Mother's Day Gift Guide with L'Occitane

Mother's Day is just around the corner, and if you've left things until the last minute then there's no need to panic! If your Mum is anything like mine, then I have a feeling she'll love everything featured in my Mother's Day gift guide.

My Mum never treats herself to luxury bath and body products, but I know she loves nothing more than a relaxing bubble bath and a rich body lotion. L'Occitane is actually one of my favourite brands for gifts all year round and they always offer great value sets with the prettiest packaging. Their mother's day gift sets are really lovely this year, so I've picked out a couple of my favourites to feature!

The One Where We Start Again

Happy New Year! (and Merry Christmas, Happy Halloween and everything in between...) 

I know, it's been a little bit quiet over here on Beauty and the Brunette. Since my last post a lot has changed and I still can't quite believe that it's been 6 whole months since my last post. Where did all that time go?

Sometimes, you really just need to take a break. It's funny, during my time away I've been reading more blogs and watching so much YouTube it doesn't really feel like I've left. And with 2017 finally here, I think it's about time I finally stop pressing pause on my own content.

July brought so much chaos (in the best possible way) and blogging just had to take a step back. So much has happened, and at the end of June I finally moved out of my parents' home and into an apartment in my favourite city. As well as finally being able to call Leeds home again, I've also started my first full-time job. I'm now a content writer for a marketing agency and every workday is so different. From creating content on bathrooms and pensions to fashion posts and writing about sex toys (I'm deadly serious, haha!), I won't deny it took me a little while to find my feet. 9am starts were (and still are) hell for this night owl, and doing laundry and planning meals are certainly not the highlights of adulthood. But the freedom it brings and the fact that I'm financially independent are definitely major perks.

I mean, I even have a company email address and I've purchased a fancy decorative hand towel from M&S. If that doesn't scream 'adult' I don't know what does.

So here's to 2017, to navigating adulthood and to the many adventures the new year will hopefully bring!

Flamingo Candles | The Melt Crowd June 2016

#TheMeltCrowd

I know it's a huge blogger cliché, but I absolutely adore candles. It must run in my family as my Mum is just as obsessed as I am and I can guarantee that at least 2 will be burning every evening without fail. When I discovered The Melt Crowd from Flamingo Candles, a subscription service where Wax Melts are delivered directly to your door, I literally squealed with excitement. After reading rave reviews from two lovely bloggers, BlondeAmy and TheDiaryofaBeautyAddict, I was sold and I placed my order straight away, impatiently waiting for June to arrive!

How much does it cost?

For £10 a month Flamingo Candles deliver 8 EcoSoya Soy Wax melts to your door (you'll find no nasty chemicals here) with an additional melt added to celebrate your 3rd, 6th, and 9th month as a subscriber. With your first order you also receive a free Wax Burner so all you need to do is add a tealight and your good to go! Every month 8 melts or more will be delivered straight through your letterbox so you don't have to be in for the parcel to be delivered. Boxes with 8 melts have a RRP of £18.95 (£2 each per melt plus an additional £2.95 for delivery) so it's certainly great value for money and the added excitement you feel before the box arrives just adds to the value for me. The scents also vary every month and often feature The Melt Crowd exclusives that you can't buy online!

What's in June's Box?

Before I even opened my June edition of The Melt Crowd I could tell it was going to transport me away to a tropical paradise. The scents were already bursting out from the box before I opened the lid and with one sniff I could already detect so many fresh and fruity fragrances. With Summer officially starting in June, this month was packed with vibrant, exotic scents to celebrate the warmer weather and to fuel those dreams of spending summer nights in the Maldives, relaxing by the ocean with a cocktail in hand. But it's not all about fruity fragrances, there's definitely quite an exciting mix of fragrances this month. Four exclusive scents are included: Beach Please, Peach, Gin & Tonic and Chilli & Coriander, alongside the dessert inspired Lemon Curd and Cheesecake Crunch, the iconic summer cocktail Pina Colada and a special WILD fragrance, which is Flamingo Candles' 90s inspired range, in the scent Strawberry Millions.

Pina Colada | When I think of summer I can't help but start singing that famous song... if you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain... Pina Colada is a true iconic holiday cocktail and Flamingo Candles have nailed the scent. It's not too sweet or sickly as the mix of pineapple, orange and grapefruit is balanced with a rich coconut and vanilla base. I love this one and I'll definitely be burning it the night before my holiday!

Beach Please | A special edition for June, Beach Please is fresh and zesty and reminds me of the ocean. This one would be perfect for the bathroom and it's a welcome addition besides the majority of fruity, sweet scents.

Peach | Peach is rather self-explanatory and it's another exclusive this month. I was worried that this would smell rather artificial but thankfully it doesn't and instead it has a lovely refreshing sweet peach scent that I can't stop smelling. It's not as complex as Pina Colada or Beach Please but it's just as wonderful.

Gin & Tonic | An exclusive added to celebrate World Gin Day on the 11th of June, Gin & Tonic has a very zesty and punchy gin aroma. I'm a big fan of gin so I was really excited to smell this and I'm very impressed, it's a very clean, clarifying scent. It's a fragrance that is hard to put into words but just think about an uplifting mix of lemon, lime, herbs and gin and you'll have Flamingo Candles' Gin & Tonic!

Lemon Curd | Lemon Curd has a very strong scent which I'm hoping will weaken a little once lit. I'm not a big fan of lemon scents in general so I don't love this but it is quite a nice scent. It's very refreshing, definitely very lemony and it is part of the High Tea permanent collection.

Cheesecake Crunch | It takes a lot of self-restraint to not bite straight into this melt! It honestly smells amazing and so more-ish, it's definitely not one to burn if you're feeling peckish or you might end up devouring an entire cheesecake before you realise it. If you hate sweet, dessert inspired scents you won't like this but I adore them and I can't get enough of Cheesecake Crunch!

Chilli & Coriander | When I first read the name of this melt I wrinkled up my nose and hesitantly gave it a sniff. I don't really enjoy eating Chilli or Coriander at all so I really expected to hate this one but I was pleasantly surprised. I'm very intrigued to see how this smells in a room once it has melted but for now I'm torn. It's very fresh, herby and woodsy but it's also rather weird... but in quite a good way. I like it, I think... I'll have to update you all after I've used this!

WILD Strawberry Millions | The WILD range from Flamingo Candles cast you back to the 90s, full of nostalgia and retro vibes. I do enjoy actually sitting down and smelling the Strawberry Millions melt, it's ridiculously sweet with a sherbet-like strawberry scent, but I'm not sure if it's something I would want my entire room to smell like. It's definitely one I need to burn to fully make up my mind on. 

Overall I'm really pleased with June's melt selection. There are a few instant hits that I know I'll absolutely love but I'm most excited to try some of the more unusual scents. I think I love the concept of The Melt Crowd as it definitely forces me to try fragrance I wouldn't necessarily choose myself. My favourite? It's a difficult decision but I think I'd have to go with Cheesecake Crunch, closely followed by Pina Colada! 

Will I be continuing my subscription?

Absolutely! Due to moving house at the start of July I've been forced to suspend my account for the moment as I have no idea which address I would send July's box to but as soon as I'm settled in my new home I'll be reactivating my account immediately! I'm already eagerly awaiting August's box and by then I'll definitely be in need of more melts. I never usually stay loyal to subscription services, I always feel that they're very hit and miss between each month, but after reading reviews of The Melt Crowd for the past year it seems like they're very consistent with their quality! 

The only tiny, negative thing I have to say about my experience of The Melt Crowd subscription is honestly so petty I'm not even sure why I'm mentioning it. The paintwork on the wax burner I received had sadly been chipped quite a bit on the inside and I was a little bit disappointed that I received a plain black burner instead of one of the prettier cream and blue burners other subscribers had received. Complete and utter #firstworldproblems right here, I know. I'm still so thrilled with my introduction to Flamingo Candles!

If you're a candle lover, you simply have to try The Melt Crowd. You also receive a 20% off discount code for the Flamingo Candles website every month in case you find a favourite scent you just have to stock up on. Let me know if you've joined The Melt Crowd already and if you haven't which scent from June's box do you like the sound of the most? 

The AM | PM Routine Tag

I've noticed The AM/PM Tag floating around quite a lot lately and I absolutely love reading them. There's nothing better than being able to snoop around and gain a little insight into people's daily routines. Even though I wasn't tagged by anyone I've decided to join in on the fun anyway as nothing beats a good ol' tag blogpost on a Sunday morning!

- AM- 

1. What is your morning beauty routine? I'm definitely not a morning person so waking up is always a struggle for me. I usually cleanse my face with Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream which helps reduce any redness, softens my skin and leaves a nice cooling sensation on my skin due to the hint of menthol in the product. If I have time I'll use my ESPA Balancing Herbal Spafresh Toner and then I reach for a cooling eye product, at the moment I'm using up my Embryolisse Artist Secret Radiant Eye (which I was kindly sent and it's lovely but way too expensive to justify a repurchase), before following up with my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo moisturiser. If I have time in the morning I might pop on a face mask, Lush make some of my favourites, but this happens pretty rarely as I'm always in a rush to get ready!

2. What's for breakfast? Cereal usually, or a piece of toast with a little bit of Philadelphia cream cheese. If I have more time I love making scrambled eggs on toast! And I always have a piece of fresh fruit too which varies every day.

3. Coffee or Tea? Honestly, neither. I like to start my day with a glass of fresh orange or apple juice. If I had to pick between the two I'd choose tea, but only fruit or green tea. I'm not a fan of normal tea or coffee! I don't really drink hot drinks at all weirdly. 

4. How long does it take you to get out of the door?  If I have 30 minutes to get up and get out the door I can do it but give me 2 hours and I'll find ways to fill in the time! On average to wake up, eat and get ready I like to give myself an hour so I'm not rushing too much.

5. What is your go-to makeup look on a fuss-free morning? If I'm having a good skin day I'll start with bareMinerals Complexion Rescue and if not I'll use my Bourgois Healthy Mix foundation with my Real Techniques Sponge. Next is bareMinerals bareSkin Serum concealer and then I like to use Stila's Convertible Color, in either Camilla or Peony, to add a flush of colour to the cheeks and lips. I always needs a powder to set my makeup, a new favourite of mine is Vichy's Dermablend Setting Powder, and I quickly brush throw my brows with L'Oreal's Brow Artist Plumper. For eyes, I add a wash of with a Kiko Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick and finish up with coat of Maybelline's Lash Sensational mascara!

- PM -

6. What is your evening beauty routine? I'll start by removing my makeup with Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water then I follow up with Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish. About 2 to 3 times a week I'll lightly exfoliate with the Superfacialist Rose Brighten and Refine scrub and then I'll spritz on my ESPA toner again. I add 4 drops of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate and if my skin is feeling a little bit dry I'll use my Vitamin E Night Cream from The Body Shop. 

7. Snack time! What's in the bowl? Most of the time it's another piece of fruit and possibly a Chocolate Digestive or an Oreo. Sometimes I have the strangest cravings though, I had such a hankering for a piece of cheese the other night!

8. How do you wind down and prep for bed? I'm terrible at winding down and turning off my phone before bed, I'd love to be that person but my mind is always at its most active at night. I like to catch up on some YouTube videos or watch a few episodes of whatever TV programme I'm into before climbing into bed. 

9. Cozy up! What are you wearing to sleep? My Victoria's Secret flannel pyjamas, they're so comfy. If it's warmer I'll usually swap the long-sleeved shirt for a loose t-shirt or a vest though. 

10. What are some things you must do before hitting the hay? I always to double  triple check that my alarm is set and then all I ever really need to do is apply some lip balm!

Below are all the products mentioned and I'd love to know if you're a morning or an evening person! I'm also tagging these 5 lovely ladies to talk about their AM/PM Routines:

Jodie from jodieloue

Ela from elabellaworld

Anjna from anjnaharish:thoughtsofagirl

Katie from beautyfromkatie

Becky from lifebybecky

4 Instagram Accounts Worth Turning Your Notifications On For

Everyone seems to be panicking about Instagram's new upcoming algorithm. The possibility that it will now be even harder to attract likes and the fear of missing out on your favourite users photos sparked a frenzy of 'Turn Notifications On' posts on the platform yesterday. In reality, as the new algorithm works off your behaviour on the platform, the accounts you interact with the most should still appear frequently on your feed. But let's be honest here, nobody is entirely sure whether they're going to get buried by the new changes or not. The desperate plea by many to encourage their followers to receive a notification every time they upload a new photo is all well and good but our phones are already saturated by notifications without Instagram adding to the mayhem.

If you are planning on pushing the 'Turn Notifications On' button you definitely want to be very selective about who you push it for. For me, I'm limiting myself to only receiving notifications for close friends and those accounts that truly inspire me and cheer me up every day. So I thought I'd create a list of my Favourite 4 Instagram Accounts that I'm so obsessed with that even the idea of adding to the notification hell doesn't alter my love for them.

A Belated Birthday Dinner at Rossopomodoro!

I absolutely adore going out for dinner and it's a huge part of my life even though it's something I never document here on my blog.  I can't think of anything better than sitting down for a meal with friends and having a wonderful catch up and this Thursday I did exactly that with the lovely Julie-Ann: one of my best friends and the writer of Our Dreams Of Fashion. We enjoyed some very belated birthday celebrations for my 22nd birthday at the new Italian restaurant in John Lewis called Rossopomodoro and they were actually kind enough to provide Julie-Ann and I with a complimentary 3 course meal for our visit. 

You'll find Rossopomodoro located on the first floor of John Lewis, nicely situated on a balcony overlooking the rest of Eldon Square. It's a lovely way to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy shopping centre without straying too far away from the shops and I have to say it looks particularly beautiful at this time of year with all the twinkling Christmas lights overhead. The restaurant itself is rather modern with quirky little features adorning the walls including cute little phrases like 'Get A Pizza This', pictures on the ceilings and the most amazing glittering gold oven which wouldn't look out of place on Pinterest.

What would you do to get Noticed? | #SPGETNOTICED

Getting yourself noticed is becoming increasingly harder. Whether it's in the blogging world or just generally in working life making yourself stand out and resonate in somebody's mind is such a challenging task. I've stumbled across so many amazing blogs in my years who hardly have any followers and I used to always wonder why. But promoting yourself, tweeting like your life depends on it and just being very present at all times really is the key to gaining a bigger audience. 

I was recently contacted by Solopress and asked if I would like to take part in their Get Noticed competition. The prize is really special and the winner will get to design and create their very own billboard and place it in a city of their choice! You can use this billboard to promote yourself in any way, whether it's some kind of visual CV or a way to promote yourself as a blogger and gain more followers. To get me started, Solopress kindly sent me this adorable personalised kit and allowed me to create my very own business cards! I'm so happy with how they turned out and now I won't feel like a numpty when I'm at blogger events and everyone else is exchanging business cards. To carry my business cards they sent me this adorable leather card holder with my initials on it and I also have my own personalised pencils - how cool is that?!

Instagram Diary No.2

ZOELLA'S BATH FIZZERS (I WASN'T TOO IMPRESSED SADLY) | GRADUATION DAY | THE PRETTIEST FLOWERS FROM THE GARDEN | THE PHONE CASE OF DREAMS FROM RIFLE PAPER CO. | MID-SEPTEMBER FAVOURITES | GREEN EYELINER IS OFFICIALLY MY NEW FAVOURITE THING | MY BLEMISHES DON'T STAND A CHANCE WITH BAREMINERALS' NEW FOUNDATION | GIVE ME SUEDE EVERYTHING | THE MOST AMAZING ARCHWAY IN ALNWICK GARDENS

It's been just over 2 months since my first Instagram Diary and I couldn't think of a better time to post this other than on a lazy Sunday morning! This summer hasn't been too eventful but a couple of exciting things have occurred between this Instagram post and my last, including the fact that I graduated from University with a BA in English Literature! I'm not exactly too sure what to do with myself right now and I feel like I'm living in limbo with job-hunting slowly taking over my life (seriously, if anybody needs a new Content Marketing Assistant / PR Assistant / Digital or Social Media Anything I volunteer as tribute!) but whatever happens I'm pretty excited for the future and I actually cannot wait for Autumn to finally arrive! I can't decide whether I'm more excited about cosy knitwear, berry lips or thought of a crackling fireplace at night. What's your favourite thing about Autumn?

I'm still a complete and utter failure at sticking to an Instagram theme but I suppose some things will never change! I've picked up so many new products in the past few months and I can't wait to write about them: my favourites so far have to be bareMinerals' new Blemish Remedy foundation and the Balm's Cindy Lou-Manizer highlighter (which I bought so spontaneously after falling instantly in love after seeing it on a random YouTuber's cheeks). Non-beauty wise I've developed a little bit of an addiction to suede and I now own 2 suede skirts - a mini and a midi - and I don't think I'll be taking them off until next March. I also finally picked up my phone case of dreams from Rifle Paper Co. I'd been eyeing the Paris case up for almost half a year now and I finally found it online (and on sale for too!) at the Northlight Homestore and I'm so unbelievably happy with it.

A few other exciting beauty related things include my new found love for coloured eyeliner, specifically emerald green. After picking up Latest In Beauty's Awards box (you can find my post on this here) I fell in love with Daniel Sandler's Green Velvet eyeliner and it's such a fun way to add a pop of colour into a makeup look. And, speaking of Latest In Beauty, I was also one of their Winner's Box Competition winners and I was kindly gifted a Winner's Box which is probably the best beauty box I've ever received! Did any of you buy it?

An Evening with Cutler and Gross

At the very beginning of July I headed back down to Leeds to attend the opening of the new Cutler and Gross store in Victoria Quarter. I always have to pinch myself whenever I'm invited to anything through my blog and I'm still not over how lovely and luxurious the evening was! Cutler and Gross create some of the coolest sunglasses I've ever had the pleasure to try on and I think I finally understand the designer sunglasses hype. The quality is just so obvious when you hold a pair and their aviator style frames even put Ray-Ban to shame! I now have a serious desire to get my hands on a pair, or two, or three... need I go on? I'm currently lusting over these frames, I couldn't put them down at the launch!

Instagram Diary No. 1

I often find it a little bit difficult to incorporate lifestyle elements into my blog yet with such a lack of my actual face (I'm still overcoming that camera-phobia) I'm becoming increasingly worried that my blog isn't personal enough. I love taking the odd snap of my daily adventures: beautiful views, pretty flowers and even a scrumptious meal or two yet I'm completely rubbish at photographing throughout the day and gathering enough photographs to make an entire blogpost. I guess I'd be an absolutely terrible lifestyle or travel blogger but I just simply forget to grab my camera and snap a particular moment. I suppose I love living fully in the beauty of the moment more than I care for visually capturing the memory yet there's a part of my life I feel like my blog is missing. So, I've been noticing a lot of 'Instagram Diaries' floating about the internet lately and I thought it would be the perfect way to add a little bit of me, along with a couple of my favourite beauty snaps, into my blog. One of my goals on social media is to really start using and updating Instagram so I suppose this type of post really kills two birds with one stone (don't you just hate that expression - I never used to think about it but it's pretty awful! Poor birds...) I'm not sure how often these little Instagram Diaries will occur (possibly every 1-2 months?) but I hope you enjoy them and if you fancy a little bit more insight into my life you can follow me on Instagram at @b_ecki.

Soap & Glory's Smoothie Star smells incredible! (and S&G posted my picture as a Regram!) | The Prettiest Pink Roses | My Little Beauty have adorable packaging | My amazing beauty swap package from Sakura in Japan | A Sneak Peak of a New Beauty Post! | Dan & I at our final University Ball | The view from Dinner in Estepona Port | Cute Summer Shoes from Primark | Attending the Launch Party at the new Cutler and Gross store in Leeds. 

Let me know how your week has been in the comments below!

Scarlett Of Soho

One thing I always remember from my childhood is visiting the opticians with my mum and spending hours watching her try frames on. It wasn't all bad, I did get to play dress up too after all, but there was nothing more frustrating than my mum complaining after a month or two that she didn't like her glasses any more. And it happened every single time. When Rob contacted me about Scarlett of Soho, a subscription service for eyewear, I immediately thought of how perfect this service would be for my mum and anyone else who has the urge to switch up their eyewear every few months!

Scarlett of Soho offer an amazing free 'home try-ons' scheme where you select four of the gorgeous, vintage frames from their catalog and they are shipped directly to your door for free. The frames are yours for 7 days so you have plenty of time to find your favourite and discover which frames really compliment your style. As I don't currently need glasses myself (although I know one day I will end up needed them as my entire family have to wear glasses and one of my eyes in getting weaker uh oh), I ended up selecting two pairs of sunglasses alongside my chosen glasses frames.

Here are my very diva-esque selfies! 

The frames themselves are made from premium aged Italian acetate and, as well as looking chic and stylish, the quality is excellent. They appear to be sturdy and durable whilst feeling really light and comfortable on the face. I love each and every frame I picked out, even though at first glance I thought I really wouldn't suit the Hemingway, and I'm actually rather gutted I don't need to wear glasses! I think my favourite has to be Ive in Chestnut Horn or the Hemingway in Translucent Olive. I'd love to know which look is your favourite!

After you've picked your favourite pair, you simply have to seal the box with the stickers provided and pop the glasses into your nearest post box (return postage is prepaid!) Then, all you have to do is head over to the catalog and select your frames with your prescription lenses! Scarlett of Soho currently offer three subscription plans for you to choose from:

The Staple - £10 a month where you can change your frames once a year (2 pairs)

The Seasonal  - £15 a month where you can change your frames three times a year (4 pairs)

The Trendsetter - £25 a month where you can change your frames an unlimited amount of times a year!

If you're currently living in London (lucky you!) Scarlett of Soho actually have two events coming up in the next month where you can view the entire range of glasses and get to meet the people behind the brand! The information for the two events is listed below:

Location: Old Street/Shoreditch

Date: February 23rd - March 8th 2015

Old Street tube station pop up store - Stand: UNIT 2B

More Information here

Location: Islington, London

Date: March 18th-22nd 2015

Country Living Fair

I love the concept, flexibility and style of Scarlett of Soho and I just have to point out how adorable the packaging of the Home Try On kit is! Attention to the little details always makes me smile! I'd love to know what you all think about the service and, if you love any of the frames on the site, you can use my code: BEAUTYB2015 on the Scarlett of Soho website to receive a month's free subscription! 

Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter 

* The Home Try On Kit is a free service but I have kindly been gifted my favourite pair from Rob at Scarlett of Soho.

January Catch Up... (And a little haul!)

Before I begin making a dent in my long list of planned blog posts I wanted to write a little catch up to let you know what I've been doing for the first 16 days of January! I always hate this time of year, the Christmas tree comes down and all the festive cheer disappears and, for me, January means one thing - deadlines and exams. Erugh, even the sight of those words makes me shiver. The silence on my blog was pretty much due to University work but, thankfully, I've made it through. My essays have been handed in and my exam wasn't too terrible so I've been letting my poor hand rest and embracing my new found freedom by going out way too much for lunch and doing a tiny little bit of retail therapy.

One of the most exciting things that's happened to me in 2015 so far is that I've finally bought my first ever iPhone! After saving a bit of my Birthday and Christmas money I'm now the very happy owner of a shiny silver iPhone 5s and I can't believe how much easier my life is with a phone that actually works properly! I'm not ashamed to say that I haven't put it down since I skipped all the way to the Apple shop after my exam. I popped into Cath Kidston and picked up this adorable Little Birds case in the sale, along with a cute little floral make-up bag which I might use to store my phone in so it doesn't' get scratched in my bag. 

On the beauty front, I decided to cash in my Birchbox points and take advantage of free shipping on Stila this month. I've had my eye on this gorgeous In the Light palette for months now; the blue shade named Night sky is beautiful and I've finally had the chance to try out the famous Kitten (which is as gorgeous as everybody says it is!) I'm going to be writing a review about this soon once I've had a chance to test the palette out properly and I'll be including plenty of swatches but, so far, I'm completely smitten with it. I've also been reunited (finally!) with my beloved bareMinerals foundation and I've definitely been lost without it these past couple of weeks - it's my absolute favourite and perfect when you want flawless foundation in a rush! 

My last purchase of the month was this swing coat from Topshop. I've had my eyes on this for the longest time and when I found it in the sale yesterday I just couldn't resist. I have a very similar coat that I bought years and years ago which I completely adored but it was so worn out that I've  finally thrown it away (we're talking holes and very matted faux fur here!) Even though I really don’t need another coat I've always felt lost without my navy, fur hooded jacket and I'm so happy with my replacement, especially since it has a much nicer hood and it only cost £31 thanks to the sale and student discount!

How's your January been so far? Have you discovered any new beauty products?

Paris in December

Just after we'd been to the top of the Eiffel Tower & my amazing breakfast (cake is acceptable as breakfast in Paris!) from Ladurée. 

The Seine at night & Ladurée at the Champs-Élysées (we ate many, many macarons!)

Selfies & Christmas trees at Notre-Dame

The Eiffel Tower as it sparkled at 7pm & the Christmas decorations inside of Galeries Lafayette

My painting from an artist in Montmatre & Dan and I at the top of the Eiffel Tower

I've been a bit (*cough* very)  absent from my blog lately (I'm blaming my rubbish phone camera, a lack of lighting and ridiculous amounts of Uni work!) but I've missed writing on my little space of the internet! I'm hoping to get back into blogging in the New Year, but I hope you've all had a magical Christmas and are enjoying the holidays as much as I have been. 

 During my absence I turned 21 and my absolutely amazing present from my boyfriend was a trip to Paris (via London, but I didn't take many photographs there!) We decided to take our trip in December as soon as we'd finished University for the semester and as a bonus Paris was lit up with beautiful Christmas lights! We stayed for 3 nights in the loveliest hotel (Hotel Da Vinci) which was situated in Saint Germain, an area I'd totally recommend if you were thinking of staying in Paris - the Lourve, amazing shops and bars and the metro were only minutes away. We spent our first day at the top of the Eiffel tower, exploring the Champs-Élysées and the huge Christmas market and walking around the gardens of the Louvre. Tuesday was a ridiculously busy day, we took advantage of the wonderful weather and walked to Montmartre where I bought a cute watercolour painting of the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards, we made our way to Moulin Rouge which is situated on a very interesting street... and then we visited  Galaries Lafayette and stopped off at Hard Rock cafe for a well deserved burger. Our evening was full of sparkling lights on the Eiffel Tower, a quick trip to Notre-Dame and a late night walk down the Seine, making our way home after a stroll over the love lock bridge. Our final day was a rainy one so we walked around the Musée d'Orsay for a few hours, bought our last salted caramel macaron of the trip and then caught the Eurostar back to London!

If you ever get the chance make sure you visit Paris at Christmas, it's such a magical place and I can't wait to go back!

A Day in Edinburgh

I mentioned rather briefly in my previous post that I spent Sunday afternoon in the beautiful city of Edinburgh and, even though I'm terrible when it comes to taking photographs on day trips, I thought I'd write a little post about my day. There's definitely a deep sense of wanderlust inside of me and I don't think it's going to go away any time soon. My boyfriend and I absolutely love to travel (trips to Prague, London and Paris have already been booked for the remainder of 2014) and our spontaneous visit to Edinburgh was a lovely break from work! We even managed to book first class return tickets for £40 each and now I've experienced the luxury of having room to actually stretch out on a train it's going to be painful having to go back to standard seating! 

We arrived at Newcastle station in time for our 11 o'clock train only to find we had been delayed an hour. This was rather annoying as everything shuts so early on a Sunday but we entertained ourselves by having an early lunch (Sainsbury's finest meal deal!) and by feeding a poor one-legged pigeon who was hopping around at our feet. To be honest I'm not usually a fan of pigeons (who is?) but this little guy was rather small, cute and fluffy! We arrived in Edinburgh at half past 1 and, as it was my first ever visit to Scotland, we decided to walk up the Royal Mile and take a look at the castle. The buildings were beautiful, the haggis stayed very far away from my mouth (yuck!) and tartan was absolutely everywhere. I made a little mental note that if I was ever in need of a tartan scarf again, Edinburgh was the place to visit! A couple of shops had some lovely tartan blankets that I really wanted for my room at University but I didn't fancy carrying it around for the rest of the day. As the day went on it began to get a little bit chilly so I quickly popped into H&M and bought a jumper to keep me warm as I seem to never bring appropriate clothing with me... But then I get to go shopping, so maybe that's a good thing? 

 Rib-Knit Top from H&M, £14.99

This wasn't actually the outfit I was wearing that day, to be honest it's what I'm wearing right now but I thought I'd take a quick photo of my jumper so you could all see what I purchased. I didn't actually have time to try it on in the shop and I picked up a Small (which according to H&M is a 10-12) so it's actually a little bit big but I prefer it that way! It's so comfortable and warm and I love cream/white shade, I can see it becoming a staple in my Autumn/Winter wardrobe! 

We didn't stay in the newer part of town for very long, shopping wasn't really on the agenda for the day, and we had booked a tour of Mary King's Close for 3:45 pm. Whilst we waited, my boyfriend and I both had a milky way milkshake from a quirky little place called The City Cafe and it was way too yummy to waste time taking a photo of, sorry guys! Twenty minutes later we headed back to the Royal Mile, feeling a tiny bit sick whoops, and it was time for the tour. Mary King's Close is an underground street in Edinburgh that used to have houses ten storeys high. The top five were demolished to make room for Royal Exchange and the remaining five were used as its foundations. This meant part of the close has survived underground and the tour took place in these abandoned streets. It was actually a really interesting and exciting experience and tales of the plague, murder and ghosts accompanied the tour. If you ever visit Edinburgh you should definitely go down and have a look, it's amazing how there's a street right underneath your feet when you walk along the Royal Mile!

After the tour we headed over to the new part of town and wandered the streets, looking for somewhere to eat before we made our journey home. It was during this time that I spotted Anthropolgie and spent the next hour swooning over everything in the store! If you'd like to see what I really wanted to buy (sadly I'm too busy saving up for Prague to spend any money) you can check out my wishlist here. We decided to eat in a small restaurant over the road from Anthrpologie called Mad dogs and I ordered the steak whilst my boyfriend had the enchiladas. The food was quite nice, not amazing but still rather tasty, and we ordered a cocktail to accompany our meal! I ordered some raspberry lemon-y concoction which was quite sharp but very refreshing! We finished our meal and still had an hour or so left before our 9 o'clock train so, after googling the best bars in Edinburgh, the Guardian's list directed us to an amazing place called The Bon Vivant on Thistle Street which also sells food and I wish we'd eaten here instead! I didn't manage to take any photos as my camera just couldn't handle the dim lighting, but the place was decorated so nicely and I'm determined to copy their candles that they place in empty alcohol bottles and allow the wax to drip down them! If you google the bar you can find a few images of what I'm taking about. The service and drinks were brilliant, if you're ever in Edinburgh you should definitely make a visit! We only had time to order one cocktail before we hopped back on the train at 9 o'clock and I was rather exhausted after walking around for so long. I had a wonderful day in Edinburgh and I've really enjoyed writing a post about travel, hopefully I'll feature more very soon on my blog!

Have you ever been to Edinburgh before? Where are your favourite places to visit there?