Wednesday, 10 July 2013

Milan - Day One...

(If you haven't read about the first evening, then go and do so because this is a continuation...)

So, back to it. After having had a few hours sleep, we woke up and called our new pals to arrange the day trip to Lake Como, which is about an hour away from Milan. 

MJ and I caught a tram into town and had some pastry delights and coffee, and then met the two R's (Rom Rom) outside the train station and they led the way. The train journey mainly consisted of MJ and I having a catch up and entertaining the two boys who were feeling a little worse for wear because they had had quite a bit to drink last night. We arrived in Como to see the weather not too dissimilar from Milan - wet. 

Here are some snaps of the place...




















I'm sure that was a picture overload, but oh well. After exploring the small town near the lake we headed back to Milan and had a regroup at the place we were staying. MJ and I decided that it was about time to head into the centre of Milan - which we hadn't done yet, so asked for advice on an authentic Italian and headed in pursuit of that.

Upon arrival, we walked up the steps from the metro to be greeted with this view...


This was breathtaking and so unexpected that it was awesome. After plenty of gawping, we went into the main arcade alongside the duomo and had a choice of restaurants. This arcade was gorgeous and I got a bit snap happy...








We decided upon a restaurant and MJ got her much coveted risotto and all was good. After dinner we grabbed a gelato, despite how cold it was, and had a wander around the streets. It was such a lovely day.

Stay tuned for Day Two.

Enjoy,
SRJ

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Spectacular Cakes...

I have been absolutely loving Pinterest for the longest time, and thought I would share with you some of my favourite images, so expect some photo heavy posts to come. This one is cakes, there are some incredible examples of talented baking and here are some of my favourites...


Small and simple but with some lovely fresh peonies for decoration, and a grand serving plate...

Three tiers, each made of stacks of thin sponge layers, the rest is minimal to make up for such an unusual and cool composition...

I love the black icing detail to match the anemone centre, looks very art deco...

Cute orange ombre ruffles at the bottom and some rad striped flags on top...

The icing making rufflles and the pastel colours are just really lovely, the only thing left would be to see if it had a chocolate centre...

This is totally cool and could work for any colour and is a really effective form of decoration...

This is just awesome; the colours, the detailing, the flowers, the box, and the cupcakes to match - ahhhhh sheer delight...

The pearls - that's all that needs to be said...

Now this is a good looking cake, yes please...

Ermmm, how can I get my hands on this cake?!...

So pretty, because it's simple and elegant and that's all you need...


I hope your stomachs didn't groan too much at this and you found some inspiration for your cake needs.

Enjoy,
SRJ

A Special Day...

A few weeks ago I had one of the nicest days and it was really special in many ways, so I thought that I would share it with you...

The gang...

The day started off with lunch at the Shard, with my parents, my aunt, and my great aunt and uncle. It's been such a long time since we were all together so it was a lovely occasion, made even more special with a view of London from the 34th floor of the Shard. Despite some rain, the view was still breathtaking and I enjoyed the food and a gorgeous red wine.

Curtains glowing...

The next stop for the girls was the ballet at the Royal Opera House, where we had a box to watch Mayerling. The box was a lovely view and it was so nice to have our own private space to watch the ballet in comfort.

The tiers in all their glory...

What a beautiful building...

The orchestra...

The ballet was truly beautiful, made even more lovely by the amazing Carlos Acosta. I highly recommend any ballet lovers to see Mayerling - it's a tragic ballet with a fantastic storyline and music. The end of the performance was made extra special with it being Leanne Benjamin's last performance, meaning the applause was outstanding and there were flowers all over the place.

The best of a bad bunch of shots...

It was a memorable day, and was so nice to spend it with my rocking family.

Enjoy,
SRJ

FOTD...

This is pretty much my first make up post, which is surprising because I love make up, I own far more than I need, and enjoy beauty blogs immensely, so hopefully there are many more of these to come.

I thought I would show you the make up I wore the other day, it was the first day in a while that I wore make up, and the weather seems to be getting delicious over the next few days so I will be staying clear from make up then, so this just seems to make sense. The look is really easy-going and is suitable for everyday wearing, and here it is...

No picture is complete without a peace sign...


MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation - mixture of NW 15 & NW 20
Benefit Brow Zing - Medium
MAC Creme Colour Base - Pearl
Chanel Soliel Tan de Chanel - Bronze Universal
MAC Mineralise Skinfinish - By Candelight
Nars Smudge Proof Eye Primer
MAC Mineralise Skinfinish - Light Medium (used as eyeshadow all over lid)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Naked (blended through the crease)
MAC Fluidline - Blacktrack
Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash Mascara
MAC Lipstick - combination of Fleshspot & Jazzed

Thoughts?

Enjoy,

SRJ

An afternoon at Tiffany's

I have never been one for Tiffany jewellery and the closest I have been to enjoying Tiffany is through the book and Audrey Hepburn. Plus, I actually really dislike the signature pieces that people often have, so it surprises my eyes and ears that I spent the afternoon in Tiffany and picked up a couple of items.

I was given money towards buying a necklace to commemorate my 21st birthday, and I had styles in mind and it happened to be that Tiffany had one of the nicest I had seen and most importantly the most reasonable - who knew?! So, I headed to Selfridges to see their selection and to try a few necklaces on in person, thinking I was just there to browse and makes a decision but that I would purchase the item at a later stage. However, the lady helping me informed me that prices were rising tomorrow and so it seemed to make sense to get the necklace there and then = result.

My purchases boxed up...

I payed for the necklace and put it on immediately, and proceeded to tell my mum about a ring I was coveting over a few years ago from Tiffany, and that I was so sad that they don't sell it anymore. On the off chance, I mentioned this to the lady and luckily enough the ring had just been re-introduced after a year and a half of being discontinued. Naturally, I took this as a sign and decided to find my size and snap the ring up before the prices went up.

A bow too lovely to disturb...


What a lucky and magical afternoon at Tiffany. I can no longer say that I am not a Tiffany girl anymore, but I'm still not convinced on a lot of their stuff.

Do you have any Tiffany stories? I would love to hear them!

Enjoy,

SRJ

(Pictures of my ring and necklace will appear soon, I promise)

An evening at Lords...

As I mentioned in my June favourites, the word cricket will probably feature a lot on this blog, due to the fact that I watch my brothers play a lot. A few evenings ago, I headed up to St. John's Wood, London to enjoy a twenty20. I'm sure that if you are unfamiliar with the game of cricket then this won't mean much to you but basically it's the shortest style of the game, it draws in a big crowd, and is a bunch of fun to watch - in my opinion.

At these sorts of games they are always handing out encouraging props followed by a donation to a charity, and this year this comes in the form of a card helmet.

With this said, I think images are necessary, so here you go...

The crowds heading to the ground...

Making our way inside...

Ready to watch with my card helmet...

I rate this as a way of showing where my support lies...

Rocking the headwear with my Lennons...

The ground was packed...

This picture just is immense...

There he is...

The pantherettes - the less said about them the better...

The sun setting on a beautiful day at Lords...

Enjoy,
SRJ

June Favourites...

I always love reading posts and watching videos on people's monthly favourites, most of which tend to be beauty related. Whilst I love beauty products and have far too many than any normal person needs, I was quite minimal with such things this month, plus this blog is about all different aspects of my life, so here it goes...

Ballet...

If you don't already know, I used to dance a lot through various dance forms, so I love ballet and going to the ballet because I can appreciate just how difficult what they are doing is. This month I happened to be going to two ballet performances on back to back weekends, and they both were magical. Firstly, I saw Mayerling which is a my aunt's absolute favourite and we made a whole day of it (a post about this is coming), and the second ballet was Swan Lake in the round at the Royal Albert Hall - it was incredible.

Cricket...

I have spent all of my summers and more watching cricket, both of my brother played it for three different teams when they were younger and they continue to play it now. When I was younger I found the sport a drag because I was taken along to every match and it was a bit annoying, but now that I choose to watch it and my brothers continue to play it, I absolutely love it and I'm sure there'll be many cricket mentions throughout this blog.

Dry Shampoo...

Dry Shampoo has been my angel this month when I have been in a rush to get ready or make plans last minute. I have used various different types but you can't beat Batiste because it's cheap and does the job. I have dark hair so I don't really appreciate the white residue it leaves on me so have recently bought the dark brown type, so I'll let you know if that is any good.

Family Time...
Since I'm in Leeds most of the year, it's been really lovely to come back home and catch up with my family. I don't have a very large one but everything is so much better in person. I'm not great on the phone, I don't really enjoy phone calls because I'm strangely awkward, so it really makes a difference when we are face to face. Do you find that?


London...

I have found myself in London a lot this month what with cricket matches, interviews, the ballet, going for dinner, and simply because London has so much to offer. I find that I never make the most of what London has to offer and certainly take it for granted how close I live to it, so I've really been enjoying spending lots of time there. 

Going natural...

This month I have hardly worn make up for a few different reasons, firstly - there was a really hot spell and so I went without make up to be able to catch some freckles, secondly - I have had quite a few days where I haven't had any plans so I will just go without, and thirdly - my skin has been much better this month and I haven't felt the need to cover up my face with make up layers.

Starbucks Caramel Sauce...

I have a dairy intolerance which has made ordering drinks at Starbucks no longer exciting but rather dull - Soy Latte *hmmph*. But, I decided to try out some more exciting coffees in the hope that they would be safe. I started with a Soy Caramel Macchiato and the caramel sauce was delectable. I also overheard someone ordering a Soy Frappacino, and had no idea that you could do that - which was a dangerous discovery because I love a good frappa, try the Triple Caramel if you haven't already. But, I'm sorry to say that this story doesn't end well, I found out that the sauce contains milk powder *wipes away a tear*.

The Kindle App...

I was given an iPad for my birthday, which was a total surprise because I hadn't ever felt the desire to have one, but obviously it's a cool thing to have. I found that I don't have much need for it, and then realised that I could use it as a kindle. I got the kindle app and haven't looked back, I have enjoyed having a variety of books at my fingertips. Whilst I am one of those people who loves the feel of a book in my hand and nothing can beat that, using my iPad is convenient. 

Sushi...

Whilst this is a vague word, I have actually a more specific source that feeds this love, Wasabi. Unfortunately, there is one opposite my train at Waterloo and on my way to the underground, so there is nothing stopping me going inside. I particularly love their hand rolls, but most things I have tried there are good, especially their dumpling soup. 

Baths...

The delight of having a nice bath tub is not getting old, and with a Lush at Waterloo - again near my train platform, I occasionally stop off to get some bath goodies. This is more of an indulgent bath though, because I still love some good ol' Radox Muscle Soak on the other occasions. 

Sorry it's a bit late, but what are your favourites?

Enjoy,

SRJ