Refreshing and Light - Summer Drink

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The hot summer days, sitting by the pool opposite a magnificent sea view calls for an ice cold drink that will cool you from the inside! 

I have been making this drink countless times throughout the day and absolutely love it! It's not that this drink is super special or extremely exotic! The reason why I love it, is because it is so light, delicate, fresh, healthy and extremely easy and quick to make.

Literally all you need is fresh water, lots of ice and your favourite herbal tea bag, in my case Green Tea and Jasmine!

Grab a tall glass, fill it to the brim with ice, fill with fresh water and then add in your tea bag! No stirring, nothing! Within a matter of seconds it releases a light refreshing taste. Leave the teabag in the glass as it releases more flavour as you drink it!

This makes for a healthier alternative, than have ready made iced teas, fizzy drinks and alcoholic drinks! Trust me when I say that your body will thank you for it!

Enjoy it while reading your favourite book, keeping up with the latest fashion trends flicking through magazines, by the pool or just because you like it and want it (my main excuse)! The possibilities to how you can have this is infinite! Another favourite of mine is just adding a few wedges of lemon or lime instead of a teabag!

Do you have a favourite summer drink? Let me know what flavour you'd put in your glass!

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Hyper Japan 2014

  

On Sunday the 27th of July I attended Hyper Japan at Earls Court exhibition center. This event was on from the Friday and I believe is it's 6th year in running this expo! Hyper Japan is the UK's biggest Japanese culture event which mainly focuses on fashion, cuisine, tradition, music and entertainment! Whether you went for the video games or the food or picking up ultra-kawaii things, there was something for everybody!

 I had a really good time and the dear friends I went with heightened my experience as it was nice to go to an exhibition where all of us were interested in Japanese culture. I loved walking around and seeing all the crazy cute things that Japan is famous for, seeing new video games and being able to try out One Piece Unlimited World Red (which happens to be my all time favourite anime) and sampling the food! I actually was dying for some Takoyaki, which is basically a ball shaped snack made of wheat flour batter and is filled with diced octopus, which then has a takoyaki sauce drizzled over it and sprinkled with shavings of dried bonito! It is so yum (I can see why Luffy loves it)! 

I think anyone who knows me, knows how much of a big love I have for Totoro. It is my favourite character of all time and so when I got to meet Totoro (well a man dressed in a totoro costume) it was like the best thing ever! I was so excited :D 

and ontop of Totoro... I maybe slightly obsessed with Pandas ^_^ I mean what's not to love about them! So when I saw this adorable panda (man in a costume) I had to get a photo with it!!!!

Hyper Japan is next here from the 14th-16th of November for their Christmas Market, so make sure you head on up for an amazing experience. You can find out more information here 

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Zara Home: Black Vanilla Reed Diffuser

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ZARA Home - Black Vanilla Home Fragrance £15.99 (on sale)

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I bought this on the day I went to afternoon tea (if you haven't read the post, you are missing out on sugary goodness) and thought I would give it a test run for a while before I reviewed it!

I LOVE home fragrances! Anyone who knows me or has entered my room clearly knows this! I love scented candles and reed diffusers as I find that it helps me relax after those long, stressful and tiring days! You know, where you just want to lay in bed, or in the bath with nice cup of tea and some soft music in the background, while the scent starts to set the ambiance for a cosy night in... that's what I love to treat myself to! 

So trust me when I tell you that this is heavenly! It has a luxurious smell that doesn't become overpowering but remains subtle and delicate, a scent that leaves a faint smile on your lips! I have to be quite honest in saying that this has beaten my all time favourite smell NEOM: Moroccan Blush Rose (I still do love that with all my heart). 

The first thing you smell is that sweetness of vanilla and praline! Oh it's so delightful and warming! Which then is followed by a slight citrus scent (this would take away from the overpowering sweetness you sometimes get with vanilla) and it makes it so addictive and intoxicating! It's scent is seductive and classy, as the name suggest!

The bottle itself if elegant and simple which I love as it would suit any place in the household! I have been using this product day and night as I have become that addicted to it! I absolutely love it!

Main Aromatic Notes: Praline, milk, musk, citrus fruits, vanilla.

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Have you used any of ZARA home fragances?

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Holi Festival of Colours

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I think I love my new blue mascara more than I thought I would! It definitely is perfect for events like this. 

This was my first festival experience and I absolutely loved it! When we arrived, literally as soon as we walked through security, it started to pour down with rain and it was heavy rain! This was definitely not enough to dishearten the mood let alone kill it, in fact we were all kind of enjoying it! It was fun being in the pouring rain with friends, loud music, people excited and having a good time. 

Some photos may have come out blurry/not great quality due to the paint powder being everywhere including on the camera lens!

I cannot even begin to describe how much fun it is being in an environment where everybody is having a good time and there is a mad amount of colour being thrown around! I mean the powder paint was so much fun. Getting that first hit of colour to your white outfit is probably one of the best parts. At points it was as if you are swimming in a rainbow. Literally, you are only surrounded by bursts of colour.

Powder all on my camera lens :(

Holi is the festival in India where people celebrate the victory of good over evil and the coming of spring. This is also where everyone gathers together under vibrant coloured powders thrown into the air to express their freedom!

That vibe and atmosphere was certainly present on this day! Everybody was so friendly and happy, celebrating life and with colours thrown in the air, everybody was a colourful mess :)

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The music was incredible, it was one song after the next that makes you wanna move! From drum&bass - dubstep - trap music it was just so good. I mean the line up included ESKEI83 and BBC Radio One's Zane Lowe what wouldn't there be to love? There was definitely a lot of Shazam-ing!

I had such an amazing day! I couldn't have wished for a better first festival experience and had an amazing time with the people I went with! Thank you!

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Here's a small video of the day:

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If you haven't been before, you should definitely look to go next year! It is an experience one should experience at least once in their lives!
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What was your favourite festival experience?

YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush - 04 Orange Fougueux ♥ Review

YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush - 04 Orange Fougueux £27

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This particular shade from YSL's Baby Doll Kiss and Blush range was sold out online and going from one department store to another on Oxford Street, I was being told that it was also sold out :( and as I was nearing the end of all hope of getting my hands on it, finally, I managed to find one in Debenhams (with limited stock). Hooray for me!!! These are available in 12 different shades!

The packaging is consistent with the entire brands usual look. The bottle itself is so adorable! I love the fact that it is nail varnish-esque or ink bottle like. It has a tall lid and small pot. The lid is gold and the top part of the pot is black. I love that YSL have done something fun and extremely cute with regards to it's appearance! It definitely makes for a 'buy me' feature!  

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This little gem is a two in one product. Now I am hardly keen on these kinds of products as it usually works better in one area than the other. With cheek and lip stains/lipsticks, which we have all seen around, I find that the texture is either too watery for the lips or too thick for the cheeks. But. I have to make an exception for this product, as the instant you start applying it on your lips and cheeks, you feel the soft velvety creamy mousse smoothness. It doesn't leave a sticky residue and the consistency is extremely buildable! A little goes a long way.

The colour Orange Fougueux itself looks very intense and super bright but the beauty behind this product is that it's blendable! You literally only need a few dabs on your lips/cheeks for a very light sweet natural look. 

The applicator is tapered and spongy! Its tear drop shape and its 'patented' hidden pearl makes it the perfect applicator as it is easier to apply to the cupid's bow and the corners of the lips!

As you can see from the colour swatch above, you can achieve around 3 levels of intensity.

 The first is completely unblended and applied heavily which shows off its bright tone! - Perfect for when you have sun kissed skin on holiday. 

The second swatch is applied in a much lighter format and lightly blended!

The third swatch is literally one dab of the brush and blended. This makes for an everyday wearable shade and will bring a slight hint of colour to your day.

They say that it is meant to be a soft matte but it doesn't really go matte until a good 20mins later and even then it has a very light luminous glow to it - not that I am complaining, I quite like it. The formula isn't drying and is extremely soft on the lips (I have mentioned this before but I thought I would remind you)

Since I bought this, I carry it in my bag, everywhere! It's just the cutest and most versatile, multi-tasking YSL product ever! I LOVE IT! 

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Have you tried YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush yet?

Sweet, Sugar, Candyman! - Afternoon Tea inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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"Who can take a sunrise
Sprinkle it in dew
Cover it in chocolate 
and a miracle or two?"

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"The candyman can cause he mixes it with love 
And makes the world taste good

And the world tastes good cause the candyman thinks it should"

What I Wore

Shirt: Zara - Vest Top: H&M - Trousers: Fenn Wright Manson - Shoes: Carvela - Bag: Zara - Bracelet: Tatty Devine

Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych Hotel was ...well ...to die for! Everything was so much fun that it brings out your inner child! I mean for starters it was one of my childhood dreams that Willy Wonka's delights would be real and this was pretty close to living that dream!

Everything was just so playful that it had us reeling in delight. The menu was absolutely perfect and a true reflection of Roald Dalh's classic story. The savoury and sweet part of the menu complimented each other brilliantly. Everything was so light and delicate. There wasn't one thing that was either too sweet or the base of a tart overcooked/under-cooked. Everything was in the right balance!

The Menu

My favourite things from the entire menu were the Leek and Stilton Quiche from the savoury and the Chocolate Caramel Milk, Homemade Candyfloss and Golden Chocolate Egg filled with Vanilla Cheesecake and Mango Puree! Everything was so light and fluffy! It didn't leave you feeling bloated or sickly! We chose to have the Smooth Caramel tea which had a hint of vanilla in it! It complimented everything so beautifully, I can still taste the aroma now (far far away in my bed)! On top of everything being so yummy, the service was exceptionally friendly and caring.

They serve the savoury part of the menu first and then once you have finished they bring out the sweet menu, however we requested to have the sweet alongside the savoury and within 5 minutes they brought out the (best part) sweets! 

When presented with the sweet part of the menu, our host told us to try and guess what flavour the candyfloss was! When we took a bite into it, we were shocked because it wasn't the candyfloss sweet you expect it to be. Instead it had a tangy kick to it! It was almost refreshing for something that is meant to be so sweet! The flavour was Rhubarb and Custard! I don't think I can enjoy normal candyfloss as much after this one!

  

Happy girls -  Karen and I are all smiles!

I definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys going for afternoon teas, anyone who has a sweet tooth, anyone who likes food and appreciates a touch of elegance with a quirky twist!

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Make sure you check out Karen's food blog Digestible Love for scrumptious recipes 

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Where is your favourite spot for afternoon tea?