Calling all you Dapper Dukes

Suzeandthebeard....we didn't call ourselves that for nothing.

This one is for the hairier half of the blog.

Beardy has used many different variations and remedies of beard oils and now we would like to share one of our favourites with you. 

The Dapper Duke

We came across this selection of elixirs one day walking through Milton Keynes when beardy was chased down by a lady. Obviously this came as a shock to beardy, at first he thought it was someone who knew him yet had no idea who they were, obviously this was resolved quickly when she explained she was selling beard oils and waxes.

                          

They specialise in all things follicle: beards and moustaches right up to the hair on your head. 

These wizards of the men's grooming world can soften the driest of beards. Twist the longest of dashing ‘taches. And they must insist – nurture the neglected skin from whence it all springs. 

                         

All of their oils and waxes are made using natural products, so non of that synthetic nonsense. Core ingredients like jojoba, almond, argan and pure vitamin E to soften even the prickliest of facial hair. Handpicked essential oils add subtle aromas whilst giving you endless skincare benefits. 

We were able to have a smell test of the oils which is obviously the number one key for selecting your beard oil. Our favourite oil from here is the Molten Marshmallow as it smells incredible, having Suze love the beard scent is obviously a must. Also girlies it's great for smoothing out those spilt ends....but shhh don't tell your bearded one. 

                         

The moustache wax they make is probably one of the best beardy has used. It provides great structure for those on point curls.

We have seen this great little business develop over the year and their range has grown with them. 

When seeing them recently at a craft fair Beardy stocked up on some more oil and wax, both molten marshmallow scented. They have a great selection of scents so don't be afraid to try something new. We also got info that some new scents were being released near Christmas time...so keep those eyes peeled. 

                          

Beardy also got a new pair of shades which are made from an old skateboard deck. The sunglasses are as comfy as my Ray Bans and they look awesome.

That's right these guys don't just deal with lotions and potions. They have a brand new line of Starwars inspired t-shirts. 

Give them a whirl at https://dapperduke.co.uk and as the Dapper Duke says "you’ll be at your most devilishly handsome in no time."

The joys of second hand

As money is short at the moment we knew we couldn't buy furniture brand new.

We had a couple of ideas in mind of what we wanted to furnish the house.

We were lucky enough to have a beautiful Victorian wardrobe left behind by the previous tenants, they said they weren't able to shift it, however we have reason to believe it's haunted, dun dun dun.

      

We always shut the doors on it when we go out however it's always open again when we come home. Also things keep disappearing then reappearing. We realise that this maybe due to many things, forgetfulness, the wind, but the fact our fluffy little man won't go near it gives us the creeps. We love it though as it's beautiful and who wouldn't want the chance to call in ghostbusters. 

We also had our old bed in storage so our bedroom situation at the moment is pretty much sorted.

Let's admit it guys, scouting around online and searching charity furniture shops for our living room has been so much fun! 

Beardy was determined to get us a Chesterfield. After weeks of searching for "the perfect sofa" and not having any luck with either the price or people not getting back to us we felt a bit disheartened. However thanks to Gumtree, just down the road from our new place we spoke with a lovely couple who had our dream Chesterfield sat in their garage, and to top it off it was free to a good home!!! It's a beautiful 3 seater oxblood sofa, granted the cushions are a little bit worn but it just adds to its character.

In total it cost us petrol money and some leather polish, instead of £500 (standard rate) so a massive thank you to them.

         

        

Suze found a full John Lewis set for the living room which included a TV stand, chest box and coffee table which we couldn't wait to get our hands on. 

        

After a long journey and battling traffic we turned up to find the measurements that were provided were wrong. However Beardy pulled off some wizardry of packing and managed to get this 3 piece set into our little Seat (car). 

        

When we got it all home we had to get our creative skills out, this may have involved a saw. The coffee table just looked too high next to the sofa. So what did we do? Yep, chopped it's legs off. 

        

The whole dark wood and 'lowered' look works so well, especially in such an old building with high ceilings. 

       

We are now on the hunt for a few copper pieces and a large mirror for above the fire place to finish off the 'classic' style in the living room, so back on Gumtree we go. 

If you know anywhere that sells anything a bit quirky or vintage classic style comment below. 

Top Tips 

▪️Gumtree (www.gumtree.com) has been amazing for us. 

▪️Don't be afraid to make an offer. Having learnt some serious haggling skills whilst being away we have managed to get some incredible deals. 

▪️If you change your mind on a piece it's FREE to advertise on Gumtree! So get selling to free up some spare cash for that new bargain you find. 

Suze and the Beard HQ

Well it's official we have found Suze and the Beard HQ! 

        

Being back in the UK we were desperate to get back into our own space. When Beardy and I were just about to give up the search we found the most beautiful, quirky and what we also think is slightly haunted, two bedroom apartment that just took our breath away. As soon as we walked in from our first viewing we knew this was the one. Even the pictures we originally saw didn't do this place justice.

Right. Let’s talk moving, *deep breath everyone*. We honestly thought moving would be a piece of cake. 

‘We’ve just got back from travelling, we don’t have that much stuff’

‘It’ll all fit in the car, of course it will’ 

‘Oh, just one more bag of clothes’

‘We’ve got this, we are so organised’

These were several sentences uttered in those weeks running up to the BIG MOVE, and yeah…how wrong we were. 

When we knew we had a set date for our move we gradually started collecting a few bits, a plate set here, a vintage HMV radio there, you guys know, to make Suze and the Beard HQ a little more ‘us’. Due to this and having to rummage through storage containers the day of the move was hectic! We had several trips to and from new to old just to ensure we didn’t leave anything behind. 

       

Believe us when we say YOU OWN WAAAAAY MORE STUFF THAN YOU THINK!!!

Now we are starting to settle and finally making it more ‘our style’ (which is a mixture of vintage, dark wood and random stuff…don’t ask) we have to admit taking a step back and being able to see what we did right, wrong and what we were ridiculously underprepared for was a bit of a shocker. 

So listen up about to movers, have a read through our tips and tricks so you are fully prepared for this awesome adventure you are about to embark on. 

Top Tips

• Boxes at the ready! Use your spare time wisely and start packing early. We can’t stress this enough guys. Once everything is packed and labelled correctly then you can actually relax before you take the huge leap of moving. Plus who doesn’t love creating a box fort in the process?

  
  

• Have a clear out! You don’t want to be taking those ripped t’s or smelly trainers with you. So be thorough. This is the prime time to declutter and to have a fresh start so take the opportunity. 

  
  

•  Inform your postie! Don’t forget to redirect your mail. You can do it online or just pop into your local post office and explain you are changing your address. We don’t want anyone losing out on those Tesco club card points or heaven forbid those Dominos deals!

  
  

• Get yourselves on Gumtree. This site is amazing if you are looking for quality furniture on the cheap. (a post will be up soon about this site as we have scored some serious deals and freebies)

  
  

   

  
  

• HELP! Don’t be afraid to ask for it. Movers, painter’s and dinner makers come in all shapes either friends or family so say Thanks and embrace it! Both our parents have been a huge supports throughout all of this. So a HUGE THANKYOU to Mumma G, Papa Felipe, Mumma R and Big Roge! You guys are awesome and we couldn’t have done it without you guys. 

  
  

• Get that camera out! Start snapping guys, this will not only be a lovely thing to look at in the future but also will help massively if anything gets questioned about ‘deposits’. Cover yourself as much as you can, it also gives you a chance to work on that light and dark focussing :D

  
  

• ENJOY! That’s right, enjoy it. We all know moving is one of the most stressful thing you will ever have to go through but my goodness, having your own space is so worth it. Be naughty, grab a take out menu, stick some corona in the fridge and ENJOY your first night in your new home.

   
  
  
  We hope these tips come in handy, also as a few people have been asking, little man is settling in nicely. 
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

We are on a house hunt

Do you fancy another adventure? A new challenge? Come on then...

That's right everyone we are looking for our next home. 

We are craving our own space, especially as we have had so much freedom whilst travelling to suddenly be back under someone else's roof. Massive shock to our systems.

We are obviously extremely grateful for all the support we have had since being back, but it's now time to spread our wings in a different way and find our own little place we can call home. 

Using the extremely straight forward apps 'Zoopla' and 'Right Move' we have already seen a few that have taken our fancy. 

The only down side is we are desperate to get our little fluff ball Fig back, and we are finding a lot of tenancies don't allow pets. 

        

Being an old boy we don't want to miss out on his final few months/years hopefully (honestly he is the toughest cat you'll meet when it comes to living). We have had him for 15years and he is still going strong. Plus we want to find somewhere we can also develop as a couple and maybe add a few more furry friends to our little family. 

And no don't jump to any conclusions we aren't planning on having some hairy children any time soon. For now we just want our little family reunited. 

                                         

Eventually we want to head to our favourite place in the UK, you guessed it...London! We are being the sensible grown ups we are....sorry couldn't say that with a straight face. Well we are trying to be sensible and get some cash behind us so we can move to big wonderful city that is L-Town. So that is our goal.. One day. For now our weekend trips will have to do.

But for now, let's see where this new adventure takes us. Once we find somewhere to call Suze and the Beard HQ, we will be helping you guys out with the best places to find the coolest stuff to fill your homes/rooms at the best prices. We already have some cool pieces in storage we are excited to bust out and set up in our future home.

Wish us luck with landing a place. 

UK - The Free Things in Life NHM

Now I'm sure many of you have been here over the years whether it's a family day out, a school trip or even pretty recently just for some free entertainment.

That's right the entrance fee is free, which is always a winner.

     

The Natural History Museum has a special place in our hearts as we took a trip here for one of our first dates. So any new relationshippers out there this is always a great shout as it's fun and you can have a right giggle on the interactive equipment. 

   

Again this is an easy one to get to if your new with using the underground, so not to panic, we shall give you some tips in regards to getting there and even apps we use when we can't get our head around train locations.

     

As you walk out of South Kensington station, following the signs to the museum in the tube , you will ascend a short staircase and there it is, right in front of you.

The natural history museum is an incredible architectural building, which makes for some incredible photos. As you pay closer attention to the building you can see the carvings of various animals, try and spot the dodo.

There are various places out of the front of the museum in which you can sit with friends or family and chill or even have a picnic if you've come prepared.

     

Upon entry to the museum you will be standing within the Hintze hall. Here stands a diplodocus "dippy the dinosaur" who has been a resident here since 1905.

There are corridors on either side of the museum leading off to different aspects of our history and even more to explore up a grand staircase to the other floors.

     

Our personal highlight of the museum here is obviously the dinosaur rooms which are found within the blue zone.

    

We are dinosaur lovers, it's as simple as that. These rooms, like the rest in the museum, provide information on a variety of dinosaurs and throughout their time on earth.

    

Check out the animatronic dinosaurs, I don't think you can miss them but there pretty incredible and a little terrifying to any children visiting here. 

    

This place is pretty easy to navigate around however if you do find yourself struggling as there is so much to see and want to make sure that your not going to miss any features there are maps available in the halls. These also contain information on the temporary exhibitions and what's on on the day of your visit. So all very handy. Please remember to donate £1 for these as that small contribution goes towards maintaining this incredible building! Don't be stingy! 

    

There is always something going on at the NHM, obviously the permanent exhibitions are free as we mentioned, however temporary exhibitions are shown here over the year which, yes you have to pay for, but with experience of being to a couple of these, they are truly once in a lifetime experiences to view some outstanding work.

    

To keep up to date with these movements we would suggest checking out the NHM's website which we shall link below.

    

We hope you have a great day out here whether you just enjoy the free things in life or pay to see one of the exhibitions.

    

Top Tips

▪️The app we use to navigate the tubes is called 'TubeMaps' it's very handy and works even when you are on the underground so no need to panic or get off at the wrong stop. 

▪️ The Natural History Museum website www.nhm.ac.uk

▪️During School holidays this place is rammed so if you want a more 'peaceful' time try and avoid busy periods, or get there at opening time 10am - 5.50pm 

Don't Even Ask

We have had a right mare of a weekend and we want to say a HUGE SORRY for not popping up a post on Friday. 

At 8pm on Friday when our blog normally goes up we were stranded in a car park due to a broken down car. 

Things just went from bad to worse for us, but we won't bore you with the details. 

                         

However we are back on track and our Monday post is all ready to go up at 8PM tonight. 

Thank you again for understanding and if you could send us some positive vibes we would be extremely grateful. 

Much Love 

Suze and the Beard 

Xxx

Travelling is a Game Changer

We have been together for over a year now, which some people might think, blimey you don't hang about! 

You live together

You blog together

And you are travelling together...isn't that a bit soon? 

Now in most cases, Yes, it probably would be, but (and trust us when we say we are trying to do this in the least cheesiest way possible) when you know you've found the one, you just know. 

       

Even having been together for over a year and lived together for 8 of those months we thought we knew each other's little habits, some cute, some gross. 

However even more came to a head when travelling began!  

Here are a few little warnings and tips to help you guys out whilst travelling as a couple.

Natural beauty will shine

Smart clothes, hair products, straighteners and make up all go out the window when you're travelling. 

More so for the girls, it's that awkward phase of letting that stuff go. 

Embrace it girlies! Let the hair go wild and let your natural beauty come out. 

Honestly more often than not you will be looking like a mess. All these well put together travellers is a lie...or we just haven't mastered it yet.

You will honestly see each other looking natural and lovely but also gross and sweaty.

Instead of perfect hair and well presented make up Beardy now looks at hair piled up in a messy bun, no make, a vest top and shorts. But it doesn't matter. Learn to love being natural! 

Suze however doesn't mind that beardy went a little castaway on the situation, using it as an excuse not to keep up appearances and just let his hair do its own thing.

      

Rules 

▪️Your skin and hair will welcome the break!! Our skin and hair has been in the best condition ever. Think about it! 

Lots of water

A little bit of sun (whilst being protected)

Natural hair products

It has all helped in clearing up our skin and making our hair grow. 

▪️Ladies, yes it's great being natural but make sure you don't go all 'wookie' on the situation. You know what I mean. Grab a razor and sort those pins out. 

▪️You will get sweaty, or rained on! Face it you are in a tropical country. So be prepared! Deodorant, wet wipes, sun lotion and in case of the random down pour a rain mac! Preparation is key! You're both in the same boat so embrace it. 

▪️To be perfectly honest seeing each other at our best but now also at our worst has made us even stronger, lovey dovey again we know, but seeing each other scruffy and dishevelled just shows us what we have is more than just based on appearances. 

SPACE

It's bound to happen, you will bicker! Little things will start to annoy you and spending pretty much 24 hours a day together is never healthy! 

      

Rules

▪️Know when to back off! This is vital, if you feel it's getting heated leave it. Give each other space and time to cool off. 

▪️Arrange time for yourself. Even if it's just an hour! It will give you that space to do the things you loved doing back at home. Read a chapter of your book, go and have a coffee, call home. Nine times out of ten you start to wonder what the other is up to and end up meeting up anyway. It's just nice to know you have that 'me' time. 

       

                                                  This is Suze's awesome Dad by the way 

▪️Don't hold grudges. Don't let a silly tiff ruin your trip. Say sorry, have a cuddle and make up. I mean look where you are!! Enjoy it whilst you can! 

Toilet Activity 

Right lets get this out there, it's not pleasant, it's not lady like, but hey everyone does it...poop! 

When you're back at home it's the classic situation of either waiting for them to go out or doing the 'shower trick' so they can't hear you. It's creating that illusion that you're all lovely and perfect. 

But trust us that illusion is well and truly smashed when your away seeing the world.

We guarantee at some point on your travels one of you, if not both, will have a toilet issue, aka icky tummy. 

This will involve frequent rushes to the loo, normally resulting in some seriously odd noises and lots of 'Oh No's' coming from the bathroom. 

        

Rules

▪️LAUGH ABOUT IT! It's funny! This maybe TMI but we have both had situations where we have had to rush off, and in small accommodation where your bed is inches away from the bathroom you are bound to hear it. We instantly laugh it off. Or tell the other 'Turn the telly up'! 

▪️Be understanding! Don't make the other feel more embarrassed than they already do. Be as sympathetic as you'd want them to be if you were in that situation. 

▪️At the end of the day, everybody poops! Get over it and have a giggle

We hope these help, and just remember...Be safe, have fun and don't forget to enjoy it whilst you can. 

UK - Exciting News!

We were invited to our first ever Event in relevance to our blog!! How exciting is that?! 

The event was organised by The House of Luxury. A fantastic global public relations, events management and marketing agency specialising in the luxury lifestyle industry. 

       

They arranged the event to be held at The Royal Opera Arcade Gallery. The gallery is located near Trafalgar Square on Pall Mall in the heart of Central London. 

       

So on arrival we had both dressed up more so than usual, yet we still felt very under dressed for the exhibition. However it was very cool to have our names on a private guest list. Swanky right? 

We were here to view the incredible work of Zhuang Hong Yi and his display of colourful Flowerbeds. 

      

Zhuang Hong Yi's work represents sophistication, beauty, and a level of such perfection that shows a clear presence of Chinese influences.

He uses bright, vibrant, oil/acrylic paints and materials that really capture your imagination. His art is inspired from his life in the Netherlands but uses traditional Chinese materials to create these masterpieces.

      

The mesmerising work we saw at the event was actually made up of thousands of plain pieces of rice paper that had been transformed into these beautiful, colourful floral petals. As you guys can imagine this is a very time consuming process, however having seen these incredible pieces for our own eyes the results are just breathtaking. Time well spent!

      

We have never seen art quite like this before. 

In all honesty it left us slightly shocked by the sheer creativity of the pieces, as some even changed colour. That's right, changed colour! 

      

As you walk past some of the bigger pieces the tones completely change due to the fantastic artist technique Zhuang uses.

      

We already stood out as we weren't all suited and booted, so walking backwards and forwards past these pieces, as it was just mind blowing, didn't help us blend in...but we didn't care as we just loved this talented guys work. 

     

We would like to say a massive thank you for our invite from The House of Luxury, The Royal Opera Arcade Gallery and to the fantastic Artist Zhuang Hong Yi. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing these spectacular pieces of modern art in such beautiful surroundings. 

Top Tips

▪️The House of Luxury www.thehouseofluxury.com 

▪️Royal Opera Arcade Gallery website www.roa-galleria.com

▪️Zhuang Hong Yi website www.zhuanghongyi.nl

▪️Don't forget to follow our Instagrams for more pictures from the event @beardyandsuze & @suzeandthebeard