Smartie nails!

What happens when I'm left alone for two nights? This.

Pasta bake, chocolate brownies, rock chic flicks and elaborate nail painting. I haven't done my rainbow nails since my birthday last year and I'd forgotten how much I love them! No matter how big and bizarre my collection of nail pots grows, I always prefer the smartie colours. Just a kid at heart. 

xoxo

Longing for summer.

All I really want is a pretty garden party. I won't need an excuse, other than to get all of the nice people I know together and decorate a garden and have lunch, play a little music, take photos of us having a nice time, catch a bit of sunshine and maybe roll around in the grass after a few glasses of wine. Is that too much to ask? xoxo

News of a birthday trip to Paris.

Last night Boyfriend brought me the news of going to Paris for my birthday this summer. I couldn't be more happy! I've always wanted to visit Paris. I've driven through it quickly and stopped at a cash machine. I've driven around Paris many times. I've been through Charles de Gaulle airport three times. I've never seen the Eiffel Tower, or the Arc de Triomphe, or had a coffee in a little parisian cafe, or been around the Louvre, or relaxed in the Parc de Monceau, or walked around the Jardins de Luxembourg. Top all of that off with a crazy couple of days in Disneyland I will be giddy with childish glee. Now I really have something to get slim for! xoxo

Feel the burn.

So, I've completely had enough of looking in the mirror and seeing me in a fat suit. I've always yoyo-ed with my weight. It doesn't help that I'm a big fan of cheese, carbs and chocolate. I used to go to them gym, but I lost focus and because I wasn't going anymore I thought 'why am I paying for this?' so I quit. Worst mistake ever! After a few months of deliberation, watching money and thinking about why I need to do this I plucked up the courage and went down to the gym and joined up again. I was given a push of motivation when we were given flyers in work for a corporate discount and no joining fee at the gym less than a mile away from my apartment. You can certainly expect to see a few updates on my progress. I do have a target to work towards, I am aiming for size 14 by my 24th birthday in July. I wouldn't usually bother with monitoring my weight as I am going for size, but I'll keep track of it. I am lost with pounds and stone (metric all the way, baby!) and at the moment I am 94 kilos and size 16/18. My first session last night was a small dose of hell but I am so glad it went so well! Going to start with a few days on the cross trainer, treadmill and rowing machines and then start booking spin classes. Wish me luck! xoxo

Lunch in the Bay.

After a rather blurry night on the tiles, we needed replenishing. So we headed over to bay for lunch. It was a beautiful day which meant one thing - sunglasses! Hurray! I swear I'm in love with wearing my shades and mine hadn't seen the light of day for a few months. It had also been a couple of months since I'd been to Nando's so I made a beeline. 

¡Revolución de Cuba!

Thank you to Revolution bar for having us. We had an area reserved in their newest section, Revolución de Cuba bar. As you can guess from the name, it's like a Cuban cantina. I absolutely love it. They remix usual songs with samba beats and play cheesy latin tunes, it's bloody marvellous. My favourite bit is the great drinks. Mostly all are rum based, of course. Sadly didn't have the chance to sample their mojitos as they'd run out mint - but I guess it's a sign that they're great and everyone is buying them if they have used up all of their ingredients. I reckon I'll have to get in quite quickly next time. I had a stroke of madness and decided to go all experimental at one point and just began ordering anything off the cocktail menu so I could start to try them. I tried the Cuban Cosmo, the Shaken Margaritas and my absolute favourite, the Cuban Tea Party (I chose the Raspberry Colada). It's ideally situated in the Revolution premises right next to the Club Room, so if you get a bit tired of the funky disco style music then you can hop into the next room for more modern dance music. A less impressive recollection of last night is that the bathrooms in Cuba always have toilet tissue. Ladies, you are all LYING if you say this isn't good. Anyway, enough toilet humour. It's a great bar and I'll be seen there more often. Can't wait for our next visit! 

xoxo

Honey! I'm home!

Aww! Boyfriend went away for a night and a day on business and he's not long come home. He brought me some lovely chocolates :) What a cutie. I love Godiva choccies. They remind me of Dubai. When they do turn down service in Jumeirah they leave Godiva treats on your pillow. I have no idea why, but I was always happy to see them. We used to play fight like kids, squeezing through the hotel room door in the evening, trying to race each other to the bed to pinch each others chocolate off the other. They're that good, okay. You're in 5 star luxury in Dubai and your fighting over these chocolates like you're never going to eat again. So yeah, I'm chuffed to bits. Thanks Boyfriend! xoxo

Vaseline Lip Therapy - Cocoa Butter.

I have to scream praise for this little tin of moisture. I had tried the classic Blue Vaseline, which was in all fairness a good lip balm, it worked great as a moisturiser and looked fab as a lip gloss. I've used the Pink 'Rosy' one for about a year as I liked the nice pink hue it gave but it hasn't done any good for my lips. I feel like I've just got a weird addiction to the Rosy one, as if I ever go a day without it I have withdrawal symptoms. My lips would be so dry it was unbelievable, despite drinking plenty of water. It's only after changing to the Cocoa one that I've noticed it. This one is so good it has even soothed the scorching sting of dry and chapped lips from the Rosy version in less than a day. I've never liked the smell of the Green 'Aloe' version. Turns out I'm a sucker for cocoa butter. I should have clicked after I devoured that tub of Body Shop Body Butter... which was cocoa butter. Great stuff. I think this is the beginning of a MUST HAVE list. xoxo

Pancake Day!

Shrove Tuesday! Brilliant idea church peeps. I can admit I haven't been baptised as a babe, so I don't actually have to play along with these festivities. But I do love pancakes, so thanks Jesus! Thank you for dying for someone's sins and reminding us that we all have something we can live without. I have heard people explaining that they are giving up something for the next 40 days, chocolate, shopping... Jesus gave up being alive I think. For me, it's just fun to have pancakes for breakfast. They were super yummy. I swear, in 40 days time I will eat an egg of pure chocolate. I'm sure eggs rolling down a hill are supposed to represent the stone rolling away from the front of Jesus' tomb? Mate, I'll eat some choccie to that. Woo, he's alive! What a dude! Yeah man, Jesus, awesome. Clearly I need a few lessons in religion. I respect it... just with all general brain washing that comes with religious practises... I've never been inclined to trust the storytellers. Anyway, Boyfriend and I had a really lovely breakfast together. I think that's what Jesus would have wanted. Here's some photos of Boyfriend's breakfast chef debut! xoxo

Come to mama.

So, it's my birthday in 19 weeks. That means all of my lovely friends and family have enough time to organise getting me a pair of these bad boys. Classic patent leather Christian Louboutin heels. (I'm not seriously expecting these, but I wouldn't turn my nose up). I'm not usually fussed about high heels. I mean seriously, they were invented to make a woman look more appealing to men, puppet on a string? No thanks. But it's true, we do look nice and slinky in a wicked pair of platform heels. Also, they kind of torture your feet. I can't wear heels for more than a few hours, I am such a wimp. Remember those 90's flat sole massive platform shoes/trainers, that was my era, I owned a few pairs. Height and comfort, someone in retail was thinking of me. (I know, the shame!). But alas, their popularity dwindled, and the regurgitated WAG look begun it's repetitive reign. I don't agree with fake tan, I mean I live in the UK, who seriously believes that over night I have been to Turks and Caicos? Geez. I like false eyelashes once in a blue moon, they're fun. But just a flick of eyeliner is enough, an easy going smart/casual outfit and a wicked pair of shoes seems the right tone for dressing up these days. I don't want to be orange, with panda make up, with gel pads in my bra in a nasty nylon satin replica violet dress showing off my lady garden.
But good shoes, are good shoes. We shouldn't lose sight of that. I'd throw out all of my budget fashion shoes in return for a pair of quality high fashion classics. xoxo