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.