A bit of change

Having been away from this corner of the internet for almost six months (which was definitely not intentional) a lot of things have changed...

I've just moved back home to Suffolk from London having decided that the job I was in just wasn't 'me' and I'm now deciding what I do want to do. It was really tough to make the decision and walk away from a lovely flat and paid job that a lot of people would want (who probably think I am mad) but sometimes you just have to follow your heart and I think it has been the right thing.

This blog for me has always been a chance to document my interests and in the past six months I just haven't been in the right place to do so. I've missed it so much and think with this fresh start it is the perfect opportunity to get this up and running again. I've been getting into beauty a lot more so I'm looking forward to writing about that more and getting my creativity up and running again.

So keep your eyes peeled and there will be a new post in a couple of days!

My blogging return!

I'm back! Remember me? After a blogging break to finish my final uni exams, move to London, start my new job and turn 21 it has been a crazy month. But I'm hoping now everything is starting to settle down I can begin my move back to blogging- I've really missed it!

So in true instagram style I thought what best way to share with you what I've been up to than to share my snaps.

Top row left to right: 

1) My birthday day out to Brick Lane- Rough Trade and All Star Bowling, 

2) Turning 21 on Wednesday

3) The cupcake tower at my parents' party last weekend.

Bottom row left to right: 

1) Cheeky after work drinks to catch up with my girls- Victoria and Rachel, 

2) My gorgeous new room in my new flat 

3) A trip to One New Change's Madison bar- just round the corner from where I now work with incredible views over London.

I'm now a fully fledged south Londoner and can't wait to share my up and coming adventures!

xxx

Insta-life #2

My latest adventures from the last few weeks documented through instagram.

Top Row: 1) A lovely day trip to Bath with my family on the way back from Devon. I love it there so much.

2) My signature dish- smoked salmon and spinach quiche- if you would like to see the recipe in a post let me know!

3) My friend Victoria and I in Laduree in Covent Garden. I didn't even know there were Laduree's over in England so when Victoria suggested it I didn't object. Such a nice setting and really impressively decorated. We didn't want to leave!

Middle Row: 1) My cheeky cake in Laduree with a rose petal on top.

2) After waiting months for it to come out, Reiss and I went and saw Ryan Gosling's latest film. We had really mixed feelings about it after, it was good BUT they could have made it a lot better.

3) Spent a lovely few days at Reiss' relaxing and exploring a lovely village near him with an amazing tea room (noticing the pattern of everything I have done recently revolving around food yet?!).

Bottom Row: 1) and 2) The latest outfit post on my blog and making the most of the sunshine.

3) Last night was spent with my sleepy cat Ted on my lap and watching the last episode of Broadchurch.

xxx

Afternoon tea at The Ritz

I was extremely lucky to be treated to an amazing experience of afternoon tea at The Ritz by my boyfriend for my Christmas present. Due to the popularity of its famous tea and cakes the waiting list went on until early January so yesterday we spent our afternoon being treated like royalty and eating delicious sandwiches, pastries and scones.

With a strict smart dress code I wore this dress with a cardigan for added warmth and Reiss wore a shirt, tie and suit. I had hoped to wear heels but I knew walking around London beforehand it wouldn't have been a good idea! 

The Ritz say that they do permit photography but they ask for it to be discreet so I didn't get too many pictures but here are some that I managed to get:

Me at the entrance to the 'Palm Court' which is where the afternoon tea is held. 

Our table with our stand of sandwiches (which were constantly being replenished by the lovely waiters) and cakes. The scones are out of shot.

We had a lovely time and agreed it was such an amazing experience and one we certainly won't be forgetting for a while. It was our two year anniversary together at the weekend as well so there was plenty to celebrate! The service was absolutely incredible- you were made to feel special but not out of place and they were attentive without being interfering. This is the website incase you fancy having a look (or are curious to book it yourself!) here

Where have you had an amazing experience of afternoon tea?

Lush- Bubblegum Lip Scrub and London

Lush is one of those shops that you can wander round and round picking up various soaps and bath bombs sniffing away. I really admire the philosophy of Lush- they are so passionate about fighting animal testing and have such lovely handmade products.

After hearing they had a few new products that had been launched recently I went into one of their stores in London and picked up their 'Bubblegum Lip Scrub' which is designed to get rid of those pesky dry bits of skin that can make wearing lip-sticks a nightmare! 

It is essentially everything that it says in the name- it scrubs your lips and has a gorgeous bubblegum scent and taste which you simply lick off (trust me it's delicious!) and have buffed lips as a result.

I'm not a big fan of sticky lip balms that say they are solving dry lips but really aren't, this gets rid of the dry skin instantly. Ok you might look a bit odd with sugar all over your lips like this-

but you lick it off in seconds!!

I think this is a real bargain for £5.25, think of it almost as a primer for lips- getting them in prime condition ready to wear your best lipstick!

Have any of you tried the Lush lip scrub? Or have any similar lip solutions?

Also as a bit of a sidenote, thought I would share with you a really cool (and free) attraction in London at the moment at the Southbank. It's called aMAZEme and is a maze made out of books stacked up that have been donated by Oxfam. Reiss and I gave it a visit when we were in London this week and it was pretty fun. Here is a pic of him enjoying himself and to give you an idea of what it looks like!

Hope everyone is having a lovely week and good luck to those collecting A/As Level results today!

Portobello Road

At the weekend I went to go and stay with my friend Olivia who lives in leafy north London. We had a lovely time and it was really nice to see the sights of London that she enjoys. We ventured onto the busy underground to Portobello Road to explore it's weekly market.

I was blown away by how big it is! Never seen such a long road in my life! Antiques, vintage clothes and shoes, food, jewellery, old records there was a stall for anyone! And with a mix of both shops and stalls it was really fun looking through. With it being so busy I was slightly reluctant to get my camera out besides taking the picture of the road sign- such a tourist!! 

Here are some nice photos I found so you can get an idea of what it looks like! (source- Google) 

There was such an amazing variety of smells as you walked past the food stalls- huge paella pans, to men chopping coconuts, to German schnitzels to fresh fruit! 

It's definitely a great place to find a bargain, most of the stall owners were open to a bit of bartering. (Never seen so many Levi shorts in my life!!) with patterned jumpers in abundance and quirky shirts on almost every stall it was really exciting to rummage through the rails.

Has anyone else been to Portobello Road Market? 

Here is a little video of the song 'Portobello Road' that you might know from the old Disney film 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' little bit of fun and I couldn't resist putting it in!!

**Also I was really excited and amazed to of reached 100 followers this week!! It's amazing to of gained you lovely readers and I hope you all enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy writing it and seeing everyone else's blogs. I had no idea when I started it in January how much I would enjoy being a part of the blogging community, so thank you to all my followers old and new!**

Stone to stone they take me on, I'm walking 'til the break of dawn

Me outside the V+A: Hoodie: American Apparel//Top: H+M//Shorts: New Look

Reiss outside the V+A

I absolutely love London, probably because it makes such a refreshing change from the endless fields I am surrounded by back home! This weekend I went down to see my boyfriend Reiss who lives just outside of London. We met up in the city centre and had an amazing day exploring Harrods, enjoying a cuppa in the Knightsbridge Starbucks, wandering around the fabulous V + A museum topped off by some retail therapy in Oxford Street in the afternoon not to mention being treated to lots of yummy food!

Despite the odd shower of rain here and there and a lot of walking we had a lovely day and both bought a pair of 'Toms' shoes ready for the summer. I bought the navy blue pair that have stripes down the sides whilst Reiss just went for plain navy blue (after trying on every style and size in the shop!). I decided to leave them at Reiss' house for now as it's doubtful the weather is going to improve in the next week I am home! I also bought a Kohl eyeliner in black from the Topshop make-up range as I had read such good reviews. Where are everyone's favourite places in London?

(Toms shoes picture: Toms website)

The Oxford Street Topshop was very very busy as always, I found a nice pair of coral trousers in the sale but the queue to try them on was ridiculously long so I ended up leaving them. I also saw a beautiful dress by another brand that they stock but now I can't find it on the internet- typical!!

I've had a little look at the Topshop sale online- far less stressful than scouring through the rails and these are my top picks! Have any of you found any bargains in the mid-season sales?

Also I am very excited to have reached 50 followers!! Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, I love writing it but I also enjoy just as much reading everyone elses! My second year uni exams are getting closer and closer so my posting may become a little less frequent but I do have some great posts lined up so do keep reading! xxx