Afternoon tea at the lounge

Last Saturday, my mother and I headed over to The Cube in the Mailbox, Birmingham for some special mother and daughter time before I depart for the land of Oz on Sunday. I originally purchased afternoon tea for two on Groupon as a special Mother's Day treat, but decided this was the perfect excuse to fit in some last minute shopping, and also enjoy some quality time together on a rainy afternoon (not something we get to do very often). 

Apart from being quite difficult to find (I am not overly familiar with The Cube), I must say, I was rather impressed. The Lounge itself, (which forms part of the Club and Spa at The Cube) was very cosy indeed, overlooking some of Birmingham's finest canals. But what about the afternoon tea itself? Did it live up to its expectations? Of course it did. I wouldn't have expected anything less from the Mailbox. After struggling to locate its whereabouts, we finally arrived in good time, and were greeted by our waitress who offered us a choice of tea or coffee to start, (of course we went for tea). She then checked to see if we had any dietary requirements, before showing us to our seats overlooking the canal. Throughout the afternoon the service was on point - we were presented with our tea and an array of delicious finger sandwiches and cakes in little under ten minutes.

Included on our three tier cake stand was a gooey chocolate brownie, a crunchy seeded caramel flapjack, a succulent carrot cake and two classic British scones with fresh jam and cream, not forgetting a choice of finger sandwiches on both white and brown bloomer bread. We were truly spoilt for choice. Saying that, I think we could have done with a few more sandwiches (this was our lunch after all), as the ratio of sandwiches to cakes was enough to make anyone have a slight heart attack...

Of course, we managed to get through the food in no time (including all the cakes) even though I was adamant I wasn't going to eat them all, and would be taking some home with me. The temptation was clearly too much - these cakes were truly delicious! This was the perfect afternoon, and for just £16, I couldn't complain. I was slightly annoyed that I didn't purchase the deal with the glass of prosecco each to finish for an extra five pound. However, this didn't stop me treating us both to a glass of white to toast my big move in a few days time.

So would I come back? Definitely, but maybe in the summer months when it's a bit warmer and you're not left watching the rain. Saying that, this didn't stop people from celebrating the long Easter weekend out on the canal. I am not sure if the offer is still running on Groupon, but either way, this is the perfect little hideout after a long days shopping, or if you just fancy a bite to eat. They have a range of light snacks and drinks for you to choose from on the menu in addition to the afternoon tea. I for one loved the fresh modern decor, including the funky leather sofas, colourful armchairs and oden wall panels. Very chic indeed! It looked like many other mother's and daughter's had a similar idea too - the place was overflowing with women of all ages. 

Have you visited The Lounge before? What do you think of afternoon tea?

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Double Denim | OOTD

It's been a while since I've posted one of these, probably due to how busy I have been just lately with work and applying for new jobs. So seeing as it was my day off and the sun was shining I decided this was the perfect opportunity to put an outfit together and get my camera out. Yesterday I visited Drayton manor theme park with my family and this is what I wore.

To start with,  my shorts which are from Topshop are some of my personal favourites. I love anything american related so I make sure these make an appearance during those summer months. I have had these a good couple of years now but this doesn't stop me wearing them - I am big lover of bringing old clothes to life years down the line. Along with this my top which I purchased in the states funnily enough is from a little department store in Philadelphia. I love this Billabong vest top for various reasons. First off, the symbol on the front reminds me of something from Egypt which is pretty cool. The back of this top has to be my favourite feature though. It has slits running down either side and I must admit is quite revealing but very sexy. Unfortunately I haven't got any pictures to show you which was a bit silly of me but I will make sure I get some for you next time. Finally, my denim jacket, a recent purchase from New Look is something I can't get enough of at the moment - it literally goes with anything! A life saver when you need something to pop over your little dress or shirt during those cooler evenings.

To finish, as you can see I have gone for a little black rucksack which is a recent purchase from Primark. Very cute and handy too on those days when you're out and about. Surprisingly I managed to fit nearly half of my original handbags contents in here which if you saw the size of my handbag you wouldn't believe for a second! I must also mention my hair which I have half tied up in a bun, a style I am loving at the moment. It not only gets the hair off my face during those warmer days, it also looks awfully cute!

That's it from me today. Thanks for reading lovelies!! 

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Interrailing Chapter 1 | Paris

So just a couple of weeks ago I embarked on a two and a half week trip around Europe by train and what an experience I had. Along with my best friend, we visited a total of 8 different cities (some of the best cities in the world some would argue) and saw a multitude of sights that I could only once dream of.

Why I decided to bring this hat along I will never know...

Starting off in Paris, the Fashion capital (along with London and Milan of course), our journey began. We stayed in an apartment in the Noisy-Le-Grand area right next to Disneyland Paris and only a short walking distance from the Bry-Sur-Marne train station. It was a quiet area with not much going on, perfect if you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. We had a very pleasant stay here at the City Residence apartment. There's no denying that it wasn't the most 'glam' of apartments but as we were essentially being 'travellers' for the week we did not expect anything more. In terms of having somewhere to lay down after a day of tiresome sight seeing, this was perfect.

Our not so glam apartment

Now for those of you who haven't visited Paris before or are not in touch with the underground service, you will soon realise that getting around at first can be a bit tricky. However, after a couple of interesting journeys to say the least you will soon get the hang of things. I have to thank my best friend Erica for most of the navigating though! In fact one of the most stressful things about this trip was the constant lack of direction after we had arrived in a new city. We had to rely on locals to find our way round which isn't the easiest of tasks when they can't speak a word of English! Yet for me one of the best things about Paris were the people. They were so kind and welcoming, not the sort of reaction I expected really. A big shout out especially to the little man outside the train station selling the delicious fruit (I didn't catch your name). You were a very happy chap indeed and enabled us to find our first accommodation and the supermarket. For that I am forever grateful...

In terms of getting into central Paris, this took us around 15 minutes in total which wasn't too bad considering how far it looked away on the map! During our stay the weather of course decided to take a turn for the worst but this didn't surprise me one iota. As we were essentially living out of a small rucksack for a couple of weeks, there was no chance of me fitting in any warm clothing hence why I nearly ended catching pneumonia sitting on an open top bus. Not the best idea we but all part of the experience I guess. An open top bus of course being another great way of getting around Paris and making sure you don't miss any of those all important sights. In terms of cost we definitely found Paris was up there with the most expensive city we visited on our travels, but again this was expected from such a popular tourist attraction. 

We did start off trying to budget opting for the cheaper meals (not so cheap in comparison to the UK) including a McDonald's and a very basic steak and chips from a Bistro. However, we found further into our trip that paying that little bit extra for food was definitely worthwhile.

Everybody needs a bit of Louis Vuitton in their life

The joys of our open top bus- Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame

The infamous Eiffel Tower

Lock your love away on Lovelock bridge

So all in all Paris was truly amazing. I fell in love with this City from the moment I set eyes on it and even after spending a couple of weeks exploring the likes of Rome and Barcelona for example, I have to say this was possibly my favourite place we visited during our trip. Not only did it have so much history, there was such a vibrant atmosphere and so much to do, much more than you expect. You could easily spend a week here and not get bored which is probably what I am going to do next time I visit, once I have saved up the pennies again! I have heard so many great things about Paris in my time but it's not until you actually visit it for yourself that you realise how truly beautiful it is. 

Is it better than London? I woild say so. Its very similar in terms of size and things to do but its just so much prettier and the people are much more sophisticated, the men especially ladies. What's not to like? From the tacky musicians on the underground hoping to catch one of the tourists vulnerable eyes to the luxury shops and extortionate restaurants, the city of love is a place for everyone to enjoy. 

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River Island Love | A Girl Can Never Own Too Many Shoes

Okay so a couple of posts ago I wrote about the 'Chelsea Boot Craze' that everyone seemed to be raving on about and I featured a couple of my favourite boots from the River Island collection. Now after searching high and low for these boots in numerous River Island stores and online, I was lucky enough to stumble across my size in a new store opening just down the road from me in the wonderful (or not so wonderful) West Bromwich! I cannot tell you how happy I am and how excited I was when I saw these in store! I have literally been dying to get my hands on these boots from the moment I saw them. I am not one to see something and buy it immediately either. I will always look elsewhere and ponder the thought. At just £40 you cannot complain, they are so versatile and surprisingly comfy too! These are shoes you can wear either day or night and seeing as I don't own a pair of heels that I can wear in the day these are perfect! I will definitely be getting my wear out of these beauties!

L.A
xox

Valentine's Day | Red Roses And Expensive Dining

With Valentine's day soon approaching, I have decided in this next blog post that I would keep up to date with the latest happenings as I see many of you lovely bloggers out there often do. Now take it from someone who has never had a Valentine so to speak on Valentines day, this day is pretty much alien to me. Even now I don't really see the point in celebrating this OTT day, surely you should celebrate your love for someone all year round ladies. Anyway I'm not one to judge and I have to say, I too will be succumbing to the Valentine's charm this year myself. I'm sure the restaurant will be packed and ridiculously overpriced but I'm always one for trying things at least once.

So a few tips for you ladies out there who want to impress your Valentine this year, whether this be a long term partner, new love or even just a friend. I love a good excuse to dress up and sure you ladies will agree, so let's get down to it and start with the basics, make-up. 

The most obvious thing for me has to be some daring lipstick. In line with the Valentine's theme, a gorgeous red shade of lipstick would look stunning, or even a pink shade if you're not feeling too adventurous. I've gone for this Rimmel Alarm red shade myself, which is both glossy and vibrant and will add the final touch to any outfit. In terms of the other make-up I will be using, I love  Max Factor's long lasting foundation whenever I go out on the town as it does exactly what it says on the tin, it lasts for hours and gives you great coverage. It also matches my skin perfectly, especially if I am using fake tan as it is a much darker shade than my Clinique foundation. In terms of my blush, at the moment I am currently using a Clinique blusher palette which I really love. I think it is very important to keep those those cheeks looking flushed for your Valentine ladies! A layer of Rimmel mascara and I will be all set and ready to go! 

In terms of my outfit I have gone for a cute little black and white polka dot play suit along with my Chelsea boots (of course). A black blazer and a pair of black tights and my outfit is pretty much complete. I think it is important to try and look your best without going too over the top especially if you are a new couple. You don't to scare him off ladies!

So what do us girls expect on Valentine's day? Well as I am still trying to diet I have said no to the chocolates and gone for a nice meal for two and hopefully a bunch of flowers. If you are struggling for ideas I have listed a couple below. 

First on the list being this lovely bunch of roses from Interflora at £44.99. I am not the biggest fan of big flowers and sometimes think being subtle is better. However, these flowers, which are described as their most popular bunch of flowers on their website are perfect for my liking. Secondly on my list, is this Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial Champagne Brut, perfect if you're after luxury this year.I love an excuse to crack open the champagne and what better excuse than on Valentines day! I love Moet and am also a big fan of anything pink so why not combine the two and really treat yourself this year. Available from Asda for a price of £40.25 this is not the cheapest of champagnes but it certainly is a hot pick this Valentine's. Lastly, I think looking sexy is definitely important on Valentines day so some nice lingerie is a must ladies. Ann Summers and La Senza will be raking in the profits this kind of year I'm sure. 

Intrerflora Roses

Moet Pink Champagne

Ann Summers Volume Boost Basque

Whatever you do on this Valentines ladies make sure you enjoy yourselves, I know I certainly will!

L.A

xox

2014 Wish List

Right, so as you may have already noticed, I am having lots and lots of great ideas for my blog just lately, but not enough time to actually sit down and put them together! However, this evening I have decided I would dedicate an hour or so of my time to focus on sharing with you my latest creation, my 2014 wish list, (this one has been a long time coming). Now let me just say that this wish list is not 100% realistic, some of the things on this list will be way out of my budget, but this is why it is called a wish list. Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to own all these things on this list, or maybe not…

So firstly and most realistically, this year, actually no, sometime very very soon I will be purchasing my very own Mac lipstick. Mac is a brand every girl out there seems to love, including myself. The products are not only stunning; they are very high quality too. A Mac obsessed friend of mine introduced me to this lovely shade of lipstick and I instantly fell in love! If I'm truly honest, I used to be afraid of wearing lipstick due to the fear of smudging it all over my face, but now I have perfected the look so to speak, I am truly starting to see the benefits of a good lippy (or two). I have noticed a lot of girls going ‘all out’ lately with the darker shades of lipstick including dark reds, dark purples and even black. Heroine is the name of this shade of lipstick and what a lovely shade it is, perfect for adding a splash of colour to those dark winter nights. At £15 this is a beauty steal and one I cannot wait to get my hands on!

Secondly on my wish list is a designer watch, preferably Michael Kors, a brand I have always been fond of. Today it seems like everyone has a Michael Kors watch but I still can’t help but love them! I found this particular one on the official website and I really like it. The pink face adds a splash of colour to what could have been a rather plain looking watch. This comes in at just £180 which isn't too bad considering the designer tag. Big watches are very much in at the moment as mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, and Michael Kors certainly does a good job of making gold bling look classy as opposed to trashy! Their statement watches really add that final touch to any outfit, day or night.

Thirdly I would love a designer clutch. After a recent trip to Harrods in London and a few hours spent drooling over some of the very best looking handbags and clutches, I found this little beauty. At £1,345.00 obviously this is one thing on my list that may have to take a back seat, for the time being anyway. A skull obsessed bag lover, this clutch is to die for! I am a big fan of Alexandera Mcqueen and what a stunning work of art this is. Contemporary and stylish, this clutch will add that final sparkle to any evening. The pure leather material and Swarovski crystals certainly make this one of the more glamorous clutch bags on the market, and may even make up for that ridiculous price tag. I don’t usually do clutch bags due to the fact that I'm very clumsy and always end up leaving them lying around, however the knuckle duster on this one will allow you to keep a close grip on this little beauty all night long. 

I have seen a lot of pastel coloured coats hit the high street lately and I can’t help but love them. Not for the faint hearted, this baby blue pastel coat is available from ASOS, and what a little beauty it is! Great for adding a splash of colour to any dark winter outfit, this coat also allows you to make that transition into spring that little bit easier. A delicate looking coat, I really love the fluffy texture and cocoon shape, and think it would look great teamed with a pair of dark jeans and some black Chelsea boots, or even a cute little play-suit and a pair of black tights. At £85 I think this coat may be a little overpriced as it isn't something you could wear every day. However, I really do love the colour and think it would make a classic look year in year out. Patel colours are always in fashion, not necessarily around this time of year, but certainly in the spring and summer and therefore that £85 will probably end up being money well spent.

I have been longing for a pair of new trainers for a while now but in particular some new Nike ones. I have seen so many cool trainers pop up on my Instagram feed just lately, probably due to all the fitness groups I am following but I'm loving it! Who says you can’t look good at the gym? Okay a face full of make-up and a pair of see through leggings is certainly not the look you want to be going for, but a good pair of trainers, a well fitted sports bra and a cute pair of yoga pants is definitely on the cards. I love the range of women’s Nike trainers on the market today and even if you're not a gym fanatic like me, you can certainly wear these trainers on a day to day basis, they’re both trendy and fun. Now £130 may seem a lot to pay for a pair of trainers but you really are paying for the great set of features when it comes down to these sorts of trainers. Finely designed to give you not just the support you need, but the perfect amount of cushioning, these trainers are built with reflective visibility, perfect if you like jogging on these dark winter nights. Not only this, these particular trainers also allow you to play around with the actual design on the website. If you fancy a pair of pink trainers with white soles and a green tick nick, then a pair of pink trainers with white soles and a green nick tick you will get. Cool, lightweight and bang on trend, these Nike LunarGlide 5 trainers are a must have!

L.A

xox

Lights Camera Action | My New Blogging Camera

Okay, so I have been without a camera of my own coming up to nearly a year now and I thought it was about time that I put some of my hard earned cash to good use. And what better way to justify spending some money than by buying a new camera…

Of course my main intention for buying this camera was to take pictures for my blog. I am really taking this whole blogging scene seriously and want to express this to you wonderful people through not only my writing, but my pictures too! As well as this, a camera of my own allows me to capture some of the best moments in my life, I will definitely be taking it with me when I go on my travels over Easter (just remind me not to take this one out on a night out beforehand).

Naturally I decided I would do a bit of research in advance to see what the best cameras were on the market for bloggers like myself, and I narrowed this down to two brands, Canon and Nikon. I didn't really have a budget in mind when doing this but obviously I didn't want to be forking out hundreds of pounds on a camera when this could be put towards travelling money. As long as I wasn't compromising over quality I would be happy, and as you can imagine, these days you can get a lot more for your money than you could say last year. Yet after purchasing this little beauty at just £89.99 I did wonder if it was too good to be true! A 16 mp bridge camera with 26 x wide zoom, it was simply perfect for someone just starting off in the blogging scene. Unlike compact cameras, these cameras really allow you to zoom in on those finer details which is exactly what I was looking for. 

Both Canon and Nikon offer a wide range of cameras in all shapes and sizes and I do recommend you having a good look at this before making any quick purchases. Obviously  my main priority was getting a camera before I wrote any more blog posts, but a word of advice, don't let the cheaper cameras put you off.  Mine has tons of positive reviews and it certainly does the job, a quality camera at a quality price.

Nikon Coolpix L810

L.A

xox

My Beauty Essentials Continued

I love the Simple range and have numerous different skin products by this brand. This moisturiser (below) in particular is one of my ultimate faves: Simple kind to skin hydrating light moisturiser. It does exactly what it says on the tin; it keeps my skin hydrated all day long. After using numerous different moisturisers over the years I think Simple offers an unbeatable price on its products for the impeccable value you receive. This beauty comes in at just £3.99 and is well worth every penny! All their products use natural ingredients and are designed to suit a range of skin types (oily, dry, aged etc). Remember ladies getting the basics right is very important if you want long lasting make-up throughout the day. It couldn't be simpler…

Silver shampoo and conditioner. Now those of you who know me will realise that I have had my fair share of hair colours over the years. However my hair in its current stage is probably at its driest due to all the peroxide I have used over the past year or more. If you are a brunette (or have any other hair colour) then feel free to skip this section, but if you're blonde like me, please listen up! I absolutely cannot live without these products. Not only do they bring out my colour every time I wash my hair; they keep my hair looking radiant something I feel blondes often struggle with. Nobody likes a dull blonde, so let your colour shine through with this beauty! This product is very cheap (£2.00) and you can purchase it from any local chemist including Boots and Superdrug. Don’t fork out on expensive blonde shampoo and conditioners when you can achieve the exact same result with these products.

Dove moisturiser with a hint of self tan. I have been using this product for many years now as an all over moisturiser product and I absolutely adore it! People are always commenting on the colour of my skin and this is exactly what helps me achieve my natural looking olive complexion. My skin is naturally quite dark anyway (father's genes) so I always use the medium to dark shade, however you can also purchase this product in a lighter shade too. It is very easy to apply and NEVER causes you to get any streaks like most tanning products often do. You will need to keep applying this product to build up the colour but after a few applications you should start to see a change in your skin tone. I recommend this to anyone who is afraid of using fake tan or the sunbeds or maybe you just want to keep a healthy looking glow all year round. At just £3.33 this is absolute bargain!

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