10 Happy Things

The weeks are flying past now as we get closer and closer to our big move. I feel simultaneously that it can't come quick enough and it's going too fast. There's so much to do before we leave London, but I'm itching to get back to the seaside!

This week has been a mix of busy work days and happy little things!

1. Having my sister up in London last weekend! It's probably the last weekend we will spend in London exploring for a while, and we definitely made the most of it. The highlight? Visiting Columbia Road Flower Market on Sunday morning, followed by a delicious lunch at Brick Lane Food Market. Keep your eye's peeled for a vlog next week.

2. A super productive Monday. I had a few things on my to do list that had been sat there untouched for a few weeks, so on Monday I finally bit the bullet and got them done. I feel so much better for doing so, and it set me up to feel great for the week ahead!

3. Connor came home on Tuesday bearing coffee, and it was much appreciated. I'd had a full on laptop day of admin and was flagging a bit, so the 5pm Starbucks pick me up did the world of good!

4. Sneaking out for a pizza date at Prezzo. A date born out of 'there's nothing in the fridge' and 'I'm too hungry to cook'. I haven't been to Prezzo in the longest time, but the food was great and not having to do the washing up was even better.

5. A coffee work date with Verity, where we checked out Tap Coffee on Wardour Street. Dreamy interiors and delicious coffee, what more could you want?

6. A double date! I don't think I've ever been on a double date before, are double dates even still a thing? I headed to Honest Burger with Connor, Tash and her boyfriend Jack for a midweek treat, and it was so much fun!

7. Delicious food from Louisiana Chilli Shack. The best chilli I've ever consumed in my entire life.

8. Home time, with cat and dog cuddles! Spending the weekend at home feels like such a luxury.

9. The best way to see out the week, I went for Friday afternoon Pimms on Christchurch Quay, where I sat in the sun and caught up with a friend. I even caught the sun a little on my shoulders!

10. Dinner and drinks with my Mama at the new Brewhouse. I had a Mystic Peach beer and a chilli cheese dog. It was delicious.

Hope you've all had a great week! 

Currently In Rotation

I've been really enjoying living out of a makeup bag recently, sometimes when you have so many options, doing your face in the morning gets a little daunting. For the last month or so I've been switching out the content of a makeup bag every week or so, and just using that for my face. It's been nice to fall back in love with a few old favourites, and it makes my morning routine a lot quicker & simpler.

With that in mind I thought I'd talk you through the current contents of my makeup bag. It's been pretty warm in London recently so I've been favouring a fairly simple look with light products.

Base-wise, I'm back on the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua bandwagon, and I've remembered all the reasons I love this product. Not only is it dinky & compact, perfect for travel, it's a great natural looking base that doesn't feel heavy or cakey. I've been supplementing this with the Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer under my eyes for a little extra coverage. I really like this concealer, it's slight and thin so it doesn't crease or look too heavy, but it does a great job of brightening my under eyes. I've been using my Sephora Pro Airbrush 56 brush to blend it all in and I just love the finish.

For cheeks I've been reaching for my favourite compact, the MAC X Ellie Goulding I'll Hold My Breath Blush Duo. The bronzer is a gorgeous light to medium brown with a subtle sheen that really gives a great glow to the skin, while the blush is a beautiful matte peachy pink that really pops on the cheeks. I've also been testing out the MAC Trolls Play It Proper Beauty Powder as a subtle highlight and setting powder for under the eyes. It's a gorgeous pearlescent pink champagne sheen that really brightens and gives a glow. So far - I'm digging it. I've been using my brand new Zoeva Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush with these, and I'm obsessed, it picks up the perfect amount of product and blends beautifully.

I've been testing out a lot of the new Benefit Brows collection over the past couple of months and I have to say I'm super impressed with what I've tried. Right now I've been using a combination of Goof Proof Brow Pencil to fill in the gaps, and Ready Set Brow to hold them in place, and I really like it. Natural looking brows that stay put without feeling crunchy!

For eyes I've been playing it really simple. MAC Painterly Paint Pot, an old favourite, on the lids to even things out, and then the Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Stag smudged along my upper lash line for a little definition. Finish things off with lashings of the NARS Audacious Mascara, which I'm almost out of, so if you have any new mascara recommendations for me, let me know.

And I've got two lip options, an everyday nude and a bold red. The nude is the new L'Oreal Paris Sexy Balm in 103, a sheer browny nude with a nice creamy formula, and the red is the Maybelline Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick in 11.

As always, my makeup bag is from Charlotte Tilbury. I just can't get enough of this bag, it's the perfect shape and size for my everyday stuff.

What's in your makeup bag right now?

Lattes + Laptops: Ambrose Cafe

Another day, another hunt for the perfect spot to work in. This time I checked out Ambrose Cafe, upstairs in Heal's on Tottenham Court Road. It's advertised as a cafe and workspace, but in all honesty the waitress didn't seem to pleased when three of us rocked up with our laptops. 

Despite less than courteous wait staff, I actually really enjoyed working here. It's a bright and airy space with gorgeous decor (you wouldn't expect anything less from Heal's, would you?). I opted for a juice, and then a little later we decided to have a spot of lunch, and I can't fault any of the food at all. My eggs were served on a bed of avocado and multigrain bread, complete with maple bacon and a heafty dose of salsa - and it was all delicious. It's definitely not the cheapest place in the area (the juice was £4 whilst my lunch was £10), and they do at a service charge, bit I don't mind paying a little more for a nice workspace! 

I'm not sure if I'll head back here in a hurry for your average work day, but I'll definitely be keeping it in mind as a great spot for meetings! 

Blossoming Gifts

Is there anything better to perk up a grey day than a fresh bunch of flowers? No, I thought not.

So when Blossoming Gifts got in touch and asked if I'd like to receive one of their bouquets, of course I said yes!

After whiling away half an hour on their website (because how can anyone just pick one?!) I settled on the Eton Mess bouquet. A beautiful confection of pink lilies and peach roses, isn't it beautiful?!

It arrived beautifully wrapped up in greenery, well packaged so there was no risk of damaging the flowers. I love that these are generous sized bouquets too, they really fill out a vase!

I've had them for a week now and they're still going strong!

The wonderful team at Blossoming gifts have given me a code to share with you, so you can get a third off an order! The bouquets start at a very affordable £12, so it's basically a steal! Just enter the code BGIFTS33 at the checkout!

And because they really are a stellar team - they're offering one of you the chance to win a bouquet too! Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below, it'll be open for one week! UK only this time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Transitional Jacket

 Transitional dressing is HARD people. Living in London is hard because the weather is ridiculous. Right now it's warm, but rainy and windy. So it's damn near impossible to dress for the occasion.

I was actually in a bit of a clothing funk, not really liking anything in my wardrobe because nothing felt appropriate. I was either hot and sweaty or cold and wet.

INSERT STAGE LEFT: The transitional jacket.

For years, the perfect transitional jacket has eluded me. I've searched for it to no avail. It's been something of a sore spot.

Last year, I thought I'd found the one. It was hanging in Zara and it was beautiful. But it was £140. I didn't have £140.

BUT THEN, last week I came across this beauty in H&M. It's almost identical to the Zara number, but at the mere price of £29.99, it was a steal.

And so that's the story of how this jacket came home with me. Our relationship is off to a cracking start already, I can tell our future is bright.

It fits with my wardrobe theme of black/white/grey/navy, but the pattern makes it totally appropriate to wear in the spring summer months.

The slightly cropped sleeve means you're not going to overheat, but if the heavens open unexpectedly, you're covered.

And I love the length of it too.

It's the perfect thing for jazzing up my 99% jeans-and-tee wardrobe.

And it makes me feel smart and profesh too.

 JACKET: H&M // TEE: MANGO // JEANS: TOPSHOP // SHOES: PRIMARK