Afternoon Tea at The Colonnade Hotel, London | FOOD

Hello!

"the good thing about Afternoon Tea, it's all very relaxed, calm and you're not in a rush to go anywhere - utter bliss"

Afternoon Tea is a great way to spend an afternoon. You may have noticed it becoming a reoccurring topic on BBXO (see here and here). Yet, this time, the weather decided to treat us a little better, and the sun was shining. All the other times I've been, it's been pouring down with rain! Nonetheless, let's take a peak into the beautiful Colonnade Hotel. 

First things first, we went around in circles and passed the place about twice before found it! It was quite discrete and the only sign was a little menu (pictured in the title). I've got to admit, the area was beautiful, but more on that later. 

The atmosphere was light, and the glass roof ensured the sun was shining through and making everything look 10x prettier! You had to walk down stairs to the seating area and enter a pastel coloured room, with pastel paintings and very clean, white plates and cups, which instantly makes you feel calm. That's the good thing about Afternoon Tea, it's all very relaxed, calm and you're not in a rush to go anywhere - utter bliss. 

"What's an English Afternoon Tea without Scones?"

As for the tea, there was a range to choose from. Although the range was not that big, it was enough to get something you liked. We went for the Darjeeling, and although it was my first time trying it, I fell in love! Such a beautiful, mellow and slightly sweet tea. 

The food was lovely, and to my surprise, there were macarons! In all the places I've had tea, I've never had macarons included! Oh, and they did taste amazing! Mine was pink, but didn't have a particular flavour, it was a plain macaron sporting all of the glorious texture it's known for. 

What's an English Afternoon Tea without Scones? They gave us jam in a cute little jar that was just adorable! It tasted amazing too. 

"You can bet your bottom dollar that I instagrammed that!"

Of all the other Afternoon Tea places I've been to, this is definitely been one of the best. I loved the light, airy atmosphere, the polite staff and the lovely treats. If you're looking for a place to go to on a lovely sunny day, definitely check out The Colonnade Hotel near Little Venice. 

Speaking of the area, it is absolutely stunning. The buildings are white with huge doors and pillars. It was like a dream! You can bet your bottom dollar that I instagrammed that! But more on the area will be coming to a blog near you very soon, so keep your eyes peeled! ;)

All in all, a wonderful place to visit, I would definitely recommend you go. Plus, there's a beautiful canal a mere 5 minute walk away - a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Tell me, have you tried Darjeeling, and what's your favourite tea? 

Blogger Spring Gift Swap | LIFE

Hello!

"there was some nail polish, which we can never get enough of,"

Being part of the blogging community is amazing! Not only being a blogger, but being a reader has so many benefits too. You get a sneak peak into someone else's life (let's face it: we're all a little nosy) and it's good to check reviews of stuff before you go ahead and purchase.

This post, however, is the evidence of the benefits of meeting people from the community. Adele from adelesmith.co.uk organised this little Spring Gift Swap. I received my end of the swap and sent it off too. I thought I'd show you what my wonderful Swap-pee sent me.

My 'swap-pee' as we have now called it, was Emily from recipesandreviews.co.uk. I've got to hand it to her, the packaging was absolutely gorgeous! I love a bit of pink and you can only guess my excitement when I opened the package.

"maybe made you feel a little more Spring-festive.. "

Inside, Emily has individually packaged each item with a few easter chocolates! It was so cute!

If you follow my instagram, you'd know about the scrapbook. Emily also knew about it and kindly sent over some washi tape! Along with that, there was some nail polish, which we can never get enough of, and stationary! It was so thoughtful of her.

"awesome community we are lucky to have"

Overall, it was a super fun thing to do, and a nice way to connect in the community!
Hopefully this has somewhat reminded you of the awesome community we are lucky to have, and maybe made you feel a little more Spring-festive.. like these posts haven't done enough of that!

Nonetheless, I hope you have a lovely day, and tell me:
What is one thing you'd put in a gift swap inspired by Spring?

April 2015 Calendar | FREE PRINTABLE

Hello!

It's come that time again, and the April calendar is now out for you to grab and enjoy. It is, as always, completely free. The thing about the calendars is, they're cute enough to be Pinterest worthy yet absolutely practical too. What's to loose, hey?!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Keep organised, be productive and remember those all important birthdays!

Hope you have a lovely April, it's not too far away ;)

Spring 2015 Nail Picks | BEAUTY

Hello!

"the colours I picked haven't 'gone-all-out', but there's a nice range that I think truly represents me"

It feels like forever since we've bought out the pastels, and now the time has come. The first day of Spring has sprung (ha!) so you can feel free to whip out those shades you put away about 6 months ago. Having said that, it is totally fine to wear whatever shade you want to in the autumn and winter - so if you were rocking pastels in the mist of November, GO YOU! :)

"the grey may still dominate"

Although it's Spring, the weather hasn't been wanting to change too much in London. Well, it did for about 3 days, and then went back to grey clouds. Maybe it's the weather that doesn't let the little nail-colour freak inside of me not want to pick out all the pastel shades, or maybe I'm just saving them for the summer. Either way, the colours I picked haven't 'gone-all-out', but there's a nice range that I think truly represents me.

From Left to Right:
Barry M Watermelon
Barry M Kiwi
Barry M Limited Edition 030
Barry M Cappuccino 
Barry M Aqua Glitter
Ciaté Pocket Money

"choosing the colours that make you feel comfortable"

As you can tell, there's a lot of Barry M going on here! With great formulas, an ever-growing shade range and their incredible price - where can one go wrong?

In the end, it's all about choosing the colours that make you feel comfortable. To me, these are the ones. I'll leave them lined up on the shelf near my nail polish box, so I can just pick and go! Having still being obsessed with grey's, I have a feeling it may be the most used this season, but I shall keep you updated!

"It feels like forever since we've bought out the pastels, and now the time has come."

As most of the colours on the runways for SS15 were bare/nude nails, it'd be wrong not to include Ciaté Pocket Money. Nonetheless, the grey may still dominate for me. It's not ALL about the trends now, is it?! :D

Tell me, what shade do you think will be on your nails a lot this Spring? 

Spring Inspiration Board

Hello!

"it's about time we appreciate everything Spring brings us!"

Now that March is past the half-way point, we can agree it's beginning to feel a lot more like Spring. Although Spring screams EXAM TIME, it doesn't mean we can't enjoy the beautiful weather, the gorgeous flowers and of course, the festival of Easter (hello, Easter Eggs!).

Putting together a seasonal inspiration board is so much fun, and as you seemed to enjoy the last one, why not gather a few things to really get you in the mood for this season... Season's Greetings! 

(PS. Feel free to Pin on Pinterest)

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
"beautiful weather, the gorgeous flowers and of course, the festival of Easter" 

It's all about the pastel shades, and brighter colours as we lean towards the warmer season. Having really beginning to notice the ravishing sunsets, it's about time we appreciate everything Spring brings us!
My favourite thing about Spring? The chance to wear Spring nail colours.
HINT: New post all about nails coming to a blog near you! 

What's your favourite thing about Spring? Is it possibly your favourite season?

Clinique Chubby Stick: Woppin' Watermelon | BEAUTY

Hello!

" Just as I expected - I was not sold."

There was definitely a phase of tinted lip balms. You know the time, when Maybelline BabyLips was sold out pretty much everywhere? Well, Clinique had jumped on that bandwagon and released these beauties - the Chubby Stick. Although the packaging is a real beauty, the product itself? Not so sure...

I'm not going to lie, I never had much of an interest in the Maybelline BabyLips phase, and still to this day would rather just use my trusty Burt's Bee's Pomegranate Oil Lip Balm - good for the real moisture and adds a little bit of a tint. Perfect.

Being a subscriber of Glamour Magazine, this popped through my letterbox one morning, and I was reluctant to try it. Having had a history of allergies to many lip balms (yep, Carmex is not my friend), I didn't know if this could be trusted. Anyhow, I went for plunge and tried it out. Just as I expected - I was not sold.
(For the record: No Allergic Reaction in sight!)

"Although the packaging is a real beauty, the product itself? Not so sure..."

Maybe it was the shade they send, or maybe it was the actual sheerness of the balm that put me off. It was super sheer, and although I was pleased with the lack of sticky-gloss feeling, it still wasn't a winner in my eyes.

If you're a fan of the glossy look (I'm more of a matte girl myself), and need something you would like to apply regularly throughout the day, giving a slight tint but not much - this is the one.

For me, it just left a greyish colour on my lips, and although it was slightly moisturising, something about it didn't feel right. Plus, as I'm not a biggie on that shiny lip-gloss look, this product was probably never going to work in my favour.

"although I was pleased with the lack of sticky-gloss feeling, it still wasn't a winner in my eyes."

If this product was more pigmented, I think I would have liked it. As shown above, this is a swatch of many layers of the balm - and if that came out in one swipe, I might have been sold.

In terms of packaging, it's a seller - no need for any sharpening and it's a cute little pencil.
I think it's one of those 'love it or hate it' kind of things, and at £17 a stick - I'm not quite loving it. Oh well, you can't win every time!

Tell me, are you a Matte or Glossy kind of person? 

BerryReads: Book Wishlist #2

Hello!

Happy Monday! Considering the last few posts on Monday's have been either Mani Monday's or Motivational Mondays - which I love doing both of them by the way - maybe it was time to switch it up a bit. Considering the enthusiasm I have for books right now, it was the perfect time for a Wishlist post! Having done one of these before and only reading one of the three I had then been interested in, lets hope its more successful this time!

Gone Girl
You probably have heard of this book before! I definitely have but it had never caught my eye... until I read the blurb earlier today: 
' Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? '

Tell me you're not intrigued! No wonder it's a bestseller - it's quite bad how I just judged the book by it's (almost) bland cover. Yet, I cannot wait to give this book a try!

The Bookstore & Penelope
These two books are about girls who go to University - both in America in this case. These two were mentioned in 'Stylish' Magazine and the blurbs again caught my eye. These are not as well known as 'Gone Girl' but definitely seem interesting - more of a light read, if you may. I don't like to read too many "intense" books at a time, so maybe these will be nice breathers! (Is that really weird, or do you do the same? :P)

Insurgent
Having had a debate on whether Divergent is better than The Hunger Games on Friday, many of you said to read the books too! I didn't get around to finish reading Divergent, not sure whether it was because I wasn't 'in to' reading at the time or because I didn't like the book - but I loved the movie. Therefore, I'm going to give this a shot!

Have you read any of these books, and what's on your "wish list"? 

*picture from here, here, here

Mani Monday: April Picks

Hello!

Being it the 1st of April tomorrow, OMG I just clicked it's April Fools Day *gasp*, I thought it would be fun to see what nails colours stand out for the month of April!





This is the month where it can either rain or the time or be super duper sunny in London, and let's be honest here, the weather does affect the colour of nail polish you're wearing - it's not just me, right?!

Cobalt Blue

I thought this colour would be gorgeous for the season, the picture doesn't do it justice, but Essie Mesmerize, is a bright blue - yet not a pastel blue that's more for the July months, if you see what I mean! I think this would be the colour I paint my nails this week! 

Duo-Tone

Barry M has launch a new collection! It has aquarium inspired shades and has a few two-tone polishes which are to die for - so why not give the duo-tone trend a go for April? 

Nude

I'm always up for nude, and this polish from the Brazil Collection is no different!

Confetti/Sparkle (matte)

The Confetti trend came out a while ago, yet it's very much like sparkle polish - and a girl can never get enough of it! I haven't worn sparkle in a while, so might pick that out for April!

I hope you enjoyed reading this - what is your go-to April shade?  

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