Category Archives: London

I’m 26 and crazy…

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hiking la rocca cefalu sicily

I turned 26 today and have taken it surprisingly well. Although, I do appear to have temporarily taken leave of my senses and decided to take on the ridiculous task of hiking the three tallest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in 24hrs on 5th July. This is an expedition with my new company, the Walkabout Foundation. We raise money for research into finding a cure for paralysis as well as to donate wheelchairs to people in need across the world. We are currently working on projects in Haiti as well as other countries in Latin America and Africa. So whilst I’m working out how to train and get through this extravaganza, please take a second to read about the trip below.

The intinerary for the trip is below, but you can find more about it here.

Fly to Glasgow, Scotland early Friday
- 3 hour journey to Fort William
- 24hrs begins: 6 hour ascent and descent of Ben Nevis
- 6 hour overnight drive to Lake District, England
- 4.5 hour ascent and descent of Scafell Pike
- 5 hour drive to Snowdon, Wales
- 2.5 hour ascent to summit of Snowdon where you will finish the challenge – 24hrs complete
- 1.5 hour descent to Llanberis and collapse at hotel, I’m sure.
Train back to London on Sunday morning.

Wanna sponsor me as birthday present?

I’d really appreciate anything that you can do to help! You can donate to the cause here… and follow my progress on Twitter and Facebook nearer the time.

The Wet Fish Cafe, West Hampstead

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I love a casual evening that involves no trains, Tubes or buses or getting caught in the rain. One where you decide where to go at 9pm, call and book and are sitting with a glass of wine by 9.30pm. That’s the beauty of London – all of the little neighbourhood places. West Hampstead is one of my favourites. On Saturday night, we did just that. We wandered down to The Wet Fish Cafe on West End Lane (NW6). The restaurant is one of the nicest places in the area, renowned for its happy brunches and beautiful candlelit dinners. The food is healthy and sumptious. I had spice-rubbed seabass with broccoli and roasted squash. I felt somewhat angelic until this dessert and cheeseboard came out (it’s enough for two – be warned!). But how can you resist a pistachio and star anise creme brulee AND a homemade cookie using Francesca’s Uncle’s recipe?! FYI: You can’t – don’t try.

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The Wet Fish Cafe & Brasserie

242 West End Lane
London
NW6 1LG
020 7443 9222

www.thewetfishcafe.co.uk

Find them on Twitter too!

Review: Schwarzkopf BC Fibre Force treatment at Lisa Shepherd London

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When you’re on your way to a weekend wedding in Texas, haven’t packed yet and have a dinner to get to, what the heck to do with your hair is pretty much the last thing on your mind. So when I was invited to try out the Schwarzkopf BC Fibre Force treatment at Lisa Shepherd London, I jumped at the chance. After work last Wednesday, I happily jogged out of work and over to Goodge Street to get the full star treatment including a fabulous massage chair whilst the product was on my hair (I swear I was about 5 seconds from falling asleep when she came to rinse it off). I’m kind of a sucker for hair products, if you promise to make my curls manageable, I’ll pretty much follow you to the ends of the Earth! BC Fibre Force did not disappoint. I went in a frizzy mess and came out with a glossy, shiny, tamed mane ready for dinner and my weekend away. Instant results always make me smile. I’m sold.

And it’s not just the salon touch that works well. I also took the products with me on my trip and have been using them ever since and my hair is in much better condition than it was a couple of weeks ago. Now I know that I don’t have to chop it all off to keep it healthy. It’s brilliant!

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Here’s a bit more info for you all:

The range is suitable for all hair types making it the perfect health care regime for your hair. The BC Fibre Force range includes:

BC Fibre Force Cleanser Shampoo, 200ml, £11.55 – The BC Fibre Force Shampoo cleanses the hair gently and deeply conditions even the finest of hair without weighing it down.

BC Fibre Force Fortifier Conditioner, 150ml, £12.75 – The BC Fibre Force Conditioner restores the hairs’ inner architecture, rebalancing moisture levels and sealing the cuticle for a glossy finish.

BC Fibre Force Fortifier Spray Conditioner, 150ml, £12.75 – The BC Fibre Force Spray Conditioner detangles very damaged and eroded hair and restores keratin bonds. The inner structure of the hair is improved and the surface of the hair is sealed to lock in moisture and create shine.

BC Fibre Force Treatment, 150ml, £14.45 – The BC Fibre Force Fortifying Treatment reforms keratin bonds in the hair, restoring from the inside out. It penetrates deep into the architecture of the hair and regenerates the inner hair structure.

BC Fibre Force Micro Infusion – This salon-exclusive treatment reconstructs deeply damaged and eroded hair immediately by filling the gaps in the cell-membrane complex with highest concentration of 10,000 ppm (parts per million) keratin elixir. The hair becomes more elastic and feels healthy and full of body.

BC Fibre Force from Schwarzkopf Professional is available from Schwarzkopf salons. For your nearest salon call 01296 314000.

For more information visit www.schwarzkopf-professional.co.uk.

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I wasn’t impressed by my boyfriend’s last minute photography skills… although my hair looks pretty good!

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Thanks to Jason at Lisa Shepherd London for his time and advice!

London sunshine

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I went to a friend’s house for dinner the other day and somebody said, “London in the summer is the absolute best” and I couldn’t agree more. London in the sunshine is amazing. Light evenings, the buzz of bars in the street, the amazing street style, random outdoor concerts and parks filled with people having picnics and enjoying a game of frisbee or football.

I’m excited for summer to arrive. These past couple of weeks we have had a very slight hint of what’s to come. People are out in the streets enjoying the weather, they’ve broken out their sunglasses for the first time (myself included) and they are enjoying the first touch of the best season in the best city in the world.

Hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend, wherever you are!

Friday LOVE

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This week has been pretty fun for me. I’ve seen friends, celebrated birthdays, been out for dinner, got back on top of the blog and my freelancing (somehow!). My mum is coming to visit this weekend and we are off to the theatre to see A Chorus Line, which I have never seen. The weather in the UK is also threatening to warm up. We’ve been in double figures this week for the first time this year. No snow is forecast and my sunglasses are in my bag… just in case!

Here are a few things on the internet that have caught my eye this week.

How much time on the internet is too much? They’ve been debating it over on Hello Giggles. Working at home has it’s advantages but also its disadvantages.

I’ve been investigating How to Save Money whilst on a budget. Necessary for me right now.

Want to know the difference between life in your early twenties and life in your late twenties? It’s right here. And it’s so true.

British Backpacker Sarah Groves lost her life last week in a vile attack in Kashmir. The Sun newspaper went around to her parents’ house demanding identification of photos for publication and asking questions with a dictaphone hidden up the reporter’s sleeve. So much for Leveson. This is why her brother Tom started this petition. #justiceforsarah

Can you be friends with an ex? I’m certainly hoping so, with time.

Fancy winning an iPad mini? Check out Sudocrem’s competition here.

Great Dim Sum in London: Plum Valley , Soho

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London dim sum

After my trip to the Valentino exhibition a few Sundays ago, I was in need of a good, healthy meal in a welcoming, quiet place and Plum Valley was just the ticket. Set on one of the busiest streets in Chinatown in Central London, walking into this zen-like haven is a pleasant surprise.

London dim sum

Plum Valley has a modern design and excellent food at amazing prices. We stuffed ourselves full of dim sum and healthy steamed vegetables alongside some traditional green and Jasmine tea for less than £15 per person, including service, whilst having a good gossip. It was so relaxing.

Table full of dim sum in chinatown london

Plum Valley

20 Gerrard Street,
Chinatown,
London
W1D 6JQ

020 7494 4366

http://plumvalleylondon.com/

Style-Spotting at London Fashion Week

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London Fashion Week is becoming a twice-yearly staple in my year. And just FYI, that is absolutely fine by me.
Yahoo! Lifestyle UK recently invited me to become one of their regular contributors meaning that you’ll be seeing a lot more of me there, and possibly not as much on here, but I’m working on a balance!
I went style spotting at London Fashion Weekend last week. Armed with my new camera, we went looking for the best looks (that could be actually worn in real life- no pom poms allowed) and snapped away. The best results can be found here.

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PS. I wasn’t part of the style-spotting, we just took these pics on breaks!

What were your favourite looks at fashion week?

Valentino at Somerset House, London

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Last Sunday morning, I fancied a spot of culture with a friend and so headed to Somerset House for the Valentino: Master of Couture exhibition that is running there until the beginning of next month. The event showcases the best of Valentino’s designs as worn by Jackie O, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sophia Loren amongst others. The main section is spectacularly set up like the catwalk to end all catwalks, with front row reserved signs for everyone from Liza Minelli to Jackie Onassis herself.

“Divided into three sections; visitors start with a private view of Valentino’s world through photographs from his personal archive, offering an intimate portrait of the life of the master. The exhibition then unfolds into a couture fashion show where roles are reversed with visitors walking the catwalk to view a staggering one hundred and thirty Valentino haute couture designs. Valentino: Master of Couture is a journey into the secretive world of Italian couture.
The final section unpicks the painstaking processes of crafting couture exemplified by the stunning wedding dress of Princess Marie Chantal of Greece, demonstrating the beauty of the work of les petites mains who sew each stitch by hand.”
(Info from here.) 

Some of the dresses were absolutely fabulous. What really stood out about the designs is that they stand the test of time. Many people were marvelling over a 1950s cocktail dress that wouldn’t look out of place at a party today.

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Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed in the exhibition, so we only managed to snap these outside. I was thrilled with the top picture of my friend, In – what do you think?

You can still visit the exhibition until 3rd March. There is also a series of talks to accompany the exhibition. You can find out more here.

29 November 2012 – 3 March 2013
Daily 10.00-18.00 (Last admission 17.15), until 21.00 Thursdays (Last admission 20.15) 

Embankment Galleries, South Wing

Somerset House Trust
Strand
London
WC2R 1LA
Tel: +44 (0)20 7845 4600
info@somersethouse.org.uk
£12.50/£9 concessions

Patara Restaurant Soho, London

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The last weekend of January is not traditionally the most fun. You cannot wait for payday to come and your attempts to be healthy are starting to wear thin. Not to mention, the weather is terrible and it’s quite tempting to stay in and wait for springtime to come. So when my friend suggested that we all get together at one of her mother’s restaurants in central London, we all jumped at the chance to pause our respective dvd players and enjoy good food with good friends. The sun’s probably a long way off anyway.

Patara boasts some of the best food that I have had in a long time. And I’m not just saying that because I know the manager’s daughter. It’s been a while since I’ve been at a table where people are actively sharing each others’ meals and talking almost exclusively about the food on the table. I enjoyed tuna carpaccio followed by sea bass with a red Thai curry sauce, although I also dipped into some of the best lamb that I had ever tasted and absolutely beautiful beef. It was exquisite. The cocktails were fabulous too. I particularly enjoyed the Thai version of a cosmo. Just go now, please.

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You can find out more at www.pataralondon.com.

I went to Patara in Soho, although there are branches in South Kensington, Knightsbridge and Oxford Circus, as well as international locations in Geneva, Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing and Vienna.

A Snowy Walk in the Park

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Enjoying the snow London snow london snowy trees park benches in the snowThis the first post that I have done using my new camera (Samsung NX1000). I’m so excited! What do you think of my pictures?

It’s so snowy here in London and it’s the good stuff too: not too cold plus it’s nice and crisp to walk on. I decided to brave the weather with my camera (it got a little bit wet) and set off to get some fabulous pictures of my local park. This is Victoria Park in Finchley, North London. The picture of me was taken by a passing friendly guy who offered to take a picture of me. He seemed to know a lot more about the camera than me, which is why I know I definitely need to learn more! But I’m still so excited to take more photos this year!

How’s the weather where you are?