Sunday 3 August 2014

Honeymooning: San Francisco

We got back from our California honeymoon nearly 3 weeks ago, which is about the same amount of time we were there for. It was awesome, but it feels like the memories are fading quicker than they should already, so I'm writing about it whilst I can still recall it.

Our first stop was San Francisco where we stayed for 3 nights at the Argonaut Hotel at Fisherman's Wharf. It cost more than we would normally pay for a hotel but its nautical theme and prime location seemed to justify its cost, and it was our honeymoon, so if you can't go nuts on honeymoon when can you? There's a daily complimentary wine reception at the hotel but it' was at an awkward time of day and we were always out and about so we never made it but my cousin and his girlfriend stayed there a few years ago and loved it.

I loved San Francisco. I'm not going to give a blow-by-blow account, but some highlights for me included:
  • The architecture. The Spanish influenced tiled stair cases and candy-coloured houses are just too cool.
  • Alcatraz. So eery. It's a must-see, and you have to buy tickets in advance. The low cloud over San Francisco, along with its invasion by seagulls only add to the spookiness of the legendary prison. While we were there, we met a former inmate, Bill Baker who had written a book about his stay and signed a copy for us, and I am so looking forward to getting stuck into that.
  • The incredible food. Clam chowder in a huge sourdough breadbowl at Fisherman's Wharf, the biggest burrito in the world* at Taqueria Cancun, Mission, the amazing pastrami sandwich at Tommy's Joynt, and Japantown and Chinatown's Asian fare, happy happy me.
  • Walt Disney Family Museum. It's no Disneyland, but a classy homage to the legend of Walt Disney, telling the story of where he came from and who he came to be with classy relics, original drawings and awe-dropping early animations.
  • The Golden Gate Bridge. If you're going by car (which is essential for traversing California) you need to do it, just don't forget to prepay the toll! We took the bridge on the way back in to San Francisco on the last day of our trip.
  • The shopping is pretty sweet too. We spent more time than we'd have wanted to shopping for clothing when our bags  failed to arrive with us (husband's turned up 36 hours later, mine only arrived with me 3 days ago, back home, another story altogether) so Old Navy was one of our first stops, but we also found Japantown's Daiso and Kinokuniya where I could happily have spent all day.
*I made this up, but it was big























In total we had about 3 and a half days in San Francisco. I could have happily stayed for much longer. It's an enormous city, and we only scratched the surface. happily go back and spend a week there, maybe more.

Sunday 27 July 2014

I Married Him.

I've been away or quite some time.Turns out getting married is quite time-consuming. I wanted to share here a few snaps from the day, courtesy of Tracy Morter



















It was the most perfect, but quickest day of our lives. I want to do it all again in slow motion. And being married is alright too.

We took a 3 week honeymoon in California. Every second of that was perfect too. Again it went to quickly, and here we are, light tans fading, settling back into London life. With a house move ahead we have another busy month coming up, but once we've settled in, I plan to blog much much more.

Thursday 27 March 2014

Jackets for Springtime

I'm loving the variety of jackets, blazers and kimonos in the shops at the moment. Today I bought myself this little number from New Look. It comes in coral and mint too, but I opted for the navy for a more classic look.

New Look

Then check out River Island's massive collection of kimonos. I'm loving this tiger one. A stark contract to the purchase above!
River Island

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Mad March

March has been a busy month with my birthday, the start of spring and the accompanying end to the season of hibernation. It's also now less than three months until our wedding, and time is starting to go really quickly and I don't really feel like I have time to breathe. Here's some quick photographic highlights from a lovely month.
That's my name, don't wear it out....

I get to marry him...
Blending in at Woolwich Arsenal

Glorious York Minster

It's 106 miles to Chicago, we gotta full tank of gas,half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark...and we're wearing sunglasses

First throes of Spring London

Take me up the Shard 

An impressive balancing act

Mind. Blown.

Peaks

Sunday 16 March 2014

Summer wishlisting

I popped up to York on Monday with my mum to meet up with my little sister. My mum found train tickets for just £5 each way from London (wonder where I get the bargain-hunting from?!) so I took the day off and made it a long weekend, seeing as it was also my birthday this week (last year of my twenties!!). We had a gorgeous lunch in Rustique and then set about finding my sister a bridesmaid dress for the wedding of the year coming up in only just over 3 months now.

There were some fraught moments where we thought we weren't going to find anything and we nearly panic-overspent on a not quite perfect one, but we finally found this one in Warehouse, which we were all happy with. It's a gorgeous dress, the colours are right, and the laidback style fits the day perfectly. And it's essentially a summer maxi dress, which she can wear again, if I don't take it for myself!

Warehouse 

Whilst wandering around all the shops of York I found all these other beauties, which are firmly on my California honeymoon shopping list!
Next 

Yumi

Yumi
Debenhams

Monday 24 February 2014

Grown Up Style at The White Stuff

Blogging has once again taken a back seat, as I've been catapaulting back and forth between London and Sheffield, getting into my new job, and sorting out wedding invitations.

Last weekend back in Sheffield though, I made a startling realisation. I am getting older and the sorts of fashion shops that once were hugely appealing are no longer so. We were in Debenhams and I was struggling to find anything in the usual concessions stands that I had any interest in. Those "younger" concessions have their place, i.e. Warehouse and Oasis do great party dresses but I struggled to find anything I would wear day-to-day.

We trotted on to John Lewis and I found abundant clothes that I was much more drawn to. I ended up bringing home this delightful tunic/dress from White Stuff, a range I've never normally even thought about but that I've actually come to like a lot, and they have a great sale at the moment.
Birds of a Feather tunic
Whilst I've also been used to dressing quite "officey" for work, things are a lot more laid back at my new company so I am looking to tone it down a little, and I think this fits the bill perfectly for a laidback office day or weekend wear. It can be worn with jeans, leggings, tights or even maybe *whispers* bare-legged in the summer.

Other other current bits I like which would be suitable for work or play:
Butterfly Scoop Dress
Summer Bird Dress
Cameramatic dress
I also adore the fact that White Stuff are a socially responsible company, supporting local charities, and believing in "being different,  making a difference and making the world a little happier" (from here) and their White Stuff Foundation works with disadvantaged children and young people, giving 1% of the company's annual profits to good causes. That just makes me feel warm inside.

Sunday 9 February 2014

Elle's Benefit Party

The opportunity came for me to change jobs quite suddenly in the last week so it's been manic, but I am pleased to be starting a new role tomorrow in a bigger firm which I am very excited about - but also nervous!!! My blogging is sporadic I know, you know when you set aside time to do something and all of a sudden everything changes and there just ain't no time?!!

Anyway, this week I attended Elle's party at the Benefit store on Carnaby Street, which was a fantastic occasion. I got a fantastic brow wax which I am very pleased with - usually I go for threading so I was amazed at how precise they were able to be and for £12 it wasn't unreasonable. I had my brows filled in a little too with Brow Zings, which was a lot more dramatic than I'm used to with all those angles, but it seemed to wear off by the time I got home leaving me looking a lot more like me!
Mo' Brow
Au Naturel today

There were macaroons and fizz to enjoy while Lisa Potter Dixon, Head Makeup Artist at Benefit and the Elle Beauty team talked us through the latest beauty trends, and a Q&A from which I took home some wonderful tips, including double cleansing, where to apply eye cream (all around the socket) and a teensy little goodie bag containing Lollitint, Benefit's latest addition to the lip and cheek stain family - as yet I am not convinced so will go for some more experimentation over the coming week, perhaps at my new job! 

I am also looking forward very much to Benefit's new brow product, Gimme Brow, a brush-on product which is "brow volumising fibre gel", coming to the market in March, which can't come any quicker - some heavy birthday hints to be dropped I think!