A Few of my Favourite Things...

I have a habit of getting a little bit overly-enamored by certain things, I wouldn't say I was a "girly-girl", in fact I stopped being a girl quite a while ago!
Still pastel colours, certain foods, shoes, and general pretty things can make me squee like I've suddenly been surrounded by kittens, and also can someone make that happen please.
So here are just a few of my favourite things right now!

I'm still totally in love with my new Fujifilm Instax Camera, and I've taken a few little shots, and also used it to take a few photo's to attach to boxes so I can see what's in there too, so it's a helpful tool for organizing as well as for fun quick snapshots.

I love nail polish, but I can never settle on one colour for too long. Barry M have the perfect mix of bright pastels, dark but interesting shades, metallics, and various other affect nail polishes. I only avoid the glitter, glitter polish is impossible to take off!! I've heard that painting some PVA glue on beforehand means you can peel it off easy but peel-able nail polish is just too tempting!

I collect notebooks, the cuter the better, and although I have plenty around that have only a few pages used, I couldn't resist this Rob Ryan blank notebook for doodles and sketches. His artwork really appeals to me, and I have some of his mugs too.

I also bought this Laduree diary, that can be used for any year as the dates and months are there but not lined up to one particular year so I may try to get a lot of use out of it. As well as being a diary, it has hints, facts, recipes, and much more all complimented with illustrations. It would make the perfect gift for the girly or francophile in your life..!

Both of these can easily be found online on Amazon.

Ping Pong have the widest variety of vegetarian Dim Sums, dumplings, and yumminess I've ever had!! I had to order two rounds of potato and edamame bean patties, and I'm still craving them.

If you find yourself in Soho or on the South Bank then this is the place to go, it's also a lot more affordable than most restaurants in London.

They also have this Dragon Eye flower tea, which they serve to you as a tiny green ball in an empty cup, but once they pour the hot water in it opens up into a beautiful and tasty tea, and there's free re-fills too. it's not my favourite restaurant in London.

As for vegan desserts my favourite cafe is Cakes n Treats in the less touristy part of Camden. With it's all white shabby chic interior, to a wide selection of savory and sweet, and delicious teas, coffees, and even hot chocolate with whipped cream, syrup and chocolate chips that is all somehow vegan, it's like a playground of sweet to me.

I take all my friends and family there, as the cakes are so nice it doesn't matter that they are dairy free.

There's gluten free options too.

I bought this rainbow cake to take away (after having a pie and hot chocolate earlier on) to celebrate the start of the olympics at Sochi, if I can eat cake and give a metaphorical "Fuck you" to Putin then so be it! It also helps me celebrate my previous flatmate, and very good friend Fred Bear who is now the star of this campaign by Channel 4!

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Shopping Trips in Stratford

I had a very rare Saturday off, and so did Edd, our first Saturday off together this year!
Because we don't really know what else to do with ourselves when we are not working, and going out to a club nowadays feels like work we decided the best thing to do on our day off in the cold and strong winds was to do some indoor shopping at Westfield Shopping Center in Stratford.
We stocked up on many bits and pieces which I will share with you now, it was a good day!

I've heard that Sulphate free shampoo and conditioners were the latest new thing for keeping your hair healthy without losing any colour, sadly the only company who seem to have released it first in the UK is Loreal, a complete enigma of a company for people who are anti-animal testing, as it's said they still do but they also set up funding to find testing alternatives to save the animals.
If other companies can manage to be completely cruelty free then so can all of them.
It smells great, and my hair does feel a bit softer but I'm yet to be fully convinced as of yet. I will update.

 

I think Grey is going to become the next Manicure staple. After the trend for nail art, quirky and colourful designs that are impossible for the average woman to do, grey makes the perfect subtle yet interesting neutral colour that matches with everything.

I'm also taking advantage of midi rings as my hands have always been too tiny for rings I can find these to fit me like normal rings! Topshop have the largest range.

I bought these sweets as a little gift for Edd, and also because I can totally use that bottle when it's finished!! It'll be perfect for storing cotton pads and was only £4.00.
This shower cream has the greatest smell, chocolatey goodness and vegan too, Original Source have a great range of shower gels and the vegan ones are clearly labelled.
I also stocked up on No 7 cleanser as mine was running out, they are my go to brand for skin care, and my skin base primers and foundation.

I have a Lush addiction, as do most girls!! Never know what to get? Go for a Lush gift box or gift card and you can't really go wrong. There's a reason there's always a huge queue in there over christmas season, everyone loves it.
I got a few bubble bars, bath bombs, and a cupcake facemask which is also chocolate and vegan friendly, they clearly label their vegan products and every product board lists the full ingredients.
They are also very actively against animal testing which means very big approval from me.

Soap and Glory is another girly bathing favourite, cute retro packaging, and products that really work too. If the christmas queue in Lush is too big, then here's your back up. It's mainly available in Boots but has started to sneak into the occasional other stores. With their new make up range also a winner when it comes to certain products this company will just keep on growing.

 

Ollie and Nic has been a company for a long time, but it's still of a cult status. When I first moved to London I kept my head above water working for the company, and I learned a lot about it's history and products. Because of my time there they named this bag with my name, my real name rather than stage name and used the same spelling too.

It retailed at £60 but I waited knowing how good their sales are, and picked up myself (!) for only £19! They have great leather handbags and have some amazing steals in their sales with generous price slashing and discounts. Pick me up today, I also come in Green!

 

The main reason for the shopping trip was to pick up these Zara Ballet Pumps, at only £19.99 this wardrobe staple is something we all have but also have to regularly replace. I tend to buy one pair a year as I wear them until they fall apart, I'm hoping these may last a little longer but they are a great classic french style, with the low front and metal tabs on the bow rather than the cheap primark specials that sit too high.
Think Audrey Hepburn not Lindsey Lohan.
Sadly they are yet to hit the stores, but are available online currently in Black and Red, and will hit stores soon but I expect they won't be around long! I've ordered mine and can't wait to team them with my Zara Cigarette Pants seen in previous posts.

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Lingerie Picks and Tricks

I don't subscribe to Valentines Day, but I do subscribe to beautiful lingerie.
Although most of my outfits are on the bargain side and I'm always rather strict with myself when it comes to budgets, that all goes out of the window when it comes to lingerie.
I hunt out sample or flash sales from companies like Agent Provocateur and Coco De Mer for luxury lingerie at a more affordable price, but even then it breaks my bank a little.
I believe everyone should have at least one good set that make you feel sexy as hell, a little bit naughty, and confident in the way you look, especially when you know you'll get your special someone drooling.
So despite not a valentines fan, here is my valentines blog post all about my favourite pieces of confidence building lace, and why it's worthwhile checking out those sales.

 Agent Provocateur Caitlin Set, bought in the New Year

 sales along with the perfume.
We had to peg the middle too, as the back of these briefs are rather
strappy and rude!

 Agent Provocateur Mercy Set in black, bought in a Flash 

Sale, the whole three piece set cost £80 instead of £250.

Photo by Mr. Suave wearing Mercy set

I have drawers and boxes full of similar and have quite a collection growing, but you can find amazing pieces on the high street too, H&M being one of my favourites for black lace sets at a fraction of the price, but its always keeping an eye out for these sales, happening online as well as in store. It's worth splashing out on with how great a new set makes you feel.

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