The Ivy Garden, Chelsea

 It was as if I were Alice, climbing through the rabbit hole. 

After wandering through the the feathered greens and breaking through petals of pink, you are greeted by the little white rabbit, who in which you follow to your seat. I invite you to a tea party, at The Ivy Chelsea Garden.

As an early Mother's Day treat, my mum came to stay with me in London for a few days, to do everything that us ladies do well, consistently treat ourselves with clothes and calories. Ever since I moved to London in 2015, The Ivy Chelsea Garden has been on my list, and the wait for it was very much worth it.

Even during the afternoon you are welcomed by a dim romantic light. Besides from the floral essence, the candlelit ambience truly makes the restaurant impressionable.

Before arrival, we intended to order the Afternoon Tea menu, however we were still satisfied from our brunch at the restaurant Ting, The Shard, so we settled for a light tea accompanied with cream scones. We were both left pleasantly surprised that our £9 cream tea did not just provide us with two scones, but six between us! My mum felt defeated before the scones made it onto our table, however I am always up for a challenge.  

The scones were perfectly warm, and the ratio to fluffiness and crumbles were also to perfection.The cream was light, and the strawberry jam was like it was made from the forbidden fruits of Eden. The sliced strawberries were a lovely touch to the spread.

Our afternoon banquet was absolutely scrumptious. We then ventured out into the garden to observe natures finest, as it sure is special when sighted in the capital.

There was a slight chill that afternoon which is why our table was reserved for inside. I do however have plans to return during the Summer months, as enjoying the blooming bundles, underneath the sunshine, in the borough of Chelsea sounds the perfect way to relish that cream tea once more.

If you do attend this restaurant on a slightly colder day, and wish to sit outside, burning flames and cosy blankets are provided for your comfort. 

Thank you The Ivy Chelsea Garden, it truly was a delightful event. 

PINK DATES - LONDON EDITION

Yes, Valentines day is a few hours away, who is excited? That's right, not me.

I know many of you are wondering what you and your significant other could do around the city to celebrate the holiday, and the other half of you are thinking about the discounted chocolates that follow on the 15th. 

Unfortunately the holiday is directed towards couples, when truly it should be for anyone who holds any love for someone else and wishes to appreciate them, whether that be a family member or your friends. So ditch the roses, the champagne and the expensive hotel room and treat your family and friends to a cute afternoon around the city during this week. 

So, where should you go? Try somewhere pink, I mean it doesn't hurt to follow some of the tradition...

Sketch Afternoon Tea

Why not wander down to Mayfair and take a seat in The Gallery at Sketch. 

The walls, the seats, and the food comes in all shades of pink. Afternoon tea is served 12:30-4:30 Monday to Sunday, offering various sandwiches, scones pastries and sweets. If you're prepared to sip on tea and nibble like a Princess then why not book a table for you and your friends at Sketch. There's a champagne option too...

Palm Vaults

My first time in Hackney, and my friend takes me to this little discovery. Palm Vaults, one of the most Instagrammable cafes I've ever come across. Palm tree's, ceiling plants and marble tables, what else could you expect from this picture perfect social sitting. As soon as you walk through the duck egg doors you're greeted with smiles and the sounds of Madonna's best hits. If you're a lover of latte and have great passion for croissants head down to Palm Vaults, where you'll try the sweetest cinnamon pastries and discover the pastel rainbow of unique floral lattes. 

Peggy Porschen

Peggy, sweet Peggy, thank you for blessing me with one of the best cupcakes I've ever had, I am forever grateful.

Peggy Porschen parlour is a bloggers dream, being welcomed by the rose pink walls. As you step inside it's a cake lovers paradise, you're greeted by chocolate rose, salted caramel, and strawberry champagne. The cakes are sweet, the icing is sweet and the interior is also sweet. There's very little seating inside, so make sure you make a reservation before. 

Do you know any other pink places in London I should visit? Let me know in the comments below...

Thanks for coming

LET'S TALK TRENDS - THE SLEEVE

Fashion trends, lets discuss...

For as long as I can remember I have always been obsessed with frills, lace and anything you could possibly need to make a feminine fashion statement (well, ever since I've been dressing myself anyways). I don't tend to follow fashion trends, I try to follow my own personal style without the influence of others, as I feel individuality is important. Now, I'm not saying I do not own a choker or the ever so common bomber jacket, but I do try to purchase stand out from the crowd pieces every now and then.

For the past few months now it's apparent that sleeves are the new trend on the streets, whether thats trumpet sleeves, bell sleeves, flute sleeves, and whatever other sleeves you can get a hold of nowadays days, and I absolutely love them.

A trumpet, bell or flute sleeve is an exaggerated sleeve that steals the show over any other feature on your dress, shirt or jumper. Many years ago, seeing a sleeve like this was a rarity, but all of a sudden you cannot enter a shop without seeing one. I know many will think the idea is daft and unnecessary for the excess material hanging around your arms, but I personally love them and cannot steer away. The reason why, well, I love anything that could be considered a little bit OTT. The OTT sleeve is perfect if you're looking for a little something extra than just your basic black jumper or white fitted shirt. It's also great as a middle outfit. If you aren't looking to dress too fancy or too casual, throw on a simple piece with a statement sleeve.

So, maybe you're now warming to the idea of the statement piece and thinking about how you would style it. That's where I come in and reveal the tips I've have up my sleeve...

The Office

Bored of the same black shift dress that you pair with your close to retirement heels? Why not attempt a different look to grab the attention of your colleagues. Try incorporating a pair of black skinny peg trousers, a bold colour heel and of course... a white statement sleeve shirt, I mean how could you possibly go wrong with that? 

The Brunch Date

Brunch is everyones favourite meal of the day right? And everyones favourite event to Instagram, so you may as well look good whilst you're doing it. I always imagine turning up to brunch looking like I've made no effort at all but it's still relatively chic. Gather your ripped jeans and your favourite mid heels, and pair those with a statement sleeve jumper, if you do, you've definitely accomplished the brunch date look. 

The Cocktail Party

To me, cocktail party dresses can get a little boring, everyones turning up in either sparkles or red. If you're someone who doesn't want to brave the bold glitter ball, a statement sleeve could just save you. A simple mid length bodycon fit with a floating trumpet sleeve will allow you to gift the event with elegance, but not too much attention. 

Now you know how you're going to style your new statement sleeve, you're probably wondering whereabouts your can purchase an item just like it. I have absolutely fallen in love with SheIn, purely for the fact that the website is fully loaded with trumpet, flute, frilled, anything sleeves! So if you're on the hunt, head over to SheIn where you can find my personal favourite items...

1. Grey Turtle Neck Bow Embellished Bell Sleeve Sweater

2. White Bell Sleeve Shirt

3. Black Mock Neck Bell Sleeve Lace Blouse

4. Pink Layered Ruffle Sleeve Pullover Sweater

How do you love to wear your statement sleeves? Are you still obsessing over knitwear or have you transported over to spring already and stocked up on your statement sleeve blouses? Share your favourite products and lets talk more sleeves below! 

JANUARY FAVOURITES 2017

And that's a wrap, January 2017 is complete, which of course calls for a monthly favourites discussion.

It's no secret that more than a handful of us have many favourites for January, as we were lucky enough to be showered with gifts over the festive period. So, without further ado, I present to you some of my favourite products of the month.

Manuka Doctor Purifying Toner

Manuka Doctor Purifying Face Mask

Diptyque Mimosa Candle

Chanel No.5 L'eau

Manuka Doctor

I thought I'd start it off with a new favourite brand discovery, Manuka Doctor. The products include Manuka Honey and naturally enhanced formulations to provide what I like to think as the ultimate skin care regime. Skin care products have never been my favourite, I usually react to most of the chemicals, which lead to breakouts and dry skin. For over a month I have been using two products: the purifying face mask, and the purifying facial toner. Using both products together has enabled my skin to appear more radiant and moisturised throughout the cold months, as promised by Manuka Doctor, and I have also noticed a difference in my overall complexion. As a child I experienced allergic reactions to my face and also suffered with eczema, which left some scaring and discolouring on my face. Since using these products I have already noticed a dramatic difference, to the extent of feeling confident enough to go without any base makeup. I would honestly recommend these products to everybody, and I cannot wait to try some other products! P.S Kourtney Kardashian also uses Manuka Doctor skin products, need I say more... 

Diptyque

Only recently have I found my love for candles. Years ago I would laugh at anyone that spent more than £10 on a lump of scented wax, and unfortunately I am now one of those people. Jo Malone, Neom and Diptyque, you know, all the generic blogger candles, but I now get the obsession. For Christmas I bought my Mum Diptyques Mimosa Candle, and I kind of wish I kept that gift for myself... I wasn't drawn to many of the other scents, yet this one stood out. The Mimosa scent brings the warmth and sweetness of honey into your home, alongside the freshness of the seaside, could you even think of a better combination? 

Chanel L'eau 

Anything Chanel is a luxury for a girl like myself, just seeing that logo instantly screams Blair Waldorf, so as you can imagine, seeing that little gift bag under my tree left me feeling like the Queen of the Upper East Side. If you were never a fan of Chanel No. 5 then I suggest you give Chanel L'eau a go. The fragrance has taken a completely new approach, and it's been suggested that the brand is now trying to appeal to a younger market which explains the development of No.5. The L'eau brings a lighter and fresher take on the original combining the scents of rose, lemon, orange, jasmine and sandalwood. I feel that Chanel has achieved their mission, as social media truly is going crazy for the L'eau. I mean, give it a try, I'm sure you will too! 

So there we have it, a few of my favourite products from this month! What have been your favourite products, or are some of your favourites listed above? Lets discuss below...

Thanks for coming...

HOW I STAY ORGANISED AND STRESS FREE

As we've entered the new year I imagine many of you, like myself, have set yourself many goals for 2017. I have to admit, organisation and time management never was one of my strongest points, considering I always had my mum nagging and reminding me of all the things I hadn't done that day. As a student, shuffling my studies, employment, finances and of course socialising isn't always a success, but since moving away and living on my own i've found what works for me to keep me organised. 

Even though I am only in class for about 9 hours out of the whole week, I still have a lot to do with the remaining hours. I invest a lot of my time cooking meals and going to the gym, I also prioritise my well-being, so I make sure I allow myself 'me time' too. So, I hope this can help you all and you can take some of these tips away with you to help you become more organised. 

Buy a diary

Buying a diary to stay organised is an obvious one, but since I've been at University my diary has been my best friend! You'd be surprised at how many people do not own a diary. As easy as it is to organise your days on your smart phones, a physical diary really makes a difference to me, especially if its a cute little number. So even if you think owning a diary that sits in your handbag is really old fashioned give it a go. Make that diary headline your stationary selection and let it be star of the show! I promise you now, if you buy smart stationary you will be more inclined to use it. 

Plan a day ahead

This is something I get really excited about doing. Every night before I go to sleep I plan out the following day. By simply writing down all the things I wish to accomplish on that day, I can see how busy I will be, make changes, and then follow that scheduled plan. This may not suit some people, especially if you have a spontaneous personality, but for someone like me who adores structure, this really seems to help!

Calendar

It goes without saying that a calendar is great for maintaining organisation, especially if you shuffle between so many agendas. As much as I find my phone calendar helpful I highly recommend buying a physical hang on your wall one too. I believe it to be so much easier to visually see what is around the corner throughout the month, it's also great when you live with multiple people as you can all contribute to the calendar with your own events, because someone is bound to forget...

Stay focused on the priority

Nowadays I never experience a day where I only have one thing to worry about, I'm constantly thinking about my next gym session, what deadlines are coming up, and my priority, when and what will I be eating next. I've learnt that worrying and thinking about all the things that do not currently matter is not going to help me at present time, otherwise I cannot truly focus. If I know I am going to be essay writing tomorrow, that is not something I need to be thinking about today.

Make a meal plan

So many people decline the idea of a meal plan, because seeing what they're going to eat over the next few days can apparently be miserable, whereas I absolutely love it! This doesn't need to be done if you are hopping on the health and fitness bandwagon, any diet and lifestyle will benefit from creating a weekly meal plan. By writing down all my meals, I can see when I'll be eating and manage my time around that, and I can also manage my finances a little better by not buying food I do not need (which happens a lot). 

Me time 

Most importantly, it is vital that you allow your self to unwind and simply chill out. If you're a person on the go, and constantly doing something, taking that little bit of time out can really help maintain focus. I'm not saying that laying in bed for hours on end watching Netflix is beneficial, but getting out of the house and doing something that you truly enjoy will make your week a whole lot better when your agenda is fully packed! A few hours out at the cinema or a lunch date with your friend could completely change that mind set.

So there we have it, a little breakdown of what I like to do to keep me organised and stress free. Please let me know what you thought about this post and comment freely, and also let me know what you do to stay organised ad stress free because I am open to experimenting! You'll be hearing from me again next week, thanks again for reading...