NYC - Part one

Looking back at these has made me want to jump on the very next plane back to the Big Apple. I need to go back!

We crammed in so much in just a week and it still wasn't enough. There's so much more I want to see and do. In the first few days we caught a ferry over to Liberty Island where we saw the awe-inspsiring Statue of Liberty before we stopped off at Ellis Island. It was a shame some of it wasn't open (it's still recovering from Hurricane Sandy) but it was still interesting and mind-boggling reading about the sheer number of immigrants that came on those shores. I got to catch my first game of Baseball and I can't say I was overwhelmed. It's very stop and start meaning there are many times throughout the match when no one is playing. It was an experience i'm glad I had but I much prefer seeing a football match!

The view from the Empire State was insane. Up there with one of the best views i've seen hence why i'm grinning like a cheshire cat in the first picture. Like I said I loved Chelsea Village/Meatpacking as it really was picture perfect New York. It was just how I imagined what the city would look like. Rows and rows of brownstones lining the tree filled streets. It was also home to Chelsea Market which i'd love to go back and explore in closer detail. The vintage on sale was just asking for a rummage!

Finally I fulfilled a bucket list wish and rode in a horse and cart around Central Park. We had a charming Irish chap who reeled off random but interesting tibits. It was a tad smelly being sat next to the horse's behind but it was a lovely way to see the park. Pick a sunday like we did as no cars are allowed in the park!

Stay tuned for part two. I took a hell of a lot of pictures!

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Beauty: Simple Skincare

Simple was one of the first brands I tried when I ventured into skincare many moons ago. Over the years I've tried and tested many different brands both budget and high end. When Simple offered to send me the new Kind To Skin selection to try I jumped at the chance and was transported back to my teenage years left wondering why I stopped buying the brand.

001: Kind to Skin Protecting Moisture Cream SPF 30
I fell completely in love with this product and will buy it myself when it runs out! It's one of the best budget moisturers I've tried and for a small bottle it lasts for a fairly long time. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated and doesn't have an overpowering smell. Being the wrong side of 25 is not sitting well with me and when I look for a moisturer it ideally has to have SPF. This ticks all the boxes, the SPF 30 will help with any dreaded premature ageing. They do say the sun causes the most wrinkles!

002: Kind to Skin Perfecting BB Beauty Balm
Admittedly this is the first time I've ever used a BB cream so I don't have much to compare it with. However, this took to my skin like a duck to water and didn't feel too heavy on my skin. I don't wear foundation because it makes me feel claustrophobic. I wouldn't buy this again, not because it was an awful product but because I just don't think BB creams are for me. I prefer to be au natural before putting my daily face on!

003: Kind to Skin Moisture Boost Hydro Boost
I have a feeling this will be a god send in the warmer months! It will be great to keep in my bag so I can freshen up on the go. It dries almost instantly and makes your skin feel lovely and refreshed. Perfect for waking you up in the morning!

004: Kind to Skin Sunkissed Moisture Cream
It's getting to that time of year when the fake tan comes out of hiding and the pins need polishing up. I struggle with fan tanners on my face as it tends to make me look like a oompa-loompa.  It's not very dark and it doesn't make a different straight away. But by the time a week has passed it's reached a lovely natural colour. Just make sure you are continuous in your application as it will get patchy if you don't do it daily. Never a good look!

005: Kind to Skin Illumiating Radiance Cream
Again the SPF in this is a winner. I preferred wearing this at night as it had a shimmer in it and I thought it was a bit too much for the day. A little goes a long way and it was very easy to use too much and end up looking like a glitterball! Subtly is key when it comes to this product. It was a really nice cream to wear at night to help jazz up your make up.

006: Kind to Skin Brightening Eye Make Up Remover Pads
Sometimes I find eye pads a little bit too irritable thanks to being a contact lens wearer. But these glide on effortlessly and you don't have to rub hard to remove stubborn mascara leaving your eyes sore and red. It worked out one bad per eye. I do still perfect to use cleansing water to remove my make up but these are a great option if you're on a hurry!

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Washington DC

As we  were in New York for a week we decided to plan a little day trip out of the city. Washington DC was only 3.20 hours away by train and how often are you ever going to see the White House? It's a not a place you'd ever really go on holiday so we decided to visit.

After catching the train bright and early - it seemed like a good idea to book ourselves on the 7.20am train when we booked it at home! We caught up on our beauty sleep and before we knew it we'd arrived in DC. British trains could learn a lot from our US friends. They were fab!

Deciding against an open top tour bus as everything looked close together - schoolboy error! - we set off on our merry way.

I've got to be honest and say I was disappointed with the White House. With Buckingham Palace you can get quite close but here it felt like you were miles away and it was underwhelming. But I was blown away by the Lincoln Memorial. It was huge and had such a presence. I kept expecting it to get up and move around like it does in Night at The Museum!

It was cool to see the Washington Memorial and the Reflecting Pool as Forest Gump is one of my favourite films. I couldn't get over how tall the memorial was! We kept thinking how near we were when we were trying to find it but it was teasing us because it was so tall!

After a few recommendations we decided to stop for lunch in the historic Georgetown. It was very pretty and reminded me of an English chocolate box village. It's a shame we didn't have longer there. Out of pure chance we managed to stumble upon Thunder Burger and Bar which was voted the best burger in the city. It was fate! I opted for the Buffalo Stomp bison burger with sweet potato fries. I'm going to be bold and say they were quite possibily the best sweet potato fries i've had!

We ended up walking a total of 10 miles! Alas given the amount of food  I consumed during the week it didn't stop my waist from disappearing before my eyes.

Have you ever been to Washington? What did you think?

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The Highline

Outfit:
Neon floral tunic: Topshop
Navy skinny jeans: New Look
White block heeled court shoes: c/o F&F
Silver multi strand necklace: Car Boot find (similar)

I'm back from New York broke, fat and sore. So, so sore! I wish I could do it all over again next week. We did so much but yet so little. I guess that just means we have to plan another trip to fit in all the things we didn't have time to do! The city was everything I thought it'd be and more. We were so blessed with the warm weather, it was actually too hot at times and I did not have the right clothes at all! We even managed to experience some snow at 11.30pm in Times Square despite having gotten sunburnt the day before. Madness! It was not fun trying to hail a taxi when you've got a thin coat on and think you're able to die of frostbite. But i'm still alive!

Be prepared to be bombarded with lots of NYC posts!

These pictures were taken on the Highline in Greenwich Village - my favourite part of Manhattan I got to visit. It reminded me of Soho - such a great place to people watch, It's a brilliant old railway converted into a green space and it offers immense views over the city. You can see for miles! It's right next door to Chelsea Market too which is well worth a visit. You'll find lots of handmade quirky bits and bobs alongside some vintage gems. Make sure you check out the delicious food section too!

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Keep rollin', rollin', rollin'

 

A while ago I was kindly given some Sleep In Rollers to try out. I'm always after some extra volume in my hair, given it's thickness I struggle to help curls stay in and it often drops out within hours. Sometimes thick hair is a curse and not a blessing! These rollers are designed to flatten when you go to sleep helping you get a better nights sleep. Having slept in heated rollers before, it's not very comfortable so I was excited to try these out! You could feel the rollers in your hair as you laid down to the land of nod but you soon forget about them and drift off to sleep. I find they are most comfortable when you sleep on your back. I did find my neck ached slightly when I woke up the next day but beauty isn't without pain as we're told! It didn't put me off using them again.

You get given a good selection of rollers and some kirby grips to keep them in place. They're easy to pop in and feel very secure. I didn't worry about them falling out as I tossed and turned in my sleep. I think spraying the hair before you go to sleep might have helped them set better. Something I'm going to attempt next time!

I was a bit sad my hair didn't come out quite as I expected. But it definately has some volume at the ends, just not the sassy curls I was hoping for. I kept them in my hair for around 10-11 hours throughout sleep and a little while after I woke up. They recommend you keep them in as long as you possibily can.

I think the reason why I don't have bouncing curls is because my hair isn't layered and is too heavy. I find it much easier to curl and blowdry when I have layers cut in. This time I decided I wanted my hair all one length and my curls have suffered! I'm going to try them next time in slightly damp hair to see if I get a different result.

Have you ever tried Sleep in Rollers?

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I'll have what Jack's having

Last weekend I was I was tweeted by TGI Fridays asking if I wanted to be let into a secret. Being extremely nosy I eagerly traded secrets and was excited to find out they had a secret burger launching. You have to be in it to know it!

After kindly being sent some vouchers, the boyfriend and I stopped by one night after work to try it out for ourselves. When the waitress came to take your order you simply had to say "I'll have  what Jack's having". Despite feeling a little bit silly and worried she would wonder what the hell we were on about, it worked a treat. We sat back and scoffed some delicious Jack Daniels Sesame Chicken Strips and debating on what we thought the burger would be.

We were finally put out of our misery and when it arrived it was absolutely huge! The starter suddenly felt like a bad idea. It was topped with what we assumed were caramelised onions coated in a tasty sweet Jack Daniel's sauce. I often try to avoid ordering a burger in a chain restaurant - #burgersnob - because they are so thin. But this one was a beast! It had a great thickness and tasted very meaty. It was a little bit too well done for my liking but that's just personal preference, no fault of the restaurant! The melted cheese went amazingly well with the onions. Well I think it was melted cheese!

I had to cut it in half before I could attempt to eat it. As with all good burger the brioche bun held up until about half way through then it became a sloppy and squidgy mess. But this made it taste even better as all the yummy juices had seeped into the bread. In my humble opinion a brioche bun is the only suitable partner to a juicy burger out there!

The secret burger got a massive thumbs up from the both of us and it really is worth a pun if you find yourself in one of their restaurants. Thanks TGI's for a great mid week meal!

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Inspire me

Outfit:
Red sheer utility shirt: Dorothy Perkins
White and Black striped pleated midi skirt: c/o F&F
White block heeled courts: c/o F&F

A email popped in my inbox a week or so ago asking me if I'd like to take part in the Inspire Me feature named "How you're wearing". When I read the challenge was focusing on midi skirts and prints, I was sold. It sounded like it was made for me no?

I opted for the gorgeous pleated midi skirt and had a little left over on my voucher so I managed to get these heels as well when I put some money towards them. Yes you have seen them before in black! They are so comfy and I wish they did them in a rainbow of colours. I don't think you can go wrong with a monochrome outfit as it always looks so classy. The best thing is you can add any colour you want to jazz it up a bit. I chose a red shirt as I love these three colours together. I have to admit this is one of my favourite recent outfits! I may flirt with trousers every now and again but I really do feel myself in a midi skirt. I feel like they just sum me up down to a tee!

I've been reading so much about pleated midi skirts being a staple for spring so was very pleased to be able to get my grubby little hands on this one. It's a perfect length and with an elasticated waist it's great to tuck a top in to - the pleats hang beautifully.

How would you have styled the midi skirt?

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Floral Arrangement

   

Outfit:
Silky floral dipped hem t-shirt: New Look
Dark blue skinny jeans: New Look
Nude studded heels: Primark (similar)
Red plastic boyfriend watch: Toywatch (similar)

I took the plunge and went for the chop! I'd been debating cutting a chunk off my hair for a good few weeks and decided I had nothing to lose. After all, it'll grow back! At the moment I'm not regretting it at all and loving the new shorter length. For someone who has always had long hair, it's a nice change. I have a feeling salt spray will be my new best friend!

I had a bit of a mental shopping spree at the weekend. I even had to take a few things back after 30 minutes because of buyers remorse! It was a long time coming and the excuse of a New York trip in a few weeks spurred me on. New Look is on fire at the moment with their stock and to be fair I could have walked out with the whole shop. I came away with this pretty top, a black polka dot shirt and two pairs of skinny jeans. It's the first time I've brought blue jeans in 5 years. Revelation I tell you!

Speaking of New York. Does anyone have any tips for my trip to the Big Apple? Places to eat, see and shop are all welcomed. Throw them at me please!

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Chinatown

Another trip around London with the last one being a tour of Brick Lane. Admittedly I haven't actually eaten in Chinatown (a buffet doesn't count!) despite it being on my London bucket list but I have spent many a day wandering around. Tucked away behind Leicester Square, it's a series of winding roads filled with Chinese bakeries, restaurants, hairdressers and supermarkets. You won't find just Chinese eateries though, i've spotted Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese.  It's always hustling and bustling with tourists and locals alike roaming the streets. The big gates at the entrance and exit makes the perfect photo opportunity. If you're ever in London, it makes a great trip as Oxford Street and Piccadilly are both within a short walking distance. It would be a shame to pass it by!

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