The Sunday Morning Porridge Recipe

On a Sunday morning I love to make a cosy breakfast which I could eat as I read a book, and this porridge recipe is perfect for that. It's super, super simple but it tastes so good! The ingredients aren't exact, simply because it depends how much you want to make, and of course you can add more  It's a very easy recipe to make, (hope it's not too simple!, but it tastes amazing so why not? Serve it with a cup of tea or coffee, and you're good to go!

Ingredients:

-  4 or 5 scoops of oats (the scoopers that come with some oat packets - they're normally red)
-  1 cup of almond milk
-  1 or 2 tablespoons granola (I use Lizi's Original granola)
-  1 handful raspberries
-  1 handful bluberries

Method:

1. Put the oats and almond milk into a saucepan on medium to high heat (on mine thas a 6),  keep an eye on it, stirring every once and a while.

2. Once it starts bubbling bring it down to low to medium heat (on mine that's a 4).

3. Once that's cooked put it into a bowl and pop on your washed raspberries and blueberries. To top add the granola.

4. Enjoy!

The Breakfast Club and Borough Market

If ever you're near London Bridge there are a couple of places I'd suggest you go, The Breakfast Club and Borough Market. I have been meaning to go to the Breakfast Club for a long time now, and on Friday I finally did. The breakfast's there are amazing, the queue is definitely worth it. The vibe there is very cool and reminded me of 20th century American diner, very colourful and and a little wacky, and the menu is very good, you can have anything from pancakes to granola, so you could go back 100s of times and eat a different thing.

The food is amazing, I got the Avocado and Poached Egg with Toasted Rye and Bacon, I could not recommend it more. With that I had an iced coffee and a "Just another green juice" which includes: kale, lime, cucumber and apple which was so good.

After the Breakfast Club I went to Borough Market because it's so close to their Southwark Street branch. I love Borough Market, everything from the colours to the smells of different cheeses, breads and the fact that you can literally find EVERYTHING there, if ever you're in London I couldn't recommend Borough Market more highly, also the area surrounding it is really cool, there's an Aesop and a Neal's Yard, two shops which I can't help myself from wandering into and wanting everything I see.

3 New Things

We've made it through a month since the New Year began, which calls for some new items and new loves. The three makeup items I'm about to share with you, I received for Christmas, and I've been loving using all three products a lot. They're all from a brand called 'benefit', which is great at supplying amazing products, at a reasonably affordable price. Disclaimer: a bit more expensive than the drugstore, these products range from £15.50-£23.50.

My favourite makeup category to buy for is eye shadows. Another fact: I'm very picky about what colours go onto my eyes, - I like pinky, browny and goldy toned shadows. And finally I like a product when it lasts. The 'benefit creaseless cream eyeshadow in r.s.v.p' ticks all the boxes, it's a beautiful champagne pink, which has a little bit of gold shimmer running through it, and it lasts on your eyes for ages, being a cream shadow. It also comes in beautiful packaging which is not the handiest when travelling, but it is also a colour I have worn during the day for a light wash of colour, and in the evening as a base for other darker shades, and it is also quite build able, which is great. 

When making the perfect makeup look a great eye shadow doesn't always do the trick, you also need beautiful long lashes, to compliment your lids. And the 'benefit they're real! mascara in jet black' is great at doing just that. This mascara, ticks all the boxes, it lengthens, curls and volmizes you're lashes all at the same time! It doesn't smudge, and it also doesn't do that annoying that some mascara do - dry out and get crusty. It's also super easy to use and is very build able depending what look you're going for. 

I live in England, so in terms of getting a tan, you won't, so us Londoners have to really douse ourselves in bronzer to actually have a healthy skin tone. The 'benefit hoola bronzer' does just that. It's a matte bronzer, which doesn't look cakey, but simply gives your skin a nice bit of colour without over doing it. It's very easy to wear and apply, it's great for a subtle contour and is very blendable. It's not a scary product to use either, as it's very natural looking, so if you're someone who wants to look a little more bronzed its the one to go for. 

If you're interested I'd recommend trying all of these products. What do you think of them?

Places I love in London - Breakfast/Brunch

I have lived in London all my life, and in those nearly 14 years of being here I have been to many areas, eaten lots of food and discovered many places which I love going to and where I repeatedly go, so I thought I would share what and where those places are. Whether you've lived in London all you're life, or are travelling here for a few days, I'm sure you will learn something about London's many food, retail and entertainment destinations. I thought I would spread this guide into 4 blog posts, (so each isn't a mile long) - the first one about breakfast and brunch places, the second about lunch and dinner places, the third about coffee, sweet treats and juice places, and the last one about my favourite retail, entertainment places and areas in London. So this is the first post of the "Places I love in London" series.

BREAKFAST/BRUNCH

The Good Life Eatery - One of many healthy food cafes which London has on offer, but my favourite. The acai bowls are amazing, and their juices/smoothies are delicious. Great for a sit down meal with friends or a quick pit-stop before heading off somewhere. - Sloane Avenue, Chelsea

Hally's - One of my favourite places to go for breakfast, good for your typical Englsih breakfast, but also some healthier options as well - it has very trendy beach-style interior, magazine racks and amazing coffee, what's not to like? A lovely place to sit down and have a leisurely brunch with family, (it also has a great lunch and dinner menu too). - New Kings Road, Fulham

Tom's Kitchen - This restaurant has been around for a while now, and I've been there many times. It does an incredible coffee, and classic breakfast/brunch menu, you can get anything from pancakes to english breakfast to porridge, the menu will never let you down. - Cale Street, Chelsea

Granger & Co. - I love this place so much! Situated in Notting Hill, Granger & Co. is one of Australian chef Bill Granger's restaurants. It is a very aesthetically pleasing restaurant which is always heaving and whenever I seem to go there, there is always a queue, perhaps due to the coffee served there, or the corn fritters on their menu, which are my favourite thing, great place to go on a lazy weekend. -  Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill

Megan's - Very pretty and chic restaurant to go to; it has a beautiful garden in the back and does a great brunch. It is always buzzy, and has some very beautiful, rustic interiors. - Kings Road, Fulham

Daylesford - I love going to Daylesford, whether it's to pick up some organic produce or have a light breakfast, Daylesford always seems to impress. Daylesford is an organic farm from Gloucestershire, and it's got a very wholesome, natural and seasonal vibe, and its the perfect place to go for a Sunday morning browse. - Pimlico Road, Pimlico

Manuka Kitchen - This is a very popular brunch/lunch/dinner place on the Fulham Road, and whenever I go there I always seem to find a queue due to its very quaint but modern space. Lovely place to go with family and friends to eat some great food. - Fulham Road, Fulham

What are your favourite breakfast/brunch spots in London?

Goodbye 2015

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful NYE! I spent mine at home with fanily and friends watching films and eating probably a little too much Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream, but whatever! Today is the 1st January 2016, which is absolutely crazy! I feel like I was just celebrating the start of 2015 and now a whole has gone by! Today I thought I would share my new year's resolutions, which I probably won't keep, but will try to anyway, enjoy!

1. Be more positive and go on more adventures.

This is something I say to myself every single year: to be more positive and do more exciting things with my life, but that never seems to happen. But this year I'm going to change that! As a starting point I've already planned a few adventures for 2016, the main one being 10 days (or maybe 11, I can't remember) in China; specifically in Shanghai and Beijing. I am SO excited for this trip! As it's a school trip I am going with some of my friends, and we are all looking forward to eating some traditional Chinese cuisine, and also exploring some of China's history. I can't wait! Travelling is something which makes me feel very happy and grateful so will therefore (hopefully!) boost my positivity as well, as it's something I love doing. So my top tip for being more positive is doing more of what you love, which I'm definitely going to do more of in 2016.

2. Be more active and eating cleaner.

This is a new year's resolution which I think everyone sets themselves, but then normally fails, but this year I really want to eat a little healthier and do at least 20 minutes of exercise daily. In terms of eating healthier, I'm going to keep up my gluten free diet, and also limit my sugar to 3 yummies a week, which I think is a good starting point, and I hope by the end of the year that number will be a lot smaller. In terms of doing at least 20 minutes of exercise daily, I'm going to keep rowing, which I do around 4/5 times a week, and I'm also going to make sure I walk more often rather than taking the bus/tube or driving. I believe if I eat healthily and stay active I will become more positive at the end of it all, which is an added bonus. 

3. Make new friends and grow more confident around strangers.

I consider myself quite a confident person, but also someone who stays in the same friendship group, and doesn't branch out to other people as often as I should, so this year one of my resolutions is to make lots of new friends, whether that's in school or though family and friends, or possibly even through social media. Being confident is something that especially teens struggle with if that's from not being body confident or just being quite an anxious person, and I think it's something which we could all grow to be more of, so that's why it's one of my resolutions for 2016.

A few smaller goals:

- Reading at least one book a month. 

- Update the look of my blog.

- Declutter my room: throw some things out and buy new ones.

- Spending less money on beauty (especially from Lush!). 

What are your New Years Resolutions?

Casual Wardrobe Staples

So today, I was in the mood to talk about clothes. And in particular casual, comfortable but effortlessly cool clothes, because that's basically all I wear. My style is quite tom-boyey and sporty and very laid-back and cool.

TOP

Whenever I'm just chilling at home, you will 99.9% of the time find me in a baggy top with some sort of slogan/animal on it. And my latest obsession is this one from PULL&BEAR, and it is a cream t-shirt with cuffs on the sleeves and it says the slogan, "Wait what?", which is something I apparently say a lot, so there's a little bit of a joke behind it. But anyway it's really easy to wear, it's comfortable and I have worn this to bed before, (whoops!). Anyway the next item is a jumper and it's from urban outfitters, which is one of my favourite shops at the moment. This specific jumper is a turtle neck, but it doesn't come too high up your neck, more like halfway, and its white and grey striped, it's quite delicate because it's quite thin wool but it is so warm and soft. 

BOTTOM

My favourite piece of clothing ever is the classic dark-wash skinny jeans/jeggings, and my favourites right now are these jeggings from MANGO which is a brand which I don't always look immediately to, but their jeans collection is amazing! these particular ones are dark blue and as they're jeggings are a comfy, slightly stretchy material, so they're great for everyday use. My next item is a skirt which some people wouldn't call casual wear, but I have worn this for many causal occasions and this particular one is perfect, but you can dress it up as well. This skirt which I'm talking about is again from urban outfitters, and is a black skirt which is quite short, but not very, (I wear mine around half-way to 2/3 up my thighs), and it has 2 big black pockets at the front. 

SHOES

My shoe style is very comfy, laid-back but what I would consider quite cool, anyway my first pari of shoes which I have been loving recently are my Adidas Superstars in red. I have been eyeing these for so long, and about a week ago, I went out and bought them and they are my new obsession. They are very comfortable and easy to wear with most things, though I just wear them with jeans. They are mainly white, but have 3 red stripes on each side. My other pair of shoes are from Superga, and are also very easy to wear and comfy, they are the White Flatform ones, which basically means they have a little platform on them, which is very useful for me, as recently I've been feeling very short, and I like to wear these with jeans as well, and with the skirt I mentioned above. With these I'd suggest going down at least one shoe size, as they are sized quite big. I ordered a size 6, which is what I am in most shoes, but I had to go a size and a half down to make them actually fit, so take that advice from me.

What is your casual clothing staple at the moment?

Post Christmas Depression Pamper

Hello! And merry (late) Christmas! Today I was in the mood to write about something related so I decided to share what I'm calling "My Post Christmas Depression Pamper". I'm probably not the only one who after Christmas is over is depressed about it, and just wants Christmas to come around all over again. So I thought I would share my pamper routine for when I just want to relax and pretend like it's Christmas again, by using Christmassy related products. Anyway let's get into this!

So the first thing I do whenever I'm having a pamper routine is to light a candle and put on some music. Today as we're trying to get back into the spirit I put on some Christmas music, and one of my favourites is The Vamp's album "Meet the Vamps (Christmas Edition)". And I lit the Diptyque "Ambre" candle which is quite a warm, woody and elegant scent, which is quite spicy too, it's very relaxing!

Next I start running a bath, I have a bath whenever I have a pamper evening because it's a great thing to do when you want to unwind and relax. Anyway after I do that I put in some products, the first one is a lush "Magic Wand Bubble Wand", it is a big pink star on the end of a stick, (a magic wand), and it smells like sweet cotton candy, basically the scent of Snow Fairy Shower Gel in a bubble bar. To use this you swirl it around running water. Then when my bath is ready I pop in a bath bomb, and today I used another lush product, "Golden Wonder Bath Bomb" which is shaped like a present and it is gold with a white bow, it smells very zesty and fresh and the idea is you put it into the bath and as it fizzes it reveals a turquoise explosion, which is very pretty.

Once I'm in the bath I tend to put on a face mask, one of my favourites is a new one from lush called "Rosey Cheeks", which is a pink coloured face mask which smells like roses; it is very relaxing and soothing on the skin, it removes dirt and tones your skin too. Once that's on I like too use a body conditioner, also from lush, surprise surprise, anyway a body conditioner is basically a hair conditioner for your body, so the idea is it cleans your skin leaving it feeling really soft and pampered. My favourite is from the Christmas collection and it's called "Christingle", it smells very minty and fresh and is a bright blue colour.

When I'm finally out of the bath I take off the face mask and head back into my bedroom to moisturise. My favourite moisturiser at the moment is from & other stories, which is a brand which sells jewellery, make up, perfume, clothes and of course bath and body products. I like the body soufflé's they do there and in particular the "Sirocco Sands Body Soufflé" which is really moisturising and leaves your skin feeling really silky and smooth. The scent itself is very warm, woody and slightly fruity, it is also feels very light on your skin, and the scent isn't too strong once it's on. Finally I like to give my lips a little bit of a pamper, and I like the Body Shop's "Wild Argan Oil Solid Oil Lips", it smells amazing, very nutty and luxurious, and it gives your lips a nice shine and it hydrates them too.

What are your favourite "Post Christmas Depression Pamper" products?