Weekend Scenes

Last week was incredibly busy, filled with meetings, prepping for shoots, working with new clients and even doing a photo shoot on a private jet, so I was more than ready for the weekend.

We only have one more room to decorate, the kitchen, which has required many hours of perusing Pinterest and on Saturday we extended our research to the shops to physically touch granite, play with ovens and open and close cupboards.

Sticking to a kitchen palette of white and grey

Marble worktops...

Or concrete ones?

Massive chopping board of dreams from West Elm

A sink that's being considered from Habitat

As we were in London it was rude not to visit the sales where the boyfriend scored some bargains from Liberty and I got lucky in J. Crew where the sale is fantastic (more to come on what I purchased later this week.)

You MUST visit the J. Crew sale!

The London Triathlon I am taking part in with Simply Swim isn't far away now so it was up early on Sunday for some swimming at London Fields Lido.

Blue skies and blue water at London Fields Lido

Obviously after such a strenuous work out I felt I'd earned these home baked sweet potato brownies!

Delicious and semi healthy brownies

And I introduced the boyfriend to Star Wars. Even if he doesn't fall in love with it he'll understand why I want an ewok and the noise I make when trying to imitate Chewbacca.

I love Star Wars

Have a lovely week everyone!

Images: Pinterest

Weekend Scenes

Another weekend, another drive into the countryside for a marathon. This time the boyfriend was running The Picnic, deemed the hardest marathon in Britain. It was scorching hot so I packed up a beach towel and Vogue and lounged in the grass waiting for him to complete the race, which he did in a fantastic time. Very proud...

Sunning my toes and enjoying the view

My super marathon runner post race

Sunday was spent mooching around the East End visiting Columbia Road, wandering around Spitalfields Market and people watching in Brick Lane.

Beautiful colourful flowers at Columbia Road

I purchased some succulents (the only plant besides a fig tree and some ferns that I've not managed to kill) and repotted them for my outdoor dining table.

Pretty little succulents please don't die!

Then it was an afternoon of unpacking and prepping for an exciting shoot I have next week. My office is full of Louboutins and Asprey bags, such a shame they have to be returned!

Shoes glorious shoes!

Have a great week and let's hope the sun keeps its hat on!

I Love Dermalogica!

In my past life when I worked in an office I was fortunate enough to review lots of potions and lotions as part of my job. As I now have to pay for my beauty stash I am much more selective about what I use. A brand I keep coming back to is Dermalogica. Not only do I love the stark grey and white packaging but the stuff inside works wonders. Everything I've tried from Dermalogica gets results from the body creams to the spot zappers, but here are 4 products that I'm never without.

Daily Microfoliant, £41.30 I am a firm believer in exfoliating the skin to make it smoother and fresher so I use this gentle formula after cleansing my skin on days when it feels a bit grubby and needs a good scrub. Made from a rice based powder that you mix with a few drops of water to make into a paste, it eradicates dead dulling skin cells with a blend of salicylic acid and rice enzymes. It also contains grapefruit to help balance uneven skin tone, good for me as I suffer from melasma. I scrub it all over my face, neck and on the back of my hands for about a minute before rinsing off with warm water. This product would make it into my all time Top 10 beauty buys, I can't recommend it enough.

Skin Refining Masque, £30 As much as I love a professional facial, time and finances don't permit too many of these, so I'm a huge fan of DIY facials. I like to cleanse and steam my face before applying this clay masque. It contains tea tree to blitz blemishes (who else thought their spots would stop by the time they started getting wrinkles?!?), grapefruit to smooth and antioxidant green tea. It dries and tightens on the skin within 10 minutes and I remove it with a damp muslin cloth. My skin is definitely smoother and cleaner after using this. 

Day Bright SPF 15 I use this pearly cream over moisturiser but under foundation to give my skin a healthy, even glow. It contains botanical brighteners to even out skin tone and an SPF 15 to protect. I like the sheen it creates and sometimes use it on my cheeks as a highlighter. Sadly it's no longer available, but I have it on good authority that the product in the link above is a good replacement.

Night Bright When my skin is misbehaving I slap this on before bedtime and without fail I awake with clearer brighter skin. A blend of lactic acid, vitamin C from kiwi and wrinkle fighting licorice help to resurface the skin, soften lines, brighten dullness and dry out spots. It's a hard working treatment rather than a daily cream so I don't use it each night.

In My Bag

My shopping bag has been filled with summery delights recently. Lots of white, some boho print and pretty embroidery are all welcome additions to my wardrobe.

Dress £27.50 ( in the sale!), Mango

First up this Aztec print dress from Mango. The print makes it a perfect holiday cover up, but the monochrome colourway ensures it's easy to wear when schleping around town with some simple black flat sandals.

Jeans £45, Topshop

Remember my deliberations over the Topshop Mom jeans? Well I'm pleased I didn't commit to them as I tried on the Hayden style and they are so much better. The fit is boyfriend, the rips are slightly higher and I love them. My perfect white jean for summer.

Dress £95, Coast

I was kindly given a voucher to spend in Coast when I attended their press day recently. Venturing into store I found this gorgeous dress with flirty cut-out shoulders. It's too dressy for wearing on a day to day basis, but I will be wearing it with a metallic sandal for evenings out.

Sequin Top £135, Whistles

This has got to be the perfect sequin top, I adore it. It has side vents, a boxy shape and a double layer detail. I'll be dressing mine down for day with a ripped boyfriend jean or pairing with black skinny trousers for evening.

Denim Jacket £54.95, Gap 

The last time I wore a denim jacket was in the very late nineties and I'm ashamed to say it was customised with badges from Portabello Road and I cut the cuffs off (what was I thinking?) I won't be doing anything to this summer cover up from Gap. It's already proven very handy on my recent trip to South Africa keeping me warm in the evenings which were far chillier than I thought they were going to be. I went down a size and wear it with the cuffs rolled up not chopped off.

Embroidered Skirt £14.99, New Look

And saving the best until last this skirt from New Look has got to be the bargain of the summer. In a heavy cotton with simple embroidery, it isn't too short, isn't sheer and isn't too skater style. I've worn mine already with a navy sweater and tan sandals and can't wait to wear it again.

Weekend Scenes

This isn't strictly a Weekend Scenes post as I spent the majority of my weekend on a plane flying home, trying to force myself to sleep. Instead it is a round up of last week which I was lucky enough to spend in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on a photo shoot.

We stayed at the incredible Boardwalk Hotel situated on the Indian ocean front.

My room was wonderful and I spent as much time as I could in the relaxing roll top bath!

The view from my bedroom was worth waking up for and I could hear the waves from my bed.

Every night we ate at a delicious restaurant called Ginger which served the most incredible vegetarian food, so yummy and such good value.

I managed to fit in some triathlon training by running along the ocean front as the sun came up.

The scenery around Port Elizabeth was stunning and we were lucky to have beautiful blue skies. It wasn't very warm but I couldn't resist taking my shoes off and dipping my toes in the freezing ocean when we were working on the beach.

Jacket Gap, T-shirt J. Crew, Trousers Zara, Sandals Gap

Vest Alexander Wang, Jeans Topshop, Sandals Birkenstock

Shirt Zara, Jeans Topshop, Sandals Birkenstock

I was hoping for warmer weather when I packed shorts and summery dresses (damn you incorrect BBC weather report!) but thankfully I'd over packed and ended up living in jeans, trousers and layers.

Thank you Port Elizabeth for a great trip!

Weekend Scenes

This weekend was filled with the most glorious weather which lent itself to stunning views from my window.

Blue skies call for blue nails (and veiny hands!) so I went for light by Topshop and dark by Essie.

Sunday morning was spent with a lovely friend catching up over tea and juices at Riding House Cafe.

I managed to fit in some training for the London Triathlon I am taking part in with Simply swim, a great gym session then a much needed realigning yoga class.

I also added to my make up collection with these treats from Topshop. I have a few of the lip bullets now and they really are great value, with a lasting, non-drying formula. I can't wait to try out this pea-soup coloured nail polish either, it's a happy summer shade.

Nail polish in Clique and Exposed, Lip bullet in Joyride

Have a lovely week!

Tan Up

The tan sandal is something every woman should have in her wardrobe. It is a great neutral colour for summer and looks lovely when paired with a bright toe nail. These sandals will work perfectly with lace, denim, whites, brights, summer patterns; pretty much everything, which is why you should go forth and purchase some! 

Tan sandals £29.95 Gap

I recently bought these from Gap. I like the simple straps and the fact they are super comfortable. 

Here is round up of some other tan sandals that I'd quite like to add to my shoe collection.

Marni Sandal £257

These beautiful creatures from Marni have blobs of crystal at the toe making them perfect for holiday evenings.

Sol Sana Sandal £71

I adore the sporty white stripe on these sandals by Australian brand Sol Sana. They'd be the perfect accompaniment to summer tailoring.

Russell & Bromley Sandal £89.50

The Lauren sandal by Russell & Bromley is a pair you will love for years. They are simple enough to wear for daytime, but the golden buttons mean you could easily take them out in the evening. 

Ancient Greek Sandals £95

These have to be the perfect holiday sandal. So simple, chic and easy to wear.

Zara Sandal £39.99

Now I know these aren't strictly a tan sandal, but the back strap is tan so I think they just about qualify! In small doses snakeskin can be treated as a neutral so these will work with your outfits as well as a tan sandal. Plus they are just such a great price point and a good looking sandal that I feel it would be an injustice not to share them!

Images: Zara, ASOS, Russell & Bromley, Matches Fashion

Weekend Scenes

The weekend started a day early for me as I enjoyed a freelance Friday afternoon (which turned into an evening) catching up with university friends at Shoreditch House. Cocktails were consumed and some very competitive games of ping pong were played, but my phone died so there's no photographic evidence of the revelry sadly.

I love Park Run!

On Saturday morning I ran a PB (personal best) at Mile End Park Run which helps towards the training for the London Triathlon I am taking part in with Simply Swim.

Brownie recipe from Peyton & Bryne

I figured I could indulge in a little chocolate action after my successful run so made these deliciously stodgy walnut brownies from Peyton & Bryne. I'm about half way through this massive batch, I'm such a chocolate fiend!

Charity shop here I come!

I finally got around to clearing out my wardrobe (making way for new purchases!) and this massive pile is off to my local charity shop to find a new home.

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray

My hair can't decide if it's curly or straight and is usually a fuzzy mess if I don't straighten it, which I do every day. However I've decided to give it a rest as my split ends are getting split ends, so I started using Bumble & Bumble's infamous Surf Spray this weekend to help define the frizz. So far so good, let's see how my hair behaves when the rain returns.

Dress Topshop (similar here), Sandals Stella McCartney, Bag Prada

It was so nice to have warmer weather this weekend and I couldn't resist getting my legs out and slipping on some sandals.

Let's hope the sunshine continues and have a lovely week!