I lost my cat, Ruffles, about two months ago now and as stupid as it seems (to some non-animal lovers) there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him or miss his loving cuddles. Ruffles was a rescue cat, meaning we adopted him. He came from our local vet in Maida Vale, West London. Originally named Raphael, my little bundle of joy had jumped out of a 5th floor mansion block window and broken all four of his little legs and his jaw. The owners didn't want to pay the vet bills so had told the vet to put him down - it would be cheaper apparently. Luckily for us, the vet refused. Ruffles was only 11 months old at the time and such a beautiful souled cat at that. A lady vet, I actually forget her name it was so long ago, did all the work for free and started to look for a new home for him. Somehow, my neighbour had managed to persuade my mum to get a cat out of nowhere so off I went after school one day to meet him. He was perfect. It was love at first sight. It honestly was and that's probably why to this day, I believe in love at first sight. Because of him, because of that cat.
He had all four of his legs and under his chin shaved too they had wired up his jaw to set, but I was mesmerised. He was too cute and soon he was to be all mine. He was so friendly coming up to everyone and having a little cuddle. Thanks to a kind and caring vet, Ruffles was given another chance at life and he went on to live a happy and long life with us. Devastatingly it wasn't as long as would have hoped and we lost him at the end of September. We don't quite know what he died of, sadly. Like lots of cats, he went away to die and broke our hearts. He was 12, relatively young for a cat and had always loved life. We still have a photo up of him on our mantlepiece and speak of him/to the picture of him every day.
We had a little Mr. Ruffles (nickname for him amongst our friends) shaped hole in our lives, so a week ago we adopted a new cat, through Cats Protection. A little girl cat called Pippa. This is the second time we have adopted, and we wouldn't do it any other way, ever. The work these charities do, like the RSPCA and Cats Protection alike, are incredible. As adorable as they are why would you get a little puppy/kitten etc from a breeder compared to a poor animal that was unloved or neglected? You can change an animals life that hasn't necessarily had the chance to experience how great life can be, yet. And you'd be mistaken in thinking you can't get that perfect puppy you really wanted to complete your family through adoption. There were a few kittens at our local Cats Protection centre and quite a lot at our local RSPCA centre, too. When we were picking up Pippa I had the pleasure to meet all the other beautiful kitties wanting someone to love them. I left with half a heart. They had stolen the other half. I have never felt so guilty as I did then, walking away with Pippa when they were all perfect and I would happily taken them all. Animals should have an equal chance of a good life, like us. So if you are thinking about getting a little addition to the family, please please research your local animal welfare charities, and facilities and HEAD DOWN. I can almost guarantee you'll find one that you won't want to leave behind.
You'll find everything you need to rehome an animal with the RSPCA here http://www.rspca.org.uk/findapet/rehomeapet
The same here for adopting a cat through Cats Protection
http://www.cats.org.uk/adopt-a-cat
Favourite beauty product November | Sleek Highlighter
If I could wake up and look flawless every morning without make up, like some, I would embrace it and probably not wear any as it can be a hassle ometimes, can't it? Until then though, I would very much like my own personal make up artist to do their thang on me.
I've never been that great with make up. I massively struggle with a smokey eye or any sort of fancy looking eyeshadow looks for that matter and wish I could be just as slick with it as my best friend Jade is. If I've improved with my daily make up routine in the last few years it's all because I've taken on board tips from her.
A lot of products I also use, come recommended to me by my beauty guru and on-call expert Jade too. This particular brand of make up I've been using since last year when she bought me my first palette of theirs for Christmas. I had fallen in love with hers and the simplicity of it when she came to stay one night. As I'm not a natural talent with a make up brush this little creation was perfect for someone like me. The face form palette by Sleek Make up, in colour fair had me cooing like a new mother. It was my baby and it was beautiful. I loved the pale pink tone of the highlighter and how gorgeously it glistened on my cheek bones, not just in the light. It made contouring so simple for me. It almost seemed like I knew what I was doing. I love powder form highlighters and even invested in a gorgeous Shisheido trio palette too from feelunique, which can be found here.
Then I discovered another little helper from Sleek back in the summer and haven't felt the need to get any other product than this one. I didn't think it was possible but I love this palette more than the previous one. I purchased the Precious Metals Highlighting palette by Sleek after spying it in my local Superdrug and just thinking that all the colours in it looked oh, so pretty. Both palette's at just £10 are such a ridiculous steal. I love everything about this one including the packaging. It looks super stylish in a metallic grey box. Three of the colours colours are creams and blend so perfectly together. They compliment each other when used together. The iridescent sheen and shimmer to them give you a radiant glow that the Kardashian's glam team would be jealous of. It also comes with a gorgeous bronzed goddess powder to perfect the look adding to finish the contour. Ideal for use all over, you can add to the sides of your nose, top of lips, chin and corners of your head as well as your brow bone to define those eyes and brows. I've been using it daily for some months now and still looks close to as good as new, its lasted me ages I'm so so impressed. This just adds to the great value of money it is, when somethings this good and last this long you would happily pay more for it. So well done to the creators of Sleek Make up for bring such a fabulous and reasonably priced line to us all.
I get all of mine from Superdrug but you can get them from their website too. You can check out all their other amazing products too whilst you're there. I have loads of their lipsticks which are so good and reasonably priced also. Sleek highlighter palette
The battle of plastics for our beauty
Sunday 18 October 2015
I've been meaning to do this post for a while now and sadly never got round to sitting down and dedicating the time it so rightly deserves. Some of you may remember a post I did in the Summer, where I touched on micro plastics and the devastating affects on our planet.
You can read that blog again here: How to: smooth summer legs
Plastics are all around us. Most shockingly, they are in the beauty products we apply to our face and skin, daily. Alarmingly too, a huge proportion of the population aren't aware of this and so the destruction of our beautiful planet continues to worsen. The implementation of the 5p charge for plastic bags in Britain this month, brought the issue to the forefront of my mind again.
Microplastics, or you may have heard it referred to as micro beads, are added to the every day products we use. They are too fine for us to notice half the time. They're in things you would never dream of, such as toothpaste, shampoo/shower gel and even deodorant. I have been aware of the issue for a few years and although I backed the cause, I didn't make a conscious effort to adhere to it all the time. After being reminded of the importance of it, I've tried to the last couple of years. I've tried to make sure I only use beauty products that don't contain unnecessary plastics. I've always liked St. Ives skincare, a UK brand which uses natural ingredients. According to St. Ives "we make every effort to source our ingredients sustainably, cut waste, and use eco-friendly packaging." Keep up the good work guys.
In 2011, a Dutch non-government organisation, the North Sea Foundation made the first steps to abolish plastics use in cosmetics. They started writing to companies asking them to stop using microbeads as soon as they could. Not long after, in 2012, the Beat the Microbead campaign was launched by the North Sea Foundation and the Plastic soup foundation. After a revolutionary twitter campaign, Unilever, pharmaceutical giant agreed to phase out the use of microbeads across all their products. Global companies like Johnson and Johnson, L'oreal, Procter and Gamble and Colgate have also followed suit since then but haven't given a fix date as to when they will have phased out use by.
This is why the campaign needs backing. Change is happening, change is coming but it's not coming soon enough. More needs to be done in order to combat this.
Selfridges backed a similar campaign this summer, called Project Ocean. It had the same premise behind it - to make our ocean's better, with less plastic in it, for our wildlife. Microbeads from our products go to one place only, our oceans. They are washed away down our plug holes and affect the smaller creatures that can't stand up and fight for themselves. You can read more about the campaign here.
I did a little test the other day to see how readily available microbead free products were on an average high street. I went in to my local Boots and Superdrug, Body Shop and Lush looking for some of the microbead free products found on the PDF below. Result: I found nearly all of them. There really isn't any excuse. Thanks to the companies who have already stopped, we can easily make the change to plastic free products nowadays.
Here's a PDF where you can read through all the products currently on the market that are microbead free, yourself. Why don't you check it out and see if your products are on there? You might surprise yourself and realise you're doing more for your planet than you realised.
There are so many great companies on that list, all doing their bit to damage the planet less.
To name a few...Kheil's, Lush, Soap and Glory (I always buy from Boots), Elemis and of course The Body Shop.
Shops such as Waitrose, Tesco and Wilko also make plastic free cosmetic products. A huge shout out to all of them (and the rest on the list).
If you'd like to read more, you can on the website for the national campaign against micro beads here.
If you'd like to do some further background reading on it, you might like these too:
Citizen's campaign
A guardian article
You can join the Facebook campaign, by liking the page.
*Photo taken from Greenpeace's website. You can read their article on the issue here.
You can read that blog again here: How to: smooth summer legs
Plastics are all around us. Most shockingly, they are in the beauty products we apply to our face and skin, daily. Alarmingly too, a huge proportion of the population aren't aware of this and so the destruction of our beautiful planet continues to worsen. The implementation of the 5p charge for plastic bags in Britain this month, brought the issue to the forefront of my mind again.
Microplastics, or you may have heard it referred to as micro beads, are added to the every day products we use. They are too fine for us to notice half the time. They're in things you would never dream of, such as toothpaste, shampoo/shower gel and even deodorant. I have been aware of the issue for a few years and although I backed the cause, I didn't make a conscious effort to adhere to it all the time. After being reminded of the importance of it, I've tried to the last couple of years. I've tried to make sure I only use beauty products that don't contain unnecessary plastics. I've always liked St. Ives skincare, a UK brand which uses natural ingredients. According to St. Ives "we make every effort to source our ingredients sustainably, cut waste, and use eco-friendly packaging." Keep up the good work guys.
In 2011, a Dutch non-government organisation, the North Sea Foundation made the first steps to abolish plastics use in cosmetics. They started writing to companies asking them to stop using microbeads as soon as they could. Not long after, in 2012, the Beat the Microbead campaign was launched by the North Sea Foundation and the Plastic soup foundation. After a revolutionary twitter campaign, Unilever, pharmaceutical giant agreed to phase out the use of microbeads across all their products. Global companies like Johnson and Johnson, L'oreal, Procter and Gamble and Colgate have also followed suit since then but haven't given a fix date as to when they will have phased out use by.
This is why the campaign needs backing. Change is happening, change is coming but it's not coming soon enough. More needs to be done in order to combat this.
Selfridges backed a similar campaign this summer, called Project Ocean. It had the same premise behind it - to make our ocean's better, with less plastic in it, for our wildlife. Microbeads from our products go to one place only, our oceans. They are washed away down our plug holes and affect the smaller creatures that can't stand up and fight for themselves. You can read more about the campaign here.
I did a little test the other day to see how readily available microbead free products were on an average high street. I went in to my local Boots and Superdrug, Body Shop and Lush looking for some of the microbead free products found on the PDF below. Result: I found nearly all of them. There really isn't any excuse. Thanks to the companies who have already stopped, we can easily make the change to plastic free products nowadays.
Here's a PDF where you can read through all the products currently on the market that are microbead free, yourself. Why don't you check it out and see if your products are on there? You might surprise yourself and realise you're doing more for your planet than you realised.
There are so many great companies on that list, all doing their bit to damage the planet less.
To name a few...Kheil's, Lush, Soap and Glory (I always buy from Boots), Elemis and of course The Body Shop.
Shops such as Waitrose, Tesco and Wilko also make plastic free cosmetic products. A huge shout out to all of them (and the rest on the list).
If you'd like to read more, you can on the website for the national campaign against micro beads here.
Citizen's campaign
A guardian article
You can join the Facebook campaign, by liking the page.
*Photo taken from Greenpeace's website. You can read their article on the issue here.
The winter boot
After working in retail for more than five years, you learn a few things. One thing you learn is as soon as summer and festival (aka wellie) season is over, comes boot season!
Certain footwear would go from the forefront of the store to the back of the store and a big move with lots of VM (Visual Merchandising) would occur.
While I may not be happy its Autumn, Summer is over, AND I already require gloves because of Reynaud's Syndrome, I am okay with it being boot season again. This year there are so many cute styles around I'm having to force myself to keep away from online shopping and window shopping as I simply don't have the funds for all the pairs I want at the moment.
Here's a break down of just some of the cute boots around this A/W.
1. The over the knee
POOR V POSH
You can pick up an identical looking pair at InTheStyle for £44.99 instead, that's less than a tenth of the price. You can thank me later.
2. The just below the knee
Normally I'm not a fan of these. They're very hit or miss and usually always a miss. You have to get them just right for them not to look silly. Topshop have delivered this year though. I have to hand it to them, these are an absolute gem.
3. The Cowboy
Schuh and Office did an excellent selection of cowboy boots last year but my favourite pair and most comfortable/best value for money came from Schuh in the end. I don't need to buy a new pair this year because despite wearing them to death my pair are still in excellent condition. However, these are too different to turn down. I love how Zara have done a different take on the traditional cowboy.
Certain footwear would go from the forefront of the store to the back of the store and a big move with lots of VM (Visual Merchandising) would occur.
While I may not be happy its Autumn, Summer is over, AND I already require gloves because of Reynaud's Syndrome, I am okay with it being boot season again. This year there are so many cute styles around I'm having to force myself to keep away from online shopping and window shopping as I simply don't have the funds for all the pairs I want at the moment.
Here's a break down of just some of the cute boots around this A/W.
1. The over the knee
The Highland boot by Stuart Weitzman, £595 at Russell and Bromley.
The classic boot that every celeb goes to at the moment. Stuart Weitzman has been very popular with the Brits in recent years and it's no wonder why. They are works of boot art.
I'm all about the wintery colour pops this year and so I fell in love with this statement deep red Weitzman boot instead of the classic black. This rich colour will add life to any bland outfit. I'm desperate for a pair just because they look so gorgeous on, with a casual day dress. This colour channels lots of boho vibes which are still very much in at the moment.
You can browse here.
POOR V POSH
You can pick up an identical looking pair at InTheStyle for £44.99 instead, that's less than a tenth of the price. You can thank me later.
2. The just below the knee
Normally I'm not a fan of these. They're very hit or miss and usually always a miss. You have to get them just right for them not to look silly. Topshop have delivered this year though. I have to hand it to them, these are an absolute gem.
This gorgeous Khaki suede has this boot winning on so many levels. Keeping to my theme of coloured boots this winter too. They're heeled to dress up an outfit but can also be casual accompanying a pair of jeans for a more low key affair.
You can get there here for just £89 from Topshop.
3. The Cowboy
Schuh and Office did an excellent selection of cowboy boots last year but my favourite pair and most comfortable/best value for money came from Schuh in the end. I don't need to buy a new pair this year because despite wearing them to death my pair are still in excellent condition. However, these are too different to turn down. I love how Zara have done a different take on the traditional cowboy.
The unusual heel and elongated cuff around the ankle gives the elusion of a totally different feel. These will look less pixie like on your feet whilst wearing a dress. The leg to foot will flow better and give the appearance of longer legs. I have long legs, but even I struggle when certain boots cut you off half way making your legs look shorter and fatter. Also, no one has a cowboy boot in grey now really do they. A must buy!
Get them here, £69.99 by Zara.
4. The Autumnal orange
This colour is everywhere this season and I must say how glad I am of it. It's divine! Anyway credit goes to Zara again for pulling out all the stops.
I love these, they're another over the knee but you can never have too many of those, right? These have a chunkier feel to them with a thick heel and huge cuff at the top. They have a little puss-in-boots-esque feel about them but do you know what? I kind of like that.
These can be shopped at Zara.com for £79.99.
5. The heeled chelsea
I'm a bit over the classic chelsea boot by now, if I'm honest. Also happen to be really into my heeled boots at the moment...not sure you can tell though.
£39.99, New Look.
If that's too much for you though, they have an almost identical pair for near half the price.
Can't tell the difference? No, neither can I. Shop these here, for £24.99.
These look smart and sleek but also really casual if you want them, too. Teamed with a thick, chunky knit scarf and a boyfriend coat you've got the casual chelsea look nailed.
Like this:
Scarf, 22.99 Zara.
Coat, £29.99 New Look.
6. The fake croc
Enough words said. They should be a statement boot on everyones boot list this year.
£90, Office.
This seasons hottest trends | 3 best bags under £30
Thursday 1 October 2015
This autumn, and well last summer too, we've been going crazy for Chloe dupes. They're literally everywhere and the internet/social media platforms have been abuzz with chatter of where to get the best lookalike. Well look no further. Zara, everyone's favourite Spanish high street brand has got you covered this a/w.
The Chloe dupe
It's slim-line, elegant and a steal at under £20. Bae is just £19.99 and channels all your inner fashion blogger into one item. I'm so in love with this bag even more now as I used it last weekend and I managed to fit loads in, including my large Ted Baker purse, a large Denman paddle brush, and a few lipsticks. Doesn't sound a lot? It fit all the essentials you need, I even had space to add a few make up brushes for emergency touch ups. The teaming of two season favourites, suede and snakeskin in the brown version makes it my favourite. I love the rich yellowy mustard colour that's so in this year with the 70s vibe. I had to get the black one as well mind, as I'm going through a massive black phase and you can't go wrong with a plain black leather bag to go with everything.
The snakeskin classic
I love the shade of this snakeskin, the deep red/brown colouring with a sneaky mix of red on the back already makes it one of my favourite clutch bags this season. It's a gorgeous shape, with a classic gold detailing chain for a strap. Bonus: it looks way more expensive than a cool £29.99 (which is how much this baby will set you back). It's a no brainer. I've had a look around and you won't find any else on the high street that look as good as these three do.
The Chloe dupe
It's slim-line, elegant and a steal at under £20. Bae is just £19.99 and channels all your inner fashion blogger into one item. I'm so in love with this bag even more now as I used it last weekend and I managed to fit loads in, including my large Ted Baker purse, a large Denman paddle brush, and a few lipsticks. Doesn't sound a lot? It fit all the essentials you need, I even had space to add a few make up brushes for emergency touch ups. The teaming of two season favourites, suede and snakeskin in the brown version makes it my favourite. I love the rich yellowy mustard colour that's so in this year with the 70s vibe. I had to get the black one as well mind, as I'm going through a massive black phase and you can't go wrong with a plain black leather bag to go with everything.
Brown one: here
Black one: here
The snakeskin classic
I love the shade of this snakeskin, the deep red/brown colouring with a sneaky mix of red on the back already makes it one of my favourite clutch bags this season. It's a gorgeous shape, with a classic gold detailing chain for a strap. Bonus: it looks way more expensive than a cool £29.99 (which is how much this baby will set you back). It's a no brainer. I've had a look around and you won't find any else on the high street that look as good as these three do.
Beauty favourites | September
It dawned on me the other day that I never did a big post on my duty free haul that I got this time last year from my Dubai trip.
This time around I picked up a few more beauty bits from duty free before my recent trip to Croatia (Croatia was fab btw, I know you're all curious). Here's a sneak peak at some of the photos yet to come...
It's a bit of a luxury beauty post this one, as you can see all my favourite beauty items this month are Chanel. I picked up the Chanel Hydra Beauty Gel Creme in Duty Free at Bristol airport before heading out to Split, along with the Chanel Perfection Lumiere long-wear foundation in 50 Beige. My favourite lipstick colour that I'm binging on at the moment is one I picked up in Selfridges as a bit of an impulse buy whilst in London last month, for my Aunty's birthday. One present for her, one present for me. Oopsy.
I love the Hydra gel creme so much, I've had samples of it for years and the tiniest little tube has always lasted me ages. Since I've been a full time working gal/adult (whatever you like to call it) coming up to a year now I can afford my own luxuries in life. I mean as much as it pains me to say this, a Chanel face cream isn't exactly a necessity in life. However a gal who cares about her facial care routine definitely does! It's so worth it. It smells divine, honestly my favourite smell ever. The Dior one is just as amazing might I add but painfully more expensive. The gel creme feels less creamier and so a tad lighter and more breathable on the skin. I find it disappears into my skin quicker, leaving no excessively shiny residue. It smelt just as good as the the creme which happens to be the more expensive one. Who needs it anyway? Not me, or you! My skin is left so soft and hydrated for hours after using it. I love using it first thing in the morning as a base for my make up as well as at night after I've taken all my make up off. One of my favourite purchases in a long long time.
The lipstick is from the Rouge Coco collection, in Coco. It's a fabulously vibrant red with an ever so slight orange tinge. I love this one so much as the rouge coco collection lipstick are so much nicer than the rouge allure luminous collection if you're not quite accustomed lipsticks. It's a nice go between the rouge coco shine and the rouge allure. Rouge Coco Shine is as soft and shiny as a balm and glides on like perfection where as the rouge allure is thick and heavy but gives amazing bold colour looks. The coco is perfect as you can go for a little colour or put more on in order to build a bold coverage.
The Perfection Lumiere is perfection, full stop. I don't need to say much more apart from I've found my favourite foundation. Time before usingChanel foundation just doesn't count. Using a damp Real Techniques beauty blender I get a perfect, light and dewy coverage, one that non make up artist girls like myself can only dream of. My other absolute favourite foundation that I swear by is the second Chanel brought out following the Lumiere, Vitalumiere Aqua. Aqua meaning water so it's a lot lighter and subtle. This is a favourite for summer it covers imperfections effortlessly yet gives you the effect that you're wearing little or no make up. Those awesome freckles you get in the summer can still be seen so your make up looks so natural. My skin is the softest I've ever felt it when wearing these two, could genuinely sit there stroking my own face and appreciating it's softness. Why can't guys appreciate that eh? *sigh* Ah well a girl can dream...
This time around I picked up a few more beauty bits from duty free before my recent trip to Croatia (Croatia was fab btw, I know you're all curious). Here's a sneak peak at some of the photos yet to come...
Dreamy right?
_________________________________________
My beauty favourites atm:
It's a bit of a luxury beauty post this one, as you can see all my favourite beauty items this month are Chanel. I picked up the Chanel Hydra Beauty Gel Creme in Duty Free at Bristol airport before heading out to Split, along with the Chanel Perfection Lumiere long-wear foundation in 50 Beige. My favourite lipstick colour that I'm binging on at the moment is one I picked up in Selfridges as a bit of an impulse buy whilst in London last month, for my Aunty's birthday. One present for her, one present for me. Oopsy.
I love the Hydra gel creme so much, I've had samples of it for years and the tiniest little tube has always lasted me ages. Since I've been a full time working gal/adult (whatever you like to call it) coming up to a year now I can afford my own luxuries in life. I mean as much as it pains me to say this, a Chanel face cream isn't exactly a necessity in life. However a gal who cares about her facial care routine definitely does! It's so worth it. It smells divine, honestly my favourite smell ever. The Dior one is just as amazing might I add but painfully more expensive. The gel creme feels less creamier and so a tad lighter and more breathable on the skin. I find it disappears into my skin quicker, leaving no excessively shiny residue. It smelt just as good as the the creme which happens to be the more expensive one. Who needs it anyway? Not me, or you! My skin is left so soft and hydrated for hours after using it. I love using it first thing in the morning as a base for my make up as well as at night after I've taken all my make up off. One of my favourite purchases in a long long time.
The lipstick is from the Rouge Coco collection, in Coco. It's a fabulously vibrant red with an ever so slight orange tinge. I love this one so much as the rouge coco collection lipstick are so much nicer than the rouge allure luminous collection if you're not quite accustomed lipsticks. It's a nice go between the rouge coco shine and the rouge allure. Rouge Coco Shine is as soft and shiny as a balm and glides on like perfection where as the rouge allure is thick and heavy but gives amazing bold colour looks. The coco is perfect as you can go for a little colour or put more on in order to build a bold coverage.
The Perfection Lumiere is perfection, full stop. I don't need to say much more apart from I've found my favourite foundation. Time before usingChanel foundation just doesn't count. Using a damp Real Techniques beauty blender I get a perfect, light and dewy coverage, one that non make up artist girls like myself can only dream of. My other absolute favourite foundation that I swear by is the second Chanel brought out following the Lumiere, Vitalumiere Aqua. Aqua meaning water so it's a lot lighter and subtle. This is a favourite for summer it covers imperfections effortlessly yet gives you the effect that you're wearing little or no make up. Those awesome freckles you get in the summer can still be seen so your make up looks so natural. My skin is the softest I've ever felt it when wearing these two, could genuinely sit there stroking my own face and appreciating it's softness. Why can't guys appreciate that eh? *sigh* Ah well a girl can dream...
Vitalumiere Aqua, in 40 Beige.
New in | August
Wednesday 30 September 2015
This blog post is back from August that I've been sitting on for a while. Sorry, but alas it is finally up!
I've had a few new purchases recently that I'm totally in love at the moment, despite having them a couple of months already. I'm so in awe of them I've almost refrained from using them in case they tarnish. Gal can not be having that!
1. My new phone case | Willow of London
www.willowoflondon.co.uk
I'm obsessed with personalised things. You name it, I'll either have it or want it. Like a magpie drawn to shiny things I was in love when I when I came across London based company, Willow of London. I stumbled upon the awesome company on Instagram and any girl knows how much shopping can happen on Insta, am I right? See it, want it, get it. WOL's pretty mix of simple designs and fun prints means there's a design for everyone. I couldn't decided. I wanted them all if I'm honest but at £39 a pop I think I'm going to have to stick to just one (for the time being anyway). As soon as I can justify a new one to my bank manager (ahem myself) I will though. The new designs featuring French Bull dogs and Dacshounds are too cute. They are almost too much cuteness, I've had to hold myself back from ordering one. Their products are not just appreciated by many bloggers and customers, their fans also include celeb customers such as Rochelle Humes, Rita Ora, Binky Felstead and Ladies of London star Caroline Stanbury, who even has her own collection for Willow of London. I had excellent customer service with great response time and couldn't recommend them more. Their stuff is just to die for, go on treat yourself to an ultra chic phone case this sunny September. I just need to get myself a more autumnal/wintery coloured one now.
Make sure to follow them on Instagram, you can check them out here.
2. Blog notebook | Chroma Stationery
www.chromastationery.co.uk
Both my phone cover and my personalised notebook I was so impressed with when they arrived I avoided using them for as long as possible. The suspense was overwhelming and I nearly caved so many times. 100% worth it. I recently took it to Croatia with me for all my jottings down and it just came in so handy. Chroma are a fantastic company that I've used in the past for a present for someone. I love what they stand for and their flexibility. They will literally put anything on a notebook for you! So of course they're very popular in the blogging world because there are plenty of girls around, like me, who swoon at the thought of their blog's logo printed on to something very real. And they're useful, they're not just some unnecessary item that you're going to coo over because its pretty. Every girl that likes to write needs something she can write all her inner ramblings for in and bloggers alike for upcoming blog posts. It looks very profesh in meetings too, bonus. You can get them in loads of different gorgeous colours and there are also a few different styles of notebooks, to match your needs. It's safe to say this wasn't my last purchase. I will be buying all my future blogging notepads from Chroma. This little pink book has got me so excited for writing. I also bought my best friend and fellow blogger over at www.twentysomethingxo.com one at the same time. Now we match in super cool style and it's like a friendship thing. She adores hers too and I'm not surprised. The guys over at Chroma Stationery rock! Thanks for my awesome pad guys.
I'm itching for the grey next, let me know which ones you love! If you have one, you can share a picture below or tweet me @kchardenengland
You can follow Chroma on Insta here.
3. My new shoulder/clutch bag | Topshop
www.topshop.co.uk
I picked up this little beauty in the sale a few weekends back. It's a gorgeous colour, a pinky nude that comes back in every season. The effortless gold detailing makes it look expensive, when in actual fact it was a bargain at just £18. It's real leather as well and it's timeless classic shape means that this will be a key accessory for many years to come (for as long as it lasts). A great investment to team up with many outfits. It can be styled as a casual day shoulder bag or dressed up as a clutch for those glam night outs. It also comes in white. Be sure to check out the Topshop sale for other great finds!
Update: it now comes in black for this A/W collection. Shop it here.
I love black at the moment, I'm totally digging the all black, biker chic and a simple black leather bag teams up with this kind of outfit so well. You can never have enough black. Even better, this bag channels the vibe of a Whistles clutch but for under the price. Good steal girls, good steal.
I've had a few new purchases recently that I'm totally in love at the moment, despite having them a couple of months already. I'm so in awe of them I've almost refrained from using them in case they tarnish. Gal can not be having that!
1. My new phone case | Willow of London
www.willowoflondon.co.uk
I'm obsessed with personalised things. You name it, I'll either have it or want it. Like a magpie drawn to shiny things I was in love when I when I came across London based company, Willow of London. I stumbled upon the awesome company on Instagram and any girl knows how much shopping can happen on Insta, am I right? See it, want it, get it. WOL's pretty mix of simple designs and fun prints means there's a design for everyone. I couldn't decided. I wanted them all if I'm honest but at £39 a pop I think I'm going to have to stick to just one (for the time being anyway). As soon as I can justify a new one to my bank manager (ahem myself) I will though. The new designs featuring French Bull dogs and Dacshounds are too cute. They are almost too much cuteness, I've had to hold myself back from ordering one. Their products are not just appreciated by many bloggers and customers, their fans also include celeb customers such as Rochelle Humes, Rita Ora, Binky Felstead and Ladies of London star Caroline Stanbury, who even has her own collection for Willow of London. I had excellent customer service with great response time and couldn't recommend them more. Their stuff is just to die for, go on treat yourself to an ultra chic phone case this sunny September. I just need to get myself a more autumnal/wintery coloured one now.
Make sure to follow them on Instagram, you can check them out here.
2. Blog notebook | Chroma Stationery
www.chromastationery.co.uk
Both my phone cover and my personalised notebook I was so impressed with when they arrived I avoided using them for as long as possible. The suspense was overwhelming and I nearly caved so many times. 100% worth it. I recently took it to Croatia with me for all my jottings down and it just came in so handy. Chroma are a fantastic company that I've used in the past for a present for someone. I love what they stand for and their flexibility. They will literally put anything on a notebook for you! So of course they're very popular in the blogging world because there are plenty of girls around, like me, who swoon at the thought of their blog's logo printed on to something very real. And they're useful, they're not just some unnecessary item that you're going to coo over because its pretty. Every girl that likes to write needs something she can write all her inner ramblings for in and bloggers alike for upcoming blog posts. It looks very profesh in meetings too, bonus. You can get them in loads of different gorgeous colours and there are also a few different styles of notebooks, to match your needs. It's safe to say this wasn't my last purchase. I will be buying all my future blogging notepads from Chroma. This little pink book has got me so excited for writing. I also bought my best friend and fellow blogger over at www.twentysomethingxo.com one at the same time. Now we match in super cool style and it's like a friendship thing. She adores hers too and I'm not surprised. The guys over at Chroma Stationery rock! Thanks for my awesome pad guys.
I'm itching for the grey next, let me know which ones you love! If you have one, you can share a picture below or tweet me @kchardenengland
You can follow Chroma on Insta here.
3. My new shoulder/clutch bag | Topshop
www.topshop.co.uk
I picked up this little beauty in the sale a few weekends back. It's a gorgeous colour, a pinky nude that comes back in every season. The effortless gold detailing makes it look expensive, when in actual fact it was a bargain at just £18. It's real leather as well and it's timeless classic shape means that this will be a key accessory for many years to come (for as long as it lasts). A great investment to team up with many outfits. It can be styled as a casual day shoulder bag or dressed up as a clutch for those glam night outs. It also comes in white. Be sure to check out the Topshop sale for other great finds!
Update: it now comes in black for this A/W collection. Shop it here.
I love black at the moment, I'm totally digging the all black, biker chic and a simple black leather bag teams up with this kind of outfit so well. You can never have enough black. Even better, this bag channels the vibe of a Whistles clutch but for under the price. Good steal girls, good steal.
Shop this gorgeous deep green clutch (a hot colour this season) here
Reaching new goals | 1.8.15
Sunday 9 August 2015
Last weekend marked quite a momentous occasion for me. I finally fit back into my first size 10 piece of clothing.
Now I've found my restored confidence in kicking this weights butt and finally seeing results it's only spurring me on further. I can't wait for you all to make the acquaintance of the new and improved, slimmer but stronger me.
For anyone who doesn't know me this may seem a trivial thing to celebrate, but for me it was a real turning point in my journey to recovery. I cried like a girl who just received the best news ever and it was beautiful. I was a size 8-10 before I was ill. I've pretty much been that size my whole life and never really used to lose or put on weight. I always used to stay around the same bench mark weight of 10 stone. That may sound like a lot to some but I'm tall so I can carry it well. I was never skin and bones just slim. I'd never gone to the gym before being diagnosed and instead just stayed healthy and active by partaking in sports such as netball and cheerleading, chucking in the occasional run for good measure. I was 10 and a half at my heaviest, in first year of University (before I had my condition) and 9 and a half at my lightest when I was toning up for Zante back in 2012. Then second year came and weight that I could't explain slowly started creeping on. By my 21st birthday, although still a slim size 10 I was starting to notice I had a belly that wasn't there before and wasn't feeling as comfortable wearing my usual outfits out anymore.
December 2014 at one of my consultant appointments I had my last weigh in before I started my journey to snatch back my life and to loosen the grip back from my condition that I felt was holding my life its hostage. I weighed in at 13 stone 10 on the 6th December 2014.
Since I started my journey over 8 months ago now I've lost just over 2 stone. Amazing right? Well, wrong. I can't tell if I've been numbed of my success by the fact I've still got such a long way to go in order to be fully happy with what I've achieved or whether it's because I've just been desensitised of all that two stone actually stands for. I should listen to my friends, my family, work colleagues, randomers that know me from the gym and my favourite gym instructor etc because they all know just how far I've come in that little space of time and how greatly my "common" condition affected me.
Little by little after buying a whole new wardrobe to accommodate my new size I have finally started being too small for my new clothes. I've now had to buy a whole new wardrobe twice over because the size 14 work trousers I bought in the christmas sales from River Island no longer fit me and will end up around my ankles if attempted to be worn. With my dream and sole goal to get back the old me it's only fair that fitting back in to my old clothing sizes is a demonstration of just how successful I've been in my pilgrimage to find the old me.
You'll notice I reference the old me and the new me a lot. Though the new me has been 'me' for the last 2 years, I didn't like her. I don't like her. She's hateful and loath full to herself and the one that completely lacks in confidence. A far cry from old and normal me. I was unhappy, even depressed and had a stinking attitude towards life because of how unhappy it was making me. My outlook on life changed and I couldn't see the positives anymore. I couldn't see that this day would ever come. I was so pessimistic that I was ever going to get better. And you know most people look back and think what was I thinking? I was being such a wet flannel? Yeah well I haven't got that, I can still remember the hateful thoughts I had about myself and still, to some extent, still have. I can remember just how difficult I found everything and how much daily tasks like University and cheer practice were such a chore for me. I also remember coming home and crying because my housemate had eaten my chocolate. I mean seriously, get a grip Kate. That's when I knew how drastically I'd changed from being the happy go lucky, outgoing and adventurous Kate to the now overweight, moody, irrational and tired imposter. Except it wasn't an imposter really. It was me, the new me and the product of my condition. That I had to get my head round and I knew I needed help. I accepted that and I wanted it. I forced my consultant to give me a dietician appointment and as much as she was lovely, she was useless. She told me nothing new or even knew any foods that could help with my condition. I was aware from my own thorough research that certain foods have a bad affect on people with thyroid problems. All my weight loss was my own doing, my own motivation, determination and hard work. No one helped me, I had helped myself. It's so invigorating and empowering in myself. A lot of the time you can only get better if you help yourself and want to help yourself. No matter how many people you have wanting to help you.
You'll notice I reference the old me and the new me a lot. Though the new me has been 'me' for the last 2 years, I didn't like her. I don't like her. She's hateful and loath full to herself and the one that completely lacks in confidence. A far cry from old and normal me. I was unhappy, even depressed and had a stinking attitude towards life because of how unhappy it was making me. My outlook on life changed and I couldn't see the positives anymore. I couldn't see that this day would ever come. I was so pessimistic that I was ever going to get better. And you know most people look back and think what was I thinking? I was being such a wet flannel? Yeah well I haven't got that, I can still remember the hateful thoughts I had about myself and still, to some extent, still have. I can remember just how difficult I found everything and how much daily tasks like University and cheer practice were such a chore for me. I also remember coming home and crying because my housemate had eaten my chocolate. I mean seriously, get a grip Kate. That's when I knew how drastically I'd changed from being the happy go lucky, outgoing and adventurous Kate to the now overweight, moody, irrational and tired imposter. Except it wasn't an imposter really. It was me, the new me and the product of my condition. That I had to get my head round and I knew I needed help. I accepted that and I wanted it. I forced my consultant to give me a dietician appointment and as much as she was lovely, she was useless. She told me nothing new or even knew any foods that could help with my condition. I was aware from my own thorough research that certain foods have a bad affect on people with thyroid problems. All my weight loss was my own doing, my own motivation, determination and hard work. No one helped me, I had helped myself. It's so invigorating and empowering in myself. A lot of the time you can only get better if you help yourself and want to help yourself. No matter how many people you have wanting to help you.
I definitely wanted to help myself for me, not for anyone else and although I have loved ones who want me to be back to my old self for me too as well as who have been my rock in support ♡♡ it's just not enough you have to want to do it for yourself.
Nothing beats finding your own triumph to mark just how well you've done...clearly people telling me how well I'd done wasn't enough. I still have all this self doubt clouding over those thoughts.
Thankfully, my sign came in the form of a gorgeous floral sixties mini skirt from Topshop. I loved the turquoise linen piece even when it was full price but being a mini skirt, usual thoughts ran through my head "you're too fat to wear that", "you'd look embarrassing in that even in a size 14". Mum and I were browsing the sales when I walked past in on the sale rack, only one left. I pointed out how much I loved it with such pain in my voice. Mum remarked how beautiful it was and asked the size. It was a size 10. It would never fit me I thought. Shame, but ah well. After some convincing by mum however I tried it on over my jeans. Drum roll please...IT FIT. IT BLOODY WELL FIT (I'm hyperventilating at this stage in the shop) I'M SORRY, CAPITALS ARE TOTALLY NECESSARY. A Topshop size 10 finally fit me again!!! In my mind it was a scene out of an american chick flick. I'm thinking along the lines of my favourite 90s classic, Clueless. It was as if an amazing gospel choir came out from behind the clothing rails and started singing "oh happy days".
Nothing beats finding your own triumph to mark just how well you've done...clearly people telling me how well I'd done wasn't enough. I still have all this self doubt clouding over those thoughts.
Thankfully, my sign came in the form of a gorgeous floral sixties mini skirt from Topshop. I loved the turquoise linen piece even when it was full price but being a mini skirt, usual thoughts ran through my head "you're too fat to wear that", "you'd look embarrassing in that even in a size 14". Mum and I were browsing the sales when I walked past in on the sale rack, only one left. I pointed out how much I loved it with such pain in my voice. Mum remarked how beautiful it was and asked the size. It was a size 10. It would never fit me I thought. Shame, but ah well. After some convincing by mum however I tried it on over my jeans. Drum roll please...IT FIT. IT BLOODY WELL FIT (I'm hyperventilating at this stage in the shop) I'M SORRY, CAPITALS ARE TOTALLY NECESSARY. A Topshop size 10 finally fit me again!!! In my mind it was a scene out of an american chick flick. I'm thinking along the lines of my favourite 90s classic, Clueless. It was as if an amazing gospel choir came out from behind the clothing rails and started singing "oh happy days".
Now I've found my restored confidence in kicking this weights butt and finally seeing results it's only spurring me on further. I can't wait for you all to make the acquaintance of the new and improved, slimmer but stronger me.
7/7: the terrorist attack on London through my eyes
Tuesday 14 July 2015
News broke slowly. There was a terrorist attack on London! Fragmented bits of information came here and there. Slowly we put it together to form our own tragic assumptions, with disastrous consequences.
School etiquette soon broke down and in a matter of minutes no one was paying attention. Everyone was simply trying to get hold of their loved ones, why? We didn't even know why, we just knew it's all we could do. There were vicious rumours of a bomb, we knew nothing for certain at that stage.
Naturally, the networks were down. Of course they were! This made the situation even harder for teachers to control (who were dealing with the potential that their own loves one were harmed in the attack). Panic stricken teenagers burst out into the corridors of the west London girl’s school, in a swarm of maroon and light blue, the colours of our uniform. The hallways and classrooms were abuzz with noise, but there was a dark undertone. There wasn’t any happiness or laughter, just a chilling ring to the chatter and cries that sent clammy hot sweat down each individual groove of your spine. There had been a terrorist attack on London I muttered in my inner thoughts. Whaaaat? The day was July 7th 2005. I was twelve at the time.
An ominous black cloud seemed to have formed out of nowhere over our school, despite the pristine blue skies up above us. It sent many into shock, acting zombie-like, trudging around the grounds of the school looking lost. Whilst others were sent into hysteria running round desperately trying to get through to their parents. At the time nearly all of us had mobile phones but html wasn’t what it is today so no one looked at the BBC news website. We had to totally rely on our teachers for information. What we could scramble together? There had been several bombs that had gone off, some on buses, some on tubes. Fuck, basically...nearly every commuter in London had the possibility of getting caught up in one of the attacks. The more nuggets of information that penetrated through, what felt like a force field around our school, seemed to act like a mini bomb going off for us too. We were locked in our school. The main school gates were physically locked and we weren't allowed to leave until normal time if collected, for safety reasons. Great, how would we get through to them to find out they were safe if the networks were down, oh and also if you don’t mind mum can you come and pick me up from school because they’re refusing to let us out with terrorists on the loose? My mum has never been tech savvy and has never had a mobile phone, always ideal in these kind of desperate and delicate situations. It was safe to say I was freaking the HELL out. Bloody hell mum, I thought.
The hours ticked by and finally, when the networks started to ease up from congestion, people managed to start getting through to loved ones. I was frantically ringing my home phone on repeat in a bid to speak to my mum and make sure she was home and safe. Luckily I left school that night because my friend's parents had answered their daughters calls and came to collect them. I was so relieved for my friends! Their loved ones were safe, others weren’t so lucky. We heard reports claiming hundreds of people had already been rushed to hospital and many dead.
Our ordeal, if you can even call in that in the grand scheme of the terrible things that happened that day, was over. For people all across the city theirs was very much on going, into the night and will continue forever. The people of London and Britain will forever remember that day and what they were doing when they found out the news. I was locked in my school for my own safety and I’m forever grateful. At the time I lived in W9 and walked to school with friends to W10 where our school was. I’ve never been so grateful for living in an awkward place which meant I couldn’t get direct public transport to school.
There were no sirens. No fires ablaze, no smoke, no lifeless bodies or blood, or shrill cries for help. I was safe and tucked up in the comfort of my mother’s embrace. I was incredibly lucky, many no longer had that blessing. Four bombs went off that day devastating people’s lives wherever the debris settled. 52 innocent people lost their lives but will never be forgotten. May we keep them alive by continuing to tell stories about them and by honouring them. We didn’t just lose 52 people that day as a country; we also nearly lost seven odd hundred that were injured, caught up in the catastrophe. One can only imagine that the total number of people affected by those events were numbers well into the thousands. Of all the family's, friends, acquaintances, work colleagues etc who lost loved ones that day, and for those whose’ loved ones lives changed forever that day, stay strong. Every day since 7/7 brings more hope.
My day on July 7th 2005 was scary, but I will never moan or complain about that day for I didn’t lose my entire world. I just hope those still with us and those departed are all sure on one fact, 7/7 will never be forgotten. Angels on this earth or angels up above, you are still loved.
How to: summer smooth legs
Sunday 21 June 2015
Happy Sunday fellow bloggers and blog readers!
Summer's here and what better way to waste your Sunday afternoon than reading a blog post by me!
Girls, we all know just how hard it is, to achieve those fabulously fierce and ever desirable goddess like legs. You know the one's I'm talking about...the ones in the Venus adverts. Seriously, who creates that shit? Those legs are works of dark sorcery. Now apart from stating that Harry Potter and his world might indeed be real, this blog is one to help you perfect your luscious leg routine. After all girls, our pins, are one of our best features. Now it’s time to rock them, IT’S SUMMER!
Here are my top tips, to frock-worthy pins in 15 minutes...
1. Exfoliate those bad boys! Get the dead skin off, make them shine like iridescent pearls. My favourite one to use at the moment is St. Ives. Exfoliating sometimes brings out an even better tan as it leaves the skin soft, radiant and flake free. I love this one as it smells divine of peaches, and feels really summery. Why I love it most of all? It doesn’t damage the environment like a LOT of exfoliators on the market do as it doesn’t contain Micro plastics. It amazes me just how many people aren’t aware of the devastating effects micro plastics known as micro beads, have on the planet and the creatures that share it with us. Our wildlife that live in our rivers and our seas suffer for our beauty. Fishes and even plankton swallow our by-products of exfoliators and it slowly kills them. If you do one thing to do stand up for our animals - buy a natural exfoliant, like St. Ives.
(Btw. I'm going to do a blog post shortly on the best products around for micro plastic free skin care)
2. In shower moisturisers are a god sent! I don't care what anyone says they are, god looked down and thought you know what lazy girls need? Moisturisers that you can apply in the shower! My favourite is Nivea Body In Shower Moisturiser. It smells gorgeous and leaves my skin feeling 110% more subtle and full of moisture. I normally leave on for two or three minutes because I like to think the more it can soak up but you can literally apply and then shower off if you like. I love the Cocoa butter one as it smells unreal! Kissable legs anyone?
Superdrug is where I normally buy mine as I love how they always have great deals on my favourite products. It's like they know exactly what I need every week!
3. Moisturise again! It may be a bitch to moisturise once you're out as well but if you do it makes those legs all the more worth it. I recently discovered Vaseline Spray and Go. Another godsend! For lazy girls like me who never really think to look after their skin (well unless they've been in the sun recently) this is ideal. No fuss, no faff, just spray it on and with one swoop of the hand it's rubbed in. It also absorbs ridiculously well so that you can dress immediately and not be sticky or get cream marks on your outfit. Again I've gone for the cocoa butter option because its smells beautiful and then there's no mix of aromas coming from me.
4. You can never have too much cocoa butter! Finally I finish off with the Body Shop's body butter in cocoa butter. I've had this poor years from a very special friend of mine and it's genuinely the best thing I've ever smelt. It's full of richness and vitamins adding an extra glow to your legs making them super shiny and super stand out.
Kate takes on Croatia | Kate vodi Hrvastku oluju
Sunday 17 May 2015
Sorry guys, excuse the title of this blog post - it's not strictly true! But I did have to say something to get you to read it...
After numerous shots of Rakija with my family, alas I have returned safe and sound, from Central Europe.
From where exactly? Well, deep in the middle of Europe, you'll find an undiscovered diamond. The once deemed next Cote d'azure, is where you'll find up-and-coming holiday hotspot, Croatia. Queen of the Adriatic. Known to locals as Hrvatska. Okay so that might be a self-confessed title (by me) but I think it's very apt!
Beautiful, untouched, unspoilt and cultural. Croatia really does have it all. With an interesting history to boast, it has everything you might look for in a perfect getaway. Beautiful architecture, beaches, old ruins, cities, festivals and clear bluey-green seas that seem to blend perfectly into the horizon far off into the distance. I could go on but no one wants to read a blog post ALL day, do they?
So here's what I got up to whilst away:
Tuesday
We arrived shortly before midday after a pleasant flight with British Airways. Outside the airport, it was 21 degrees in Zagreb. #YES
Some family picked us up from the airport and we headed towards the city centre to grab a bite to eat, before we ventured east towards the Hungarian border. A gorgeous spot of lunch of traditional Croatian food, in the radiating sunshine, set the rest of the day up to be a good one.
What follows lunch in Croatia? Cake, of course! I had a gorgeously rich, indulgent, creamy raspberry and hazelnut cake. Btw, you'll spot a pattern forming here. After most meals, my entries feature cake. As they should do!
After a few photos taken, my mum and I headed for the coach station. Where next? A four hour journey east to Osijek, the city where my family are from.
It was stiflingly hot on board. It felt as if we were in the midst of high summer in Croatia. Not exactly a great time, but it certainly was an experience. I got some sleep and also got to see some of the countryside at sunset. Beautiful.
The first night I couldn't sleep from excitement, a few things had changed, like a new extension for example, but it was still the same one story house I had spent my childhood summers growing up in.
Wednesday
I slept in a bit late, waking up at 11am but that didn't matter, my mum had my favourite breakfast waiting for me!!
Prstiče, freshly baked bread rolls, shaped in fingers with a special salty topping.
Unfortunately I had woken up with my jaw still aching badly as it had been doing for the last two weeks, so my uncle came home from work early to take me to an emergency dentist appointment. Anyway to cut a long story short, a suspected wisdom tooth turned out to be a mystery. After the cheapest X-ray ever (just £15) I was still in pain so mum treated me to have my hair done.
There I had the best blow dry I've ever had in my life. It was 50 Kunas. JUST FIVE POUNDS!
If all you girls don't flock to Croatia for that reason alone, yo crazy! It took no time at all and the best part, it lasted 3 whole days. The shampoo they washed my hair with was even better than the John Freida products I use at home. My hair normally lasts two days without a wash but starts getting greasy on the second day. This time it didn't and Tijana, my hairdresser used a hair spray spritz that wasn't heavy and rigid like most hair sprays. It held my curls perfectly, with bounce, volume and left them feeling ever softer. Best value for money. I felt like amazing.
Croatia is a lot cheaper than the UK for most things. Things that seem average to us, is a lot of money to them as their wage is not comparable. I gave Tijana a 15 Kuna tip (£1.50 to us) not that generous at all considering we start tipping our hairdressers over here two to three pounds minimum. She was so grateful it was so cute. I had made her day.
I was over the moon too, the pampering continued. Mum and I then went and had our feet down for 80 Kunas each. £8, eight blooming pounds. Such a bargain. Now feeling like new woman we headed back for lunch at home with the family. With everyone home from work we had a lovely traditional lunch, followed by, yes you've guessed it! More cake
Evening plans involved going out for coffee at Hotel Waldinger, a pretty swish joint by Osijek standards. Coffee is big Europe, at any time of the day or night. It's european culture, a way of life to them and its one tradition I really wish we had over here but we don't have the weather for it. It's normally warm enough in Croatia, Spain, France etc to sit out and have coffee at 10pm at night. Croatia, like the rest of Europe is lined with great coffee shops.
The food is meant to be amazing there but sadly on this trip I didn't have time to sample it. It was a pretty chilled day but I was exhausted so we opted for an early night, retiring at 11pm.
Thursday
Up bright and early for coffee with my mums childhood best friend and her daughter Anamarija. Anamarija taught me Croatian when I was younger.
We had our drinks in the beautiful old part of Osijek, Tvrđa. It was still lovely weather. Sadly cooler than before, but still warm enough to sit outside.
A stroll down river Drava's bank, meant I got to see some of the still worn-torn buildings that I never appreciated when I was younger. They had fallen victim to the war back in the 90s. A lot of Croatian families lost husbands, brothers, fathers etc in the great war. My uncle fought for his country and we were incredibly lucky we didn't lose him. That part hit home but only made me appreciate how close I came to not having an uncle who's treated me as his daughter. I'm very lucky to have such a beautiful human being as the head of our family.
On a lighter note, not far from the riverside we came across the church my mum fulfilled all her passings in the Catholic religion. My mum was christened and had her holy communion and confirmation in the beautiful church pictured below.
Lunch was another large dose of mlinci and roast piglet. It was safe to say that I was turning half pig myself. Insert lots of pig emojis here.
After cake, I visited my grandparents grave. They're buried together in a graveyard just behind their house. I love going as it keeps me grounded and humble. I wasn't fortunate enough to ever meet my grandparents but I'll always love them and spending time with them. It means a lot and like most people named after a loved one; it's a privilege to be named after my Grandmother.
That evening we had a date with family friends and it was so good to be out, all of us, as a family. Seeing people we've known and cherished for many years. Just like many times I was home with my aunty and cousin earlier on in the week, Rakija, a Croatian liquor was involved. From the outside we sound like an alcoholic family but it's just a treat to celebrate that we are all together again. My aunty made chocolate flavour Rakija and it was exquisite. Strong, rich, dark and smooth, how some people like their men. Heavenly, a bit like drinking alcoholic Nutella. As you can imagine, equally amazing. After a beautiful spread of lots of cured meat and cheese for dinner and gifts exchanged, my cousin and I ducked out early for a night in drinking with her friends. It was a lot of fun. My cousin is only a couple of years older than me and I've always looked up to her like a big sister. It took me right back to my summers on the coast drinking and hanging out with my cousins and our friends we met on holiday at the seaside. I sadly called it a night at 1.30am and feeling slightly 'happy' shall we say?
Friday
Good Friday.
With easter nearly upon us and being catholic, in a catholic country, we didn't eat meat that day. Instead my aunty fried some lovely fresh water fish in flour, another fabulous Croatian delicacy. We spent our final day chilling around the house, spending the day as a family. Easter is very important to us and it was nice to spend it together for once. It's hard them being so far away. We only really see each other once a year, if we're lucky. Our time was limited sadly as Ryanair changed our flight time to three hours earlier. We were now leaving at 4pm instead. I must admit, whilst my first experience of Ryanair wasn't as great as flying with British Airways, it is fantastic to have such a cheap way to travel to Croatia. It's even better because no one has ever flown direct to where my family are from before. I normally have to fly to Budapest or Zagreb. Either way it means a further four hours of travel after my flight and someone having to come pick my sorry arse up. Osijek Airport is a twenty minute drive from my family home and because it's so tiny (consisting of one large room as the terminal lol) it meant everything was so quick and easy. It was stress free and including the one bag we checked in weighing 15kg our flight only cost us £25 each. Seriously 210% worth it. I would really recommend anyone wanting to travel to Croatia this summer to use Ryanair. I know I will. So cheap and coaches to whatever destination you require once you're in Croatia are really cheap too. Although you can get other cheap airlines like easyjet that fly to Croatia, in peak times like summer, prices rocket. So be sure to book early guys!
As for me, my plans are to return to the coast somehow this summer. I hope to improve on my Croatian again, keep my heritage alive and stay close to my family. Now University is out the way, I really have no excuse.
After numerous shots of Rakija with my family, alas I have returned safe and sound, from Central Europe.
From where exactly? Well, deep in the middle of Europe, you'll find an undiscovered diamond. The once deemed next Cote d'azure, is where you'll find up-and-coming holiday hotspot, Croatia. Queen of the Adriatic. Known to locals as Hrvatska. Okay so that might be a self-confessed title (by me) but I think it's very apt!
Beautiful, untouched, unspoilt and cultural. Croatia really does have it all. With an interesting history to boast, it has everything you might look for in a perfect getaway. Beautiful architecture, beaches, old ruins, cities, festivals and clear bluey-green seas that seem to blend perfectly into the horizon far off into the distance. I could go on but no one wants to read a blog post ALL day, do they?
So here's what I got up to whilst away:
Tuesday
We arrived shortly before midday after a pleasant flight with British Airways. Outside the airport, it was 21 degrees in Zagreb. #YES
Some pictures from the beautiful old part of Zagreb on my first day. These are the streets where you'll find the Croatian government.
Some family picked us up from the airport and we headed towards the city centre to grab a bite to eat, before we ventured east towards the Hungarian border. A gorgeous spot of lunch of traditional Croatian food, in the radiating sunshine, set the rest of the day up to be a good one.
What follows lunch in Croatia? Cake, of course! I had a gorgeously rich, indulgent, creamy raspberry and hazelnut cake. Btw, you'll spot a pattern forming here. After most meals, my entries feature cake. As they should do!
The view from our cake stop
After a few photos taken, my mum and I headed for the coach station. Where next? A four hour journey east to Osijek, the city where my family are from.
It was stiflingly hot on board. It felt as if we were in the midst of high summer in Croatia. Not exactly a great time, but it certainly was an experience. I got some sleep and also got to see some of the countryside at sunset. Beautiful.
Within ten minutes of pulling into Osijek, I was sat in my family home surrounded by my loved ones. My grandfather built the bungalow over 50 years ago. Back then it was the first house on that street.
Naturally weeks before we arrived, my mum had been on the phone to my aunty planning my favourite meals. Dinner was served. A starter of a traditional clear soup with spaghetti like pasta in it. For main, roast piglet and mlinci (pasta cooked in meat juices). It was perfect, I couldn't be happier. That's when they pulled out the big guns...Kolače (Cake to you and I)
The first night I couldn't sleep from excitement, a few things had changed, like a new extension for example, but it was still the same one story house I had spent my childhood summers growing up in.
Wednesday
I slept in a bit late, waking up at 11am but that didn't matter, my mum had my favourite breakfast waiting for me!!
Prstiče, freshly baked bread rolls, shaped in fingers with a special salty topping.
It doesn't look it but it's so heavenly.
Unfortunately I had woken up with my jaw still aching badly as it had been doing for the last two weeks, so my uncle came home from work early to take me to an emergency dentist appointment. Anyway to cut a long story short, a suspected wisdom tooth turned out to be a mystery. After the cheapest X-ray ever (just £15) I was still in pain so mum treated me to have my hair done.
There I had the best blow dry I've ever had in my life. It was 50 Kunas. JUST FIVE POUNDS!
If all you girls don't flock to Croatia for that reason alone, yo crazy! It took no time at all and the best part, it lasted 3 whole days. The shampoo they washed my hair with was even better than the John Freida products I use at home. My hair normally lasts two days without a wash but starts getting greasy on the second day. This time it didn't and Tijana, my hairdresser used a hair spray spritz that wasn't heavy and rigid like most hair sprays. It held my curls perfectly, with bounce, volume and left them feeling ever softer. Best value for money. I felt like amazing.
Excuse the no make up selfies of my hair
Croatia is a lot cheaper than the UK for most things. Things that seem average to us, is a lot of money to them as their wage is not comparable. I gave Tijana a 15 Kuna tip (£1.50 to us) not that generous at all considering we start tipping our hairdressers over here two to three pounds minimum. She was so grateful it was so cute. I had made her day.
I was over the moon too, the pampering continued. Mum and I then went and had our feet down for 80 Kunas each. £8, eight blooming pounds. Such a bargain. Now feeling like new woman we headed back for lunch at home with the family. With everyone home from work we had a lovely traditional lunch, followed by, yes you've guessed it! More cake
Evening plans involved going out for coffee at Hotel Waldinger, a pretty swish joint by Osijek standards. Coffee is big Europe, at any time of the day or night. It's european culture, a way of life to them and its one tradition I really wish we had over here but we don't have the weather for it. It's normally warm enough in Croatia, Spain, France etc to sit out and have coffee at 10pm at night. Croatia, like the rest of Europe is lined with great coffee shops.
Even the loos were swish. The wallpaper in there was pretty cool, all textured and sass-ified.
Thursday
Up bright and early for coffee with my mums childhood best friend and her daughter Anamarija. Anamarija taught me Croatian when I was younger.
We had our drinks in the beautiful old part of Osijek, Tvrđa. It was still lovely weather. Sadly cooler than before, but still warm enough to sit outside.
A stroll down river Drava's bank, meant I got to see some of the still worn-torn buildings that I never appreciated when I was younger. They had fallen victim to the war back in the 90s. A lot of Croatian families lost husbands, brothers, fathers etc in the great war. My uncle fought for his country and we were incredibly lucky we didn't lose him. That part hit home but only made me appreciate how close I came to not having an uncle who's treated me as his daughter. I'm very lucky to have such a beautiful human being as the head of our family.
On a lighter note, not far from the riverside we came across the church my mum fulfilled all her passings in the Catholic religion. My mum was christened and had her holy communion and confirmation in the beautiful church pictured below.
Lunch was another large dose of mlinci and roast piglet. It was safe to say that I was turning half pig myself. Insert lots of pig emojis here.
After cake, I visited my grandparents grave. They're buried together in a graveyard just behind their house. I love going as it keeps me grounded and humble. I wasn't fortunate enough to ever meet my grandparents but I'll always love them and spending time with them. It means a lot and like most people named after a loved one; it's a privilege to be named after my Grandmother.
That evening we had a date with family friends and it was so good to be out, all of us, as a family. Seeing people we've known and cherished for many years. Just like many times I was home with my aunty and cousin earlier on in the week, Rakija, a Croatian liquor was involved. From the outside we sound like an alcoholic family but it's just a treat to celebrate that we are all together again. My aunty made chocolate flavour Rakija and it was exquisite. Strong, rich, dark and smooth, how some people like their men. Heavenly, a bit like drinking alcoholic Nutella. As you can imagine, equally amazing. After a beautiful spread of lots of cured meat and cheese for dinner and gifts exchanged, my cousin and I ducked out early for a night in drinking with her friends. It was a lot of fun. My cousin is only a couple of years older than me and I've always looked up to her like a big sister. It took me right back to my summers on the coast drinking and hanging out with my cousins and our friends we met on holiday at the seaside. I sadly called it a night at 1.30am and feeling slightly 'happy' shall we say?
Friday
Good Friday.
With easter nearly upon us and being catholic, in a catholic country, we didn't eat meat that day. Instead my aunty fried some lovely fresh water fish in flour, another fabulous Croatian delicacy. We spent our final day chilling around the house, spending the day as a family. Easter is very important to us and it was nice to spend it together for once. It's hard them being so far away. We only really see each other once a year, if we're lucky. Our time was limited sadly as Ryanair changed our flight time to three hours earlier. We were now leaving at 4pm instead. I must admit, whilst my first experience of Ryanair wasn't as great as flying with British Airways, it is fantastic to have such a cheap way to travel to Croatia. It's even better because no one has ever flown direct to where my family are from before. I normally have to fly to Budapest or Zagreb. Either way it means a further four hours of travel after my flight and someone having to come pick my sorry arse up. Osijek Airport is a twenty minute drive from my family home and because it's so tiny (consisting of one large room as the terminal lol) it meant everything was so quick and easy. It was stress free and including the one bag we checked in weighing 15kg our flight only cost us £25 each. Seriously 210% worth it. I would really recommend anyone wanting to travel to Croatia this summer to use Ryanair. I know I will. So cheap and coaches to whatever destination you require once you're in Croatia are really cheap too. Although you can get other cheap airlines like easyjet that fly to Croatia, in peak times like summer, prices rocket. So be sure to book early guys!
The ice tea is some much better in Croatia!
As for me, my plans are to return to the coast somehow this summer. I hope to improve on my Croatian again, keep my heritage alive and stay close to my family. Now University is out the way, I really have no excuse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
