, which came out last summer. Try the restaurant’s speciality dish, the squid stuffed with Sobrassada (traditional Ibicencan sausage).
Bargainous tacos
Tacos are, like, so hot right now, but nationwide Mexican chain Wahaca were way ahead of the curve and the restaurant is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a new menu and special offers. The chicken club quesadilla is one definitely not to be missed, and the hibiscus-roasted aubergine salad with roast serrano hummus may just make all your dreams come true. The best news of all is that if you head on down on a Tuesday, every diner can get their first plate of tacos for just £1. Let’s taco ‘bout how awesome that is.
The Red Hot British Boys
Proving what everyone who has a crush on Ron Weasley, Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran already knew, global phenomenon the Red Hot Boys are back with their 2018 calendar celebrating the underappreciated ginger male. Currently holding a national model search, the calendar is raising money for the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation - a charity that tackles LGBTQ bullying - so you can feel good about yourself for supporting charities and challenging stereotypes (whilst admiring some fine male specimens).
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