Taking a backseat with blogging

As some of you may or may not have realised, I haven't been blogging much recently. 

This isn't down to the fact I have gone off blogging; I still love to write and love the concept of an online journal of some sort. But this year has been a crazy year and I feel like blogging isn't really a priority of mine at the moment. 

Instead, I have been focusing on my career, travelling the world and making new friends.

So for now, it's not bye to blogging but more of a 'see you soon!'...

Who knows what the future will hold?!

You can still catch me on my Twitter and Instagram x

Winter Time in London!

London is such a pretty time at Christmas and we are all very guilty of a mulled wine and toasted marshmallows whilst browsing German markets and paying an extortionate amount to go on a fairground ride! So I've rounded up a few of my favourite Christmas markets in London this year...

Winter Wonderland

The ever so famous Christmas Hyde Park attraction; this year there seems to be more rides than ever! Stalls are scattered around the park and they've expanded their outdoor seating so people don't have to be standing around eating their bratwurst. There are two circuses on offer; Zippos Christmas circus and Cirque Beserk. Aswell as the Magical Ice Kingdom and ice rink. Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park is open until Monday 2nd January 2017.

Tate Modern

This cute little intimate Christmas market is back for it's third year, held between the Tate Modern and the Thames. Such a lovely way to spend an evening. There are lots of stalls selling a variety of different things from toys to accessories. There is also a Victorian carousel for kids or simply the child in you! Christmas markets at the Tate Modern is open until Friday 23rd December 2016.

London Bridge City

This yearly Christmas market is back and is held along the Thames with a view of Tower Bridge. There are over 100 unique independent stalls, so if you're looking for a twist on the usual Christmas markets then this is definitely the one for you. Film screening and live music is on the agenda too. London Bridge City Christmas market is open until Tuesday 3rd January 2017.

Have you been to any others? What's your favourite Christmas market in London? :)

#BloggersXmas 2016

#BloggersXmas event with Soeurs De Luxe

Last weekend I headed down to Finch's Pub near Moorgate for the annual #BloggersXmas event arranged by Jasmine and Kirsty from SoeursDeLuxe blog.

There was a wide variety of different small scale companies showcasing their latest collections and ranges. 

These included: Jewellery Box, PNY, Skin Fix, Sweet Cheesus, T Plus, Jewelled Buddha, Aromand, Journey Link, Miiko, Type The Hype, Gia London, La Miela, Sheena Bulsara, Katherine Elizabeth, Joe Browns, Blogosphere Magazine AND My Beauty Matches! 

The brands that stood out to me the most where:

Jewelled Buddha - selling scarves and necklaces made from up cycled old sari's. They work with a women's co-operative in India. 

Sweet Chesus - selling gluten free, handmade cheesecakes and come in a huge range of flavours like peanut butter and elderflower. Simply delicious!

Katherine Elizabeth - selling hand made hats, ascot style! Materials come from all over the world and is sourced ethically.

We also received a massive goody bag with lots of stuff in there, so shoutout to.... 

Freeman Beauty

Carabao Energy Drink

Popband

Nuva

Sibberi

Yankee Candle

Saturated Colour

Seascape Island Apothecary

I want to thank Jasmine and Kirsty for inviting me to this event and I look forward to next years #BloggerXmas! :)

Aromand

Gia London

#BloggersXmas

Joe Browns

Jewellery Box

Jewelled Buddha

Sweet Cheesus

Katherine Elizabeth

My favourite book shops in London

I am a lover of books, book nerd, reading bod, whatever you want to call it!

Here are my favourite book spots in London...

South Kensington Books

Located just outside South Kensington station, I love this little cute and cosy book shop.

They are an independent book seller and much cheaper too. Their books ranges from fiction, to travel and even limited edition finds. 

22 Thurloe St, Kensington, London SW7 2LT

Brick Lane Book Shop

This book shop not only sells books, but they sell literature themed merchandise and cool book related gifts and quirky items. The shop can get quite busy and with limited space, sometimes it is a bit of a struggle to get past other customers! But I really like the modern feel to this shop whilst it is surrounded by vintage shops in Brick Lane.

166 Brick Ln, London E1 6RU

Waterstones Piccadilly Circus

I can spend the whole day here! 5 floors of books! (There is also a cafe on the lower ground floor and a bar and restaurant on the 5th floor) Probably every book you would want to read can be found here. Travel, poetry, fiction, science, educational, children's, languages, history and politics, art... the list goes on!

203 - 206 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9HD

What other book shops would you suggest I visit? :)

Trace Publicity SS17 Press Day

Last Wednesday, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Trace Publicity SS17 press day.

Trace represent a variety of different high end brands such as Astrid and Miyu, Furla and Rails LA.

Here are a selection of pictures I took at the event.

#TRACESS17

Rails LA

Astri and Miyu

Baobab

Sockshop

Pure

La Portegna

Rituals

Rituals

Furla

A day trip to Brighton

On Saturday I took a trip down to Brighton with a friend of mine.

We headed to St Pancras around 9am and took the 1.5 hour train to the vintage seaside resort.

When we got there, we went for lunch at a cafe on the seafront and went on the pier. 

After that we went to the Lanes. The Lanes are famous for the cute vintage one off shops in the heart of Brighton. Nestled in narrow walkways with bunting lining the streets. It's a hidden gem in the town. There are various jewellers, fudge shops and even a Choccywoccydoodah! (Mmm)

We stopped off for Cakes at Catwalk Cakes on Bond Street. It is a pretty small shop but had a lovely selection of cakes and teas on offer. We bought some for take-away and sat on the beach eating it! Such a perfect view!

We went to La Choza for dinner which is a Mexican restaurant on Gloucester Road. I had a chicken burrito and a tequila sunrise :)

After dinner, we headed to the British Airways i360 which is the world's thinnest tower. It opened on the 8th August so it is still fairly new. Tickets are £15 for adults and cheaper for students and children. You can book online 3 days prior for a discounted rate. It runs for 20 minutes during the day and 30 minutes in the evening (starting from 6pm). There is a champagne/drinks bar in the pod. Here are some pictures of the view you get from the top of the tower. 

Our day ended after this and we headed back to Brighton Station for our train back to St Pancras. Such a tiring day!

#BigBloggersExpo

A few weeks ago I attended Ldn Meet Up's #BigBloggerExpo event run by the lovely Lauren and Abigail.

If you are not familiar with Ldn Meet Up, it is an organisation for bloggers to meet with brands and other bloggers at events. I have been to a couple of events myself and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them, so I was very excited to be attending this one!

It was held at the Danubius Hotel Regent Park in London from 2-5pm. Perfect was to spend a Sunday afternoon. I bumped into my Welsh babes Neesha, Char and Lottie and sat with them whilst we eagerly awaited for the doors to open. We were given a sheet with all of the brands' names. We had to talk to every brand in order to get a stamp and at the end of the event exchange the stamped sheet to get our goodie bag. I thought it was a really clever way to get us to talk to everyone and stay there for the entire time.

When we were let in it was time to explore the different brands there!

There were 13 different brands altogether: Living Proof, Heaven Skincare, Jody Bell, 4 You By You, Dr Paw Paw, Two Three, Bonnie Boo, Jewellery Box, Juvadent, Westlab, Borough Box, Return to Glory and Brandbassador.

It was great to talk to all the brands and learn more about the products.

The ones that stood out for me were: Living Proof, who do amazing hair products like dry shampoo and hair styling sprays. Two Three, who do cool, affordable clothing. And Bonnie Boo who just launched their website a few weeks ago. They make hampers full of baby goodies perfect for baby showers and gifts. 

I will be doing a more detailed blog post on specific products I got during the event so watch out for that!

The girls also held a raffle for the British Heart Foundation too, which I thought was really thoughtful of them.

I'm looking forward to next years #BigBloggerExpo!

If you are a blogger, based in or around London then I would definitely recommend you to sign up to Ldn Meet Up, you get an email when they announce new events! Who knows, I might see you at the next event :)

Thank you to Lauren and Abigail for having me! x