5 Things: Life Lately

Hey loves, long time no chat. My fault, not yours, life has been crazy. 

I find myself right now in this hectic swirl of events, juggling work, blogging, our move, and trying to make the most of our last few weeks in London. There's been a lot going on, and I honestly am looking forward to the close of September, where I can sit back and breathe a little. 

1. My health hasn't been 100% over the last few weeks. I've been struggling with a lot of unexplained fatigue, dizziness and nausea, which has left me essentially a vegetable half the time. I had a low point last week where I blacked out whilst I was out in the city, which prompted me to get my butt down to the health professionals, who are running some different tests to see what's going on with me. Fingers crossed they get to the bottom of it soon, I'm bored of feeling tired!

2. I've been doing some social media work for the awesome street food company Louisiana Chilli Shack, who are currently set up at Kerb Camden. Because of that, I've been able to spend a lot of time down at Kerb, which has been great fun. I'm not the biggest Camden fan, but there's so much amazing food and such a great atmosphere down there, that I've begun to look forward to my weekly meetings in that part of the city! 

3. My wonderful friend Tami came to visit me on Sunday, and I spent the day showing her some of my favourite East London Spots. I'll have a full post coming later in the week, but let's just say it involved great food, a little pampering, some bargain shopping and flowers! A perfect Sunday if you ask me! 

4. Lucky girl that I am, I was treated to a shiny new Macbook by my wonderful boyfriend this week. I've been thinking about trading in my air for this pretty gold number for a while, and I'm so pleased with it. As I won't be splitting my time between Bournemouth and London anymore, I don't really have a need for my Air, but I still wanted something little for surfing the internet in bed, working in coffee shops or when I travel. I have my desktop for heavy duty video editing and the bulk of my work, but this is perfect for blogging and editing photos on the go! I also got these gorgeous Beats thrown in too thanks to Apple and their great deals! So excited to use them! 

5. And finally things were thrown off kilter this week after my Dad had an accident on his bike on holiday. He's been discharged from hospital now, with some broken bones in his face, some bruised ribs & lots of cuts and scrapes, and should be back in the UK later today. There's a possibility he will need to have surgery in a few weeks time, so I'll be home for the foreseeable. Any good vibes and love you can send his way would be so much appreciated.

Hope you guys are all having a great week, thanks for sticking with me! 

Why We're Leaving London

A bit more of a chatty post today, but I've had SO many people ask why Connor & I have decided to move back to Bournemouth, I figured I'd address it here.

If you've been around here for more than a few weeks, you'll know that the last year has been a really hard one for me. My grandfather was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour just before Christmas, and sadly, we lost him in June, after months of putting up a good fight. Since then, or, since his diagnosis really, I've found it really hard being in London, away from my family.

Connor's Masters finishes in mid September, and he ended up securing the ideal job for him, working for himself from home, full time on an awesome project he's exciting for. Since that means we're both essentially freelancers now, it meant we could be anywhere.

And for me, the only option really was to go home. It's not permanent, who knows where we will be in five years time, but right now, I'm craving home. Right now, I kinda associate London with feeling disconnected, and anxious. Every time the phone rings I jump and panic it's someone calling with bad news. I feel like I need a little time to recuperate, time spent with my family, time spent living life a little slower than in London. 

Luckily, Con is more than happy to head back with me. Since rent in Bournemouth is about a third less than what we're paying in London, we'll have a bit more disposable income, so we're planning a few trips, a few treats, and just generally, we're looking forward to spending a little more time together. Our four years in London have been great, but they've been hectic, and we've barely spent any time together during them. We're looking forward to reclaiming our evenings and weekends, and living life a little more, rather than just working all the time.

We have a move out date of September 27th, so things are going to be pretty hectic until then, but I can't wait to share this new chapter with you all.

Thank you, as always, for all the love and support. You guys rock. 

5 To Try

It's been a while since we've had a good old fashioned 5 to try around these parts, so I figured it was about time we bought it back.

Bleach London Silver Conditioner: I did a little at home balayage on my hair last month and I LOVE it, but it was getting a little orange around the edges. I spent ages looking for a purple shampoo that doesn't dry out my hair and I found an awesome alternative - a silver conditioner! I apply this to the ends of my hair, it adds hydration and gets rid of any brassy tones on my highlights. It's incredibly reasonably priced, and you only need a little to see the effects!

Benefit Tweezer: I picked these up on board the Good Ship Benefit last month and they've been so handy! Tweezers with a built in brow brush! It makes tidying up my brows in between appointments so much easier! Super handy - if you need new tweezers definitely check these out!

Fleur de Force Petit Fleur Lashes: I picked these up because my usual favourite, the Fleur Loves, were sold out, and I was massively impressed! Much like the Fleur Loves, these are three quarter lashes, and these are just perfect for adding a little definition in the day! They're really comfortable and they just make you look like you have naturally fantastic lashes!

MAC Trolls Beauty Powder in Play It Proper: I just couldn't resist this! Aside from the adorable packaging, this is a great alternative to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, for a subtle glow. I've been using this champagne pink highlight powder to set my under eye concealer, and occasionally just to set my whole face. It softens the features and adds a subtle glow, the perfect way to set your makeup!

NARS Long Hot Summer Palette: I don't know why I haven't heard more about this palette! NARS' summer drop is bloody gorgeous, full of beautiful bronzed shades that just glow on the eyes. This is a NARS exclusive, so order from their site or get down to their Covent Garden Boutique. But I'll warn you - that store is dangerous.

Have you tried anything great recently?

Wild Imagination

I honestly can't believe I'm writing this post, it's been so long in the making.

Back in January I started working on a new project. And today we are finally live!

Wild Imagination is the perfect amalgamation of my freelance business, and the kind of content I love creating. 

There's a blog where you'll find articles to inspire you, and help you out with running your blog or business. I love this article on being creative, and this one on staying inspired at your day job. You can follow the blog on Bloglovin' here! 

You'll also find a whole wealth of digital content services, and creative coaching too! I've been really loving my work as a creative coach, so definitely check it out if you're after a little help!

I'd love to hear your feedback on the site! It's been my baby for so long that putting it out into the world is a little scary! 

Check it out here!

My Little Sister Comes To London

Another day, another vlog! This time I've got a jam packed weekend of hanging out with awesome bloggers, a quick trip home, and then showing my sister some of my favourite parts of London.

Expect lots of trips to Starbucks, as usual.

Sky High Yoga

There is very little in this world that will inspire me to get out of bed at four thirty in the morning, but the promise of yoga at the top of London's Sky Garden was one of them.

So on Wednesday I was out of the flat a little after 5am and on my way to Bank. Dressed head to toe in Aerie workout gear (my favourite) and with my new LuluLemon Yoga Mat in tow, Verity and I arrived at the Walkie Talkie just after 6am, and headed thirty-five floors up to the Sky Garden.

Now, this wasn't my first trip to the Sky Garden, but the last time I went it was the middle of the day and it was fairly overcast. In all honesty, we couldn't have asked for better weather this week. We watched in awe as the sun rose above the skyline, warming the skyscrapers with hues of orange and pink. Watching the city wake up from the 35th floor was like a 'pinch me' moment, I was honestly just in awe of how lucky I am to live in such an incredible part of the world. 

All of a sudden, six thirty was upon us and our class started. Run by the fantastic Issy Scobie of Flex London, the class is an hour of Vinyasa Flow Yoga - perfect for getting the blood pumping ready for the day ahead. I'll be honest here and admit that Vinyasa Yoga isn't normally my thing, I'm more of a Hatha/Ashtanga Yoga kinda gal, but I absolutely LOVED Issy's style of teaching. She encouraged us to go at the pace of our breath, and to really listen to what our bodies were telling us, which I loved. She finished the class with a great Savasana, where she spoke about intention, and really motivated me for the rest of the week. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Issy's classes - she was amazing!

This was my first outing with my brand new LuluLemon mat and I have to say, it totally changed my practice for the better. I'm going to be including this in a little lifestyle favourites round up on YouTube Channel this week, so stay tuned for that! 

 After the class, Verity and I grabbed a smoothie and a quick bite to eat at the cafe, I was honestly really surprised at how reasonable the food was, our smoothies were £3.50 each which seemed really cheap! They were super tasty and really invigorating after the class!

We sat in the window watching the world go by until Verity had to go to work!

If you're a fan of yoga I'd definitely recommend checking out the classes at the Sky Garden, it was such a great experience!

A Little Lush Haul

Since I bought so many bits in the Lush Christmas Sale, it's been a while since I've been in a store - I've still got four or five bath bombs left. A little Lush splurge was, in that case, long overdue, so I popped into the store at the beginning of the week to restock on some old favourites, and try out a few new things. 

The main reason for going in, was to pick up a new tub of Let The Good Times Roll, my favourite face scrub. I mistakenly left this in the shower where Connor discovered it, and then all of a sudden it was all gone. I don't blame him though, this stuff is wholly addictive. It's a fine grain scrub that smells exactly like caramel popcorn, and it's my go to for a good cleanse in the shower, it's really softening and brightening.  A firm favourite I wouldn't be without in my stash. 

Another repurchase that also depleted faster than usual thanks to Con, the Tea Tree Water. This is my post cleanse toner of choice, it's super refreshing, helps tighten up the pores, and does a fantastic job of keeping spots at bay. It's antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and basically my skin just loves it. 

Another skin pick, I was looking for a cleanser for Con and got chatting to the sales assistant in Lush, who recommended Kalamazoo Beard and Facial Wash. She said it was great for cleansing, softening up facial hair - so hopefully Con will give it a thumbs up. She also that she uses herself as it's great for brightening - it also contains pineapple juice which is packed full of enzymes, so I'll definitely give it a whirl myself. 

I've been struggling with incredibly dry, hard feet over the last few weeks, having been living in my sandals, so I picked up the Pumice Power Foot Scrub, a solid bar that's supposed to soften, brighten and polish. Super intrigued to try this one, I'll report back with what I think! 

I fancied picking up a new fresh face mask, I usually pick up Catastrophe Cosmetic, but that aims to help breakouts which isn't what I'm struggling with at the moment. I decided to go for Brazened Honey, which is touted as 'exfoliating, stimulating and nourishing' which sounds right up my street. I'm going to give this a try tonight, so I'll report back!

And lastly, I finally picked up a pot of Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter. I've had a bunch of samples of this over the years, and they've always lasted forever. My cuticles really need a little love right now, they're so dry and chapped, so hopefully this will be the TLC my hands need!

And there we go! I really am a big fan of Lush, I just love how reliably great their products are, and my skin just adores their ingredients!

Anything else I should be picking up from Lush? 

Two Months In: 2017 Erin Condren Life Planner

I felt like we were long overdue a chat about my Erin Condren Life Planner! The last time we talked about it, I'd just received my new 2017 planner, and I talked you through my first impressions (check it out here if you missed it!), and now, almost two months on, I thought I'd chat you through my thoughts in a bit more depth.

The changes to the planner in 2017 where fairly minimal, but just enough to make me love it that bit more. I went for the vertical planner as always, but this time in the new neutral colour scheme, and I have to say I love it even more than I thought I would. I was a little nervous that I'd miss the colours, but as I'm someone who likes to go heavy on the stickers, I like that I can mix it up and not have to try and match the colours of the month. I also love how the neutral tabs look peaking out at the side, I think it's a little cleaner and a little more my style!

Quality-wise, I have no complaints at all, I'm really impressed with it. I was a little concerned, as I went for the luxe vegan leather cover, that I might have issues with the 'leather' marking or denting, but it honestly still looks like new! The coil too looks like new, and I haven't experienced any chipping or bending of the wire! I added a little charm to the coil from Sea Salt and Paper Co and I love how it looks. My only concern is about the cover itself, which isn't as flexible as the removable covers. I'm a little worried that as this is the 18 month planner, as the pages get bigger, the cover won't be able to cope, as it's already as fat as it can be without the cover bending. Because of this, I'd definitely suggest opting for the 12 month planner if you're after one of the luxe covers! 

 As far as the actual pages go, I've been really enjoying mixing up my planning style. I've been opting for a little more white space, a little less formula, and a little more business! I like to document all sorts in my planner to use it as kind of a memory keeping device! I've also been attempting some different handwriting styles just to mix things up a little and I really enjoy it! 

So all in all, I'm totally pleased with the new planner! If you guys are interested in purchasing anything from Erin Condren, don't forget to use this code for $10 off your order! 

Columbia Road Flower Market

 Columbia Road Flower Market is possibly my favourite place in London. It's everything I thought London would be, it's bustling with life and soul, and when the sun is shining, there's no place else I'd rather spend a Sunday morning.

Last week I headed east with my sister and wonderful friend Verity, neither of whom had ever been to the market. We started off with a quick Starbucks stop, before taking a slow walk up to the market from Liverpool Street. I was keen to pick up some fresh blooms for my apartment, whilst Verity was after a bunch of sunflowers for some photos we were going to take. 

As always, it was almost impossible to pick what flowers I wanted to take home! I always do a walk of the whole market before making my decision! I settled on two bunches of peachy coloured Everlasting Statice, because I adored the colours, and because the woman selling them assured me they'd last until we move out of the flat! They were two bunches for £5 which was a total steal! 

 We spent an hour browsing the stalls, and left heavily laden with plants! We strolled around to find a spot to take Verity's photos, which took a while but came out beautifully (I'll show you them sometime soon), and I got Leah to take some photos of my outfit too, it seemed a shame to waste the flowers! 

 It was ridiculously hot in London on this particular Sunday (my sister had her shoulders out and got burnt!), so I went simple, and got my pasty legs out! The dress is a recent purchase from H&M, a total steal at £12.99. It's such an easy piece to have in your wardrobe, I can chuck it on with a chunky necklace and feel put together straight away. I paired it with my Kurt Geiger sandals, and necklace from Oliver Bonas. 

We finished off our trip east with yummy street food from Brick Lane Market, and a quick look around Anthropologie! 

 Not a bad way to spend a Sunday! 

The Good Ship Benefit!

Last week I got the opportunity to head out on the Good Ship Benefit with my wonderful friend Ghenet. We had such a good time getting our hair and brows done, drinking cocktails and eating cakes, it was the perfect excuse to get the vlogging camera out and document my day!

There's still time to pop down to the ship, and it's definitely worth checking out their website, as they have loads of events on! From brow workshops to workouts to dinner on board!

Let me know what you think!