Five Friday Favourites #17

Blood Brothers

It feels like ages ago that I booked these tickets for my parents’ Christmas present but the weekend finally rolled around to go and see this show in Bristol. It is my favourite musical and we all really enjoyed it. We had a fab day in the sunshine walking along the Harbourside, enjoying cocktails and eating pizza.

The Longs Arms

Another mention for mine and Ian’s favourite pub! We went up here for dinner last night as, and usual, it was stunning. We shared starters of lobster and a goats meat scotch egg then I had lemon sole while Ian had the lamb. I always look forward to pudding and seeing what crazy flavour of ice-cream is on the menu and this time we sampled root beer, cream soda, Nutella, peanut butter and jam and – my new favourite – Jaffa Cake.

New Earrings

I rediscovered these earrings that my best friend Lu bought me for my birthday. They are lovely silver swallows and I have been wearing them all week.

Becca Highlighter

This week, I have been really enjoying wearing the Shimmering Skin Perfector by Becca in the shade Moonstone as recommended by The Anna Edit. I like how natural this looks and I really do think it suits paler complexions.

Sliders

I have been after a pair of pool sliders since last summer. I saw these in Primark and I thought they looked really fun and they are actually really comfortable. It’s one of the first times that I have stopped to wonder whether I am too ‘old’ for an item of clothing but then realised I didn’t really care and headed to the tills!

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Sunday Summary #1

Hello and welcome to a brand new blog feature! This series will replace my ‘Sunday Catch-Ups’ but will follow a similar vein of summing up my week in a few words and pictures along with a few items and products I have been using, wearing or enjoying under four sections; life, food, beauty and fashion.

Life

It has been a funny old week with that period between Christmas and New Year where you aren’t really sure what day it is and I’m usually torn between wanting to relax for as long as possible and wanting to pack away all traces of Christmas ready for the new year.

We spent the run up to New Year’s Eve doing a bit of both; heading to gym to undo some of that Christmas eating and drinking; stocking up on healthier food; trying to find a place for all our new gifts and those less fun jobs like changing car headlights and descaling the kettle…it’s non-stop glamour here!

In more exciting news, we headed up to London where we saw in the New Year at Alexandra Palace, overlooking the city with friends. We spent January 1^st visiting my favourite gallery, the Saatchi, followed by dinner and champagne cocktails before going to see Wicked in the West End (my Christmas present for Ian!) Finally, we spent last night dancing and drinking to celebrate my friend Cat’s 30^th before our long drive home this morning and work tomorrow morning.

I managed to finish a cross stitch that seemed to take me the best part of a year due to constantly stopping and starting but I have the bug again and have started a new, more ambitious piece. I find it really relaxing to do whilst watching TV in the evening.

I finished reading ‘In the Kitchen’ by Monica Ali (which seemed to take me ages!) and started reading ‘The Doll’s House’, a gripping murder mystery by M. J. Arlidge.

Like nearly every other person I follow on Twitter, Ian and I are watching ‘Making a Murderer’ which I am finding gripping viewing and I was also really excited when the new series of the podcast ‘Serial’ started again, although I have to admit that I’m not enjoying it quite as much as the previous story.

Music-wise, I found a ‘Hip-Hop Workout’ on Apple Music which I have been listening to at the gym; not my usual choice but quite motivating on the treadmill!

Food

I am still dreaming of the delight that was our Christmas dinner whilst at the same time craving lighter and slightly healthier food.

This jar of M&S ‘Christmas Cake Curd’ is still going strong and is a delicious slathered over croissants for breakfast.

Equally as indulgent were these delicious cakes bought from a little bakery in Muswell Hill which we enjoyed with a cuppa after getting caught in the rain!

Finally, on New Year’s Day, Ian, my friend Lucie and I enjoyed a great 3-course meal at Côte Brasserie on Sloane Square. We started with Kir Royales then I had a warm lentil and poached egg starter, sea bass and crème caramel…all delicious!

Beauty

This week, I gave my make-up brushes a thorough clean using Dr Bronner’s Liquid Soap which always gives me great satisfaction!

I opened the last few windows of my Ciaté advent calendar and am enjoying trying out various shades.

My brother bought me the ‘Blackberry Bath Bomb’ from Lush for Christmas and it was lovely to use. It smelt amazing and there was even a little message left in the bath after the fizzing had stopped!

Finally, after a fair amount of time spent wandering around Planet Organic, my friend Lucie and I picked up a few products from Bouclème, an all-natural brand especially formulated for curly hair. I bought the ‘Curl Cleanser’ which is like a clarifying shampoo and I am very much looking forward to giving it a whirl.

Fashion

I have spent a fair amount of time in my pyjamas or similarly comfortable loungewear this week but when I have ventured outside, I have been wearing my new Zara leather jacket – a Christmas present from Ian.

My black fedora has been a staple too and is almost worth the ‘hat hair’ it gives me!

I also made an ASOS order after seeing a few pretty items in the sale and I think my favourite purchase was this pair of patent croc boots which I have been wearing non-stop.

I hope you like this new weekly feature – I probably won’t always write this much but I’ve had a jam-packed week! x