Belfast's First Man vs Food - Bubbacue's Hot Wings Challenge

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Belfast's best BBQ joint, Bubbacue, launched its first chicken wing challenge last week.  



Bubba’s chefs served up wings laced with habanero powder, homemade naga chilli sauce plus a few other surprise chillies for good measure.  Forty brave souls stepped up to show what they were made of, with five making it all the way through the five excruciating rounds to be crowned the winners. 

Contestants were given five of the burning wings at a time, to be completed in five minutes, with a three minute break between each of the five rounds.  Chefs prepared the wings wearing gas masks, as naga chillies have been used in biological warfare, before serving the wings, which got hotter and hotter as the rounds went on.



Head Chef, Colin McSherry, said: “The skin on my face was burning as we were making the sauce, so I can’t even imagine what the guy’s mouths felt like.  A lot of people dropped out after round 3, partly because the wings were getting hotter but also because the heat of the naga chilli intensifies as time goes on.  This is why we had a 3 minute break in between rounds as well, it was pretty evil but that was the plan!”

The next Bubbacue wing challenge is due to take place in April.  For more information on how to enter email info@bubbacue.com or for updates please visitwww.facebook.com/bubbacuebelfast or follow @bubbacuebelfast on Twitter. 

Rockabilly Bargain- Green Leopard Print Cardigan from Heaton's

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I think this is what they call in the beauty world, a 'dupe' lookalike. I found this leopard print cardigan in Heaton's Stores for £12. I've wanted the Collectif version for years, but never fancied paying £30+ for a cardie. It's deceptive in my photo but the Heaton's version is exactly the colour of the Collectif one shown below. The Collectif cardigan sells second-hand, used, worn, on eBay for more than £12.

Heaton's version close up for colour.

Being £12 instead of over twice that, I ended up buying two! They also have it in a biscuit colour, a fawn brown, or cream base with pink leopard spots. I'm currently a size 12-14 and the small fitted me. Heaton's fashion would be mostly tailored for age 25 and up, so sizes are realistic to average women's shapes. Not like Urban Outfitters, where I can't even fit into a large, much to my embarrassment.

If you haven't heard of Heaton's it's probably because you are one of my readers from outside the island of Ireland, but fear not, there is www.HeatonsStores.com for you to visit online.

I checked this afternoon & this particular cardigan isn't listed just yet, but it was only being unboxed when I bought the two instore, so it is definitely new season.

I also spotted this swan print cardigan in the shop, which is online already.

In the meantime you can see me 'swanning' around in one of my bright green cardigans looking pleased with myself. Great bargain.

Benefit Fake Up- Make Up For Dummies (Like Me!)

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We all know I'm no beauty blogger. Whilst the immaculate Hayley at London Beauty Queen indulges me with the the odd guest post on her expert beauty site, it's still a fact I struggle with the mascara wand every morning.

One of my long term favourite beauty brands is Benefit, and the team invited me along to The Ivory in Belfast to their new product launch.

Their latest product, Fake Up, is a hydrating concealer to banish dark circles without caking your existing makeup.

This is a product for people like me. What I mean by that is the make-up-skill challenged, or just plain cack handed, even we can apply Fake Up without getting it wrong.

It's like a concealer in a lipstick tube, which you paint on like a crayon stick and simply blend with your fingers to brighten your complexion.

If you fancy trying Fake Up, I have the medium shade stick to give away to a World of Kitsch reader.
Email me at kitschandink@me.com and I will pick a winner using random.org Email addresses will only be used to contact you should you win, and competition closes at 9pm on Sunday 31st March.

Hauntingly Odd Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Merchandise

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Awwwh look, a Stay Puft Pillow Pet.

Cute, right?
Well this isn't- the Stay Puft Balaclava. Why???

Appleheads, here's your Giant Sailor Marshmallow iPhone cover.

Or maybe you just want to chow down on some authentic, angry looking Stay Puft mallows?

Finally, how about ruining Ghostbusters for you children by dressing up with your other half and terrifying them in these fancy dress costumes?
Everything in this post was found on eBay currently for sale.

Vintage Playmobil Sets- Which Did You Have?

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Let me introduce you to the world of vintage Playmobil sets, enjoyed by ironic artists and sincere enthusiasts alike.    




Playmobil sets from the '70s and '80s especially - the childhood plastic toys once enjoyed by those of us now in our 20s, 30s and early 40s. With simple plastic people swashbuckling on the decks of plastic pirate ships, flying tubular planes, boarding buses, leading school trips, crossing jungles, or living in igloos (among thousands of other scenes from life, both real and imagined), they have found an eager market of collectors and documentarians. Sharing their enthusiasm for vintage Playmobil on Flickr pages dedicated to the toys, they also populate collectors' and auction sites which trade and sell what could only be described as a mixture of kitsch and nostalgia.




Google 'Playmobil + vintage' and see what's out there. Some of what you'll find is hilarious, and occasionally even poignant; the thought-provoking images some artists and fans have recorded with their cameras - one of two Playmobil figures together in some sort of romantic photo, with the image then torn and replaced by a new photo of one of the figures with a new plastic partner. One isn't sure if it's funny or moving. Probably funny. Recreating classic album covers with Playmobil is another Internet phenomenon I highly approve of.





What's appealing about the Playmobil sets of years past is the sense of nostalgia they offer to those of us who played with the toys throughout our childhoods. But buying the latest Playmobil on offer doesn't quite do it, for the toys Playmobil made decades ago differ from current models. Often the changes are minor. If you compare the school bus Playmobil makes today with one they made twenty-plus years ago, you’ll notice that the colours are slightly different between the two, with one or two other small features altered.








 Of course, some sets from years past are no longer sold, while others that are will reveal much bigger differences and changes. For instance, the vintage ambulance from decades ago hardly resembles the sleek, almost aerodynamic modern one. The equipment has also become more modern: some police have speed guns and the dentist's office now looks fit for the 21st Century.




Playmobil also played part of this brilliant April Fool's joke, an Apple Store set.



 


Which sets did you have as a child?