Visiting Paris is one of my favourite things to do, and with the city only 2.5 hours away from London by Eurostar, it’s easy enough to go for the day.
So, I thought I’d fill you in on what a typical day trip to Paris for me looks like!
Angelina is always the first port of call when I get to Paris, grabbing one of their famous hot chocolates to go and heading to my favourite neighbourhood, Le Marais.
When it comes to Le Marais I love the familiarity of it and the fact that it has everything Parisian written all over it, oh and the Chanel store is all sorts of beautiful. Grabbing a falafel to go from L’as du Falafel, macarons from Carette, and a few trinkets from Merci are my go-to things I have to do when in the city but, aside from those there is so much to do and see.
I have my favourite restaurants in the city, but I do try to visit a new one each time I’m over there. Pink Mamma is my newest favourite and an easy walk to Montmarte and the Sacre Coeur (more about the restaurant here). Sometimes though, I like to go back to an old favourite, Chez Janou in Le Marais as having some of their chocolate mousse is the best thing ever.
If I have time, I try to go and see an exhibition - Paris always has something interesting going on, and currently you have the Christian Dior, Couturier du Reve at Musée des Arts décoratifs and Irving Penn at Le Grand Palais, both absolute must-sees.
Then it's back to Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar. I like to walk back to the train station instead of getting the metro, as the streets and buildings are so pretty to look at, and you never know what you’ll stumble across.
Paris is a dream, and I’ll never tire of visiting.
One of the biggest accessory trends right now is statement earrings. I've been loving them for a fair few months now and, like the magpie I am, I can't walk past a display of sparkling statement earrings without taking a little peek.
Proving not to be just for the runways and red carpets, upgrade a casual daytime look – think a plain white t shirt, jeans and flats – by adding a pair of bold and colourful statement earrings.
But rather than the glitzy chandeliers from seasons past, this time it’s all about modern structural designs, playful mismatched pairs and obnoxious shoulder-dusters.
Ultra chic
Over the last couple months, I’ve become slightly obsessed with lipsticks. For a girl that barely has a top lip, this may be a strange makeup obsession but during the Winter months I love to add a bit of colour to my daily makeup look, and throwing on a bit of lipstick is what I go for.
I have a lot of favourite makeup brands, and Bobbi Brown is one of them. One of their latest launches caught my eye. The Crushed Lip Color lipsticks are a total game-changer when it comes to the brands usual lip products - they’re designed to give a ‘blotted’ effect to your lips, which means if you don’t want to go for a super-bold lip, these are perfect for you.
The perfect lipstick for that ‘undone beauty’ look we’re all dying to achieve. Head to your nearest BB counter now and get swatching.
Buy online here
Traveling is a huge part of my everyday job, and I’m lucky enough to stay in some pretty decent hotels. But I've never been able to say I've immediately booked another stay at the hotel straight after I've checked out...until now.
The Steam Hotel is located in Västerås, about a 90 minute drive from Stockholm. Only opening in August this year, I stumbled across this hotel whilst looking at places to stay for our honeymoon, and knew I needed to visit it whilst in Sweden.
The enormous building, which sits on the shores of Lake Mälaren, was once a steam power station, providing energy all over Sweden. Now, it’s home to a 227-bedroom hotel and spa, with several restaurants and a rooftop bar. Most of the industrial features have been retained inside - for example, an old steam boiler is now a bar.
Let’s take a look inside (Prepare yourself for lots of photos from here on in)
The lobby itself is breathtaking. The huge space is framed by open steel beams, with an open fireplace taking centerstage. Big plump sofas and armchairs are dotted around, creating cosy areas perfect for curling up with a book and a glass of wine.
The main restaurant is on the ground floor of the hotel, behind the lobby area. Beautiful chandeliers and furniture create a cosy, intimate atmosphere when the sun goes down, and for breakfast, the area turns into a casual setting drenched in sunlight coming in from the floor to ceiling windows.
The bedrooms are designed with a ‘industrial-romantic style’, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Lake Mälaren. Exposed brickwork, and a mix of eclectic furniture with brightly coloured textiles feature throughout, and the beds are so comfortable, it's hard to leave them. 
Above the restaurant is a mezzanine area, which features a champagne and gin bar (it's like they built this place for me!) as well as playing host to football tables, shuffleboard, a cushioned seated area to watch films, 2 private dining rooms, pool table, and a host of board and computer games. Perfect for the kids, or in our case, the big kids in us - who knew I was so competitive after a few glasses of champagne!?
We had two days at the hotel, and as our trip was all about relaxing and de-stressing, we decided to spend one of the afternoons properly chilling out at the hotel’s Spa. Located on the seventh floor, there’s an indoor pool and Sauna - heated by an old steam turbine salvaged from the building, treatment rooms and a relaxation room featuring huge beds big enough for two positioned around an open fire with copper chimney.
Out of the dark, and into the light there's a conservatory-style area with huge beds, chaise lounges, and a bar playing host to a raw food menu as well as cocktails and juices. There’s even an outdoor heated swimming pool overlooking the lake. We took full advantage of the spa and spent the afternoon lazing around with the most stunning views. Bliss.
After an afternoon of bliss, there was only one last place to go - the rooftop bar. With views across the lake and town, this place is perfect to watch the sun go down whilst sipping on a glass of something cold and fizzy.
A hotel with everything you need all on one site - Could there be anywhere more perfect?
(I can't wait to head back in Spring!)
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
No, not Christmas, but winter wardrobe time. I am a massive Autumn / Winter clothing fan (the weather, not so much) boots, knitwear and coats are the items in my wardrobe I spend the most money on, and as I was traipsing up and down Oxford and Regent Street one November morning trying on all the camel-coloured coats I could see, I thought I'd make a blog post of it and round up the best (in my opinion) Winter coats on the high street this season.
I'm going to put my hand up very high but slow when I say I have a slight obsession with winter coats. It's my mums fault really as she's always said that a Winter coat is a good wardrobe investment, and I am not one to disagree with my mama.
There are so many different styles to choose from, so I've been super nice and cut it down into categories for you.
Let's get going...
Faux Fur
Camel
Quilted
Bright Colour
All of the above are legit purchases, as in I want them all! But this year, I'm going to be investing in a camel coat - classic, chic and something I've had my eye on for a few years but haven't found the right one...until now. The only problem I have, is which one of the above do I choose...
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