Just Burgers and Beers

Burgers seem to be the food of the moment and I'm certainly not complaining. I've been to my fair share of burger restaurants this past year and Just Burgers and Beers is up there with the best. Located on Royal Mile, it's very easy to find although I'd image with the small front it would be easy to just walk by (I was following Google Maps just in case) - don't be fooled by the size, once you're in it's a decent size. The interior is trendy but not pretentious and there's a really friendly atmosphere with friendly staff. 

The menu offers an array of burgers, all of which can be made with chicken, beef or for veggies and there is the option to build your own - even the fussiest of eaters will have a hard time complaining. The Beer menu is even bigger than the food menu but unfortunately I did find that a lot of the beers that I would have went for (i.e. fruity beers) were out of stock - our waitress was really helpful in suggesting alternatives though.

I went for the Mac Attack with chicken and my friend went for The Anna Nicole Smith, we got curly fries and onion rings between us. The food was really tasty - mac and cheese on a burger is a genius idea. 

Burgers are around £10 without sides and beers are £5-6, which is on the higher end of your average burger restaurant price but these are no ordinary burgers. 

Have you been to Just Burgers and Beers?

Blogs I’ve Loved in 2014

I spend a lot of time reading blogs. And I do mean a lot. My obsession with beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogs turned into part of my job this year and it certainly has made me realise just how many amazing bloggers/writers/photographers there are. This year has been an amazing year for bloggers. When I first found Vivianna Does Makeup and Fleur De Force when I was at University, I was almost embarrassed to tell people what I was reading, fast forward 4 years and now so many bloggers are household names - my dad  even knows who Zoella is. Here are some of the blogs I've been reading religiously this year, I've got a mix of old favourites which I've been reading for years and some I've only discovered this year.

Best of Beauty

If you're a beauty addict you need to read these blogs. Although they all cover a similar topic, they're all so different and offer their own unique take on the world of beauty. And they know how to take a good photo.

Vivianna Does Makeup

The Sunday Girl

Gh0stparties

Nothin Fancy Really 

Alee Lily 

The Naily Mail 

Fashion

These girls sure know how to put an outfit together! I'm more of a jammies and fluffy socks kinda gal myself but after finding these blogs this year, I've definitely found myself being more adventurous when trying on clothes and trying to take clothing inspiration from some of their looks.  

The Love Cats Inc

Coco Made Her Do It

Hilariously Honest

These ladies are brutally honest, hilarious and massively relatable to a twenty-something recent graduate. 

Hannah Gale

Sofie Says Something

Ginger Girl Says 

Are there any other blogs I should be reading?

The Future of Blogging

(source)

A few weeks ago I was at a Digital Marketing Conference in London and I was fortune enough to hear some amazing speakers share their expertise and their thoughts on the future of Digital Marketing. Firstly, I know what you’re thinking, “Nikki calm down, this isn’t a marketing blog just you stick to talking about lipstick”. In reality people who blog about their favourite lipstick and are hoping to build up a following and possibly even make some financial gain from their blog are essentially using content to market their blog. Part of my job as a digital marketer involves content creation so I write a lot of blog posts and schedule social media updates much like your average beauty/lifestyle blogger. Blogging is particularly popular in digital marketing and is widely used in both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) capacities to help the brand share their expertise help convey the company’s USP. One session I attended spoke about how blogging in digital marketing has changed. People feel the need to publish posts when in reality they’re not adding any value – the priority has switched from quality content to the quantity of posts. They’re not providing any new information or a new take on a situation or sometimes the post needs developed further or maybe the topic just isn’t actually that interesting in the first place.

I would suggest the same is true about blogging in beauty and fashion. When I first started my own blog I wanted to post 3 times a week. I mean, the hundreds of blog posts with blogging tips said I needed to publish regularly and keep to a schedule so that’s what I was going to do. I’ve realised that on occasion I’ve been writing for the sake of writing and not because I actually had anything new or valuable to say, I just felt I needed to get a post out and I doubt that I’m alone in admitting this. Does the blogging world really need another blog post declaring their love for Jo Malone Candles/Bioderma or Christmas Gift Guides with the exact same products? Is this adding value to your blog?

I’m by no means saying that if you fall head over heels in love with a hyped up product that you shouldn’t be declaring your love from the roof tops (Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, I’m looking at you), but I think that in 2015 we need to think creatively. We need to do something different and not always follow the same tried and tested method of beauty blogging.  

What do you think? Have you ever found yourself publishing a post for the sake of it?