5 London Food Favourites

It's no secret that I enjoy a good bite, burgers, donuts, pizza, pasta, you name it, I'll eat it. My first year or so in London I was guilty of always returning to the same places for food, but over the last few years I've made a conscious effort to try a bit more, and now I have lots of hidden favourites around the city. But today I thought I'd round up my top 5, the five that if you're ever in the city, you just have to try. 

Honest Burger

I have Daphne to thank for discovering Honest Burger, one trip with her and I was hooked. There's no shortage of burger joints in London, but what Honest offers is good, delicious food that isn't full of crap. Everything you eat is fresh with no nasties, and you can tell the difference with the taste. Also unlike most burger places in London, the burgers come with rosemary fries, no paying out extra for your sides here.

My order: The Honest Burger with fresh Mint Lemonade. 

 Yumchaa

 Yumchaa is my go to for delicious tea, and a chilled atmosphere to sit and work, or catch up with friends. They have every kind of tea under the sun here, you're guaranteed to find something you like, and it's quite fun having a good sniff of all the teas in the little milk jugs too. If you're lucky, they'll give you one of the clear teapots that you pop on top of your cup to fill, and they please me far too much. They do iced tea smoothies in the summer too, that are the perfect afternoon refresher. Big thumbs up for having a good gluten free selection too.

My order: Lemon Sherbert Tea and a gluten free Brownie.

Franco Manca

I feel like the pictures speak for themselves here. Fresh handmade sourdough pizzas, made with organic ingredients, sourced locally, they even list on the menu where all the ingredients come from. The menu is super petite, only five pizzas, but they'll happily make up a pizza for you if you fancy something different. You're looking at around £6 for the best pizza you'll eat outside of Italy, and you can add as much garlic oil as you like (all of it).

My order: A number four with no ricotta, and lots of garlic oil.

Bread Ahead

I'm sure everything Bread Ahead makes is great, but all you need to know about is the donuts. Deliciously soft and fluffy donuts, filled with fresh vanilla cream that tastes exactly like Haagen Dazs Vanilla ice cream. I may be allergic to dairy, but I'll go out of my way to head to Borough Market for one of these bad boys. There is no better donut in the world.

My order: A fresh Vanilla Cream Donut.

 Dirty Bones

Saving the newest discovery for last, Dirty Bones is my latest favourite, because MAC AND CHEESE BURGER. Yup. A burger topped with pulled beef short rib, and mac and cheese. Does it get better than that? I think not. Also big props for their cocktail happy hour, because everyone wants buy one get one free cocktails. 

My order: A Mac Daddy Burger, Skinny Fries & Top Dog Cocktail.

Well now I'm hungry! Any recommendations for London Eateries? Hook me up...

5 Killer Things To Buy In November

Happy November! November is exciting for many reasons but mostly because it's nearly Christmas, YAY! November is always one of those months that disappears in the blink of an eye, so this year I'm intent on making the most of the month!

When it comes to November splurges, I've got five awesome products that are worth splashing out on!

A Luxurious Body Cream: Because as the weather changes, your skin deserves a little treat. I'm normally not a big body butter fan, but I'm really enjoying The Body Shop's Japanese Camellia Cream at the moment. It smells clean, luxurious and delicious, and it's whipped formula means it's light on the skin but still intensely hydrating. It's pricey for a Body Shop item, but worth every penny.

The Perfect Berry Lipstick: Because November is the month to brave a bold berry lip and look fabulous. I'm totally in love with the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Love Liberty, a creamy matte formula in a gorgeous deep berry.

An Intense Lip Balm: Because matte lipsticks and cold winds will wreak havoc on your lips. Nothing beats the Nuxe Reve de Miel, a thick buttery lip balm that is incredibly nourishing. Definitely more of an overnight treatment than day to day lip top up, but a fantastic option nonetheless.

A Moisturising Base Option: That will still feel comfortable after it feels like you've been up since the crack of dawn. The L'Oreal Infallible 24hour Foundation is perfect, it's got a good medium coverage, whilst being really hydrating on the skin.

A Hydrating Face Mask: For an end-of-a-long-day skin treat. My favourite is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Skin Mask, which smells like oranges, and gives my skin the boost it needs.

What will you be splashing out on this month?

5 Things To Buy in October

A new month, and a new flurry of products to spend your hard earned pennies on. This month, it was easy to pick out products to recommend, because these are all products that I know I'll get a lot of use out of this month!

Your perfect autumn fragrance: because no girl should be without one. I'm lucky enough to have found two, Giorgio Armani Si is the one I keep coming back to however. Think warm and floral and woody, all in one go. Don't be put off by the scent in the bottle, it's completely different on the skin!

A cream eyeshadow in stick form: for when you're running late and don't have time for a full eye look. The darker mornings that arrive with October always throw me, and I end up having the odd morning where I need to get ready in all of three minutes. A cream shadow like this one from Kiko is perfect, just scribble on and blend out with your finger. This taupey shade is perfect for autumn too!

An easy to apply cream blush: also for when you're running late. The YSL Babydoll Kiss and Blush is one of the easiest to apply I've ever found. Simply use the doe foot applicator to tap onto your cheeks and blend it out with your fingers. Job done. 

A bold berry lip: to get that autumnal vibe going. I like to opt for a matte shade when it comes to bold colours, and my favourite matte formula are the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. Right now I'm loving the shade Damned, because it's bold without being scary.

A lip balm with a hint of colour: for when the wind gets your lips too dry for a full on lipstick. I love the Korres Lip Butters, because they're intensely hydrating, and come in a great range of shades.

What will you be splashing out on this month?

5 Things To Buy in July

With the temperature creeping up, there's a strong theme to this months 'things to buy', products to beat the heat! 

Let's start with an obvious one, sunscreen. I've tried a ton of different SPFs (in fact, keep your eyes peeled for a full guide to SPF next week), but I always come back to the P20 Once a Day Sun Protection. It's super easy to apply, it sinks in quick and doesn't leave a horrible sticky residue on your skin, and once you apply, that's it, you don't need to worry about it for the rest of the day. Perfect for people as tall as me, applying sunscreen takes forever!

Skincare can be so tricky when the weather is warm, you want hydration, but full avoidance of oil. 

I've switched out my rich evening moisturiser for a lightweight serum instead. I've been using the Ole Henrikson Truth Serum as the final step in my skincare routine, to pack a ton of goodness into my skin. This serum contains all sorts of good things like Vitamin C, E, Green Tea, Grapefruit and Rosehip to name but a few! A nice skin treat.

When it comes to makeup, it's not easy to find products that won't melt off your face. A good setting powder is half the battle though, and I've fallen back in love with the Soap and Glory One Heck of A Blot. It just sets everything in place perfectly without adding any cakey, powdery finish to the skin, or taking away that summery glow. Good stuff! 

Blush is usually the first thing to disappear from my skin, whether it's hot and humid or not. But the Milani Baked Blushes are just fantastic. I particularly love the cult shade Luminoso, which gives a gorgeous peachy glow, as well as a subtle highlight. Beautiful.

And a non beauty mention, I'd really recommend picking up a giant cold cup tumbler. I picked mine up in Starbucks in New York, and it's so handy. Fill it up with cold water and carry it everywhere, to make sure you're staying hydrated in this heat!

What are you going to be splurging on this month? 

5 Product Face: The No Makeup Makeup

Firstly, I apologise for missing a post yesterday, I have no excuse, I just completely forgot! 

Today we are talking about the no-makeup makeup days. You know the days, you don't want to faff with a ton of products, you don't want to wear a ton of products, but you still want to look slightly better than your 'I woke up like this self'. This is what I go to on a day to day basis, and the exact product line up I opt for when I want to give my skin a break, but still look good. 

I start with the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in the Brightener, under my eyes and down the centre of my nose, to brighten and conceal the under eyes. This just helps even out my complexion.

I then take a tiny amount of the Stila Convertible Colour in Petunia on my fingertips and pat it into the apples of my cheeks. This gives just a hint of colour, but really helps to brighten my face, making me look healthier! 

Follow up with a dusting of Chanel Les Beiges Powder, taken on a fluffy brush all over my skin, but concentrating on the T-Zone where I'm likely to get oily. This helps mattify, but also gives my skin a more perfected finish.

I'd usually just stick to mascara, I like the Makeup Forever Smoky Lash Extravagent mascara for really separating and lifting the lashes, but recently I've been adding a slick of black liner for definition. Just a touch of the Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Perversion along my upper waterline just adds a little something something extra, and makes everything look a little more groomed!

And that's it! Sometimes I'll pop a bit of the cream blush on my lips too, but normally I'll just stick with a lip balm! 

What's your go to minimal makeup look?